by Marie Force
“You might want to give them a heads-up since they’re counting on you running in the next election.”
“What he said,” Sam said, nodding toward Scotty.
“All right, you two. Enough already with the talk about politics and my career. If you’re dreading school starting tomorrow, think about what I’m dreading that starts tomorrow.”
Scotty thought about that while he polished off another slice of pizza. “Congressional hearings that might lead to the impeachment of the president when you’re the vice president is definitely worse than school.”
“Thank you,” Nick said.
“I’m wondering… What should I say to the other kids who’ll ask me what’s going to happen?”
Nick glanced at Sam before returning his gaze to Scotty. “Tell them no one knows what’s going to happen, and like everyone else, we have to wait and see.”
“That’ll work.”
“The most important thing is not to get into any kind of speculating. Anything we say or do right now, even an innocent comment in school, could end up plastered across the front page of every paper in the country. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I gotcha. I’ll stick to the script.”
Nick laughed at Scotty’s choice of words. “You’re the best.”
They worked together to clean up from dinner and sent Scotty up to get ready for an early bedtime. “The party’s over,” he grumbled on his way out of the kitchen.
“I can feel his pain right here,” Sam said, hand over her belly. “I remember too well how dreadful the end of summer vacation always was.”
“Whereas I was sharpening all my pencils and filling my binders with loose-leaf paper and color-coded dividers.” Nick shuddered, as if in ecstasy.
“I can’t hear this.” Standing at the sink, Sam put her hands over her ears. “I knew eventually I’d discover something about you that wasn’t perfect. It was only a matter of time.”
“I like the smell of library books too—sour milk and paper and the crunch of the plastic covers…”
“Stop! Or I’ll never have sex with you again!”
Laughing, he put his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck while settling his erection against her lower back. “Admit it, you think my perfect GPA is sexy.”
“I’ll admit no such thing,” she said even as she pushed her ass against him suggestively.
“Uh-huh… Whatever you say, babe.” His hands traveled from her hips to her belly and up to cup her breasts, his thumbs sliding across her nipples, which reacted to his nearness the way they always did.
She was powerless to resist him, not that she ever tried very hard to resist. “I hope no one hassles Scotty at school about current events. Do you think we ought to reach out to someone about that?”
“Might be worth a phone call. I’ll take care of it in the morning.”
“You’ll send the front office into a tizzy if you call.”
“A call from me will get their attention, which is what we want.”
“True,” Sam said, turning to face him. “A call from the sexy vice president would get anyone’s attention, especially the ladies that work in the school office.”
As always, he scowled when she commented on his sexiness.
Sam laughed and brought him in for a kiss. “Let’s get our son tucked in so we can have some time alone. I really need it tonight.” A pang of anxiety reminded her that she could be called out to another homicide at any minute.
“I need it too,” he said, returning her kiss and watching over her with love and concern.
They’d had another disappointment, but they still had each other, and that was more than enough to take the sting out of this latest setback.
* * *
SAM WAITED UNTIL the nine o’clock Secret Service shift change to go into Scotty’s room to kiss him good-night. “Lights out by ten, buddy,” she said as she adjusted the comforter around him.
“Yeah, yeah. I know.”
“Try to look forward to seeing all your friends and not think about the school part.”
He smiled up at her. “Is that what you used to do?”
“Every year.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning. Bright and early.”
“That last part was unnecessary.”
“Sorry,” she said, trying not to smile.
“No, you’re not.”
Laughing, she said, “Love you, pal. Sleep tight.”
“Love you too.”
Sam closed his door and headed for the third floor, thankful to not have to sneak past the agent who stood watch in the upstairs hallway on the way to her booty call with her husband. They were still getting used to having their house crawling with Secret Service, but at times like this, Sam tried to forget about the extra people in the house so she could focus exclusively on her husband.
Nick had already lit the beach-scented candles and put on the Polynesian music that reminded them of their trips to Bora Bora for their honeymoon and first anniversary. “There you are. I was about to send out a search party.”
“I waited for the shift change. I hate when they know we’re up here. It’s like they know what we’re doing.”
Laughing, he extended his hand to her, inviting her to join him on the comfortable double lounge chair.
Sam untied her robe and dropped it to the floor before she crawled from the foot of the lounger to curl up to him.
“Could I get a video of what you just did so I can watch it anytime I want?”
“Absolutely not. My husband is a very important man, and if a video like that ever got out, it would ruin him. You’ll have to rely on memories.”
“Your husband,” he said, nuzzling her neck as he cupped her breast, “is a very, very lucky man.”
“Yes, he is, and he’s about to get even luckier.”
His low chuckle made her smile. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see you smiling and joking tonight, even though you’re aching on the inside.”
“I am,” she said, settling into his embrace, her head resting on his chest. “But the disappointments are easier to accept than they used to be before I had you and Scotty. When I was with Peter… We were both upset, but we didn’t go through it together the way you and I do. I was always so alone with the disappointment.”
“I hate to think of you lonely and upset and so close by yet so far away for all those years.”
“If I didn’t go through that, I probably wouldn’t appreciate what I have now as much as I do.”
“Yes, you would. You didn’t have to go through hell to know magic when you feel it.”
“It that what this is? Magic?”
“I’ve yet to find a better word to describe it. Whenever things get to be too much, all I have to do is think of you, and I feel better. That’s all it takes.”
His sweet words brought tears to her eyes. Sam pushed herself up on an elbow and gazed down at him. “I do the same thing. I’ll be in the middle of something hideous at work, and I think of you and Scotty, and you help me cope.”
He raised a hand to her face and brought her down for a kiss. “That’s how I know we’re going to get through whatever the next few weeks have in store for us. No matter what happens, we’ll always have this, and that makes the rest bearable.”
Sam nodded in agreement. “Exactly. What do we care if you have to become president if we can still run away to our loft?”
He groaned. “Mood killer, babe.”
“Will you build me a loft in the Lincoln Bedroom?”
“Shut up.”
“Shut me up.”
“With pleasure.” Nick rolled them over so he was on top of her and kissed the sass right out of her.
When they were together this way, there were no murderers to find, reporters to dodge, political crises unfolding or
first-day-of-school woes to contend with. Holding her hands over her head, he played her body like a maestro, like he was born to love her and only her. He knew just where to kiss and touch and caress her to make her wild for him.
“Let me have my hands.” She tugged at his tight hold. “I want to touch you.”
He shook his head and ran his tongue over her nipple. “This time is all about you, my love.”
Sam trembled in reaction to his words and the tight tug of his lips on her nipple. In their second year of marriage, she’d come to understand that he needed to take care of her tonight, and she needed to let him. So, she let go and surrendered to him, giving them both what they needed most.
As he moved down her body, he released his tight hold on her hands, but Sam kept them where she knew he wanted them. With his lips and tongue, he drove her to a fast orgasm, and then took her up again, leaving her hanging at the brink when he entered her and sent her flying.
Her eyes fluttered open to find him looking down at her, the fierce look of love in his eyes the only thing she saw. Then he began to move, and she wrapped her arms around him, needing him close to her even more than usual tonight. He grasped her bottom and held just as tightly while he made love to her.
“God, Samantha… I love you. I love you so damned much.”
“I love you too.”
After that, there were no words, only more of the magic they created together, and it was just what she needed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
MUCH LATER, AFTER they’d slaked the urgent physical need, Sam lay awake in his arms, staring at the darkness and thinking about the things she needed to tell him.
His hand caressing her back let her know he was still awake.
“We need to talk about a couple of things.”
His hand stopped moving. “Like what?”
“Stahl and Ramsey.”
Nick’s entire body went tense at the mention of the two officers who’d put her through hell in the last year. “Really?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” She told him about Forrester requesting her presence in his office as well as Stahl wanting an Alford plea and the ramifications of that. “By this time tomorrow, I could be indicted on felony assault charges.” Despite her resolve to push the pending meeting from her mind, the implications overwhelmed her. If she were indicted, her career could be over.
“You won’t be indicted.”
“And you know that how?”
“I sent word to Forrester through the attorney general quite some time ago letting him know that I expected to be notified in advance if you were going to be indicted. I haven’t heard from him, so it’s probably safe to assume there isn’t going to be any indictment.”
“Wow. Well, that’s a relief. I can’t believe you did that.”
“I wasn’t about to let either of us be blindsided by an indictment, not that I ever thought there’d be one. People like you. They want you out on the streets doing what you do best. Locking you up isn’t going to make our city safer.”
“Ramsey’s gonna go nuts if they don’t indict me.”
“Let him. With the headlines about the hearings dominating the news, no one will care.”
Sam huffed out a laugh. “Wouldn’t that be awesome? If I forget to say so later, thanks for being vice president and getting embroiled in the president’s scandal so no one will care if I’m indicted or not.”
“Whatever I can do to help the cause, babe,” he said with a chuckle. “Now talk to me about Stahl. What’re you thinking about the plea?”
“If it were just about me, I’d say no way to him getting out of admitting what he did to me. But it’s not just about me. It’s about you and Scotty and my dad and my squad and dragging everyone through what would be a long, nasty trial. It’s about the press feeding on the second lady testifying against the fellow officer who hates her and attacked her and tortured her. Do I really want to put everyone through that? Do I want to put myself through it?”
He took hold of her hand and linked their fingers. “This isn’t about me or Scotty or your dad or your squad. This is about you and what that monster put you through that awful day. You should do whatever you want to and not worry about how it affects anyone else. The rest of us will support you no matter how you choose to proceed.”
Bolstered by his fierce words of support, Sam said, “I don’t want to make it easy on him by letting him off the hook. I want him to have to stand in open court and admit that he’s guilty and have him found guilty—and that’s what my dad wants me to do too.”
“Then that’s what you should do. Don’t take the plea. Tell him you’ll see him in court.”
“The thought of reliving that day makes me sick.”
“You can do it one more time to make sure he never sees the light of day again, and then forget about it. I’ll be right there with you, babe.”
Sam squeezed his hand. “Thanks. I’ll let them know there’s no deal.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “This has been one hell of a day.”
“It sure has.” He released her hand and wrapped his arms around her. “Close your eyes and get some rest while you can, sweetheart. Tomorrow promises to be another shit show.”
Smiling, Sam said, “That phrase is mine, and it’s copyrighted.”
“Sue me.”
“Nah, I’d rather just love you.”
* * *
SHE WOKE TO the alarm on Nick’s phone going off when it was still dark out, surprised—and pleased—to have made it through the night without a call from Dispatch. That was a good sign that their shooting outbreak had been a one-night thing. One night was more than enough.
“Babe,” she said, nudging Nick with her shoulder. “Wake up.”
He grunted in reply.
As he was sleeping facedown, Sam crawled on top of him, pressing her naked body to his back. “Wake up,” she said again. “It’s the favorite day of geeks everywhere. First day of school.”
His eyes flew open. “New pencils?”
Sam laughed and kissed his back, taking a bite out of his shoulder that made him startle. “Guess what?”
“Hmm?”
“No call from Dispatch overnight.”
“That’s good news.”
“Very good news. It means I’m extra well rested and ready to catch their murdering asses today.”
“You make me hot when you go badass cop on me. Especially when you’re on me.”
She moved her hips suggestively, drawing a tortured-sounding groan from him.
“Don’t do that when we don’t have time to see it through.”
“We have time for a quickie.”
“We do?”
“Uh-huh, but it has to be super quick. We have to wake up Scotty in fifteen minutes.”
“I can do super quick.”
“Turn over.” She raised herself up so he could move under her, and surprised him when she took him right to the hilt.
“Jeez, Samantha! Give me some warning, why don’t you.”
“I did warn you. I said we had to be quick. And are you complaining?”
“Definitely not complaining.”
He put his hands behind his head. “Be quick with me, you wicked woman.”
It took Sam less than three minutes to finish them both off, leaving them gasping and breathing hard in the aftermath.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “I have to be the luckiest husband who ever lived. My wife is a sex goddess.”
Sam laughed. “Make sure to post a review to my website.”
“No way. I’m not telling anyone else what I have, because everyone will want it.”
“No one else can have what you have.”
“Thank God for that.” He gave her a light spank on the ass that had her wishing they had time for more.
“We’ve got to get our eighth grader up and moving.”
“Yeah,” he said with a sigh that had her taking another look at him and seeing the tension that gripped him. “I wish we could stay right here and hide out until the firestorm dies down.”
“We don’t hide out. That’s not who we are.”
“I know, but sometimes I wish we could.”
“I do too. When it gets to be too much, we’ll take a night away at John’s cabin, just the two of us.” He’d inherited the cabin in Leesburg, Virginia, from John O’Connor.
“And thirty Secret Service agents,” he said with a wry smile.
“We’ll make them stay outside.”
“Let’s do that. Going back to work after a fantastic vacation is depressing enough without Congressional hearings to contend with too.”
“Or drive-by shootings,” she said.
“Which makes my complaints seem minor in comparison.”
“They’re not minor. They’re totally understandable. Promise me something.”
He twirled a lock of her hair around his index finger. “Anything.”
“If it gets to be too much for you, don’t try to hide that from me. Share it with me. You don’t need to be stoic. Not with me. Okay?”
Smiling, he nodded. “That’s an easy promise to make. I need all the support I can get to deal with this.”
Leaning over him, she kissed him. “You have it. Have they told you if you have to testify?”
“Not yet, but I assume they’ll call me sometime this week, if they’re going to.”
“Whenever it is, I’ll be there.”
“You don’t have to be. You have murdering thugs to catch.”
“I will be there, Nick, the same way you’d be there for me.”
Smiling, he gazed up at her. “Thanks.”
“You don’t have to thank me for being a good wife for once.”
Laughing, he said, “You’re always a good wife. Never more so than when we’re up here.”
“This is where I do my best work.”
“No argument from me, babe.”
They disentangled themselves and used the adjoining bathroom to clean up and get presentable before they headed downstairs to wake Scotty. With that unpleasant task completed, Sam rushed through a shower and got dressed. She unlocked her bedside table drawer to retrieve her weapon, badge and cuffs and went downstairs at six forty-five. In the kitchen, a glum boy ate cereal under the watchful eye of his father, who scanned the morning headlines in the Washington Star.
