Arrest (A Disarm Novel) (5 page)

Henry scooted closer when Dr. Harmon turned on the ultrasound machine and inserted the wand into me.

I was about to make a nervous joke about how she needed to buy me dinner first when she pointed at a tiny dot on the screen. “Right there,” she said, stilling the wand so that we could get a better look at the black shape that was my uterus, inside of which was a tiny gray blot.

My heart stopped. It was so small, so helpless, seemingly clinging to me for dear life.

“It’s tiny,” I breathed.

Dr. Harmon nodded and pointed at a rapidly blinking spot on the fetus. “And that’s the heartbeat.”

And in that moment, as I stared at that peanut-shaped spot with its little heart thrumming along, I felt my entire world shift beneath me.

“It looks like you’re around six to eight weeks along,” Dr. Harmon said.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen, at this tiny being sprouting inside me. Henry moved closer, his hand caressing my hair. “There he is,” he said. “Or she.”

I reached above my head and grasped his wrist, the emotion finally welling in my eyes and bursting forth onto my cheeks.

Henry bent down and kissed my forehead and it was then that the tightness in my chest finally began to ease. I knew in that moment there was no way I was going to let this baby down. It was a part of me, but most important, it was a part of Henry. How could I have even entertained the thought of not keeping something he and I had created together?

Later, back in the car, Henry turned to me and asked, “Well?”

I smiled at him, my mind and heart at ease. “I guess we’re having a baby.”

ASSAULT

I wasn’t there to send Henry off on his first day as a police officer. His shift started when I was already at work, which was probably just as well so I didn’t have a chance to dwell at home.

Still, that didn’t stop me from dwelling at work.

I kept my cell phone by my keyboard and even though I was trying to concentrate on work, my eyes kept flitting back down to the phone’s glass surface, halfway wishing it would ring and yet hoping it wouldn’t. A phone call from Henry would be good; a call from the police station would be grave.

I came home to a dark, lonely house. It would be the first time I’d spend the night alone there, and though I wasn’t one to be afraid of being by myself, it was the first night I’d be safe in my bed with the knowledge that my husband was out there with criminals and lowlifes. It was unnerving to say the least.

Henry called around ten fifteen, halfway through an old episode of
The Walking Dead
. “I just wanted to say hi,” he said, his deep voice soothing the worry that wound the muscles in my shoulders tight.

“How’s it going?”

“Fine, so far. My FTO and I are out on patrol. She’s out taking a smoke break and getting coffee right now.”

The questions came firing out of my mouth. “Patrol already? And FTO? And
she
?”

Henry chuckled softly. “Yes, I’m on patrol already with my FTO, which stands for ‘field training officer.’ I will be with her for the next twelve weeks.”

I swallowed down a nugget of jealousy, determined not to resent this woman who would get to spend every night of the foreseeable future with my husband.

“Her name’s Sondra Jones. She’s abrasive but certifiably badass, and she’s married to a doctor,” Henry said. “There’s nothing to worry abo—Hold on a sec, okay?” He disappeared from the line for about thirty seconds then came back. “Els, I gotta go. We’ve been dispatched to a scene.”

“Okay, be safe.”

“Always.”

Then he was gone.

I had plenty of time to kick myself that night, realizing too late that I should have told Henry I loved him, hoping I hadn’t just given up my last chance to do so.

—

Henry crawled into bed sometime in the morning, wrapping his bare body around me with a long sigh. “I missed you,” he said, splaying a hand on my stomach. “Both of you.”

I twisted in his arms and took his face in my hands, kissing him with everything I’d felt and dreamed the previous night. “I love you,” I said, pressing kisses on his eyelids, then along his nose, down his chin, and to his scruffy neck. He moaned when my lips continued to travel down his chest, as I paused to nip and tease his dark nipples.

His fingers tangled in my hair, pulling the band away to release my curls.

“How was it?” I asked, my lips dragging along the ridges on his taut abdomen.

“We answered a call for a noise complaint and I gave a ticket for a DUI.”

I stopped my seduction to listen, resting my arms on his abdomen and giving him my attention, ignoring the hard length pressing into my chest.

“I thought the guy was going to run but he just pulled over,” Henry said. “I didn’t even get a chance to handcuff anyone.”

“Well, I’ve been a bad girl, Officer,” I said, once again touching my lips to his bare skin.

Henry grinned and began to rock his hips, his erection sliding along the crease of my breasts. “Oh yeah?” He sat up, taking me with him as he stood. When he towered over me, he moved down, his lips and fingers hovering above my skin so that all I could feel was a whisper of his touch. He sank down to the floor and, without taking his eyes off me, reached into his workbag.

The sound of metal clinking sent a bolt of excitement rushing through me. My suspicion was confirmed when he flashed the handcuffs at me, dragging the cold metal against my skin as he rose back to his full height. He dangled the cuffs on one finger, and with a soft but commanding voice said, “Get on the bed.”

I lifted my chin, playing the part of the defiant felon, and bit out, “Make me.”

He spun me around so quickly, all I could do was gasp in surprise as he took hold of my arms and cuffed them behind my back. “You have the right to remain silent,” he said and pushed me facedown onto the bed, leaving my ass up in the air. But remaining silent became impossible when he pulled my cheeks apart and dragged his tongue through my folds in one long stroke.

I groaned into the sheets, knowing I was at the mercy of this man and loving it. I twisted my head around and saw him crouched behind me as he worked me over with his mouth. My legs trembled at the sight, threatening to take me down.

Then he was gone and I was left cold and bereft. From my vantage point, all I could see were his legs as he stood behind me in silence. “What are you waiting for?” I asked, nearly breathless from want.

“I’m just admiring the view.” Then his hands were back on me, his hot palms sliding across my skin. On and on he touched me, worshipping me with his big hands, making me burn in anticipation.

I couldn’t take it. Patience is not my strongest suit. “Get on with it.”

All of a sudden, he grabbed me by the waist and threw me onto my back, my hands still trapped beneath me. The complete change in his demeanor unnerved me, the way he stood over me with his hands on his waist inflaming me even more. If I wasn’t wet before, I was definitely gushing now.

He bent over me and, resting his elbow by my head, touched his thumb to my lower lip. His hard gaze bore into mine as he pulled my lip down and took it between his teeth. “I’ll get on with it when I’m ready,” he said in a gritty voice.

I twisted my head away, wrenching my lip from his hold. “Fuck me already, Officer.”

He reached down, took hold of his shaft, and thumped it on my mound. “Is this what you want?” When I nodded, he said, “Put your legs up on the bed.”

I lifted my feet off the floor and hooked them on the edge of the mattress, Henry settling in between. I’d opened my mouth to rile him up again when his hand landed over my lips at the same time he speared me with his cock.

I gave a shout against his palm, but his fingers tightened on my face as he withdrew and slammed back in. My muscles clamped down on him as he conquered me with steady, ruthless thrusts.

I couldn’t touch him, couldn’t kiss him. I was powerless to do anything but wind my legs around his back and urge him to move faster, harder.

Henry didn’t relent. He kept the pace, pulling out slowly, slamming back in, then pausing for a breath when he was deepest in me. Each drawn-out stroke rubbed my most sensitive area, pushing me closer to the edge of climax.

I watched his eyebrows squeeze together, his mouth forming a thin, hard line as his breathing grew more ragged. He dragged his hand away from my face and brought it down between us, his fingers rubbing frantic circles around my clit as he ground out, “Come with me, Elsie. Come with me.”

There was no way I couldn’t. I clenched around him and exploded just as he cried out, “Fuck!” He slipped his arms under me and wound his fingers through mine as he thrust one last time, seated deep inside me as his cock surged with seed.

Even before he could catch his breath, he pressed a gentle kiss to my mouth then rolled us over to take the pressure off my hands. Later, he took the handcuffs off me and lifted my wrists to his lips, pressing gentle kisses to the marks they’d left behind.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his fingers tracing over the red welts.

“I’m not.”

“People might wonder how you got bruises.”

I grinned. “I’ll just leave it to their imaginations.”

—

Nights without Henry became the norm. I quickly got used to eating dinner alone, to going to bed alone. He often tried to call before I fell asleep, and the first few times he failed to do so, I stayed up with worry, but that too quickly wore off. I had to just stop thinking about what he could be doing so as not to drive myself crazy.

The only time we really saw each other during the week was when he’d stop by my office and take me out for lunch. But I was often still too nauseous to eat. Regardless, I was grateful for what little time we had together, even if it consisted of me just watching him eat while he talked about the crazy things he bore witness to on patrol.

“So what do you do at home all day?” I asked one afternoon, watching with envy as he ate a large bowl of clam chowder and wishing creamy soups didn’t make me so ill. “Do you just eat pizza and play Xbox all day?”

“In my birthday suit,” he said with a grin. He took a large swig of his iced tea. “Actually, I’ve been working on a surprise.”

“What surprise?”

“You’ll see.” But he said nothing else about that damn surprise, delighting in keeping me in suspense.

—

One Saturday, Henry and I went to bed to take an early afternoon nap together, but I could tell something was on his mind when his body refused to relax.

“What’s going on?” I asked grumpily, reaching a hand back and grasping his thigh to keep him from moving it again.

“I’m not really all that sleepy.” He got up and drew the sheet over my shoulder before closing the door behind him.

Exhaustion took over and I fell asleep almost immediately, but a loud thud woke me up. I listened and heard some more banging from the home office.

When I couldn’t take the curiosity anymore, I crept out of the room and into the hall, watching quietly as he took books off the bookshelf and stacked them on the other side of the room, where he’d pushed the desk and chair against the far wall. He worked methodically and with precision, putting the books in near identical piles on the desk. When the large bookshelf was cleared, he took hold of one side and pulled it away from the wall, sliding it with little effort across the room.

Then his eyes found me. “Did I wake you?” he asked, coming out to the hallway and closing the door behind him.

“You didn’t,” I said with a smile. “But the desk banging into the wall did.”

“It’s a heavy desk.”

“What were you doing?”

“Just redecorating,” he said with a nonchalant shrug. “I figured I’d move stuff out of there to make room for the crib and changing table.”

I tried to smother a smile, my heart warmed at how eager he was for this baby. There’s nothing quite like a man who’s looking forward to being a father. “You already have the room planned out? Is that the mysterious surprise you’re working on?”

He grinned. “Yes, so stay out of there until I’m done.”

“Okay.”

He pinched my nose. “Promise? Because your curiosity will ruin the surprise.”

“I can stay out of there if I want.”

“Really? Who was it that couldn’t even wait until the clock struck twelve before unwrapping her Christmas presents?”

I was about to issue a denial when I felt a now familiar wave of nausea hit. I turned on a heel and ran to the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet as I heaved up breakfast. Henry appeared beside me and held my hair back, his palm warm and comforting as he rubbed my back. “I thought it was called morning sickness,” he muttered. “This is more like all-day sickness.”

“It’s supposed to go away after the first trimester,” I croaked, my voice echoing inside the toilet bowl.

“You want me to make you something?” he asked. “Tea and crackers?”

I sat back on my heels and nodded lamely. He wrapped a hand on the back of my head and pressed a wet towel to my face, wiping at the corners of my mouth. I grabbed his wrist and held the towel against my forehead, enjoying the warmth against my chilled skin.

I looked up to find his face full of worry.

“If I could bear this for you, I would,” he said.

“And I would totally let you,” I said without missing a beat. I stood up, and trailed my fingers along his scruffy cheek. “I think I’ll get back in bed.”

Henry came back a few minutes later carrying a tray with my favorite large mug, a plate of saltine crackers, and a fake flower in a tiny white vase. He set the tray on the nightstand but didn’t linger. He only made sure I had everything I needed, going so far as to retrieve my laptop from my bag, before closing the door behind him and returning to the office.

—

One night after work, I felt good enough to go for a run on the treadmill. Afterward, I filled the bathtub with near-scalding water and lavender bath salts. I slid into it with a sigh, feeling every muscle in my body unwind as I acclimated to the temperature. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back onto a rolled-up towel, imagining what our baby would look like, if she’d have my curly brown hair or Henry’s dark waves. Either way, the kid was destined to fight the frizz all her life.

A noise downstairs got my attention and I sat up, stilling to better hear, when I heard the front door slam. I jumped out of the tub and grabbed a towel, nearly slipping and busting my head open. Footsteps thundered up the stairs as I ran to the closet, frantically trying to remember where Henry had stashed the handgun. In my haste and complete terror, I dropped a shoe box just as the bedroom door burst open.

“Elsie!” Henry’s voice boomed.

I sagged to the floor in relief. “In here,” I said weakly.

He appeared at the door of the closet, breathing hard. “Are you alright?”

I took a few moments to compose myself, scrubbing a palm down my face. “I was fine until you burst in here, scaring the shit out of me,” I said, getting to my feet. “What are you doing here?”

“I was calling you to let you know that I was coming home for my lunch hour, but you wouldn’t answer either phone.”

“I was in the bathtub.”

“I see that now,” he said, his mouth twitching.

I put my hands on my hips. “Something funny?”

His eyes flicked down to the towel around my body. “I’m glad I was the intruder, that’s all.”

I looked down and realized that the towel was halfway down my breasts, exposing one nipple. I stalked off, the adrenaline still rushing through my veins, and continued my bath.

Henry was right behind me, undressing quickly and sliding in behind me. He wrapped his long legs around mine and pulled me down onto his chest.

I closed my eyes and melted into him, finally relaxing. His hands slid up my sides and kneaded my breasts. “Mmm, I was hoping I could eat dinner with you,” he said, rolling my hardened nipples between his fingers. “But this is so much better.”