Jack
A few months after I’d taken down Conall O’Rourke and his gang, I’d been promoted to Lieutenant, following my boss’s retirement. I had mixed emotions. I was happy to be promoted but sad at the same time to lose the guy I had been able to count on when things were at their worst, and he’d given the freedom and support I’d needed to get my job done.
There was a huge party in the office that Friday, following a long and heartfelt speech from my Lieutenant. He’d called me up unannounced and asked me to say a few words. I was surprised that I spoke with ease in front of the detectives who were left following the arrest and dishonorable discharge of the corrupt ones. Eyes were fixed on me with respect, hanging on every word.
I knew I was gonna make a good Lieutenant now that the department was clean. I could recruit some new detectives. My detectives. Guys I’d vetted and train them into a mold similar to mine. The streets were gonna be a lot safer now, I knew.
My promotion wasn’t official until Frank had left the office. So we drank, laughed and told stories, reminiscing over old times. Frank’s wife had come into the office for the party, and Eden was at my side as we chatted away.
Marlene was much nicer than the image Frank had painted for me, and I guessed his complaining about her was mainly from exasperation and possibly his sense of humor. She invited us over for a barbeque that Sunday. It would give Frank a day to recover, she had said, laughing good naturedly. We happily accepted. It was good to know I could call on my old boss for advice, and he said he’d be there anytime.
We went to the bar across the road after the party died down. Eden, Frank, Marlene and I, plus a few of the other detectives who didn’t have young kids remained. Lucas joined us a little later, and I was pleased to see him fully recovered from his encounter with Conall. Even Kale made an appearance, and he was due to start back at work in a week or two under my command.
We drank, talked and laughed into the early hours. Eventually we left, reluctantly. Eden and I walked slowly back to her place, arms linked. I sighed, still amazed at how good her presence felt by my side. Her hips swayed as she walked, and she looked up at me contentedly.
“Congratulations, Lieutenant. Sir.” She peered at me seriously followed by a sarcastic salute. We both laughed aloud.
“That’s enough of that, or I’ll have to get the handcuffs out again, ma’am.” I smiled and felt a stirring at the thought.
“Oh no, please don’t. That would be simply awful, Jack.” She giggled.
I looked down at her and kissed her on the top of her head.
“You didn’t drink much tonight. Everything ok babe?” I asked with concern. She’d been sick this morning before heading to work, and I was worried she was ill.
“I’m fine, Jack. Honest. Just been feeling a bit gross today, that’s all.” I nodded, the raucous laughter from the group at the bar still ringing in my ears. I smiled contentedly.
We made our lazy way back to Eden’s. I’d moved in soon after Conall’s arrest. Eden had insisted, and I was glad to be out of my small apartment. We were looking for somewhere bigger, on the nice side of town. I could afford a decent mortgage, and Eden brought in good money from her jobs, though she’d cut down her shifts at the bar somewhat since we had begun to share our finances.
Things were good, and we were happy. Eden had kept hinting about something, and I guessed it was kids. That or marriage, or both. My gut twisted nervously at the thought. For some reason, I didn’t get scared when someone pointed a gun at me, but the thought of being a Dad scared the shit out of me.
She’d insisted on moving to a bigger house as soon as we found one, settling down. Somewhere near the school, in a safe area of town. I smiled to myself.
Well, most places are safe, now. Much safer. And if they ain’t they sure will be when Lieutenant Jack Storm get his best men on the case.
I’d talked Lucas into agreeing to go for detective. Neither of them knew it yet, but I was gonna pair him with Kale. They’d make an awesome team, and I couldn’t wait to get them working for me. They wouldn’t take any shit, and they talk to me straight. Wouldn’t bullshit me.
I squeezed Eden as we approached the house, sighing with pleasure at the feel of her shapely body. She patted me firmly on the butt, and ruffled the back of my neck.
“Now get that door open and get upstairs on that bed. That’s an order.” I leaned in to kiss her passionately as she opened the door, hand fumbling with the lock.
TWENTY-FOUR
Eden
I rolled over, hand resting on Jack’s chest as he dozed off, his chest gently rising and falling. The cover was completely off of him, and I ogled his naked body without shame. I still found him incredibly attractive, and I squeezed his biceps, dirty thoughts entering my mind.
I looked down at his cock and felt a stirring of pleasure, a heat rising within me.
I could wake him up quite easily…
I decided to let him sleep for a while longer before jumping on him. Though the desire was strong, and I felt my face flushing at the thought.
We had fucked like rabbits since he’d got me home safe and couldn’t get enough of each other. I was taken away by his appetite for sex, and I wasn’t complaining. After such a long abstinence, I knew it was healthy for the both of us.
I felt a twinge in my stomach, and nausea rose. I lurched upright, heading for the bathroom.
I sudden realization came over me as I stared in the mirror, washing my face. My hand froze.
No, can’t be.
Excitement and nervousness rose within me accompanied by a slight feeling of panic.
Well, only one way to find out.
I took a pregnancy test from the drawer under the sink and breathed deeply before using it, locking the door in case Jack rose to see what I was doing.
I placed the test on the counter and began pacing nervously, reading and re-reading the instruction manual. I waited for what I guessed was enough time for the results to be showing. I sighed with relief as I saw the result.
***
Later that day Jack and I were sitting at my kitchen table, a big lunch finished on the table in front of us. Jack patted his belly contentedly. A smile crossed my face as I stared at him, love in my eyes. He smiled back, a huge grin spreading across his handsome face.
I rose to go to the fridge, grabbing a cold beer for Jack. He exhaled a big lungful of air.
“Had enough of that last night. Might wait until tomorrow,” he said, shaking his head.
“Open it. Drink some.” He frowned at me, cracking open the can and taking a big swig.
“I’ve got something to tell you.” His face froze with shock. Dread spread across his features. I took a big breath, exhaling slowly.
“I’m pregnant, Jack.”
He nearly spat the beer out on the plate in front of him. Eyes wide with panic as he looked up at me.
“Wha… what? How… I mean how do you know?” His unassailable confidence had vanished, and for once I saw fear in his eyes. Then he started to smile nervously at me.
“Pregnant. Wow. Ok, that’s good. Isn’t it?” I laughed at him and went over to sit on his lap.
“Yup. ‘Fraid so, Jack. I mean, you did it to me. So it’s your fault, really.” I poked him in the chest.
“Well, I didn’t hear you complaining!” We both laughed, though Jack was still in shock.
“Wonder if it's a boy or girl? Shit, we need a bigger house, Eden. We…”
“Whoa, slow down Jack. We’ve got nine months to get that sorted. Don’t worry. Try and relax.” He nodded. I squeezed his shoulder.
He looked up at me, eyes looking intensely into mine.
“Guess that means I’ll have to marry you now, right?” His eyes sparkled with humor. I slapped him playfully on the chest.
“Jack Storm. If that isn’t the best proposal a girl has ever heard, then I don’t know what is! Now, kiss me. And carry me back upstairs. I’ve got something to show you…”
/> Fighting Desire
By Nicole Elliot
ONE
DILLON
“Dillon, you’re up!”
I looked down at my bloodied hands and wrapped them tighter with the fabric that was once white. I’d busted through at least three knuckles on my left hand and one on my right. I couldn’t understand why they had wanted me to fight again. I’d already been in the ring today. I didn’t need any more practice.
“Leo, I’m good. I don’t want to bust my shoulder again before the fight tonight.”
Leo put his calloused hands on either of my bare shoulders. His thumb just brushed against my newest tattoo, a quote about fighting.
Push harder, longer
And to me, that’s exactly what getting torn up in the ring was about. “You need all the practice you can get, kid. The guy that you’re going up against tomorrow night, we don’t know much about him. All that I know is that he’s got some underground experience, and you know how those fuckers play. He’ll go right for your face. And by the time you realize what happened, you’ll be flat on your back and he’ll have won all our money.”
I shook my head. “You know I won’t let that happen. Besides those gangbanger fighters, they’ve got nothing on us real pros. I know what I’m doing and I rank better than anybody else you have in this gym. And when I say I’ve had enough, I’ve had enough.”
Leo pulled his hands off me and put them up in surrender. He might’ve been three times my age, but the old man did know what he was talking about. He had been a boxer first and then learned MMA. He had been my coach my entire life. But he also knew that I wasn’t just some little kid anymore. I was starting to get interest from sponsors and other investors. If I didn’t want to fight today because I knew it wouldn’t make me ready for tomorrow, then I wasn’t going to do it. After my shoulder injury two years ago I thought it was going to be completely done with fighting. But it was my passion, my life. I had done enough rehabilitation for five guys just to get myself back in the ring. And finally after another two years, I was in the prime of my fighting career. There was no way I was going to let some gangbanger fighter beat the hell out of me on my turf.
“Fine. But I want you hitting the bag for at least another hour. And then definitely take some time to do some stretching this evening. Your kick’s a little weak. Especially your left.”
I nodded and walked away. I made a stop at the locker room to grab my water and stretch out my shoulder in private. I didn’t like for other guys to see when I was in pain.
I put my hands on either side of the sink and looked into the mirror. My shaved head was new, but I liked the look it gave me. Menacing. I had the look of a guy that said, “You don’t even want to begin to fuck with me. I’ll kill you.”
I pulled my mouth guard out and spat blood into the sink from where one of the rookies had gotten an easy punch on me. I looked away at Leo for just a moment and the kid came at me. Like he had something to prove. I ended him—might’ve broken a couple of his ribs in the process. That way he’d learn that you don’t mess with Dillon Jackson.
I walked over to my locker and opened it up, pulled out a gallon of water, and started sucking it down. I pulled a towel out and wiped off my sweaty face. There wasn’t much in my locker besides those two things. I liked it that way. Clean. Everything had a place and was a necessity if it was in there. But when I reached to put my towel back, my hand brushed against something I forgot I had left here. I considered pulling it out, just to look at it. Just to make me feel little bit better, stronger, but I didn’t. I let my hand linger there just a moment too long then I pulled it back like I’d been bitten by a snake.
I was Dillon Jackson, an unbeatable fighter. But everyone has a weakness.
TWO
BERKLEY
I totally hated being up this early in the morning. But I didn’t have a choice; the first day of classes was already upon us and I had to get ready for school.
I picked out my outfit the night before, so I dressed pretty quickly, but calming down my unruly, naturally curly hair and getting my make up just right took time. I looked in the mirror as I was brushing my teeth, trying not to say some sort of mantra like today is the beginning of the rest of your life, or some other bullshit like that.
It wasn’t the beginning of the rest of my life. It was just another day, just like every day.
I look down at my phone buzzing because I pressed snooze one too many times. When I saw the picture that was set as my background I quickly shut it off and continued with my morning routine.
I felt like my phone could tell you my whole life story. A perfect background shot of my ex-boyfriend and me laughing together on the beach, when we were happy. Screenshot after screenshot of text messages from him.
I need you.
Berkley, you’re everything to me.
I know we’re soul mates.
But then the voicemail that ruined it all. “I think you’re just too serious for me. I really believe we’re meant to be together, but you just want more than I can give you. You deserve more than what I have.”
My phone was my lifeline to Jake.
We’d been together for four years, my entire college career. We met at freshman orientation, where he was a mentor sophomore and I was fresh out of high school. I had always felt like he was the more serious one, talking about our future and making plans. I had just wanted to have fun in college, go to parties with my friends, have random sex with guys whose names I didn’t know, but instead I had Jake. And for so long he had seemed so perfect. But then his texts were less frequent, our dates became more mundane, and our sex life had all but dried up. It was discouraging, to say the least. I wanted to love Jake forever, but the moment that I mentioned moving in with him after college, suddenly I was too serious for him. I guess I’ll never know if it was me or him, or if there were other girls on the side like all of my friends had always suggested. I should’ve listened to them earlier.
The first week without Jake had been hard; chocolate wrappers and liquor bottles littered my bedroom floor, and a few of my sorority sisters had threatened to throw me in the water themselves if I didn’t shower soon. But after that I got my shit together. I went to the on-campus doctor and got an STD test. Luckily I had been in the clear. I would never really know if Jake had been with other girls, and a part of me still thought that I probably couldn’t handle the truth.
I looked into the mirror again, applying mascara on my heavily shadowed lid. My long dark hair framed my face with its natural curls flowing down to the middle of my back. This was going to be my last semester of college. I was graduating, and I had absolutely no plans. Everything had hinged on Jake and what his career would do for us. He wanted to be involved in politics, and I’d always liked the sound of being a first lady. Preparing functions and dressing well were things that I was good at. I’d been raised in that way. My father had become governor of the state of New York when I was only twelve; for a while I thought the presidency might be in our future. But after his accident, things had changed. Now we were just a typical well-off family with a lake house and nice cars, and no real friends. That was the only thing that worried me about the political life: I would never really know who was in it for me. I hadn’t even known my boyfriend well enough to know that he wasn’t.
I rubbed blush on the tops of my cheeks and grabbed my light pink lipstick. Getting ready for class was harder these days, as I was always trying to impress the other senior guys, or even a graduate student. I had to find a new boyfriend at some point, and three months had been a long enough time for me to be celibate. I was just about to rush out the door to my first class of the semester when my roommate, Naomi, walked in.
“Damn! You look good for 9 AM.”
She tossed her messenger bag on her bed and lay back, allowing the soft sheets to absorb her. She never made her bed; it was just one of those things you had to accept about her.
“And you look exhausted. Another late night ou
t, with… What’s his name?”
She sat up with a broad smile on her face. I was still getting used her new haircut, a fierce, dark purple pixie cut, but it fit her personality well. It would’ve been easier to accept, except that she’d been blonde with shoulder length hair for the past three and a half years. Something changed her over Christmas break, but she hadn’t talk about it yet, and I wasn’t one to pry.
“I think his name is Elliott, or maybe Eli? God, you know I’m terrible with names!”
I laughed at her, “No, I know you’re terrible with boys. So I guess it’s not that serious yet? How are your mom and dad going to feel about that?”
“You know sometimes I think all that they want is for me to get married. But then I do get serious with some guy, like remember that one guy, Dean? I really liked him. But when I brought him home they got all weird. ‘You’re too young to get married. Don’t settle for anyone. Make something of your career first.’ I don’t get it. It’s like I hear from my mom that my internal clock is ticking and my dad on the other hand wants me to have this long fabulous career before I make any real decisions.”
I shrugged and took a look at the time on my phone. Jake’s face was still in the background. I sighed heavily. “As much as I would love to discuss your early life crisis right now, I have to get to class.”
“I’ll walk downstairs with you. I didn’t get anything for breakfast before my first class. And if you think I didn’t notice the sad, sappy eyes about your phone, you’re wrong. You’ve got to get rid of Jake as your background.” She stood up and crossed the room, quickly snatching the phone from my hands. She took a quick selfie of her making a duck face. “Here. Now when you look at your phone, you’ll see fabulous me. And you’ll laugh every time.”
I looked to see that she had set herself as the background, and she was right, that would put a smile on my face.
She opened the door and I followed her out into the main hallway of our sorority. The first day of classes and for some reason it was eerily quiet. “Do you think people missed their first class?”
7+Us Makes Nine: A Nanny Single Dad Romance (Baby Makes Three) Page 73