Fatal Deception (23 page)

“I can’t thank you all enough for coming tonight, for your generous donations to my campaign and for your warm welcome. I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the late Senator O’Connor, whose hard work and dedication to the commonwealth and its people I aim to emulate every day.”

After another round of generous applause in John’s honor, Nick talked about his efforts in the Senate on behalf of Virginia and his desire to continue the work he and both Senators O’Connor had begun. “I must also thank my wife, Sam, for her support of my campaign. She and I agreed to a year in office, and somehow we’re now looking at the possibility of six more. Not sure how that happened,” he said to laughter. “As you know, she was hurt today in the line of duty, and there are seven citizens in the District of Columbia who are alive tonight because of her courageous action.”

The eruption of applause astounded Sam as she briefly stood to acknowledge the crowd. By the time she returned to her seat, her face was burning with mortification. She would kill him for that!

“Sam and I are delighted to be here tonight, and we look forward to a successful outcome in November. With your support, the victory line is within reach. Thanks again.” His remarks were met with more enthusiastic applause.

Nick had finished speaking when Dr. Harry fought his way through the standing-room-only crowd to the table where Gonzo, Christina, Terry and Lindsey had joined Sam, Scotty and Laine. Sam stood to greet Harry with a hug. “How’s Derek?”

“Much better now that he’s with Maeve.”

“And she’s really all right?”

“Right as rain. I examined her myself. You’d never know she’d been through such an ordeal to look at her.”

“That’s wonderful news. She must’ve been thrilled to see her daddy.”

Harry nodded. “And vice versa. It was a very emotional reunion. How’d you all know where she was?”

“I’m afraid I can’t talk about that yet.” Sam reached up to straighten Harry’s crooked bow tie and patted his shoulders affectionately. He had dark hair and eyes and adorable dimples. Though a sea of people surrounded them, no one was paying attention to them at the moment. “You clean up nicely, Doc.”

“I could say the same for you. How’s the boo-boo?”

“Hurts like a mo-fo,” Sam said, borrowing her sister’s term.

Harry’s brows furrowed with concern. “Didn’t they give you pain meds?”

“Forgot to pick them up,” Sam said with a sheepish grin that she instantly regretted when pain ricocheted through her face.

“What’re we going to do with you?”

“I get that question a lot,” Sam said. “Is Maggie with you?”

Harry’s smile faded a bit. “No. We’ve, well... Apparently, we make for better colleagues than lovers.” His small sad shrug conveyed a world of hurt.

“I’m so sorry to hear that! Are you okay?”

“Happened a while ago, actually. I’m better now.”

“Jeez. I’m a sucky friend. I had no idea.”

Harry laughed. “Don’t feel bad. I haven’t even told Nick yet.”

“Good, because I was going to have to shoot him for not telling me.” She squeezed Harry’s arm. “You know we’re here for you, right?”

“Sure I do.”

“Sometimes we make for lousy friends because it seems like everything is always about us, but we know who matters to us—and you matter.”

“That’s nice of you to say, and I appreciate it.” He kissed her forehead and lowered his voice. “Since it truly is all about you, have you made any decisions?”

Sam took a deep, calming breath. “No more shots.”

Raising a brow, he said, “Is that right?”

She nodded. “One more try. If it doesn’t work, we’re done.”

“And you’re okay with the possibility of it not working?”

“I say I am, but...”

“I know. For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing. You’d always wonder.”

“That’s what Celia, my stepmother, said too.”

“Even though things didn’t work out between Maggie and me romantically, she’s a great OB/GYN. You should think about seeing her to make sure everything’s working properly before you get busy trying to conceive.”

“Who’s getting busy with my wife?” Nick asked as he joined them.

“No one but you, my friend,” Harry said, shaking hands with Nick. “Wonderful turnout. Congratulations.”

“It was all Graham’s doing,” Nick said as he slipped an arm around Sam and drew her in close to him.

“Sure it was,” Harry said. “You’re far too modest, Senator.”

“Maeve?” Nick asked.

“Safely back in the arms of her father,” Harry said.

“Oh thank goodness,” Nick said. “Derek must be thrilled.”

“He is, but still... You know.”

“Yes,” Nick said.

“Can you join us yet?” Sam asked her husband.

“I think so. I need some time with my buddy.” Nick reached down to ruffle Scotty’s hair, startling the boy who was deep in conversation with Gonzo. “Are you talking baseball without me?” He took a seat next to Scotty and tugged Sam’s hand to encourage her to sit next to him.

“Come on, Harry,” Sam said. “They can’t talk baseball without you.”

“What does he know?” Nick asked. “He’s widely regarded as a fair-weather sailor. He’s not a hard-core fan like us.” Nick gestured to Scotty to include him in the “us.”

“I’m willing to wager the Nats will be in the World Series this season,” Harry said confidently.

Nick glanced at Scotty. “What do you think? Should we take that bet?”

“Definitely,” Scotty said. “We’ll win. Everyone’s saying the Nats will crash and burn by August.”

“You heard the young man,” Nick said, reaching his hand out to Harry. “You’ve got yourself a bet.”

Harry shook his hand. “You’re on.”

Sam smiled at her husband and reached for his free hand under the table.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Thank you for the smoothie. That was incredibly sweet of you.”

“No problem, babe. I knew you had to be hungry.”

“I was.” She reached up to smooth a lock of his hair. “This was actually more fun than I expected it to be.”

“That’s because you’re surrounded by friends.” He glanced at the foursome across the table who were talking politics. “I told you it was a good thing that your people got involved with my people.”

Sam rolled her eyes at him. As he well knew, she found the cross-pollination of their people to be equal parts baffling and irritating.

“Sam,” Scotty said. “What do you think? Will the Nats make it to the World Series?”

Sam pretended to give that some considerable thought. “Not only will they make it to the World Series,” she said. “I predict they’ll face off against the Red Sox.”

Scotty’s eyes went wide with amazement. “That’d be totally righteous! Can we can get tickets if that happens, Nick?”

“I’ll tell you what,” Nick said. “If that happens, I’ll get tickets to all the games in Washington. How’s that?”

“Holy cow. Wait ’til I tell the kids at home about this!”

Sam squeezed Nick’s hand, knowing he felt the same way she did about wanting Scotty to think of their home as his home. He fit right in with them, holding his own at the table full of adults as the talk turned from baseball to politics to Scotty’s upcoming stay at their house.

“I told Nick to bring you down to the farm to ride,” Graham said. He stood behind his wife with his hands on Laine’s shoulders.

“That’d be so cool,” Scotty said. “I love it there. Can we make ice cream again, Mrs. O’Connor?”

“I told you to call me Laine,” she said with mock sternness that made Scotty smile.

He glanced at Mrs. Littlefield. “Mrs. L says it’s bad manners to call adults by their first names.”

“Except when they give you permission,” Mrs. Littlefield chimed in.

“See?” Laine clapped her hands victoriously. “That’s what I tried to tell you.”

“We’ve already had this argument,” he said to Mrs. Littlefield, making the other adults at the table laugh.

“You’ve raised a very polite young man,” Graham said to Mrs. Littlefield.

“Indeed,” Nick added. “We hear about the gospel according to Mrs. Littlefield quite often.”

“Like the time he said I could go to the baseball camp without even asking how much it cost,” Scotty said, clucking and shaking his head with disapproval.

“I heard about that one for a few days,” Nick said. “I believe his exact words were, ‘Mrs. Littlefield says it’s not responsible to agree to buy something before you know how much it costs.’”

The older woman blushed and laughed at the same time. “I’m glad to hear some of my words of wisdom have stuck.” She gazed at the handsome boy wistfully, as if she knew what was coming even if he hadn’t quite figured it out yet.

Sam caught Mrs. Littlefield’s gaze and sent her a reassuring smile. As far as she and Nick were concerned, the woman who’d served as Scotty’s surrogate mother for the last six years would always be welcome with them, if they were lucky enough to bring Scotty home for good someday. So much was riding on the next three weeks.

A short while later, Mrs. Littlefield told Scotty it was time to head back to Richmond. The boy offered a bit of protest before Nick reminded him that they’d be down to pick him up for the three-week stay on Sunday.

“I’m counting the days,” Scotty said as he hugged Nick and then Sam.

“So are we,” she said.

“We’re going to call it a night too,” Nick said to Graham and Laine. “Sam is beat, and we both have to work tomorrow.”

“Thanks so much for being here, Sam,” Graham said, gently kissing the uninjured side of her face. “I know you probably had better things to do tonight.”

Glancing up at Nick, she said, “There was nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Nick shook hands with Graham. “Thanks again.”

“Our pleasure. Keep making us proud.”

“I’ll do my best.” Nick hugged and kissed Laine and said his good-byes to the staffers in attendance. “See you all bright and early.”

Christina replied with a good-natured groan.

“My boss gave me the day off tomorrow,” Gonzo joked.

“Dream on,” Sam said. “Briefing at zero seven hundred.”

“That’s inhuman,” Gonzo said, making Lindsey and Terry laugh.

Sam and Nick walked Scotty and Mrs. Littlefield to her car and saw them off while the valets retrieved their hired car. The minute they were settled in the backseat, Sam kicked off her heels and crawled into her husband’s outstretched arms. He’d removed his tuxedo jacket, so Sam went to work on the diamond studs that served as buttons.

“Um, excuse me, what’re you doing?”

“I need skin.” She pushed his shirt open and rested her cheek against his beautiful chest.

His hand slid from her ankle to her knee to her inner thigh.

“And what are you doing?”

“Same as you—seeking skin.”

Sam sighed with contentment. “I’m so happy I get to go home with you tonight.”

“Just tonight?”

“Every night, but particularly tonight. Every woman in that room wanted you for herself, and none of them can have you, because you’re all mine.”

“Yes, I am.”

“I love that, you know? No matter what shitty crap happens during the day—and a lot of shitty crap happened today—when it’s over, I get to go home to you. It’s the best thing in...well...ever.”

He tightened the arm he had around her and nuzzled her hair. “It is the best thing ever. You’re the best thing ever.”

She closed her eyes and breathed in his endlessly appealing scent, the scent of home.

“And here I thought I was in the biggest trouble ever.”

“Oh, you are, Nicky.” Sam thought her imitation of Patrice’s breathy voice was spot-on, if she said so herself. “And making a big deal out of me in front of all those people. You’re in so much trouble.”

“I love your brand of trouble.” His fingers moved in a seductive pattern over her thigh, moving higher with each stroke but never quite reaching the place that ached for him.

“Nick,” she gasped. “Quit teasing me!”

“Shhh. Relax, baby.”

As he well knew, she melted like butter whenever he spoke to her in that sexy, gravely tone he usually reserved for their bedroom. Relax? Right... How was she supposed to relax when he was making her crazy with the slide of his fingers over her sensitive flesh?

Excruciating minutes passed in a sensual haze before he finally pressed his fingertips against the silky satin of her thong.

Sam squirmed on his lap, trying to give him better access.

He let out a grunt and then a groan when her bottom came into contact with his erection. “Careful, babe. I’m quite fond of my boy parts.”

“So am I. You have the best boy parts in the whole world.”

He chuckled softly against her ear, sending a torrent of sensations spiraling through her, awaking every one of her girl parts. “No one gives a compliment quite like my wife.”

“Nick.” She pushed her hips against his hand, hoping to encourage him to pay closer attention to what he was doing.

“What?”

Placing her hand over his, she directed him to exactly where she wanted him. “Yes. There. Right there.”

He kept his fingers on the outside of her underwear, sliding back and forth over the place that pulsed and throbbed for him. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes!” She was so focused on the heat building between her legs that she didn’t notice his other hand move to the front of her dress until his talented fingers were inside the bodice and tweaking her nipple. The combination had her gasping and panting and exploding. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, and the intense pain of her wound took nothing away from the equally intense release.

He brought her down slowly, keeping pressure on her clit and nipple until the aftershocks subsided.

“Mmm,” he said against her neck. “Do you see now why I hired the car?”

Still breathing hard, Sam shifted off his lap and went to work on his pants. “Not only are you a sexy devil, you’re smart—and you plan ahead. How lucky am I to have such a husband?”

While she freed him from his pants, he twirled a lock of long hair around his finger. The instant he burst free, she wrapped her hand around his thick cock and stroked him until the tip gleamed with moisture.

His head fell back against the seat, and his eyes went heavy with desire. “What’re you up to, Samantha?”