Page 52 of Teasing the Winger

There he goes being the perfect man again.

“I love you,” I tell him, knowing that now is the perfect time to get those words off my chest.

He beams at me, then presses his lips to mine. “I love you too, baby… so fucking much.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him like my life depends on it. I could have died tonight, but I didn’t, and now I get to live out the happily ever after I wasn’t sure I deserved.

The clearing of a throat causes us to pull away and look up at the police officer. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’d like to take your statements now.”

I nod and grab Rio’s hand. “Is it okay if we stay together while giving our statements?” I request.

“I don’t see why not,” the officer says as we stand up.

I thank him and take a deep breath before telling the entire story. By the time I’m done, the adrenaline has almost completely left my body, and I’m exhausted.

“I didn’t see much,” Rio admits when it’s his turn to give his statement. “When I arrived, Sasha was on top of Lux, punching him. I got him to stop, then kicked the gun away just in case Lux woke up.”

The cop nods while making notes.

“I’m going to head to the hospital now and see how Mr. Vanderbilt is doing and get his statement if possible. I’ll be in touch with you tomorrow to see how we are going to progress,” he tells us once he’s done writing everything down.

“Am I going to be in trouble?” I ask a new fear causing me to shake.

The officer shakes his head. “I highly doubt that, son. With the statements I received today, it’s evident you were acting in self-defense. The man had a gun, and had you not acted, you very well could have ended up dead tonight. But I’ll have more information for you in the morning.”

“Thank you,” I reply, then turn toward the old lady’s house and walk up the path to her door. She answers quickly after I knock and smiles at me in that sweet grandma way. “Thank you for calling the police and for being a witness for me,” I tell her.

She waves her hand at me. “I’m just glad I was at the right place at the right time. I was in an abusive relationship once, so I know how hard it is to get out. When I saw the gun, I opened my window, so I heard everything both of you said. That man is foul, and I hope he dies,” she says firmly, catching me off guard. You don’t expect old ladies to say things like that. “But you’re not like him. I’ve lived in this house for fifty years, and I’ve seen you walk by countless times. I’ve seen you help children who have fallen off their bikes or kicked a ball into the street and you retrieve it for them without them asking. I saw you help my neighbor with her garden last year, and you mowed Mr. Hunter’s lawn every week this summer while he was recovering from hip surgery. You are a good man, and I’m so glad you stood your ground.”

Her words have me tearing up again, and I rush forward to wrap my arms around her. “Thank you,” I whisper into her ear.

She rubs my back and shushes me. “No thanks is needed. It’s what neighbors do for each other.”

“Well, I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know,” I tell her.

“Have a good night, boys. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

We agree and wave at her as we leave.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Rio says, helping me into his car.

I smile at him and nod. I’m pretty sure I’m going to pass out the second my head hits the pillow. Which is fine by me, I’m ready to put this day behind me.

When we get to my house, we strip out of our clothing and climb into my bed. As predicted, I’m asleep almost instantly, in the arms of the man who loves me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

SASHA

My heart is racing as I wait for Officer Lettermen to bring me into his office. He called me early this morning and told me it would be best if I came down to the precinct. Even though I know I’m innocent and he told me I didn’t have anything to worry about last night, I still decided to call up one of my professors and ask him if he knew someone who could represent me.

Being a law student teaches you that you should really never speak to a police officer without a lawyer present. Of course, I didn’t think about that last night when I gave my initial report because I wasn’t in the best state of mind. But today, my thoughts are much clearer, and I knew I needed to make a call. Thankfully, my professor has a friend who was able to take me on at the last minute. I gave Mr. Cox the brief rundown of everything, and he was certain that no matter what happened today I wouldn’t be in any trouble, but of course, it was best that he came along just in case.

“It’s going to be fine,” he assures me when my knee won’t stop shaking.

I nod, but his words don’t do much to settle my nerves. If everything was okay, why did I have to come to the precinct? If nothing was going to happen, wouldn’t they have just told me that over the phone?

I’m not sure how long we wait before Officer Lettermen comes out and greets me. “Thank you for coming in, Mr. Lawrence,” he says, and I shake his hand.

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