Page 3 of State of Retribution (First Family #9)

“The drones were unmarked. No brand names or serial numbers. They were equipped with semiautomatic weapons.”

“Good God.”

“I know.”

“So they’re untraceable.”

“Possibly. No claims of responsibility either, which is unusual.”

“Scary shit.”

“To say the least. But I don’t want to talk about it anymore. What else went on around here? Tell me something cute and funny the Littles said or did.”

“Aubrey is still fixated on chickens and eggs and why you don’t have a baby chicken after you eat an egg.

She’s not sure that any of us should be eating either of those things until she gets some answers.

Eli made her crazy asking which comes first, the chicken or the egg, and everyone had an opinion on that. ”

“I’m very sorry I missed that conversation.”

“It was highly entertaining, as most things are with them.”

“What did we do for entertainment around here before we had these kids to keep us on our toes?”

“We had a lot more sex.”

He barked out a laugh. Leave it to her to get his mind out of the doom spiral it’d been in for hours. “That’s very true, although we’re not exactly hurting in that department with them around.”

“We’re doing just fine. Do you think you could sleep?”

“I can try.” Sleep was a problem for him even on nights when he hadn’t been the subject of a potential assassination attempt. It would probably be impossible tonight, but he’d lie down with her and hold her close and soak up the special comfort that came from being with her.

They got ready for bed and met in the middle of the king-sized bed. They joked that they could sleep in a twin bed because they required so little space. With her warm and fragrant and soft in his arms, he was able to truly exhale after the stressful day.

“Why does it seem that the second we deal with one thing, something else comes along to remind us not to get too comfortable?” he asked.

“I guess you could say it’s the life we’ve chosen with two jobs that never quit.”

“We should’ve made better life choices. What would you pick if you had it to do over?”

“Oh damn, I don’t know. I’ve never been good at anything else.”

Scoffing, he said, “Come on. That’s not true.”

“No, it really is. On many days, it feels more like a calling than a job. What would you pick?”

“I would’ve been a high school history teacher. I think I would’ve liked that.”

“Well, anything is better than this.”

He laughed. “You can say that again.”

“I hate to make it about me at a time like this, but please tell me I can go to work tomorrow. We’ve got a new homicide, and I’ve been asked to attend a meeting in the afternoon to go over the new evidence in the Stahl investigation.”

“Should you be in that meeting?”

“Probably not, but it’s for all commanders, and I refuse to request special treatment.”

“Sam…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine as long as I’m able to get to work.”

“I’m waiting to hear from Brant that you and the kids are operating normally tomorrow. He said he’d call me when he got the word.”

“I really hope I can go.”

“I hope so, too. I’m sorry they kept you home today.”

“That was for the best. The kids needed me. I wouldn’t have felt right leaving them.”

“I felt terrible about being pulled away from all of you.”

“We understood.”

“Still… All I wanted was to be with you guys.”

“We know that, babe.” She placed her hand on his face and gave a gentle tug to turn him to receive her kiss. “I know this is another awful situation after a string of them, but you’ll handle this the same way you’ve handled the others. I have faith in you. We have faith in you.”

Because her lips were warm and soft and sweet, he kept his pressed against them, breathing her in and wallowing in the comfort he drew from her.

For the longest time, they only kissed, his lips sliding over hers and nothing more, nothing demanding.

This was all about relief that everyone was safe after a frightening day.

It was never far from either of their minds that they could be taken from each other in an instant of madness, as both their jobs came with risks that could be deadly at any time.

If they thought too much about those possibilities, neither would be able to function.

Today’s events had been a reminder of how quickly everything could change.

“The thought of someone wanting to harm you…” Her voice was thick with tears and emotion. “It takes my breath away.”

He wiped the tears from her face. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Though he said what she wanted to hear, they were both painfully aware that his assurances were just words.

Yes, he was surrounded by world-class security and intelligence that’d worked as designed that day—and hopefully would in the future, too.

But it was nerve-racking to know that if someone wanted him dead badly enough, all it would take for them to succeed was one mistake by the human beings responsible for his security.

There were no guarantees.

She wrapped herself around him and held on tight. “It’s unbearable. All of it.”

“Welcome to my world, love. Every time you walk out the door, I’m terrified you won’t come back.”

“With Vernon and Jimmy looking out for me, I’m safer than ever.”

“Still…”

She tightened her arms around him. “I know. It’s a terrible way to live.

I go days without actively worrying about it, and then something like this happens, and it’s just a huge reminder of how you walk around with a target on your back all because of the position you hold.

At least if it were to happen to me, it’d be because I arrested someone or something like that.

You’re just showing up to do a job that someone has to do. ”

“We should change the subject so we have a prayer of sleeping tonight.”

The phone on the bedside table rang. He released her to pick up the call from Brant.

“Mr. President, in consultation with Director Pierce and the details for FLOTUS and the children, it’s been determined that we’ll proceed with normal operations tomorrow.”

“Thank you for the update.”

“We’ll see you in the morning, sir.”

“See you then.” He replaced the receiver on the base of the phone. “Did you hear that?”

“Yes, and it’s a relief. It’ll be good to get back to normal.”

“I think so, too.”

She smoothed her hand over his hair and down to caress his face. “Do you think you can sleep?”

“You’ve got parts of me awake that have no interest whatsoever in sleep.”

“What parts would those be?”

He pressed his hard cock against her soft belly.

“ Oh , I see. What should be done about that?”

“There’re several options.”

“Which one most appeals to you?”

“Any of them as long as you’re involved.”

“I’m definitely involved.” She ran her hand down his chest and over his abdomen to cup his erection in her warm hand.

Just that quickly, the horrors of the day faded into the deepest recesses of his mind to be dealt with later. Right now, he had far better things to do than wonder who’d tried to kill him and many others and whether they’d try again.

She liked to talk about his superpowers when it came to her, but that was hers.

With one touch, she could take him far away from the worries that would still be waiting for him in the morning.

For this moment, he could lose himself in the love of his life and forget the rest. On many a day, she and their kids were the only respite he got from the endless grind of the world’s most stressful job.

He slipped a hand under her T-shirt, craving the feel of her silky skin against him. The shirt was up and over her head in a matter of seconds as his lips crashed down on hers in a kiss so hot, it made his head spin and nearly made him come in her eager hand.

“Together,” he managed to say as he moved them so he was on top.

He could tell he took her by surprise as he suddenly switched from fast and furious to slow and sultry, kissing her neck before worshipping each nipple, taking his time as she got more impatient by the second and tried to move things along.

That only made him more determined to go slow. His Samantha was the most impatient person on the planet, and it was his goal at moments such as this to show her the benefits of waiting.

“You’re being mean, and I’ve already had a tough enough day.”

Amused, he looked up at her from his perch at her abdomen. “How am I being mean?”

She scowled at him. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”

“I’m making love to my wife and giving her all the bells and whistles because it’s been such a hard day.

” Before she had a chance to respond, he’d pushed her legs apart and pressed his tongue to the very heart of her, drawing a surprised gasp that almost made him laugh at how quickly she’d changed her tune.

He went all in, tongue, lips, fingers and suction in just the right place to make her moan from the pleasure, taking her right to the edge of release before backing off and starting over.

That earned him a frustrated groan that quickly morphed into something else entirely as he pressed two fingers deep inside her and curled them just so while he sucked on her clit.

Kaboom.

She was still coming when he pressed his cock into her to ride the waves of her release.

When she finally opened her eyes, she found him gazing down at her with an expression she’d probably consider smug as he held perfectly still inside her.

“Hi,” he said.

“What’s up?”

He gave a thrust of his hips to answer her question, letting her know that only one of them had reached the big finish.

She ran her fingers down his back to his ass and pulled him in even deeper as she curled her legs around his hips.

Just like he knew what got to her, she knew how to return the favor.

He dipped his head to kiss her softly and sweetly before he picked up the pace. Once again, he caught her off guard when he used his fingers to draw another gasping climax from her before he let himself join her.

“So many dirty tricks,” she said, breathing hard as he rested on top of her.

“You love my dirty tricks.”

“For some strange reason, I do.”

“Could it be because you go off like a rocket?”

He withdrew from her and rested his head on her chest.

She chuckled as she put her arms around him. “That might have something to do with it.”

“Thought so.”

“You’re being smug.”

“I believe I’ve earned the right.”

“Mmm-hmmm.” She held him close as she yawned. “Do you think you can sleep?”

“I’m going to try.”

She rubbed small circles on his back. “Relax and let it go. I’ve got you.”

Nick closed his eyes and tried to keep his mind from wandering to places that would keep him awake all night. He focused instead on the bewitching vanilla and lavender scent of his love as he drifted off to sleep.