Law Man

Chapter Eighteen Dream Come True

My eyes slowly opened and, just like yesterday, upon waking, I was profoundly confused.

And just like yesterday, this was because my vision was filled with a criminally attractive smooth-skinned, hard-muscled wall of chest along with the top of Billie’s head pressed to the sculpted ridges of some ribs, Billie’s and my arms slung over a flat, carved stomach.

I blinked and, just like yesterday, the chest was still there and Billie was still there but this time I also felt my bare leg tangled with the soft-cotton covered hardness of Mitch’s.

Oh boy.

Drowsily, I asked myself again how this all happened and how it happened so fast.

Even if I wasn’t just awake, again, with a bare-chested Mitch (and Billie) and was fully cogitating, I wouldn’t have been able to come up with an answer.

Just because my life sucked (mostly, except the part about gentle, sweet, good guy Mitch, Billy and Billie being in it), I decided to give myself a gift and tipped my head back. As I did, I saw a familiar, corded throat, a familiar, strong, dark-stubbled jaw and then I was again, close up staring at Ten Point Five Detective Mitch Lawson’s profile in sleep.

I also saw his lips which now I knew not only could do amazing things when they were pressed against mine but they could also do amazing things when they were wrapped round my nipple.

And thinking these thoughts while looking at his male beauty and remembering last night (before Billie hurled), I couldn’t breathe.

Then the part about Billie hurling came back to me. All thoughts of being in bed again with beautiful Mitch and the maybe more disturbing (but definitely not unpleasant in the least) thoughts of being on Mitch’s couch with Mitch flew out of my head. Only thoughts of Billie invaded.

I looked to the clock and it was six minutes before the alarm was meant to sound. Clearly, Mitch didn’t wake me to check on Billie.

Carefully, I extricated my arm from his stomach and touched Billie’s forehead.

Cool.

Thank God.

I listened to the room. I could faintly hear both of them breathing but Billie wasn’t breathing heavily. She was breathing deeply, steadily and, from what I could tell, healthily.

I closed my eyes and sighed in relief.

No emergency room visit and the bill that went with it.

Mental note: talk to Mr. Pierson about getting them both on my insurance.

Mental note part two: do not think about how much that insurance would cost. I already had enough in my life to freak me out; I didn’t need to make any additions.

Then I cautiously moved away, slid out of bed and pulled the covers back over Billie. As I straightened, Mitch moved and I froze. I watched with bated breath as he rolled to his side, his arm curling around Billie but neither woke. Both of their eyes stayed closed and Billie pressed her cheek to the area under his pectorals.

I stared because Mitch was beautiful in his sleep. But he was indescribably beautiful being a good, kind man who was sleeping wrapped protectively around a sleeping six year old girl. A girl who had a sunny disposition (when she wasn’t barfing or feeling in a shitty mood as a precursor to said barfing) but who also had a shitheel of a Dad whose criminal activities and weaknesses made her unsafe and could have got her hurt.

My beautiful, Teflon-coated cousin had never had this and would never have it with Bill in her life. Not when she had a nightmare and needed to feel safe. Not when she was sick and needed comfort.

Not ever.

Now she had it.

What met my eyes was the stuff posters were made of but knowing the two beings filling my vision, I knew that what met my eyes were what dreams were made of.

How, on God’s green earth, did my life shift so this vision could meet my eyes?

I had no answer for that and I had no time to come up with an answer. I decided instantly Billie was not going to school that day which meant it was good it was my day off. But Billy had to get to school and I had to get him there.

Silently I moved around the bed, went to the chair and grabbed Mitch’s flannel shirt that I’d tossed there yesterday morning.

I shrugged it on and left the room. Closing the door quietly behind me, I hustled down the hall to the kitchen at the same time I re-secured the ponytail that I’d slept in. Once I hit the kitchen, I searched the cupboards and started a pot of coffee then went back down the hall to the bedroom where the kids were sleeping. I walked in and approached the air mattress on the floor where Billy was.

I did a knees-closed squat, gently shook his shoulder, he opened his eyes and looked at me groggily.

“Time for your shower, buddy,” I whispered.

“’Kay, Auntie Mara,” he whispered back without hesitation, got out of bed wearing one of the new pairs of PJs I bought him, loose shorts and a loose tee and he shuffled out of the room to the bathroom.

I decided to get a cup of coffee while he had a shower. I’d go to Mitch’s room and get my stuff to do my business in the hall bathroom after Billy was done so I could have a shower prior to taking Billy to school and Mitch could use his to get ready for his day.

I was standing in front of the coffeepot pouring coffee into a mug with a splash of milk at the bottom; I shoved the coffeepot back into the coffeemaker and set the mug down in order to grab a spoon when it happened.

Two strong arms closed around me, one at my ribs, one at my chest. My body went statue-still but my head tipped down and I saw strong, bare forearms just as I felt lips at my neck.

“Mornin’, baby,” Mitch whispered there and a trill raced up my spine as I experienced a dream come true.

Mitch wrapping his arms around me and whispering a really good “mornin’” to me.

I liked that.

No, I loved that.

And I wanted it every morning for forever.

“Mitch,” I whispered back, unable to say anything else.

His arms gave me a squeeze and his lips didn’t move from the skin at my neck when he asked, “You sleep okay?”

“Uh…” I answered, my vision blurry, my body still solid, my mind awhirl.

Apparently that was answer enough for Mitch because his lips moved from my neck to my ear where he murmured, “I slept fuckin’ great.”

“Um…” I muttered.

“You feel good, curled into me, warm and soft.”

Oh God.

“Uh…”

His arms squeezed. “Though, you’d probably feel better, there wasn’t a six year old between us.”

Oh God!

“Um…”

“Billie’s fever broke,” he informed me.

“Um…yeah,” I mumbled. “I checked before I got up.”

“Mm,” he murmured in my ear causing another, stronger trill to go up my spine. So strong, my body trembled with it. I got another arm squeeze then Mitch’s arms went away but not a second later his hands were at my hips. I felt his heat leave my back but only so he could turn me then his heat was at my front and his arms wrapped around me again, one low at my back, one high at my shoulder blades.

I looked into the depths of his soulful eyes and instantly got lost.

“You should have woke me,” he whispered, his face so close I felt his words on my lips.

“Why?” I whispered back, still lost in his eyes (and his heat and his strong arms wrapped around me).

“Because you left me in bed with a six year old,” he replied, this was said softly, gently and not with any accusation.

“So?”

“Baby, she isn’t my kid.”

“She likes you.”

“She still isn’t my kid. You there, it’s cool. Me alone in bed with Billie, not so much.”

Crap.

Okay, there it was. I was a dork thinking they looked like a poster. I’d screwed up, as usual, and made Mitch feel uncomfortable.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

His arms tightened, the one at my shoulder blades shifted up and his fingers sifted into my ponytail.

“It’s okay,” he whispered back and I was sliding back into getting lost in his eyes even though his lids were lowering at the same time his head was lowering and his lips were a breath away from mine.

“Mitch,” I called but my lips moved against his lips. Then my lips couldn’t move at all because his lips were on mine. His hand was cupping the back of my head to tilt it to one side, his slanted the other way and his tongue traced the crease of my lips until those lips opened and his tongue swept inside.

Oh God.

There it was again.

Oh God!

He tasted good, he felt good and he kissed great.

My hands slid up his back and my fingers dug in at his lats as he kissed me and, he tasted so good, I kissed him right back.

Finally, Mitch’s lips left mine, trailed down my cheek to my ear where he growled just as his arms squeezed, “Christ, I love your mouth.”

There I was again, pressed tight to Mitch, breathing hard, wrapped in his arms.

How did this keep happening?

“Mitch –” I started.

His head came up, his eyes locked on mine and he interrupted me, “When’s your next day off?”

I blinked. “What?”

His arm low at my hips tightened further. “Your next day off, sweetheart.”

“Um…today,” I answered.

He grinned then said softly, “I know, honey. When’s your next day off?”

“Uh…Friday.”

“Thursday night, we’re gettin’ a babysitter.”

I blinked at his intimate words, words said by a Dad to a Mom, a husband to a wife, more words I liked and repeated, “What?”

“A babysitter.”

“Why?”

“’Cause Thursday night I’m takin’ you out. I’m feedin’ you. I’m gettin’ you intoxicated. Then I’m bringin’ you home and then I’m doin’ other things to you. Things I’m gonna keep doin’ that’ll take me deep into Friday and I don’t want the kids interrupting me while I do them.”

My toes curled, my knees wobbled and my nipples started tingling.

Oh boy.

I struggled to find my way back to Mara World which was safer and far more sane and started, “I don’t –”

I stopped speaking when I heard the door to the hall bathroom open. Billy was out of the shower.

Mitch’s head went back another two inches and turned slightly before he murmured, “Kids interrupting.”

My hands moved so they were pressed against his chest, not a good thing to do as all my fingers encountered on their journey was warm, hard, sleek skin.

I powered through this and started, “Mitch –”

At that moment there was a knock on the door.

Mitch’s head turned the other way, my gaze followed his and we both stared at the front door.

“Who could that be?” I whispered.

“No clue,” Mitch replied, not in a whisper, let me go, my hands flew back so my palms could press against the counter to hold myself up and I watched Mitch move to the door.

He looked through the peephole and then I watched him drop his head, shake it, his neck twisted and his eyes hit me. I saw they were amused at the same time a little annoyed. Then he turned back to the door, pulled off the chain, twisted the lock and opened it.

“You couldn’t help yourself, could you?” he asked whoever was outside the door and his voice was the same mixture of amused and a little annoyed.

“My brother doesn’t call me at nine o’clock at night to discuss the care of a fevered child…as in never…so you’re right. I couldn’t help myself.” A female’s voice came at me and then I saw Mitch move back as I saw a woman with Mitch’s dark hair cut in an attractive style that brushed her shoulders, natural waves flowing through it. She was tall, like Mitch, though not as tall as Mitch. And she was built, not like Mitch. She was all tits and ass and obvious attitude.

She was followed by an older version of her who could be no one but Mitch’s mother.

And I was right. She wore twinsets.

With scarves.

Attractive ones.

Oh…dear…God!

“Hi there, you must be Mara,” Mrs. Lawson called when she saw me. “I’m Mitch’s Mom, Sue Ellen.”

My brain took that unfortunate moment to remind me I was wearing a nightie and Mitch’s shirt and Mitch was wearing nothing but a pair of drawstring pajama bottoms. This collided with the thought that I was at Mitch’s house early in the morning wearing nothing but a nightie, panties and Mitch’s shirt and Mitch was in nothing but pajama bottoms and what the woman who told me she was Mrs. Lawson and the woman who was obviously Mitch’s sister Penny would think of this.

“Hey,” I replied before I could start hyperventilating.

Mitch’s sister started walking toward the bar and her smiling eyes moved to me. “I’m Penny, Mitch’s sister,” she introduced herself casually like it was perfectly okay to perpetrate an early morning surprise attack on your hot brother’s neighbor. Even if that neighbor was staying with your hot brother while she was having one in a long line of crises into which she’d sucked your hot brother.

Which, by the way, it was not.

“Uh…hey,” I returned. “I’m Mara, um…” I had no further information to give because they obviously already knew who I was and I wasn’t certain what I was to Mitch. Except last night he’d called me his Mara and just thinking about him doing that made goose flesh rise on my skin.

I hoped they couldn’t see it.

Penny ignored me trailing off stupidly and asked, “How’s Billie?”

“Fever broke,” Mitch answered. Having closed the door, he was moving too. Toward me. And I noted he seemed laidback about this new and unusual turn of events like his mother and sister frequently happened by unannounced and maybe they did. “It came on fast and she was cool before the second dose so it left just as fast.”

“That’s good,” Mrs. Lawson murmured, coming to stand by Penny at the bar.

“Would you guys like some, um…coffee?” I asked, pulling up my hostessing skills and wondering if I should because it wasn’t my house, also because I probably should excuse myself to go put on some clothes.

Mitch was already getting mugs as Mrs. Lawson replied, “That’d be great.”

“Love a cup,” Penny added.

Although I asked to be polite, I didn’t know how to feel about their response considering their response meant they were staying awhile. And weirdly they didn’t seem surprised I was playing hostess in Mitch’s kitchen while wearing a nightie and his flannel.

Mitch set the mugs down and I grabbed the coffeepot and filled them. No one said anything so I latched onto something Mitch said and when he returned to me with the gallon jug of milk, I asked, “What do you mean, Billie was cool before the second dose?”

He splashed milk into two mugs and then set the jug aside, answering, “Set the alarm like I said I’d do. It woke me up, I checked her and she was good.”

At his words, forgetting my audience, I stared at his handsome profile as he grabbed a spoon from the drawer and then reached out to the sugar bowl.

Then I asked, “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“No need, she was cool,” Mitch answered, spooning sugar into the milky mugs.

“But why didn’t you wake me?” I repeated, Mitch’s head turned and his eyes caught mine.

“There was no need, sweetheart,” he repeated with variation. “She was cool, you were both out so I just went back to sleep.”

I felt my brows knit. “You just went back to sleep?”

“Well, yes and no. I got up, turned out the lights, locked the front door and then I came back to bed and went back to sleep.”

I stared at him, lips parted.

He woke up to check Billie, found she was okay, got out of his bed not to go sleep on the couch but instead he turned out the lights, locked the front door and came back to his bed, a bed I was in with Billie.

Why would he do that? Why?

He turned and handed coffees to his mother and sister while I watched and they, I noticed vaguely, watched us and they did this closely. Then he turned back and grabbed his which he took black. Then he lifted it to his lips. Then I opened my mouth to speak.

“Hey,” I heard Billy mumble and my eyes jerked to my little cousin who was walking out dressed for school in a pair of new jeans and one of the new tees I bought him, hair combed, looking like the perfect child.

“Hey there, you must be Billy,” Mrs. Lawson grinned at him. “I’m Mitch’s Mom, Sue Ellen, and this is my daughter, Mitch’s sister, Penny.”

“Hey,” Penny smiled.

“Hey,” Billy smiled back then climbed up on a stool and looked at Mitch. “Can you do oatmeal again, Mitch?” he asked.

“Sure, Bud,” Mitch muttered, put his coffee mug down and went to a cupboard to get a glass.

“Cool, thanks,” Billy muttered back.

Okay, this was weird. This was insane. This was nuts. But I couldn’t cope with any of that now. My life was on its head, as it would be considering I was now in charge of two kids, my cousin was in jail and the Russian mob, amongst others, wanted him dead. And my apartment was a crime scene. And my mother and aunt were in town. And me and my two new kids were essentially living with my hot guy neighbor I’d secretly been in love with for years. I needed to focus and not on Mitch, Mitch’s apparently nosy sister and equally nosy Mom.

I grabbed my coffee mug, took a fortifying sip of caffeine and walked to stand across the counter from Billy.

“Billy, honey, Billie got sick last night so she’s going to stay home with me today,” I told him.

“She did?” Billy asked, his face suddenly awash with concern but he looked strangely like he was hiding something.

I couldn’t ask or pay too close attention because Mitch took all of it when he stated firmly, “She is not.”

I turned to him in surprise to see his words weren’t the only thing that was firm. His face was firm too and this made me even more surprised.

“Yes, she is,” I told him.

“She’s fine,” he replied, coming to my side and putting a glass of milk in front of Billy. “Fever broke. She’s good.”

“She puked her guts out last night, Mitch,” I reminded him.

“She did?” Billy asked and I looked at him.

“Yes, buddy, she did. She’s okay now,” I assured him. “But I want her to rest today.”

“She’s good, Mara,” Mitch butted in. “And she’s missed enough school, something I learned yesterday when I talked to her teacher. Apparently, her Dad didn’t make her go. But now she’s fine and she’s going to school.”

My head turned to Mitch. “Maybe she’s fine but she might have a relapse and I don’t want her at school when she has a relapse. I want her at home and I want to be around if she does.”

“She has a relapse, the school will call and you or I’ll go get her,” Mitch returned.

“That would be a waste of time,” I replied. “What wouldn’t be a waste of time would be if she had a relapse and she was already home.”

“She’s goin’ to school, Mara,” Mitch declared and I felt my blood pressure ratcheting higher.

“She’s not, Mitch,” I declared right back then I thought of something and I looked at Billy. “Maybe you shouldn’t go to school either.”

I watched my cousin’s eyes light with delight at the thought of missing school but I heard Mitch speak.

“Why the hell not?” he asked and I looked back at him.

“What if he has her bug?” I asked back. “It came on fast, Mitch. She was fine one minute, though she was grumpy and didn’t want to go to bed. Two hours later she was throwing up on the living room carpet and had a temperature of one hundred and three. That could happen to Billy and if it does, I want him right here.”

“Bud gets sick, the school calls and you or I go get him,” Mitch fired back.

Yes, my blood pressure was definitely ratcheting higher and that was why I put my hands on my hips, leaned into him and snapped, “That would be a waste of time too.”

“Baby, they’re both going to school,” Mitch announced.

“Honey, they are not,” I decreed.

Mitch glared at me. I glared back.

Then he said, “Just for the record, sweetheart, I’ve decided I like the Mara who lives in her own world and ums and uhs and doesn’t hand me attitude. Let’s go back to her.”

After that, I replied, “Just for the record, honey lumpkin, I know why you like the Mara who lives in her own world because that Mara lets you have your way. But when I’m worried about my kids, and you disagree with me, we’re not going back to her. And, by the way, I’ll remind you, yesterday you promised we’d be a team and talk about decisions regarding the kids.”

“Uh…baby,” he looked around and my glare heated when I noted he was looking around sarcastically, then his eyes hit mine and he stated, “That’s what we’re doin’. We’re talkin’.”

Luckily before I exploded, at this point Penny butted in and she did this by saying, “Can I just say, I freaking love this.”

“Not as much as me, sweetie,” Mrs. Lawson added and my eyes snapped to them to see they were both smiling huge.

Before I could freak out that I forgot my audience, Mitch spoke.

“Maybe one of you can make yourself useful and go wake up Billie so she can shower and get ready for school,” he suggested toward his mother and sister in a way that it was no suggestion at all.

“Please don’t,” I put in quickly. “She needs her rest and, not to be rude, she doesn’t know either of you and I don’t want her to be alarmed.”

Mitch’s eyes sliced back to me and he growled, “Mara.”

I couldn’t growl but I tried my best and returned, “Mitch.”

“How about I make myself useful by being the voice of experience and saying, sorry, Mara but Mitch’s right, she’ll probably be okay,” Penny stated, I bit my lip and her eyes went to her brother. “But I’m more sorry, Mitch because Mara’s more right. She’ll probably be okay but if it was one of my kids and they were puking their guts out and had a fever, no way they’d be in school the next day.” Then her eyes turned to Billy and her face gentled. “And even sorrier for you, honey, because, if you were my kid, I’d make you go and come get you if you got sick.”

“That’s what I’d do too,” Mrs. Lawson agreed.

“I’m good with going to school,” Billy chimed in and my gaze went to him because his eyes not five minutes ago lit with delight at the thought of missing school and anyway, what kid was good with going to school?

“That settles it,” Mitch decided and I looked back to him. “Sorted,” he finished, turned to the cupboard and pulled out the box of oatmeal while I watched and as I processed what was happening in my head, I realized I was also seething.

Then I asked Mitch’s back, “Did our discussion yesterday about teamwork penetrate…” I hesitated for emphasis before finishing, “at all?”

He put the oatmeal box down and turned to me. I glared into his dancing, beautiful, fathomless, dark brown eyes then suddenly found myself crushed to his long, hard body, his strong arms caging me in.

In my ear, he muttered his answer. “Yes but also kind of no.”

“I didn’t think so,” I returned acidly, my hands at his waist pushing back.

His head lifted up, he smiled down at me and asked, “You want oatmeal?”

I glared up at him and I really wanted to say no and there were a lot of other things I really wanted to say. But I couldn’t because firstly, his mother and sister were there and secondly, I’d had his oatmeal yesterday, he squirted maple syrup in it mid-nuke and it was really good.

“Yes,” I snapped.

His smile got bigger, he gave me a squeeze, let me go and turned to the oatmeal. I turned to my coffee mug which was sitting in front of Billy. That was when I saw Mrs. Lawson and Penny, still smiling huge, and Billy, his eyes going from me to Mitch and back again, his expression again fifty years older than he was.

I decided to ignore all of this and concentrate on caffeine.

It was the best decision I’d made all morning.