Page 16 of State of Bliss

“She is. I’m sorry.”

Gordon bent at the waist as if someone had punched him. The sound that came from him reminded Gonzo of hundreds of other people who’d lost the person they loved the most.

If Gordon loved Rachel the most, had Tori known that? Could that be why Rachel was dead?

“Doesit really take twenty vehicles to safely convey the first couple to a beach vacation?” Sam asked Nick an hour later as they headed east on US-50, ensconced in The Beast, the presidential limousine that’d been built to withstand just about any kind of attack. Sam hoped they never had to test those parameters.

“Apparently, it does,” Nick replied. “What do we care? We’re alone and finally away from La Casa Blanca for ten glorious days. I don’t care if it takes a whole armada to get us there.”

“As you once told me, armadas are for ships,” she retorted, thrilled to see him already relaxing in a way he hadn’t in months.

“You do listen to me!”

“Hush. No one listens to you the way I do.”

“Have I told you yet today that I would cease to exist without you right here next to me to keep it real?”

“Not yet, slacker. I’m here for all the sweet nothings you’ve been saving for this time away.”

“I’ve got a lot of sweet nothings in inventory with your name on them.”

“I thought we’d take Marine One to Dewey.”

“I told them I wanted to drive because that’s the only way I could be completely alone with you for the time it would take to get there.”

Sam leaned across the console between their seats to kiss him. “You know what we haven’t done yet?”

“There’s something we haven’t done?”

“Uh-huh.” She released her seat belt and moved over to straddle him, loving the look of surprise in his sexy hazel eyes. “Beast sex.”

He put his hands on her ass and pulled her in tight against his instant erection. “Alarm bells are sounding at Secret Service headquarters because the first lady isn’t seat-belted, and there’s extra weight on top of the president.”

Sam froze. “Really?”

Nick laughed so hard, he had tears in his eyes.

Pretending to be mad, she tried to pull back from him and found out once again that he was much stronger than her. Not that he ever used his strength inappropriately.

“Are you done laughing at me yet?” she asked on a huff of annoyance.

“Not quite.”

Smiling, Sam planted a kiss on lips still quivering with laughter. “I might take back my offer of Beast sex since you laughed at me.”

“I was laughingwithyou. Notatyou.”

“You were the only one laughing!”

“This is the best hour I’ve had since Thanksgiving.”

“That’s very offensive. I’ve done some of my finest work in the White House residence.”

“Yes, you have, but I’m so happy to be out of there for more than an hour or two. I’m going to start traveling more after this vacation. I can’t take being cooped up in there.”

“I was thinking about that. You should start running again. It’d get you out of there every day.”

“That would be such a production.”

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