for breakfast. “Considering that we disappeared right after dinner last night?”
Dev tugged her to a stop at the edge of the clearing. “If we walk in together
again, and you still have that look on your face, your mother is going to know
what we’ve been doing all night.”
“What look?”
“That ‘I’ve just been fu—’”
“I do not have that look,” Leslie feigned indignation.
Dev dragged her off the trail and pinned her against a tree with the weight of her
body, her forearms on either side of Leslie’s shoulders.
“You do. Your eyes are soft and dreamy,” she kissed Leslie’s eyelids,
“and your lips are a little bit bruised,” she skimmed her tongue over Leslie’s
lower lip, “and it takes you a lonnng time to make sentences.”
She cupped Leslie’s breast and kissed her more seriously. “And you keep
sending me signals that keep me hard all the time.”
“Maybe I want you hard and hungry all the time,” Leslie murmured.
She returned the kiss vigorously, then abruptly pushed Dev away and snuck out
from underneath her arm. She was breathing hard and she was wet again, and
she was almost afraid to let Dev know how much she wanted her every single
second. “But I happen to be hungry for pancakes.”
“Then try to behave while we’re in there,” Dev threatened, seizing Leslie’s hand
once more. “Because you’re driving me crazy.”
“Oh good.”
“Have a heart. I don’t want your mother to see me whimpering and drooling.”
“Why not? She knows we’ve got something going on.”
“She does?” Dev asked in surprise.
“Well, she knows I’ve got the major hots for you.”
“How?”
“Because I told her.”
Dev stopped again. “You did? When?”
Leslie dipped her head, suddenly shy. “More or less all summer. I think she
knew before I did how serious it was.”
“Serious, huh?” Dev circled Leslie’s waist and pulled her close.
She brushed her cheek against Leslie’s, then murmured in her ear,
“How serious?”
“Very.” Leslie wrapped her arms around Dev’s shoulders and leaned her head
on Dev’s shoulder as she watched the mist rise off the lake and burn away in the
early morning sunshine. “We’re never going to make it to the lodge if you keep
grabbing me.”
“Can’t help myself.” Dev stroked Leslie’s hair. “I’ve got a lot of time to make
up for.”
“Could take a while.”
“I know.”
“I’m hungry.”
Dev laughed. “I love you.”
“I love you. Give me a cup of coffee and something to eat and I’ll show you just
how much.”
“Last night you promised to help your father down at the boathouse this
morning.”
Leslie frowned. “I did? That must have been when I was fantasizing about silk
scarves and tying you—”
“Oh yeah. Sounds good.” Dev kissed her quickly. “But we don’t have to do it
all today. We’ve got time.”
“Do we?” Leslie asked softly.
“Remember our deal,” Dev said softly. “Food ? rst, then go help your father.
We’ll talk this afternoon before we go back to the cabin.”
Leslie nodded seriously, wishing they could pretend just a little while longer that
this magic time would never end. “All right.”
“It will be okay, Les,” Dev said, but her eyes were troubled.
“I know,” Leslie said, wanting fervently to believe.
Dev leaned back on her elbows on the grassy slope, enjoying the sunshine, the
breeze off the lake, and the view. The best part of the view was Leslie, cleaning
and stowing gear under her father’s direction down on the dock. She’d dressed
for dirty work in cut-off blue jeans, a faded T-shirt, and old sneakers. Dev
hadn’t seen her look so casual, or so relaxed, since their last summer in high
school. Leslie was all woman now, but her light laughter ? oating up the hill
reminded Dev of when they were kids and the summer seemed endless. For the
? rst time, the memories didn’t hurt.
As Leslie walked up the hill, she studied Dev with a quizzical expression. “What
are you thinking of?”
“You.”
To her surprise, Leslie felt herself blushing. They’d spent nearly every minute
since she’d arrived making love, and there hadn’t been a place on her body Dev
hadn’t touched. But the tender way she spoke as she gazed at her—as if Leslie
were the most beautiful woman in the world—struck a chord far deeper than
even the intense physical passion they had shared. Leslie dropped down next to
Dev and kissed her on the cheek. “What about me?”
“I was just thinking that being with you now has given me back some of the
most important moments of my life.” Dev covered Leslie’s hand with hers. “I
feel like I’ve spent my whole life loving you.” She met Leslie’s gaze. “And it’s all
good, now.”
Leslie’s lips parted as her eyes quickly misted over. “Oh, Dev. I don’t think I
can stand not to be with you.”
With a sigh, Dev sat up and folded her arms on her bent knees.
“I’ve been offered a research position at the Freshwater Institute.”
“In Bolton?” Leslie said, picturing the lab only twenty minutes away from her
parents’ house. Three hours from Manhattan.
“Yes.”
“Is that what you want, though?” Leslie asked, ? nding it hard to believe that
Dev would be happy working inside in a lab all the time.
“I wouldn’t take it unless they let me make my own schedule, including time
away for ? eldwork.” Dev met Leslie’s gaze. “I’d be a lot closer to you, then,
most of the time.”
“But is it what you want?”
“What I want, Leslie, is you.”
“What about…what I do?” Leslie asked softly. “You must hate it.”
Dev shrugged, smiling slightly. “I’ve spent enough time as an expert witness to
