Playing For Keeps (18 page)

Charlotte patted her shoulder. “I am finished. You look beautiful.”

Charlotte gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Well you two have a wonderful time, and I will see you in the morning.”

“We will, and thank you.”

Charlotte left the bathroom, and Keirra put on a light touch of lip-gloss.

“You look beautiful.”

She smiled as her gaze met his in the mirror. He was leaning against the doorway. The man was so sexy that she had to remember to breathe.

“Thank you. Let’s see how long I can stay this way.”

He laughed and held out his hand. “That will be an interesting challenge.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t mean for it to be.”

Turning off the lights, she took his hand. “Okay, can you tell me where we are going now?”

He shook his head. “Not yet, but you will find out soon enough.”

It was all she could do to not growl at him. She knew that it was a turn-on to him, and he didn’t need any assistance in that area. They would never get out of the house if she did. He led her to the front door and helped her into her coat. After she was zipped up, he slid into his own jacket. He shocked her by not going out the front door. Instead, he led her down the hallway and through the kitchen. When he opened the back door, her eyes widened. There were candles lit all the way down the walkway. They went past the pool and down to the point where she couldn’t see. Eric cut off the porch light, and she gasped. He didn’t give her time to soak in the sight before leading her down the path. He led her to the massive camping tent that he had erected. He unzipped the front part, and she went inside with him stepping in behind her.

Her gaze swept the tent while he zipped the flap up. The tent had a romantic glow to it thanks to the battery-powered kerosene lamp. There were several blankets and a basket. Eric unzipped his coat and set it aside. Keirra did the same and was surprised the tent was as warm as it was. He indicated for her to have a seat, and she did so. Sitting down across from her, he reached for the basket. He pulled out a plate first then several containers of fruit. There seemed to be strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon. He took out another container that held cheese and a container of crackers. He set the items aside, and then he pulled out two champagne flutes and a bottle of champagne

“This is very nice, Eric.”

He smiled. “I am glad that you think so.”

Eric reached for the container of fruit. She watched as he began to place food on the plate. By the time he finished he had a decent serving. He picked up a piece of cheese and offered it to her. She took it from him and closed her eyes as the cheese melted in her mouth. It was a cheese she hadn’t tasted before. Her eyes opened, and he must have read the question in her eyes.

“Asiago.”

He reached for the champagne and popped the cork. He poured a glass, before handing it to her and poured the other for himself. She took a sip and moaned in pleasure.

“This is very delicious.”

He nodded, taking a sip from his own glass. The next few minutes were spent with them feeding each other. When she couldn’t eat another bite, she held up her hands.

Eric cleaned up the mess and put the basket aside. He turned off the lamp. “Come lay by me.”

She gave him an amused look. “Are we going to sleep out here?”

He chuckled. “No. We would probably freeze to death.”

“I don’t know. It is pretty warm right now,” she murmured as she moved over to where he was.

He spread another blanket on the floor of the tent. She watched as he lowered onto the blankets before joining him. He grabbed two more blankets placing one under his head as a makeshift pillow.

The other he pulled up over them. She snuggled up against him resting her head on his firm chest.

Her mind was racing a mile a minute. Eric really was a good guy. Now she was starting to wonder if she was good enough for him. He seemed so perfect, and she was far from it.

“Why are you so interested in me?”

There was no hesitation is his answer. “Because you are sweet and caring. You are feisty and not afraid to give attitude. Because you are beautiful.”

She was silent for a moment. He meant what he said. She could hear it in his voice. It was time she let him know what he was up against. Taking a deep breath she began telling him about the day that changed her opinion of officers of the law. She could still remember the day clearly.

Kristen, Kayla, and herself had been outside playing in the backyard. She would never forget their mother running to the back door frantically and rushing them into the house. She had piled them into the car and rushed them to the hospital. Kristen, Kayla, and she had sat in the backseat looking at each other in fear. They’d had no idea as to what had happened, but they had been scared. After arriving at the hospital, they had found out their father had been shot and had a very slim chance of making it. She remembered walking into the hospital and seeing her father’s partner’s distraught face.

There had been a few other officers there, and she could still picture the group separating as she, her sisters, and her mother walked down the hall. They had been taken to a room where her father had lain. He had told them all that he loved them and to be good for their mother. After that, he had been rushed off to surgery. If they could remove the bullet before it traveled, they might have been able to save him. It had been too late. Their father had died on the operating table.

She drew in a shaky breath and managed to smile even though she was certain Eric couldn’t see it.

“So now you see why I didn’t want to take the risk with you.”

He placed a reassuring kiss on her forehead. “Yes, I do, but I’m still glad you took the risk. I’m also glad you finally told me why you were so hesitant. I understand now.”

She started to disagree with his statement but paused once she realized that he was right. She had already taken a risk and was too far in to go back. Now she just hoped that she wouldn’t regret it.

* * * *

Keirra laughed as she struggled to get back into her clothing. After she told Eric the story about her father, he had slowly undressed her and made love to her until she couldn’t think straight. They ended up falling asleep in the tent, and the rising sun had awakened them moments ago. There had been a little deception as to how warm it really was. Even though the two of them had been completely naked under the covers, their combined body heat had kept them warm. Now the both of them were shivering as they struggled to get into their clothes. They both managed to get dressed.

“I will put the tent up later,” he forced out through chattering teeth.

She nodded as he helped her into her coat. Once he had his on, he unzipped the tent, and they ran for the house. When they made it inside, they were both breathless and laughing.

Charlotte was in the kitchen rummaging through the cabinets. She gave them a brief glance smiling once she did before turning back to the cabinet.

“Good morning, you two.”

Eric walked over and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning, Mom. What are you looking for?”

She closed the cabinet. “Caffeine of any kind. I thought I had more than I did, but I’m out.”

Keirra grinned. She and his mother had in common the need of caffeine the first thing in the morning. “Do you want me to go to the coffee store?”

“Yes, please.”

He chuckled. “I will run to the room and get my keys.”

Eric returned a moment later and looked at Keirra. “Would you like to come with me?”

Keirra hesitated. She really wanted to go upstairs and take a shower, but it wouldn’t hurt to delay the shower a few minutes.

“Sure.”

He led the way to his SUV.

“Get dark roast whole coffee bean. A one-pound bag if they have it,” Charlotte called after them.

Eric nodded at his mother’s last request as he opened the door for Keirra. Once she was in, he walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. After starting the engine, he backed out of the driveway and headed down the street. She leaned her head back against the headrest before looking over at him.

“When are we heading back to Baxley?”

She smiled knowing that she was ready to see her sisters. After last night, she was ready to get back because she felt as if they had come to a level in their relationship, and she wanted to see if things would be the same when they returned to Baxley. In some ways, it felt as if Atlanta had a lure over her, one that she was afraid would disappear when they returned.

“We will leave after breakfast, no later than noon if that is okay.”

She nodded. No, she wasn’t in a rush to get home because she was having a great time. She was just anxious to see her sisters and hear about their Thanksgiving. She had talked to them briefly, and from the noise in the background, they’d had as much fun as she did.

Thanksgiving dinner with the Brooks had been a lot of fun. The Brooks were a lot like her sisters and herself. They believed in having fun, and they had an immense amount of love for each other, even though that was the case. Dancing with Eric had probably been the most exciting thing. She would never forget that as long as she lived. Eric pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop, and they walked inside.

“Is there anything else—”

“Well if someone had told me that we would be running into you today, I would have called them a liar.”

Both Keirra and Eric looked in the direction that the comment came from. A smile came to Eric’s face when he saw Tom and Jim. He informed her that they were two of the guys that he had served with at the Atlanta police department. He shook each of their hands.

“Hey, Jim. Tom.”

Jim and Tom said their hellos, and Eric introduced Keirra as his girlfriend. She was able to keep a straight face this time. Hearing the word girlfriend still took a little getting used to.

Tom elbowed Jim. “Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to move to Baxley.”

Keirra felt herself flush with embarrassment at the compliment, and Eric shook his head as he put his arm around her waist. She leaned into his touch loving the feel of his strength his warmth.

“Well, I see that some things still haven’t changed.”

The three men talked for a few more minutes before Jim and Tom walked to their own table with their freshly brewed coffee in hand. Eric in turn went in search of the coffee bean that he knew his mother liked. He found it, and they headed for the checkout.

“Is there—”

Eric was interrupted as the door to the store was thrown open and a man came in shouting a woman’s name. What was even scarier was that the man had a gun.

Eric moved quickly, actually dragging her behind a display for cover. His demonstration of agility and speed was something she would marvel at later. She could feel herself shaking with disbelief.

Looking around she could see several people were taking cover under tables and whatever else they could get near. There hadn’t been a lot of people in the shop at the time, twelve counting the four employees. The woman who the gunman was calling for came around the counter. He started ranting and raving about she couldn’t leave him. The lady began trying to reason with him, and when that didn’t work, Keirra could feel Eric shift behind her.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw him communicating with Tom and Jim and became nervous.

She grabbed his arm when he went to move.

“What are you doing?”

He gave her an obvious look. “We have to help her.”

She shook her head when she realized what Eric was getting ready to do. “Wait until the police get here.”

He had the nerve to smile. “They are already here.”

Her eyes widened when she grasped the meaning of his statement. “You need to wait for backup.”

He nodded in the direction of Tom and Jim. “Over there.”

Keirra shook her head. This didn’t feel right at all, but she knew she wasn’t going to convince him to sit still. She nodded and felt him move before pausing to give her a look.

“Everything will be okay. Just stay back, and stay low until you hear me telling you to come out.”

He placed a brief kiss on her lips before moving away. Closing her eyes, she prayed for everyone’s safety. She heard Eric’s soothing voice, a voice that he had often used on her and had worked quite well, followed by Tom’s. Now she hoped it had the same effect on the gunman. Both men seemed to be trying to convince the man he needed to put the gun down.

Her breath caught in her chest when she heard the gun go off. She heard Eric grunt right before the sound of a mad scuffle. When she gained the nerve to peak around the display, the sight before her brought her hand to her mouth in complete horror with a mix of relief. They had managed to subdue the gunman. Tom was lying with his full body weight on the man calling for one of the employees to come and help him while Jim had the woman the man had been after securely out of harm’s way. She looked frantic, and Keirra couldn’t blame her because she felt the same way. Eric was in the process of frantically trying to get his jacket off, and when he did, she saw why. He had been shot. Her stomach dropped, and she rushed over to Eric while Tom called out to Jim for his handcuffs.

Jim looked at the woman he held. “Call 911.”

The woman ran to the phone and did as she had been instructed. Her voice trembled as she tried to relay what happened, but Keirra barely heard her. Her focus was on Eric.

“Tell them we have an officer down.”

The woman nodded at Jim’s instruction. A towel appeared in her hands, and she placed it against Eric’s shoulders, and he groaned. She flinched at the sound, and her hands began to shake, but she kept the pressure firm. She looked up and saw Jim helping Tom handcuff the gunman. She closed her eyes briefly then looked back down at Eric.

“What have you done?” she asked in a shaky voice.

He smiled at her. “I’m fine, Keirra. It isn’t as bad as it looks.”

She gave him a look of impatience and disbelief. “How would you know, Eric? You can’t see the wound.”

He brought his uninjured arm up and touched her cheek. The look in his eyes spoke of calmness, and he was cognizant, somewhat reassuring her. She kept the pressure on the wound and was handed another towel by someone else. Fortunately, he hadn’t bled through the original towel, and he kept her distracted by talking to her, and after what seemed like an eternity, more uniformed officers and paramedics arrived. Keirra was forced to step back.