by Fha User
GOING BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY...
“Stop,” she said. “I don’t want to hear anymore.” As she stared at him, her
mind raced with questions. Yes, she had been the one to suggest he go out
with other women, didn’t mean she wanted to hear the details. “If it was that
easy to do, then why didn’t you go on and sleep with her?” As she asked
this question, a cold lump formed in the pit of her stomach.
Clayton studied Vi, her sharp tone giving him pause. Looking heavenward,
he swiped a hand down his face, warring with telling her the truth. “Because
I didn’t want to make love to her…” The words hung in the air between
them. “When my hand covered her small breast, my mind imagined another,
more of a handful, much softer,” he finally said.
Pinning her with a penetrating gaze, he moved closer. “In my arms, her
small frame made me conjure up softer, much fuller curves. I imagined a
fuller mouth too, one you could nibble on and sink your teeth into.” He
paused as if gathering his thoughts. “Everything about her was wrong
because… all I could think of was you,” he said in a strangled tone.
Closing the distance separating them, Clay suddenly reached for her.
Before she knew what was happening, Vi found herself hauled up against
him, locked in his embrace. Her hands were trapped between their bodies,
the fingers splayed out on his chest as she stared up into his smoldering eyes.
“Clayton... wh…what are you doing?” His nearness robbed her of the
ability to move. She stood in his arms, watching his descent as he lowered
his head and kissed her. It was a very tender kiss, totally at odds with the
tension she felt in the bunched muscles of the arms holding her. Vi didn’t
have time to respond, it was over in seconds and he lifted his head.
“Mmmmm…this was missing, this softness,” he whispered close to her ear.
“She wasn't soft like this Vi…like you, and I knew immediately, I couldn’t
sleep with her.”
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To Clayton, my soul-mate and two of the greatest
young men, Marques and Branden- thanks for all your
love and support. Thanks to Marcia and Jim for taking
me on an editorial journey, it wasn’t easy but we did it.
Dante-many thanks. Lastly, I need to thank my Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.
ISBN: 978-0-6152-1267-8
To Love & Protect
Copyright © 2007 by Lynn McCall
Landmarq Management, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
All characters in this book have no existence outside of the imagination of
the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name
or names. They are not inspired by any person known or unknown and are
all incidents of pure fiction.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or
by any means without the prior express written consent of the author,
excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
If you enjoyed reading this book I would love to hear from you. Write to me
at – [email protected] or [email protected]
Be blessed,
Lynn McCall
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To Love & Protect
By Lynn McCall
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4
CHAPTER
ONE
Craig’s watch lay on the table near her bed. Reaching over, he picked it up
and saw it was just a few minutes past ten. Although he had a lot to do
today, it was still early and those things could wait. Deciding to linger a bit
longer, Craig turned over and got more comfortable. It was very warm and
incredibly soft there, so he nestled in close behind her. Like a spoon, he
molded his long, muscular frame around her softness. Her breathing
changed, and she stirred in her sleep when his large hand slid over the
shapely rise of her hip.
Not wanting to wake her, Craig’s hand stilled. Waiting, he propped his
head in the palm of his hand and studied her profile. She resembled an angel
– a very flushed and sexually satisfied angel – but an angel nonetheless. As
his eyes rolled over her perfect form, he wondered if angels made love like
she did. Did they moan and climax so hard it made a man want to weep?
When he was certain she was asleep again, his hand resumed its delicate
dance across her flesh. Breathing in her scent, his fingers swept lightly over
her rounded belly until they reached the underside of her warm, soft breast.
More than a handful, he cupped its weight in his hand and instantly his mind
played out the way she’d arched against him just a few hours ago,
whimpering as he’d taken that tiny swollen crest deep inside his mouth.
With that thought, other images danced through his mind. Images of their
bodies entwined, straining against one another, until they reached that place
where nothing mattered but the two of them—nothing mattered except that
moment.
These wayward thoughts caused his body to harden and it wasn’t long
before his light caress became more insistent. Aroused by his touch, Casey
awoke and let out a deep sigh. Stretching her limbs, she rolled over to face
him and planted a light kiss on his mouth. Like a flower in search of rain, his
body sprang to life as she smiled at him. In the next instant he watched her
close her eyes again and unceremoniously throw her leg and one slender arm
across his body. Draped freely across his chest, her soft blond hair tickled
his chin where her head lay close to his heart.
5
Craig gathered her close and thought about the reason he’d stopped by this
morning. Although this was as good a time as any to discuss it, he hesitated
because when he’d brought it up in the past it led to an argument. Not eager
to bring it up just yet, he looked around her small apartment very slowly,
diverting his thoughts. A slight smile curved his lips as Craig thought about
how many times they both joked about her apartment being so small that a
person couldn’t even change his mind. A frown creased his brow as he
thought about the countless times he’d asked Casey to move in with him.
Finding a bigger place for the two of them, Craig assured her, would be no
problem. She had refused him each time, patiently explaining that she
wanted to stay independent, having suffered several failed relationships in
the past. Thinking about those past relationships, Craig’s mind wandered to
the first time they’d met over four months ago. It was a Saturday night…
When his shift ended that night, Craig had decided to stick around to finish
up some paperwork. Casey had been a victim of domestic abuse, and came
to the police station that night to file charges against some asshole boyfriend
who had roughed her up pretty badly. Normally women in her situation
looked defeated and scared when, and if, they came to the police. But, not
this woman. While she sat in the squad room waiting for someone to take
her complaint, Crai
g noted her expressive eyes, soft-looking full lips and the
slight lift of her small, proud chin. Her light, mocha skin tone was in direct
contrast to the midnight blue of her eyes, set nicely in a classic face
surrounded by a mass of long, honey gold curls. He figured she was either a
very, tanned white woman or a mix of something else, although he couldn’t
be sure. Somehow Craig found himself mesmerized by her. Glancing
around the squad room, Craig noticed the other officers on duty were either
on the phone or busy with someone else. Even though he was officially off
the clock, Craig decided to take her statement and made his way over to the
desk where she sat. With quiet resolve in her eyes, she looked up at him as
he sat down and prepared to question her. Beyond the black eye and
bruising, her beauty and vulnerability struck a cord deep within him.
Before she left the squad room that day, Casey asked him if she would
receive police protection from the guy who beat her up. He didn’t want to
come right out and tell her that all they could do was follow-up on the leads
she’d given them and try to track the guy down. For some odd reason, Craig
found himself drawn to her and since that night began checking in on her
every other day. Their relationship started off innocently enough and, after a
while, they started spending a little time together, just talking. They soon
decided to stop fighting the mutual attraction that had flared between them
almost from the beginning. Giving up the pretense of trying to be friends
had led to some very intense sexual encounters, which had eventually led to
this… and this was nice.
6
Lying here now, he realized it wasn’t just about the sex anymore because
lately he found himself beginning to want more—much more. The wanting
made the words tumble from his lips and, before he knew it, Craig blurted
out what had been troubling him. “Casey, I want you to come for dinner this
Sunday and meet my family,” he said flatly.
He felt her stiffen in his arms and the delicate fingers threading through the
dense hair on his chest stilled. Casey let out a long sigh, trying to figure out
how best to respond. “Craig, you know I can’t.” She rose from the bed,
taking her warmth with her, striding naked toward her tiny bathroom.
“We’ve been over this before,” she added in an off-handed manner. “Why
don’t we talk about it later?”
As she started to leave the room, her plan to postpone this discussion
dissipated with Craig’s next words. “I’m tired of keeping our relationship a
secret,” he told her.
She turned to him; her expression shuttered and she replied in a measured
tone. “Baby, you said you had a lot to do today, I promise you we’ll discuss
this later.” Then she closed the bathroom door, cutting off any further
discussion.
When Casey was safely inside the bathroom, she stood with her back
braced against the door, knowing she’d just dodged a huge argument. It had
been such a beautiful morning and Casey didn’t relish spoiling it. But when
Craig got something in his head, he went after it with a single- minded
purpose. She knew the more insistent he became, the more resistant she
would become. Leaving the room was the only way she could be sure they
wouldn’t end up fighting again.
Turning on the tap water, she gingerly stepped into the shower and stood
under the warm spray. For some reason her mind drifted back to the first
time she’d seen Craig…
She’d been scared shitless. Raul would be furious if he knew where she
was and what she was about to do. It was bad enough he’d done this twice
now and she’d let him get away with it. The first time he’d hit her was right
after he moved to town. After a few weeks of unemployment, Raul had
gotten drunk one night. Casey remembered that when she tried to take the
bottle away, he’d smacked her clear across the room. She’d been a fool to
let him stay with her in the first place and now here she was, sitting in this
police station wanting to put his sorry ass away.
Taking a deep cleansing breath, Casey closed her eyes and started
counting. She thought that if one of these cops didn’t come over here by the
time she counted to ten, she would just get up and leave. Then she opened
her eyes and saw him. He introduced himself as Officer Craig Simpson.
Unable to concentrate on what the man said after that, Casey’s jaw dropped
7
as she stared at him. The man before her was extremely tall, well built and
handsome beyond belief. He had a wide, sensuous mouth with very dark
eyes that matched his equally dark, milk chocolate skin. When he flashed it
briefly at her, his smile made her heart leap.
Whoa – down girl! Mentally admonishing herself, Casey tried to clear her
mind. It wasn’t like she’d never seen a good-looking man before. Sure, this
guy was clearly not hard on the eyes, but she wasn’t here for this. Suddenly,
she remembered she was sitting in a police station—with a black eye and
bruises—waiting to press charges against the jackass who’d done this.
Ohmigod! She thought. She had bruises and a black eye. Slowly, it
dawned on her that while she was salivating over this cop, he was probably
repulsed by what he saw. Now self conscious about the condition of her
battered face, she bent her head and tried to reign in the wayward thoughts
racing through her mind. Trying hard to focus, she realized he was saying
something to her. Unfortunately, she’d been so self-absorbed with her own
thoughts that she didn't hear what he said. Luckily, his appealing mouth
twisted into a warm smile that set her stomach fluttering and repeated his
question.
“Ma’am, I need to know who did this to you.”
She noticed he had very kind eyes and Casey immediately felt like she could
trust him. That one question started the tidal wave of tears she’d been
holding back and it brought out all the bad feelings and regrets she had about
her past relationships. And so, she told this man, this officer, this stranger
everything. She told him who’d beaten her up and all the things that had led
up to it. It felt good to tell someone, to finally let it all out. When she
finished her story, he smiled at her and briefly covered her hand with his. He
hadn’t judged her and, in that moment, she felt like she’d found a friend.
Standing under the water, she shut her eyes against the memories and
immediately felt ashamed. Craig was everything she had ever wanted in a
man. He was wonderful and kind and, lately, it seemed all she ever did was
hurt him. He knew how to make her laugh and he definitely knew how to
make her burn. Above all, he made her feel whole and hadn’t cared about
her past and or what other people might think. She wanted nothing more
than to feel like he did, but she couldn’t. They needed more time, she
reasoned. Their relationship was too new and she wanted to savor these
wonderful feelings just a bit longer, before they had to end. The fear of his
family rejecting her and the very real fear that she might lose h
im if he had to
choose between his family and her, terrified Casey. What if he had to chose,
what would he do? What would she do? She couldn’t bear to think about it.
The water grew hotter, steaming up the mirror and tiles. As it cascaded
over her skin, she thought about losing him. She knew if she turned him
8
down again, it would only hurt him. Although his request seemed so simple,
it really wasn’t. But Casey knew she couldn’t put him off forever.
Eventually she would have to deal with all of this. Whatever the outcome,
she feared it would not be in her favor. The salt of her tears mixed with the
warm spray beating down on her as she laid her head against the shower wall
and cried.
In the bedroom, Craig lay staring at the ceiling. Although she’d refused
him every other time in the past, her response today angered him. At first he
didn’t mind keeping their relationship a secret. He respected how she felt
and realized she was afraid his family would think she wasn’t good enough
for him. In all honesty, he thought, she was probably right about how they
would react. But dammit, he was a grown man. He didn’t have to answer to
anyone about anything. What he did and whom he did it with was none of
anyone’s business. He cared about Casey, and he was certain she cared
about him too. He had no idea how or when it happened—because he
certainly didn’t go looking for it—but somehow loving her had snuck up on
him.
He had to admit that he like to at least tell his mother. He was sure she
would be cool with this. Since his father’s death, Craig and his mother had
grown very close. Comfortable around one another, he and his mom talked
openly about everything and it just didn’t feel right not telling her about
Casey. Subsequently, he talked to his mom a lot less these days for fear that
he would let something slip. Folding his arms behind his head, he continued
staring at the ceiling, feeling the anger that rose in him moments ago slowly
drain away. She just needed more time, he reasoned, and eventually she