StellaI'm warm, warmer than I normally am, and I hear a thudding in my ear. A steady rhythmic beating. As I start to come to awareness, I realize I'm in bed with Ransom. My head is laying on his chest. Below me, I can see the ink of his tattoos, the light sprinkling of hair he has there. His arms are wrapped tightly around me, and our legs are entwined with one another. It's a huge surprise to me that I'm here. Before a few months ago, I never would have thought we'd be together. Truthfully, I saw him as nothing more than a friend, but something changed. There's a couple of moments that stick out, but really there are a group of memories in time. Where I started to look at Ransom differently, where he stopped being an annoying friend of Nick's, and a member of our group. Somewhere along the line, he started to become someone I looked at as if I'd like to get to know him better.Before the day at my grandparent's pool, I always waved off his invitations to hang out. Even when he

Ransom"How was your weekend?" Menace asks as he takes the passenger seat of my SUV. The Moonshine Task Force has definitely changed over the years. Menace took over the role of supervisor about a year ago while my dad has stayed on with the department as a consultant. As they all get up in years, their jobs stretch and change while Caleb, Nick, and I take on more of the physicality. There, however, is something to be said for the knowledge, experience, and skill of the guys who've come before us. Dad will retire next year, and I'm enjoying working with him while I can, even if I don't work as closely with him as I did the first two years I was on the force. Since Menace took over as supervisor, he's done a bi-monthly ride along with each of us, and we're working on developing a county-wide emergency response initiative. It'll include different members of each public service branch: cops, firefighters, nurses, EMTs, doctors, and everything in between. You apply and can pass the

StellaI'm nervous as Dad clears the table of the dinner dishes. My hands actually shake as I smooth the skirt of the dress I wear over my thighs. "Do we want some dessert?" I ask with what I know is more exuberance than is needed. "I got a chocolate cake at The Café today," Mom says from where she sits."Great, I'll make some coffee to go with it."The thing is, I need something to do with my hands, need something to keep me from blubbering like an idiot. If someone were to ask me why I'm so nervous, I can't really say. It just feels as if a big part of my life hangs in the balance of this outcome. "You don't have to be nervous," Dad tells me as he loads the dishwasher and I start the coffee pot."I shouldn't even be." I shake my head as I open the cake container, cutting us all pieces. "It means a lot to you." He finishes the dishwasher, before coming over to stand next to me. He leans with his back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. "The things t

StellaThis kiss is everything a kiss should be. Passionate, sweet, tingle-inducing. The sweep of his tongue against mine is enough to make me wet. He owns me without words. The pressure of his lips against mine, the feel of his body spreading my thighs, his fingers denting my flesh. Ransom Thompson owns me, and when he breaks the kiss, I'm panting, fisting his hair in between my fingers, grinding against him as I rest my back against the wall."Damn, Stelle." The deep timbre of his voice washes over me like a wave crashing against the shore, leaving the bubbles in the sand behind as it rolls back out. Goosebumps appear all over my skin, causing my nipples to peak, and a shiver to run completely through my body as I listen to that kiss-drunk voice of his. "I've wanted that kiss all day.""Me too, handsome, me too."His hands travel further around my thighs, holding on tightly as he turns us from the wall. "As badly as I want you right now, I really need a damn shower. I've been

Ransom"Wanna tell me why you wanted to hang tonight?" I ask Nick as we sit in the backyard, watching some brush I've removed from my fence-line burn. We're both nursing beers, but he hasn't been talking much. If I don't move it along, we may here until the sun comes up, and I may never figure out what the fuck is going on in his head. "Not that I mind, but it sounded urgent, and now that you're here, you haven't said ten words."Looking over, I watch as he drains his beer, crushes the can, and throws it in the fire. It's obvious he's conflicted, but he's not ready to talk about it yet. He cracks open another beer and has a seat next to me, letting his arms dangle between his legs. He sighs deeply, running a hand over his jaw. He hasn't shaved, which is unlike him. He isn't like me, a little lazy most of the week; he's more on the clean-shaven side. That is enough to worry me slightly about what is bothering him. "Kels made a move on me last night," he finally speaks, almost low