The Lt. nodded. “I’ll let you get back to your swim. I’ll see you when you come to back work next week, Raylic.”
Raylic shook his hand and then closed the door behind him, twisting the locks. He turned to face Heidi, who looked a little stunned, but happy with the news of her ex’s demise. He couldn’t really blame her. It also meant adopting Shane would be a lot smoother since the father wouldn’t be in the picture at all. He grabbed her hand and led her to the back of the house and out into the sunroom, then walked over to the corner of the room where the hot tub hid in the shadows.
He helped her over the edge of the tub. She sighed and closed her eyes as the hot water lapped around her. Raylic stepped in as well, pulling her close to him. If he’d thought this through a little better, he’d have bought strawberries and champagne for their celebration. Then again, he wasn’t certain if a pregnant female could have champagne. Heidi didn’t seem to mind not having anything other than his company though.
His hand caressed her stomach and froze. “I didn’t think this through. I bet this water is too hot for the baby. I remember a friend’s mate complaining that she missed hot baths.”
Her eyes went wide. “I didn’t think of that either.”
Raylic stood, lifting her into his arms, and got out of the hot tub. Instead, he carried her out a side door he was betting she’d never noticed and took her to the indoor pool. It was small, not big enough for laps or anything, but the water would be soothing, and not too hot for their unborn child. He walked down the steps and into the cooler water, keeping a tight grip on her.
“We have an indoor pool?” she asked, as she looked around and then up. “And a ceiling made of glass? What exactly is the purpose of a glass ceiling?”
“It lets in natural light during the day, and you can see the stars at night. As long as a tree doesn’t fall on the house, it’s pleasant to have. The pool isn’t as big as the outdoor one, but this will do in the colder months. We’ll bring Shane down here tomorrow if you’d like. It’s not large enough to invite too many people over, but some of my friends have kids. If you think Shane would like to meet them, we can have a few people over for a pool party.”
“I’m sure he’d love that. He loves to swim, and he doesn’t have friends outside of school.”
Raylic let her slide down his body until she was standing with him in the shallow end of the pool. He smoothed her hair back from her face, marveling at how beautiful she was. It was no secret he’d wanted a mate for a while, but he was glad he’d waited for Heidi. He’d never met a sweeter woman, and while he knew she liked the things he was able to buy for her, he knew she hadn’t agreed to marry him because of his money. There wasn’t a greedy bone in her body.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.
“Like what?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Like…”
“Like you’re the most amazing thing in the world?”
She blushed.
“Because you are,” he said. “I was just thinking how lucky I am that you’re mine. Having Shane and you here makes me feel complete, and I can’t wait to add this little one to our family,” he said placing a hand on her belly.
“You’re really going to adopt Shane?”
He nodded. “And this one too.”
Heidi nibbled her lower lip. “Or I could just put you down as the father on the birth certificate. You’ll be the baby’s father in every way that counts. Brent never wanted anything to do with the baby, never really believed it was his. Trust me, if he were still alive, he wouldn’t have fought you over custody.”
“You would do that? Will they let you, since I’m clearly not the father? Any children we have will have my coloring.”
“I guess we’ll find out when the time comes. Right now, I don’t even know if I’m having a girl or a boy.”
Raylic rubbed her belly lightly, a smile tilting up the corners of his lips. “It’s hard to believe there’s a life growing in there. I can’t wait for your belly to swell and the baby to start kicking.”
Heidi laughed. “Let’s not rush the kicking. Shane used to kick pretty hard and then he’d sit on my bladder. Pregnancy is a miracle, and I’m thankful for both of my children, but being the size of a small whale is not exactly fun, especially during the hotter months.”
“You’ll have whatever you need. I promise.”
She kissed him softly. “Just knowing you’re here with me is enough.”
“I also promised you a ring, and I haven’t bought you one yet. We’ll go tomorrow and pick out something that will show the world you belong to me and I belong to you. I also need to make sure my affairs are in order before I return to work so that the kids and you will be taken care of if anything happens to me.”
Her grip tightened on him. “I have a better idea. Don’t get shot.”
He chuckled. “I will endeavor to dodge any bullets that head my way.”
“Part of me wants to be selfish and tell you to quit, but if you weren’t a police officer, then Shane and I would still be in that apartment, or Brent could have killed me that night. It wouldn’t be fair of me to ask you to give up something you love, and it’s obvious you make a difference in people’s lives. I’d never forgive myself if someone died because you were meant to save them and I’d kept you from it.”
He buried his hand in her hair. “Heidi, I’m always careful at work. I can’t promise never to get hurt, but I will do everything in my power to come home to you every night. I have something to live for, a family.”
Heidi kissed him, her fingers sinking into his hair and her leg going around his waist. Raylic wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. All it took was one touch from her, and he wanted more. Her mouth opened under his and he took advantage, pressing her back against the side of the pool. Heidi was sweet and so very much his. Raylic felt possessiveness well up inside of him as the kiss deepened. His to cherish. His to protect.
His hand slipped into the bottoms of her swimsuit and stroked her pussy, feeling how hot and slick she was. Her clit was already swelling, and he stroked the little nub, making her moan into his mouth. There was nothing like having Heidi in his arms. With her, past lovers blurred, and there was only the present. There had only been a handful of human women since he came to Earth, but with sweet Heidi riding his hand, all memories of them vanished.
Raylic stepped back just long enough to remove her swimsuit and toss it onto the side of the pool with a wet smack. He lifted her onto the edge, spreading her thighs. Her pussy glistened and beckoned to him, making his mouth water as he wondered how she’d taste. Parting the lips of her pussy, he leaned forward and teased her with his tongue, stroking her hard little clit until she cried out and thrust her hips upward. He teased and tormented her, making her whimper and writhe as she begged for more. When she came, he thrust his tongue into her tight channel, slowly fucking her until the last ripple of pleasure was wrung from her body.
Heidi lay panting on the concrete beside the pool, and Raylic knew he needed to have her. He levered himself out of the pool, stripped off his swim trunks, and carried her to one of the lounge chairs. With one swift motion, he embedded himself in her sweet warmth, making her cry out in pleasure. His hips rocked against hers as he ravaged her mouth, taking everything she had to give and still wanting more. He thrust into her harder, deeper. As she cried out her release, her pussy gripping him tightly, he drove into her one last time, coming deep inside of her. He tried not to crush her with his weight as he kissed her slowly.
“I will never get enough of you,” he murmured against her lips.
“I hope not, because I plan for us to have many more nights like this one.”
Chapter Seven
Heidi looked around the jewelry shop and held Raylic’s hand a little tighter. She was glad Shane wasn’t with them, even if she was a little leery of having a stranger sit with him. Of course, Raylic assured her that Avelyn was great with kids, and she had
to admit that while Lily, the little red girl with black curls, had been a bit off-putting at first, she was rather adorable. She’d also been great with Shane, despite the five-year age difference.
Raylic led her over to a case with bridal sets on display. Some of the diamonds were so large that Heidi didn’t even want to see the price tags attached to them. Honestly, she’d have been fine with a plain gold band, but something told her Raylic wasn’t going to let her get away with that. They perused the cases before coming back to the middle one. An older man came over, dressed in a three-piece suit and a smile that only salesmen seemed to master.
“See anything you like?” he asked them.
“I’d like to see the set with the yellow stone,” Raylic said pointing to the rings he liked.
Heidi’s jaw dropped a little when the man pulled it out of the case. He didn’t really expect her to wear something so flashy, did he? She was a police officer’s wife. She didn’t need something the fiancé of a movie star would wear. She tugged on his hand and pointed to a more sedate setting and his eyebrows lifted.
“You don’t like this one?” he asked.
“It’s too much, Raylic. I just need something simple.”
“What if I want you to have a ring to complement your beauty? You deserve more than a plain band or a tiny diamond. I want you to have the best.”
“Something that large could scratch the children,” she reasoned.
He glanced at the ring again and sighed. “Do you have something that will be child-friendly?”
The man put the ring back and drew out a platinum band with diamonds across the top; they were almost seamless, with no rough edges. Raylic picked up the smaller band and slid it on her finger. Heidi had to admit it was gorgeous, and if he insisted on buying her something with diamonds, then this was the ring she would want. The man’s ring that complemented hers was a solid band. She picked it up and slid it on his finger, surprised that both rings fit perfectly, almost as if they were made just for them.
“We’ll take them,” Raylic told the man.
The salesman rattled off a price that had Heidi paling a little. It was more money than she’d ever have seen in a year had she been able to work, but Raylic merely pulled out his wallet and handed the man his bank card. After their purchase was rung up and the slip was signed, Raylic led her back out to the SUV parked outside.
“We have two stops to make today,” he told her. “The first is the Terran Station to make sure the proper paperwork has been filed so that all of my assets will transfer to you in the event of my death.”
She scowled at him.
“I know. You want me to live forever.”
“Is that so wrong?”
He kissed the back of her hand. “Not at all, and I’ll strive to live long enough to see our great-grandchildren. Maybe even our great-great-grandchildren.”
“You’d better,” she muttered.
“Then we’re stopping by the mall, and no arguments from you. Both Shane and you need new winter coats. I can feel you trembling whenever we’re outside. I’ll not have either of you catching a cold when there’s something I can do about it.”
“Fine. Two coats and nothing else. You don’t have to constantly buy us things. We’re with you because we want to be with you. Not because you have a lot of money.”
“I know.” He smiled a little. “Doesn’t mean I can’t spoil you though. I promise to lay off the presents until Christmas. It’s less than a week away now. We really should get some things for Shane and get them wrapped and under the tree. It looks a little bare.”
“You want to go back to the toy store, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “We do have a sitter for a while. Might as well take advantage of it. Besides, he’s playing with Lily. I’m sure she’ll keep him occupied, or convince him to watch a princess movie.”
“All right. A quick trip to the toy store.”
He smiled and kissed her cheek before pulling out of the parking space and heading for the Terran Station. When they got there, he took her to the food court for a mocha and left her to enjoy the hot brew while he went to the records department. She didn’t know how long he was gone, but she’d finished her mocha by the time he returned, and judging by the smile on his face, she’d assumed things went well.
“Zwyk said we should stop by my bank on the way home,” Raylic said.
“What for?” she asked.
“He said I should either add you to my bank account, or if you weren’t comfortable with that, he said you could open your own account, and I could arrange for a monthly transfer to give you funds for things when I’m not around. I also need to arrange for transportation for you before I return to work next week. I doubt you want to wake Shane early to take me to work in the morning so you can have the SUV.”
“You’re buying me a car?”
“Well, I was thinking of something a little bigger. You’re going to have two kids soon, and with some luck, we’ll have a third later. I thought we could get an SUV with third-row seating.”
Her eyes widened. “Those things are huge.”
“And I’m sure you will handle it beautifully.”
Her shoulders drooped. “We just added a car lot to our list today, didn’t we?”
“I already called Avelyn, and she’s agreed to take Shane to her place and keep him until we’re finished. She said she’d feed him lunch and even dinner if it takes that long.”
“He needs to be in bed by eight-thirty.”
“We’ll be done in plenty of time to tuck him in tonight. And maybe we’ll get him a small prize for having to go without our company all day.”
“The coat will be enough.”
He looked like he wanted to argue but merely nodded and held out his hand. She allowed him to help her up from the chair and they walked out to the parking lot together. In the SUV, she looked out the window and realized her life had changed so much, and while his crazy spending was going to make her a little bonkers, she had to admit, it was nice to be taken care of for a change.
At the mall, they went to a children’s store first and found a warm coat for Shane, then Raylic took her to an upscale store to purchase a coat for her. Heidi protested the cost, but he shushed her and started grabbing coats off the rack and holding them up to her. Heidi gave in and picked the one she liked best, then dragged Raylic out of the mall before he could decide to buy anything else.
The toy store wasn’t far away, and when they arrived, the lot was nearly empty. Raylic grabbed a shopping cart on the way in and went straight to the little boy’s department. With her help, they selected some action figures and an Army man set. Then Raylic convinced her that Shane really needed the train table and larger playset. She tried to rein him in, but on the way to the register, he threw in some puzzles before stopping in front of the handheld video games.
“No. We aren’t rotting his brain with video games until he’s older,” Heidi said. “Besides, he’d probably drop it and break it.”
“You’re no fun,” Raylic said with a mock pout.
“You can get him a game system the Christmas after his seventh birthday. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Now let’s check out before you buy half the store.”
Raylic smiled and went to the first available register. Heidi did her best not to pay attention to the total and then helped him load everything into the back of his SUV. She had no idea how they were getting all of the stuff past Shane. Or what they were going to wrap it with. She hadn’t seen a single roll of Christmas paper in the toy store and didn’t think Raylic had any at home since he’d never celebrated Christmas before.
He surprised her when he went a few doors down to a discount store and picked up five rolls of Christmas paper and gift tags. With all of their shopping done, they took a break for lunch at a bistro Heidi had always wanted to try. The sandwiches and soup were divine, and she knew she’d come back as soon as she could. While she didn’t plan to spend money lik
e Raylic did, it would be nice to have the funds to eat out every once in a while, or to treat herself to a mocha from the trendy coffee shop near the house.
They finished their meal and Raylic took her to the car lot where he said he had purchased his SUV. The same salesman helped them.
“Officer Raylic,” the man said, smiling widely. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. What can I help you with today?”
“My mate needs a car. I was thinking about one of the SUVs with third-row seating, or something that would handle three kids.”
The man nodded. “And would you use this vehicle for out of town trips with the family?”
“Yes,” Raylic answered.
“Might I suggest a minivan?” the salesman said. “They’re popular with the moms in town and will comfortably seat seven. We have models with built-in DVD players too, which are great for long distance car rides.”
Raylic looked at Heidi, and she shrugged. She’d never driven anything other than Brent’s rusted heap, but a van couldn’t be any harder to drive than one of those monster SUVs. Or so she assumed. The salesman went inside and came back out with three sets of keys, showing them different models. The silver one was her favorite with gray leather interior, the built-in DVD player the salesman had mentioned, and power everything.
They took it for a test drive, and Heidi had to admit she liked the way it handled. She was surprised by how smooth the ride was, and fell a little in love with it. By the time they returned to the dealership, Raylic was already negotiating on a price. It took another hour to sign the papers, and then the salesman handed her the keys and wished them well.
“See,” Raylic said. “We finished in plenty of time to pick up Shane and let him swim a little, then figure out dinner for tonight. There’s stuff in the fridge, or we could order out. There’s that new taxi service for a few local restaurants. I have their menu in the drawer by the fridge.”
“Should we go home first and drop off one of the cars?” she asked.
“We can take my SUV home. I bet Shane would love to ride in your new van.”
Heidi and the Alien Cop Page 7