A/N: So this little one shot has been sitting in my documents folder for months, waiting for me to finish it and let it come out and play. A smutty little oneshot for my favorite Warehouse agent (who, like all other aspects of the show, I can lay no claim to). Please read and review honestly...I never consider my work done on anything I write and I love input!
Reading note: bold text indicates that it is written (computer) text.
Auditing
"I can't believe you're making me do this," the redhead was violently shoving books into her bag, glaring at the man sitting comfortably in the chair by her desk.
"Claudia – "
"This is such a gargantuan waste of time!" She started to button up a vest, then ripped it off and dropped it to the floor, replacing it with a short black jacket.
"Claud – "
"I mean, didn't we already kinda establish my career path? I think my time would be better spent learning how to magically appear and disappear when least wanted than auditing some history class at a community college!"
Claudia finally took a breath as she collapsed onto her bed. Steve shook his head and set aside the book he had been flipping through before moving to sit next to her prone form.
"C'mon Claudia. You've been taking classes online for months."
"Well, yeah, but only because I've been bored and that is far more convenient and it gets Myka off my back about 'improving myself' just in case the whole warehouse caretaker thing doesn't work out."
"Right, and because you are a sponge for information and know that the more you learn, the better equipped you are to do your job."
"God, has Myka brainwashed you too? And how can sitting in some lecture hall for three days a week better equip me for a job that requires me to take off for the opposite side of the world at a moment's notice. I'm sure my professor is going to love my unexplained absences."
"That's why you're just auditing the class and aren't officially enrolled. The attendance policy won't apply to you."
"But if I'm out of class that often, what's the point? I'll miss all these 'useful' lessons I'm supposed to be learn – "
"Claudia, what's really bothering you?"
He looked at her hard, forcing her to maintain eye contact. Slowly, her brown eyes lost their hard edge and revealed a glimmer of fear. He sighed and took her hand, waiting for her to speak.
"Jinks, I don't belong in some normal lecture hall, just sitting at a desk like some normal person, listening to some dusty old guy who's not Artie ramble ad nauseum about history. How can I sit next to some nineteen year old twit and listen to how she spent the weekend partying and 'getting so wasted, ohmigod' giggle, giggle."
"Claudia, it's not going to be that bad. It's a high level course, not some 'easy a' class that your hypothetical party girl is likely to take," Steve argued, trying not to laugh at her description.
"Oh you know at least one of them is going to slip through the cracks!"
"I…okay you're probably right. But I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to your impersonations of her. You will be depriving us all of that wonderful entertainment, however, if you don't attend your classes."
He rose, pulling her to her feet despite her moans of protest. Steve grabbed her bag from the floor and swung it over his own shoulder, refusing to release her hand.
"Jinksy – " she whined, but he cut her off.
"I'm driving you. I will be on stand by for a mad getaway too, if it really is too tolerable for you to make it through."
"Ugh, thanks mom, but I think I'm old enough to take the bus."
"Not a chance, sweetie. I wouldn't miss your first day for anything."
She rolled her eyes, smacking away his hand as he pinched her cheek, then grabbing her bag from his shoulder. She stormed out of the room muttering under her breath, but she would admit only to herself that having him drive her and waiting for her did make her feel a teensy bit better.
The muttering lasted until she exited the car on Winterville Community College's campus and headed toward the academic quad. She looked back at him only once, and it was at that moment that the small, amused smile disappeared from Jinks' face. In that moment he saw the tension in her body, the apprehension pulling down the corners of her lips and the pure fear in her pretty brown eyes.
"You'll be okay, Claudia. I promise," he whispered before slowly pulling away to find a quiet parking lot where he could repeat that phrase to himself for the next two hours.
Claudia had no issue finding the classroom, but felt a nearly overwhelming wave on anxiety as she stepped inside. The hundred-seat auditorium she had envisioned turned out to be a room for no more than twenty-five. Her hope for a semester of nearly complete anonymity vanished and in its wake a crushing self-consciousness took hold of her. She took a quick glance around the almost full room and made the decision to turn and run. Unfortunately, her smooth exit was disrupted by a solid body that was carrying an unfortunate stack of books and papers, which scattered to the floor as she collided with him.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" she apologized into his chest before she dropped to the floor.
"No, it's fine, don't worry about it."
"Ugh! I'm such a klutz, I – "
They were both kneeling, gathering the books, fumbling and stammering over each other until she finally glanced up to see the person she had nearly tackled. When she saw him, her cheeks flamed even hotter, and her stomach suddenly tightened painfully, her breath faltering.
"Todd?" she whispered, her throat almost too tight for the words to escape. Immediately his head shot up, his green eyes wide behind rectangular frames.
"Claudia?"
"Everything all right, Thomas?"
Claudia forced herself to look up at the voice interrupting their moment and found a middle-aged man gazing down at them curiously. They both stood, nearly bumping into each other again.
"Yes, professor, um, I'm sorry I - "
"Yeah, my bad, I just – "
The looked at each other, laughing awkwardly, and Claudia relied on every ounce of self-control she had to stop her from jumping into his arms, in spite of the inquisitive professor. That urge was helpfully dampened by a quick glance around the room and the realization that everyone was staring at them. The blush intensified on her cheeks and started to crawl down her neck to her chest. She thrust books and papers into Tod – Tom's hands, but got snagged by the warm look in his eyes that made her insides tangle.
"Thank you Miss…?"
"Donovan. Claudia Donovan."
She was impressed by his cool demeanor and the way he maintained his cover, but was far more pleased by the smile tugging at his enticing, full lips.
"All right Miss Donovan, if you would please take your seat we can begin. Thomas, please pass around the syllabus."
Claudia quickly found the nearest empty chair, completely unaware of the other students that had made her uncomfortable just moments before. She tried to divert some attention to the professor as she retrieved her laptop from her bag, setting it on the desktop attached to the arm of her chair, but her eyes insisted on following Tod – Tom's every movement as he made his way around the class. He brushed her arm when he placed her syllabus in front of her, and Claudia suddenly understood what the warehouse felt like when there was a power surge. He sat down at the front of the class in a desk/chair by the professor, pulling a tablet out of his own bag. She finally forced herself to watch the professor, but even as she pinned her attention on him and began taking notes on his lecture, she felt Tom's eyes on her and squirmed in her seat. Despite the fact that she had no idea what she was typing, she diligently kept tapping her keys and recording whatever the verbose professor uttered until a small box appeared in the middle of her screen.
My God, It's really you. You really did find me.
Claudia looked up, and though Tom's eyes were fixed on the professor, his hand was sliding over the tablet and a hint of a smile pulled at his mouth. She tried, and failed, to stifle her own grin.
And you managed to hack my computer in a matter of minutes…you sexy devil you.
She watched him as he finally gave in to the smile.
Not nearly as sexy as you are. How did you find me?
To be honest…I didn't. After you left your handlers did a kick-ass job of keeping you off the grid.
She saw a slight grimace cross his face.
Yeah, they wouldn't let me near a computer for 6 mos. They locked me up in a cabin dead smack in the middle of BFE. Wasn't even allowed a TV.
Dude! That's inhumane! We have laws against that kind of d-baggery!
He grinned again and a warm feeling started spreading through her chest.
Right? My punishment for getting involved with a tech genius that knew too much.
Oh…my bad!
She bit her lip and looked up at him, finally meeting his eyes. The look he gave her wasn't even slightly accusatory or annoyed.
It was worth every tech-deprived minute, and 6 years more.
She read the words over and over, her breath growing shorter each time. She felt heat rising on her cheeks again and decided to change the subject fast.
So what are you doing here? Did you kill your handlers and Oregon Trail it back to South Dakota?
He cleverly covered his laugh with a cough and shot her a grin.
No, unfortunately they're still around. But the prosecution worked out a deal with Conte so I never had to testify, which means I had a little freedom to choose my newest home.
And you came back to South Dakota? To be a TA in History at a community college?
Of course I came back to South Dakota, Claudia. This is the closest they would let me come to Univille. To you.
Claudia audibly gasped as she read the last two words, but quickly faked a sneeze. Her legs were jittery, desperate to stand, cross the tiny room and find that spot on the side of his neck that she knew made him gasp.
Okay, so how long have you been here? And srsly, what is with the professor-drone gig?
6 months. 6 very long, very miserable months that have felt a lot longer than my stint as Walt Whitman. However, during my time in the woods I did a lot of reading, and whoever actually owned my cabin had been a huge history buff. It was a contagious interest.
"Miss Donovan?"
"Hm?" Claudia jerked her head up to meet the professor's stare.
"I'm sorry sir, I was looking over my last note. What was the question?"
"I asked you if you could share with us the two thinkers who had the greatest influence over the Enlightenment movement within the United States?"
"Oh! John Locke and Sir Isaac Newton, duh. Newton had a bigger impact from the perspective of science, while Locke had a much more philosophical approach. And believe me, if you read the original version of Essay on Human Understanding, it packs one hell of a punch."
"Um…yes, Locke and Newton. Correct."
Claudia glanced over to catch Tom grinning at her openly as the professor continued his lecture.
It's so hot when you go off like that, showing off how smart you are.
Why thank you, kind sir. You're not the only one who's done a lot of reading over the past year.
Really? So…does that mean that you haven't been otherwise…occupied in your free time? You know, by maybe someone else?
Claudia looked up from her screen and saw the nervous expression shadowing his face. She bit her lip and decided that honesty would be her best course.
There was someone for a moment, but…he wasn't you. No one could be. There's only room for one Tod…Tom-o-rama in my life. Oh, and a Jinks.
She watched relief wash over him until his eyebrow quirked.
Jinks?
My gay best friend/partner at work/surrogate big brother. He's actually the reason I'm here.
He's also waiting for you to get out of class, genius. Crappity-crap-crap!
Claudia quickly switched programs on her laptop to send a message to Steve's phone.
Jinksy! So turns out Todd is here and you're my hero –
Ugh, no! He'd never let me hear the end of that.
Jinksy! Ran into an old friend. Hopefully we'll be catching up after class, if you wanna head back to the BnB I'll catch up later!
Well, not great, but good enough, she thought, but sent the message anyway and quickly switched back to her chat with Tom.
Remind me to buy that man a car.
Lol. Well, he already has one that he's pretty fond of, but maybe a boat?
I'll see what I can do. I do have mafia contacts after all.
…So…
Since you don't have anyone else occupying your free time, would you maybe want to grab a bite after class? I happen to have all the necessary ingredients for PB&J in my apartment, and a great knife for cutting off crusts.
Why, Mr. TA, are you suggesting a private study session? Alone? In your apartment?
I am.
Claudia would have sworn someone had shot a Tesla in the room by the way the air sizzled and seemed to get hotter by the moment.
Good.
Good.
God Claudia I want to kiss you so badly right now.
That makes two of us.
I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking about you. Imagining the feel of your skin, the taste of your lips…
Oh my god, will this Professor Windbag ever shut up?
As if on cue, the students began to shift, packing up their belongings while the professor shouted some instructions over the din.
Meet me outside. I just have to talk to Prof. Windbag for a second. I promise I won't be long.
You better not be…
Claudia punctuated her message with a glare as she packed her bag. She gave him a final look as she filed toward the exit with the other students, letting them push her out of the room. As soon as she was in the hallway her phone began to buzz and Claudia didn't bother to look at the caller ID.
"Yes mom? Didn't you get my message?"
"Yes, sweetie, I did. What do you mean 'old friend'? Is there some kind of trouble?"
"What part of 'old friend' makes you think there's trouble?"
"The part where you don't have old friends."
"That's not, precisely, true…"
"Claudia – "
"Steve, it's Todd, okay?"
"Todd? Wait, whoa, what? The Todd?"
"Yes the Todd. Only it's Tom now, which I honestly kinda like bett –"
"Okay, go back. Isn't Todd –"
"Tom."
"Whoever! Isn't he in Witness Protection? Why is he back in South Dakota after his cover was blown?"
"The trial never happened so that whole deal is over and, well, he um, wanted to come back here."
"Ohhhh…I see…"
Claudia rolled her eyes at his tone, but still bit her lip to keep herself from squealing her excitement.
"No, you don't see, because I don't see. Well, not yet anyway. I mean, I'm pretty sure – "
"Claudia Donovan, are you blushing?"
"What? No! God no!"
She looked around nervously, checking to see if Jinks was lurking somewhere watching her.
"You so totally are. You're still really hung up on this guy, aren't you?"
"I…yeah, Steve, I am. He's my first – only – serious relationship. And just when I was starting to really get to know him, he was taken away. And okay, it wasn't exactly an engagement or anything, but I don't know. I just feel like this is a big second chance. Like there's a reason he's back in my life, and I really want to see where that leads."
"So do I."
Claudia jumped and had to juggle her phone to keep it from falling to the floor as she turned to meet his eyes.
"Claud?"
"I gotta go. Don't wait up."
She hung up the phone and shoved it back in her pocket. They stood for a moment just staring at each other, reminding themselves of every little feature on the other's face, noticing the slightest changes.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"Sorry to, um, keep you waiting but I – "
"No, no, totally cool dude. I was just – "
They both stopped talking at the same moment and chuckled, shifting awkwardly.
"So…"
"Yeah…so…"
They both started to inch closer when someone dropped a book nearby, causing them both to jump and back away.
"So, you mentioned food and your apartment?"
"Yeah I did. It's, um, it's a really short walk from campus."
"Well, then, lead on MacDuff!" Claudia said as she gave a sweeping gesture toward the door to the building. He lead, and she silently kicked herself for her freakish tendencies as she followed him out onto the campus.
It truly was a short walk to his apartment, but for Claudia it seemed to drag on forever as they only managed to maintain a stilted stream of small talk, punctuated with uncomfortable lapses of silence. By the time they had reached his doorstep her insides were so tangled she seriously considered sending an SOS to Jinks and bailing. Instead, she followed him inside the apartment and tried to ignore the dry feeling in her mouth. The one-bedroom was comfortably furnished and relatively neat, albeit very impersonal. She had the distinct feeling she was standing in one of the staged apartments realtors used to show off floor plans. She took her bag off her shoulder and looked for a place to set it down, but didn't have a chance as suddenly her back was pressed to the door and his lips were on hers. She gasped and he invaded her mouth, his tongue enticing hers into a dance that made them both groan. He pulled away and Claudia was mildly embarrassed by the mewling sound she made to voice her disappointment.
"I'm sorry, you have no idea how much I wanted to drag you out of your seat and do that in front of the whole class."
"Well, what stopped ya?"
She grabbed the back of his head and pulled his lips to hers again. Her fingers ran through his hair as his hands traveled to her hips. She trailed kisses along his jaw and down his neck as she slid off his glasses setting them on the small table she glanced next to the door. She grinned when his hands moved around from her hips to just above the curve of her ass and she rewarded him by nipping the pulse point she had been longing to taste earlier in class.
"Oh my god, Todd – Tom – "
"Sam."
"What?"
She was having a difficult time focusing on his words when his teeth were grazing her shoulder and one of his hands moved under her layers of shirts to brush the skin of her back.
"My real – ah – my real name is S – Sam."
"Shouldn't I not know – oh, oh!"
He startled nibbling her ear and she had to clutch his arms to keep from melting into a puddle of happy. He pulled away again, allowing her to compose herself enough to focus her attention on what he was saying.
"My real name is Samuel John Ryan. I was born October 5, 1988 in Westport, Connecticut. My parents John and Linda were killed in a car accident just after New Years when I was nineteen. I have no siblings, only distant relatives, and I am breaking major rules by telling you this."
"Then why are you?"
"Because, Claudia, I…I have to tell you. I just, I need you to know exactly who I am because I can't pretend to be someone I'm not around you."
Claudia didn't need Jinks' super power to understand the pure honesty behind Sam's words. The urgency of his voice and yearning in his expression wrapped around her heart and tightened almost unbearably.
"You can trust me, Samuel Ryan. I'm very good with secrets. That's my job."
"Right. Confidential tax information."
"You know better than that."
"You're right. I do. And maybe later you can tell me what you really do. But right now I'm having a hard time focusing on anything but your lips."
He started kissing her again and Claudia gently pushed him away.
"Isn't there maybe somewhere more comfortable we could be doing this?" She asked, biting her lip and looking up at him hopefully.
"Um, yeah, the couch's right –"
"Yeah, I was thinking something bigger maybe?"
She watched as her words registered, and she saw a dark look pass over his face before he shook his head.
"Claudia, I don't know if that's a good idea. I'm having a hard enough time controlling myself on my doorstep. I don't think I'd be able to take things slow in the bedroom."
"Who's asking you to take things slow?" Claudia asked, hoping her voice sounded more confident than she felt.
"Well, I just thought…I mean we haven't – "
"Look, I think we've both seen that life can dramatically change in a moment. That people you care about, that people you love, can disappear in an instant."
She couldn't meet his eyes as she spoke, so she focused on a spot in the middle of his chest, taking hold of the lapels of his jacket. Finally she took a breath and continued.
"I don't want to have any regrets, Sam. I don't want to risk losing you again and be consumed with all the things I wish I would have said or done. I don't want to miss any opportunity."
She closed her eyes when a finger slid down her cheek, then tilted her chin up so that she had to open her eyes and look at him.
"I don't want any regrets either. That's why I don't want to rush. Unless…"
"Unless?"
"Unless you're sure it's what you want?"
Claudia slowly grinned when she recognizes the hunger in his eyes. She kept hold of his jacket and dragged him off toward the bedroom. Once she reached the foot of the bed she shoved his jacket off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor; it was soon joined by shoes, boots and her own jacket. They separated only long enough to remove an offending garment, and then they were together again, kissing and caressing as they found their way onto the bed. Claudia slipped her hands under his tee shirt her palms smoothing over the skin of his back as he moved over top of her, surprised when she felt unfamiliar muscles moving.
"Mm, someone's been working out."
"Six months in the woods, nothing to do, no human contact, a lot of pent up anger and some very, very realistic dreams of you. I started doing some push ups."
She bit her lip again, then peeled off his shirt, her breath catching when she did.
"Oh, Sam-o-rama, looks like you've been doing a lot of push ups."
"Like I said…lots of dreams."
She purred as he slid a hand under the hem of her shirts, brushing the skin of her stomach just above her jeans. When the hand found it's way up to her breast, she instinctively thrust her hips against his. He growled and suddenly the hand disappeared from under her shirt, choosing instead to help its mate in removing her clothing. She squirmed slightly, and knew she was turning red, but she fought the urge to cover herself. That urge disappeared when she saw the hunger in his eyes just before he bent to explore the newly exposed skin with his lips, teeth and tongue. She groaned when his tongue teased the skin under the top of her simple black bra and squirmed under him, causing him to sigh.
"Claudiola, if you keep squirming like that, I'm not sure how long I'm going to make it."
Feeling emboldened by his expression, Claudia used his belt loops to pull his hips against hers and squirmed again, this time noticing the distinct bulge in his jeans. She chuckled as a shiver ran through his body, but that laugh turned into a moan when his teeth latched to her right nipple and his hands suddenly had her wrists pinned above her head.
"Sam!" she cried as he toyed with her, setting off small explosions of sensation throughout her body.
"Do you have any idea how it makes me feel to hear you say my name?" he asked, pulling away so that he could meet her eyes.
"Um, about as good as I feel when you talk tech?" He grinned and bent to kiss her softly.
"Yeah, about that good," he whispered against her lips before he began to trail kisses back down her body. Claudia closed her eyes and ran her hands through his hair as he seemed to be touching her everywhere at once; hands, lips, teeth, thighs all brushing against her and making her dizzy with sensation.
"God, how can your skin taste so good? It's amazing," he murmured against her ribs while one hand unclasped her bra and the other massaged her hip.
"It's my body wash. I keep it in a bottle that was originally owned by…you know? Never mind my body wash!" She had finally had reached her limit and before Sam realized what was happening she had him flipped to his back and was straddling his hips. She quickly unfastened his belt and had his jeans and socks off in an instant, followed quickly by her own. Sam sat up a bit on the bed to watch her strip and Claudia felt a sudden surge of confidence as his eyes grew dark and traced the lines of her freshly exposed skin. She climbed back onto the bed and was immediately pulled into his arms, his lips claiming hers with a hunger that Claudia recognized. It was more than just sexual desire, but the hunger of someone that was lonely and lost and just knew they could find their anchor somewhere beyond the other person's lips.
He moved so she was on her back under him and truly she had no issue allowing him to reclaim control. She felt heat pooling between her legs as the intensity of their kissing suddenly changed, hands becoming urgent as their hips ground together. When one of Claudia's hands found its way down to stroke his length through the cotton of his boxers Sam suddenly pulled away, framing her face with his palms to keep her from becoming concerned.
"Claudia, I…are you really okay with this? Because if you have any doubts you need to tell me now because I'm not going to be able to control myself a minute longer."
Claudia felt her chest tighten as he seemed to search her eyes for any hesitation, remembering again the sweetness that had made her fall for him when they had been dating. Still, she did feel a small tremor of apprehension as she realized that the moment had finally arrived for her to kiss her virginity goodbye.
"Sam, I want this. I really, really want this, with you. I…I don't want to spend another day regretting the fact that we wasted so much time when we were together and never got to…you know…" Even though she was lying almost naked in his arms she still blushed and couldn't bring herself to say the actual words. Still, he seemed to understand what she was desperately trying to say and kissed her softly before he lowered himself down her body, finally removing her last strip of clothing.
She couldn't look at him as he kissed her hips and the inner line of her thighs, a blush burning on her skin as she felt his warm breath on her center. He began to tease her, kissing softly around her folds without making direct contact, other than the puffs of his breath. She finally looked down to see his eyes watching her, marking every reaction she made. They didn't break eye contact as his tongue slowly snaked from his mouth and finally traced her slick entrance, causing a wave of pleasure to rush through her body. She fisted her hands in the covers as his mouth began to make love to her, tasting and testing, delving in and out of her before turning his attention to the sensitive bud of nerves that had her literally screaming his name when he suckled it.
Claudia's breath was now uneven and shallow as dexterous fingers found their way into her body, thrusting into her and curling to find new sensitive spots while his clever tongue danced on her clit, causing a hum of electricity to start numbing her extremities and deafening all her senses beside the feeling of his mouth and hand. In a moment that hum exploded into a crackling ball of pleasure that began where his mouth was latched, but sent bolts of energy throughout her entire body and beyond. A vague voice in her mind wondered for a moment if she had somehow managed to Tesla herself because, surely, no human could make her body react in such a strong way.
After moments or days the tingling seemed to dissipate and the room came back into focus as Sam started kissing her neck and nibbling her ear while reaching into his nightstand and pulling out a small foil package.
"Were you expecting company?" she asked, her sarcasm covering the sudden pang of jealousy she felt at realizing how easily prepared he was.
"No, but living 38.2 miles away from you I was really, really hopeful."
The sincerity on his face, coupled with a mind-melting kiss, assuaged her fears and Claudia found herself trying to wrap herself completely around him as they kissed. The desire she had felt before her orgasm came back ten-fold as their tongues wrestled and hands fought to remove cotton and smooth latex until he was poised at her entrance, pushing at her slick folds. His forehead rested against hers and she raked her fingers through his hair as he silently begged her to give him permission. She nodded slightly and Sam began to slowly inch his way into her, allowing her to adjust to accommodate him, and pausing when he saw even the smallest flash of discomfort.
While Claudia was a virgin, she was not a stranger to all manner of devices designed for self-stimulation and so she quickly wrapped her legs around him and urged him to fill her completely. He took the hint and both gasped as he suddenly pushed his full length into her. Their lips found each other as he slowly withdrew and slid back inside, the warm friction causing another hum to begin in Claudia's body.
"Sam – please. Faster," she growled at him and seemed to ignite a spark in him as he began to rock into her body with short hard thrusts that made her toes start to tingle. Her fingers ran up and down his spine as he suddenly grabbed a pillow and slid it under her lower back, changing the angle of her body just enough to allow him to penetrate her more deeply. Claudia instantly felt the electric tension increase in her center and she began to babble in his ear, urging him on as he bit her neck and reached between their bodies to pinch her nipple. As soon as his hand touched her breast the explosions began again, but this time she was aware of him calling out as well as she tried to stifle her cry into his shoulder.
Colors flew behind her eyelids and shocks traveled through her body in seemingly endless waves as they clung to each other until, finally, Sam's body relaxed and collapsed, turning so that he landed on the bed beside her. They remained prone for several long moments, panting breaths the only sound in the room until Sam shifted and pulled her body to his, nuzzling her neck as she curled into him.
"Claudia…that was incredible. Like, seriously, incredible."
"What, you mean it's not always that good?" she asked a little breathlessly, but with a smirk that made Sam chuckle before kissing her forehead.
"With you? I'm sure it will be."
"Well, I have to say that I – " she was cut off by the unwelcome sound of buzzing from the other room and she groaned loudly, closing her eyes and wishing the noise away.
"Ignore it, Claudia. It'll go away," he said quietly, causing goosebumps to raise on her skin as his nipped the skin on her shoulder.
"No, it really won't. And trust me, you don't want to know what happens if I don't answer."
"What? What can the fake IRS agents do to me?"
"A lot, since those fake IRS agents are actually Secret Service, ATF and former NSA respectively."
"Whoa, seriously? What the hell do you guys do?"
"That I really can't tell you. At least…not yet. But, suffice it to say, for whatever reason they're calling me? It's probably a matter of national security."
Claudia rose from the bed and hastily began recovering her clothing, dressing quickly while Sam merely retreated to his bathroom a moment, returning with a pair of pajama pants now hanging off his hips. Claudia bit her lip as she tugged on one of her tee shirts, a now familiar desire warming deep in her core as she took in his lean torso and mussed hair. He must have read her expression as a smirk tilted his lips and he pulled her against him, leaning down to whisper in her ear.
"You're absolutely sure you can't just pretend you're in a dead zone? We still haven't had our PB&J…" his voice trailed off as his hands slid down to cup her bottom and pull her tighter to his body, his own growing arousal becoming apparent.
"Well…I could maybe – " she was interrupted by a pounding on the door.
"Claudia?" Jinks called and Claudia groaned, burying her head in Sam's chest.
"Okay…yeah…that's kind of creepy."
"You don't know the half of it," she muttered before backing away and marching to the door. "This had better be life or death, Jinsky," she said as she swung open the portal, pinning her partner with a glare. He did have the decency to look embarrassed, even turning pink as he looked over Claudia's head and nodded at Sam.
"You know there is no way in heaven or earth I'd be standing here right now if it wasn't," he answered with a tight smile. Claudia glared at him a moment before opening the door wider and gesturing to Sam.
"Tom, meet my partner Steven Jinks. Jinksy this is Tom…um…what's your last name?"
"Wow, I cannot tell you how classy you sound right now, Claudia," Jinks quipped, earning him a solid punch on his arm.
"Um, it's Novonda." Sam gave the name quietly, crossing his arms over his chest and not quite meeting her gaze.
"Novonda? What kind of name is…oh…" Claudia trailed off when her mind and mouth caught up to each other. She crossed to him, forcing him to meet her eyes as she smiled. "You used an anagram of my name for your cover?"
"Figured it'd be easy to remember," he answered rubbing his thumb down her cheek.
"Yes, well, nice to meet you Tom, but Claudia and I really need to head out to take care of some very important IRS business."
Jinks interrupted their moment and Claudia wanted to stomp her foot in annoyance. Instead, she pulled Sam's head down to hers and kissed him until his arms wrapped around her.
"You need to be here when I come back, okay?" she commanded when she finally retrieved her lips from his.
"I will. I'm not going anywhere."
"Good. I'm counting on it." She kissed him again before turning around, scooping her bag off the floor and heading out the door, refusing to look behind her as she walked purposefully down the hall.
"So…that was the boyfriend formerly known as Todd." Jinks caught up to her quickly, falling into step with her as they exited the apartment complex.
"Yep. That's him." Claudia tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't help the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she followed Jinks to the parking lot.
"He's cute. Taller than I expected."
She stopped rounding on him with an incredulous eyebrow raised.
"Taller? Seriously? That's what you're thinking right now?"
"Hm? Yeah. Among other things, that's what I'm thinking right now." Jinks shrugged and unlocked his car, but didn't get in as Claudia stood outside the passenger's door, leaning on the roof of the car.
"What other things?"
"You don't want to know."
"Oh come on, Jinks, I'm kind of completely freaking out over here, so what else are you thinking? What?"
Claudia felt like a giant ball of extreme emotions and practically hopped from foot to foot waiting for her partner to speak. Finally, he gave her a soft smile as he opened his car door.
"Well, Claudia, if you really want to know: I was thinking about how excited I am for you that you have a second chance at a relationship with someone you really care about. And also? I'm thinking about how many times I'm going to get to say 'I told you so' about taking this class."
He gave her a grin as her jaw slackened and he took his seat in the car. Claudia looked for a retort, but her brain was still too fuzzy with endorphins to find the right barb. Instead, she found herself smiling as she opened the car door.
"I am never going to live this down," she muttered, never happier for her partner to have something over her.