Perfectly Imperfect Mine

by Amelia Shea

  She loved that story.

  “Come on, we got to eat!” He pulled Sadie up from the bed.

  They got dressed and went to the kitchen in the early afternoon. The place was quiet except for T watching a football game. He didn’t look up or say a word when they entered the room.

  “Go have a seat and I’ll make us sandwiches.” He gestured toward the living room.

  Sadie nodded and walked past T in one of the recliners and sat on the “good” couch. She looked up at the television. The green and yellow team was beating the blue and silver, she thought. She was clueless when it came to sports. Sadie watched as the green and yellow team did something that made the other team point at the white lines. Yes, completely clueless. Sadie looked over into the kitchen to Stone when T’s eyes caught mine. He was staring at her.

  “Good morning!” she cheerily said with a quick wave.

  “It’s afternoon.” He was grumpy.

  “Oh right!” Sadie smiled.

  He just stared back at her.

  “How’s your day going?” Sadie asked, trying to be friendly.

  “Oh it’s going great! I love being cock blocked and then woken up by the sound of people fucking in the next room. It’s fucking great!” he sarcastically responded.

  Well, it looked like Sadie was number one on T’s shit list. They continued to watch the game in silence until Stone came over with sandwiches. Sadie remained silent and ate as Stone and T talked about the game. They looked nothing alike but they were truly brothers. They had such an amazing rapport with one another. They were lucky to have each other. Sadie wished she had that.

  * * * *

  “I should go.”

  This was the second time in the last hour that she said she should go. Stone lounged back on the couch with his feet up on the table. He had one arm wrapped around Sadie’s stomach and the other on the armrest. She was cradled into his side with her feet tucked under her. She fit perfectly with him. Now, if she’d shut up about leaving it would be perfect. Football with the guys and his girl, a perfect Sunday.

  “You can’t leave now; you’ll miss the best part. When my team kicks his team’s ass. Fucker’s gonna owe me a hundred.” Bogs laughed as he pointed to Stone from the recliner he was sitting in. T sat in the other one.

  “It ain’t over yet, asshole,” Stone barked.

  “Wait, you guys bet on these games.”

  “Hell yeah, hundred bucks,” Bogs said.

  Sadie turned back to Stone, “Oh my God, you’re gonna have to give Bogs a hundred dollars?” Her eyes were shocked and showed little faith that Stone’s team could pull it off.

  Bogs burst out laughing, even T chuckled.

  Stone scowled. “The game isn’t over yet, babe.”

  “C’mon, man, it’s over. There’s no way they’ll recover,” Bogs teased.

  Stone’s cell phone began ringing and the room got quiet. He was expecting a call but was kind of hoping to be alone when he got it. With Sadie so close, he had to keep it short.

  “Yeah.” Stone kept his voice neutral.

  “Job is done. Had a little snag but nothing Dec couldn’t handle. Money’s been wired.”

  “And the other?” Stone showed no emotion.

  “He won’t be saying anything.”

  “Good. Then we’re done?” Stone asked with a sense of relief. This job was done.

  “Until next time, my friend.”

  “Later,” he said and ended the call.

  The line went dead.

  The tension in the room eased. T and Bogs knew from hearing only that small bit that the job was done. Sadie sat still against Stone. He knew she must be curious about the call. But he didn’t think she’d ask.

  The game continued and no one questioned Stone’s call. But fifteen minutes later Sadie insisted on going home.

  “I gotta go home, Stone.” Sadie got up from the couch but he yanked her back down on top of him. He reached his hand behind her head and brought her mouth down to his. His lips moved over hers softly. He felt her small hands on his chest, gripping at his shirt. She pulled back from the kiss and Stone smirked at her dazed look and pouty lips. He loved that look on her.

  “I’m just gonna grab my stuff from your room,” she whispered.

  Stone smirked and nodded. He watched her get up and walk down the hall.

  Stone got up and followed her. He needed to give her one more kiss before she left. A kiss that he had wanted to give her since he first saw her.

  Stone stood in the doorway watching Sadie grab her clothes from the floor and bed and stuffed them in her bag. She was so pretty with her brown hair up in one of those messy balls on the top of her head. She didn’t have a trace of makeup on and her clothes were completely casual but she was absolutely beautiful.

  Stone closed and locked the door behind him and stalked to Sadie. She turned around and smiled and then widened her eyes.

  “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked suspiciously.

  Stone grabbed her waist and lifted her to a standing position on the bed. She shrieked and gripped his shoulders.

  “Wanna kiss you again.”

  “Okay.”

  He grasped her jeans button, pulled it open, and unzipped her. Sadie gasped as he yanked her jeans to her ankles.

  “I thought you wanted to kiss me?” Confusion was written all over her face.

  Stone cocked his eyebrow and grinned. “I do!”

  He pulled her ankles from under her and she bounced back on the bed. He tore off the jeans as she giggled. He gripped her panties and slowly slid them down her legs. She stared at him with a small smile playing on her lips. She understood exactly where Stone wanted to kiss her now. He tossed her panties and sank to his knees pulling her down further on the bed.

  He bent down placing small kisses on her inner thighs and up around her stomach. Sadie started to squirm as he licked her belly and grazed his teeth over her hip and down to her thigh.

  “Stone.”

  “Yeah, baby?” he said between kissing her inner thigh.

  “You’re teasing me,” she muttered with heavy breaths.

  Stone smiled. “No more teasing, baby.”

  He dove straight to her pussy and dragged his tongue over her clit. She groaned and pressed herself against his mouth. His hands spread across her stomach as his mouth feasted on her. He stroked her clit slowly over and over until she was panting. His mouth devoured her and he sucked her nub between his lips. Her body spasmed and she moaned loudly. She tasted exactly the way Stone thought she would…sweet. His hands continued to caress her stomach leading up to her breasts. He slid his hands under her shirt and bra and squeezed her breasts gently.

  “Mmmm…that’s so good.”

  Stone traced every inch of her pussy loving the way she tasted and how her body responded to his touch. He spread his mouth over her smooth sweet spot and he felt her fingers in his hair. His tongue stroked her clit, his rhythm increasing as Sadie tightened her grip on Stone’s hair.

  “Yea, like that, don’t stop, don’t…”

  Stone flicked his tongue faster while kneading her breasts. Sadie moaned again. His tongue stroked her over and over until he sucked her sensitive nub into his mouth.

  “Ahhh…”

  Stone continued devouring her and released her breast dragging his hands down to her thighs and spreading them wide. His mouth continued its assault on her pussy and stroked her until her body began to shake and he knew she was coming.

  “Yes…yes…”

  She moved her hips against his mouth until she slowed down and he felt her body go slack. She was breathing heavy and her legs trembled as he released them from his hold.

  He kissed her inner thigh before dragging his body up hers. Her face was relaxed and her eyes were dreamy. He smirked; he put that look on her face.

  “We should do that again,” Sadie panted. “Soon.”

  Chapter 16

  It was Sunday night and Sadie was cookin
g chicken enchiladas once again. She left Stone’s place about an hour ago. The memory gave her chills.

  She glanced over at the clock on the stove. Eight fifteen p.m. He should be there soon. She cleaned up her place and replaced the sheets on her bed hoping that Stone would stay the night with her. In extreme girl mode, she even sprayed a light mist of perfume on her sheets. Sadie was doomed, this man had made her fall for him and now look at her—she was love struck.

  Her heart fluttered like a kid on Christmas when his truck pulled up in front of her trailer. She peered out the window and saw him hop out and stride to her door. She ran to the door and opened it, and was treated to his gorgeous smile.

  “Hey!” Sadie sighed as she took him in. Tall, muscular, sexy, and all hers. She reached up to his shoulders and pulled him down for a quick kiss. Their lips brushed. When she pulled back from him, his arms circled her waist and she was crushed into his chest. She fell into him and his strong arms tightened around her. Chills ran through her down to her core from the soft gentle kisses on her neck trailing to her ear.

  “Greeting your man at the door with food waiting? I like it!”

  His chest rumbled against her in laughter matching hers. Stone lifted his head and bowed down to meet her lips.

  “Only thing better would be you naked,” he mumbled against her lips.

  With a seductive coy smile, she winked. “Next time!”

  Dinner came out perfect and she served it on a table this time. Stone had three helpings and continued to rave about how good it was.

  “Hot and you can cook? Damn, baby, I’m a lucky guy!” He winked.

  She blushed at his compliments but she was excited he loved it. He brought over beer, which they drank in the living room while watching the late game.

  “So, this football thing? Is this every Sunday?” Sadie asked.

  He chuckled and looked over at her. They were sitting next to each other on the couch. He had his feet propped up on her table while hers were curled up underneath her.

  “Yeah, babe, every Sunday for about five months.” He was mocking her and his smirk was proof that she amused him.

  “Oh!” She let out a heavy sigh.

  He pulled her into him and placed a kiss on her head and whispered, “Gonna have to get used to it!”

  She was going to have to get used to it. What did that mean? Every Sunday they would be watching football? Would she be with him every Sunday? Her heart beat faster and a smile spread across her face. Was he staying? With her in Nebraska? Her mind tried to grasp the possibility of Stone staying in Cedar Bluff. Up until now, there hadn’t been any mention of a future for them. She assumed he’d leave in a couple days and that would be the end of them. But maybe he was coming back.

  “Is this you?” Stone asked in a tender tone. He brought her out of her daze.

  Sadie looked over at him. He was holding the picture frame of her with Aunt Jenn at the park. She was about five. He must have seen it on the end table. She smiled, Sadie loved that picture.

  “Yeah, that’s me.”

  “That your mom?”

  Sadie shook her head. “It’s my Aunt Jenn, my mom’s sister.”

  Sadie watched Stone inspect the picture, his face softened. He leaned over and put it back on the end table. “You were cute as hell.” She smiled. “You looked really happy, Sadie.”

  She nodded, tight lipped. “I was.” She fought back the tears.

  Stone hugged her tight and his lips pressed against her head. She missed her Aunt Jenn. She tried to hold the tears back but she couldn’t, her tears fell. All the while Stone held her, rubbing her arm and cradling her into his body.

  She fell asleep in his arms.

  * * * *

  Sadie was nestled in front of him on the couch. She fell asleep sometime in the second quarter, she thought. She was awakened by a beeping and Stone reaching into his pocket which joggled her. Her eyes remained closed but she could hear the game.

  “Yeah.” His voice was low and rough.

  Sadie could hear the other voice on the line. She couldn’t make out who it was but definitely a man.

  “We got a problem, man.”

  “What?” Stone asked.

  “Shaw.”

  “Fuck!” Stone shouted then quickly whispered, “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

  Sadie kept her eyes closed as Stone gently freed his arm from her head resting on it and slowly got up from the couch. The TV was turned off and he was walking away. Sadie stayed where she was in her fake sleep. She didn’t want him to see her disappointment. She really wanted him to stay with her tonight. So much for perfume on the sheets.

  His hand touched her face and she opened her eyes. “Babe, I gotta run. It's work. Come lock the door behind me.” He sighed with a face full of regret. At least she knew he wanted to stay, he just couldn’t.

  Sadie got up and walked behind him. He turned around from the door and held her face in his hands and kissed her. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Go to bed, okay?”

  Sadie stretched up to kiss him again and she nodded. She watched him until he got into his truck. Sadie locked the door and waited until she heard the truck leave. When she turned around, she saw the bottles on the counter. She smiled. He cleaned up.

  Sadie walked back to the couch and plopped down. “We got a problem, man. Shaw.” The words played in her head. She remembered the name in the article about Cavanaugh. Barry Shaw was his alibi. Virtually the reason he was found not guilty. The article said they had evidence to prove Cavanagh was guilty but Barry Shaw said he was at his restaurant all night with him and provided receipts as proof, and Cavanaugh walked.

  Sadie was still trying to figure out what Stone’s job had to do with Bryant Cavanaugh. When she looked on T’s computer, his last arrest was for the murder, which he was tried for. Why were Stone and the guys tracking down a man who hadn’t skipped out on his bond? And why was Shaw a problem? From what she read, he was just a witness. He wasn’t a criminal. She didn’t know why but it bothered her. It just didn’t add up. There was so much secrecy behind all of this, she couldn’t let it go. She’d always been too curious for her own good, her mom always said so.

  Sadie picked up her phone from the table. There was no harm in Googling this Shaw guy. If he’d been arrested recently it should come up. Sadie put in his name along with Indiana. Several articles came up including the one from T’s computer. She scrolled further down and saw an article she hadn’t seen on the computer. The headline read: Cavanaugh Defense Slam Dunks with Witness. Sadie clicked on it and on top of the article was a picture from the front of the courthouse. There was a man leaving and the picture was taken as he looked over his shoulder. Sadie zoomed in on his face.

  The caption below read: Barry Shaw, star witness for the defense, leaving the courthouse. He refused to comment on the trial or his testimony.

  Her heart raced as she stared closer at the picture. She knew this guy! She knew Barry Shaw. He was the man that was shot that night at the diner. Sadie knew his face, she waited on him. That was him! Sadie dropped her phone and sank back into the couch. Her mind was reeling as she tried to put the pieces together. Ethan told her the man from the diner was a criminal. Ethan said he pulled out the gun. But according to the paper, Barry Shaw was a witness and, by all accounts, a good guy in his community, a family man.

  Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as her mind wandered through the information. What the hell was going on? She just didn’t get it, nothing made sense.

  For the next hour, she surfed the Internet for anything related to Cavanaugh and Shaw. There were tons of articles and stories but all dated back three years ago. Nothing was current. There was a website set up for Macey Donavan called “Justice for Macey.” The last update was from a year ago. The blog stated the family would never stop until Macey’s killer was brought to justice but for now the family was stepping away and taking time to heal. The website had previously been updated at least once a week, if not more, s
ince around the time of her murder. But a year ago they just stopped. No updates. No new entries. It was as if they had given up.

  More articles proved to be the same. Their story had become old news. Everyone had forgotten about Macey Donavan and Cavanaugh, even her family, it appeared. Everyone except Stone and the guys. Sadie tried to look up recent arrest records for Cavanaugh but came up with nothing. More searching into Shaw showed him to be nothing more than a business owner in the town where he lived with his wife and children.

  Uneasiness drifted over her. Something was off.

  The next morning while eating breakfast she got a text from Stone.

  Stone: Babe

  Me: hey

  Stone: I’ll pick you up in an hour. That enough time?

  Me: yeah

  Stone: later

  An hour later Stone was sitting in her living room with her straddling him. She barely had had a chance to open the door when he stormed in, hoisted her up to him and started kissing her. His lips felt amazing; she’d never grow tired of them. Her hands were at the back of his head grabbing his hair as his hands squeezed her butt. He leaned down and licked her neck when she stopped him.

  “Wait, Stone, I want to talk for a minute.” Sadie pulled back from him.

  “We’ll talk later,” he grunted, pulling her back into him.

  “Please, Stone,” she pleaded. “This is important.”

  His head tilted back and he moved his hands to her hips. He didn’t look happy about stopping. “Okay. So talk.”

  “Tell me about your job,” she inquired, even toned.

  He started to laugh. “Babe, I’m a bounty hunter, I do private investigations, you know that. Now come here.” He tried to pull her in but she resisted.

  “No, I know, but tell me, what do you do exactly, as a bounty hunter? I want to know.” She placed her hands on his hands that rested on her hips.

  He drew back and released a heavy sigh.

  “Ethan sets up a bail bond to post bail for the client so they can await their court date out of jail. The client shows up, Ethan gets the money back. If the client doesn’t show up, we find him, bring him back to jail and get our money back that way,” he said, matter of fact and a bit guarded.