by RJ Nolan
Sam growled. “I’d like to give that bitch some matching bruises of her own.”
Riley shook her head. “While I appreciate the sentiment—”
“I know.” Sam scowled. “I wouldn’t, no matter how tempting it might be, but it doesn’t keep me from wanting to. What she did to you really pisses me off.” She smiled and captured Riley’s hand. “Besides, I like your freckles.”
Riley stared into Sam’s eyes as if trying to judge her sincerity.
“They give you a unique appearance.” Sam itched to run her fingers across Riley’s silky soft, freckled cheek.
Riley snorted, then flinched. Her hand went to her lip. “Yeah, unique as in freaky spotted-looking.”
“No.” Sam leaned closer. “Unique as in cute and appealing.”
A bright red flush crept over Riley’s face, making her freckles stand out. She rubbed her hands over her cheeks as if willing the blush to fade. “So, umm… anyway, back to the bruises. I should get going. I need to stop by the drugstore.”
“Hang on. I’ll be right back.” Sam had been in the process of making herself a bagel when she’d heard Riley moving around in the living room. She hustled into the kitchen, pulled the bagel from the toaster, slathered it with strawberry cream cheese, and returned to the dinette. “Have something to eat before you go. I know you’ve got a long day ahead of you.” She pushed the plate with the bagel into the center of the table.
Riley shook her head. “You go ahead. I’ll grab something at the hospital.”
Sam nabbed half of the cream-cheese-covered bagel and took a big bite, then nudged the plate with the remaining half closer to Riley.
Riley’s gaze darted down to the bagel, then back to Sam.
Sam hadn’t been around Riley long before she realized she had issues with food, no doubt thanks to her bitch of an aunt. Sam racked her brain to come up with anything else in her kitchen that Riley might find acceptable.
Before she had a chance to offer an alternative, Riley reached for the bagel and took a small bite. “This is good. I can’t remember the last time I had cream cheese.” She took a second, larger bite. “Much better than the dry toast I usually have. Thanks.”
Score one for Riley.
A comfortable silence prevailed as they enjoyed their first meal as roommates.
Chapter 31
After pushing her bangs out of her eyes, Sam read the numbers on the box, then cross-checked them against her clipboard. I need a haircut.
“About time you did some work.” Marina stood with her hands on her hips at the end of the row of shelves.
Sam straightened and pressed a hand to her aching back. “Bite me.”
Marina threw back her head and laughed. “Only in your dreams.” Dodging boxes, she made her way to where Sam stood and wrapped her in a one-armed hug. “It’s great to see you back, mi amiga, no matter what you’re doing.”
Sam pulled away, disgruntled with the reminder of the shooting that had relegated her to desk work. “Sorry I missed you this morning.” By the time she had finished with the department psychologist, Mariana was already out on patrol.
“Yeah. Must be nice to stroll in whenever you get around to it.”
“Marina.” Sam shoved her shoulder. “Aside from harassing me, was there something you wanted?”
“You almost done here?”
Sam scowled. “As done as I’m going to get for today.”
“Great. Let’s hit O’Grady’s. I’ll buy you a beer.”
Sam hated to turn her down, but she wanted to go home and move all her stuff out of the guest room before Riley got off work. Last night Riley had been so physically and emotionally exhausted they had just left her stuff in the suitcases and garbage bags until Sam could clear some space for her. She hesitated, not ready to tell Marina that Riley was temporarily living with her.
Marina’s brow furrowed, then as if a light had gone on she grinned. “Got a hot date with your little doc, huh?”
Sam shook her head. “It’s not like that. We’re just friends.”
“Right.” Marina burst out laughing. “Come on, one drink.” She nudged Sam. “You can wait an hour to jump her bones.”
“I mean it. We’re just friends. Nothing else.”
Marina smirked. “Yet.”
“No.” Sam’s jaw clenched. What do you expect? She knows how you work. “No,” she repeated, wanting to be clear. “Not ever. All we will ever be is friends.”
Despite her growing attraction to Riley, she would never pursue her. Riley deserved someone who could love her and be a true partner to her. Sam knew she couldn’t be that woman. Her failed attempt at a relationship with Christy had driven home what she had learned long ago.
Marina stared at her for a moment, as if she had never seen her before, then shook her head. “Then what’s the problem? Come out with me for a beer.” She edged closer and lowered her voice. “It was supposed to be a surprise. I talked to a bunch of our squad today, and we’re going to meet at O’Grady’s tonight. A little impromptu welcome back for you.”
Torn between wanting to be there for Riley and not wanting to disappoint Marina, Sam glanced at her watch. She didn’t expect Riley to get to the apartment until after seven, so she had enough time to grab a quick beer and pick up some takeout for Riley on the way home. “You’re buying, right?”
“I knew you wouldn’t turn down a free beer.” Marina tugged on Sam’s arm. “Let’s go.”
“Hey, Sam.” Marina’s partner, Leo, was waiting for them outside the property room. “About time you got your ass back to work.”
Sam grinned. “Yeah. You guys are helpless without me.”
Leo growled. “I’ll show you helpless.” He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her feet off the floor.
Sam laughed. “Put me down, you big gorilla.”
“Don’t scare us like that again, or I’ll have to kick your ass,” Leo said close to her ear before releasing her.
Sam caught sight of Brad Davidson lurking farther down the hall. “You two go ahead. I’ll meet you at O’Grady’s.”
Marina glanced down the hall and nodded. “Okay. See you there.”
As Marina and Leo walked away, Sam went to talk to Davidson. Aside from a brief meeting in her hospital room only days after the shooting, she hadn’t had any contact with the young rookie who had saved her and Riley. Wiese from Internal Affairs had barged into her hospital room and demanded Davidson leave and that there be no further contact between them until the investigation of the shooting was complete. Marina had been keeping track of what was going on with Davidson for her. Although he had been cleared in the shooting, the rookie had struggled with the decision of whether to stay on the force.
“Hey, Davidson,” Sam said as she strode up to him. “Glad to see you decided to stick around.” She clasped his shoulder. If it wasn’t for him, Riley and I would both be dead. “You did good. Really good.”
“Thanks.” His expression grew serious, and he reached for Sam’s hand.
Unexpected tears prickled behind her eyes. She shook away the rising emotions. Before Davidson could take her hand, she pulled it back and popped him in the arm. “Yeah, you did good, but don’t let it go to your head.”
Davidson smiled. “I won’t.”
“A bunch of us are heading for O’Grady’s. Join us and I’ll buy you a beer.”
“You sure, Officer McKenna?” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Despite what happened, I know I’m still just a rookie.”
“No. Not anymore.” Sam adamantly shook her head. “You’ve more than proven yourself. I would gladly ride with you any time. And call me Sam.”
A grin lit his face. “Really?”
“Yeah.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “But I still don’t date guys.”
He laughed and held his hands up in surrender. “Right. Got it.”
Chapter 32
Sam opened one side of the sliding closet doors in the guest room. She stared at the space she k
ept clear for Kim and Jess when they visited, then eyed the suitcases and garbage bags on the floor. It was never going to fit, unless she emptied out the other side. Sam hesitated. “Can I do this?” she muttered.
She had already cleaned out the chest of drawers and cleared a space for Riley’s laptop on the desk in the corner. Surprisingly, that hadn’t bothered her, but emptying out the closet was a lot bigger. Whenever Christy had pushed to move in, the mere thought of her invading Sam’s space had made her feel smothered.
It’s not the same thing. Riley wasn’t her girlfriend; maybe that was why it felt different. The thought of Riley brought an instant smile to her face. She wanted her to feel at home, even if it was only for a couple of weeks.
Decision made, she slid open the far-side closet door. Camping and sports equipment tumbled out onto the floor. Where am I going to put all this crap? A glance at her watch made her curse under her breath. It was a little past eight, so Riley would be home any moment. Pushing her bangs out of her face, she started gathering up the sporting equipment spread out at her feet.
Thirty minutes later, she surveyed the newly cleared space. Almost done. Having saved the tent for last, she hefted the cumbersome bag onto her shoulder. A sudden prickling of her senses made her turn toward the door.
Riley was standing in the doorway of the guest room. In dress slacks and a tailored blouse, she looked much the same as she had that morning, only now she had a bad case of hat-hair, probably from spending time in the OR.
“What are you doing?” Riley asked.
“Just clearing out some gear so there’s room for your stuff. I emptied the dresser for you too.”
Stepping into the room, Riley shook her head. “You didn’t have to do all this. I don’t want to put you out.”
“I wanted to.” Sam let the tent drop to the floor and then moved closer to Riley. “I want you to feel at home here.” The smile that blossomed on Riley’s face caused Sam’s heart to do a strange flip in her chest.
“Thank you.” Riley took hold of Sam’s hands and gazed up into her eyes. “You’ll never know how much this means to me.”
Drawn in by the emotions swirling in Riley’s vivid green eyes, Sam barely resisted the urge to tug her into her arms. She took a step back, out of temptation range, then glanced at her watch. It was almost nine. She must be beat. While she didn’t want Riley to feel as if she was keeping tabs on her, she couldn’t help worrying. “Did you have time to eat today?”
“It was a crazy day. I spent most of the shift in the OR and the recovery room.” Riley looked away and shuffled her feet. “I did manage to grab a protein shake around lunchtime and a second one after the last case.”
Sam frowned. “That’s no substitute for a meal. I’ve got—”
“I’m fine. I’ll grab something on the way to work tomorrow. You’ve already done too much for me. You don’t need to feed me too.” Riley grabbed one of her suitcases and hefted it onto the bed. “I’m going to work on getting some of this unpacked.”
“Riley, you just worked a fourteen-hour shift. You must be hungry.”
As if on cue, Riley’s stomach growled—loudly. A bright flush washed over her cheeks.
“Come on.” Sam tugged on her arm. “You can unpack later. I picked up some takeout on the way home. There’s plenty left.” Especially since I got it for you. Sam chose not to admit that since Riley seemed uncomfortable with being cared for. Well, I’m going to change that.
* * *
Sam sat cross-legged on the bed with Annie in her lap and watched Riley put her things away.
After making short work of her dinner, Riley started right in on unpacking her stuff. She moved methodically about the room and quickly emptied both suitcases, then pulled a picture frame from her laptop case and hugged it to her chest for a moment. With an audible sigh, she slipped it back into the bag.
“Hey. You don’t have to do that,” Sam said.
Riley jumped as if she had forgotten Sam was there.
“Put your picture out.”
Riley peered at Sam from beneath half-lidded eyes. “I know this is only temporary. I don’t want you to think I’m settling in or anything.”
“Riley, this is your room. For however long you want it.”
Sam froze as the import of what she had said sunk in. It’s true. It struck her as strange that she had no qualms whatsoever about Riley invading her home. She never would have believed that she’d give a woman an open-ended offer to life with her. She gazed over at Riley. Then again, I’ve never met anyone quite like Riley.
Sam turned and settled Annie against the pillows at the head of the bed. She smiled at Riley. “Put your picture out and anything else of your stuff you want.”
Not that Riley had much. Apparently, that awful furniture in the condo belonged to her aunt and uncle.
Riley pulled the picture from the laptop case, then crossed to where Sam was perched on the side of the bed. She gently rubbed her fingers over the glass before setting it on the bedside table. “This is the only thing I have left of my parents.” Deep sadness filled her eyes. “My aunt and uncle hauled me off to LA just days after my parents died. I didn’t find out until a few months later that they had an estate service come in and clear out our house and dispose of everything. Pictures, mementos—everything.”
A lump formed in Sam’s throat, choking off any words of comfort.
Riley scrubbed her hands across her face as if she could wipe away the painful memories. “At least I still have this.” She touched the edge of the picture frame.
Her heart aching for Riley, Sam looked at the picture.
Her parents flanked a young Riley, who couldn’t have been more than eight or nine. She was holding up a trophy of some sort and had the biggest grin on her face. Her parents were beaming at her.
“What was the trophy for?”
“Believe it or not, the high jump. Our local rec center held a kind of junior summer Olympics.” Riley laughed. “I might be short, but my dad swore I had springs in my feet.”
Sam thought of all Riley had lost at such a young age. And she still made a success of herself, despite her bitch of an aunt and uncle. Her respect and admiration for Riley grew. “I’m glad they’re out of your life,” Sam muttered before she had a chance to censor herself.
“What!”
Sam’s gaze darted to the picture and then back to Riley. “Not your folks. God, no.” She shook her head vehemently. “Your aunt and uncle. I’m glad they’re out of your life.”
Riley sank onto the bed next to her. “Me too.”
A yawn escaped before Sam could stifle it.
“I’m sorry. It must’ve been a long day for you too.” Riley frowned. “You went to all this trouble getting things ready for me, and I didn’t even ask how your first day back at work went.”
Sam stood. “It was fine.”
“Sam.” Riley shot her a narrow-eyed glare.
Like there was any chance you were going to get away with that with her.
Huffing out an exaggerated breath, Sam plopped down on the bed. When Riley touched her arm and smiled at her, Sam lost herself for a moment in Riley’s mesmerizing green eyes. Focus, McKenna.
“The department shrink wasn’t too bad. He asked a lot of questions but didn’t push.” Sam raked her hand through her shaggy hair. “I’m stuck working in the property room—which sucks. I’d much rather be on the front desk where I’d at least have some contact with people.” Or better yet on the streets.
Riley’s hand tightened on Sam’s arm as if she had heard the unspoken words, then she pulled away. “Well, I’m glad the psychologist worked out okay. Just be patient.”
Sam scowled. “I’m trying.”
Truth was, she was sick of not being able to do her job. It felt as if she had lost an important part of herself. As far as she was concerned, the sooner she was back on the street, the better. Knowing how Riley had previously reacted to her wanting to return to the streets, she kept th
ose thoughts to herself.
Yawning, she stood. “Well, I should let you get some rest. I know you probably have another long day tomorrow.”
Riley stretched. “Barring anything major happening, this week should be fairly easy. I just work twelve on, twelve off, plus back-up call.”
She considers that easy? Amazing. Sam moved to the door with Riley trailing in her wake. She stepped out into the hall and turned back to face Riley. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Riley smiled, then beckoned for Sam to lean down.
Sam quirked an eyebrow but did as requested.
“Thank you.” Riley placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “Thank you for everything.”
Her cheek tingling, Sam froze. Her gaze went to Riley’s soft lips, and the urge to feel them pressed against her own surged through her. Don’t even go there. She straightened to her full height and settled for cupping Riley’s cheek in her palm. “You’re very welcome. Goodnight.” As she turned to walk away, she sighed. If only things could be different.
Chapter 33
Sam parked in Kim and Jess’s driveway, but her thoughts were back in San Diego. Just as she and Riley were leaving to look at prospective apartments, Riley’s friend Denny had called. His infant son had been hospitalized, so he needed Riley to cover for him. Sam pulled her phone out of its holder. Should she call and see how Riley was doing? She stared at the phone, then shook her head. Nah. I probably shouldn’t bother her while she’s working.
At the front door, she rapped lightly and waited for the booming bark that always announced her arrival. It never came. Strange. The large wrought-iron gate that restricted access to Kim and Jess’s driveway had been open when Sam arrived. The gate also acted as the final link of the property’s perimeter fencing, so if the gate was open, Thor was not outside. The front door was unlocked so she opened it and stepped into the foyer. “Jess. Kim,” she called out. She walked into the living room, then opened her mouth to call again.