Repercussions
Disclaimer: CBS, creators, producers, etc., own all recognizable characters, not me; I'm just borrowing them.
Spoilers: Episode 5.9 - Going, Going, Gone, and 5.2 - Going Under
Repercussions
…unintended consequences and moments strung together…
Lounging on the couch in the near dark, the unmistakable chime of the doorbell, easily heard over the muted sounds of the television, startled Calleigh from her trance like state. "Now, who could that be?" she puzzled. She wasn't expecting company, and even though she reasoned it could be almost anyone standing on the other side of the door, there was only one person who immediately came to mind, the one person who managed to inspire equal amounts of exasperation, trepidation and desire, with just the thought of him.
Sighing irritably, she tossed aside the blanket she'd been wrapped in and sat up abruptly, causing her stiff and sore upper body to protest loudly. Wincing, she instinctively braced her bruised chest with her hand. "That'll teach me," she sighed with a shake of her head.
Easing off the couch, she headed to the door, feeling her heart rate speed up as she drew closer. Unable to shake his image from her mind, she chided herself for jumping to conclusions. He wouldn't, she thought, except that he would and she knew it, which only fueled her irritation further. Or was there something else stoking that particular fire? Like the troubling truth that the one person she hoped to find behind that door was the one person she didn't want to see tonight, or any night, which somehow only made her desire him even more than she already did. No wonder her head was spinning.
A quick glance through the peephole confirmed what she instinctively already knew. Taking a deep, steadying breath before opening the door, she greeted her uninvited guest with a forced frozen smile. "Jake, what a surprise."
"Hey," he returned, offering her a genuine smile.
"I don't recall inviting you over this evening," she said pointedly.
"No, you didn't," he answered hesitantly, leaning on the doorframe. "And I didn't call first. I'm sorry," he said, although to her ears, he didn't sound sorry in the least. Knowing Jake as well as she thought she did, she imagined calling first was never his intention. She suspected he'd anticipated her reaction in advance and chosen the path of least resistance.
"What do you want Jake?" she asked, maintaining her spot in the center of the doorway. She folded her arms in front of her chest in a defensive gesture, momentarily forgetting just how much the movement would hurt. Jake, however, was quick to pick up on her discomfort.
"You okay?" he asked, eyeing her with concern.
"I'm fine," she replied tersely. "But it hurts, obviously. I did take a bullet today, if you recall. The Kevlar may have caught the bullet, but I still felt the impact."
"That you did and I'm sure it does hurt, but you know, you'd probably feel a whole lot better if you kept an ice pack on it," he said, motioning with his head to her injured chest. "You really ought to be taking it easy," he suggested, cocking his head to the side and offering her an easy smile.
"Well Jake, I would be taking it easy on my sofa right now, if I didn't have an uninvited guest at my door," she replied. While she waited on his response, her appraising gaze traveled the length of him, aware as she did, that his eyes were tracking hers. It was evident he'd showered and changed since she'd last seen him and she couldn't help but wonder if he'd done it for her benefit. Still slightly damp, his hair was more slicked back than she was used to seeing. Fighting a sudden urge to slide her fingers through the wet and silky strands, she lowered her eyes, allowing her gaze to linger on his upper body, clad now in a crisp light blue T-shirt that hugged his lean, yet muscled chest quite attractively.
"We don't have to stand here in the doorway, Calleigh." With her gaze still fixed on his chest, it was a moment before she realized he was waiting for her to say something.
"What?" she asked, averting her eyes from his chest.
"I said we don't have to stand here in the doorway. You know, if you'd like to go in and sit down," he continued.
"I'm fine right here," she replied, trying her best to maintain a cool demeanor despite the warmth she felt spreading across her cheeks. "What do you want, Jake?" she asked, ignoring his knowing smile and feeling her resolve weaken even as her irritation grew. Or maybe this new surge of irritation was because her resolve was weakening. Either way, Jake pushed her buttons without even trying.
"I just wanted to see you," he said, taking a step closer.
"And what if I don't want to see you?" she asked, leveling her penetrating gaze on his.
"Then I'll leave. Just say the word." His eyes held steady as he effortlessly handed the decision over to her. She lowered her head and sighed deeply. Now it was up to her, but there would be nothing easy about this decision and she knew it. There never was when it came to Jake. Because Jake, like a bullet to the chest caught by Kevlar, was not without repercussions. Only in his case, the effects were felt long after the bruises faded and the memories diminished. "Calleigh?"
She looked up and met his eyes, hesitating a moment before answering. Walking away from Jake was one thing, it took nothing more than steely determination, the kind she could muster up at will; but watching him walk away when she wanted him to stay, took what she no longer had to give away. This decision, with all of its unintended consequences, had been made the moment she opened her door. Stepping aside to let him pass, she smiled warmly, despite the annoyance and trepidation that mixed freely with her unyielding desire for him. "You can come in."
"Well, thank you," he said, returning her smile. "And you'll notice I didn't come empty handed." Intrigued, she watched closely as he bent to pick up a box from the ground she hadn't noticed earlier. "For you," he said, holding out a white, mid-sized box tied with string.
She tilted her head to the side and looked from him to the box. "What is it?" she asked, eagerly anticipating the hidden contents of what she assumed to be a box of baked goods, judging by the all too familiar container.
"Open it," he said, untying the string and placing the box into her outstretched hands. "You won't be disappointed."
"Well, Jake, when it comes to you, that's not always the case," she said without thinking. After carefully opening the lid, she peered inside, and then looked back at him in surprise, instantly regretting her unkind words. "You brought me cupcakes," she drawled, smiling widely.
"Cream filled with white icing, the kind you like, right?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "My favorite kind. And it's been so long since I had one. I can't believe you remembered," she said in wonder.
"I remembered. Figured after the day you had," he said, returning her smile.
"Come on," she said, motioning for him to follow as she headed towards the tidy, pale yellow kitchen just off the entryway. "Do you want anything? Maybe a beer or something?" she asked, flicking on the light as he trailed behind.
"I'll take a beer," he answered, sidling up to her at the counter.
"All I've got is light, but you're welcome to it," she said, grabbing one of the cupcakes and placing it on a napkin.
"Light beer? Calleigh, you disappoint me," he said, feigning hurt as he wandered over to the fridge.
"I'm sorry, Jake. Next time you decide to barge in on me uninvited after going against my wishes and getting me shot in the process, I'll make sure I run to the store first to stock up with your favorite beer," she teased as she passed by on her way to the living room.
"Sounds good to me," he called to her back as he followed behind, waiting until she settled herself onto the center of the couch before sliding in next to her. "You know, that ice pack's not doing you any good on the table," he said, motioning with his bottle.
"I can't hold it in place and eat at the same time. And right now I want to eat my cupcake." To punctuate her point, she sat back on the sofa and bit into the edge of the cake, moaning her delight at the delectable taste.
"Good, huh?" he asked, sounding pleased.
"Delicious," she exclaimed, licking frosting off her lips. "Rich, but not too rich. Where'd you ever find them?"
"I get around, have a couple sources. There's not much I can't get my hands on, including cream filled cupcakes," he said playfully. He took a long swig of his beer, dropped the bottle onto on the coffee table in front of them and grabbed the icepack. "C'mere," he said, gesturing for her to come closer. Positioning himself so that she could rest her back flush against his chest, he opened his arms and waited while she scooted back to him. Reaching across the front of her, he gently laid the icepack atop the site of impact and held it in place with his hand. "How's that?" he asked, tipping his mouth towards her ear. "Now you can relax and eat your cupcake while I do all the work."
Flooded with sensations, her body shuddered as shivers ran down her back, both from the sudden cold of the ice pack and his warm breath tickling her ear. "Mmm," she murmured, closing her eyes, feeling the heat from his body seep through her thin shirt and spread throughout her body. "It's cold, but feels good. You don't mind?" she asked with a smile, turning her head as much as she could to face him.
"Nope. Not at all," he answered, leaning back into the cushions.
With one of his arms draped across her chest, and the other lying atop her shoulder and arm, she settled even deeper into his embrace, relishing the feel of all the hard muscle enveloping her. If she continued to feel this good it was going to be damn near impossible to remember how irritated she was with him. But irritated she was, along with a laundry list of other emotions Jake effortlessly managed to elicit in her.
"Were you never planning on telling me that you'd left ATF and transferred into the department?" she asked, feeling a new surge of annoyance as she recalled her earlier surprise.
He stiffened slightly and shifted his shoulders, exhaling loudly as he did. "I figured it wouldn't be too long before our paths crossed. And I was right."
"Well, you were right about that, Jake. Our paths did cross." She sat up and twisted her body around so that she was facing him.
"And you're still upset about that." It was a statement, not a question, and since a half smile tugged at the corner of his lip while he said it, it was a statement that infuriated her.
"I'm not upset," she insisted, despite wearing an expression that would seem to say otherwise.
"But you were. You didn't exactly hold back earlier. You made it clear what you were thinking," he replied, looking mildly amused.
"Jake, you were involved with a dead girl. Whose murder I was investigating. What was I supposed to think?" she asked.
At that, his expression grew serious and his jaw tensed. "I explained my involvement in that situation. It wasn't what you thought," he countered with a hint of frustration.
"I didn't know what to think," she said, powerless at keeping her own feelings of frustration out of her voice. Turning her body away from him, she rested against the couch back. Unfortunately, there was a lot more to this than simply being caught unaware. And while she'd prefer to think that her reaction to the image of Jake with Rebecca was nothing more than concern about what he'd gotten himself into this time, she knew there was nothing further from the truth. Not that that was a concept that was going under the magnifying glass anytime soon. Or ever.
"You shouldn't have jumped to conclusions," he said, lowering his voice.
"Maybe not, and maybe you could've told me yourself. I shouldn't have had to find out that way," she said, lifting her head to his. He tilted his head to hers and nodded slightly.
"I'm sorry, Calleigh" he said in a low, soft voice, holding her gaze in his. She knew he meant it, but she also knew that didn't mean he'd do anything differently. Nor would she. And that was an uneasy thought she preferred not dwelling on.
"Me, too," she sighed, giving him a halfhearted smile.
Retreating to their own thoughts, they sat stiffly on the sofa with only the low sounds of the television breaking the strained silence they'd fallen into. He reached behind her with his arm and gently pulled her closer. Surprising herself, she didn't pull away, instead allowing him to draw her back into his arms. He leaned back and she followed suit, twisting her body so that she was once again resting flush against his chest. Gingerly, he rested the icepack on her chest.
"This okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. Thanks," she answered, hunching her shoulders against the sudden chill.
"Calleigh, you know why I didn't tell you myself."
"No Jake, I really don't."
"Do you remember the last time I saw you?" he asked. She stiffened slightly at the mention of that night. No matter how many times she tried to forget, memories of their recent night together were never far from the surface.
Shuddering, and not from the cold this time, she nodded. "I remember," she answered softly. In her mind, she'd replayed that night so many times, she'd begun to wonder if it was real or fantasy. It was no fantasy, though. A weak moment of vulnerability and she'd traveled down the path she'd promised herself she wouldn't. If only he hadn't called. If only she hadn't heard that almost imperceptible catch in his voice…
Huddled under the covers with a tedious novel and a hot cup of chamomile tea, she hoped the former would help bring about drowsiness and that the latter would finish the job. Unfortunately, even the dullest read wouldn't help if she couldn't concentrate long enough to make it past a single convoluted sentence. Snapping the book closed with more force than the act called for, she tossed it to the other side of the bed where it landed on the edge and slid to the floor with a loud thud. Sighing deeply, she reached for the tea, now gone cold, and for one brief, delicious moment she considered handing the same fate to the disappointing beverage, before remembering that she'd be the one stuck with the resulting mess and wisely put the cup back down.
Giving up on the tea, she flicked the bedside lamp off and pulled the covers up to her chin. Despite the extra blanket she had thrown on the bed, she was still shivering. She wondered if these persistent trembles were some sort of delayed physical reaction to the stress of the accident, or if they were simply the result of the cool canal water. Either way, the end result was a bone numbing chill no extra blanket or sweater was any match for. She buried deeper under the covers and closed her eyes, vainly hoping sleep would claim her quickly.
She tried envisioning herself back at the beach, running along the shore until she was breathless and spent, wishfully thinking the imagined activity might tire her mind, if not her body. But instead, the only image her mind conjured up was her huddled shape on the sand… and she wasn't alone. Not exactly the mental picture she needed to lull her into a restful sleep. Sitting upright, she debated the merits of mindless television viewing versus reorganizing her closet as an alternative to spending an indeterminate amount of time tossing and turning while her body fought sleep, before eventually deciding neither held appeal. The jarring sounds of a ringing phone punctuated the silence, startling her. Not recognizing the number on the ID screen, she considered letting the call go straight to voice mail, but curiosity got the best of her and she quickly picked up.
"Hello?"
"Calleigh, it's me." The voice on the other end of the line was a familiar one, just not one she was expecting to hear again today. "Are you still there?" he asked, sounding either alarmed or confused, she wasn't sure which.
"Jake, sorry. I'm here," she answered distractedly.
"Did I wake you?"
"No," she said, automatically shaking her head, despite the fact that he couldn't see the movement through the receiver. "Why are you calling?" There was no need to bother asking how he'd gotten her number, he'd have no trouble accessing that information, and she knew it. But why he needed to call now was another question altogether. Lost in her own ponderings, it was a moment before she realized he was calling her name repeatedly. "Sorry," she hesitated. "I was distracted by something I heard outside," she lied. "What is it?" she asked impatiently.
"Calleigh, I know you said you were okay, and I'm sure you're convinced you are, and maybe you are," he said haltingly before pausing himself. "But you didn't seem completely okay when you left the beach. And even though I'm probably not going to believe you, I just need to hear you say it again… please."
It was the 'please', tacked on at the end, and the almost undetectable catch in his voice that was her undoing.
"Where are you?" she asked abruptly, almost without thinking.
"Not far from that beach, why?" he asked, sounding confused.
"Then it won't take you long to get here," she said before hanging up and letting out a long shuddering breath.
Mere minutes had passed before the sound of his bike penetrated the silence and he was standing in her doorway, managing to look both awkward and at ease at the same time. His dark eyes softened at the sight of her and after a moment's hesitation, he pulled her firmly into his arms. Locked into his embrace, she sank into the heat and felt the shivers subside for the first time in hours. There was no hesitation on her part when she stretched to her full height to claim what she'd denied herself earlier, and this time, she gave in freely to the passion of the kiss.
Time passed in a blur of shed clothing, tangled limbs, and remembered pleasures of long ago. Hours later, curled into the curve of his body, she fell into a deep and satisfying sleep.
Morning, with its mix of fresh start and clarity, left no missteps from the night before safely cloaked in the shadows; instead they were illuminated proudly in the sunshine of a new day, making the mistake slumbering on the next pillow impossible to ignore.
"Then you remember how we left things, what we agreed to. Or rather, what you decided and I went along with," he said, pulling her from her drifting thoughts.
She remembered all right. She'd left him sleeping while she hurried through her morning routine, anxious to put as much distance as she could between the two of them. Lingering traces of weak vulnerability and regret were hidden behind the mask of self-confidence and strength she could summon at will. This can't happen again, she'd told him in a voice both cold and exact. It would be best if we didn't see each other. I hope you will respect my wishes. Please. There was no catch in her voice when she spoke that last word tacked on at the end, no wavering in her step as she walked away. And no objection revealed.
Irked by his attitude, she twisted in his arms. "Jake, you had no problem agreeing," she said sharply, before swiftly turning away, signaling to him that for her, this subject was closed. That night was not for revisiting. She settled stiffly against his chest, away from his intense gaze. He sighed deeply, but ignored her not so subtle message.
"You're right. I didn't. But, now you know why I didn't tell you I'd left ATF. I thought about calling you, but honestly Calleigh, I figured it was best if I let things lie, at least awhile longer." It didn't make sense, but she'd been angry with him for simply doing what she'd asked.
"But you're here now. And uninvited," she stressed. Not that Jake ever needed an invitation to get under her skin.
"Yeah, I guess I am. I just wanted to see you, Calleigh, that's all," he shrugged.
If only it were that simple, she thought sadly. She shifted slightly, inadvertently pressing deeper against him, to which he responded by wrapping his other arm around her. Resting her head against his shoulder, she relaxed against him once more. How was it possible, she wondered, that she could be as furious and disillusioned with him as she had been all day, yet be so comfortable in his arms right now? Every day, she prided herself on her surefootedness, no matter the situation she found herself in, yet Jake had her slipping all over the place and ending up in his embrace.
"Hey, you gonna to finish that?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"What?" she asked distractedly.
"Your cupcake," he answered, pointing to the partly eaten cupcake she'd placed on the coffee table earlier. "Cause if you're not, then I will," he offered, grabbing his beer off the table and taking a long swallow.
"Yes, I am, so don't get any ideas," she said, turning to give him a warning eye. "I just put it down for a minute," she said, reaching for the cake and napkin.
"You know, you never offered me one," he chided playfully.
"I didn't? I'm sorry. That certainly wasn't very mannerly of me, was it?" she asked, biting back a grin.
"No it wasn't. But you could make up for that glitch in your Southern hospitality by offering me one now," he said, bringing his mouth close to her ear. His warm breath tickled the sensitive skin, setting off a giggle she couldn't suppress.
"Well now, I could, but that would mean one of us would have to get up off the sofa to get you one and since I'm the one in pain here, I'd like to stay where I'm comfortable," she answered in a voice dripping with honey.
"Which means I'm not moving from here, or getting a cupcake," he complained with a laugh.
"That's how it would appear. But I'll be nice and share the rest of mine with you," she said with a dramatic sigh. She broke off half and reaching behind without the benefit of turning, accidentally pushed the piece against his mouth before he was ready, smearing frosting all over his lips. "Sorry," she said, laughing, as she twisted around to face him.
"Thanks for that," he said with a laugh, licking his lips. "But now that I've had a taste, I want more, which you're not going to give me."
"It was sinfully good, wasn't it? Maybe later," she teased, before turning away. Briefly, she turned her attention to the television while she gathered her thoughts. "Jake, did you think when you showed up at my door that I would be happy to see you?" she asked, slipping the question in casually.
"I don't know, Calleigh." She felt him shrug. "I guess I hoped you would. And if you weren't, I would've left." He paused for several long seconds. "Why? Do you?" he asked, straining to see her face.
"What? Want you to leave?" she asked, turning her head to him. He nodded, eyeing her curiously. "No. No, I don't," she said with a shake of her head.
"Then what is it? What aren't you saying?" he asked, frowning. "Cause I can tell by the look on your face that you're holding something back. Which might be a nice change of pace, on second thought," he added with a chuckle.
Sighing deeply, she lowered her lids. "Jake, what happened today," she paused, sighing again before looking up to meet his eyes. "You had no business doing what you did. Why did you get yourself involved, when I clearly told you not to?" she asked, her voice rising an octave as she did.
"I knew we were going to get into this," he said with a smirk.
His apparent amusement fueled her already surging irritation. "Well, what were you thinking?" she asked brusquely, raising her voice. She twisted in his arms to face him. "You just had to get in the middle of it," she said, pursing her lips and shaking her head. "Hadn't you already done enough?"
He leaned away from her and stared for a moment, a mix of defiance and incredulity spreading across his face. "What was I thinking?" he asked, drawing his brows together. "What were you thinking? You went after an armed suspect with no backup," he said, raising his voice as well. She opened her mouth to retort, but he beat her to it. "I didn't follow you till I saw you taking off on your own. It was pretty clear where you were headed and what you were planning to do."
"I wouldn't have been alone for long. I called for backup," she answered ever mindful of how self-justifying she sounded. "I didn't need you coming after me."
"No, you didn't need me, but you did need someone backing you up. That's pretty basic stuff."
"They were on their way. It wouldn't have taken…" she began.
"But you didn't wait for them, did you?" he interrupted. "What were you thinking, Calleigh?" he repeated. Keeping her gaze even with his, she refused to flinch under his scrutiny.
"What I was thinking, was that I wasn't going to let a valuable suspect get away. And that I was capable of handling whatever situation arose," she said defiantly. She opened her arms wide before folding them across her chest. The movement served as a painful reminder of how the day had turned out, causing her to flinch ever so slightly. "You would've done the same thing if roles were reversed," she said, quickly regaining her composure and averting her eyes from his. "And I, at least, had the foresight not to walk into a potentially dangerous situation without the benefit of Kevlar."
"Yeah, the Kevlar gave you some protection, I'll give you that," he said, watching her carefully. "And you're right, I would've."
"I made the best decision under the circumstances." Tipping her head to his, she paused and searched his face, wondering if she'd heard correctly. "Wait, what did you say?"
"You heard me," he said, chuckling. "I don't need to repeat it."
"Mm, I guess I did, I just didn't expect to hear it twice in one day," she said, giving him a self-assured smile.
"Guess I like surprising you," he said, returning her smile. "But it still doesn't make what you did any more right or any less dangerous, even with the Kevlar," he said, his expression growing solemn.
"You're right, the Kevlar can only do so much," she sighed. "We make the best decisions we can in each situation and hope for the best," she said, suddenly feeling the weight of the day resting on her shoulders.
"Wait, did you just say I was right?" he asked, wide-eyed with surprise.
"To an extent," she admitted grudgingly.
"That's nice to hear," he said with a smirk, repeating her earlier words to him.
"Mm," she murmured dismissively, lowering her head.
"Calleigh," he said, lifting her chin with his hand. "You have to know I wouldn't do anything differently today if I had to do it over again. Not under the circumstances, not knowing you went out there by yourself." She nodded slightly, expecting nothing less from him. Withdrawing his hand from her chin, he smoothed her hair with the gentlest of motions before resting it back on her shoulder. "I think maybe my heart stopped there for a minute when you didn't answer me and I saw you lying there not moving."
"Your heart?" she asked, incredulous. "I don't recall seeing you flung to the ground."
"No, but I saw you lying there and that's not something I ever want to see again." Both his expression and voice had taken on a more somber tone, but the undisguised emotion she saw in his eyes took her by surprise nonetheless. He shifted his position slightly, moving the hand that had been resting atop her shoulder to just behind her neck. She shuddered as his fingers tenderly caressed the sensitive skin with a feather light touch. The room grew uncomfortably warm, although the goose bumps covering her arms would seem to indicate otherwise.
"No, I should guess not," she said softly, keeping her gaze level with his. "But Jake, If you had taken that shot instead of me…" she began, but let the thought trail unfinished.
"Then I guess we'd be having a different conversation. But I didn't and you're okay, which is all that matters right now," he said, tipping his head towards hers. With one hand behind her neck, and the other wrapped around her waist, he pulled her closer, reclining them both into the cushions as he leaned all the way back. She slipped her hands under his arms and around his back, locking into his embrace. His mouth eagerly sought hers, and she responded just as hungrily, despite the faint, but persistent voice in her head demanding she pull back before they slid further into a murkiness that promised consequences neither wanted. But this was Jake. Jake, who felt and tasted and kissed her better than anyone else ever had. And when he kissed her quite like this, she forgot exactly why she shouldn't be kissing him quite like this.
Needing to breathe, they broke apart reluctantly. Panting slightly, she rested her head atop his chest, listening to the soothing sounds of his heart and closed her eyes. "Anything else you want to give me hell for, or are we about done with that for now?" he asked, lightly running his hands down her arms.
"Not sure we've even scratched the surface," she drawled. She lifted her head to him, matching his smile with one of her own. "But I think maybe we're done for now."
"Good answer," he said, lightly brushing against her lips. "You okay? Not in too much pain?" he asked, lightly tracing a finger from her cheek to her jaw and back up again.
"Mmm. I'm okay. The icepack helped. So does the distraction."
"Good. I'm all for distraction," he said, kissing her gently. "Think maybe I can have one of your cupcakes for breakfast?" he asked when the kiss ended.
Easing onto her side and lining her body alongside his, she rested her hand on his hip, absently slipping her fingers underneath his shirt. "You're planning on being here for breakfast? Isn't that a bit presumptuous? After all, you haven't been invited," she reminded with a sly smile.
"Maybe so, but I was thinking you could use a pair of strong hands to work the kinks out of your back." As he spoke he slid his hands under her shirt and ever so slowly, moved them up the length of her back. "And maybe someone to hold the icepack against your chest while you sleep." With a lowered voice and a crooked smile tugging on his lips, Jake managed to make even the most clinical words sound seductive and the effect was dizzying. It was a moment before she could think clear enough to offer a retort.
"Am I to assume you're volunteering?" she asked, feigning disinterest.
He lifted his head and scanned the room with a dramatic flourish before answering. "I don't see anyone else here, Calleigh." Opening her mouth to protest, he promptly stilled her by covering her mouth with his. Lips parted, she moaned lightly against his mouth while his tongue sent shivers of desire racing throughout her body. Displeasure, however, rapidly replaced desire when he broke the kiss too soon. He placed a single finger against her moist lips, as her eyelids fluttered open. "Yes, I am volunteering to take care of you tonight, and not because I think you need it…"
"I don't," she said firmly, tensing in his arms.
"I know that. I do, but I want to, anyway. I want to stay here with you," he whispered against her lips. "I want you." Clasping her tightly against him, he kissed a path down one side of her neck, then back up the other, before settling his lips on the sensitive spot below her ear that sent shivers down her back.
"Jake, you exhaust me," she said, sighing deeply.
"Well, I didn't think I had yet, but I certainly plan to," he quipped, placing his lips over hers before she could object.
"That wasn't quite what I meant," she said with a knowing smile when the kiss ended. Moving off him, she settled onto her side and rested one arm under her head, while laying the other atop his chest. "I was referring to how exhausting it is to be constantly going back and forth between wanting to give you hell and wanting to kiss you. When I'm around you, I feel like a ping-pong ball in perpetual motion. I'm never sure if I'm coming or going."
"That does sound exhausting," he said, stroking her cheek. "And if it makes you feel any better, I can tell you honestly that you do both very well, in fact, much better than anyone else." He gently brushed loose strands of hair off her face and tucked them behind her ear. "Now if you think you might be willing to give me another chance, I think l might be able to convince you that you actually prefer kissing me."
"Oh, you think so? I think that's gonna take some doing. You have something in mind to make this an even more eventful day than it has already been?" she asked lazily while she traced circles on his chest.
"Got a couple ideas," he said, giving her a crooked smile.
"Well, then I guess we're both lucky that everything turned out okay today, so that we have this opportunity to make a mess of things tonight."
"I'm glad you turned out okay," he said, wearing an expression of gratitude.
"I am, too," she said, smiling widely. "And I'm glad you're here," she admitted reluctantly. "I guess your knack for showing up uninvited isn't always such a bad thing. But just don't make a habit of it," she said punctuating her words with a poke to his ribs with her finger.
"I'll keep that in mind," he grinned before pressing his lips against hers. "This would be one of those moments you were referring to earlier, wouldn't it?" he asked between kisses.
"Yeah, I guess it would." An easy smile tugged on her lips as she recalled their light-hearted banter on the pier.
"Gotta admit, we make a good team."
"We have our moments."
"We ever plan on stringing a couple of them together?" he asked, pulling her from her thoughts.
"I don't know, Jake. I really don't," she answered honestly. It was all she could do to focus on the right now. And right now, it was enough to know that both were exactly where they wanted to be. What came later, if anything at all, wasn't something she was prepared to contemplate.
Absently, she threaded her fingers through his longish locks as she took a frank and admiring look at him. This wasn't a decision born of a weak, vulnerable moment, nor was it one she arrived at lightly. This was about letting go, for just one night. She wasn't willing to give him a second chance with her heart, wasn't sure she ever would be, but the slivers he still held firmly in his grasp? Completely his. And he wasn't the only one holding claim to something he'd taken long ago. It seemed she held a few slivers of her own. She sighed wistfully. Love was not without its repercussions.
"Yeah," he said, after a moment. "Guess I don't, either. But right now we still have this moment and I don't plan on squandering it." His hands moved slowly down her back, gently pressing her body against his. "And tomorrow," he paused, uncertain, searching her eyes.
Lacing her fingers behind his neck, she pulled him closer, silencing him with her lips. Tonight, consequences would be damned.
Tomorrow was another moment altogether.
The end