Night Shift 2

by Anthology

  “She’s done this before,” Fletch said unnecessarily as they watched the bowling ball roll lazily down the lane and knock down seven pins. “I’m gonna lose, aren’t I?”

  They watched as Annie turned to them with a huge smile on her face. “Is seven good, Fletch?”

  “Shit. I’m so gonna lose.” It was a statement that time.

  Emily turned in Fletch’s arms and leaned up to kiss him lightly on the lips, loving that he felt comfortable with the public display of affection, and that every time she did something like kiss him or hold his hand, Fletch’s eyes glittered with desire. “You’re going down, Cormac.”

  An hour and a half later, Fletch slumped against the seat in defeat. “You guys win. Heck, you had me beat from Annie’s first spare.”

  Annie danced a victory dance and Fletch couldn’t hold back his laugh. He leaned over and grabbed the little girl, holding her upside down on his lap and tickling her. Annie’s giggles rang out through the busy bowling alley as she wiggled and screeched, trying to get away from Fletch’s nimble fingers.

  Finally, he pulled her upright and sat her sideways on his lap and looked over at Emily.

  Seeing the tears in her eyes, his entire demeanor changed. “What? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” Emily reassured him immediately, wiping away the moisture.

  “Em, what?”

  “I’m just…happy, Fletch. These are happy tears.”

  Understanding what she wasn’t saying, Fletch leaned over, Annie still in his lap, and put his free hand behind her neck and pulled her into him. He kissed her, hard. The kiss probably wasn’t appropriate for their surroundings, especially considering how closely Annie was scrutinizing them, but Emily couldn’t care at the moment.

  He placed his forehead against Emily’s and whispered, “As long as they’re happy tears, I’ll take ’em. It’s the other kind I can’t stand.”

  “Come on, Fletch. You said after I beat you, you’d show me how to roller skate,” Annie begged, squirming off his lap to the floor.

  Fletch pulled back and brushed his thumb under Emily’s eye. Without looking away from her, he told, Annie, “I did, sprite. Can you return our shoes? We’ll go after that.”

  “Yay!” Annie chirped in excitement.

  Emily smiled at her daughter as the little girl plunked herself on the ground and ripped the rented bowling shoes off her feet. She waited impatiently as she and Fletch removed theirs as well.

  “We’ll be right here. Don’t go anywhere else but the return counter,” Fletch warned. “I want you in our sight the entire time.”

  “I won’t!” Annie reassured him.

  Fletch and Emily watched as the little girl skipped up to the counter and got into the short line.

  “Thank you, Fletch,” Emily said quietly. “She’s having the time of her life.”

  “I feel like I should be thanking you,” Fletch said seriously. “I haven’t really thought about kids. Not with what I do. I figured it was either a pipe dream, or that it would be many, many years before I’d ever have the chance to have any. Today has been amazing. I mean, I know that Annie is awesome. But seeing her like this, seeing her without a care in the world, it’s…” His voice trailed off. He cleared his throat once, then continued.

  “It’s everything. It makes me feel that what I do has meaning. Seeing her happy and carefree, makes me realize something that I didn’t get before. Every mission has a purpose.”

  Emily laid her hand on Fletch’s tattooed forearm. He kept his eyes on Annie as she crept forward in the line. She leaned up and kissed Fletch’s jaw. Then his temple. Then leaned forward so she could whisper in his ear.

  “You’re so getting lucky tonight.”

  Fletch’s head whipped around so fast Emily couldn’t even catch a breath before his lips were on hers. His tongue plunged into her mouth and his hand once more came up to rest behind her neck. But this time it wasn’t in a tender caress. It was to hold her still for his sensual assault on her mouth.

  It didn’t last nearly long enough, but Fletch was obviously more than aware they were sitting in a bowling alley surrounded by families. He turned his head back to where Annie was, and murmured without looking at Emily. “Damn straight. You set me up, woman. You owe me.”

  Emily giggled, feeling the goosebumps break out over her arms as Fletch’s thumb caressed the side of her neck. He hadn’t taken his hand away, and she put her head on his shoulder.

  They sat like that for several moments, watching Annie as she returned their bowling shoes and came skipping back toward them, her arms full with their regular ones.

  “Here they are! Hurry! I wanna skate!”

  The tender moment gone, Fletch slowly sat up and reached for his boots. He put them on as leisurely as he could, just to torture the little girl. Emily followed suit, until Annie was literally dancing around them, begging for them to go faster.

  Fletch stood and held out his hand to Emily. Her warm hand against his own made his heart swell, but it was Annie’s smaller hand, which grabbed hold of his, that made it melt. The little girl was affectionate, but she’d never held his hand before.

  He wasn’t a mushy man, but at that moment, he knew he’d do everything in his power to keep both Emily and Annie for his own.

  Emily watched as Fletch and Annie made their way slowly around the roller-skating rink. Annie had only let go of Fletch’s hand long enough for them both to tie up their skates, and as soon as they were securely fastened, she’d grabbed hold again. The duo made their way around the floor with about what seemed like five thousand other kids and adults.

  Leaning against the wooden rail, Emily watched as Fletch steered Annie away from a pile-up of kids who’d fallen. Then, as he got between her and another kid who was recklessly racing around the far end of the rink, not caring who was in his way. And as Fletch threw his head back and laughed at something Annie said, she sighed.

  The man was amazing. Granted, she’d never really been on a date with both a man and Annie before, but somehow she knew this wasn’t exactly normal. Annie was exhausting. She’d be the first to admit it. Emily loved her child, but her never-ending questions, unrelenting energy and enthusiasm for life, and her stubbornness weren’t conducive to a relaxing day by any stretch.

  But watching Fletch with her, Emily wouldn’t have guessed he’d gotten up at four-thirty to do PT, after being awake until two making love to her. The man was a robot. He was able to do it all. And Emily was falling in love with him.

  No. She was in love with him.

  The thought should’ve scared her, but strangely it didn’t. People always said that when you found your soul mate, you just knew. And Emily knew.

  “Mommy! Look at me!” Annie called out as they skated past.

  “You’re doing great, baby!” Emily dutifully responded, waving.

  Fletch smiled lazily at her, but didn’t say anything.

  “They’re really cute,” a woman next to Emily noted.

  “Oh, thanks. Yeah.”

  “Looks like she’s got her daddy wrapped around her little finger.”

  Emily opened her mouth to explain that Fletch wasn’t her father, but closed it, nodding instead. “Yes, she does.”

  “Lucky,” the other woman observed. “Have fun.” She ambled away.

  She hadn’t corrected the stranger, one, because it just seemed too complicated, and two, because it felt good to have someone think that Fletch was hers. It was juvenile and stupid, but there it was.

  After what seemed like another fifty laps, Annie had finally had enough. She and Fletch skated over to where Emily was waiting. Fletch helped her step over the wooden lip of the rink and smiled at Emily as Annie talked nonstop.

  “Did you see me, Mommy? That was so fun! At first I couldn’t do it good but Fletch helped me keep my balance. Did you see that he could go backwards? I wish I could do that, but Fletch says that if I keep pracmacing that I’ll be doing it in no time. And then he let go but he wa
s still right there. Did you see that? I did it by myself! It’s like when you taught me to ride my bike. I was scared, but you were there holding the bike until I could do it on my own. When can we come again?”

  Emily let Annie prattle on and looked over at Fletch. The love inside her seemed to grow when he mouthed, “Thank you,” and his lips turned upward in a smile bigger than she’d ever seen on his face before.

  She grinned back and mouthed, “Lucky tonight,” and pointed to herself, then to Fletch.

  Emily didn’t think it was possible, but his smile got even bigger.

  The cab of the truck was silent and dark as they headed back home after dinner. Fletch had drawn the line at Chuck E. Cheese’s, refusing to step foot in the notorious restaurant, finally winning Annie over by telling her that all good soldiers needed to keep their protein intake up by eating a nice large steak at least once a week.

  Emily should’ve been concerned at how good Fletch was getting at manipulating Annie into doing what was best for her, but she wasn’t. It was nice to share the responsibility for raising her daughter for once. Very nice.

  “Mommy said I could wear combat boots when you get married,” Annie announced when they were on I-35 headed home.

  Emily almost choked. Good Lord. She opened her mouth to say something, she wasn’t sure what, when Fletch beat her to it.

  “I’m okay with that.”

  “Fletch,” Emily hissed. “Don’t encourage her.”

  He looked over at her and said in a serious voice, “Why not?”

  “Want to watch your movie?” Emily asked Annie, ignoring Fletch and the entire conversation.

  “Small Soldiers!” Annie yelled, happy to be distracted by her favorite movie. She knew every word in it and could recite it anywhere, anytime.

  Emily got it cued up and handed her daughter the headphones and tablet, provided by Fletch, to watch. Within ten minutes, Annie was out.

  “I think she had a good time,” Emily told Fletch dryly, glancing in the backseat at her daughter, who was sleeping the sleep of the exhausted in her booster seat. The tablet still clutched in her hands, the light from the video flickering over her lightly flushed cheeks.

  “I did too,” Fletch said softly. “Thank you for letting me take you both out.”

  “We had fun. But you know,” Emily said hesitantly, “you shouldn’t encourage her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The wedding thing. She’s at that stage where she gets fixated on stuff. I don’t want to set her up for disappointment.”

  “What if I’m not?”

  “Not what?”

  “Setting her up for disappointment.” Fletch’s tone was low and urgent. “I like you, Emily. A lot. I’m not dating you just so I can have sex. I have every intention of following through with this relationship. All the way.”

  “Fletch—”

  “I know, it’s still early. But I want you to know, I’m not messing with the two of you. Okay?”

  “Okay.” There was more Emily wanted to say, but she couldn’t bring herself to mention any of it.

  Fletch put his hand on Emily’s leg as they continued the rest of the way home in a comfortable silence.

  When they pulled up back at the house, Annie was still sound asleep. Fletch turned to Emily. “Will you let me help you put her to bed?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then you’ll let me put you to bed?”

  Emily smiled and leaned toward Fletch, brushing her lips against his softly. “I did say you were getting lucky tonight, didn’t I?”

  “You did,” he confirmed with a smile, keeping his hands on the steering wheel.

  “Then you can put me to bed afterward.”

  The look of lust in his eyes made Emily squirm in her seat. Lord, she wanted this man. Her nipples got tight under her shirt and she wanted nothing more than to straddle him right there in his truck and have her way with him.

  “Are we home?” Annie’s sleepy voice asked from the backseat.

  “Yeah, sprite. We’re home,” Fletch affirmed, emphasizing the word “home” without breaking eye contact with Emily.

  “Good. I’m hungry.”

  Emily laughed at the look of surprise in Fletch’s eyes. As much as she wanted to go straight to bed, now that Annie was awake, and apparently hungry, they’d both have to wait a bit longer.

  “Soon,” Emily told Fletch softly as she reached for her seatbelt.

  “Soon,” Fletch agreed as he climbed out of his side of the truck.

  Several hours later, Emily lay in Fletch’s arms, replete and satisfied.

  “Best day ever,” she stated resolutely.

  “Best day ever,” Fletch agreed, hugging Emily’s naked body to his even tighter. “But, I plan on every day from here on out being the best ever.”

  “Knock yourself out, soldier,” Emily teased. “I won’t stop you.”

  Fletch kissed Emily lightly on the forehead, then settled himself back down on the mattress. “You’ll never know hunger again. You and Annie are safe with me. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure Jacks never gets near you.”

  His words were somewhat out of left field, but Emily went with it. She was getting used to how Fletch’s mind worked. “What he did wasn’t your fault.”

  “Yes and no. We’ve talked about this,” Fletch argued. “He got to you once. He’s still out there. I won’t let him get to you again.”

  “You’re not God, Fletch. You don’t know what will happen.”

  “I know I’m not. But I promise, you and Annie are protected.”

  “Okay,” Emily agreed. She knew in her heart that there was no way he could guarantee their safety. Heck, the shooting at Annie’s school showed her that. People were responsible for their own actions, and unless Fletch was around them twenty-four/seven, he couldn’t guarantee anything.

  “Okay,” Fletch repeated. “Go to sleep, Em.”

  “Good night, Fletch. Thanks for an awesome day. For me and Annie.”

  “You’re welcome. We’ll do it again soon.”

  “Yay.”

  Fletch smiled against Emily’s hair as she fell asleep in his arms. He tightened his hold.

  His. She and Annie were his.

  He fell asleep, content in the knowledge that the two most important females in his life were safe under his roof.

  Want to read more about Emily, Annie and Fletch? Check out Rescuing Emily, Book 2 in the Delta Force Heroes Series. Each book in the series can be read as a stand-alone.

  Also by Susan Stoker

  Delta Force Heroes Series

  Rescuing Rayne

  Assisting Aimee - Loosely related to DF

  Rescuing Emily

  Rescuing Harley (Nov 2016)

  Rescuing Kassie (May 2017)

  Rescuing Bryn (Nov 2017)

  Rescuing Casey (TBA)

  Rescuing Wendy (TBA)

  Rescuing Mary (TBA)

  SEAL of Protection Series

  Protecting Caroline

  Protecting Alabama

  Protecting Alabama’s Kids (Oct 2016)

  Protecting Fiona

  Marrying Caroline (novella)

  Protecting Summer

  Protecting Cheyenne

  Protecting Jessyka

  Protecting Julie (novella)

  Protecting Melody

  Protecting the Future

  Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series

  Justice for Mackenzie

  Justice for Mickie

  Justice for Corrie

  Justice for Laine (novella)

  Shelter for Elizabeth

  Justice for Boone (Sept 2016)

  Shelter for Adeline (Jan 2017)

  Shelter for Sophie (Aug 2017)

  Justice for Sidney (Oct 2017)

  Justice for Milena (TBA)

  Shelter for Blythe (TBA)

  Justice for Kinley (TBA)

  Shelter for Promise (TBA)

  Shelter for Koren (TBA)

&n
bsp; Shelter for Penelope (TBA)

  Ace Security Series

  Claiming Grace (Mar 2017)

  Claiming Alexis (July 2017)

  Claiming Bailey (TBA)

  Stand Alone

  The Guardian Mist

  Special Operations Fan Fiction

  http://www.stokeraces.com/kindle-worlds.html

  Beyond Reality Series

  Outback Hearts

  Flaming Hearts

  Frozen Hearts

  Writing as Annie George:

  Stepbrother Virgin (erotic novella)

  About the Author

  New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Texas where she lives, but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, and Indiana. She’s married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.

  She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed that up with the SEAL of Protection Series, which solidified her love of writing and creating stories readers can get lost in.

  If you enjoyed this book, or any book, please consider leaving a review. It’s appreciated by authors more than you’ll know.

  For more information:

  @Susan_Stoker

  authorsusanstoker

  www.StokerAces.com

  susan@stokeraces.com

  Chelle Bliss & Brenda Rothert

  Dirty Work bonus epilogue by Chelle Bliss and Brenda Rothert - Former political rivals Jude and Reagan seal the biggest deal of their lives with a kiss.

  Dirty Work Bonus Chapter

  by Brenda Rothert & Chelle Bliss

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  A year after the epilogue…

  Reagan

  I don’t think there’s such a thing as a bad day in Hawaii, but today is especially beautiful. The sun is shining in a sky the perfect shade of azure and a slight breeze is blowing.