I blinked.
Then I stepped forward until my mouth was next to her ear, and my body was pressed up against hers.
“Let’s not mention taking a hit out on her in front of six cops…okay?” I whispered softly.
She sniffed delicately, but made no promises, and it was all that I had not to start kissing her again.
God, that woman had my heart.
“That true?” Downy asked loudly.
I turned to find him on one knee in the dirt beside Corrinne, looking into her eyes.
Luke, Nico, Foster, Miller, Michael, Paxton, and Bob, Lennox’s next door neighbor, whom I’d met a few days prior, were all standing around in a half arc at Downy’s back.
“Stupid bitch is just like his bitch sister. They both stole my boyfriends from me. I couldn’t get to the sister, but I sure could get to this one,” she hissed.
My eyes narrowed, and I’d taken two steps towards Corrinne’s direction when a delicate hand grabbed onto my fingers and started to pull me back.
It wasn’t enough to make me actually stop physically, but it was enough, mentally, to make me think again.
Which was also enough to stop my feet from moving forward.
“Get her out of here,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ll be walking back to the bar to change out my tire, and I’ll meet y’all there.”
That last part was said as I looked at Lennox, and her eyes were downcast.
“I’m so sorry,” she breathed. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
I snorted. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll be fine.”
And it would be.
I’d make fucking sure of it.Chapter 14Police officers give more than just tickets. Sometimes they give shit’s, too.
-T-shirt
Bennett
“What happened?” Lennox asked as I slid into bed beside her.
Instead of answering, I rolled into her, giving her a hot, wet kiss before I rubbed the tip of my nose along the bridge of hers.
“We took her in. Questioned her. The only thing we were able to get her on was a violation of her restraining order. She’ll serve a maximum of twenty days in jail and/or have a fine of two thousand dollars. That’s the worst of it, too. She could get off scott free, which is more than likely since it’s her first offense,” I explained, blinking when she turned the light on to look at me.
My breath caught as I caught sight of what she was wearing.
One of my SWAT shirts.
The one I’d given her to wear when she’d stayed the night at my place a week ago.
It swamped her five foot two frame, hanging off one shoulder and covering her all the way to her thighs.
“What happened to all the times she vandalized my property?” She asked, hurt evident in her voice.
I smiled at her sadly.
“Circumstantial. He says she says. It can’t be proven,” I explained.
She frowned and looked down at her hands. “She won’t stop. It’s going to keep happening. Had I not walked home today, I would’ve never known.”
I leaned forward and pulled her into my arms, grabbing her wrist and wrapping my hands around her back.
“I’ll find something. After the week she’s given me, she’s going down. Had I put two and two together sooner, I would’ve figured something out to make sure she wasn’t able to do it anymore. I can’t believe I hadn’t realized that was her fucking married name. How stupid can I be?” I growled against her neck.
Closing my eyes, I breathed deep, taking in the smell of her hair, and the sweet scent of her lotion.
Then I noted her stillness.
Leaning back, I looked at her.
Her eyes were wide, and lips tight.
“What?” I asked.
“You never told me she made your last week horrible,” she whispered softly.
I winced.
“Yeah, apparently the state finally collected on some back child support as a result of some state sweep that collected money from over a hundred and fifty thousand back child support parents. Corrinne being one of them,” I cleared my throat. “When I wouldn’t put the money back into her account immediately, she told me I’d be sorry. And I sure as fuck was.”
“What’d she do?” She whispered, leaning forward until her forehead was pressed against mine.
“She filed for partial custody, and the judge that’s overseeing it expedited it. I’ll have to see her in court next week to discuss it,” I explained.
My head was pounding, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Wrap my arms around her, and sleep for a solid twelve hours.
Which wouldn’t happen since I had to go pick Reagan up at her friend’s house by nine in the morning, and have her at her softball game by nine forty five.
And seeing as it was nearly two, I didn’t have high hopes of getting twelve hours.
“Bennett?” Lennox asked softly into the dark.
I turned my head until I was facing her.
My beard tickled her mouth and chin as we came face to face, mouth to mouth.
“Yeah, Nox?” I whispered tiredly.
“I fucking love you,” she whispered fiercely.
I blinked, all tiredness leaving my pores as I said, “What?”
“You heard me, you big bastard. You made me fucking love you,” she spat.
I laughed.
She sounded so irritated by the fact that I had no other recourse but to laugh.
“You don’t have to sound so outraged by it,” I laughed.
She made a sound in the back of her throat, then threw herself at me.
I landed on my back, and laughed, pulling her until she was straddling my body.
Her sweet ass was pressed against my hips, and my cock, which was more than a little out of control, was pillowed in between the cheeks.
She leaned down, pressing her mouth against mine.
“If you break me, I’ll never let you forget it,” she whispered.
Suddenly serious, I moved my hands up her arms, past her neck, and up to her head.
Cupping it with both hands, I did a half curl until I was mouth to mouth with her once again.
“I’ll never let anything hurt you. I can’t see the future. I can’t tell you how tomorrow will look for us. All I can tell you is that I’ll never treat you with anything but respect. I’ll never let you down, and I’ll never be unfaithful. If we are happy, then I’ll be here. But if it does go bad, which I don’t see happening, then I’ll leave you with a piece of me. You’ll forever have me. My support. My caring. And I want the same promise from you. Because Reagan loves you already. She asks about you every day. And I want her to know you without you holding back. You’re mine, and I’m yours until we both decide differently. I’ll never leave you without talking it out with you first. We’ll both have to be on the same page. But honey,” I said, a promise in my voice. “I don’t see this going bad, because I fucking love you, too.”