by Lacey Black
“I love you too, sweetie.”
Just as I turn to head out, I hear, “I wove you, Maddox.” Maddox walks around me, making eye contact with those delicious chocolate eyes, and over to Brooklyn. My breath catches in my throat as he leans down to gently kiss her on the cheek. “I love you too, Bean,” he replies.
We walk together out of her bedroom and return to the living room. It’s quiet in the small confines of my small living room. Now what? Am I supposed to invite him to stay longer? Ask him to leave? I don’t want him to leave, but I know his Saturday night plans were not hanging out with me and my toddler. As if sensing my discomfort, he asks, “So what do you normally do after she goes to bed?”
I smile a little. “Well, this is my only time to clean up from our busy day. You’d be amazed how much damage a three year old can do to a small house. After I clean up, sometimes I actually get to read a little bit or watch some TV before bed.” And there it is. Now, I’m thinking about bed. Preferably with Maddox.
His chocolate eyes seem to turn even darker. It’s as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking about because he’s thinking the exact same thing.
He breaks the spell by suggesting we sit on the couch and watch a movie. A movie with Maddox? Uh, okay! Sign me up! I grab two more beers from the fridge as he sets out to find something on television. I come back into the living room and he has settled on “Shooter”.
“It was either this or ‘Mystic Pizza’. I’m not an eighties chick flick kinda guy so you’re stuck with ‘Shooter’.”
“Oh, there is no ‘getting stuck’ with Mark Wahlberg. I could watch him all day long,” I say with a sly grin.
“Really,” he replies dryly. I hand him a beer and settle in on the opposite end of the couch with my legs tucked comfortably underneath me. Maddox stretches out with his legs up on top of my coffee table. He looks so natural and comfortable in my space. It’s scary and so exciting all at the same time.
About an hour into the movie, I can’t help but to ask the question I’ve been wondering since the moment he told my daughter he would stay for pizza. “No big plans tonight?”
He looks over at me, his eyes burning straight into my soul and replies, “Nope. I had nothing to do.”
I still find that hard to believe. I know he goes out with Jake almost every weekend they don’t work, and even some they do work. They head to the pub and leave with someone who isn’t of their same sex.
“Well, I appreciate you hanging out with me and Brooklyn tonight. I’d probably already be heading to bed by now.”
And there it is again. Bed. I see it in the way his eyes darken at the thought. I have to mentally remind myself to breathe at this point. We stare at each other for a few more moments and that’s when I feel his big, warm hand over the top of mine. He locks his fingers in mine and gives me a gentle tug towards him. His other hand snakes around my side, burning my flesh straight through my shirt. I crawl over to him, kneeling next to him on the couch, and let my free hand roam up to his hair. I’ve been dreaming about this hair since last Saturday night, running my hands through it. He leans in a little towards me, waiting for me to throw the red flag and tell him to stop. There’s no way I’m throwing any flag to stop this. I want this. I need this more than I need air. He leans the rest of the way in and closes his eyes.
His kiss is tender, just barely touching my lips. We stay like that for what feels like forever but in reality is probably only a few seconds. Then he kisses me a little deeper, urging me with his tongue to open up my mouth for him. His kiss is wicked and makes me go weak in the knees. I can’t imagine anyone ever denying him anything after a kiss like this. He continues to explore my mouth with his tongue. He tastes like pizza and beer and, well, Maddox. My hands roam from his hair to his strong shoulders, and then journey down his hard back. I feel his hands touch the bare flesh of my lower back, and I moan. How long has it been since someone touched me like this? Ever?
Maddox dips down to kiss my jaw, my neck, and it’s the most delicious kiss I’ve ever experienced. He pulls back a little, both of us breathing a little heavy, and looks deeply at me with those sinful brown eyes.
“I should go,” he says as he kisses the corner of my mouth. I slowly pull away from his embrace and shiver, immediately feeling the loss of his body heat. He stands up and helps me to my feet which I’m thankful for since my whole body feels heavy and my legs shaky. Once we get to the front door, he pulls me back against him for one last lingering kiss. As I lean into him, I feel his strong, hard body from head to toe and something else very hard against my lower stomach. My whole body shivers from the contact and the desire.
“Have dinner with me next Friday night,” he says after he gives me one last kiss on the lips.
“Okay,” I reply without giving it any thought. I smile up at him and am rewarded with one of his best smiles. He slowly pulls away and walks out the front door. I stand there on my front porch watching him walk in the direction of his house. As he approaches the edge of my property, he turns and says, “Sweet dreams, Avery.” He follows that up with the slight curve upward of the corner of his mouth and a wink.
I can’t help but smile back down at him before he turns and strolls away. Oh, yes, my dreams with be very sweet tonight.
I’m about a block away from my house when I remember I was supposed to have drinks with Jake tonight. Yeah, two hours ago. And to make it worse, I’m still in my shorts and t-shirt that I was wearing when I ran into Avery and Brooklyn at the park before lunch.
I whip out my phone and shoot him a quick text.
Not gonna make it tonight.
I’m walking up my driveway when my phone dings, signaling a reply.
Hot date?
Shit, if he only knew. I throw back a quick reply as I retrieve my hidden key.
Yeah.
He replies instantly.
Don’t forget to bag up!
God, I’m a bad friend. I’m actually leading him to believe I’m with some chick tonight. In reality I’ve spent the past 10 hours with his sister! He’s going to kick my ass when he finds out, and when that happens, I will do nothing but let him. I deserve at least that.
I head inside and dump my cell phone on the kitchen table. I’m on edge and a little frustrated so I start to pace. It’s been a few weeks since I had sex, and since I spent most of the day with Avery, I’m more than a little horny. I consider changing my clothes and heading up to Jack’s to meet Jake. But the thought of Avery’s beautiful smile and crystal blue eyes as she agrees to go to dinner with me on Friday night is enough to push that idea far out of my mind. I’m not going anywhere.
After the world’s coldest shower, I head to bed with thoughts of the sexiest blond that I can still taste on my lips. The way her mouth molded to mine and she moaned slightly with each thrust of my tongue. I punch my pillow a few times, and flip back and forth trying to find a comfortable position.
I watch my alarm clock hit every minute for the next half hour. I try to think about work, my family, and cleaning my gutters before the winter hits, but nothing is working. I can’t stop thinking about her. I’ve done it. I’ve lost my damn man card and my mind. I’m officially a friggin’ girl. I sigh as I stare up at the ceiling and watch the street lights dance across the walls. I imagine what it would be like to have Avery in bed with me. Her hair fanned out on my pillow. Her long legs next to mine. Her arm draped over my chest.
It’s going to be another long, sleepless night.
*****
It’s Wednesday morning, and I’m starting to get nervous for Friday night which pisses me off. I don’t get nervous - ever. I’ve always been comfortable around girls, even back in high school. I haven’t seen or talked to Avery since I left her house Saturday night. I don’t know if she has a sitter lined up for our date or not. Does she even want to still go out Friday night or did she just answer me in the heat of the moment without really thinking it through? While I wait for Jake to finish writing up a traffic tick
et, I grab my phone from my pocket and shoot her a quick text.
How’s it going?
She replies back instantly.
Good. You?
I watch her brother out of the corner of my eye and fire back a reply.
Good. Still want to have dinner Friday night?
She doesn’t reply right away and I start to worry that maybe she has changed her mind. Not that it would be bad because honestly, it would probably be for the best. But hell if I don’t want to see her again.
Sure. I have Holly lined up to watch Brooklyn.
I smile at her reply. So, she’s got a sitter lined up. She does want to go out with me. I type a quick reply as I see Jake approaching the squad car.
Great. I’ll pick you up at 6pm. Dress casual.
I drop my phone back into my pocket as Jake slides into the passenger seat. “She was hot. Ended up with her number,” he says with a big wolfish grin.
As we pull away, Jake asks, “So, since we’re on this weekend, you wanna grab some take-out and watch the Bulls game on ESPN Friday night? It’s supposed to be a good game.”
Crap. He must sense my hesitation and comes back quickly with, “Dude, do you have a chick lined up for Friday night already?”
Another hesitation, and as I stare at the landscaping passing by the window as I drive, I finally say, “Yeah.” It’s all I’ve got for him. My mouth is as dry as the Sahara, and I feel like my lie by omission is surely written all over my face.
“Damn! You’re holdin’ out on me? She must be smoking hot if you didn’t even tell me you have the night lined up. Afraid she’s gonna take one look at me and wonder what the hell she’s doing with you?” he teases.
At this point in the conversation, sweat is starting to gather on my brow and it isn’t due to the heat of the day. He has no clue how smoking hot she is. And I obviously can’t tell him. I hate lying to him. I never lie to him, but I can’t tell him about this date. Not this time. So I change the subject back to safer territory, and we start talking about the hardware store break-in from this morning.
“You think that break-in was an inside job?”
“Could be. No sign of forced entry. Alarm turned off. No camera action. Sounds either like an inside job or the work of pros who did their research and knew exactly what they were doing,” he replies.
“Yeah, a quick break-in just doesn’t sit right with me either. Captain Edwards has a few guys working hard on this one. Peterson Hardware is his brother-in-law’s place. He’s gonna be on us hard to solve this one and fast.”
As we pass the BP gas station down on the corner of Adams & Main, Jake takes out his cell phone, pushes a few buttons and puts the phone to his ear.
“Hey, sis, whatcha doing?” Hearing those words come from his mouth has me pull the wheel slightly to the right. I overcorrect when I realize I’m heading towards the sidewalk causing us both to whip around in our seats.
“Shit, Maddox. Learn how to fucking drive,” he says to me with a glare. “Sorry, kid. Maddox just tried killing us in the squad.”
I can only hear his side of the conversation, of course, but I hear him tell her he’s “fine”.
“So, I’m on this weekend which means I won’t be at Sunday dinner. How about Friday night dinner with me? I can grab some take-out some place and come over and hang with you and Bean for awhile.”
My heart rate is beating double time as I wonder what she’s gonna tell him. I wait with bated breath for the blow that I’m sure is coming.
“Really,” he says in a flat tone. “You have a date? Who the hell with?” I can’t hear what she says, but obviously she didn’t tell him the truth because I haven’t felt his fist connect with my jaw.
“Do I know him?” Pause. “Well, I wanna fucking meet him, Avery!” Another pause. “Maddox has a damn date Friday night, too,” he says, not able to hide his irritation. And now I’m practically shitting in my pants. The car starts to feel like it’s closing in on me as more sweat breaks out on my upper lip. “Fine. I guess I’ll catch you on another night off. I want to meet this guy. Soon. I wanna make sure he understands what will happen if he messes with my baby sister.” He listens to her for a few more minutes and finally signs off.
As he drops his phone back into his shirt pocket, he lets out a big sigh.
“She’s got a date. Won’t tell me who it is. How am I supposed to scare the living shit out of him if I don’t know who I’m threatening?”
I pick my words carefully and say, “She must have a good reason to not want you to know right away.”
“Yeah, she says it’s too new and she doesn’t want me interfering. Says it’s nothing for me to get excited about…yet. I know what guys are after, and he isn’t getting it from my sister. Not if I can help it.”
“She’s a grown up, man. She’s gonna go on dates, you know. She’s got a kid.”
“Man, what is up with you? Did you lose your balls or something? You used to stand back and hold my beer while I was dealing with the assholes who messed with my sister.”
“Nothing is up with me. I’ve got your back one hundred percent. I just don’t think you should get yourself worked up until you have something to get worked up about.”
“Whatever.” He crosses his arms over his broad chest and turns to face out the passenger window basically ending our conversation. We hit a drive-thru for lunch and are heading back to the precinct when my phone chimes. I pull it out and notice a text from Avery. I glance at Jake out of the corner of my eye but he seems to be focused on a couple walking down the street. I open the message.
Are we doing the right thing?
I don’t hesitate in my reply. YES. I hit send.
Another ding. What if he finds out?
When we stop at the stop light, I type another quick reply. Then it’s on me. I’ll handle it.
You won’t deal with him alone. I’m a big girl and can handle Jake.
The light is getting ready to change back to green so I type quickly. Trust me, I know you’re a big girl. See you Friday
I put my phone away as we pull away from the intersection heading back towards the other end of town. We have a few more hours left of our shift, but I’m anxious to get home and burn off a little energy with a run.
“What are you doing tonight?” Jake asks after several minutes of silence.
“Probably going for a run and then relaxing with a little Sports Center.”
“Mind if I tag along? I’m not feeling like hanging out at home tonight.” I look over at my best friend and notice for the first time the dark circles under his eyes. He looks beat.
“You feelin’ alright, man?”
“Yeah,” he replies as he rubs his hand through his hair and down his face. “Just not sleeping well lately.”
“Something you want to talk about?”
“No. Just have a lot on my mind. I’m good,” he reassures me as he continues to rub the top of his forehead. He lets out another sigh, and we enjoy more comfortable silence. I should probably push him a little harder and find out what’s eating at him, but my mind keeps going back to planning my date with Avery. I know she’s a simple girl who doesn’t need fancy restaurants where she has to dress up and be someone’s arm candy for the night, which is good because I sure as hell am not into that scene. Me? I’ll take the tailgate of a pick-up truck in the middle of nowhere with some classic rock music, and I’m good. Avery and I spent a lot of our youth swimming in the river and hanging out with our friends in the middle of nowhere. That’s where we are both comfortable.
After our shift is over and the paperwork is wrapped up, Jake and I each jump into our own trucks and head back towards my place. He has to swing by his place and grab a change of clothes before he comes over so I take the opportunity to drive by Avery’s house. I tell myself that I’m just fulfilling my civic duty as a police officer to make sure everything is okay in her neighborhood, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’d drive by and check on her even if I wasn�
�t a cop.
As I approach her little house, I see her gathering groceries from the back of her little jeep. I decide to pull in and give her a hand, especially when I see Brooklyn running from the front yard, up the stairs, and back again. I stop the truck and jump out. Avery noticed me pulling in and stands there with a beautiful little smile on her face. I decide that she has the bags already in her hands, so I head for the three year old running amuck in the front yard. Brooklyn notices me and heads in my direction, arms out, legs pumping as fast as they’ll carry her petite three foot body.
I scoop her up, and she throws her little arms around my neck. It’s actually a pretty amazing feeling. “Maddox,” she yells, giving me a kiss on my cheek. “You’re itchy,” she giggles as she rubs her hands over my dark five o’clock shadow.
I walk towards the house, meeting Avery on the sidewalk in front of the stairs, and grab the bag that looks like the heaviest from her grips. She smiles again as we walk side-by-side up the stairs.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was just heading home and noticed this little cutie running around the front yard,” I say as I tickle Brooklyn’s side resulting in another giggle.
“Yeah, she was not being a good girl and listening to her mom at that moment,” she responds as she gives her daughter a pointed look that meant she was serious.
“Bean, you can’t run around the front yard while your mom is distracted. You’re gonna get hurt or run into the road.” I give Brooklyn one of my stern bad-cop looks, but as those beautiful little blue eyes gaze at me, I realize I’m a goner when it comes to her face. No amount of military or police training can help me.
Brooklyn lays her head on my shoulder and whispers, “I’m sowy. I won’t do it again.”
“Okay, I’m glad. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you,” I reply quietly, mostly saying it to myself. Before I set her down at the front door, I give her a kiss on her forehead. I look over at Avery and give her a trademarked smile. “I’m pretty sure I would give her anything after that look she just gave me,” I say to her resulting in a laugh.