Together We Stand

by JA Lafrance

  “See you tomorrow boss,” the nurses said as they clocked out. “Monday. I’m off for a few days.” “Have a good one,” her favorite nurse said as she left. Emily went back down to the ER to work on the incoming traumas. She was practically run off her feet all afternoon. The only thing that snapped her out of her post Jackson haze was a message from the nurses station outside Jackson’s room that he needed some pain relief. She made her way upstairs and walked into his room, closing and locking it behind her.

  “What’s this I hear about pain relief,” Emily asked. “You were saying before Jamie came?” “I didn’t say a word.” “Something you wanted back?” “Jackson.” “What are you doing this week?” “I’m working.” “When are you back to the hospital?” “Monday.” “Good.” “Why?” “Because my weekend plans consist of getting to know every inch of you.” “That was last night,” she said. “That was the appetizer.” “So, if I let you check out?” “You won’t need a change of clothes. Leave it at that,” he said as she felt the temperature shoot up again. “That would be a date.” Jackson gave her a look. She headed out, unlocking the door and asking for him to have a bigger bed and went back to the ER for a trauma.

  When she made it back up to his room around 10 that night when she was signed out, he was waiting. She was back in street clothes. It meant that much more of a challenge. “Welcome back Doctor Emily. I’m ready for my pain relief,” Jackson said as she closed and locked the door and covered the window. “I bet you are.” “And what do you have planned,” Jackson mewed. “Oh Jackson. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

  About Sue Langford

  We can’t quite get enough of this one-of-a-kind author. From her intense Revenge series to her strong female lead characters, you’ll fall in love with every character. Her stories are made for real women, strong women, to empower us all with a little romance.

  http://www.suelangfordauthor.com

  Make Me Beg

  Cameron Allie

  Riley has always bested Heath when it comes to surprises, and this time she’s got a doozy. — Make Me Beg

  Make Me Beg

  “Your baby daddy is looking hot in that picture.”

  Mercedes’ statement, projected from the iPad screen, pulled Riley’s attention away from the grapes she was slicing for her two-year-old. It was a busy job. He seemed to shovel them into his mouth about as fast as she could cut them.

  She glanced at her sister-in-law through the video chat window. “What picture?”

  “You know, the one the radio station posted on Instagram.”

  The knife hovered over the cutting board. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. What radio station? What picture?”

  Mercedes rattled off the name of the station, but Riley knew she’d have to wait until their conversation was over before looking it up. She didn’t really want to touch the screen with grape juice-stained sticky fingers.

  “How’s work been for you and Scott?” she asked, referencing her brother.

  Mercedes’s gaze flicked back and forth from the screen before holding up a picture for them to see. “This is my latest. I’m posting it this afternoon.” Mercedes drew a cartoon called Hijinks about a cat and dog who were always getting into trouble. It was rapidly gaining followers on Instagram. Her first collection of comics had come out just before Christmas and pretty soon they were adding merchandise to her website’s store.

  Seth munched away on grapes, but when Riley reached over and flashed a white sheet of paper covered in marker scribbles, he grabbed for it.

  “This is Seth’s latest.” Riley laughed as Seth waved the paper around so enthusiastically that there was no way Mercedes would be able to see more than a blurb of colour, which was pretty accurate to how the picture looked in real life. He was proud to show it off, and she was happy that this time more marker had ended up on the page rather than on him.

  They continued to talk while Seth ate his snack. Scott popped on the screen for a bit to say hi to his nephew. He updated Riley on the news at the distillery. Winter’s Beer, the brewery her brother worked at, had gone into production making and distributing hand sanitizer. Scott was one of the sales reps and had boasted when he’d arranged for the three-year contract they obtained with the local hospital to provide all their sanitizer needs. He also mentioned that the Avalanche, the brew house’s restaurant, was starting to offer take out. Up until now the chef and his daughter, Joyce, had been going into the kitchen to prepare meals for senior citizens and homeless shelters in the area.

  Riley was proud of her brother. She, on the other hand, had been holed up at her parents’ house. Her work had closed for the foreseeable future, since there wasn’t much need for wedding dress alterations when there weren’t any weddings going on. She’d moved herself, her son, and her boyfriend’s cat out of their new townhouse in favour of staying with her folks. She and Heath had decided it would be best, while he was on the front lines. Neither of them wanted to risk him bringing the virus back to their son.

  “Seriously, you’ve got to check out this picture.” Mercedes pretended to fan herself, prompting a laugh from Riley.

  Somewhere off screen she heard her brother say, “Are you talking about that picture again?”

  Mercedes shared a smile with Riley, letting her know she was about to make mischief. “Heath is hot stuff, Scott. And that uniform! Yum. Lucky Riley.”

  Scott returned to the screen and playfully grabbed a fistful of his wife’s hair. “That’s my best friend and my sister you’re talking about.”

  Mercedes shrugged. “Like I said, lucky lady.”

  “Careful, M, or I’ll have to ask Heath where to get the good handcuffs.”

  With a roll of her eyes, and a smile tugging at her lips, Mercedes taunted, “Promises, promises.”

  Heat flared in Scott’s gaze, before he swooped down and kissed his wife, a little too passionately for his sister or his nephew to see. Riley kept the “ew” to herself though. How long had it been since she’d felt Heath’s lips as passionately? Too long.

  When the couple broke apart Scott disappeared from view, but clearly Mercedes was distracted as her gaze followed him, rather than returning to the screen. Her breath caught, and Riley had absolutely zero interest in knowing whatever it was her brother was doing off-screen. Quickly, Mercedes spat out, “I’ve got to go.”

  This time the “ew” slipped out.

  Mercedes chuckled. “Hey, you can’t blame me. You’d do the same.” She spared the screen a moment of her time. “Bye Seth!”

  After saying goodbye and disconnecting the video chat, Riley wiped Seth’s hands with a warm cloth and plucked him from the booster seat. Her mother and father swept into the room as she was setting him on his feet.

  “Gampa! Gampa!” Seth charged across the tiles, his bare feet slapping with each step, and launched himself into this grandfather’s arms. Her dad swung him around and hung him upside down.

  With Seth occupied, Riley pulled up Instagram to find the radio station Mercedes had described. After a few swipes she located the account and found the post about the Toronto- based Black Lives Matter protest. She flicked through the photos and stopped on the one of her boyfriend, dressed in his uniform, kneeling among a crowd of people, each spaced apart.

  Damn. Mercedes was right, he was looking fine. His black mask covered the lower part of his face, his dark hair was wind-tousled, his pronounced biceps pushed against the boundaries of his uniform. God, she missed the feel of that hard body against hers. What she wouldn’t give to lean on him, to borrow from his strength in this uncertain time.

  Riley checked herself. There were a lot of people much worse off than her.

  Her mother peered down at the screen from over her shoulder. “I still can’t believe that boy’s a cop.”

  “He’s come a long way from pissing on people’s petunias.”

  “Dad!” Riley scolded, objecting to this language, with a pointed look at her son. “Besides, Heath d
id that when he was fifteen and he’d been drinking.”

  Her father gave her a sly smile. “All I’m saying is I’m glad he made something of himself. Now if he’d get his butt in gear and marry you…”

  Riley rolled her eyes. “You got a grandson out of this, and I’m happy. A ring isn’t going to change anything.”

  “We’re going to take this little guy swimming.” Her mother ruffled Seth’s hair.

  “Okay. I’ll join you.” With the weather a little warmer there were so many more activities available to exhaust her energetic toddler.

  They passed the afternoon swimming, blowing bubbles, and playing fetch with her parents’ Golden Retriever, Chase. The evening wound down with hot dogs and BBQ grilled veggies for dinner. After changing Seth into his sleeper, Riley read him a few stories on the patio swing as the heat from the day seeped away bringing dusk in its wake.

  Seth fell asleep in her arms, but she let her father carry him up to the bed they’d set up in the room next to theirs. Riley tucked her feet beneath her and gazed out at the backyard where she’d spent so many summer days as a teenager.

  Her life had changed so much since then. Heath used to ignore her as much as possible, dismissing her crush because he deemed her off-limits. Now they had a son together. The wave in Seth’s hair resembled Heath’s, but his brown eyes came from her. His stubbornness? Well, Riley knew they both contributed to that.

  Riley rested her hand over her stomach. Soon they’d be adding to their family, not that anyone else knew. Not even Heath.

  Two weeks ago, she’d left Seth with her parents and escaped back to her townhouse to grab a few things. She’d claimed she was going for a few forgotten clothing items, but really, she just wanted the pregnancy test from beneath her bathroom sink. When she’d discovered she was pregnant with Seth she’d bought a two pack of tests. Luckily the second test didn’t expire for another couple of months.

  She and Heath had talked about expanding their family, but hadn’t made any definitive plans, they’d just stopped being careful.

  After tucking it in the trash she’d taken the bag out to the garage so Heath wouldn’t see it. Now she had to figure out how to tell him. And when. Those were two questions she hadn’t bothered to address when he’d knocked her up the first time, when she’d kept her pregnancy a secret.

  “You want to watch a movie with us tonight?” Riley’s mother asked, dragging her from her musings.

  “No thanks. I’ve got some sewing to do.” Despite her work being closed, Riley kept busy by starting up her own little sewing business. She’d managed to make a bit of pocket change designing car seat ponchos for kids, bibs, and a few other items. Though now she mainly focused on masks, some for sale, but most were donated to hospitals, nursing homes and hospices.

  A few minutes later Riley headed upstairs with a tea in one hand and a big bowl of popcorn in the other. She flicked on the baby monitor and got to work.

  Riley stood and stretched her shoulders before tossing the last mask into the pile beside her sewing machine. When Heath periodically dropped off supplies to them, he’d pick up whatever masks she had ready and deliver them. Her current batch was destined for a local nursing home.

  After packing up her supplies she perched on the edge of her bed and stroked the cat’s head until her phone rang, surprising them both. Sage jumped up from the bed and left the room.

  Riley rushed to pull her phone from her pocket. A wide smile crossed her face when she saw Heath’s name and picture on the screen. “Hey.”

  “Hey, babe.” His warm voice came through the receiver.

  “Saw your picture today.”

  “What picture?”

  “At the protest.”

  “Oh, yeah.” That was just like him. He didn’t want any of the glory for his good deeds. He just wanted to do his job and make a positive impact.

  Once, when they were lying in bed one night shortly after Seth was born, she’d asked him why he decided to become a cop. He’d rejected the idea of being a youth counselor, claiming he wanted something more physically demanding. But more importantly, he wanted to be a bigger part of the community. After growing up in foster care he needed to make a difference on the system, repairing whatever he could, because according to his experience, it was severely broken.

  Yet as a police officer he’d seen even more crap. COVID-19 probably didn’t help. Sure, it brought out the best in communities, people rallying together to help those less fortunate, checking on elderly neighbours, or hosting drive-by celebrations for those missing milestones. But it also brought out the dark side. Anxiety and paranoia ran rampant, and she hated the thought of Heath out there, defending peace and justice and good in a world with so much bitterness and hate.

  Heath interrupted the gloomy path her thoughts were taking. “How’s my boy?”

  “Seth is doing good. Loving all the extra grandparent time, and swimming and playing with Chase. I’m thinking about trying to start potty training this weekend.”

  Heath chuckled. “You said that last weekend.”

  “Hey, you’re not here to help me!”

  “Dodging a bullet, I guess.” The first time they’d tried to potty train Seth, it hadn’t gone well. Now he refused to sit on the potty. But Riley wanted him trained before his little brother or sister came along. “Damn, I miss you guys.”

  “We miss you too. More than you can imagine.”

  “Oh, I know just how much. It’s hell not being able to hug him, and not being able to kiss you.” There was a long pause. “Fuck, I miss you Riley.”

  Tears sprung into her eyes. “Me too.”

  “What do you say to a little video chat?”

  “Yes! I’d love to see you.” She hurried to where her iPad lay.

  “I’m going to send you a link to a private message chat, along with a password.”

  “Um, okay.” She paused partway through putting in her passcode. “Why?”

  “Because the dirty things I’m going to make you do need a more secure venue.”

  Uncertain, she wavered. “Um, Heath?”

  “Trust me, Riley. You’ll love it.”

  “Okay.” Her agreement was quiet.

  A few moments later a window opened, and Heath showed up on her screen, his chest bare, water droplets clinging to his hair. “There’s my woman.”

  Riley blushed. A few years ago, he wouldn’t admit to liking her, and now he wouldn’t let her forget that they belonged together. “Did you just get out of the shower?”

  “I did. You want me to flash you the goods?” His grin was wicked. He set his screen down and reclined on his side on the bed. She didn’t get a chance to see anything too naughty, but those sexy abs and the distinct V of his hips had her swallowing a sudden mouthful of saliva.

  Ignoring his naughty question, she told him, “I’ve got a batch of masks for you to pick up tomorrow, or whenever.”

  “Riley,” his voice was soft but firm, making her lady bits take notice. “Take the shirt off.”

  There were multiple reasons why she hesitated at his request. “It’s video though.”

  “It’s secure.” Heath rhymed off a bunch of technical jumbo. Riley caught the words encryption protocol and VPN, but the rest was just a mix of geek jargon, at least to her ears. He was missing the real issue though.

  “But I have stretch marks.”

  A frown darkened his brow. “So? You had a baby.”

  “But you’ll see them.”

  “Riley, I see you all the time.”

  “This is different. I’m different.” She glanced down at her body. It was soft in places where it used to be firm. Purple grooves marred skin that used to be pale and pristine.

  “I love you. I love your body.” His compassionate tone changed, a wicked edge lighting his words. “I promise, if you lose the top, I’ll be so focused on your tits nothing else will matter.”

  A thrill dashed through her. Could she do this? Sure, over the past two months they’
d had the occasional conversation that had developed into phone sex, but this, this was something else. Dare she indulge?

  After putting Seth to bed she’d ditched her bra and changed into pajama bottoms and a tank top. Slowly she peeled the tank top up and whisked it off over her head. The cool air blowing in from the window instantly pebbled her nipples, and a blush rose on her skin.

  She was about to reach for her shirt, an objection on the tip of her tongue, when she glanced at the screen and witnessed the lust in his gaze.

  Her body began to ache when she saw his hand dropped off the screen in the direction of his dick. It made her bolder. She skimmed her fingers along her collarbone and inched them downward.

  “God. Yeah, Riley, touch those tits. Pinch your nipples.”

  She did as he instructed, but when she moaned, she paused and glanced at the door. “Just a second.” Rushing toward it, she listened carefully before edging it open just a bit. Distantly she could hear the sounds of the television and her father laughing. The rest of the house was quiet. She took solace in the knowledge that her room was at the far end of the house, separate from where Seth’s room bordered her parents.

  Locking her door, she hurried back to the bed and screen where her boyfriend waited. His arm was moving leisurely as she assumed he stroked himself.

  Almost immediately her fingers returned to plucking at her hardened nipples. They were super sensitive as her body was already producing extra hormones. “Heath,” she moaned his name as her panties grew wetter. With how hypersensitive she’d become in the last week or so, and the length of time it had been since she’d been able to see him as he climaxed, this wouldn’t take long at all.