A Promise to Keep Read online

  A Promise To Keep

  Kara Kross

  Copyright © 2019 by Kara Kross

  All Rights Reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this book can be reproduced, redistributed, or used for any commercial purposes, in any form or by any electronic or manual means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written specific written permission from the author.

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 1

  April

  It was time for a new wardrobe. The jeans I’d had forever weren’t buttoning anymore and the dresses I wore for work were bunching in weird places. I couldn’t even remember the last time I treated myself to something nice. I was way overdue a bit of a shopping spree so I scooped up Trooper, my Miniature Pinscher, grabbed my bag, and headed to the mall.

  Three hundred dollars later I had exactly what I needed to stop obsessing over the “thin” me of five years ago. One of the outfits was so cute I just had to wear it home. As I walked back to my car, I felt light. A persistent smile brightened my whole face and every time I caught my reflection in a shop window, I couldn’t help but check myself out.

  “Trooper, your mama is one gorgeous girl!” I reached down to scoop up my little guy.

  We were back at the car and it was time to put him in his seat harness. I hadn’t paid much attention to the man smoking a cigarette in the distance. He was just one of a dozen people milling around the busy parking lot that day. That is until he came toward me.

  Before I knew what was happening he was yanking at my purse, ripping it from my shoulder. For a moment I was frozen. It had all happened so fast it didn’t even feel real. Finally, I managed to yell for him to stop but my feet wouldn’t move and he was already halfway across the parking lot.

  Trooper wiggled in my arms then jumped down. He was barking and growling as he darted off in the direction of the thief.

  “T-Trooper! Come back!”

  My legs moved too sluggishly to take more than a few steps forward before I heard a booming voice behind me.

  “Stop, police!”

  I turned around to see a big man in a dark uniform running toward me. He was easily over six feet tall with close-cropped dark hair. I remember how quickly he moved for being so well-muscled. He was gone in a flash, leaving only the faint scent of his cologne to pique my curiosity.

  Chapter 2

  Ashton

  I had been looking forward to a change of pace after retiring from the military. I thought a job as a police officer for a sleepy town would be perfect.

  “Stop! Police!”

  The words were out of my mouth before I even realized it. I saw that sleaze grab a woman’s purse and take off. It was instant. My feet just moved me in the thief’s direction. As I passed the victim, I couldn’t help but notice how attractive she was. I wanted to help her because it was my job, but I also wanted to see her smile. I rounded the corner and could hear the guy’s hard-falling footsteps as well as a few tenacious barks from the woman’s dog. I was getting closer.

  “Give it up, pal,” I called, “it’s over!”

  But calling after that chump didn’t do any good. He tried to cut through an ally to lose me but ran straight into a garbage can. The thief tumbled to the ground, dropping the bag, and the pint-sized dog instantly pounced on him and managed to hold him there until I’d had a chance to catch up.

  “Come on, genius,” handcuffing the guy and yanking him up off the ground, “I’m taking you in.”

  I tossed the stolen bag on my shoulder and gestured to the waiting pooch to follow me.

  “Oh my God! Trooper!” the dog’s owner dropped to her knees and scooped up her pet. “How can I ever thank you?”

  That smile! It almost took my breath away. Her brown eyes sparkling as she looked up at me.

  “Your dog, Trooper was it? He’s the real hero. He helped me apprehend the guy who stole your purse. Oh—” I slid the bag off my shoulder and handed it to her.

  “Thank you,” she said, looking up at me with those big beautiful eyes.

  An awkward few seconds passed as I did my best not to run my eyes all over her body. I could feel the blood starting to pump through my cock and I couldn’t help but notice that as she was knelt down petting her dog her head was almost directly in front of my crotch. She was voluptuous with wide hips and awesome thick thighs. There was something about her, like she was glowing. It was making it hard for my brain to do the thinking.

  “Boyd!” my partner’s voice snapped me back to reality. “I’ll toss that guy in the back and take him in. You get the statement.”

  “My name,” she interjected, “is April Tawny.”

  The confidence in her voice made it clear she didn’t like being referred to as a victim.

  “Mrs. Tawny—”

  “I’m not married,” she said, “and you can call me April.”

  My chest felt lighter after hearing those words. I was grateful she wasn’t already attached and I immediately started working on a plan to make her mine.

  “April, I’ll need to take an official statement from you.”

  “Is that really necessary?” she asked, “you witnessed the whole thing.”

  “It’s standard procedure, besides, we’ll need it if you decide to press charges.”

  She thought it over for a moment then checked her watch. “I don’t have much time before my shift starts. Could I maybe…see you tomorrow?”

  She tucked a soft curl of sandy blond hair behind her ear and there was just a hint of a blush on her cheeks. It made me think she felt it too—the tension growing in the air between us.

  I fished a card out of my pocket and handed it to her. “This is how you can contact me when you’re ready to talk.”

  “Thank you,” she took the card and laughed, “but there’s maybe a dozen officers in this town and you’d be hard to miss.”

  April’s eyes lingered on my chest for a moment before meeting mine again.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m—”

  “I know, Officer Boyd.”

  “Call me Ashton.” I extended my hand and she took it.

  It was supposed to be a handshake. It wasn’t. Her hand rested in mine shyly. My mind started to wander. I wanted to know what it would be like to hold her in my arms; to have her soft body writhing beneath me... to lift her up on my kitchen counter and make her come.

  “So, tomorrow then?” April removed her hand from mine but all the feelings she’d stirred up remained.

  “Yes, it’s a date,” I said, looking her straight in the eyes. Holding bake the urge to kiss her before turning around and heading for the squad car.

  Chapter 3

  April

  “Oh my God! April! You’re actually here?”

  For the seventh time that day, I pasted a smile on my face and tried not to roll my eyes.

  “Yes, Kelsi. Some guy tried taking my purse. It’s not like it was a hostage situation.”

  I was in the back office of The Waterfront, the farm-to-table restaurant I managed.

  “Ok, tell me everything.” Kelsi sat down in the empty chair next to me.

&nb
sp; “There isn’t really anything to tell. Some jerk tried taking my bag and a knight in a policeman’s uniform came to my rescue.”

  “A knight?” a playful smirk crossed Kelsi’s face, “Do tell! Is he hot?”

  “Don’t you have tables to check on?”

  “I’m on break, honey, so spill it. Which officer helped you out?”

  “He’s new. Officer Boyd, you know, the tall one.”

  Kelsi’s jaw dropped, “Lucky! He’s so bloody hot! If he were a fireman, I’d throw my cat in a tree just to get his attention.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I’m not! Did you not notice how massive his arms are? Ex-military guys are all like that. He’s freaking ripped! I bet he could pick you up and throw you over his shoulder... or against a wall.”

  I felt my cheeks warm up. The thought of Officer Boyd popping a shirt button or two while lifting me off my feet was more than pleasant.

  “He’s single you know.” Kelsi winked at me.

  “Not interested.”

  “B.S. You’re blushing!”

  “You can go now.”

  I turned my attention to the paperwork in front of me. The piles of spreadsheets usually had my head full of numbers, but all I could think of was Ashton. He’d held my hand and the feel of his rough fingers on my skin was stuck in my mind. I wanted his big hands to roam all over me.

  “Fine. You need anything?”

  “No, I just need to concentrate.”

  “April! I just heard the news! Are you and Trooper okay?” Greg, our host, appeared in the doorway with his usual worried look.

  “We’re fine. Trooper actually helped catch the guy. He’s my little hero.”

  “Good, I’m glad you’re alright. Can I get you anything? A glass of water?”

  “That’d be great, Greg, thanks.”

  “Oh, I see how it is. Fine, I’ll go.” Kelsi stuck her tongue out at Greg and the two of them disappeared for a moment.

  I barely had time to refocus before Greg was back with my water. He had an impish glint in his eye.

  “So, Kelsi tells me Officer Boyd was the one that helped you.”

  “This again?”

  “He’s single you know.”

  “I know.”

  “And so are you.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “Well, you know, if you want to change that you have to start somewhere.”

  “Greg, thanks for the water and the encouragement but I’m not interested in a relationship. Trooper is the only man I need in my life.”

  Greg gave me a look that made it clear he didn’t believe me but thankfully he didn’t say anything else. He went back to the floor and left me alone with my thoughts of Ashton.

  He was tall. He was fast. He was strong. Ashton looked like a wolf carrying a baby rabbit in his mouth when he brought that creep back. He hadn’t even broken a sweat. The memory of his smell made me want him even more and the thought of him bulging right out of his shirt was making me wet.

  I wasn’t interested in the papers scattered all over my desk anymore, other than to doodle “Mrs. April Boyd” in the corners of my pages, like a high schooler. He had taken over my mind entirely.

  “You’re being ridiculous. He was just doing his job. It was a one-time—”

  I paused. Our chance meeting earlier that day wouldn’t be the only time we’d speak. I was seeing him tomorrow for a “date.”

  “No, he was just teasing you. You’re giving a statement. That’s all.” I tried my best to turn my thoughts to business, but that word made me anxious... Date. I hated that word.

  Every date I’d ever gone on had ended in disappointment. We’d make plans and he’d cancel. If I had a nice time, he’d never call back. The rare times there was enough chemistry to spark a relationship, it didn’t last. The word “date” had become a polite way to say heartbreak.

  Ashton had used that word but if he was actually interested in me, it would only end badly. I convinced myself he was joking and decided to keep our next interaction strictly professional.

  Chapter 4

  Ashton

  “You’ve been antsy all morning. What’s up?” Krieger, a fellow officer, was filling his mug for the third already.

  “Nothing.” I wasn’t about to get into it with him, especially since I didn’t fully understand my own feelings.

  “I mean, you keep looking at the door. Expecting someone?” Krieger took a long draw on his coffee then grabbed one of the day-old nearby doughnuts.

  “Oh, I think I know what it is,” my partner, Gonzales, had a goofy looking grin on his face. “I bet it’s the woman from yesterday.”

  “Come on, newbie! You’ve been here a couple a’ months and you’re already in love?” Krieger laughed.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stood up from my desk and went to the tiny breakroom in the back of the aging office. I wanted a break from their jabs.

  So what if I was looking forward to seeing April again. She was beautiful, confident and being around her made me feel…happy. Who wouldn’t want that in a woman?

  “Excuse me, Officer Boyd. There’s a woman here to see you.” The receptionist, Theresa, was standing in the breakroom doorway.

  “Oh, yes, right.”

  “Should I ask her to take a seat in the waiting area or…”

  Before I could respond, Gonzales butted in, “Take her to one of the interrogation rooms so you can have some privacy.”

  “Is it a sensitive statement? Maybe she would prefer speaking with a female—” Theresa looked concerned.

  “No, no, this is about the purse snatching yesterday,” I spoke up to clarify the situation but that only confused Theresa more.

  “But if it’s not an assault case then…” Theresa looked at me, then at Gonzales, “Oh…oh! Well, just remember there are cameras in that room, Officer Boyd.”

  Theresa excused herself.

  “What does she think I’m gonna do?” I was lost.

  “Let’s just say, the interrogation rooms are great for ‘alone time’.” Gonzales winked at me.

  “Right…” I pushed passed my partner and headed down the hall.

  I didn’t want to think about Gonzales, Krieger or anyone else for that matter, screwing in that tiny room.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Tawny,” my voice trailed off when I saw her. I hadn’t expected her to show up in such a professional outfit.

  “It’s April, remember?”

  “Y-yes.” I took my seat, deliberately staring at the table.

  She had on a tight fighting sweater and pencil skirt. Her hair was pulled back but there was no hiding the natural waves in those blond locks. With a pair of glasses, she’d be every boy’s sexy teacher fantasy. I wanted her to crawl across the table, rip my shirt open then tell me I had to stay after class for being a bad boy.

  “Officer Boyd?” April broke my train of thought.

  “Ashton is fine.”

  “I’d like to give my statement now.”

  “Sure, you can start whenever you’re ready.”

  “Are you…going to write it down?”

  I realized I didn’t have a note pad or the statement forms necessary to actually do any work.

  “I’m sorry, I’ll be—” I slid my chair back but quickly noticed I was in no position to stand up.

  The thought of April coming on to me had made me hard. I had to stall.

  “Ah, you’re missing a cup of coffee. Would you like one?”

  “No thanks.”

  “Not a coffee drinker?”

  “No, I love it!” April’s face lit up for a moment, but she returned to normal shortly after. She seemed embarrassed at her outburst. “I work at The Waterfront now but…I’ve always wanted to own my own coffee shop.”

  “Oh?”

  She nodded. The bashful look on her face hinted at just how cute she was on the inside no matter how hot she was dressed on the outside.

  “Yo
u must really know your beans. It makes sense why you’d avoid the mud we serve here. I’ll skip the coffee and grab the forms. I’ll be right back.”

  April held her hand out as soon as I returned with the forms, “If it’s alright, I can write it out for you.”

  “I know this room isn’t the most comfortable, I’m sure you’re ready to go.”

  “N-no, it’s not that. It’s just…you’ve helped me so much already. I thought I could at least do that much.”

  “You really ought to thank that dog of yours.”

  “Oh I did, Trooper got steak for dinner last night.” April laughed and the light in the room caught the gloss on her lips just right. I’d been watching her talk this entire time, but her lips had never looked so kissable. I was dying to kiss her, but I knew it would never stop there. As soon as our lips met my hands would be under her skirt, yanking at her panties. I was starting to understand why other officers had given in to temptation on the clock. For a woman like April, I’d fall as far as I needed to, to bury myself inside her.

  “Ashton, we can start whenever you’re ready.”

  I pulled the page back to my side of the table, “This won’t take long. Just start from the beginning and I’ll write it down.”

  The statement only took about ten minutes to record. Plenty of time to get myself under control.

  “Is that all?” April dug around in her purse for her keys.

  “Unfortunately yes.”

  She paused, “Unfortunately?”

  “Short of another incident, I’m not sure when I’ll get to see you again.”

  “It’s a small town, Officer Boyd—”

  “I know, I’m still getting used to it. I’ve only been here a few months.”

  “What brought you?”

  “I’d love to tell you about it over a cup of terrible coffee.”

  April laughed and agreed to stay a little longer if I brought her plenty of cream and sugar.