Fatal Destiny

by Marie Force

  Sam leaned into Nick and tightened her grip on his hand.

  “When Nick honored me by asking me to be his best man, I tried to think of what John would’ve said today. I decided he probably would’ve told a few off-color jokes and stories we’d all be better off not hearing.”

  Nick looked over at his staffers, gathered at three tables, and saw Christina dabbing at her eyes even as she laughed. She’d carried a quiet torch for John for years before he was killed.

  “But the most important thing John would’ve said is that he loved you like a brother, Nick. We all love you, and the O’Connors are delighted to welcome Sam into our hearts and our family. I have no doubt she’ll take very good care of our Nick. We wish you both a lifetime of the love and joy we’ve all experienced here today.” He held up his champagne flute. “To Nick and Sam.”

  Nick held up his glass to the man he loved like a father and then toasted his bride. “I’ll drink to that,” he said as he kissed her.

  “Hear, hear,” she said. “Now, let’s dance our asses off.”

  Freddie held Elin as close as he dared in a room full of colleagues and superior officers. As they moved as one on the crowded dance floor, all he could think about was getting out of there and being alone with her. It’d been many weeks since they’d last spent a night together, and he hoped he wasn’t getting ahead of himself by planning to spend tonight with her. She’d never mentioned sleeping with him when she agreed to go to the wedding.

  She had her arms around him, inside his suit coat, and her hands were warm against his back. Despite his best efforts to contain his raging libido, she had him rock-hard and ready with just the brush of her lips against the sensitive skin on his neck.

  Freddie slid his hand down her back to better align her with his erection.

  “No need to ask what you’re thinking about,” she said in a teasing tone.

  He released a nervous laugh. “Not doing much thinking at the moment.”

  “That’s not true. You’re always thinking.”

  “Which has kind of been our problem, right?”

  “You said it, not me.”

  He looked down at her, mesmerized as always by her piercing blue eyes and cool blonde beauty. She stole the breath from his lungs when she looked at him the way she was right now. “I want to be with you.”

  She tilted her hips and tore a groan from deep inside him. “So I noticed.”

  “Not just in bed. I missed you.”

  “I missed you too.”

  “Only in bed?”

  “Everywhere.”

  A surge of hope made Freddie feel more buoyant than he’d been since the last time he was with her.

  “What about your mother?” Elin asked, her smile fading. “I assume nothing’s changed on that front.”

  “I’ve decided I can’t live my life for her. I have to live it for me.” Sam would be proud of me, Freddie thought, as he scanned the dance floor and found his partner laughing and dancing with her new husband. Seeing her so happy, after all she’d been through, filled him with determination. He returned his attention to Elin. “And what I want more than anything is you.”

  Elin flashed him a saucy grin. “How badly do you want me?”

  “Bad.” Freddie bent his head and kissed her right there in front of his coworkers. He didn’t care in the least if anyone saw him kiss the woman he loved. “Very, very bad.”

  “How soon can we sneak out of here?”

  “Soon,” Freddie said. “Very, very soon.”

  “I would like,” Nick said against Sam’s ear, “to take my wife upstairs to bed.”

  Sam quivered at the desire she heard in his voice. “Your wife would encourage you to do whatever it is you wish to do.”

  “Mmm,” he said, capturing an earlobe between his teeth. “I like the sound of that.” He drew back from her and extended an arm. “Shall we?”

  “I’m with you, Senator.”

  “Let’s make sure Scotty’s set to go with Angela.”

  They found the boy entertaining Sam’s nieces and nephews.

  “Are you guys leaving now?” he asked.

  Sam was touched by the hint of trepidation she saw on his face.

  Nick bent to meet Scott’s gaze. “We’ll only be gone a week, and I’ll call you the minute we get back, okay?”

  Scotty nodded. “Thanks for letting me be here for this. It was really awesome.”

  “Aw, buddy.” Nick hugged him. “Thank you for all your help with the kids.”

  “You’re welcome.” Scotty released Nick and reached for Sam.

  She hugged him and kissed the top of his head. “Angela and Spence will take good care of you tonight and get you back to Richmond tomorrow. Make sure you hit her up for pancakes in the morning.”

  Scotty laughed. “I will. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”

  “We’ll see you soon,” Nick said. “I promise.”

  Tracy and Angela appeared out of the crowd to hug them, and Angela slipped a reassuring arm around Scotty.

  Sam took the hand Nick extended to her. They were nearly to the door when Sam stopped him. “Wait! I forgot to toss my bouquet.”

  Nick moaned. “We were almost to a clean getaway!”

  “One more minute.”

  “Hurry!”

  Sam signaled for Shelby, who had the whole thing organized in under a minute. “One, two, three!” Sam tossed the bouquet over her shoulder and turned just in time to see it land with Freddie’s girlfriend Elin. Like a deer caught in headlights, Elin tossed it up in the air, and Gonzo’s fiancée Christina Billings caught it the second time.

  She let out a delighted squeal and threw herself into Gonzo’s arms.

  Sam blew a kiss to her sisters and friends and took her husband’s outstretched hand. With a last look back at the beautiful room, Sam left with him to begin their new life together.

  “I have to confess that you were right about something,” Sam said when they arrived in their suite and found their honeymoon luggage neatly placed in the corner. Someone had lit candles, left champagne chilling in an ice bucket and placed more orchids around the sitting room. The suite was cozy and elegant, but she didn’t give it much attention after waiting all day to be alone with her husband.

  “I love how you say that, as if me being right about something is a special occasion. I expect it to be a regular—maybe even daily—occurrence in our marriage.”

  Sam rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever you say, dear.”

  Nick tugged off his bowtie and released the top button of his shirt. “So what was I right about this time?”

  “Shelby. She was worth every single one of the many thousands of dollars you paid her. She’s a freaking miracle worker.”

  “No kidding. Was there anything she didn’t think of?”

  “Not that I saw.”

  Sam turned to him and put her arms around him. “I could use some help getting out of this getup. Are you game?”

  “I suppose I could be convinced to lend a hand.”

  Sam smiled at him and tilted her head. “You can start at the top and work your way down.”

  Nick slid the orchid from her hair and brought it to his nose. “That scent will always remind me of the best day of my life.” He trailed the delicate bloom down her cheek. “I know you would’ve preferred something less elaborate—”

  “You were right about the wedding too.”

  “This me-being-right thing is becoming a bit of a pattern.”

  “Don’t get used to it. I’m sure we’ll be back to normal in no time.” She reached up to caress his face. “The wedding was beautiful and everything I hoped it would be for you and so much more that I didn’t even know I wanted.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that.” He put the orchid on a table and reached up to remove the pins from her hair. “Are you kidding me?” he asked as he watched her gorgeous hair spill down over her shoulders. “Three pins were holding that whole thing together?”

>   “Apparently, when you put them in the right places, that’s all you need. Who knew?”

  Nick buried his fingers in her hair and tilted his head to kiss her. “You were so incredibly beautiful today, Samantha. You are every day, but today… you took my breath away.”

  “When I saw you waiting for me in church, I’ve never seen you look so handsome.” She smoothed her hands over his chest and made quick work of divesting him of the onyx studs that had served as buttons. “I broke a lot of hearts in the Capitol region today by taking you off the market.”

  “Right,” he said, laughing. “So my guy Terry and your girl Lindsey, huh?”

  Sam moaned. She too had noticed his deputy chief of staff dancing most of the evening with the District’s chief medical examiner. They’d seemed positively smitten. “Why do our two worlds have to keep colliding?”

  He kissed her nose. “Because all our friends want to be as happy as we are.”

  “I guess,” she said as she dropped the studs in a pile on a table and turned around. “Unzip me?”

  “If I have to,” he said with a dramatic sigh that made her giggle. “Is there something under here that’ll stop my heart?”

  “Perhaps,” she said, sending him a coy smile over her shoulder.

  His lips found her neck as he slowly unzipped her dress.

  “My sisters gave me a frilly thing I’m supposed to wear tonight.”

  “Is that so?”

  She tipped her head to give him better access to her neck. “Uh huh.”

  “Is it sexier than what I’m finding under this dress?”

  Sam bit her lip and smiled. “It’s not quite as dirty as what’s under the dress.”

  He wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her in tight against him. “I’m a big fan of dirty.”

  Laughing, Sam said, “I never would’ve guessed.”

  His hands slid up her front and nudged the dress down to reveal a bustier. “I haven’t even seen the whole thing yet, and I already love it.”

  Sam’s laughter faded to a moan as he cupped her breasts through the cups, teasing her nipples until she was straining against him. “Nick…”

  “What, baby?”

  “I want you.” Her head fell back to rest on his shoulder as he kept up the mischief.

  “You have me. I’m all yours for the rest of our lives.” He shifted, ever so slightly, and her dress dropped into a pool of silk at their feet. Nick helped her to step out of it but kept her back to him, pressing his arousal against her bottom. “Oh my God, are those garters?”

  Enjoying the choked tone of his voice, Sam smiled, raised her arm and linked it around his neck. “Uh huh.”

  “Have I ever mentioned that as far as I’m concerned there’s nothing sexier than garters?” He took advantage of the opportunity to slide his fingers into the top of the bustier to toy with her nipple.

  “I don’t think you have,” she managed to say as her legs went weak.

  He tightened the arm he had around her waist. “I’ve got you,” he whispered.

  Sam closed her eyes and floated on a sea of sensation as his lips and fingers set her afire. She hadn’t expected marriage to change much of anything between them. She hadn’t expected their loving to be any hotter than it had been before. As he kissed and caressed her, she realized she’d been wrong on both counts. Everything had changed, and she wanted him more than she ever had before.

  As if he’d read her mind, he scooped her up and carried her through the doorway to the bedroom where more candles awaited them. He deposited her gently on the bed, and stood back to slide the shirt from his shoulders. His undershirt followed as his gaze took a lazy journey from her feet to her breasts.

  Raised up on elbows, Sam watched him, feasting her eyes on his muscular chest and arms.

  “See something you like?” he asked with the grin that melted her.

  “I like everything about you.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Everything?”

  Reaching out to him, she said, “Everything. Some things more than others.”

  “Like what?” he asked as he took her hand and stretched out next to her.

  Sam caressed his chest, which was covered with just the right amount of soft dark hair. One finger followed the trail that led into his pants. “I love your chest.”

  He released a long deep breath and shifted to his back.

  Sam moved so she was over him, her lips following the path her finger had taken. “And your belly.” It quivered under her lips. Encouraged, she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants.

  “Sam…”

  She looked up to find his eyes closed and his face tight with tension that she planned to relieve in the way she knew he loved best. Pushing his clothes out of the way, she wrapped her hand around his erection and touched her tongue to the tip.

  His fingers burrowed into her hair, holding her right where he wanted her most. “Babe,” he moaned.

  “Mmm,” she said as she took him deep, giving him her tongue and a light scraping of teeth that seemed to drive him wild. She kept it up until he broke out in a sweat and drew her away from him.

  “First time together,” he said through gritted teeth. He got busy pulling and tugging at hooks until the bustier flew across the room. From her feet to her knees to her thighs, he took his hands on a journey to her center where he tugged the scrap of silk covering her out of his way and bent to give her his tongue.

  Sam arched her back, wanting more, so much more.

  He found the tight nub of her desire and sucked it into his mouth just as he pushed two fingers into her. After taking her nearly to the brink of release, he kissed his way up the front of her, teasing her nipples with his teeth and tongue until she cried out from the overwhelming sensations.

  “Now, Nick,” she said, reaching for him to bring him into her embrace, breathing in his clean, fresh scent.

  His lips found hers in a devouring kiss that made her head spin. The sheer intensity of the feelings coursing through her was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, even with him. His tongue was everywhere, drinking her in like he’d been waiting forever for the chance to show her just how much he desired her.

  Tears pooled in her eyes as she raised her hips, asking him for what she wanted more than the next breath. He entered her swiftly, tearing his lips from hers to draw in a ragged deep breath. Fierce and sexy and so beautiful in the candlelight, he loved her with everything he had, as if he’d waited until now, until she was his in every way possible, to show her the full scope of his love and adoration.

  His hands were under her, holding her tight against him as he pumped into her with total abandon.

  Sam reached the first peak faster than she ever had before, soaring higher than she’d known she could go. She clung to him, asking him without words to anchor her, to never let her go.

  His brow was damp with sweat when he once again devoured her mouth in a series of deep, drugging kisses.

  She buried her fingers in his silky hair to keep him there as took her up again, swiftly, until she hovered on the edge of something big and powerful and altogether out of her control.

  Tearing his mouth free, he groaned and buried his face in her hair, crying out his own release as Sam followed him in a shower of light and heat and love so deep she wondered if they’d survive the storm.

  Afterward, he rested on top of her for a long time, breathing hard. When he finally raised his head to meet her gaze, he looked as stunned as she felt.

  “I thought we’d done that pretty well before,” he said, “but that… that was…”

  “Beyond amazing.”

  “Yes.” He kissed her softly, sweetly. “If that’s what married sex is like I can see why Shelby stays so busy.”

  Still joined with him, Sam laughed and lifted her legs to wrap them around his hips. “Ready for round two?” she asked in a teasing tone.

  “I’ll never survive the honeymoon.” He propped his chin on her chest and looked into
her eyes. “Speaking of that, when are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?”

  She’d agreed to let him pay for the wedding, but only if she could arrange their honeymoon. All she’d told him was to pack for warm weather. She combed her fingers through his hair, smoothing and soothing. “How does Bora Bora sound?”

  His eyes nearly popped out his head. “For real? You’re actually going to spend twenty something hours on a plane? You who hate to fly? I figured we’d go to Bermuda or some place close.”

  She’d been in deep denial about the lengthy flights, but once she’d seen the pictures of the remote Tahitian island, she couldn’t image them going anywhere else. Sam swallowed hard. “It’s only thirteen hours.”

  Laughing, Nick finally withdrew from her and rolled to his back, arranging her head on his chest. “Have I mentioned lately that I love you, Samantha Holland?”

  “That’s Samantha Holland Cappuano, to you, sir.”

  He sucked in a sharp deep breath, and the hand that had been caressing her back went still. “What did you say?”

  Suddenly filled with shyness that seemed downright silly after what they’d just done, she looked up at him. “I’m still Sam Holland at work, but at home, with you, I’m Samantha Cappuano.”

  He cupped her face and kissed her softly. “I didn’t think I could love you any more than I already did, but you’ve made me happier today than any man has a right to be.”

  “No one deserves to be happy more than you do.”

  “More than we do,” he corrected her.

  “I’ll let you be right again since you’re on such a roll tonight.”

  His face lifted into a half smile that was so sexy it made her want him all over again.

  “You wanna see if that married sex thing was a one-time deal?” she asked.

  “Give me a minute to recover, and then we’ll find out.”

  She snuggled into him, happier in that moment than she’d ever been in her life. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”

  Author’s Note: View the wedding details chosen by readers at http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com under the “Fatal Wedding” tag. Thank you to everyone who helped to make all of Sam’s decisions. Neither she nor I could’ve done it without you.