by Alison Mello
She looks at me with a huge grin on her face. “That was much…” her words trail off for a second. “Gentler than I was expecting.”
“Trust me, it took a lot of self-control.” I kiss her nose. “I wanted to go easy for our first time. Trust me, we have plenty of time for playing rough.”
She giggles. “I’m glad to hear that.” Her eyes close for a moment and she takes a deep breath.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“I’m scared.” She finally opens her eyes.
“Of what? I promise I won’t let anyone get to you.”
She shakes her head. “My feelings for you. We’ve only been dating a short time and you already mean so much to me. I feel more connected to you than I ever did with my ex.”
I shrug my shoulders. “He wasn’t the man for you.”
“Do you really think it’s as simple as that?” She stares into my eyes, waiting for my response.
I give her a small smile. “Why not? It’s obvious we have a connection. I felt it the moment my lips touched yours.”
“I did too. You kissed me and it was like lightning struck. I felt it through my core.” She presses her lips to mine.
“What would you like to do today?” I roll over to look at my alarm clock. “It’s now eleven. Are you hungry?”
“Starved.”
“I have an idea. You get in the shower and I’m going to get my surprise ready.”
She jumps up out of bed as excited as a kid headed to Disneyland. I can’t help but laugh. I climb out behind her, slip on my shorts, and head into the kitchen. I get busy packing up a cooler with some lunch for us. I make sure it includes bottled water, paper plates, utensils, and a blanket from the closet. It’s a beautiful day out and I plan on taking full advantage of it. I quickly go back to the bathroom, stripping my boxers on the way. When I get into the bathroom, she’s finishing up in the shower. I jump in with her. She has her eyes closed and her head back, rinsing the shampoo out of it. I wrap my arms around her, scaring her. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t realize you hadn’t heard me come in.”
“It’s okay.” She presses her lips to my chest.
“Stop, or we’ll never get out of here. Dress for your parents, because we won’t be coming back here before we go there.” My voice is a bit sterner than I meant, but I want to have a nice afternoon with her.
“Sorry.” She giggles and then climbs out of the shower and leaves me to do my thing.
As soon as we’re ready, we load everything into the back of my car and we take off down the freeway. I’m taking her to the beach. She loves it there, and we had a nice time sitting there last time until our time was cut short by Noah. Hopefully we can enjoy this time. We pull up about forty minutes later. I have no problem finding a spot to park, because despite the fact it’s a gorgeous day, the place is quite empty. I climb out of the car, opening the door for her. She’s beaming and the sun is glistening off her face. She looks absolutely stunning. I grab the cooler and the blanket from the backseat. She links her fingers with mine and we walk down toward the water. There’s a slight breeze coming off the ocean, but the sun is warm, so it’s refreshing. I attempt to set up the blanket, but a gust of wind blows in off the ocean, taking it away. Kara laughs as she runs up the beach, trying to catch it. I can’t help but laugh with her. She finally catches it and brings it back. This time she steps on one end of the blanket and hands me the other end. I stretch it out and put the cooler down on the corner before sitting on the blanket. Kara gets down and joins me. She lays on her back, looking up at the sky with a smile on her face.
“What are you so happy about?”
“Look. That cloud right there.” She points up at the sky. “It looks like a heart.” I want to tell her it’s because I love her. I think I’ve loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her, but I don’t say it aloud. I’m afraid I’ll scare her, and that’s the last thing I want to do. “Maybe it’s a sign that we are meant to be.” She smiles at me, but before she can say anything, I press my lips to hers in a soft, sweet kiss. I’m afraid to hear what may come from her and don’t want to ruin the afternoon. Her stomach growls. She giggles and places her hands on her belly. “All right, let’s eat. I don’t want you to starve.” I sit up, open the cooler, and pull out some sandwiches, grapes, and cheddar popcorn. We both have a serious addiction to the popcorn. We eat our lunch, watching the waves roll up onto the beach. The tide is coming in, and although it’s getting closer, I’ve set us up far enough back that we won’t get wet.
When we’re done eating, we both lay on our sides facing one another with our heads resting in our hands. I’m swirling circles on her flat stomach.
“I’m so happy we’ve started seeing each other.” She rests her hand on my hip.
“Me too. It killed me to see you with that ass, and then when he started treating you poorly, I wanted to wring his neck.” I shake my head. “He has no idea how to treat a lady.”
“You want to hear something weird?”
“What’s that?”
“I hope this isn’t TMI, but I never realized how bad our sex was until last night.”
“Well, that’s a boost to my ego.” She slaps me playfully.
“I’m serious. I’ve only slept with a few guys. One couldn’t give me an orgasm to save his life, and my ex, well, looking back, it was all about him.” Her eyes pull from mine, staring down at the blanket.
I slip a little closer to her. “You will always come first in my bed.” I slip my finger under her chin, lifting it so she’s forced to look into my eyes. She leans in, rubs her nose gently on mine, and then licks across my lips. My tongue meets hers and I roll her onto her back. I break our kiss. “We have to get going so we can get back to your parents’ house, but I want to do something fun with you this week.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Have you ever been to Universal?” I’m hoping she’s never been, because I’ve never been to any amusement park like that, and I think it’ll be a fun way to spend an afternoon. The weather is supposed to be beautiful on Thursday.
She smiles and shakes her head no. “Is it crazy that I’ve never been?”
“Nope. I’ve never been either.”
Her face lights up. “Really?” I swore I was the only kid who’s never been.
I nod. “Really. Are you game for going on Thursday?”
“Of course I am. I happen to have this Thursday off.”
I smile. “Good, we’ll leave around ten to get to the park. We’ll have dinner there and we can leave whenever we decide we’ve had enough.” I jump up from the blanket. I help Kara up and grab the blanket before we make our way back to my car.
***
Kara
The entire ride to my parents’ house I’ve done nothing but think about how happy I am. I can’t believe he’s taking me to Universal. I love how he can go from serious and intense on the job to a kid at heart. I never got to experience stuff like that as a child because my dad’s schedule as a cop was always crazy, and Mom was never comfortable taking us anywhere that had a crowd by herself. This is going to be a lot of fun and probably a great way for him to blow off some steam from the intensity of being a security guard.
“You’re awfully quiet.” He glances over at me for a second before bringing his eyes back to the road.
“I’m just thinking about how excited I am to be going to Universal this week. It amazes me how you go from serious to fun.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “My job can be intense. I need a way to let loose. Sometimes I go to the gym or to the range to fire my weapon, but I think going out with you is my favorite way to let loose by far.” I giggle as he parks the car outside my parents’ house and, as always, he rushes to my side of the car to open the door for me. He takes my hand and pulls me toward him. My chest crashes into his and he looks down into my eyes. “Please tell me you feel this intense connection we have and it’s not just me, because I’m falling for you, and I’m not sure I c
an take it if you tell me you’re not with me.”
I let out a slow breath as he slips his hand into my hair. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel it, but I’ll be honest, I’m a bit scared. I thought I had built something special with my ex, but I was naïve and blind.”
He presses his lips to mine, cutting me off. “I promise I’ll never hurt you the way he did. I know you probably need more time to fully trust me, but give me the chance and I’ll earn it.” I nod my head and he smiles. “Good, now let’s go, because your father is staring at us from the living room window.”
She laughs. “Of course he is.”
I take his hand and lead him up the walkway to the porch. As we approach, my father opens the door to greet us. “I thought you two were never going to make it in.”
“Sorry about that, Mr. Cooper.” Slade sticks out his hand and my father takes it, giving him a firm handshake.
He lets go of Slade’s hand to wrap me in a hug. “Hey, baby girl. I miss you around here.”
“I know, Daddy, but it’s easier for Slade to take me to work from his place.” I give my father my signature puppy dog eyes, reserved only for him. They’ll allow me to get away with almost anything.
“Mmmhmm.” He gives me his all-knowing look and we all walk into the house.
Mom is busy in the kitchen as always, but the three of us go in to say hello. Slade greets her. “Hello, Mrs. Cooper.” He kisses her on the cheek and my mom blushes. He’s such a gentleman. I follow behind him, doing the same thing.
“Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. There’s beer and wine in the fridge.” She begins to stir some sauce on the stove.
“It smells delicious.” Slade takes a seat at one of the stools.
“Thank you. I’m making eggplant parm.” She gives him a warm smile.
“Mom, Slade is allergic to eggplant.” My mom turns with a look of panic on her face and Slade shakes his head at me for messing with my mom.
“I am not. Your daughter is messing with you.” I start to laugh and my mom gives me the evil eye.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but the look on your face was priceless.” I turn to Slade. “Want a beer?”
“Nah, I’ll have water since I’m driving.”
I hand him a bottle of water. Slade sometimes will have a beer even if he’s driving, but I think he’s trying to make a good impression on my dad, which is cool. My dad is a big guy, and being a detective, most want to stay on his good side. “Mind if I have a beer?”
Slade shakes his head. “Not at all, baby, go for it.” I pull a beer from the fridge and take a sip.
Slade turns to my father. “Any updates?”
He shakes his head. “The menu that you guys got a picture of doesn’t have any of the club info on it, so we can’t use it to get a warrant, and it’ll take a while for the lab to examine the drugs you gave me. To be honest, I’m hoping to catch Noah out somewhere and convince him to flip on Higgins, but I have to catch him first. We’ve been sitting on his house, but he hasn’t been there, and we have no leads on where he’s been staying. One of my guys caught him leaving work, but lost him. I think he knew he was being followed and is now hiding out. We’re trying to bust him doing something so we have reason to bring him in and question him.”
“Can you ask him to come in for questioning in regards to the club?”
“I can, but it’ll probably spook him and he may tell Higgins we’re on to him. We don’t want that. Higgins could end up panicking, killing Noah to tie up a loose end, and then we lose our only lead and chance at taking down the club.”
Slade nods in understanding. “What do we do?”
“You continue to keep my daughter safe. If he shows up, call me immediately so we can try and track him down. We need to figure this out, and I’m hoping if we bust him doing something, and we tell him what we have on him, he’ll give us more.”
Slade sighs. “I promise nothing will happen to her.”
My father steps closer to him. “I’m counting on you. Please, don’t let me down.”
“Dinner is ready.” My mother breaks the conversation. We all grab something to bring into the dining room. Once we’re situated with plates, my mother looks at Slade. “Tell me about your family.”
Slade places his fork down and wipes his mouth with the napkin he’s placed on his lap. “My mother passed away two years ago, and I haven’t seen my father since I was about three.” He shrugs his shoulders. “Not much to tell you. I considered my brothers at arms family while I was serving, but we’re all scattered around the country. I’ve made some great friends through work and in working for Logan, protecting his people.”
My mom’s brows furrow. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s a perfectly acceptable question. I unfortunately don’t have a happy answer.” We continue to eat in silence. There’s an uncomfortable feeling in the air after the heavy conversation we just had, so I decide to lighten it up.
“I’m pretty excited. Slade is taking me to Universal this week.” I have a huge grin on my face. I can’t wait to get there and check out all the rides.
“That sounds like fun. I wish I had taken the kids places like that when they were small, but I was always afraid to be in such large crowds with them.”
“I can understand that. It can be really crowded there, and being in California, it’s not like we have a slow season. The weather is almost always nice.” Slade pushes his plate away. “That was really good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, and you feel free to have dinner with us anytime. I know my daughter is not much of a cook.”
Slade bursts into laughter. “She told me, but have no fear…my mom taught me to cook. She said there was no way she was raising a son that couldn’t take care of himself.”
“Good woman.” My dad pats him on the shoulder. “My mom taught me how to cook as well, but I was lucky enough to marry an amazing cook, which is great, because although I can do it, I don’t enjoy it.”
A short time later we’ve helped my mom clean everything up and tell them it’s time for us to head out. Slade promises to keep an eye on me with Noah running about, and we head home to get some sleep before we both have to work tomorrow.
Chapter 10
Kara
We pull up to the park and climb out of the car. I inhale a deep breath of crisp, morning air. It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and there’s excitement in the air as kids jump out of their cars, ready for a day of fun rides, fried foods, and candy. Slade comes around to me. “Are you ready?” I nod and smile as we walk toward a tram that’s going to take us to the entrance of the park so we can purchase our tickets. We wait in line with everyone else. I get this sense I’m being watched, and when I look over, I see this really cute little girl just staring at us. I give her a cute smile and she smiles back.
I squat down in front of her. “Are you excited to go in?” She nods her head.
She bites her lip like she wants to ask a question but she’s unsure. I start to stand when she tugs my shirt. “Where’s your daughter?”
I giggle and squat back down. “I don’t have a daughter or a son yet.”
She has a look of total confusion on her face. “Then why are you at a kid’s park?”
I can’t help but burst into laughter and I can hear Slade chuckling behind me. “I’m here with a friend. I never got to come here when I was a little girl and I wanted to try going on some rides.”
Her eyes go wide. “The rides are so much fun. Mommy and Daddy took me to Disneyland last year and we had a great time. I can’t wait to see these rides.”
I smile at her. “You have a really fun day, okay?”
She nods at me, and when I stand, her mom smiles at me. “I’m sorry. She’ll talk to anyone.”
“She’s fine. You have an adorable little girl.”
“Thank you. Enjoy your day.” The mom takes her daughter’s hand.
“You too.” Slade wraps his arm around me and I can hear
them having a discussion about talking to strangers.
The tram pulls up and we follow our line up to the front. We get lucky finding space for the two of us to squeeze in. Resting my head on Slade’s shoulder, I watch everything happening around me. The sweet families excited for a great day, the bratty kids who act entitled, and the great scenery that is Universal. There are Harry Potter signs for the new ride. When the tram pulls over, there are lines of people waiting to get tickets. I start toward one of the lines, assuming we need to purchase ours as well when Slade stops me. “Where are you going?”
“To get in line so we can buy our tickets.” I give him a look that screams, duh.
He laughs. “These tickets?” He holds up two tickets for entrance into the park.
“How do you already have tickets?” My eyes are wide with shock.
“A buddy of mine works here. I told him we were coming to the park for the day and I wanted you to meet him. I asked him if he would be working and available for lunch.” He shrugs his shoulders. “He insisted he get us tickets and that we meet him at The Three Broomsticks at one.”
“I can’t wait to meet him. How do you know him?”
“We served together. During our last tour he got severely injured and ended up medically discharged. This is one of the many places in California that gives veterans a slight priority.” He hands me my ticket as we approach the turn gate. The woman at the gate is full of smiles. She scans Slade’s ticket and he pushes through. She scans mine, tells me to have a great day, and I too push through. “We’ve stayed in touch over the years but haven’t had a chance to see each other in quite a while.”
“I’m sorry he got hurt, but I’m glad he’s doing okay.”
“He has his rough days. He took shrapnel to the leg, losing it from the knee down.” Slade stares off and for a second I think he’s reliving it.
“Were you with him?” He nods his head. I link my fingers with his and give him a gentle squeeze.
“This isn’t exactly date talk. How about we switch the subject and have some fun?” He grabs a map from the stand and we decide on our route.
