One Night With You: A Fatal Series Prequel Novella (The Fatal Series) by Marie Force Page B

would.”
    Skip’s deep laugh rumbled through his chest, drawing a smile from her, too. His laugh was infectious, and she loved making it happen. She downed the last of her beer. “I gotta go beautify. Can I get this round?”
    “Absolutely not.” He never let her pay. “Don’t let any of those players get their hands on my baby girl.”
    “Don’t worry. I’ll kick their asses if they so much as try.”
    “That’s my girl. Take care of Ang. She’s not made of the same tough stuff you are. She’s soft on the inside.”
    “I know,” Sam said with a sigh. “I’ll keep an eye on her. Don’t worry.”
    “That’s like telling me not to breathe.” He pointed to his cheek.
    Sam looked around to make sure none of the other cops sitting at the bar was looking before she planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
    “Love you, baby girl.”
    “Love you, too, Skippy. See you in the morning.”
    “I’ll be there.”
    After leaving the bar, she drove home to the less than fashionable townhouse she shared with three roommates in the Capitol Hill neighborhood where she’d grown up. Sam liked the convenience of living close to her dad and sisters but had chosen to live on her own rather than move in with Angela after graduate school. It’d been time for her to grow up and stand on her own two feet, and Angela would’ve wanted to take care of and keep tabs on her “baby” sister.  
    Sam had been ready to bust loose after slogging through years of school while battling dyslexia. The last thing she’d wanted was anyone keeping tabs on her. So she’d answered an ad for roommates and ended up living with two guys, Peter Gibson and Dave Maxwell as well as Dave’s brother John, who crashed there more often than Dave did. Of course, her dad, the deputy police chief, had run background checks on all of them before he let her sign the lease.  
    She’d learned it was futile to remind him that she was an adult now and didn’t need or require his approval.  
    Peter was watching SportsCenter when she came in, dropping her backpack inside the door and kicking off her shoes as she made for the fridge.  
    “Hard day at the office, dear?” he asked.
    “Long day at the office, made longer by an endless detail in the broiling sun.” Sam cracked open a bottle of water and chugged it down before reaching for another one. If she was going to be expected to drink any more alcohol tonight, she needed to rehydrate.  
    “Want to get a pizza?”
    “I’d love to, but Angela talked me into going out, so I have to go get ready.”
    “Where’re you going?”
    “Some party she was invited to. Apparently, there’s a guy involved.”
    “Ahh, I see. Where’s the party?”
    Sam shrugged. “No idea. I’m just along for the ride. Better hit the shower and get my act together. She’ll be here soon.” As Sam trudged upstairs, she thought about how interested Peter always was in what she was up to. She wasn’t sure if he was interested in her or just naturally curious. He was cute in a boyish sort of way, with sandy hair and blue eyes that lit up when he laughed.  
    Since their other roommate, Dave, an associate gunning for partner at a local law firm, was hardly ever home, she’d shared many a pizza and night in front of the TV with Peter and had begun to think of him as a friend.  
    Sam spent more time than she should have standing under the cool water in the shower and had to rush through the hair drying and makeup portion of the program. She hated being rushed and didn’t look as good as she could have, but so what? This was Angela’s big show. Who cared how she looked?
    Because she didn’t care, she turned off the flat iron and decided her hair could be wild and curly tonight. Normally, she hated the wild curls, but she couldn’t be bothered with the effort it would take to tame them. The summer sunshine had added blonde streaks to her toffee-colored hair, which was currently longer than it had been in years. Who had time