SILENT PARTNERS

Chapter 7

If the no sex edict from Dr. Garrison hadn't been so painful and embarrassing for her, Paige would have laughed at the sour look on Walter's face. Did that mean he was just as tangled up with desire as she was? She'd caught him staring at her several times the night before. And she thought for a minute he was going to kiss her when they were down at the pavilion after the presentation that morning. She nearly had a heart attack from the anticipation. He'd almost acted flirty right before too. That was one word she never thought she'd use to refer to Walter O'Brien, but he'd surprised the hell out of her with his attention to the program and then with his attention to her. And he'd held her hand for a full ten minutes when they were walking!

Maybe the island was magical…

…Or it could be he was just upset about the 'emotional intimacy' part. And that's why he'd made that face at their counselor as she was leaving. Walter was back to being stony and quiet and unfathomable again as soon as they'd headed back to the villa for the private session. He hadn't even managed a civil goodbye to the doctor's breezy, "See you tomorrow!"

These thoughts ran through Paige's mind as she walked Julie to the door of the villa, so she asked, "Are you a behaviorist as well as a therapist? You seemed to know so much about us from just that short questionnaire we filled out. If you are, I was wondering if you see any signs that Walter will eventually open up more with me."

The doctor touched her arm and said, "I am quite insightful most of the time, but in case you are starting to believe I'm clairvoyant or something, I'll tell you that your friend Dr. Curtis and I had a long discussion this morning regarding your relationship. He gave me some background into Walter as well. Be patient with him. This is much harder for him than for most people as I'm sure you already know. But just from the brief time I've been observing the two of you, I can tell he adores you and he's very dependant on you emotionally. And he would hate me saying that to you." Julie and Paige shared a smile, "But, yes, I see every indication he actually wants to be more open with you. Keep after him about the homework. Don't let him get out of it, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

Encouraged, Paige waved goodbye and turned to go back out to the pool. Through the window she could see Walter hadn't moved from the deck chair. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and he was raking agitated fingers through his thick, curly hair. A wave of tenderness washed over her. She could see he was struggling and she wished he would just talk to her.

Strolling out onto the deck, she asked, "Hey. Are you okay? That got a little intense, huh?"

"I'm fine," Walter said then sighed.

"Do you want to get the homework assignment out of the way?"

Walter looked at a place just above her shoulder, "Well, it's not real. It's just for the case, right? I should check in with the others."

Paige tried not to react, but she felt a stab of hurt and disappointment at his words. Was everything this morning just an act for the case? 'Here we go again,' she thought, but didn't voice it. Instead she said, "What do you need me to do? Should I monitor the security cameras for a while? Or do some background checks on employees?"

Standing to go back into the villa, his shoulders slumped tiredly, he answered, "I think you should poke around the resort for a little while. See if you hear or observe anything out of the ordinary…"

"We're here for a marriage conference. You don't think it will look strange if I'm wandering around on my own?"

He ran a hand impatiently over his face. "Paige, I need some time to clear my head. Just go, okay?"

Well…that hurt. A lot. She pivoted on her heel and headed toward the entry, so she didn't hear his quiet, "Uh, Paige? Wait. I-I'm sorry." She shut the door on his words and was gone.

What better place to get all the gossip than the spa? And Paige could get in some well-deserved pampering in the process. Who cares if all the charges went to the room then ultimately on Walter's credit card? She was investigating, wasn't she? She signed herself up for a massage, a mani/pedi and several other services. And she was going to thoroughly enjoy every second of them.

For the first time since she landed on the island, she thought about Tim. How sad was that? Why on Earth couldn't she fall for someone easy like Tim? No, for some reason her heart, and heaven help her, her body preferred a stubborn, arrogant, closed-off jerk that was moodier than a hormonal teenager lately.

But enough of that. Paige was going to relax, unlike some people she could name, oh, and discreetly probe everyone for information as well. If she could fit it in.

In the late afternoon, an indulged and much more serene Paige headed back to the villa determined to take one more shot at getting Walter to do the homework. She was convinced all of his actions that morning couldn't have been pretending. Besides case or no case, the therapist was going to ask about it tomorrow. They had to at least be familiar with it.

When she walked in, she could see Toby out by the pool in a tee shirt and knee length swimming trunks so brightly colored they painfully dazzled the eyes. He was nursing a drink in a coconut shell. Happy was beside him and was acting like she was going to dump her own umbrella drink over his head. They were both laughing and looked carefree and cheerful. It was gratifying to see. Paige hoped the island was having its magical effect on her friends and they were working through some things.

Walter emerged from the living room while she was watching the other couple. He froze in his tracks for a minute just staring. Then he made his way over to her.

"Uh, hello," He said, "I want to apologize for being abrupt earlier." He crossed his arms and looked at the floor. "I was un-uncomfortable. You-you look, uh, lovely by the way."

His face flushed and he wouldn't look at her. Her heart was soaring at his words and Paige couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. She gently touched his chin until he raised his eyes to hers. "It's okay, Walter. I understand. I do. I was a little embarrassed and uncomfortable myself and my EQ is fully developed. But if you ever need some time to yourself, you can just tell me. It would cost you a whole lot less money."

When he looked confused, she explained what she'd spent the afternoon doing.

"Uh…" Walter swallowed, "If-if it helped you feel better, it was a good investment. And I can see the, uh, end results were worth every penny."

Was he making an attempt at flirting again? "Was that a real compliment or a bending compliment because you don't want me to be mad anymore?"

His eyes met hers fully and he said, "Oh, it was very real."

It was her turn to stare after him as he went to call the others in for the status update meeting.

Dinner was pleasant and everyone seemed at ease. Walter was always back in his comfort zone when he was working.

Happy made some progress installing better security. Sylvester had observed some suspicious outgoing communications and even Paige had picked up a bit of buzz at the spa that she could share. Toby had been able to profile a couple of employees who appeared to be getting money on the side. Even with the distractions it had been a productive day.

As the sun dipped down below the horizon, the team said their goodnights either via Skype or as they were leaving. Paige took a few extra minutes to talk to Ralph before they signed off.

And once more Paige found herself alone with Walter in those seductive surroundings. She was just about to suggest they work on their homework, when he piped up unprompted, "So, uh, do you think we should do our assignment now?"

"I think it's a good idea. I'm sure we'll be asked about it in our session tomorrow," She replied, "I'll go get it and we can at least read it over."

Paige got the envelope out of her book and brought it into the living area. It seemed like they were both avoiding the bedroom for now. She handed it to Walter and let him read the instructions first.

He frowned and wrinkled his nose a little, looking skeptical. Then he said, sounding unsure, "Well this doesn't sound too bad. I think it will be okay for us to try it."

Walter handed the paper to Paige and she read:

This exercise is an introduction and a good first step toward emotional intimacy. It only touches the surface, so it is a positive place to start.

First, power down or mute electronic devices. Your focus should be on each other with no distractions. Then follow these instructions:

1) Stand up facing one another with your eyes closed and just resting your foreheads together. Take seven slow, deep breaths in tandem.

2) Straighten and face each other.

3) Take turns telling your spouse three physical but non-sexual things you find attractive about him or her while touching that feature. Share why you find the feature attractive.

"Walter, are you ready?" Paige said when she was finished reading. She was suddenly feeling a little apprehensive.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked when he didn't answer.

Walter shut his laptop and turned the ringer off on his phone. He busied himself making sure the comms were stowed away and turned off. He kept fidgeting with everything and wouldn't look at her.

"Walter?"

"Oh, uh, yes. Sure. Okay. Let's...let's do it," His eyes snapped to hers, "I meant..."

Paige giggled nervously, "I know what you meant. Come on over here. We'll make this as quick and painless as possible. Have you got your three things already?"

"I'm having a hard time limiting the list to only three."

Her lips parted on a little gasp. Warmth flooded her face as he shuffled toward her, stopping so close she could feel his body heat. Haltingly, hesitantly Walter reached for her wrists taking one in each of his hands. He drew Paige even closer, then he slid his fingertips down, lightly stroking over her palms and held her fingers loosely with his.

"Ready." He whispered.

She could only nod as they both lowered their heads, touching their brows together and closing their eyes. Paige tried to modulate her breathing, but her heart was beating too fast. Luckily Walter seemed to be having the same issue, so after the first two breaths, they were able to breathe perfectly in sync. She'd never been able to have him this close for this long. It felt so good, she was sorry when they began to draw in their seventh breath. The two of them stood still, holding that last breath slightly longer than the others before beginning to exhale.

Walter was the first to straighten back up and he reluctantly released her hands. They stood for a few more moments just looking at each other, still breathing as one.

"Would you like to go first?" Paige asked, surprised at how wobbly she sounded.

"Okay," he answered, his voice a little rusty. Walter took one of her hands in his. "I, uh, find your h-hands attractive. Um, be-because they're soft and feminine, but that's deceiving because they are also so strong and always reassuring to, uh, me when-when I hold them."

She thought he was finished and started to draw away to take her turn, but Paige was floored when he turned her hand over and pressed his lips first to her palm then to the thrumming pulse in her wrist. A thrill washed over her and left her speechless. She shook her head slightly and blinked trying to restore her ability to speak as he let go of her hand and looked at her expectantly.

Paige leaned toward Walter and placed one hand on his chest just below his right shoulder. She could feel his heartbeat kick up under her palm. His eyes fluttered closed and he swallowed hard as she glided her fingers up to rest on his shoulder. She had to clear her throat before she could talk and even then it came out raspy, "Your shoulders are attractive to me..," She inhaled a deep draught of air to steady herself, "Because they are masculine and strong. You never fail to protect me. They make me feel s-safe."

Feeling the need to reciprocate his earlier gesture, she pressed her lips to his shoulder then touched them to the pulse beating in his neck. He made a low noise in his throat and he gazed at her intently his brow furrowed.

Without pause this time, Walter brushed Paige's hair over one shoulder, rested his fingers behind her neck and ran a thumb over the soft spot behind her ear. "I like your neck. Be-because you are so warm and you smell so nice all the time. You don't wear your hair up very often, but when you do, I want to kiss you r-right here."

He kissed her tenderly right below her earlobe letting his lips linger for a second and her knees nearly gave way. She was sure she whimpered. He thought she was warm before? She was very close to melting. What were they doing again?

Paige ran her fingers into his hair on both sides of his head letting her newly polished nails scratch his scalp lightly. Walter shivered. "I like your hair," She said, "Its curly and wild but silky and no matter how much control you always have over everything else, it never quite obeys you even when you cut it so short. I always want to play with it." She gently tilted his head down to place a kiss on the crown.

Walter quirked a crooked smile at her. "I love your eyes," he said as he traced her eyebrows with his thumbs then her eyelids with his fingertips, "They sometimes tell me things even when you don't say anything." Paige moaned softly and arched toward him when he placed a feather-light kiss first on one closed eye then the other.

Beginning to feel that desperate, aching tug deep inside herself, she swallowed and just managed to murmur as she cupped his face with one shaky hand. "A-and I love your smile." But she couldn't remember why at that moment as she traced his bottom lip with her thumb. His eyes bored into her and his color heightened as his gaze dropped to her mouth.

Paige couldn't say for sure who moved first, all she knew was that Walter's lips were suddenly on hers and they both groaned as their tongues tangled and stroked. Her fingers plowed into his hair and he slipped his arms around her and crushed her against him. All she could think was, 'Yes! Please! Now!' as they tried to devour each other. One of his hands wandered up her side and his thumb grazed the side of her breast. She whimpered into his mouth and leaned toward that hand, silently begging. Walter brushed his thumb over the peak and she cried out breaking away. Never had she felt so much from so little. She was as exhilarated as she was terrified by the intensity.

They both stepped back, with eyes widened and chests heaving.

"I should probably...," he croaked as she panted, "I need to..."

With that, Paige turned and sprinted toward the bathroom.

AN: *whew* Really loooooong chapter for me. But I wanted to get them through their first homework assignment from Paige's POV.