by Kris Norris
He shrugged, gaze locking on hers. “Guess I knew it was only a matter of time before you ditched me.”
She inhaled, cursing silently under her breath.
Sam snorted. “Betting you’d forgotten that part. Just like you’d forgotten to tell me some creep had hunted you through your office building then down to the garage? That he’d been armed and had popped a few bullets in your Jeep?”
She let her good shoulder slump. No use denying anything when he already knew the truth. “Did Hank tell you that?”
“Actually, your buddy Jack called. Had lots of interesting tidbits of information.”
“Jack called you? Remind me to thank him properly, later.”
“Oh, no. You don’t get to blame him. He only mentioned it because it pertained to the case, and he thought you’d told me. And why wouldn’t he? Only a fool would have kept that to themselves.” When she didn’t answer him, he arched a brow. “What? No comeback? No overly complicated excuses?”
“Why, when you’re right? It was foolish. Not that I suspected it was Brock, but I should have come clean. At first, I justified it because I didn’t really want your help. Didn’t think you’d be around long enough to worry about it. Thought you were being overly dramatic. Then, after we had to move to the motel… I tried a couple of times, but it was always at the worst possible moment. When the world was going sideways on us. But I could have insisted.” She sighed. “Honestly, by that time, I was just scared.”
“Scared? Of what?”
“Of everything. Of looking like an idiot. Of having to admit I’d been wrong. That I would have died if I’d sent you away.” She looked him in the eyes. “But, mostly, that you’d be angry. Really, really angry.”
He sat back, staring at her. “Oh, darling.”
“I know you promised you’d never hurt me like that, but… I’m not proud that a part of me was afraid. Afraid I’d given you more than enough reasons to…”
“To hurt you.”
“I know you’d never hit me. I do. But it was easy to talk myself out of it. To tell myself I was just being safe. But all it did was put me in the very position I was trying to avoid. I’d gotten so good at being alone, at only depending on myself, that I’d forgotten there are evils in this world I’m simply not equipped to fight. That, sometimes, I have to rely on someone else. That’s not something I do willingly. And I knew if I let myself rely on you, if I got used to having you there, I wouldn’t want you to leave.”
She groaned as she pressed her head into the pillow. “Which only scared me more. It’s one thing to secretly pine for someone. It’s another when you realize you’ve been in love with them forever, but you have no idea how they feel or if there’s any chance at a future together.”
She met his gaze, wishing she could stare at her hands but aware she needed to tell him. Needed to see his reaction—good or bad. “I hadn’t contemplated a future. Not a happy one. With a guy and a house and maybe a few kids driving me crazy. Testing even my lawyer’s nerves. Not until you showed up. But I should have told you. Everything. From the start. Brock. The creepy note. The guy I thought was going to kill me. I can rationalize it away, but it was stupid. And I’m lucky you’re as skilled as you are or I’d be dead. So, for what it’s worth—I’m sorry. And I promise, if there’s any kind of future for us, I won’t keep secrets, again.”
Sam sat there, lips slightly apart, eyes wide. He looked as if he was going to talk then closed his mouth, still staring at her.
“Unless, you only said you loved me to make me fight? To keep me focused on something other than dying? Shit.” She swallowed, trying to shrink into the bed. “Forget everything I just said. Other than the sorry part. I—”
He kissed her. Leaned his chest lightly against hers, slid his hand behind her head and kissed her. Full tongue sweeping into her mouth, his breath hot against her skin. His fingers dug into scalp as if he could pull her closer. Kiss her deeper. No soft sympathy kiss. It was sex without using the rest of their bodies.
Sam stayed close, his heavy pants raking across her chin, his gaze laser focused on her. “Do you really think I’m going to forget that you finally told me you love me? Do I look like an idiot?”
She did her best to breathe, finding it extremely difficult with Sam inches away, studying her every move. “But you didn’t reply—”
“I was shocked. Twelve years in the service. Endless missions that rarely went as planned. There was always something that reared up—an unavoidable glitch we had to adapt to. And I’ve never been this—”
“Speechless?”
“Utterly surprised. There are a thousand reasons you deserve so much better, but I’ll take my lucky breaks wherever I get them. Which reminds me. I owe you an apology, too.”
She frowned. He owed her an apology?
He sighed, stroking his thumb along her jaw. “You left because you heard us talking. Heard Russel suggest I used sex to get my clients to comply with my wishes, and then, I agreed. Joked about doing anything to get you to trust me.” His jaw clenched as his voice got choppy. Thick. “God, Bridgette. I didn’t mean it like that. I’d never use sex like that, least of all on you. Never with you. But, when you told me what you’d overheard… Shit. I can see how it sounded bad. Really fucking bad. I tried to explain, to apologize—”
She placed a gentle finger over his mouth. “It’s okay. It wasn’t all your fault. It just so happens Brock said something very similar that night he attacked me, and when I heard those same words—”
“Fuck. You had a flashback, and I sounded exactly like the prick who’d nearly killed you.”
“You couldn’t have known. But I got confused. Couldn’t separate then and now, so I ran. I’m not proud of that fact. But, at the time, it was the only option that made me feel as if I had any control left.”
He closed his eyes, resting his forehead on hers. She let herself drift for a moment. Lost in the heat of his touch, the safety of his arms, until he eased back.
She cupped his jaw. “So…you’re not mad?”
He chuckled. “Why be mad at you, when I can love you, instead?”
Her heart thumped hard in her chest. “Say it, again.”
He smiled. “I love you, Bridg.”
“Good because I love you, too, Midnight.”
EPILOGUE
Eagle Rock, Montana. One month later…
Sam leaned against the wall, watching Bridgette rearrange the items on her desk for what had to be the hundredth time in the past ten minutes. He didn’t miss the way her hands shook. Not much, but enough she’d nearly tipped over a collection of pens. Twice.
He crossed over to the desk and palmed the surface. “You’re nervous, Counselor.”
She immediately drew back her hands, the left arm moving stiffly. It was going to take a few more months before she’d have full range of motion back in her joint, but she’d healed faster than he’d expected. Had treated her physiotherapy sessions like a freaking mission from God. But it had gotten her functioning in half the time he’d anticipated. And he couldn’t be prouder.
Bridgette pursed her pretty mouth. “Until two weeks ago, I was an assistant United States Attorney. I don’t get nervous.”
He suppressed the smile tugging at his mouth. “So, you have an obsession with pen placement, then?”
She glanced at her desk then sighed as she pushed to her feet, rounding the desk until she could rest her ass against the edge. “This is all so…new.”
He shuffled over until he was standing in front of her, hands lightly trailing up and down her arms. While she’d be adamant about quitting—about starting her own practice and heading a number of clinics that offered free services to women in need—he couldn’t help but wonder if she felt trapped. If their relationship had colored her decision.
He didn’t want her to have to be the one doing all the compromising. He’d told her he’d find a way to make it work. Travel as much as necessary because damn it, she was his life. His en
tire future. As much as he loved working at Brotherhood Protectors, he’d give it up. For her.
He’d climb Mount Everest for her.
But she’d insisted. Had reminded him that she’d already told him she’d been having doubts. Thoughts that her job wasn’t the direction she wanted to keep going. And, now, she had a chance to make a change. She’d also poked him with one incredibly delicate finger and told him she’d kick his ass if he gave up his job for her.
He loved that about her. Her conviction. Her passion. He just worried she’d come to regret leaving her life in Seattle behind. That it would eventually be what tore them apart.
No way. He wouldn’t let it. He didn’t fail missions, and he’d already told her she was his. Period.
He gave her a smile when she stared up at him. “You know, if you’re having second thoughts, you can still change your mind. Jeremy told you, point blank, that you’d always have a job there. If you called, they’d hire you back before you had a chance to say hello.”
Her face scrunched up, forming sexy little lines above her nose. God, she was beautiful. “Is that what you think? I’m regretting my decision, already?”
“I’d understand if you’d come to realize it was just too much to give up. All your hard work to get there, and now, you’re giving it up. For me.”
She laughed. Loud. Shaking her head before standing and wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands fell to her waist. “You know I love you, right?”
He nodded.
“Then, I hope you wont be offended when I say that I didn’t give up my job for you. Sure, us being together was one factor in my decision, but ultimately, I quit for me. Because, while I was lying in that hospital bed, I realized something.”
“What was that?”
“That, somewhere along the line, I’d ventured off the path and gotten lost in these dark woods. Not terrifying ones, like in the movies, but ones that messed with my head. Made me forget why I’d become a lawyer in the first place.”
“To seek justice.”
She smiled. “Right. Justice, not vengeance. And, while I can sugarcoat my response, or downright lie, working for the US Attorney’s office was all about vengeance. About making men like Brock pay. But not in the right way.” She exhaled. “It’s hard to explain. All I know is that, as soon as I’d handed in my resignation, I felt…free. Like I’d found my way back.”
The band around his chest loosened, and he realized he’d been scared. Afraid that maybe she’d regretted saying she wanted to live with him. Share their lives, and not just that she’d changed jobs. But, staring down at her, seeing the gleam in her eyes, the easy smile on her face—it was crystal clear.
She looked happy. Radiant, in fact.
He rested his forehead on hers, breathing in the scent of her perfume mixed with the sweet essence that was pure Bridgette. “So, why the rearranging of pens for ten minutes straight, then?”
Bridgette sighed, and he felt the tremble in her arms. Heard the shaky way her breath washed over his chin.
He pulled back. “Bridg? You okay?” He cursed, quietly. “It’s too soon, isn’t it? We can put off the opening. People will understand. The doctors—”
She silenced him with a finger then smiled. “I do love how you have a thousand answers just waiting before I get one out. Yes, I’m fine, and no, I don’t want to put this off. I’m just…worried.”
He kissed her finger then eased it away. “Worried about what?”
She lowered her arms then paced over to the wall before spinning and leaning her butt against it. “That I’ll screw it up.”
“Screw what up?” He chuckled. “Their cases?”
“It’s not funny, Sam.”
“I wasn’t laughing at that. It’s just…” He walked over to her and copied her stance. “You used to put drug dealers and mafia bosses behind bars. This is nothing like that.”
“That’s my point. Before, I was representing the state. Sure, there were victims, but there was more at stake than the lives of a few people. It was doing a service for the greater good. But, now…” She turned to look at him. “Now, I have to look a woman in the eyes and swear to her that her fuckhead boyfriend or husband or whoever it was who thought they had the right to use her as a punching bag—to terrorize her and her children—is going to get what he deserves. That I will personally put his ass away for a very long time and ensure she’s safe.”
Bridgette swallowed, coughing a bit as if she’d choked trying, before scrubbing a hand down her face. “God, listen to me. I sound like some crazy person with trauma issues.” She snorted. “Which, I am, but still…”
Sam lifted his arm and wrapped it around her back, tugging her against him. “You’re not crazy. And you sound passionate. Like someone who genuinely cares what happens to her clients.”
He turned, pushing her back against the wall as he held her tight. She didn’t even flinch, which told him so much more.
He nuzzled her nose. “You’re going to be great.”
She sniffed. “How can you be sure?”
“Because you’ve been there. You know what it feels like to be powerless. To spend years looking over your shoulder, wondering if some sick prick might be coming back for a second go at your life. Those aren’t traits you learn in school. Or even in a courtroom. You’ve lived these women’s lives. You get it. Really get it. And that’s why you’ll be amazing.”
He dropped a kiss on her mouth. “Just remember one thing. You are not seeing to their safety. Hank has donated his company’s services if any of these women are at risk. I’ve freed up my schedule for a couple of weeks, just in case.” He thumbed her jaw. “You’re not alone in this. It’s a noble venture. We all want to help.”
She smiled, and just like that, his stomach flip-flopped and his heart gave a hard thud. “Have I thanked you?”
“For what?”
“Everything. Saving my life. Helping me through physiotherapy. Finding this place and having it ready for me.” She brushed her knuckles along his cheek. “For agreeing to shack up with me. That, alone, deserves a medal.”
He grinned. “You are impossible to live with. All that love, all the time. It’s killing me.”
“Jackass.”
“As long as I’m your jackass. Forever. Which reminds me…” He backed up, removed a velvet box from his pocket then got down on one knee. “This isn’t a medal. Or quite as functional as a GPS necklace, but…it’s an extension of my heart. The one you’ve had since we were eighteen. And I’d be honored if you’d wear it for the next seventy years.”
Bridgette’s eyes widened then misted over, a few tears leaking onto her cheek as she stared at the ring. He’d opted for a tanzanite stone—something as rare as she was—on a simple platinum band.
She reached out and gently eased the ring out of the box, staring at it in her hand for a few moments before sliding it on her finger. More tears fell before she gave him a smile. “It’s stunning.”
“Just like you. But you never answered my question, Counselor.”
She quirked her lips, looking down at him. “I don’t believe you actually asked me a question, soldier.”
He laughed. “And you wonder if you’ll do these women justice. Fine. Bridgette Louise Hayward…”
He smiled when she winced at her middle name. He knew she disliked it. “Will you marry me?”
She looked at the ring then back at him, tilting her head as if she were actually thinking about it. “Hell yeah, on one condition.”
He stood, arching a brow.
“You promise the guys won’t call me Mrs. Midnight.”
He took her in his arms, sliding his mouth over hers for a long, slow kiss. Just thinking he’d get to do this for the rest of his life settled the butterflies in his stomach. Filled the empty space he’d lost to the desert. “I don’t know. It has a nice ring to it. Mrs. Midnight.”
“Sam.”
“Fine. No Mrs. Midnight. In fact, they already have a name for you.�
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She frowned as he released her, moving back over to her desk. “They do?”
“Yup.”
“What name?”
“Sorry, that’s privileged information. Can’t break confidences.”
“That’s not funny…Midnight.”
“Actually, if you could see your face, right now…” He ducked when she launched a pen at him. “Temper, darling.”
She took a step then stopped when the door opened, and a woman appeared in the entrance. Shy. Obviously skittish. Bridgette’s face softened, and she walked past him, glaring at him as she went by. “I’ll find out.”
He watched her interact, feeling his chest swell. The tenderness mixed with steel determination was quite the sight to behold.
He headed for the door, stopping beside them. “I’ll see myself out. But, remember, call me if anyone needs my services.”
“Of course, Samuel.”
He groaned. She knew he hated being called Samuel.
“Ladies.”
She blew him a kiss then focused on her client. But he didn’t miss the way she shivered. How she immediately rubbed her hands along her arms as she spoke to the woman then pointed to a coffee machine in the far corner. He took a step then stopped, spinning to face her. He shook his head, slipped out of his jacket then removed his sweater.
He closed the distance, handing it out to her. “You look cold. Guess you forgot to check that app you have on your phone. This should keep you warm until I come back to pick you up tonight.”
Her eyes misted over as she inhaled against the fabric before pulling it over her head. It dwarfed her, but she looked perfect. “Does this mean I can start sleeping in your T-shirts?”
He damn near moaned out loud. “I’ll personally put this one on you after I’ve picked it up off the floor, tonight.” He smiled at the way her eyes glazed for a moment then dropped a kiss on her cheek before continuing to the door.
“Sam.”
He paused in the doorway, smiling at Bridgette as she stood there, grinning, his sweater falling halfway down her thighs. “Yes?”