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Shot to the Heart – Chapter 1
Bo Buchanan sat at his desk lost in case reviews which he’d been putting off for the last three days.
“Don’t you have something better to do than standing out in the hall chatting?” echoed through the hall of the station outside his office.
The volume of the snarky comment pulled Bo from his task at hand, but the source of the comment had him rising to see what was going on.
He opened his door and called out, “Counselor, could I see you in my office for a moment please?”
With an overt roll of her eyes, Nora Buchanan stomped in to the Commissioner’s office, threw her bag on the floor, and let herself drop down onto the nearby sofa.
Bo studied his ex-wife and did his best not to start laughing. He knew this woman so well, but with their divorce had lost the right to do more than watch from a distance. However, when his own staff was in the line of fire, it was time to step in.
“Is everything okay there, Nora? You seem a little short tempered this morning.”
“I really don’t need your help, Bo. I’m fine, really.”
“You didn’t sound fine out there yelling at Cavanaugh.”
“I wasn’t yelling,” she tried. “Okay, maybe I was. It’s just been a tough couple of days.”
“I took Matthew for pizza last night, he didn’t say anything was wrong.”
“That’s something I guess. I’ve been trying to save the little amount of good mood I have for him.”
“So this is what, stress?”
“I guess so, I don’t know. Maybe I need to take some time off.”
“While you figure it out, can I offer a hug?” He offered his hand and when she placed hers in it, with a warm smile, he helped pull her up off the sofa and into his arms.
“Mmmmmm, I can’t believe how great that feels,” she said as she let herself relax into his embrace, intentionally blocking any thoughts of how surreal it was to be getting this kind of comfort from Bo. They had both worked hard at being civil to one another for the last several years during various relationships and did a good job at co-parenting their son. But, neither had dated anyone for a while, which they found made friendship a little easier.
“I have another idea, though it’s a bit unorthodox,” Bo offered, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, but pulling back so he could talk.
“What’s that?”
“Let’s call it a surprise, are you free now? Unless you want to harass a detective, or verbally abuse the desk officer?”
“You’re funny. I’m free for a few hours, but have to be at a deposition at two. Is that enough time?”
“More than enough. Leave your stuff here, we’ll be back in a little while feeling more focused and relaxed.”
To be continued…
FF – Shot to the Heart - Chapter 2
Nora studied Bo as they waited for the elevator to reach the floor he’d selected.
“Basement?” she questioned, having just noticed which button was lit.
Bo smirked, “You trust me, don’t you?”
“Of course, I’ve just never been down to the basement.”
“Well then you’re in for a treat.” The doors separated and Nora followed Bo down the hall to a counter.
“This is the range desk.”
“What’s a range?”
“You’ll see.” To the officer he requested, “Can I have a .22? Give me my set of eyes and ears and an extra for the lady.”
“Yes, sir.”
And then it dawned on her. “Bo, is this a shooting range? You really think shooting a gun will give me stress relief?”
“Yes, I do. You trust me, remember?”
Nora took a deep breath, not totally convinced, but willing to give it a try. “This is safe, right?”
“Yes, I will show you everything you need to know, but the range is where the officers train, in a controlled environment. Protocols are followed to ensure safety for everyone. Now, there are a couple of ground rules to follow.”
After she nodded, he continued, “First, you have to wear eyes, or safety glasses, and ears, ear protection, every time you enter the range.”
Nora started to put the large earmuffs on that the officer had set on the counter, but Bo stopped her. “If you put them on now, you won’t be able to hear me talk.”
“Hmm, maybe I should get some for the house when Matthew has his music blaring,” she said, setting them back down.
“Second rule, only hold the gun when you intend to shoot it. If you have a question while we’re in there, set the gun down, barrel always pointed away from you, and step away.”
He went on to review a few more basics. “I’ll load the gun for you, but if you decide you want to learn more, I can show you how. For today, this is getting you comfortable shooting, and then its just target practice.”
“Okay, I think I’ve got it.”
They both put their goggles and ear protection on, and Bo grabbed the carrier that the range officer had prepared, handed her a roll of paper targets and headed toward the double door at the end of the hall.
“How did I ever not hear this down here, it’s loud!” she yelled.
“The room has built in insulation to limit the noise, and there is a caliber limit for the indoor range. There’s another range, an outdoor one, out off the Lake Road for larger weapons.”
Bo led Nora to a lane, set up a target and demonstrated the process. He shot a round with his own service weapon, and then set it down and motioned for Nora to come forward. “The gun I brought for you is a lower caliber so it won’t be as loud or have as much kick as mine. Are you ready to try?”
Nora nodded and tried to mimic the posture she had seen Bo use just moments before.
“Hold on,” she heard a muted voice call. She set the gun down and turned to see Bo stepping up to join her. “You need to adjust your stance a bit.” Nora assumed because she wouldn’t be able to hear him, he set his hands on her hips and then moved one leg down the front of one of her legs to tell her to push that leg back. Once he was satisfied with the lower half, he stood at her side and adjusted her arm angle. Bo was completely focused on what he was doing, but all she could think of was how her body was tingling with awareness and how she hoped Bo didn’t notice. Then their eyes clicked together.
It had been many years since they had been man and wife, but those years they had shared together had been so incredibly intimate and she’d been able to tell at a glance just what mood he was in. When their eyes locked just now, the expression from Bo was surprise, and then humor, like whatever had surprised him he had found funny. She knew without a doubt that he had seen the sexual arousal on her face.
Nora held her mortification in and refocused on his lesson and on remembering what he had shown her about the right way to hold her weapon. Bo had been right, once she was used to the feel, the noise didn’t bother her and she made some decent shots. He’d also been right about the stress relief. To be accurate and hit the target, you had to focus on your stance, line up the site on the gun, hold the safety, breathe, and then actually pull the trigger. There was no room left in her brain to think about much else, which in this case was a good thing.
Bo motioned for her to put her weapon down, and then tugged at her elbow. He signaled to one of the men that he would be right back and escorted her from the room. Out in the hall, he pulled off his safety gear and ushered Nora into an empty conference room.
“I thought you said you were dealing with stress?” Though his tone was caring, she could hear the confusion in his voice.
“There are all kinds of stress, Bo. I’d really rather not talk about it.”
“So you’re just going to ignore it?”
“What are you talking about? There’s nothing to ignore, or fix…or anything.”
“So the expression on your face when we were in there was just—“
“None of your business.”
“Maybe so, but it was damn attractive.”
She looked up in surprise. “It was?”
“And impossible to resist.”
“I highly doubt that!” she scoffed.
“You doubt the word of a well trained member of Llanview’s finest?”
Nora stepped back, eager to pull back from his teasing tone. “Are we going back in there to finish what we started?”
“Anytime you’re ready.”
“I meant target practice.”
“Of course, that’s what I meant too.”
Nora rolled her eyes and walked out of the room and back to the range, leaving Bo with a grin.
To be continued.
FF – Shot to the Heart - Chapter 3
Sorry it’s been so long, you may want to go back and read the earlier chapters again, but in quick summary, Bo has introduced Nora to shooting to let off some steam, but he learns her stress is a little more personal. Now, on with the story...
***
The wind carried a bracing chill, though as Nora walked through the park at a brisk pace, she seemed unbothered by it. The music pumping through her headphones streamed at full volume, but even that couldn’t distract her from her thoughts.
After all the history she and Bo had weathered together, she could not fathom that her assumptions had been so far off.
If you had asked her a week ago if there was any connection or spark, she would have said no way, no how with absolute certainty. But now, she felt like her whole world had shifted. The issue, she had decided, was what she should do about the sexual attraction they still had for one another, if anything. To be honest, she’d never not been attracted to Bo but with her recent lack of companionship, she was now apparently wearing that attraction on her sleeve for the entire world to see.
Nora stepped off the sidewalk so a pair of hounds and their owner could pass, and then kept walking, regaining speed, letting herself sink back into her own thoughts.
Bo had realized that she was aroused but he had not reacted with disgust, or pity, as she would have expected, but with undisguised interest. So what should she do about it?
All of a sudden, Nora felt a hand grab her upper arm, stopping her in her tracks. She stumbled, but the hands kept her from falling.
“Bo!” she scolded, relieved and annoyed all at the same time. “You scared me to death!”
“If you weren’t avoiding me, I wouldn’t have had to track you down.”
“You saw me just a few days ago, Bo.”
“Hmm, still, I’ve seen less of you than usual. I decided I needed to make sure you were doing okay.”
“I’m fine.”
“You seem kind of hot and bothered.”
Nora rolled her eyes, “I’ve been walking, you know, exercising?!”
Bo laughed, “Do you want to sit down, catch up for a few minutes?”
“I’d really rather not.”
“Because you’re not comfortable being around me? Or because you’re afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands off me?”
They both sat on a nearby bench and Nora paused her music. “You wish!”
“I do wish. I had a dream about you last night that I can’t shake. You came into my office in a long trench coat and—“
“Stop right there! Bo, let’s just get this out in the open. I have needs and I’m dealing with how I want to handle that situation.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to hear about my dream? You came in with a big smile and then you tugged on the belt of the coat. Just before you let it fall to the floor, my alarm went off.”
Nora struggled to hide any emotion, allowing Bo to continue.
“Do you know how appealing it is to a man to know that a woman wants him?”
Nora rolled her eyes, “Did it occur to you that any man would do, maybe you were just nearby which is why you saw my….you know?”
“Arousal? Attraction? So you’re saying if someone else was here and put his hand on your leg and let it travel up, that you’d have no problem with that?” Bo let his hand do exactly what he had just described, then stopped before it became inappropriate.
Her eyes were burning with anticipation, though she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of saying he was right.
“Very possibly, now if you’ll excuse me, I have another mile to go. Bye, Bo!”
******
Bo pushed the button to bring the paper target back toward him, and shook his head. He was off his game, and his target practice had proved it. Every time he pulled the trigger, he kept remembering his earlier conversation with Nora. Yes, he knew she was probably just fishing for a reaction, he hoped she was fishing for a reaction. He gathered up his gear, headed toward the range desk and left everything with the officer in charge.
By the time he’d made it back to his office, Bo’s frustration, or maybe jealousy he reasoned, had continued to climb. Maybe instead of teasing her so often he should try to romance her. He focused on that thought while he logged back in to his computer to get back to work.
About an hour later, he was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Come in,” he invited.
Bo’s mouth fell open as he watched his ex-wife saunter into his office, wearing a large trench coat, very similar to his dream he had mentioned to her when they’d been at the park earlier today. He watched as she closed the door and then twisted the blinds shut, first at his door, and then the set at his front window.
Bo rose to his feet, stepped over to close the blinds at his side door, and came to sit at the front edge of his desk. “Now you’re just being mean.”
“And feeling me up in the park wasn’t?”
“Please tell me you have something on under that.”
She sauntered up to where he was perched against his desk, “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”
“Nora, you’re killing me here.”
“I know. I think it’s time we came to an agreement.” She stepped even closer, with every intention of keeping this conversation intimate.
At her move forward, Bo spread his legs so there was room for her to come even closer, assuming she wanted to. “I’m listening.”
Their words were soft and they were only inches apart, close enough for him to catch the whiff of mint on her breath.
“You seem to be showing signs that you may be attracted to me,” she started, “and I find that I could fulfill a few of my own needs by pursuing that attraction.”
He noticed that though her words seemed very confident, much like the gutsy lawyer he knew, her body language softened when she talked about herself.
She continued, “So, Mr. Buchanan, the first question is to determine if you are actually attracted to me, and if so, the second is how to move forward.” She leaned in toward the end of her sentence, in a physical invitation, and waited for his response.
To be continued…
Shot to the Heart – Chapter 4
Bo leaned back, and for a split second, Nora thought she had misread the entire situation, but then the twinkle she knew so well appeared in Bo’s eyes.
“If I kiss you right now, I’m going to make love to you tonight,” he whispered.
“I would be incredibly disappointed if you didn’t.”
“There’s only one problem.” He tugged on the tie that held her coat closed, and when it fell open, moaned to see a soft pink satin camisole beneath.
“Hmmm?” Nora returned, mesmerized by Bo’s fingers, now running up her ribcage. The pad of his thumb continued up the underside of her breast and briefly brushed her nipples, one, then the other, before sliding away and closing her coat.
“I have a meeting with the City Council in about 30 minutes.”
“Well, then, I guess this will have to tide you over until later.”
She leaned in, more confident than when she first arrived, and took his mouth in a searing kiss. Bo quickly caught up and pulled her toward him, and took control.
They eventually pulled back, both breathing heavily. Nora recovered first, “So, tonight?”
“Absolutely! I’ll come by after my meeting gets out.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Nora knotted the belt at her waist and tugged it tight. “Until then, Commissioner.”
“Until then, Counselor.”
Bo stepped out of the meeting during the recess and checked for missed calls. Hearing Nora’s voice made him smile.
“It’s all your fault that I forgot that Matthew is having a study group at our house tonight until about 9p. I would understand if you changed your mind about coming, but I would still love to see you. So, hope to see you then.”
He looked at his watch. How much longer could these guys keep talking? He had some place he needed to be.
“Mom, what time is the pizza going to be here?”
“You were right there when I called them, honey, they said 30 minutes.”
“We’re starving!”
“Keep focusing on your history project and less on the rumbling stomachs. I’ll let you know when it’s here.”
Nora curled up on the sofa and pulled her legs up under her, letting her mind focus on the journal she’d been meaning to review, with an ear out for the kids that were using her study.
When the doorbell rang, she mindlessly walked over, expecting the pizza delivery.
“Bo!—“ Before she could get anything else out, a pair of warm lips found hers and a low moan escaped.
“Was that the pizza, Mom?”
“Uh, no,” she pushed off of Bo, grateful for the concealment of the front door. “It’s your dad.”
“Hey, Dad! What are you doing here?”
“Can’t a father stop by and see his son?”
“Well, sure, but I have some friends here for a school thing.”
“I’m just kidding. Your mom told me you had plans when I saw her earlier today. I just thought I’d come keep her company.”
“Oh, okay. Well, don’t forget to let me know when the pizza comes.”
“A one track mind, that kid!” Nora laughed, watching her son go back to the other room.
“He’s not the only one,” Bo placed a hand on her waist and pulled her back toward his chest.
“Hold on there, mister,” Nora laughed as she braced her hands on his arms to prevent a closer embrace. “One, we’re not alone, and two,” she lowered her voice, “you and I both know that once we start, we’re not going to stop.”
To be continued…
Shot to the Heart – Chapter 5
A few frustrating days later, Nora and Bo had still not connected, since the study session went on longer than expected and Bo had had an early meeting the next morning, but they’d shared a few more kisses before saying goodnight. To be honest, Nora was enjoying the flirtation, and it was wonderful to know she was wanted. Bo had made it very obvious that he wanted her both in his life and in his bed. Unfortunately, their schedules, between their jobs and their son, hadn’t worked out.
Nora took a sip of wine, placed the glass back on her bedside table and willed herself to relax. The warm light from the nightstand lamp was the only one on in the house since Matthew had said goodnight hours ago.
She tried to get into the murder mystery she’d had in her bag for weeks, but the thought of Bo’s kisses and their recent mismatched schedule kept distracting her focus. How was she supposed to know where this was going to go if they couldn’t even be at the same place, at the same time, preferably alone?
The vibration of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts, and she looked over to see who was texting her so late. She smiled, it was Bo, of course.
‘You up?’
She quickly typed her response, ‘Yes, I can’t sleep.’
‘I have something that would help with that.’
‘Bo!’
‘I hate to think of you in distress.’
She tried to change the subject, she couldn’t trust herself to safely flirt the way her thoughts had been wandering all night. ‘What are you doing?’
‘You sure you want me to answer that?’
‘I think so….’
‘I’m sitting in my truck outside of your house.’
Nora gasped, and unconsciously brushed her hand through her hair and looked down to see what she had on. He texted again.
‘Hello?’
‘Bo, it’s 1:00 am!’
‘Let me in.’
‘It’s late, you should go home.’
‘Red, please! I need you.’
Her heartbeat raced, she knew she wanted him here.
‘Hold on, I’ll be down in a minute.’
Nora gave herself one last look in the dresser mirror before she opened her bedroom door to venture downstairs. Anticipation debated with reason in her mind, but with a final pull on her robe belt, she headed toward the stairs to answer the door.
She didn’t turn on any lights at the bottom of the stairs. She pulled the front door open, just enough to let Bo slip inside. “Is Matt asleep?”
Breathlessly she answered, “Yes, for hours now.”
He didn’t touch her, but he looked as hungry as she felt.
“Invite me upstairs to your bedroom.”
Her eyes widened. In some ways this was exactly what she had imagined but he seemed much more forward than she remembered. Maybe he was feeling the same level of desperation that she was unsuccessfully trying to hide.
He leaned toward her and placed a soft kiss at the side of her mouth, and then pulled back to gauge her reaction.
In response, she turned toward the front door, closed and locked it, and took his hand in hers.
“We have to be quiet.”
He nodded and let her guide him up the stairs, noting that Matthew’s door was closed as they passed. Their steps were silent and no words were spoken as they walked down the dark hall, the bedroom lamp guiding their way.
As soon as they reached her bedroom, she pulled him in and softly closed the door.
With the click of the latch, she found herself pressed against the back of the door and Bo’s mouth on hers. A soft moan escaped her lips as the gentle assault muddied her rational thoughts, but when he took a breath, she pushed back and placed a finger against his lips.
“We have all night, Bo.”
“We have the rest of our lives, but I’m not feeling very patient right now.” He reached out and tugged at the bow at the front of her robe.
She smiled, this man did have a way with words. As Bo pulled her robe open, she reached out and began to work at the buttons on his shirt. His hands started to explore under her silk covering.
“I can’t do this if you keep doing that,” she moaned.
“Sorry, Red, I can’t help it. When I want something, I go after it.” To prove his point, he pushed the robe off her shoulders and tugged until the silk was a puddle at her feet.
“My turn! You take your holster off while I work on the rest.”
They both laughed while he tried to hook the leather onto the back of the chair next to the bed. Once he had it, he refocused on her. Their lips met and explored, then delved and began the dance again. Long kisses were punctuated by soft moans and whispers.
“Please, Bo,” she murmured as he nipped at the strap of her gown.
“Please what?” he pulled back and locked gazes, blue meeting brown.
“Please love me,” she whispered.
“I already do, I can’t help it, I already do.” They were both moved by his words.
“I do too, Bo. I always have.”
Taking her hands in his, Bo sat down on the edge of the large bed and guided her towards him, pulling Nora between his legs. Within moments, the space that separated them disappeared and words were no longer needed.
***********
Her eyes didn’t open until she figured out the buzzing was her cell phone vibrating against the nightstand. Her hand reached out to grab it. She gave it a quick glance and then set it back down and let her eyes close again.
“Everything okay?” asked the voice that belonged to the warm body spooned behind her.
“Yes, but your son needs a ride to practice this morning.”
“He’s texting you?”
“No, though he does sometimes, he knows I like to sleep in. That was the calendar reminder. You’ll take him for me?”
“And what, you’ll just stay here in the warm bed?” he whispered against her bare shoulder.
“I’ll stay here in the warm bed, naked, waiting for you to get back.”
“That’s a very attractive offer, but that still leaves me to deal with the how come you spent the night question.”
“You should have thought of that when you begged to come inside last night.”
“Hmmm, I don’t really see me winning this discussion so I’ll just get dressed and go.”
She felt him get up and let herself doze, her body wonderfully satiated from their night together.
“I love you, Red,” he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her cheek before he headed downstairs.
She opened her eyes and smiled. “Nothing says love like fresh donuts and hot coffee first thing in the morning.”
“Already on the agenda. Save my place, I’ll be right back.”
*****
“Good morning, son!”
Matthew was sitting on the sofa lacing up his shoes. “Hey, Dad. Did you, umm, spend the night?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Okay. Are you giving me a ride this morning?”
“I thought I would. Are you okay with me being here?”
“You and Mom love each other, I’ve known that for years. I’m just glad you two finally figured it out.”
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” Bo said putting his arm around his son as they headed for his truck.
“By the way, you should probably get Mom some breakfast on your way back home. She’s into apple fritters these days.”
*****
Nora smelled the coffee before she heard him move around the room. “You back?”
“Yes, with breakfast, as requested.”
“I think I’m going to keep you, ooooh, apple fritters! How did you know?”
“Matthew filled me in on your preferences. He approves by the way.”
“Of us? How did that conversation go?” Nora sat up in bed, tucking the duvet over her chest.
“Well, apparently we’re idiots because we didn’t realize we loved each other before now.” Bo sank down onto the bed, shedding clothes as he went.
“Thankfully we have a fourteen-year-old that knows everything.”
“I do love you, Nora. I want you in my life.”
“Me too.” She leaned over to give him a kiss. “You’re stuck with me. Especially now that I know you deliver to my bed.”
“Eat up there, Red. There’s a delivery fee still to be handled.”
The End!
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