'Fuck this,' he mumbled and turned south to Jake's gym, where he hoped he could work some of this tension off.
He couldn't remember the last time he had taken the time to work out. Which just pissed him off even more.
His lack of time is something that he seemed to be using as an excuse not to do things that he knew had to be done or taken care of.
But, when the old Chief had been ousted due to corruption, Ram felt he needed to front and center, overseeing the open cases, completing the documentation that needed to be done and getting it done on time. Ram also tried to ensure that the townspeople of Grantham knew that he was a 'hands on' Chief and he made every effort to remain visible.
How long was he expected to have his work consume his life? Outside of having Tim Bell cover for him when he and Marianne went to her apartment, he had been on the job 24/7. He needed a break. He needed a standard schedule with, at least, one day off each week.
No one said he had to work so much. It wasn't in his employment contract but it was something he had started doing the moment he stepped through the door.
No one to blame but himself.
Well, he decided, after punishing his body with three rounds of circuit training, that shit stops now!
*.*.*.*.*
I was laying on the double bed in my aunt's guest room staring at the ceiling, unable to shut my mind off enough to sleep.
First there was my apartment. I still shuddered when I thought of the destruction of my property. I knew I should be able to put this behind me, start thinking about the furniture I would be able to afford with the insurance check.
Did I want to use blue again?
When had I had that notion, that blue was my signature color? High school? College? After seeing how beautiful and gracious a home could be, like Ram's, I was considering changing my color scheme.
Maybe having a signature color was a little juvenile?
Paul had left me a voicemail when I had been at dinner with Crys asking me out for Saturday night. I hadn't replied because I wanted to keep my Saturday night open in case Ram wanted to be with me.
Why couldn't I fall in love with an accountant or a mechanic or someone who only worked eight hours?
Wait…what?
Fall in love?
Was that how I felt about Ram?
Aw, geez.
But, I really didn't know that much about him. How can you fall in love with someone that you don't really know?
So. Hmmm. What do I know about him? That he is extremely good in bed. Extremely good. Sublimely good. I ran through a couple of examples in my head and kind of lost track of what I had been thinking about earlier.
Oh, yeah. What did I know about Ram?
That he was a very hands-on Chief of Police and had the respect of those under him and the admiration of the people of Grantham.
He loved his family very much even as he laughed at some of their ways of doing things.
He cared about me very much and seemed very protective.
In all my life, I'd never had the kind of support he'd given me at the apartment, and then afterwards.
If I loved him, could he ever love me in return?
*.*.*.*.*
Ram was just finishing up his patrol of the downtown and was making his way home when he decided to drive by Estella's house. He saw MG's muscle car in the driveway. He saw a light on in one of the bedroom's so, he took a chance and called her on her cell.
"Hey, honey. What's going on?" He heard her say softly.
"Not sleeping, Pyari?"
"Can't turn my mind off enough to sleep."
"Want to go for a drive?"
"When?"
"I'm right outside the house," he said with a chuckle.
"Let me get dressed and leave a note. Say, five minutes?"
"Come to me, Pyari."
"See you in five, honey."
Chapter Eighteen
Ram watched her as she came to the car and his heart did a double-bump. It felt like they hadn't seen each other in a very long time but, in truth, it was just a matter of days.
"Hey, honey," she said softly getting on her knees to lean over the console for a kiss then settling into her seat and putting on the seatbelt.
"Things are well with you, Pyari?" He asked, pulling into the street.
"As well as can be expected, I guess."
"Would you like to go for a drive or go to my house?"
"Ah…"
"I need to talk with you, Marianne. And when we're together alone, we seem to get distracted."
He heard her soft giggle and smiled in response.
"I can't complain about the distractions, Ram."
"Nor can I."
"We could always have tea, maybe a Pop Tart and talk in your house. Perhaps make a pact that we won't…uhm…get distracted."
"You mean, stay away from the guest rooms?"
They shared a glance and a small laugh.
"You're funny," she said softly, feeling her heart fill at the sound of his laughter.
They made their way into his house and Marianne went to the kitchen while Ram went to the bedroom to secure his gun and change his clothes. He pulled on a pair of drawstring pants and a t-shirt before putting his uniform in the dry cleaners bag. The Suds 'N' Duds does a much better job of washing and ironing his uniform than he could ever do, no matter how much they charge.
By the time he made his way down the hall, Marianne was sitting in her corner of the couch sipping her tea. He saw another steaming mug on the coffee table.
"Thank you," he said, bending down to kiss the top of her head. He grabbed his mug and copied her pose, taking up the other corner of the couch facing her and stretching his long legs out across the seats.
"I really wish I knew where to get this tea," Marianne said. "It goes beyond Nectar of the Gods."
He smiled as he sipped.
"You want to go first, Pyari, or should I?"
"To tell the truth, I don't know what you want to talk about."
"Fair enough. I'll go first."
He watched as she stretched out her legs to tangle with his, smiling as she moved.
"Pyari. Marianne." He stopped, not knowing how to put into words, acceptable words, of what he wanted to say.
He saw her eyebrows raise and her head tilt but she didn't speak.
He sighed and took another sip of his tea.
"I want us to date." He said watching for her reaction. Maybe by observing her face he would have an idea of how much to tell her.
"Date? You mean like, you come to the house and we go out to dinner and stuff?"
"Yes."
"Ah, honey? You work sometimes seven days a week, and can get called out at any time. So how's that gonna work if, say, we were in the middle of dinner at Henry's?"
"I work too much, Pyari."
"Why is that, Ram? Are Police Chiefs required to work so much?"
"No."
"Then why do you do it?"
"I don't know. I was thinking about it earlier and the only thing I could think of was that I wanted to prove myself as being a completely different Chief than Walt Saltzman."
She tilted her head as she thought about what he was saying.
"But, you're not a dirty cop, Ram."
"Yeah, but he was. I believe my intention was to show everyone, everyone, that I was nothing like him."
"Honey, I think we all understood that within the first month you were in charge." Marianne put her empty cup on the coffee table and scooted back onto the sofa. "So, are you saying that you're not going to work so much?"
"I'm thinking of taking one day off a week," he said, watching for her reaction.
"That would be great," she replied smiling. "And it would be a start, at least."
So far, so good.
"And I was considering making Sunday my day off and cutting my day short on Saturdays."
"Somebody once told me that Sunday was the best day of the week," she said with a giggle.
Ram smiled as well. She remembered their talk.
"So, honey, you'll have Saturday night free as well as Sunday?"
"Yes."
"That's good."
"And I want to be with you during that time."
"That would be nice."
Nice? He was hoping for a more … enthusiastic response than 'Nice'.
"And I would prefer that as dating partners that we, ah, remain exclusive."
She looked at him and blinked a couple of times.
What could a blink mean?
"Are you saying that we wouldn't see anyone else while we are, uhm, dating?"
"Yes."
There. Thank God. He said it.
"That sounds good, Ram."
Good?
"So you won't be seeing anyone else, Ram?"
Uh-oh, where was this going? He wasn't seeing other people. He didn't have time to see other people and, truth be told, he had no desire to see anyone but her. Should he tell her that?
"And you wouldn't see anyone else, Marianne."
She nodded. "That'd be okay."
Okay? Ram wasn't sure what kind of reaction he was looking for from her but he sure as hell didn't expect 'Nice', 'Good' or 'Okay'.
"When were you looking to start this dating thingie?"
Thingie? She called their dating no one else but each other a 'thingie'?
"Immediately, if you are amenable."
"So we are going out on Saturday, then?"
"Ah, yes. Yes, we are."
"Where will we go?"
Where? He hadn't gotten that far. He had just made the decision to free up his time and get her to stop seeing anyone but him. But the logistics of the proposal had yet to be ironed out.
He was quiet as he thought.
"Ram? Honey?" she asked softly.
He raised his eyes to hers.
"Why don't you talk to me from your heart and stop with the twenty-five cent words?"
"What do you mean, Pyari?"
"Speak to me from your heart, Ram. You're speaking very formally, very business-like, and it just doesn't sound like you, honey."
He grinned. It's true.
He sighed as he put his empty cup on the coffee table.
"I want you, Pyari. I want to spend time with you, both inside and outside the bedroom. I don't want to see other people and I would ask that you not see others as well."
She pressed the soles of her sock-covered feet to his bare ones, smiling softly.
"I want you, too, Ram. I don't want to see anyone else. I like spending time with you, both naked time and clothed time. And if you've made a decision to cut back on your hours at work, that's great. And if you choose to spend that time with me, that's wonderful."
Now, that's more like it. She said 'Great' and 'Wonderful'. Now we're getting somewhere.
"I would like to get to know you better, Ram."
"And I would like to get to know you better, Marianne Louise Gibson."
"Okay, then. What's your full name, Ram?"
The smile slid from his face.
His full name.
He swallowed thickly.
"If I tell you, Pyari, we'll have to do another Pinky Swear."
She dropped her head back as the laughter rolled up and out of her mouth. She was laughing so hard, she could barely breathe.
She was so beautiful. Especially when she smiled or laughed.
"Deal. You tell me your full name and we'll do a Pinky Swear. But, honey?"
"Yes, Pyari?"
"You sure have a lot of secrets!"
Now it was his turn to laugh. It's true. Their Pinky Swears had all been over something he didn't want other people to know.
"Are you ready, MG?"
"For your name? Sure."
He swallowed thickly, before murmuring softly.
"Sorry, honey. Didn't quite catch that."
"Ramjet Harold Patel."
She blinked and stayed very still.
He needed to know what she was thinking.
"What are you thinking, Pyari?"
Marianne just shook her head as she brought her hand up to her mouth.
He waited for her to say something but she wouldn't look at him.
He waited.
Then he saw her shoulders start to shake, and she moved her hand away from her mouth. Her head again fell back and her laughter rang around the room. She laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.
"Harold?" She asked when she could finally take a breath.
"Yes. Mataji gave all three of us English middle names. Ramjet Harold Patel, Ajit Malcolm Patel and Turan Eugene Patel."
He watched as she got up on her knees and began to crawl along the couch towards him. His heartbeat picked up as she got closer, maneuvering around his legs until she was on his lap. She placed her left hand on her heart and raised her right hand.
"I, Marianne Louise Gibson, do solemnly swear that I will never tell a living soul that our hot, gorgeous, smart, sexy Police Chief's middle name is…" her face was a picture as she tried so hard not to laugh.
"Middle name is Harold!" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she was back to laughing so hard she was crying and rocking back and forth in her merriment.
Ram put his arms around her, waiting for her to finish.
"Sorry, honey," she said wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She raised her right hand and held out her little finger.
He smiled into her eyes when he wrapped his little finger around hers.
"Pinky Swear, Pyari."
"Yeah, honey. Pinky Swear."
She laid her head on his chest and they shared a few minutes of quiet.
"Ram?"
"Yes, Pyari?"
"Why don't you consider what we've been doing as 'dating'?"
"You do?"
"Well, sure."
She pulled back and looked up at him.
"You don't think we're just fuck buddies?" he asked incredulously.
That set her off again. Her laughter was infectious and he found himself laughing along with her. It took a long time for their laughter to die down.
"Interesting term," she said finally. "I didn't categorize how we spent our time together in quite those words."
"How would you categorize our time together?"
"Uhm. I don't know. But I do know that I like it. I like it because bit by bit we're getting to know each other, to trust each other. "
She raised her face to his before continuing.
"You're not only my lover, Ram. You're one of the closest friends I have. And each time we are together, it feels like we get even closer."
'Main tumse pyar karta hoon', his heart whispered.
"How would you categorize it, Sailor?"
"I like spending time with you, even if I don't always have the time to do it. Obviously, what we have in the … ah, guest room, is amazing. But even just sitting having breakfast with you is amazing. You're amazing, Pyari."
He wrapped his arms around her as his words floated around the room.
He heard her, tucked into his chest, as she whispered, "That's how you make me feel, Ram. Every time, every damn time I'm with you. You make me feel amazing."
'Main tumse pyar karta hoon', his heart whispered back.
"So, Sailor. Are we gonna talk or are we going to make each other feel amazing on that big bed of yours?"
Chapter Nineteen
"On your stomach, Pyari." I heard him say softly. Ram had removed my clothes piece by piece, bestowing kisses on the skin he slowly revealed. He had even allowed me to return the favor until we were both naked.
He had guided us onto our sides, facing each other as we continued to caress and stroke one another. Those slow, long strokes and sweet caresses caused goose-bumps and body rushes leaving each area sensitized and wanting more.
At his request, I turned over onto my stomach, and lifted my head up towards him.
Ram planted his elbow in the mattress and rested his head on his hand, us
ing his other hand to continue the slow, chill inducing strokes on the sensitive skin of my back, my butt and my legs.
"Your skin is beautiful, Pyari."
His fingers slipped into the juncture of my thighs. I pressed myself onto his questing hand.
"I love how you respond to me, MG."
I inched my legs further apart, a silent invitation to explore me more fully. I arched my lower back, moving my weight onto my knees.
"Yes…" he hissed as his hand moved over the cheeks of my butt before dipping , sliding back down, using the tips of his fingers as he stroked my inner thighs, sliding softly along my cleft.
He moved to kneel behind me.
His legs were between the small space between mine and he used his knees to urge my legs to open even further, while his hands continued their exploration.
Ram moved his hands to my hipbones as he rounded himself over my back, raining soft kisses on the back of my neck, my spine. He gently pulled my hips higher, running his fingertips down over the back of my thighs.
I could feel his cock thrumming against my bottom, responding to every moan, every whimper I made.
He raised up off my back, but never stopped his caresses, except to put on his condom.
My skin was so sensitized by his fingertips that his gentle, slow fondling created a throbbing deep within me.
"Lift your hips, Pyari," he whispered as he ran his fingers in a long slow stroke of my moist slit, dragging through the wetness of my folds.
I lifted and arched, presenting myself to him and was rewarded with his cockhead sliding along my opening, teasing as it dipped into my opening.
"God, Ram." Every inch of my skin was pulsating, tensing as my orgasm built within me. I pressed back, my body demanding the release I knew he could give me.
He eased himself slowly into me, achingly slow.
"You're so wet and tight for me," he whispered, before I heard his low moan.
He built his movements slowly, quickening until he was pounding into me and I had no control over my hips as I surged back, gripping him tightly within my depths.
We rocked against each other, my insides clasping and releasing his engorged member.
His hands moved to my waist, sliding around, holding me tightly, until Ram moved one of them down my belly to stroke my aching clit.
"Come with me, Pyari. Explode with me."
Tap Dance (Dance Series) Page 11