The Baby’s Guardian

by Delores Fossen

  “And you should arrange for some medical attention. You have two new cuts on your face.”

  He swiped at them to see if they were still bleeding. They were. But since he wasn’t gushing blood, he wasn’t about to waste time seeing a medic.

  They were only a few steps from the flop room when Shaw saw two people that he really didn’t want to see right now. Gavin Cunningham and Wilson Rouse. They were scowling at each other and were being escorted by not one but two uniformed officers.

  “They demanded to see you, sir,” one of the officers said. “They got here a few minutes before the shooting started, and I had them wait in your office.”

  “Not a good idea,” the other officer added. “They nearly got in a fight.”

  He was a popular man this morning. First, Danny. Now these two.

  “You’re bleeding,” Gavin observed.

  “Yeah, so I’ve been told. I was on my way to clean up, but I’m guessing you two think this is a good time to air some more dirty laundry.”

  “You bet it’s a good time. Tolbert, what you’re doing is harassment,” Rouse challenged. Unlike Gavin, he didn’t even seem to notice Shaw’s cut face. “A court order for my DNA? I’m fighting it. It’ll be a cold day in you-know-where before I voluntarily give you my DNA. Now, I hear rumors that you think I hired the clowns who took the maternity hostages.”

  “He did hire them,” Gavin insisted.

  Sabrina glanced at both men. “Did you two show up here together?” And there was a lot of impatience in her voice. She was probably as fed up with these two as he was. Especially since one of them might have hired Danny to fire those shots.

  “No,” Rouse and Gavin said in unison.

  It was Gavin who continued. “I called him, to tell him I was coming here before I went in to work. I wanted to demand that you arrest him, to get him off the streets, and he decided to come, too.”

  “So I could stop him from pursuing that demand,” Rouse snarled. With his eyes narrowed, he looked at Shaw. “You have nothing to connect me to this.”

  Shaw didn’t want to do this now, but since he had the opportunity, he decided to run with it. “Nothing except phone conversations with the dead gunmen who did take the hostages.”

  Gavin made a sound of triumph. Rouse, however, just looked puzzled.

  “The dead man’s name is Burney Monroe,” Shaw supplied.

  “Him.” Rouse scowled. “Yes, he called a couple of times. And get this, he called to ask me for a loan, because he said he worked at one of my restaurants when he was a teenager and had now fallen on hard times. He said I owed him some back pay. I had my people check, and he never worked for me. I told him that, too, when he called me back.”

  Shaw glanced at Sabrina to see if she was buying any of this. She looked as skeptical as Shaw felt. And she looked as tired. It might be early morning, but it had already been a long day.

  “He’s lying,” Gavin insisted, hitching his thumb in Rouse’s direction. “Run his DNA, compare it to mine, and you’ll see that he’s my biological father. And he wanted to cover that up.”

  “Gavin has a point,” Sabrina mumbled, directing her comment to Rouse. “If you quit fighting the court order for the DNA test, then this will all be cleared up. The test will prove you aren’t Gavin’s biological father…”

  She stopped, and like Shaw she was studying Rouse’s reaction.

  “Unless you are his father,” Sabrina finished.

  “I’m not.” Rouse’s mouth twisted, relaxed and then twisted again. “But what the hell if I was? All that would prove is that thirty years ago, I was a stupid, weak man. That’s all. It doesn’t mean I committed a crime, and it doesn’t mean I deserve to have my family’s name dragged through the mud like this.”

  Gavin, Shaw and Sabrina all stared at Rouse.

  “You’re Gavin’s father,” Shaw concluded. This conversation had just taken a very interesting turn.

  “That’s what I’ve been saying all along,” Gavin interjected. He didn’t make that sound of triumph again, but it was in his eyes.

  However, there was no triumph for Rouse. It seemed as if the fight had been taken right out of him. “I won’t comply with that court order,” he mumbled. He then turned and made his way past the uniforms and down the hall.

  “You aren’t going to arrest him?” Gavin asked. But his voice was practically a whisper. Maybe he’d just realized that having a biological father wasn’t the same as having a dad.

  It was a lesson Shaw didn’t want his own baby to have to learn.

  “He’s guilty,” Gavin insisted, jabbing his index finger in the direction that Rouse had just exited. “If you want to keep Sabrina safe, then you’ll put him behind bars.”

  Shaw had had enough of this. “When there’s evidence to prove his guilt, or yours, that’s when I’ll make an arrest.”

  Gavin looked as if Shaw had slugged him. “My guilt? You think I’ve done something wrong?”

  Shaw didn’t answer. “Go to work, Gavin. Let us do our jobs, and I swear I will learn the truth. It’s just a matter of time, and if that truth leads me to Rouse, then I’ll personally arrest him.”

  Gavin stood there, staring, his eyes focused on the floor, his breathing uneven. “I just hope the truth doesn’t come too late,” he mumbled. Then Gavin, too, turned and left.

  “Finally,” Sabrina said, glancing at his face again. “Let’s get to the flop room so I can clean those cuts.”

  They walked toward the flop room while he looked down at her stomach. “Any cramps?”

  “None.”

  He hoped she was telling the truth, but he wouldn’t put it past her to smooth over how she was really feeling just so there wouldn’t be more pressure on him. But the pressure was already there. Sabrina and the baby were his top priority.

  And he was afraid that didn’t just apply to their safety.

  He opened the flop room, and a detective who was lying on the sofa immediately got to his feet. “Captain. I was, uh, just taking a nap. Double shift.”

  Shaw nodded. “There’s a sofa in my office. You can use that.”

  The detective nodded and didn’t waste any time getting out of there. Shaw locked the door behind him.

  Sabrina immediately headed for the bathroom, and she returned with a wet washcloth. “Sit,” she instructed. She took him by the arm, positioned him on the sofa and sat next to him. “And then convince me why I shouldn’t be calling a medic.”

  “Because I’d rather have you nurse me back to health.” He tried to sound cocky, even tried to smile, but he couldn’t when he saw her expression.

  With her so close, he could see the emotion and the fear in her eyes. They’d come close to dying, again. Even though this was the third hellish event in just as many days, he knew it wasn’t old hat. Never could be. That’s why her hands were shaking.

  She dabbed at the nicks, turned the washcloth to a clean spot and dabbed some more.

  “How bad do I look?” he asked.

  Shaw touched his fingers to her arm and rubbed gently, hoping it would soothe the raw nerves that were right at the surface. Her bottom lip was trembling now, and her eyes were shiny. Sabrina was on the verge of crying, but she was fighting it.

  She pulled back the washcloth and stared at him. It seemed as if she wanted to say something. Probably not related to the nicks she was cleaning. No, this would be something far more important.

  But then she shook her head.

  “That bad?” Shaw said, still trying to keep things light.

  Sabrina looked down at the cloth in her hands. “You’re the most attractive man I’ve ever seen. A few cuts and a bruise won’t change that.”

  Surprised and a little embarrassed by the unexpected compliment, he thought he might have blushed. He put his fingers under her chin and lifted it so they’d have eye contact.

  “Shaw,” she whispered the moment their gazes met.

  He couldn’t stand to see her like this, but he didn’t hav
e any idea how to make the fear go away. So, he did the first thing that came to mind. He leaned closer and put his mouth on hers. Shaw kept it soft. Gentle.

  And, he hoped, reassuring.

  While he was hoping, he added that she would agree to get the rest that he was about to suggest. Yes, it was still late morning, but the adrenaline crash was going to leave her bone tired. It was certainly playing a number on his own head and body. But instead of rest, he wanted to hold her. To have her hold him. He needed to believe all of this would turn out with both Sabrina and their baby safe.

  She touched his face, keeping everything slow and gentle, and she eased him closer to deepen the contact of the kiss. Shaw continued to keep it reassuring.

  Well, he tried.

  His attempts went south in a hurry, though. Because Sabrina didn’t just deepen the kiss. She touched her tongue to his and slid her hands from his face to his neck. To his chest. And his body went from being interested to being on fire.

  Man, he wanted her more than his next breath.

  Shaw shook his head, trying to fight through the haze and the heat. He considered pulling back. It was the smart, responsible thing to do. To pull back and insist she take a nap.

  But he didn’t.

  He continued to kiss her. Continued to ease her closer and closer. Maneuvering her until he had her on his lap. The last time they’d been in this position, things had gotten intimate fast. Maybe too fast.

  “Don’t think,” Sabrina warned.

  Don’t think?

  He was about to laugh that off, but then she slid her hand from his chest to the front of his pants. The fire went to full blaze and was hotter than Texas heat.

  Shaw took her advice and didn’t think, other than to accept he would probably regret this.

  Later.

  Much later.

  For now, he just went with the need to take Sabrina. She certainly went with it, as well. The intensity of the kissing went up a notch. So did the touching. And she had him seeing stars and cursing when she went after his zipper. Shaw very much intended for that zipper to go down, but he needed to gather a little control of the situation.

  And himself.

  His body was begging him to take her fast and hard, but his body wouldn’t get its way on this. He forced himself to slow down. Not easy to do. Not with Sabrina kissing his neck and pressing herself to him. He wasn’t helping much in that department, either, because he continued to kiss her as if his life depended on it.

  Maybe it did.

  That thought came from deep within, but he pushed it aside. Sabrina was right.

  Now wasn’t the time for thinking.

  Since her dress was loose and stretchy, he shoved it up so he could get to her breasts. Evidently, both of them were past the point of foreplay, but Shaw intended to satisfy a few fantasies. He shoved down the cups of her lacy white bra and put his tongue to good use on her breasts.

  She was full and warm. Like silk. But tasted like sin. Apparently, the breasts kisses were a fantasy for her, too, because she made a sound of pleasure that went straight through him. That sound was a primal invitation to take more.

  So he did.

  While he kissed her neck and that sensitive little spot just below her ear, he was rewarded with more of those silky moans. More pressure from her body against his. Until everything inside him was yelling for more.

  Sabrina gave him more.

  She caught on to her panties, hooking her fingers around the elastic band and peeling them off. It wasn’t easy, and Shaw helped because suddenly getting her naked was the only thing that mattered. He pulled the dress off over her head and sent it flying across the back of the sofa.

  He didn’t stop. Didn’t bother with finesse, though he swore he’d try better if he got this lucky again. Sabrina shoved down his zipper, jerking open his jeans so she could take him from his shorts.

  Shaw took things from there.

  He turned and dropped back onto the sofa, so that Sabrina was on top and straddling him. It was another fantasy fulfilled. Sabrina with her pregnant belly, her full breasts and that look of pure heat on her beautiful face.

  She put her hands on his chest to steady herself and slid her fingers through his chest hair. She eased her hips forward. Slowly. Inch by inch.

  Until she took him inside her.

  The pleasure was instant. Intense. And Shaw had to close his eyes a moment just to absorb what was happening. Sabrina obviously had something to absorb, too, because she made that incredible sound of pleasure and slid her sex against his.

  Shaw caught her hips to help with the thrusts. Not that she needed help. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing and how to get both of them to a fast, hot climax.

  Her belly prevented any mouth to mouth contact in this position, but she leaned down and blew on his lips. Almost a kiss. Better in some ways. Her breath was warm, like her, and he took her taste and scent into his mouth.

  She kept moving. Her hips thrusting forward, taking him in and then out of her. Creating the friction with that deep slide into her. She moved faster, and faster, each deep move pulling him closer and closer.

  She came first. Sabrina threw back her head. Her grip tightened on his chest. She clamped her teeth over her bottom lip, and her eyelids eased down. She made that sound again, deep within her throat.

  Maybe it was that sound, or the tremors of her climax that did it for him. Maybe it was just because this was Sabrina. But Shaw didn’t fight it.

  He let her take him to the only place he wanted to go.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Don’t think, Sabrina reminded herself.

  Fortunately, her body was cooperating with that reminder. Sex with Shaw had left her buzzing and feeling, well, incredible. It was hard to think with all the pleasure still milling around inside her.

  She took several moments, to settle her breathing and to allow herself time to drift back down to planet earth. It took even longer before she could look down at Shaw.

  He was staring at her.

  There was no lift in his eyebrow to indicate he was about to question what had just happened. His jaw muscles were relaxed, a rarity for him. But he didn’t offer her a smile or romantic words.

  He just continued to stare.

  Maybe he was shell-shocked that he’d just had sex with her. Perhaps like her, his body was still numb with pleasure. Either way, the silence began to settle uncomfortably around them.

  So did the awareness.

  She was naked, except for the bra that Shaw had shoved down. Her breasts were exposed. She was exposed. And she suddenly felt the need to cover up.

  Sabrina eased off of him, which took some effort. She was about as graceful as a drunk elephant, and there was no good side of her body that she wanted him to stare at. So, she got up from the sofa and began to gather her clothes.

  “You’re beautiful,” Shaw said, sitting up and putting himself back into his shorts and jeans.

  That stopped her. Sabrina glanced down at what she could see of her body and decided she obviously didn’t see what he did.

  “I’m eight months pregnant,” she reminded him.

  “And you’re beautiful,” he repeated. Shaw let the words linger between them for several seconds, and then he looked away and got up. “Get dressed. I’ll order us some late breakfast.”

  She started to say something sexual, like she could have him for late breakfast, but Shaw’s mind was obviously already on other things. He took out his phone and pressed in some numbers. He was indeed ordering food.

  Since she didn’t want to be standing around naked when it arrived, Sabrina gathered up her clothes and went into the bathroom so she could freshen up and dress. She didn’t rush, hoping that the awkwardness she felt would fade by the time she went back into the main room.

  It didn’t.

  Shaw was sitting on the sofa, his clothes all back in place, and he was talking on the phone. He glanced at her but kept it too brief for her to see what w
as really going on behind those stormy blue eyes.

  Was he thinking about Fay?

  No doubt. Sabrina certainly was. The sex had been easy. And incredibly satisfying. But it was clear that sex wasn’t going to solve all their issues. It wasn’t going to make them forget. Maybe though, just maybe, a sexual relationship could be the start of something else.

  “What do you mean?” Shaw asked the caller. His tone was suddenly gruff and angry. “How did that happen?” He paused, and the tight jaw muscles returned. “Find him. And don’t let him inside headquarters, understand?”

  “What happened?” Sabrina asked the moment he ended the call.

  “Newell slipped away from the officer who was tailing him.”

  “Just like Danny,” she mumbled, and groaned.

  “Not quite. Danny just got lucky when he got ahead of the tail, but Newell actually sneaked out of his apartment. He apparently went through the back window sometime, and the guard just realized what had happened.”

  Sneaking out the window didn’t sound like something an innocent man would do. “You think he’ll come here?”

  “He might try, but the word will be out not to let him in.”

  That didn’t mean he couldn’t sneak into headquarters, or that he couldn’t coax a friend to let him past watchful eyes.

  “It’ll be all right,” Shaw said. It was something he was saying a lot lately. He tipped his head to her stomach. “How’s the baby?”

  “Quiet for a change. I hope she slept through all the noise of those loud gunshots.”

  “Yeah.” That was all Shaw said. He reached to put his phone back into his pocket, but it buzzed before he could do that. His eyebrow did shoot up when he saw the name on his caller ID screen.

  “It’s Dr. Nicholson,” he let her know, and he answered the call. “What can I do for you, Doctor?”

  Sabrina couldn’t hear what Dr. Nicholson was saying, but Shaw apparently didn’t care much for it. “You can do that in just a minute, but first I’d like to know if you’ve heard from an old friend. Keith Newell.” He paused. Listened. “So, you don’t know where he is?”