Fatal Justice (33 page)

Sam gasped and raised a hand to her chest to keep her galloping heart from leaping through fevered skin.

“Samantha, I love you so much. Since you’ve been back in my life, I feel like anything is possible.” He glanced at the grand old house behind them. “Even things I never dreamed of. Our life together will be crazy and chaotic and wonderful. Will you marry me and take the trip of a lifetime with me?”

“Yes,” she said.
“Yes!”
As he gathered her in his arms, she had no thoughts about the past, about the marriage that had failed or anything other than what was right in front of her—the love of her life.

He reached for the inside pocket of the coat she wore and withdrew a dazzling square-cut diamond ring that took her breath away.

“I can’t wear that to work,” she said as he slid it on her trembling finger.

Smiling, he said, “I wouldn’t expect you to. But you
will
wear the other one after you say ‘I do,’ you got me? I want the whole world to know you’re taken.”

Framing his face with her hands, she touched her lips to his. “I’ve been trying to tell you I’m ready to move in with you.”

“I know,” he said, returning to the seat next to her and leaning in for a lingering kiss.

“You had this whole thing planned.”

“And you tried to ruin it.”

She grinned. “Of course I did. I wouldn’t want you to think I’m easy.”

Hooting with laughter, he said, “No worries there, babe.”

“So, we’re really gonna spoil everything by making it official?”

“We really are.” He helped her up and drew her into another long, passionate kiss. “I love you, Samantha.”

“I love you, too. So,
so
much.”

A big smile lit up his handsome face. “Just think of it this way: at least you can’t say I never promised you a rose garden.”

Sam laughed, her heart full of joy and anticipation and excitement. “You have a way with words, Senator. You really do.”

Thank you to my husband Dan and our terrific kids, Emily and Jake, for supporting my writing career every day. To my readers, thank you for being the best part of this crazy ride. To my editor, Jessica Schulte, and the amazing, dynamic team behind Carina Press, thank you for your support and encouragement. It’s a pleasure to work with each and every one of you. And finally, to my darling puppy, Brandy, thank you for helping me to build my presence on Facebook. Your mischievous antics have provided entertainment for people neither of us will ever meet but who now call both of us “friend.”

Marie Force is the author of
Fatal Affair
and the upcoming third book in the Fatal series,
Fatal Consequences
. In July 2010,
Romantic Times
named Marie a “future star of romantic suspense.” Her third contemporary,
Everybody Loves a Hero
, will be out February 1. She is also the author of
Line of Scrimmage
and
Love at First Flight
.

Since 1996, Marie has been the communications director for a national organization similar to the Romance Writers of America. She is a member of RWA’s New England, Beau Monde, From the Heart and Published Authors’ Special Interest chapters.

While her husband was in the navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of Emily, 15, Jake, 12, and a feisty dog named Brandy.

Find her at www.mariesullivanforce.com, on her blog at http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/MarieForce/248130827909, and on Twitter at twitter.com/MarieForce. Marie loves to hear from readers. Contact her at [email protected].

ISBN: 978-1-4268-9035-2

Copyright © 2011 by Marie Sullivan Force

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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

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