by Marie Force
She murmured in her sleep as her hand covered his, aware of his presence even in slumber.
He wanted her urgently but would never wake her after she’d gone so long without sleep. It was enough for now to hold her close, to feel her heart beating under the hand he’d rested on her chest and to enjoy the singular feeling of her naked body pressed against his.
The trip had been long and grueling. He’d slept only sporadically, especially after the conversation with the president had him running the different scenarios and failing to figure out how to fit the president’s offer into their lives in a way that made sense for all of them.
Sam turned over and opened her stunning blue eyes. “You’re home.” Her voice was hoarse with sleep and sexy as all hell.
His gaze traveled immediately to the angry bruises on her neck, which he traced with a light fingertip so he wouldn’t hurt her. “I hope I never see that bastard Stahl again. I might have to kill him for doing this to you.”
“Don’t do that. I need you too much to have to arrest you for murder.”
He brought her in tight against him and sighed when her arm curled around him.
“Missed you so much,” she said. “I hated that I couldn’t even talk to you.”
“I hated it too. I was very anxious being so far from you guys with everything that’s gone on lately. I couldn’t wait to get home, especially after I heard about what happened with Stahl.”
“So the Secret Service ratted me out on that, huh?”
“Yes,” he said, chuckling, “they certainly did.”
“Tattletaling—yet another reason to keep them far away from me. It was cool being on Air Force One?”
“It was an amazing experience. I wish you and Scotty could’ve come with me.”
“As fun as it would be to fly to the other side of the world and back in two days, I’ll have to take your word for it.”
Knowing how much she hated to fly, he smiled as he kissed her. “Go back to sleep. We’ve got all day to lay around.”
“You don’t have anything for the campaign?”
“Not until tomorrow night.”
“Two whole days together,” she said with a sigh of pleasure. “I think I just died and went straight to heaven.” As she said the words, she worked her leg between his and her hand moved from his chest to his belly and down to encircle his erection.
“Babe...what’re you doing?”
“Saying a proper hello to my husband who I love so much and who I missed so much.”
“While I love the way you say hello, you’re too tired.”
She stroked and caressed him until he was on the verge of bursting. “I’m never too tired for this.”
As much as it killed him to stop her, he wanted to be inside her when he lost control. “Wait. Let’s do this together.”
She turned onto her back and held out her arms, welcoming him into her loving embrace.
As he settled on top of her, he wanted to kiss and touch every inch of soft skin, but they were both in a rush after being apart for a few days.
“Hurry,” she whispered, spurring his desire with the urgency he heard in her voice.
He entered her swiftly and then paused to relish the sweet relief of being joined with his love. “Samantha,” he whispered, his lips brushing her neck and making her shiver. “I love you so much. I couldn’t wait to get home.”
“I couldn’t wait for you to get home either. What’s wrong with us that we can’t bear to be apart for two days?”
“Nothing is wrong with us. Nothing other than being madly in love.”
Smiling up at him, she caressed his back, her hands moving down in tantalizing circles until she gripped his ass and pulled him in tight against her as she came with a cry of pleasure that triggered his release. “God, baby,” he whispered. “You’re amazing. I can’t get enough of you.”
Her legs curled around his hips, keeping him lodged inside her. After a long spell of contented silence, she said, “I had another of those one-day periods while you were gone.”
“Aw, honey. Shit.”
She shrugged, showing nonchalance he knew she didn’t feel. “We’ll have to keep trying.”
“That’s certainly no hardship,” he said, pushing against her as he kissed her. “It’ll happen one of these months. We’re a proven entity.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll be okay either way. I promise.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.”
“Having Scotty with us has helped. I don’t feel the same aching need to have a baby that I used to feel. If all I ever get is him, he’ll be more than enough.”
“For me too. We’re so lucky to have as much as we do.” He withdrew from her and moved to his back, bringing her with him.
With her head resting on his chest and her hand caressing his belly, she caught him up on everything that’d happened while he was away. Nick was stunned to hear of the situation with her dad and the moving bullet.
“He says it’s nothing to worry about, but still... It sounds like it could be.”
“He’s right that we shouldn’t worry until we need to.”
“I’m trying.”
Anxious to get her mind off her worries about her dad so she’d be able to sleep, he said, “Tell me about the girls you rescued from the motel. I heard about it on the news on the way home.”
“That was the craziest thing! I got one of my feelings. I can’t even explain the sense I got that something was very wrong there.” She told him about rescuing Ginger and Amber, how Ginger had led them to the house where dozens of other missing kids had been located and the tearful reunion between Ginger—who turned out to be Sarah—and her parents.
“I remember the story when Sarah went missing. It was big news around here.”
“And all this time she was only an hour away in the District. Her parents were so happy and relieved. But they’ve got an awfully long road ahead getting her the help she’ll need.”
“That’s amazing, babe. I’m so proud of what you did for those kids.”
“Thanks. Everyone made a big deal about it at HQ.”
“It’s a huge big deal. You could’ve walked away from that hotel and their nightmare would’ve continued with no one knowing what was really going on. You saved them all by following your instincts.”
“I’d only ever say this to you, because it sounds kind of arrogant, but...when things like that happen, I know I’m doing exactly what I was put on this earth to do. Does that make sense?”
“It makes perfect sense,” he said, and it served to clarify his decision. Who was he kidding? There’d never been a decision in the first place. Her job defined her and gave her life meaning. He’d never ask her to give that up for him.
She let out a huge yawn. “I can’t stay awake anymore.”
“You don’t have to, baby. I’ll be here when you wake up, and we’ll have all kinds of time to spend together.”
“Can we stay right here in our loft and not leave until we have to pick up Scotty?”
“There’s nothing I’d rather do.”
“What’s the latest with Lexicore?”
“You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
“I will after you tell me what’s going on.”
“Turns out most of their investors were blindsided by the connection to the factory in Thailand. We haven’t seen any noticeable drop in the polls since the news hit that I was a stockholder.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It’s all thanks to Graham. He played it perfectly. As always, his instincts were spot-on.”
“I’m glad. You deserve to be reelected. You work so hard.” She relaxed into his embrace, and her breathing evened out, leading him to think she’d fallen back to sleep. “Nick?”
“Hmm?”
“Remember that thing we talked about doing together sometime?”
His recently satisfied libido stood up to take notice when he realized what she meant. “What about it?”
He tightened his grip on her and kissed her forehead. “We’ll get to it, babe. We’ll do it all. I promise.”
“Good,” she said, yawning again. “Did you get to spend any time with the president on the trip?”
“We had a drink together in the middle of the night on Air Force One. It was incredible.”
“That’s so cool. Did anything else happen while you were gone?”
“No, honey. Nothing else happened. Go to sleep. I’ve got you.”
Epilogue
Sam, Nick and Scotty watched the election returns in a hotel suite across the street from the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The suite was full of family, friends and campaign staffers anticipating an easy victory for Nick in his first official election.
Graham worked the room like the seasoned politician he was, enjoying every moment of his adopted son’s big night. Dressed in his “work clothes,” Scotty followed Graham around, handing out cigars and shaking hands.
“Check out the next Senator Cappuano, already in training,” Sam said to Nick. They sat together in front of the TV, watching the coverage and waiting to hear official results in the Virginia Senate race.
Nick smiled when Scotty shook hands with Virginia Governor Mike Zorn and his wife Judy, both of whom seemed charmed by the boy. They’d come by for a quick visit while they waited to see if he’d been reelected too.
“The kid is a natural,” Nick said.
Sam reached for his hand and linked their fingers. “Just like his dad.”
“I’ll be glad when they call it,” he said, glancing anxiously at the TV.
“It’s in the bag, Senator. They probably had to invent a new way to count as many votes as you got.”
“Shut up,” he said in a teasing tone.
“Shut me up.”
“I will. Later.”
“Promises, promises. I just got a text from Trace. They’re moving Brooke to the new school tonight. I guess it got kind of ugly when they told her what was happening.”
“Let’s hope things will be better for all of them with a little space.”
“I can only hope so.”
Graham came over to them, his blue eyes dancing with excitement and anticipation. He was in his element on a night like this and was clearly enjoying himself. He’d been glued to Nick’s side all day, propping up the candidate during his first official election day.
“Could I have a word with the Senator-Elect?” he asked.
“Don’t jinx him,” Scotty said from behind Graham.
“You tell him, Scotty,” Nick said.
“I’m just speaking the truth,” Graham said.
Nick squeezed Sam’s hand and released it. “Be right back, babe.”
“I won’t keep him but a minute,” Graham said.
Sam reached out to Scotty. “Come sit with me.”
As the two men walked away, Scotty plopped down next to her and focused on the election returns. “I wish they’d call it already.”
Sam laughed. “You’re a chip off the old block.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re just like Nick. He said the same thing two minutes ago.”
“Being just like Nick isn’t a bad thing.”
“It’s a very good thing.”
“This is all really cool, isn’t it?”
“It’s very cool, but I have to admit I’ll be glad when the campaign is officially over and we can go back to a somewhat normal life.”
“Our life is never normal.”
Endlessly amused by him, she said, “Already got that figured out, huh?”
“Yep. Didn’t take long to figure out I’d never be bored with you guys for parents.”
“Gee, thanks. I think...”
His smile was full of charm and mischief, but then it faded, and she could tell he had something on his mind. “Could I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“I heard you guys talking about Grandpa Skip having to go to the hospital next week. Is he okay?”
Sam winced. “Sorry you heard about it like that. It’s possible the bullet that paralyzed him has shifted a bit. So they’re going to do some tests to take a better look. Because he’s sort of fragile, they want to admit him to do it. Nothing to worry about.” She could see that he was trying to process the information.
“Is it possible that he might be able to walk again someday?”
“Oh, honey, I don’t think we’ll ever get that lucky.”
“That sure would be awesome.”
“Yes, it would. I wish you could’ve known him before he was hurt. He was impossibly big and strong and so full of life.”
“He still is.”
Moved to tears by three simple words, Sam held out her arms to him. “That’s nice of you to say.” She gave him a tight hug and let him go.
“It’s nice to have a grandpa again.”
“He thinks you’re pretty great too.”
“He does? Really?”
“Of course he does. What’s not to love about you, Scotty Cappuano?”
Scotty’s grin lit up his face. “There’s nothing not to love about me.”
“You said it, mister.”
* * *
Nick followed Graham into one of the suite’s two bedrooms. They left the door open so they could hear if there was any news.
“I just wanted a minute to say I’m proud of the campaign you ran, and I’m looking forward to the next seven years—and don’t tell me I’m jinxing you. We both know you’re going to walk away with it.”
“Thank you for all your help. I couldn’t have gotten this far without you.”
“You could’ve done without the Lexicore hiccup,” Graham said with a scowl.
“That’s all it was—a hiccup. Thanks to your statement, the story of my involvement never got any traction.”
“Well, it was the least I could do for getting you into that mess in the first place. I feel terrible that you lost so much money, though. I’ll find a way to make it up to you.”
“Don’t give it another thought. I’ve still got more than half of what John left me, and I was hardly a pauper before John made me his beneficiary.”
“True.” Graham straightened Nick’s tie and brushed some lint off his suit coat. “He’d be so proud of you, the best friend he ever had. He’d love this.”
“I just wish he hadn’t had to die to make it possible.”
“He’d tell us both to quit fretting over him and enjoy the moment. He was good at that—living in the moment.”
“Yes, he was.” Maybe a little too good, Nick thought, but he kept that to himself out of respect for his late friend and his late friend’s father. “I had an interesting conversation with Nelson on the plane the other night.”
“Interesting how?”
“You gotta keep this between us.”
“Of course.”
Nick told him about the vice president’s diagnosis and his plans to resign after the election.
“Oh God. That’s awful.” Graham suddenly looked up at Nick, gasping. “He asked you to replace Gooding, didn’t he?”
“Maybe.”
Graham’s eyes bugged. “You gotta be shitting me! That’s amazing!”
“Before you get too excited, I’m going to turn him down.”
“No...”
“Yes.”
“Why? It would make you the absolute heir apparent in four years!”
“I know.”
“So then why the heck are you saying no?”
Nick glanced at the open door, through which he could see Sam sitting with Scotty, their heads close together as they conversed. Her hair was long and curly tonight, the way he liked it best. She’d chosen a black silk dress that somehow managed to be both sexy and demure at the same time. The diamond key he’d given her as a wedding gift was nestled just above her full breasts, and her engagement ring sparkled
as she ran a hand over Scotty’s hair to straighten it.
Nick looked over at his friend and mentor, who had followed his gaze to Sam and Scotty. “I can’t ask her to give up her career to support mine, Graham, and she can’t be the vice president’s wife and still chase down murderers. That’s who she is. Asking her to be anyone else would be like asking her not to breathe. I can’t do it.”
“Surely some arrangement could be made.”
“What kind of arrangement?” Nick asked with a smile.
“I don’t know. Some kind.” Graham looked like he might burst into tears at any second.
“I had an entire sleepless night on Air Force One to think about the various scenarios. I kept coming back to the same conclusion. It’s not the right time—for her or for me.”
“It is the right time for you,” Graham insisted.
“If the time isn’t right for her, it’s not right for me either.”
“What did she say when you told her about it?”
“I didn’t tell her.”
“Nick... Come on! You have to at least tell her about it. How do you know what she’ll say if she doesn’t even know?”
“I have no doubt that she’d give up the job she loves, the job that has defined her adult life, if I asked her to. I also have no doubt that she’d absolutely hate every minute of living in a gilded cage, surrounded by Secret Service all the time. I’m surprised she hasn’t murdered a member of the details following Scotty and me over the last couple of months. That life isn’t for her.”
“She knew what she was signing on for,” Graham said a bit petulantly.
“Neither of us could’ve imagined what this past year would bring. Now that the campaign is over, we’re both looking forward to some downtime to spend with our new son. We’re anxious for some peace. This last year has been unreal.”
Graham screwed his face into what might’ve been a pout as he looked down at the floor. “You’re killing me here.”
Nick’s laughter rang out, drawing Sam’s attention in the adjoining room. He returned her smile. “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have told you.”
“Nah, it’s okay. I’ll survive. Somehow.”
“You won’t say anything about it, will you?”