Heaven and Hell (33 page)

“Good,” Sam repeated.

“You gonna keep both?” the man asked.

“Yeah,” Sam answered.

“Would too,” the man said then asked, “How
you want us to play this?”

“Don’t care you get made. He sees she’s
protected, that’s fine with me,” Sam replied.

“Copy that. You got hunters?”

“Yeah but they’re workin’ mostly blind.
Sheriff has shut down. Need a brief with him then I’ll have more
intel for you and the boys out workin’ this.”

“Right.”

I heard the front door open and Sam’s,
“‘Preciate this.”

A moment of silence which I suspected
included a cocky, masculine head nod or jerk of chin then, “Town
talk, he knocked her around.”

I sighed.

“Town talk is not wrong,” Sam said in what
was weirdly a seriously annoyed growl and when he went on, I would
know why, “but, even knowin’ it, not one fuckin’ person did fuck
all about it. Seven years.”

“Jesus.”

“She’s done with livin’ scared,” Sam
stated.

“Yeah,” the man agreed.

“So, like I said, appreciate this,” Sam kind
of repeated.

“Yeah,” the man replied.

Then the door closed.

I laid there, eyes closed, feeling the
bizarre but far from unwelcome sensation of being in my house, a
place that was unsafe for me for years, and feeling safe and doing
it at a time when I was arguably more unsafe then I’d ever
been.

But it was more, it was knowing Sam was not
messing around with making me safe and that was far from unwelcome
too.

But I was getting used to it.

Even so, it was not becoming any less
precious.

Wanting to roll out of bed and go to Sam,
exhaustion wouldn’t let me and I hoped he’d come to me.

I fell asleep again before he did.

* * * * *

Four hours after arrival home…

My eyes flickered open and all I could see
was the wall of Sam’s chest covered in a light blue, seriously
wrinkled from three hellish flights shirt.

I blinked, feeling weird and I knew this was
partly because of three hellish flights but also because of
jetlag.

Then it hit me my cheek was on Sam’s
shoulder, one of my legs was tossed over one of his and my arm was
around his gut.

He wasn’t moving, he was breathing steady so
I carefully lifted my head so as not to wake him and looked at
him.

Stubble. Fabulous eyelashes. Gorgeous.

Sam.

In my bed.

In the bed I had shared unhappily with
Cooter.

All the beauty that was Sam, right there,
where Cooter laid his head.

Okay, call me crazy vindictive but I
freaking loved that. One look at Sam lying there beside me could
easily wipe out seven years of the memory of Cooter doing it.

And I knew this because it did.

I cautiously pushed up then bent to brush my
lips against his, thinking he’d continue to sleep, I’d get up, call
Mom, write a note, go get my dog and maybe pop by the grocery store
for some food to make us dinner.

I was pulling back when both of Sam’s arms
closed around me, he rolled and I ended up on my back with all of
Sam on me.

“Honey,” I whispered, my arms moving around
him, my eyes catching his.

“Two choices, I eat you then fuck you in bed
then we shower or I eat you in bed then I fuck you in the
shower.”

I stared up at him, indecisive due to being
just awake and jetlagged not to mention spoiled for choice.

“Uh…” I mumbled.

Sam, always decisive, decided.

“Eat you and fuck you here, then shower,” he
muttered.

Then his head dropped and he kissed me.

Then he ate me.

Then he fucked me.

Then we showered.

* * * * *

I was standing in the bathroom in nothing
but my brand new, beautiful, silk, purple with big pink flowers
robe that cost more than many people’s rents, rubbing moisturizer
on my face. Sam was in the bedroom having dragged all our luggage
in after we took our shower thus I had my robe and moisturizer. He
was wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.

This was our state when it happened.

I was rubbing moisturizer in but mostly
looking at Sam out of the corner of my eye because he was bent
over, pawing through his bag, probably looking for a clean shirt
but the muscles of his arm and back were flexing and contracting,
it was more than a little fascinating so, since I was
concentrating, I saw it when his head snapped up.

Then I heard, “There’s a car in the drive.
Where do you think they are?”

Mom.

“Maybe they went to the grocery store.”

Teri.

“Maybe their flight was delayed or
something. Kia said she’d text when they landed and she hasn’t
texted.”

Oops.

By the way, Paula.

Then there was a yap.

Memphis!

Sam’s head was no longer looking toward the
door of the bedroom but turned to me in the bathroom, his brows up
but he was still leaning over his big, leather duffel bag.

“Memphis and the girls,” I said on a smile,
putting down the moisturizer and starting toward the door, my mouth
opening to shout my greeting.

I didn’t make it before I heard.

“Ohmigodohmifucking
GOD!
”

Teri.

Sam’s head jerked back toward the bedroom
door and I started rushing but while doing so I heard whispered,
“Holy fucking shit.”

Paula.

I made it to the bedroom to see Teri shoved
by Paula who was shoved by my mother all entering the room.

Memphis did too, bouncing and yapping
straight to me.

I totally forgot about the girls.

“Baby!” I cried, crouched, she jumped into
my arms and immediately started licking my jaw as I held her at the
same time giving her scratches and straightening. “I missed you,
girl, I had a
great
time but I sure missed you.”

She yapped then she licked me.

“Kia, baby,” Sam muttered, my head moved
from grinning down at my dog to him to see he was straightened and
his eyes were still at the door.

I looked to the door.

“He calls her baby,” Teri breathed, her eyes
big and glued to Sam.

“I know,” Paula breathed, her eyes big and
glued to Sam.

Mom just stared at Sam, eyes big and glued
to Sam’s chest.

No one moved or said another word.

“Is this what you guys call being cool when
you meet Sam?” I asked, cuddling my dog and glaring at them.
“You’re all drooling, even you Mom.” And, uh…
yuck.
“For
goodness sakes,” I finished.

Three female bodies jerked and their eyes
came to me. Then
they
came to me, rushing me and nearly
bowling me over. Memphis yapped, thinking the attention was for
her, she started trying to lick them all as a gift for them being
generous with their attention as they huddled and hugged me.

Then Teri and Paula took a half a step back
(Mom stayed latched to me and Memphis) and all three grinned at
me.

“Girl, that robe is fah-ree-king
fabulous,
” Teri noted, her eyes doing an up and down on me.
“Where’d you get it? Paris?” she asked when her gaze settled on my
face.

“Lake Como,” I told her.

“Scorching!” she declared and I smiled at
her.

Mom’s hand came out, her fingers curled
around my jaw and she turned my head to her. The she studied
me.

Then she remarked, “You’re tan.”

I grinned at her.

Her eyes went funny and she whispered, “And
you’re happy.”

My grin wobbled because I read her eyes were
happy too and I hadn’t seen that, not in a long time, not when she
was looking at me.

She let my jaw go and her gaze went to
Sam.

So did mine, Teri’s and Paula’s.

Memphis yapped into the silence.

Sam now had a shirt on, partially buttoned,
it was pale yellow, cotton, not linen but it was still wrinkled
from being in his bag.

Nevertheless, he worked it.

Mom let me go and walked to Sam as he did up
another button.

“You’re Sam,” she declared, extending her
hand.

“I am,” he took her hand then smiled down at
her.

“Ohmigod,
hot,
” Paula breathed and I
shot a killing look at her that she missed seeing as she was
staring at Sam.

“I’m Essie Rigsby, you can call me Essie.
I’m Kia’s Mom,” Mom pointed out the obvious since I looked nearly
exactly like her except less round and younger.

“I guessed,” he muttered, giving her hand a
visible squeeze before letting it go while saying, “Good to meet
you.”

“And you,” Mom whispered.

“Ohmigod, I think I’m gonna cry,” Teri
muttered.

Memphis yapped.

“Right, okay, how about this, I’ll finish
the introductions
not
in my bedroom? Is that a plan?” I
suggested.

“No freaking way,” Paula replied then moved
quickly to Sam. “Hey, Sam. I’m Paula. I’ve been best friends with
Kia since forever and if you want to know any dirt, any dirt at
all, all you have to do is ply me with tequila.”

“Paula!” I snapped because this was totally
tactless at the same time totally true which made it tactless
and
scary.

She didn’t even look my way and this was
probably because Sam was smiling down at her, squeezing her hand
and she was visibly transfixed.

Then she pulled herself together to whisper,
“Dude, I so totally know we’re supposed to be cool with you but I
gotta have this one. You… are…
awesome
and my husband loves
you.”

“Paula, seriously –” I started.

“My turn!” Teri shouted over me then rushed
to Sam, knocked Paula out of the way (yes,
knocked
), Paula
went flying and Teri grabbed Sam’s hand and declared, “I’m not
going to be cool. I clocked you when you were a Bruin. I’m into
football, Kia isn’t so, in girl land, normally, that would mean I
could lay claim to you and get first dibs but obviously in real
life it doesn’t work that way which kind of sucks but, whatever, I
still get to meet you and you’re in my best friend’s bedroom and
she’s wearing a robe and I think that… is…
awesome.
”

She ended this breathy, bright-eyed and
leaning into him.

All right, now I kind of wished the hit man
was aiming and about to fire through my window.

Unfortunately, the curtains were closed
(something Sam was particular about) so he would be shooting blind
and he might hit my Mom or Sam.

“Teri, seriously?” I asked.

“You the one who has a cutout of me in your
bedroom?” Sam asked over me, releasing Teri’s hand and she turned
woodenly toward me.

“You told him that?” she breathed,
noticeably pale and obviously mortified.

Shit.

I threw a quick glare at Sam then rearranged
my features when I looked back at Teri.

“Well, uh… I was in my trying to drive him
away phase and it kind of slipped out,” I explained.

“You were in a driving him away phase?”
Paula asked and my eyes went to her. “Babe, are you loco?”

“Maybe, at the time, temporarily,” I
muttered, my gaze sliding to Sam to see now he was smiling at
me.

“I’ll say,” Teri muttered back.

“Right,” Mom cut in and I looked to her to
see she was digging in her bag. “Ford’s chomping at the bit,
wandering around with the matches, ready to fire up the grill.” She
pulled her cell out of her purse and looked at me. “You were
supposed to text when you got in. If you had, we would have told
you to pop by but you didn’t. So, sorry, sweetie, but surprise,
your Dad and I planned a welcome back party for you and it’s kinda
happening right now.”

“What?” I asked as Sam moved to me then slid
an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side.

The room went still, no one moved, no one
spoke, they all just stared at Sam, me and Memphis.

All except Memphis who yapped and tried to
reach Sam’s fingers at my shoulder with her tongue.

“Hello?” I called into the void. “What?
There’s a party happening right now?”

Mom blinked then focused on me but not my
question. “Couldn’t see it in my head but there it is right in
front of me. You two look real cute together.”

Sam chuckled.

I snapped, “Mom!”

“What?” she asked.

“Party?” I prompted.

She nodded, flipping open her phone,
muttering, “Margaritas, beer, brats, Essie’s world famous homemade
onion rings and Nutter Butter, hot fudge, ice cream parfaits for
dessert.”

There it was. Mom’s world famous homemade
onion rings were double dipped in beer batter which meant they not
only had twice the batter, that batter absorbed twice the fat and
thus they were awesome and Nutter Butter, hot fudge, ice cream
parfaits were wicked good. They had crumbled Nutter Butters in
them, hot fudge she made that had two sticks of butter and half a
bag of sugar in it and my mother actually wrote to a frozen yogurt
manufacturer once to request them to provide her with the knowledge
of what was the point so, suffice it to say, the ice cream would be
premium.

I looked at Sam and said, “Told you so.”

Sam smiled down at me.

“Freaking, freakity freak, that smile is
good,” Paula whispered and my head jerked to her.

“Would you stop perving on my boyfriend
right in front of me?” I snapped.

“Babe, your boyfriend is Sampson Cooper, you
gotta get used to that shit. I’m doing my best friend duties and
helping,” Paula fired back.

“Ford,” I heard Mom say and looked to see
her talking on the phone. “Yeah, they’re here. They made it, safe
and sound. They needed a little…” she paused, took in my robe, her
gaze gliding over Sam’s half-buttoned shirt but studiously avoiding
Sam’s eyes and she kind of but not totally lied, “rest. Kia needs
to spend half an hour on her hair and twenty minutes on her makeup
and they’ll be over.”

“Yep, that’s your mother,” Sam muttered.