Page 71 of Losing a Piece of Me

He doesn’t release me. Instead he shakes his head and holds me tighter. “Not this time, Lex. You’re going to feel this. No more of those walls you build up around yourself. You’re mine and I won’t let you keep me out any longer.” His lips crash to mine and his fingers tangle into my hair, pulling me closer.

I feel him harden against me and something snaps. I give into him.

I tear my walls down and revel in the dirt and rubble that remains. Those walls are down and are never coming up again. I’m finally free.

This is me, completely bare for him to see, to feel, to love.

We fall into the grass and he moves above me, sliding between my legs so his hardness is pressed just where I need it.

His lips travel down my neck while his teeth scrape along my skin. I’m shaking with need for him. My fingers find his waistband and snake beneath. When my hand finds him, he takes a sudden breath that almost sounds like a hiss.

“I love you so fucking much, Lex.” His fingers move to the button on my jeans and just as he slides his hand down the front, we hear, “Alexis Grant and Striker Murphy.”

We freeze and look toward the voice. It’s Barney.

Fuck.

“Stand up slowly with your hands in the air.” He’s aiming his gun at us.

“Come on, you’re not really going to shoot us,” Striker says.

“Not if I don’t have to. Now both of you move to the side of the police cruiser with your hands behind your backs.”

We both move to the side of his car. Once we’re pressed against it, we move our hands behind our backs to be cuffed.

“What are you arresting us for?” I ask.

“Public intoxication, public indecency. You pick.” He starts reading us our rights.

He does his old routine of placing Striker in the back and me in the front. He doesn’t want us next to each other.

Once he has us tucked away inside, I hear him talking on his radio from outside the car.

“I got em both, boys! Yee-haw!” I twist and look at him. He has his sheriff’s hat off, waving it in the air.

“Looks like old Barney can finally retire,” Striker says from the back.

I turn to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“I heard him on the radio at Pops, he wouldn’t retire until he arrested you one last time.”

I can’t hold in my laughter.

Though I know my dad will want to kill me when I call him to bail us out, I’m secretly a little happy to be the person to get Barney out of the station.

Future troublemakers, you’re welcome!

* * *

“Dad, can you pick us up?” I ask him, holding my breath.

“Where are you?” I can hear the sleep in his voice.

“Barney found us, we’re in jail.”

“Damn it, Alexis!”

I scrunch up my shoulders.

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