Free Compromising Positions by Kate Hoffmann Page B

purpose. She’d been caught up in this crazy infatuation that seemed to grow more powerful with each minute she spent with Sam.
    The truth was that she’d never expected to feel this way about a man. She’d watched the rather cool relationship between her parents as she’d grown up and considered that the norm. And then with Edward, there had always been a distance between them. Though they knew each other well, they’d each kept a part of themselves away, behind the cover of propriety. Though their relationship had felt safe, it had never felt particularly complete.
    Edward rarely teased her or joked around. He didn’t look at her as if he might devour her at any moment. And sex was...perfunctory.
    â€œPerfunctory,” Amelia muttered. She knew the meaning of the word, but she’d never admitted that it perfectly summed up her sex life with Edward.
    She couldn’t remember a time when he’d just grab her and kiss her for no reason. Or laughed out loud at something she said. The things she found amusing, he found odd. The things she found interesting, he found insignificant. She’d nearly settled for a marriage that would have been nothing more than a legal agreement with a very bland man.
    â€œBland man,” Amelia said, laughing softly. Why were all these things suddenly occurring to her now? When she’d left Edward, it hadn’t been to find some grand passion. She’d expected to be satisfied with her career...until Sam had stumbled into her life. Or rather, she’d stumbled into his.
    They made absolutely no sense together and yet he made her laugh. Such a simple thing, but it was something she couldn’t imagine living without.
    He also made her heart race and her pulse pound. When he touched her, she seemed to melt inside, the heat pooling in very specific spots. Amelia wanted to know how it would feel when he finally touched her everywhere.
    She reminded herself that desire was just another form of control. And she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to break that bond twice.
    By the time she was ready to put the subject of sex with Sam aside, Amelia was thirty miles out of Millhaven, ready to hop on the I-90 to Boston. The guilt she’d felt earlier was gone, leaving her with the uneasy feeling that rationalizing her actions came quicker than expected.
    The bed was hers. She had no question on that matter. Abigail had given it to the museum. And for all she knew, Sam’s claim to the bed was bogus. Why would Abigail agree to buy the bed and then just give it back later?
    Still, he’d trusted her and she’d betrayed him at the first available opportunity. Though they had battled over the bed, he didn’t deserve that. Maybe she should have waited until they’d come to some sort of understanding or agreement before taking off.
    The sound of a siren caught her attention and she slowed, searching for the source in her rearview mirror. The patrol car was approaching at a fast speed and Amelia carefully veered onto the side, waiting for him to pass. But to her surprise, he pulled in behind her.
    â€œOh, my God,” she murmured. Sam had called the police. He’d had her license number from when she’d registered at the inn! And she’d stolen a very valuable and historical piece of furniture. Never mind that it was technically half hers. Amelia’s heart raced as she brought the SUV to a stop. Maybe there was another reason he’d pulled her over. But her registration was up-to-date and she’d made a complete stop at the entrance to the freeway. Just a routine stop, perhaps?
    She glanced over at the passenger seat, searching for her purse. She panicked when it wasn’t there, then realized it was on the backseat. She grabbed it.
    It seemed to take hours before the highway patrolman got out of the car and approached her window. Amelia held her breath.
    â€œLicense and registration,” he said.
    â€œI