“You are amazing,” he whispered as he held her gaze.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she answered, but her eyes were cloudy with passion.
“I’m going to prove how very good I am.” He smiled then nipped at the soft skin of her earlobe. “All night long.”
Chapter Eleven
Wow.
Hours later, Julia’s brain registered that one syllable.
“Wow,” Sam murmured against her hair, clearly still trying to catch his breath.
She knew the feeling. She’d had good sex in her life—maybe even great a couple of times. This night had blown away her every expectation about what intimacy felt like when it was exactly right. She wanted to believe it was because she’d been on a long hiatus.
If she admitted the truth, Sam had been worth a two-year wait. Her body felt boneless, as if she never wanted to move from where she lay stretched across him, the short hair on his chest tickling her bare skin.
The unfamiliar feeling of contentment jolted her back into reality. Their relationship was precarious enough, sometimes hot and often cold enough to give her frostbite. He challenged her, irritated her and filled her with such incredible need, she wondered how she’d walk away when the business part of their arrangement was over.
That sobering thought in mind, she rolled off him. He automatically tucked the light duvet in around her. They’d made it to his bedroom.
Eventually.
After the couch in his living room. And the stairs. The stairs? She hadn’t even known that was possible, let alone that it would be downright amazing.
It was still dark and she couldn’t make out much more than the outlines of furniture around the room and the fact that his bed was enormous. It suited him.
She glanced at the glowing numbers of the digital clock on the nightstand next to the bed. He shifted, propping himself on one elbow and wrapping the other arm around her waist.
“Don’t go.”
She tilted her head away, his face in shadow from the moonlight slanting through the bedroom window. She couldn’t see his eyes and hoped hers were hidden, as well.
How did he know she was getting ready to bolt? Julia had never been much of a cuddler. The emotional boundaries she put around herself often manifested in physical limits, as well.
She looked at the ceiling. Even if she couldn’t see his eyes, she knew his gaze was intense. “As fun as this was...”
His soft chuckle rumbled in the quiet, making her insides tingle again. She’d done a lot of tingling tonight.
“Fun,” he repeated.
“We’ve got chemistry.”
He laughed again.
“This isn’t funny.” She didn’t want to make more of this than it was. She’d start talking and end up embarrassing herself with romantic declarations about how much she liked—more than liked, if she admitted the truth—being with Sam, both in the bedroom and out of it. He was the first man she felt wanted her for her, not what she looked like or an image she portrayed. It was both liberating and frightening to reveal her true self to someone.
“You’re funny.” He kissed the tip of her nose and pulled her tighter against the length of him. “And smart.” He kissed one cheek. “And sexy as hell.” Then the other. “I want you to spend the night.” His lips met hers.
She broke the kiss. “I think we’ve about wrapped things up here.”
He traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue. “We’ve only gotten started.”
Julia felt her resolve disappear. She knew it was a mistake but she couldn’t make her body move an inch. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure.”
It had been ages since Julia’d wanted to be with someone as much as she did Sam. “I guess that would be okay.”
“Okay?” He tickled her belly and she wriggled in response.
“More than okay.”
“That’s what I thought.”
She expected him to kiss her again, but instead he snuggled in behind her, smoothing her hair across the pillow.
“Sleep,” he told her.
“Oh. I thought you wanted to...”
“I do. Later.”
Her spine stiffened. “I’ve never been much for spooning.”
“I can tell.” His finger drew circles along her back until she began to relax. “Why did you pick me up tonight?”
“I don’t like pillow talk, either,” she muttered, and he laughed again.
He didn’t press her for more, just continued to trace patterns along her skin. The silence was companionable, the room still and soft in the night. She stretched her head against the pillow, relishing the feeling of being surrounded by Sam. His scent lingered in the sheets, the combination of outdoors and spice that continued to make her head spin.
“Okay,” she said after a few minutes, “I kind of get why all those women were hung up on you.”
“What women?”
She lightly jabbed her elbow into his stomach. “Your Three Strikes Sam fan club. You’re pretty good at this stuff.”
“Only with you.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“No changing the subject. I was a jerk tonight. You gave me another chance. Thank you.”
She took a deep breath. “I can use all the help I can get. There’s no use hiding it.”
“You shouldn’t hide anything,” he said softly.
“I saw Lexi Preston at the carnival.”
“Your ex’s attorney?”
“She was there checking up on me, I think. Lots of stories to be dished from my former frenemies.” She gave a sad laugh. “Lexi thinks they wouldn’t be so hard on me now if they’d known what I was dealing with back then.”
“Maybe you wouldn’t be so hard on yourself if you told the truth,” Sam suggested.
“Could be,” she said with a yawn. It had been a long day. A light shiver ran through her and he pulled her closer. “Good Lord, you’re a furnace.” She snuggled in closer. “My own personal space heater.”
“Whatever you need me to be,” Sam agreed.
That was the last thing Julia heard him say before she drifted off to sleep.
She woke a few hours later and they made love again in the hazy predawn light. His eyes never left hers as they moved together, and Julia knew this night changed what was between them, even if they both acted as though it didn’t.
She’d wanted him since the first time she’d laid eyes on him, no matter how much she tried to deny it. Now that she knew how good it could be, she wasn’t sure how she’d ever adjust back to real life. She had to, she reminded herself, even as she snuggled in closer to him. This night was a fringe benefit of their business arrangement, and if she let herself forget that, she knew she’d lose her heart along the way.
* * *
“You’re finally ready to get back into action?”
Sam ripped open a sugar packet and dumped it into his coffee. “I haven’t been sitting on a beach sipping fruity drinks for the past couple of years.”
“You know what I mean.”
He watched his brother shovel another bite of pancakes into his mouth. Scott always could eat like a horse. Not that Scott was a kid anymore. He was twenty-nine and a good two inches taller than Sam’s six feet. They both had the Callahan blue eyes and linebacker build, but Scott had their mother’s olive coloring and dark hair. Sometimes a look or gesture from Scott could bring back a memory of their mom so vividly it was as if she was still with them.
“I’m glad you called me.” Scott downed the rest of his orange juice and signaled the waitress for another. “I felt real bad about what happened.”
“About having sex with my fiancée?”
Scott flinched. “Pretty much. Although you have to
know by now I wasn’t the first.”
Sam gave a curt nod. “I’m still not going to thank you, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“I’m not.”
“I didn’t come here to talk about Jenny or rehash the past.”
“Dad called last week. He told me you’re engaged again.”
Sam looked out the window of the café into the sunny morning. He’d met Scott in a town halfway between Brevia and D.C., far enough away that he wouldn’t see any familiar faces. It had been almost a week since the night of the carnival. He’d seen Julia and Charlie almost every day. Sometimes it was under the guise of making their relationship look real. He’d taken them to lunch and to a neighboring playground, stopped by the salon when he had a break during the day.
He was happiest when it was just the three of them. He’d pick up dinner after his shift, or she’d cook and they’d take the dog for a walk, and then he’d help get Charlie ready for bed. They agreed if he was going to be a presence at the mediation or future court dates, it would be smart for Charlie to feel comfortable with him.
Sam hadn’t expected how much playing family would fill up the empty parts of him. He counted the hours each day until he could lift Charlie in his arms and even more the moments until he could pull Julia to him.
He took another drink of coffee then answered, “It’s complicated. But I’m engaged.”
Complicated might be the understatement of the century where Julia was concerned. She’d opened up to him and shared her deepest secret. She trusted him with her son, her dreams for the future, and it scared him to death. He steered their conversations away from the topic of his work, no matter how often she asked about details of his day.
After the scene at the carnival, he didn’t want to see worry in her gaze or argue about the risks he took. It reminded him too much of his parents. Even so, he knew he was going to go through hell when their arrangement was finished. He’d called Scott last week and set up this meeting to talk about a new job away from Brevia, but now his purpose was twofold.
“I need some information on a family from Ohio, very prominent in the area. Dennis and Maria Johnson.”
“What kind of information?” Scott asked.
“Whatever you’ve got. My fiancée, Julia, has a kid with their son and they’re making waves with the current custody arrangement. They’ve got a lot of money and influence and are pulling out the stops to make her life hell. From my experience, people who want to throw their weight around like that have done it before. I’m guessing they have some skeletons from past skirmishes. I want to know what they are.”
Scott nodded. “I’ve got a couple of friends up there. I’ll make a call, see what I can find out.” He stabbed another bite of pancake then pointed his fork at Sam. “This Julia must be special. You always play by the rule book. It’s not like you to fight dirty.”
“I’m fighting to win. There’s too much at stake not to.”
“I’d like to meet her.”
Sam felt his whole body tense. His voice lowered to a controlled growl. “Stay away from her, Scott. She isn’t like Jenny.”
Scott held up his hands, palms up. “I get it. I get it.”
The waitress brought a second juice and refilled Sam’s coffee. Scott winked at her and she practically tripped backing away from the table.
Sam wanted to roll his eyes. “I see you haven’t changed. Still chasing tail all over the place?”
“Why mess with a system that works so damn well? I’m happy. The ladies are happy. All good. I wasn’t cut out for commitment.” He lifted one eyebrow. “Until I got Dad’s call, I would have guessed you weren’t, either.”
“Dad thinks love makes the world go round.”
“Dad’s gone soft and it gives me the creeps.”
“Amen to that.”
“When you texted, you asked about openings at headquarters.” Scott had worked for the U.S. Marshals Service since he’d gotten out of the army.
Sam took a drink of coffee. “You got anything?” It had been easy to imagine a future in Brevia when he’d only been the police chief, before it had started to really feel like home. Before Julia.
Scott nodded. “Maybe, but I don’t get it. Why do you want to look at a new job if you’re getting married? Being a cop is tough enough on a relationship. The Marshals Service would be the kiss of death. What we do doesn’t compute with the minivan lifestyle.”
“I told you, it’s complicated.”
“You’re gonna run,” Scott said, his voice quiet.
“I’m not running anywhere.” Sam felt pressure build behind his eyes. Despite being younger, wild and reckless, Scott always had an uncanny ability to read Sam. It drove him nuts. “You said yourself the Callahans aren’t meant for commitment. It may be a matter of time before she sees that. It’ll be easier on us both if I’m not around for the fallout.”
Scott nodded. “That’s more like the brother I know and love. For a minute I thought Dad had brainwashed you with all his hug-it-out bull. Do you know he called my boss to see if he could do a seminar on using emotional intelligence in the field?”
“What’s emotional intelligence?”
“Beats me,” Scott said with a shrug. “But I’m sure as hell not interested in finding out. Did you fill out the paperwork I sent you?”
Sam slid an envelope across the table. “It’s got my résumé with it.”
“We’d be lucky to have you,” Scott said solemnly. “I’d be honored to work together.”
Sam’s phone buzzed, alerting him that he had a voice-mail message. Coverage was spotty in this area, so he wasn’t sure when the call had come in. He looked at his phone and saw six messages waiting.
“We did have some good times,” he admitted as he punched the keypad to retrieve them. He wasn’t on duty, so he couldn’t imagine why anyone would need him so urgently.
“Here’s to many more.” Scott lifted his juice glass in a toast.
Sam listened to the first message and felt the blood drain from his face. He stood, tossing a twenty on the table. “I need to go.”
“Everything okay?” Scott asked, mopping up syrup with his last bite of pancake.
Sam was already out the door.
Chapter Twelve
Sam was about forty-five minutes from Brevia. He made it to the hospital in less than thirty.
“Charlie Morgan,” he said to the woman at the front desk of the E.R., and she pointed to a room halfway down the hall. He stopped to catch his breath then pushed open the door.
A nurse stood talking to Julia as Vera held Charlie in her lap on the bed. A bright blue cast covered the boy’s left wrist.
All three women looked up as Sam walked in. Julia stood so stiff he imagined she might crack in half if he touched her. The urge to ease some of her worry engulfed him.
“Sam,” Charlie said, a little groggily, waving his casted arm.
“Hey, buddy.” Sam came forward and bent down in front of the boy. “I like your new super arm.”
Charlie giggled softly and reached out for Sam to hold him. Vera’s eyes widened but she let Sam scoop him up. With Charlie in his arms, he turned to Julia.
“Are you okay?” he asked, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders.
She nodded but remained tense. “The nurse is giving me discharge papers. We’ve been here for over two hours.” Her eyes searched his. “I couldn’t reach you.”
“I’m sorry,” he said simply. “I was out of cell range.”
She looked as if she wanted to say more but the nurse cleared her throat. “I’ve got instructions on bathing him with the cast,” she said, holding out a slip of paper. “Take a look and let me know if you have questions.”
Gingerly, Julia took the piece of paper. She stared at it, her forehead pu
ckering as her mouth tightened into a thin, frustrated line.
Vera rose to stand beside him. Julia looked up and met his gaze, her eyes miserable. He tugged the paper from her fingers. “Why don’t you go over what we need to do?” he said to the nurse. “Just to be on the safe side. We’ll take the instructions home, too.”
As the woman explained the procedure, Sam felt Vera squeeze his shoulder. “Thank you,” she whispered then slipped out of the room.
When the nurse finished her explanation, Julia asked a couple of questions, and then the woman left them alone. Charlie’s head drooped on Sam’s shoulder and his eyes drifted shut.
“I can take him,” Julia said, holding out her hands but keeping her gaze focused on her son.
“I’ve got him.” Sam tipped her chin up so she had to look him in the eye. “I’m sorry, Jules. I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”
“You don’t owe us anything.” She picked up the diaper bag from the chair next to the bed. “I want to go home.”
Sam followed her into the hall and toward the elevator. She didn’t say a word until they were in the parking lot. “I shouldn’t have called you. We’re not your problem.” She took Charlie and settled him in the car seat.
“I’m sorry,” Sam said again. A warm breeze played with the ends of her hair. Spring was in full swing in the Smoky Mountains. He wondered how old Charlie needed to be to hold a tiny fishing rod. There were so many things he wanted to do with her and Charlie before their time together ended. Before she figured out she should have never depended on him in the first place. He couldn’t stand the thought that today might be the first nail in his coffin. “I know you were scared. I wish I had been here earlier.”
She jerked her head in response and he saw tears fill her eyes. “I put the toy car together—one of those ones a toddler pushes around.” She swiped at her cheeks. “I swear I followed the directions, but when he knocked it against the kitchen table, it fell apart. Charlie went down over it and landed on his arm. His scream was the worst sound I’ve ever heard.”
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