Page 210 of State of Suspense

He returned to Sam and put his arm around her.

“So that’s it?” Nicoletta asked, looking devastated as tears rolled down her face. “Just no?”

“That’s it,” he said. “Just no.”

Nicoletta gave Sam a look that would’ve killed her if looks alone could do the job. “This is because of you. You told him what to say.”

“I didn’t have to tell him anything.”

Collins put an arm around Nicoletta. “Let’s go, Nicoletta. You’ve said what you came to say.”

“But he was supposed to be happy to hear it!”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you.” Nick glanced at Eric, who’d see them out. “You can show them out, Eric.”

Sam held her breath, halfway expecting Nicoletta to do something dramatic that might get her thrown back in jail, but she let Collins help her into her coat and guide her out of the house.

The second the door closed behind them, Sam threw her arms around her husband. “I’ve never been prouder of you—or more turned on by you—than I am right now.”

He laughed and held her tightly. “I gotta say, it felt pretty damned good to give her a taste of her own medicine.”

“You were on fire.”

He took a deep breath and released it. “I’m so glad that’s over and done with.”

“I thought you were going to give her a shot.”

“I was, but you know what changed my mind?”

Sam pulled back to look up at him. “What?”

“The way she looked at you. It was one second of complete disgust, but that was all I needed to know she hasn’t changed one bit if she still thinks you’re the problem.”

“I caught that, too.”

“Anyone who looks at my wife that way can go straight to hell.”

Sam shivered. “So sexy.” She took his hand and led him to the stairs.

“Where’re you taking me?”

“Since you sent her straight to hell, I’m taking you straight to bed.”

“If you insist.”

“I do. I absolutely insist.”

Nick followed her up the stairs, relieved to have the meeting with his mother out of the way. He’d been dreading it for days, fearing how he might collapse like a house of cards in her presence, the way he would have at almost any other point in his life.

But being loved by his Samantha, their children and an extended group of family and friends had given him strength he hadn’t had before he had a family of his own. He didn’t need Nicoletta anymore, and realizing that was so freeing.

As he let Sam tug him along to their bedroom, he was once again so thankful for her and everything she’d brought to his life.

He kicked the door closed behind him. “We’re supposed to be home for dinner.”

She pushed his suit coat off his shoulders. “We will be. It only took you twenty minutes to show her the door. They’d allocated an hour in the schedule, so we’ve got forty free minutes.”

“We can get a lot done in forty minutes.”

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