by Marie Force
“We got a hard reminder that life is short, and we’ve all grown up as a result. I have to think he’d approve.”
“He would. Of course he would. He’d be proud of you, too, and the way you’ve embraced the office. And he’d be envious of your incredible approval ratings and overwhelming popularity, which is why Nelson is so very, very interested in you as his VP.”
“And we’re back to that.”
“Don’t rule it out completely, Nick.” Nick insisted his top staffers call him by name when they were alone or in social situations. “Surely there has to be a way for you to take advantage of this opportunity and keep Sam happy too.”
“If there is, I haven’t figured it out. Do enlighten me.”
“Let me give it some thought and do some poking around.”
“Just don’t give anyone the impression I’m actually thinking about doing it, because I’m not.”
“I hear you.”
Lindsey came into the kitchen. “Are you ready to go?” she asked Terry.
“Whenever you are.”
“I’ve had more than enough of this day, and tomorrow will be another long one,” Lindsey said. “I’m ready for bed.”
Terry waggled his brows suggestively, which made Nick laugh. “I’ll keep you posted on what I find out.”
“Knock yourself out, but you won’t change my mind.”
“Duly noted.” Terry stood and shook Nick’s hand. “Thank you. For everything.”
“Same to you. We’ll see you both on Thursday?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Sam and Nick walked them out, closed the door, locked it and engaged the security system.
“Alone at last,” Nick said as he took his wife’s hand and led her upstairs.
“I need a shower.”
“So do I. We may as well conserve water and take one together.”
Her smile lit up his world the way it always did. “I do so love your conservationist tendencies.”
Because he was aching like a bastard, Nick moved slowly as he shed his clothes and enjoyed the view of her doing the same. She started the water and turned to him as he struggled to remove his shirt.
“Let me.”
He gave up the fight and let her work the shirt up and over his head.
“Oh, Nick,” she said with a sigh. “It’s even worse than before.”
“I’m okay.”
“I wish you’d stop saying that when it’s obviously not true.”
“I’m fine. See?” He encouraged her to look a little lower to where he sported proof that everything was working the way it was supposed to.
She snorted out a laugh and gently put her arms around him.
Her softness pressed against him never failed to fire him up, and tonight was no exception. The agonizing pain in his side did nothing to detract from the ache of desire.
She took his hand and led him into the shower, where she carefully washed his hair and every other important part of him.
Nick trembled from the feel of her hands on his skin. “Samantha, you’re making me crazy.”
“I’m only trying to make you clean.”
“Sure you are,” he said with a laugh. “My turn.” He filled his hands with her shampoo and worked it through her long hair.
“I can finish. You should go lie down.”
“Stop babying me.”
“You baby me when I’m hurt.”
“You never let me.”
Very gently, she touched his chest, right above where the angry bruises began. “I hate that you’re hurting.”
“I know you do.” He put his arms around her and brought her in close to him. “But I feel much better now than I did fifteen minutes ago.”
“You’re so easy,” she said, as she always did.
“Mmm, only with you.” If she hadn’t needed sleep so badly, he could’ve stood there all night with his love, under the warm water. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“Let’s get you to bed.”
“Let’s get us to bed.”
Sam dried his back and shoulders so he wouldn’t have to twist around, and then used another towel to get most of the moisture out of her hair. They stood at side-by-side sinks to brush their teeth.
“Let’s switch sides in bed so I don’t bump you during the night,” she said as they went into their bedroom.
Since he wanted her right up against him where she belonged, he agreed.
“This is weird,” he said when they were settled under the covers. “I’m left-wifed.”
Sam laughed softly in the darkness as she rested her hand flat against his belly. “I’m sorry again the vacation got screwed up.”
“It doesn’t have to be a total bust. We can still make the most of the time we have together this week.”
“Remember when we got married and I told you that even when it appeared otherwise, there would never be a time I wouldn’t rather be with you than anywhere else?”
“I vaguely recall that,” he said in a teasing tone. He’d never forget a word of what she’d said to him that day.
“It’s always true. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here with you, so any time you think I’m choosing my work or my family over you, I’m not.”
“I know, babe. I’m sorry if I made you feel bad about doing what you need to do. I’m just kind of selfish where you’re concerned, and we get so little time together.”
“I’m selfish about our time together too, and I hate how there’s always something getting in the way of it.”
He ran his hand up and down her back. “There’s nothing getting in the way of it right now.”
“You’re injured.”
He took hold of her hand and directed it to where he ached for her. “I’m not injured here.”
“Nick...”
“Samantha...”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she said as she took the hint and stroked him.
Barely able to breathe let alone talk with her hand working its magic, he said, “You won’t.”
She moved carefully to straddle him and bent to kiss him. Her hair rained down upon him and he grasped handfuls to keep her close. “Don’t move,” she said as she shifted ever so slightly to take him in.
“Yes,” he whispered, moving his hands to her hips and then up to cup her breasts.
“You’re moving.”
“Can’t help it.”
“Tell me if it hurts.”
“Nothing hurts, baby. I swear. Well, one thing hurts, but you’re taking care of that.”
Sam laughed as she moved ever so slowly, so slowly he thought he’d go mad from the need for more. But he kept his promise and let her take the lead.
“I wish you could see how beautiful you are right now,” he said. Her hair had gotten long recently, long enough to nearly cover her breasts, which peeked out from behind the damp curls. Parted lips, flushed cheeks and the gentle sway of her hips had him on the verge of release in no time at all. He forced himself to hold on, to give her time to get there too.
Knowing she needed to sleep more than he needed this, he reached between them to coax her.
“You’re moving,” she said on a gasp.
“Shhh.” He kept up the insistent press on the tight bundle of nerves that throbbed under his fingers and reached up with his free hand to bring her down for another kiss.
She moaned against his lips and turned away from the kiss as she reached the peak.
Nick was right behind her, his arms tight around her as he thrust into her, the pain in his side nearly obliterating the pleasure of his release. It had been worth it, he thought as she settled on top of him. Surrounded by the scent of lilac and vanilla, the scent of his Samantha, Nick
was content—for now anyway. He’d long ago accepted that if they both lived forever, he’d never get enough of her.
“I shouldn’t be lying on top of you.”
“Don’t you dare move. I love it.”
“Mmm, I love you.”
“I love you too. Get some sleep, babe.”
“Gonna move in a minute.”
“Okay.”
She fell asleep right where she was, with him still buried deep inside her, right where he most wanted to be.
He brushed the hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. Any pain he might feel from his injuries was nothing compared to the magic he experienced whenever she was in his arms. She was all he needed, all he’d ever need.
Chapter Nine
When Sam’s alarm went off at six, she woke to discover she’d slept on top of Nick, and his arms were tight around her. She’d once hated sharing a bed with anyone. Things had certainly changed in the last year.
She took a moment to study his beautiful face as he slept, appreciating the rumpled hair, the scruffy jaw and the gorgeous lips that were slightly swollen from their lovemaking the night before. Sam wanted nothing more than to spend the entire day right where she was, but people were counting on her for answers and until she got them, there’d be no time for herself.
Unfortunately, she was too wrapped up in him to extricate without waking him, so she placed a series of kisses on his chin, his cheek and then his lips, lingering until his sexy hazel eyes fluttered open. Rather than release her, though, he only squeezed her tighter.
“Gotta go to work.”
“I know.”
“Are you okay after I fell asleep all over you?”
“I love having you sleep all over me.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“Maybe this will.” He truly surprised her when he reversed their positions, pinned her arms over her head and slid into her. “Any questions?”
“Just one.”
“What’s that?”
“Can you be quick?”
He laughed as he heeded her request, taking them on a quick but wild ride.
“Holy shit,” she said, breathing hard as she came down from the incredible high. “You sure know how to get a girl’s blood pumping first thing in the morning.” She wanted to curl up to him and go back to sleep, but that wasn’t an option. Instead, she gave him a gentle nudge to dislodge him and sat up to comb her fingers through her hair.
Nick ran his finger down the center of her back, making her startle when he delved between her cheeks.
She got up before he could entice her to stay. “No more dirty tricks, Senator. I’ve got to go.” Sam went into the bathroom to shower and wasn’t at all surprised when he joined her. “Keep your hands to yourself, mister.”
“What fun would that be?”
Sam turned to him and looped her arms around his neck. “How’s the pain today?”
“Much better.”
“How can that be possible when you let me sleep all over you?”
“You’re the cure for what ails me, baby,” he said, waggling his brows.
“That’s very corny and very cheesy and very beneath you.”
“I loved being beneath you all night. We should do that again sometime. Soon.”
Sam rolled her eyes at him and reached for the body wash.
He kept her company while she got dressed and went downstairs with her to make her toast and coffee before she left.
At the door, he gave her a lingering goodbye kiss. “Have a good day at the office, dear.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and wrap this one up quickly.”
“Maybe so.”
“Thanks for last night and this morning. I needed it more than you know.”
“I needed it too.” He caressed her cheek and kissed her again. “Fighting with you turns my whole world upside down.”
“Same here.”
“I love you.” He adjusted the collar of her coat and tugged the zipper up higher. “Be careful with my wife. She is my whole world.”
“And she’s got many, many good reasons to be careful, especially her smoking hot husband.”
He grimaced the way he always did when she commented on his smoking hotness. “Whatever you say.”
Laughing, Sam patted his cheek and kissed him one last time before she scooted out the door. All the way to HQ she thought about him and the way they always managed to get back on track no matter how deep their differences. That was one of many things that set her second marriage so far apart from the first miserable one. She had pulled into the parking lot at HQ when she took a call from Tracy.
“Hey, Trace. How is she?”
“We had a rough night. She came out of the sedation screaming from the pain of the stitches, so they sedated her again.”
“God, the poor kid. That’s got to be awful.”
“I swear, Sam, I don’t know how she’s ever going to get past this.”
“She will. We’ll all help her. We’ll get her the best therapist we can find, and we’ll figure it out one step at a time.”
“The good news, if there is any, is that coming down off a Molly high is supposedly a bitch, so the sedation is helping with that too.”
“That is good news. How are you holding up?”
“I wish I could be sedated too. That would be very nice right about now.”
“Abby and Ethan want to see her.”
“Maybe by tomorrow she’ll be up for some visitors. They’re going to bring her around again later this afternoon. I know you’re anxious to speak with her, and Detective Lucas was here last night to check on her too.”
Sam wasn’t surprised to hear that Erica Lucas had gone to check on Brooke, even though she worked the weekday shift. “I asked for her. I’ve worked with her before, and she’s great.”
“She was very nice and very respectful, unlike that guy Ramsey who came earlier.”
“You won’t be seeing him again. Give me a heads-up when she’s awake. I’ll come right over.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
“Hang in there. I know it all seems so awful right now, but she’s young and strong and it’ll be okay. Eventually.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Thoughts of Brooke and the long road she had ahead of her stayed with Sam as she went into HQ through the morgue entrance to avoid the reporters gathered outside the main doors. She needed to know what’d happened overnight before she could update the media as directed by the chief. In the detectives’ pit, Carlucci and Dominguez were finishing up their shift.
“Anything new?” Sam asked them.
“Not really,” Carlucci said. “We didn’t get much from the families we re-interviewed. They’re so numb with shock that they aren’t able to really give us much of anything to work with.”
Both detectives looked exhausted—physically and emotionally.
“Do you need to talk to someone? Either of you?”
As expected, both shook their heads.
“There’s no shame in it if you need it.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Dominguez said, “but I need sleep more than I need to air it out.”
“Me too,” Carlucci said.
“Alright then. If you change your mind, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Sam went into her office to check her messages and email before Freddie arrived. She took a call from Avery Hill at seven-forty.
“We’ve got something on the WilsonSeniors account,” he said. “I thought you might want to be there when it goes down.”
“I definitely do.” She wrote down the address in the city’s third ward, again in Friendship Heights where the computer’s IP address had led investi
gators.
“The kid’s name is Brody Mitchell.”
“Thank you so much for this, Avery.”
“No problem. I’m also pushing your niece’s rape kit and electronics through the lab. We should have more on all of that later today.”
“Appreciate it. I’ll see you in thirty minutes.”
“See you then.” Sam sent a text to Gonzo and Freddie, letting them know they had a lead on the WilsonSeniors source, and were due to meet Hill and his team at the home in thirty minutes.
Both detectives replied that they’d meet her there.
Her next call was to Lieutenant Archelotta. “I was wondering if you’d gotten anywhere with the GPS search for Hoda Danziger’s phone. She’s the one who busted my niece out of school the other night, and I think it’s possible she had something to do with getting Brooke out of the Springers’ house and delivering her to mine. Hoda’s in the wind, and we need to find her. She might be in danger if she witnessed the murders.”
“The phone has been off, but we’re watching in case she gets curious and turns it on.”
“Thanks, Archie.”
As Sam was gathering her belongings to leave, Captain Malone appeared at her door. “How goes it?”
“Good. I think. We’ve got a lead on the IP where the pictures and videos from the party were posted. We’re heading there now with Hill and his team. I’m hoping the kid who lives there will have some insight into who else was at the party.”
“And Brooke?”
“About the same. Sedated again after a rough night.”
“Lucas was there last night but wasn’t able to interview her.”
“That’s what I heard from Tracy.”
Malone’s wise gray eyes took a perusing look at her. “You’re holding up okay?”
“Yes, sir. Any word on the DNA from our victims?”
“Being processed as we speak.”
Sam wanted to know exactly who had violated her niece, especially if one or more of them were still alive.
“Keep me posted,” Malone said.
“I will.”