by Marie Force
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. Tonight was fantastic. Best time I’ve had in…well, ever.”
“Me, too.”
He stroked a hand over her hair in a soothing, protective way that made her want to sigh with pleasure. “Go to sleep. I’ll make sure you’re up in plenty of time to get to work.”
“You should sleep, too.”
“Me and sleep have a complicated relationship.”
“Really?” She had all kinds of questions she wanted to ask about that bit of insight he’d shared with her.
“Shhh. Go to sleep. I’ll tell you all about it some other time.”
Knowing there would be another time, maybe more than one, filled her with the kind of giddy anticipation she’d never experienced with any other man. She definitely wanted more of this man, and suddenly, the idea of not seeing him for the four weeks he would be away was profoundly depressing.
Her last thought before she dropped off the cliff into sleep was at least she’d have something to look forward to during the dog days of summer in the District.
Sam resurfaced sometime later—it could’ve been minutes or hours for all she knew—to the feel of lips on her back and hands cupping her ass. It all came back to her in a rush of awareness. She was in Nick’s bed somewhere in Northern Virginia after the best sex of her life with, apparently, more to come.
She opened her eyes for the brief second it took to ensure she hadn’t overslept. Seeing she was down to mere minutes before the alarm would go off, she closed her eyes again, losing herself to the sensual storm he was creating behind her.
God, he knew what he was doing. He played her like a maestro trained to please her and only her. And wasn’t that a terrifying thought? This was supposed to be a one-night thing, and now she was beginning to wonder if he was the guy she’d been meant to find after years of dating all the wrong men.
If this one was wrong, she didn’t want to be right.
He moved her effortlessly until she was positioned on her hands and knees, her legs spread and her ass propped in the air by the two pillows he pushed under her. He touched her everywhere, starting with her calves and working his way up to her thighs. When his tongue entered the party between her legs, Sam startled and gasped before she moaned.
She’d never been one to take a passive role during sex, but he hadn’t given her much choice with this position.
He left her teetering on the edge of release when he withdrew from her only long enough to roll on a condom. Then he was back, hands on her hips, holding her in place as he slammed into her in one deep thrust that made her scream from the orgasm that detonated from her core and ricocheted through every cell in her body.
“Holy shit, that was hot,” he whispered as he bit down on the tendon that connected her neck to her shoulder. “You almost took me with you with that one.”
That was when she realized he was still hard and thick inside her.
“Hang on tight, babe. This is going to be fast.”
With his fingers grasping her hips, he pounded into her, making her feel every exquisite inch of him. “You got one more for me?”
“No way.”
“Wanna bet?” He reached around her, his fingers finding her clit, and the combination was so powerful, so intensely erotic that she was coming again before she could begin to form a protest.
He was right there with her, surging into her in a moment of perfect harmony that would stay with her long after this exquisite night with him was only a memory.
The rattle of the alarm broke the silence, providing a harsh welcome back to reality.
Still buried deep inside her, Nick reached over to turn it off.
“You give good wake-up,” Sam muttered from beneath him.
“So do you.” He kissed between her shoulder blades and then withdrew, squeezing her bottom one last time as he went. “Time to get up.”
Sam groaned loudly. Every inch of her body felt used and abused—in the best possible way, but still, she was sore as hell. She moved slowly and was sitting on the edge of the bed considering her next move when he came into the room holding the clothes she had abandoned just inside his front door. Had that really been last night? It seemed like a week ago.
She took the clothes from him, feeling shy and uncertain all of a sudden. “Thank you.” Then she did a double take. “Is this skirt clean?”
“Maybe.”
“You washed my skirt.”
“Possibly.”
“For real? When did you do that?”
“You were sleeping. I was awake. It was no big deal.”
Except it was a big deal. It showed that in addition to being incredibly nice and sexy, he was thoughtful, too. What a powerful combination.
“I didn’t want you to have to wear a stinky skirt home.”
“It’s really very, very nice of you to do that. Thank you.”
He shrugged off her praise, seeming slightly—and adorably—embarrassed. “You know, if you took a shower here, that would give you a head start on your day.”
She eyed him skeptically. “I don’t dare get soapy and naked with you. I doubt I have time for your kind of shower.”
“I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise.”
“You’re just a regular Boy Scout, aren’t you?” she asked for the second time.
“Since you’re so interested, I should tell you I was actually an Eagle Scout.”
“Of course you were.”
Smiling, he held out his hand to her.
Sam eyed it for exactly one second before she took it and let him pull her up. With her legs protesting every step of the way, she let him tow her into the bathroom, where he started the shower and produced a couple of clean towels. At first glance, his place seemed immaculate, nothing at all like the bachelor pads she was used to from the guys she dated.
In the shower, he was true to his word and kept his hands to himself. “Shampoo? Conditioner?”
“I’m not going to wash my hair. I just did it last night.”
“Damn, I was hoping I’d get to do that for you. Rain check?”
There he was again, alluding to future encounters. Sam shivered in anticipation of more of him. “Sure.”
Once again, he took hold of her hips and kissed the back of her neck that had been left exposed when she put her hair up. “I do plan to collect.”
“Good to know.” She’d believe it when she saw it. After years and years of dating the wrong guys, only time would tell if he was the right one. But damn, he was certainly off to a good start.
Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped her in a thick towel that smelled like fabric softener and left her to get dressed in private.
Sam emerged from the bathroom to find him wearing a Harvard T-shirt and basketball shorts. He was every bit as sexy now as he’d been in a suit the night before.
“Ready?” he asked.
Sam nodded, suddenly feeling shy and awkward as the morning-after weirdness set in. Had she really picked up a guy at a party and had him every which way to Tuesday all night long? Yes, she had, and she’d enjoyed every mouthwatering second of it.
He held the car door for her and waited until she was settled to close the door and go around to the driver’s side. With the sun about to rise, she could see more of his neighborhood this morning. It was one of those upwardly mobile communities that were all over the DC area, each one less distinctive than the other.
They were quiet on the ride across the bridge into the city, where the monuments were lit by the first glow of morning sunshine.
“So pretty this time of day,” Sam said.
“I never get tired of this view.”
“Neither do I.”
He glanced over at her and smiled.
Following an impulse, she reached for his free hand and took hold of it. “I had a really great time.”
“So did I. You’re going to give me your number, right?”
“Are you asking or telling?”
&nbs
p; “Asking, of course.”
Sam laughed and released his hand to use the pad and pen she always carried with her to write down her home phone number. Since her cell phone was department-issued, she was always afraid of Stahl trying to nail her for using it for personal calls, so she never gave out that number, which she explained to him as she tore out the page, folded it and placed it in a cup holder. “There you go.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I get back to town.”
“Okay.” Again, she’d believe it when she saw it. But he’d given her ample reason to hope that he might be different from all the losers who’d come before him. It occurred to her that she also owed Angela fifty bucks, a thought that made her laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“I bet my sister I’d have a shitty time last night, so thanks to you, I owe her fifty bucks.”
“Sorry about that.”
“I’m not. It was well worth it.”
He took her hand again and gave it a squeeze. “It certainly was.”
They arrived at her place on Capitol Hill far too soon for her liking. As Nick put the car in park, Sam was hit with an unreasonable feeling of foreboding, as if something awful was about to happen and she was powerless to stop it. God, what the hell had brought that on? She shook off the odd feeling to give him her full attention.
“Thank you again for a wonderful time.”
He leaned across the center console to kiss her. “The pleasure was all mine.”
“Not entirely all yours.”
His smile was the sexiest thing she’d ever encountered. “I’ll call you when I get back.”
“All right, then. Safe travels.” She reached for her door handle, but he stopped her from escaping.
“Sam… I will call you. I promise.” He kissed her one more time and then let her go, seeming as reluctant as she felt.
“Thanks for the ride… All of them.”
He was still laughing when she got out of the car and waved before skipping up the stairs to her place.
She was surprised when the door swung open before she could use her key. “Oh, hey,” she said to Peter. “What’re you doing up so early?”
“Couldn’t sleep. Where were you?”
“Out with friends, but you won’t believe what happened. I met the most amazing guy.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Uh-huh.” Still locked inside the dream state she’d been in for hours now, Sam helped herself to the coffee Peter had made. “I think this one might be different. I really do.”
“You’ll have to tell me all about him.”
“I’ll tell you the PG parts after work,” she said with a wink. “Right now, I gotta get going.” She downed the coffee and rinsed the mug. On the way out of the kitchen, she caught him watching her with an odd expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
“Okay, then. Talk to you later.” Sam ran upstairs to get changed before the coffee date with her dad. She wondered if he’d be able to tell that something momentous had happened to her since they’d seen each other the day before. Of course he’d be able to tell. He read her like the proverbial book.
For once, she didn’t care if her dad knew something she’d prefer to keep private—for now, anyway. Nick had made her giddy with excitement, and she had no idea how she’d survive for four whole weeks until she could see him again.
Thanks for reading One Night With You! I hope you enjoyed this look into that “memorable” night Sam and Nick have often referred to in the subsequent Fatal Series novels. Readers have been asking for this story since Fatal Affair was released in 2010, so it’s a thrill for me to finally have written that story. It was a trip for me to go back to before Fatal Affair to write about the first time Sam and Nick met and the amazing first night they spent together. Knowing what was ahead for them, it was both bittersweet and exciting to write that special night and to witness the intense connection they shared from the first minute they met. It was crazy to see Skip Holland before he was a quadriplegic and to meet Sam and Nick when they were still on the way up in their careers.
Join the Fatal Series Reader Group to connect with other fans of the series and the One Night With You Reader Group to discuss this novella. Much more to come from D.C. so make sure you’re on the newsletter mailing list at marieforce.com to never miss a book! Join Marie’s postal mailing list to receive her holiday card as well as other postcards throughout the year. And remember to leave a review on Goodreads to help other readers discover Sam and Nick and their extended family. Thanks again for your lovely reviews for this series!
With books 8 and 9 out this year and book 10 coming in 2016, I’m looking forward to many more exciting stories in the Fatal Series! Thanks for coming along on this ride with Sam and Nick!
A special thank you to my HTJB team: Julie Cupp, Lisa Cafferty, Holly Sullivan, Isabel Sullivan, Nikki Colquhoun and Cheryl Serra for all they do to make my life easier, as well as my husband, Dan, who runs our lives so I can write. Thank you to Kristina Brinton for the amazing cover for One Night With You, Linda Ingmanson for copy editing and Joyce Lamb for proofreading. It’s a pleasure to work with all of you! To everyone at Carina Press and Harlequin, thank you for your amazing support of the Fatal Series.
In other series news, Fatal Affair and Fatal Justice were released with all new covers in May 2015. Coming next are Fatal Consequences/Fatal Destiny and Fatal Flaw in June; Fatal Deception in July; Fatal Mistake in August; and Fatal Jeopardy in September. Early next year watch for Fatal Scandal and Book 9, Fatal Frenzy. By mid-2016 when Book 10 is released, the mass-market paperback will be released simultaneously with the ebook.
As always, a huge thank you the readers who support me and my books with such enthusiasm and love. I appreciate you all more than you’ll ever know!
xoxo
Marie
Turn the page for a sneak peek at Fatal Frenzy, Book 9 in the Fatal Series, out on September 15, 2015. ***Warning: if you haven’t yet read Book 8, Fatal Scandal, this excerpt contains spoilers. Please read Scandal before you read the excerpt.***
Fatal Frenzy
Fatal Series Book 9
Chapter 1
“I don’t want to be here.” Surrounded by familiar buff-colored cinderblock walls, Sam felt claustrophobic and panicky. Even the burnt-coffee smell of the place nauseated her. She needed to get out of there. Now.
“Sam.”
She glanced at Dr. Tucci, who gazed intently at her, his gray eyes never wavering. His hair had gotten thinner since the last time she was forced to spend time with him, after young Quentin Johnson died at the hands of her officers in his father’s crack house.
“What?”
“I can’t clear you to go back to work until you talk about it.”
“What’s there to talk about? I did a stupid thing, and I paid the price. Should I have gone in there alone? No. I know that. I knew it then, but I had no reason to suspect that Marissa Springer was going to turn into a murdering lunatic or that she’d partnered up with Stahl. As far as I knew she was a grieving mother, a disgruntled wife and a source of information.” Sam shrugged. “There. I talked about it. Can I go now?”
He continued to stare at her without blinking. How did he do that? Everyone needed to blink once in a while, didn’t they? Perhaps one of the job requirements for being a police department shrink was a freakish staring ability.
She shifted in her seat, crossed her legs and then her arms. “What else do you want me to say?”
“I want to hear about what happened with Stahl. How you coped during the assault. What you’re thinking about now. How you’re sleeping. You could start by telling me what it was like to be wrapped in razor wire by a man you once reported to.”
“It was sharp.”
Tucci finally blinked—and sighed—deeply. “Maybe we should reschedule for next week.”
“Next week is kind of busy. The inauguration and all that.”
“Are you aware of that your squad is frantically trying to find the person responsible for a series of knife attacks?”
For the first time she felt a twinge of guilt at letting down her closest colleagues. “Yes, I’m aware of that.” The city was on edge after a series of brazen and seemingly random attacks that had left two people dead and five others badly injured. Sam was sorry she wasn’t able to help this time, but she couldn’t single-handedly catch every killer who roamed the city’s streets.
“Do you want to come back to work, Sam?”
“Yes! Of course I do. What kind of question is that?” Her heart began to race at how close he’d come to uncovering her recent anxiety about work and safety and the loss of her famous mojo. It would come back. Eventually. It had to come back. Didn’t it? Who was she without it?
“It’s an honest question. You’ve been in this game long enough to know that if you don’t play the game, you remain on the sidelines. I can’t clear you to come back until I’m certain you’ve dealt with the trauma of what happened and are in the right place mentally, physically and emotionally to resume your duties.”
Sam was never more mulish than when pushed into a corner, and now was no different. “How am I supposed to prove to you that I’m fine?”
“You have to talk about it.”
“What if I don’t want to talk about it? What if talking about it makes it worse?”
“Have you talked to anyone? Your husband? Your friends, colleagues, your dad, sisters? Anyone?”
“Yeah, I’ve talked to them,” she said, squirming again. She hated the feeling that he saw right through her bullshit, the way Nick did, too. He’d been watching her like a hawk recently—to the point that she’d been actively avoiding her overly devoted husband for the first time ever.
Sam knew she wouldn’t get away with that for much longer, and Tucci wasn’t about to buckle either. “I’d like to leave now.”
“No one is forcing you to be here.”