looked surprised, though he tried not to show it. âThatâs a good idea. In the meantime, you and I are still going fishing. Iâll be here to pick you up at six a.m.â
Jimmyâs eyes widened. âNo way. I donât have to go with you. We made a deal.â
âThe deal was you donât have to talk to me and you donât. You still have to go fishing with me.â
Jimmy opened his mouth to argue, snapped it closed. âFine.â
âAnd you better be here when I get here. I still have plenty of pull with the department. You give your aunt any more trouble and Iâll have you hauled in to detention. Now get some sleep. Iâll see you in the morning.â
Jimmyâs mouth thinned.
âCome on, Samantha, letâs go home.â With a hand at her waist, Nick guided her out of the house.
Nick helped Samantha into his SUV for the drive down the hill to his house. It had started to rain. This time of year, rainy days were a given.
âWhat do you think really happened?â Samantha asked. âA fistfight wouldnât explain why he didnât come home all day.â
âMaybe he was afraid what his aunt would say when she saw his face, but thatâs hard to believe. Jimmyâs usually the kind of kid who tackles trouble head-on.â
âThen what else could it be?â
Nick shook his head. âWorrying his aunt that way was really out of character.â He ran a hand over his jaw. âI donât know, it seemed like he was trying to brazen it out, putting up a tough front, but I got a feeling he was scared.â
âOf his aunt?â
Nick shook his head. âNo.â He sighed. âHell, heâs a kid. Maybe I was reading the whole thing wrong. Iâll talk to him in the morning, see if I can get him to open up.â He looked over at Samantha as he pulled into the driveway. âIâve got a microwave. How about we heat up some of that chicken?â
âThat sounds great. Iâm really hungry.â
âMe, too.â But the kind of hunger tightening his groin had nothing to do with food and everything to do with Samantha Hollis. He tried not to remember the softness of her lips, her petite, feminine curves moving beneath him, how snug she felt when he was inside her.
He tried, but by the time he pulled the car into the garage and turned off the engine, helped Samantha down from the vehicle, he was hard as a frigging stone.
Samantha smiled as he led her up on the deck, through the mudroom, into the kitchen. âI imagine after all the excitement, weâll both get a good nightâs sleep.â
He cast her a thunderous look. âYou really think so? Because Iâll be lying there half the night aching for you, wishing you were in my bed instead of your own.â
Her eyes widened. âYou saidââ
âI know what I said, and I wonât break my word. Doesnât mean I donât want you.â He leaned over and very softly kissed her, felt his erection stirring beneath his jeans. Samantha returned the kiss, making him even harder, then she pulled away.
âI-Iâd better get the chicken out of the fridge and into the microwave.â She started walking toward the refrigerator, stopped and turned back. âIâm glad your friend is home safe.â
âYeah, so am I.â It took superhuman effort to force his mind off sex and onto the conversation he needed to have with Jimmy in the morning. But the kid was important to him. The thought had him glancing at Samantha. Nick sighed and turned away.
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Samantha couldnât sleep. Nick had said heâd be lying in bed, aching for her, wishing she were there with him. She hadnât thought she would be the one aching, unable to sleep.
How could she have forgotten the magnetic pull of the man, the aura of masculinity that had so effortlessly seduced her the first time?
Just looking at that lean-muscled body
Sharon Kleve, Jennifer Conner, Danica Winters, Casey Dawes