by Bliss Carter
Walker knew the moment that Grace fell asleep in his arms. He felt her go totally lax with his arms wrapped around her waist and his hands gliding over and over on her butt. He knew what he had been doing in rubbing her rear and back. The repetitive motion would lull her and relax her, which she desperately needed. He loved holding her. Her blonde head of curls barely came to his chin. She made Walker feel like a big protector, her alpha protector. And he liked it. His job was to serve and protect. He took that seriously. But with Grace it was very different. He took the word protect to a deeper level. He knew that he and Grace had a long way to go before they both knew what each other needed and was willing to give. And all of that included an almost 7-year-old little boy who needed some good male influences in his life. Walker was ready for all of that. He couldn’t wait.
When he had taken Birdie into the other room and tried to talk to her about Killian and not to form a negative opinion about him without knowing his story, he told her that men in general are humans who don’t know how to communicate fully with a female in a way that doesn’t sound like their being a pig, controlling or stand offish. He really did mean it when he told her that he had been studying Cade and Kresley’s relationship over the last months and he thought he had a good solid base of understanding, especially in dealing with all of them. Let’s face it. Grace was not the easiest woman to talk to, work with, even fight with. She was stubborn, opinionated and seemed to turn her filter off on her mouth more times than he liked. But for all of those things as negatives, they were things that totally turned him on. He wanted to proceed in whatever this was building with Grace, but he also held himself back. He saw secrets in Grace’s eyes. Things that she wasn’t talking about with anyone.
Francie had told him one day that Gracie never talked about her childhood. The Anderson girls didn’t know anything about her parents, any siblings or where she grew up. So of course, Walker would be pushing for those answers soon. He wouldn’t allow any secrets between them. He had his own to share as well. They would be hard to talk about, but he knew it would be important.
“Is she asleep?” Walker heard Kresley whisper from his side. He nodded his head yes, but didn’t say anything. He leaned down and kissed the top of Grace’s head and lingered there. Her hair smelled like honeysuckle. Oh lord, did she smell good. Grace sighed at the feel of his mouth on her head, then quieted again. Walker was surprised that her feet were still planted on the apartment floor. “Kres, get Cade over here for a sec, please?” Walker whispered.
Cade came to Walker on Grace’s other side and looked at him silently, questioning how to proceed. This is why he was best friends with Cade. They could communicate with each other with just a look. Not many could really say that about their friendships. He was damn glad to have him living here now. “Bro, do me a huge favor? First, can you get one of the FD guys to help you bring the couch to Grace’s later this afternoon? I need to get her home while she can sleep. She needs it. Next, can you get my keys over there, go downstairs, unlock and have my truck door open? I’m going to carry her, hopefully without waking her, and take her home. We can come back later to get her car. She needs someone to take care of her today and probably tomorrow. That’s going to be me.”
Cade silently put a hand on Walker’s shoulder, squeezed it as if to say I got you Boomer, and quickly went to get his keys off the kitchen counter and headed downstairs.
Walker looked around at the sisters and nodded his head down to Grace and mouthed, “I’ve got her. Text her later tonight.” At their nods and smiles, Walker took Grace’s arms and wrapped them around his neck, then bent down and put his arm around her back and under her knees. He picked her up with no exertion and looked down at her face. Grace was so exhausted that she slept on without waking once. He paused to lean down and gently kissed her lips. Then he walked downstairs and out the front door that Cade was holding open. He arrived at his truck and deposited Grace into the passenger’s side. He positioned her head and used a rolled up tshirt of his as a pillow for her. She slept on, hard. He buckled her up, pausing as he pulled the shoulder harness across her ample breasts. The back of his fingers innocently stroked her there and Walker noticed that Grace’s nipples drew into tight peaks at his touch. Bingo! That made him feel good. She wanted him, even in her sleep. He quietly shut the truck door and came around to his side. He winced as he closed his door and started the truck, but he concluded that for today, Grace could sleep through a nuclear bomb. She was just that tired.
“Don’t worry baby. I’m here and will take care of you and Jaxson. Sleep and dream of me,” Walker whispered as he drove his beautiful blonde bombshell towards her house and her son.
Chapter Three
Boomer took a good look around as he drove up to Grace’s house. He knew she and Jaxson lived in a good neighborhood. It relieved him to know who her neighbors were, that they were people he could trust to look out for the pair. Her house was a ranch style with a good size back yard for Jaxson to play. He couldn’t help but view it from the eye of a police officer, checking any security issues he saw on the outside. It would be his job to make sure Grace and Jaxson were living as secure as they possibly can when he wasn’t with them. Boomer saw the babysitter Sara and Jaxson outside playing in the sprinklers and he smiled as he watched Jaxson laugh and yell as the cold water would chase after him. He had the same devilish grin as his mama did. Walker looked over at Grace with an acute awareness of just how freakin’ gorgeous she is on the outside as well as the inside. She was still deeply asleep, with the exception of a slight snore coming towards him softly. Walker grinned. Grace would smack him if he dared state that she snored. He couldn’t wait to tell her.
Jaxson had noticed Boomer as he drove up and he ran towards the truck, Sara walking close behind. Walker eased out of the driver’s side without waking Grace and greeted Jaxson and Sara with a wave and high five for Jaxson. “Hey Jax. Having fun in the sprinklers? Hey Sara.”
“Yep! The water feels good since it’s hot outside. Sara’s acting like a girl and squealing if I splash her or turn the sprinklers on her,” Jaxson said with a grin.
Sara tried to give a stern look, but couldn’t hold in the smile. “I figured I’d get Jaxson good and tired for Ms. Grace so he would sleep good tonight. Is she with you? Everything alright?” A frown appeared on her young face.
“Yeah, everything is ok. Grace fell asleep earlier and I was able to get her in my truck and here without waking her. I’m going to get her settled in her room for a nap. Can you watch after Jax for a little while longer? I want to make sure she’s okay and then Jax and I are going to spend some time together playing video games while his mama sleeps.”
“Really? Mario Cart?” Jaxson asked eagerly, catching Boomer’s hand in both of his, pulling at his arm in his excitement.
His chest expanding with emotions he couldn’t name at the feel of those small hands, Boomer said “Really.” He smiled down at the little boy and ruffled his blonde hair.
“So, are you and Ms. Grace...” Sara asked, not putting a label on anything. Boomer caught on to her curiosity and finished her thought.
“Yeah, she and I are together, dating.” Boomer said quietly, and noticed that saying it out loud felt really good. But he said it quietly so Jaxson wouldn’t over hear him. He knew that any news of them in a relationship needed to come from Grace. Luckily, Jaxson had walked over to inspect a butterfly that had landed on some zinnias Grace must have planted in the front flower bed.
“Well, finally! I’m happy for y’all. She’s only talked about you, all the time, for the last two years or more,” Sara stated with a big smile, not realizing the info she had just revealed to Boomer about Grace’s thoughts towards him. Even when he thought she didn’t even notice him at all. She definitely had a poker face.
“Do me a favor, Jaxson? Will you open the front door and when I walk inside with your mama, show me her bedroom without saying anything? I don’t want to wake her up. So, let’s play the game
‘zipped lips’ for a little while. After I come out of your mama’s room, then I’m going to beat you fair and square at Mario Cart,” Walker ended with a grin and chin lift.
“I got it! I’ll be extra quiet. Mama needs sleep. Her screaming every night is kinda getting old. It scares me.”
Walker closed his eyes at what Jaxson just revealed and what he had already guessed. Grace was having bad nightmares. Bad enough to wake up her little boy. “Well, I’m going to help your mama feel better and fix it so she doesn’t wake up screaming for very much longer. I’m going to be her protector. And yours if you want me to be.”
Jaxson stood deep in thought for a few moments. “Well, Uncle Cade already signed up for that job ‘cause he told me so, but he did say once that one day you’d start being important to mama and me, so I think I’ll like having both of you. You’re hired!” Jaxson ended with a grin and holding out his hand for a hand shake.
It took everything for Walker to only shake the boy’s hand instead of wrapping him up in a hug. “Not for hire Jax. I'll do it for free because I like you and your mama a lot. Now go open the door and remember to be quiet.” Jaxson hurried off to do what Walker asked.
Walker opened the passenger door and saw that Grace was still asleep. He unbuckled her seat belt and picked her up in his arms, cradling her high on his chest. She weighed much less than what he weightlifted daily at the PD gym. With her head cradled on his shoulder, Walker moved quickly through her home, following behind a silent Jaxson. He entered her bedroom and was immediately bombarded with Grace’s smell. Gingerbread lotion sat on her dresser. Mystery solved, finally, on what made Grace’s scent drive him crazy on a daily basis. Boomer eased her down on the king size bed, careful not to jostle her. He noted that her room was clean and organized. Even the bed was made. He went to the bedroom door where Jaxson lingered with worry written on his face.
“It’s okay Jax. Your mama is just really tired and needs a nap. She plans to make your favorite chicken pot pie tonight for dinner. Why don’t you go and finish playing with the sprinklers with Sara and let me take care of her for a bit? Then you and I are going to play video games for a while.”
“Ok, Boomer. Chicken pot pie is my favorite, but she doesn’t have to if she doesn’t feel like it. I can make her some toast instead. It always makes her feel better when I make her toast with Nutella. Listen, you gotta make sure to put that quilt over there on her like a blanket. She sleeps with it every night. Oh, and make sure her shoes are off. She doesn’t like having her shoes on while on her bed.” Jaxson stated with authority.
Walker gave him a silent thumbs up and closed the door as Jaxson and Sara turned to head back outside. Sara had indicated that she would close the doors to his truck that he’d left open. He murmured thanks and turned his attention back to the beautiful woman before him. Grace, laying on her side, her blonde hair spread out in never ending curls like a halo. Her breathing was even and deep, her eyes behind her eyelids still. No dreams or nightmares for right now. Walker gently removed Grace’s shoes from her delicate feet. He noticed her toe nails were painted a beautiful shade of pink. Such beautiful toes. He wanted to kiss each one. Not now man. Geez, get the hormones in check. He closed the blinds to put the room in some darkness. That’s when he noticed two night lights plugged in to the walls of her bedroom. Boomer became aware of a feeling of extreme tenderness, like an ache in his chest as if someone had just punched him there. His woman slept with night lights on. Probably every night. Wow, that hit his heart hard. Walker quietly went to each and turned them on manually. He wanted her to have familiar light when she woke up.
After spreading the old-fashioned wedding ring quilt over her, Walker gave in and eased down on the other side of the bed, toeing off his sneakers. He gently moved over to where Grace’s body was laying quietly. He pushed his arm under her head so he was cradling it, then put his arm over waist and placed his forearm over her torso, laying it between her breasts. His hand naturally settled into the crook of her neck. Walker spooned his much bigger body into Gracie’s, feeling her bottom against his groin. Walker’s face soon became buried in her hair and he closed his eyes. Nothing in his life had ever felt as good as this moment. Two years he had waited to feel Gracie in his arms. Two long years. And it was worth every month, every day, every hour that he had to endure just thinking of himself as just her friend. Now, it was more. So much more. He squeezed her against him, murmuring sweet words into her hair.
Boomer felt Grace stir in his arms. A slight tensing of muscles, a small stretch of her back and movement of her head on her pillow.
“Walker?” he heard her softly ask. Her hand softly moved up and down his forearm at her chest. The gentle caress made his heart flip. He leaned forward and kissed the crown of her head, nuzzling her blonde curls with his nose.
“Hey sweetheart. I’m right here. We’re home, at your house. You were sleeping so hard you didn’t wake up once when I carried you to my truck and then into your house and bedroom. Jaxson is outside playing with Sara. She’s going to watch him a while longer. He’s good, I promise.”
“Why are you laying down with me?” Grace asked, sounding sleepy, moving so she was more firmly snuggled against his chest. Soon, their bodies were so tightly against each other that it was hard to tell which heartbeat was whose.
“Honestly? Because I couldn’t wait one more second to know what it felt like to hold you in my arms and just hear you breathe and see you sleep in peace. I’ve waited two years for it and I wasn’t going to wait anymore.” Boomer firmly, but quietly made this statement to her, wanting Grace to understand as soon as possible how serious he was about her, about Jaxson. He knew what he had said at the apartment earlier was only the beginning.
Grace seemed to digest that for a few moments, then hugged his arm to her chest tightly, before releasing him and rolling over so she could be face to face with Walker. He went completely still and waited to see what her reaction would be. Grace was like a wrecking ball sometimes. Full force tornado in saying what she thought and felt. Boomer knew he was high handed at times, and like to be dominant, but he never considered that he needed to dominate Gracie. She stood on her own two feet without any help from him or anyone else. He admired that about her. But it was high time she let him take care of her and Jaxson. High time. Boomer peered down at Grace’s upturned face, waiting for the sparring match to begin. He didn’t have to wait long, but the reaction wasn’t what he expected.
As she lay there staring up at Boomer’s handsome face, Grace took a moment to adjust her muddled brain. She never knew she had fallen asleep. The last thing she remembered was being held against Walker’s chest while he rubbed her back…and ass. That repetitive motion lulled her into a deep sleep. He must have driven her home and then gotten her into her bedroom. No easy task, but he did it with such ease. Grace was usually a light sleeper, having to condition herself to be with having a child. All of this was new to her. She hadn’t even kissed a man in over seven years. That’s a long time between kisses. She knew that the kiss Walker gave her earlier was just a preliminary of how his kisses would be later on. Now was as good a time as any to see what the fuss was all about. Grace hoped to heaven that the chemistry between them was real, as real for him as it felt to her. Because right now she was about to show her cards and hoped she was gambling on a winning hand.
Grace brought her hand up to Walker’s face, caressing his cheek, feeling the stubble that had been there all day. It was even darker now than it had been earlier this morning. She loved the raspy feel of it under her fingers. She traced a finger over his cheek bone, up his temple and over his forehead, coming down the slope of his handsome nose. When she reached the bow of his lips, Walker took in a deep, steadying breath, but didn’t move. Grace appreciated his restraint and it showed her that he would be patient with her. She pushed her hand to the back of his head at his nape, and pulled Walker towards her. She looked intently into his hazel eyes, wanting to make sure he understood that
she was awake and aware. Right before their lips met, her blue eyes closed and she let the feelings over take her. His lips were firm, warm, but soft at the same time. She wasn’t content with a closed-mouth, dry kiss. She gently opened her mouth under his own and pulled tighter with her hand, urging him more firmly to her. Grace thought of the kiss at the kissing booth again and the small inferno of heat she had felt then. Compared to now, it was a small flame on a match. This…this was a fire that was just waiting for fuel to send it out of control. And she couldn’t wait to be burned from it.
Walker must have taken her pulling him to her tighter as a cue to become the aggressor. And he did it with a bang. He gently pushed her to her back and followed her down, laying his chest over hers, letting it rest there, but not too heavily, as if afraid to crush her. His left arm was slightly under her shoulder, his hand cradling the back of her head. His right hand came up to cup her cheek and chin, moving her mouth around to where he wanted her. His tongue thrust into her mouth with wet heat. It wasn’t gentle. But Grace didn’t want gentle. That wasn’t her style. She wasn’t some dainty wall flower that needed coddling. She was more like a tank. Advance, advance! Advance to what she wanted. And that was Officer Walker “Boomer” Collins, sexy cop of her dreams. She opened her mouth wider, slanting it under his, asking for him to take her deeper.