Honor Guards Part 11

S tark stared at the numbers on the rectangular panel to the right of the elevator doors as they slowly ascended. Renee stood silently beside her, the fingers of her right hand lightly wrapped around Stark's forearm. She could feel the heat even through the brushed cotton of her blazer. 12... 13... 14...With each pa.s.sing floor, her heart rate accelerated and the roiling in her stomach ratcheted up a notch.

I'm going to blow it. I don't even know what she likes. I'm not even sure I'd know how to do it even if I did know what she likes.

The elevator glided to a stop with a barely perceptible hitch. For what seemed like an eternity, Stark thought the doors might not open. Then she found herself in the hallway outside room 2010 watching Renee slide the key card through the lock. She cleared her throat and resisted the urge to shuffle her feet. Instead, she dutifully followed Renee inside and stood waiting while Renee reached behind her, removed the Do Not Disturb sign, and hung it outside on the door handle.

Oh my G.o.d.

Uncertain of the next move, Stark remained statue-still while Renee locked the door, set the security chain in place, and moved around the room to turn on a few lights. Mouth dry, heart jackhammering in her ears, Stark searched frantically for something to say.

My legs are numb. I can 't feel my hands. Jesus, what if I can't come. She'll think I don't like it. Don't like her.

Renee twisted the dimmer switch until the lights in the sitting area were barely a faint glow. Then she crossed back to Stark and slipped both hands inside the edges of the dark blue blazer, resting her palms against Stark's chest, her fingertips riding the edges of her collarbones. She gently smoothed her hands back and forth.

"This isn't a test. There's no right or wrong way to do it. There's just us...together...touching."

The sound of Renee's calm, kind voice, the brilliant light in her eyes, the warm welcoming touch of her hands-those were the things that quelled Stark's anxiety and left her smiling. She cupped her palm to the back of Renee's neck and leaned forward, skimming her lips over Renee's. Lost in the soft heat of Renee's mouth, she didn't think beyond the next caress or any further than the small nip of flesh and the moan of pleasure the gentle bite elicited. She couldn't be nervous when Renee was all she knew.

Wrapping her arms around Stark's solid waist, Renee sighed and tilted her head back, her eyes liquid. "You're so d.a.m.n good at that."

"What?" Stark's voice was husky as she slowly worked her hand between Renee's sweater and the blouse beneath, circling her palm over Renee's lower back, loving the way the strong muscles tensed beneath her fingers through the thin covering of silk.

"Kissing. You're an amazing kisser."

"Yeah?" Stark grinned. "Then I have a suggestion."

Renee struggled to follow the conversation as the lower half of her body turned molten under Stark's hands. It wasn't even an intentionally seductive caress, just a steady ma.s.sage of fingertips along her spine, and yet, her thighs trembled. What will happen to me when those fingers finally touch my skin? She moaned softly, then sharply caught her breath at the rapid flutter of excitement in the depths of her belly. She forced herself to focus. "What?"

"Since I'm doing okay in the kissing department, let's just lie down and start there."

"Good idea." Renee took Stark's hand. "I don't know why I didn't think of it myself." Except none of my brain cells seem to be firing at the moment, and all the blood in my body is headed in the opposite direction.

Renee left the lamps off in the bedroom, but enough illumination filtered through from the room beyond to light their way. Once at the bedside, she lifted off her cashmere sweater and tossed it onto the back of a nearby chair. Since she was in Paris on vacation, she wasn't carrying her weapon. But Stark was, and after removing her blazer, she slid the holster from her waistband with the kind of practiced move that was automatic and set it on the night table. Renee kicked off her shoes as Stark sat on the side of the bed and removed hers.

Stark looked up to find Renee watching her with a half-smile on her face. "What?"

"Still nervous?"

"Some."

"We don't have to rush."

"You don't have to go slow just for me, you know. I might fumble, but I'll keep up."

Renee moved closer to stand between Stark's parted thighs. She worked her fingers into the seated woman's hair, slowly drawing the thick dark strands between her fingers. "I have every confidence that you won't drop the ball, Paula." She tilted Stark's head back and leaned down, starting her own exploration of Stark's full, sensuous lips. She sucked lightly before sliding her tongue along the inner surfaces, closing her eyes as a wave of heat and longing washed through her. Her mouth still brushing Stark's, she murmured, "I'm going slowly for me."

Stark put both hands on Renee's waist and dropped back on the bed, bringing the other woman with her. Together, they rolled to the center until they were facing each other, gently embracing. Stark brushed her fingers through Renee's wavy hair. "In the academy I had a reputation for being the most persistent cadet- not the smartest or the fastest, but the one that never gave up. And I always finished everything I started."

"I'm not worried a bit about you finishing anything," Renee whispered. "But I want to enjoy every minute of getting there."

"I think we can do that." Stark wrapped one arm more tightly around Renee's waist, drawing her close as she found her mouth again. At first, she kept her eyes open, hoping not to miss one second of the experience. After a few moments, however, the pleasure, carried on the rapid rush of blood through the muscles and sinew of her body, forced her to close her eyes. The sensations were far too sweet, the ache too deep, to do anything more than fly with them. Distantly, above the roar of her own heart thundering, she heard Renee moan softly. It was a high, sweet sound of longing and surrender. Desire surged from her depths, and without conscious thought, she roiled onto her back, drawing Renee on top of her, desperately needing to bring her closer.

"Oh G.o.d," Renee murmured as she fit her thighs and belly and b.r.e.a.s.t.s to Stark's, suddenly feeling her everywhere. They were both still fully clothed, but her skin tingled as if there were no barriers between them. "You feel so good."

Stark pulled the blouse from Renee's slacks and smoothed both hands up either side of her spine, fanning her fingers over the finely muscled back. She gasped when Renee pressed her hips into her, striking a spot that made her stomach clench and her breath catch on a groan. "You...too." She brought one hand between them and touched the top b.u.t.ton of Renee's blouse. "Can I?"

"Oh...yes." Stunned by the sweetness of the question, Renee was forced to close her eyes against the swift surge of excitement that beat again between her thighs. Too soon. Too soon to feel so much. But she couldn't stop the feelings, either in her body or her heart. Shifting to straddle Stark's hips, she made room for the agile fingers that opened each b.u.t.ton on her blouse with careful deliberation. She loved that about Stark--how careful she was with everything. As the silk parted over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, exposing the scant lacy bra she wore beneath, she shrugged her shoulders and let the garment fall behind her. With one hand, she reached down and tugged Stark's shirt from beneath the waistband of her pants, pushing it up until her abdomen was bare. Then she lay back down upon her, moaning softly as their sldn touched in that one small spot.

Instinctively, Stark cupped Renee's hips and pulled her tightly between her legs. She couldn't seem to get close enough to her. Her voice was a hoa.r.s.e whisper as she gasped, "I feel like something inside of me is breaking apart, I want you so much."

Renee pressed her face to the curve of Stark's neck, fighting to still the motion of her hips. She wasn't ready to let go yet, but the movement was too stimulating for her to hold off for long. "The things you say..the way you touch me. You break my heart."

"Renee..."

"In a good way." Then Renee kissed her again, pushing up just enough to slip her fingers between them and pull open the b.u.t.tons on Stark's shirt. As she slid a trembling hand inside, over the silk tank top beneath, Stark smoothed a hand up her back and opened the clasp on her bra. As her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were released, Renee moaned at the sudden freedom and the unexpected heaviness of the arousal swelling them. She arched her neck, her stomach quivering. "Touch me. Please."

Stark was very much afraid she might pa.s.s out. Even though she was lying down, she was breathing so quickly it felt as if no air was actually traversing her lungs. Her heart was a wild thing trying to tear its way from her chest. What had started as a distant pulse in the pit of her stomach had grown into a fist hammering between her thighs. Still, her hand seemed to move in slow motion as she raised her fingertips to brush lightly over the pebbled peak of Renee's breast. The small cry it drew from the woman in her arms tore through her like a knife. She could bleed to death on the beauty of that sound.

"I want..." There were no words. She wasn't even certain there was any way, any way at all, to possibly convey with her earthbound body the magnitude of her emotions. But she had no language beyond the touch of her hand and the caress of her mouth. She raised her hips and turned, carrying Renee to her back as she shifted upon her. At the same time, she lowered her head and tenderly took Renee's nipple into her mouth, enclosing it gently, carefully.

Even with Stark's weight upon her, Renee arched off the bed, lifting them both as the sweet agony centered in her breast. "Oh my G.o.d."

Startled by her own actions, Stark moved her mouth away. "Did I hur-"

Renee drove her fingers into Stark's hair and forced her mouth back onto her breast. Gasping, she pleaded, "Don't stop. Please. Please."

Stark closed her eyes, fearing that she couldn't have stopped even if asked. Renee's fingers dug into her shoulders and she was moving- they were moving-in urgent tandem now. Thigh between thigh, belly to belly, they drove each other higher. She sucked the stone-hard nipple, reveling in the small sounds that Renee made, finding the other breast with her hand and squeezing to the same rhythm as her lips played on the swollen breast in her mouth. She might have gone on forever, lost in the sweet power of the moment, except another ache clamored for attention. A terrible pressure, insistent and unrelenting, throbbed in her depths. She turned her face and pressed her cheek to Renee's breast. "Can we..." She lost her breath as Renee curled one leg over the back of her thigh and pushed up into her hard, striking the spot between her legs that threatened to explode. "Oh...jeez...clothes...can we get undressed?"

"Yes. G.o.d yes." Before the words had left her, Renee was tugging at Stark's shirt, desperate to strip it from her.

Rolling away, Stark fumbled at the b.u.t.tons and zipper of her fly, her hands clumsy with urgency. It seemed to take forever, but it was only seconds before they were naked and reaching for each other again.

Time slowed. The room, the world outside it, even the susurrous rustle of the sheets beneath their bodies dissolved into silent wonder.

"Paula..." Renee cupped her palm against Stark's cheek, meeting her eyes as the lengths of their bodies touched for the first time. She caught back a sob of delighted surprise at the first brush of soft smooth skin.

"Renee." Stark cradled Renee's head in the bend of her arm and glided her hand down her side, over her hips to her thigh, imprinting every curve and line of her sleek, firmly muscled form in her mind. She'd imagined it-dreamed it-countless times, but nothing she'd conjured in her mind came anywhere close to the reality. "Tell me what you like."

"You," Renee murmured, quivering beneath Stark's hands. "You are exactly what I like."

Stark pressed her lips to the hollow at the base of Renee's throat, awestruck at the beauty of the pulse pounding through the vessels just beneath the skin. So fragile, so strong, so very much Renee. Tenderly, she brought her mouth to the scar slanting over Renee's left shoulder, shivering with the memory of the gunshot and her own terror as that precious life ebbed away on a tide of blood. "Don't let me hurt you--you're still healing."

"Oh, no." Renee stroked Stark's cheek. "You won't. I know it"

Stark raised her head, her eyes dark with yearning. "Help me please you. I want to so much."

Renee tightened her hold as she turned onto her back, drawing Stark above her. She wrapped her arms around Stark's shoulders and her legs around Stark's hips. Pressing her mouth to Stark's ear, she whispered, "I like you on top of me, pressing down into me. It makes me want to come."

That request was easy to fulfill, because Stark didn't have any choice but to rock into her. The pleasure inside of her was screaming to get out, to burst free, to explode from her on a flood of sweet agony. They found the rhythm easily, body to body, heart to heart, and together, they rode the wild edge of desire. Stark groaned. Renee was hot and wet against her own ready flesh, and she shivered as a familiar tingling began to ripple along her spine. "I think..." She struggled for breath. "I think if we keep this up, I might..come first."

"Oh, yes. Yes. Paula, let me feel you."

I shouldn't..I should wai...Oh G.o.d Oh...G.o.d..."I'm coming," Stark gasped desperately, her breath sobbing out. "I'm...sorry."

"Oh sweetie." Renee fitfully stroked Stark's cheek, her hair, her back as her own pa.s.sion rose. "It's okay. It's wonderful."

Still shuddering, eyes dim with the last shock of release, Stark braced herself on her forearms and watched Renee's face as, together, they continued their frantic thrusts. Hips churning, they pushed harder, rocked faster, slid against each other in a hot slick wash of need. Renee's eyes were nearly closed, her fips parted almost in surprise, her head tilted back. She looked vulnerable and glorious. In the distant reaches of her consciousness, Stark was aware of her own excitement condensing once more into a hard knot in the pit of her stomach, gathering force for another explosion that threatened to rend her soul beyond redemption. But that pleasure was nothing compared to the sight and sounds of Renee's desire. She wanted, hungered, for more.

"I want to be inside you," Stark implored.

"Hurry." Renee's stomach fluttered and her legs tensed. "I'm so close."

But Stark did not hurry. She eased onto her side and smoothed her palm down the center of Renee's body, over the hard quivering muscles in her abdomen and between her clenched thighs. Instantly, she felt the heat against the palm of her hand, and she drew gentle fingers through the wet, slick folds.

Renee's hips bucked as Stark circled her c.l.i.toris, and she gave a startled moan. "There. Oh, yes, there."

Stark forgot to breathe. She forgot her own need. She forgot that she'd never done this before. All she knew was the hard, full heart of Renee 's desire and the terrible wonderful desperate longing to touch all of her, to the depths of her soul. When she slipped inside, she was immediately enclosed by hot smooth muscles. She heard Renee's breath catch as she pressed deeper. As she eased out and stroked back in, Renee came in her hand with one sharp cry.

Buried in her, Stark stilled her motion, letting Renee's o.r.g.a.s.m play around her fingers. Then, as the ripples faded, she gently ma.s.saged the spot that made Renee whimper until she brought her once again to o.r.g.a.s.m. She might have continued for the rest of her life if Renee hadn't finally grasped her forearm with a weak laugh.

"Paula, sweetie, stop, I have to catch my breath."

"Can I stay inside?" Stark brushed her lips over Renee's.

"Mmm."

"You feel...amazing."

"Oh G.o.d...you have no idea." Renee pulled Stark's head down onto her shoulder and rested her cheek against the top of Stark's head. She ran her fingers up and down Stark's strong forearm, marveling as she reached her own body and felt Stark's fingers disappear inside her. "You're wonderful"

"I've got this huge terrible...ache...inside." Stark shuddered, struggling to put words to the emotions that choked her. "Like if I can't be connected to you-not just connected, but inside you somehow-I might just die."

"You're inside more than my body, Paula," Renee murmured with a drowsy sigh.

I hope so. I hope I'm in your heart, like you are in mine.

"I'm sorry," Renee whispered. "I feel so good...so d.a.m.n good. Tired."

Stark lay quietly, listening to Renee's breathing become deep and regular, feeling her muscles loosen as she relaxed into sleep. After a time, she tenderly withdrew from her, missing the joining immediately. She drew up the covers and closed her eyes, thinking that she might just have experienced her life's finest moment.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

F or the second time in as many days, Blair had the rare pleasure of awakening with Cam beside her. But the greater gift was that, as on the previous morning, Cam still slept. They'd awakened together infrequently, but Cam had always arisen first. Used to sleeping alone, Blair discovered that she enjoyed awakening to the comforting heat,of another body pressed close. As long as it was Cam. She'd rarely spent the night with any lover, not because of protocol or caution-as was the case with the woman she loved- but out of choice. Finding herself in the arms of a stranger was not an experience she had welcomed. Finding herself with Cam's arm thrown possessively across her middle was joy.

Blair slid carefully from Cam's embrace to the edge of the bed and slowly slipped from beneath the sheets. Standing quietly in the small, still room, she glanced down at her slumbering lover. Even in repose, Cam's expression was intense. Dark brows slashed across a bold forehead, and the strong profile spoke of strength and determination. Blair loved the way Cam's body reflected her soul. She could never look at her without wanting to touch her, hoping somehow to convey the depth of her love when words failed. She resisted the urge now, because the sight of Cam asleep was almost as pleasurable as a caress.

At that moment, Cam appeared as carefree as Blair had ever seen her, and she was loath to disturb her. Scooping up her clothes, she stole to the bedroom door, hurriedly donned her blouse and slacks, and stepped into her shoes. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she made her way through the quiet house toward the kitchen in the rear. To her surprise, she found that she was not the only one already up. Bonita stood by an open door through which Blair could see a small courtyard with carefully tended flower beds and two wooden benches.

Bonita turned as Blair entered the kitchen. "Good morning. I didn't expect to see you up so early."

"Nor I you," Blair rejoined with a smile. "Didn't you say you were going to sleep in?"

"I'm afraid my mind had other ideas. I woke with a million thoughts in my head and decided I was never going to get back to sleep."

Blair laughed quietly. "I know exactly what you mean."

"I was about to go out to pick up a few things for breakfast. Are you in the mood for a walk?"

"Cam's still asleep."

"We shouldn't be long. It's only a block or so."

She doesn 't know. She doesn 't realize that I never just go out for a walk. Blair hesitated. She felt foolish saying no, and almost embarra.s.sed to admit that she probably shouldn't do something as simple as walk to the corner store without notifying Cam or one of the other agents. G.o.d, it's just for a few minutes, and the security detail is right out front They'll pick me up as soon as I walk out the door. Cam can't be upset about that. She realized that Bonita was waiting for her to reply.

"I'd love to."

"Good," Bonita replied, opening the rear door and holding it for Blair. "Let's walk through the courtyard. The bakery is on the street behind us."

Suddenly, Blair realized that if they went out the back of the house, the agents in front would not see them leave. No one knows that I'm here, and no one is going to recognize me. It's safe. Feeling rea.s.sured, she hurried to join her hostess.

The instant Cam opened her eyes, she knew that something was wrong. In a single, swift motion, she threw the sheets aside and bounded to her feet, scanning the room. Blair's clothes were gone. Heart pounding, she pulled on her pants, shrugged into her shirt, and, sockless, kicked into her shoes. She grabbed her shoulder harness from the chair and shrugged into it as she ran from the room. "Blair?"

The house was silent.

Ten seconds later, she was on the street and sprinting toward the black Peugeot parked five cars down from Bonita's front door. The pa.s.senger door opened and Felicia stepped out, her face calm but her eyes intense. "Commander?"

"Egret's not in the house."

"No one has been in or out of the house since I arrived at 0600," Felicia reported immediately, her tone crisp and controlled. "According to the night shift, everything was quiet after you and Egret entered the premises at 1949 last evening."

"Christ. " A muscle in Cam's jaw jumped. "There's no way I would've slept through an abduction." She took a breath. "I'll check the house again. She may have left a note."

"Should we initiate a search?"

Cam shook her head. "Not yet. I want you here with the vehicle in case we need to pursue or relocate quickly. Stand by while I a.s.sess the need for backup."

"Yes, Commander."

Once inside, Cam headed directly to the rear of the house. If anyone had entered during the night, it would not have been through the front door, which had been under constant surveillance. She checked the door that she discovered in the kitchen, examining the lock and the frame for evidence of tampering. She found none. Eyes narrowing, she surveyed the tiny courtyard enclosed by the homes on Bonita's street and those on the block behind it.

I should've posted someone out here. Christ Almighty, I wasn't even thinking about it.

Why she hadn't been thinking about it was a problem for another time. Her stomach tight, a fierce headache beating just behind her eyes, Cam made a rapid but thorough reconnaissance of the rest of the ground floor and then returned upstairs. She found nothing disturbed and no evidence of a struggle anywhere. When she checked the bedroom she and Blair had shared, looking for a note, the crumpled sheets were a stark reminder of just how quickly pa.s.sion could turn to peril. And how fleeting joy. Blair. Jesus, where are you?