Chapter TwoHe whirled around quickly, his expression one of anger. “That shit isn’t funny, Sera.”She blinked. “It’s not supposed to be.”There was a white line around his lips as he loomed over her. “You don’t say stuff like that. Not everyone will take it as a joke.”“It’s not a joke,” she said in a steady voice, though she trembled with a hint of fear. Not because she thought Jack would hurt her, but because there was a tangible tension in the air. A harbinger of something to come…something she was sure she wanted, but was still slightly afraid of just the same.Jack bent over her until their faces were only inches apart. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but don’t push me, Sera. I suppose you’ve heard the rumors and decided to have a bit of fun, but I’m not amused, and I won’t tolerate this. I will put you over my knee and paddle you like the brat you’re being if you keep this up.”Her body jolted at the mental image of being over his knee, but curiosity won over th
BABY FOR THE DEPUTYChapter OneJulie pushed her way through the crowd of partiers fleeing the underage drinking party hosted by Benji Shultz. She hoped he didn’t get in too much trouble with the cops and his folks, but she was more worried about her best friend. She and Sera had gotten separated shortly after their arrival at the party. She’d allowed Eric Foster to drag her off to a darkened corner for a lot of flirting and a little touching, and Sera had drifted away.Cutting through the woods proved to be a smart move, as she managed to avoid the milling deputies. Her heart thudded with dread at the idea of running into her father, who would be Sheriff Robinson in those circumstances, not Dad. With only a few scratches from low-lying branches and moderately tangled spots in her brown hair, she emerged onto the county road a few minutes later.Biting her lip and wondering what she should do about Sera, she approached her car. It was on the side of the road where she had parked it, a
Chapter TwoThe rain drenched them in the few seconds it took to exit his patrol car and run to the shelter of his roof. Despite it being midsummer, it was the cold kind of rain that chilled while soaking, and she was shivering by the time he opened his door to let her in first.Despite being best friends with Sera since they were four and had met at the same preschool, she had never been inside Derek’s house. It was on the same property as his parents’, but they weren’t close enough for him to invite her over, or for her to feel brave enough to just stop by.Tonight was different, and she felt welcome. No, eagerly wanted, as he stepped into the house behind her and closed the door with a quiet click before coming to stand so close behind her that some of his body heat took the edge off her chill. She kicked off her platform sandals beside his practical black oxfords. Hand-in-hand, they dashed across the gleaming black hardwood floor of the living room and down the hallway to the seco
Chapter ThreeThe blinding sun streaming through the opened curtains woke her, and she groaned. Derek stirred beside her, and she turned her head to look at him and avoid the sunlight. “Good morning,” she whispered, feeling ridiculously shy considering what they had shared.“Hey.” He leaned over to kiss her near the mouth.Disregarding morning breath, she changed the angle and captured his mouth for a long kiss. Their movements became more amorous, and soon they were on the threshold of making love again. He reached into his bedside drawer to pull out a condom.Julie intercepted his hand, taking it from him and tossing it back in the direction of the nightstand. “We don’t need that.”He arched a brow. “Are you sure? We already took a risk last night.”“What’s the worst that could happen?” She winked. “I might get pregnant, which would curtail my sluttish ways.”Derek groaned. “Am I ever going to live down that assumption?”“No.” She rolled her hips to encourage him to sink inside her.
EpilogueTwenty-One Months LaterIt was a madhouse of relatives, friends, and toddlers as their daughters celebrated their first birthdays. Sera and Julie had delivered a day apart, but they had shared a due date. Jordan and Lola had almost shared a birthday, and they had made a joke that their next children would accomplish that goal. Since it was shortly after witnessing the graphic miracle of childbirth, their husbands had looked a little pale at the thought of having more already, and the two women had shared a laugh at their expense.Now, they shared a hug as they watched their daughters experimenting with their first tastes of chocolate cake from their small birthday cakes in front of them. Their actual birthdays had been one and two days ago, with Julie’s little girl turning one first, but it had been natural to combine the parties, since they shared so much else.“They’re getting so big,” said Sera, eyeing Jordan, who had Jack and Julie’s brown eyes.“They sure are. It really
Prologue“I’m glad it’s finally over.” Ryan Davis tossed the shirt he’d just unbuttoned and removed into his locker.Shane Nolan grinned despite his weariness. “Really? You were involved for like three days, man. You had to do some arresting, but you weren’t undercover.”The younger cop glared at him. “It was still stressful.” His expression softened. “I’ll concede you and Sean had the worst of it though.”“No argument there,” said Sheriff Robinson. Jack, Shane reminded himself. Jack was only a few years older than him, but he had an authoritative presence that made it difficult to think of him as just Jack.“It couldn’t have been easy to let the bust happen in your town,” said Sean, Shane’s twin brother and fellow cop.“Definitely not. Jack was chomping at the bit to bust them up weeks ago.” That contribution came from Derek Reynolds, Jack’s deputy. “It’s been hard keeping this a secret from my family too. Sera asked several times where I’m sneaking off to, as though I’m not wearing
Baby For The OfficerTears streamed from Chloe’s eyes, and she fumbled for a tissue. A minute later, the sight of flashing lights in her rearview mirror had her cursing and slamming her fist on the steering wheel. Just what she needed on top of what she’d already endured. Sniffing and swiping her face with the tissue, she reached above the visor for the registration and insurance card.The blazing orange sky as sunset approached was enough to obscure the officer’s features when he reached her window, giving him an angelic halo. She only hoped he was feeling beneficent enough to skip giving her a citation. “Hello,” she said with a sniffle, dabbing at her face.“Do you know why I pulled you over, ma’am?”She shivered just a touch at his voice, thinking it was combination of soothing and rough…and strangely familiar. She shook her head and brushed impatiently at the strands clinging to her wet cheeks.“You ran right through a four-way stop back there.”“Oh.” She sniffed again. “I’m sorry
Chapter TwoChloe was halfway through the living room with two bags of groceries before she realized the lights were on and dimmed to provide a hazy glow accentuated by candles. The meager illumination allowed her to see a trail of rose petals that led from the living room down the hallway. Her first thought was crazily random—it was going to be a pain to clean up those petals from the carpet.Her second thought was more coherent and a lot more terrifying. Someone had broken into her house to set up this scene. Her heart plummeted into her stomach as she dropped her grocery bags to fumble for her cell phone. Her hands trembled as she dialed nine-one-one, her thoughts squarely on her baby.The operator answered on the first ring. “Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”“Someone has broken into my apartment.”“Are they still there?”She looked up as a solid form entered the living room, drawing to a halt. Barely biting back a panicked scream, she said, “Yes, the intruder is still here.”