“Please?” I pleaded.
He got up, picking up the radio that was lying on the counter in front of him, and hooked it to his belt.
“I’ll walk you since Orr isn’t back with the shuttle yet,” he agreed, offering me his elbow.
I smiled in relief, hooked my arm around his, and squeezed lightly.
“How’s the wifey doing?” I asked as we made our way out the doors.
Jade shot me a withering glare as she passed, but she wouldn’t dare say anything negative around Brownie.
Troy, however, had no such compunction.
“You stupid bitch,” he snapped. “Why is it so fuckin’ hard for you to let me say a goddamned word to you?”
Brownie; well, Brownie wasn’t the nicest of people in the first place.
He was older, yes, but that didn’t mean he was no less bad ass.
In his mid-sixties, he was a veteran and had a zero-bullshit tolerance.
He was a twenty-five-year veteran of the Kilgore Police Department, and still busted ass in the streets where he was a beat cop.
I’d met him the first day I stepped into the hospital for my first clinical.
His granddaughter had been on the same floor I’d done my first clinical on, and he’d done his absolute best to give me a hard time.
I’d, of course, had no trouble dealing with his terror tactics.
He just wanted to make sure I had what it took to take care of his precious granddaughter.
I’d grown up with a brother that liked to kick my ass for fun. I knew how to handle macho men.
And I’d handled him just fine.
But he wasn’t called Zebes by the city of Kilgore for nothing. Zebes was a shortened nickname for Zero Bull Shit. And I let his arm go the moment I felt him tense.
Brownie hooked his large, scarred hand at my hip, and pushed me behind him, pinning me between the glass walls of the hospital’s ER entrance and his strong muscular back.
“What did you just say?” Brownie asked Troy.
His tone was deceptively calm and cool, but I knew that things were about to take a turn south.
Luckily, Troy realized what he’d done, and who he’d said it to.
Brownie wasn’t that hard to recognize.
He had a large scar at the corner of his mouth where a criminal had sliced his lip with a knife. Going deeply, all the way to the bone, and giving the man a permanent scar that would forever be a reminder to him, and everyone else, exactly who and what he was.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I ignored it in favor of being diligent.
I wasn’t a dumbass, nor one of those dumb TV heroines who decided it’d be a smart thing for her to take her attention away from the possible altercation in front of her.
Luckily, all my diligence proved to be unwarranted as Troy unpuffed his chest, turned his head away, and immediately started walking toward Jade.
All he did was hold his hand out to her and she took it, hastily looking between Brownie and her husband like she wasn’t sure what was about to happen.
The minute they disappeared into Troy’s stuffy Cadillac Escalade, I took a deep breath and looked up at Brownie.
“Thank you,” I sighed. “Shit.”
He looked at me curiously, not mad per se, but calculating.
“That guy’s bad news, woman.”
I nodded my head, and he started walking forward.
Since I assumed he wanted to continue walking me to my car, I let him, not saying a word until we were nearly at our destination.
“My ex isn’t good news, no,” I agreed with him. “But there’s nothing I can do about him but let him be, and stay far away from him.”
Brownie frowned, but didn’t say a word as he let me go.
I waved goodbye and was in my car, halfway to the fire station, before the reality of my life finally hit me.
Again.
I hated that man with a passion.
And really, hate wasn’t a strong enough word for what I felt about that man.
Troy was a douche. A huge, massive, I want you to step in front of a bus, douche.
By the time I pulled into the fire station, I nearly had the shivering under control.
My hand, however, had been absently counting the marks on my belly. The ones that Bowe had stayed well away from the night before.
He’d accidentally touched one when we were in the shower after our lovemaking, and he’d yanked his hand back so fast that you would’ve thought my skin was toxic.
All of this was on my mind as I stepped out of the car, amongst chaos.
Well, at least the sounds of chaos.
I headed toward the yelling. The closer I got, the louder it became.
At first I wasn’t sure what it was. Then the closer I moved, the more I realized that it was someone cheering. Some sort of competition from the sound of it.
The moment I rounded the corner of the firehouse, I could see what everyone was cheering and yelling about.
The firehouse stood on a large hill of sorts, and the moment I cleared the building, I could see down into the valley below the hill, not far, but far enough that I could see over the men’s heads, straight for the obstacle course below.
Bowe had already started his testing.
Feeling like shit that I’d left him with Elise too long, and he’d had to bring her with him, I automatically started scanning for her, and found her with PD.
Once I saw that she was happy, I moved my gaze back to the course, and was amazed by how fast Bowe was moving.
A man was also running with him, and upon closer inspection, I realized it was Booth.
Booth, I’d heard, held the best time on the course.
And it looked like Bowe was holding his own.
He wasn’t winning, no, but for him being off for so long, I thought he was doing pretty damn good.
Then instead of taking the last flight of stairs with his patient, he jumped over the side, cradling the dummy.
It, of course, wouldn’t work in real life.
Not with someone that was sick or in need of life saving measures.
But it worked for now.
Laughing out loud, I yelled.
“Go, Bowe! Go!” I screamed, cupping my hands around my mouth to project the sound further.
He didn’t hear me over the crowd, but my daughter did.
She turned her head, and immediately started to clap her hands as she realized it was me.
Grinning from ear to ear, I walked towards her, glancing over her shoulder at Bowe as I moved.
I weaved through the throng of men, some firefighters, others police officers.
Bowe had just crossed the finish line, Booth very close at his heels, when I reached Elise.
“Hey there, baby,” I cooed.
She giggled, but didn’t hold her hands out for me, so I chose to let PD hold her for a few more seconds as I turned to the field.
That’s when I saw Bowe.
Shirtless.
Laughing his ass off while he shook Booth’s hand, who, conveniently, was also shirtless.
Both men were wiping sweat out of their faces with their shirts, talking about what I’d guess was the course they’d just run, when Bowe’s eyes lifted and found mine.
I waved, and he grinned, full out.
His beard and sweat slickened hair made him look rough and delicious, and I wanted to freakin’ throw myself at him.
I had a little bit of decorum, though, and managed to give him a small peck on the cheek the moment he arrived at my side.
“When did you get here?” he asked, slightly out of breath.
I started to lean back when he started to lean forward, and his eyes started to dance as he moved with me.
“About two minutes ago,” I giggled when he captured me around the waist and hauled me against him.
“My wife doesn’t kiss me like that when I’m sweaty,” a man from my side whined.
Yes, a grown man with six foot two inches o
f solid muscle, whined.
I gave him a look, which clearly, he read, causing him to grin.
“The name’s Luke.” He offered me his hand. “And I’m the SWAT team leader.”
I shook his offered hand and dropped it after two pumps, trying in vain to disentangle my body from Bowe’s.
“The problem, old man, is that you give her a choice,” another, a blonde this time, called from somewhere behind me.
“Miller,” someone said. “Mercy would kick your ass if she thought you were not letting her have her way.”
I supposed that this Mercy belonged to the Miller, but I could be wrong.
Likely I wasn’t, but I had no clue who these men were, so I was saving my opinions until I knew them better.
“Motherfucker,” PD called, startled.
I turned just in time to see Elise launch herself at Bowe, who easily caught her.
She’d been doing that a lot lately to me, too, so I understood PD’s worry the moment he caught my eyes, offering me a silent apology.
“It’s okay,” I waved him off. “She’s been doing it to me, too. Scares the absolute crap out of me each time she does it.”
“Me too. But I never drop her,” Bowe lifted Elise up in the air, pretending to drop her.
She giggled, clapping her chubby, little baby hands as he did.
“You’re a natural with her,” Chief Alan said as he insinuated himself into the throng of bystanders. “And I’m glad to have you back on my team.”
Bowe settled Elise on his side before taking the chief’s hand, shaking it with a large smile on his face.
“I’ll have to get used to being woken up at all hours of the night again,” he pursed his lips. “It’s definitely going to take some getting used to.”
I rolled my eyes.
Bowe slept four hours a night, at best.
He was up all night, and didn’t show the least bit of wear like a normal human being would.
“Hey, what time’s the race on Saturday?” Luke asked, lifting his muscled arm to enable him to reach the bar above his head.
The stance showed off his muscles, and I had to admit, the man was jacked.
Then the word ‘race’ hit me, and my head snapped around to glare at Bowe, who had the decency to look abashed.
“Seven.”
***
“You’re fucking racing?” I asked. “Since when?” I had just put Elise down in her crib. She was worn out from her earlier excitement.
Bowe eyed me warily.
I was a little worked up, and not all of it had to do with Bowe.
However, he made a wonderful way for me to get some of the fear that was still coursing through my veins out, and I’d do what I could.
It was just my luck that he’d pick up on it, though.
“Did something else happen other than you finding out that I’m racing on Saturday?” he tested warily. “Because I was going to tell you. I only found out this afternoon.”
I frowned at that.
I couldn’t fault him for not telling me. I hadn’t answered any of his texts all day long.
I sighed and sat down heavily on the chair next to the table, dropping my head down into my hands.
“Troy was there to pick Jade up from the hospital today and he cornered me,” I muttered into my hands.
At first I hadn’t thought he’d heard what I’d said, but then a vicious curse had my eyes widening as I looked up.
“What?” I asked.
“You need to report this, or at least get a restraining order against him,” Bowe said. “Anything. If you don’t report these incidents when he continues stepping over that line, no one will take it seriously because they weren’t documented. You have to create a paper trail. And yes, note I said fucking when, because it’s not a matter of if, but when. He’s going to do something, and when he does, you’ll need all the ammunition you can get. You can’t be careless. You have a kid to think about.”
I blinked at the vehemence in his voice.
And then anger started to pour through my veins, intermingling with my fear, making my mouth run when I should’ve really shut up and agreed with him.
But noooo, not me.
I had a way of ruining every single situation I ever found myself in when it came to men.
I must subconsciously want to destroy what I have before I’ve ever even had it.
“I’m not fucking careless,” I snapped. “I’m exactly what I need to be. I give her a roof over her head.”
“Do you? Or did your daddy?” Bowe countered.
My mouth dropped open.
“Get out.”
He shook his head.
“No,” he yelled back. “I’m not getting out. I live here! You can’t just kick me out.”
“It’s my house, and I sure as fuck can kick you out if you’re being a douche bag!” I replied, walking up to him and pushing him.
He didn’t rock back at all, and it only deteriorated from there.
When I went to push him again, he grabbed my hands and pulled me in close, so close that my body was plastered against his.
His grip on my arms was tight, not painful, but I knew that they could turn that way if he wanted to.
Instincts that were honed from necessity had me struggling, and he let me go the moment I started to move.
“Did it ever occur to you that I am just worried about you and Elise?” he asked. “Because I am. Fucking terrified. This time with you both has been some of the happiest and best times of my life.” He laughed bitterly. “And you would think, since I’ve been off my job—which might I add was the only thing I’ve enjoyed in my life for a while now—that I would have hated the last few months. However, you and Elise have made it bearable. You’ve made me feel more than I have in the last five years. Is it so hard to fucking believe that I would care about what happens to you?”
Well…that just took the wind out of my sails.
“That was a douche thing to say,” he apologized. “And I’m sorry.”
I waved his apology away.
“That was pretty tame,” I admitted. “It could’ve been a lot worse.”
He chuckled darkly, and then moved until I was only inches from him.
But he didn’t touch me.
He allowed me to make that move, and move I did.
Throwing my arms around his neck, I pulled him down to me and squeezed.
“I also had a suggestion,” he hesitated, wrapping his arms around me so I couldn’t get away.
“Yes?” I pushed, not sure I liked how gentle his voice was.
“When I picked Elise up today from your mom’s, she made mention of wanting to do something at an outpatient clinic on the days she has off, but since she’s watching Elise, she can’t.” He looked down at me. “I think you should start Elise in daycare.”
When I went to protest, he brought his hand up and covered my mouth.
“I know you can’t afford it,” he said. “Not by yourself. But I was also listening to some of the ladies in the lounge talk today about the daycare facility on campus, and how it was offered at a discounted rate to staff. And if I enroll her, I get a teacher’s discount. It cuts the cost of daycare in half, and also is about ten dollars more than what you already pay your mom for watching her every week.”
I pursed my lips in thought, staring blankly at the wall of Bowe’s chest as I thought about the positives and negatives of this deal.
“They would watch her every day of the week?” I asked, looking up into his patient eyes.
He nodded his head.
“Yes,” he said. “I got you a few brochures. They also offered to let me walk around the facility tomorrow, whenever I chose. If we went between our classes, then it should give us a good half hour to check it out.”
I nodded my head.
“I think…” I grinned. “I think that’s a really great idea. I had looked into that daycare, but it’s extortion for someone living on a student’s salary. I’m glad
to see they don’t treat their staff the same way.”
He grinned.
“Now,” I smoothed my hand over the wall of his chest, then dropped it down to encompass his strong, muscled arms. “Tell me about this racing business.”
His eyes darkened, and he stooped down low, catching me behind my knees by his forearms, and deposited me onto the table.
My eyes widened as he leaned forward, pressing his denim covered erection against me. My scrub bottoms did nothing to keep the feel of him away from every part of me, and in a matter of moments, I was on the same page that Bowe was.
He skimmed his fingers down my scrub top, tickling my sides as he went.
The moment he caught the hem of my shirt, he lifted it up and over my head, scattering pens, notes, and spare change all over the floor as he did.
Neither one of us cared.
His eyes took in my breasts, which were bound tightly in a sports bra, and grinned.
“That looks painful,” he admitted, lifting his hands so he could hook his thick fingers underneath the bra’s constrictive seam, and pull it up and over my head as well.
My breasts bounced free, but he ignored them in favor of pushing me backwards.
First my ass, and then my back, hit the cool wood of my table, and I once again became thankful that I’d found such a sturdy piece of furniture. There was nothing quite like old antiques.
They could take more of a pounding—I hoped since I’d never quite tested it out this way—than newer furniture.
“I like the height of this table,” Bowe admitted. “It’s the perfect height.”
“What…”
Then he showed me by pressing his erection into me again.
Going faster once he realized just how well we aligned because of the table, he roughly yanked off my shoes, tossing them onto the floor along with the rest of my stuff.
Soon my pants, and panties followed.
For some reason, my socks stayed, but that didn’t bother me, especially when he hastily started to remove his own clothing, adding to the already messy pile of my clothes.
The moment he lowered his underwear, my eyes immediately fastened on the sight of him.
His cock.
It was a thing of beauty.
I saw a lot of cocks in my four years of nursing school, some big, some small. Others dark in tone and a few that were light.
Put Out (Kilgore Fire Book 5) Page 11
