Detective Shauna Franklin

That earned me a slap across my upper arm.

After a minute Shauna moved position and leant against my side with her head resting against my upper arm, her legs came up off the floor and joined her on the seat.

"I want to thank you for today. I was so scared that it could all go so horribly wrong."

"You're welcome."

She moved again, not much but just enough to get more comfortable if this ride around the block turned into a marathon.

"In all the time I've been here, you've never asked me about the photo I had in my hand when I got here?"

This time it was me that moved when my arm came out and went around her shoulders. She used the extra space to her advantage and snuggled in closer. I knew we had to have this conversation. Just as I still had Doctor Martinez's warning ringing in my ears.

"It doesn't give me sleepless nights anymore Shauna."

Shauna moved so she could look directly at me, I smiled and she relaxed back into my shoulder. I explained that I made a solemn promise to the good doctor in order to keep her at the house and away from the hospital. The picture was going to be a deal breaker if I went anywhere near her with it, Phillip was worried about a relapse and the trigger could well be the picture.

"Besides, the person this all hinges on is on holiday with her grandparents at the moment. As confusing as all this is, I'm not about to go and get her, or even go to her and cross-examine her about the picture being thrown off the boat and you finding it."

Sophie hadn't seen her grandparents in months, nor they her for that matter. So I took the decision of letting things be for now. From the conversations I've had with my father-in-law she's doing well and there is always a smile on her face, something that hadn't been there for close to a year. In Shauna's case, she needed rest and even more rest, which wasn't easy since the funeral loomed close by.

"When all four of us can sit in a room and talk freely about it then so be it, but I'm not about to start it without everyone present."

Shauna looked up at me, her eyebrows creased in confusion.

"I want the good doctor to be there as well Shauna. To me it would be a deal breaker without him."

I felt the shrug of her shoulders, then she relaxed into me again. Within a few minutes her head slowly drifted a little and her breathing evened out, the weight of the day had finally caught up with her. I flicked the switch to lower the discretion glass, Frank looked in the mirror and spotted Shauna asleep against my chest.

"Another turn around the block should take about an hour sir, that would put her in the realms of a deep sleep. We can get her back into bed without disturbing her then, I'll inform Cook of our time of arrival, she will be waiting for us."

I smiled and nodded to him. He knew that meant thank you. He also wound the glass back up as well.

*******

The truth is out now ...

Shauna was a little distracted for the next day or so, I would catch her staring, if not at pictures of Sophie then it was at me. I thought it best not to interfere with her thought processes, she knew that when she was ready to talk, we would always be ready to sit down with her.

I was just finishing up in my home office when the front door was opened by Cook and Doctor Phillip Martinez plus one of his nurses stepped inside, all he did was shrug his shoulders at me as Cook escorted them to Shauna's room, almost an hour later, they both left again, I did get a wave goodbye but that was it.

When we sat for dinner, Shauna's thought processes were still engaged, even I thought that what she had on her mind couldn't be that bad. Yet as soon as dinner was over, she excused herself claiming tiredness. Once Cook and the others had left Shauna made her way downstairs again, she found me in the library.

"Can we talk?"

I put the book I had in my hand down and pointed to the chair in front of me. For her part, she stood next to it but didn't sit. She perched her ass on the arm rest but even that didn't last long.

"I'm sorry but I think better on my feet, not only that, I may not be able to resist the urge to run like hell from this conversation at some point."

Now, she had my full attention.

"Firstly, I need to thank you for taking me in."

I went to speak but she seemed to be waiting for me to do just that and held out her hand to stop me. The smirk was there when she reminded me that she had the chair, so silence was the order of the day. When I nodded and made myself a little more comfortable, she smiled and nodded her head in appreciation of letting her continue.

"You told me you were waiting on Sophie to return from her grandparents before deciding on a course of action. We also both know that's a half-lie."

Shauna was right, it was. The fact that I had spoken to her Captain was a dead giveaway. The only thing I didn't know about was the photograph in the bottle. How it got into the hands of Shauna was and I suspect always will be a mystery, we could all sit around a table and throw in theories, but that's one can of worms no sane person was going to open up.

"You never judged me, why?"

Her question came at me while I was unprepared. She met my stare, waiting, ready to detect a lie.

I started with a shrug of my shoulders, Shauna looked fit to bust. "There have been parts of your life I have left alone, so I only have half an opinion. When your father died it left you adrift, he was your only family."

I still kept my voice steady, even though it hurt like hell to do that. This woman carried the weight of so many tragedies on her shoulders. She went home to an empty apartment, she worked a job that allowed her to see humanity at its lowest and as a detective it was her job to find the bad guys. So many negatives in her life and not one positive to stand alongside her, when she left the Police building to go home.

Home, a nondescript apartment that was left to her by her father when he died. Shauna was becoming a lost soul; she had already admitted to me what she was actually doing at the docks that night.

Then, enter stage left. A message in a bottle.

Although her life sort of stumbled after that. It did actually get better. She saw people laugh together; she saw true friendship amongst the staff. I took her in when she was at her most vulnerable and sought care for her. Although the damage to her body was known to the good doctor and me, it was never shared with anyone else. To us it was her body, not a talking point, our priority at the time was to care about her welfare.

As I spoke I watched Shauna very closely, so many emotions crossed her face it was hard to keep up. But then she realized the time frame and her eyes looked at mine, the smile only just peeking out from them.

"Its true that I've only known you for a few days, but we both have to admit, they have been a real intense few days. Your life has been dogged with tragedy, yet every day you still get up and do your job, you still go home and get ready for the next day. The shooting of Rolland Harris brought not only despair to your life, but it also brought you Sophie and through her, me."

It was clear to me she was still connecting the dots, but being a Police detective, that was her nature.

My eyes met hers, what I said next wasn't a challenge, more a request and I held off on that because of the looming funeral. To me Shauna Franklin was a woman whose life I wanted to get to know, even amongst all those tragedies, she had depth. A soul whose candle kept burning, many would have folded years ago. Yet amongst the ashes of her life Shauna just continued to put one foot in front of the other.

That was the woman I wanted to get to know, even the few short days she had been here had I scratched even the surface.

I wanted to share my time with her, to know her thoughts, her dreams. To do that I had such a small window, I knew if I messed this conversation up, there would never be another like it. Shauna called this meeting. It was left to me to offer her more, even if it was only one step at a time.

"You showed great courage going to your friend's funeral, knowing that his family hates you. Speaking personally, I admired your courage. Speaking even more personally, I admire you and would like the chance to get to know you better."

It was now she chose to sit down, although our chairs faced each other, Shauna looked only at the floor in front of me.

What she said next was but a whisper, her mind almost reluctant to tell her thoughts. "But you know nothing about me."

Feeling brave, I retaliated in a way she would understand. "I know what you weigh since it was me that carried you in from the drive that night and to bed later that evening. It was me who volunteered to keep you company when you were at your most vulnerable. You make some interesting snoring noises when your body reaches the REM stage of sleep. I know your pulse rate when you sleep; I know the scent of your hair, the color of your eyes and the number of freckles that go across your nose."

Her cheeks went a cute shade of pink as I spoke, since she hadn't told me to stop, I continued.

"You prefer baths rather than showers; you have an atrocious taste in music and banana's rather than apples are your preferred fruit of choice."

The redness of her cheeks finally won out. Her eyes watered as her arms folded and held herself so tight. Shauna began to slowly rock back and forth in the chair, it was gentle at first, but as her eyes slowly looked up and into mine, I could see the panic within them.

"Please don't love me, I can't give you what you deserve. I'm only half a woman."

It took that one sentence to get me mad at her.

I stood and took the step and a half to kneel in front of her. Shauna stopped rocking back and forth and watched me, her eyes wide in genuine fear. I grasped one of her hands; she gave it to me, although reluctantly.

"You are my guest and will forever be welcome in my home. Sophie is due back the day after tomorrow; I suggest you go at her speed as to when she gives up her secrets."

We both looked down at me holding her hand.

"This is the closest I will ever go. The next step is yours. I like you, I like you a great deal and considering the emotional state we were both in when we met I think that says a great deal."

I leaned in and Shauna froze, my lips touched the side of her temple and then I stood and left the library to go to bed, that was the first night I masturbated in over a year.

With morning song from the birds outside as my alarm clock this morning, my body woke with a start; someone else was in my bed as well. Her smell was familiar to me and I calmed, slightly.

I went to move my hand that had found a home on her hip, Shauna stopped me. "Here's the deal, I share your bed now, not your late wife. I can handle the photo's all around the house but this room is our space now so please, as a show of intent, get rid of the pictures in here."

She must have felt me nod my head, just as I sure felt her body heat increase.

"Okay here is the rest of the deal, I keep the t-shirt on, anything above and below it are yours to play with. This is also where I get a little selfish, in bed you never get to wear anything. I'm sorry but that's the best I can do."

Then she turned around, her hand grabbed my hardon and she slipped it between her legs. "Had I known ahead of time I may have changed this next part. You're fucking huge, my mouth wants it, my pussy is soaking the bed demanding it, but when it comes to my ass, buster you use plenty of lube or the deal is off."

I felt an overwhelming urge to test this. "Birth control?"

She nodded back at me, she knew what I was doing. "All done, once a year it gets changed."

"What about if I wake in the middle of the night."

This time her cheeks turned a cute pink.

"Then shake me awake and climb on, if I've had a long day, just open my legs, get it wet and dive in."

She ended that comment with a grin. She knew I couldn't win this.

My dick betrayed my more carnal thoughts, it was still hard. It bobbed in her hands and Shauna's smile just got bigger. My mind was still working all this out, holding her shoulder I came in for a kiss, our first. It helped me focus on Shauna, more so when we played catch with our tongues for a while.

"I have a quick confession to make before you dive right in there."

This sure sounded important, so I leaned back and waited, the blush of her cheeks increased.

"Fuck this is awkward. The shotgun incident that killed my partner and tore my chest off happened two and a half years ago. I've not been intimate with anyone since then. So chances are that the bits that open naturally, may need some special attention."

Shauna was bright red with embarrassment by now. This is Shauna, a woman who probably knew more swear words than I ever will and she's embarrassed about describing her own body. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew she had a gun, I would have probably laughed by now.

I also thought I should take the lead on this bit, so I sat up, pulled the covers off us both and moved myself between her legs. I then grabbed a leg each and pulled them even further apart.

Shauna had her hands over her face, I heard an "Oh God, this is embarrassing."

From her before I pulled a pillow over and handed it to her.

"Here, chew on that for the next hour."

"HOUR? Who are you, Casanova?"

We both smiled.

"I will have you know, I have a few of his similarities."

Shauna got onto her elbows and smiled at my erection before looking up at me.

"Mmmhhhmmm I spotted one of them. I say again, that's fucking huge, you so know I'm going after that with a tape measure when I get some feeling back in my legs."

All I did was wink at her, I was struck by her brutal honesty, not in a harsh way but more a refreshing way. I knew her history had made her into who she was now, I just looked forward to the ride and the chance to get to know her more intimately. Shauna had made her choice, her lying almost naked before me would attest to that. The circumstances may have been unusual, if not downright weird, but given our lifestyles, would either of us ever have met any other way?

She relaxed back onto the bed and pulled the pillow over her head. I positioned myself between her thighs and shuffled down the bed my face getting so close to her soaking wet pussy. She was bald I actually felt my eyes widen at the sight, she was beautiful as a whole person, looking at her pussy, clean of pubic hair made me think nothing but carnal thoughts. The heat radiating from her made me stick my tongue out and run the tip between her pussy lips.

Wetness seeped between the small gap my tongue had forced open, her soaked lips covered with her juices and slowly trickling down and around her anus. My finger rubbed her moisture around and then along the edge of her crinkled rose. The slow moan may have been muffled by the pillow, but her panting afterwards sure let me know she was paying attention. My tongue continued to trace the line of her womanhood up and down, teasing her.

Hearing her moans from behind the pillow become more guttural, I started to think it was the most erotic background music any man could hear from his partner. Sliding my tongue close to her mons once again, Shauna pulled the pillow away and looked at me, her smile looked carnal. The hunger in her eyes made me even harder.

Her head dropped back onto the bed her teeth gritted, a desperate groan escaped her lips. It was fascinating to watch how the blood engorging her pussy, her gasping and panting telling me she was having a real hard time. Shauna had realized that at this very moment, she was hanging on for the ride.

Turning this woman into jello was my goal, every time she writhed around the bed, every squeal and moan she poured into her side of the pillow was pure bedroom music. My thumbs entered her, the pillow got pulled tighter over her face, my forefingers entered her and she let out a scream that was only dulled by the pillow.

The feel over her inner folds were an education on their own.

Her pussy lips changed shape as my fingers moved within her, touching parts of her that she admitted no man or even herself had touched for some years. Her pelvis bucked, it was with a groan coming from the center of the pillow that allowed her body to once again rest on the bed.

The tips of my fingers felt the contours and ridges of her pussy lips. The visual assault on my brain caused me to spend time pulling calming breathes back into me. I had to fight with everything I had, the urge to lean and bury myself into her. To grab her hips and push myself into her, and try so hard to force my whole being into her womanhood. Her own scent was challenging me at every turn to do just that.

My tongue plunged into her hole either side of my fingers, only stopping on my journey into her womanhood when my lips caressed her own pussy lips, the squeal from behind the pillow made me smile. The grunt and then getting soaked by her juices also made me smile, perhaps I shouldn't have held her lips open for so long, it was worth it for the view though.

My tongue moved around her opening, scooping her juices as it did. I drank from that well and swore to myself that I would spend this lifetime doing it again and again. My finger held her open again and my tongue just dived into the promised land and went after every drop of her. She bucked and screamed, I had to pull my fingers back so I could hold her down. Her pussy retaliated and once again soaked my face and I loved every drop of it and her.

One of my fingers moved and touched her hood, her clit poked out, the juices running freely from her pussy quickly coated it and since it was her juices and I just loved the taste I went after it. Shauna screamed into her pillow again, she bucked and spasmed before she pulled the pillow away and went after my head. My tongue once again ran the full length of her clit, she grabbed a fistful of hair and tried desperately to pull me away, while she gasped and her body twitched.

"You bastard, I swear you should come with a government health warning. You're killing me Marcus, I'm loving every second of it, but you're just plum killing me baby."

Shauna's hands came to both sides of my face, she smiled and kissed me. As our lips parted she tilted her forehead against mine.

"I need to get on all fours, I also need you to hold me up, because I may have one more orgasm in me before I become just a paper bag. Not to mention a cum dump for what you're going to pour into me, hell Marcus we're not even supposed to be doing this, the doc's going to have our backsides for messing with his recovery schedule."

"Do you want to stop now and come back to this?"

Wow, wasn't that a wrong thing to say.

She moved away from me, pulling her leg free as she did. "For the sake of your health and our continued involvement with one another, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

She didn't see me nod my head in agreement and I helped her into her final position. She looked over her shoulder and waited.

I came in behind her and held her hips, my dick felt like a steel bar.

"Wait."

I stopped, my dick could feel her heat. She moved and her upper body lowered onto the bed, her hands came around and her fingers touched her pussy lips, then pulled them apart.

"Dive in big boy, race you to the first orgasm. After that you need to hold me up to finish having your wicked way with me."

I smiled, shook my head and held back my laugh. Shauna Franklin was a funny woman, whether she realized it or not. My hands once again went to her hips, my steel bar touched her opening and my heart opened to accept this woman into it. By the time I had bottomed out, Shauna had already screamed out two orgasms.