“One down,” she whispered. Jace moved down the hallway, guarding Emma with his large body. Together, they moved up a stairwell to the top floor. They reached the top of the police station without seeing another living soul.
Emma slowly opened the door to the massive room that held all of the offices. All lights were off except for Chief Radmacher's room. She could see the Chief sitting behind his desk, fingers crossed over his stomach. Anderson was standing in front of him, facing away from them, his leg bandaged.
Together, Jace and Emma moved towards the open office. “Let me go first. I can talk them down.”
Jace hesitated for a second and Emma moved in front of him. When she entered, Jace backing her up, Radmacher and Anderson hardly seemed surprised. They look smug, Emma thought. Though not for long.
“Well, Miller, I figured you would have got here sooner,” Radmacher started. “I'd heard you were working with these...shifters...but I have to admit, it's still a disgusting surprise.”
“These shifters are better men than you'll ever be,” Emma bit back. “I'm here to take you in. You're not going to get away with murder. You will not get away with pinning it on me.”
“On the contrary, Miller. You've already murdered Officers Forman and Martin. You've attempted to kill Sergeant Franklin, who will be dead very soon,” Radmacher said, pausing to a slight chuckle from Anderson. “Now, we have you on video breaking into the station with a shifter, attacking poor Officer Allen, and coming in here with the intent to kill. Another police unit showed up at the hospital and arrested your other shifter pals and released Anderson. I'm lucky that I have loyal Officer Anderson here to back up my claims.”
“You won't get away with this,” Emma said, Jace grunting his agreement.
“Don't be so naive,” Anderson spoke up. “You haven't figured out how this works yet? We'll tell everyone that you attacked us in here, after you failed to kill me at the hospital. The murders will be pinned on you. Nothing will be traced back to us. We may have failed to kill you and Franklin the first time, but it won't happen again.”
“Finish it, Anderson,” Radmacher ordered.
Everything happened at once. Jace barrelled past Emma, almost knocking her over. She kept her footing, pulling her gun as Anderson raised his. Emma was faster, firing two bullets at Anderson and hitting him in the chest. He yelled, dropping his gun and crumpling to the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw Radmacher raising a massive shotgun from behind his desk. He was standing up, swinging it onto Jace, who was moving towards him at a quick pace.
Jace plowed into the desk, pushing it at Radmacher, who swung his gun and fired wildly. The ceiling above Emma exploded, showering her in dust and plaster. She dropped to her knees, aiming her pistol at Radmacher, but there was no need. Jace swiped at the corrupt Chief of Police, knocking the shotgun out of his hands. Jace's gargantuan bear form was looming over Radmacher, pinning him to the ground.
“Shifter piece of shit! None of this matters. You're fucked! The two of you are the worst kind of criminals, and I'm a god damned hero! I'll get a statue and a holiday,” he screamed, spitting and gnashing his teeth.
“That's where you're wrong, Chief,” Emma said, pulling a tape recorder out of her back pocket. She watched with delight as Radmacher went pale and stopped trying to get away. He knew the gig was up. Emma walked over to Anderson, who lay still. She placed two fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. Nothing.
She realized there was no time to worry about that now. She searched around the wreckage of Radmacher's desk, finding his telephone and dialing an outside precinct's number. She wanted no one loyal to Radmacher on the scene. She explained the situation to the dispatcher and then zip-tied Radmacher on the floor.
Jace shifted back into his human form. Emma ran her hands over his body, miraculous that they had both made it out unharmed. Before she knew it, she was kissing him deeply, forcing her tongue into his mouth, every worry from the last few days drifting far away.
Radmacher's voice brought her back to reality. “It'll never last. You're too good for your own good, Miller. You think a woman like you can be with a man like him? They're criminals. All of them!”
Emma walked over to him and kicked him in the face, knocking him out. “I'm not that good.”
Everything that came after was a blur. To Emma's surprise, things had gone smoothly when the cops showed up. With the tape recorder she'd grabbed from the back of the SUV, the evidence was a slam dunk against Radmacher, Anderson, and everyone else involved in the cover up. Emma, Jace, and the other shifters had all been cleared of any crimes. Franklin's statements, backed up by Doctor Flynn, had sealed it in stone. Radmacher and the others were guilty. Of course, the Chief had tried to cut a deal, exposing every corrupt cop in the precinct that was in on the murders and cover up. Emma, Franklin, and two others were the only clean cops in the building. Nearly three quarters of the police officers were found guilty.
The next morning, Emma found herself alone back at the HQ. Upon leaving the police station, they'd arrived back at the building only to have Jace be called out with a group of the other shifters. She wasn't sure what was up, and Jace was back to his usual quiet ways, but she could tell it wasn't good. Something dangerous was happening.
Is this what I've gotten myself into? She wondered. It's not enough that my job is full of danger and possible death every second. Now, the man I'm falling for may be in even more danger than I am. How can we build a relationship together?
Jace had given her a quick kiss, not as passionate as last night's, and left with the others. Emma moved from Jace's room to the common room to the bar and back again to his room. She found the drinks did nothing to calm her nerves. What was going on? Would Jace survive? If he does, would their relationship survive?
Later that evening as she sat at the bar once again, the door flung open and the shifters came filing in. Most didn't say a word to anyone, though she could tell something was going on. A fight? A pretty woman walked close to one of the shifters she didn't recognize, though he looked like an older Derrick. There was another shifter with the group she didn't know, but she was happy to see that Judge, Derrick, Russell, and most of all, Jace, were alive.
Jace opened his arms wide, grabbing her in a massive hug, running his fingers through her hair and whispering reassurances that he was okay and not to worry. Everything was going to be fine, he said. Before she could press her lips against his, he pressed his against hers, passion flowing between them.
One of the shifters she didn't know said, “Let's go, Jace. Let's get this over with.”
Jace broke the kiss, saying, “Don't worry. I'm okay. We're okay. Once this meeting is over, I'll meet you back in my room and explain everything.”
The shifters, more than she'd ever seen before, filed into the meeting room. Unsure of what to do, Emma sat next to the other woman at the bar. She learned her name was Beth, who the shifters had just rescued. Emma tried her best to explain how the shifters and their Clan worked, though she knew only a bit more than Beth did. After a few drinks, Emma wished her a good night and retreated to Jace's room, waiting for him as patiently as she could. She hopped in the shower, finding one of Jace's huge shirts and pulling it over her body before crawling into his bed.
He came in only a few minutes after she'd finished her shower. He sat on his bed, not saying anything. She hoped he wasn't reverting back to his silent ways. After everything they'd been through, after everything they'd learned from each other, she didn't know if she could handle him shutting himself off from her.
“We had to go out and rescue that woman, Beth. She was being hunted by some gangster scumbag she was prosecuting in court. It took seven of us to protect her. We lost a man. I was hit a couple of times.”
Emma ran her hands over Jace's body, noticing the blood soaking through his clothes, red covering nearly every part of his body. “Oh, my God.”
“It's fine. Russell got me patched up. I didn't get it as bad as
Clive, either. But we disobeyed Marcus, the leader of our group, and in turn disobeyed the Clan Leader, Joe. There was talk of exile, but nothing is going to come of it, this time. I need to rinse off. Will you be here when I get out?”
“Do you want me to be?”
“More than anything.”
Emma sat under the covers, waiting for Jace to come out of the shower. She didn't have to wait long. After a few minutes, she heard the water shut off. The door opened, steam rolling out, and Jace entered the room, a towel wrapped around his body. He flexed his sore muscles and Emma felt her heart beating faster at just seeing him move.
“You know, I don't hate shifters,” Emma offered. “I don't know if I ever did. Just… with everything that I'd heard, or learned in the precinct… it messed me up.”
“I know. And I have nothing against cops, even if some of the members do. We can make this work, Emma. It doesn't matter that we're different. If I matter to you, we can do this. Be together. Be happy.”
“Can we?”
“If you want to.”
In answer, Emma peeled the covers back, Jace's shirt hugging her curves and not leaving much to his imagination. His nostrils flared, his eyes burning an even brighter gold than before. He came to her, his dark hair still wet, lifting her out of bed. Jace held her in his thick arms, pushing her against the wall, her legs wrapping around his hips.
She felt his towel fall away, heard it drop to the floor, but she barely noticed. His lips were on hers, kissing, his tongue pushing deep past her own, exploring her mouth. He broke the kiss, his wet lips on her cheek, moving towards her neck. Goosebumps broke out across her body. He lips wrapped tightly around an ear, his tongue flicking across it. Her goosebumps exploded even more, her body shuddering in pleasure. She moaned into his ear, sucking, running her fingers through his hair.
Jace's hands moved over her body. One large hand trailed just below her navel before fluttering up over her stomach, pushing underneath the shirt, and then grabbing one of her breasts. His large hand easily cupped it, his fingers tracing delicate circles over her areola, before a finger and thumb pinched lightly. Emma squirmed at the pleasure and slight pain. Between her legs, she felt herself getting wet. She longed for him to push himself deep inside of her and fill her.
Instead, he slowly lowered her down until she was on her feet. Jace dropped to his knees, running a lone finger over her wetness. She moaned and bucked forward in pleasure, feeling his finger dance away.
“Please...” she begged, but he wasn't ready. He pressed his lips against one thigh, mercifully close but so far away. His tongue danced over her slit before finding the other thigh, trailing down all of the way until his lips kissed her knee. He grabbed an ass cheek with each hand, pulling her close, his mouth never stopping.
Slowly, teasingly, he moved his lips back up until they settled over her. His tongue darted down, pressing against her clit, pleasure washing over her body. It quickly moved away, lips kissing every inch of her, drinking her in. His tongue parted her lips, sinking deep into her, one of his fingers pressing against her. She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall, fingers still moving through Jace's hair but letting him work her body just how he desired.
His tongue never stopped moving, his lips never stopped kissing, and his finger never stopped working its magic. Soon, she realized she was about to cum. Pleasure was building to a crescendo, more and more, and she tried to push it away as best she could. Finally, her pleasure peaked, and she could do no more. With a scream of pleasure, ecstasy washed over her body, wracking her body in the best way possible. Her orgasm lasted longer than ever before, and when it was finally over, she was weak and smiling.
Jace stood up, kissing her lightly on the lips. Reaching a hand down, she felt for his thickness, pleased to hear him let out a low moan of pleasure as she wrapped her hands around it. She reached a hand down to the wetness between her legs, making sure her hands were slick, then grabbed him again. Her hands slid over his length with ease. Jace's moans were loud. Anyone can hear, she thought, but she realized she didn't care.
Together, they eased back towards the bed. Jace leaned back and Emma came close, swinging a leg over his body and straddling him. She grabbed his shaft, thick and hard, and angled it between her legs. The head of his cock spread her lips wide, and she wasn't sure if his largeness could even fit inside of her, but she lowered herself onto him anyway.
He entered her wetness, sinking slowly deeper and deeper into her. Her moans started quietly and increased until they were filling the room the more she sank onto him. Within a few seconds, she had sank completely onto Jace's massive member. He lay still, letting her work her body and adjust to his size. Slowly, she started to grind back and forth on his body, wetness seeping out of her.
Jace reached his large hands up, pulling the shirt off of her body and tossing it somewhere on the floor. His eyes went wide when he finally got a complete view of her body, his hands never stopping as they moved from her ass, to her waist, to her breasts. He squeezed, rubbed, and groped in all of the best ways, ensuring that no inch of her body went unnoticed.
Still, she kept moving against him, feeling him deep inside of her. His thickness filled her up in ways she never thought was possible, pleasure making her whole body weak. He placed his hands around her hips, starting to guide her, rocking his hips up and down in time with her rhythm.
They were both moving, together, not just two people anymore, but one. Emma gave in to his movements completely, surrendering her body to the utmost pleasure he was bringing her. Sweat rolled down their bodies, both of them slick and wet. She placed her hands against his toned chest, bracing herself as she felt the beginning of another orgasm building deep inside of her.
She redoubled her efforts, bucking against him, her moans splitting the air again. His breathing became louder, bestial, rugged. She could tell that he was nearing the edge of his own orgasm and she longed for him to cum inside of her, fill her with his warmth. She moved against him faster and faster, and together, they came.
Pleasure washed over her body again. She felt herself tightening around his thickness, giving him more resistance as he pushed as deep into her as he could go. Between her legs, she felt his member twitching, shooting his seed deep into her, feeling its warmth oozing through the most private part of her. Still, they kept moving, screaming and moaning, until the pleasure finally subsided. Inside of her, she felt his massive length slowly shrinking.
Emma slowly raised herself off of him, feeling his cum dripping out of her. She laid on her back, next to Jace, both completely spent and used. They were covered in a fine sheen of sweat, cum, and her juices. Both were silent for a few seconds, each catching their breath.
Rolling over, Emma placed a hand on Jace's chest. He wrapped one of his arms around her, pulling her close. She wrapped a leg over his body, his hand gripping her butt and not letting her go. They lay like that for a few minutes longer, Emma closing her eyes and just absorbing everything that had just happened.
“I think I love you,” she heard him whisper. For a man that didn't have much of a way with words, she couldn't be more surprised by what she heard.
“What?” was all she could manage.
“I love you,” he repeated. “After everything we've been through, it's really made me realize how incomplete I was. How broken. How I was only worried about the Clan and my job protecting people. There's more out there than being a member of the Clan. There's you.”
“I love you, too,” Emma said, nearly surprising herself by saying it. But once she did, she realized how undeniably true it was. In only a short matter of days, she'd had her life completely changed. There would be hurdles, sure. Shifters and police officers would probably never get along. But that didn't mean that she couldn't try her best with Jace. “I love you, too.”
Bear Patches
Grit and Growl Book II
by
Becca Fanning
April Morgan was the best m
echanic in the state. Hands down. She would bet her life on it. But no one took her seriously and it drove her crazy. Especially in her tiny town, where the motorcycle club owned the mechanic shop. It wasn’t that they weren’t good, she was just better.
Amir (BBW Bear Shifter Moonshiner Romance) (120 Proof Honey Book 3) Page 86
