Protecting Emma

by ML Michaels

  ***

  Bella and Daniel spent the following days avoiding each other—neither of them knew how to address the situation. They both felt it, both knew there was something to discuss, but neither knew how to go about doing it. Daniel hadn’t had feelings for someone since his wife died, and Bella was used to dirt bag boyfriends who treated her badly. They tiptoed around each other quietly, but it wasn’t a bad energy that followed them, rather it was simple uncertainty about what to do next.

  It was the day before the hearing when Daniel finally got up the courage to talk to Bella about it directly. He got up early and began making her breakfast as she had for him the first morning they were in the safe house together. He made his version of an egg scramble, loaded with cheese, and veggies, and sour cream. The cheese had just melted when Bella bounced down the stairs in her pajamas.

  She looked beautiful. Her hair was slightly disheveled from sleep, but her skin was aglow, and her eyes were bright.

  “It smells amazing down here,” she said, entering the kitchen.

  “Thanks,” Daniel replied. “I thought I’d make you breakfast since it’s our last day before the hearing.”

  “Oh yeah, the hearing.”

  “Don’t be worried about it. You’ll do just fine.”

  “I just don’t like being in front of a lot of people. I get really nervous.”

  “Just focus on what you’ve got to say, and you’ll be all right.” Daniel acknowledged her with a radiant smile that was filled with hope. “I promise it will be all right.”

  Bella felt a pang of desire to be in Daniel’s arms again, but she shook her head and put the feeling aside. She eased herself into a chair at the kitchen table, and Daniel placed a plate of eggs in front of her. It looked delicious. She realized how hungry she was.

  “This looks great,” she said, but she couldn’t quite make herself sound happy. She couldn’t hide her concern from Daniel, but he thought it was about the hearing, not about how she felt about him.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  After days of holding it in, when he finally looked at her with genuine concern and openness, Bella broke down.

  “I’ve never seen someone die before,” she told him. “You killed the pizza man. It was just all too much. It scared me. It scares me that you know how to kill a man.”

  Daniel’s jaw dropped. “I had to,” he said. “He came here to kill you, Bella.”

  “I know, I know. It’s just that I’ve been with dangerous men before. I’m not saying you’re dangerous, but you know how to kill.” Bella looked down at her hands. “My dad died in the Gulf War. I don’t know if I can have violence in my life.”

  Daniel sat down next to her. It was true; he had killed several men in his career as a police officer. He thought of his wife’s death. There was still a pang of guilt. He felt responsible for her death, and he never wanted to put Bella in danger either. If he could barely protect her in a safe house, then how would he be able to protect her in the real world? He rubbed his temples with his fingers.

  “I know what you mean, and I understand,” he told her.

  Bella’s heart dropped, and she knew as soon as he said it that she had been wrong. There was something special about Daniel. He wasn’t a gangster, or a lowlife, or a goon. He was a police officer. Killing criminals was often part of the job description. His job was to keep people safe. That’s what he did. And that’s what he did for her. He didn’t even have to work. He had more money than he needed from his grandfather’s inheritance. But she could tell he was committed to making the world a better place. She took his hand in hers.

  “I think I was confused before, just scared. You saved my life. You did shoot someone, but it was to save me. I see now what a big difference that is.”

  Daniel looked up, and there were tears in his eyes. “I’m doing my best to hold it together, Bella. You’re the first woman I’ve had feelings for since my wife died. I don’t want to mess this up. I don’t want to put you in any danger. I want you to be safe and happy.”

  “I know. And that’s why I want to be with you. You care. You do the right thing,” Bella said, and she leaned in and kissed him for the first time. Their lips connected and a shot of electricity streamed through their bodies like wildfire. Daniel stood up and led Bella out of the kitchen, leaving their full plates of food behind. He swooped her up and carried her up the stairs with ease.

  “You are a really special girl, Bella. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

  “You’re a good, handsome man. Don’t let yourself believe anything less.”

  He took her into her bedroom and laid her gently on the bed.

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked her softly.

  “Yes. It’s what I wanted since I first opened my eyes in the medical room, and you were standing over me.”

  Daniel kissed her neck. Bella’s body rolled and undulated in response to his hands moving up and down the curves of her body. She felt alive and safe; she knew she had made the right decision. As he kissed her deeply, with care and with strength, she gave herself to him fully. There was no turning back.

  They took turns removing each other’s clothing—his t-shirt, her blouse, his jeans, her pants, her bra, his boxers, and last, her panties. All the clothes landed in a heap on the floor, ignored by the two new lovers, exploring each other for the first time.

  “I haven’t been with someone since my wife,” Daniel murmured in Bella’s ear. “No one has stirred my heart this much.” He stroked her cheek, and nibbled her earlobe.

  “I’ve never felt this safe or cared for,” Bella whispered in response, her fingers discovering the hard angles of his body, while he caressed her soft curves. His fingers found her wetness. She shivered as he plunged his third and fourth fingers inside her gently. She reached for his shaft, and urged him on. When she was ready, he slid inside her and they both sighed together, overwhelmed by the sensation of being so close. They made love like never before, all night long, and by the time the night sky began to lighten, even the faint stars were in ecstasy.

  They fell asleep in each other’s arms, breathing in rhythm with the rise and fall of the other’s chest. When Daniel’s alarm when off at 9 a.m., they were both sleepy eyed and exhausted.

  “The hearing begins in a couple of hours,” Daniel said. “Do you feel ready?”

  “I don’t know how I feel. Come back to bed for a couple more minutes,” Bella pleaded.

  “Okay, okay, but just five more minutes. We’ve got to get ready. A car will be here to pick us up in less than an hour.”

  Daniel hopped back in bed, and they enjoyed the company of one another in silence. Bella had never felt so at ease, so safe, so happy with a man. She’d been happy before, but not like this. Daniel was a real and honorable man, the kind she’d been longing for her whole life.

  “I have some bad news, though,” Daniel said, snapping her back to reality.

  Bella shut her eyes, preparing for what was about to come.

  “It is forbidden for me to have sexual or romantic relations with someone I’m charged to protect.”

  “But—”

  “—Hear me out before you get upset. We just have to wait until the hearing is over. And then, if you still want to, we can be together. We just have to wait until then.”

  “It depends on how the hearing goes. What if they don’t believe me?”

  “It will be fine. The Carraccis are a longstanding crime family. They would be insane to not believe you and do nothing to protect you.”

  ***

  Bella had never been to the courthouse before. It was an old, massive, looming building. She stood on the steps and looked up at the bell tower that was no longer used. A small crowd of police officers escorted her up the steps and through the mighty front doors. Daniel had prepped her on what to say and how to act, and she felt as prepared as she could possibly be.

  She entered the cour
troom with her head held high and her shoulders pulled back, even though on the inside she was terribly nervous. She noticed both Kenny and Dom sitting in the first row on the left looking grim, handcuffs on each of their wrists.

  The hearing lasted about two hours. Bella was asked to the stand to recount the events of that horrendous night. Her hands were shaky, and she had to avoid looking at either of the Carracci brothers, but she was able to explain what happened without losing the strength in her voice. Daniel sat in the courtroom and watched her with an encouraging expression on his face, but she tried to avoid looking at him because she didn’t want to raise suspicions. If they had any chance at being together, nobody could find out that they had already been together intimately when he was protecting her.

  The court took a thirty-minute break while the judge decided whether to order a trial. Bella went to the bathroom and got herself a sip of water from the drinking fountain outside the courtroom. Her public defender told her there was no way the Carraccis would get off free. There was too much evidence against them. Bella was grateful for his support but was still nervous. If either of them were released, she would be forced back into protective services. She would not be able to go back to her normal life, and she would not be able to be with Daniel. As it was, Bella would have to wait weeks before they could see each other if the Carraccis were held for trial.

  Part of her was still anxious about dating a cop. The threat of something terrible happening to him was too high, but she couldn’t quell the love that was already budding inside her—if she did, she knew she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

  Her public defender came out and told her it was time to go back into the courtroom. The jury was ready.

  As she walked down the aisle to return to her seat, Kenny looked at her with more hatred and contempt than she had ever seen on someone’s face. She quickly looked away. How could he hate her so much? He was the one who broke the law, who shot his brother, who dealt drugs. She shook her head, and focused on the judge instead.

  “I hereby remand Kenny Carracci and Dominic Carracci over for trial on charges of drug trafficking, possession of illegal weapons, and attempted murder. Trial is set for…”

  Bella was no longer listening. A huge smile erupted across her face and the realization hit her—she would be free from them soon! She and Daniel had a chance at being together, and she would finally be safe again.

  She decided then and there that she would quit her job and start writing full time. Life was too short to waste doing something she hated instead of something she loved.

  Daniel walked her out of the courtroom. He held her by the elbow as Kenny and Dom were escorted out of the building. Dom spat at her as he went by but missed. Kenny wouldn’t look at her. Daniel told her that their eldest brother had been arrested as well. The Carracci family was going down. Bella would finally be safe.

  ***

  It had been three weeks since the trial, and Bella had still not heard from Daniel. She was more than worried. Had she made up the whole thing? Had it been a game to him? She’d decided to work at the bar for another three months while she figured out how to start making a living off of her writing. Happy enough to be back in her apartment, back to her normal life, she was beginning to think it had all been a dream. She was too frightened to call the police and ask for Daniel by name. She didn’t want to get him in trouble. But she couldn’t deny that her feelings were hurt. Why hadn’t he called?

  She cooked herself pizza in the oven—she was too afraid to ever order pizza again—and sat on the couch, working on a short story for her blog, when the doorbell rang. Maybe it’s my sister, she thought to herself, and she pressed ‘apple S’ to save what she’d been working on. When she got to the door, she stood on her tiptoes and checked the peephole, as she did every time she answered the door since the incident.

  It was Daniel.

  Bella almost shrieked, but she covered her mouth with her hands. She was wearing her pajamas. Quickly, she brushed her hair with her fingers, and pinched her cheeks, and adjusted her shirt. What was he doing here? Not even a phone call in three weeks, and he just decided to show up at her front door? Bella didn’t know what to think, and there was only one way to find out.

  She pulled open the door slowly and let her eyes fall upon the handsome man standing in her hallway.

  “Hi,” he said, beaming at her. He pulled a bouquet of wild flowers out from behind his back and handed them to her.

  “These look hand-picked,” she said.

  “They are,” Daniel replied. “You can tell your neighbors sorry for me.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “I didn’t hear from you. I thought…”

  “I know what you must have thought, but trust me it isn’t true. I couldn’t run the risk of calling you. Officer Robins was suspicious from the get-go. She was watching me like a hawk. As soon as I got assigned a new case, I decided to come surprise you. Can you forgive me for not calling sooner?”

  Bella looked at him and pursed her lips, letting him be nervous for a few moments before she grinned. “Of course I can forgive you. I’ve been waiting for you.” And with that, she allowed him to sweep her up into a full, loving embrace. Finally, she said to herself. Finally.

  In the apartment, he kissed her madly. Her knee bent and her toe popped up like in the movies. She was happier than she’d ever been.

  “What are you cooking?” Daniel asked. “It smells like pizza.”

  “It is.”

  The End

  *****

  Like a Movie: Secret Baby BBW Bad Boy Best Friend’s Brother Romance

  By Bess Hart

  She tried so hard to resist. Yet sometimes, just sometimes, temptation overcame her.

  “Why do I do this to myself?”

  Heaving a heated sigh, a resigned Claire Vincent sank low in a cushioned lavender seat facing a wide metallic screen that loomed large and imposing before her.

  While other guests at the Genoa Multiplex (indeed, she mused, in a small town like Genoa, even a theater that showed three to four films simultaneously could be officially considered a multiplex) chomped on popcorn and sipped soda as they sat in gleeful anticipation of a romantic matinee, Claire sat tall and rigid in her stadium style seat and folded her hands tightly before her. Her narrowed stare pinned to a screen that now came alive with light and color.

  After sitting through a random, frothy series of refreshment ads and a series of short previews, Claire almost cringed as she saw his name emblazoned in big, bold letters across the surface of the silver screen.

  “Of course he would have to hold top billing,” she scoffed inwardly, shifting uncomfortably in the cushions of her seat. “Of course his name would have to loom larger than everyone else’s and boast a near blinding scarlet red font. I’m only surprised that he didn’t demand that the sounds of a bugle, tuba or other loud instrument accompany and underline the display of his name in the opening credits. Make no mistake, Ladies and Gents, it’s the one and only Shawn Sullivan! Bow down before the man!”

  And then she saw him. The man whose wide dark eyes and flawless features seemed to fill half the screen, drawing hoots and hollers from half the females in the audience.

  And when the camera pulled back to reveal his tall muscled form—clad in little more than a tight fitting pair of ruby red swimming trunks—well then they really hooted and hollered.

  Claire, for her part, just rolled her eyes in response to their dramatic reaction, or more accurately, in response to the exotic Hollywood movie star who seemed to provoke it.

  “For years we toiled away side by side, first in drama classes and then on stage at the Genoa community theater, studying the works of Shakespeare and the dramatic theories of Strasberg,” she mused with a sigh. “And where and how does he apply all of his comprehensive and well-honed acting training? By taking a complex, sure to be intellectually and challenging leading role in the oh so sophisticated cinematic o
pus ‘Beach Babes Gone Crazy’.”

  Still she, like the others, couldn’t help but admire the way that his bronzed massive pecs and flawless washboard abs seemed to fill up half the screen; and, when the camera panned upward, the manner in which his sculpted visage lent an uncommon beauty to his already ethereal beachfront surroundings.

  She trembled outright as she remembered just what it was like to kiss those full, moist lips and stare deep into those ebony eyes. To wrap her arms around those bronzed muscled shoulders and rest her head on that broad sculpted chest.

  Heaving yet another resigned sigh, Claire jumped up from her seat and took her white seashell purse firmly in hand, all the while attracting the ire of a group of young females who sat just behind her.

  “You’re blocking our view of Shawn!” piped a petite blonde, glaring at Claire as though the frowning 25-year-old had just taken a pick axe to her grandmother. “And why are you leaving so early? The show has just started!”

  Claire shrugged.

  “I guess I just don’t see much point in sticking around,” she revealed, adding as she turned away, “I’ve already seen this picture, too many times. And I know exactly just how the movie ends.”