CHAPTER 9
He loved the way she melted at his touch, wanting him as much as he wanted her. He had never been so obsessed with a woman before, but it was more than that… he wanted to please her, hear her moan at his touch, see her smile with that love shining in her eyes. He knew this was the woman who could finally fill the empty void in his life.
"Just say it..." Trying hard to keep the smirk from his face and failing, he dipped his head to trail kisses across her shoulder.
"Jethro... really? Don't you think it's a bit chauvinist?" She pushes him back, but he refuses to move off of her.
"Nope. You're gonna be sayin 'yes, dear' a lot." His eyes come up to meet hers and his amusement is obvious.
"Hey! Don't make me grab my gun..." She punches him in the shoulder and he just chuckles and lowers his head to her throat.
He nibbles his way to the sensitive spot he discovered just below her ear. "Wanna hear you say 'Yes, dear, I need you' and 'Yes, dear, love me' or 'Yes, dear, that feels so good… please don't stop'."
She shivers at his husky words whispered in her ear and feels the awakening need aching inside her again. She moans softly and curls her arms up around his neck, repeating the motion with her legs as she presses his hips closer and softly teases, "Yes, dear... now shut up and love me... again."
Gibbs growls huskily and takes her in a hungry kiss as he slowly slips his hand under her knee, lifting her as he suddenly draws away and flips her onto her belly. She gasps in surprise and then purrs as his lips begin a slow exploration down her spine. She stares into the fireplace as it crackles softly across the small room, smug in his eager compliance. He stops when he reaches the perfectly rounded globes of her ass and playfully nips each one in turn as his hands knead their softness. She giggles softly, but makes no move to stop him; too content after their long night of loving. As his tongue darts out to trace designs on her sensitive skin, it pebbles in response when he moves closer to the crease. He spreads her legs gently to settle in between them and she moans softly.
His mouth dips lower, finding his goal and causing her to squirm as her hips arch up, opening up to his hungry mouth. He growls and buries his face as he plunges his tongue inside her hungrily seeking the heat as his cock twitches in anticipation. When she is panting loudly and holding her hips up to him, he rises to his knees and positions his cock along the slick entrance. He hesitates as she rocks back, trying to impale herself on his shaft, but he holds back. With a desperate moan she expresses her frustration, "Jethro... please!"
"Yes, dear..." and with a satisfied smirk, he grips her hips and drives his shaft slowly back in where it belongs.
Her moan of satisfaction as she arches back into him is so hot, he has to fight for control. He watches her, head and shoulders flat on the rumpled sheet, red hair a tangled mass around her head with her ass raised in silent offering to him. Gibbs takes a moment to memorize this image, knowing he will never see anything so sexy ever again. His hands glide up her satiny back, stroking her as he settles her impatient rocking. When she calms to lay still before him, he finally grips her hips and begins to move; slow and steady. Determined to enjoy every moment, he has to grit his teeth when her silky voice paints an erotic picture in his mind.
"Mmmnnn... feels so good... can feel you... so deep, in my belly..." Her hand moves back to find his and guide it around to her lower belly. Pressing his palm flat into her as she rocks back into his thrust to let him feel it for himself.
Gibbs feels his cock pressing out against his hand, amazed at how huge he feels inside her small body. A rough growl escapes him, "Ohhhh, fuck... Jen... so small... "
He keeps his hand on her belly, loving the feeling of his cock moving inside her as he begins to thrust harder. She rocks her hips in rhythm with his and as his excitement grows, Gibbs begins to pull her back onto his shaft harder and harder. He is so lost in the moment that it isn't until her cry of pain breaks through to his dazed brain. He suddenly stops, looking down to see her eyes tightly closed and her lip clenched between her teeth. Breathing harshly, he struggles for control as he leans forward, brushing back her hair in concern.
"Jen... babe, did I hurt you?" He is supporting his weight on his elbow, leaning around to see her face.
Her features relax and her eyes open to reveal the sultry desire there. She licks her lips and then smiles, "No... it's just..." She doesn't want him to stop and the worried look on his face tells her that her involuntary cry had scared him. She reaches out to stroke his hand gently as she tries to explain, "You're... big and we fit... so perfectly."
He relaxes and leans further down to kiss her cheek as he smirks playfully, "Sorry..." He keeps his face close to hers, laying over her back as he begins to move slow and easy again. "Better?"
She moans softly and tilts her head, bringing her mouth to his as her tongue slips over his lips. His tongue comes out to meet hers, dueling in rhythm with his thrusting hips. It doesn't take long before they are both breathing hard again and craving more. Her hand curls around the back of his head, drawing him in to deepen the kiss. He groans, kissing her long and hard as he finally speeds as their passions race headlong towards the abyss. Throaty moans and her fingers clamped tightly in his hair relay her desperation and he finally lets go. His free hand curls tightly around her waist, holding her up as he slams into her hard and fast until they both cry out and collapse in an exhausted tangle of arms and legs.
When his mind can finally function again, gasping for air, he realizes she isn't breathing. He kisses her nose and huskily pants, "Breathe... Jen..."
As if released from a trance, her whole body shudders as she sighs long and slow, letting out the breath locked in her lungs. Her body goes limp beneath him as she moans happily and tiredly closes her eyes. Gibbs eases to her side, relieving her of his weight, but keeping one arm and leg over her to securely hold her close. His head settles next to hers as his eyes drift shut and he slips into a contented sleep, thinking he would be proud and humbled to be with her for the rest of his life.
Jenny is roused from her deep sleep by a hand, stroking gently down her back. She moans softly and tries to slip back to that place where she was dreaming about her perfect world. The insistent hand is now accompanied by a voice that is entirely too much like that of the director.
"Jenny... wake up. Time to go..." Gibbs is sitting on the side of the bed, where he's been since returning after his shower. He is dressed and ready for their mission today, but he couldn't resist watching her sleeping for a few moments more.
"Gr... mmnn... no..." Her muffled grumble at being disturbed brings a smile to his face, but they don't have time for games this morning.
"Wake up, Agent Shepard..." He leans closer, nuzzling her ear playfully, "... mission to run... bad guys to catch..."
"Sound a lot like Director Gibbs..." Awake now, she keeps her eyes closed, refusing to look at him because she knows he is grinning with satisfaction.
"Nope... just your partner. Now get your ass up!" He has slid the tangled sheet off of her body, enjoying one last look before he sharply drops his hand to her ass in a stinging smack.
Jenny yelps as she jumps, twisting around to protect herself from another smack on the ass. She is raised up on one elbow, looking adorable in her anger as she glares at Gibbs, "Damn it, Jethro!"
He just chuckles and stands up, clearly not intimidated by her temper. She glares after him and finally sits up on the edge of the bed, not bothering to cover her nakedness. After their night together, there wasn't any part of her body Jethro Gibbs hadn't fully examined, caressed and marked as his own. Her anger quickly fades as she recalls the talents of the man standing across the room sipping coffee; clean and dressed in a polo shirt and faded jeans that made her heart skip a beat.
"What time is it, anyway?"
He sips his coffee, trying not to stare at her as she stretches, arching her back and raking her fingers through her tangled hair. "ten-hundred."
"Ten-hundred!? Crap! Why did you let me sleep so late?!" She jumps up and hurries across the room towards the tiny attached bathroom; hearing his chuckle as she slams the door.
Within forty-five minutes, Jenny is showered and dressed, looking like any other tourist in her tight-fitting jeans, California surfer t-shirt and sandals. Gibbs watches her fluffing her still damp hair to help it dry faster and comes up behind her to plant a soft kiss on her temple.
"Don't even think about it... this is all your fault." She moves away from the hands that settled on her hips; knowing she doesn't have the control to resist him.
"Uh-huh..." Gibbs is surprised by her cool attitude towards him, but hides it well. He moves to the door, overnight bag in hand and hesitates with his hand on the knob. "You comin?"
Jenny grabs her bag, tossing in her last items and hurries to follow after him, a bit confused by his easy transition between lover and partner. He checks out while she grabs the European version of a continental breakfast from the tray in the lobby. Crusty bread, a variety of cheeses and dark, rich coffee for them both. Gibbs manages their bags while she carries their breakfast to the car. He drains his first cup and accepts the new one from her as she settles in and places the bag of food on the floor between her feet.
As they drive off towards the marina, it is as if their perfect night together was nothing more than a fantasy. Except for the lingering tiredness and some aching twinges to remind Jenny it had all been very real. As she sips her coffee, she repeatedly sneaks glances over at her silent partner while he finds a suitable spot to park their car where they can watch the port the Navy ship slowly make its way into port and dock.
With the engine off, the silence in the car seems much heavier and Gibbs keeps his eyes on the bay, watching the USS Ardent maneuvering closer to the pier. Jenny opens her mouth to speak a couple of times, but then stops herself; not knowing what to say that won't make her sound like a whiny, insecure girlfriend. Was that what she was? His girlfriend? His partner was his definition of earlier, but after last night she had to believe they was more than that. They had been waiting for this moment for weeks, waiting until Gibbs was no longer her boss... and now, was he having second thoughts?
She covers her nervousness by opening the sack and handing him some bread and cheese to eat while they waited for the docking procedures to be done and the crew released for their short, six-hour shore leave. Gibbs takes the offered food with a smile, noticing her nervousness and wondering if she was having regrets about their night together. She seemed to be enjoying herself last night, but this morning she wasn't exactly inviting him into her personal space.
They watch the activity on the dock for an hour before the American sailors begin filing down the gangway. Gibbs pulls out his binoculars to get a good look at them, trying to pick out the engineer with the black and red backpack. He finally sighs and holds the glasses out to her, "Problem."
Jenny takes the glasses and focuses on the small group of sailors milling around the dock. There were two with black and red backpacks; one in uniform and one in civilian clothes. Although it was not uncommon for sailors to jump at the opportunity to wear their civilian clothes, or 'civvies', at any opportunity given; most of these sailors were in uniform. The short time ashore might have something to do with it. Jenny mentally assesses the two men with the back packs, checking to make sure no others disembark with similar packs.
"Guy in uniform is definitely an engineer. Guy in civvies... can't tell, but..." She hesitates as she lowers the glasses and gives her partner a worried glance. "... he could be in civvies so he won't be recognized as a sailor when he goes to meet his connection in Marseille."
"Sounds like a lot of guess work, Agent Shepard. How you gonna choose which one we tail? Cause if you're wrong, we've wasted time and lost our guy."
His words were not angry or accusing, simply posing a question to the junior agent to see what her answer will be. He has already sketched out a plan in his head, but doesn't get a chance to tell her about it when she suddenly opens her door.
"Guess I'll just have to go ask 'em." She gets out and quickly fluffs her hair, slings her purse over her shoulder and saunters across the lot to where the sailors are dispersing in different directions for their shore leave plans. Most are on foot, but a couple head towards the rental car shop across the lot.
Gibbs watches in frustration as Jenny makes her way to the rental car shop, hanging around by the entrance until she sees the sailor in uniform with the backpack approaching. She sticks her fingers into the front pockets of her jeans, arching her breasts out a bit as she steps in front of him and plays up her best stranded tourist role.
"Hey, you're American, right?"
"Uh, yeah... just came off the Ardent over there."
"I... well... I'm sort of stranded here... boyfriend took off... jerk anyway... but I was wondering which way you're headed? Maybe I can catch a ride?"
"Which way you going? I'm headed out to the Mont Faron Monastery."
"Oh... sounds exciting... but I was actually trying to go the other way... to Aubagne. Got some friends there."
"Gee, sorry."He starts to turn away, then sees his shipmate approaching. "Hey, Doug... you're heading out towards Aubagne, right?"
The other sailor just happens to be the man in civvies with the matching black and red backpack. He looks nervously at them, wondering why they are so interested in his plans for the day. He nods and then gives them a vague answer, "Ah, yeah, kinda."
"This gal... well, she got..." The man hesitates to say she was abandoned by her boyfriend, but Jenny quickly steps closer to Doug and gives him her best embarrassed smile.
"Got dumped by my boyfriend... and I need a ride to Aubagne. You going that way?" She lowers her eyes, feigning embarrassment at her situation as she fidgets with her jeans, running her hands down over her hips. Both men watch her hands moving as they imagine their hands doing the same thing.
Doug, nervous about his true mission is swayed by the pretty redhead in the tight jeans before him. Maybe he could give her a ride... maybe see what happened along the way. "Sure... I can give you a ride."
He returns her happy smile as she claps her hands, showing her relief for this friendly American to help her. Doug turns to complete his rental paperwork while Jenny waves good-bye to the other helpful sailor as he moved away. She casually turns back to look across the parking lot towards Gibbs. She runs her fingers through her long hair, giving him a hidden wave in the process to let him know she'd identified their target.
Gibbs' is gritting his teeth as he watched her flirting; using her body to distract the two sailors as she pumped them for information. He refuses to acknowledge the twisting feeling in his chest for what it is and keeps his focus on being her back-up if needed. It isn't until Gibbs watches the man in civvies return to her and point to car nearby that he realizes what is going on.
"No... no... Jen... no...!" He helplessly calls out his warning as he watches the man open the passenger door for her. What the hell was she thinking?! Gibbs fires up the car and puts it in gear... then he stomps on the brake, realizing he can't rush in. She was working their suspect... and he couldn't interfere, even if he thought she was putting herself in danger.
Gibbs was experienced in undercover work and knew most plans were sketchy outlines at best. Things always had a way of going sideways at the most unexpected moments, but this was different. Jenny had changed the plan without telling him and he is suddenly reminded of the off the cuff remark the outgoing director had given him upon his arrival. 'Be patient with Agent Shepard's investigative style... it's a bit unorthodox, but she always got results'.
Well, if this was how she did things... putting her own life as well as the mission at jeopardy... they were gonna have a serious talk! For now, all Gibbs can do is follow the yellow Volvo as it left the lot, turning down the Av de la Republique on their way towards the Rue Robert Guillemand before merging onto the A50 highway on their way north to Marseille.
