Sam: I thought of you while I was at work last night.

Me: I like the sound of that.

Sam: Yeah, I ticketed a couple underage kids for drinking. They were in a bar hitting on a MILF.

Me: Shut up! You’re lying.

Sam: God’s honest truth. She wasn’t as hot as you, though.

I could practically hear the smoke in his voice, and it sank deep into my pores. For the love of Pete. I couldn’t be turned on while doing laundry!

It had been two weeks since Sam found Reggie and stayed for dinner. We’d been on three more dates and had shared countless texts and phone calls. This going slow crap was for suckers. I needed to get laid and there was only one man for the job.

The girls had also been clamoring for Sam to come back. Apparently, having your mom date a cop was impressive to their ten-year-old friends—their gossiping could rival even the chattiest of the Housewives. I’d have to figure out how to nip that in the bud, but it was safe to say the tween stage had officially begun.

Me: Shush.

Sam: I’ll see you at six.

Me: Can’t wait.

And it was so very true. Jill was coming to babysit, and mamma was gettin’ her … whatever on. God, I’m old. No matter, though. Sam didn’t know it yet, but I was spending the night at his place, courtesy of Jill’s babysitting services. I wasn’t sure which one of us was more excited at the prospect of me getting some again.

I’d gone on another shopping trip for sexy underwear, careful to check the crotch of each and every pair, and I had the sexiest black lace bra and panty set all ready for this evening. The goal was for Sam to swallow his tongue—or at least put it to good use.

Mike had called to check in on the girls and we were both disgustingly civil with one another. I still hadn’t confronted him about leaving the girls with Kristen for the bulk of their “Daddy time,” and I doubted I ever would. That doesn’t mean I didn’t ask him to thank Kristen for taking such good care of Kate and Eileen. I may have even asked twice, just to rub it in a bit. But it probably went right over his head, and I had to make peace with that. His love for his daughters wasn’t in doubt; it was his priorities that were a mess. And that was up to Kristen to deal with now.

“She’s here!” Kate shouted from down the hall, alerting me to Jill’s early arrival. Not that she didn’t come over whenever she damn well pleased, but I wasn’t expecting her for another hour. She’d likely designated herself my stylist for the evening, which was fine with me.

I set the basket down and walked out to the kitchen. “Okay, I’ll let you help me get ready, but I already know what I’m wearing so don’t try and put me in something that reveals all the goods.”

She was rooting in her purse and hadn’t looked up at me yet, but when she did, her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. Shit.

I skirted the island and put my arms around her. The girls had left the room, obviously sensing all was not right. “What happened?”

She sniffed and tried to brush it off. “Oh, Hank and I broke up. But I swear it’s not a big deal.”

“What?! Of course it’s a big deal!” I squeezed her again and stroked her hair.

“Jenna, it’s not like I was in love with him or anything.” She tried to scoff but hiccupped instead. Big fat liar.

“Sweetie.” I left it at that, continuing to hold her for a few more moments.

When she pulled back, she had composed herself a little. “I’m really okay. I just needed a good cry.”

“What happened?” I motioned for her to sit on a bar stool, and I did the same.

“I don’t really want to rehash the whole thing right now. I promise I’ll tell you another time. Tonight, I just want to hang out with my girls.”

I shook my head. “Well, I’m canceling with Sam. We can get in our pajamas and have a proper girls’ night with popcorn and ice cream and stupid movies.”

She was shaking her head right back at me. “Not a chance. You are going on this date if I have to drive you there myself.”

“Jilly, seriously, Sam and I can go out another night.”

“And I’m sure you will. But you’re also going out tonight—and I won’t take no for an answer.”

I wanted to argue some more, but when Jill made up her mind, trying to sway her was like nailing Jell-O to a tree. I’d just piss her off. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well, at least let me order delivery for you guys.”

“That, I will allow.” She nodded dramatically.

“Many thanks, my queen.” That earned me a weak smile. I wanted to strangle Hank for making her cry. But until I got the whole story, there wasn’t much to say.

Jill splashed her face with water in the bathroom and then called the girls to come pick out which restaurant to order dinner from. It was clear from their extra-cheerful behavior that they understood their aunt needed a pick-me-up. Their kindness made me want to scoop them both up into giant hugs.

When Jill spotted me looking almost longingly at their little trio, she shook her head meaningfully. I put both hands up in surrender and went to take a shower.

* * *

“Okay, now are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

When we’d arranged our evening together, I told Sam I wanted to plan it as a surprise, so he had no idea where we were going. We said goodbye to Jill and the girls, and he opened my car door for me before hopping in the driver’s seat. I watched him with a smile. He smelled so good, I just wanted to lean over and sink my face into his shirt.

“I’ll give you directions.”

He narrowed his eyes playfully, but put the vehicle in gear and drove out of Juniper Court.

“When you get to Broad Street, take a left.”

He obeyed, ignoring my private little grin. By the time I’d given him two more instructions, he figured out exactly where we were going. “So, your big plans are happening at my house, are they?”

Not wanting to give everything away, I improvised. “We just need to grab something and then we can get on with our evening.”

Still giving me the eye, he made the last few turns to his house and parked. We both got out, me following him to the door, where he let me in and closed it behind us. My pulse spiked now that we had privacy. The sudden silence made the moment all the more nerve-wracking.

“It’s in your bedroom,” I told him, biting my lip.

“I see.” I felt him approach from behind. “You know, Jenna, since the day we met, you’ve been a terrible liar. It’s kind of good to know you’ll never be able to pull one over on me.”

I was too nervous and excited to even care that my plan had been discovered so easily. Sam snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me back into him. I laughed nervously and tried to turn, but he kept me there, bringing his mouth down to the side of my neck.

“I’m going to be cranky when summer is over and you start covering up all your delicious skin.” He nipped at my neck, making me yelp in surprise.

“Well, good thing the warm weather lasts around here, then.” I didn’t even know what I was saying. I was too distracted by his lips and teeth on the thin skin at my pulse point. Surely, he could detect how he affected me by the thundering pace alone.

“Sam.” I couldn’t keep his name from escaping, and I tried again to turn in his arms. This time he let me, and I immediately sought his mouth with my own.

Our mouths clashed in a frantic battle to see who could meld us together the fastest. His tongue swept inside my mouth, dominating me with his strokes and licks. I moaned into his mouth in return, tasting his lips and tongue and longing for everything he could give me. It wasn’t enough.

My hands went directly to his waist, pulling his shirt up to feel the warmth and firmness of his chest and stomach. God, I could stick a flag in him and claim my territory, Old-West style. I’d be quite comfortable here for a very long time.

It seemed Sam was just as impatient as I—even more so, really. Before I knew what was happening, my sundress was up and over my head and I was standing in his hallway in nothing but my sexy new underthings and my sandals. Damn, he had quick hands! I let out a gasp, but it was swallowed as he closed his mouth over mine again.

My head spun with adrenaline and lust, and I wasn’t confident I could walk straight if given the opportunity. Luckily, that wasn’t part of Sam’s plan. His hands grabbed my thighs and he hiked me up so my legs naturally wrapped around him. This placed his erection in the most perfect of places. I wanted to rip his pants off and get down to business.

Of course, when I tried to communicate that idea, it came out just as, “I need.” That was it. My brain and mouth were no longer communicating. My hooha demanded the focus of every part of my anatomy.

Sam apparently spoke fluent “sex-stupid” because he strode right into his bedroom and took us both down on top of his duvet. My ankles were locked and my feet pushed his ass so I could feel every bit of his arousal against the thin lace of my panties. He didn’t even try to get me to release him. He drew his head back to take in every inch of my face. I tried pulling him back down to kiss me, but he had other ideas.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.”

The only thing that could have made that compliment more wonderful was if he were saying it with his cock inside me. Holy shit! I was becoming a filthy-mouthed sex addict. Excellent! My hands grasped his shirt and pulled it up until he helped me remove it entirely.

I think I smiled at him, but I can’t be sure. Whatever expression I wore caused a huge grin to spread across his face. Then I lost his smile as his mouth descended to my breasts. His hot breath burned over the lace, and my nipples strained to feel his touch.

“Are these lacy bits for me?”

“Mmm. Hmm,” I responded through closed lips, my head tilting back as he bit one nipple through the thin lace.

“Thank you,” he murmured and then pulled the cups down to expose my breasts to his eyes and mouth. By the time he’d paid each one due attention, I was a writhing mass of hormones.

“Sam.” This time my voice was almost a growl, and I felt him smile against the skin of my stomach. I finally released my legs’ grip on him, understanding that if I wanted us to get naked, we’d need a bit of room. But before I could reach down to assist him, he shucked both his pants and boxer briefs and then hooked his fingers in the sides of my panties. Then they were gone too, and Sam lowered himself smoothly back in place. We were entirely skin to skin, and I was in complete bliss with a side of sensory overload.

“God, I need you, Jenna.”

I was not about to argue with that. So when Sam rose up to grab a condom and sheath himself, I just enjoyed the view. Then he was back in my arms, and my legs retook their favorite position around his waist. When he entered me, a feeling of peace settled over the room momentarily. Being with this man was so right, I couldn’t believe I had almost lost this. But time for contemplation was short-lived. Sam began to move inside me and I was swept up in each thrust, each new sensation. We moved together in perfect rhythm, stroking and kissing each other until my climax crested over me and his soon followed.

We lay there, breathing heavily, sweat slicking our skin. Our hands refused to stop moving over one another’s skin, almost reverent in our touches. Sex with Sam before had been phenomenal, but this was something different—even better. And I could tell he felt it too. Because this time it wasn’t just sex. It was more.

Sam reluctantly released me, needing to take care of the condom, and I vowed right then to go on the pill. I was done waiting for the other shoe to drop in my life. He soon returned and lay next to me, pulling me into him with both arms. We lay there silently, happy to simply be in the same bed, to breathe the same air.

Eventually, though, the need for water drove Sam to the kitchen. He demanded I stay exactly where I was and returned a minute later with two cold bottles of water. We both drank greedily before settling back down, Sam with his head on a pillow and me with mine on his smooth chest.

“Now I can tell you,” he said.

“Tell me what?” I lifted my chin a touch so I could see his face.

“How sleeping with me after only a week was different.”

Okay. That came out of left field. All the same, I responded, “Oh, right. The ‘that kind of girl’ discussion. I wondered when we’d circle back to this.”

He nodded, his grin turning somewhat smug.

I patted his chest. “Just so you know, women despise being labeled in this area.” I swear to God, if he even skirted the whole virgin/whore topic I was going to deck him. Awesome sex or not.

“Note taken.”

I saw the grin hadn’t gone anywhere, however. “Okay, well, I think it’s pretty clear that I’m crap at sleeping with you and not becoming somewhat attached. But you didn’t know that at the time. I certainly didn’t know it at the time.” I propped myself up to look him square in the eyes. “And besides, you were totally up for a no-strings arrangement. I think we were both ‘that kind of girl’ when we started.”

“I wasn’t.” He shook his head, looking impossibly innocent.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. That kind of guy.”

“Nope. Still not. And, apart from Angelica and the sofa in her parents’ garage, never have been.”

“Then why in God’s name did you agree?” My voice rose a bit. I’d never understand men.

“Because I knew you’d change your mind.” He shrugged. Seriously?

“Do you have a time-traveling DeLorean I don’t know about?”

“No.” He held back a chuckle.

I put a hand out and circled his face. “Okay, you are entirely too cocky. This right here is extremely annoying.”

He grabbed my finger and pulled my hand to his mouth, placing a kiss on my palm. “That’s just because I haven’t told you the how part.”

“Oh, please, enlighten me.” I wanted to roll my eyes again, but his kisses were really sweet.

“It seems there’s someone who knows you better than you know yourself,” he informed me quietly.

I gasped and pulled my hand back—sweet kisses be damned. “God, your arrogance knows no bounds, does it?” I glared at him and he just shook his head, his eyes practically twinkling with mirth. I pointed to his face again. “What does that mean?”

Sam cleared his throat and propped his own head up. “I believe my exact instructions were, ‘Just go along with whatever she suggests. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s about to fall for you.’”

My jaw dropped and so did my hand. Unbelievable! I should have known Jill was up to something! “That nosy, interfering bitch!”

“I prefer to think of her in different terms, but you’re entitled to speak your mind.” Sam’s eyebrows rose.

How in the hell had Jill seen what I couldn’t? How could she have possibly known I was ready? This whole sexcation thing was her idea in the first place! “I forgot to add manipulative to the list,” I grumbled.

“How about we settle on genius instead?” He reached for my hand again and I let him take it.

“She really said that to you?” I admit I felt a little bit played, but it wasn’t as if I could disown her. Right? No, I guess not. Especially when she’d just had her heart broken.

“It was the day you passed out in the road. You were sleeping and she laid it all out for me. She said you weren’t going to risk your heart so if I wanted it, I had to play along. So I did. Or at least I tried to. That whole condom thing sort of threw a wrench into things.”

“You don’t say!” My eyes widened at him.

“You know, you like to call me a smartass, but I notice you have quite the talent for it yourself.” He pulled me by my hand until I was against his chest again, our faces close.

“Well, I need to if I’m going to keep up with you.”

“I like the sound of that.” He threaded his fingers through my hair as his eyes watched their movement. “Don’t be hard on her. She just wants you to be happy.” He didn’t have to tell me twice. I’d always owe Jill.

My eyes drank him in. “And are you the ‘kind of guy’ who can make me happy?”

He leaned in and gave me a light kiss before whispering, “I’m sure as hell going to try.”

I smiled, knowing he would do just that. “Okay, then. Give it your best shot, Officer.”