chest, her hands clenched in tight fists, she glared back at Nate.
“I’m perfectly capable of driving myself, Detective. I don’t need a chauffeur….”
Nate’s face registered surprise for a split second then hardened ominously. His voice was dangerously calm.
“Lieutenant, that attitude of yours is getting on my last nerve. Now, do as I tell you. Get in that squad with Commander Carter and get the hell back to the station. Now.”
As Nate strode back to the curb muttering under his breath, Sgt. Baker scurried to catch up with him. Babbling like a squeaky-voiced teenager, he whined. “See, Nate. That’s what she’s like. You can’t tell her anything. She thinks she can do… She dismisses you like….”
His voice trailed off as Nate gunned the engine and peeled away from the curb.
Sam opened the passenger door of the other squad and jerked his head at Annika.
“Get in, Lieutenant.”
Annika stared straight ahead as they wove dangerously fast through the crowded mid- day streets. Her lips hurt from biting them. After a moment she hazarded a glance at Sam. His jaw was rigid, his eyes were hidden behind his shades, but the tension in his body was palpable from across the seat. It was hard to reconcile him with the man who three nights ago had requested that she call him Sam. She had a feeling it would be ‘Commander’ from here on out. After a few tense minutes, Annika broke the silence.
“It probably looked worse than it was. I had the situation under control. I know those guys –or at least guys like them. They’re all talk.”
Sam’s voice could have sliced through steel. “As Detective Stryker indicated, Lieutenant, we’ll discuss the situation back at the station.”
So much for calling him Sam. Annika turned her head to the window trying to hide her disappointment. She should have known better. First and foremost, Sam was a cop. When the chips were down, they retreated. Got as far away from emotion as they could get. Ultimately that’s who and what they were. Both she and Sam.
Nope. Never mess with a cop. She never had… and now it looked like she never would.
~~~
Sam wheeled the squad car around the corner with a noisy squeal of the tires. Roaring down the ramp into the parking garage he brought the car to a shuddering halt, the front fender inches away from the cement wall. He sat for a long moment his hands gripping the wheel. Even now his heart was pounding. He forced himself to take deep calming breaths to bring his heart rate down to its usual steady beat. In a lifetime, he didn’t know if he would forget those slimy miscreants moving in on Annika while that cowardly bastard Baker slunk back in the crowd. He hoped to God that Nate planned to fire the gutless sergeant, because it would be a shame to beat the crap out of a fellow officer.
He allowed himself to look over at Annika. She was pale and the strain on her face was understandable. Christ, she had to have been frightened. And if she was like any other adrenalin junkie he knew, she was coming down hard from the scare. Too bad he couldn’t deal with the testosterone dump he was feeling the way he wanted to. But if he couldn’t fuck her brains out, the least he could do was hold her.
She was out of the car and heading toward the exit by the time he reached her.
“Come here, you.”
Sam’s voice, more like a growl than a request, startled him. Annika stopped and looked back at him, clearly shocked.
Sam tried again, getting his voice within normal range.
“Come here, Princess.”
She stepped back and hesitated, frowning uncertainly.
Sam reached out and pulled her toward him, wrapping her in his arms. He heard her startled gasp and was gratified to feel her heart pounding against her chest. Hers was beating as rapidly as his. He held her trembling body tight up against him until he was sure that he could bear to let her go.
“Are you okay, Annika?”
She nodded and gave him a shaky smile.
“I think I am.”
He
“I’m perfectly capable of driving myself, Detective. I don’t need a chauffeur….”
Nate’s face registered surprise for a split second then hardened ominously. His voice was dangerously calm.
“Lieutenant, that attitude of yours is getting on my last nerve. Now, do as I tell you. Get in that squad with Commander Carter and get the hell back to the station. Now.”
As Nate strode back to the curb muttering under his breath, Sgt. Baker scurried to catch up with him. Babbling like a squeaky-voiced teenager, he whined. “See, Nate. That’s what she’s like. You can’t tell her anything. She thinks she can do… She dismisses you like….”
His voice trailed off as Nate gunned the engine and peeled away from the curb.
Sam opened the passenger door of the other squad and jerked his head at Annika.
“Get in, Lieutenant.”
Annika stared straight ahead as they wove dangerously fast through the crowded mid- day streets. Her lips hurt from biting them. After a moment she hazarded a glance at Sam. His jaw was rigid, his eyes were hidden behind his shades, but the tension in his body was palpable from across the seat. It was hard to reconcile him with the man who three nights ago had requested that she call him Sam. She had a feeling it would be ‘Commander’ from here on out. After a few tense minutes, Annika broke the silence.
“It probably looked worse than it was. I had the situation under control. I know those guys –or at least guys like them. They’re all talk.”
Sam’s voice could have sliced through steel. “As Detective Stryker indicated, Lieutenant, we’ll discuss the situation back at the station.”
So much for calling him Sam. Annika turned her head to the window trying to hide her disappointment. She should have known better. First and foremost, Sam was a cop. When the chips were down, they retreated. Got as far away from emotion as they could get. Ultimately that’s who and what they were. Both she and Sam.
Nope. Never mess with a cop. She never had… and now it looked like she never would.
~~~
Sam wheeled the squad car around the corner with a noisy squeal of the tires. Roaring down the ramp into the parking garage he brought the car to a shuddering halt, the front fender inches away from the cement wall. He sat for a long moment his hands gripping the wheel. Even now his heart was pounding. He forced himself to take deep calming breaths to bring his heart rate down to its usual steady beat. In a lifetime, he didn’t know if he would forget those slimy miscreants moving in on Annika while that cowardly bastard Baker slunk back in the crowd. He hoped to God that Nate planned to fire the gutless sergeant, because it would be a shame to beat the crap out of a fellow officer.
He allowed himself to look over at Annika. She was pale and the strain on her face was understandable. Christ, she had to have been frightened. And if she was like any other adrenalin junkie he knew, she was coming down hard from the scare. Too bad he couldn’t deal with the testosterone dump he was feeling the way he wanted to. But if he couldn’t fuck her brains out, the least he could do was hold her.
She was out of the car and heading toward the exit by the time he reached her.
“Come here, you.”
Sam’s voice, more like a growl than a request, startled him. Annika stopped and looked back at him, clearly shocked.
Sam tried again, getting his voice within normal range.
“Come here, Princess.”
She stepped back and hesitated, frowning uncertainly.
Sam reached out and pulled her toward him, wrapping her in his arms. He heard her startled gasp and was gratified to feel her heart pounding against her chest. Hers was beating as rapidly as his. He held her trembling body tight up against him until he was sure that he could bear to let her go.
“Are you okay, Annika?”
She nodded and gave him a shaky smile.
“I think I am.”
He
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