Disclaimer: I do not own Human Target and intend no copyright infringement.
~ for niagaraweasel and veniceit ~
Ames was up in tears. A date gone wrong, judging from her beautiful dress and the careful way she had done her hair.
The fact that she had come to the office to cry her heart out told him she wanted consolation.
Guerrero was probably right and he was bad at reading chicks, but not that bad.
Okay, consolation.
Consolation…
Whatever you do, don't kiss her.
Chance took a deep breath, just like they had taught him in Nepal. This time he would not blunder. He would offer a shoulder to cry on, he would hug her and hold her tight, but he would not kiss her.
Kissing Ilsa when she had been in distress had almost sent her back to London. He would not make the same mistake with Ames.
"Hey…", he said in a low, soothing voice and drew her to his chest in what he hoped was a protective older brother-like gesture. She snuggled against him, sobbing. Her hair smelt of fresh, fruity shampoo and he idly wondered what they had used to make it. Lemons maybe? Under different circumstances he would have probably inhaled deeply, but not tonight, no. Ames needed strict consolation, nothing more.
They sat on the sofa for a long while, with Ames practically melting against his body. Damn, the silken cloth of her dress felt smooth to his touch, not to mention the soft curves of her body. Her dress had ridden up her thighs…
Consolation, Chance!
Ames however, was slowly losing her patience. What the hell was he waiting for? She had done everything right, hadn't she? She knew he liked hairdos that left the neck free, the pheromone enhanced shampoo should have caught his attention by now and she was mightily appealing to his protective side.
Nevertheless, no reaction at all. Damn. This was not going according to plan at all. Time for more drastic measures.
"Can I sleep here tonight?", she sniffled. "In… your bed…maybe? I don't want to be alone…"
Jesus, she was really putting his self-control to a test. "Of course", he replied after a moment of hesitation, lifted her up from the sofa and carried her upstairs.
The part where he slowly lowered her onto the bed was great. The part where he tucked her in like a small child not so much.
"I'm going to be right here, in the armchair", Chance told her and switched off the bedside lamp.
In the semi-darkness, Ames rolled her eyes.
Almost an hour ticked by, with him DOING NOTHING.
When the clock from the nearby church struck one, Ames had enough. Determinedly, she rolled out of bed, walked over to the armchair and straddled his thighs.
"You're such an idiot", she snarled and kissed him fiercely.
Apparently he was really bad at reading chicks after all.