Free Forever After (Montana Brides) by Leeanna Morgan Page B

“What do you want me to say?”
    “I don’t know.”
      Sam ran his hands through his hair. “We can keep our professional relationship separate to what happened tonight.”
    If only it could be that simple. All it took was the echo of his voice along the office walls and Nicky went all mushy and hot thinking about him. And that had been before she’d straddled his legs.  
    So much for keeping her distance. She’d run head first into Sam’s arms and let him climb inside her body. Again. “I’m really happy you can put me into a little cardboard box and forget this ever happened. I’m not so sure I can.” Nicky groaned in annoyance. “This can’t happen again. We can’t do any of this again. One night. That’s all I promised.”
    Sam’s body tensed. Sitting up, he reached toward the ground and grabbed his boxers. “If you weren’t so stubborn you’d see that you could have a whole lot more than one night. But stick to the rules by all means. It’s what you’re good at.” He stood beside the bed, hands braced against his hips. “I’ll go and get your clothes.”
    Nicky watched him slam the door shut on his way out. Add misery to the guilt clogging her brain and you ended up with a well rounded idiot sitting naked in the middle of her bosses’ bed. Tonight had nothing to do with love or commitment. It had to do with need.  
    She’d wanted to use his body like he’d used her. She’d talked herself into believing that having sex with him would force him out of her life forever. How dense could she be?
    Before she’d gone to Denver, she’d planned on showing everyone that she’d grown into a strong, independent woman. All she’d proven tonight was that she hadn’t moved on from the love-struck ding-a-ling who’d once fallen for Sam’s good looks and charming personality. Life sucked. And she’d just bought the biggest lollipop around.

    Throwing his pen down in disgust, Sam stared across his office. It had been seven days. Seven days since their one night of explosive sex, and Nicky still treated him like the plague.  
    They hadn’t done anything wrong, except maybe break a few bullet points in the corporate code of conduct. They were grown adults. Life continued on after two people had sex. It shouldn’t have been a big deal.
    Yeah, right. Try telling that to the blonde tyrant determined to make him suffer. The meeting he’d just sat through didn’t give him much hope that she’d ever speak to him normally again. Her progress report had been succinct, professional and cold. He couldn’t fault her logic in the systematic way she’d been working through their financial records and processes.  
    What he did fault was the way she dealt with him. If anyone wanted to witness a textbook case of emotional shutdown, they needed to see Nicky in action. She’d perfected the art to honors degree status.  
    “Patrick’s here to see you, Sam.”
    Amanda stood in his doorway, a picture of calm efficiency. At least someone in his company still smiled at him. Nicky couldn’t even look him in the eye without scowling. “Thanks. Give me ten minutes and then send him through.”
    He gathered up the files in front of him, locking them in his bottom drawer. In about ten days, Nicky would have enough evidence to report back on who’d been stealing money out of the company accounts. A week or two later, she’d have another report on his desk with recommendations on how to stop the fraud happening again. And then she’d be gone.
    He crossed to the window. Maybe he needed a vacation. He’d been so focused on building his career over the last decade that he’d forgotten to have a life.  
    He hadn’t intended to stay at Scotson Construction as long as he had. But life sometimes had a way of giving you what you needed when you least expected it. He’d worked long hours and expected the best from everyone around him, including himself.  
    A knock on his door jarred his mind back to his office.