by D Scott
"It wasn't my fault! Honestly. I was helping wipe down tables when everything started, and I was clearing one of the booths at the front, you know, kinda near the front door — farthest from the bar. So I figured it'd be safer for me if I just hid in the booth." I shrug even though we're not video chatting, so there's no way for him to see the gesture.
"I'm calling Brett."
Ugh, crap.
"Gavin, no! Don't! Please — I'm fine, baby, I promise."
"I don't like that you were trapped by yourself in a damn booth during a brawl. That's fucking unacceptable. If Brett can't guarantee that you'll be in a safe work environment then I'm not about to let you keep working there."
My mouth drops open as I scoff. "Let me?"
"Yeah. Let you. You have a job and I'm good with that, but it's my job as your man to take care of you. And that means not sending you into a dangerous work environment." Again more growling.
I take a deep breath and pray for patience so I don't snap at my overprotective deputy. "Baby, it's a bar. A popular bar, for several nearby towns. Shit is bound to happen from time to time. That doesn't mean I'm in danger." He's silent but I can feel his anger radiating through the phone. "Calm down, deputy. I'm fine," I say soothingly.
There's no way I'm telling him about the small cut on my hand that I got from a piece of broken glass as I slid out of the booth once it was all over. That will send him over the edge.
"Gavin?"
He lets out a harsh breath.
"I'm fucking pissed, Gina."
Damn, it was supposed to be a funny story.
"I know," I whisper.
"Why did Brett have you wiping down tables anyway? You're a waitress."
"Well, technically, yeah — but I'm more of a floater. Sometimes I help out bussing tables or prepping in the kitchen or washing dishes, because it's not always convenient for me to be on the floor serving. Especially when we're busy, since I can't serve drinks — you know — since I'm underage."
"Yeah, I know. Wait — how the hell did Brett hire you when you're only eighteen."
"Well..."
"Damn it, Gina."
"Okay, so I may have lied on my application and put down that I was nineteen turning twenty."
"You did what—"
"But Brett found out and he wasn't going to hire me, but I told him I'd help out with other jobs besides waitressing whenever he needed it. So he gave me the job. I'm not allowed to serve alcohol to anyone, obviously, or even go near the bar — other than to retrieve dirty glasses. And he made me swear that I wouldn't take a sip of anything with alcohol in it. Ever." He sighs. "And I haven't — I might add. All I drink is Diet Coke when I'm there. And I haven't delivered a single alcoholic beverage to anyone, so don't go all police officer on me,” I warn.
"Christ. What am I going to do with you, huh?"
"Mmm, keep me?" I make my voice extra sweet. "And also, bring me lunch tomorrow after you get off so I can see your handsome face?"
He doesn't reply right away but I know I've got him. "Fine. What do you want?"
"A footlong meatball sub, please."
He chuckles. "Good try, little misfit. You can have half of the footlong for lunch with some fresh vegetables. I'll take you to the park and eat the other half with you."
I roll my eyes. "Can we do without the healthy stuff for once?"
"I don't think so. Take the deal — or I'll bring you salad."
Ugh, no thanks.
"Fine, it's a deal — but only if you take me to the varsity basketball game Friday night. We're playing our biggest rival."
"Exactly what I wanted to do with my Friday night." His sarcasm is obvious.
"Hey, I watch baseball with you on tv all the time."
He snorts. "You barely make it through three innings, and then end up napping through the rest."
"Well, maybe, I'd be able to make it through a whole game if they didn't take so damn long."
Honestly, baseball games take forever. I would pitch more of a fit but I do get some really great naps lying on top of Gavin while he watches them, so that's a plus.
"Says the girl wanting me to spend my Friday night watching high school basketball."
"Excuse you, our team is pretty good this year. And basketball is way more exciting than baseball."
"Yet only one is considered to be America's favorite past time."
"Yeah, well, whoever gave baseball that label clearly never went to a basketball game."
He chuckles. "Whatever you say, babe."
"Thank you,” I nod. So are you gonna take me to the game or not?"
"Yeah, I'll take you."
"And you'll bring me a meatball sub for lunch tomorrow? And eat it with me at the park?"
Our school allows seniors to go off-campus for lunch — it’s a privilege I've never had any reason to take advantage of before. Until Gavin.
"You gonna eat the vegetables I bring with it?"
"Yes," I answer grumpily.
"Then I'll you bring your sub."
"Yes!" I throw my hands up in the air.
He chuckles again before changing the subject. "You done folding yet?"
I pick up my last pair of underwear, quickly fold them, then walk over to my drawer to put them away.
"As a matter of fact, yes. I just finished."
I hear the jingle of his keys in the background — he must be getting ready to leave.
"Good, now get in bed."
"Sir, yes, sir." I mock salute towards my phone as I walk over to my side table and turn off my little lamp then climb into my bed.
"You really are a pain in my ass, you know."
I grin, but I can't resist throwing a sassy comment back at him. "Trust me, deputy, you're no walk in park either."
He tries to muffle his laugh but I hear it, and it makes me giggle. "Alright, babe. Get some sleep."
As if my body is under his command, I release a yawn. "Mmkay, deputy."
"And keep your phone on. I'm gonna listen over you while I'm working. I'll mute my line if it gets too loud." I nod and yawn again — already starting to fall asleep.
"Okay. Goodnight, baby. Be careful, love you."
"Always am. Goodnight, babe. Love you, too."
And once I hear those three special words, I drift off to sleep.
Gina
Friday
I wave at some of my friends as I walk up the bleachers with Gavin trailing behind me. Their attention quickly shifts from me to Gavin and I’m sure they want to walk over and find out what the deal is between us but they don’t. Not because they aren’t interested in finding out some gossip, but because they know I won’t give up anything.
I’m not in the habit of sharing details about my life with anyone from school and I’m not about to start now. It’s no secret around here who my brothers are, or what kind of business they keep, but that’s not from me going around telling people our business — word just gets around in a small town. But even so, I’ve never talked about it with my friends. They know not to ask and I don’t bring it up. And it’s the same with Gavin — my relationship is no one's business but mine.
I lead my deputy to the top of the bleachers away from the student section to an empty area of seats. We sit down at the top — Gavin puts an arm around me and I turn a little so my legs intertwine with his, mindful of the dress I have on. It’s technically a summer dress being that it has spaghetti straps holding up the bra cups and is on the shorter side, but it’s a rich olive green that makes it versatile for any time of year. I paired it with my denim jacket and black over the knee boots, so really, there’s not too much skin showing — you wouldn’t know that from the look on Gavin’s face as he looks me over though. His eyes graze over the small amount of skin showing at my thighs then move up to settle on my chest.
“You’re lucky you had that jacket buttoned up when I picked you up or you wouldn’t have gotten out the front door in this little outfit.” His words are low and for my ears only,
even though there’s no one sitting near us. His hand resting around my shoulders moves to push my jacket closed but it can only go so far without being buttoned — he grunts in annoyance.
“Maybe I wanted to look cute for my deputy boyfriend.” I smile up at him. He grunts again. “Only for my deputy,” I whisper to him.
He gives me a kiss. “That’s right, babe.”
I snuggle into his big body and settle in to watch the pre-game introductions. It’s a big game against our rivals, so everyone in the stands is decked out in red and black, our school colors. Well, almost everyone. Gavin is conveniently wearing a red henley under his bomber jacket, but I chose looking cute for my man over school spirit. Sue me.
There’s barely any fanfare as the rival school is introduced, but when it’s time for our team, the lights shut off and everyone in the stands goes crazy with shakers and noise makers. It’s almost deafening but the atmosphere is so electric it’s impossible not to feed into it. I watch with enthusiasm as the varsity players run out to mid-court one by one, doing cool handshakes with one another and getting the crowd pumped. Of course the seniors — the four of them that there are — get the most dramatic entrances as they walk onto the court one at a time surrounded by their friends and family, before receiving standing ovations.
“Any of those players try to hit on you?” His voice is low as he rasps the question into my ear.
I smirk at him. “Those guys hit on anything with a pulse.”
I laugh at my own joke, but it’s kind of true. You’d think because they’re athletes on a varsity team that they’d be hard to get, but that’s not the case at all. Most of them spend all their time flirting and hitting on any girl that will possibly put out. It’s kind of funny, actually.
Gavin’s jaw clenches.
“Don’t worry deputy, you have all my attention. Besides, after seeing me with you, and knowing who my brothers are, I doubt anyone will try anything else.” I give him a peck on the cheek and turn my attention back to the court for opening tipoff.
I give the game my full attention as it gets underway — cheering each time our team scores a basket. I would join the fray and stand like most of my peers, but my legs are intertwined with Gavin’s and he doesn’t look like he’s planning to stand at any point. By the time halftime comes around, the whole gym is thick with tension and the rival team, the Blue Knights, are down by one.
I turn to Gavin. “I’m gonna go get a snack. You want anything?”
“Depends. What’re you getting?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Popcorn, and I’m not sharing.”
He chuckles. “Bring me some peanut M&M’s, please.”
I drop a loud lip-smacking kiss on his cheek and untangle my legs from his.
“You got it.” I move to get up, but stop when he reaches into his jacket pocket for his wallet. “No, I got this, baby. You treat me all the time.”
He pulls me in for another quick kiss. “Thanks, babe.”
“Welcome! Now let me by.”
I make a big show of having to slide past him, facing him as I pass by to give him an up close view of my chest. I give him a naughty smile, which turns into a full fledged grin when I see his eyes darken. I reach the stairs and blow him a kiss before heading down the bleachers, but I can feel his eyes on me as I head out of the gymnasium and it makes me feel warm inside. I’m not the only one of my peers here who’s turned eighteen, and there are several teachers around tonight that are young and single. Yet, Gavin’s attention hasn’t strayed from me once — even when I’ve been paying more attention to the game than him.
I finesse my way to the front of the line and make quick work of buying our snacks. I’m on my way back to my seat, and I can feel Gavin’s eyes on me the second I walk back through the gymnasium doors but I’m stopped by a few familiar faces before I can move any further.
“Damn, Gina. Looking good — your brothers know you’re here dressed like this?”
I roll my eyes at AJ. “It’s none of their business what I wear. But I can mention to them that you couldn’t seem to take your eyes off my tits, and we can see how they feel about that, huh?”
Deionte and Roland — his two best friends — snicker like little girls. I roll my eyes. These dummies all deal with my brothers, and actually, Deionte was one of my closest friends growing up. Then he started spending more time around my brothers than me. He’s super smart and will probably earn an academic scholarship to a good college, but he just can’t seem to leave his rotten friends behind.
I try to walk past, but Roland steps in front of me with folded arms. I don’t know what these fools want but I know I need to make this quick. I can feel Gavin’s anger projecting across the gym and it won’t be a pretty sight if he goes full-on deputy badass on these three.
I sigh. “What do you guys want?”
“What’s with the badge?” Roland questions, nodding his head in Gavin’s direction.
I narrow my eyes. “What do you care?”
I ask as if I don’t know the answer, because I want to hear him say it. He’s worried about my boyfriend because he doesn’t want law enforcement too close to his illegal activity. He was held back in two different grades, and is an almost twenty year old high school senior who can’t ever manage to attend school for five straight days in a row. He’s failing every class he’s in — even free period — and yet he’s worried about how my personal life will affect his future.
He shrugs. “Your brothers know you’re with a cop?”
“For your information, he’s a deputy. And actually, they do. Don’t they, AJ?”
I shoot him a glare since he’s the one who snitched about it. Then I glare the other two into silence as well, because I’m done with this interrogation, or whatever the hell they’re trying to do. Plus, I’ve probably got about thirty seconds to get to Gavin before he comes down here and unleashes hell on these three. I sigh internally.
Lord, please let my deputy keep calm.
I look each of them in the eye, and then I let them have it. “Since the three of you don’t seem to have anything better to do than question me about my personal life, let me clue you in — what I do or who I’m with is none of your damn business. And if you feel the need to run and snitch to my brothers about every little thing I do, then you’re even bigger pussies than I thought. I’m not stupid and I’m not going to snitch on anyone, so unless the three of you royally screw up you can stop worrying about me and focus on your own asses.” Their jaws clench in unison but I doubt they want to make a bigger scene than what’s already happening, especially with the second half of the game about to start. “Now, I’m going to ask nicely one time for you three to move the hell out of my way. Because if you don’t, I’ll call my deputy down here and ruin everybody’s night.” I cross my arms. “So. Please, move.”
I don’t give them time to respond as I shoulder my way between Roland and Deionte, none too gently. I could’ve walked around them but I want them to know they don’t intimidate me — physically or otherwise.
I can feel that Gavin’s anger has ratcheted up a few notches from very mad to extremely pissed, and I only hope that I can calm him down enough to enjoy the rest of the game. Besides, if he decides to do something about the three of them cornering me, and I don’t get any tonight, then I’ll be the one who’s pissed. And they don’t want that.
I can feel Gavin’s eyes on me, and when I chance a glance up in his direction my eyes lock with his. He’s standing at the top of the bleachers and — yep — he’s pissed.
Crap.
I try to soften my facial expression and lift my lips in a small smile but even from the bottom of the bleachers I can see the angry clench of his jaw.
Damn. Okay, time to try a different tactic.
I keep my eyes on his and bite my lower lip. I’m not above trying to seduce him to get him to calm down. I add a little extra sway to my hips and a little more bounce in my step, making my breasts shake. Gavin’s eyes drop fr
om mine to roam over by body, taking in my every step as I approach. His eyes are focused on my legs as I reach the final step and I can’t help the liquid heat rushing into my panties.
“Baby.” His eyes lift to mine and I can see lust darkening them.
When I’m standing right in front of him, I lift up on my toes and kiss his jaw. His body is tense so I nuzzle his neck until his arms wrap around me and I feel him relax. Then from below someone suddenly “oinks” like a pig. Loudly. Gavin’s body locks up with anger at the noise and I glare down to see Roland laughing and high-fiving his friends like he just told the funniest joke in the world. I roll my eyes and inwardly promise to castrate the idiot if Gavin goes off on a badass tirade.
“Baby, don’t.”
His eyes harden as they lock on Roland and his crew. He starts to push forward but I lock my arms around him, my popcorn unfortunately spilling in the process.
“Baby, look at me...Gavin...Look. At. Me.”
I snap at him but he remains stoic with his eyes focused down below. His hands drop to my hips and he tries to move me aside but I lift my foot up on the bleacher, not letting him pass.
“Gavin. Don’t.” I pinch his waist hard until he flinches. His eyes drop to me in annoyance but I refuse to cower down and let him do something stupid. “I said don’t. Now sit your ass down.”
He lets out a frustrated breath but doesn’t move, so I pinch him again.
“Sit,” I snap.
He pulls back from me and drops down onto the bleacher. He takes a harsh breath, and then another. I stand and watch, letting him work it out of his system.
When he’s no longer breathing like a caged animal, I reach out and silently hand him his peanut M&M’s. I move to pass by him so that I can sit back in my spot, only to yelp in surprise when he grabs me around my waist and pulls me into his lap instead. He wraps his arms around my middle and we both sit there tense for a few moments. Then I reach one hand up to rub his nape and turn alittle to nuzzle his cheek.
“Relax, baby. They’re harmless.” I kiss his cheek and gently massage his nape until his body relaxes against my back.
I inwardly breathe a sigh of relief when he kisses my temple and then opens his M&M’s. We snack silently as we watch the game, and I really do try to focus on the action in front of me but the warmth of Gavin’s body is too distracting. He’s all hard muscle and he has this manly smell that I’ve become addicted to. I rub my thighs together in need and my dress ride up just a little. He moves a hand down to tug on the hem and I giggle quietly as he lets out an annoyed grunt when the fabric stops at the middle of my thigh. I hold my popcorn tight when he suddenly leans forward and shrugs off his jacket. He places it over my legs, effectively covering my lower half. I turn and raise my brow at him, pretending like I don’t love it when he gets territorial over me.