Merry with a Lawman (Love Beach, Holiday Collection)

17. Friends Eve

SEVENTEEN

FRIENDS EVE

DAVIS

My alarm goes off and I want to throw it against the wall. I’m facing a double shift. I always take the night shift of Christmas Eve, and work right into the shift on Christmas Day so the married officers can enjoy time with their families. But I don’t know. Sleeping with Belle in my arms in my bed, I’m not in a hurry to get to work today.

Since I realized what she means to me, things have rapidly changed. No longer confined by hiding us, the freedom to pursue her has unleashed something inside of me, and he’s no monster, like I feared. I’ve never had more fun. Picking out that sexy lingerie and surprising her with an intimate night at a luxury hotel in Charleston complete with a bubble bath for two and champagne, for starters. I have a few more surprises planned for later on Christmas Day, too.

It’s possible I’m good at being a boyfriend. Better than I thought I’d be.

“Mm,” she stirs, the flashing lights from the miniature tree she brought over providing a glow around her as she rests her head on my bicep. She said I needed some holiday cheer around here and we spent last night decorating. To me, her being here in my private place is all the decoration I need.

“Happy Christmas Eve morning, Bells. My Belle.” I kiss her and once I start I can’t stop. We heat up quickly, as we always do, and soon she’s straddling on top of me.

“Since we won’t be able to wake up in each other’s arms Christmas morning, let me give you one of your presents now.” She pulls my Love Beach Police Department t-shirt over her head, shocking my eyes by revealing an emerald green lacy bodysuit, crotchless.

“Whoa. Trying to give me a heart attack before work? You’re so fucking beautiful, Bells.” I never want to miss an opportunity to tell her that; I’ve missed too much. My hands caress up and down her sides, taking her in, memorizing how well this color goes with her skin, hair, and adds sparkles to her eyes.

“And you’re my handsome lawman. With a nice big cock waking up down there.”

“Yeah. He’s got a present for you, too.” The corner of my mouth lifts up, then I turn to putty as she slides her tight pussy on me. There’s nothing more exquisite than Belle taking liberties with my cock. The perfect way to start my day.

***

Our friends come over for lunch, each bringing a dish, and we spend the afternoon being merry. This is actually nice, all of us together.

Even Jackson and Gigi seem to be getting along, or at least tolerating each other. He sure likes to tease her, but today she’s taking it all with a grain of salt and laughter.

Beau and Addie entertain us with stories about the people they’ve met and things they’ve had to do in their parenting education classes. I draw the line when they start talking about the childbirth movie they had to watch, although I did have to deliver a baby once years ago when I pulled over a speeding car to find a woman in active labor. The miracle of life was amazing and all, but I gladly handed over that swaddled baby as fast as I could.

It seems like every chance Beau gets, his arms are around Addie or his hand on her belly, like the protective mate he’s become. I know I don’t have to worry about her anymore, now with him in her life.

It’s a little daunting to think of being an uncle soon, and holding a little bugger in my hands that they’ve created. I can see Belle eyeing them as well, but she hasn’t yet brought up kids. Good thing, because I’m just coming to terms with being her boyfriend. But I know at some point she’ll want to talk about it. That gives me plenty of time to figure out if I can handle family and fatherhood.

I’m half hoping to put it off a while if she gets me a dog for Christmas. We’d be good dog parents, I think. I’ve been hinting, but I don’t know if she’s taking the bait.

Tomorrow after my double shift is over, I’ll have Belle all to myself. But first, she and Gigi will spend Christmas morning with their dad. Beau, Addie, and Jackson will spend it with the Alexanders; their grandmother and grandfather will always be family to me. I’ll bring Belle over at some point in the new year to spend time with them. They’ve met her before since we’ve been friends forever, but now, things have changed, and I’d like them to get to know her as some more special to me now.

For the first time since my accident, everything feels right. Like this could be the start of a really blissful period of my life. One I’ve never had before. I survived amid chaos until now.

If only what Chad told me wouldn’t rain on this day, his words striking me at odd times throughout the party.

Last year, you found out about it and you were going to blow this thing wide open. They couldn’t let that happen.

This is next level shit that no small town cop wants to get involved with.

Unless you have a death wish for you and the people you care about, I’d think twice over every move you make.

“Hey, are you with us?” Belle laughs and shakes my arm. I realize that they are all standing, staring at me, and I’m sitting. “Did you hear? It’s a pretty day and Addie wants to go waddle on the beach.”

“Hey! I don’t waddle yet.” The pregnant woman grabs a popcorn ball from a bowl in front of her and hauls it at Belle. I catch it before it hits her.

“Actually, you do. But you know, I wouldn’t say anything like that to my sister. A guy could get clobbered for that.” I wink at her.

“But it’s a very cute waddle, Ads.” Beau quickly tries to appease her.

A text coming into Belle’s phone ends the melee. I hurry down the hall to get everyone’s coats and scarves from my guest bedroom. When I return, dumping the armful on the couch, the pale look on her face stops me.

“Everything okay?” I cross the room and place my hands on her arms, giving them a gentle rub.

“Yes. Just wish you didn’t have to work tonight.”

“Hey, come here.” I wrap her in my arms. “This is police life, baby. Can you get used to it? Just think how nice it’ll be to spend time together, the two of us, tomorrow. Focus on what we will have, okay?”

That seems to appease her, and she busies herself helping Addie get her coat on. Within minutes, out in the garage, I have the back of my truck packed with a cooler of water bottles, blankets, chairs, and umbrellas. It’s chilly out, and likely to be a breeze on the beach, but the sun is shining bright for some warmth.

I flip the tailgate up and Jackson appears at my side.

“You want to tell me what’s really going on?”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I’ve known you a long time, man. I can tell you’ve got something stressing you out, and it’s more than Belle giving you a hard time about your schedule,” he says, and he’s right.

I lean my arms on the tailgate and sigh. I’ve let this crap from Chadwick fester inside of me long enough. I tried talking to my captain about it at the station. He immediately shot it down, calling Chad all kinds of names. Then he insulted me, telling me that as an officer of the law I should stick with finding the facts, not entertaining the lies of a conspiracy theorist. He refused to believe a cartel had moved into Love Beach.

My gut tells me otherwise, and I’ve learned over the years to trust it more than anyone or anything. I’ve know Captain Brian Mills for years, always an upstanding guy. But the way he reacted. I think he’s on the take. Hell, who knows how high this goes? The cartel has a Senator in their pocket, why not the police captain? Why not the DEA. I don’t know who to trust.

But Jackson can be trusted. “I believe I uncovered some bad things happening here and the night of my accident I intended to tell Gigi. But they got to me first.”

“They?” He asks.

I don’t stop there, telling him all about my run in with Chad, and the Captain’s reaction.

“Shit, man. That’s some pretty evil stuff our small town has never seen before.” He runs a hand through his hair. It’s good hearing him claim our small town; there was a time the Alexander’s worried neither of the boys would make their way back to Love Beach, but they did.

“There’s something going on here, Jackson, I know it. But how the fuck do we stop a cartel? We don’t have the manpower here.”

“I can help you.”

“Huh?”

“Look, you’re the only one I’m sharing this with so keep it between us.” His voice lowers, even though the rest of our crew are still inside the house. “When I worked for the coast guard in Texas I was on a special task force. I can’t tell you details for security reasons, but let’s just say the cartels were constantly in our sights. So you need me. I can help. And I miss the action.”

I peer at his side profile. He’s always been that guy that everyone likes, the guy every girl wants, sort of tough mixed with plenty of boyish charm. Easy to dismiss as a playboy, a good decoy. So it doesn’t surprise me to hear that he’s been working covert operations.

He runs boats now for a private company, mainly for touristy fisherman spending the big bucks for a day out on the ocean to fish off a yacht. But anyone rich enough to rent the private company’s yachts, too. He might be useful.

“Can you talk to some people down at the docks? See if they’ve heard about drug money, cartels, anything that would help us piece this together?”

“Sure thing.”

“And, Jackson. Do you still have connections? Who can you reach out to about this, see what they know? Because I don’t know who to trust.”

“Yep. On it.”

“Trust about what?” Belle and the girls and Beau finally exit my house, everyone ready for the beach on a bright Christmas Eve day. A look passes between Jackson and I; we won’t ruin things for them.

“Oh, just work stuff. Tell me you got a bikini on under that big sweater?” She laughs, and I grab a handful of the green fluffy material and bring her closer. Claiming her lips grounds me, soothes me, helps me forget other things for a while. I don’t know what will become of all of this, but I know one thing. I want Belle by my side and in my bed. She makes everything better.