Raven lets go of my shoulder and I hear her whisper, "Sorry." I lift my head up and look at her with a questioning look. "I didn't mean to bite you so hard. I think..."

  "To be honest, it just turned me on more. You can bite me all you want."

  I lift Raven off me and set her on her feet as I pick up my pants, pulling them over my hips but not fastening them. It's a little hard to be taken seriously when your pants are at your ankles.

  I take Raven's hand and we walk into the bedroom. We both head to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I look at my shoulder and start to laugh.

  Raven looks up at me with a shy smile. "I told you it was bad." She looks down.

  "Hey." I turn to her, lifting her face so I can look at her. "I said it doesn't bother me. When I look at it, it shows me that I had you so wild that you did what came naturally. It's no different than pulling hair."

  "Okay, I just... I did feel wild. I've never had sex against a wall, well, doorjamb before." She giggles.

  "Well, then, I guess I'm going to have to find some new ideas to bring out your wild side more often." I lean over and kiss her on the nose.

  We get into bed. Raven puts her head on my shoulder. "You said you have a surprise for me tomorrow."

  "Yeah, I do. I know you'll really like it."

  "Really? Can you give me a hint?"

  "Oh, I don't know about that. I would hate for you to guess what it is before you see it."

  "But it'll be okay for Charlie and Carson to be there?"

  "Yes, I think it will be nice to have them there. Tell me about Carson."

  "Well, I don't know a lot about him, just the little I've gotten to know him at work and the couple times we went out. He's twenty-five, and this is his first real job. He is really smart, nice, good looking..."

  "Oh? Do I need to be concerned?"

  She pokes me in the ribs. "Yes, you have to be very concerned." She giggles.

  "God, I love that sound."

  "What sound?"

  "Your giggle, it's so lighthearted. You need to giggle more." It's my turn to poke her in the ribs. She squeals and writhes to get out of my grip. I roll over, and now I'm straddling her as she is trying to push at me. I grab her hands and pull them up above her head, holding them in one hand as I lean down to take her mouth with mine. I let go of her hands as I cradle her face in my hands.

  I'll never tire of this. The feeling of her under me, the passion I feel inside of me when we're just like this. I never want to let her go. I never thought the day would come that would make me want to be with just one person for the rest of my life, but I can't see myself with anyone else, nor do I ever want to.

  This time I take my time, and I make beautiful, pure, innocent love to her.

  Have you ever had one of those days where things are either going to go great or they are going to go to shit? That is how my Tuesday starts. I think about going back to bed, but I haven't done that since... Well, I've never done that. All of a sudden, I am nervous about tonight. I can't predict what Raven's reaction is going to be. I mean, I know she will be surprised and excited, but then she might be mad, angry, and hurt that I didn't tell her I was looking for her mother. Throw in the two guests we are going to have with us and...

  I stretch my neck as a way of getting my mind on other things that I need to take care of. I walk into the office, open my laptop, and check in with all my men.

  It's late afternoon when I receive a call from Davis. Someone started a fire in the dumpster behind Harlow's bakery. I know this is a diversion, and Brad is behind it. I make sure Davis has everything under control, which he says he has.

  I call Beckett to tell him what is going on as I walk out to my truck to head over to the bakery. "Beckett, it’s Mitchell. I wanted to let you know that Davis just informed me of a fire in the dumpster behind the bakery."

  "Harlow! Is she okay? Was someone with her? Any damages? Shit, Mitchell!"

  "Beckett, Harlow is fine. She is a little shaken up, but she was never left alone. Luckily, there was no damage to her shop. There is no evidence that it was Brad who did this, but when I put the security system in, I installed cameras at the front and back of the store. Davis is in the bakery with her now, and I am heading over there."

  "You might not be able to prove it yet, but what is your gut feeling? Do you think it was him?"

  "Without a doubt. He was testing us to see how much protection she has. Davis is in the process of going through our video feed. Hopefully that will point to Brad as the arsonist. We will have the evidence within the next hour."

  "Good, so you should have it by the time I get there to pick Harlow up."

  "Yes, we should."

  I drive toward the bakery, and isn't it just my luck that I get behind just about every school bus there is today? I'm almost there when I see Raven calling me. I push the accept button on my truck’s Bluetooth system. “Hey, angel, what's going on?"

  "Hi, Toby. Beckett just called and said that Davis has been hurt and is tied up along with Shannon at the bakery. I've already called the police and paramedics to the location, but I wanted you to know."

  "Thank you, I am almost there now. I'll call you back later." I hit the end button and step on the gas to get to the bakery faster, knowing in the back of my mind that five miles-an-hour faster isn't going to get me there a whole lot sooner.

  The building has firefighters all around, cleaning up and putting their equipment away. I jump out of the truck almost before I take the keys out of the ignition. The air is still saturated with smoke. I walk into the bakery and notice that the bell doesn't ring when I stride through the door. I race to the back room and find Davis with a head wound, and Shannon sitting on the floor with Davis's head in her lap. Tears are streaming down her face as she strokes Davis's cheek, talking to him in a calm, loving voice, trying to wake him.

  "Oh God, Mitchell. I can't get him to wake up! I'm so scared."

  I pull out my knife, flicking it open and cutting the duct tape from Shannon's wrists and ankles. Then I cut it off Davis. "Are you okay, Shannon?"

  "Yes, but he took Harlow," she says through a sob. "He was dressed like a fireman. We didn't know what was happening until it was too late, then he hit Keeland with a gun. He has a gun, and Beckett just went out the back door to try and find them."

  "Okay, stay with Davis and tell the police what happened when they get here."

  "Okay," she says with a stutter as she continues to caress Davis's face.

  I run out the back door. There are firefighters everywhere. I'm concerned that Beckett hasn’t found Brad in time and that he’s gotten away from us again, but this time with Harlow. FUCK!

  I let my instinct take over and I stop, listen, and look. I hear someone hollering, and a torrent of curse words follow. I then spot him. Brad is holding his hand close to his chest, and I relax because I now know that Beckett has Harlow, and Brad is disarmed.

  The police arrive just as Beckett is removing the tape from Harlow's wrists. Brad is stunned.

  He's holding his hand as he yells, "You're going to pay for this. Both of you! You're going to be sorry!"

  When he sees the police, he tries to run, but Brad sees me coming from the side of the building. He stops in his tracks and I chuckle.

  "Well, if I didn't know better, I would say that my man Beckett got a hold of you." I turn him around and escort him to the police.

  The police cuff him and place him in the back of a cruiser.

  I walk up to Harlow and Beckett. "Harlow, I know you have already met Toby Mitchell, but what you didn't know was I met him in a Krav Maga class that I started taking in high school. He took me under his wing and fast-tracked me through the program. I liked it so much I even talked Richard into going, too."

  Harlow is so surprised she can hardly speak. "I knew you were in good shape, but I never even gave that a thought. So, all of this time, you were prepared for Brad? You were my bodyguard without me knowing it?"

  I excuse myself to talk to the police. I tell them I have a video of the person starting the fire in the dumpster, and it shows Brad kidnapping Harlow, too.

  I look over at Beckett and Harlow and think of the kind of love he has for her. Not only does he want to care for her, but he also wants to show her that he loves, cherishes, and can protect her in the way she was always there to protect him when they were children. She wraps her arms around his neck and reaches up on her tiptoes, pulling him down to kiss him before walking into the bakery with an officer.

  After talking to the police, I walk back into the bakery to get the copy of the video of the arsonist, the assault on Davis, and Brad's attempt to abduct Harlow. As I walk in, Beckett and Harlow are finishing with an officer. I want to make sure everything was okay and nothing else is needed by the officer.

  I walk outside with him. I am running late for dinner, and I need to let Raven know what is going on. I am sure she is concerned, seeing as I haven't called back since our last conversation about Davis.

  I sit in my truck and hit Raven's name on speed dial. "Hi, angel, I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you. Are you already home?"

  "God, Toby, I have been so worried. Are you okay? Is Harlow okay? And what about Beckett and Davis?"

  "Everyone is fine. Davis needs stitches. I will call him and make sure he gets them, and Brad was caught and put in custody."

  "We can do this another night. We don't have to do it today. I know you're probably tired."

  I take a deep breath, as I can finally relax now that Brad has been caught. "No, I'm fine. I want to go out. I could use the break. Are Charlie and Carson still planning on going with?"

  "If that is still okay with you."

  "Of course it is. Did you tell Carson where we were going or are we picking him up?"

  "I thought we could pick him up."

  "Okay, I'm just leaving the bakery now and heading to your place. I will be there in about twenty minutes.”

  "I will see you when you get here."

  I press end on my phone and sit there thinking about the day. It could have ended horribly bad.

  My mind flashes to Michaels. I haven't talked to him for a long time. I still carry around a lot of guilt about what happened. We were best friends. I think I'm afraid that he'll never forgive me for what I did, and I don't know if I can handle that much more guilt.

  I'm brought back from my thinking when someone knocks on my window. Surprised, I look and see that it's the officer I spoke to earlier. I roll my window down. "Hi, officer. What can I do for you?"

  "I didn't have my business cards on me, so I wanted to get you one before I left, just in case you need to get in touch with me."

  "Thank you. I appreciate it. I'll let you know if there's anything else I come up with."

  "Thank you, Mr. Mitchell. We'll be in touch."

  "Thank you." I roll my window back up and start for Raven's place.

  I'm so nervous. I hope I'm doing the right thing. I knock on her door and Charlie answers. She's in a little cream lace dress that is short and shows off her long legs. She is wearing little boots with heels; she has to be close to six-feet in them.

  "Hey T, come in. She will be out in a minute."

  "Thank you, Charlie." I walked into the apartment and have to smile at the name Charlie calls me. She is an interesting person; she is definitely an “outside-the-box” kind of girl. I think it will be fun getting to know her. I think it's funny that Raven wants to fix her up with Carson. Not to mention that Charlie doesn't seem like the nurse type. Well, maybe dressed in a little nurse costume… But not working at a hospital. Although, it might make sponge baths fun for some of her patients… I don't see it, but maybe that's because I'm stereotyping her. I've got to stop that. As the old adage says, “you can't judge a book by its cover.”

  I sit on the couch as I wait for Raven. "So, Charlie, tell me about you."

  All of a sudden, another girl walks out from the hallway carrying a baby. Raven was right: he does look like me when I was a baby.

  "T, this is Katie. She watches Jaxon for me in the evenings." Katie sets Jaxon down and he looks around. When he spots me on the sofa, he makes a beeline for me. He grabs a hold of my slacks and pulls himself up off the floor until he is standing, with a death grip on my slacks. I nonchalantly pick him up, place him on my knee, and start to bounce him. He starts to giggle.

  "What do you want to know?" Charlie asks.

  "Are you from here?"

  "Oregon, yes. Portland, no. I was raised in Beaverton and then moved to the Salem area when I was about eight. Moved to Tennessee for a few months then moved back to Portland."

  "What took you to Tennessee?"

  "College and softball."

  "Wow, that's cool, but you only stayed for a few months?"

  "Yeah, there was a lot of partying on the team, and at that point in my life, I wasn't partying, so I came back home and got a scholarship to play volleyball. I did that for a year. I was working during the summers to earn money for school. That's when I met Raven. We worked together, then, last year... Well, last year wasn't good. Well, except for Jaxon, and I've taken the year off from school to get myself back together."

  "Raven told me what happened to your boyfriend. I’m sorry."

  Charlie clears her throat and turns her head away from me. I can see her in the window as she wipes the tears from her eyes. I wonder if she knows what Raven has planned. "Thank you, T. Do you care if I call you T?"

  I chuckle. “No, you can call me whatever you want."

  A big smile breaks across her face. "Anything, huh? I'll have to think about that."

  “Well, I guess I left myself open for that one.” I look up when I hear Raven's heels click across the floor. I stand, placing Jaxon on my hip as she walks in. God, she is so beautiful. I walk over to her. She has a light green sleeveless dress on that brings out the green in her eyes. I lean down, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips, and then whisper in her ear, "You look amazing. Can we just forget about dinner and go to my place? I could feast on you tonight instead and be perfectly happy." I bite her earlobe as she lets out a moan.

  "Um, get a room, and don't forget you're talking dirty with Jaxon on your hip." Charlie giggles.

  "Sorry, Charlie," Raven says.

  "Are we ready?" I ask. I lift Jaxon off my hip and give him a kiss on the top of his head as I hand him to Katie.

  "Yep, I'll show you where Carson lives."

  "Okay, well then, I guess we should go."

  We all walk out to the truck, and I open the door for both of the ladies. I'm still surprised that Charlie hasn't put two and two together yet. Raven tells me where Carson lives and, when we get there, Raven jumps out of the truck to go get him.

  The door opens, and out walks a guy who looks like he should be on some sandy beach with a surfboard, not in an office writing code for computer software.

  "Holy fucking hell. Is she fucking kidding me?" I hear Charlie whisper from the backseat.

  I laugh to myself at Charlie's reaction. I think she has just figured out what Raven is up to. They walk back to the truck and Carson opens the door for Raven then opens his. I look over my shoulder to watch Carson. The look on his face when he sees Charlie is priceless.

  "Sweet Jesus! Is this a fucking joke?"

  Raven turns and looks at Charlie, who has her hand over her mouth. Then she looks at Carson, who has stopped mid-step getting into the truck. "Charlie, I would like you to meet..."

  "Zain..."

  I look at Raven with a confused look, and she tilts her head to the side looking at Charlie. "No... Carson."

  "Char, fucking Christ!" Carson says.

  "No, Carson, this is Charlie." Raven and I are both looking from Carson to Charlie, then at each other. "Okay, is this like the twilight zone, because I know I must have missed something. I have had a really weird day today and it's getting weirder as the night goes on."

  "Zain and I met when I was back in Tennessee."

  "No, this is Carson. You must have him mistaken for someone else," Raven says, looking at them again.

  "I see you pulled the bat out of your ass," Carson says as he stares at Charlie.

  "I don't know how you would know, the way you were stoned all the time. I'm surprised you have any brain cells left," Charlie spits out with contempt.

  "Well, obviously you didn't stick around long enough to find out," Carson spews with disdain.

  "I'm sorry, Raven, but I can't do this," Charlie says as her voice cracks.

  "What? Why?" she says with surprise in her voice.

  "She's right, for the first time. I can't do this either," Carson says as he looks at me.

  Charlie opens the truck door and jumps out. I get out and walk after her, grabbing her by the shoulder and asking her to stop. I turn and look back through the window of the truck and see Raven starting to cry.

  "Don't move. Don't go anywhere," I say and catch up with Carson, who is walking toward his front door when I reach him. "Carson, hold up." Carson stops and turns to me. "Can I talk to both of you, please?"

  "Man, I can't be anywhere near her. She makes me crazy."

  "Please, for Raven's sake."

  "Are you fucking kidding me?"

  "She wanted her two good friends to meet. You two are all she has. She didn't know you knew each other. Think about it, what are the chances?"

  "Fine!" Carson walks over to where I left Charlie standing.

  "Carson, this isn't about you or Charlie. This is about Raven. You are her friends, and I think she's going to need her friends tonight more than ever. Do you see what this is doing to her? Look at her. Can't you two sit and have one meal together?"

  Charlie and Carson look at each other and then turn away. "Okay, I'll do it. I won't like it, but I'll do it for Raven."

  "Fine, if she can do I can do it, too, I guess."

  "Good! Now put smiles on your faces and get back into the truck and make her happy."

  Both of them growl under their voices and start to walk toward the truck.

  I get in, pushing the middle console up so Raven can sit closer to me. I lean down, kissing her cheek, and pulling her close to my side.

 

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