Guarding Forever (Police and Fire Operation Alpha) Read online

  Guarding Forever (Police and Fire Operation Alpha)

  C.M. Steele

  Contents

  Foreword

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by C.M. Steele

  More Special Forces: Operation Alpha World Books

  Books by Susan Stoker

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  © 2020 ACES PRESS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome to the Police and Fire: Operation Alpha Fan-Fiction world!

  If you are new to this amazing world, in a nutshell the author wrote a story using one or more of my characters in it. Sometimes that character has a major role in the story, and other times they are only mentioned briefly. This is perfectly legal and allowable because they are going through Aces Press to publish the story.

  This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I might have assisted with brainstorming and other ideas about which of my characters to use, I didn’t have any part in the process or writing or editing the story.

  I’m proud and excited that so many authors loved my characters enough that they wanted to write them into their own story. Thank you for supporting them, and me!

  READ ON!

  Xoxo

  Susan Stoker

  About the book

  ***This is the second book following Gage and Hope.***

  With their second child on the way, Hope and Gage felt like life was almost perfect. The cattle ranch became profitable after its first year, and his employees were happy. All they needed was to get Baxter Cummings’s trial over. As the days moved closer to the actual trial date, the case began to unravel. With that went their safety and sanity.

  Willing to do anything to protect his family, Gage employed even more guards, but would it be enough?

  Could they survive Cummings's deadly intentions? Or would they lose their forever?

  Chapter 1

  “Alfonzo, she’s worth the ten million,” Baxter Cummings’s voice purred dangerously. The sound buzzed in Hope’s ears as she eavesdropped from the hidden passage that connected her father’s office to the stairway. She mentally prayed that he’d say “hell, no” especially at that price, but who really knew criminals?

  After taking a drink from his glass, the buyer answered, “I’ll take her.”

  “No!” Hope shouted from her hiding space as fear shot up her spine. She clasped her hand to her mouth, but she’d been too late. The men turned to the sound, their eyes trained on the tiny crack in the hidden wall panel. She was busted.

  Hope spun around and attempted to leave through the other door before they could find her, but when she pushed on the handle to her only escape, it wouldn’t budge. I can’t get out! Panic set in as they quickly opened the hidden panel. She continued to tug violently on the handle as the entrance behind her opened up. Her father grabbed her around the arm, dragging her out of the room. She clawed at the floor, looking for purchase, but he was too strong for her. She gave her best fight, banging on his chest, but he trapped her arms. “No! You can’t! I love Gage. Let me go!”

  “Hope, Hope. Babe. Hope, wake up.” Gage’s voice finally pierced her dreamlike state. Holding her close to his chest, he whispered, “I’m here. I’m here. No one is taking you from me.” Before her brain could process his words, she elbowed him in the gut. Moments passed before she finally realized where she was and what she had done.

  “Oh my goodness, Gage. I’m sorry. Are you okay?” She broke down, shaking and sobbing against Gage’s shoulder. “I love you so much. I’d never intentionally do that.”

  The day they had that conversation had only been a little over a year ago, but it would be forever etched in her mind. Her father had tried to sell her off to be a mistress. Of course it hadn’t ended the way her dream did, but it could have if she hadn’t escaped. Just the nightmare of her past sent her into a fresh stream of tears. Soon, she’d have to face her father in court for his trial and was certain that it would trigger more bad dreams.

  “I know. I know. I’ve got you, Hope. I’ll always protect you.” He placed a kiss on her head, holding her close. Slowly the tension left her body, but a rising sexual tension grew in his. Having her supple warmth against him sent sleep from his mind and filled it with desire. He wondered if she’d started to fall asleep, so he gently pulled her away from his chest enough to see if she was still awake. “How are you feeling now? Ready for bed?” As he asked, he took in the striking beauty that she was. Even with her sultry red hair messy and wavy from sleep and her flushed cheeks, she looked like a siren beckoning him.

  “Not yet.” She looked into his eyes, seeing the same recognition. It was the peak of summer, so they were both barely clothed. Her large, soft breasts covered by a thin nightie pressed against his bare chest, taking her out of the sudden panic and into a much different, friendlier mood. Searching for security, Hope parted her lips, moaning as she slid her hand into his thick brown hair and then brushed her mouth against his jaw, skimming her way to his lips. He slipped his tongue inside, entangling with hers until she rolled her hips over his shaft.

  A low rumble in his chest marked the night air before he flipped her onto her back and slid her light nightgown off. He draped kisses over her lips, skimming his mouth down her body until he captured her pert nipple, sucking like his hungry baby who was sleeping in the other room.

  Unable to contain her moans, she cried out, “Gage.” The sound of his name off her lips added pure, hot lust through him. It had been that way since she first came in his arms. He grabbed her hip and dragged her down to the center of the bed.

  “Wife,” he growled out, slipping his boxers down, freeing his stiff cock.

  “I need you, Gage.”

  He dipped his fingers into her, testing how ready she was. A smile crept over his face as he lifted his soaked fingers to his mouth, tasting her heat. “I know.”

  He lined up his cock with Hope’s entrance, rubbing it over her slit, grazing her bundle of nerves. She arched up with her eyes doing the pleading for more. With his hands flat on the mattress, he drove in with his thick shaft.

  “I love you, Gage.”

  “I love you.” He rocked his hips, sending their heavy bed off its feet and his dick deep inside Hope. “I’d move mountains for you.”

  “The bed seems like a great start,” she giggled out, sliding her hands over his shoulders and down his back. She wrapped her legs around his strong body, running her heels up and down his calf muscles.

  “Fuck, I love when you cling to me, baby.” He growled, pumping harder until they were both
panting out their orgasms. His come filled her depths, marking her womb.

  * * *

  They cuddled together a little longer before he brought up the nightmare that had startled them both awake. “It’s been a long time since you dreamed about that day.”

  “Maybe it’s that I saw Ignacio Navarro at the store,” she blurted out nervously, forgetting that she hadn’t planned on telling him at all.

  He sat up and looked at her with teeth clenching in anger. “What? When was this? And why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Yesterday. I…um…I forgot.” Hope didn’t really have a poker face when it came to Gage. Her husband could read her expressions like an open book.

  “Don’t fucking lie to me. It was two days ago, and I know all about it. If you think for even one moment that I’d let you go out on your own without someone close by to keep you protected, you’re mistaken.”

  “So then why did you need me to tell you? Ugh, Gage. I hate when you do that to me.”

  “What? Protect you? You’re pregnant again with our second child.”

  “I thought you were done with all that.”

  “Hope, I’ll never be done protecting you. I live to see your face.”

  The sounds of Johnny’s wail ripped through their baby monitor. “I’ll get him. You need to get some sleep. You’re working on the ranch with the guys today.”

  Gage looked at the alarm clock. “Only two in the morning. Fine. Let me know if you need my help.”

  She knew that he wasn’t done with their discussion, but he needed sleep. Hope got up and walked to the nursery next to their room and scooped little John out of his crib.

  As she cared for her sweet boy, she remembered the encounter with Navarro.

  Gage had finally let her go out unprotected, and she felt a sense of freedom coupled with a tinge of fear. She pushed the stroller through Austin and entered an exclusive baby store that catered to higher-end clientele. She only went in because she’d received a gift card from the District Attorney’s office Gage had worked for before retiring.

  It was the picture of pure elegance even for the products that were disposable. White shelves lined the place, inviting and enticing shoppers like a fly to a spider’s web. She had begun browsing when her stroller bumped the edge of another stroller. “Oh goodness. I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay, Mrs. Gibson.” She looked up and saw a man she didn’t know, but he appeared familiar. “Sorry, I’m afraid we’ve never met in person. I’m Ignacio Navarro.” She gasped, taking a step back. “Please calm yourself. As I explained to your husband, I have no interest, good or bad, in you. I’m a happily married man.”

  “Excuse me. Do we have a problem?” His wife approached with a bit of attitude.

  “No, princessa. This is Mr. Gibson’s wife, Hope. I was telling her, like I told her husband, that she doesn’t have to fear me.”

  “Oh. You’re the one his father wanted. You’re beautiful.”

  “Um…thank you. Listen, I’m sorry I bumped your stroller, but you two have a great day.” Hope pushed her son to the other side of the store to check out some new diaper bags. They hadn’t spoken to each other again before she left the store. Hope decided to cut her day out short and took the baby home. She evidently was not ready to go out alone.

  “Mommy needs to get her act together. Come on. Let’s settle you back to bed, my little love.” She swaddled Johnathan as best as she could in his blanket, but he was a bit chubby. Sitting in the rocking chair, she breastfed him and then rocked him back to sleep. Once she knew he’d stay asleep, she laid him down and then quietly snuck back into bed. Gage naturally rolled over and cradled his wife in his arms as he slept. She smiled to herself, feeling blessed.

  Chapter 2

  “Hello, beautiful. How’s my boy?” Gage said over the phone, sending a jolt of pleasure coursing through Hope. She loved hearing his deep voice, especially when he expressed any sweet endearments. From the day she met Gage, she’d been addicted to him. He was her protector, her hero, the love of her life.

  Her voice became airy and saccharine whenever he called her out of the blue. “He’s playing with his teether, drooling everywhere.” Their son was five months old, born on a cold night in January, and a blessing for both of them. Little Johnathan Gage Gibson had his father’s looks that made his grandmother shed a tear for the past every time she saw him.

  “Good, and how are you, my treasure?”

  “Feeling wonderful now. Someone is being too effusive with their endearments. What’s going on?” He’d been irritated with her last night and told her that they’d finish their conversation when he came home, so she couldn’t figure out why he was being extra loving.

  “Because I love hearing the way your voice softens, and I can see the smile that graces your face when you know how much I love you. Your happiness is my goal, Hope.”

  “What else, Mr. Gibson?” she insisted, knowing he was going to say something she wouldn’t like. They had only known each other about a year and a half, but she knew her husband inside and out. He was about to upset her with some news.

  “Well, Mrs. Gibson, it’s going to be a long, brutally busy day, but I promise to be home by dinner,” he finished quickly, hoping to soften the blow. Hope could picture her husband’s face squinting as he braced for her anger. She loved her stolen minutes with him when he worked out in the field with his ranch hands.

  “You’re not going to eat?” With the heat and hard work, Hope freaked out a little more than she knew she should when it came to Gage, but her reasoning was sound. The man hadn’t been ranching that long, even though it had been a part of his life as a kid. He’d spent many years in an air-conditioned office and courtroom as a District Attorney.

  “We’re going to be on the far end of the pasture. One of the guys will run to the diner and bring back food to our truck.” Hope sighed with relief. At least he wasn’t going to work hungry.

  “Thanks. I’d hate for you to forget to eat.”

  “Do I ever really forget that?” He chuckled. Gage loved food as much as any other hardworking man. “I should say the same to you. Air conditioning or not, you let being a mom and my sexy assistant get in the way of eating.”

  “Well, I am going to have a chicken salad for lunch since I’ll be eating alone. Besides, I’ve finished the billing and paid all the invoices, so after some filing, I’ll be done for the day.” Hope wiped her hands as if he could see her movements.

  “Except for our little cowboy who will keep you on your toes.” As a mother, her day didn’t end until he fell asleep, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Besides, Hope had both Gage and his mother taking Johnny any time they got a chance. Gage was the dad he’d always wanted and needed, stepping up even when he was bone tired after working all day out on the ranch. Hope knew how important fatherhood was to him after everything that had happened with his father.

  Hope wished that her mother could see what a man she married. She would have loved Gage and would absolutely have adored Johnny. Thinking about her mother’s death left tears in her eyes. There were days when she’d visit her mother’s grave and tell her all about Gage and Johnathan. She’d grown close to Gage’s mother, but it could never be the same.

  She stared at Johnny and grinned. Hope was lucky that so far he’d been an easy baby. Getting pregnant so soon after the first baby made Gage a little nervous for Hope’s well-being, but she wasn’t fazed by it at all. “Yes, but he’s not crawling away yet, so I’m pretty good.”

  “I still want you to take it easy. You should be a spoiled princess.” Hope couldn’t fight the smile that came over her face. She loved how much he needed to take care of her. After years of abuse and neglect, it was a welcome treat.

  “I will. I promise. I won’t do anything to incur your wrath.”

  “Oh, and you will. I’ll bend your pretty ass over and show you how disappointed I am if you don’t rest.”

  She grew wet, instantly turned on, pressing her
thighs closed. To equally torment him, she teased, “When you say it like that, maybe I should scrub the floors on my hands and knees.”

  He let out a needy groan, adjusting himself before he choked out, “Enough. My dick can’t handle picturing your bottom up in the air. I love you.”

  “I love you too.” He ended the call as she let out a howling laugh. She loved to know how worked up he got over her. As they got older and she was no longer new and shiny, that lust would fade, so Hope would take what she could get.

  Settling their baby down for a nap in his crib, Hope tried to take one as well. She nestled down onto the sofa, throwing a light blanket over her legs. Within minutes, she was passed out.

  * * *

  She hadn’t realized how tired she was because the clock struck five when she heard her baby boy’s cries on the monitor. Walking into his bedroom, she smiled at Johnny and said, “Hey. What are you doing in here? Why you causing a ruckus? How long have you been awake?” Johnny’s tears stopped, and a toothless grin brightened up his face. Despite the missing teeth, he looked just like his daddy, making Hope’s heart swell. She teased him about the baby not looking like her, but honestly, she loved that her son had his daddy’s great looks. Gage would be home soon, so she needed to get dinner started like she promised. After changing Johnny, she carried him into the kitchen and sat him in his high chair so she could cook. “Come on, buddy. You can help me make Daddy dinner.”