by Terry Spear
They were too. They would be perfect in a fight, if she'd need to stab someone with a heel. He was already pulling off his socks and trousers, and then removing her stockings, leaving her bra and panties for the last.
He began to run his hands over her black satin bra, then molded his fingers to her breasts. She liked the way he touched her, and that he wasn't just getting onto the business of having sex, but spending the time to get to know her, to see what she liked, to watch her response to his touch. Her nipples stretched out to more of his touching her. But he slipped his hands around to her back and unfastened her bra, not in any rush, just making her anticipate his next move and next and next after that.
Then he removed her bra and tossed it to the stack of clothes. He slid his hand around her waist as if to keep her from falling back and bent his head to kiss her breast. His hot, wet mouth suckled her breast and her blood was on fire, her short, curly hairs drenched in anticipation. She jerked her panties off, and then tugged his boxer briefs down his narrow hips and he quickly kicked them off.
He scooped her up so she’d wrap her legs around him, and then he carried her onto the bed. Her legs wrapped around his hips, she was open to him and he could have just slid his steel-hard cock into her. But he angled himself so he could start stroking her. His finger entered her and then stroked her. She felt so wrapped up in him, she couldn’t think of anything else but the way he was touching her, the stirrings of a climax, her body clenching around him.
“Ohmigod.” The climax hit her, filling her with rapture, the inner muscles contracting, and she loved the way he'd brought her to orgasm.
“Hold that thought. Be right back.”
“I’m on birth control, if that’s—”
He smiled. “That works.” Then he slid his cock inside her tight sheath.
She wrapped her legs around his hips, her hands on his waist, stroking his heated skin. He pumped into her, thrusting, and she rocked against him, loving this time with him, hoping it was just the first.
He kissed her mouth, and nuzzled her cheek, then sped up his thrusts. She could feel the tension in him rising just before he groaned with release and settled on top of her. “You…are amazing.”
She chuckled and she wrapped her arms around him, not willing to let him go. “Can you stay the night? And get up early enough to go home and get ready for work?”
“Hell, yeah.”
She smiled and he moved off her, then pulled her against him, spooning her, wrapping his arms around her. She didn’t remember a time when a guy made her feel like this is just where she belonged. With him. Permanently.
“Night, Bryce.”
“Night, Erin. This has been a really special day and night.”
“If you want to make it really special? Just wake me when you’re ready.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, but if you would rather sleep, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
But she didn’t. Not when he woke her with a kiss to her ears, neck, and throat, and she was ready.
6
The next day, Erin and Bethany had just eaten grilled cheese sandwiches and lobster bisque while out shopping when she got a call from Jack. Immediately, Erin worried that something bad had happened to Bryce on the job. “Yes, Jack?”
“Hey, Bryce wanted me to let you know that on a routine drive through the city, we were hit by a drunk driver. I had to take Bryce to the hospital and x-rays revealed he has a broken leg. His phone was smashed in the wreck, or he would have given you a call. He’s at the hospital now while they're casting his leg. He wanted me to tell you, just in case you couldn’t get together for dinner.”
“Oh, how awful." Erin had broken her leg once in the jungle, not the best place to be with an injury like that. Bryce shouldn't have that much trouble with his leg, since he could get the best of care here. "Compound or simple fracture?"
Bethany’s eyes grew wide while she asked the server for the bill at the soup and sandwich shop and took care of it.
"Simple. He was lucky it didn't break the skin."
Erin was glad for that. "Oh good. Which hospital is Bryce at?”
Jack told Erin and said he had to get back to work and fill out paperwork, but he was checking on Bryce later.
“Thanks so much, Jack. I’ll run in and see him and talk to you later.”
"Okay, good show."
They ended the call.
“I’ll take you to the hospital,” Bethany said as they headed out of the restaurant. "If he's got his car at the police station, I can take the two of you there to pick it up. He'll probably need you to drive him home. You might even need to take him to your home so you can look after him." She smiled. "You gotta look at the bright side of things.”
Erin let out her breath. “At least we heal faster than humans. Even so, he's got to be irritated about the whole situation."
"I betcha he'll feel much better about it when he sees you're going to take care of him."
"He might just want to be left alone." Erin climbed into the passenger's seat. "Remember how I was."
Bethany got into the driver's seat and they headed for the hospital. "Yeah, and you know how James and I wouldn't let you brood about it. We had tons of fun playing board games, cards, and watching movies. We brought you right out of that blue funk. No problem at all."
"I hope this doesn’t delay his leaving the police force and joining our organization.”
“It shouldn't. Training at the JAG branch will have to be delayed until he heals sufficiently, but I'm sure Martin will just give him desk duty to begin with, so he learns as much as he can about the organization and who all works there," Bethany said. "Do you have anything to fix for dinner? I could run by the grocery store and drop off whatever you need a little later.”
“No, thanks, Bethany, I’ve got plenty of food. Especially now that James has moved out.”
"I heard that he and Jane are getting married. So another hot cat bites the dust. At least Bryce will give you some company for a bit."
"If Bryce wants to come over. You know we're not a 'couple' yet." Still, it was stuff like this that really made them see how a prospective partner could handle being mated to the other. If they were just dating and no problems at all, they couldn't really see how the other could handle issues. Not that she wanted either of them to be injured, just to prove they were compatible. And she reminded herself they'd already done well as a team on a couple of unscheduled missions. But this was different.
Bethany only smiled.
Erin couldn't believe how anxious she was to see Bryce, hoping he wasn't in a lot of pain. She had been when she'd broken her leg on the mission, but that was because her brother had to create a makeshift splint for her, carry her back to their tent, gather their belongings, and carry her and their stuff out of the jungle. It took forever to make it back to their vehicle and get aid for her after that.
Bethany parked at the hospital and patted her hand. "He'll be okay. And the two of you will have a great time getting to know each other better."
Erin sure hoped so. She hadn't really dated a jaguar seriously in a couple of years and she hoped this was just the beginning with Bryce.
They soon found Bryce getting ready to make a call at the hospital. When he saw them, his glum expression changed to a big smile. “I didn’t expect you to drop whatever you were doing to come here and see me."
Erin was glad they'd come for him. “Of course we did. How are you feeling?”
“Annoyed, but much better now that you are here. I've been released so that I can leave. I was just going to call Jack to come and get me.”
"We've got this," Bethany said. "You know, JAG agents are always there to rescue our fellow kind."
Bryce smiled. "You can't know how good it feels to see the both of you. I hate being stuck someplace and having to wait for someone to come to my rescue."
Bethany grabbed his crutches while he settled into a wheelchair.
Erin shook her head and wheeled him to the elev
ator. "How does your leg feel?” That's what she had been really asking about. She knew from his expression he was thrilled to see them.
“It’ll be healed in half the time a human’s leg would heal. I was just grateful it wasn’t a compound fracture.”
Erin noted he had ignored her question about how his leg was feeling. He'd winced a few times and she suspected it was hurting.
"We're glad for you too," Bethany said.
They reached the bottom floor and Erin wheeled him to the doors.
Bethany motioned to the parking lot. "I'll get the car. Be right back."
"Thanks, Bethany," Erin said.
Bryce cleared his throat. "So about dinner…"
"Your house or mine? You'd probably like eating at one of our places better than running around on crutches for the time being."
"Yeah, sorry about all this."
"Are you kidding? It wasn't your fault."
Bethany pulled up and parked her vehicle at the entrance. Erin wheeled him to the passenger's door.
“Is your car at work? We can drop by the station and pick up your car. I’ll take you home then.” Erin helped him into Bethany's car.
"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks."
After Erin was in the back seat and Bethany in the driver's seat, Bethany drove them to the police station.
“What were the two of you doing before I ruined your plans today?” Bryce asked.
“Shopping,” Bethany said, “but you know, as fellow jaguars, we’re always there to help out. And we weren't looking for anything in particular. We had lunch out, so it was fine.”
“I'm glad for that. About our dinner date, Erin,” Bryce said, sounding as if he was a burden, no matter how much they tried to tell him he wasn’t.
“I’m always flexible,” Erin said. “We can either stay at your place, I’ll fix a meal, or order take-out delivery. Or I can drive you to my place and you can recuperate there. How long do you get off from work?”
“Three days and then I’m stuck on desk duty for my last week on the force. This will put me behind on training for the JAG branch once I start working there. Hell, what will everyone even think?”
“That you got hit by a drunk, who, I hope, is sitting in jail now as we speak,” Erin said.
“You don’t mind me staying at your place? It probably would be more comfortable for you, than you staying at mine,” Bryce said.
“I don't mind at all. I have lots of food still left in my fridge from James staying with me, if we want to eat what I already have.”
“I think a guardian jaguar was watching over him,” Bethany said.
Bryce laughed. “I have to agree with Bethany there.”
Erin smiled at him. “We can do some movie or TV series marathons.”
Bryce smiled.
“Yeah, Erin and I can go shopping any old time.”
“You don’t have to babysit me the whole time. You can just take off whenever you need to,” Bryce said to Erin.
“Sure. I can do that.”
“If you need anything, just call me.” Bethany pulled into the parking area where Bryce's car was parked.
“I will,” Erin said. Then she took Bryce’s car keys and got his door for him. She noticed a bunch of his fellow officers were coming out of the police station. It must have been shift change. They were giving him thumbs-up as if he had hit the jackpot with her.
Smiling, Bethany held onto his crutches, while Erin gave him a hand to help him out of the car as he tried to avoid stepping on his broken leg. He smiled up at her as he took ahold of her hand and she was glad he wasn’t so macho in front of the other guys or her that he wouldn’t accept her assistance.
Bethany handed him the crutches and using them for support, he said, “Thanks, ladies.”
“No problem at all,” Bethany said. "I'll call you later, Erin."
"Okay. Thanks."
Other officers exited the building and were smiling at them as if they were impressed that a couple of female friends were taking care of Bryce in his hour of need.
Erin helped Bryce climb into the passenger’s side of his vehicle, while Bethany waited to see if they needed her assistance. Once he was situated in the car, Erin smiled at Bethany. "Thanks again."
"Hey, it's the least I can do. Have a great time."
Jack hurried to speak to them before they left. “I thought they were keeping you at the hospital longer. I was going to drop by with something for you to eat. Is Erin looking after you?”
“Yeah. I’m off work anyway,” she said.
“Okay, well, if you need anything, you just holler.” Jack good-naturedly slapped Bryce on the shoulder. “But I’m sure you’ll be in the best of care.” He winked at Erin and waved at Bethany as she drove off.
Erin climbed into the driver’s seat and readjusted it for her shorter legs, then readjusted the mirrors. “Sorry. You’ll have to change it all back when you drive it again.”
“No problem. I appreciate everything you’re doing for me. Are you sure this is no trouble for you? I can really manage on my own.”
"Not unless you want to be alone, if you're not feeling up to it, and I'd totally understand." She drove out of the police parking lot and headed for his home. “You have to eat dinner tonight anyway, and it's a real pain to get around on crutches until you get the hang of it. Besides, I’m used to my brother being around, so I’ll enjoy the company now that he's moved out again.”
Bryce groaned. “I don’t want you to think of me as if I was just your brother.”
She laughed. “Hardly. It will be nice having dinner and watching a movie tonight. You don't mind going to my place?”
"Not at all. I suspect I'm not going to be really running around much, so you might as well be more comfortable at your home."
She thought so too, but he was the one who had suffered an injury, so it would have been fine either way with her.
They finally arrived at his house and she helped him out of the car in the garage. And then she packed a bag for him.
“I’ve got a roast in the freezer if you want to have it tomorrow night,” he offered.
“Sure, I’ll get it.” She carried his bag into the kitchen, then pulled out the roast and put it in a grocery sack he was recycling.
She noticed his display of swords on the living room wall, including the one he used on the robber at the bank.
“I used the other swords in martial arts competitions. The one I wore with my costume is strictly for musketeer, pirate, and Highland warrior garb, though it's as real as the others.”
“And, most importantly, it's great to use in disarming armed gunmen involved in bank robberies.”
“Yeah, that was totally unexpected.”
"You need to teach me how to use a sword too. I have a buccaneer costume and it would be fun to know how to use one."
He smiled. "I can do that."
"If you have a Highland warrior costume, that must mean you have a kilt and all."
"Yep, I sure do. MacBride was my mother's maiden name. I've worn it for Halloween, but also to attend the Highland games."
"Now that I've got to see. Uhm, not just the kilt, but you wearing it."
He laughed.
They left his place and headed over to her house after that.
Once they settled at the house, she set him up on the couch to watch a movie. "I'll make spaghetti later, if that appeals."
"Yeah, that sounds good."
She propped his legs up on a cushion on the coffee table to elevate his broken leg. She hoped that would help reduce any swelling, and then she covered him with a soft jaguar print blanket. She handed him the TV controller. "James and I never fight over it. We both like the same shows. But you're the guest, so you decide what you want to watch. I'll get you some water. Do you need any pain medication?"
"Just the over-the-counter kind."
"Okay. I'll be right back." She figured he'd want to stay in the guest room where he could stretch out and be more
comfortable, as comfortable as he could be with a newly broken leg. But that would be his choice too. His own room or hers. Preferably…hers.
Bryce thought the world of Erin for offering to do this for him when they barely knew each other, which indicated their dating was moving full-speed ahead, no matter the obstacles. He appreciated Bethany for helping them get to this point too. Even though he was in pain and normally would have preferred to be alone and just rest up, being with Erin meant all the difference in the world. He just hoped she was being honest with him and didn't mind taking care of him for tonight. He didn't expect her to have to babysit him for the rest of the week.
When the drunken perp hit Bryce’s patrol car, not stopping for a red light and after Bryce had pulled fully into the intersection and the resulting accident had caused the break in his leg, he’d been angry. But seeing the setup he had now with a very willing she-cat to take care of him and for them to get to know each other better, he was thanking his lucky stars.
"It kills me not to help out a bit."
Erin smiled as she brought him the water and medicine. "Believe me, I know exactly how you feel."
"You had a broken leg before too?"
"Yeah." She sat down on the couch and he turned on the TV. "Same leg as yours, doing work, like you. Except we were out in the Amazon jungle."
"Hell, that's not the same as me at all. An ambulance took me right away to the hospital, and Jack arrested the perp. If you were in the Amazon when it happened, I imagine it wasn't any picnic."
"That part's true. James was with me on a mission. We were after a group of jaguar traffickers. We hadn't expected to find their camp so all of a sudden. They fired on us and James managed to jump to the left out of the range of a barrage of bullets. I jumped to the right, both of us firing at the gunmen. I was so near the edge of a thirty-foot ravine, I was in peril of falling. It was raining heavily, and the path was slick. I tried to scramble out of harm's way, but the rounds the traffickers were firing didn't let up. I slipped a couple of times before I fell. I managed to break my fall before I had tumbled maybe twenty feet, but I’d broken my leg in the process. I felt terrible because I put James in danger too, but he teased me that it was the greatest move I could have made. He was able to take out the guys trying to see where I had fallen.