by Andria Large
“He’s a big one. I’m not gonna mess with him before the alligator guys arrive,” Jayme said, shaking his head and backing away, coming to stand next to him.
He nodded fervently. “I think that’s probably a good idea.”
They only had to wait five minutes before the alligator specialists arrived. They hopped out of their truck and made their way over to Jayme and Tripp. They all shook hands and formulated a plan on how to wrangle the gator. Tripp was on pole duty. He was supposed to snag the gator around the neck and drag it from the pool, so that the gator guys could jump on its back and tape him up.
Tripp went to the back of their truck and grabbed the animal control pole. It was six-foot long, with a wire loop at the end; so that they could pull it tight around an animal’s neck so they could control it. His hands shook as his nerves got the better of him. He walked by Jayme, who was fucking smirking. He could probably tell Tripp was nervous.
“What the fuck are you going to be doing while the rest of us are catching a gator?” he snapped at Jayme.
“Staying safe.” Jayme deadpanned.
Oh, he thought he was fucking funny. He narrowed his eyes at the other man.
“Hands on training, Littrell. The only way you’re gonna learn,” Jayme added.
He scowled and started for the gator guys to await instruction.
“Whatever you do. Don’t drop the pole,” Jayme called after him.
He flipped Jayme off over his shoulder, which made Jayme snicker. Fuck him and his stupid handsome face. He stopped a few feet away from the pool’s edge, where the gator was resting peacefully on the steps. He flicked his gaze over to the guy, Brian, who had the duct tape.
“Can’t we just shoo him away?” he asked, hating that his voice wavered slightly from his nerves.
Brian shook his head. “Naw, he’d probably just come right back.”
He took a deep breath and blew it out. He could do this.
“Ready when you are,” Brian said. “Nice and easy now.”
~~~
Jayme
Jayme watched closely as Tripp slowly lowered the loop end of the pole toward the gator’s head. He would jump in if he had to, but Tripp had to learn how to do this stuff. Jayme could hear a low hiss coming from the gator. It knew something was up, and it wasn’t happy. Tripp carefully slid the loop around the gator’s neck, and slowly cinched it tight. That’s when all hell broke loose. The gator hissed loudly and started rolling. Tripp cursed and struggled to keep his grip on the pole. Water splashed and sloshed out of the pool as the gator fought to free itself.
Tripp dragged the animal from the pool with it still fighting and rolling. Brian and his partner waited, letting it wear itself out a bit before they jumped into the action. The gator took a particularly powerful roll, tugging hard on the pole. Tripp lost his footing, rolled over the gator as he tried to hang onto the pole, and landed on his stomach with his face right next to the gator’s head. Jayme’s heart stopped, but his body jumped into motion.
He raced over, grabbed Tripp by the back of his vest, and hauled him to his feet just as the gator snapped those powerful jaws where Tripp’s face had just been. Jayme took the pole from Tripp and shoved him back. Tripp stumbled away, his eyes wide and his breath coming in short pants.
Brian and his coworker took that as their cue to subdue the fucking thing. They hopped on its back, and Brian grasped its jaws closed while Jayme taped them up. They taped up the legs, then the three of them carried the animal to the back of Brian’s truck. They were going to take it to a gator farm where it could live with other gators.
After they drove off, He turned to find Tripp still rooted in the spot he left him. He walked over and patted Tripp’s chest. “Hey, Rookie. You okay?” He could tell by the look on Tripp’s face that he was thoroughly shook.
Tripp swallowed a few times before giving him a jerky nod. Jayme gave him a dubious look before clapping him on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s get outta here.”
Jayme put the pole in the bed of the truck, then climbed into the driver’s seat. Tripp quietly got in next to him and buckled his seat belt.
“Why didn’t you let go of the pole?” he asked.
Tripp whipped his head around to glare at him. “You told me not to!”
He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “Yeah, but if you lose your footing and are lying next to a goddamn gator’s face, let go of the fucking pole.”
Tripp gaped at him, his mouth working, but nothing came out. Finally, he snapped it shut and nodded.
“Seriously, are you okay?” Jayme asked.
Tripp nodded. “Almost shit my pants, but I’m good.”
“Yeah, you were this close to not having a face anymore.” Jayme scoffed, holding up his pointer and thumb with a millimeter of space between them.
Tripp hummed and shuddered in his seat, as if just the thought of it scared the hell out of him. Which it probably did.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. They headed back to the station, where he told everyone and their mother about Tripp and the gator. It was funny now that it was over, and nothing bad had happened. Tripp even laughed about it.
Jayme walked in the front door of his house with a heavy sigh. He was tired. He walked up the stairs to get a shower. When he walked into the bedroom, his wife was sitting on the bed, smiling seductively, wearing his favorite sexy little matching bra and panty set of hers. Even being as exhausted as he was, his cock took notice.
“You think maybe after you get a shower, you could do me?” Mallory asked, her voice low and sexy.
“Mmm, definitely.” Jayme hummed and hurriedly shucked his gear and clothes. He got a fast shower, and then took advantage of what his wife was offering.
He lay on his back next to his wife, panting after a good round of sex. He could feel her seething next to him. He knew why too. He pulled out and came on her stomach. He wasn’t stupid. He knew what she was trying to do. She was never waiting for him after work in just her underwear. She rarely ever came on to him. He was usually the one that came onto her. She was trying to get pregnant right under his nose.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Mallory snapped. “You never pull out. Ever!”
Jayme turned his head to look at her. “And you must think I’m stupid. We fought this morning about the whole baby thing, and then I come home to have you throw yourself at me. Gee, I wonder what you’re up to? Trying to get pregnant anyway, even though I’ve said no a million times? How dumb do you think I am, Mallory?”
“Why’d you even have sex with me then?”
“Because, it’s sex?” he answered incredulously. “God, what the fuck has gotten into you? Trying to trick me into having a baby? That’s fucking low.”
She laid there with her arms crossed over her chest, refusing to look at him.
“How am I supposed to trust you? Are you even taking your birth control anymore?”
Her non-answer said it all. He felt sick. Who knows how long this had been going on for, and how many times she could have gotten pregnant. He rolled out of bed and went to his dresser, and pulled on a pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt. He went to his closet and grabbed a duffle bag and started packing his shit.
“What are you doing?” Mallory asked.
“I’m leaving.” he growled.
“Leaving? What do you mean? Where are you going?” she asked in a panic.
Jayme whirled around and pinned her with a hard stare. “I just found out that you’ve been trying to get pregnant behind my back, and you expect me to stay here and look at you?”
“I thought maybe if I got pregnant, you would change your mind,” she said quietly, her voice hitching as tears welled in her eyes.
“Well, you thought wrong. I don’t want kids. Why is that so hard for you to understand? Did you lie to me when you said you didn’t want them either?”
Mallory shrugged pitifully. “I thought if I didn’t agree with you, then I would lose you. I thought
once we were married, I could convince you...”
“Oh, my fucking God. Are you shittin’ me right now?!” He laced his fingers together on top of his head, and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and prayed for strength. “I gotta go. I gotta get out of here before I say or do something I’ll regret.”
He finished packing his bag, grabbed his work stuff, then left the bedroom and a crying Mallory. He jumped in his work truck because he was going to need it for work tomorrow and peeled the fuck out of the driveway.
Ten minutes later, he pulled into his brother’s driveway, and shut the truck off. He dropped his forehead to the steering wheel, then banged it a couple of times. He composed himself, grabbed his shit and walked up to his brother, Ian’s, front door. He rang the doorbell and waited.
Ian opened the door a few seconds later. He smiled when he saw Jayme, but then noticed the bag and his smile faded. “What happened?”
Jayme shook his head as Ian stepped aside to let him in. He walked into the house and set his bag by the stairs. “Mallory’s been trying to get pregnant for months behind my back.”
“Wait, I thought you both didn’t want kids?” Ian asked in confusion.
Ian was two years younger than Jayme’s thirty-seven. One could definitely tell they were brothers, people even thought they were twins when they were younger. Ian’s hair was a bright red though, not the darker auburn that Jayme had. Ian was also fairer skinned and was covered in freckles. A true redhead. Their younger brother, Seamus, ended up with brown hair. All three brothers shared the same green eyes.
“Apparently, she lied. She wanted kids but agreed with me so I wouldn’t break up with her. She thought once we were married, she could convince me to have kids.”
“Wow. That’s really...fucked up.”
“Yeah. So, can I stay here for a few days until I figure out what to do?”
“Of course, man. Of course.”
“Jana won’t mind?” Jayme asked.
“Jana won’t mind what?” asked the woman who walked into the living room from the kitchen. She smiled at Jayme and opened her arms for a hug. He hugged his sister-in-law.
“Jayme needs to stay for a few days,” Ian supplied.
“Oh? Why? Something happen with you and Mallory?” Jana asked, blinking up at him.
Jayme narrowed his eyes at her. “Don’t give me that innocent act. I know you don’t like Mallory.”
Jana grinned. “Fine. Did you finally ask for a divorce?”
“Not yet, but it’s coming. I can’t trust her anymore.”
“Oooh, come sit, give me all the details. I need some gossip in my life.” She grabbed Jayme’s hand and dragged him over to the couch, then pushed him down onto it. Jayme chuckled. He told her and Ian everything that happened, from the fight that morning, to him pulling out, then the fight that happened afterwards.
“That bitch!” Jana gasped in outrage.
“Yeah. I’m really thinking it’s over. How could we possibly come back from this?” Jayme sighed and raked a hand through his short hair.
“Couples therapy?” Ian suggested with a shrug.
“I don’t even think that would help. I mean, we both want completely different things, and can’t come to a middle ground.”
“Get a dog,” Ian said.
“What?” He huffed.
“That’s your middle ground. A dog. It’s like a kid, but not. Maybe if you get a puppy, it will give Mallory that mommy feeling.”
Jayme scowled. “I don’t want a dog either.”
“I think what you mean to say, is you don’t want to be with Mallory anymore,” Jana said, giving him a pointed look.
“What kind of relationship can we have without trust? A pretty shitty one.”
“It’s already shitty.” Ian scoffed.
“It is. I think it’s over.” He nodded.
“Does she think that?” Jana asked.
“Don’t know. Don’t care.” He shrugged.
CHAPTER TWO
Tripp
TRIPP GLANCED over at Jayme, giving him an exasperated sigh. “Will you just answer the damn thing?” he said.
Jayme cleared his throat and shook his head. “I don’t want to.”
“Who keeps calling you? Your wife?” he asked, studying his partner’s profile as they drove to a call about ducklings stuck in a storm drain.
Jayme gave him a curt nod without looking at him. Something must have been going on with them if he doesn’t want to answer the phone when she called. “Did you guys have a fight?”
Jayme licked his full lips and it sent a jolt of lust straight to his cock. Shit. Jayme finally glanced at him and the look on his face said it all. They were having more than just a fight. It was serious.
“I don’t wanna talk about it with you,” Jayme grumbled, turning back to the road.
Tripp was surprised by the hurt that little statement caused. He knew they weren’t exactly friends yet, it had only been a couple days since they’d met and became partnered, but it still smarted that Jayme didn’t trust him with his personal problem.
“You sure? I might have some insight since I’m a neutral party here.” He tried.
Jayme was silent for a few minute and Tripp figured he wasn’t going to answer. Then Jayme sighed heavily and blurted, “My wife has been trying to get pregnant behind my back for months. We had agreed to never have kids.”
“She’s been cheating on you?” Tripp frowned.
Jayme sent him an incredulous look. “What?! No! She just hasn’t been taking her birth control and we don’t use condoms.”
“Oooh! See, when you said...nevermind...wow, so yeah, that’s kinda fucked up. How come you don’t want kids?” he asked curiously.
“I just don’t. I like my life the way it is. I don’t want to be tied down to a kid. You can’t just up and go out to dinner, or on vacation, or do anything spontaneous. I don’t want that.”
Tripp nodded. “Yeah, I get that. So, what happened? You aren’t talking to her right now?”
Jayme told him what had happened the other day and how he left and went to stay with his brother. She’d been calling him ever since. He refused to answer, saying he had nothing to say to her.
“You’re going to have to talk to her eventually,” Tripp said as they pulled up to the location of the little ducks in the storm drain.
There were people milling around and the mama duck a few feet away with two babies. Jayme grunted in answer and they got out of the truck.
It was a large storm drain. He shoved his hands on his hips and shook his head. He knew what had to happen here, and he didn’t like it one bit. His gaze met Jayme’s, and a slow smile crept across his partner’s face.
“Well, Rookie, what are you waiting for? Get in there,” Jayme said almost gleefully.
“Dammit.”
Tripp went to the truck and took off his vest. He would fit easier without it. He could hear the ducklings chirping away in there. Poor little things. He walked over to the storm drain and got down on his hands and knees. He could see the little guys all huddled together in a corner. Good, that way he wouldn’t step on them.
“I swear to God, if a red balloon shows up down here, I quit,” he muttered, making Jayme bark out a laugh. It was good to hear the guy laugh, he’d been sullen all day.
He lowered himself down into the storm drain feet first. When he got down there, he cooed to the little ducks, and then started grabbing them one by one, handing them out to Jayme, who then sent them over to their mama. When the last one was out the crowd cheered. Jayme helped pull Tripp out of the drain since he didn’t have much leverage and space to push himself out.
Tripp brushed himself off, then went back to the truck and put his vest back on. Both he and Jayme got into the truck and drove off to go do some patrolling of a fishing area close by. He looked over to find Jayme smiling.
“What?” he asked Jayme.
Jayme shrugged. “That’s the kind of stuff that makes me love this
job so much.”
“Saving some ducklings?”
“No, being able to send a rookie down into a storm drain.” Jayme laughed.
“Oh, fuck you, Dude.”
Jayme laughed harder. The lighthearted mood was effectively killed when his cell phone started ringing again. Jayme made an aggravated noise and yanked the truck onto the shoulder of the road. He slammed it into park and pulled out his phone. After checking the screen, he swiped a finger across it and put it to his ear.
“What, Mallory? What the fuck do you want? I’m trying to fucking work...there’s nothing to talk about...that’s great...no, I don’t care that you’re sorry...I’ve gotta go.” Jayme hung up the phone and squeezed it in his hand as he growled through gritted teeth. “Fuck!”
He watched as Jayme closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.
“I’m okay,” Jayme murmured.
Setting his phone aside, Jayme placed the truck back into drive, and got them back on the highway. Tripp didn’t think there was anything he could say that would make any of it better, so he let it go. They drove in comfortable silence until they got to the fishing area. Jayme parked the truck, then turned to look at him.
“Sorry about that.”
He shook his head. “It’s cool, Man. Don’t worry about it.”
Jayme nodded, and they both got out of the truck to go check some fishing licenses.
~~~
Jayme
“I want a divorce.” Jayme told Mallory from where he sat across from her at their kitchen table. He’d been staying with his brother for a little over a week now. This conversation had to happen though, they both needed to move on with their lives.
Mallory stared at him in shock. “What? Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“But...but...”
