Short but rather important chapter (you'll see why). Enjoy!
She looked into his curious gaze, unsure of whether or not he'd believe any lie she came up with. She was a horrible liar, hence the lamest alias on the face of the earth.
"Well?" he asked. She shrugged.
"Just some prank call" she said, smiling. "It was lame" He nodded, not believing her at first but figuring she had no reason to lie.
"Really?" he asked. She nodded.
"Yup" she answered, turning away. He stared at her intently for a few seconds, debating whether or not to believe her, before speaking.
"Ok. So you ready for the shipment tomorrow?" he asked, changing the subject. Thank god, she thought.
"What would you do if I said no?" she asked.
"I wouldn't let you come because I don't want you hurt or killed" he answered simply.
"You don't" she asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide her surprise. He turned to her, confused.
"Why would I?" he asked. She shrugged.
Sam had grown up practically alone. Her dad never cared. God! The only way she had gotten out of jail was by playing the 'I'm just a kid' card. It was a lonely life and, by age sixteen, she had given up on the possibility of ever being cared for.
"I don't know. I'm just not used to people caring" she said softly, trying not to cry. He noticed and stepped towards her.
"You're not?" he asked, sympathy clear in his voice. She shook her head, letting a silent tear roll down her cheek. "Who hurt you, Sam?" he asked. He cared about her, as a partner, but, more importantly, as a friend.
"Everyone" she answered, not knowing why she was opening up to him. She had always kept that part of her life hidden, from everyone.
"Sam?" he asked, taking another step towards her.
"My mom put me up for adoption at birth, my adoptive mom left when I was three and my dad used me for cons until I left" she admitted, tears streaming down her face. He gasped and took yet another step towards her, their bodies almost touching. Maybe it was because she was emotional, or maybe it was because he was standing so close, but she threw her arms around him and he held her close as she continued to cry into his hard chest.
After a while, she realized her position, in his tight embrace. She was showing vulnerability, weakness to Jason, her assignment. Quickly, she pulled away, wiping the remaining dampness off her cheeks.
"Sorry" she whispered, embarrassed. He reached out and ran a hand over her arm, sending shivers down her spine.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Sam" he told her. "The people in your life hurt you. You had to let that pain out sometime" she shrugged. "You don't think so?"
"There's no point in crying over it now" she answered, staring at her feet. "Crying is letting my guard down, and I can't do that" she said seriously. It was true. Her entire life she had been hiding from the people she conned, the cops, her dad and just about everyone else.
"You can with me" he said sincerely. She looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes once again, and shook her head. "Sam..." he moved his hand from his arm to her cheek, wiping away a tear that was falling down her cheek. She loved the feeling of his hand of her cheek, of him standing so close, but hated that. She was supposed to be incarcerating him, not falling for him. "Everyone, even you... and me... can let their guards down, sometimes"
"When do you ever let your guard down, Jason?" she asked. He ran his run lightly over her cheek and she felt herself melting.
"I had it down when we talked about kids... and about my accident" he admitted. "I don't tell many people about that" she smiled.
"Why'd you tell me then?" she asked, genuinely touched by him opening up to her.
"Why'd you tell me about your parents?" he asked. She smiled at how he said parents, like they didn't qualify for the title. And in her mind, they sure as hell didn't.
"I needed to get it off my chest... and... I trust you" she admitted softly. He smiled and leaned closer to her. She knew his intentions and Sammie disappeared, she was Samantha McCall, wanting to kiss a hot, caring, complicated man.
"And I trust you too" he whispered before capturing her lips.
She felt like her whole body was on fire. The attraction to Jason, which had grown extremely quickly, took over her entire body. His one hand still cupped her cheek as the other drifted down her side to her waist, pulling her against him. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him in place. He pulled away to take a breath before pressing his lips to hers once again. Needing more, she pressed herself against him completely, feeling his hard chest against her. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and she happily accepted, battling it with her own. She sighed as his tongue found the depths of her mouth and she never wanted him to pull away.
They were broken out of their trance by a loud not of the door. The intensity of the knock told her whoever it was had already knocked a few times. She looked up at him and reality hit hard. She had just kissed her assignment. The high she had just been at quickly went to a low and she heard the voice from the other side of the door.
"Mr. Morgan? Are you busy?" asked Max's familiar voice. Jason watched as she smoothed her clothes and he went to open the door. Smiling at Max, he allowed the trusted guard to walk into the room. "Oh... Hello, Miss McNulty" he said and once again reality came pounding down on her again. "I sure hope I didn't interrupt anything important" she said and Sam had to hold back a laugh. Important? No. But he sure interrupted something.
"Actually, Max. I was just leaving" she said, smiling at him. "And I said call me Sam" she reminded him before quickly exiting the room, avoiding Jason's eyes at all cost.
"Are you sure I didn't interrupt anything, Mr. Morgan? I could hear some noise through the door and Miss Mc- I mean Sam, seemed anxious to leave the room" asked Max.
"Give it up" said Jason, still looking at the door where Sam had just left. He really hoped that kiss didn't ruin their friendship. "What did you want?" he asked, turning to the guard and trying to push images of Sam back.
As soon as she left the restaurant, she got into her car and rushed to her apartment. As quickly as possible, she got into her apartment and went for a beer. She curled up in a blanket on the couch, pulling her knees to her chest, and replayed the kiss in her head. It had felt so good, so right, so... perfect. She reached towards the coffee table and got her laptop. She sat the computer on the couch in front of her and opened her notes against Jason. Reading over the useless notes, she realized she had paperwork she could've stolen or scanned, she had proof against him which she could easily access, but she hadn't. Looking at the pages of notes that could do no damage to him, she wanted to hold backspace until everything was gone, or delete the file and go to him, tell him everything and resign as a cop.
God! She was falling for him. That hot guy in the mugshots just had to sneak under her skin and make her care. Geez! Worst of all, it felt more natural to be watching illegal shipments with him than it did doing anything at any police department, except get arrested. Her childhood roots had flooded back to her as she got involved in an illegal business, and it felt great. As the hot mobster crept his way into her heart, slowly, she herself found herself comfortable and cared for, and she was going to ruin that one of two ways, by telling him she was a cop, or by getting him in jail.
Jason sat in his office alone, replaying the kiss in his head. Pushing those thoughts back, he slowly got up from his seat and headed towards the door. He opened it but found himself looking back to exactly where they had stood when he kissed her. It had felt so natural, so right, so... amazing. She had been so quick to leave, though. He didn't know how she felt about it. She seemed all in during the kiss, holding him close, fighting with his tongue. It was all so perfect. And then Max showed up. He pushed those thoughts back, for what seemed like the hundredth time since it happened, and left the office quickly.
After a short drive, he arrived at the Harbor View Towers. He got into the elevator and waited as it went up. He desperately needed a beer. He opened the door and went directly into that kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge and opening it. He needed to clear his mind, but a simple drink wouldn't do much. He took off his leather jacket and put his gun in the safe, as usual. He was going to sit on the couch, like he usually did when he was stuck at home, but there was a loud knock on the door. Before he could even turn around, his best friend Carly stormed in.
"Jason!" she called. He turned around and stared at her blankly. Carly's problems were in no way going to clear his mind.
"What?!" he asked, somewhat frustrated. He needed to think, to figure out what to do about Sam. With his blond bombshell of a friend there, there was no way that was going to happen. She rolled her eyes.
"Well hello to you too, grumpy pants" she said. He groaned. "Geez! What's gotten under your skin? Is Sonny getting to you? Is that new partner chick annoying?" she asked. She just had to mention Sam, he thought.
"No and no" he answered. She shook her head and walked around him, as if examining him. He watched her, confused.
"Who is she?" she asked after a while.
"What?" he asked, even more lost than before.
"Who's the girl that has you like this?" she asked.
"There is no girl, Carly" he lied. "Why are you here anyway?"
"You sound like you could use some alone time" she said. "I'll burden you with my problems later" he rolled his eyes as she shut the door and went to sit on the couch. Finally allowing himself to settle down.