Dead Ever After (Sookie Stackhouse #13)(77)
Author: Charlaine Harris

"That’s pretty convoluted," Sam said.

"Tell me about it. I mean, when I thought about Claude in fairy jail, I kind of got where he was going with it, but still. He would have been much better off if he’d just stolen a gun and shot me."

"Sookie!" Sam was genuinely upset. We were parked at my back door. I glanced out the window and thought I saw a flash of white at the edge of the woods. Karin. Or Bill. She and Bill must be seeing a lot of each other during the night.

"I know, I don’t like the mental image, either," I said. "But it’s true. Going elaborate reduces your chance of success. So remember this for your future vengeance projects. Short, direct." We sat a moment in silence. "Seriously, Sam, I would have died if I’d been tortured again. I was ready to go."

"But you got them angry with each other. You started them fighting. And you lived. You never give up, Sook." He took my hand.

I would have disputed that if I’d cared to speak. I’d given up a lot, so much I couldn’t even begin to evaluate it, but I knew what Sam meant. He meant I’d kept myself and my will to live intact. I didn’t know what to say. And finally, that was exactly what I told Sam. "I’m left with nothing to say."

"No, never that." He came around to my side of the truck and helped me slide down in the high heels and snug dress. There might have been a bit more contact than strictly necessary. Even a lot more contact. "You have everything," Sam said. "Everything." His arms tightened around me. "I wish you’d reconsider, about me staying the night."

"I’m tempted," I confessed. "But this time, we’re going to be slow and sure."

"I’m sure I want to get in bed with you." He rested his forehead against mine. Then he laughed, just a little. "You’re right," he said. "This is the best way to do it. Hard to be patient, though, when we know how good it can be."

I enjoyed my arms around him, the sense of him next to me. And if you were to ask me, I would confess that I thought Sam and I would be together, maybe by Christmas, maybe for always. I couldn’t imagine a future without him. But I also knew that if he turned away from me at this moment, somehow I would survive that, and I would find a way to flourish like the yard that still bloomed and grew around my family home.

I’m Sookie Stackhouse. I belong here.