Law Man

by Kristen Ashley

  Shit!

  His eyes locked on mine.

  I tore mine away to look down at my cousin and say, “Billie, Mitch needs –”

  She cut me off, “Want Mitch.”

  Shit!

  “Okay then I’ll go to the –”

  “Want you. Want Mitch. Want Mitch!” Her voice was getting loud and I heard her fear so I lifted my hand, stroked her hair and cuddled her close.

  “Okay, he’s here. I’m here. It’s okay,” I cooed.

  “Cold,” she muttered.

  “You’ll be okay,” I whispered and tipped my eyes to Mitch.

  “Don’t go,” she whispered back.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I assured her softly.

  “Make sure he doesn’t go,” she demanded, shifting awkwardly so she could move one of her little arms and grasp onto his shirt with her little fingers.

  “I’m right here, gorgeous,” Mitch murmured and started stroking her back.

  “Cold,” she muttered and burrowed again into both Mitch and me.

  I took in a deep breath to calm my heart and my panic, panic for Billie and panic seeing as it appeared I’d be sleeping in Mitch’s bed with Mitch again. Finally I laid my head on the pillow. Mitch rested his head in his hand and his elbow in the pillow. Through this our eyes stayed connected.

  “How many kids does your sister have?” I asked quietly.

  “Three,” he answered.

  I nodded. This was good. His sister was clearly an expert.

  I pulled in a deep breath and pulled Billie closer. Billie pulled Mitch closer and then burrowed deeper into both of us. Mitch kept stroking her back and, luckily, it didn’t take long before she fell asleep.

  When I knew she was asleep, quietly, I shared what I thought earlier, “She was acting funny. She’s rarely in a bad mood but I didn’t even –”

  He knew where I was going and therefore cut me off with a whispered, “Mara, don’t.”

  I shook my head. “She doesn’t have insurance, Mitch. If this is bad –”

  “Mara, sweetheart, don’t.”

  I held his eyes.

  Then it all hit me like a freight train. Everything that was happening. Everything that had happened. All of it coming at me so hard, I couldn’t hold it back. None of the fear that was crushing me at the same time it seemed to be dragging me along somewhere I didn’t know and I was scared to go so I had to let it out.

  And I did. “Insurance. Lawyers. A new apartment. Childcare. Mitch, honey, I’ve got money but not that much. If we have to take her to the hospital that might clean me out. And I didn’t even know she was sick when she was acting like she never acts. I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s…everything, all of it, it’s too much and…” I choked, swallowed, pulled it together (slightly) and then I finished in a small voice, “I didn’t even know when my baby was sick.”

  I shut up when his hand left Billie’s back, came to my jaw and his thumb pressed against my lips.

  “Mara, baby, don’t,” he whispered again. “This is not for now. For now, she’s asleep. They got a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, people who give a shit about them and a ride to school tomorrow. Don’t think about that shit now. We’ll think about it later. We’ll talk about it and we’ll sort it out. But, for now, sweetheart, it’s all good.”

  “Billie doesn’t have food in her stomach, she just vomited it all up,” I reminded him.

  He grinned and reminded me, “Well, Bud does.”

  He held my eyes and I stared into the soulful, fathomless depths of his.

  Then I heard Billie’s steady breathing and felt the steadiness in Mitch’s eyes communicate itself to me as his words penetrated and the freight train tossed me aside. I took a deep breath and I nodded.

  Then his thumb swept my lips in a sweet brush but his fingers stayed at my jaw as he ordered gently, “I got her for a second. Go, get ready for bed, come back, you take her and I’ll do the same.”

  I kept staring at him. Then I nodded again. I carefully extricated myself from Billie and did what I was told. In my nightie with my face clean and moisturized, I slid under the sheets and Mitch curled Billie into my arms. Then he cautiously moved out of bed, did the same (though I doubted he cleaned his face and moisturized). Then, bare-chested (again) and wearing pajama bottoms (again) he joined Billie and me and curved his big, long, warm body into us both.

  Oh boy.

  To take my mind off Billie, Mitch and everything, I asked, “You’ll set the alarm?”

  He nodded.

  I curled deeper into Billie and bent my head so my face was in the top of her hair. She was right, the shampoo Mitch gave her smelled pretty.

  “Go to sleep, Mara,” I heard Mitch say softly.

  Right, like that would ever happen with Billie having a temperature of one hundred and three, shivering and throwing up. And with me being a mother figure but not having that first clue what to do. And me again in bed with Ten Point Five Detective Mitch Lawson after I let him slide right into second base on his couch without even trying to tag him with the ball.

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  * * * * *

  Mitch

  Ten minutes later, Mitch watched Mara fall asleep.

  Carefully he rolled, set the alarm, turned out the light, rolled back and pulled both beautiful females into his arms.

  Then he fell asleep.

  * * * * *

  Billy

  Billy lay staring at the dark ceiling after tiptoeing back to bed.

  He’d gotten up because he’d heard Billie getting sick. It didn’t happen often but when his sister got sick, he had to take care of her.

  Then he’d hid and watched (when he could) and listened the whole time Auntie Mara and Mitch took care of her.

  That was why he heard what Auntie Mara said.

  She didn’t have the money to keep them and she was scared.

  She could change her mind.

  She could change her mind.

  And he couldn’t let her change her mind.

  He’d also heard what Mitch said.

  Mitch was on Billy and Billie’s side and was trying to make sure Auntie Mara didn’t get too scared.

  This meant two things for Billy.

  It meant he had to do everything he could to keep Mitch around so Mitch could keep Auntie Mara from being scared and leaving them.

  It also meant he and Billie had to be real, extra good so they didn’t make Auntie Mara want to go away for other reasons.

  He could be good, especially for Auntie Mara and he could be certain Billie was good.

  As for keeping Mitch around, he didn’t figure he had to work too hard to do that. Mitch liked Auntie Mara like a lot. Guys didn’t look at girls like Mitch looked at Auntie Mara if they didn’t like them and like them a lot. And guys didn’t touch girls and get close to them all the time like Mitch did with Auntie Mara if they didn’t like them and like them a lot.

  Still, he’d have to do his part to keep Mitch around.

  He didn’t mind that, he liked Mitch. Mitch was an okay guy and bought Billie a pink teddy bear (twice, he knew, though Billie didn’t and Billy wasn’t going to tell her).

  And anyway, Auntie Mara looked at Mitch (when he wasn’t watching) like Mitch looked at Auntie Mara (and he didn’t care if she was watching) so Billy figured she’d want him to stick around too.

  * * * * *

  Mitch

  Four hours later, Mitch’s alarm sounded.

  He was on his back and, just like last night, there was one beautiful adolescent female and one beautiful adult female pressed into his side, both their arms thrown over his gut. Billie’s head was at his ribs, Mara’s on his shoulder but this time, Mara’s leg was tangled with one of his.

  He carefully but quickly threw out an arm, turned off the alarm then put his hand on Billie’s forehead.

  Cool and clammy, her hair slightly wet, the fever had broken. It came on fast and broke just as fast. Thank Christ.r />
  He turned his head and stretched his hand out again, reset the alarm for morning then cautiously slid out of bed, taking care to replace his body with a pillow under Mara and Billie but neither female moved even to twitch.

  He didn’t think for a second of moving to the couch. Instead he walked out of his bedroom, went into the living room, locked the door, turned out the lights, moved through the apartment and back to his room.

  Then he slid back in bed, settled on his back, moving the pillow and replacing it with his body and both beautiful adolescent and adult females snuggled back into him.

  He stared at the dark ceiling thinking about hearing Mara call him “my Mitch”. He also thought of how she went wild with just the brush of his thumb on her hard nipple.

  He grinned at the dark ceiling.

  Then he fell asleep.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Dream Come True

  My eyes slowly opened and, just like yesterday, upon waking, I was profoundly confused.

  And just like yesterday, this was because my vision was filled with a criminally attractive smooth-skinned, hard-muscled wall of chest along with the top of Billie’s head pressed to the sculpted ridges of some ribs, Billie’s and my arms slung over a flat, carved stomach.

  I blinked and, just like yesterday, the chest was still there and Billie was still there but this time I also felt my bare leg tangled with the soft-cotton covered hardness of Mitch’s.

  Oh boy.

  Drowsily, I asked myself again how this all happened and how it happened so fast.

  Even if I wasn’t just awake, again, with a bare-chested Mitch (and Billie) and was fully cogitating, I wouldn’t have been able to come up with an answer.

  Just because my life sucked (mostly, except the part about gentle, sweet, good guy Mitch, Billy and Billie being in it), I decided to give myself a gift and tipped my head back. As I did, I saw a familiar, corded throat, a familiar, strong, dark-stubbled jaw and then I was again, close up staring at Ten Point Five Detective Mitch Lawson’s profile in sleep.

  I also saw his lips which now I knew not only could do amazing things when they were pressed against mine but they could also do amazing things when they were wrapped round my nipple.

  And thinking these thoughts while looking at his male beauty and remembering last night (before Billie hurled), I couldn’t breathe.

  Then the part about Billie hurling came back to me. All thoughts of being in bed again with beautiful Mitch and the maybe more disturbing (but definitely not unpleasant in the least) thoughts of being on Mitch’s couch with Mitch flew out of my head. Only thoughts of Billie invaded.

  I looked to the clock and it was six minutes before the alarm was meant to sound. Clearly, Mitch didn’t wake me to check on Billie.

  Carefully, I extricated my arm from his stomach and touched Billie’s forehead.

  Cool.

  Thank God.

  I listened to the room. I could faintly hear both of them breathing but Billie wasn’t breathing heavily. She was breathing deeply, steadily and, from what I could tell, healthily.

  I closed my eyes and sighed in relief.

  No emergency room visit and the bill that went with it.

  Mental note: talk to Mr. Pierson about getting them both on my insurance.

  Mental note part two: do not think about how much that insurance would cost. I already had enough in my life to freak me out; I didn’t need to make any additions.

  Then I cautiously moved away, slid out of bed and pulled the covers back over Billie. As I straightened, Mitch moved and I froze. I watched with bated breath as he rolled to his side, his arm curling around Billie but neither woke. Both of their eyes stayed closed and Billie pressed her cheek to the area under his pectorals.

  I stared because Mitch was beautiful in his sleep. But he was indescribably beautiful being a good, kind man who was sleeping wrapped protectively around a sleeping six year old girl. A girl who had a sunny disposition (when she wasn’t barfing or feeling in a shitty mood as a precursor to said barfing) but who also had a shitheel of a Dad whose criminal activities and weaknesses made her unsafe and could have got her hurt.

  My beautiful, Teflon-coated cousin had never had this and would never have it with Bill in her life. Not when she had a nightmare and needed to feel safe. Not when she was sick and needed comfort.

  Not ever.

  Now she had it.

  What met my eyes was the stuff posters were made of but knowing the two beings filling my vision, I knew that what met my eyes were what dreams were made of.

  How, on God’s green earth, did my life shift so this vision could meet my eyes?

  I had no answer for that and I had no time to come up with an answer. I decided instantly Billie was not going to school that day which meant it was good it was my day off. But Billy had to get to school and I had to get him there.

  Silently I moved around the bed, went to the chair and grabbed Mitch’s flannel shirt that I’d tossed there yesterday morning.

  I shrugged it on and left the room. Closing the door quietly behind me, I hustled down the hall to the kitchen at the same time I re-secured the ponytail that I’d slept in. Once I hit the kitchen, I searched the cupboards and started a pot of coffee then went back down the hall to the bedroom where the kids were sleeping. I walked in and approached the air mattress on the floor where Billy was.

  I did a knees-closed squat, gently shook his shoulder, he opened his eyes and looked at me groggily.

  “Time for your shower, buddy,” I whispered.

  “’Kay, Auntie Mara,” he whispered back without hesitation, got out of bed wearing one of the new pairs of PJs I bought him, loose shorts and a loose tee and he shuffled out of the room to the bathroom.

  I decided to get a cup of coffee while he had a shower. I’d go to Mitch’s room and get my stuff to do my business in the hall bathroom after Billy was done so I could have a shower prior to taking Billy to school and Mitch could use his to get ready for his day.

  I was standing in front of the coffeepot pouring coffee into a mug with a splash of milk at the bottom; I shoved the coffeepot back into the coffeemaker and set the mug down in order to grab a spoon when it happened.

  Two strong arms closed around me, one at my ribs, one at my chest. My body went statue-still but my head tipped down and I saw strong, bare forearms just as I felt lips at my neck.

  “Mornin’, baby,” Mitch whispered there and a trill raced up my spine as I experienced a dream come true.

  Mitch wrapping his arms around me and whispering a really good “mornin’” to me.

  I liked that.

  No, I loved that.

  And I wanted it every morning for forever.

  “Mitch,” I whispered back, unable to say anything else.

  His arms gave me a squeeze and his lips didn’t move from the skin at my neck when he asked, “You sleep okay?”

  “Uh…” I answered, my vision blurry, my body still solid, my mind awhirl.

  Apparently that was answer enough for Mitch because his lips moved from my neck to my ear where he murmured, “I slept fuckin’ great.”

  “Um…” I muttered.

  “You feel good, curled into me, warm and soft.”

  Oh God.

  “Uh…”

  His arms squeezed. “Though, you’d probably feel better, there wasn’t a six year old between us.”

  Oh God!

  “Um…”

  “Billie’s fever broke,” he informed me.

  “Um…yeah,” I mumbled. “I checked before I got up.”

  “Mm,” he murmured in my ear causing another, stronger trill to go up my spine. So strong, my body trembled with it. I got another arm squeeze then Mitch’s arms went away but not a second later his hands were at my hips. I felt his heat leave my back but only so he could turn me then his heat was at my front and his arms wrapped around me again, one low at my back, one high at my shoulder blades.

  I looked into the depths of hi
s soulful eyes and instantly got lost.

  “You should have woke me,” he whispered, his face so close I felt his words on my lips.

  “Why?” I whispered back, still lost in his eyes (and his heat and his strong arms wrapped around me).

  “Because you left me in bed with a six year old,” he replied, this was said softly, gently and not with any accusation.

  “So?”

  “Baby, she isn’t my kid.”

  “She likes you.”

  “She still isn’t my kid. You there, it’s cool. Me alone in bed with Billie, not so much.”

  Crap.

  Okay, there it was. I was a dork thinking they looked like a poster. I’d screwed up, as usual, and made Mitch feel uncomfortable.

  “Sorry,” I whispered.

  His arms tightened, the one at my shoulder blades shifted up and his fingers sifted into my ponytail.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered back and I was sliding back into getting lost in his eyes even though his lids were lowering at the same time his head was lowering and his lips were a breath away from mine.

  “Mitch,” I called but my lips moved against his lips. Then my lips couldn’t move at all because his lips were on mine. His hand was cupping the back of my head to tilt it to one side, his slanted the other way and his tongue traced the crease of my lips until those lips opened and his tongue swept inside.

  Oh God.

  There it was again.

  Oh God!

  He tasted good, he felt good and he kissed great.

  My hands slid up his back and my fingers dug in at his lats as he kissed me and, he tasted so good, I kissed him right back.

  Finally, Mitch’s lips left mine, trailed down my cheek to my ear where he growled just as his arms squeezed, “Christ, I love your mouth.”

  There I was again, pressed tight to Mitch, breathing hard, wrapped in his arms.

  How did this keep happening?

  “Mitch –” I started.

  His head came up, his eyes locked on mine and he interrupted me, “When’s your next day off?”

  I blinked. “What?”

  His arm low at my hips tightened further. “Your next day off, sweetheart.”

  “Um…today,” I answered.