Prince Charming Wears a Badge (12 page)

Before she could respond with more than another slight movement against him, he rose up and drew her T-shirt over her head. Without hesitation, she held his gaze and unhooked her front-closing bra, but kept it in place over her breasts.

He ran his index finger so slowly down her sternum to between her breasts that she thought she'd explode. Centimeter by centimeter, he moved one bra cup to the side to reveal her breast until his finger touched her exposed and highly sensitive nipple. She jerked in response, never wanting the pleasure to end.

With one breast bare, Tyler repeated the torture on her other breast. She braced for the sensation this time but still shuddered slightly when he got to her nipple.

His mouth was on her breast without her needing to beg for it. His large hand grasped her breast so he could suck on her nipple and his tongue did delicious things to it that stirred her throbbing core and intensified her need for release.

Replacing his mouth on her breast with his skillful thumb and forefinger, he explored her chest and abdomen with openmouthed kisses. When he got to her waistband, he removed his hand from her breast to undo her shorts and she nearly cried out from the loss of his touch.

She watched his eyes take in her nakedness as he slowly pulled her shorts down to below her knees to reveal her red boy shorts with the lace trim. She gave a little kick and her denim shorts fell to the floor.

She ran her foot along the back of his calf, the hair on his leg slightly rough against her sole. Feeling the unrelenting need to have his erection press into her again, she wrapped her legs around his butt to hold him in place. She wiggled a little, enjoying the pressure and movement against her sensitive apex. She was so turned on that she could have climaxed with only a few strategic brushes of his penis against her.

But that wasn't going to happen because he apparently had other plans. His hand reached deep inside her underwear, moving immediately to her crotch.

She arched her back when he promptly slid his fingers inside her and began moving in and out rhythmically and doing an even better job of bringing her close to climaxing. She heard herself pant as she came closer and closer to that point of release until she felt a scream build. Before she uttered more than a squeal, Tyler's mouth covered hers.

There was no time to recover completely before Tyler slid down her body and removed her underwear. Then he repeated his ministrations with his very capable mouth. This time she grabbed a nearby pillow to contain her vocal reaction when she climaxed. Which she did in spectacular fashion.

* * *

T
YLER
RESTED
HIS
face on the inside of Callie's thigh while she came back down after that last orgasm. He kissed the delicate skin on the inside of her upper leg and then stood next to the bed. He couldn't wait any longer to be inside her. His painful hard-on needed release. He pulled a condom from his pocket and stripped off his shorts and briefs in one fell swoop. He kicked them out of his way. At the same time, he fumbled with the foil packet in anticipation of being intimate with this beautiful woman.

Callie scooted up on the bed, tossing her bra out of the way. She was gorgeous, so perfect. The virginal teenage body he'd lusted after all those years ago had become the body of a sensual woman without inhibitions.

He positioned himself over her spread legs and thrust deep inside her. She brought her knees up to her chest and flattened both palms on his butt. She urged him on until this time they both reached the summit together.

He collapsed on her long enough to catch his breath. Then he rolled onto his back, bringing her with him to cradle her head on his shoulder. She placed her hand on his solid abdomen and bent her leg to rest it on his upper thigh, tightly pressing her still-hot and tempting focus of his desire against his hip.

He turned his head in her direction. “Give me a few minutes,” he mumbled into her hair. “I'm not done living up to your high expectations.”

Her body shook slightly when she giggled.

That was the last thing he remembered until his bladder woke him. The clock on the nightstand said it was almost two. He padded naked to use Callie's bathroom, wondering how prudent it would be to wake her for round two.

She answered the unasked question when he came out of the bathroom to find her snuggled under the sheet. He picked up his shorts, intending to put them on to go down the hall to his own bed so the girls wouldn't wonder where he was when they woke in the morning.

He paused. Maybe he could just lie next to Callie for a few minutes. No, he'd never get up if he got back into her bed. She had a magnetic pull that made it difficult to withdraw.

“Are you going to stand there all night or what?” Callie pulled the sheet back in invitation, giving him an instant hard-on.

He didn't question his next move. He'd brought a second condom for just this situation, and he didn't hesitate to grab it so he could put it to good use.

He climbed into bed and reached for her, but this time she straddled him, taking charge. She slowly and sensually rubbed against his erection, back and forth, back and forth. He grasped her breasts, one in each hand, teasing her hardened nipples with the pads of his thumbs.

She began trembling, so Tyler lifted her hips to slide into her. He groaned at the instant pleasure being inside her produced.

She collapsed onto him, her breasts pressed into his chest. He ran both hands down her shapely back and grabbed her ass, loving the firmness of it as he guided her movements along his insistent shaft until they were both satiated.

A little while later, reluctantly moving a sleeping Callie off him, he got out of bed, pulled on his shorts and gathered his clothes. As he crept quietly down the hall to his room, he couldn't help thinking about how he and Callie had caught Gino sneaking back into his own room after being with Aunt Poppy.

The next morning his phone alarm went off way too early for his liking. As his brain cleared, he remembered it was Tuesday. A workday. Then he recalled why he was so tired. He grinned like a crazy person and looked forward to seeing Callie.

He showered and dressed, whistling as he did so. Something he hadn't done in a very long time. As a single father, enjoying the company of women wasn't something that came easily. And he'd certainly enjoyed Callie's company last night.

Several times.

He grinned, glad he was alone in his bedroom before someone accused him of acting crazy.

Callie's bedroom door was closed. He raised his fist to knock but decided against it. There was no time this morning for what he'd like to do to her.

Practically skipping down the stairs to head to the kitchen, he greeted his daughters and Poppy.

“Aunt Poppy made waffles this morning, Daddy.” Madison lifted a bite to show him before stuffing it into her mouth.

“Looks delicious,” he remarked. “Did you thank Aunt Poppy?”

He grabbed a plate from the counter and helped himself to a waffle in the warmer.

“There's bacon there, too,” Poppy told him from where she sat with the girls at the table.

“Th-thanks,” he said to his aunt, becoming tongue-tied when Callie entered the kitchen.

It was as if she were surrounded by an angelic glow. She couldn't be more beautiful at this moment if she tried. Her blond hair flowed down in waves, nearly covering her perfect breasts that he hadn't been able to get enough of a mere few hours ago. Her white-denim skirt was short but still decent, and her formfitting, bubble-gum-pink top matched the hint of lip color she wore.

“Good morning, Callie.” His body immediately reacted to her. He needed to take control of his brain and think about something other than jumping her bones.

“Good morning.” The edges of her mouth turned up and he saw from the look in her eyes that she was thinking about last night, too.

Thankfully his daughters began chattering to her about breakfast and he just watched, enjoying how the three of them got along.

He ate mindlessly, not even hungry but knowing he needed sustenance to make it to lunchtime. Especially after all the energy he'd expended in Callie's bed.

And as he sat there he decided that lunch with
her
was what he wanted. Her company while they ate, hearing her laugh, watching her tuck her hair behind her ear. He wanted so much more than sex with her.

Their eyes met as she put a bite of food to her mouth. He shot to his feet.

“I have to go.” His panic at his sudden revelation was bound to show but he didn't have the words to explain. “Work,” he said unnecessarily and put his dishes in the dishwasher.

“O-kay,” she said in a questioning tone. Then she paused before slowly adding, “Have a good day.”

“Um, you, too.” He kissed the girls quickly while Aunt Poppy recited their plan to go to a water park that afternoon. “Have fun today.”

As soon as he left the kitchen to head for the front door, he took a deep breath to calm his heart rate.

He had agreed that he and Callie would only have a short-term affair. So now what was he going to do? He hadn't had feelings for a woman since his marriage ended.

And he definitely felt more for Callie than sexual desire.

CHAPTER TWELVE

C
ALLIE
COULDN
'
T
STOP
SMILING
. Even while driving to the Lincoln Hotel, she found people smiling at her because she was grinning uncontrollably.

All because of Tyler.

Their relationship—she had no other word to describe it—had taken a dramatic turn last night, and she didn't regret it for a moment. She'd had doubts beforehand, but now she was sure making that leap to the next level was definitely the way to go.

And she needed to make sure she kept asking him to prove that he could live up to her high expectations. Her face heated at the memory of him doing just that.

Tremendous disappointment didn't come close to what she felt when she'd woken to him gone, but she certainly understood. His girls weren't the best at sleeping through the night and they'd probably panic if they woke up and he wasn't in his own bed.

When she entered the conference room at the hotel, she immediately got to work on the town's financial records. As she went along she began to have questions that needed answers, so she started a list for Tyler to answer or at least to point Callie in the right direction to obtain the answers.

She became so engrossed in what she was doing that it was close to one o'clock when she paused because of hunger pangs. She hadn't heard from Tyler, so she decided to text him to see if he'd eaten or if he wanted her to bring him lunch this time. She would have liked to surprise him, but he could be out on a call and the gesture would be pointless.

His response to her text was:

Thanks for thinking of me. In a meeting, lunch provided. Have a nice dinner with your dad and I'll see you later. ;-)

Callie hoped that winking emoticon meant what she thought it meant. Her pulse sped up and she replied.

Looking forward to it. ;-)

Couldn't be any clearer than that. She needed a repeat performance of last night and wasn't afraid to let him know.

She ran across the street to the deli, bought a salad and brought it back to the hotel to eat while she continued to work. The afternoon flew by and, if not for Gino popping in and prompting her to check the time, she would have been late for dinner with her dad.

After such a good experience the last time she'd gotten together with him, she was much more relaxed when she rang his doorbell.

“Hi, Dad,” she said when he opened the front door. He moved back so she could enter. She gave her dad a hug and glanced around the living room. Her stepmother was nowhere to be seen. “Will Ellen be joining us?” Callie wanted to be prepared.

“No, she's taking a nap. I'll fix her some dinner when she gets up.” Her dad ushered her to the kitchen.

“Oh, okay.” She had no idea how dinner would taste since her father had rarely cooked when she was growing up. Sometimes he would open a can of soup or scramble an egg, but that had been the extent of his culinary skill.

“This looks great,” Callie said, trying not to sound surprised when she saw the lasagna and salad and bread on the small maple kitchen table with mismatched chairs. The table was set with the same inexpensive dishes she remembered, but with even more chips on them now. “When did you learn to cook?”

His color deepened. “I've learned how to make a few more meals out of necessity because of Ellen's health issues.” He lowered his voice as if telling her a secret. “To be honest, I can't take credit for this meal. One of our neighbors made it when she heard you were coming for dinner.”

“Oh! How sweet of her. I'm sure it's delicious.” She sat at the place her dad pointed to, more confident she'd be eating a palatable meal. “I'm glad you've got at least one good neighbor.”

Her dad nodded, fixed two glasses of ice water and took his seat. “It wasn't until Ellen got so bad that the neighbors began coming around to see if we needed anything.”

“You didn't know them before that?” They'd lived in this house since Callie was just over a year old. She knew Ellen had kept a tight rein on the family, making excuses for not attending community activities, but Callie never realized her dad hadn't even known the neighbors.

He shook his head. “Not really. Only to wave hello. Ellen didn't like them much, said they weren't very nice to her, so we didn't go out of our way to spend time with them. And I was gone a lot.” He cut a portion of lasagna and held it up to put on her plate. “Turns out they're pretty nice, after all.”

She offered her plate. “That's good. I'm really glad you have some support.” That wasn't a lie. She suspected her dad had more responsibility than he could handle on his own.

Callie had questions she wanted to ask—questions she'd held on to for so long—but that seemed too serious a subject to broach while eating dinner. Instead she asked, “Does Wendy come by very often?” After all, Ellen was Wendy's mother. Wendy should be taking some responsibility for her. Callie was also interested to know what Wendy's story was. Why was she dressed in dirty and torn clothes and eating free meals at the community center?

Her dad chewed his food slowly as if trying to come up with an answer. Finally he said, “Wendy comes by once in a while. Usually on holidays. I guess the last time was when she stopped by for a few minutes on Mother's Day.”

Callie's eyes widened. “Mother's Day? That was three months ago. You mean she doesn't help out with her own mother?” Callie was flabbergasted.

Dad shrugged. “She's got a lot going on what with that boy of hers and her no-good husband, plus a full-time job.”

Callie nodded, taking in the information.
Not the first time someone's spoken poorly about Wendy's husband.
“So her husband is having problems?”

There was a noise just outside the kitchen and suddenly Ellen was in the doorway, gripping a wooden cane. She wore a sleeveless nightgown that had seen better days, and her feet were bare. Her expression was downright ugly, reminding Callie of her childhood.

Raising the cane threateningly, Ellen yelled, “What do you think you're doing, asking about my daughter's husband?” She ran her forearm over her mouth to wipe it. “That's none of your business, you bitch!”

Callie automatically slid her chair back to face Ellen full-on.

Her dad rose from his seat and stepped toward Ellen. “We were just catching up,” he told her calmly. “Nothing to be upset about. Why don't I bring you some dinner?”

Ellen screamed, “I don't want any stinkin' food that your whore made. I know you've got a thing for that trashy neighbor.”

Callie automatically cowered, feeling like a ten-year-old again.

Ellen continued her rant. “You think I don't know you've been going over there every chance you get?”

“Ellen. You know that's not true.”

Her stepmother glared at Callie. “And you! Trying to snare my daughter's husband, are you?” Her lip curled. “Just like you were in high school. Always stealing her boyfriends.”

Callie had no idea what Ellen was talking about. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

“Nothing to say?” Ellen sneered. “Maybe you need some time alone to come up with a response.”

Callie shuddered, memories of her childhood haunting her. She fisted and relaxed her hands several times, keeping herself calm.

She was a grown woman and Ellen was an invalid. There was no way Ellen could hurt her, either with words or actions. She repeated it silently multiple times.

Ellen suddenly took a few awkward steps to the kitchen table. Her dad reached for Ellen, but he was too late. With unbelievable strength in her current condition, she upended the table. Dishes and food went flying onto the floor, splashing on all three of them.

“Ellen! Calm down!” Her dad's volume rose. He reached for Ellen, but she had already moved the few steps to the kitchen sink. She picked up a glass and threw it at her dad, barely missing him.

“I'm going to call for help.” Callie took a few steps toward the kitchen doorway. She'd left her purse near the front door. She had no idea if they had a landline and now wasn't the time to ask.

“No!” Her dad's voice stopped her midstep. “Don't call anyone. I can handle her.”

“But, Dad—”

“I said no.”

His attention was on Callie, his back to Ellen, who reached back and pulled a large knife from the block on the counter. She raised it over her head, her eyes trained on Callie.

Callie's surprised expression must have served as a warning to her dad. As if in slow motion, he turned to see what Ellen was doing. “Look out!” he yelled to Callie, putting an arm out to block the blow. At the last second, Callie lurched to the side to avoid Ellen.

Due to his effort to protect Callie, her dad lost his balance and teetered to his right, grabbing for a chair to keep himself upright.

Meanwhile, Ellen had apparently expended her meager energy and leaned against the counter, using her cane for support.

Callie needed to do something before her stepmother reenergized.

Keeping an eye on Ellen, she told her dad, “We have to get help. I'll be right back.” She gasped and froze. “You're hurt!” There was a tear in the short sleeve of his gray shirt and blood was beginning to soak it.

Her dad glanced at the arm and said, “I'm fine, just a glancing blow. Why don't you come back another time and let me handle this.”

“There's no way I'm leaving you alone with her.”

Ellen turned her head to glare at Callie. Her expression was one Callie was extremely familiar with. One she knew forecast what was to come. Ellen's physical and verbal attack wasn't over. She still held the knife at her side.

“Keep an eye on her and stay back,” Callie told her dad while backing into the doorway. “She still has the knife.”

“She's going to put it down,” her dad said calmly, keeping eye contact with her stepmother. “Aren't you, Ellen?”

Her stepmother sneered and echoed his question in a singsong tone. “Aren't you, Ellen?”

Callie ran to the front door, grabbed her purse and dumped it on the floor to get to her phone. She hurried back to right outside the kitchen while at the same time punching in 9-1-1. She could hear what was going on in the kitchen without her stepmother seeing Callie.

A female dispatcher answered on the second ring. “Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?”

Callie slowed her breathing and kept her voice low. “We need help. My stepmother is having some kind of psychotic episode. She's wielding a knife and she cut my father. Please send help to 438 Oleander Drive.”

Callie heard a series of clicks on the line and then the dispatcher spoke again. “Help is on the way. Please stay on the line and tell me what's happening. How bad is your dad's cut? Is he conscious?”

“Yes, he's conscious. He was cut on the upper arm, but I don't know how bad it is. His sleeve was sliced and blood is soaking it.” Callie's heart raced. Not a life-and-death injury—yet. “My dad's trying to get my stepmother to give up the knife, but she's not cooperating.”

The 9-1-1 operator said, “Can you ask your dad to step back and wait for help to arrive?”

“I tried, but he didn't even want me to call you.” She heard yelling in the kitchen. “Please hurry.” She peeked around the corner to see her dad and stepmother on opposite sides of the room.

“We have a squad car less than a minute away,” the dispatcher told her.

Police. She leaned back against the wall outside the kitchen and prayed that one of Tyler's officers would arrive and not Tyler himself. She didn't want him to observe this unpleasant side of her family. He'd inadvertently witnessed that incident between Callie and her stepmother when they were teenagers. Once was enough.

Just when she was beginning to feel welcomed back into the community, Ellen had to ruin it. As soon as the news got out about tonight, Callie would become a pariah once again.

There was a sudden loud crash, followed by a thud from around the corner in the kitchen. She immediately went on high alert and peered around the corner to see what had happened, berating herself for her concern about what others would think of her.

“Dad!” He was on the floor, facedown, and the toaster was next to his head. Ellen was nowhere to be found, but the kitchen door that led to the backyard was wide open.

Callie ran over to her dad, her phone in one hand, and she checked for a pulse at his neck with the other. His chest expanded and she let out a sigh. He was so still, but alive. Right now he was only unconscious.

“My dad's unconscious but breathing,” she told the 911 operator.

“It shouldn't be long now,” the woman said calmly.

Sirens screamed as help was on its way “I can hear the ambulance now,” she said into the phone.

“It's okay, Daddy,” she whispered close to his ear, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. “Help is coming.”

* * *

T
YLER
SLAMMED
ON
his brakes and his truck screeched to a halt in front of the Jameses' house. Driving to Aunt Poppy's for dinner, he'd heard the address come over the radio and recognized it immediately. He also knew Callie was probably still there. So he'd slapped his flashing light on his truck's dashboard and sped to the scene.

The engine barely stopped before he was out of the vehicle and booking it to the front door. The sirens from an ambulance and a patrol car were getting closer. He couldn't wait for backup. He needed to make sure Callie was okay.

His baton and Taser were secured on his belt and his gun was holstered. He hoped they wouldn't be needed.

He got to the front door and pounded. “Police!” The door opened immediately.

His stomach lurched when he saw Callie.

“You're bleeding,” he said.