Aaron had spent the week before 4th of July in London. Alone, as usual. Well, not exactly alone, but alone as far as the important things were considered. He understood Emily, but wished she'd accompany him at least sometimes. He'd missed her so much, and Kirkman was throwing an Independence Day reception for mostly military families that night, so they were bound to be otherwise occupied once more. The silver lining was that Emily had agreed to be his date rather than the White House Chief of Staff for the night. Nevertheless, he had his doubts about how that would work out. She was 100% incapable of shutting down work mode for more than minutes at a time. He knew that because he was just like her in that regard, or at least he used to be.

He got to her office in the West Wing less than a half an hour before the reception was due to start. Not nearly long enough, but he'd make do.

"Hey," he said, stepping inside the room. Emily was behind her desk, busily sorting something out on the computer. She practically jumped up from the chair at his greeting, and within seconds she was in his arms.

"Hey yourself. How are you holding up with the jetlag?"

"Not too bad yet. I slept on the plane," he replied, kissing her soundly. "You look great tonight," he continued, eyeing her body up and down.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," she said, licking her lips. God, this was going to be a long night. He cupped her face to kiss her again.

"We have to go," she sighed way too soon for his taste.

"Yeah. You coming over after this?"

"Sure."

That was what he'd missed most of all. Having her in his arms at night. Talking to her when he couldn't sleep. Maybe he was going soft due to getting older or something, but words like family and home meant more to him now than before. Not that family hadn't always been important to him, but now he found himself wondering if it could be too late for him to have one of his own. Marriage and kids weren't something he'd ever brought up with Emily, it just hadn't been long enough, but their relationship had made him think. Reassess his own priorities in life. He knew he shouldn't be affected by his own mother at this age, but seeing her eyes shine when she chatted with Emily and then looked back at him with so much hope that it was almost too much for him to bear. He'd never understood it properly, but now he did: his mother had been afraid for him. That he'd never find anyone.

"Are you nervous about tonight?" he asked when she kept on being more quiet than usual.

Emily shook her head.

"Not really. I know which reporters to avoid by now, and I don't think tonight's guests are too interested in prying on our personal lives."

"True. But thank you for being here with me, anyway. I know how you feel about it."

She nodded, saying nothing. He grabbed her hand, hoping she'd be less distant later on. When she got like this, he had no way of reaching her. She didn't want to talk, and nothing he said would make her loosen up. Hopefully she'd take a few glasses of punch.

Over the course of the next few hours, they shook countless hands and posed for dozens of photos. Emily and the First Lady received flowers from some of the children attending the occasion with their parents. The food was tasty enough, and the punch went nicely into his head, quite possibly aided by the jetlag. When he started feeling giddy and relaxed, he figured it was time to stop, as the next stage could possibly have him embarrass himself.

Emily had left his side to visit the ladies room, and she returned with Seth in tow.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think this is winding down. We could sneak out for some 4th of July drinks. You got any of the good stuff in your office anymore, Aaron?" asked Seth.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Lead on then, Sir."

Shaking his head at Seth, he led them into his office in the West Wing.

The Press Secretary turned out to be in a talkative mood that night. As much as he liked Seth, Aaron was dying to be left alone with his girlfriend.

"Aaron, are you even listening?" asked Seth when Aaron's attention had once again drifted from him to Emily, who was trying to cover a yawn.

"Of course I am. You were talking about that reporter from The Times, Mandy something-"

"Marcia Stevens, but close enough."

"Seth, just stop dating reporters," groaned Emily.

"I'm not dating her."

"That's what you're thinking about doing."

"Am not!"

"Uh-huh, you are, and as your friend I have a duty to tell you to stop this self-destructive behavior."

"Did you know that your boyfriend here encouraged me to date Lisa?"

"Really, Aaron?"

He shrugged innocently.

"How was I supposed to know what she was like? And like I told you then, Seth, it's not like you meet all that many other women anyway with the work hours you put in. I was being practical."

Seth looked like he was about to say something else, but then thought better of it.

"I think it's about time I head home. Have a good night,"

"Good night."

"Good night."

"I thought he'd never leave," said Aaron, standing up.

Emily chuckled.

"That's so mean. Seth's your friend."

"Yeah, but he's not the one I haven't been able to stop thinking about for the last week."

"Only for the last week?"

"Fair enough. More like for the last year and a half."

"Much better."

She could hear Aaron moving behind her, and then suddenly he flicked off the lights, leaving them in almost total darkness. Intrigued, she stayed put, waiting for him to reach her. It wasn't long until he was gently pushing the straps of her dress off her shoulders, kissing the newly exposed skin.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, nibbling on her ear.

"Not at all," she replied, trying not to pant.

"That's a lie, Emily, and I've been wanting to do this all night."

He pulled her closer by the waist and she could definitely tell how much he'd missed her. The heat pooling low in her belly was a sure giveaway of her own feelings. She'd been aching for him for the last week. Just as she was about to turn around and kiss him, he let go and moved away, walking behind his desk before settling into the chair.

"Come here," he told her.

She cocked an eyebrow, uncertain if he could see the gesture.

"Your chair? Really, Aaron?"

"Trust me, baby, I've been fantasizing about this for months."

"Anyone could walk in," she claimed, even as she approached him.

"Robbie's got that part covered."

"He's going to figure out what we're doing."

Aaron laughed.

"Emily, I'm pretty sure he already knows we have sex."

"I'm not sure if I'm drunk enough for this, to be honest," she sighed as she sank into his lap, her hands finding the nape of his neck. No matter his mood, he always seemed to like it when she stroked him there.

One of the first cardinal rules of working at the White House was to never ever have sex there. This was beyond inappropriate, yet the prospect was exhilarating.

"We can fix that... But we can also stop, and leave if you give me a few minutes to calm down."

She bit into her lip, considering her options. No matter how inappropriate, the fantasy was intriguing. What was even better was knowing he'd probably never sit behind that desk again without thinking about her. Oh yeah, the idea of tormenting him that way was what she liked best.

"Pour me another drink."

The light from the window behind them illuminated his face well enough for her to see his self-satisfied grin.

"I love you," he said.

"I think that's the punch and the brandy talking," she answered, even as her heart almost burst out of her chest.

"No, it's actually not. I couldn't do any of this without you, Emily. Every day we're together, I love you a little more."

Despite their position, she felt herself tearing up. This was probably the most romantic confession of love she'd ever received.

"And I love you," she replied, leaning in for a kiss. No matter how strong and independent she was and how much he annoyed her sometimes, she loved him something fierce. She'd never given all of herself to a man, and that could never happen with Aaron, either. That didn't mean she didn't feel the temptation. The sad truth was that no man was worth it, although if anyone was, it was probably him. She would give until she no longer could, and then it would end, just as it had with her exes. It was the most likely outcome. Aaron was more demanding than anyone she'd been with before, but somehow she found that appealing.

On second thought, she wouldn't need that drink after all. Even when he peeled her dress off of her, letting it bunch at her waist and removed her bra, she knew he was at her mercy. She loved watching his pupils dilate at the sight of her, and later when she moved just the right way, making him gasp for air.

She'd read way too many magazine articles that depicted her as a cold and calculating bitch who didn't care about her boyfriend, but she was beyond caring what they said. Everyone, including Aaron had told her not to read them, but she hadn't been able to stop herself. At least she'd managed to stay off social media, where the situation was bound to be even worse. There seemed to be no way for her to win, people would always question her. Her own parents had learned long ago not to comment on her choices, but now she secretly wondered what they really thought about her. If she thought about it rationally, she didn't need their approval to do anything, but yet somehow it mattered. They were so hard to read, even for her.

"You're messing up my hair," he teased. Yeah, she may have been tugging on his locks free from the gel for the past ten minutes or so.

"I like it better this way."

"It's not very vice presidential."

"Neither is your current position."

He let out a laugh.

"Touché."

"I love the fireworks," she exhaled, looking out the window over Aaron's shoulder.

He picked up his jacket from the floor and spread it carefully over her before turning the chair to face the window.

She released him to adjust her position, sighing in pleasure when his arms wrapped around her, pulling her back into his chest. His head landed on her shoulder and she wondered half-seriously if he was going to fall asleep on her right then and there.

"They are beautiful," he agreed. "You want to know something else?"

"What?"

"I think we should go someplace together. Just for a few days. Only the two of us."

"And the Secret Service."

"No avoiding that, I'm afraid."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Hawaii? Turks and Caicos? Timbuktu?"

She chuckled at his last suggestion.

"Timbuktu?"

"You pick the place, Emily."

"Okay."

"So it's a yes, then?"

"Yup."