They danced three songs - the last an energetic swing number that left Skye flushed and laughing, Hunter grinning at her. It was a pity they had to sneak out of this party early. It felt like a really, really great date.
It was not a date. Skye snapped herself out of it. Sure, Hunter was charming - but he also flirted with everyone who had two X chromosomes and a pulse. This was no different.
As the next song started, she caught his eye and flicked her gaze toward the front door.
He sighed gustily. "Hi-ho, hi-ho..."
Skye smirked. "It could be worse," she teased him quietly. "We could be in the sewer."
He half-smiled. "True enough." He held out his arm for her to take. "Mack, bring the car around, if you would. We're out of here."
"You got it," they heard Mack reply.
Hunter glanced at Skye, then said lightly, "Next time you want to practice your ballroom dancing, come find me."
Skye glanced at him in surprise, but he was looking ahead, toward the foyer. She saw his forehead crease as they both abruptly became aware of a disturbance by the front door.
"Skye and Hunter," Coulson's voice crackled in their ears. "I just intercepted a transmission. It looks like the security guards have your faces. You're gonna have to find another way out. Mack, just pull straight through. We'll work out a rendezvous point."
"Copy that," Hunter murmured, smoothly turning them around to head the other direction.
They maneuvered through the crowds to a side hallway, then Hunter slid his arm down Skye's until their fingers were interlaced. "Look smitten," he whispered, backing down the hallway and pulling her with him.
Skye played along. It was easier than she wanted to admit.
Once they were away from the ballroom and its prying eyes, Skye dropped Hunter's hand and grabbed the tablet. She pulled up the schematics of the building to locate an alternate exit.
"I've got an emergency exit a few hallways away. Coulson, what do you see on your end?"
"It's not great. On the upside, I think we now know who their buyer is. On the downside, Hydra's there in a big way. One team by the front door, a few beginning to move into the stairwells from the exterior of the building. Outside, it looks like they're cordoning off a two-block radius. You're going to have to make good time. That back door still looks clear."
"How d'you know they're Hydra?" Hunter asked, brow furrowed.
"They have a penchant for plastering their logo on everything. Including the tops of their vehicles," Coulson observed.
"Unbelievable," Hunter remarked dryly, glancing down at the SHIELD logo on Skye's tablet.
Skye had her nose buried in the screen, checking out the rendezvous point Coulson had sent, as they came around the corner. So she was caught off guard when Hunter yelped, "Bloody-" and shoulder-checked her into a recessed doorway. She looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of the heiress standing in the hallway, leveling a gun at them.
Hunter squeezed into the doorway next to her as shots ricocheted down the hallway.
"You okay?" Skye whispered in alarm.
"Yeah. Seems there's just enough room for both of us." Hunter fumbled for his ICER, then released the safety.
This was really not the right time to be noticing the scent of his cologne. Which, by the way, was kind of intoxicating.
"Come on out, lover boy," the woman called down the hall. "I know you're SHIELD."
Hunter grimaced. "I hate it when a pick-up attempt goes south." He called back, "I should really be the one feeling jilted, sweetheart!"
The heiress chuckled ominously.
Hunter turned his head slightly toward Skye. "We're pinned. Got any quake-y tricks up your sleeve?"
Skye snapped back into focus. "Actually...yeah," she mumbled. "I think I can take care of that gun."
Skye closed her eyes and concentrated hard. A moment later, they heard a cry from Penelope and a thump as the gun hit the floor. Skye nodded to Hunter, who quickly leaned out from the doorway to ICE the heiress between the eyes.
Skye stashed the tablet and hiked up her dress to pull her own ICER from her thigh holster. Hunter, catching it out of the corner of his eye, bobbed his eyebrows at her in teasing approval. Skye shot him a dirty look, hiding the little flush of pleasure she felt at his attention.
"Come on," she said brusquely.
They approached the downed heiress cautiously, and Skye kicked the gun away from her before icing her again in the chest to make sure she stayed down a good, long time.
Hunter clucked his tongue. "Sorry, love," he said to the unconscious woman. "We had quite the thing going." He turned to Skye and tilted his head to indicate the next hallway. "Shall we?"
Skye nodded, picking up the gun and handing it to Hunter, who tucked it into the back of his trousers.
They covered each other through the hallways until they were a corridor away from the back door, when suddenly they heard a cry ring out from where they had left Penelope lying. Someone must have discovered her. They both stopped short.
"Crap," Skye muttered. "We're going to have company, and soon."
Hunter was quiet, thinking.
"Guys, you've got trouble," Coulson informed them. "Your exit's no longer clear. There's a Hydra tac team about to bust through it, coming your direction."
They were both standing out in the open, holding ICERs. For wanting to slip away secretly, this wasn't a good situation.
"I've got an idea," Hunter said quickly. "But you're gonna have to trust me."
Skye quirked an eyebrow suspiciously. "Okay?"
He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into a corner, tucking her hand holding the ICER and his own ICER behind his back, which left Skye pressed against him. With his free hand, he pulled the pins out of her updo, loosening her hair to tumble down onto her shoulders.
Skye blinked. It was sinking in. The hair would hide his face as -
"I'm going to kiss you," he said matter-of-factly. "Don't hit me."
Skye nodded, stubbornly ignoring the little thrill that shot through her. For heaven's sake, this was a mission. They were trying to get out alive and undetected. That was all. What was she, a giddy schoolgirl?
Then Hunter's lips were on hers, his free hand cupping her cheek, and everything got a little fuzzy for a few minutes.
Skye was vaguely aware that the tac team had already stampeded past, and the kiss was becoming longer and more involved than necessary. She also knew that, on her part at least, it definitely didn't feel strictly professional.
"Back door's clear." Coulson's voice sounded in their ears, and they broke apart.
Hunter pulled Skye into an embrace to check the hallway over her shoulder. His whisper tickled her ear. "All clear. Ready to move?"
He seemed out of breath.
Skye nodded, clearing her throat. "Yeah," she murmured, cursing the way her voice was shaking.
Hunter was slower to loosen his grip on her than she expected. He pulled back without letting go entirely and studied her face, a questioning look in his eyes.
Skye suddenly felt very exposed. She met his gaze guardedly, aware of a new, painfully awkward but electric chemistry between them.
Experimentally, watching her reaction, Hunter bent in to bring his lips to hers again. Skye felt herself responding eagerly, her heart suddenly thudding in her ears.
This kiss was soft and brief. Hunter pulled back, with a faint, confident smile. "We should go," he said quietly.
Skye nodded, finding it difficult to formulate words.
"Mack, we're moving into the alley," Hunter informed him.
"Already in position," Mack's voice buzzed in their ears.
Hunter took Skye's hand in his, pulling her along as they reached the back door and slipped outside into the cool evening air.
Skye found herself confused as to whether the hand-holding was part of their cover or not.
A/N: One more chapter still to come! Watch for it in the next few days. For those following After You Change, I promise I'm still working on it. I just needed to write something sassy and fun for a little bit, plus get my Skye/Hunter groove back - since the story is about to take a turn in that direction. ;)