From the previous post:
"Come here." Joe drew Sara closer and kissed her. "I'm not going to break your heart. I told you I'm planning on seeing you until you give me walking papers."

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Joe's kisses grew more passionate. I need to stop while I can. He held out his billfold. "I have a few more pictures I'd like to show you." He flipped to a new photo. "This is Steven Albright, our team chief, and his wife, Leya. She's pregnant with twins and due in about a month."

"She's very pretty. Are all Task Force wives beautiful?"

"You'd fit right in. You're beautiful." He grinned as he leaned over and kissed her. When the kiss ended, he watched her slip off her heels and stretch her feet. "Why'd you remove your shoes?"

"I usually wear sneakers all day, so these heels make my feet tired. I bet Task Force wives wear heels, don't they?"

Joe moved to the edge of the blanket and massaged her feet. "Dani's most comfortable with bare feet." He smiled. "Leya isn't fitting into any shoes right now, but normally she wears five-inch stilettos. When you were pregnant with Cassie, did your feet swell?"

"They did. I gained so much weight I looked like a large round pumpkin. Dad teased me."

He scanned her body and grinned. "You must've easily taken it off."

"Mom said the weight came off because I was so young."

"Was the delivery hard? I've heard young mothers have hard deliveries."

"I was in labor around eighteen hours. It was scary. I couldn't control my body and didn't understand what was happening."

"I sure wish I knew you then and I could have been there for you."

She moaned, pulled her feet from Joe's hand, and sipped her soda.

Joe moved closer and wiped a strand of hair from her cheek. "Don't be embarrassed. I have the same desires, but I didn't bring you here to make love to you. I know you're not comfortable with me, yet."

"My feelings for you scare me."

"I understand. That's the reason when I kissed you a little while ago I stopped. I enjoyed it more than I should've at this point in our relationship."

Sara chewed her lower lip. "I can trust you, right?"

"You can trust me. I care for you way too much to do something that would cause you not to trust me."

Joe's kiss to her cheek moved to her lips where it lingered. He took a deep breath. "I'll always see that you're protected." He scooted away. "What else would you like to know about me?"

Sara tilted her head. "You know what my typical days are like. I get up, scoot Cassie off to school, and then work at Dad's hardware store." She frowned as she added, "Then I repeat the whole process. What's your typical day like?"

"Fair question. I get up around five-thirty and do PT that's physical training. Then around eight-thirty my day starts. If I'm at the Task Force, my days are actually simple. I run down information on drug cartel movements; basically I'm just a watch dog."

He took a drink of soda, then tossed a rock toward the edge of the bluff. "I also keep an eye on our families, making sure the cartels don't do something to attack us through them. Dani's especially vulnerable because she's our computer hacker." He grinned. "I spend many hours pulling surveillance on drug deals."

"That sounds interesting, but dangerous."

"It's a lot of long hours sitting in a car or van drinking cold coffee. The younger agents go undercover, so we can get closer to the kingpins who sell the drugs. They never go out unless there's backup. Their lives are at risk every time they're on the streets."

After adjusting himself on the blanket, he said, "On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons I have martial arts training. Tuesday's and Thursday's are for weapons training." His voice suddenly grew serious. "I can't tell you what happens when I leave the country. It's not because I don't trust you, but because it could put you in danger."

"I understand. Your life is so much more exciting than mine. You must get really bored when you come home to White Oak."

"I happen to find you very exciting. For the rest of White Oak, it's where I came from. I'm proud of that." He glanced at this watch. "It's late." He grinned and teased, "Or early, I guess it depends how you look at it. Anyway, I had better get you home. You need to make cookies in the morning for Cassie's team bake sale." He stared at his billfold. "I wish I had a picture of you and Cassie. Think you can give me one?" After she nodded, he continued, "I'll put it in the front so it's the first one I see."

He leaned over and kissed her. "I'm not ready for tonight to end." As their kisses became passionate, and their breathing rate increased, Joe gulped and stood. He took her hands and helped her up. "We need to get you home."

Sara bent over to pick up her heels. "Wait, I need to put these on."

Joe picked her up and carried her to the car. "You can put them on in here." He set her inside the car and then went back to gather the cooler and the blanket.

As Joe started the car, Sara stared at him. "Thank you for tonight. It was perfect."

He reached over and touched her hand. "Are you sure? We hit a few rough spots."

"I'm positive. You make me feel safe, almost unguarded. You don't judge my mistakes and accept me for who I am. I don't have to pretend around you."

At the next stoplight, Joe leaned over and kissed her. "I'm glad. I want you to be comfortable around me."

After he parked the car in front of her house, he opened the door and helped her out. He slid his arm around her waist. "Think Cassie is watching or is she asleep?"

"I'm sure she's asleep. She needs sleep and can't force herself to stay awake even when she wants to."

"Good." Joe took the key from Sara and unlocked the door. "Then I can kiss you good night without being interrupted. Before I do, turn around."

"Why?" she asked as she turned around.

"Because you won't be able to unhook the hook-n-eye I fastened before we left this evening. How would you get out of your dress?" As Joe finished, his hand lingered against her soft back.

He turned her around, put his arms around her, and kissed her. One kiss turned into two kisses, which turned into three. Joe felt his breathing become rapid and his heart beating harder. He rubbed against Sara, noticed her breathing had also increased, and her body moving against his.

Wanting to fulfill his desires, he glanced toward the hallway and saw Cassie's bedroom door. A sigh escaped his lips. "I'd better leave." Their eyes met. "Good, no tears." After he kissed her again, he lifted her hand, stared at her little finger, and smiled. "Good night. I'll come by in a few hours and get that picture you promised."

As he opened the car door, he looked back at Sara still standing at the door with her hand across her stomach. He understood how deeply he loved her and wondered how long it would take her to trust him enough to love him.