Brogan stirred from sleep, his mind groggy with fatigue, but instantly smiled at the feel of Ginny’s warm body snuggled in close to his. Her head rested on his chest, her small hand placed over his heart in sleep. One leg was thrown over his thighs, perilously close to his twitching cock.

He watched her sleep, trying to focus on her peaceful beauty and not the bruise on her cheek. Granted, it was only slightly reddish in the morning light and not nearly as dark as he assumed it would be, but he knew it had hurt and the idea of someone hurting her still made his teeth clench.

Forcing the negative thoughts from his mind, he focused instead on the woman in his arms. After the crowd had dispersed without incident, the food trucks had driven away, Finn’s beer tent had been taken down, the money had been put away in the safe for Katelyn to do an accounting the next day, the kegs and crates had been taken back into Finn’s storage rooms, and as the town street sweepers had made their passes to collect the garbage, the city block once again retaining its normal appearance, Ginny had met him at the corner under the streetlamp at the door to the pub.

They decided to go to his place, just so they could wake up the next morning to the sunshine reflecting off the bay, the peace of the beach dunes, and the gulls and herons as their only company.

Both tired, they fell into bed, slumber coming almost immediately for both. Now, with the morning light shining in, Brogan knew there were things that needed to be said.

Ginny stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering as she adjusted to the light streaming in the window, the sound of the surf in the distance. Seeing Brogan’s blue eyes, she smiled, licking her lips as she mumbled, “Morning.”

Matching her smile, he leaned over and kissed her. Light. Gentle. “Hey, honey,” he muttered against her lips, his hand sliding to the bottom of her t-shirt.

She mumbled incoherently again, her mouth opening as her tongue tangled with his. Feeling his cock twitch against her thigh, she shifted over his body, straddling him so her core was now pressed firmly on his erection. Holding on to his shoulders, her bedhead hair streaming down creating a curtain, she grinned.

His fingers gripped her ass tightly as he closed his eyes, all the blood rushing to his dick as the heat from her sex knocked all thoughts from his mind other than me, her, now.

Giggling, she whipped her t-shirt over her head, her breasts bouncing with the movement. His hands smoothed over her ribcage until both held her breasts, their weight filling his palms. Pushing them together, he jerked up, sucking first one nipple and then the other, deeply into his mouth. Ginny groaned at the sensation, wondering at the nerves that sparked between her breasts and her womb. Rubbing her panty clad sex on his erection, barely contained in his boxers, she sought the friction desperately needed.

“Fuck this,” he groaned, his large hand grasping her hips and lifting her up enough to snag her panties. He noticed they were black and lacy and stopped just long enough to grin up at her.

“Your sister took me shopping,” she said, grinning back.

“Well, I hope you have more, ‘cause I can’t wait,” he said, just before he ripped them on one side and pulled the scrap of material away.

Before she could protest, his lips latched onto one nipple again as his fingers found their way into her warm sex, tweaking the right spots to have her wiggling and writhing in need.

Rolling them to the side, Brogan leaped from the bed just long enough to drop his boxers and free his massively erect cock, stroking it with his hand for a second as he looked down at her naked body, wide open for his perusal. Rolling on a condom, he grinned as he leaned over the bed.

With no restraint, he lifted her calves to his shoulders, centering the tip at her opening and, seeing her bright, lust-filled eyes, he plunged to the hilt in one swift motion. Her tight, warm channel accommodated him as he groaned in satisfaction.

“Fast and hard, baby?” he grunted, already moving inside of her.

“Yes,” she cried out, her fingers grabbing onto his shoulders to hang on for the ride.

Thrusting into her, he buried his frustration, his fears, and worries all into the movement of his cock rocking into her luscious body. Opening his eyes, he watched as her breasts bounced in rhythm to their movements. Looking down at their coupling, he stared at his cock, slick with her juices, sliding in and out of her sex, the scent filling the air.

Realizing he had not made her come before they got started, a sliver of guilt hit him, but the light in her eyes and smile on her face took it away. Shifting his weight to one forearm, he slid his free hand over her breasts, pinching her nipples slightly before moving down over her mound and fingering her clit.

Her orgasm hit hard as her body bucked underneath him. He rolled quickly and, with her on top, ordered, “Ride it out, baby.”

With his hands on her hips, he watched as she moved up and down on his shaft, her orgasm still causing her inner walls to clench him. She smiled in open abandon as she bounced, her hands gripping his shoulders again.

Throwing his head back, his neck muscles corded and his veins stood out prominently, his growl starting deep in his chest before it roared from his body. Pumping upward until every last stream of his orgasm was deep inside her, he collapsed back onto the mattress, her body landing on his with a thump.

They lay, exhausted but exhilarated, for several long minutes, until their breath was less ragged. His hand smoothed over her skin from her shoulders to her ass and back again. Her unmarred cheek laid on his chest, the thick muscles cushioning her face.

Slowly, she lifted her head and peered down at him, a smile curving her lips. “We good, honey?”

“Oh, yeah, Ginny. We’re good,” he grinned in return, knowing they would talk later. But, for now…they were good.

* * *

The man lay flat against the dunes, his binoculars trained on the naked couple in bed, the beautiful Ginny on top of that brute. He had watched her rosy-tipped breasts bounce as the barman pounded into her. Holding the binoculars with one hand, he had slid his other hand down his pants, working his cock, but he could not come. Furious, his impotence enraged him. It was taking more and more to get him off. Watching her lift her hand to stretch, the man’s cock still buried inside her, made him even angrier.

Ginny jerked her head toward the window and he realized the glass in the binoculars might have sent a reflection toward the house. Dropping to the sand, he slid down the dune, completely out of sight, and ran down the beach until he could get far enough away that, to anyone else, he would just appear to be an early beach comber. Seeing a few people up ahead looking for sea glass, he smiled. Just a man out on a beautiful morning, enjoying the views.

* * *

Ginny lounged in the Adirondack chair on Brogan’s deck, her shower-wet hair drying in the breeze. The unsettled feeling in her gut she had had since their morning romp had disappeared, seeing nothing on the beach but gulls, herons, and the occasional black pelican. MB sauntered out onto the deck, stretching before winding herself around Ginny’s legs, followed by Brogan, a tray in his hands, full of steaming cups of coffee, toasted bagels with cream cheese, and a plate each of scrambled eggs and bacon.

Her empty stomach rumbled, giving evidence to her pleasure at his offerings. “Oh, this is wonderful,” she gushed, taking a sip of coffee. “Thank you.”

The two sat in companionable silence for several minutes, enjoying the breakfast and the beautiful day.

As Brogan finished, he set his coffee on the deck and leaned forward, holding her gaze. “Honey, I gotta apologize for last night. Well, for part of last night.” Seeing her eyes not wavering, he plunged on. “I’m a man, and a certain kind of man. They say a man learns how to treat a woman by how his father treated his mother. And, I gotta say, I learned from the best.”

She reached across the space and laid her hand on his arm. “Yes, you did,” she agreed softly.

Nodding, he continued, “My dad would have flattened any man who dared to lift a finger toward my mom. So would Pops. In fact, all the men I knew in my childhood would have done that. Mitch’s dad, Jillian’s, hell, even Zac’s dad if he wasn’t too drunk to stand up—” Seeing her quizzical expression, he shook his head and said, “another story for another day, babe.”

Sighing, he continued, “But I know you were working. I’ve got no problem with you being a policewoman, Ginny. Nothing but the deepest respect for what you do. Hell, if I’d had a problem with your job, I wouldn’t have been panting after you for two years.”

At that, a smile slipped across her face, but Ginny remained quiet, knowing he needed to talk, and so pleased he was not holding it all in.

Wringing his large hands, he said, “I saw that man arguing with you, calling you a bitch…babe, I wanted to pound him into the ground. I kept telling myself you were working. I know you’re a cop. But he clocked you, babe, and I saw red. Pure, fuckin’ furious red.”

“It’s okay to want to protect me, you know.”

At that, his eyes jumped to her, his brow lowered.

Swinging her legs around, so that she was facing him, she said, “In uniform, I’m in control, but that doesn’t mean every situation can be handled according to plan. When dealing with belligerent persons, it’s good to have backup there. Last night, I’d called for help on my radio but he took a swing at you and I fucked up by trying to get between you and him.”

“Jesus, babe. Never put yourself between someone and me. Not when your safety…or honor, is in question.”

“My honor? Honey, as a cop, I’ve been called worse than bitch. And as a woman, I’ve heard it all. That doesn’t make it right and, as a cop, I do what I have to do.” Chuckling, “as a woman, I might just knee them in the balls if I feel the situation warrants it.”

The two sat quietly as he placed his large hands over hers, rubbing them gently. “It’s hard for me, to be honest,” he admitted. “I never wanted some wimpy woman, and you being a cop is not a bad thing. But, I hope we don’t find ourselves in another situation like last night, ‘cause I can’t promise that I’ll hold back.”

“I don’t want you to be anything other than what you are, honey,” she said, her gaze warm with the sunlight catching the golden hues of her hazel eyes. “I’ll always act like a cop when the situation warrants it, but otherwise, I can be your woman.”

“There’s one other thing I realized last night that I need to rectify,” he confessed. Leaning closer, so that his lips were a breath away from hers, he whispered, “I love you, Ginny Spencer.”

Her gasp was swallowed as his lips met hers, his hands pulling her closer so that she wrapped her legs around his hips as he stood and walked back inside. Grasping his face in her hands she pulled back slightly and smiled. “I love you, too, honey.”

With a huge grin, he shut the door and laid her down on the bed. Just as he was about to climb in with her, she looked over. “Sweetie, you better pull the blinds. I don’t want anyone being able to look in.”

* * *

Ginny stared at the canoe on the water, determined to keep her feet on the sand. “That’s not going to hold both of us,” she said, backing away.

“Don’t be afraid,” Brogan encouraged. “You’ll love it.”

Her dubious expression stayed in place as she looked at the hand he was holding out. “I’ve always been a feet on the ground sort of girl.”

“You got this, honey.”

Finally giving in, she stepped in and sat, nervously grabbing the sides. Looking up, she said, “I can’t hold the paddle if I’m holding on for dear life.”

Unabashedly staring, he looked down at her long legs, bare in her boy-shorts bathing suit. The tied bikini top was tantalizing, but he wondered if he should have insisted on her wearing a t-shirt over it to protect her shoulders from the sun…and to keep his eyes in his head.

Stepping into the water, he walked the canoe out until he was waist high and then swung his leg over, pulling himself in. Settling quickly, he laughed as Ginny screamed as the front lifted in the air with his weight in the back. Shifting slightly toward the center for balance, he began paddling them out past the sand bar before turning along the coast.

After a few minutes of watching her attempt to contribute, he called out, laughing, “Baby, put the oars down. You’re paddling against me and we’re just battling each other.”

“Fine,” Ginny said, blushing slightly at her lack of canoeing skills, and relaxed to view the shoreline from the bay.

They paddled south, getting closer to the Baytown public beach, when she noticed a cluster of kayaks paddling toward them. It seemed to be a group of teenagers, but then she spied James in the lead.

James’ eyes shifted between Brogan and Ginny before he flashed a smile as he paddled by. “Hello,” he called out, his voice as friendly as his smile. “Enjoying the water this morning?”

Ginny nodded and called out, “Looks like you’ve got a quite a group.”

“I sponsor the Kayak Club at the high school and we try to go out a couple of times a month when the weather’s nice.”

Ginny noticed the teenage girls giggling as they looked over at muscle bound, tatted Brogan. Look all you want, girlies, he’s mine. Shaking her head at her adolescent thought, she heard Brogan call her name.

Twisting around, she looked at him with her head tilted.

“You were shaking your head,” he said. “I just wondered if you were all right.”

“Yeah. I was just having an adolescent pang of possessiveness when those teens were staring at you. My mind was telling them to back off.”

Chuckling, Brogan said, “Not interested in teens, babe. In fact, not interested in anyone but you.”

She leaned back as he leaned forward and their lips met briefly before the canoe rocked precariously. With a yelp, she jerked back into place, her hands firmly gripping the sides. As she righted herself, Brogan looked over his shoulder at James, in the midst of a bunch of teens, where more than half were girls. Turning back, he wondered if the man was just a good mentor…or something less noble. “I’m just glad he kept his eyes in his head as you rowed by.”

As they turned and headed back toward Brogan’s bungalow, they came across Katelyn and Gareth out on kayaks. Greeting each other, Katelyn looked at her brother and said, “You know there’s a family dinner tonight.” Then, grinning at Ginny, she added, “And you’re expected. Don’t try to get out of it. It’s time you made it official by joining all the MacFarlanes at one time.”

“Oh, lordy,” Ginny breathed.

“Don’t worry,” Gareth said, paddling by. “I survived.”

As they made it to the beach outside Brogan’s property, Ginny looked back. “By the way, did you know about dinner tonight?”

“Uh…yeah…” he said hesitantly, hearing the warning sound in her voice.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“Well, it’s not dinnertime yet.”

Whirling around in the canoe, making it rock from side to side, she said, “You weren’t going to say anything until it was time to go?”

“It’s just my family, honey. You weren’t going to have to get fixed up or anything.”

“Are you daft?” she yelled. “Brogan this is your whole family…your parents. That’s a big, fucking deal!” Scrambling out of the canoe, she bolted so quickly he did not have time to right it before it flipped, sending him into the water.

Standing on the sandy bottom, grabbing the oars, he tossed them into the canoe once he had it righted. Looking up, he saw her stomping up the beach. “Ginny?” he called after her, shaking his head.

Once he hauled the canoe up the shore, he saw her standing at the top of the dune. Huffing, she said, “I’m sorry. Here, let me help.”

“Got it, babe,” he said, easily lifting the canoe over his head, and carrying it up the dune and to the shed at the side of his house. Securing it, he turned to stare at her standing on his deck. She had donned one of his t-shirts, twisting the bottom as it hung to her thighs. One of his ball caps sat on her head and, while he could not see her eyes behind her glasses, he knew they were aimed right at him.

Looking down, she repeated, “I’m sorry. It’s just the idea of parents…grandparents. That’s a lot of pressure.”

He stood with his hands on his hips, staring at her uncertain stance—this competent cop, an unafraid, strong woman, and he dropped his head. Family. Parents. Fuck. Lifting his head as he lifted his arms, he said, “Honey, come here.”

She hesitated for only a second before rushing into his arms. He wrapped her tightly in his embrace, one hand at the back of her head, holding her cheek to his heart. Kissing the top of her head, he wanted her to take his strength, as much of it as she needed.

“Babe, I’m so sorry about not saying anything. I honestly didn’t think about it because you’ve already met them all.”

“I’ve met your parents and Pops as a police officer or a member of the AL or Auxiliary. Not as your girlfriend. I want them to like me but, after my parents’ rejection, I don’t think I’m so good with parents.”

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her gently back, just far enough that he could peer into her eyes. “Babe, you gotta get that outta your mind. Your parents suck. I know that’s harsh, but it’s true. You are the best—the best of cops…the best of women…hell, the best of people. If they can’t deal with what happened to you, that’s on them. Remember what you told me. That’s on them. You don’t take on that reaction and, please, don’t project it on my parents.”

“Oh, no,” she rushed, eyes wide. “I would never think that of your parents.” Gulping in deep breaths, she blinked back the tears. “You’re right, Brogan. I’ve taken my parents’ rejection and applied it across the board. I don’t want to do that.”

He pulled her back into his chest, once more offering her his strength.

Ginny’s arms held tightly around his waist, his heartbeat steady against her ear. She thought of Corrine and Eric MacFarlane and let out a long breath. They were nice and she knew would be nice to her. Squeezing him before letting go, she looked up. “Do you think they’re happy we’re together?”

Chuckling, the rumbling coming from deep in his chest, Brogan replied, “Baby, they’re over the fuckin’ moon about us together.”