and thrilling. Before Quinn, her sex life had been about as bland as cold grits. She had decided that, for her at least, the idea of sex was much more enjoyable than the actual act. She was good at a lot of things … she just wasn’t good at that one thing.
Then, the first night she and Quinn made love, she had changed her mind. She had been terrified, worried that she would disappoint him. Quinn had been incredible. Patient and oh so very thorough in his intent to pleasure her. Their lovemaking was everything she had wanted and so much more.
Still, even with the amazing connection they had, Quinn was never wavering in his stance on no commitment. He seemed to enjoy their relationship, laughed with her, talked with her, and made love to her until she was breathless and weak. But there had been no indication that he had changed his mind about anything permanent.
She wasn’t giving up on her dreams, though. Beneath the façade of toughness she’d adopted to handle her job as a cop, Samantha was still the romantic her sisters had teased her about. The romance novels she had stashed away in bookshelves and drawers throughout her apartment were testaments to her belief in a forever kind of love. And she was a small-town girl, with traditional values. That meant a wedding, babies, PTA meetings, peewee football, and school plays. She wanted it all. Unfortunately, the man she wanted to share all of that with had firmly denied wanting any of those things.
With an explosive sigh, Samantha sprang from the bed and headed for the shower. Her time was too limited to lie in bed and worry. Besides, staying busy had always been her answer to her troubled thoughts. As a teenager, she’d involved herself in every activity possible. It had made her numerous friends and paved the way for opportunities and honors that many had envied. Little had those people known that all of that had been to stay sane. Cheerleading, homecoming queen, class president, and dance and drama classes had all looked like fun and frivolous activities for a spoiled teenaged girl. That had been fine with her. Few saw beyond the shield she had erected to deal with the crushing pain of her parents’ deaths.
She had eventually come to terms with her father’s betrayal, but work was still her answer to her worries. Being a homicide detective definitely kept her mind from straying into obsessing over things she couldn’t change.
After her shower, she pulled her hair up in a tight, brow-raising bun, applied a minimum of makeup, then stepped into a somber black pantsuit and low-heeled black pumps. She hated that she was dressing for the judge, but she couldn’t deny it. Yesterday she’d worn what she had considered a conservative skirt and blouse. The judge had glared at her as if she were wearing a bikini. Hopefully an even primmer outfit would help.
The clock chimed eight times. Grabbing the purse she’d dropped on her dresser, she dashed toward the door. A stomach rumble halfway there reminded her she hadn’t eaten. Cursing softly, she detoured into the kitchen, poured a cup of coffee from the pot that Quinn had made, and then looked around for something quick. The overripe banana on the counter or a cold Pop-Tart? Quickly deciding, she shook the foil-wrapped pastry from its box, dropped it into her purse, and headed out the door. Maybe she would call Quinn at lunch and see if he had time to spare. The delightful prospect of seeing him in the middle of the day gave her the boost of energy she needed.
Samantha ran down the stairs, enjoying the heady feeling of being young, healthy and in love with an amazing man, gloriously oblivious to the horror her life was about to become.
* * *
Quinn parked his Audi across the street from Charlene’s house. Instead of immediately getting out, he took a few seconds to center his thoughts and push aside his usual revulsion at seeing his ex-wife again. Hell of it was, he wasn’t nearly as disgusted with her as he was with himself. He’d made some dumbass mistakes in his life, but marrying Charlene had to be the absolute worst.
An image of Sam came into his mind, instantly soothing him. How he’d fallen so hard, so fast, he would never know. He’d met her at the hospital. She’d been there to interview a shooting victim and he’d been headed home after