Hero Stalker

Part Forty-Nine

A/N: Mildly steamy, you have been warned.

Here on the northern side of The Wall, commercial shipping operations had hacked down the historic neighborhoods. Giant cranes and steel platforms towered up into the sky. Harsh rows of light lit my path as I flew across the asphalt. The smell of smoke and diesel filled my lungs. Valerie called it an eyesore and claimed it had driven her to plant her flagship store in The Vineyard. I knew quite a few people who'd love the commercial sprawl to spread a few more miles south, if only to cut down on their commutes.

I was running across the roof of a warehouse when my cellphone buzzed. Skidding to a stop, I pulled it out and read Dan's text. 'I understand if you're afraid and want to call it off. We've had shitty luck. The last thing I want is for you to be around me and not feel safe. I'm just glad we tried.'

Like hell was I afraid.

I ran to the Harbor Control parking lot. The NSWAT boat pulled up five minutes later. An exhausted Dan stumbled across the asphalt and into his truck. Traffic had thinned out so much by this time I could easily follow him back to The Vineyard.

He pulled in his driveway at four AM. I crouched behind his bushes, my legs burning in agony. There'd be no more running tonight. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to leave.

It took two minutes for my purse to show up. I changed into my old clothes and left my leotard off.

Dan's house had white siding and a wraparound porch. Not a fleck of paint on the railings had chipped. The freshly-cut grass smelled like summer. It looked like it had several bedrooms, but he'd told me he lived alone.

My heart raced as I walked up the steps. It was like I stood once more on the first floor of the lighthouse, listening to footsteps above me, preparing to jump. And what happened then? You were fine. More than fine.

I knocked on the door. Dan answered, dressed in nothing but his muddy tuxedo pants. He stared at me. Belatedly, I remembered I'd never asked for his address. "Gloria. What are you doing here?"

"Checking on you. I'm worried."

"Didn't you get my text? The stuff I do for a living—it's dangerous work. Especially with this madman on the loose. I've been arresting these guys for years and I've made plenty of enemies. Look at Commissioner Mann. He's served this city for forty years of service, and that bastard decides to shoot his son in front of him! What'll happen if one of them comes after me? You think they're above targeting my girlfriend?"

"So you're just going to push everyone who cares about you out of your life?" I demanded. "If you think your job is so dangerous, why do you do it?"

"Because there's men out there I've got to catch. Because someone has to do it, and I—" He coughed, and I knew he was pushing back tears. "and I can, so I should—"

I leant on my tiptoes and kissed him. Clearly, he was in no fit state to think rationally.

Dan wrapped his arms around my chest and pulled me close to him. The warmth of his chest made my breasts tingle. He kissed me three times while he fumbled with the door behind him. It fell open, and we stumbled into his front hall, still wrapped around each other.

"We shouldn't," he gasped. I pressed my leg between his thighs and knew he thought we should. My wet sneakers spread mud across the white carpet. I should probably offer to vacuum that. But Dan didn't seem to notice.

I slid my tongue between his lips, bracing my hands against the back of his neck. "Please," I gasped.

A gorgeous smile spread across his lips, and I had to kiss him again. He slid his hands under my butt and lifted me up against him. I squealed. Damn, he's strong. Dan carried me backwards through his house. Part of me worried that he'd trip—but then he'd land on top of me, and I couldn't imagine anything better than that. Up the stairs we went, and Dan impressed me further by briefly shifting my weight against the wall so he could reach up and unhook my bra.

I felt a door swing open against my back. Dan carried me through. My heart dropped as he set me down gently on his bed, flipped on the lamp on his nightstand, and rummaged through the drawer beneath it. It's okay, girl, he's just getting a condom. So I just laid there and thought about how alive I felt, how my chest was swelling with happiness—

"Are you a virgin?" Dan asked. The first flickers of guilt spread across his face.

"No!" I said as emphatically as I could.

"Good. I'd hate for your first time to be rushed like this."

My first time had been in a basement office at an Anime Club sleepover in high school. This promised to be much, much better.

Dan fumbled with the button on his pants. I rolled off the bed and started helping him. "It isn't yours, is it?" Then I got his pants down and saw what awaited me. "Oh, no. Not with one of those."

"Does that bother you?" He sounded concerned. Talk about a sweet guy.

My fingers slid under the elastic of his briefs and rolled them down. "Do I look bothered?" Then I got on my knees and showed him just how little I cared.