With Me: A Rivers Edge Christmas Novella

by Lacey Black

  He should probably go home.

  We shouldn’t have had sex in my garage.

  We shouldn’t climb into my bed and fall asleep in each other’s arms.

  But I ignore all of those thoughts, and pray he does too. Leaving the option completely up to him, I climb on my bed, pulling the comforter down as I go. I listen intently, wondering which decision he’s going to make. If he goes home, it’ll hurt a little, considering I just invited him to stay. But I know if he does go, it’s because he made the right decision for the both of us.

  And yes, the right decision is that he should go.

  Even though I pray he doesn’t.

  As I slide in the cool sheets, I hear him moving. I keep my back to him, not sure I can watch as he finishes getting dressed and leaves. I’ve never had a hit it and quit it before, and I’m not really sure what to do. But that’s not what happens. Instead, I feel the blanket lift and the bed dip under his weight. He grabs my hips and pulls me back into his warm, hard chest.

  He’s completely naked, losing his shirt and jeans before climbing into bed with me, and I can feel his cock pressed firmly against the cleft of my ass. It’s also growing hard again. I adjust my hips and press back, suddenly not quite as tired as I was only moments ago.

  “Mmm,” he groans, gripping my hips and holding me still. “As much as I’d love to do that all over again, I think we both need a little sleep.” His warm breath tickles my ear.

  My eyes are closed before I even realize, and I know he’s right. It’s been a long night, and an even longer morning. “’Kay,” I whisper, snuggling into his arm and chest.

  His hand comes up to rest casually over my waist and his breathing starts to deepen. “Night, Bee.”

  “Becker?”

  He mumbles an acknowledgment, but I’m not really sure it’s classified as a word.

  “I like it when you call me Bee.” My heart does a little skip in my chest.

  He tightens his hold on me. “I like calling you Bee.”

  “Night,” I reply, loving the way his body wraps so naturally around mine as I drift off to sleep.

  Chapter Eight

  Becker

  There’s a knock on the front door, which is welcomed. Brooklyn is in the shower—naked—and it’s taking every ounce of self-control I possess to not join her. But I need to let her rest a bit. Not only did I take her hard against her truck fender, but I woke her this afternoon with my mouth on her pussy. After making her come that way, I suited up (thankfully, she had another condom) and gave her two more orgasms with my cock.

  And now that he’s had a taste of sweet Brooklyn, he only wants more.

  Greedy bastard.

  It’s late afternoon, and we’re both starving, so I took the liberty of ordering sandwiches from the sub shop in town. I’ve eaten there a handful of times, partially because it’s good and the other part because they’ll deliver anytime.

  I dig out my wallet for some cash and head for the door. My feet are bare, as is my chest. I should probably throw on my Henley, but it’s somewhere in her bedroom right now, and I don’t feel like wasting the time to find it. I’m fucking starving.

  Throwing open the door, I pull a few bills from my wallet. “How much?” I ask, finding two tens and some twenties.

  “Is there a reason you’re in my daughter’s place without a shirt on, Officer Ramsey?”

  My eyes fly up and meet the slightly shocked, slightly angry ones of my boss. Captain Jackson.

  Fuck.

  “Uhh,” I stammer, running my hand over the back of my neck. Yeah, in hindsight, a shirt would have been a much wiser decision. “Come in,” I end up saying, my throat suddenly very dry and scratchy.

  He does, the click of the closing door ominously loud in the small condo. As he turns around, he takes in my appearance, from my bare feet to my chest, and I know I might not make it out alive. “Officer Ramsey, is there a reason you’re half-naked in my daughter’s place?” he asks again. I can feel his gaze piercing me with the intensity of a thousand knives as he repeats his question.

  Swallowing hard, I know I’m screwed no matter which way I play this. Too casual and he’ll view me as a fuck-boy who only wanted one thing from his daughter, which would be the furthest from the truth. “With all due respect, sir, what happens here is between Brooklyn and me.”

  His eyes flare, as if he doesn’t like my statement, but you know what? I don’t give a shit. I don’t owe him an explanation. Not really. I respect his daughter and that’s all he needs to know. One eyebrow arches and I can tell he’s about to argue. I’m relieved when he says, “Why don’t you go put on a shirt, and then we can talk.”

  I give him a quick nod and head toward Brooklyn’s bedroom. I can feel her dad’s eyes on me the entire way and only sigh in brief relief when I’m alone in the room. I find my shirt on the floor where I dropped it this morning and slide it on. It’s a wrinkled mess, but I don’t care. I don’t take back anything from our time together. My shoes aren’t here. In fact, I haven’t seen them since the garage last night, so I can only assume they’re still out there somewhere.

  Before I head back out to face her dad, I realize Brooklyn is in the bathroom across the hall. She didn’t take any clothes in with her, which means she’ll step out into the hall in nothing but a towel. While that image is one I can fully support, I don’t want her to be blindsided by the appearance of her dad and me in her place together. So, I grab a pair of yoga pants and a shirt from her drawer, pulling out a white bra and panty set too, and prepare to take them to her.

  When I step out in the hall, I don’t see her dad, but I know he’s still here. I can feel it. I lightly knock on the bathroom door and give the knob a turn. Fortunately, she didn’t lock the door. I’d like to believe it was because she was hoping I’d join her, and to be honest, if her dad hadn’t shown up, I was probably five seconds away from giving in to the urge, food be damned. Now, I’m grateful as fuck I wasn’t in there with her. My luck, her pops probably has a key and would have been waiting for us the moment we stepped out.

  As I step inside the room, I’m treated to the image of her naked on the other side of the clear shower door. Her long, blonde hair is slicked back and my fingers twitch to tangle in it. My cock takes full notice that she’s wet and naked and… Yeah, not going there right now. She gives me a sassy grin, one that makes my balls tingle. “I was kinda hoping you might join me,” she starts, sliding open the door.

  “Uhh, yeah, about that,” I stammer, my eyes trying to focus on her beautiful face, yet unable to look away from her glorious wet tits. “We have…company.”

  “What?” she gasps, moving to cover herself with her arms. “Who?” she whispers, glancing over my shoulder.

  Setting the clothes down on the sink, I give her my full attention. “Your dad.”

  The color drains from her face as she absorbs my words. “My dad? He’s here?”

  “In the living room.”

  “Holy shit,” she responds, her eyes falling to the floor. “This isn’t good.”

  “Probably not. I brought you some clothes so you weren’t stepping out of here naked and blind.”

  “You need to leave,” she insists, reaching for the faucet and shutting off the water. “Maybe if you sneak out the back door you can…”

  “Bee,” I interrupt, drawing her eyes back up to mine. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I let my words sink in. No, we haven’t talked about what the hell this is that’s going on between us, but I don’t give a shit. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve felt this bone-deep pull toward her since the moment I saw her. I’ve wanted her, even if I shouldn’t. I can’t deny it, and I won’t. Not anymore. The more time I spend with her, the more I like her, the more I want to get to know her. So there’s no way I’m sneaking out or hiding now. I’m twenty-nine fucking years old, and I haven’t done anything wrong. We haven’t done anything wrong.

  “Becker,” she whispers, wrapping a thick, fluffy pink
towel around her torso.

  “I’m going out to talk to your dad. Get dressed and you can join us when you’re ready.”

  She nods, her hypnotic blue eyes wide as she watches me leave the bathroom. Back out in the hall, I head to the small living room where I know my superior awaits. “Brooklyn will be out in a minute,” I tell him as I step into the room and take a seat across from him. I want to be able to see him face-to-face as we have this discussion.

  We’re both quiet as we stare each other down, sizing up our opponent. No, I don’t view him as an adversary, per se, but I do know I have an uphill battle in the fucking snow with no boots on my feet. Brooklyn and her father are close. I can see that written all over their faces, despite what image she tries to portray at work.

  Finally, I can’t stand the silence. Not because I have anything to feel guilty or ashamed of, but because he has a right to know how I feel and I want to say it before his daughter joins us. “I’m sure finding me here today was a surprise,” I start, keeping my body from bouncing nervously and my eyes locked on his brown ones.

  My superior snorts his reply.

  “What happens between your daughter and I is personal and private. I won’t discuss it with you, or anyone else. I will tell you, however, as a courtesy because you are her father, that I respect your daughter. As an officer and as a woman.” I watch as my captain’s throat bobs when I say that. “We haven’t even talked about whatever this is between us, so I won’t get into it with you now, but do know that I like her. I enjoy working with her because she’s competent and efficient, but I also like hanging out with her after work. I don’t know what our future holds, but I hope to continue spending time with her.” I clear my throat. “I like her a lot.”

  I can feel the intensity of his gaze all the way down to my toes, and I’ll be honest, a lesser man would probably crumble. But not me. I’m not about to let him push me, dictate who I can and cannot spend my free time with. So as much as I hate the weight of his all-knowing eyes, I hold his gaze, remain calm, and try not to squirm.

  Just as he goes to open his mouth, the bathroom door opens. I hear her soft footfalls on the floor as she makes her way to the living room, her gorgeous blue eyes wide with shock and worry. “Hey, Daddy,” she says tentatively. “What are you doing here?”

  The moment Captain’s eyes land on his daughter, his hardened features soften and a smile plays on his lips. “What am I doing here? My daughter gets injured at work and I’m not supposed to stop by and check on her?” He pulls her into his arms and over her shoulder, glances my way with a look I can’t decipher. “Though, apparently, someone beat me to the punch.”

  Brooklyn glances over at me with a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, uh, Becker… I mean, Officer Ramsey just stopped by. To check on me.”

  Captain, not missing a thing, drops his gaze down to my bare feet. I may have thrown on a shirt, but I didn’t waste time hunting down my shoes. “I can see that.”

  The room fills with uncomfortable silence. A part of me wants to head over to my own place and avoid any entanglement between work and personal, but it’s too late for that. I’m already tangled. If there’s going to be any backlash for Brooklyn with my appearance here today, I’m not going to let her deal with it alone.

  I’m staying.

  The next few minutes are awkward, at best. He asks his daughter about the call this morning, even though I’m sure he read all about it in the report that was on his desk when he arrived at work. As soon as they finish discussing the details of the arrest, our captain stands and walks toward the door.

  “Your mother will probably check on you shortly too. She’ll be worried until she sees that you’re okay with her own eyes.”

  Like you, I want to say, but refrain.

  “Thank you for stopping by,” she says, walking with him to the door.

  I follow, but keep my distance. He pulls her in for a tight hug and glances at me once more over her shoulder. I hate that I can’t read his facial expression. I wish he’d just say what was on his mind so I know what I am up against, because when I told him I liked her, I wasn’t kidding. I really fucking like Brooklyn and I’d hate it if there wasn’t support coming from the man she obviously looks up to.

  “Ramsey,” he says, nodding my way before stepping out into the cool afternoon air.

  “Captain,” I respond, waiting with bated breath as Brooklyn says her goodbyes and closes the door behind him.

  “Holy shit,” she whispers, not meeting my eyes.

  “Hey,” I say, pulling her into my arms. She goes easily, which I’m grateful for. “It’s going to be okay. There’re no rules about us seeing each other outside of work. As long as we keep it professional on the job, we’ll be fine.”

  She glances up with those amazing eyes and gives me a small grin. “So…we’re seeing each other?”

  “Hell yeah, we are. I like spending time with you and wouldn’t mind getting to know ya a little more,” I reply, running my hands up her back as her chest flattens against mine.

  “Okay.” She gazes up at me, her eyes shining like the Christmas lights on the tree.

  “How about we start with breakfast, or uh, dinner, since it’s late afternoon. It should be here shortly. I’ll run home quickly and get ready for shift, and then we’ll eat. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds perfect,” she agrees, wrapping her hands around my neck and gently pulling me down until our lips connect. The kiss is soft and exploratory and could easily get out of control real quickly.

  Instead of taking her back to bed, as I’d much rather do, I push my need for her aside and release her lips. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Does that give you enough time to finish getting ready?”

  She nods, her lips swollen and her eyes glassy.

  Shit, I’d rather take her back to bed.

  But I don’t.

  I step back and search for my shoes, which I find in the garage. When I’m finally wearing everything I arrived in early this morning, I head for the front door. Brooklyn throws me a little wave, which I return, and bites her bottom lip. It takes all the strength I possess to keep walking.

  Yeah, I got it bad.

  *****

  The week progresses quickly, a combination of working alongside Brooklyn and spending our time off with each other, and before I know it, it’s Thursday night, Christmas Eve. One more shift and then we’re off for two days. My sister flew out yesterday to spend the holidays with our parents, which is where I’d usually be too. But I can’t exactly request the Christmas holiday off when I’m the new guy, even though it fell as our night off anyway. The thing I love about this small town is the camaraderie of the force. The only guys getting Christmas day off are the two with young kids at home. Otherwise, it’s all hands on deck with shorter shifts so no one misses the entire day away from family or friends.

  Just after midnight, dispatch radios our car with a building check across town. A security company called with an alarm activated at the local strip mall. One of the sensors was tripped at the back door, and it’s our job to check it out.

  “You want backup?” The voice over the radio is familiar, but not in the sense that I’ve heard it there before. Lieutenant Stevens and Captain Jackson are in the other squad tonight, giving some of the officers an evening at home with their families.

  “Negative,” Brooklyn responds. “We’ll radio for backup if necessary.”

  “10-4,” Lieutenant Stevens replies.

  When we pull into the strip mall, I can already tell that something isn’t right. The back door is standing wide open, which my partner relays to dispatch. We pull around to the side, preparing to check it out on foot. If someone is in there, we don’t want to send them running when our car pulls up.

  “You take point,” she says, joining me as we make our way to where the door is ajar. I keep scanning everything in front of me, while my partner keeps an eye on my six.

  I don’t take my gun from my holster, but do unsnap the
buckle. I’ll be able to draw it quicker, if the need arises.

  “See anything?” she whispers as we approach the doorway.

  I shake my head, knowing she can see me under the light on the building. As I step in the entryway, I stop and listen for any sound. It’s quiet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t someone inside. I slowly peek around the door. The warehouse area is full of merchandise, but I don’t see anything amiss. Quietly, I step inside, keeping my ass to the wall. Brooklyn follows.

  We make our way toward the hallway, where a light shines brightly. It’s coming from a room just to our left, which is where we head. As I approach, I hold up my hand to stop. Listening intently, I glance quickly around the doorframe, finding another small storage room. I signal that I’m entering and draw my gun, keeping the safety on.

  I feel Brooklyn’s body against mine as she follows suit, pulling her service pistol from the holster and turning so that she’s watching my back. Then, I step into the room, sweeping my gun from right to left, as I clear the room. “Clear,” I state after checking around the shelves with fancy purses and bags.

  “Clear,” Brooklyn states from the opposite side of the room, which I could probably still reach out and touch her.

  Just then, the door to the small storage room slams shut behind us, the sound of the lock engaging echoing through the space. Holstering my pistol, I head for the door, confirming that it’s locked from the outside. “What the fuck,” I mumble, reaching for the radio attached to my shoulder.

  “Dispatch, can you read me?” I ask, the line staticky and unclear. “Dispatch? Over?”

  Brooklyn tries hers, but the response from dispatch comes back muffled. “Shit. It must be the building.” she speculates, glancing up and noticing the tin roof and thick construction steel.

  Exhaling, I scan the perimeter of the room for another exit, but come up short. There’s not even a window to break and climb out of. I ignore the tingle at the base of my neck and sweat that starts to gather at my spine. It’s stuffy in this room, as if there are no heat ducts or air vents, which doesn’t help keep the threat of panic at bay.