Author's Note: Hey, so I know I haven;t written in a while, and I'm reeeally sorry. I've been sick on and off and working two jobs. Anyway, this chapter combines the "Rileigh and the Cop" series with the "A Soldier's Gypsy" series. I know some of you wanted Michael to be the good guy, so I hope you enjoy my solution. It may help if you read some of the "A Soldier's Gypsy" series, especially the sixth chapter. Please comment, vote, and/or send feedback!! Thanks, and enjoy!!
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Michael walked up to the car as I frantically made sure the doors were locked. I saw Carter; he looked as angry as Michael was, and I couldn't tell if it was me or Michael he was angry at. Maybe it was both.
"Rileigh!" I heard Michael shout. "Rileigh, get out of that car damnit."
Mike tried the door with a furious look on his face. My heart was beating like a caged hummingbird. I saw a few other officers rush out of the station. Two went to grab Mike. Carter said something to them, but I couldn't hear what. If looks could kill, the look Michael sent Carter would have. Carter looked back at me in the car.
"Rileigh," he said softly, "Baby, open this door." His eyes darted to the keys, still in the ignition. I looked over to make sure Michael was still restrained, then nodded and unlocked the door.
He got in, the muscles in his jaw flexing as he fought to stay calm. After we had driven about five minutes away, he glanced over at me.
"Are you alright, Rileigh?"
I nodded, but my heart was still beating a little fast. I wanted to bolt, to run and hide.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.
Oh boy, I knew that question had been coming. How do I explain it? Did I owe him an explanation? Ugh, of course I did. I mulled it over in my head a minute before I answered.
"It wasn't exactly first date material," I began quietly. "I didn't think it was something you needed to know when I saw you in the bookstore. And I didn't want to bring it up when we went to dinner. Then there just didn't seem like there was a good time. I hoped that if I ignored it, it would go away," I said, feeling stupid. Of course it wouldn't have just gone away.
"What about that day you called me over, when you ran into him in town? Why didn't you tell me it was Mike who left those bruises?" he questioned. I didn't really have a good answer so I kept silent. "I see the guy almost every day, I work with him. I'm surprised it didn't come out already. You were the woman that ran out that night at the charity ball, weren't you?"
I nodded and watched his face. He did not look happy with me. Neither of us said anything as we finished the drive back to my house. Once we were there he came around to my side and opened the door. He held out a hand to me. "Come here, Baby."
Cautiously, I reached out and went with him inside. He sat down on the couch and pulled me into his lap. He was stiff at first, and then it felt like all of the tension drained out of his body.
"You should have told me Rileigh," he said as he pulled me close. I nuzzled my cheek against his chest and held on tight. Finally, my heart beat was back to normal.
"I'm sorry Carter, very sorry. I'm just a big scaredy cat. I should have told you," I mumbled into his shirt. My arms wrapped around his waist and I didn't want to let go.
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At home, Michael was looking for something to break. He needed to get his anger out of his system. A better idea came to him, and he changed into some jeans, a shirt and his leather jacket. He went out to his garage in search of his pride and joy.
The Kawasaki purred to life and he straddled it in a well practiced move. The bike rode smoothly out onto the road. He headed for the hills. The winding roads proved more interesting. Michael didn't care if he was speeding. Fuck it.
God, how could Rileigh do that? Sure, he kissed Marissa, but it wasn't like he fucked her. It had been a stupid mistake. If she would have just given him a chance.
He had known Marissa would be trouble, but he thought he could handle her. Now Carter had her. Thinking about it now, Mike regretted slugging him. He honestly believed Carter hadn't known. Still, he hated the idea of Carter fucking his brown eyed girl. Well, he guessed she wasn't his anymore.
As the anger faded away, the hurt sunk in. He hated feeling this way. His heart felt like it was tearing, it physically hurt. He didn't want to see Carter or Rileigh for a long time if he could help it. Maybe it was time for a career change.
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Two weeks later Carter and I were still talking. We had gotten over the Michael thing. I had worried about them working together when Mike got back from his suspension, but he didn't come back. Nobody at the station knew exactly what he was doing now, but rumor was that he had a new job. That was just fine by me.
I knew that I had overreacted a bit that night at the ball, but I didn't regret it. I felt the way I felt, and I wasn't going to apologize for that. Kissing was still cheating in my book; I wanted someone who could be completely faithful with me. And Carter, well he and I fit much better, and he hadn't kissed that bitchy Marissa Moore.