by Haven Rose
“Thank you, Keller. I know I’m supposed to say you shouldn’t have, but this is the best gift I’ve ever received.” If it had been anyone else, I’d think she’s mocking me, yet her words are sincere. “It was very sweet of you.” The fact I’m not sure how to take that, no one ever using that word to describe me before, must show because she giggles and corrects herself, “Sorry. I meant manly.” Then she goes to her tiptoes and whispers, “but it’s still sweet.” When Flora whistles, attempting to get her attention, she reluctantly tells me she has to go, but that she’ll be back. “By the way, I’m Emerson.”
Chapter Six
Emerson
December 28th…
Adjusting my barrette, and yes, I played with my hair that night after getting home, seeing the various ways I could wear it, then take a last glance at my reflection.
I won’t lie and say Keller’s automatic assumption about me gleaning those details from a male in my family didn’t hurt, but I accepted his apology, and the fact I am super sensitive on that subject. My game plan is to get to know him and vice versa. I can show him that I can take care of myself and others, and once I’m confident in where whatever this is might be going, I’ll tell him I want to be a cop. Well, by that point, I’ll be on my way toward making that happen as the academy starts in a little over a week.
Cowardly? Probably. Maybe. Definitely. But I ignore that aspect and focus instead on labeling it as protecting myself. My eyes stare back at me in accusation. “I know,” I say out loud, admitting to the empty apartment that I’m wrong. Edison isn’t here, having to finish some last-minute work on a case before it goes to court next week, but being the supportive brother he is, he’d be on my side regardless. Even if he also knew, just as I do, that I’m trying to justify it.
After Keller had given me the peace offering, the gesture had touched me so much, as had his vulnerability at that moment, that I’d asked if he wanted to get coffee soon. He’d then subtly taken control by suggesting today and I’d accepted.
Keller is a take charge kind of guy, and while you’d think I would hate that considering my parents have always tried to run my life, I like it from him. And on that contradictory note, my pulse kicks up when there’s a knock on the door because I know it’s him. Being a single woman, you can’t be too safe, but I trust Keller, so I told him where I live, wanting that extra time with him riding together will provide.
I let him in and he helps me put on my coat, lifting my hair from where it’d gotten tucked under it, then shifting me to face him. As he buttons it, I feel cherished, unable to remember when someone had taken such care with me, Edison notwithstanding.
I’m surprised when Keller leads me to an older model Bronco that’s in pristine condition. He opens the passenger side, then offers his hand to assist me. I take it, enjoying the feel of my skin touching his, his rough to my soft. A shiver courses through me, and while it very easily could be due to the chill in the air or the snow falling around us, I know it’s neither. He does things to me, and honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about that.
When he pulls into the parking lot of my favorite coffee shop, I smile, pleased at the idea that we have this in common. Granted, it’s not unheard of for people to come here, but it is a bit off the beaten path, so to speak, an establishment only the locals frequent and view as our secret.
I want to ask if he comes here a lot, but I don’t need to as a couple of the baristas wave when we walk in. Yes, they could be doing so to me, but from the corner of my eye I see Keller give a chin lift in acknowledgement.
“Apparently, you’re a regular, too,” I muse.
“They have the best beans in town,” he states, and no other explanation is needed. At the counter, we place our orders, and I discover Keller has a sweet tooth when he gives his after allowing me to go first. “Apple pie cappuccino with whipped cream and caramel on top, please.”
I quickly change mine to the same, stating, “The name alone is delicious,” and wonder why I’ve never gotten it myself.
Wade, one of the high school students that works here, chuckles, making me realize I said the internal monologue part out loud. Oops. “That’s because it’s not an actual drink we offer, but one he created and named.”
Keller shrugs, admitting, “Don’t let him fool you. They all call it that now, and drink it themselves. I’ve caught them.”
Maggie, the kindly older woman that manages the place, chimes in, “We do, though we refer to it as the ‘Killer Keller,’ making me giggle. Keller seems shocked by that, and asks why.
Unable to resist, I answer for her, “Because it’s sweet but deadly.”
“I like you,” she informs me, and I blush.
My jaw drops when Keller says, almost admonishingly, “Aunt Maggie.”
“You’re related?” They look nothing alike, which I know not all family does, but I did not see that coming.
Maggie beams, letting me know, “My brother is the genius that snapped his mom up, said he knew the second he saw her and this little rug rat that they were his.” So, that tells me that his dad isn’t in the picture, or at least that his parents aren’t together. I’m not judging in any way as I know that some people are better separately, my dad and mom are prime examples of that, but they either don’t know it or refuse to accept it.
Keller pipes in at that point. “Dexter moved next door to us when I was five. It took him a few years, but he finally got my mom to agree to marry him, then he adopted me shortly after that. He’s my dad, no step to it.” I nod, knowing we choose our own family and sometimes that bond can be stronger than blood.
“He sounds like a good man.”
“The best,” Keller and Maggie agree simultaneously. The latter refuses Keller’s money, who ignored mine when I tried to hand him some, so he slips it in the tip jar instead. Maggie sees it, but doesn’t stop him this time. He leans toward me, whispering that it goes toward the employees, which she’ll accept, meaning it’s a compromise that makes them both happy.
I’m enjoying this unexpected sneak peek at this intriguing man. At the same time, though, it worries me. Keller is obviously very close to his family and something tells me they’re the only people he allows in. What would he say if he knew I only talk to my parents when I have to? Would he understand the situation? Or accuse me as others have, declaring me a poor little rich girl that doesn’t know how good she has it? I know they’re wrong for saying, let alone believing it. You never know what someone is going through so you shouldn’t assume, however, it doesn’t stop it from messing with my head, making me question myself.
And those moments are when I realize cruel words can cause just as much pain as fists.
Chapter Seven
Keller
December 31st…
Our coffee date progressed to dinner for the next two nights, even if the second consisted of me going to Chester’s and her sitting with me whenever she could. She’s off tonight, and has agreed to spend it with me to celebrate the new year.
Whether we take our relationship up a level doesn’t matter, I just want to spend time with her. Hell, it’s been so long since I’ve done anything more than say hi to a woman to be courteous in my job that just imagining kissing Emerson is enough to have me dripping. Okay, I picture more than that when I’m in the shower, and eventually take matters in my own hand in an attempt to find some relief. Regardless of where the visual takes me, I’m blowing within minutes, but I’m never satisfied because she isn’t there with me.
She and I have talked or texted in between our shared meals, though we haven’t crossed that line that’ll lead to in depth conversation yet. I may be new to this, but I’d think that’s true of any two people getting to know one another. It’s not as if she knows everything about me. Then again, how do you tell the woman you’re catching feelings for that the law enforcement she seems to revere is as shady as a forest?
Thankfully, Emerson is a homebody just like me, so the thought of staying in and wat
ching movies appealed to her.
When I first saw her, I had the ridiculous idea that I could keep my distance, but it’s impossible where she’s concerned. Case in point, the fact that I’m staring out the window like a lovesick fool, not so casually checking my watch as I wait for her to get here. I had wanted to pick her up, but relented when she said there was no use me leaving my place when I was already there. Conceding, I’d told her that she was welcome to stay the night if she was too tired to drive home. It might be a little cheesy, something I never thought myself capable of, but I want to end this year with her and start the next the same way.
**Emerson**
Nothing may happen between us tonight, Keller wanted to make sure I knew that so I didn’t feel pressured, but that doesn’t mean I’m not prepared just in case it does.
I am shaved, slathered in an amber scented lotion, and wearing a sexy bra and panty set I’d purchased simply because I loved the color and it was on sale, knowing full well I never planned to wear it. Then I met Keller and I wanted to only for him.
Oh, and the barrette he gave me is holding back some of the curls I’d added to my hair, wanting the little extra oomph they give it. And I just realized I’m a grown woman using that word, which makes me drop my head in my hand while I wait for the light to turn green. Way to prove you’re a capable adult, Em. Note to self, don’t talk like a teenager at the academy.
Turning when my GPS tells me to, I park in his driveway a few minutes later, smiling when it lets me know I’ve arrived. His door opens, and he stands there, muscular arms encased in a tight dark blue Henley, tree trunk thighs in denim, both bursting at the seams. He doesn’t have the perfect body one achieves by spending way too much time working out, but his is lived in. That sounds stupid, yet it’s true. But Keller’s body isn’t a temple and I appreciate that. It means he’s real, unfocused and uncaring how others may view him. He is comfortable in his own skin, and for a woman that was never allowed to exist in hers until recently, it’s inspiring.
“You coming in, phoenix?” He teases. I’d finally asked why he calls me that, and he’d said, his tone serious, that I reminded him of one. That he felt I’d been through the fire and come out how I was always meant to be. I admit I’d gotten choked up at that, loving it doubly so because it showed me what he sees when he looks at me.
“Perhaps with the right incentive,” I flirt.
“I have pizza,” he tells me, chuckling when I jokingly hurry from the car and toward him. He thinks it was because of what he said, and it was a little as I’m addicted to the stuff, but it was him. Standing in front of him, I’m almost in awe at the realization he not only sort of laughed but also at the knowledge I caused it. Unable to resist, I prop myself up on my tiptoes and kiss him. I don’t know if my intent was short and sweet or hoping it would start that way and become more; my only thought had been to press my lips to his. As if I could taste his laugh. When we finally pull apart, Keller having taken over when my hand touched his arm, as if granting him permission, we’re breathing heavy, staring at each other in wonder. And then a piece of my heart breaks off and becomes his when he smooths the hair back from my non-barrette side and murmurs, “Pizza, pizza, pizza,” before taking my mouth again.
Proving he’s a multitasker, he backs us into the house and closes the door behind us, then presses me against it and consumes me. I didn’t know it was possible to be forceful and tender at the same time, but Keller pulls it off. As well as my coat and scarf, urgency in his movements. You’d think I’d still be chilled from being in the cold, especially as the temperature dropped on the short drive here, but I’m suddenly overheated, the skin his hands caressing burning up.
I moan, ready to climb him like a jungle gym, and he stops for a second, pressing his forehead to mine. All I can do is whisper, “Keller,” invitation and acceptance clear in my voice.
But showing the sweet man underneath the gruff he allows everyone else to see, his chest expands, then he asks, “Are you hungry?” I can feel the evidence of his desire for me, the bulge cradled against my stomach proof of the extent of his need to keep going, yet he’s stopping to take care of me. Putting me first. If that isn’t a testament to his true character, to what fully being with him will be like, then I don’t know what is.
“Fuck food,” I declare, letting my fingers graze the placket of his jeans, feeling power course through them at his indrawn breath.
“Don’t say things you don’t mean,” he warns me.
“I never do,” I assure him.
“I’m not a gentle man by nature,” he states, his grip tightening as if he’s worried that news will scare me. “Factor in that it’s been a helluva long time since I’ve done this.”
“You’re telling me this because?”
“I don’t think I can be slow or that I’ll last longer than it takes me to get inside you.”
Starting at his chin, I kiss up his jaw until I reach his ear, then give the lobe a little tug with my teeth before letting him know, “It only takes a minute to make a moment.”
“Just think how many a whole night will give us,” he says, his voice husky as if he’s trying to rein in how he’s feeling. Does the strength of this scare him as much as it does me?
His actions are confident, but I see the slight tremble to his hand as he takes mine and leads me down a hall and to a room, unmistakably the master and his. The bed is the main focal point simply due to the size of it.
“My what a big bed you have,” I say, not even bothering to hide the humor in my words.
“I like a lot of space,” he responds.
“Gonna be awful hard to have my way with you if I can’t reach you.”
“Something tells me that will never be a problem where you’re concerned.”
“You say the sweetest things,” I tell him, intentionally poking his manliness, knowing it’ll set him off, hoping it’ll cause him to give me all of him. To not worry he might hurt me. He won’t. I know it. He has the power to, my mind chimes in, but I brush it aside. Now is not the time to doubt him, us, but to feel.
“I know what you’re doing,” he says, somehow knowing my plan.
Giving a slight smack to his ass, I want to know, “Is it working?” He doesn’t answer, but chooses to pick me up and throw me on the bed. As my sweater had been discarded shortly after he’d set me on my feet before closing the door once we’d come in here, my breasts bounce, almost popping out of my miniscule bra. It does nothing in the way of support, but my boobs look fan-freaking-tastic in it. And Keller agrees as his gaze homes in on them, the tip of his tongue peeking from between his lips to glide across the bottom. Not wanting him to have all the fun, I prop myself up on my elbows and use mine to trace his body. I’d only made one pass before being pushed flat on my back, Keller looming over me, his face dark with need.
“You, woman. Me, man,” he states, an almost evil twinkle in his eyes. “Is that what you want, baby?” His hand slides up, starting from the ankle and working to my center where he twists and cups my pussy. Not done yet, he pushes up and begins moving his palm, causing the material of my jeans to rub just right. “To reduce me to a caveman that’ll take what he wants?”
“As long as that means me,” I admit sincerely. I’m naked within seconds, Keller warning me if I want to keep my panties to remove them, counting down from three as my deadline. I shimmy out of them, smirking when his breath falters at two, then spread my legs, telling him without words that I’m his.
Before removing his own clothes, he pulls his wallet out and takes two condoms from it. I’m on fire for him, but the girly part of me can’t help but wonder why he has them after his earlier declaration. He must see the question I’m trying not to ask because he says, dropping a kiss on my nose, “I would’ve been perfectly content if we spent the night as intended, but I wanted to be prepared in case we didn’t. These are from a brand-new box I purchased this morning.” I knew he was off today, and he’d wanted me to come over earlier, bu
t I’d agreed to cover a co-worker’s afternoon shift as she was going out of town. He’s kneeling in front of me, letting me look my fill – as if I could ever possibly get enough of doing that – and begins stroking himself. A drop appears on the tip, glistening and seeming to beg for me to lick it, but he fists the back of my head before I can, telling me next time. Then he has me grab one of the foil wrappers and rip it open, commanding me to put it on him once I do after getting on my own knees. Fuck me! His bossiness has me soaked with need for him. I slide it to the base, thankful health class taught both sexes to do this, and give him a squeeze when I’m done. A hand grabs each thigh, and I’m airborne for a second as he does some sort of move to have me flat again. “Let’s make that moment, phoenix. Burn for me.” And then he eases his way in, and finding me drenched from arousal, slams home. A moan is ripped from my throat, and my eyes seek his, needing to see his face as we make fuck, for that’s the only thing this can be called. It’s hard and rough, but there’s still a tenderness in him as he takes me. Keller growls, his pace speeding up as if he can’t get enough of me, then his mouth drops to my left nipple as he begins nibbling on it. “I need you with me, Emerson. Your pussy feels even better than I imagined.” He sounds as if he’s in pain, a feeling I can understand as I swear I might die from the anticipation of the orgasm that’s looming. Stars are shooting behind my now closed lids, my body arching, but I immediately open them when he groans.
His head is thrown back, Adam’s apple prominent from the strain on his muscles, as he pounds harder and harder. Keller shouts my name as I scream his, and we collapse in a heap as he fills me, the latex separating us unable to stop me from feeling the warmth of his seed. It’s as if he’s heating me from the inside out, and I can’t help but think about his nickname for me and wonder if this is yet another rebirth.
