“It does, Nick. My ex-husband tried to murder us. How do I just put that behind me like it never happened and move in with you? There must be something wrong with me that I didn’t see—”

Again, he kissed the words right off her lips. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You were a victim. We both were. He’s headed for prison, Sam. There’s no sense in you going with him.”

“I need some time to process it all. I need to be sure I’ve put the pieces back where they belong before I take the next step with you.”

“That’s fair enough.”

Feeling madly vulnerable, she glanced up to find his hazel eyes hot with emotion and desire. She still had trouble believing that was all for her. “You don’t mind waiting?”

“I’d wait forever for you. And in the meantime, I’ll be three doors up the street any time you want to make a late-night booty call.”

She laughed. “That’ll probably be most nights.”

“So you just want me for my body. I see how it is.”

She slid her hands under his sweater and up to cup well-defined pectorals. “What are you doing right now, Senator?” she asked with a coy smile.

His jaw tightened with tension as he removed her hands from under his sweater. “Taking you to our party.”

“Damn.”

He leaned in to catch her earlobe between his teeth. “But later we’ll be having our own private New Year’s party.”

Sam shivered with anticipation and marveled at how he had managed to put her in the mood to celebrate. This love stuff definitely came with some major benefits.

“This is your idea of a small party?” Sam asked an hour later as she took in the mobbed K Street lounge Nick had reserved for the occasion. When she suggested a beer and pizza party at O’Leary’s—her favorite cop bar—he’d turned up his senatorial nose, so she’d left it to him to orchestrate this joint celebration.

“I can’t help it if you have a hundred cop friends.”

“I don’t even know most of these people.”

“Like who?”

“Her.” She pointed to a voluptuous brunette flirting shamelessly with Freddie. “An old girlfriend of yours?”

“Hardly. That’s Ginger, one of the legislative aides in my office.”

“Ginger needs to get her filthy hands off my partner,” Sam said, even though she was relieved to see Freddie smiling again after the gruesome day he’d put in.

“I think we’ve got a bigger problem over there.”

Sam’s head whipped around. “Where?”

Nick pointed to one of the cozy booths where his chief of staff, Christina Billings, was having an intimate conversation with Detective Tommy “Gonzo” Gonzales.

“Get her off him!”

“Why?” Nick asked, amused. “They’re both consenting adults.”

“She doesn’t like me.”

“So she can’t talk to your friend?”