The kiss seemed to defuse him, but only somewhat.

“I’m sorry I locked you up.” When his face twisted with skepticism, she said, “I am sorry. But you have no idea how difficult it is to be a woman in this profession or the daughter of a fallen hero. The last thing I need is some guy on a white horse riding to my rescue as if I can’t handle things myself. As it is, I spend most of every day waiting for it all to blow up in my face.”

“Like it did today?”

“A joke?” she asked, incredulous. “You’re joking about a bomb?”

“Sorry,” he said with chagrin, “it was too good to pass up. Doesn’t mean I think it’s funny. Quite the contrary.” With his free hand, he captured one of hers and brought it to his lips. “Unlock me. I promise not to kill you.”

Knowing that was the best she was going to get and encouraged by the tender gesture, she released the cuffs.

He made a big dramatic show of rubbing his sore wrist for a minute before he got up to reach for his jeans and sweater.

Still uncertain about just how angry he really was, Sam stayed on the far side of the bed while he got dressed. She winced at the flash of pain that crossed his face as he slid his injured foot into an old running shoe the cops had brought from his house.

“Um, Captain Malone is going to take us…well… I guess to my house if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind,” he said in a testy tone.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she added, “I’d appreciate it if you don’t discuss what happened earlier with him.”

“What? That my girlfriend or sex buddy or whatever you are was nearly blown to bits in my front yard? I shouldn’t mention that?”

She rubbed at eyes gone gritty with exhaustion. After an almost-sleepless night with him, she’d planned to catch a couple of hours on the plane if her nerves allowed it. “I’m asking you to do this for me. He was a lot cooler about me getting caught with you than I expected him to be. It would just be better if you stayed out of it.”

He came around the bed and backed her up to the wall. “You want me to stay out of it?”

“Um, yeah, that would help.” Only her hands on his chest kept him from completely invading her space.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Samantha. I’ve been the guy behind the guy my whole career, and that’s fine with me. But if you think, for one second, I’m going to ride shotgun in my personal life, you’ve got the wrong lapdog on your leash.”