“Sam, are you asking me to go with you?” She held her breath.
“I’m asking more than that.” He rolled, taking her with him, until she lay beneath him. He bracketed her with his arms, keeping his considerable weight off her. “I’m asking you to marry me.”
“Marriage.” She could barely breathe.
“I know we’ve only known each other a few weeks. It’s damned crazy. You probably still think I’m as arrogant as that tennis player. I’m worse than a bear in the mornings. You probably don’t—”
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes, Sam. I’ll marry you. I love you, you big jock.”
“You won’t mind leaving Portland?” When she shook her head, he frowned. “About the antiques and fancy china—”
“Porcelain.”
“Huh?”
“The figurines in the Louis XV breakfront. They’re porcelain, not china. German porcelain.”
“German porcelain.” His eyes glazed over.
She bit her lip, then laughed at the image of this rugged six-foot-four male perched on a silk-upholstered settee. “Sam, I sublet this condo furnished from antique-dealer friends of my mom’s. Don’t worry. I won’t make you sit on a Victorian loveseat or a French Chippendale dining room chair. This isn’t me. It’s been fun, but it’s like living in a museum.”
His shoulders lowered in apparent relief. “None of this is yours.” He sheathed himself, then wriggled into the cradle of her thighs. “Not even this infield-size bed?”
She punched him in the arm. “We can go bed shopping. When do you start the batting-coach job?”
“Right away. The other guy left to take a broadcasting job.” He shook his head at the insanity of that move. “And your job here?”
“No problem.” No need to explain for now. She hadn’t yet accepted the LA offer. “A couple of publishers have approached me about a true-crime book about Holden Smith."
His mouth turned down. "You want to relive that nightmare? Listen to his smarmy voice on the tapes?"
"The hefty advance New York is talking would take the sting out of all that. Writing it down would get that obsession out of my system."
"So where—"
"I can write the book anywhere. If memory serves, Providence has a newspaper. If they don’t need a reporter, maybe the Globe or the Herald does."
"You're getting the big bucks for your book. That says best seller to me. The newspapers will come to you.”
"My folks'll want a Maine wedding."
His smile nearly blinded her. “Mine too. I don’t care when we get married or where, big wedding or small. I need you with me.” He nudged his arousal against her.
She opened to him. “Now and always. We make a good team, remember?”
He slid inside, and she gasped with the power of their joining. They remained still, content with the sense of connection.
“I remember.” His carnal gaze turned possessive. “Your baseball swing needs work, but you have one hell of a right cross. Our kids’ll have a choice of sports. You do want kids?”
“We can work on that on our honeymoon. Can we stay in that cute little cabin on the Eagle River?”
As response, he sank deeper. Inner muscles pulsed, beckoned.
And then neither could find the breath to speak.
*****
From Susan:
Thank you for reading Primal Obsession. I plotted this book while on a canoe and camping expedition—without a serial killer, mind you—in northern Maine. My fellow campers helped with ideas for disasters. Sam is one of my favorite heroes, just the man Annie needed. I hope you enjoyed the story. If you did, please help others find the book by writing a short review at the retailer where you purchased it.
*****
TO PURCHASE SUSAN’S BOOKS
More buy links at http://www.susanvaughan.com
LOOK FOR THE TASK FORCE EAGLE TRILOGY
When federal agents Rick Cruz, Jake Wescott, and Holt Donovan go after a Mexican cartel kingpin, they face unexpected hazards—to their hearts.
BOOK 1 - NEVER SURRENDER (short novel)
When charming DEA Agent Ricardo Cruz, has a lead in Maine to the cartel that killed his brother, his vanished suspect’s loyal sister, Juliana Paris, refuses to cooperate. Threats force her to accept Rick’s protection, and their search leads them into deadly danger and each other’s arms.
BOOK 2 – ONCE BURNED
ATF Agent Jake Wescott, undercover in his Maine hometown, becomes the reluctant protector of Lani Cameron, scarred in the long-ago fire that killed her twin. As they uncover secrets, they face dangers more explosive than they feared.
BOOK 3 – TWICE A TARGET
Disaster strikes DEA Agent Holt Donovan twice, when a gunfight ruins his mission and a car crash kills his brother and sister-in-law. Home on the Colorado ranch to raise his infant nephew, Holt enlists a nanny, Maddy McCoy, who once jilted his brother and is now a nomadic photographer. As they cope with old resentment and new desire, their investigation of the crash leads them into danger and a shocking discovery.
About the Author
SUSAN VAUGHAN is the multi-published author of romantic suspense novels. Her books have been an RT Book Reviews Magazine Reviewer's Choice Nominee and a finalist for the Booksellers’ Best and Daphne du Maurier awards. Her books have been translated into German, French, Spanish, and Icelandic and published in more than eleven countries. She’s a West Virginia native, but she and her husband have lived in Maine for many years. Her Web site is www.susanvaughan.com. She loves to hear from readers: [email protected].
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