“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she teases.
“If it’s anything like the dreams I’ve been having about you, then I think we need to change the subject, and fast.”
Her giggles have me twitching inside my shorts, and gasping when she rubs against me. “Behave,” I hiss between clenched teeth.
“Talk to me, Jace.” She takes my hand and, kissing my knuckles, entwines her fingers with mine.
“What do you want to talk about?” I could look at her forever and never get bored with the view.
“You. I want to know about Jace Stone. Tell me anything that pops into your head.”
I’ve never been good at talking about myself, but I’m sure I can drag something up so I don’t look like a total moron.
“Hmm, well, I joined the academy fresh out of college. It’s all I ever wanted to do.” I smile. “As a kid, I’d arrest Ryder. My poor brother spent most of his time in a makeshift jail… At the academy,” I get back on track, “I excelled at police work, and eventually I started to work my way up the ranks. It wasn’t long after that I took my detective exams.”
I have her undivided attention, and find I want to tell her everything. Well, I’d rather leave the bitch out of it, but I can’t if we’re going to move forward together.
“Just after my exams, I started dating someone, and eventually, it became serious. I’m not sure it would have lasted regardless of me losing my lower leg, but she was familiar and I’d had enough of one-night stands. Really, I’d wanted to settle down and she was just there. God, how wrong I was. When she left, I was angry and pissed because of how I was. I couldn’t fight. But eventually I realized that she actually did me a favor because I didn’t wa
nt to fight to keep her. I was relieved she’d left.” I kiss her fingers before placing them back on her chest. “I was pissed at the whole world at the time and I let it fester until I couldn’t take it anymore. I dimmed it with booze, and I mean a lot of alcohol. I’m not proud of that part of my life, but it happened and it’s part of my past.”
“You’re amazing, Jace. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. What you’ve overcome since losing part of your leg is overwhelming, but you’re now on the right track.” She smiles. “But I’m here to help and support you, I hope you realize that.”
I nod, not trusting my voice.
After a few minutes of silence, I ask, “How much do you know behind me losing my lower leg?’
“Just that you were injured in the line of duty, and that it was bad enough that they had to remove what they did…” She pauses for a moment as though she’s collecting her thoughts. “My uncle protects his friends, and although I was in college at the time, I remember how distraught he was over what happened to you. He never went into detail, and you don’t have to if it causes you pain to remember…but if you want to talk, about anything, then I’m here and I’ll always listen to you.”
She has me swallowing back my emotion. We’ve known each other over twelve months, but only recently spent time together away from the field, yet I feel as though I’ve known her for years and that she’s my life. That makes no sense.
Deciding to finish my whole story so that we can have it over and done with, I continue, “I was so damn proud to receive my detective shield, and then in a blink of an eye, it was all taken away…because I resigned. I didn’t want to go on.” I sigh, heavily. “I was chasing down a punk who’d gunned down two officers outside the convenience store he’d just tried to rob. I chased him while all hell was breaking loose, and eventually had him cornered. He’d taken cover behind a parked car, so I did the same. Within seconds, I felt a searing pain in my ankle. Turns out that four high caliber bullets had ripped my ankle and lower leg to shreds. I don’t remember much else about that night other than your uncle being there. I do remember him holding me, begging me to stay with him.” My voice is hoarse now that I’ve finished talking, but I’m glad it’s all out in the open between us.
Looking down, Savannah breaks my heart. Tears are flowing from her eyes and into her hair. I cup her face with both my hands and try to stem the flow. “Baby, please don’t cry over me. I’m okay.”
“I can’t help it.” Her voice breaks.
Moving into a sitting position, she straddles my thighs and wraps her arms around my neck.
I do the only thing I can and hold her against me. She’s the only woman I’ve openly told about the shooting, and having her holding me in her arms feels amazing. It feels as though she’s trying to take away all my past pain, as though she wants to make it better for me.
In a million years, I never expected to have what Savannah is offering, and I intend to hold on to that and never let her go. There’s only one Savannah and she’s mine.
Savannah
Wrapped around Jace, all I can think about is easing his pain. I don’t for one minute believe that it was easy for him to get to where he is today, and I’m guessing a large part of his rehabilitation had to do with the love and support of his family, especially his brother.
I’d love five minutes with his ex to tell her exactly what I think about her, the bitch. How can someone treat another human being like that, especially someone she’s spent personal time with?
While I’m holding him tightly against me, it also gives me time to get my emotions in check. He’ll know that lots of tears have fallen because they’ve soaked into his shirt, but now that they’re drying up, I feel brave enough to face him again.
Pulling slightly back, I grab a Kleenex from my purse. Wiping my face, I move in and kiss his waiting lips. It’s a gentle kiss to let him know I’m here with him. “Thank you,” I whisper against his lips, “for telling me.” I kiss him again, and sigh heavily when he pulls me back against his chest.
“There’s something about you that makes me want to talk.” He offers an embarrassed laugh. “I’ve never been so open with anyone before…There’s still a lot of shit that goes into my recovery and even now, I sometimes have to fight to stay in the life I have and not go back to the time when my life went to hell.”
“Oh, Jace,” I cup his face, “your life isn’t hell, at least, not anymore. You’re never going to go back to how you were before because you’re a lot stronger, emotionally now…and I’m not going to let you. I know your brother will be there to support you as well. Don’t ever think that you’re alone.”
I smile through even more tears, and after a quick kiss, I tell him, “You know, I think we met when I was in pigtails.”