'Yes,' Cam had whispered, just as she kissed her.
'I'm sorry?' Blair said, realizing that Cam had been speaking to her.
Cam watched Blair's eyes swim into focus, just as they did after they made love and she slowly returned to herself. It was the sexiest thing she had ever seen and she had to concentrate on her words to remember what she had been saying. 'The FBI and my team have each independently cleared your building for reoccupancy.
Blair nodded. 'I'd like to go home then.'
'I know.'
'What do you think?'
Cam shrugged and admitted reluctantly, 'I think another day won't matter. I trust my team, and I don't believe that the situation will be any different unless we remain here indefinitely.'
Blair smiled, remembering the last two days and the few moments she had been able to have alone with Cam. 'There is something to be said for being locked up here with you.'
Cam's eyes darkened and her grin was slow and easy. 'There is indeed.'
Blair's heart rate doubled just in response to the husky familiarity in Cam's voice. Unfortunately, the rest of her responded too, and as much as she enjoyed the sensation, she was all too aware that it might be some time before she could satisfy the pressure beginning to build inside.
She flushed as she watched Cam's gaze fall to her breasts. The width of the table separated them, but she felt the glance as if Cam's hands were on her. Her nipples stiffened under the thin cotton. 'Don't do that,' she said very quietly, her voice oddly breathy.
'What would that be, Ms. Powell?' Cam murmured, her fingers trembling with the desire to skim along the surface of the soft skin visible at the neck of Blair's shirt.I'm in big trouble.
'Don't look at me like that in public,' Blair rejoined softly, 'because in case you haven't noticed, self-control has never been my strong suit.'
Cam lifted eyes hazy with longing to Blair's. The wanting was a hard ache in her gut. Her chest tight, she whispered, 'Then I promise not to tease you - in public.'
Blair shivered lightly, like an animal run too hard in the hot sun, and nodded, her voice gone, her blood burning. She had never expected this helplessness in the face of desire. If this was what loving Cameron would mean, she wasn't sure she would survive it.
'I must go,' Cam said gently, because leaving her was the last thing she wanted at that moment.
'All right. For now,' Blair murmured, following her with her eyes as she walked to the edge of the deck.
Cam stepped down beside Stark and said, 'Tell the team we'll be leaving for the Aerie at 1300 hours.'
Paula Stark, who appeared to be engrossed in the feeding habits of two fat robins on the lush green lawn, answered, 'Yes, ma'am.'
*
Stark heard the patio door open and close and glanced over her shoulder to ascertain that Blair Powell was still within visual range. Seeing that she was, she returned her gaze to the perimeter and her mind to the previous evening. She had been standing almost in this exact spot a little after sundown, when the patio door had slid open then and Renee Savard had walked down the stairs to her side.
'Everything quiet?' Savard asked, leaning one shoulder against the deck support.
'Very,' Stark answered, glad for the company. There was nothing quite so long or quite so lonely as the night shift.
'Agent Ryan leave yet?' Savard questioned casually.
'About an hour ago. She left some files for the Commander to review, but she said that she can do more from Quantico where she has better access to the databanks.'
'She seems to know what she's doing,' Savard appraised honestly.
Stark shifted her weight and automatically slid her hands into her pockets in an unconscious gesture similar to Cameron Roberts. 'She's very sharp. I'm glad that the Commander brought her up here today, because now I don't feel like I'm chasing some phantom. At least I have a picture of him in my mind.'
Savard nodded in agreement. 'Well, I'd certainly rather work with her than some of the hotheads from violent crimes we usually get stuck with on something like this.'
Stark laughed in agreement. 'Boys with guns.'
'Actually, I've always been partial to girls with guns,' Savard said with a soft smile.
Stark was grateful for the darkness, because her blush would have been impossible to hide. Suddenly, the night seemed much warmer, and she was acutely aware of the way Renee Savard's voice sounded in the night. Low and smooth and - sexy. She swallowed and managed to answer steadily, 'So am I.'
'Well, that's nice to know,' Savard responded. 'When things quiet down a little on this detail, we should see what else we might have in common.'
'Uh - that would be a--good,' Stark said, cursing herself for sounding like a dolt.
Savard smiled at her. 'I don't think that Secret Service agents are supposed to be quite so sweet, Agent Stark. But on you it's very nice.'
Stark was trying to think of a clever response when Savard brushed her fingers over the back of her hand and walked away.
'Stark?'
