In A Heartbeat

Chapter Twelve

Both women jumped and then turned to face the person in the room.

"Hey Jess, what're you doing here?" Sam asked surprised to find her sister in

her living room.

Jess raised her eyebrow at her sister questioningly.

Sam stared at her for a second then remembered. "Oh shit! I'm sorry." She

turned to Riley explaining. "I asked Kim and Jess to come back down this

weekend since we cancelled our plans last weekend."

Riley looked uncomfortable. Sam squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

She told her softly.

"So why didn't you just call my cell?" Sam asked.

"Well Kim did, but it wasn't turned on."

Sam blushed, she'd turned the cell off the previous day determined not to have

her time with Riley interrupted. With everything that'd happened, she'd forgotten

to turn it back on.

Kim had been in the kitchen making some sandwiches for her and Jess when

she'd heard Sam's voice in the living room. She smiled when she saw Riley was

with Sam. She noticed their body language. Riley was tucked under Sam's arm

with her arm wrapped around Sam's waist. Sam's arm was wrapped securely

around Riley's back.

"Hi guys." Kim said as she came into the room. She walked over to Sam giving

her a one armed hug. "Hi Riley, it's good to see you again." She greeted before

giving Riley a quick hug.

Riley hadn't said anything so far. She was nervous not knowing how her

presence would be received. It was the first time she'd see Kim or Jess since

Sam was in the hospital. She relaxed just a little at Kim's friendly greeting.

"Hi Kim, glad to see you both too. I'm sorry about messing up your plans last

weekend." She apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're alright." She reassured Riley reaching out to gently squeeze her arm.

"I was just making us some sandwiches. Want one?"

Riley glanced at Sam and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure." Riley told Kim with a shy smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam had told her and Kim that she'd been spending the nights at Riley's condo

and taking her back and forth to work ever since the confrontation with her

uncle. Uncharacteristically she hadn't provided any real details.

"So where did you two disappear to all day yesterday? Wasn't Riley off?" Jess

asked as they sat eating their lunch. We tried your cell several times and just got

your voice mail. Kim did leave you a message reminding you we'd be down

today."

"I... ah... I haven't had a chance to check my messages."

Kim watched the interplay between Sam and Riley; they shared a quick

meaningful glance. Sam wasn't usually as secretive as she was being.

"So what did you guys spend the day doing?" Jess asked again with a smirk. It

was starting to dawn on her just what they'd been up to. When matching blushes

spread over both women's face, Jess was sure.

"We...umm...we...umm... just hung out at Riley's condo." Sam explained with a

stutter, glancing worriedly at Riley. Everything Riley had shared with her was

very private and she didn't feel comfortable sharing such intimate details of

Riley's life with her sister or Kim. Riley's eyes were glued to her plate.

Now Kim was really intrigued, this wasn't like Sam. She normally had no

compunction about talking about her love life even if the woman in question was

sitting right next to her. She never gave any details but was never embarrassed

to admit she'd been with someone and they'd spent the day making love. Which,

unless she was reading this situation wrong was exactly what Sam and Riley

had done. Whoa, this is bigger than I thought. She's worried Riley will be

uncomfortable and is trying to protect her. I wonder what else happened

between them.

"So Riley we heard on the news about the big construction accident. Did you get

a lot of traumas from that?" Kim asked before Jess could press Sam again. Sam

threw her sister-in-law a grateful look.

Riley looked up from her plate, happy for the abrupt topic change. "Yeah we did.

It was a mess. There were several people with major crush injuries as well as

multiple head trauma patients. We had all five operating rooms going non-stop

for over twelve hours. It really screwed with the rest of the week's schedule, as

we had to bump the routine patients to another day.

They continued to chat about the hospital as they finished their lunch. Much to

Jess's annoyance whenever she tried to steer the conversation back to the

previous days activities, Kim deftly changed the subject.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They settled back in the living room after lunch. Kim and Jess settled on the

couch, Sam and Riley sat on the love seat.

"So what do you say we head for the Quail botanical gardens?" Kim inquired.

They'd talked about it the previous weekend but never made it.

"Yeah, that sounds great; we haven't been there in quite a while." Sam agreed.

Riley leaned close to Sam. "I should get going." She told her softly.

"Why don't you like the Quail botanical gardens?"

"I don't want to intrude on your time with your sister. I already messed up part of

your day. I'll just head back to the condo. I should get some laundry done and

maybe read some journals." Riley told her in a quiet voice.

"You're not intruding on anything. Do you like botanical gardens?" Sam placed

her fingers on Riley's lips stopping what she was about to say. "Yes or No?"

Riley smiled against Sam's fingers and nodded her head.

"Good then it's settled."

Kim and Jess had been listening to the conversation, it was impossible not to.

Kim spoke up when Riley started to protest again.

"We really would like you to come with us Riley. You're not intruding on anything.

Would you please join us at the botanical garden?" Kim asked formally.

"Yeah, come with us... you can keep an eye on Sam she always gets in trouble."

Jess added teasingly.

Riley smiled brightly at both women. "Thanks, I'd love to come with you." Sam

hugged Riley to her chest and stuck her tongue out at her sister.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley never realized a botanical garden could be so much fun. Sam and Jess

had kept her in stitches with their antics. It'd been a long time since she'd just

gone out and had fun, not worrying about what other people might think. Though

at one point she and Kim had denied knowing the other two women when Sam

and Jess had skipped down one of the narrow brick paths singing 'We're off to

see the Wizard'. She chuckled remembering.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked. They were in the back seat of Jess's Durango

heading back to Sam's apartment.

"I was just remembering your and Jess's little impromptu song this afternoon. I

can't remember the last time I laughed so much in one day." Riley told Sam her

eyes sparkling.

Knowing Riley's history Sam vowed to herself right then to make sure Riley had

lots more days filled with laughter. She leaned down and gently kissed Riley's

lips. The passion flared between them and the kiss deepened. Both women

quickly forgot where they were. Sam pressed Riley back into the seat kissing her

passionately. Her hands came up to caress Riley's breasts. Jess glanced into

the rear view mirror and saw the two women.

"Alright none of that you two. I'm shocked." She teased.

Kim looked back as Sam pulled away from Riley. Riley caught Kim's eyes and

blushed.

She couldn't help chuckling. "Leave them alone Jess. Do I need to remind you

about the incident in the ER lounge?"

Sam was surprised to see her sister blush. "Oh... this is gonna be good." She

said rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

Jess looked pleadingly over at Kim. She just laughed. "Some other time." She

told a disappointed Sam.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They'd stopped on the way home and picked up Chinese food. They sat on the

floor in Sam's living room with the food spread across the coffee table. Riley had

finally relaxed around Kim and Jess; as the day had worn on the easy

camaraderie she'd felt with them in the hospital returned. Unbeknownst to her,

Jess had still had her reservations about Riley but her coming out to her uncle

and outing herself at work had allayed quite a few of Jess's fears. She watched

with a smile as Riley fed Sam a piece of shrimp. Sam was grinning like an idiot.

Jess had never seen her sister so smitten with anyone. It looked good on her.

"So Sam, what happened with the doctor? Did you get cleared?" Jess inquired.

Jess knew immediately she'd said something wrong as a look of total panic

crossed Sam's face. Riley had seen the look as well.

"What doctor? Did you get cleared for what?" she asked in concern.

This was it. The moment Sam had been dreading. She really had planned on

telling Riley she'd been cleared to return to work but had pushed it to the back of

her mind and conveniently forgotten.

"To go back to work." Sam said softly.

Riley had a flashback of that horrible moment in the ER when Sam's body

slammed into hers and she realized Keith had shot her. Then she saw Sam lying

in her arms as her blood seeped out between her fingers. Her face went ashen

and her stomach lurched. She jumped up from the floor mumbling excuse me,

before running from the room. All three women jumped when the bathroom door

slammed shut.

"You didn't tell her!" Kim exclaimed in an accusing tone.

"I meant to, really I did. I just forgot."

Kim glared at Sam unbelievingly. Sam slowly got to her feet to follow Riley. Kim

got up and placed a restraining hand on her arm.

"Let me go talk to her."

"No, I need to explain. I just... I knew she wouldn't take it well. But I never meant

to keep it from her."

Kim was incredulous. "You knew she wouldn't take it well! Jess and I both know

how dangerous your job is, we've both see officers come into the ER, but Riley

has seen first hand just how dangerous it is. My God, Sam... she saw you shot!

How did you think she'd react? I'm petrified for you to go back to work, think how

Riley must feel. This isn't something you can just explain away."

Sam's shoulders slumped and she sank back down to the floor. Jess put her arm

around her sister consoling her.

Kim headed for the bathroom and Riley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kim knocked on the bathroom door. "Riley, its Kim, please let me in."

"I'll be out in a minute," came Riley's muffled reply.

Kim could tell she was crying. She tried the door handle; it was locked.

Riley stood gripping the counter trying to control her roiling stomach as the tears

poured down her face.

"Riley please open the door, I really need to talk to you."

Riley unlocked the door and walked away turning her back. Kim heard the lock

click and quietly opened the door. Riley stood next to the counter gripping it

tightly, her back to the door. Kim walked up behind her and put her hands on her

shoulders. Riley flinched then relaxed making no attempt to shrug off Kim's

touch. Kim could feel the tension in the muscles under her hands.

"She should've told you."

Riley didn't respond.

"She had every intention of telling you. She just kept putting it off...'cause she's

scared."

"She's scared!" Riley spun around to face Kim. "She's scared!" she repeated incredulously. "I saw her shot Kim; I felt her body slam into mine and held her in

my arms as her blood ran onto the floor."

Riley couldn't hold back any longer she began to sob. Kim wrapped her arms

around Riley pulling her into her arms. Riley buried her head in Kim's neck as

her whole body shuddered with the force of her tears. Kim stroked Riley's back

trying to calm her. It took quite a while but Riley's tears finally trailed off. She

pulled back from Kim embarrassed. Kim offered her some Kleenex and then

ignoring her protests pulled her back into her arms. Riley relaxed gratefully

accepting the comfort Kim offered.

"I know this is going to be hard to hear but I'm going to tell you anyway. I'll admit

I'm petrified that Sam is going back to work but Riley it's who she is. She loves

being a cop and she's a damn good one. She was scared to tell you because

she feared your reaction. Right now you're wondering if you made a big mistake

getting involved with Sam and are considering breaking it off." Riley flushed

guiltily. "That's what she feared Riley; that you would decide you didn't want to

be involved with a cop." Kim hoped she wasn't making a mistake in what she

was about to tell Riley but she needed her to understand. "Sam cares deeply for

you; if you walk away now Riley it'll kill her."

Riley looked up into Kim's eyes sympathetic blue eyes. "I know. She told me she

loves me and that she'd never been in love before." It was Kim's turn to be

shocked. If Sam had admitted her love to Riley, it was a much more serious

situation than she'd thought.

"I love her too Kim, but I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can watch

her walk out the door every morning and not know if she's coming back."

Kim hugged Riley tight. It was a truth that'd been driven home to everyone when

Sam was shot. On any given day, they could get a phone call like the one they

had when Keith shot her. Only this time she might not be so lucky. Kim knew you

couldn't let the 'what ifs' run your life or you'd be paralyzed. You had to live each

day as it came.

"I can't say I wouldn't feel the same if I'd seen what you did. But, let me ask you

this. Can you really envision your life without Sam in it, for however much time

you get? None of us knows what tomorrow may bring. Can you really just walk

away?" Kim questioned.

Riley began to cry again. "That's the worse part. It's already too late. I can't

imagine going back to the existence I led before I met Sam. That's all I was

doing existing. I love her so much... why does she have to be a cop?" Riley cried

in anguish.

Kim tightened her arms around Riley, trying to console her. "It's who she is...you

knew that all along, even if you didn't want to admit it to yourself. It's part of what

attracts you to Sam and makes her the woman you love."

They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Sam had stayed away as

long as she could. She had to see Riley.

"Riley, I'm sorry Baby. I was going to tell you... I swear. Please come out." Sam pleaded through the door. Kim stepped away from Riley and moved toward the

door. She stopped with her hand on the knob waiting Riley's permission. Riley

nodded her head slightly. Kim opened the door and stepped out. Sam pushed

past her and rushed into the bathroom. Riley fell into her arms crying. Sam

wrapped Riley in a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I was scared how you'd react. It'll be okay, I

promise. I always wear my vest and I'm very careful. Most officers spend their

whole careers on the force having never been shot. I've got mine out of the way

now." She said trying to lighten the mood.

"When are you going back?"

Sam swallowed heavily before answering. "Tomorrow. I'll be on desk duty for

about a week while I do some re-qualification. Then after that I'll take up my

normal schedule."

Riley clutched Sam tightly as her panic surged. Sam's biggest concern was

Riley's fear would drive her away. She tipped up Riley's face meeting her panic-

stricken eyes. She gave voice to her greatest fear.

"Please don't leave me."

Riley's heart clenched at the naked fear in Sam's eyes. Here was a woman

who'd stood facing down a man holding a gun with calm confidence yet Sam's

fear was plain to see at the thought of Riley leaving her.

"I'm not going anywhere Sam. I love you. You just have to give me some time to

adjust. I'm terrified of you going back to work."

Sam pulled Riley off her feet, wrapping her arms around her and hugging her

tightly. Nothing mattered beyond the, I love you. Everything else they'd work out.

"Sam... Sam," Riley gasped in Sam's tight embrace. "You're crushing me

Honey."

Sam blushed, quickly setting Riley back on her feet. She leaned down to brush a

gentle kiss across Riley's lips. "So we're OK?"

Riley snuggled against Sam's chest. "Yes, we're OK, but..." She poked Sam in

the ribs sharply. Sam yelped staring down at Riley in surprise. "Don't ever keep

something that important from me again."

"I won't, I promise." Sam offered contritely.

Kim and Jess were curled up together on the couch when the two women

reappeared. Kim had filled Jess in on what had transpired in the bathroom. Jess

still couldn't believe her sister had admitted to Riley she was in love with her.

Jess prayed the two women could work things out. Sam's arm was wrapped

around Riley's shoulders holding her tight. She took that as a good sign.

"Everything alright?" Jess asked.

Sam looked down at Riley her eyes filled with love. "Yeah, everything is going to

be just fine."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam sat outside the station house. It was her first day back at work. She was

excited and happy to be returning to work but just couldn't get the image of Riley

standing at the door of her condo out of her mind. She'd spent the night at

Riley's. When they'd gotten up that morning, she knew Riley was upset and

scared about her going back to work but Riley had done her best to put up a

good front. That lasted until Sam was ready to leave. As they stood at the front

door, Riley had wrapped her arms tightly around Sam and her tears had started

to flow. That was the image Sam couldn't seem to shake; of Riley, standing in

the doorway with tears running down her face as she walked away. She didn't

know what to do to ease Riley's mind. After leaving Riley's condo, she'd headed

home to change into her uniform. Shaking her head and sighing in frustration,

she headed into the station. Her hand went to her empty holster. She felt strange

without her weapon.

"Hey Sam. Welcome back!" Greeted the desk sergeant. "I've got you set up later this morning to re-qualify at the range; your weapon is in the armory."

"Thanks Sarge."

Several other people in the waiting area called greetings to Sam. Sam grinned

waving to people as she headed for the morning briefing. Yep it's great to be

back!

She noticed Brad Davidson standing outside the briefing room.

"Hey Davidson."

"Hi McKenna, welcome back." He said, enthusiastically shaking her hand.

"Thanks again for the statement you submitted to Internal Affairs. I really

appreciated the recommendation to keep me on the force."

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true. You're a good cop and it was a clean

shoot. How're you doing?"

"I've been seeing the department psychologist and it really seems to be helping.

I wasn't sure for a while if I'd stay. I'm sure now I made the right choice." He told

her smiling.

"I'd gladly ride with you anytime." She assured him. "Come on I don't want to be late my first day back." She said laughing as she slapped him on the back and

pushed him toward the door.

As soon as Sam entered the room, she was met by boisterous catcalls and

shouted greetings. She swaggered over to her seat and took a bow before

sitting down.

The sergeant called the briefing to order. "All right people let's settle down and

get this over with." He yelled banging on the podium. "Nice of you to join us

McKenna." He added with a grin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley was on her way back to Sam's apartment. It was Friday night and she'd

just attended her first P.O.P. (Partners of Police Officers) meeting. It was a small

group of women, all lesbians, who met once a month to support women who

were involved with law enforcement officers. It had started out as a group for

women involved with police officers hence the name but had expanded over

time to include women who were involved with members of all branches of law

enforcement. Talking to other women in the same situation had been eye

opening.

The past month had been very hard on Riley and at the same time wonderful.

She'd never been happier but she was still terrified every time Sam walked out

the door to go to work. It was a constant source of tension. They usually stayed

at Sam's apartment during the week and her condo on the weekends. The time

they spent together was fantastic and she couldn't imagine her life without Sam.

Except for the nights she had in-house call they had spent every night together

since Sam had come to her condo after her confrontation with her uncle.

She realized now after talking to the other women what a strain she'd been

placing on Sam. Kim had tried to talk to her one weekend when she and Jess

were visiting but Riley just hadn't been open to anything she had to say. She still

vividly remembered the first morning after she'd spent the night at Sam's. Sam

had walked out of the bedroom in her uniform and she'd burst into tears. It was

the first time she'd seen her in uniform since that fateful day of the shooting.

She'd immediately had a flashback to the shooting. Seeing her dressed that way

was just more than Riley could handle. After that, Sam had taken to keeping her

uniform at work and leaving the house in jeans and getting dressed at work. She

always changed out of her uniform before returning home. Sam's work was

never mentioned either. Riley would come home and talk about her day but Sam

knowing how Riley felt never made any mention of hers. Tonight the other

women had given her a lot to think about. She knew if she didn't come to terms

with this and quickly it would drive a wedge between them. As she pulled into the

apartment complex, she vowed to start fixing the problem right now. After only a

month of, for all intents and purposes living together, she knew Sam was her life

and she would do whatever was necessary keep them together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam was lying on the couch when Riley opened the door.

"Hey Babe, how was the meeting." She asked as she sat up.

"It was good. I learned a lot and I..." Riley couldn't help it the tears just started flowing as she realized again what she'd been putting Sam through.

Sam panicked and jumped off the couch rushing over to take Riley in her arms.

Sam's heart was pounding in fear. Riley looked so heartbroken that Sam tried to

brace herself. She figured this was where Riley told her she couldn't be involved

with a cop anymore. She cursed herself for even suggesting the damn meeting.

She knew the way they were going wasn't good but was now berating herself. I

should've left well enough alone. They probably scared the hell out of her and

now she'll run. The thought of losing Riley made Sam feel like a metal band was

slowly closing around her chest. It was hard to breath.

Riley finally got her tears under control and looked up into Sam's face; her eyes

were full of fear. Riley could feel Sam's heart pounding. That's when it dawned

on her that Sam had misinterpreted her tears. She felt a surge of guilt knowing

she was to blame for Sam being so unsure. She put her hand behind Sam's

neck and pulled her down into a gentle loving kiss.

"I love you Sam and now I know how unfair I've been to you." She put her finger

over Sam's lips to stop her from interrupting. "I want you to start getting dressed

at home and..." she again stopped Sam from interrupting. " And I want you to tell me about your day, just like I tell you about mine."

Sam's eyes filled with tears of relief. She gulped loudly. "I thought you were

going to tell me..." Her voice trailed off, she couldn't even say it.

"I know Honey and I'm sorry. I'm kind of new at this." She smiled up at Sam her

eyes sparkling with love.

Sam had had all the emotional upheaval she could take for one night and

decided to lighten the mood. She grinned at Riley then leaned over to nuzzle her

neck, peppering it with open mouth kisses.

"Well in that case, maybe you need more practice." She purred as she began to

unbutton Riley's blouse.

Riley groaned when Sam's lips made it to the top of her cleavage. She reached

over and pulled Sam's shirt from her pants. They stumbled down the hall toward

the bedroom pulling each other's clothes off as they went.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley leaned up on her elbow her eyes tracing Sam's body. Sam had kicked off

the covers and lay sprawled naked on her back. She glanced over at the clock. It

was 5am Monday morning. Where did the weekend go? She sighed. She knew

the alarm would go off soon. Riley ran her hand down Sam's tight stomach.

Unconsciously her fingers traced the scars on her hip and down her leg. Sam

had picked up her uniform from the cleaners the previous day and brought it

home as Riley had requested. Riley knew no matter what she couldn't break

down when she saw Sam in her uniform. It was so much a part of who she was

and she understood that now. She would support her no matter how much it

scared her. It was the only way they could hope to have a life together. As her

thoughts drifted so had her hand, she was brought back to the here and now by

a loud groan from Sam. She grinned straddling Sam as her eyes slowly fluttered

open. She continued to stroke between Sam's legs as she leaned down to

capture a nipple. Sam's back arched when Riley's fingers slipped inside; she

climaxed quickly under Riley's knowing touch. Sam lay panting her body still

quivering from aftershocks when the alarm went off. She leaned over to slap the

offending clock. Riley started to get up. Sam's arms wrapped around her and

rolled over trapping Riley beneath her.

"Just where do you think you're going?" She growled in Riley's ear as she ran

her tongue around the rim.

Riley groaned and the throb between her legs intensified. She'd become

incredibly aroused just watching Sam in the throes of passion. "We've got to get

ready for work." Riley said making no effort to move.

"Don't worry Babe, I'll be quick."

True to her word Sam was quick but thorough. Riley lay on her back gasping for

breath as Sam got up to get a shower. She leaned back over the bed and gave

Riley a quick kiss.

"Love you Babe."

Riley could only grunt in response. Sam chuckled as she headed for her shower.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley was drinking her coffee from a travel cup and had another cup made for

Sam as well as a wrapped up bagel. They were running late because of their

morning playtime. Ah... but it was sure worth it. She glanced down the hall when

she heard Sam's footsteps. Riley tried to swallow past the lump in her throat as

Sam came towards her dressed in her uniform, her utility belt around her waist.

She forced away the images of a wounded Sam that flooded her mind. Sam was

a little hesitant to hug Riley not knowing how she'd react. She finally shrugged

and loosely wrapped her arms around Riley giving her plenty of chance to

retreat if it was too much for her.

Riley smiled tentatively at Sam, "You look nice." She reached out to reassure

herself that Sam had on her bulletproof vest under the uniform shirt, signing in

relief when she felt the vest under her fingers.

"Thanks Baby. You doing okay?"

Riley's expression became more relaxed. "Yeah I'm fine." Once she'd gotten

over the initial reaction, she felt a little better. She was determined to learn to

manage her fear.

"We better get going; we're going to be late." Sam reminded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley growled at the interruption. It was the first chance she'd had to sit down all

day and was busy with her charts. She stomped over and snatched open the

door to her office. "What..." she demanded before she even had the door open.

Her eyes met a wide expanse of blue and traveled up to meet Sam's vivid blue

eyes.

"Catch you at a bad time?" Sam asked smiling.

Riley grinned and pulled Sam into her office. "No... I was just working on charts."

Riley looked suddenly worried. "Is something wrong?"

Sam laughed. "No, we just had to bring in a drunk that fell and cut his hand. I left

my partner in the ER and thought I'd stop by and see you for a minute."

Riley stepped into Sam's arms and hugged her tightly before pulling her head

down for a deep kiss. She'd gotten used to seeing her in her uniform over the

last few days. She was still scared by Sam's work but the women in the support

group had explained to her that was perfectly normal. She just couldn't let it

control her life. Both women were breathing heavily when the kiss finally broke.

Riley jumped when Sam's radio suddenly squawked. Sam listened for a minute

then frowned.

"Sorry Babe, I have to go. Guess the ER decided to be efficient today and our

guys' done. What time do you think you'll be done tonight?"

Riley had been slowly cutting back her hours much to the annoyance of her

fellow staff. She'd always worked more shifts than anyone else had on the

service, giving them more time off. "Barring any major disasters I should be

home by six."

"Great I'll see you tonight." Sam said as she headed for the door.

Riley wasn't really listening anymore. Her eyes were fixed on Sam's butt

displayed wonderfully by her tight uniform pants. Sam turned back when she

didn't get a response. She grinned when she caught Riley staring at her ass.

When Riley's eyes finally made it to her face Sam laughed outright. Riley

shrugged refusing to be embarrassed by being caught ogling Sam in her

uniform. With a final wave, Sam turned and swaggered out the door. Riley

sighed and turned back to her paperwork.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley sat at the kitchen counter drinking her coffee waiting for Sam. She had a

light schedule today and was looking forward to getting an early start on the

weekend. She looked up when she heard Sam coming down the hall. Now that

she was getting used to seeing Sam in her uniform, she couldn't help admiring

how good she looked in it.

"You really do look great in this Honey." Riley said reaching out to run her fingers down the sharp crease on the front of Sam's shirt.

Sam slipped on her mirrored aviator sunglasses and grinned cockily. "Glad you

like it Babe." She purred in a sexy voice. Riley felt every word right between her

legs. She swallowed trying to get some moisture into her suddenly dry mouth.

This was something she hadn't considered, that she'd be turned on by Sam in

her uniform.

Sam had been watching Riley's facial expressions. Her cocky grin widened

when she realized Riley had become aroused. She took her baton off her belt

and lightly ran it up the inside of Riley's thighs. "Maybe when we get home

tonight I could show you all my equipment." Sam stroked her again with the

baton.

Riley's eyes were dilated and her chest was heaving as her arousal soared. She

wasn't sure how much longer her legs would hold her up. Her reaction to Sam's

words had been unexpectedly intense. Sam slipped her baton back onto her

belt. She hadn't expected Riley to react quite so strongly. She felt her own

arousal surge. Sam glanced over at the clock. If they didn't leave right that

minute, they were both going to be late.

"I'm sorry Babe, we have to go." She said with a disappointed sigh.

Riley looked at Sam unbelievingly. She wasn't even sure she could walk. She

looked over at the clock and groaned. Shaking her head she tried to focus her

thoughts away from the throbbing between her legs.

"You're gonna pay for that McKenna." She threatened Sam as she shakily made

her way to the door.

Sam threw back her head and laughed. "Promises, Promises." she teased. She

met Riley at the door and placed a quick kiss on her lips. They headed out to the

parking lot together.

For the first time since she'd gone back to work, Sam headed out the door with a

light heart. Riley headed off to work never realizing that for the first time she'd

watched Sam leave for work and hadn't been scared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam lay on her stomach trying to catch her breath. Riley was sprawled across

her back where she'd collapsed. Riley finally managed to slide off Sam and roll

over onto her back. Sam flipped over and they both lay side by side, panting.

"Damn Riley, you're trying to kill me." Sam accused. Riley had pounced on her

the second she'd walked in the door. That was over two hours ago. She'd been

surprised to find Riley home but Riley hadn't given her a chance to ask any

questions. The first round had been on the couch. Riley had managed to strip

her of her clothes in record time. When she'd buried her face between Sam's

thighs, it had effectively ended any conversation. The second time they'd made it

as far as the hallway before Riley had pushed her against the wall. They had

eventually made it to the bedroom. Sam had managed to turn the tables briefly

but Riley had been unrelenting. Sam chuckled to herself. She'd definitely met

her match in Riley and surprisingly she loved every second of it.

"I warned you this morning. I had to take a freezing shower when I got to work

this morning thanks to you."

"That you did Baby, that you did," Sam laughed. "Though I never did get to show you my equipment." Sam teased. She groaned when Riley slid back on top of

her, her eyes sparking. She didn't want to admit Riley had worn her out. Riley

started to kiss her neck. Her growling stomach provided a distraction. "Food

Babe, I need food to keep up my strength." Riley's stomach growled loudly at the

mention of food.

"Okay." She pouted. "But I'll hold you to it later."

Sam kissed her forehead and rolled them both out of the bed. "You bet." She

said wiggling her eyebrows.

Riley couldn't help but sigh as she watched Sam leave the room her tight gluts

flexing as she walked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They'd decided on sandwiches and returned to bed with them. They sat talking

as they ate.

"So what did you and Davidson do today, anything interesting." Riley asked.

Sam looked over questioningly then realized although they'd started talking

more frequently about her day, she'd never actually mentioned who her partner

was.

"I'm not riding with Davidson." Sam explained. I was his Field Training officer.

After he passed his twelve-week training, he was assigned to another officer and

placed on probation for a year. You usually don't ride with the same rookie you

were FTO for. I'm riding with Kellie Matthews and continuing her training during

her probation year. You remember her from the baseball game?"

The green-eyed monster jumped out and grabbed Riley by the throat. Sam was

riding in a car every day with that... that...woman!

"Yeah I remember her." Riley finally acknowledged, jealously making her voice

sharp.

Sam frowned at Riley's tone of voice. She was confused by her sudden change in demeanor.

"She's a goo

officer." Sam said thinking maybe Riley was just concerned.

'I'm sure." Riley said dismissively.

Sam couldn't help grinning as she figured it out. "Don't worry Babe, I'm all yours."

"Yeah well you'd better make sure that green-eyed blond bimbo knows it too." Riley said sharply.

Sam fell back against the pillows holding her sides as she roared with laughter. This was

a side of Riley she'd never seen, much less expected. She looked over and saw Riley

glaring at her. She smothered her laughter as best she could but couldn't help the snicker

that slipped out. She tried to take Riley in her arms only to be poked in the ribs.

Sam sobered. "I wasn't laughing at you Babe, honest. I just never pictured you as the

jealous type."

Riley blushed at her behavior. "It's a new experience for me." She admitted sheepishly.

"I... just the thought of you with her every day in that little car... I just... It makes me nuts."

"I promise, you have nothing to worry about, besides Kellie's not gay." Riley snorted.

"And even if she was it wouldn't matter. I love you Riley and I'm not interested in

anyone else." She told her seriously. Sam realized this had more to do with just being jealous. Part of it must be coming from Riley's insecurities. Knowing how Linda treated

her, she wasn't surprised.

Riley straddled Sam's lap facing her. It was time to change the subject; she was

embarrassed by her jealousy. She leered at Sam then leaned forward.

"Now what was that about showing me your equipment?" She husked in Sam's ear then pulled the lobe between her teeth and bit down lightly.

Sam groaned as all coherent thought was driven from her mind.