Chapter One
Martha lay back on the sun lounger on her back patio and looked out at the hills below her. She thought to herself again how much more at home she felt here. After the politics of Washington, she was happy to be back in Los Angeles. She had moved back only a few weeks earlier, and there were still boxes to be unpacked, but on a day like today when the sun was shining and the sky was blue, she was content to lie back and soak up the sun. Closing her eyes behind her Jackie O.-style sun glasses, she sank further into the lounge chair and wondered when he would arrive. He had done as he had promised and assigned himself to her new detail. Of course, no longer being the First Lady, she now only required three agents at any one time. One stationed with her, one outside her new house and one at the gate house at the end of her drive. Of course being lead agent had to have some perks and he made sure that during his shifts he was at her side. She stirred as she heard murmered voices behind her and felt the familiar fluttering in her stomach as she recognized his voice. Resisting the urge to jump up from where she lay, she remained still and waited for Agent Hemlett to leave. She smiled to herself as she realized she had remembered the Agent's name. Obviously, there were now fewer of them, but one thing Aaron had insisted on was that she took the time to learn all her protectors' names, and not just his. Hearing footsteps approach her, she turned slightly.
"I'm done for the day, ma'am. Agent Pierce is here."
She forced herself not to turn to look at him, not yet. Instead she smiled at Agent Hemlett, "Thank you, Rob. I'll see you tomorrow. You give that new baby of yours a big kiss from me." She smiled. "Will do, ma'am." Agent Hemlett turned to leave and once again thanked his lucky stars Aaron has requested him for this assignment. After the formalities of the White House, it was a nice change to be working for such a friendly woman. He glanced back to Aaron who stood stiffly at the patio doors and nodded slightly. Yes, he owed Aaron a lot, and after working with him for over ten years, he had never seen his friend happier. Of course, he wasn't one for gossip, one couldnt afford to be in this job. But he had noticed the change in Aaron when he was around the former First Lady. He had never seen him so happy, though he tried to hide it well. Glancing back as he reached the side of the house, he noticed Aaron had left his place at the doors and was making his way over to where she lay. Smiling to himself, he turned and kept walking. No, he wasn't one for gossip.
"You know you're gonna burn again if you lie out here." Aaron knelt by her side and let his finger stroke her arm ever so slightly.
Martha peered over the top of her oversized glasses at him and smiled. "If I recall, you didn't complain too much last time."
"Well someone had to rub in that aftersun lotion, and I sure as hell wasn't gonna let Agent Hemlett do it!"
Martha grinned and, pulling herself into a sitting position, took off her glasses. Blinking slightly at the sun's glare, she looked at him. "Good afternoon, Aaron."
"Good afternoon, Martha." He smiled as she reached for his hand and pulled him toward her. Then just as quickly, he glanced around the garden to make sure they were alone. Seeing Agent Hemlett had indeed left, he allowed himself to be pulled into her embrace.
Martha smiled to herself as he took in their surroundings. Even after the few weeks they had been there, he was still so careful that no one but the two of them knew how their relationship had progressed. Watching him glance around, she thought to herself that progressed was maybe too strong a word to use. They had stolen many a kiss, and even rounded to second base when she had burnt herself the week before, but Aaron was still ever the gentleman. And while at first she found it endearing, she was beginning to find it frustrating. Pushing the thought from her mind, she fixed her lips to his and once again found herself lost in his kiss. She twisted on the lounge chair so she was almost in his lap and pressed her body against his, the thin cotton of her tank top allowing her to feel the muscles beneath his thin shirt. Moving her hands to his hair, she deepened the kiss, her tongue seeking out every part of his mouth. Feeling his arms tighten around her, she gasped into his mouth and pulled away slightly. Keeping her forehead against his, she whispered into his still-open mouth. "You know there are still boxes to be unpacked upstairs."
Aaron pulled away and looked at her flushed face. "Martha," he said uncertainly.
"What?" she replied, standing up and taking his hand in hers. "You were the one who suggested I get out of the sun." She smiled innocently at him and tightened her grip on his hand as he allowed her to lead him back toward the house.
"I meant so you didn't burn again." He smiled at her as she led him through the doors into the kitchen.
"Well, either way, you wanted me indoors, and here we are." She turned and backed him against the kitchen unit, running her fingers up and down his sleeves. She placed featherlike kisses along his jawline as she spoke. "And like I said, there is still unpacking to be done in my room. So why don't we finish this conversation there." She stopped and looked at him intently.
Aaron closed his eyes as her mouth traced kisses along his jaw. Every time. Every time he was in the same room as this amazing woman, he was lost. Lost in her kisses, lost in her scent, lost in her softly spoken words. Realizing she had stopped kissing him, he opened his eyes to see her big blue ones staring at him, waiting for an answer to an unanswered question. "I'm sorry, Martha, what did you say?" He looked at her as she raised her eyebrows and repeated her question.
"I said, why don't we finish this conversation upstairs?" she purred into his ear, gently nibbling at the lobe before seeking out his mouth again. Before she could reach it, she found herself being moved back. Not a lot, but enough to notice the distance between them. She opened her eyes and looked at him. "What is it?"
"Nothing, nothing," he laughed, pulling her close again and placing a chaste kiss on her lips. "Come on, you must be thirsty after soaking up all that sun. Let me make us some juice." Squirming out of her embrace, he started toward the fridge. Martha stared at his retreating back. "You want ice?" he called over his shoulder.
"An icy shower, maybe." Martha murmured under her breath.
"What?"
"Sure, ice would be good." She watched as he poured them both a drink and wondered how one minute they were inches from running up the stairs, and the next, she was watching him play Martha Stewart in her kitchen. But she smiled as he handed her a glass. The mood may have been broken just now, but she was not a quitter and she had other thoughts on how to get it back.
"Okay, okay. I got Steel Magnolias, Pretty Woman, umm..."
Aaron smiled as he watched Martha lying on her living room floor pulling out DVDs and tossing them to one side. For someone who had always kept her rooms in absolute precision, she sure was enjoying being in her own house and being able to make as much mess as she liked. Grinning at the back of her head, he quickly hid it as she turned to face him.
"Are you listening, or just admiring me from behind?" she smirked over at him.
"Can't I do both?" he smiled back.
"So, which is it? Or I have Ghost, oooor..." She reached to the back of the shelf and pulled out another. "Oh! Breakfast at Tiffany's! I haven't seen that in years." Pulling herself to a sitting position on the rug, she looked up at Aaron. "Well, your call."
"Martha. Do you happen to have anything in that vacuum of a shelf that does not bear all the makings of a...what would Nate call it?...A chick flick?"
"Are you criticizing my taste in movies? Because if you think you can do better, there is plenty of room down here for you, too, you know." She grinned and before he could reply, had grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him toward her. Losing his balance, he fell to the floor beside her. She batted her long eyelashes at him and reached out for his arms pulling him toward her. "See? Plenty of room," she purred into his ear and gently began to nip at the lobe. "Of course, I do have other choices in my bedroom, you know." She continued to nip at his neck until she reached his mouth. Pulling away slightly, she gazed into his eyes and licked her lips. "Maybe you'll find something you like better upstairs." Leaning in to him, she stopped when she noticed he had pulled away slightly. Looking into his eyes her expression changed from flirtatious to puzzled as he moved further away from her grasp.
"I'm sure whatever is down here is fine." He reached out and stroked her cheek before retreating to the couch. Sitting back, he noticed her eyes clouding over. He knew he had hurt her, yet he couldn't help but remember that another Agent was positioned right outside the window of the room they were in, and as much as he wanted to whisk her in his arms and take her upstairs, he knew that while he was on her detail, he couldn't. The first rule they were taught at the academy was never grow attatched to your charge. Well, he had broken that rule. But he knew that even now, his primary task was her protection, and while he could justify at least to himself the stolen kisses and hugs, anything more would make him lose focus on the most important thing to him: her safety. Smiling back at her, he noticed she had retreated under the shelf again. "Martha...?"
"It's fine, Aaron." Her voice was shaky, and she would not turn to look at him. Pretending to flick through more DVDs, she reached up to wipe a tear from her eye. She wasn't sure what she had done, but she didn't like the way it was making her feel. When they had left DC for Los Angeles, everything had seemed so perfect. They would finally be together and alone. But in the weeks that had followed, yes, Aaron had been attentive, and even romantic at times. She smiled as she remembered the first night she had spent in the house. Aaron was on the overnight shift and had swept the upstairs before allowing her to go to bed. When she finally had left him downstairs, she had almost burst into tears. As she had entered her bedroom she found a single red rose placed on her pillow. Yes, she had thought she would have everything she had always dreamed of, but something was stopping Aaron from letting himself go completely, and if truth be told, she found herself acting like a sex-starved teenager when she was around him. Wiping another unshed tear, she pasted a grin on her face and pulled out a movie. "Here." She threw it at him, smiling as he fumbled to catch it. "This will do fine."
Aaron turned the box over in his hand and looked at the cover. "Jaws?"
"Why not? Everything else down here pretty much involves the same plot. Boy meets girl. They fall in love. Girl gets a life threatening illness. Boy loses girl. We all cry. At least with this we know what to expect."
"Okay." Aaron moved to the entertainment center and placed the disc in the player, while he watched Martha pick up the rest of the scattered movies. Throwing them to one side, she took a position on the far side of the couch, tucking her legs underneath her and holding a cushion to her chest. Picking up the remote Aaron, moved to sit on the other side of the couch. He knew she was upset, but he wasn't sure how he could make her feel better. The room darkened as the opening credits of the film began, and Aaron reached over to her and took her hand in his. Glancing over at her, he was pleased when she smiled and squeezed his hand in response.
"Oh god, I hate this bit." Martha squealed as she again hid behind the cushion she was holding. " I must have seen this movie twenty times and I know the head's gonna pop out..." Aaron focused on the screen, and sure enough, when the head fell out of the bottom of the boat and scared the bejesus out of Richard Dreyfuss, Martha shrieked and moved across the couch, cuddling in to Aaron's side and burrowing her head in his chest. "Every damn time!" she said, her voice muffled into his shirt. Smiling, Aaron placed an arm around her and allowed himself to hold her to him.
"Darlin', if you hate this movie so much, why are we watching it?" he whispered to the top of her head and jumped as she quickly turned to face him.
"Hate it? Are you kidding? It's a classic. I just don't hold a great affinity for sharks, is all."
"Well, that I can understand, although I think if they had Flipper in the lead role, the movie may not have done so well." He was pleased when her face broke into a huge grin.
"Well, you know what may take my mind off all those big teeth?" she purred, and inched her way up his body. "And it's certainly not Flipper!" Leaning in, she captured his mouth with hers and slowly allowed her tongue to lazily slide across his closed mouth. After a few seconds, she was pleased when Aaron's mouth opened in response, and she wasted no time in slipping her tongue into the hotness of his mouth. She moaned slightly as he allowed his hands to slide up her back into her hair, tugging on it gently as she increased the pressure in his mouth.
Aaron let his body press against hers and battled for control of their mouths, stroking her silken hair he opened his eyes to take in her beauty, glancing over her shoulder he jumped and pushed Martha to one side. Unfortunately, during their embrace she was perched rather precariously on the edge of the couch, and all that was keeping her there was his embrace. Before he could stop her, she had rather ungracefully fallen to the plush carpet. "Oh god! Martha, are you...?"
Her head shot up to glare at him from her position on the floor. "Aaron! What in the world?" Moving herself slightly to a more comfortable position, she again glared at him.
"Martha, I am so sorry...its just..." He pointed to the window just a few feet away from them. Martha looked up and could see the shadow of Agent Harris' back through the soft voile. "I didn't want him to see...I...Here, let me help you up. Are you sure you're okay?"
Martha shook of his hand as he reached out to her. "I can get up by myself, Aaron. That's if you haven't broken any major bones!" Pulling herself into a standing position, she stood facing him with her hands on her hips. "You know, we have been here for more than a month now, I think the other agents have a pretty good idea of what is going on here, and as none of them have made advances toward me, I think its pretty safe to assume they know it's just you, and I don't kiss all my bodyguards."
"You think they know? I mean, about us?"
"Aaron, they work for the Secret Service, not Wal-Mart! I think its pretty safe to assume they have a few brain cells between them to put two and two together and realize what's going on here, or at least what I thought was going on here."
Aaron picked up the remote and muted the TV. "And what is that supposed to mean?" He sat back in the couch and folded his arms.
"It means...Oh, hell, Aaron, I don't know what it means. Forget it." Sighing deeply, she flung herself to the far end of the sofa and closed her eyes. Opening them when she felt his warm hand close over hers.
"Martha, I came here with you because I couldn't bear the thought of you being more than a few feet away from me, you know that. But I also came here to do a job, and while the occasional diversion from that job is more than pleasant and even needed, anything more than that is just not possible. Not while I am still on your detail. When your divorce comes through and a suitable amount of time has passed, I will be the happiest man alive to be able to publicly declare my feelings for you, but until that day comes, whether the other agents think they know or not, we have to be careful. Alright?" He squeezed her hand, hoping she understood the predicament he was in. If she thought that holding back was any easier for him, then she was wrong. So wrong.
Martha looked up into his eyes and smiled weakly. She knew what he was saying was right. But on days like this, she didn't want to do what was right, she had done that all her life. But she knew the importance of his work and the risk he was taking being with her, and no matter how hard it may be to her, she knew he felt the same way, and she had waited nearly forty years to find a man she truly loved. What was another few months? Picking up the remote she flicked the sound back on. "Lets just watch the end of the movie." Smiling at him to soften her words, she curled up at the far side of the sofa and watched the screen. Glancing back over at him she smiled as his face relaxed again. "Cushion!"
"What?" He looked over at her puzzled.
"If I can't hide behind you, give me my cushion back!"
He grinned and threw the cushion over to her, she caught it and held it up to her face. Turning once again to face him, she grinned. "You know, we could always draw the curtains."
Sighing deeply, he looked over at her, "Martha, it's the middle of the day. What would people think?"
Pouting, she again returned her stare to the television. "It was just a suggestion." Finding her place in the movie, she watched as the townsfolk argued about who was going to catch the shark that had invaded their town. Smiling from behind her cushion, she thought about other ways she could catch her fish. Because no matter what he said, she knew there were ways around this, and above all, Martha Logan always got her man.