She heard the chuckle deep in his chest. “I guess not.”
She liked being next to Sam. She liked feeling his warmth beside her. She liked that they were kindred spirits. Sam might not see it that way, but Libby did. They were two people who hadn’t coped with life’s messiness as well as they would have liked, and paid a price most people couldn’t imagine.
They remained side by side, nothing but the sound of the fire crackling in that room, surrounded by the moan of wind through the eaves. On the floor of his small house, Libby felt strangely content. There was something very comforting about being here, with him. She could forget she’d made a mess of things with Max and Alice, or that she was broke, or that she didn’t have a clue what she was going to do after Gary and Austin’s wedding. This was where she was supposed to be tonight, away from the world, with someone who understood her better than she had even realized.
Sam shifted a little, and Libby reflexively put her hand on his arm, as she might have done with one of the kids, or with a friend. But when she touched him, she felt Sam still. She turned her head to look at him.
He was looking at her, too, his gaze questioning.
Libby moved her hand. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I forgot for a moment that we are captive and captor.” She smiled. “You’re a good guy, Sam. It’s funny, but you’ve seen more of me than anyone else has ever seen. The real me, I mean. You’ve been more of a friend to me than . . . than anyone. Did you know that?”
“There’s the friend thing again,” he said, his gaze sliding down to her mouth. “Are we friends, Libby? Because I like kissing you too much to be a friend.” His gaze slid right on down to the sweater she was wearing. He cocked his head to one side, studying it. “I think I ought to take you in and let you sit a night in a holding cell, but I can’t seem to make myself do it.”
“I won’t argue.”
“Good call,” he said, and slowly lifted his gaze, piercing hers with his sea-colored eyes. “We’re not friends, Libby.”
“No?”
“No.”
His gaze was smoldering, and Libby was ignited by it. She shifted around, onto her knees, facing him. “Then what are we?”
“I don’t know. That’s what scares me,” he said with a wry smile. He touched her waist, his hand sliding around to her back.
“Do I scare you?”
He shook his head.
“Then you’re the only one.”
Sam began to pull her toward him.
“Sometimes, against my better judgment, I feel things about you, Sam Winters.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked, and casually caressed her back. “What sort of things?”
“It’s hard to explain.” She touched his chin, traced her finger along the jawline, feeling the stubble of his beard. “Because sometimes it feels really pissed off. But other times, it feels warm and fuzzy and . . . tingly.”
“I like tingly,” he said, and leaned forward, touching his nose to her hair.
“But I’m pretty sure tingly is not something one should feel for one’s arresting officer.”
“That’s true.” He brushed her hair from the side of her face and touched his mouth to her neck, sending a hot tingling flush down Libby’s body. “And then again, I haven’t actually arrested you.” He cupped her chin with his hand, kissed her cheek, and then the corner of her mouth. A swirl of tingling flared across her skin, and she sighed with longing as she turned her head to kiss him. She didn’t care if he arrested her or not. Tonight, in the middle of this blizzard, she only wanted to feel his arms around her.
Sam lifted his head. He studied her a moment as he stroked his thumb across her bottom lip. “I thought we weren’t doing this anymore.”
“That might have been a hasty decision,” she said.
“This is a dangerous path we’re on, Libby Tyler. Are you sure you want to slide down it?”
She touched two fingers to his lips and smiled. “I’m sure.”
“Good,” he said, and grabbed her, dragging her across his lap to kiss her.
His hand slid down to her hip, squeezing it. Libby’s hand was still on his chest, caught between their bodies. She could feel the beat of his heart melting into her pulse. She moved her fingers across his nipple, felt it harden beneath her touch. She nestled closer, wanting to feel the heat of his body seep into her skin.