Police, Pooch, and Smooch: A Single Dad, Police Officer Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 25)

by Flora Ferrari

  “Don’t worry. He’s just makes up things to entertain himself.”

  “Keeps things fun,” I say.

  “Sure does.”

  I look at the wall and can’t believe I’m at a gun range. As much as I thought fishing was going to be weird as a date idea, I have to admit shooting a gun ranks even higher on the list of unexpected activities.

  But as much as it’s strange it’s interesting. Churchill once said Russia was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma…but perhaps there was a key. And the key to James is something I’m still learning about as we go.

  James points to one of the handguns on the wall. “Let’s start her out with that one.” The handle is pink and as and as much as I want to say it’s cute, I’m not sure the word applies to a gun.

  “I’ll put them on your target,” Gus says.

  “Thanks, Gus.”

  James motions for the direction we need to go to get our ear protection, and as he turns to show me his body I see there’s more than one type of pistol at the range today. Good grief, the man is packing heat. I hope he has a concealed weapons permit because it’s clear he’s fully armed and dangerous.

  He keeps his eyes on mine, and doesn’t change his expression as my quick glance ends and my eyes go back to meet his. So much for only guys staring at the opposite sex’s anatomy.

  We put on our hearing protection and step into the pistol range. I can immediately see why James is a police officer. The way he handles his weapon. The way he’s so focused on safety, and not only mine and his but everyone here today. The way he stands so confidently and sure of himself when he demonstrates how to shoot. I read somewhere before about how firing a weapon can be sexually stimulating, especially for women. After I fire my first round I feel exactly what that article I read way back when was referring to.

  I feel powerful, bigger than my size. It’s exhilarating to feel the gun kick back in my hand, and how I have to steady my feet absorb its power. I’m not one for violence, but this isn’t about violence at all strangely enough. James must have read me like an open book. Instead of sending down one of the human figure targets, he selected a simple bull’s-eye. I appreciate his concern for human life, even if this is just practice and we’re just shooting cut-outs.

  The bull’s-eye makes it feel more like a sport, a very dangerous one, but still one that requires skill and practice. And at the moment it’s taking all the skill I have to use my peripheral vision to not get caught gawking at his forearms that look like twisted rope, and his upper arms that flex each time the trigger squeezes.

  The way he breathes in and out so calmly as he shoots is a sight to see. Everything about what he’s doing is so controlled and so sexy. He really was right, in more ways than one. The anticipation leading up to our date gave me butterflies. And the anticipation of what I want this powerful man to do to me has changed the butterflies in my stomach to an approaching rainstorm ready to unleash from underneath my panties.

  I want him to control me like he controls that weapon. To brace himself while he thrusts inside me, just as he braces himself behind that gun. And to watch the intensity on his face as he’s on top of me controlling every last inch in my body. Directing me just like he directs those bullets. And it’s his bullet that I’m ready to feel hitting my very own bull’s-eye.

  CHAPTER 14

  Sadie

  James opens my car door and gives me that look again. He says nothing, nor does he need to. I get inside and wait for him to get behind the wheel.

  I watch him as he walks around the front of the car. The hot summer sun reflects off the dark hood, making it look like James is in my dream. It’s like an old film movie from the 70s with washed out colors, and if I get any hotter for him I’m going to have to go home and wash out something of my own.

  He gets behind the wheel, holding the key in his hand. He doesn’t insert it into the ignition. He’s looking forward when suddenly his head snaps in my direction.

  I can see his left hand on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white from his grip. I’m holding the bar on the inside of my door like it’s the last thing keeping me from falling into a deep, dark abyss.

  At the same moment I release my grip, James releases his and our hands find each other’s faces and our lips crash into one another. I feel his hand slide past my cheek and into my hair, holding my locks back so he can more easily devour me. My hand is wandering too, making its way down the side of his face and grabbing ahold of the back of his neck, pulling his head into mine.

  His left hand traces the side of my neck and then down the front my blouse, unbuttoning my buttons to the middle of my chest, exposing the top of my bra.

  I shoot one hand across and around the center console and into his lap, fumbling with his belt buckle as his hand grabs my bra hard. I can feel my nipple rubbing against the fabric as he squeezes and releases my bra as his hand moves right and left.

  I grab the long part of his belt and pull it through the buckle. I have the belt catch in between my fingers when I feel his fingertips slide inside my bra and his two fingers roll my nipple.

  “Ahhh,” I exhale hard, and he quickly matches my lust with a primal growl that starts somewhere deep within his diaphragm before exiting his mouth and finding its way into mine.

  “Our first time can’t be like this,” he says, still kissing me with no intention of pulling back now.

  “It can. It has to be.”

  “It can’t,” he says, as his kisses get deeper and I squirm in my seat freeing his belt.

  “What about,” I say sliding my head forward towards his groin.

  “Not yet,” he says, his big hands grabbing my shoulders and moving me back so my mouth is back on his.

  Kissing him in mind blowing, but I’m ready for more. He’s got me anticipating again, but this time I don’t want to wait.

  “I want to feel your lips on my body, but first I want to lick you from head to toe,” he says, just before his tongue slides down the side of my neck and along my collarbone. He kisses my collarbone softly from side to side and my head falls back. It’s hot as hell in the car and we’re only making it hotter.

  “What in the hell is going on in there!”

  I hear the knuckles against glass three times, but it’s not a knock. If it were any harder it would break the glass. But it’s not the knock that I heard which scares me, sending my back against the fabric of my seat…it’s the voice.

  Even muffled through the glass I’d recognize it anywhere.

  “Get out of there!” My dad’s on my side of the car and he’s absolutely furious.

  “Leave me alone! I can do what I want.”

  “Not when you live under my roof.”

  James looks at me and I nod. I hear the door locks unlatch and I grab the handle. There’s no need to push the door open, my dad’s already taking care of it as he practically pulls it from the hinges.

  “Out!”

  I step out of the car and my dad looks at my top. “You have got to be fucking kidding me!”

  I turn and see James coming around the front of the car. He’s managed to get his belt back in position in the ruckus and thankfully you can’t tell that I had been just as aggressive as he had.

  “And who in the fuck do you think you are?” my dad yells.

  “Steven, it’s my fault. I can explain.”

  “There’s nothing to explain because this is over. Case fucking close!”

  “Steven—“

  “I better never see you around her again or I’ll have your badge!”

  I don’t even know what my dad’s taking about, but it doesn’t matter. He’s so mad he’s practically lost his mind.

  “Let’s go,” he says lunging for my arm.

  I look back at James. His look is stone cold, and I can’t tell if it’s because I’m about to be dragged away or what he wants to do to my dad right now. I can see his knuckles are turning white on his balled up fists.

  He nods a
t me and I feel my dad’s grip on my wrist as he pulls me away. I continue looking at James and his expression doesn’t change. It’s the last thing I see as my dad forcibly guides me into the car and we pull away…James standing there in the lot watching me drive right out of his life.

  CHAPTER 15

  James

  I drive out to the lake outside of town and just sit in my car.

  It’s always been a place I go to clear my thoughts and plan my next steps. Today is no different.

  Tonight was supposed to be about us, but now it’s about nothing. I had a nice meal planned, a couple’s massage, and a walk on a cool summer’s night. What happened from there was anybody’s guess. In no way am I presumptuous, I just wanted to spend time with her…clothes on, or off.

  But here I sit. Now I’ve got nothing.

  I’ve answered enough emergency calls to know it’s almost impossible to come between family. Even when you think you win, it’s only a temporary victory. With Sadie living under Steven and Diane’s roof there’s no way I’ll be able to be with her.

  But there has to be. There’s got to be another way. I’ve got to treat this like detective work, and like any detective work I can solve it if I just put my mind to it and go all in.

  I tap the steering wheel with my thumbs as I look out across that vast blue lake. What secrets she holds down there in her depths.

  I run through the scenarios. I can’t show up at their door right now…the situation is too hot. As much as I want to be direct and just march over there and have a man to man with Steven I can’t. He doesn’t seem to understand it’s Sadie’s life, and that she can make her own decisions. Why can’t he respect her wishes?

  But I can’t go indirect either. It’s not my way. Ask her to be my babysitter? Not a chance. She’s so much more than that. Ask her to be my dog park buddy? No way. I don’t do kid’s games, and temporary workarounds. I need to solve this problem and do it directly, as I always do. But how?

  I’ve got to convince her family, or else this will cause havoc for her going forward. Sure, I can just ask her to do as she wishes, but her family’s right next door. It will never work out. It will put too much pressure on her.

  Then it hits me. I know the first step.

  I turn the key and my engine roars to life. I back out of my spot and high tail it out of there. The lake has served to calm me and provide solutions again. The idea in my mind isn’t a perfect fix, but it’s a start in the right direction to what can become one. And every journey no matter how big or small starts with a single step. I’m taking that first step right now.

  CHAPTER 16

  Sadie

  My dad’s really done it this time. Is he trying to ruin my life? What’s wrong with him? Why won’t he just respect my decisions? Is it that difficult?

  I’m face down on my bed trying to stop the tears. My pillow is becoming a soggier mess by the minute.

  I get out of bed and turn off the lights. I don’t even change out of my clothes. I just face-plant back onto my bed hoping this will all go away somehow in the middle of the night. I know it won’t but maybe I’ll come up with some idea in my sleep of how we can make this work. It’s a pipe dream, but that’s all I’ve got right now.

  CHAPTER 17

  Sadie

  I roll over and look at the clock. One thirty seven in the morning. I guess I managed to doze off at some point. I did see the clock turn over at one, and was up a bit longer after that. At least twenty minutes or so of sleep is better than nothing.

  I feel so thirsty. I must have dehydrated myself crying and rolling around so much. I didn’t even know it was possible to shed so many tears, then again I’m already on my third pillowcase. If I keep this I’ll have to wash a whole load of bedding in the morning.

  I get out of bed, and make my way to the top of the stairs. I look over the bannister and into the living room. My head pulls back. What in the world?

  I pinch the skin in-between my thumb and forefinger. I feel it. I’m not dreaming.

  Oh my god!

  I duck back into my room. My whole body is shaking. I step away from the wall so my back doesn’t make noise from the contact with the wall as I tremble.

  Where’s my phone?

  I quickly and quietly tiptoe to my nightstand and pick up my phone. I duck beside it and bring my fingers to the keypad.

  9 - 2

  I hit the red end button. My hand is shaking so much I can barely type.

  9 - 1 - 1.

  “911. What’s your emergency?”

  “Someone’s in my house. My parents…they’re tied up downstairs and a man in a black ski mask is pointing a gun at them.”

  CHAPTER 18

  James

  I pull into the station at one in the morning. I’m back to my old ways. Work is my only refuge…again.

  I took care of the first step in my plan, and now it’s on to the second. First I need to do some work now so I can get ahead tonight which will allow me to slide out tomorrow during the workday and file the paperwork to put this plan in motion.

  “How is it so far?” I ask as I enter the station.

  “Another quiet night in Mayberry,” Stacy, our desk sergeant says.

  “Great. I’ll be able to power through some of that mile high stack of paperwork I’ve been working on.”

  “James, you know that paperwork is not going anywhere. It stacks up higher than you can clear it away.”

  “Nature of this job I guess. But at least I’m going to try.”

  “That’s what I’ve always liked about you. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Always the optimist.”

  I nod, thanking and acknowledging her compliment.

  “One second,” she says, reaching for the phone. “Yes. Right. We’ll send a unit out there right away.”

  “Let me guess. It’s just about closing time so we’ve got a couple guys about to duke it out over some lady they met at The Watering Hole.”

  “Not this time. Home invasion and armed robbery in progress on Barton street.”

  “Barton street?”

  “Five thirty six.”

  I feel the hair on my neck stand straight up. That’s next door. That’s…

  “I’ll take it myself!”

  “James, I’m sending—“

  “Personal carry in the car,” I yell as bolt for the door.

  “James!”

  It doesn’t matter what Stacy says. That’s Sadie’s house and I’m on my way to save her.

  CHAPTER 19

  James

  I pull the single police light from my back seat and stick it to the hood.

  There’s no traffic at this hour and I’m flying toward Sadie’s.

  Who would try and rob them? What are the entry points and exit points for their home? Thankfully I know my street like the back of my hand. I know where all the doors face, who has basements, which attics have sunroofs…everything.

  But what I don’t know is this guy’s next move, or if he’ll even be there by the time I arrive. As much as I want to catch him in the act, at this point I just hope everyone’s safe. If he’s gone, so be it. I’ll get him another time. He better not do anything to Sadie and her family or I will make him pay. Forever.

  I pull up a block short, and cut the engine.

  I hear my phone vibrate and look down at the caller ID.

  “Sadie!”

  “James!”

  “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  “There’s a man downstairs. He’s got a gun and I hear him talking to another man. They’re robbing us. My parents are tied up.”

  I flash back to the times I’ve been in her house before. It was years ago, but I remember. She said the man was downstairs.

  “Sadie, listen to me. Don’t talk. I want you to lie down on the floor and slide under your bed. I’m almost there. I’m going to come and I’m going to get you out of there.”

  I end the call and store the phone in my pocket. I run in a low position
along the front lawns of the houses on the block. Shit! I get to my house. There is no front lawn. I blocked myself off from the world and now I don’t have a good entry point.

  I dart across the street and survey the situation. Two men. They’re carrying electronics out of the house and loading up the back of an old white Dodge van with no windows. I can make out Steven and Diane in the living room. No telling what these guys will do when they get everything they want. I can’t wait. I’ve got to get to them now.