In a Heartbeat

by RJ Nolan

  Kim rubbed her hands together. “You bet.”

  Although Sam was sure she knew the answer, she asked Riley, “How about you?”

  “I’ll pass.”

  “Not a chocolate addict?” Jess asked.

  “No.” Riley grinned at Sam. “Not like someone I know.”

  “Your loss,” Sam said, bumping shoulders with her.

  “Finally, someone else who doesn’t worship chocolate.” Jess reached across the table and gave Riley’s arm a quick pat. “Now these two can’t make me feel like a heathen because I don’t share their obsession.”

  Kim leaned out of her chair and elbowed her in the ribs. “It’s not an obsession. It’s one of life’s necessities.”

  “Would you like to see the dessert menu?” the waiter asked, glancing between Riley and Jess.

  “Do you have any sorbet?” Riley asked.

  Sam feigned a shudder. Not even ice cream.

  Riley shot her a quelling look.

  Jess snickered, earning a glare from Sam.

  The waiter smiled. “Yes. What flavor would you like?”

  “Raspberry.”

  “That sounds good,” Jess said. “I’ll have the same.”

  A few minutes later, the waiter returned with their desserts.

  Kim lifted her dessert directly from the server’s tray, ignoring Jess’s chuckles.

  The waiter set down an individual-sized chocolate cake dripping with thick chocolate fudge icing in front of Sam. A meringue ghost with chocolate chips for its eyes and mouth topped the cake.

  Taking a deep, appreciative sniff, Sam groaned, her senses filling with the aroma of rich, dark chocolate. “Oh yeah. This is going to be good.” She glanced over at Riley. “Sure you don’t want to try a bite?”

  Riley shook her head and smiled. “Enjoy it.” She dipped her spoon into her sorbet.

  Sam dug her fork into the cake and took a large bite of the sinfully sweet treat. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she hummed as the mingled chocolate flavors inundated her taste buds. She opened her eyes to find Riley staring at her with an intensity that made her flush. “Your dessert okay?”

  “Excellent.” Riley took another spoonful of the sorbet.

  Sam watched Riley’s lips close around the spoon. The flash of arousal was instantaneous. She tore her gaze away and kept it glued to her own dessert, which had lost some of its appeal.

  “We were so busy earlier I didn’t get a chance to ask you,” Jess said. “How did your appointment go this morning?”

  Oh shit! Sam stared at her sister and tried to subtly shake her head. Shut up, Jess.

  A furrow appeared between Jess’s brows. “Was there a problem? Didn’t the department doctor clear you to return to full duty next week?”

  Riley gasped. Her spoon crashed onto the table, leaving a red smear across the white tablecloth.

  Sam dared a glance in her direction.

  The color had drained from Riley’s face. Looking as if she’d been sucker-punched, she pushed her chair back, stood, and stared down at Sam. “When were you going to tell me?”

  “I…I’m sorry,” Sam stammered. She had planned on telling Riley before Monday, but knowing how she would react, Sam had convinced herself it was okay to put it off. She tried to get the words out to explain, but they refused to come.

  Riley gripped the edge of the table so tightly her knuckles blanched. “Were you even going to tell me?” She shook her head roughly. Glancing toward Kim and Jess, she said, “Excuse me. I need to get some air.”

  With that, she spun on her heel and walked away, but not before Sam caught a glimpse of the tears in her eyes.

  Sam jumped up. “Riley. Wait.”

  Riley’s head dropped, but her gait never faltered.

  Fuck.

  “How could you not tell her?” Kim asked.

  Sam’s head whipped back around. She’d forgotten Kim and Jess were there. “I was going to.”

  Kim arched an eyebrow.

  Jess shook her head and threw in her own skeptical look.

  “I swear. I just…it was Halloween, and I didn’t want to put a damper on it.” Sam squeezed the back of her neck hard, using the pain to help her to focus. “And I’m an idiot.” She reached into her back pocket for her wallet. “I’ve got to find Riley and explain.”

  “Go,” Jess said. “I’ll take care of this.”

  “Thanks. I’ll call you tomorrow,” Sam said, her mind already on what she was going to say to Riley. She looked toward the exit.

  Riley had disappeared from sight.

  Dammit. Dodging tables and waiters, Sam went after her. I have to fix this.

  Chapter 44

  A large crowd of costumed teenagers milled about the hotel lobby. Sam scanned the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Riley. A flash of green, the same shade as the sweater Riley was wearing, caused Sam to veer off to her right, but it was just another kid.

  Using her height to its full advantage, she worked her way through the crowd. There was no sign of Riley. Maybe she had gone up to her room. Sam changed direction and headed for the elevators.

  The area adjacent to the bank of elevators was crammed with laughing, rowdy teenagers, who seemed in no hurry to go anywhere.

  Groaning, she waded into the group. “Excuse me. Excuse me.” She worked her way deeper into the crowd and closer to the elevators. “Excuse me.”

  A teenage boy, dressed as a gang banger, refused to budge.

  Sam took a closer look at his outfit. It wasn’t a costume. Oh great. “Excuse me.” She sidestepped him.

  Moving directly into her path, the boy swept his gaze over her and sneered. “Get yo dyke ass out of here.” He puffed out his scrawny chest.

  Sam dealt with his kind every day. She glanced to either side of the thug. His buddies, dressed in the same colors, were engrossed with the girls hanging on their arms. She needed to end the encounter quickly, before his homies took notice. Straightening to her full height, she donned her cop face, wrapped her hands around her leather belt, and widened her arms to make herself look broader. She leaned close to him, making sure he could hear her above the raucous crowd. “Move. Now.” She locked gazes with him in a silent test of wills.

  He broke first. With a vicious curse, he turned away.

  An elevator dinged.

  Sam stood on her toes to see over the crowd. The herd of teenagers shifted, and she got a glimpse of the open elevator. Riley! She spotted her stepping into the packed elevator. The crowd closed around Sam again. Still a good six feet from the elevators, she growled under her breath when the elevator doors slid shut. After the look Riley had given her in the restaurant, she feared Riley might not let her into her hotel room, so she needed to catch her before she got back to her room.

  Another elevator car arrived.

  Sam barely resisted the urge to shove through the crowd to reach the elevator. A strange compulsion made her turn around and look to the right of the elevators. It took a moment for the sign hanging there to register. The stairs!

  As if by magic, a gap opened in the crowd, clearing her way to the stairs. Sam didn’t know if she could beat the elevator to the third floor, but she was damn well going to try. She shoved open the door to the stairway and sprinted up the stairs.

  By the time she hit the last half flight of stairs, she was panting. Pushing forward, she reached the third-floor landing.

  The door burst open. Two laughing teenaged girls barreled toward her.

  Sam reared back. She immediately realized her mistake, but it was too late to stop the instinctive reaction. Her foot slipped off the landing. She teetered backwards, frantically grabbing for the railing.

  Strong hands clamped onto her upper arms from behind and levered her back onto the landing, out of harm’s way.

  The two teenagers shared a panicked look, then turned and bolted back the way they had come.

  Sam’s rescuer joined her on the landing. “Are you all right?” he asked.

  Sam nod
ded, her heart pounding in her chest after her near tumble. “Thanks to you.” Where did he come from? Wherever it was, Sam was grateful for his sudden appearance. “Thank you.”

  The man smiled, and deep laugh lines appeared at the corners of his eyes. “Glad to be of service.”

  Sam stared at him. He was a few inches shorter than she was, with sandy brown hair and twinkling green eyes. There was something familiar about him, especially his eyes, but she couldn’t place where she had seen him.

  “If you’re sure you’re all right…?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He held the door open for her.

  “Thanks again,” Sam said as she stepped out into the hallway.

  “Go after your lady,” he said from behind her. “Sometimes, you only get one chance.” The stairwell door closed.

  How could he know that? Sam turned back and peered into the window set in the door. What the—? She pulled open the door and glanced up and down the stairwell. There was no trace of the man. People don’t disappear into thin air. Sam had witnessed some strange things on Halloween but nothing like this. Did I just have my own ghostly encounter? She shook her head. Nah.

  She started to head down the stairs to search for him when a voice whispered in the back of her mind, “Riley.”

  Sam froze. It was probably too late. The delay had surely given Riley time to get to her room. Pushing away thoughts of the strange encounter, she returned to the hallway and headed around the corner at a fast trot.

  * * *

  Riley scowled at the card reader. It had worked earlier, but now of all times it refused to cooperate. She slid the key card into the slot again, but the light remained aggravatingly red.

  “Riley,” Sam called. “Wait up. Please.”

  She doubled her efforts to get the door open, not ready to face Sam. Rapid footsteps heading her way drew her attention back to the hallway. The sight of Sam’s long-legged strides as she raced toward her easily brought to mind Sam chasing down a criminal. I have to do this—for both of us.

  “I’m sorry,” Sam said as soon as she reached her side. “I should’ve told you right away.”

  Riley gazed up at her. Her anger and hurt had drained away, leaving sadness and resignation in their wake. A deep sigh escaped her. “I think it would be best if I returned to San Diego.” She bit her lower lip. “And moved back into a hotel.”

  “What?” Sam clutched Riley’s arm. “No, don’t do that. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  “It’s not about that.” The worry and guilt on Sam’s face strengthened her determination. I can’t do this anymore. It wasn’t fair to Sam. She was a police officer and would never give up her job, no matter how often it put her in the path of danger. Riley wasn’t sure she would ever be able to accept that. Her fear was like a living thing inside of her, just waiting to ambush her with the image of Sam sprawled on the ER floor in a pool of blood.

  “If it’s not because I didn’t tell you about work, then what is it?” Sam asked. “Give me a chance to fix it.”

  As difficult as it was to talk about, she owed Sam an explanation.

  Laughter drifted down the hallway from the direction of the elevators.

  Riley gave the key card one final try. The light instantly turned green, and the door lock clicked. After a puzzled shake of her head, she pushed open the door. “Come inside.” She turned on several lights and walked to the mini-fridge. “Want some water?”

  “Sure. Thanks.”

  Riley carried the water to the small table in the corner, pulled out one of the chairs, and dropped onto it.

  Sam trailed in her wake. She settled into the other chair and picked up a bottle. “Let me apologize again. I’m very sorry that I didn’t tell you right away.” She rubbed her neck. “That was wrong. I realize that now. It’s just…it was Halloween, and I really wanted it to be special for you. So I wasn’t going to tell you until tomorrow.” Her hand tightened around the bottle, making the plastic crackle. “But I swear, I was going to tell you.”

  Although it had hurt at first, Riley understood why Sam had not told her. “I believe you.”

  Sam’s breath left her in an audible whoosh.

  “But finding out that you’re returning to the streets made me realize something.” Riley’s hands clenched into fists. “I can’t stand the fact that I might lose you.”

  “You won’t.” Sam reached across the table and covered Riley’s hands. “Nothing is going to happen to me.”

  Her fear spiking, Riley pulled away and stood. “You can’t know that.” A vision of Sam on the ER floor flashed through her mind. She felt as if she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. “You don’t understand. I have to leave. I can’t live with the thought of losing someone again, someone I…” Love.

  The word caught in Riley’s throat. Realization struck with the force of a lightning bolt to her heart. I’m in love with her.

  Sam rocketed from her chair and clasped Riley’s shoulders. “Don’t leave.” Her hands tightened until her grip became almost painful. “Please.”

  The emotions swirling in Sam’s silvery-blue eyes held Riley captive. Her fear vanished like a footprint obliterated by the shifting sands of a desert. The crippling doubts that had haunted her since their brief kiss were, for the moment, mercifully silent. There was no past, no worries of the future; there was only here and now with Sam. She clutched the front of Sam’s shirt, rose up on her toes, and pulled her down. A second later, their lips met.

  Sam wrapped her arms around Riley’s back, crushing their bodies together.

  Riley licked at Sam’s bottom lip, urging her to open to her. When Sam readily accepted her inside, Riley moaned into her mouth. Filled with an aching need stronger than she had ever experienced, she released Sam’s shirt and slid her hands down to cup her breasts. She squeezed the pliant globes, massaging Sam’s already hard nipples through her shirt.

  Sam groaned and pressed herself into the touch. Her hands moved down Riley’s back to cup her ass.

  Their kiss grew torrid as their tongues battled for dominance.

  Wrenching her lips from Sam’s was an exercise in sheer willpower. Riley struggled to get her breath as Sam’s passion-glazed eyes bore into hers. I need to touch her bare skin. Now. When she tried to work the buttons of Sam’s shirt open, her usually rock-steady hands were shaking, and her fingers felt like blunt sticks of wood.

  Sam attempted to help but wasn’t any more successful than Riley. “Damn it,” she muttered, fumbling with the buttons.

  Growling in frustration, Riley pushed Sam’s hands away and wrapped her fingers around the edges of the shirt. The rapid beat of Sam’s heart thumped against the backs of her fingers. She locked gazes with Sam.

  A growl rumbled up from Sam’s chest. “Do it.”

  Emboldened by the encouragement, Riley ripped the shirt open, sending buttons flying. A groan was torn from her throat at the sight of Sam’s bra-clad breasts and finely muscled abdomen.

  Sam shoved the ruined shirt off her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. She pulled her sports bra over her head and stood before Riley bare to the waist.

  So beautiful. Long-repressed desire burned through Riley, overwhelming her. Her hand closed on one of Sam’s breasts. The sight of Sam’s nipples, at the perfect height to take into her mouth, was impossible to resist. Leaning forward, she licked Sam’s breast like an ice cream cone, then latched on to a taut nipple.

  “Oh.” The breath hissed from between Sam’s lips. “Yes.” As her knees started to buckle, she grabbed Riley’s hips. “I’m going to fall.” She whimpered when Riley pulled her mouth away.

  Seeing Sam made weak by her touch thrilled Riley beyond measure. Her own body pulsed with arousal. “Get on the bed.”

  Sam pulled off her shoes and socks. Her hands went to her belt.

  “No,” Riley said. “I’ll do that.” She followed her to the side of the bed. Where was the confidence to take control coming from? She had never been the
aggressor in a sexual situation. Linda had always remained firmly in command, telling her when, where, and how to touch her. But with Sam, taking the lead felt completely natural. It was as if her recognition of her love for Sam had freed a previously unknown power inside Riley.

  Sam stood passively, her hands at her sides, while Riley opened her belt. The sound of the zipper being lowered seemed loud in the quiet room. When Riley slipped her hands into the top of Sam’s pants, the muscles under her fingers contracted. Sam’s willingness to relinquish control further buoyed her self-assurance.

  With one strong tug, she pulled Sam’s pants and underwear past her hips. She followed the garments to the floor and knelt. Her gaze landed on the raised, pink scars on Sam’s thigh, marring her otherwise flawless skin. Riley’s throat grew tight at the reminder that she had almost lost Sam before ever getting the chance to love her. She traced the scars gently with her fingertips. Goosebumps erupted in the wake of her touch. She placed a lingering kiss on the most prominent scar.

  Sam stroked Riley’s hair. “Come up here.”

  Her gaze swept Sam’s nude body as she rose to her feet. Exquisite. She brushed her fingers across Sam’s abdomen. “You’re gorgeous.”

  A flush worked its way down Sam’s chest to her hard nipples. She stepped out of her pants and underwear.

  Riley jerked the comforter to the foot of the bed. After pulling the sheet and blanket back, she motioned for Sam to lie down.

  Still keeping eye contact, Sam lay on the bed. “Your turn. I want to see you.”

  Arousal skittered down Riley’s spine at the sexy timbre of Sam’s voice. She removed her flats, then her knee-high stockings. Her hands went to the bottom of her sweater and then froze. Now that the focus was on her, the first bite of insecurity nipped at her.

  “Please.” Sam reached out and trailed her fingers across the front of Riley’s sweater but stopped short of touching her breasts. “For me.”

  The heat of Sam’s gaze overrode Riley’s trepidation. She tugged her sweater over her head, opened her slacks, and allowed them to drop to the floor, leaving her clad in a silk camisole and matching panties. She looked down at her tiny breasts. Wish all you want. They aren’t going to get any bigger. Leaving the camisole and panties in place, Riley knelt next to Sam on the bed, facing her.