by C. A. Harms
When I felt his cock nudged against my backside, I widened my stance hoping he knew just how much I needed more.
My legs shook with desire. My body quivered with need and any moment I would take charge and reach behind me to guide him where I needed him most, only I didn’t have to.
Chase pulled back and with one slow gentle move he pushed inside me and I leaned forward, bracing myself against the shower wall.
He pressed his hand against my lower spine, and I arched my back and began to push against him, meeting each thrust of his hips.
The warm water from the shower hammered over my back and his chest as the sound of our wet bodies slapping together mixed with our pleasured moans.
The moment was so erotic.
It was something I hadn’t spent much time missing over the last seven years because no one had ever made me feel the way Chase did. But now that I had it, I would do whatever I had to do to ensure I never lost it.
“You are so perfect, Trinity,” Chase appraised me as he continued to move his hips, pulling every ounce of pleasure from me. My legs shook and my eyes rolled as my toes curled into the tile at my feet.
Some women would question the sincerity of his words due to the fact that we were naked in the shower together and he was breathing heavy on my neck, only I had no reason to doubt he was speaking his true feelings. He spoke those same words often, whether we were standing in the shower during an intimate moment or he stood ten feet away looking at me after I just woke up and my hair was sticking out in every direction.
Chase was always telling me I was beautiful, perfect, and the best part of his day. I believed him every time because he made sure of it.
***
Sweat dripped from my brow as it trailed along my cheek before falling from my jaw to land on my bare breast. The fact that it was so hot in the barn I could barely breathe didn’t even faze me.
All I could focus on was the half-naked cop who was currently moving his hips at such a fast pace my entire body bounced up and down.
“Yeah,” Chase moaned deeply. “Right there, baby.” He offered praise as I arched my back and rode out the orgasm that ripped through my body. Within seconds of me exploding around him, his body shook with his own release.
It took what felt like forever to regain my composure as I looked down at the space between us.
Chase remained inside me, using his hips to pin me to the wall and keep me from sliding down toward the floor. His uniform was still on, only his shirt was unbuttoned and his pants had fallen down, getting trapped around the upper part of his thighs.
Somehow I had been stripped of all clothing, and the best part was I didn’t remember removing any of it.
“You can surprise me with breakfast before my eight-hour shift any damn day, darlin’.” Chase smirked as his eyes looked over my naked body before settling on the place we still remained connected. “Never had a breakfast so damn good before.”
I laughed, knowing full well that in no way was he referring to the cinnamon rolls, still sitting untouched on the tailgate of his truck just outside the barn entrance.
What started out as a morning kiss quickly shifted to him tearing at my clothes before lifting me up and pinning me to the barn wall.
“But now you’re gonna be late,” I said with a smile.
“And it was worth all the shit I’ll get for it once I get to the station.” He leaned in to kiss me once more. “Nothing is gonna kill this high I’ll be on today.”
I shifted my hips and he growled as he bit down on my lip, making me whimper. “Keep moving against me like that, sweetheart, and I’ll be forced to make you explain to Ryan why he had to stay a couple hours after his shift.”
I giggled, imagining how well that conversation would go over.
Chapter Twenty
Chase
“What the hell is that thing?” I tried not to laugh at Jackson as he looked at the ball of fur Trinity held in her arms. “It looks like a fucking rat.”
“He is not a rat, you ass,” Trinity said defensively as she continued to pet the animal she held.
I wasn’t about to admit that Jackson was right, it did look like a rat. A wet, dirty, old oversized rat.
“It’s a dog,” Trinity corrected and I watched as Jackson’s held tilted to the side like he was trying to figure out how on earth that thing she was holding could be referred to as a dog. “I’m not sure what breed he is, but I think he’s cute.”
“Cute isn’t the word I’d choose,” Jackson muttered and she shot him another nasty glare.
“He is cute, you ass.” She pampered the dog a little more and I swear the damn thing gave Jackson a look of triumph. “What do you think, Chase?”
My stomach tensed and I could feel the sweat beading on my brow. There were two choices here: speak the truth or take the easy route to ensure my safety.
“I think he’s adorable.” I chose the safe option.
“Are you fucking blind?” Jackson sneered at me and I almost chuckled at the look of horror on his face. “That thing is so far from adorable. My kids, adorable. A tiny little white bunny bouncing around in an open field, cute.” He turned back and pointed at the dog Trinity held. “That thing right there is fucking ugly as hell and needs to be fumigated. It reeks of filth and I think its hair is falling out.”
I tried to hold back my laughter, honestly I did. But never had I ever witnessed Jackson in this state. He was confused, and if I wasn’t mistaken, horrified by the idea of Trinity calling this dog the same thing he considered his own children to be.
The laughter fell from my lips before I could control it. I hunched over, holding my knees, and my chest shook as I tried to hold it in. Fuck, it hurt my chest. I had tears in my eyes, as I took in one deep breath after another.
“You two are assholes,” Trinity said, irritated as she stormed off and I looked up just in time to catch the door of the station slam shut behind her.
I instantly felt horrible.
She showed up at the station proud of the dog she’d decided to adopt after she found it scratching at her apartment door in the early hours of the morning. And Jackson and I just basically told her the thing was damn ugly and resembled a rat.
You’d think we just insulted her child.
I knew I’d have to grovel later to make up for the damage I’d done, but never in my life have I ever seen an animal uglier than the one my girl had now decided was her new best friend.
When the laughter of both Jackson and I had subsided we both looked at one another, finally registering just how pissed Trinity was when she rushed out of the station.
“You’re in trouble,” he said, trying his very best to keep a straight face.
“I may be in trouble, but you do know that she’s going to call Bailey and tell her you were an ass just as well as I was?” The smirk he was trying to fight dissipated and in its place came a look that spoke “Oh fuck” better than any other expression I had ever witnessed.
A ringing of a cell phone filled the space between us and Jackson reached to his back pocket, pulling his out. And from the look on his face, I didn’t have to ask who was calling him. The guy looked like he’d just been kicked in the nuts.
“I better get home,” he mumbled as he pushed past me and headed toward the front door.
“Good luck,” I hollered out and he flipped me off over his shoulder without offering me a second glance.
Trinity and I had been seeing one another for close to three months now. Over the last month things had started falling into the comfortable state.
Beau had taken Dani back to Texas and a big weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Trinity didn’t want to admit it, but she was heavily bothered by her being her in Livingston.
After I made sure Dani understood that there would never be a she and I, eventually she accepted it. Not without one last plea, which fell flat when I walked away without a second glance.
I know she and Beau were through, if you would ac
tually even consider what they had a beginning.
I knew it wasn’t more than a fling that Dani wanted to play out as more.
It was just all part of the weird game she was playing.
But now Trinity and I had hit that stage where bickering over silly things started.
I knew the irritation she felt over the little fur ball she called a dog would be long forgotten later.
Makeup sex was a joyous event.
I couldn’t help the smile that covered my lips just thinking about that feisty attitude of hers.
***
The evening was a slow one, and what seemed to make it even worse was Trinity avoided my calls and left the text messages I sent unanswered.
Noah was the worst guy to spend a slow evening at the station with. A person could only handle so much silence before they felt like they were gonna lose their damn mind.
The guy slept.
Yes, slept in the chair while some damn chick show played in the background. Livingston rarely had crazy shit happen. Mostly it was disturbances at the bars on the weekends or the occasional domestic dispute.
When I say domestic dispute I mean two brothers fighting over the last beer in the fridge. Or a man and a woman who’d been married so damn long they get going at one another, screaming and hollering, which causes a neighbor to call in the law to shut them the hell up.
It was a peaceful community for the most part.
Rosa, the dispatcher who’d worked at the station longer than most of the officers, sat at the front desk, filing her nails. On occasion she would get wrapped up in the show that was playing and she’d freeze mid-file with her mouth hanging slightly open.
Each movement, every sound of the night felt like it was moving in slow motion. Ticking by at the slowest pace, taunting and teasing me.
I could feel the level of impatience rising with each minute that ticked by.
I tried to refrain from looking at the clock, but again it was involuntary. I couldn’t stop.
Which only made the damn night worse because again the time was dragging at an unbelievable pace.
When the phone rang I think we all jumped, once again becoming alert enough to realize we still had a job to do, even if it was something as simple as an escaped goat.
I did, however, say a small prayer that the call was not Mr. Fitzgerald calling because Bessy, his cow, broke the fence again.
“Calm down, ma’am,” I heard Rosa say as she sat up straighter in her chair. “Alena,” she said clear enough that it gained both Noah’s and my attention.
Noah moved across the small station so fast he knocked over a chair in the process and almost face planted only inches from where Rosa sat.
“Honey, is that you?” Rosa asked, squinting as if she was concentrating on what the person on the other end of the phone was saying.
“I need you to breathe sweetheart, I can’t…” She didn’t even get to finish that sentence before Noah jerked the phone from her hand and held it to his ear.
“Len, baby, is that you?” The worried expression on his face was obvious. “Just breathe, sweetheart, and tell me what’s going on. Is Nora okay?”
The idea that something might be wrong with their little girl made my stomach tighten uncomfortably.
Noah was silent for a moment and then something shifted and his concerned stare met mine. There was something in his eyes that instantly made my blood run cold. My heart began to race and before he could say another word I was already reaching for my gun and the keys to the cruiser.
“Just keep her awake darlin’,” he said. “We’re on the way.”
He hung up and began moving toward me. “Dispatch EMTs, Rosa,” he hollered over his shoulder. “Tell them to meet us at Sassy Ladies, we have one Caucasian female, unresponsive.”
And just like that I felt my world shift beneath my feet.
Chapter Twenty-One
Trinity
2 Hours Earlier
“You’re not ugly,” I said as I patted his head. “You’re handsome.” I think I was soothing my own feelings more than his.
Okay, so maybe he was rugged and in desperate need of a bath. But I was sure somewhere deep beneath all the dirt and grime was a cute puppy. He’d been homeless and hungry; I felt terrible about the life the little one had already faced.
“Okay.” I patted his head once more before standing. “You have food, water, and a few toys over here.” I pointed to each item as if my new friend actually understood what I was saying. “I have to go to the shop for a couple hours and finish some things up. But I’ll be back soon,” I assured him.
I had fully intended to go back to Sassy Ladies this afternoon and finish orders for the items from New York that we were running low on. Only after I left the station I brought my new friend Gizmo home and spent the afternoon attempting to clean him up and make him comfortable.
Before I realized how much time had passed, the night had already snuck up on me. I’d actually thought of putting it off until morning, knowing full well that Alena would be okay with it, but I didn’t want to start slacking now. I’d never put my work off before and I knew she counted on me.
I owed her.
When the world felt like it was out to get me, Alena accepted me. She gave me a great job, a place to live, and her unconditional friendship.
Plus I knew that most likely Mr. Douglas would be here later this evening after his shift ended to apologize, or bright and early in the morning.
He and Jackson just couldn’t resist making fun of Gizmo.
Jerks.
I grabbed my jacket because it was chilly and raining out. After I made sure my apartment was locked up, I moved across the street in a hurry. The rain had picked up and in just the small distance I’d traveled I was already soaked.
Just as I placed my key into the front door of the store, I realized I’d forgotten my phone and the list of items to order on the kitchen table at my place.
I turned around with the intention of going back to get them but screamed out in surprise when I came face to face with a tall man wearing a ski mask.
I had no time to act before he reached out and placed his large hand around my neck and shoved me backwards against the front door. The handle was digging into my back and I whimpered in pain.
“Don’t even think about screaming,” he said in an angry tone. “Do what I say and you won’t get hurt.”
I was terrified.
My legs shook as he unlocked the front door of Sassy Ladies, using my key that he’d taken from my hand.
He was still holding my neck tightly with his other hand; it was hard to breath with the pressure he inflicted.
I tried my best to remain calm as he shoved me backward and I tumbled to the floor.
He didn’t turn on any lights, just moved around using the flashlight he held in his hands.
“Where’s the money?” he growled as he knocked things over and off displays throughout the room. With each loud crash my body jerked in fear.
“Where’s the fucking money?” he said again only louder this time.
When I didn’t answer, he approached me in a rush and I began sliding backward toward the back room. He gripped my foot and with one strong tug, I slid across the tiled floor toward him.
I screamed out for help, hoping that someone might be outside one of the other stores in the area, leaving for the night, and that they would hear my cries.
Suddenly, through the darkness my attacker struck out and his hand connected with my mouth. My head shifted to the side from the force of his hit and I could instantly taste blood, a stinging sensation coming immediately after.
“I told you to do what I say,” he said only inches from my face. “But you had to make things difficult.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, hoping to ease his anger.
He grabbed for my hair and yanked upward, forcing me to stand. I yelped out in pain and he only tugged harder.
“Shut up,” he threatened.
&n
bsp; He moved me toward the register and shoved me forward as my hip caught the edge of the counter. Tears filled my eyes as I fought to hold back my cry from the pain.
“Open it,” he commanded.
I watched his shadow through the darkness, wondering what he would do next.
“I said open it,” he demanded, moving closer to me.
My hands shook as I tried to enter my code. With each attempt the screen read invalid, which only made him angrier.
“It’s in your best interest to stop stalling,” he whispered next to my ear, and there was an eeriness in his tone that made my stomach tense even more than it already was. “No one is coming to save you and you’re only pissing me off.”
Tears clouded my vision. My entire body shook from fear and feelings of terror came rushing back.
After two more attempts, the drawer to the register came open and he shoved me out of the way, hard.
I could hear him digging around, gathering what money was kept in the drawer. I took it as my chance to move toward the front door slowly, hoping he would be too caught up to notice.
I was so close, feeling a rush of relief that maybe I would be able to free myself, but that joyous feeling was cut short when he reached out and yanked me backwards again by my hair.
“You really can’t listen, can you?”
Before I could answer I was hit in the back of the head with something hard and I blacked out.
***
When I came to, I wasn’t sure how much time had passed; I just knew that I felt disoriented and nauseated.
My head ached as I tried to push my body up off the floor.
It took a moment for my mind to register what had taken place and that fear of not knowing if my attacker was still inside the store paralyzed me.
I remained perfectly still in the darkness, just waiting for any sign he might still be there.
I could feel the bile rising in my throat as I tried to fight it.
