by Kate Tilney
Chapter Six
Shane
It’s the bottom of the ninth. We have one man on second, one out, and we’re down by one. I’m on deck, and it looks like Conrad is about to strike out.
I steal a quick glance at Jami on the pitcher's mound. Her gaze is focused and determined on Conrad. If she wasn’t destroying my team, I’d find that look sexy. Hell, I still find it sexy.
Win or lose, the second the game is over, I’m taking her back to my place. Then I’ll drive her insane until neither of us remembers the final score.
My cock twitches as I think about tasting that sweet pussy of hers. I shake my head to push that thought away. Much as I’d like to fuck her right now, I owe it to my guys to give this game a little more attention.
Because even though she’s struck me out twice today, I’m not giving up hope of securing a “W” for the firefighters.
Jami winds up and sends the ball flying toward the catcher’s mitt. Conrad takes a swing and catches nothing but air.
“Damn.” I lift my bat and catch it in my fist.
Behind me, Dallas claps loudly. “You’ve got this Shane. Bring Blake home.”
I think about how Jami has been throwing this inning. Though her aim is still right at the bottom of the strike zone, she’s lost a little of that speed from her canyon. If I lower my stance and am patient, I should be able to hit the ball.
As we pass each other, Conrad smirks.
“You’ve got yourself a hell of a girl there. Much as I hate to lose to the cops, she’s a worthy adversary.”
“That she is.”
I fight back a grin as I reach the plate.
Jami’s gaze meets mine. I take my time getting into position. I kick the dirt around the plate, never wavering in my stare. As she gets ready to throw her first pitch, I wink. A second later, her cheeks flush, and I know it isn’t from the heat.
Maybe flirting with my girl when she’s about to make a big play is a low blow. But I promise to make it up to her later. Over and over again. Jami swallows hard, shimmies her shoulders, and takes a deep breath. When her gaze returns to mine, she moistens her lips, leaving them slightly parted.
And now I’m thinking about the way those lips felt wrapped around my cock last night as she gave me a blowjob I’ll never forget. She took me all the way into her mouth, and—
The first pitch sails past me before I can blink.
“Strike!” the umpire calls out.
Jami’s tempting lips curve up in a sly grin and now she winks. Okay, fine. I probably deserved that. I’d kick my own ass for falling victim to my own game if I wasn’t enjoying it so much.
Adjusting my choke on the bat, I’m ready for her next pitch. I swing and tip the ball, sending it flying behind me into the crowd.
“Foul ball! Strike.”
Jami’s glove flies up to her face, but not before I catch the laughter on it. She’s got me right where she wants me. No balls, two strikes, and maybe one more pitch until the cops can claim their victory.
I’m backed into a corner. But I’m not done fighting yet.
She pulls back to wind up for the pitch, and as the ball leaves her hand, I lower in my haunches. The wood cracks against the ball, sending it deep into left field. Tossing the bat aside, I run for my life to first base. I glance up and see the cop missed the catch, giving me plenty of time to reach second base.
More importantly, it gives Blake enough time to run home.
My guys jump from the bench to cheer and jostle him as he steps back into the dugout. In the stands behind, our friends and family go wild. We’re still in this game.
Chad the douche, who’s playing shortstop, throws his glove to the dirt in disgust. He glares at me.
“I should’ve figured she was already spreading her legs for you.”
I fight the urge to jog the short distance toward him and knock him to the ground. But only just.
Pretending I didn’t hear him, I stare ahead at Jami as she and the catcher exchange a few words. The cop on second base apparently doesn’t care for Chad’s commentary.
“Shut up, man. Jami isn’t the one who dropped the ball.”
“But she gave up a hit.”
“It was a hell of a swing. She threw a good pitch.”
Chad shakes his head. “I never got the fuss about her supposed skill anyway. From the looks of it, she spends more time hitting up donut shops than the gym.”
My control snaps. I stalk toward Chad as he bends to pick up his glove. I grab him by the back of his jersey and whip him around. His eyes go wide as I adjust my grip to grab the front of his collar.
“What the fuck did you say?”
He smirks. “You heard me. I said your girlfriend is fat.”
My fist connects with his jaw before the words are out of his mouth. He flies to the ground, and I reach for him again. I pull him up again and pull back to swing. He knees me in the nuts first, knocking me down. He swings back for a kick, but I spin out of the way. Still reeling in pain, I bolt up and go for another attack.
I’m only vaguely aware of the shouting and shoving around us. As I put Chad in a headlock, I glance up and catch the horror on Jami’s face.
Freezing, I release my hold and step back. It’s then I realize that all around me cops and firefighters are tangled up with each other. Blood drips from cuts on their faces.
A police siren rings in the distance.
Wiping the dirt and blood from his face, Chad stumbles to his feet.
“Hear that?” He jabs a finger at me. “They’re coming for you.”
That may be true. But based on the expression on Jami’s face, I have a feeling nothing they throw at me in lock-up will compare to the hell I’m about to catch from her.
Chapter Seven
Jami
I’m nearly to the holding cell where Shane has been cooling his heels for the past several hours and freeze. Depending on how this goes, I’m either destined for happiness and forever or living with the fact that returning to Sunset Canyon was a colossal mistake.
Remembering the way Shane’s breath on my neck makes my toes curl, I hope we’re headed for happiness and forever. The possibility of anything else has my stomach turning in knots.
Sucking in a deep breath and pulling my shoulders back, I reach the cell.
Shane glances up, his expression unreadable. “Am I headed for my date with the judge already?”
“That depends.” I turn the lock, open the door, enter, and close it behind me. “There have been a few developments.”
He lifts a shoulder. His smoldering stare makes my heart skip a beat. I hope it’s smoldering because he’s thinking about kissing me and not because he’d like to wring my dick co-worker’s neck again.
“First things first.” I pull out my cell phone, bring up the Internet and hand it over. “Hit play.”
He does as I’ve ordered, and his eyebrows fly up. “Someone was filming the game?”
“The local news, not to mention about a dozen people with camera phones.” I take the phone back and shove it in my pocket. “That little brawl of yours went viral.”
“Chad was asking for it.”
My lip twitches. “That might be. He’s always asking for it.”
Shane’s hands ball into fists on his lap. “What he said about you was wrong.”
“It was. And my new friend in HR may or may not have shown me that he has a record of treating his female co-workers poorly.”
“He keeps getting away with it?”
“Not exactly.” I stare into Shane’s dark blue eyes. The heat in them warms my belly and my heart. What I’m about to say might turn them ice cold. “I’ve been dealing with crappy coworkers who don’t think women should be cops since I started. They’re the minority. But they’re still around.”
Shane’s jaw ticks. He nods but says nothing.
“I’ve learned how to deal with it. When to let it go or when to do something about it. So far, I’ve done okay. I’ve pr
oven that I’m every bit as good of cop as anyone else. I’ve earned the respect of my peers. I rose through the ranks in New York. And I’ll do it here. I don’t need anyone fighting my battles.”
Shane’s shoulders droop, and his fists go slack.
“I know you don’t need me fighting your battles. But when he said what he said. After the way he’s been treating you this whole time.” Shane runs a hand over his cropped hair and let’s his hand fall again. The pain on his face nearly breaks my heart. “I’m worried he’ll drive you away. That you’ll go back to New York. Or somewhere else where they treat you better.”
A jolt of annoyance cuts through me.
“Do you think I’m the kind of person who runs away when things get tough?”
“No. But that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about you leaving.” Shane lifts his eyes to mine again. “You’re the most capable person I know. You’re strong. You’re a fighter. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been in love with you most of my life. It’s why I’ll love you the rest of my life.”
The annoyance flitters away as quickly as it came. Instead, the warmth in my heart boils over, flooding through my veins. It looks like we’re headed for happiness and forever after all.
“I love you, too.”
The pain on his face turns into what looks like hope. He rises to his feet and moves toward me with the swagger of a lion. “So you’ll give me a chance to make this up to you?”
“You don’t have to make anything up to me.” I press my hands to his chest before he moves forward. “Not so fast, I said you don’t have to make anything up to me. But the mayor on the other hand is pissed.”
Shane winces. “Okay, what’s the damage?”
“For one, Chad is going to drop his charges against you, and he’ll go into sensitivity training again.” It’s his third, and final, chance at making good with the training. If he screws up again, it’s three strikes, he’s out. “In return, the mayor expects our departments to make up for the bad publicity we’re getting worldwide.”
“Meaning?”
“Your buddy Conrad has already been pulled into a meeting with some hotshot crisis manager. I believe I heard the words ‘Charity Calendar’ thrown out.”
“Let me guess, I’ll be one of the poster boys?”
“I have no doubt.” I move my hands up his chest and around his neck. “I happen to think you’d make a great Mr. June.”
He rolls his eyes but slips his arms around my waist, pulling me up against him.
“What else?”
I shrug. “They’re still working on it. But if you agree to do whatever they say with no complaint, I have permission to release you.”
“The things we do.”
I brush my lips against his. “The things we do.”
He starts to deepen the kiss, but I pull back. “We have cameras in here.”
“So what? Let’s give your co-workers something to talk about.”
Epilogue
Shane
Three years later
“Babe, are you ready to go?”
“Just a minute,” I call down the stairs to Jami.
I turn to our twin toddlers—Hayes and Hillary. Just shy of turning one, this will be their first time attending the infamous cops versus firefighters baseball game, and I need to set a few ground rules.
They’re wearing the custom half Team Cop, half Team Firefighter jerseys their grandma made for them. They guys from the department will probably give me hell for it. It’s a small comfort to know my wife will get just as much grief from her teammates.
But if life with Jami has taught me anything, it’s that compromise can have big rewards.
And getting into fistfights can have serious consequences. Like, to make up for the bad publicity, you and your buddies might have to agree to annual bare-chested photoshoots for a “charity” fundraising calendar.
So compromise it is.
“Okay, kiddos. We’re headed into battle, and there are a few things we need to cover.”
Clasping my hands behind my back, I pace the nursery floor.
“First things first, no name calling. I know it might be tempting to tell the cops they smell like bacon, but you can’t do it.”
Hayes wiggles his arms in the air in response.
“At the same time, you might want to make fun of Uncle Conrad for looking super constipated in last year’s calendar photo.” I hesitate a moment. “On second thought, go for it. He did look constipated. Just wait until he’s finished batting.”
My battle-ready expression softens as Hillary plucks the binkie out of her mouth and pops it into her brother’s.
“The important thing to remember is that even though Mommy and Daddy are playing on opposite teams, we still love each other—and both of you—very much.” Then, I lean forward and plant a juicy kiss on each of their chubby cheeks.
God, fatherhood and marriage have turned me into such a sap. Three years ago, I would’ve kicked my own ass for this display. Now, I’m too damned happy with the way my life has turned out to care if I sound like a Hallmark card.
“Okay, kiddos. Let’s go play some baseball.”
I lift one onto each of my hips, turn to the door, and freeze.
There, leaning against the doorframe, is my wife looking amused. And mouthwateringly hot in her hip-hugging leggings. She’s still the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. Even if she’s wearing a damn cops jersey.
“That was a nice pep-talk, Daddy.” She saunters across the room. Her hips sway, and the blood rushes to my cock. “I think you’ll deserve a gold medal later tonight.”
She leans up on her toes, runs her hands up my chest, and rubs her lips against mine.
No matter which of our teams win the game today, we’ll definitely both hit home runs tonight.
***
Thanks for reading SHANE: Sunset Canyon Fire & Rescue #2. For more steamy alpha men and the curvy women who love them, check out CONRAD: Sunset Canyon Fire & Rescue #3.
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Also by Kate Tilney
Extra Long Weekend
BROCK: Kings of the Mountain #1
FLINT: Kings of the Mountain #2
RHETT: Kings of the Mountain #3
MAX: Kings of the Mountain #4
ZEKE: Kings of the Mountain #5
Fall Before You Leap
SARAH: Ridiculously Royal #1
ALEX: Ridiculously Royal #2
JAMES: Ridiculously Royal #3
HENRY: Ridiculously Royal #4
DALLAS: Sunset Canyon Fire & Rescue #1
SHANE: Sunset Canyon Fire & Rescue #2
CONRAD: Sunset Canyon Fire & Rescue #3
