Garda - Welcome to the Realm Read Free Page B

to her waist, above where her duty belt should be, but wasn’t. Her chest came in contact with mine; a small gasp left her lips as I targeted them.
    We stood at the same height, and I was lost in the depths of her midnight blue. I moved forward, daring anyone to stop me from tasting her. My heart beat in double time as I leaned in that last inch.
    Beep…beep…beep…I jerked out of my dream with the annoying blare of my alarm. Slamming my hand over my clock, I dropped back to the sheets. What a freaking time to wake up! Why couldn’t I have had just a few more seconds, one more measly minute to complete that kiss?
    Groaning, I threw back the covers and stepped from the bed to stretch. The door opened behind me, I kept stretching.
    “I thought I heard your alarm. Did you sleep good, honey?” Beth spoke from the doorway. I scratched my chest with one hand, adjusting my partial erection with the other.
    “Yeah, fine.” I kept my back to her, walking to my dresser to pull out clothes for work. I needed a shower and some relief.
    “I put coffee on for you,” her soft voice sounded hurt, but I wasn’t sure how to make that better. I pulled out boxers, socks, and my Under Armour T-shirt, clutching them over my groin as I turned and moved to the bathroom.
    “Thanks, I’ll get some when I get out of the shower,” I replied before closing the door. After putting my clothes on the counter, I braced my arms on the sides of the beige sink, hanging my head down.
    A freaking dream! If it was only a dream, then how come I could feel her breath over my lips? Pushing myself off the counter, I jerked my toothbrush from the cup, applied paste, and brushed my teeth with a vengeance.
    My eyes locked on their reflection, they were so opposite of hers. I closed my lids to break the visual comparison.
    I spit the paste out and rinsed the sink before I turned the shower on. The hot water ran over my back, while I leaned my arms into the cold, white tile wall. The water cascading over my skin heated my core, making me rock hard with memories of her voice echoing in my mind.
    Reaching between my legs, I grasped myself just as the bathroom door pulled open.
    “Hey, Dad! Can we play ball before you go to work?” I groaned mentally at the interruption, but chuckled at my son’s excited voice bouncing off the walls of the small room.
    “Yeah, Chase, let me get my shower and we can play for a few minutes.” I grabbed the plastic bottle of shampoo, squeezing some into my hand while he ran out of the room yelling for his mother.
    While rinsing the lather from my hair, I felt the presence of someone in the room. Wiping the water off my face, I tried to focus through the cloudy glass at my wife.
    “You need something?” I picked up the soap, waiting for her answer.
    “Chase has been waiting all afternoon for you to get up. I bought him that new glove he’s been talking about.” I heard the medicine cabinet open and close after she put something in it. “I picked you up some lunch meat. Do you want me to make you a few sandwiches for work?”
    “No, don’t bother, it’s cheesesteak night. I’ll just order with the guys.” I rinsed off my body, my erection gone now with the mundane chatter from my wife.
    I heard the sigh over the sound of the water. I gritted my teeth.
    “It’s not a bother you know. I’d be happy to do it.”
    I turned the water off and slid back the door, grabbing the towel from the rack. “Beth, I said no, but thanks anyway.” I rubbed the towel over my short hair, quickly drying it.
    “Fine.” She raked her gaze over me, then turned and left.
    I glanced at my watch, forty-five minutes until I needed to leave for work, not soon enough. I got dressed and made my way to find my son.
    Chase and I threw the baseball around the backyard. He tried hard to catch it, but most times it bounced out of the glove he wore, the leather too stiff for his small hand to control.
    Beth sat on the porch watching us, her steady