Fatal Accusation

by Marie Force

  “Just so we’re clear—I’d never stick around after something like that.” Not that she worried about such a thing with him.

  He smiled. “Just so we’re clear—you’ll never be in that position.” Nick buttered one of the hot rolls that Daniel brought while Sam looked on in envy. She’d cut back on bread a while ago in deference to her expanding backside. “Tell me you know that.”

  “Of course I do. I was joking.”

  “There’s nothing funny about fidelity, Samantha.”

  “Sure there is. For example, if I were to remind you of my rusty steak knife, you’d be well aware of what you’d be facing should you ever stray. See? That’s funny.”

  “It’s not funny that you think I’d ever stray. Where would I go to get something better than what I have at home?”

  “I’ve never realized how sexy fidelity is until you just said that. And PS, I don’t actually think you’d ever stray. That’s not something I worry about—and it’s not something you should worry about either.”

  “Now that we have that settled, tell me what’s up with the case. Unless you’d rather not talk about it.”

  “I don’t mind talking about it.” She sipped champagne and sampled the cheese board Daniel had brought. “After I talked to you earlier, we interviewed Tim Finley of DailyPolitic.”

  “What’d you want with him?”

  “He got to know Tara on the campaign trail and had a one-night stand with her around the time we believe her child was conceived.”

  “Oh wow.”

  “He was rather shocked, to say the least. Apparently, it was a one-off, he’s married, never done anything like that, etc. Tara had a very active social life after Bryce Massey broke up with her. It seems like she was looking for something that couldn’t be replaced, at least in her mind. I know that feeling. I felt that way after I met you and then didn’t hear from you.”

  He cringed. “I can’t even think about that without wanting to scream.”

  “Me too, and that’s why I get how she felt when Bryce broke up with her. She thought she had things figured out until he pulled the rug out from under her.”

  “How hard have you looked at him?”

  Sam thought of the way he’d creeped her out on the street after the first time they met. “He has an airtight alibi.”

  “That doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved.”

  “What would be his motive though?”

  “He found out how ‘busy’ she’d been after they broke up and was enraged by it?”

  “What right would he have to be enraged when he was the one who ended it with her?”

  “Who knows? Maybe he retained some sense of ‘ownership’ where she was concerned, even after he ended it.”

  “That’s a possibility.” Sam pulled her new phone out of her clutch and placed a call to HQ. “Can you put me through to the pit, please?”

  “The what?”

  Sam wanted to scream. “Homicide.”

  “Oh yes, of course. One moment, please.”

  “These damned operators need to learn to speak the lingo,” she said to Nick while she waited.

  “Carlucci.”

  “Hey, it’s me. I was thinking some more about the ex-boyfriend, Bryce Massey, and whether he was still feeling possessive of Tara even after he ended it with her. We kind of wrote him off because he had a rock-solid alibi, but I want to take another look at him.” The creepy feeling he’d given her on the street had stayed with her in the aftermath, but the alibi had kept her from digging deeper there.

  “It’s a good thought.”

  “I have to give Nick credit for it.”

  He smiled widely at her across the table.

  “We’ll do some digging on that angle.”

  Sam felt a tingle in the vicinity of her backbone, which tended to happen when she had a new thread to pull or felt like she was onto something that could break a case wide-open. She wasn’t sure yet if this was one of those moments, but she’d know soon enough. “Thanks a lot. Anything else popping?”

  “Not yet.”

  “I’ll let you get back to it. Call me if anything comes up.”

  “Will do.”

  Sam closed the phone with a satisfying slap and held it up for Nick to see. “Isn’t she pretty?”

  “Gorgeous. Thank God and all the saints in heaven that you were able to get another one.”

  “I know! I’m not made for phones that’re smarter than me.”

  They ate the delicious meal that Daniel served, taking bites from each other’s plates, drank more champagne and enjoyed chocolate mousse for dessert. When the table had been cleared, Nick stood and held out his hand to her.

  She took his hand and let him help her up. “What’s going on?”

  “Come with me and I’ll show you.”

  Because she’d follow him anywhere he chose to lead her, she went with him to the dance floor and smiled when she heard the opening notes to the Bon Jovi song they’d danced to on their wedding day.

  He drew her into his arms and gazed down at her. “Thank you for loving me. In case you didn’t already know, you’ve made my life.”

  Sam curled her arms around his neck and drew him into a kiss. “Thank you for loving me. I know it’s not always easy.”

  “Samantha... Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. It’s easy like breathing.”

  What had she ever done to deserve the love of this extraordinary man? Whatever it was, she was thankful every day for the divine intervention that had brought him to her not once but twice in this lifetime.

  When the song ended, he kissed her neck and whispered in her ear. “Let’s go home.”

  “Yes, please.”

  Nick slipped Daniel a tip before they left the room to find Brant waiting right outside the door.

  He spoke into a microphone to alert the other agents that Hot Shot and Fuzz were on the move.

  “Who can I talk to about getting a better nickname?” Sam asked when they were in the elevator.

  “I’m not sure,” Brant said. “No one has ever objected to one of our code names before.”

  “Never?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “Figures I’d be the first.”

  Nick snorted with laughter. “Of course you are.”

  “Why don’t you like Fuzz?” Brant asked.

  “It makes me think of frizzy hair.”

  “You do know that’s an old slang word for police, right?”

  “Yes, Brant, I know that, but I don’t like it.”

  “Duly noted.”

  “He’s not going to do anything about it, is he?” she asked Nick.

  “I don’t believe so. I think he has more important things to do than to worry about your nickname, such as keeping me alive.”

  Brant pointed to Nick with his thumb. “What he said.”

  “I’d like my objections to be formally entered into the Secret Service objection book.”

  “I’ll be sure to take care of that as soon as possible, ma’am.”

  “He’s not going to do it.”

  “Nope.”

  “I’ll be happy to address that concern when I’m finished keeping your husband alive.”

  “Now he’s just being fresh.”

  Brant cracked a rare grin. “My grandmother used to say that.”

  “Are you equating me to your grandmother?”

  “Not at all, ma’am. I would never make that mistake.”

  “He’s good. I’ve got to give him that. He actually reminds me a lot of Freddie before I ruined him.”

  “I can see that, and I can see that the ruining is happening because the nice agent who first took us on wasn’t quite as cheeky as he is now.”

  “True. He was much more reserved and res
pectful.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Brant tapped on his earpiece. “I couldn’t quite hear you.”

  Sam and Nick laughed as they followed him off the elevator and back into the waiting vehicle.

  “Thank you for an awesome date,” she said when they were alone in the backseat.

  “Entirely my pleasure.”

  “You got it just right with the walk down memory lane. That was the best day of my entire life.”

  “Mine too.”

  Sam leaned her head on his shoulder and curled her hand around his. “What was your favorite part of that day?”

  “It had to be when I found out you told off my mother and sent her packing.”

  “That was one of my finest moments. There was no way I was letting her ruin that day for you when she’d already ruined so many other days.”

  “And for that I shall be forever grateful.”

  “She’s been quiet lately.”

  “I know. That’s never a good thing.”

  “Eh, we don’t need to worry about her tonight.”

  “No, we don’t. What was your favorite moment from our big day?”

  “You might think it was when you got Jon Bon Jovi to sing our wedding song live or when we discovered we’d had the same thing engraved inside our wedding rings.”

  “You’re my home,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

  “That was pretty incredible, but for me, the very best moment of that day was when we arrived at the Hay and got a minute to ourselves to simply marvel at the fact that we were finally, finally married, all those years after our first night together.”

  “Best day ever. Followed very, very closely by the day I met Scotty.”

  “And the day I met the twins.”

  “All good days that brought us an amazing family.”

  “It hasn’t happened exactly the way we’d planned, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything, even ‘one of our own.’” She made quote marks around the last four words.

  Nick frowned. “I had a good talk with one of the honchos at that reporter’s network and suggested she teach the reporter some manners before she sends her out to question people.”

  “What’d she say to that?”

  “She agreed and apologized profusely. Apparently, the producer has adopted children and was equally horrified.”

  “Good, she should be. I wouldn’t trade our kids for anything, even ‘one of our own.’”

  “Me either,” Nick said.

  “I’m glad you were able to do something about her. It’s amazing how my thinking has changed on the baby topic. I used to believe I could only be fulfilled if I had a baby of my own, and now...”

  “Now you have what you need, even if it didn’t happen the way we thought it would.”

  Sam nodded. “We both went through so much before we had this. All of it made us who we are today, and who you are today works for me on every level.”

  “I feel the same way about you.”

  “If I hadn’t gone through hell before I found you the second time, I might not have been ready for this life we live. I never imagined I’d actually be thankful for the bad times, but in a weird way I really am.”

  “Me too, babe.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  THEY ARRIVED HOME and went inside to find Shelby curled up on the sofa watching a movie. She got up when they came in and folded the sofa blanket. “Did you have a nice time?”

  “It was great. My lovely husband took me back to the scene of the crime at the Hay-Adams.”

  “Oh, well played, Nick.”

  “It was great. We had the ballroom all to ourselves, so no one was gawking at us.”

  Nick glanced at Sam, looking sheepish. “This would probably be a good time to tell you that Shelby is the one who made it happen when I called to ask if she still knew people there.”

  Shelby gasped. “You didn’t have to tell her that!”

  “I can’t take credit that belongs to you. Thank you again for making it happen.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  “Thank you, Shelby,” Sam said. “For helping Nick to arrange the perfect night and for staying late with the kids.”

  “No problem at all.”

  “Where’s Avery?” Sam asked.

  “He took Noah home to bed a while ago. He told you he’s having people in to celebrate my birthday next weekend even if I’d rather skip it?”

  “You’re not skipping your birthday. We’ll be there.” Sam gave her a hug. “Thank you so much. We really needed this.”

  “Anytime.”

  After she left, Nick put his arm around Sam and guided her to the stairs. “Loft. Five minutes. Don’t make me wait.”

  He set her on fire with seven words.

  Upstairs, they looked in on the kids. They tucked in the twins, kissed their foreheads and tiptoed from the room. In Scotty’s room, they shut off his TV and bedside lamp, kissed the top of his head and stepped out, closing the door behind them.

  As Sam went into the room she used as a closet, she heard Nick telling the agent on duty in the hallway to take a break.

  She moved quickly to change into a nightgown and matching robe, before crossing the hallway to their room, where she brushed her hair and teeth. With seconds to spare, she scooted up the stairs. While he waited for her, he’d lit the coconut-scented candles and turned off the lights.

  He was on the double lounge chair waiting for her.

  Sam dropped the robe onto the floor and crawled into his outstretched arms.

  They were kissing wildly before she’d even fully landed. Hours of buildup and anticipation only made the desire hotter and sharper than usual. They held on tight to each other as the kiss became more desperate by the second. Without breaking the kiss, he rolled her under him, pushed up her nightgown and joined their bodies in one deep thrust of his cock into her.

  Sam broke the kiss, sucked in a deep breath and held on to him as he took them on a wild ride. She had nearly reached the summit when he slowed down all of a sudden, leaving her hanging.

  “Nick!”

  “Yes, love?”

  “Ugh. You did that on purpose.”

  “Of course I did. I’m not looking for a wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.”

  “Because you had that earlier.”

  “Exactly.” His lips skimmed over her neck and the outer shell of her ear as he continued to move in her, albeit slowly. “This time, I want to take my time.”

  She sagged into the mattress, resigned to doing this at his pace and not hers.

  “Don’t glare at me. It ruins the mood.”

  “Nothing ruins your mood.”

  “You’re right—any time I get to make love to my beautiful, funny, smart, sexy, adorable, grumpy wife, nothing can ruin my mood, even my adorable, grumpy wife.”

  She stabbed him in the ribs with her index fingers, drawing a grunt of surprise and laughter from him.

  “I suppose I ought to be glad you don’t have your rusty steak knife with you.”

  “Yes, you should. I was on the verge of an epic orgasm and you took it away from me.”

  “Aww, baby, don’t you know? Whatever I take away, I give back in spades.”

  He was too cute for words, and she loved him madly, which was why she’d forgive him for teasing and tormenting her. Besides, no matter how they got there, he always made the grand finale worth the wait. This time was no different as he moved in her while gazing down at her, forcing her to look at him, to dwell in the intimate bubble they lived in together, where there was only them and only this.

  “I love you, Samantha. More than you’ll ever know.”

  “Love you too. Just as much. Maybe more.”

  “Not possible.”

  “Yes.”

  He smiled.
“No way.”

  “Yes way.”

  Shaking his head, he kissed her while holding perfectly still inside her, adding to the torment. He had her completely pinned and at his mercy, just the way he loved her best.

  Sam had learned to surrender to him, to let him take the lead. Giving up control didn’t come naturally to her in the rest of her life, but it was effortless with him.

  Grasping her hands and pinning them over her head, he picked up the pace while holding her gaze.

  The orgasm that had started earlier broke over her in a tidal wave of pleasure that seemed to come from the very heart of her.

  “Samantha.” Her name was a whisper on his lips as he thrust into her one last time and found his own release.

  They held each other tight for a long time afterward. Sam liked this part almost as much as the main event. No one did snuggling the way he did. No one did anything the way he did. She dozed and drifted, her mind and body settling the way they did only at times like this with him.

  In the blissful aftermath, warm and cozy in the arms of her love, she closed her eyes, letting her mind wander over the parts and pieces of the case, thinking it through from every angle, each angle leading her in the same direction—back to the odd encounter she’d had on the street with Massey. Her eyes snapped open. “Bryce.”

  “Um, babe? Saying another man’s name while your husband is still inside you isn’t the best idea you ever had.”

  “It’s him. I should’ve known he had something to do with this from the first second he tried to intimidate me on the street.”

  Nick raised his head to look down at her, brows furrowed. “Wait. What?”

  “I told you that.”

  “No, you didn’t.” He withdrew from her and moved to his side. Propped up on an elbow, he raised a brow. “Start talking.”

  Sam told him about the interview with Tara’s ex and the encounter she’d had with him on the sidewalk after.

  “So you were there by yourself after Freddie left, and he came at you? This is the stuff that gives me nightmares.”

  “Don’t forget I’m armed at all times and know how to take care of myself.”

  “Samantha... Your former boss is on trial for wrapping you in razor wire. We both know that no one can take care of themselves all the time.”