Protecting Her Heart

by Chance Carter

  I bobbed my head to the radio the whole way home, soaking in the cool air from my air conditioning and thinking about the night to come. We were having spaghetti for dinner, something I was looking forward to. Melissa discovered a love for cooking when we got here. She'd never explored it before because she didn't want to cook for Donnie, but now that we had a proper kitchen she excitedly made dinner every night. And hell, I wasn't going to complain—even if she wasn't nearly as good a cook as she was an artist.

  I pulled up to our little stucco paradise and strolled up the tidy front path. I was barely inside the door before Melissa came bounding into the foyer covered in paint.

  "Baby!" she cried, throwing herself at me.

  I caught her and held her in a tight hug, not caring if any of her paint got on me. These were my work clothes, and besides it was worth it just to touch her.

  "Hey sweetheart." I pulled back and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips.

  Her eyes were bright with excitement and she grinned up at me. "I sold another painting."

  "What? That's amazing!" I picked her up and spun her. "Which one?"

  "The bigger cactus."

  "I liked that one. Your patron has good taste."

  "You like all of them," she said, punching me in the arm. "And stop calling the people who buy my paintings 'patrons'."

  "That's what they are."

  She rolled her eyes but I caught the corners of her mouth twitching. Grabbing my hand, Melissa dragged me into the living room.

  "Sit, I have more good news."

  I sat down on the leather recliner and waited patiently for her news. I could tell it was something big because I hadn’t seen her so excited since the day I got out of jail.

  Melissa clasped her hands in front of her and bit her lip. "The University of Tucson finally got back to my about my application."

  "And?" I leaned closer.

  This wasn't just big news, it was the biggest. Melissa spent a lot of her time working on her art recently, but still didn't know where she was going to go with it. Being accepted into a fine arts program was the next big step that would take her to the next adventure.

  "They want to offer me a spot in the program!" she squealed. "A full ride!"

  My mouth dropped open. I shouldn't have been surprised to hear it since she was incredibly talented, but it was still a shock. An amazing shock.

  I charged up out of the chair and wrapped her in my arms, swinging her around the living room. We laughed, a silly, carefree laugh.

  "I gotta tell Sadie," I said, depositing her back on her feet. "We can have her over for celebratory drinks."

  I slipped my hand into my back pocket for my phone but Melissa stopped me. "Wait, not yet."

  "Not yet?" I grinned. "More news? Not sure I can take any more."

  "This isn't news so much as a thought." She turned bashful all of the sudden, letting her gaze drop to the floor.

  I lifted her chin with my fingers and stroked my thumb over her cheek.

  "What is it?"

  "I..." Melissa smiled. "I want to have a baby. I know that we said we would wait and that it wasn't the right time... but things have been coming together so perfectly lately and—"

  I cut her off with a swift kiss on the lips, wrapping my arms around her waist and squeezing. My heart pumped into overdrive and my head spun. I didn't say anything more, just swept her into my arms and took off toward the bedroom.

  I remembered the days when our whole lives took place in a room the size of our living room. I remembered the days when the future was a scary place, when we didn't know whether we'd have two dimes to rub together at the end of the week. I remembered the days when we were in transition from our past lives to the life we had now. We were happy then and we were happy now. And with a baby in our future, I knew we would be happy always.

  Chapter 36

  Melissa

  Jack lowered me to the mattress like I was made of fine China, supporting me all the way down. A giant grin covered his mouth, one that refused to abate even when I started kissing him. I traced the outline of his smile with my tongue and teeth.

  "You really want to have a baby with me?" I asked.

  It seemed too good to be true that all I had to do was ask. We were far from where I thought we would have to be to start a family, after all. Hell, we weren't even married. At the end of the day, whether I wore his ring or not didn't matter, but I still craved the commitment the act of getting married provided. For us, marriage would never be a business contract or a thing to do just because we felt obligated to. If we got married, our marriage would be about declaring to each other and the world how perfect we were for each other and celebrating that fact.

  "You know I'm still on birth control, right?" I giggled as Jack began to kiss down my neck. "I can't get pregnant for at least another month after I stop taking it."

  His breath fanned my throat, sending prickles of pleasure into my hairline. "I know," he said. "But don't you think we should practice?"

  I chuckled. As if we didn't practice enough.

  "I suppose you could use a little bit more practice if you intend to get it right."

  Jack lifted his head and I grinned mischievously.

  "What are you saying?" he drawled, dipping his mouth to my neck and sucking hard on it. "Are you unsatisfied, sweetheart?" His teeth scraped over my skin and I arched up. "Are you telling me I'm not up to snuff?"

  I did a noncommittal shrug against the sheets. "You're fine."

  "Fine?" His growl reverberated through my throat. My toes curled and I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning.

  "Yeah, fine."

  Jack scooted me further up the bed and unbuttoned my jeans with one hand while he kept lavishing attention on my sensitive neck. Without warning he plunged under the waistband of my panties and rubbed a finger over my clit in a slow circle. My breath caught.

  "I think you're lying," he murmured, moving on top of me until his hard length jabbed into my leg.

  "Me? A liar?"

  His deep chuckle kicked my heart into overdrive.

  "Yes, a filthy liar." His finger found my entrance and slipped inside. It was tantalizingly slow, so slow that I tried to arch my hips up to get more of him inside. "If I'm just fine, then why are you so wet, baby? Is there someone else turning you on?"

  Any words I might have been about to say evaporated before ever reaching my lips. I moaned instead, low and guttural, as his thumb took up stroking my clit and his finger pumped in and out. I luxuriated in the feeling, in the sheer ecstasy of his touch.

  Until it stopped.

  Jack pulled his hand away and sat back on his heels, grinning down at me.

  "Hey!" I complained.

  Jack's eyes darkened with lust. "Tell me how much you want me. Tell me how wet I make you, and how I'm the only man who can fuck you like I do. Only when you do that will I give you what you want."

  "Playing hardball today, I see."

  He smirked and ground his erection into my leg. "I always play hard ball, sweetheart. Now tell me who owns that sweet pussy of yours."

  I felt my cheeks redden and my mouth dried up. Fuck, he made me so horny when he talked like that. And how could I deny him a single thing he wanted?

  "This pussy is yours," I told him. "Nobody else fucks me like you do. Nobody else loves me like you do. I'm yours forever, Jack. Body and soul."

  Something shifted in his expression, lifting the lust away just enough for some love to sneak through. He reached for my face and held it tightly in his hands, eyes boring into mine.

  "I love you, Melissa. I love you so much it hurts and I love that pain too. I need you forever." His eyes turned pleading. "Say you'll marry me."

  My mouth fell open. Talk about coming out of left field.

  "Of course!" I practically screamed. "Yes!"

  Jack's mouth crashed into mine, and the next moment was a flurry of movement and flying clothes as he ripped the fabric from both of our bodies in a frenzy of lus
t.

  We never broke the kiss as he entered me, sliding in tauntingly slow. I grunted in complaint but Jack took his time. He always knew how to put me on edge, how to make me squirm with need. He also knew how to satisfy those needs, how to make me scream, how to make me beg.

  Our chests pressed tight together as he began to move. First it was long, slow strokes. Each one was a gift and a curse, as I had everything I wanted but still needed more. I needed the passion. I needed the friction.

  Jack pulled back from our kiss and looked me in the eyes, holding my face tenderly.

  "I love you, Melissa Collins."

  "I love you too, Jack Paxton."

  He grinned. Then, without any warning, Jack thrust back inside so quickly that I screamed in surprise. My hair stood on end. My body glowed from the inside out.

  This man was my savior. My fighter. And soon, my husband.

  Epilogue

  Three years later ...

  It was a beautiful day. Happy energy buzzed through the air, coaxing the nervous graduates lined up on stage to smile and wave out at their friends and loved ones. Sadie waved at us from her seat in the middle row with a blinding smile.

  "Wave back," I urged gently. When that didn't get me anywhere, I sighed and picked up my shy toddler's hand and waved it around.

  Jack chuckled softly beside me and I glared at him.

  "What?"

  "Nothing."

  My glare narrowed until my eyes were merely slits. "Spit it out, Paxton."

  He had the nerve to don an expression of bewilderment. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

  The lie might have been convincing if it weren't for the subtle tilt of his lips. Smug bastard.

  "Hmm. Fine." I turned my nose up at him and looked the other way.

  Jack's hand found my chin and turned me back. He pressed a gentle kiss on my lips, and for a second I forgot that I was supposed to be mock angry with him.

  "You're just adorable, is all," he said. "You're the most supportive parent here and you aren't even technically a parent."

  "I'm a parent!" I complained, pointing demonstratively at the beautiful dark-haired girl on my lap. Emily had just turned two and today was a rare occasion of quiet from her. Normally she babbled nonstop about whatever crossed her mind, but the crowd was making our shy girl nervous.

  "Not Sadie's, though. It's just cute. I know it means a lot to her, too."

  My heart warmed and all was forgiven. I took Jack's hand in my free one and squeezed. Meanwhile, I hugged Em close and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. She had her father's hair, as well as his eyes and mouth. She had my nose though, and Jack always said she took after me the sass department too, though that remained to be seen.

  We had a few minutes before the ceremony was due to start, so when Dr. Ferdinand caught my eye from down the row and gestured me over, I happily placed Em down with her dad and walked over.

  "Mrs. Paxton," Dr. Ferdinand greeted. "I forgot that your sister was graduating this semester. And you'll be finished soon, correct?"

  I nodded. "Only another year or so."

  "I wanted to commend you on your latest project. Dr. Gerstimer and I were chatting about it between classes the other day and we both agreed that your use of color has a definite and unique style to it. Your work certainly stands out amongst the crowd, particularly for someone with such a relative lack of experience. You should be proud."

  "Thank you, Dr. Ferdinand." I bit my lip in an effort not to smile so wide my jaw fell off. "I wouldn't be where I am now without you."

  He shrugged. "Who knows? In any case, I'm excited to see what you come up with next. Is that your husband you're with?"

  "Sure is. And our baby girl Emily."

  "You have a beautiful family."

  "Thank you. I'm lucky."

  The MC walked onto the stage and I gave a curt goodbye wave before making my way back to my seat. My pulse danced under my skin, a jaunty, happy clog.

  "What was that about?" Jack whispered.

  I leaned closer to him and ran my hand over Emily's crown. "He wanted to commend me for that underwater painting I did."

  "Good job, sweet heart." Jack leaned over and kissed the top of my head. "I told you you could do it."

  I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

  He still rubbed it in my face whenever he got the chance that he had been right all along about where I could end up. Since fair is fair I rubbed it in his face whenever possible that I was right about him being able to go further in life if he applied himself. He just finished trades school and now had a carpentry designation that had opened up so many doors we didn't know which one to go through. Jack was still sifting through job offers, but whichever one he selected in the end would be incredible.

  On stage, the MC began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to introduce you to the class of 2021."

  The crowd applauded, and I got Emily to clap too, even though she was more interested in a piece of lint on Jack's shirt. Thankfully she stayed quiet and settled while the graduates walked across the stage. When it came Sadie's time, both Jack and I shot up from our seats and cheered. Emily, never one to be outdone, cheered even louder.

  We met up with Sadie on the lawns outside of the auditorium after the ceremony. When I say "met up" I mean she tackled Jack into a flying hug and then hoisted Emily into her arms and started singing the Lion King song.

  "You'd think that being a college graduate would make you act more mature," Jack commented.

  Sadie stuck her tongue out on him and rested Em on her hip. "You'd think being married would make you more chill."

  "Guys, guys." I got between them, giggling. "Can we be civil just for one day?"

  Both Paxtons started laughing uncontrollably.

  "Civil?" Jack asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "We're family. Civil's not in our vocabulary."

  "Yeah, Mel." Sadie came into my other side and wrapped an arm around me. "What's the good of having family if you can't fight with them a little?"

  "If that's how you feel, great. But know that if you get us kicked out of the restaurant tonight I will beat the crap out of both of you."

  "Better keep it together, eh big bro?" Sadie said, grinning.

  "Anything for this woman." Jack pressed his lips against my hair.

  We broke apart, though Jack held onto my hand, and continued down the lawn toward the parking lot while Sadie excitedly rattled off story after story about her graduation. This kind of scene had become so normal for me that it was crazy to think how my life had been when I first met Jack.

  Though with Donnie, I’d been alone. Though busy, I’d been unfulfilled. And though I believed I was happy, I didn’t even know what happiness was.

  I knew what happiness was now. I knew true joy, true wonder. I knew the kind of uniquely sweet pain that comes from waking up in the middle of the night to soothe one’s baby back to sleep.

  More importantly, for the first time in my life, I knew what it was like to have a family.

  Lieutenant Commander Stud

  CHANCE CARTER

  Chapter 1

  Chanel

  The cordless phone rang and I snatched it up, one hand gripping the portfolio of fabric swatches for Mrs. Jones. I swiped at the buttons, then rammed the receiver against my ear. “Scott’s Interiors, how may I help you?”

  “Do you really think it’s necessary to answer the phone like that? Everyone in town already knows who you are.”

  “Morning, Paula,” I replied. My best friend usually called earlier than this to give me the details of her commute out of her small town and into the big city for work.

  “Did you have a good day yesterday?”

  “Uh, yah! I met the cutest guy at work. He had such a tight –”

  “Paula.”

  “Oh, don’t be such a prude. You’ve got to live a little. You’re nineteen, not ninety. Besides, it’s not like you don’t check guys out when you get the chance.”

&
nbsp; I never get the chance – curse of running an interior design store in Meek Springs.

  “Did you hear about the cold front coming in this afternoon?”

  “Don’t change the subject to weather. That’s so predictable.”

  “I’m serious, Paula. It’s another blizzard. There’s going to be snow on the Rocky Mountains and everything.”

  “Yawn. Wait, this doesn’t affect our plans to go out, right?”

  I rolled my eyes and placed the portfolio on top of the glass counter in my store.

  “What plans? We didn’t make any plans.”

  “We always have plans, whether you know it or not.”

  I turned my back on the floor to ceiling windows at the front, and fiddled with the vases on display. Straightened the china here, adjusted a few flowers there. They were all samples of what I could do given the chance. “I don’t want to go out,” I said.

  “Oh God, please help me. You’ve got to blow the cobwebs off your pussy before –”

  “Paula!” I flinched and knocked one of the vases onto its side. It rolled to the edge of the shelf and dropped to the hardwood boards. Crash! Splinters of bone china shot across floor. I crouched and cursed under my breath.

  “Gosh, relax,” Paula hissed. “It’s just a saying.”

  “No, Paula, that’s not a saying.” I rose and examined the mess at my feet. Ugh, I’d have to get the dustpan for this. It’d been such a beautiful piece, too. “And I don’t need to blow cobwebs off my pussy. That’s just a disgusting –”

  Someone cleared their throat behind me.

  Oh. My. God.

  “I gotta go,” I whispered, and hung up. My cheeks transmogrified into blood oranges. If this didn’t travel around Meek Springs like wildfire, I didn’t know what would. Damn Paula and her weird idioms.