“Um, dogs aren’t supposed to be off leash here.”
Frank smirked. “Are you going to call the cops?”
Alex gave her a swat on the butt. “I just might, smartass.”
“C’mon, Bella, let’s get some running in before the po-po arrive.”
Alex continued to push Aiden in the swing for a few minutes, but the gentle back and forth was putting him to sleep. She pulled him from the swing with little fuss and placed him in the stroller, reclining the seat so he could lie flat. She pushed the stroller over to where Frank was throwing the ball for Bella and spread a small blanket under a tree. She watched the dog retrieve the ball, drop it in Frank’s hand, and sit while she waited for Frank to toss the ball again. Frank was unable to throw it far, probably because of the pain in her ribs, but Bella didn’t seem to mind too much.
She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. The smell of the freshly cut grass and the chirping of the birds in the tree above her gave her such a sense of peace. It was a perfect day. She had her favorite kid asleep in the stroller, an attractive woman throwing the ball for her incredibly sweet dog. She felt life couldn’t get better than this very moment. So what was that dread that just appeared that seemed to be knotting up her stomach? As Frank and Bella returned, she tried to push that feeling aside. “You tired already?”
Frank looked at her incredulously. “Me? Psh, no. I told you Bella has no stamina.”
On cue, Bella turned around three times before lying down next to Aiden’s stroller and closing her eyes. Frank sat next to Alex and leaned back on her hands.
“How do your ribs feel?”
“Not too bad, just a little sore.”
“Why don’t you lie down and put your head in my lap?”
Frank turned her body perpendicular to Alex’s and lay down, resting her head in Alex’s lap. Alex wiped a few beads of sweat from Frank’s forehead and started running her fingers through Frank’s short, thick locks. She was beginning to really like Frank and was looking forward to getting to know her better. Frank grabbed Alex’s hand and brought it to her lips. She kissed every fingertip then sucked on the tip of Alex’s index finger. A wave of arousal shot through Alex, and her clit began to throb. She closed her eyes and gasped in sheer pleasure. She nearly lost control when Frank began to swirl her tongue around Alex’s finger.
Alex pulled her finger away and tried to calm her racing pulse. Goddamn it for timing. “You start something like that, Sarge, you better be ready to finish it.”
Frank looked at her with pure lust and Alex felt light-headed. “Believe me, when I’m recovered, I’ll be more than happy to finish it.”
Aiden began to fuss and sat up in his stroller. Frank sat up too so Alex could pick him up. Thank God he woke up, otherwise we could’ve been in real trouble here. “How’s my sweet boy?” She sat down with Aiden cradled against her chest and started to rock back and forth while humming a lullaby. Frank looked at her with what appeared to be admiration. She smiled at her and closed her eyes.
“You’re so good with him. Do you want kids of your own?”
Alex opened her eyes. “I do, but if it doesn’t happen, it’ll be okay. I’ve been with this little guy since he was born. I’ve fed him, played with him, rocked him to sleep, comforted him when he cries, and changed more diapers than I can count. I don’t think I could love him more if he were my own. In a way, this might be better. Who do you think he’s going to come to when he’s pissed at his moms?” Alex and Frank laughed, then Alex continued, “We have a very special bond that will last a lifetime. He’s as comfortable with me as he is with his moms.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters that will give you nieces or nephews?”
“No, I’m an only child, but Jordan’s my sister from another mister, so he’s like my nephew. How about you? Any brothers or sisters?”
The smile fell from Frank’s face, and her eyes became cloudy with pain. Frank just shook her head. Alex reached for her hand, but Frank stood and turned away from Alex.
“We’ve been gone for a couple of hours. We should probably get him home,” Frank said brusquely.
Bewildered, Alex didn’t know what to say, so she agreed. “All right.”
Frank folded up the blanket, then she grabbed Bella’s leash. They wandered back to Jordan and Kirsten’s in silence and waited at the front door. Jordan opened it, looking fresh from a shower with her wet hair hanging past her shoulders.
“Hey, ladies. Did you have a good time?” Jordan scooped Aiden out of the stroller and held him high above her. She blew a raspberry against Aiden’s belly, making him squirm and laugh.
“We did. Monkey got to swing. Frank threw Bella the ball. It was a nice day.”
Frank nodded in agreement but didn’t say anything.
“We were just about to fire up the grill. You girls want to join us?”
Alex nodded, then looked to Frank, who was staring at the ground.
“Thanks, but I gotta get home. This was the most activity I’ve had in a week, and it really wore me out.” Frank hugged Jordan, then kissed Alex on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.” She turned and took Bella to her truck.
Alex watched Frank leave, then turned to Jordan. “I’ll be right back.” Alex ran after Frank and caught her as she opened the door. “Hey, are you okay?”
Frank got Bella into the truck and turned on the air-conditioning before closing the door. “Yeah, I’m just tired.”
Alex cupped Frank’s cheek. “Are you sure? It seems you shut down when I asked if you had siblings.”
Frank’s eyes watered and her voice cracked when she spoke. “Can we not talk about this?”
“Oh, honey, of course.” Alex wrapped her arms around Frank’s neck and pulled her down to her chest. When she felt Frank’s arms wrap around her waist, she held her tighter, but was careful of her injury. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m a really good listener, okay?”
Frank nodded against Alex’s shoulder, then gave her a kiss so sweet, it nearly broke Alex’s heart. Frank opened the door to her truck and looked back to Alex. “I’ll talk to you soon.” Frank got behind the wheel and waved to Alex as she drove away.
Oh, baby, what happened to put that pain in your eyes?
Alex went into the house and headed for the kitchen, where she heard Jordan and Kirsten talking. Aiden was on the floor playing with a few of his toys. She opened the fridge and pulled out three beers and handed one each to Jordan and Kirsten.
“What’s up with Frank? She seemed a little down before she left.”
“I’m not sure. We were having a nice time at the park, getting to know each other, and when I asked about siblings, she sort of checked out. What’s the deal?”
Jordan sighed deeply. “Her twin sister died a few years ago of breast cancer. She told me about it one night over drinks.”
Alex covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh my God.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. She was stunned speechless. The sadness in Frank’s eyes made so much sense now. Alex had never lost anyone close to her except for her grandparents, but that was because of old age. She couldn’t fathom what it would be like to lose someone so young. The fact that Frank lost her twin made Alex’s heart ache even more.
Kirsten embraced Alex when she began crying. Alex felt her tears trickle down her cheeks as Kirsten held her, then felt Jordan wrap her arms around them both. Alex thought about what it would be like if she lost Jordan or Kirsten. These two women were practically her sisters, and just the very thought made Alex sick to her stomach. As much as she wanted to remain safe in this cocoon, she stepped away and took a long pull of her beer. She needed a little space. This information was suffocating her.
Jordan took a drink from her bottle, then went back to helping Kirsten prepare their meal. “So, what’s going on with you two anyway? After the pool party, I thought you weren’t interested in Frank.”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know exactly. I guess we’re getting to know each other.
We had a date last night. I brought takeout over to her house, but she was so wiped out from her pain, we didn’t spend more than a couple of hours together.” She picked up Aiden when he toddled into the kitchen and she held him tight against her. “I brought her some soup the day after the injury, we talked a little, and I wanted to get to know her better. I like her, J. There are so many facets to her personality that sometimes I feel like my head is swimming, but she’s sexy as hell, and I want to get to spend time with her.”
Jordan smiled and looked at Kirsten, then went back to chopping vegetables. “I’m glad to hear that, Al. You won’t find anyone more down to earth than Frank. We just started to get to know each other better, but she’s a cool chick and has a heart of gold.”
Alex put her lips to Aiden’s forehead and thought about what Jordan said. She really did want to know Frank better, and she hoped after dinner she could continue on that journey.
Chapter Eight
Frank had been moping around ever since she got home from the park. Her stomach grumbled with hunger, but she really didn’t feel like eating. She never knew how to answer when people asked about her family. She did have a sister, but she died, so did she still have a sister? She also didn’t want to see the pity in people’s eyes if she told them she died. It wasn’t her that Frank wanted people to feel sorry for—it was her sister who had to go through chemotherapy and radiation. It was her sister who had lost her hair. It was her sister who withered away while she fought valiantly for her life. It was her sister who didn’t live to see her thirtieth birthday.
Frank stepped into her bedroom and picked up the photo on her dresser. She stared at the face that was so similar to her own—the amber colored eyes, the Romanesque nose, the thick, black hair, and olive-toned skin. Their Italian heritage had contributed to their good looks. But whereas Frank considered herself more butch, Antonia was the epitome of femininity. There was a softness to her face that Frank didn’t have. When they were younger, they both had long hair, but the more Frank got involved in sports, the shorter her hair became. Frank was the star athlete; Antonia was the head cheerleader. She had never seen her parents in the stands of her basketball games, but Antonia was the constant support—always waving her pom-poms and screaming the loudest when Frank made a good play.
Frank had a ton of basketball scholarship offers, but she didn’t want to go to a school if Toni wouldn’t be there. Toni had always been academically smarter than Frank, and she was accepted into every school she applied to. They mutually decided they would attend Los Angeles State. Their basketball team was decent enough, but it had a great criminal justice program for Frank and a wonderful English department for Toni. She loved literature and had aspirations of becoming a high school English teacher.
Frank put the picture back on the dresser and returned to the living room. It was times like this—when she was melancholy, when she was missing Toni more than she ever thought possible—when she really wanted to lose herself in alcohol, to drink so much that it would numb her pain. That was the exact reason she never kept it in the house. She wouldn’t succumb to the drink the way her parents did when Toni died. She was okay with having a beer or two when she was at a party or hanging out with friends because it was usually a happy time, but she wouldn’t be so weak as to drown her sorrows in a shot glass. Her parents were weak. She was not.
Frank gave in to her hunger and microwaved the leftover Thai food from the night before and prepared Bella’s dinner. The sound of kibble dropping into the stainless steel bowl brought Bella trotting into the kitchen. She put Bella’s food down and pulled her own food from the microwave as Bella ate. She sat at the table for five minutes pushing her food around on the plate when there was a knock on the door. When she opened it, she saw Alex standing there with an unreadable expression on her face. “Hey, what’s going on?”
Alex stepped inside and wrapped Frank in her arms. Not that Frank didn’t enjoy being held by Alex, but she was a little confused as to why she was there.
“Jordan told me about your sister.”
Frank gasped and tried to pull away, but Alex held her tighter. The tears that had threatened her all afternoon finally broke free.
“Shh, it’s okay. Let it all out. I got you,” Alex whispered.
Alex rubbed her hands up and down Frank’s back in an attempt to comfort and soothe her. When the tears finally subsided, Frank wiped her eyes and turned away, embarrassed at crying in front of Alex. She was usually able to keep her feelings in check, careful of displaying them in front of people she didn’t know well, but it wasn’t pity she felt from Alex; it was empathy. And if she was going to talk to anybody about this, why wouldn’t it be Alex? She let her defenses down with Jordan one night a few months ago after a couple of drinks and told her about Toni, and she was met with the same expression Alex just gave her.
“I just heated up some leftovers from last night. Do you want some?”
“No, thanks. I ate with Jordan and Kirsten.” Alex sat at the table with Frank. “I wanted to come by and see if you were okay.”
Frank blew out a breath and resumed pushing her food around on her plate. “I’m okay. I’m sorry I bailed on you. It’s been three years since my sister died, but sometimes it sneaks up on me and punches me in the gut.”
“I can’t imagine what you went through, what you’re still going through, but I promise to listen if you want to talk to me about it.” Alex reached across the table and held Frank’s hand.
Frank rubbed her thumb across the top of Alex’s hand. “I really appreciate it. I’m just a little raw right now, so could we do it another time?”
“Of course. Would you like me to go?”
“No. I’d really like it if you could stay for a while.”
“I’d love to on one condition.”
Frank looked at her quizzically.
“You promise to eat your food instead of just moving it.”
Frank laughed for the first time since they were at the park earlier. “You drive a hard bargain, but all right.” Frank began to eat while Alex went to get them something to drink. Frank thanked her when she put a bottle of juice in front of her. It didn’t take Frank long to clean her plate, and they went into the living room.
They sat next to each other on the couch as the sun began to set through the window behind them. Alex snuggled into Frank’s side when she lifted her arm and placed it around Alex.
“How are the ribs feeling after throwing the ball for Bella today?”
“Actually, they’re feeling better. I think the throwing motion loosened things up. I’m even breathing a little easier.”
Alex positioned herself to straddle Frank’s lap and placed her hands behind her neck. “Want to give that kissing thing another try, Sarge? I mean, since you’re feeling better now and all.”
Frank noticed Alex’s brown eyes turn almost black and felt her own pulse speed up. She grabbed Alex’s hips and pulled her closer. Alex lowered her head and met Frank’s lips with a soft, sweet, gentle kiss. Alex moved her hands to Frank’s face and held her there while she deepened the kiss. Like Frank had any thoughts of stopping now. They spent hours, or maybe just minutes, exploring each other’s mouths, exploring each other’s bodies with their hands. There was nothing Frank would have liked to do more than to carry Alex to her bed and make love to her all night, but although she was feeling better, she knew she wasn’t quite up for something so physical. Once again, she cursed Robbins for being such a strong tackler. She needed to slow things down, needed to regain control. But, Christ, it was so easy to lose control with Alex. She broke the kiss, gasping for breath, and placed her forehead against Alex’s chest.
Alex cupped the back of Frank’s head and held her close to her heart. “You okay?”
Still breathing hard, Frank said, “Yes and no. I’m so incredibly turned on right now that I ache. But I don’t think I’m physically recovered enough to make love to you, at least not the way I want to.”
“I
know what you mean about the aching, but I understand. I don’t want to make you feel worse, so you better offer me a rain check, Sarge. You can’t be kissing me like that without being able to finish the job.”
Frank laughed and kissed her again. This time it wasn’t long enough to ignite the embers that were already glowing. “I promise to make it up to you.”
Alex climbed off Frank’s lap and resumed her place next to her. “Whew.” She ran her fingers through her hair and straightened her top. “You sure can kiss.”
Frank chuckled. “I’m not the only one. Holy shit, woman!”
Alex kissed Frank’s cheek and smiled. “I’m going to get going since it’s getting late. You get some rest and hurry up and get better, will you? I’m not sure how much longer I can wait.” She gave Bella a quick belly rub. “Take care of your mama for me, sweet girl.”
Frank escorted Alex to the door and kissed her once more. “I really appreciate you coming by to check on me. I promise to tell you all about Toni some other time, okay?”
Alex brought her hand up to Frank’s cheek and caressed it with her thumb. “I’d really like that. You get some rest and I’ll talk to you later.”
Frank stood in the doorway until Alex was safely in her car and didn’t close her door until she drove away. When she sat back down on the couch, Bella came over and looked at her expectantly. “Okay, come on up.”
Bella jumped up on the couch and lay across Frank’s lap. Frank methodically rubbed Bella’s head and ears, and felt her world start to calm. “You never knew Toni, but when I tell Alex about her, I want you there. I have a feeling I’ll need your support when I talk about your auntie.”
Chapter Nine
Frank couldn’t stand it anymore, so first thing Monday morning, she arrived at the doctor’s office in hopes of being released back to work. It wasn’t exactly what she was after, but she strode out of the office with a form allowing her to return to desk duty. She’d rather be out on the streets for patrol, but riding a desk was better than sitting at home doing nothing. She spent most of the previous day cleaning house, having to rest after every chore to give her ribs a break. She also spoke for a little while with Alex, who was also getting chores and laundry done. They wanted to get together again soon, but Frank would have to see which schedule her lieutenant would have her work.
Courageous Love Page 6
