Stella"I'm here!" I yell as I throw my stuff down on my parents' couch. Even in my mid-twenties, that hasn't changed. It's what I did when I came home from school every day – kindergarten through twelfth grade – and what I do now every time I walk in."I love to hear those words out of your mouth every time you walk in," Mom says as she comes out of the kitchen, holding her arms open for me. "Since both you and Nick moved out, it's lonely around here.""No Mom, that's why Dad's here," I remind her."He's been working crazy hours lately with the implementation of what they hope will be the Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team. I've been hanging out with the girls, but I do miss you." She holds me tightly.I'm reminded that my mom is older, that even though she's in great shape, doesn't look like she's in her sixties, and still keeps a routine like someone thirty years younger than her, she's aging. I need to make time to spend with her. "I miss you too, things have just bee
StellaI'm nervous as Dad clears the table of the dinner dishes. My hands actually shake as I smooth the skirt of the dress I wear over my thighs. "Do we want some dessert?" I ask with what I know is more exuberance than is needed. "I got a chocolate cake at The Café today," Mom says from where she sits."Great, I'll make some coffee to go with it."The thing is, I need something to do with my hands, need something to keep me from blubbering like an idiot. If someone were to ask me why I'm so nervous, I can't really say. It just feels as if a big part of my life hangs in the balance of this outcome. "You don't have to be nervous," Dad tells me as he loads the dishwasher and I start the coffee pot."I shouldn't even be." I shake my head as I open the cake container, cutting us all pieces. "It means a lot to you." He finishes the dishwasher, before coming over to stand next to me. He leans with his back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. "The things t
RansomThirty more minutes into this twelve-hour shift and I get to go home and see Stelle. Menace and I are making one last lap around town, before Nick comes on to relieve me, when I get behind a vehicle with expired tags. It's such a small mistake, most of the time it's because people either don't have the money to get it done, or they just overlook it. Most law enforcement will tell you though, this is how you sometimes catch the worst criminals. "You gonna stop him?" Menace asks as I see the expired date.It's my call and I'm completely aware of that. Even though Menace is my superior he will totally respect my decision. Something in my gut tells me to pull this car over, and I've always trusted my gut. Keying my radio, I give dispatch the plate number, let them know there are three occupants, and wait to see if anything comes back on the plate."Ransom, the car isn't reported as stolen, but the owner of this vehicle is showing a suspended license out of Birmingham and ha
StellaThis kiss is everything a kiss should be. Passionate, sweet, tingle-inducing. The sweep of his tongue against mine is enough to make me wet. He owns me without words. The pressure of his lips against mine, the feel of his body spreading my thighs, his fingers denting my flesh. Ransom Thompson owns me, and when he breaks the kiss, I'm panting, fisting his hair in between my fingers, grinding against him as I rest my back against the wall."Damn, Stelle." The deep timbre of his voice washes over me like a wave crashing against the shore, leaving the bubbles in the sand behind as it rolls back out. Goosebumps appear all over my skin, causing my nipples to peak, and a shiver to run completely through my body as I listen to that kiss-drunk voice of his. "I've wanted that kiss all day.""Me too, handsome, me too."His hands travel further around my thighs, holding on tightly as he turns us from the wall. "As badly as I want you right now, I really need a damn shower. I've been
Stella"Looks like you had a good night."A smile spreads across my face as I hear the voice behind me in the line at the Quick Mart. I left Ransom's with just enough time to grab some coffee and still be able to make it to the office on time. Taking a drink, I hope it cures some of the exhaustion I feel, thanks to my late night. Truth is, I wouldn't change it. It was hard leaving Ransom this morning. But it'll be worth it to see the guy behind me. Turning, I face my brother, Nick.What's weird is I never thought I'd have a brother. My parents were happy with me, and then having tried for years afterward, were content with me being an only child. Until, fate intervened, like it seems to do with the Keplers. I can still remember the day he came to live with us. He was so quiet, scared of everything, and called Dad, Sir. It took him months to get comfortable, but we never gave up. I can still remember the night Dad came home from his shift, him quietly telling Mom and me about t
Ransom"Wanna tell me why you wanted to hang tonight?" I ask Nick as we sit in the backyard, watching some brush I've removed from my fence-line burn. We're both nursing beers, but he hasn't been talking much. If I don't move it along, we may here until the sun comes up, and I may never figure out what the fuck is going on in his head. "Not that I mind, but it sounded urgent, and now that you're here, you haven't said ten words."Looking over, I watch as he drains his beer, crushes the can, and throws it in the fire. It's obvious he's conflicted, but he's not ready to talk about it yet. He cracks open another beer and has a seat next to me, letting his arms dangle between his legs. He sighs deeply, running a hand over his jaw. He hasn't shaved, which is unlike him. He isn't like me, a little lazy most of the week; he's more on the clean-shaven side. That is enough to worry me slightly about what is bothering him. "Kels made a move on me last night," he finally speaks, almost low
StellaR: What are you up to on this lovely day.Glancing out the window of the clinic, I have to laugh. It's been raining for the past two days, which has made it difficult for us to see each other. More wrecks means more hours, which means my man has been pulling some overtime, and that's drastically cut into my staying over. Even when he comes home it's very late, and both of us do need our sleep sometimes.S: Finishing up some reports I have to do, then I'm heading to pick up Molly and Levi for Kels. R: Are you watching those little hellraisers?S: LOL! No. I'm taking them over to the school for Ruby. I guess Caleb's working, and she's going to start packing on her room today. According to Kels the transition of the jobs can't come fast enough.R: Yeah, I had lunch with Caleb this afternoon, and he seems pretty excited about the possibilities this will open up for them as a family. It's gotta be hard.S: Being with people is hard, throwing in responsibilities makes i
StellaI'm playing with the paper of my straw wrapper as I wait for Nick to meet me at The Café. Miracle of all miracles we've made time for one another, just like we said we would. A week later than originally planned, but better late than never. He's running late, which isn't unusual for when we meet each other like this. He knows I'll wait, and I know I'll be waiting. It's our own little thing.Leigh comes over to the booth I'm sitting in, and I can't help but notice how Ransom has her smile. "Hey Stella, how's it going?""Not bad," I answer, nervously rubbing on the pearl studs in my ears. For some reason, I think this woman should be able to tell I've been sleeping with her son. "Just been busy. I'm going back to school," I announce to her, an edge of excitement in my voice.There had been a late drop out in the nursing program, and because my family is well-connected in the community, and Aunt Blaze is who she is, some strings had been pulled and I'd been accepted. "I
MenacePresent TimeIt's been a hell of a day. One where I got here late in the afternoon because I had meetings. Something I've learned since taking this position a few months ago is that it's mostly meetings. It's keeping people happy and kissing a lot of ass. My legs ache to get back out on the street, to do a couple laps around downtown, or to drive a car fast. To chase a speeder with the lights bright and the siren blaring. I miss it more than I thought I would. It's close to midnight and I know Rina will be wondering where the hell I am, but I wanted to get a look at what went on today by reading the reports of the officers. This is something I do everyday so I can try to gauge how my officers are doing. It's important for me to know if there's an issue in town. If someone is a nuisance, do we need to step up patrols in certain areas? Community policing is the name of my game and I take it seriously. Reading the last report, submitted by Caleb
ArcherA Year And A Half LaterNerves make circles in my stomach as I stand outside of Laurel Springs Medical waiting for Alisa to come out. She doesn't know I'm here and, the truth is, I didn't know I was going to be either. I've been carrying this ring around in my pocket for the last year and a half of the two years we've been together. Waiting. For what, I'm not sure. The right time? The perfect moment? We live together. I could've done it a million times, but there's something different about these stars against the inky blackness of the sky. They aren't crazy bright, but they aren't muted either. They're sparkling. The perfect backdrop to the plan I have. Tonight, as I helped a woman leave a dangerous domestic violence situation, I realized I'm wasting precious and valuable time. Even after dealing with Calvert County, it didn't hit me that seconds are to be treated with the same reverence as the big events in life. Lo
Alisa"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" "Yes." I nod as I sit before the grand jury to give my testimony about what happened with Officer Fugate. "Please tell us when you first met him," the attorney instructs. Archer is sitting in the back row, all hot in his uniform. I don't know how he managed to be here, but he has and it's one of the sweetest things he's done for me. I'm not sure I could be doing this without his dark eyes staring back at me. "I met him when he brought a suspect into the ER. It was obvious that man had been beaten badly and it didn't happen only once. After that day, it happened on a regular basis…"ArcherUshering Lis into the station is like sending a babe into the belly of the beast. She's never been here before, doesn't know how things work, and could honestly be scared, given everything she's dealt with. I'd like to kill Officer Fugate with my own two hands.
ArcherIt's a gully washer tonight, as my instructor at the Academy always said when it rained hard. Visibility fucking sucks and I've worked more accidents tonight than I have in the previous three months. It's as if when it rains, no one can remember how to drive. It's hard to even see out of my windshield but, as I pass one of the abandoned gas stations on the outskirts of town, I see another cop stopped.They're an eyesore and, at the next city planning meeting, there's going to be a vote on demolishing them. They're a breeding ground for drug use and criminals. We've put up cameras to show what happens at night when there aren't patrols going back and forth. Since it's raining and dark, I figure I'll hit them, just to make sure nothing's going on that shouldn't be.As I round the corner. I'm surprised as fuck to see Alisa's car parked next to a Calvert County patrol SUV. She's kneeling in front of a cop who has a taser pointed at her. My heart gallops in my chest as I wonder
Archer"Chief Harrison wants to see you," Tank tells me as I make my way into the squad room. I have no idea what I've done and am immediately questioning what the hell is going on. I try to do everything by the book and I can't remember anything I might've done that was untoward. My stomach rolls as I head toward his office. I've never been called before him before and, truth be told, I never wanted to be. When I reach the door, I knock with a double tap. "C'mon in." Opening it enough so that I can sneak my head in, I glance at the Chief. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" "Yeah, come in and have a seat. There's a few things we need to discuss." I don't like the sound of this shit at all. Going in, I have a seat in the chair facing his desk and prepare to get my ass handed to me. "Officer Fugate has made a complaint and I'm bound by state laws to investigate those complaints." "I told you what happened," I defend myself. "He'
Alisa"Thank you for coming tonight," he says as we enter my apartment. "You don't have to thank me. You've saved me more times than I can count." I grin, taking my jacket off. "Come sit over here on the couch with me. You look a little stressed." "They do that to me." He waves his hand toward the street where his parents have just left. "They always make me feel like I'm not good enough, as if I should've done something different with my life." "I know how that feels." I beckon him over with a crook of my finger. "Let me take care of this tension for you, Archie. Let me show you what the fuck your parents are missing." Something about the way they don't appreciate their son has me wanting to show him just how much I do. How important he is to my life. One of the ways I can think of showing him is with my body. Fuck if that isn't exciting. Reaching for my shirt, I pull it over my head, motioning for him to do the same. In a lazy game o
ArcherI'm heading into the squad room at the station to pick up some supplies when the phone in my pocket rings loudly. There aren't many people I have set ringtones for, but this one? I hate when it rings. It's my parents. Not wanting to make whichever one this is wait, I hurriedly answer. It's always struck me as odd. They were so quick to get me out of their lives, yet they do everything together, including share a fucking cell phone. That's right, they share this phone, which means I never know who I'm going to talk to when I put it to my ear. Talk about a surprise every time I answer. "Hello?" I wait for the response. It's always delayed as if they're on some far away phone line. "Archer, it's Dad." No fucking shit. "Hey Dad," I answer, wondering if he'll continue on or if I'll have to pull the words from him like teeth. "What's going on?" "Your mom and I will be in Laurel Springs tonight. We'd like to have dinner w
AlisaHis body over mine is equal parts hot and hard in all the right places. Our naked skin slides together as he leans down to take the tight bud of my nipple in his mouth. "Yes." I tilt my head back against the pillows, allowing him full reign over my body. "Please don't stop," I beg as I rake my hands over his strong back before digging my fingers into the hair on his head. "Never gonna stop," he promises as he sucks at the prominent tip, before letting it go and moving further down. I'm still unsure of how we got our clothes off. All I know is they're in a pile next to the bed. He moves down my body, kissing my stomach before he drops onto his knees and pulls me to the edge. Separating my thighs, he props them up on his shoulders, gazing up at me with those dark eyes before he dips down. His warm mouth covers my pussy, going straight for my clit and lapping against the trembling flesh. "Archer," I moan, lifting my hips to meet his mouth. "It's been so fucki
Archer "Look guy." I hope me using that term pisses him off. "This isn't even your jurisdiction. What the fuck right did you have to pull her over?" "It's Officer Fugate," he corrects me, before continuing on. "She failed to signal a turn." I'm real annoyed. "You got that on your dash cam?" I point to where his camera is mounted on the dash. "It wasn't on." He shrugs. "How fucking convenient for you." I smirk, shaking my head. "It's something the garage knows about, but the budget is lean over in Calvert County." He eyes me. My gaze is on Alisa who's sitting in her car with her hands locked around her steering wheel. She's white-knuckling as he and I stand out here, yelling at one another. "I'm not allowing you to ticket her without proof. Did you radio it in?" His cheeks go red, which tells me all I need to know. "You son of a bitch. You think you can intimidate her? Officers like you give the rest of us a bad name." Going in