“What is?”
“Us.”
“What’sus?We met on a job, and now I’m giving you a hand when you don’t feel well.”
“There’s more.”
“You mean this?” Without a second’s warning, he ducked his head and caught her mouth. His lips were firm and intent, fluidly molding hers to his will.
From the start, Susan had objected to his cocky confidence. He always had an answer for everything and a stubborn will of his own.
Just then, she didn’t think his will was so bad.
When he released her, she was slightly short of breath. “Yes. That.”
“Want another?”
She hadn’t quite recovered from the first. So she shook her head. And that hurt.
“Oooops,” Sam said. He spread her coat around her shoulders, this time waiting until she slid her arms into the sleeves. Then, securing the Sunday paper under his arm, he guided her to the front door.
He drove a sporty Mazda that looked to be no more than a year or two old. “You weren’t chasing after Will in this the other night.”
“I don’t use this for work.”
“You own two cars?”
Pulling out of the driveway, he shot her a look. “Is that so surprising?”
“Yes. You’re a cop. I didn’t think cops earned much money.”
“With overtime, we do just fine. My lifestyle isn’t outrageous. I have money left over for things like cars.”
“And condos on the waterfront?”
He shot her another look. “Who told you about that?”
“Savannah.”
“What else did she tell you?”
“Not much.”
The Mazda’s hum was the extent of the noise for the next few minutes. As the familiar sights of Newport passed from view, Susan felt increasingly uneasy. She knew Newport. Sam Craig and his world were foreign. Yet it seemed important to her that she not make a fool of herself in front of him.
Closing her eyes, she put her head back.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Okay.”
“Head still hurt?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You’re not going to throw up all over my car, are you?”
She let him wonder for a minute before she said, “The last time I heard that question, I was in a Testarossa being driven by a man who could as easily have redone the interior of the car as he could have bought a new necktie. He just didn’t want the mess.” She smiled dryly. “You men are all the same.”
