“She did look rather smashing, didn’t she?” Sam asked with a laugh.

“She was the belle of the ball, the apple of my eye, the love of my life.”

“Sigh. You know I’m a sure thing, right?”

Nick laughed. “I never take that for granted.”

“You probably could at this point.”

“I never will.” He stood and held out his hand to help her up so he could remove the sweater and leggings she’d worn for the morning festivities. Her bra and panties landed on the floor with the rest of her clothes, and Sam pressed her naked body against his. “Let’s go by the fireplace.”

“Wherever you want, love.”

Sam grabbed a pillow and throw blanket that they snuggled under next to the fire. “You have no idea how badly I needed some time alone with you after these last few insane days.”

“I think I have a small idea.”

Sam wrapped her hand around his erection. “There’s nothing small about it.”

His laughter turned to a groan as she stroked him, letting the diamond bracelet rub against his sensitive flesh. “Sam…”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t finish me off too soon.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Mr. President. You’re not the boss of me.”

“Ain’t no one the boss of you,” he said, quoting Joe Farnsworth’s famous comment to Sam.

Sam laughed. “That’s right, and don’t you forget it.” Determined to help him relax, she bent over him and took his cock into her mouth, using her lips, tongue and hand to bring him the ultimate pleasure. She’d avoided that act with other guys. But like everything else with him, she loved the way he reacted when she did it—and she enjoyed knowing he wasn’t thinking about anything else but her and them.

With him carrying the weight of the free world on his shoulders, it was important to her that he get as much reprieve as possible, and she loved being the only one to give him a full escape from the unrelenting pressure. She viewed managing the president’s stress as her most important role as first lady.

The phone on the bedside table rang, the one he was supposed to answer no matter what.

He groaned. “Please don’t stop.”

She doubled down with her hand, lips and tongue and finished him off in spectacular fashion, if she said so herself.

The phone continued to ring with an unrelenting urgency.

His deep sigh said it all as he got up from their camp in front of the fireplace to take the call.

“Yes?” The single word was full of annoyance over the interruption. He listened for a full minute before he said, “I’ll be right there.”

Sam sat up and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. “What’s going on?”