Breath of Fresh Air Ch. 04

They stood there for a long quiet moment, Katie's head still resting against his shoulder as he held her from behind and placed tender kisses along her neck and jaw.

"I came in here to help you relax and I'm the one that got turned into jelly," she murmured, a slow, sexy smile spreading across her face.

He chuckled and turned her around to face him so he could kiss her again, her lips so soft and pliant on his that his brief kiss turned into a long, deep one. "Don't worry," he said against her lips. "That was exactly what I needed."

Once they were dry they settled on the couch in their pajamas. Katie sipped on a glass of white wine while Mike flipped through the channels unsuccessfully looking for something to watch. After finding only cop drama reruns and a Chuck Norris movie he sighed and turned the television off.

"Come here," Katie said, tugging his shirt and pulling him down so his cheek rested on her thigh. He wrapped one arm behind her and closed his eyes as she ran her fingers through his damp hair.

"I'm sorry I've been so pissy tonight."

Katie snorted. "Pissy? You offered to fix my car and then fucked me senseless in the shower. If this is pissy I want to see what you do when you're angry."

"No you don't. I don't get angry often, but if I'm at that point it's best if no one is around to see what I do." He chuckled and tightened his arm around her. "Anyway, I feel pissy even if I'm not acting that way. But you're making me feel better."

"Do you want to tell me what happened today?"

His first instinct was to say no, but before he really had time to think about it he found himself talking. "I got called in early this morning to help with a hostage situation. This man had holed himself up in his house with his family, and we knew he had a gun because neighbors reported hearing shots. SWAT had already gone in by the time I made it there and right as I got out of the car two of them ran out carrying people. One of them ran right up to me and pushed this young girl into my arms. I didn't even have time to think I just ran to the ambulance because she was covered in blood and I couldn't tell if it was hers or someone else's. She didn't answer me when I asked her if she was hurt."

He took a deep breath and focused on the feeling of Katie's fingers running through his hair. "She just kept saying, 'it's all my fault, he killed her' over and over. I didn't know what she was talking about, but I tried to tell her it wasn't her fault and that everything was going to be alright. The paramedics took her from me and left for the hospital and I was just standing there in the street wondering what the fuck had just happened."

"Once we got back to the station I found the detective in charge and told him what the girl had said to me, just in case it was important. And he told me...he told me that according to what they could get from the mother the man had been abusing their daughter. Raping her. She didn't know exactly how long it had been going on, but she'd finally told her mother about it and when she confronted the man everything blew up. Eventually he tried to shoot them both and then shot himself in the head."

"I'm glad he's dead the sick fuck, good riddance. His own daughter, and she couldn't have been more than fifteen. If I'd known...well I don't know what more I could have said to help her, but I still felt like I should have done more."

After a minute Mike realized that Katie's hand had stopped moving in his hair. He opened his eyes and saw that her face had gone as white as a sheet and she was staring off into space.

"Katie, are you alright?" he asked, sitting up. "Shit, you didn't need to hear all that. I'm sorry." He smoothed the back of her hair with his hand, willing her to look at him. God, he could be such a fucking idiot sometimes.

"No, it's- I'm okay," she said, snapping out of her trance and making eye contact with him. "Is she alright? The girl, is she going to be alright?"

"Yeah, he got her in the shoulder, it went right through. Her mom was in surgery last I heard, but they thought she was going to be fine."

"That's good. I'm glad they're alright. That was really brave. Of both of them."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I wasn't thinking-"

"Don't. Please, don't apologize. I asked you to tell me, I wanted to hear about it." She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something else and then closed it and stared at him for a moment before heaving a sigh and giving him a wry smile. "Come on, stop looking at me like that. I promise I'm not going to start swinging again."

He smiled back, but just barely.

"Don't make me bring up cutting off your dick again to remind you how crazy I'm not."

His smile grew and he snickered at her. "I thought I explained to you that castration jokes are only funny up to a certain point. We are way past that point, sweetheart."

"Duly noted," she said with a grin. The grin faded and she reached out and took his hand. "Seriously though, Mike. It sounds like you did everything you could for her and said all the right things. She'll be okay."

"You think?" he asked quietly, searching her eyes.

"Yeah, I bet she's stronger than you think." She was quiet for a minute then shook herself and added, "Besides, she still has her mom thanks to you guys."

"That's true," he nodded. Their conversation was interrupted by the buzzing of Katie's phone.

"It's Sarah," she said, looking at the display. "Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead. I'm gonna grab another beer." He got up and walked into the kitchen, unsure whether he was feeling better or not. He did feel better about his day, just talking about it and hearing someone tell him he'd done the right thing helped.

Still, it seemed like he'd missed an opportunity. That was the closest Katie had ever been to talking to him about her past and he wondered if maybe he should have pushed harder. He shook his head and decided to let it ride. She'd talk to him when she was ready, if she was ever ready.

His thoughts were interrupted by a shrill shriek from the living room. He rushed back in the living room to find Katie jumping up and down, smiling into the phone.

"Oh my god, Sarah! Congratulations. I'm so excited for you guys, that is such great news."

He smiled to himself as he flopped back on the couch, knowing exactly what Sarah was calling about. Caleb had been walking around with a ring in his pocket for a couple of weeks now and apparently he'd finally gotten up the guts to pop the question.

"Of course I will, I would be honored. Literally," Katie giggled at her own joke. "Yeah he's right here," she said, glancing at Mike with a smile on her face. She listened for a second and then said to him, "Caleb says to tell you to stop worrying about him dropping the ring in the toilet, it's safely on her finger now."

He laughed and said, "Tell them congrats for me. And give Sarah my condolences."

Katie laughed and passed along the message, talking for a few more minutes before saying goodbye. "So you knew it was coming?"

"Yeah we've been teasing Caleb about it for a while. Sorry I didn't tell you, he threatened me with death."

"That's alright. Sarah wants me to be her maid of honor and they're having an engagement party in a month so I guess I'm gonna be a busy little bee for a while."

Mike took her hands and pulled her down to sit on his lap. "As long as you still have a little time here and there for your official boyfriend, that's fine with me. Sarah couldn't have a better person for the job, it's going to be the most organized wedding in the history of marriage," he teased her.

"Shut up and take me to Office Depot so I can get some color coded folders and start planning."

"Mm," he said, nuzzling her neck. "How about we save that for another time. Right now I demand advance payment on your car repairs."

Katie laughed and squirmed around in his lap so she was facing him. "I thought I already paid you in the shower."

"Like any good mechanic I reserve the right to raise my prices at any time for no reason whatsoever."

"I hope I can afford what you're charging."

"I'll set up an installment plan for you," he said, then cut off any further joking with a kiss.

...

Katie lay in bed a while later unable to sleep. She watched Mike's chest rhythmically rising and falling and tried to remember when she'd let herself start trusting him. It was comforting, in a way, to feel like she could rely on him; that if she ever needed him he would probably be there for her. But it was scary too because relying on him meant he had the ability to let her down.

Mike rolled toward her and threw an arm across her waist, settling against her side. His warm breath drifted across her cheek and she smiled at how relaxed and innocent he appeared.

He really did look like a little boy sometimes; it would have been disconcerting if it didn't fit so well with his personality. Like a child, his is optimism was endless, though somehow he didn't come off as naïve. Maybe it was the gun. She giggled to herself at that thought, then quickly sobered.

Sometimes she felt like a fraud with him; like she was playing the part of the normal, happy girlfriend only until he figured out who she really was. She'd damn near told him everything tonight, but she couldn't help being afraid that if he knew the details about her past he'd never be able to look at her the same.

And of course old habits die hard. As usual when it came to talking about anything serious with him she went on autopilot and veered off into jokes. It felt like a ticking time bomb and she suspected that was why she hadn't been able to completely open up and let him in. Because deep inside she was sure that it couldn't last; feared that the very act of opening up would be the end of it all.

Other times she thought maybe she really was that normal, happy girl. That he helped her to be that person and she was screwing herself by hanging on so tightly to her past. He did make her happy, she couldn't deny that. Just being around him made her happy and she couldn't think of anyone who'd ever made her laugh the way he did. And there was certainly nothing naïve or childlike about him in bed. A satisfied grin crept across her face and turned to look at him again.

His hair was growing out and there were a couple of errant curls falling across his forehead. The corners of his mouth turned up in a sweet smile, but that didn't fool her. She knew the things he could do with those lips. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine and she turned in his arms, resting her forehead against his warm chest and snuggling in. She determined to stop over-analyzing everything and just enjoy being with him for as long as it lasted.

...

The engagement party had been a huge success. They'd taken over the Spaghetti Warehouse in the Old City and nearly the entire Knoxville Police Department had turned up, all in their dress blues, along with a vanload of Sarah's fellow teachers who'd ridden down together from Norristown.

There were several empty seats on the van going home and Katie suspected that more than one new relationship had been sparked that night, but most importantly Sarah had been having a blast being the center of attention all night long. It didn't bode well for the inner bridezilla she suspected was lurking inside her friend, but for now she was just happy that Sarah was happy.

Katie waited until the majority of the crowd was gone before she started drinking. By that time it was just the four of them hanging out at the bar. She'd been so busy making sure everything was running smoothly during the dinner portion of the evening that she'd barely eaten anything and at this point she wasn't keeping track of how many glasses of wine she'd tossed back so it didn't take long before she was nicely toasted.

Caleb and Mike watched with amusement as the two girls got drunk. They seemed to have their own system of communication involving mostly eyebrows and giggles, so it wasn't surprising to either man when they rose together to go to the bathroom without ever speaking.

"You need a ride home, man?" Mike asked Caleb.

"Nah, I'm good. I stopped drinking after dinner. Good thing, Sarah is wasted."

"Katie too. We should probably get them out of here before they raise too much hell."

"I just want to get her home before she's too drunk to fuck."

"Hey now, that's your fiancé you're talking about."

"Shit, I guarantee you she's thinking the exact same thing."

Mike laughed and shook his head at his friend as Sarah sat back down, sliding close to Caleb in the booth and burying her head in his neck, kissing him noisily. Caleb shrugged at Mike as if to say, "I told you so" before turning to kiss Sarah back.

Mike chuckled again as he slid out of the booth and looked around for Katie, his eyes finding her standing unsteadily at the bar. Her hair was swept up off the back of her neck giving him a tempting target as he walked up behind her and slid his hands around her waist, murmuring in her ear that maybe they should get home.

"Yes," she said turning and leaning into him, letting him support her weight. "Yes, we should definitely get home and get you out of this sexy outfit."

He grinned and held her tight. "I could say the same for you. You look gorgeous tonight."

The compliment brought a smile to her face, since she didn't dress up often and usually felt slightly out of place when she did. Tonight she'd worn a black dress with a tight-fitting top and a flowy skirt made of some kind of filmy material that fell nearly to her knees. She'd bought it because she liked the way the skirt swished around her legs when she walked, making her feel sexy without being all that revealing.

"If you think this dress looks good," she whispered in his ear. "You should see what I've got on under it." She stepped back and tried to strike a sexy pose, but stumbled into the bar and had to steady herself on a barstool.

Mike caught her and pulled her tightly to himself. "I can't wait," he murmured. "I'm gonna take you home and take advantage of your drunk ass."

Katie giggled again and clung to his waist as they said goodbye to Caleb and Sarah who were also heading toward the door. Mike steered her toward the parking lot and helped her up into the cab of his truck, waving to Caleb as they pulled out. He climbed in behind the wheel Katie came sliding across the seat toward him.

"You know, you don't have to wait until you get me home. You could take advantage of me right here," she said, tucking something into his hand.

"Well that is a tempting offer, but-" he stopped talking when he looked down to see her black lace thong dangling from his fingers. "Oh, shit."

"Are you sure?" she asked, grinning at his reaction and sliding the skirt of her dress up higher to reveal the lace tops of her thigh high stockings. Mike's eyes were locked on the sight as she lifted her skirt higher to show him that the stockings were clipped to a matching black lace garter belt. "Because I really don't want to wait."

She dragged one hand slowly up her thigh and opened her legs just enough to slide it between them, just as inflamed by the look on Mike's face as she was by the feel of her fingers slipping into her wet folds. Her legs fell open of their own accord as she stroked herself while he watched, leaning back against the door of the truck so he could get a better look.

His eyes were so dark they looked black in the dim light of the parking lot, but she could hear his ragged breathing and knew he was enjoying the show. She hadn't planned this, but now that she'd started and seen the way he reacted she didn't want to stop. She slid one finger inside her wet depths, gasping at the wicked feel of it as she began stroking in and out at a slow pace.

"Two fingers," he said quietly, his voice an octave lower than normal.

Katie almost came just from hearing the words. She loved it when he did that; told her what he wanted her to do. There was just something about the commanding tone he used that got her so hot, whether she was in the mood to comply or not. Right now she definitely was in a compliant mood and she pressed a second finger inside, moaning loudly.

The fact that she was in his truck in a public parking lot was completely lost on her at this point, her entire attention was focused on his face and the pleasure she was giving herself. Her hips began to rock in time with her pumping fingers and she could feel the wetness spreading to her thighs.

"Use your other hand. Play with your clit."

A shudder shook her body as she reached down and circled the tight nub with a finger, flicking over it every few seconds. Not too often, it felt too good and she wanted to wait; wanted to hear him to say it first. She just hoped he would say it soon.

"Mike," she moaned a few minutes later, the plea apparent in her voice. His eyes flicked up to her face and one side of his mouth twitched into a sly smile as their eyes locked together.

"You want to come, don't you?"

She nodded, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

"You know what I want?" he asked, sliding closer to her and wrapping one hand tightly around her stocking-covered calf.

"What?" she whispered.

"I want to see you put three fingers inside that tight pussy and then I want to see you come all over them."

Katie's face felt like it was on fire and she was dizzy with need. Her head fell back against the window, unable to watch his face any more as she slid a third finger inside. A throaty groan escaped her and she bit her lip, the finger on her clit now moving furiously.

"Come for me," he demanded.

She was vaguely aware of his hand gripping her calf painfully and she had a fleeting moment of wondering if he was really biting her knee, but the waves of pleasure wracking her body were too much for those inconsequential sensations. Her inner muscles gripped her fingers tightly, pulling them deeper inside as her hips flexed and rose up off the seat for a long moment before she finally collapsing in an exhausted heap.

Mike took her hand and lifted it to his mouth. Her eyes opened and locked with his again as he snaked his tongue out to lick one fingertip. "You," he said, licking the next one. "Are fucking," he said, licking the third. "Amazing." He slid the fingers in his mouth to suck them clean and the sight of it nearly sent her over the edge again. She moaned and reached for his belt buckle with her free hand, but he stopped her.

"Not here," he said, pressing a kiss to her lips. "I'm gonna need more room than the cab of my truck to properly thank you for that."

"I can't wait," she said with a smile. The anticipation was killing her and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at Mike's insistence on going the speed limit the whole way. He had a fraternal order of police sticker on his back window and she had teased him many times about how that was an automatic out if he ever got pulled over, but he always said that was no reason to break the law.

They finally made it back to his apartment and he mollified her somewhat by jumping quickly out of the truck and running around to her door before she had a chance to even open it. He grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder while she shrieked with laughter and pounded on his back with her fists.

"No! Put me down, you're making a scene," she said.

"You're the one making a scene, keep it down back there."

"Fine, but I'm not going to be held responsible for throwing up on your dress uniform."

"Don't you dare," he laughed, his hand coming down with a sharp smack on one butt cheek.

"Ow! Shit, you just wait until I tell Caleb you're abusing me."

"Sweetheart, that's not abuse, that's foreplay," he said, setting her on her feet in front of the elevator. He leaned in, pressing her against the wall as he kissed her and sliding his knee between her thighs, making her all too aware that she still wasn't wearing any underwear. The filmy material of her skirt slid over her sensitive folds sending a shiver through her body.