Jo knew he was going to pull her in for that kiss even as she attempted to walk away. If she was being honest, she probably hoped he would. His hands pressed into her lower back, exhilarating senses she had been trying to keep dormant since the time change. His lips and body continued their exploration, pressing on to awaken as many senses as he could before she had a chance to think. She was fighting a battle between not letting herself get lost and being desperate to let go of the wall she had built against the fervency of emotions she had once felt for the other him. Zane definitely seemed to have improved his skills this time around which was all the more reason she couldn't let things get too far too fast. But damn, kissing him felt achingly good.
As their mouths advanced their passage, a hand made it's trek upward her spine and he pressed at just the wrong spot. She winced and did her best not to yelp and it was obvious by his release he noticed.
"Oh, shit your back. I'm so sorry, Jo. I forgot about the bullet impact from your vest."
She leaned forward and took a couple deep breaths, shaking her head. "It's okay. I think I might have forgot myself."
He looked at her with a mixture of concern and desire. His features relaxed as an thought seemed to enter his mind. "Come home with me. I could make a pretty damn good male nurse if I do say so myself. I'll draw up a nice bubble bath," his eyebrows raised in suggestion. She didn't look amused so he continued tentatively. "I'll ice up that bruise and get you something warm to eat. Maybe we can continue where we left off..." He followed with not a slight bit of suggestion.
As she straightened up, two answers came to mind- no way in hell and oh god yes! "I can't" is what finally won over.
He moved back into her space and planted another kiss squarely on her lips before questioning, "Why Jo? Come on, I burnt down your house." He winced as as her face hardened, remembering the magnitude of what had happened. "Offering mine and taking care of you is the least I can do." He added with sincerity.
As much as she desperately wanted to consider his offer, she wouldn't, couldn't. If she went to his place like this, she knew what would happen. And starting an immediate fling sounded insanely tempting when faced with the desire, pain and even anger that was raging at the moment. A huge part of her wanted to give in and forget everything that had happened and just let all her reservations go. Yet in her heart she knew how badly it would hurt if he wasn't committed. No, she needed to get away and think. Sensibility took over. "No. Look, I still have clothes in S.A.R.A.H. And I told Carter I was going to stay there tonight so they're both already expecting me." She said with resolution. She stepped back to place some distance between them.
Not appearing fazed, he continued with invitation,"what if we go by there on the way to my place and pick some up."
"You know how many questions S.A.R.A.H. would ask? And then she'd tell Carter and then Zoe. No. I'm not even close to being ready for that." She cringed at the thought. She wasn't ready for that knowing grin of happiness Carter would have as he wrote them off as married. And Zoe... Yes, she definitely wasn't psyched for that conversation. She placed her hands flat his chest in in earnest. There was no mistaking Jo when she looked so resolute.
He wanted to argue, she could tell but restraint was evident in his face. Appearing to be afraid he was holding on by a thread he relented. "Alright, I get the point. Though I want you to know I wasn't implying that more had to happen between us. But again, not opposed to it either." He added with a sly grin.
"Oookay, and with that, I need to go." She inhaled to sum up her patience and abruptly pivoted and the blackened frame of what started out as her beautiful home that morning came into view. She exhaled, quickly slowing to an almost stop as she once more took in all that was gone.
Noticing her hesitation and falter he hurriedly caught up behind her. "Jo." He stated softly. His hand lifted to rest on her shoulder tentatively in comfort.
"What Zane?" She responded with exasperation. The insurmountable burden of stress and his persistence was wearing on her.
He sunk back with sheepishness. "Look, I don't want you to shut me out again tomorrow and pretend none of this happened." She could see him searching her face for reassurance but she didn't have any to give him.
"I'm exhausted. I've had a horrible day, even for Eureka standards. I'm sore as hell from being hit with that bullet in the Kevlar. My brand new home and belongings that I painstakingly worked on for months to recover was torched to ashes- by my ex- well whatever the hell you would call what you are now. My life has been turned upside down and a big part of that has to do with you." As he stood there looking shamefaced she felt a twinge of guilt and stated simply, "I need some time." She might need a lot of time. Make that a hell of a lot of time.
She watched him fall back with understanding, the current reality of what she was feeling appearing to hit him. Disappointment washed over his face but he nodded. He strode along in silence with her to her car, leaning against the cold metal of the electric blue frame as she approached and opened her door. His head was cocked towards her, a frown on his face and his brow furrowed. She knew he was confused, probably almost as badly as she was. Not knowing what the future would bring, she faced him one last time. She pulled him towards her, planting a deliberate kiss on his lips. She lingered as long as she could before she worried if she continued she wouldn't be able to break away. He responded of course, unsure as she was whether this was goodbye or reassurance of feelings they both knew were there.
As she parted and climbed into her seat, she told herself to shake off the lingering regrets that were pulsing in her heart. It was racing so fast and she had no idea where the anger, regret and desire separated in the beats. It was a juxtaposition of the three feelings is all she knew. She rolled down her window and he leaned forward, his elbows resting on the window-frame. Their eyes searched each others' faces one final time before she pulled the gearshift into drive and drove away. She wasn't even able to mouth goodbye, afraid it would come true. Zane was left standing in the road, eyes not leaving the disappearing mass of her car as she sped away.
A/N: I don't own Eureka but how I would love to live there!
Thanks to ZeroGain for posting "Jo's Reprisal" today and challenging how I approached this chapter. This is definitely more on the fluffy side but hopefully I made enough changes to make it more believable. This is un-beta'd but I'd love one if someone is interested.
I hope to wrap this story up in 4-5 chapters so I won't leave reader's hanging for too long. Thank you so much for reading and I always appreciate reviews.
Just wanted to point out, several chapters in this story I decided to change my screen name. Originally this was written under KimMG but I wanted something a little less conspicuous for people that know me. Hope I didn't confuse too many.
