His hoarse shout was followed by a surge of heat deep inside her as he came violently, his hold on her hips ensuring he’d left his own marks, which was fine with her.

Sam collapsed onto his chest, sweaty and spent and sore and aching at the thought of him flying away from her in a few short hours.

He combed his fingers through her long hair, over and over again, until she started to drift off, still joined with him in every possible way. “We need to unlock the door in case Scotty needs us,” she said.

“I’ll do it.”

The next thing she knew, he was kissing her awake.

As his cologne filled her senses, she opened her eyes to find the bathroom light bathing them in a warm glow. He was fully dressed in a sweater and jeans. A garment bag sat on the bed next to him.

Sam’s heart beat fast and hard as she realized he was leaving. She wanted to cry and beg him not to go, but she did neither of those things. Rather, she reached up to caress his freshly shaven cheek.

He turned his face into her caress, his lips warm and soft against her palm.

“Be careful out there,” she said, stealing his usual line to her.

His smile was quick and perfect and so totally him. “Always am.”

“That’s my line.”

“You’re my girl.” He gathered her into a tight, fierce hug, followed by a hot, erotic kiss intended to tide them over until he got back. “Love you, babe.”

She clung to him and had to force herself to let him go when her every instinct was telling her to hold on for dear life. “I love you too. Be safe and hurry back. I won’t be able to breathe until you’re home again.”

“Scotty and work will keep you too busy to worry.”

That wasn’t true, but she kept the thought to herself because she didn’t want him carrying the weight of her worries with him.

He kissed her once more and got up to shut off the bathroom light. “Go back to sleep for a while.”

“I will.”

“See you soon.”

“I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

“Counting on that.” He came back for one last kiss, lingering as if he didn’t want to go any more than she wanted him to.

“Go on. You can’t keep the president waiting.”

He squeezed her tight and released her.

She wished she could see in the darkness so she could watch him leave the room. Rather, she listened to him go down the stairs and rattle around in the kitchen. She heard the front door open and the rumble of his deep voice as he greeted his Secret Service detail. And then the front door closed, and the silence descended.