Fatal Jeopardy

by Marie Force

  Shelby let out a squeak of excitement as she kept an arm looped casually around Scotty’s shoulders. “White House? What’s that all about?”

  “Between us, meaning you can’t tell anyone,” he said with his gaze fixed on Scotty in particular. “Vice President Gooding is ill and will be resigning on Friday. I’ve been asked to take his place.”

  “Holy sh—”

  “Don’t swear, Shelby,” Scotty said.

  “This might actually be a time for swears,” Sam said.

  “With you it’s always time for swears,” Scotty said, earning him a poke to the belly that made him laugh.

  “I take it your plan to say ‘thanks but no thanks’ didn’t go as planned?” Sam said with growing anxiety over what had transpired with the president.

  “Not exactly. I really need to talk to you.”

  “Go talk,” Shelby said. “Scotty and I are going to the movies.”

  “We are?” the boy asked with delight dancing in his brown eyes. He glanced at Sam and Nick. “On a school night?”

  “This one time, and only because it’s a short week,” Sam said.

  “And only if I can treat.” Nick removed two twenties from his wallet and handed them to Shelby, who tried to protest. “I insist.”

  “Thank you,” Shelby said to Nick before returning her attention to Scotty. “I’ve been dying to see that new superhero movie. What do you think?”

  “Excellent!” Scotty ran off to get his coat.

  “Thanks, Shelby,” Sam said.

  “Not a problem. You know I love hanging out with him.”

  “I thought you were off this week,” Nick said.

  “I thought you were too, and then I hear you’re having meetings with the president.”

  “Touché,” Nick said with a chuckle.

  Shelby wrapped a pink scarf around her neck and pulled on her coat. “I don’t know anything about it, but for what it’s worth, I think you’d be an excellent vice president, Nick.”

  “Thank you,” he said in a hushed tone. “That means a lot.”

  “We’ll be a while,” Shelby said. “He’ll need ice cream after the movie. Enjoy some time alone to figure things out. I’ll take care of your boy.”

  Sam hugged her because she’d just realized that at some point in the last year, Shelby had become someone she loved. They saw Scotty and Shelby off on their “date” and returned to the kitchen.

  “This is a conversation for the loft,” Nick said.

  “Is it your plan to sex me into compliance?”

  “If that’s what it takes.”

  “I need food.”

  “I could use some too.”

  Sam went to him and pulled his tie the rest of the way off and released the first few buttons on his dress shirt. “Why is Terry driving you around?”

  “Because I had a few drinks.”

  “Why are you drinking?”

  “Because the president had an answer for every concern I have about accepting his offer, and then I went to hash it out with Graham, and there was more bourbon. I figured being given a few days to make one of the biggest decisions of my life called for booze.”

  “Days?”

  He put his hands on her hips and tugged her in closer to him, resting his forehead on hers. “Days. Gooding’s in a bad way. They need to make a move, and they want to make it by Friday.”

  “As in this Friday?”

  “This Friday.”

  “They don’t call it Black Friday for nothing, huh?”

  His soft laughter and appealing scent surrounded her as he held her. “True. Of course Congress has to approve the appointment, so it wouldn’t be official for a couple of weeks. Let’s order some food and take it upstairs. I desperately need some time with you.”

  “I’m all yours until seven tomorrow morning.”

  “I thought you were hot on the trail of a killer.”

  “So did I.” After they called in an order to their favorite local Italian place, she filled him in on the latest with the case.

  “That’s very odd.”

  “We think so too. I just hope my colleagues in vice don’t let that scumbag slip through their fingers overnight.”

  “Is it okay to be secretly glad you got sprung for the night?”

  “Hell yes, it’s okay. I’m thrilled to have gotten sprung and to have a night alone with the hottest politician in town.”

  Predictably, he scowled and shook his head.

  “In this case I wasn’t necessarily referring to your physical hotness, which is as hot as ever. I meant your political hotness.”

  “I’m glad you’re able to make light of it. I was afraid you’d be packing my bags and shipping me out by now.”

  “Never,” she said softly, curling her arms around his neck. “Never, ever, ever.”

  “Samantha, don’t be nice to me right now. I can’t handle it.”

  Rather than tell him how she felt about him with words, she went up on tiptoes and kissed him. The instant her lips connected with his, everything else faded away—the case, the troubles with Brooke, her worries about her dad’s upcoming surgery, the turkey dinner she was expected to produce on Thursday and the huge decision they had to make about his career. Right now, right here, there was only him.

  “You’re being nice,” he whispered against her lips.

  “I’m feeling really nice.”

  His sexy smile stretched across his face. “I need to get this suit off. It’s hardly vacation attire.”

  “I’d be happy to help with that.”

  “We are going to talk about this, aren’t we?”

  She took him by the hand and led him upstairs to their bedroom. “Eventually. First, we’re going to enjoy a rare moment alone before we ruin it with business.”

  “I do so love the way you think.”

  “Can I have that in writing for the next time you’re accusing me of being off the rails?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  The silly banter and sexy innuendo with her favorite person in the world were exactly what she needed right then, and exactly what he seemed to need too. Hovering in the back of her mind was the enormity of what he’d been asked to do and how it would affect them and their family. A tiny spike of panic gripped her when she wondered if he’d expect her to give up her job.

  As she helped him out of the suit, she pushed that thought and every other one that didn’t involve him and his pleasure right out of her mind.

  “What’re you doing, Samantha?” he asked as she dropped to her knees in front of him.

  “Helping you out of your suit.”

  “You could’ve done that standing up.”

  “Yes,” she said as she unbuckled his belt and freed him from the suit pants and boxers that slid down muscular legs. “But I couldn’t have done this standing up.”

  He sucked in a sharp deep breath as she took him into her mouth while stroking him with her hand. “Samantha...”

  “Mmm.” She purposely let her lips vibrate against his shaft as she continued to work him over with lips, tongue and a hint of teeth.

  His fingers fisted in her hair, holding on tight as she continued to tease and torment. “Babe... Oh my God, that’s good. Don’t stop.”

  She loved the desire she heard in his voice and felt in the tight grip he had on her hair. The slight bite of pain only fired her desire to give him more, to give him everything.

  “Sam.”

  She recognized the sense of urgency in the way he said her name and intensified her efforts to finish him off. Taking him deep into her throat was all it took. With a shout, he came hard, clinging to her hair as he thrust into her mouth. She stayed with him until his legs began quiver and he released his tight ho
ld on her hair.

  “Holy. Shit.”

  “This is a no swearing zone,” Sam said as she ran her tongue around the tip.

  “The boy isn’t here, and that deserved a holy fucking shit. What brought that on?”

  “I’ve told you before. Power turns me on.”

  He reached for her, helped her up and put his arms around her. “You never, ever cease to amaze me.”

  She smiled as she breathed in the scent of home: starch and soap and the slightest hint of citrusy cologne. “My goal in life, Senator. Or should I call you Mr. Vice President now?”

  “Nothing has been decided yet, and since you’ve completely scrambled my brain, I’m not sure anything will be decided tonight.”

  The doorbell rang downstairs.

  Sam patted his chest. “Get changed and relax. I’ll be right back.”

  Downstairs, Sam paid the delivery guy, set up the food on a tray, grabbed a bottle of red and headed back upstairs to find the bedroom light off but the hallway light on. Smiling, she headed for the second set of stairs that led to their hideaway in the loft.

  Nick had changed into sweats and his favorite ratty Harvard T-shirt. He’d lit the beach-scented candles that took her right back to the best week of her life, the honeymoon she’d spent with him in Bora Bora.

  She put the tray on the foot of the double lounge chair he’d bought to mimic the one they’d so enjoyed there. Corkscrew in hand, she set out to open the wine.

  “Let me do that, babe. You know you’re no good at it.”

  Because he was absolutely right about that, she gladly handed the bottle to him. “I’m awfully good at drinking it, however.”

  “That you are.” He deftly pulled the cork from the bottle and poured them each a glass.

  They sat at the foot of the lounge chair and dove into the pasta and salad they’d ordered.

  “Are we going to talk about it?” she asked after most of the pasta was gone.

  He paused, put down his fork, wiped his mouth and looked directly at her. “You know I love you more than anything, right? I mean anything.”

  She did know, but it always made her heart race a little faster when he looked at her in just that way and said those particular words. “Yes,” she replied, because what else needed to be said?

  “It’s an incredible opportunity. I won’t deny that, but I don’t need it to be happy. I don’t need it to be fulfilled. I don’t need it if it’s not what we both want.”

  Sam swallowed hard and asked the one question that was foremost on her mind. “Would I have to quit my job?”

  “No, babe. I’d never ask you to do that.” He spelled out the concessions the Secret Service was willing to make in order to accommodate her job. “Only the president, vice president, president-elect and vice president-elect are required to have protection. Family members can decline it.”

  Hearing that, Sam released the breath she’d been holding. “That was my second question.”

  “What’s your third one?”

  “Would we have to move? Doesn’t the VP live at the Naval Observatory?”

  “Yes, but I explained about our close proximity to your dad, and they’re willing to make it so we could stay here.”

  “Wow, it sounds like they really want you.”

  “It seems like they do. But there’s one other thing we need to talk about right now before this goes any further.”

  “What’s that?”

  Since they were both done eating, he put the tray on the floor along with their glasses and reached for her. As there was nowhere she’d rather be, she willingly curled into his embrace. “What happens four years from now. If I say yes to this, I’m saying yes to a whole lot more than being VP for the next four years. I also become the heir apparent for the nomination.”

  Though she’d suspected that’s what he would say, hearing the words brought home the stark reality of what they were considering.

  “If that were to come to pass, I can’t promise you’d be able to keep your job and everything would stay the same. I’d like to think we could forge a new path and do our own thing, but we both know it’s not just about what we want. And because of the nature of your job...”

  “It could be a liability.”

  “I don’t care about that, Sam, and I never will. I’ve told you that before. But at that level it’s not just about what I want.”

  “What do you want? In your heart of hearts, and thinking only of your career and not of me or Scotty, what do you want?”

  “It’s very hard for me to think about what I want without factoring you and Scotty into the equation,” he said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “On the one hand, it’s an incredible opportunity, but it’s also a life-changing opportunity. I kind of like my life the way it is. And our life together is chaotic enough without adding an even higher-profile job to the mix. I also worry about what it would really mean for you. Sure, they’d let you keep your job, but yours is not exactly a low-profile job either. Would you actually be able to perform your duties effectively? I just don’t know.” He turned his head so he could see her face. “What do you think? And tell me the truth.”

  “I, um...I don’t know what to think.”

  “Surely you must have some thoughts on the matter.”

  “This feels like déjà vu. Didn’t we have a similar conversation a year ago when you promised me one year and done in the Senate?”

  The left side of his face lifted into the half grin she loved so much. “So what you’re telling me is I have zero credibility on these things.”

  “I’m reminding you that nothing has gone as planned in the last year.”

  “One thing did. March twenty-sixth went exactly as planned.”

  “Yes, it did,” Sam said, smiling at the reminder of their wedding day. “At least this time you’re coming to me with a potential twelve-year plan.”

  “I like to think I’ve learned to give you more information at times like this.”

  She cupped his face and turned him so she could see his eyes. “I think you’d be really, really, really good at it.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes,” she said, laughing. “Really, really.”

  “It could totally suck for you.”

  “I’d deal with it. I’ve already spent a year dealing with a high-profile politician significant other, and my career has survived just fine. I sort of like the idea of being a trailblazer by keeping my job and going on like I was before you ascended to the number-two spot in the country.”

  “Other second ladies have worked outside their official duties, but none of them in jobs like yours.”

  “Wait, back up. Official duties? What official duties?”

  “As second lady, you’d be expected to make some appearances with me and on your own. You’d be able to take on some causes that are close to your heart, such as adoption, paralysis support, public safety, fertility, learning disabilities. Those kinds of things—and only if you were interested in bringing attention to those issues.”

  “You know how to hit a girl where she lives, Senator.”

  “I’m just saying, it’s an opportunity for you in that regard.”

  “I suppose I could give up sleep to run these additional programs.”

  “You’d have a staff devoted to working on your causes. You’d show up for the big moments. And you’d have to get tricked out in fancy dresses once in a while.” He raised himself up on one elbow to look down at her. “I’d buy you a new pair of designer shoes for every formal event.”

  Sam’s eyes narrowed. “That’s blackmail.”

  “Call it what you will, my love. I know the way to your heart is through your heels.”

  “That’s not the only way,” Sam said, fisting a handful of his shirt and t
ugging him down for a kiss. “Oh, sorry. I forgot about the ribs. Are they better?”

  “Much better today. Feel free to bend me to your will.”

  She put her arms around his neck and looked up at him, still amazed after nearly a year that he was hers to keep forever.

  “What?” He propped his forehead on hers and gazed into her eyes.

  “Sometimes I still can’t believe I get to keep you.”

  “Samantha,” he whispered against her lips. “I feel that way every minute of every day. How can something so incredible even be real?”

  “It’s real,” she said, combing her fingers into his soft hair. “It’s as real as real gets, and if we do this great big huge thing, we have to promise not to let anything get in the way of what’s most important to us.”

  “Nothing will ever be more important to me than you are. You and Scotty. The two of you are all I need to be happy. The rest is just gravy.”

  She drew him down to her, losing herself in the sensual strokes of his tongue, the sweetness of his lips, the rightness of their undeniable connection.

  He gathered her up, surrounding her with his love and filling her with an overwhelming desire to feel his skin against hers.

  She tugged at the hem of his T-shirt and helped him take it off before running her fingertips lightly over the bruises that marred his otherwise flawless chest. “My favorite man chest,” she said as she eased him onto his back and kissed the well-defined pectorals, grazing his nipples with her tongue, before working her way down to kiss the purpling bruises.

  He pulled on her top and removed it without unbuttoning it, tossing it to the floor. Next came her bra, and then they were chest to chest, and Sam exhaled a happy little sigh at the thrill she always experienced when she was close to him this way. Suddenly, she was in a big rush for more. She pushed his sweats down to discover he wore nothing under them, and then went to work on her own jeans, wiggling out of them while he watched her with hazel eyes gone hot with desire.

  Sam loved when he looked at her that way, as if he wanted to devour her. His desire for her was a huge turn-on. No one had ever wanted her with the same desperation he showed her on a regular basis. She often wondered if or when their need for each other would settle into something more staid or predictable, but if anything, it only got wilder all the time.