DESTINED AFFECTION

TWENTY THREE

Camila tapped gently on the back door and waited, acutely aware of the swiftly approaching dark, the still, sultry heat of the late-summer night, and the rapid beat of her own heart. Every sensation seemed magnified, momentous, all because in a few seconds, Lauren would appear. And that instant of breath-catching, stomach-twisting pleasure when she first saw her was all she'd been thinking about for hours.

All afternoon and evening, Camila had tried unsuccessfully to occupy her mind by clearing the last of the boxes from her apartment. She'd unpacked, stowed away clothes and books, and carried cardboard boxes down to the recycling bins in the alley. At one point, she'd considered going to the gym, but finally decided she didn't want to have another conversation with Mandy. She wasn't particularly bothered by Mandy's not-so-subtle flirtations, but the only hands she wanted on her skin were Lauren's.

She'd taken a long shower that, instead of relaxing her, had only brought her blood to the surface and added to the arousal that cried out for a touch. Lauren's touch.

"Camila?"

"Phyllis!" Camila blushed, glad for the shadows because she was certain her desire must be evident, "I'm sorry. I thought Lauren said 8:30. I'll just come ba—"

"Lauren's upstairs." Laughing, Phyllis pushed the screen door open. "She put Kyle to bed, and I think she's in the shower. Come on in."

Vaguely uncomfortable, Camila followed until she was just inside the door. The kitchen was dimly illuminated by only a few lights beneath the cabinets over the kitchen counter, and the air still held the lingering aroma of dinner. Kyle's Visible Woman lay amongst scattered body parts on the table. Pooch snored softly on a dog bed in the corner. Camila was struck again by the sense of family that permeated the space, and the sharp knowledge that someone was missing. She looked across the room to Phyllis, who leaned against the sink, observing Camila with a mixture of kindness and question.

"Would you like some coffee?" Phyllis asked. "I just made it."

"That would be great. Thanks." As Camila took the offered mug a minute later, she added, "I'm sorry I missed you at soccer today. Kyle was terrific."

"I had to run as soon as the game was over. I had a date for a matinee performance of Rent downtown." Phyllis picked up her own cup and gestured toward the porch. "Let's go outside. It's so beautiful this time of night."

Side by side, they leaned against the porch railing and breathed the rich warm scent of summer. Camila sighed, wondering what, if anything, Lauren had said to Phyllis about their relationship. She didn't want to broach the subject for fear of invading Lauren's privacy, but she didn't deal well with secrets, either. And Phyllis was much too important to Lauren and Kyle for there to be unresolved issues between her and Camila.

"Did you enjoy the drummers last night?" Phyllis asked conversationally.

"Very much. It was special." All of it. So very special.

Phyllis turned, edged a hip against the railing, and smiled at Camila . "This is a very unusual situation, isn't it?"

"Yes." Rather than being uncomfortable, Camila's uneasiness began to dissipate. It was her nature to confront issues head-on if she could. Still, it was Phyllis who had to lead this time, even as it was Lauren who had to define what other doctor and she could share. If Lauren had not been wounded so deeply, Camila would have pursued her with the same intensity and focus that she did everything else in her life. But she had only to look at Lauren to see her uncertainty and sense the fine edge of pain still so near the surface. Only when they touched did she know without question how right it was between them.

"If it helps," Camila continued, "I think Lauren is the most remarkable woman I've ever met and that Kyle is a fantastic kid. I wouldn't do anything to hurt either one of them, ever." She held Phyllis's gaze steadily. "Or you, Phyllis, if I could possibly avoid it." But I won't let Lauren go unless she tells me to leave. Not even for you.