Madam President (73 page)

Dev reached down and grabbed the comforter. She raised the edge of the thick, soft cloth and brought it back down in a lighting-fast move that sent most of Lauren's papers sailing straight into the air. For a split second, they floated around Lauren's head and legs, then drifted down to the comforter like large, rectangular pieces of snow. "That," Dev smoothed the comforter back into place, "is the way I feel."
Take that, messy... messy... err... foot shaker!

"Ooooo!" Lauren's face turned bright red, and she launched herself at her lover, wrapping her arms around Dev and swinging her back onto the bed with a loud grunt. "I can't believe... uuff... you... did that!"

Dev instantly rolled over, pinning Lauren down with her body weight. "Believe it!"

Lauren's nostrils flared. "Get off me!"

"No! You're making me crazy!"

"Me? Ha!" Lauren began pushing against Dev, trying to dislodge her. "You're the one driving me crazy!" the writer choked out forcefully, her face turning even redder.

The veins in Dev's throat, and one in her forehead, began to bulge as she pushed back against Lauren with all her might, refusing to release her captive. "I'm not letting you up! You'll just make more mess and bounce, and bounce, and bounce," Dev bounced against Lauren to emphasize her words, causing the headboard to slam against the wall with her every movement.

Lauren exhaled explosively, and perspiration beaded her upper lip as she threw her entire body into her escape attempt.

"And then you'll nag," Dev grunted, fully realizing for the first time just how much strength Lauren's compact body contained as the shorter woman nearly wriggled free.

"Nag? I think not, Queen Nag!" Lauren was finally able to sneak her arms out from between their bodies, but her wrists were quickly caught by Dev, who held them over her head and pressed them into the soft pillows. "Dammit! Get off me so I can kill you!"

"Never! Never! Never!"

Their eyes locked, and they held each other's defiant gazes for all of two seconds before they both burst into helpless laughter. Dev let go of Lauren's wrists, and this time it was their giggles that shook the bed.

Lauren let out a deep breath, shifting slightly so that Dev wasn't pressing so firmly against her rib cage. She wrapped her arms loosely around her partner, feeling soft, dark hair slide between her fingers. "I think we've both officially lost our minds. The pressure has finally caused us to snap." But she was smiling the entire time she spoke and truly couldn't think of a nicer spot on earth than right where she was.

"Uh huh," Dev agreed. She leaned forward and brushed her lips against the soft ones only a few inches away, parting them easily with her tongue and deepening the kiss.

Lauren moaned softly and pulled a leg out from under Dev, immediately wrapping it around Dev's legs, holding the older woman in place. They were both breathing heavily and perspiring from their roughhousing and the unexpectedly intense kiss they'd just shared.

"We're fussing and nagging like an old married couple," Dev murmured, placing another small kiss at the corner of Lauren's mouth before pulling back slightly, and loving the intimate way their bodies were now twined together.

Lauren nodded. She cocked her head to the side speculatively as she truly considered Dev's words. "We do sound married, don't we?"

Dev laughed. "Oh, yeah." The writer's body felt hot against her skin and, unable to resist, she nuzzled the smooth, hot skin of Lauren's throat.

Lauren gasped as attentive lips and teeth found a sensitive spot along her jugular. "So why don't we then?"

"Why don't we what?" Dev's lips tenderly began working their way around Lauren's throat, and the blonde arched against the touch.

"Get married." The words were out before she could stop them or think about what she was saying.

Dev's lips halted mid kiss, and her body went deadly still. Her eyes slid closed for several heartbeats as her mind raced. Then she pulled back slowly and opened them. "Did you just propose?"

Lauren blinked.
Oh, my God. That's exactly what I did!
I didn't mean to do that, did I?
A bolt of sheer panic raced through her, but she was surrounded by the reassuring weight of her lover, who grounded her in more ways than one. And with every breath came the reassuring scent her mind would forever tell her was Dev. Her anxiety passed almost as quickly as it had appeared, replaced instead by an unyielding certainty she hadn't even known herself capable of. Even if she hadn't intended to say it, deep in her heart it was what she wanted. "I..." She licked her lips, unable to gauge Dev's response by the look on her face. "I guess so." Lauren steeled herself for... she wasn't sure what. "Yes, yes I did." Firmer this time.

Dev couldn't help but smile. Part of her wanted to choke Lauren for completely ruining all those weeks of planning. All the worry and fear she had put herself through were for nothing! But a bigger part of her was thrilled senseless. So senseless, in fact that for just a moment she forgot to answer Lauren's question until she felt the increased thudding of Lauren's rapid heartbeat against her own chest. "Yes." She smiled and quirked a brow.

Lauren studied Dev's face carefully; her own tentative smile appeared, and she released a slightly shuddering breath. But Dev had taken so long to answer she wasn't sure they were even talking about the same thing anymore. "Yes, what?" Lauren held her breath, her heart skipping a beat at the sudden twinkle in Dev's eyes.

Dev shot her a mildly exasperated look. "Whaddya think? Yes, I'll marry you, ya goof."

Lauren was speechless. "Wow," she finally breathed, hugging Dev with all her might. "This is so great." Lauren buried her face in Dev's hair. "I love you so much."

Dev tightened her hold on Lauren. "I love you too, sweetheart."

Pale brows drew tightly together. "Can we even get married here?"
God, Lauri, you might have checked before you asked.

Dev smiled at the sudden worry that colored Lauren's voice. She propped herself down on one elbow and traced the writer's cheeks, then fair eyebrows. "Every state, including DC, will recognize another state's marriage. But not every state will perform the ceremony." Dev's eyes conveyed true regret. "Tennessee won't. I'm sorry, honey."

Lauren shrugged. It hadn't crossed her mind to go back there anyway. "But I bet Ohio does, right?" she asked innocently, batting fair lashes and waiting for the response she knew she'd get.

A brilliant smile broke out across Dev's face, causing tiny creases around her eyes.

Oh, yeah. That was the right thing to say.

"It sure as hell does!" Dev blurted happily, rolling off Lauren and onto her back. "My folks will be thrilled." She turned her head and regarded her companion lovingly. "I'm thrilled," she whispered, her voice cracking.

Lauren rolled onto her side to face Dev. Her smile mirrored the dark-haired woman's. "Me too, darlin'." She slipped off her glasses, and, without turning her head, reached behind her and set them on the nightstand.

"You just don't want to be part of the spectacle of a White House wedding," Dev teased.

Lauren chuckled softly and rolled on top of Dev, settling heavily there. "I just want to make you happy." A slender brow quirked. "And if we happen to be able to piss off the Press in the process..." Lauren could feel Dev's silent laughter.

"No wonder I love you. You're evil. Who could resist that?"

"Uh huh," Lauren agreed, leaning forward and tasting the soft skin just below Dev's throat. She reached up and unbuttoned the top button of the President's pajamas so her lips could drift lower. "Really evil," she agreed softly, unable to resist opening a second button, and releasing more of Dev's shower-clean scent.

Dev sighed softly and pushed her hands underneath Lauren's thin T-shirt, trailing them up her naked back.

The smaller woman murmured her approval at Dev's gentle touch. A third, then fourth button was slowly undone as Lauren worked her way lower still, exposing more warm, slightly salty skin to her lips and tongue. When the last button was freed she reached up and pushed the flannel shirt open and nuzzled the silky underside of Dev's left breast. "Mmmm... God, Devlyn," she groaned, her tongue darted out, tracing a hot path from the underside of Dev's breast to the center breastbone, "you are so soft."

Dev gasped, and her eyes slid closed, a flood of warmth spreading down from her belly and settling between her legs at Lauren's sensual touch. She sat up, taking the smaller woman with her and covering Lauren's mouth with a passionate kiss.

Lauren swept the pajama top from Dev's strong shoulders, hazily marveling at the combination of sleek muscles and smooth skin beneath her hands as the President continued to kiss her senseless. Her hands moved into thick, dark hair, where her nails grazed Dev's scalp. She deepened the kiss further, swirling her hot tongue around Dev's as she swallowed her lover's moans.

Reluctantly, Dev began to pull away. "You too," she encouraged raggedly, her chest heaving.

Lauren's eyes fluttered open, and she looked at Dev blankly for a several seconds as the words penetrated her brain.

"You too. I need to touch you, too." Dev tugged at the hem of Lauren's shirt.

Lauren lifted her arms high over her head, and her T-shirt was tugged off in one swift motion and tossed to the floor. Their movements slowed, as they traded kisses and tenderly whispered words. Next came flannel, sweats, and panties, until at last they fell together in a tangle of arms and legs, groaning at the flawless contact of naked skin on naked skin.

"I want to kiss and taste you everywhere," Dev murmured against Lauren's chest. A low but enthusiastic moan answered her, and she turned her head to the side to nip and lick against a sensitive nipple.

"Oh, Dev," Lauren whimpered, her body jerking slightly at the delicious sensation. "You enjoy teasing me, don't you?" Then she felt as though she couldn't draw in enough air as Dev began doing anything but tease.

As she used her mouth to entice the woman in her arms, Dev's hands slowly traced hot paths up the sides of Lauren's slightly damp body. She moved from knees to shoulders, and then back down again, soaking in the exquisite feeling of soft skin under her hands.

The sensation of short, well-manicured nails gently grazing her back and shoulders sent shivers through her own body, causing a moan to escape Dev's throat. The President never realized how much she ached for this woman's touch until she was receiving it. Lauren simply had a way of eliciting every emotion that Dev was capable of feeling.

They made love slowly, passionately. Taking the time to truly enjoy each other, to caress and gently kiss, experiencing the best of what each offered the other. Sensual hums of delight mixed with low, throaty groans.

A smile curled Dev's lips when her ears picked up the soft but nearly constant moans that spoke of Lauren's arousal and love, with just a little impatience thrown in, as the smaller woman tried to get her body closer to Devlyn's. Dev had come to recognize these as the signals of her lover's impending climax. She held Lauren closer still, wanting it as much as Lauren did, her own body reacting strongly to the sights and smells and sounds surrounding her.

Dev whispered words of love and devotion as their bodies instinctively found the rhythm that would cause them to experience together the pleasure that only they could bring each other. And when Lauren threw her head back and cried out softly, Dev followed right behind her. The sight of her lover's face as she released, the feeling of Lauren's sweat-slicked body bucking beneath her and the fingers that had become talons digging into her shoulder blades, were more than enough to bring her to her own precipice and beyond.