Oath of Honor

old, privileged family in Newport, Rhode Island. While Wes had been

scrabbling for scholarships, Emory had already been part of the social

and political world she would eventually join. Wes didn’t begrudge her

a single thing—Emory had earned all her acclaim. But her outlook was

far more optimistic than Wes’s had ever been.

Emory was wrong this time—sometimes it was too late for some

things. Wes had never regretted the choices she’d made or the direction

her life had taken. She still didn’t. She just wished she could shake the

constant sense that something was missing. She knew that wasn’t true.

v

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Oath Of hOnOr

“This was fabulous,” Evyn said, carrying her plate and an armful

of dishes into Louise’s small but expensively appointed kitchen. “I

can’t imagine what you’d come up with when you actually have time to

plan a meal. Thanks again.”

Louise stacked the dishes on top of the dishwasher, rinsed her

hands, and dried them on a bright red towel. She turned, her hips

against the counter, and grasped Evyn’s hand, pulling her forward until

they were toe to toe, their bodies nearly brushing. “You’ll have to come

by again when I can really do it up.”

Evyn’s skin tingled from the heat of Louise’s body so close to

her own. She watched Louise’s mouth move as she spoke, captivated

by the moist, lush surface of her lips. Her lips were full and red and,

as she recalled, very kissable. She raised her gaze and saw that Louise

had been watching her, probably reading her mind. She grinned and

Louise’s smile widened.

Louise was attractive—shoulder-length pale blond hair, straight

and perfectly styled, unlike Wes’s windblown canvas of golden browns

and summer highlights. Louise’s eyes were mahogany, completely

different than the intense green of Wes’s. They looked nothing alike—

Louise was sultry and sensuous, Wes was intensely sexual, physically

commanding. And why was she thinking about Wes when another

woman was sending her come-and-get-it signals?

She wasn’t just off her game, she was completely without one.

True, she hadn’t really thought about any kind of date in weeks, maybe

a few months, but it’s not something you would forget. Bicycle riding

and all that. She kissed Louise softly. “If that’s an invitation to return,

I accept.”

“Good. But you’re not leaving just yet.” Louise tugged Evyn’s

shirt free from her pants and slid her hand underneath to skate her

fingers over Evyn’s belly.

Evyn’s muscles contracted into a tight knot beneath the teasing

caress. Her breath caught. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, a

voice warned her off, but she ignored it. She was single, after all, and

this was what she knew. Louise scratched her nails rhythmically up and

down the center of Evyn’s abs and then dipped her fingers beneath the

waistband of Evyn’s pants. Evyn gripped the edge of the counter, her

thighs trembling, and kissed her again.

After all, why not?

• 95 •

RADCLYfFE

chapter twelve

Wes woke up a little after 0500 and turned on the television.

The city had received over six inches of snow during the

night, and the mayor had declared a snow emergency. All federal offices

were closed, but she didn’t think that extended to the White House. She

ordered a large pot of coffee and an American breakfast and showered

while waiting for it to come up. She’d had an aide send her clothes

down from her previous quarters, and they’d been waiting for her last

night when she’d returned. She’d have the rest moved down when she

had time.

In keeping with the less formal WHMU protocol, she dressed in

tailored black pants, a thin black leather belt, low black boots, and an

off-white open-collared shirt. At 0600 she flagged down a cab in front

of the hotel and instructed the driver to drop her off at the northwest

gate. “You work there?” asked the cabbie, a friendly young woman

with red-rimmed eyes. Judging by the empty coffee cups and fast-food

wrappers in the front seat, she’d been driving all night.

“Yes,” Wes said. “Long night?”

“Yeah, but the money is good so I’m not complaining.” The

cabbie maneuvered down the single cleared lane in the middle of a

two-way street, swerving around abandoned cars and piles of snow.

Fortunately, the streets were nearly deserted—snow-covered cars

clogged intersections and narrow side streets. The trip usually took

fifteen minutes. Today was closer to forty-five, but she was still early

for her meeting with Evyn when the cabbie let her out.

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Oath Of hOnOr

“Thanks,” Wes called. “Have a safe one.”

“You too.”

The cab’s wheels spun, then caught, and the vehicle sluiced away.

Wes nodded to the officer at the gate and showed her ID. “Can you

point me to my office?”

“Ground floor, halfway down on the left.”

“Thanks.”

Wes hung her coat on the wooden rack inside the door, sat in

the leather swivel chair behind the desk, and took stock. The room

previously occupied by Len O’Shaughnessy had been cleared of