Hi there. Just a note to say Happy Monday.
Here are two chapters; I'm hoping to finalize another later this week. Devanie, EOlivet, Midnight Caller and Katherine: Thanks for your regular support, it's appreciated! And Maple Street: what did I do for entertainment before I found it?!
The Cost Chapter 27
Their wake up call came at 6:45. Immediately alert, Samantha rose on one elbow to look at the clock over Jack's shoulder as he reached to pick up the phone's receiver and then let it drop back down with a clatter. Seeing the time, she flopped her head back onto the pillow with a groan. "Damn. I forgot. They must have called me about five minutes ago." Making herself comfortable on his shoulder when he lay back down beside her, she said, "If anyone asks, I can always say I was in the shower and didn't hear," she said.
"Ah, lies trip off our tongues so easily," Jack said, drawing closer to her.
She stilled. Waking up with him had been so natural.
It shouldn't have been.
They lay together in silence. Finally, she moved away slightly and asked in a soft voice, "Jack? Are you okay with this? This isn't what I had in mind when I knocked on your door last night."
It had been what she wanted, though.
His eyes smiled at her. "Oddly enough, I believe you," he said, the corners of his mouth lifting. "And I'm okay with this, I think. It's been hard. I've missed you, Sam."
It had been what he wanted; perhaps been what he needed.
She lifted a hand to touch his cheek softly. "Me, too." Unable to squash her happiness completely, she grinned, "We're pretty hopeless, aren't we?" Now that it had happened, it seemed unbelievably inevitable.
"Yeah," he said, "Terry says we've got it bad."
Her eyes widened and she tensed. "Terry? Terry Baldwin?"
"Relax," he said, stroking the arm she had laid across his stomach. While he memorized its warmth and texture, he responded, "After you talked to him in my office, he asked how long we'd been an item." He moved his head to nuzzle the hair.
"'Got it bad'? 'Been an item'? Does he always talk like that?" she asked, her tone incredulous. "And how did he know?"
He kissed her lightly on the forehead, then said, "He's a keen observer, Sam, and he talked to you for far longer than he needed to." He smiled. "Twenty minutes into the interview, I knew damned well he'd found out all he needed to know about the bodies. The rest of the time he was just fishing."
"Did you deny it?"
He shook his head. "No point, not with him." He lifted a hand to caress her cheek and smiled wryly. "He's known me a long time."
"My God..." she said, thinking of the ramifications of his knowing.
"He figures you're good for me."
The words, and tone in which they were said, shook her out of her shock. "Of course I'm good for you."
...Not for his marriage or his career, or his family, she added to herself silently, but I'm definitely good for him...
Forcing her guilt away, she smiled. "Got it bad, eh?"
"Yup."
She snuggled closer and laid with him in silence a while longer. She wanted to ask what they were going to do now, how they were going to manage...sex had been as natural a part of their relationship as shared looks and silent communication. She did not want to go back to not sharing the intimacy of it with him, did not want to go back to pretending they were just co- workers, their affair behind them.
She closed her eyes tightly, wanting this to continue just as it had before Maria had found out, before Jack had moved out, before he had said, "Yeah, it's over...", before he and Maria had decided to try again for the girls' sake...
Her thoughts stopped as they smashed into reality. The girls. How could this possibly continue once they were back in New York?
It couldn't.
She lay there, riding the roller coaster of her thoughts and emotions, trying to make sense of what they had done. Finally giving up, she tilted her head to look at him and said, "Jack?"
He opened his eyes. "Yeah?"
"Perhaps we shouldn't have done this. I-" She didn't know how to continue.
Neither did he. Of course they shouldn't have done this. But...
"I think we needed to, Sam. This is us. All of us. The whole package."
For better, or for worse.
Desperately clutching the moment, he tried to push tomorrow away. "We'll deal with this when we need to. Let's just not worry about it now. I'm grateful. I'm happy. I'm not going to think about tomorrow, not in regards to us. Let's just let it be."
She nodded, prepared to do just that, no matter the cost.
He relaxed, though he could not completely push aside the coil of worry building in his stomach. Fighting it, he hugged her to him, trying to tell her without words how much a part of him she was and always would be, no matter what the future held. Then, kissing the top of her head, he said reluctantly, "We've got to get up."
She nodded. Gently kissing the shoulder she had been resting her head upon, she rose. Picking up her tank top and pajama bottoms, she put them on and then walked towards their connecting door. "See you in thirty minutes," she said with a smile, before disappearing from sight.
Jack nodded and turned towards his bathroom. In spite of the guilt he felt, he felt better today than he had in a long, long time. Making love with her had settled something deep inside him. Sharing his thoughts with her last night had helped give him perspective. Waking up with her this morning had been a dream come true.
Everything that lay in between had been heaven.
Reality and its own special hell would come later.
End Chapter 27
Here are two chapters; I'm hoping to finalize another later this week. Devanie, EOlivet, Midnight Caller and Katherine: Thanks for your regular support, it's appreciated! And Maple Street: what did I do for entertainment before I found it?!
The Cost Chapter 27
Their wake up call came at 6:45. Immediately alert, Samantha rose on one elbow to look at the clock over Jack's shoulder as he reached to pick up the phone's receiver and then let it drop back down with a clatter. Seeing the time, she flopped her head back onto the pillow with a groan. "Damn. I forgot. They must have called me about five minutes ago." Making herself comfortable on his shoulder when he lay back down beside her, she said, "If anyone asks, I can always say I was in the shower and didn't hear," she said.
"Ah, lies trip off our tongues so easily," Jack said, drawing closer to her.
She stilled. Waking up with him had been so natural.
It shouldn't have been.
They lay together in silence. Finally, she moved away slightly and asked in a soft voice, "Jack? Are you okay with this? This isn't what I had in mind when I knocked on your door last night."
It had been what she wanted, though.
His eyes smiled at her. "Oddly enough, I believe you," he said, the corners of his mouth lifting. "And I'm okay with this, I think. It's been hard. I've missed you, Sam."
It had been what he wanted; perhaps been what he needed.
She lifted a hand to touch his cheek softly. "Me, too." Unable to squash her happiness completely, she grinned, "We're pretty hopeless, aren't we?" Now that it had happened, it seemed unbelievably inevitable.
"Yeah," he said, "Terry says we've got it bad."
Her eyes widened and she tensed. "Terry? Terry Baldwin?"
"Relax," he said, stroking the arm she had laid across his stomach. While he memorized its warmth and texture, he responded, "After you talked to him in my office, he asked how long we'd been an item." He moved his head to nuzzle the hair.
"'Got it bad'? 'Been an item'? Does he always talk like that?" she asked, her tone incredulous. "And how did he know?"
He kissed her lightly on the forehead, then said, "He's a keen observer, Sam, and he talked to you for far longer than he needed to." He smiled. "Twenty minutes into the interview, I knew damned well he'd found out all he needed to know about the bodies. The rest of the time he was just fishing."
"Did you deny it?"
He shook his head. "No point, not with him." He lifted a hand to caress her cheek and smiled wryly. "He's known me a long time."
"My God..." she said, thinking of the ramifications of his knowing.
"He figures you're good for me."
The words, and tone in which they were said, shook her out of her shock. "Of course I'm good for you."
...Not for his marriage or his career, or his family, she added to herself silently, but I'm definitely good for him...
Forcing her guilt away, she smiled. "Got it bad, eh?"
"Yup."
She snuggled closer and laid with him in silence a while longer. She wanted to ask what they were going to do now, how they were going to manage...sex had been as natural a part of their relationship as shared looks and silent communication. She did not want to go back to not sharing the intimacy of it with him, did not want to go back to pretending they were just co- workers, their affair behind them.
She closed her eyes tightly, wanting this to continue just as it had before Maria had found out, before Jack had moved out, before he had said, "Yeah, it's over...", before he and Maria had decided to try again for the girls' sake...
Her thoughts stopped as they smashed into reality. The girls. How could this possibly continue once they were back in New York?
It couldn't.
She lay there, riding the roller coaster of her thoughts and emotions, trying to make sense of what they had done. Finally giving up, she tilted her head to look at him and said, "Jack?"
He opened his eyes. "Yeah?"
"Perhaps we shouldn't have done this. I-" She didn't know how to continue.
Neither did he. Of course they shouldn't have done this. But...
"I think we needed to, Sam. This is us. All of us. The whole package."
For better, or for worse.
Desperately clutching the moment, he tried to push tomorrow away. "We'll deal with this when we need to. Let's just not worry about it now. I'm grateful. I'm happy. I'm not going to think about tomorrow, not in regards to us. Let's just let it be."
She nodded, prepared to do just that, no matter the cost.
He relaxed, though he could not completely push aside the coil of worry building in his stomach. Fighting it, he hugged her to him, trying to tell her without words how much a part of him she was and always would be, no matter what the future held. Then, kissing the top of her head, he said reluctantly, "We've got to get up."
She nodded. Gently kissing the shoulder she had been resting her head upon, she rose. Picking up her tank top and pajama bottoms, she put them on and then walked towards their connecting door. "See you in thirty minutes," she said with a smile, before disappearing from sight.
Jack nodded and turned towards his bathroom. In spite of the guilt he felt, he felt better today than he had in a long, long time. Making love with her had settled something deep inside him. Sharing his thoughts with her last night had helped give him perspective. Waking up with her this morning had been a dream come true.
Everything that lay in between had been heaven.
Reality and its own special hell would come later.
End Chapter 27