My gaze moves down her torso, until I step closer, taking both her wrists in one of mine. When I pull them up and over her head, her nipples pull tightly against her skin. I’m sure she can feel the heat of my eyes on them. They lift as I watch, before I turn us around, sitting her down on our bed.
“Were we?” My eyebrows pull together in a question I’m sure she doesn’t feel like answering right now.
Before she can answer, I’ve pressed her back against the cover, reached behind me and pulled my t-shirt off, before layering my body on top of hers. Capturing a hard nub in my mouth, I hollow my cheeks, giving her what I know she wants. Her fingers grip mine, the sharpness of her fingernails digging into my wrists, and the way her lower body thrusts against mine turns me on more than anything else can.
“Ransom,” she moans, pushing her lower body against mine.
I release her wrists because I want to feel her skin against mine. It’s been so long. Weeks feels as if they’ve been an eternity. Together, the two of us work to undo my jeans, causing me to growl when her hands push down the back of my boxer briefs.
Pushing my mouth into her neck, I focus on the pressure point that makes her squirm every time I find it. I know exactly when I do because her nails dig into the flesh of my ass as I flex against her.
“I love you,” she whispers as she takes one hand from my ass cheek and curls it around my neck, holding me tightly to her. God this feels better than anything else has. I’ve wanted so much to be close to her in the past few weeks, and I just haven’t been able to get close enough. This right here, is everything I’ve needed – all the things I’ve wanted.
This shit is a special kind of hell. The fact that she’s completely naked and I’m nowhere near as naked as I should be. I can feel her heat, her wetness against the cotton of the fabric. Hell, I’m still wearing my fucking jeans too, they’re down to my knees, but I can’t force myself to lever completely away from her. I can’t handle pulling away long enough to push them the rest of the way down. Not when she’s so into it, thrashing her head against the pillow, the hard pebbles of her nipples rubbing on my chest, and I can still feel the bite of her nails from where they bit into my ass.
Fuck if I can’t wait anymore. “Stelle, just push ‘em down, pull my dick out, and put it inside of you.”
I feel her mouth fall open as her jaw hits my forehead. I love the sharp intake of breath when I say something that turns her on. I don’t stop my mouth against her skin. My stomach clenches hard, quivering as her hands work down my stomach, pushing the elastic band down, so she can reach inside and grab my length.
Pushing myself up on my arms, testing out the shoulder, I grunt with the effort it takes. Letting my head fall forward on my shoulders, I dip my mouth and use my tongue to swipe against these nipples that have been driving me crazy today. Groaning, I feel her hand push against me in an up and down motion, before thrusting my hips toward her.
“Go, babe.” I leverage myself up, capturing her mouth with mine.
She guides me into her body, and immediately I feel like I’m about to explode. We both moan, her hands clasping at mine. My hands grip the sheets as I work myself deep into her wet heat.
Our tongues duel against each other as I start rocking into her, pulling my mouth from hers when I feel her legs wrap around my waist. “You’re so goddamn hot,” I breathe into her ear, dropping an elbow onto the mattress.
“You’re so hard.” She pushes her head back against the pillow, giving me free rein to her flesh. “Feels so good.”
As I feel her body tighten against mine, I push a knee to the mattress to gain more leverage, and as I do, I feel both of us let go. I collapse on top of her, and we both laugh slightly as we try to catch our breath.
“I’m glad you’re okay, handsome. I’ve been scared,” she admits as she curls up tightly against me. “Scared you wouldn’t be okay.”
Tipping her chin down so I can look in her eyes, I see for the first time the fear she’s been hiding from me. “I’m okay, Stelle. As long as I got you, I’m always gonna be okay.”
“Same here, handsome, same here.”
Just as I’m about to let sleep take me, I hear the jingle of Rambo’s tags, and with a superhuman effort, I lift my head. Seeing him standing in the doorway, I motion for him, grinning when he climbs on the bottom of the bed, curling up at our feet.
“Never gonna leave you two alone, promise,” I whisper as I kiss her lightly on the neck.
And with that promise ringing in my ears, the three of us drift off into the best sleep we’ve had since we got hurt. Just me, my girl, and my dog.
Chapter 36
Renegade
“I know the two of you are wondering why I’ve called you here today,” I sigh as I look at both of my kids.
“What’s the deal, Dad?” Belle asks as she sits on the couch next to Nick, her legs tucked up underneath her. She looks like she doesn’t have a care in the world. And right now, she shouldn’t. Ransom is recovering, Rambo is fine, but I’ve got an issue I need to discuss with the both of them.
“This is serious,” I start out. “I told your mom I was having this conversation with you both, and she left so that we could have it in private.”
“Now I’m starting to get nervous,” Belle starts fidgeting with her hair, a nervous habit she’s had since she was a kid.
“I’m just gonna come out and say it. I’m disappointed.” I look at both of them. “I know one of you lied to me,” I look at Belle, and like always, she looks guilty before I even start. She knows what I’m pissed about. “And I have a feeling the other one is too.” I level my gaze on Nick.
“Dad, we never meant to hurt anybody, that’s why we kept it a secret.” Her eyes don’t meet mine. “If we didn’t work out, we didn’t want anyone to have to take sides.”
“See that’s where I have a problem.” I shift in my seat. “You both should know us all well enough that we’d never take sides. Love is love, Belle, sometimes that love lasts forever, sometimes it burns bright and fizzles out, but more than anything, the MTF is a family. Even if we aren’t called that anymore, we’re always going to be a family, and for you to think we wouldn’t be? That’s a problem.”
Nick shifts uneasily in his seat. “We’re adults, Dad. We’re gonna make decisions that you don’t agree with.”
“And that’s fine,” I answer quickly. “What I don’t want you to do is lie to me. If there’s anything I’ve ever preached about to both of you, it’s to be truthful. If that means you’re in love with someone and you’re not sure how I’ll react, or if you’re having trouble in aspects of your life and you don’t think I’ll understand. Why don’t you tell me and see how I react? I can assure you, what you think is the truth, isn’t anywhere near it.” I kick out my feet in front of me.
“Dad,” Belle starts.
I hold up my hand. “No, the time you had to talk was before all this happened. Now you get to listen.”
She sighs, sitting cross-legged on the couch, before she shares a look with Nick.
“Your mom and I? We didn’t tell anybody about our relationship for months. For a lot of the same reasons you and Ransom didn’t tell anybody. If you would have come to us, we could have told you keeping it secret wasn’t the way to go. You wouldn’t have had to have done it; all of us are excited as hell that the two of you are together. Ransom is one of the best men I know, and I know he’s never going to disrespect you in any way.”
Belle cries as I keep talking.
“I’d love to have been there when it first started with the two of you, to meet him under the different circumstances of him being the man in your life. To know why you’ve looked so happy. There would’ve been no judgment, please understand that. If I had to pick anybody to be your boyfriend, it would’ve been him. I’m extremely happy for the two of you.”
Belle comes off the couch, throwing herself at me, wrapping her arms tightly around me. “I’m happy, Dad,” she cries into my ear. �
�I’m so happy.”
“I know you are,” I whisper back to her. “And nothing makes me feel like a better parent than knowing there’s someone who will be there to protect you if I’m not around.”
“You’re always gonna be around.”
Her words make my heart clench. As I get older, I know I’m not going to be around forever, and all I want is to make sure I’ve given my kids the ability to make good decisions and to live a life as uncomplicated as possible. The important things to me are how they love each other, themselves, and the other people in their lives. She pulls away from me, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand, before going back to sit on the couch.
My gaze falls on my son.
“I know you,” I tell him. “I know the kinda person you are, because I was that person until I was taken in by your grandparents and they showed me what a real family is. You look at me now, and you don’t think we have shit in common, I know that. But I’m here to tell you, Nick, I know you. I know where you’ve been, I’ve been there too. And when you’re ready to talk about it, and stop hiding your emotions, I’ll be right here for you.”
“I don’t hide my emotions,” he argues. “You know I love you.”
“You do,” Belle whispers from where she sits. “You’re never going to admit to Kels how you feel about her.”
Immediately I see Nick close off. He’s done, and there’s no reaching him today. He responds with anger, just like I used to before I knew better.
“Fuck you, Stella. You have no idea what I’ve gone through.”
She pins him with a glare. “And I never will until you tell me, just like Kels will never know.”
He gets up, walking to the door. When he turns, he blows out a breath. “I love you, Dad. Thank you.” He shakes his head. “But I can’t right now.”
“When you’re ready. I’ll be right here.”
Watching him walk out the door is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do as a parent, but I know he has to come to me. I can’t force the issue, otherwise I might push him away. Belle comes to me, hugging me tightly.
“I’m scared for him,” she admits softly.
“Me too, Belle. Me too.”
Chapter 37
Stella
As I turn onto the road in front of The Café, my heart does a little jump when I see the Laurel Springs Police SUV that belongs to my boyfriend. It’s parked near the front, Nick’s patrol car sits next to it, and I see my Mom’s SUV parked there too, as well as Holden’s truck. I’m super excited to see my Ransom because I haven’t seen him, except in passing, the last couple of days. Our schedules aren’t jiving, now that I’ve started school and he’s working more than ever.
But tonight, tonight is special. Our families are getting together for dinner.
Parking my car in the first available spot, I shut it off and then flip the visor up, checking my hair and makeup. It’s been a long day at work, but I managed to freshen up my hair before I left, and now I’m doing the same with my makeup. Satisfied that I’m looking as good as I’m going to, I grab my purse and exit the car. I wish I’d had time to go home and change, but scrubs are going to have to do today.
When I enter, I see the table with our group at the very front. It does my heart good to see everybody talking as I walk up. “Hey!” I wave, sliding into the empty seat next to Ransom. Not going to lie, when he puts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him, I almost melt into a puddle of goo. Especially when his lips drop on my forehead.
“Good day?” he asks.
“Long day,” I sigh, as I greet everybody else. Underneath the table, I feel something pushing at my feet. “What the hell?”
Looking down, I see Rambo nudging me for some attention.
“He’s supposed to act like he’s not here,” Ransom laughs.
Reaching down, I give him a nice rub on the head. “He wants attention too.”
“Okay.” Leigh rushes in, having a seat at the table. “I’m done for the day, and Cutter texted me what he wants, so I’ll order for him if everybody else is ready. He’s running late.”
A waitress comes to our table, taking all our orders. Once that’s done, I’m worried we’ll drop into an uncomfortable silence, but we don’t. The conversation is easy and much like the type we always have at our table. In fact, it’s a little funnier. Glancing over at my brother, I notice he’s got a scratch on his face.
“What happened to you?
Ransom, Holden, and Dad all snicker and snort as they laugh. “Yeah, why don’t you tell her what happened?” Holden laughs loudly.
Nick shakes his head. “Fuck you all, seriously.” He puts his face in his hands. “I was helping Ransom and Rambo track and we were in the fucking woods. “This asshole-” he points at Ransom, “-should have held the tree limb back for three more seconds. Instead, he let it go, and the damn thing came back and hit me.”
“I had to go where the dog was going.” Ransom holds his hands up. “I mean, what’d you expect me to do?”
“Hold the fuckin’ tree limb, bro. We’re friends.”
We’re all laughing as Nick grumbles.
“Laugh it up, all of you. I had blood pouring down my face. What if I get a scar?”
“Scars are hot.” Mom gives him a wink.
I giggle as he looks horrified.
“Please never do that again.” He shivers.
Cutter comes in, occupying the only empty seat. Everyone says their hellos and then goes back to their conversations. When our food comes, the talking doesn’t stop, and when I feel Ransom’s hand on my thigh, squeezing it tightly, I chance a look over at him.
We smile at one another, sharing a private relieved look.
“Hey, you two.” Mom waves at us. “Smile!”
Together, we turn to face her, and almost as if it’s second nature, I melt into his side as he pulls me close. She holds her phone up, taking our picture. It’s then that it hits me, this is our first picture together, and I’m beyond grateful it happened on such a special night.
Epilogue
Stella
One Year Later
Blue lights are flashing in my rearview and I have no idea what I’ve done wrong. Even though it’s only six at night, I’ve just pulled a twelve-hour shift at the hospital, and I’m tired after staying up late last night studying. Only one more semester to go, thanks to doing summer school and testing out of some classes thanks to my medical assisting degree. But this semester is kicking my ass. I’m more tired than normal, and I’m taking things a bit too seriously. Which is why I feel tears well up in my eyes as I see the flashing lights of the Laurel Springs Police Department Charger.
I have tears because I know that this isn’t Ransom and I miss him so much. We’ve been ships passing in the night for the last two weeks, and all I want is a hug. His arms wrapped tightly around me, and him promising me that all this hard work will be worth it.
“Do you know how fast you were going back there?”
Menace is leaning into the window I rolled down, but I don’t remember when. Giving him my best smile, I shake my head. “Honestly Mason, I have no clue. It’s been a really long day.”
“You were fifteen over, and a car fitting this description just made off with gas at the Qwik Mart. The reports indicate someone was also smoking marijuana and there is definitely an odor in here.”
I’m trying to wrap my head around what my boyfriend’s boss is telling me. “You think I stole gas and I’m smoking marijuana? You think I was going fifteen over back there? What? Are you having a stroke? Do I need to take your vitals?”
“I know you were going fifteen over,” he argues. “I have it on my radar. In fact, he was with me.” He points over to my passenger side door, where I see my dad standing.
“Dad, you know me. I don’t have a lead-foot like Mom.”
“The radar detected something different, Belle.”
Are they fucking kidding right now? I’m going from tired and upset to mad as hell quicke
r than I ever thought I could.
“I’m gonna need you to get out of the car, and to answer your question, I feel fine.” Mason opens the door, motioning for me to get out.
“Pretty sure you’ve lost your damn mind.” I slowly unhook my seatbelt and go to stand where he points at the front of his cruiser.
I’m trying desperately to make eye contact with my dad, but he’s having none of it. Meanwhile I’m fuming, more and more by the second – especially when I see a SUV pull up and hear the very familiar barking of a dog.
Ransom
God she’s beautiful, even when she’s angry. I can see her standing in front of Mason’s car, arms folded over a heaving chest, her cheeks red with anger. Her gaze turns on me as I move to get Rambo out of the back of my SUV.
“Remember the plan, bub?”
He barks just like he’s a human and we’ve shared a secret. My hands are shaking as I walk closer to them, my gut churning as I hope I can keep my shit together. “You called me for a vehicle sniff?”
“For the love of God.” Stella throws up her hands in the air. “What alternate universe have I stepped into?”
“Ma’am, I can’t treat you any different than I would anyone else.” I bite back the smile that threatens to spread across my face.
“Ma’am?” She leans forward, her voice raising higher. “What happened to babe or Goddamn Stelle your mouth feels incredible?”
Menace snorts with the force it takes for him to hold back his laughter and I’m right there too.
“Stella.” I hear Renegade groan. I'm sure he doesn’t appreciate hearing how much his daughter likes to give head.
“Oh you think this is a joke?” She looks around at the three of us. “It’s not fuckin’ funny.”
“Stella, if you don’t calm down, I’m going to have to detain you.” Nick’s parked behind me and made his way up to the scene.
Ransom: Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team #1 Page 18
