“It hasn’t been too bad,” Nick said, downplaying it for the sake of those who would worry about him if they grasped the full extent of his anxiety. Only Sam knew how little he slept, how much he brooded and the deep toll the stress had taken on him. “Our plan is to keep our heads down and our mouths shut and let Congress do its job. That’s all we can do.”
“Speaking of keeping our heads down...” Sam yawned dramatically and stretched. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m ready for bed.”
“You know me, babe,” Nick said with a salacious grin. “I’m always ready when you are.”
While the others groaned at his predictable comment, they helped to douse the fire and clean up the bottles and other trash from the beach. Back inside the big, contemporary house, they made fast work of cleaning up the kitchen and getting Freddie and Elin settled in the living room.
“Thanks for a great day,” Freddie said to Sam. Elin had gone to change and use the bathroom.
“I’m glad you guys were able to come out.”
“I hope you know if there’s anything I can do for you through all this, I’m right here.”
Sam squeezed her partner’s arm. “I always know that. I plan to keep very busy planning your bachelor party. I have a to-do list a mile long before next weekend’s festivities.”
His amiable expression hardened into a glare. “There’d better not be any strippers on that list.”
Sam cracked up and patted his indecently handsome face. “My poor, delusional Freddie. Strippers are the very least of what’s on my list.”
He moaned as he shook his head. “Asking you to be my best-man woman is going to turn out to be the biggest mistake of my life.”
“That’s the goal,” Sam said with a cheeky grin.
Elin rejoined them. “Are you torturing him?” she asked Sam.
“Me? Torture him?”
“Every chance she gets.” Freddie held out his hand to his fiancée. “Come protect me from her.”
Elin went to him and wrapped her arms around him. “My poor baby. I’ll make it all better.”
“Yes, please.”
“I’m out,” Sam said, amused by them. “If you need anything, let me know.”
“We’re good,” he said. “Thanks again for having us.”
“Always a pleasure to have the opportunity to torment you, Detective. Sleep tight, and remember there’re children in this house. Keep it clean out here.”
“Good night, Sam.”
She giggled at her own joke as she closed the door to the first-floor master suite.
“What’re you up to, babe?” Nick asked. He was already in bed, book in hand, covers pooled at his waist leaving his gorgeous man chest in full view. He’d left the sliding glass door open to allow the warm sea air into the room.
Sam realized she was staring at him. Sometimes it still amazed her that they’d managed to find each other twice in a lifetime. Even with their lives out of control more often than not, she wouldn’t trade her life with him for a quieter, more predictable existence with any other man.
“Samantha? You okay?”
As she crossed the big room she peeled her maxi dress over her head and tossed it aside, loving the way his gaze heated at the sight of her coming toward him wearing only a skimpy pair of panties.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this lovely show?” he asked as she joined him on the bed, straddling his lap and tossing his book aside. It landed on the floor with a loud thunk. His hands encircled her waist before sliding down to grasp her ass and pull her in closer to him.
“It all began this morning when you started something you couldn’t finish in the water. I’ve been counting down to bedtime ever since.”
“So have I.” His hands roved from her bottom to her back and up to tangle in her hair so he could position her for a deep kiss. “In case I forget to mention it, this beach getaway has been the best idea you’ve ever had. I can’t tell you how badly I needed it.”
“We all needed it. Scotty has had a terrific time with his cousins, and I’m enjoying having a full week with you without work or Dispatch or fundraisers or reporters. I haven’t missed the goddamned reporters up in our faces. The Secret Service gets mad props for keeping them away from us here.”
“They’ll be hungrier than ever when we get back. Are you ready for that?”
Looking down at his handsome face, she shook her head and ran her fingers through the chocolate-brown hair that curled on the ends. “I’m not ready, and I don’t have to be ready for four more blissful days. We’ll cross that Bay Bridge when we get to it. In the meantime...” She bent her head to kiss him with teasing strokes of her tongue that quickly had him straining for more. “We have lots more sex to have before this vacation is over.”
“Have I mentioned lately that you’re the best wife I’ve ever had?”
She snorted with laughter. “I’d better be the only wife you ever have, buster.”
“If you hadn’t shown up at my crime scene that day at the Watergate, I never would’ve married anyone.”
“Your crime scene?” she asked, brow raised.
Nick grinned at her predictable reply. “Somehow the worst day of my life became the best too.”
It’d been a while since he mentioned finding his best friend and boss murdered, but she knew he thought of John O’Connor every day and always spoke of him with fondness and affection.
“What would John say if he could see you now?” Sam asked. “Vice president and people floating the possibility of—”
He kissed the question right off her lips. “Don’t say it. There are so many better things we can do with your mouth than talk about that.”
Smiling, she ran her lips back and forth over his. “Such as?”
“More of this.” He tightened his hold on her hair and kissed her with sweeping strokes of his tongue that had her squirming on top of him, trying to get closer to the rigid length of his cock beneath her.
She broke the kiss, gasping. “I’m down with that.”
“Speaking of going down...”
“I’m down with that too. I’m down with anything you want.”
He raised a swarthy eyebrow, and Sam thought that if the women of America could see their insanely sexy vice president in that moment, they’d lose their collective minds. “Anything?”
“Whatever you want.”
“You’re feeling frisky tonight, my love.”
“I’m on vacation with all my favorite people and currently in bed with my favorite husband. I’m feeling happy tonight.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that. I’ve been worried about how you’re handling everything.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m okay if you’re okay.”
“I will always worry about you, and I could be more okay,” he said, raising his hips suggestively.
“Subtle, Mr. VP. Very subtle.”
“A wise woman once told me I suck at subtlety.”
“Sometimes you’re very good at it.” She began with kisses to his lips and face, laying a path along his jaw and then hovering over his ear. Because they had all night and could sleep in, she took her own sweet time, working her way down his