Page 24 of Justice for Samara

“See? It’s true. So you guys have fun and make sure you’re both not dragging in tomorrow morning or everybody in the office will know.”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll behave. Thanks, Carter.”

“Any time, bud. Talk to you in the morning.”

“Yep. Bye.” Holy shit. He’d better be on top of his game in the morning. She’d better be too. Otherwise, everybody in the office would think they were sleeping together.

And nothing would make him happier than to make them right.

CHAPTER 4

She brokedown the boxes as she emptied them, and pretty soon, she had a huge stack of them outside the front door. Maybe Michael could take them in his truck and get rid of them. The washer was humming, and so was the dryer. By the time she could get everything put away, both would be finished and she could start another load. The few pieces of artwork she owned had found homes on the walls and shelves, and her favorite coffee mugs sat on the counter. As she worked, she wondered when Michael would call.

The worst of it was done, and she stepped into the shower, enjoying the feel of the warm water caressing her skin. She’d managed to soap up and load her hair with a great-smelling Argan oil-infused shampoo when the phone started ringing. Shampoo dripped down her face and hit her left eye as she scrambled. “Owwww! Coming! Hello?”

“Hey. You sound?”

“I’m in the shower.”

She couldn’t remember his voice ever sounding that deep or gruff when he quietly answered, “Looks like I’m a little late.”

“Oh, ha-ha-ha. But seriously, shampoo in my eye and?”

“Call me back when you’re done. Take your time. No rush.”

“Yeah, okay. Bye.” She could hear him chuckling as she hung up. “Damn, poor timing,” she said aloud to no one. Then she thought about what he’d said.

The idea of him there, in the shower with his hands on her soap-slicked body, made her shiver. A lot of time had passed since the last time she voluntarily let a man touch her, but she felt safe with Michael. Everything about him screamed honesty, integrity, respect, and dignity. She hadn’t so much as held his hand yet, and all she wanted was to feel his arms around her. To be held. Sheltered. Loved.

“Shut that down right now, girl,” she muttered to herself as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair. Love. Yeah, right. Men didn’t love women. They just used them. And yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was wrong, at least when it came to Michael. He’d loved a woman, but she’d tossed him aside for the likes of AlexStadler. What did that say about that bitch? That she was shallow and stupid? Yeah. That pretty much summed it up.

Her supply of conditioner with avocado oil was getting low, so she spoke to her electronic assistance device and made a note in her shopping app to pick some up. After she’d loaded her hair with the leave-in product, she ran a brush through it gently, letting it untangle itself instead of pulling at it. God, she’d hated it when her mom had brushed her hair! Being six years old and having someone yanking your head as they aggressively brushed your hair was no fun, but back then, they hadn’t known any better. Hair care had become much easier with the products they had available. When she’d finished brushing it upside down, she stood and brushed it again, then started finger-curling it. Her hair was nice, but it wasn’t super thick, and that meant it didn’t take quite as long to curl or dry. Once she’d gotten it the way she wanted it, she used her blow dryer with the diffuser and dried it as best she could. It hung almost to her shoulders in small spiral curls, like a headful of storm door springs, and she loved the way it looked. Yeah, she wore it up when she worked, but down was her preferred style.

The little sundress looked like the right choice. She didn’t have a lot of clothes, but what she did have, she’d chosen with care, things that were casual but could be dressed up with a jacket. Her shoes were the same way, not very many but all very versatile. She wasn’t fancy, but she was pretty sure fancy wasn’t what Michael was looking for.

One look in her lingerie drawer and she was a bit depressed. Most everything in it was functional, not pretty. Her breasts weren’t especially big, but she hated the feeling of them flopping up and down when she ran, so she usually opted for a sports bra. She had one pretty bra, a convertible, but it hadn’t been washed, so she just opted to go without.Wonder how he likes granny panties?she mused as she pulled out a pair. That was all she bought. They were a lot more comfortable than a lacey thong while she was working.

Dressed and ready, she picked up her phone. He answered on the first ring. “All done?”

“Yeah. Squeaky clean.”

“Good for you! I called the diner. They’ve got fried chicken, tuna steaks, and meatloaf today.”

“Meatloaf.”

“Okay, vegetables…” He read the whole list off to her. “What’ll it be?”

“I’ll take the mashed potatoes with gravy and homestyle green beans.”

“Sounds like a winner. I’ll see you in a few.”

“Okay. Bye.” Samara sat there after the phone went quiet and thought about what was happening. Was that really what she wanted? Early in her life she’d identified men’s forearms and hands as something she found extremely sexy, and his were, especially his hands. She’d watched him check his weapon, write reports, and run his fingers through his hair when he was frustrated. Those hands looked positively magical, and she trembled at the fantasy of them on her skin.

She’d put away the last of the towels from the dryer when she heard a car door out front. Through the sheers over the front windows, she could see him get out of the truck, then round the front end and take the food from the passenger’s side. Both hands full, he pushed the door closed with his foot and turned toward the trailer.

Samara opened the door when he reached the landing on the porch. “Hey. I can smell it from here. Smells really good.”

“They have great food, and it’s not expensive. My favorite place to eat,” he said as he set everything on the countertop.

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