I Know You Love Me (10 page)

"Not to be contrary and confuse things further, but...” She took his head between her hands, pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. “You can be damned irresistible, you know that?"

"I seem to need to work harder at being irresistible with you."

"I'm worth it,” she announced teasingly. Giving into her desires, she snuggled further into his arms. If this was what happy felt like, then she liked it.

"You most certainly are. Now kiss me and get your gorgeous ass out of here before I change my mind."

"Why that two timing..."

"Careful, Sam; you left him. You can't get mad at him for finding happiness with Allison. He honestly thought he was divorced when he met her."

Sam ignored him, and he wasn't surprised by her attitude. The woman hadn't changed one bit in the last six years. “I'm a hundred times more beautiful than her. So what if I'm a little older. With age comes experience."

Jimmy grinned, Sam could be so damned arrogant at times. It was going to be loads of fun to burst her superiority bubble. “Actually, Sam, Allison is older than you by a year, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I prefer Allison's looks to yours. Always have."

"Yeah, Yeah...considering the fact the you've been in love with her since forever. Why aren't you the one cooing at her in there?"

"Simply put, no spark. I wish there were, but I know when I'm beat. With them, electrical fields appear when they're in the same room. I'm not a fool. I know better than to force what doesn't exist. Besides, once he's happily hitched, I'll no longer have any competition in town.” It annoyed him that Sam had stopped listening to him again.

"How long will they...he'd better not be having sex with that home-wrecker while I wait!"

"Sam, shut up and sit...” The office door opened, stopping him mid order.

"It's about time you..."

They looked so good together, it brought home the point that Allison was meant for Drew, and he never stood a chance. He'd never seen his friend so happy, and Allison almost glowed from the blissful blush that covered her cheeks. Sam, as usual, ruined his peaceful moment of insight with her screech. Jimmy never had understood what Drew saw in her. He was just glad it was over.

"How dare you...while I'm standing right here. Have you no shame?"

"Nope, none whatsoever. I'm ready to go now. Jimmy, can you give me a lift? The Sheriff confiscated my car keys so I wouldn't leave town."

Jimmy laughed and stood to go. “I figured he had something up his sleeve. Does he know about your extra..."

Allison elbowed him in the stomach. “Omph...guess not."

"Shall we?” She asked with a smile.

"My place or his?” He asked, keeping more than an elbow-length distance between them. Drew was being reasonable at the moment, but it wasn't a good idea to push him.

"Mine. You are to take her to my house, Jimmy. I don't want to find her in your bed again."

Amused, Jimmy looked from Drew to Sam and back, wondering why he was trying to antagonize the woman so much. “So you left your doors unlocked, then?"

Drew slapped himself in the forehead and started patting down his pockets, while walking toward them. “Actually, I locked the doors. I didn't want another naked woman breaking in; one per lifetime is more than enough. Here..."

Watching Drew pat his pockets in the search for his keys was more entertaining than the time they hid his car in college. Since Allison had shown up, he'd been more entertained than in the past ten years.

"Already got them. Thanks,” She announced with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Drew chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. “You are a woman of many talents, Allison McKay."

"And all of them illegal,” she threw back.

"I'll keep you in line, Sweetheart. Consider it repayment for the way you make sure I do the right thing."

Jimmy hid his face so they couldn't see his grin. This relationship was going to be loads of fun to watch grow and develop. “Ready to go Allison?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. Drew, you'd better play nice."

"I love you, too, Ms. McKay."

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Drew's eyes never left the door once she walked out of it. He couldn't shake the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that she'd take off and he'd never see her again. Damn. What had happened to him?

Sam walked over and ran a soft hand across his shoulder to get his attention. “Drew, I want us to try again. I was a fool to leave you like that."

That was the last thing he expected to hear out of Sam, not that it made a difference now. Allison was ten times the woman Sam could ever hope to be.

"No."

"I forgive you for that horrid little girl."

Laughing, he walked back into his office and sat in his chair, putting as much distance as possible between them. “I don't want your forgiveness; what I do want is for you to go back to whatever hole you crawled out of and grant me my divorce."

"She's older than me."

Sam's audacity amazed him. She must really be desperate if she'd try pulling that card out of her pocket. “Really? She doesn't look it. What does that say about how you've lived your life?"

Sam snarled angrily. That was the woman he remembered from their last few days together. “Damn it Drew, I missed you."

"I didn't miss you, and I've moved on. You're six years too late, Sam."

"You've known her for four days, Drew, and she's been with Jimmy. That's always been the line neither of you would cross in the past. Hell, that's why I never hit on Jimmy back in college. You never would have proposed to me if I had."

Looking out his office windows around the precinct, Drew was surprised to find everyone standing around his office listening to their conversation. He'd opened all the blinds so that Sam couldn't try to tell Allison that they'd been alone together and he'd made a move on her.

"Everyone had better get back to work this instant, or I'll start taking names, and it will affect your paychecks. Show's over, so move!” he barked. Turning back to Sam, he narrowed his eyes at her angrily. “You will keep your voice down in my precinct. You won't win me over by busting my ear drums."

"Drew, I..."

One look had the words silenced on her tongue. “For the record, she dated Jimmy. She hasn't been with him, and in all honesty, it wouldn't matter to me if she had."

"Don't be a fool. He's admitted to seeing her wearing nothing but his jersey, and she's seen him naked."

Laughing, he leaned forward. “I'll go you one better—I caught them in his bed together just this morning. I don't care, Sam. I love her."

"I won't give you a divorce!"

This was it. He knew there was a reason she'd come back. Maybe now he'd find out the truth of her mysterious reappearance. “It may not be a willing divorce, Sam, but I will get it. You heard my girl; I have a wedding in three weeks. I plan on being single by then."

"We'll see about that! I've learned a lot about the court system since I left, Drew. You can't take advantage of me this time."

Interesting... I wonder what else she's learnt since then?
“Yes, we will see about that. Why are you really back, Sam? You said you found out about our non-divorce when you tried to apply for a marriage license. Why not just get our divorce finalized and marry this new guy like you had planned?"

Sam turned her back on him. “It fell through."

Bingo.
The sullen look on her face when she turned around answered all his questions. “He did a background check and found out who you really were. Lucky bastard, he was saved from making the same mistake that I did."

"I thought you were told to play nice,” she whined.

Leaning back in his chair, he watched Sam through slit eyes. “Will you give me my divorce without a fight?"

"No! Never."

Drew stood and made his way toward the door. “Then nice time is over, and I'm going home to claim my present for good behavior."

"I'll tell her you were mean to me."

Sam was sounding more desperate by the moment, grasping at straws, hoping he'd cave. Ignoring Sam's parting jibes, he kept moving. “Gertrude, I'll be out of town for the next three days. Call Jimmy if you have any problems. I will be incommunicado."

"Yes, Sheriff."

Turning toward Sam, he took her in one last time and knew he was making the right decision. “Goodbye, Samantha. It was an educational experience seeing you again."

Sam grabbed his arm. “Drew, I have nowhere to stay."

Looking down at her hand on his arm, he frowned. Not only did the feel of Sam's fingers on his arm disgust him, Allison had said no touching. “Then I suggest you leave."

"It's my house, too,” she announced arrogantly.

Brushing her fingers away, he grabbed his hat. “No, Sam, it isn't. I made certain of that when I realized you weren't coming back. Give it up and go home."

"I have no money."

Reaching for the door, he turned to look at her. “Then I suggest you find yourself a job. I hear they're hiring at the Dairy Queen two towns over."

"You're choosing her because she's rich and I'm not. I'm not a fool, Drew. That's the only explanation there could be."

Laughing, he walked out of the station toward his car, Sam right on his heels.
Stupid woman, why did I marry her?
“She's a county auditor, Sam, they don't make much money."

Sam sniffed in disgust. “She's a singer, Drew. She's been raking in the dough since she was fifteen."

"And an author. Don't forget that little tidbit of information. According to Jeremy, she's the ‘radest’ one ever. She has quite a following from what I'm told. So what?"

"She has money."

Drew closed his eyes and sighed. Leaning up against his hatchback, he counted to ten before answering her. “So do I. I don't need hers."

Grinning in victory, Sam crossed her arms over her chest. “Good. I need some, and legally half is mine."

"Goodbye, Sam."

Drew surveyed the house as he approached it.
No lights on. Maybe she's already gone to bed.
Looking over at Jimmy's house, he noticed that the lights were all out there too. Getting out of the hatchback, he started toward the house hoping Allison had left the door unlocked. The sneaky woman had stolen his keys, and he didn't want to wake her until he was crawling into bed beside her.

Finding the door unlocked, he quietly entered the house. Drew headed to the bedroom, peeking into the living room on his way through the house.

The bed was empty.
She must have felt more comfortable staying with Jimmy so she wouldn't be alone until I came home
.

Heading for the back door, he noticed the door to the spare room was shut. He never closed that door, and that, if anything was suspicious. “Could she...” Silently opening the door, he peered inside and felt himself relax with relief.

"She didn't feel right sleeping in your bed without you."

Turning toward the voice, Drew wasn't surprised to find Jimmy still there. He realized Jimmy's presence was something he'd need to get used to if he wanted to keep this woman by his side. “She looks so sad. Is she ok?"

"She'll be fine, now."

"Why are you sitting here in the dark?” He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He hated how sad she looked, and wanted nothing more than to get in there and wipe that look off her face, but he couldn't do that until he found out why Jimmy was still there.

Sitting forward, Jimmy ran a tired hand over his face. “Allison convinced herself that you realized your mistake and got back together with Sam. I tried to tell her that was ludicrous, but well...she didn't believe me."

Drew backed out of the room so they wouldn't wake Allison. “Is that why you're still here?"

Jimmy grinned tiredly. “The sneaky woman almost left twice. When I caught her, she said something ridiculous about it being for your own good."

"What about her own good?"

Jimmy shrugged. “That topic never seems to come up with her. Allison doesn't believe that her wants or needs matter...So, what happened with Sam?"