One Night With You: A Fatal Series Prequel Novella (The Fatal Series) by Marie Force Read Free Book Online

glass on a coaster on the bedside table, he reached for the alarm clock. “What time do you need to get up?”
    “How long will it take to get back to the real world from here?”
    Rolling his eyes at her slam on Northern Virginia, he said, “On a Saturday morning, about fifteen minutes.”
    “Set it for five thirty, then.”
    The same hazel eyes that had rolled with derision now nearly popped out of his skull. “As in five thirty a.m. ?”
    Sam laughed at his horrified reaction. “You heard me right.”
    “That’s extremely uncivilized.”
    “You’ve made me all dirty. I have to go home and shower before I meet my dad, the deputy chief, for coffee.”
    She definitely didn’t imagine the slide of his Adam’s apple in his throat. “Your dad is the deputy chief… of police?”
    “The one and only.”
    “Well… That’s… Nice.”
    Sam laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. “Said no guy who dated any of Skip Holland’s daughters. Ever.”
    “So he’s kind of a badass, huh?”
    “The baddest of badasses. He carries a gun, a Taser and a billy club—and isn’t afraid to use any of them.”
    “Good to know.”
    Sam smiled at him. He was truly adorable and the sexiest guy she’d ever slept with—hands down.  
    Nick set the alarm, put the clock back on the table and slid into bed next to her.
    Before she had a chance to wonder if he was into snuggling, he had wrapped his arms around her and made her comfortable with her head resting on his chest. His hand traveled up and down her back in soothing circles that had her relaxing into his embrace.
    “I don’t do this,” she said, breaking the long silence.
    “Do what?”
    “Snuggle. Sleep over.” She hadn’t really intended to share that with him, but the words were out before she could take the time to decide if she should tell him that. The usual rules of gamesmanship were all out of whack with this guy, who seemed to be as nice as he was sexy.
    He tightened his arms around her. “I’m glad you’ve decided to make an exception.”
    “I’ve made quite a few exceptions tonight.”
    “I know that crossing the 14 th Street Bridge was a big deal for you…”
    Sam laughed. “Yes, that was the biggest of the exceptions.”
    “Sorry to drag you out of your city. I hope I’ve made it worth the trip.”
    She slid her leg between both of his and flattened her hand on his abdomen. “It was definitely worth the trip, and I do like to get my passport stamped once in a while.”
    “I want to see you again.”

Chapter 5
    “You do?”
    He nodded, looking adorably uncertain.
    “You mean you want to see me naked again, right?” She could get onboard with that.
    “No… I mean, yes, of course I do, but that’s not all I want. For some strange reason, I like you.” This was said with a twinkle of amusement in those sexy hazel eyes.
    “Ha! What’s wrong with you? No one likes me, and I like it that way.”
    “Your particular brand of prickliness is a turn-on to me. What can I say? I must be a masochist.”
    “You certainly are.”
    “So… You want to see me again, too?”
    “Maybe.”
    “Ouch.”
    “Ohhh, sorry, did I injure your proud male ego by being noncommittal? I bet that doesn’t happen very often.”
    “You wound me, Sam. You really do.”
    “Just trying to keep you humble.” She hesitated, glancing at him to find he was watching her closely. “You’re a nice guy. A really nice guy.”
    Wincing, he said, “Double ouch.”
    “No, really,” she said, laughing. “I mean that sincerely. And let me tell you, with the element I deal with at work, nice is a very good thing.”
    “I suppose I should take the props where I can find them with you. Something tells me you’re not very free with the compliments.”
    If he hadn’t been holding her so close to him, Sam might’ve squirmed from the way he read her so accurately. “The thing is… I don’t do the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing. I don’t have time for a relationship.