Eight days. It had been eight days since they had begun the physical fitness training portion of the Astraeous Mission. Thus it had been eight days since Zane had been tutoring Jo in Orbital Dynamics. They had both been working their asses off to get ready, him maxing out his physical capacity and Jo, her mental capacity. There were eight groups, each training five days a week. And despite how hard he worked to stay in impeccable shape, eight- fifty minute workouts plus and extra hour working out with Jo after the groups were done, was taking it's toll on him. He had done more push-ups, chin-ups and sit-ups in the past week and a half than he usually did in a month. He ached, everywhere.
It wasn't that he minded seeing Lupo so far in her element. She was seriously tenacious and it was one of the hottest things he'd ever seen in a woman. And as he sat across the table from her in his townhome, food containers, bottles of water and various electronic gadgets littered across the surface, all he wanted to do was take an extended break for more...recreational activities.
As soon as he had suggested she apply for the mission, she had been spending at least three to four hours a day with him studying. Combined with her responsibilities to the Astraeous training, the couple hours she spent briefing with her team at GD after training, and her hour-long daily workout(that he usually joined in on), he was getting very concerned for her. He'd never seen her more exhausted and despite his suggestive hinting, he hadn't gotten her to take any kind of a break. Even on the weekend she had spent the days catching up with her work at GD, when she wasn't concerned with Astraeous preparedness.
His muscles ached in a way they never had before. Everything was tight as hell despite the massive amounts of stretching he was doing. He knew she was in desperate need of some major R and R too. Her exhaustion was showing through to the query's he was working on with her. Many of the answers she had been getting easily a few days before, she was struggling with now.
"An orbit can be closed in which two ways?" She repeated the question to herself a second time, appearing deep in thought. "Oh! Chaotic and... chaotic and..." She dropped her head in her hands. "Damn it!" Her fingers pressed into her tired eyes and slid down. "And that was an easy one. I had this three days ago." She leaned back and crossed her arms in frustration.
He tapped his foot in thought, studying her closely. Her posture was slumped, dark circles were working their way beneath her eyes, she was irritable, her lips drooped in a frown. He became resolved. She was going to take a break with him. He pushed his chair back and stood. "Lets go."
Her brow raised. "Go? I'm not going anywhere." She buried her face back into the electronic tablet, and he knew she was trying to ignore his unwavering expression.
"Yeah you are. We need a break, both of us. I'm not taking no for an answer." He stepped around the table to where she was seated, working his hands through the tense muscles in her shoulders and neck, leaning his chin to rest on the top of her head.
She pulled herself from him and shifted forward on the chair creating distance and faced him. She had been avoiding letting their lips get anywhere in the same vicinity for two weeks. 'Just friends.' Nothing more. Gotten out of her system. That's what she kept saying. She had mumbled something to him about some lame, bullshit advice Carter had given to let it be and used it as an excuse to move on. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Thanks a lot Sheriff.
She appeared to be distracted, her eyes intent on his. He knew that look all too well and just as he moved to jump on it, she hardened her face and the moment was gone. "Zane, if you need a break that's fine but I have forty-five more study minutes tonight. I'll just go back to S.A.R.A.H. and finish up there." She pressed the off button on her tablet and stood, beginning to gather her things.
He placed a hand on top of her tablet computer. "Oh no you don't. We both have been working our asses off, Jo. Your brain is fried for the night. So as your friend, I'm taking you for some restorative recreation."
She crossed her arms and swung her head back to face him. "Do I even want to ask?"
"Hot tub." He stated simply. "None of my neighbors ever use it and my muscles are killing me. Then maybe later we can gift each other with some reciprocal massage."
She raised her eyebrows as if in alarm and shook her head. "Uh, no." She turned back to her things, pulling her computer from under his grip and gathering the rest quickly, placing them into her backpack.
"Come-on Jo. Why the hell not?"
She zipped her backpack and threw it over her shoulder, whirling towards him. "Why? Seriously? Firstly, I don't have my suit. Secondly, last time remember? A couple weeks ago?"
"I wasn't offering another time. Just relaxation. And you don't need a suit. I reprogrammed the locks so it will just be you and yours truly." He motioned to himself and he tried to hide that giant grin, really he did.
He could tell she wanted to hit him. And jump him. He of course preferred the later. He watched her internal struggle with amusement- well and admittedly a little fear. She was feigning disinterest but he knew better.
When she didn't speak he figured he had tortured her enough. He could see her mental struggle he leaned into her, stepping forward. Her eyes shifted away and the corners of her lips straightened as he could tell she was trying to even her expression. He traced fingers lightly down the sides of her cheeks, running them down the sides of her arms and finally resting at her waist. He gazed over her face, attentively. "Come on Jojo, I'm worried about you. You're not going to be able to keep up this pace if you don't allow yourself a little recovery time."
He watched as her eyes finally settled into his. She sighed. "Fine. But there's no way in hell I'm getting naked in a hot tub with you."
He feigned innocence. "Naked? I was talking about wearing some of that sexy lingerie and maybe your tank top."
Her fist made contact with his gut.
"Ouch! Seriously. My abs are killing me. I think you made me do close to eight-hundred sit-ups today, alone." He complained but his tone lacked much volition.
"Sorry, my fist involuntarily does that with jack-assedness." She added with her usual dry tone.
He rolled his eyes but he couldn't help but feel extremely pleased he had talked her into it. "Whatever. Let's go."
Zane grabbed a couple of towels from the linen cabinet and they made their way over to the door. As he twisted the knob he turned, asking off-handedly, "Oh, what about the massage?"
She glared at him. "Go. Before I change my mind." She motioned him out the door.
He knit his brows in question, chancing his luck. "So, is that a no?"
She paused, seeming to consider her answer. "Maybe."
Confidence improved he responded quietly, "I can work with maybe."
They made their way down the steps, around the corner, towards the small building that housed a Eureka-style, state-of-the-art jacuzzi. He wasn't able to keep the word maybe from reverberating his thoughts and he had a feeling... She couldn't either.
A/N's: 9/7/11- I made a few corrections and changes so the chapter would flow a bit better.
I have no business working on something else besides one of my other stories but this came to mind tonight and it was quick so...
I'm considering continuing this into the jacuzzi/massage if there is enough interest. I haven't written an M rating in a long time so maybe it would be fun practice.
Oh, and I don't own Eureka or it's characters, just practicing. Thanks so much for reading and I'd love it if you reviewed.