“I’m going to make him a bottle, it’s almost his bedtime.” She stands, heading for the kitchen.
“Are we suddenly not talking about this?” I call after her. “I’m not introducing you as the woman I’m fucking. You’re Kelsey, Reid’s mom.”
“Whatever. I’ll think on it. I don’t know what else to say right now,” her voice comes out timid as she puts together Reid’s bottle.
KJ
I think I’m the one who’s hit my head. Am I seriously freaking out about meeting his parents right now? I mean, I’m contemplating moving to Tallahassee – so much that I’ve already made an appointment to list my house next week, a detail I did not share with Zoey earlier.
What did I think? That I would move there and never have to meet his family? Surely, we’d cross paths at some point with Rhys and I co-parenting.
His parents, they raised him – so obviously they’re good people. Reid’s got cousins he can grow up with. An Aunt and Uncle who want to get to know him. And if things ever to go any further with Rhys, it’s not like they won’t be in his life. Shit. Clearly, I’m a hot mess. It’s got to be period hormones. I know it’s due any day now. That must be it.
“I’m sorry for freaking out. Meeting your parents feels like a big deal, and I’ve never done that sort of thing before,” I confess as I hand him Reid’s bottle. He laughs as Reid reaches out, eager for it.
“You've never met anyone’s parents before?” He raises a brow as he studies my face.
“Nope. Never.”
“None of your exes took you home to meet their mom and dad?”
It’s my turn to laugh now, “God, no. Actually, that’s not true. My high school boyfriend, I met his parents. But that was different. They were driving us to the movies and stuff.”
“Seems like you’ve been dating the wrong guys.”
“Rhys, we’re not dating.”
“Not yet. But it’ll happen,” he smirks, and I can see the tiniest dimple on his cheek.
Fuck me. “You’re a pain in the ass, Rhys. I’m going to put my laptop back in the office and check a few things online. Can you handle bedtime?”
He beams proudly. “Of course, I can. We’ve got this. Right, Reid?”
“Good luck,” I tease as I walk away with my laptop in hand.
I can hear Reid’s giggles while Rhys gives him a bath and his soft voice echoes from across the hall after that when Rhys sings our little boy to sleep.
I’m shutting down the laptop for the night, finally finished with what I was working on when Rhys walks into the room. I’m still trying to wrap my head around his interest in my writing, not to mention the ‘meet the parents’ bomb he dropped on me.
“He’s out like a light. Have you noticed he’s taken to sucking on his thumb in his sleep?”
I give him a warm smile, “Pretty damn cute huh?”
He nods. “It is. Don’t tell anyone, I was a thumb sucker too until I was about three,” he says as he sits down on the futon.
The image of Rhys walking around sucking his thumb tugs at my heartstrings. I can imagine our little dark-haired boy doing the same thing. Almost like Linus from Peanuts.
“I definitely need to tell all your fangirls that. I bet they’d love it. Little Wheesy wif his bwankie, sucking his wittle fumb.” I’m trying so hard not to laugh.
Especially when Rhys throws his head back and groans. I think I even see a little bit of a blush on his cheeks. “I should have never told you.”
I pick my phone up off my desk and pretend I’m pulling up my social media. “Aww…how cute Rhys Mitchell, the Hot Cop confesses he used to be a thumb sucker! I bet he’s a momma’s boy too,” I move my fingers over the screen as if I’m actually typing.
Rhys jumps up from the futon, and I burst out laughing as he charges at me. I let out a squeal and try to run out of the room, but he catches me and snatches the phone from my hand. “Don’t you know better than to run from the police?”
Yep. There it is. I’ve been waiting since he got here on Friday for this moment. I was beginning to wonder if he was suddenly holding out on me again.
“I think you need to arrest me, Officer.”
“Smart ass,” he says as he pockets my phone and slips an arm around my waist.
“You should probably frisk me too. I might be hiding something illegal.”
He grunts in my ear as I wiggle against him. “Oh, I bet you are.”
The air around us isn’t the only thing that thickens. “You should probably cuff me first. I’m a flight risk.”
That does it. Rhys spins me around and lifts me up, I wrap my legs around him, and he carries us into my room. “You better have a goddamn pair of cuffs on your dresser because I sure as hell didn’t bring mine.”
“Tisk Tisk. You’re always supposed to be prepared.” He sets me down.
“Ma’am, I’m going to need to strip search you. Please remove your clothes.”
Oh, dear God. His voice is so fucking hot right now. I swear I don’t know how he can do his job without getting accosted regularly. Shit, maybe moving to Tallahassee is a bad idea. I may end up committing crimes, so he’ll arrest me on a daily basis.
He raises a brow at me as he pulls his belt loose and I swallow as he tosses the belt on the bed, “Are you failing to obey an officer?”
“N-no. No Sir,” my voice quakes and my body heats, as he pulls his shirt over his head.
His eyes never leave mine as I remove each piece of clothing and unceremoniously drop them onto the floor. The lust in his eyes has the power to make me feel beautiful, something no one else has ever been able to give me. I feel sexy and wanted.
“Very good. Lean over the bed. Hands behind your back.” I obey, and he steps behind me, gently nudging my feet apart with his own. Between where he stood, watching me, and here – he somehow lost his pants too. I can feel his hot skin against me as he leans down and kisses my back, his stubble tickling my skin. One hand snakes around my waist, lifting me up ever so slightly before he dips between my folds. “Did you do this for me?”
The Brazilian wax. Oh yes. All for him. “Yes…yes, yes sir.”
“Do you trust me?”
Trust. Something that’s been missing between us. It’s so simple, and yet his question lingers. For me, this is about so much more than sex right now.
“Kelsey,” his voice softens.
I close my eyes and find my strength. “That depends. Do you trust me?” Please don’t break my heart, I will him.
He lets out a low hiss, “I trust you.” He whispers in my ear and places a kiss on the back of my neck then several down my spine and back up again. Thwack. I moan and arch back at the smack on my ass. “Now, do you trust me?”
“Yes. I trust you,” I answer breathlessly.
I’m all in.
She asked for my trust.
She has it.
And now, knowing I have hers, I’m about to own her.
The worn leather on my favorite belt is soft in my hands as I loop it to make restraints for her wrist. I know how to be resourceful, and right now I need to subdue a criminal. Slipping her hands inside, I make sure it’s snug, “Too tight?”
“No,” she gasps.
“Wiggle your fingers,” she obliges me. “Good girl. Now, do you know what you’re in trouble for today?”
Jesus Christ, I’ve got to do something to catch my breath. Kelsey’s body looks so hot exposed and waiting. I’m hard as a rock. The thought of all the wicked things I can do with her bounded with my belt. If I don’t get it together, I’ll blow it. Literally.
“Because you’re a thumb sucker!”
Ah, there’s that sass I love so much. I swat her ass for the infraction as I shake my head. “I think I’m going to have to write you a ticket for evading a police officer. Do you know what the fine is for such a crime?”
“I’m willing to find out.”
“Goddamn it, Kels,” I try not to laugh. “You would be a terrible submissive.�
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“You’d be horrible Dom. I thought you were supposed to provide pleasure. I’m waiting.”
“Keep talking back, I’ll have to occupy that mouth of yours.”
She lifts her head and peers over her shoulder at me and smiles. “Is that supposed to be a threat, Officer?”
My cock twitches, I have to reach down and give it a squeeze. I can imagine her on her knees, I know exactly how amazing that mouth of hers feels wrapped around me, but that’s not what I want right now. I tip my chin at her. “Not a threat, but we’ll save that punishment for later. I think right now this is more suitable,” I say as I rub over her sex with my length.
“Rhys,” she pleads.
“Tell me what you want.”
“I want you.”
I tease her with the tip.
“All of you.”
I give her exactly what she wants, slipping into her waiting heat. “Fuck.”
“Mmmhmm,” she rocks against me and my resolve cracks.
“Kelsey,” I warn her as I pull back and my hands find her hips.
“Give it to me.”
I jerk forward and plunge back in. She clenches against me. “Still okay?” I manage.
“Dandy.”
“You know, orange might not be your color,” he gives her ass another smack. “But red is.”
“Oh God.”
I lean down and kiss her back as I slam into her.
When I feel myself getting closer, I pull out and stop. Leaving Kelsey panting. I free her from the leather binds and kiss her wrists, working my way up, until I’m massaging her shoulders. I’m just about to have her lay back on the bed for me when the tiny human in the other room cries out.
We both let out a defeated sigh.
“I’ll go,” Kelsey offers, moving quickly to grab my t-shirt off the floor and pulling it over her head. She pauses at the doorway and looks over her shoulder at me, “Wait for me,” she winks and disappears.
I’m laid back against her pillows, my hands folded behind my head when she comes back inside the room with Reid in her arms.
“He’s got a fever. It's 102.5, might be another ear infection, but the temperature is really high. I gave him some Tylenol. I’m going to go make him a bottle of Pedialyte and see if he’ll drink a little bit of that.
Jumping to my feet, I pull on my boxers and take him from her arms. His little body feels like it’s on fire. “What’s wrong, little dude?”
Like he knows what I’m saying, his little lip quivers and he hiccups a cry.
“Aww, it’s going to be alright buddy. Momma went to grab you something to drink. She’ll be right back,” I sway back and forth with him in my arms until Kelsey comes back.
We both settle against the headboard, and she holds him close as she tries to get him to drink from his bottle, but he’s not having it. He alternates between fussing and squirming around.
“Would you grab the thermometer from his room? I left it right on the changing table. It’s been thirty minutes, I want to make sure the Tylenol is working.”
I nod and quickly retrieve the thermometer. The thing works way faster than any of the ones we had as a kid, that’s for sure. I try not to panic when KJ’s face falls.
“It’s going up. We need to take him to the ER. I’ll call the Ped on the way,” she lays Reid down. “Give me just a minute baby boy. Let Mommy get dress.”
“I’ll be right back, I’m going to slip some sweats on.”
Kelsey nods, I walk into her office to grab my duffle bag and pull out a pair of gray sweatpants and my red Seminoles shirt.
We meet in the hallway. She’s ready with the diaper bag on her shoulder, Reid on her shoulder and his blanket in her hand.
“You need anything else?”
“I’m good.” Following her lead, we walk to her car and she buckles Reid into his infant seat. “Give me your keys, I’ll drive, and you sit in the back with him.”
She gives me a soft smile, and I can see the worry written all over her face as she puts her keys in my hand.
The drive to the nearest emergency room is a whole lot quicker than the time it takes to be seen once we get there.
We’re in the emergency room for most of the night, waiting.
They hook my little guy up to an IV to keep him hydrated. Run labs and give him more fever reducer.
We both take turns pacing the room trying to keep him content. When he’s unhappy, his tiny cries are enough to break my damn heart.
After what feels like forever, his Pediatrician shows up. Lucky for us, according to Kelsey, his doctor happened to be the on call for the Peds ER tonight.
“Miss Pierce,” he nods to Kelsey and looks to me. “Sir.”
“Doctor DeVito, this is Rhys – Reid’s father.”
“Ah, I see, nice to meet you,” his tone says he’s anything but pleased. Could be because I’m fucking exhausted, but I’d like to punch the old judgmental fucker.
He says nothing more as he starts shuffling around to check out Reid who was sleeping until the doctor checked his ears. “Oh, you poor guy,” he says as he looks again. “His labs are all normal, the fever’s coming down with the ibuprofen, but he does have an ear infection again. I think it’s time he sees the ENT like we talked about.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I’m going to give them a call first thing Monday morning myself. I’ll see if we can’t get him seen sooner rather than later. Until then, I’ll write you a prescription for an antibiotic and some numbing drops for his ears. You can call the answering service or come back here if you have any issues before then.”
Kelsey thanks him and he steps out to get our discharge paperwork. “There is a twenty-four-hour pharmacy around the corner, we can stop there before we go back home,” she tells me as she buckles Reid back into his infant carrier.
When we finally make it back home, it’s pushing nearly six am. Kelsey’s eyes are drooping, and I’m yawning. I try to convince her to go to bed, but she won’t leave Reid’s side. Instead, the three of us are on the couch – me with the footrest up, and Reid sleeping on my chest as I pat his back - while some home improvement show plays quietly in the background. It didn’t take very long for Kelsey to pass out beside me, stretched across the rest of the couch and her feet in my lap.
I was reluctant to leave Kelsey and Reid. I even bought myself an extra night since I didn’t need to be to work until Tuesday this week. Damn, if it wasn’t hard to walk away Monday afternoon, especially when the ENT office called and said they could see Reid later in the week. I offered to call out of work or see if someone could switch with me, but she refused, being the stubborn woman, she is.
“Hey fucker, you even listening,” Smitty elbows me as we walk out of the station, headed for my cruiser. We’re working together tonight. Hoping it’s not going to be a busy one, but there is a college football game happen which always keeps things interesting.
“Nope. Do I ever pay attention to you?”
“You should. I’m the wise one, you’re the pretty one.”
“Oh, here we go again,” I laugh. “What were you saying? I’ll try to pay attention this time.”
“Jackass. I asked how Reid was feeling.”
“You can ask for yourself. I’m going to call Kelsey and check on him when I get in the car. His appointment was today.”
Once we’re both in the car and my computer is up, I dial Kelsey’s number wait for her to answer before hitting the video call button.
“Hey.” Her face fills the screen.
“Hey, you. How’d it go today?”
Smitty rolls his eyes at me from the passenger seat.
“Kels.”
Her voice cracks, “They want to schedule him for surgery, to have tubes put in,” she says, wiping a tear from her face.
I try not to sound overly worried, and I’m not, really. “Hey, it’s going to be ok. I had tubes put in was I was little too. It’s common, right?”
She sniffles, “Yeah
. It’s not that big of a deal, really. But he’s just a little guy. My baby and it’s scary.”
“You’re right. But I’m sure he’s going to be fine. Me on the other hand, you’re not talking me out of being there. So, you’ll need to give me the date.”
Kelsey lets out a small laugh, “Don’t use your bedroom voice on me to get what you want. Besides, I figured you’d say that. They’re going to call next week with a date. I’ll let you know when I know.”
I fight back my own laugh when Smitty gags at the mention of my ‘bedroom voice.’
“Good. By the way, hang on a second, Smitty wants to say hi,” I turn the phone to face him.
“Damn you, Rhys,” she scolds me.
“Now you sound like me, I must say those words at least once a shift. How are you, darling’?”
“Smitty, don’t goad Rhys tonight. Lord, I don’t know why they let you two work together.”
“Now, now. I’m the innocent one. He’s the troublemaker.”
“Dylan Smith, I don’t believe for one minute that you’re innocent.”
“Still here,” I chime in, making both of them laugh.
“Listen, I could look at your pretty face all night, but that might get awkward. Rhys would probably kill me, then he’d tell Zoey, and well, you know your friend is batshit crazy so that might not end well for either of us. Where’s my nephew at? I want to say goodnight before you tuck him in.”
“Dude, what the fuck?” I eye him suspiciously.
“I’m tired of looking at those photos you keep bringing back from your visits, I wanna see the kid. Talk to him, so he knows my voice. I’m the best Uncle in the world.”
“Your ass is delusional too,” I smack him upside the head.
“I’m sorry to disappoint but he’s already tucked in for the night, he’s still pretty sleepy, but he is feeling a little better it seems.”
I snatch the phone back from Smitty and shake my head. “Ignore him. I’m glad he’s feeling a little better. We need to hit the road. I’ll check in tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” she nods and gives me a smile before I hang up.
As soon as the call disconnects, Usher’s You’ve Got It Bad fills the squad car speakers, I cut my eyes to Smitty who is trying so hard to fight a laugh that tears are rolling down his face.
Hot Cop (Too Hot To Handle Book 1) Page 13