A/N: This chapter required extensive research on a few realtors websites and I'm very thankful for that!
Be there in 5.
It wasn't a date… but it was a date. They didn't call it a date, it was just one friend helping another friend pick out a place to purchase so they could be closer to one another, but it was a date.
Did they have set plans for this date? Not exactly. Timing worked out better for him to pick her up from work so long as saving the world didn't keep her at the office too late. They would meet his realtor at the first of three properties that he had narrowed his search down to based on pictures, and maybe they'd have enough time to grab a low key dinner.
Neither party involved really cared what the plans actually were. They were happy just to be spending the time together; it seemed so simple but it was true.
She packed her work bag as quickly as she reasonably could and had just put her last item in it when Blake popped his head in and let her know Jake was waiting for her in the garage.
"Thanks, Blake." She responded with a smile. He matched it with a head nod and went back to his desk.
He was going to try to keep things relatively quiet for the rest of the night. She had only asked for a few hours but Blake was an overachiever in that aspect and would do his best not to interrupt her unless the world was about to come to a disastrous ending and her help was absolutely needed to save it.
Blake and her staff had done a great job of making sure she had plenty of uninterrupted time at home while Jason began his recovery journey. This physical therapy had started before he left the hospital and though he loved being waited on hand and foot, he was ready to get back to feeling normal… Elizabeth was too.
Tonight was the first time things felt normal again. Jason was spending the night at a friends house, the girls were preparing to come home tomorrow, and Elizabeth had plans with Jake and the house to herself.
As she walked out of her office, she stopped for a brief second at Blake's desk. "Please, don't hesitate to call." She told him.
"Yes ma'am." He answered, knowing very well he would absolutely hesitate.
"Have a good night, Blake!" She told him cheerily as she walked towards the elevator and noticed most of her staff had gone home for the night.
The elevator doors quickly opened and she stepped inside and pressed the appropriate button to the garage. As the elevator descended to its destination, the butterflies in her stomach made their way up.
She was starting to take the butterflies as a great sign. For a while, the butterflies would build in her stomach only to be crushed by Henry's actions.
The reminder of her crushed hopes led her to Jake. She was still debating internally if she was ready to take any further steps with him. She was finally to a point where the occasional but passionate make out didn't make her feel like she was cheating on Henry.
Would she eventually want a more serious and physical relationship? Absolutely. Would it be with Jake and in a time frame that he would want as well? That she didn't know.
Before she was able to continue her thoughts any further, the elevator doors shifted open and were accompanied by an all too familiar ding.
She immediately saw Jake in the silver Audi SUV. It felt like he could drive a different car every day of the week. In a way, the luxury was new and exciting but in a way it felt slightly daunting.
Even though her detail would be in her usual mode of transportation following close behind them, to the rest of the world they would look just like what they were… a normal couple.
As she walked towards the passenger side of the SUV, she was surprised to see Jake get out and rush over to open her door for her. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked.
His dark wash jeans were perfectly tailored and not too loose or too tight. His light brown blazer paired perfectly with his light blue button down and the combination made his light green eyes shine even more. His brown loafers tied everything together for a perfect laid back but serious look.
His hand on the passenger door handle pulled her out of her thoughts but thankfully he didn't notice.
"You didn't think I was going to let you open your own door, did you?" He asked with a joking smile.
"Well… I could have!" She jokingly answered back.
He shook his head as he closed the door behind her. She placed her bag at her feet and began to settle in, putting on her seat belt as he got back in the SUV on the driver's side.
Once he had put his seatbelt on and turned the car on, he replied to her comment "I don't doubt that you can do anything and everything, but like I've said before… I'd be disappointing my mother if I wasn't the gentleman she raised me to be." He then picked up her hand that had come to rest on the center console and placed a soft kiss on the top of it.
He placed her hand back on the console where he picked it up from as a smile crept to her face. He quickly put the car in drive and shifted his hand back to resting gently on top of hers.
He had just begun to pull out of the parking garage when he asked "so what did you think of the places I sent you?
To be honest… she was a bit overwhelmed with the price tag on most of them. She hadn't given them much more look than that because it was hard to wrap her mind around spending five million dollars on a condo. She knew the DC real estate market was incredibly hot and that it was a very expensive city… but that still seemed like so much money.
"They were all beautiful!" It was a bit of a cop out answer but she didn't know what else to say.
He wasn't sure what to say as he kept driving so he simply picked up her hand and placed another kiss on it. He kept his eyes forward on the road, in a way expressing how easy it was to be with her and appreciate being with her.
After just a few more moments of silence he asked her "how was your day?"
"Surprisingly quiet… which only has me a little bit worried about how busy my night could be." She answered. "How was your day?" She asked, turning herself more towards him and giving him her attention.
"Not too bad. I had breakfast with Alexander this morning before I dropped him off at school and I think I forgot how much food a growing kid can eat!" He answered, still keeping his attention on the road.
She smiled thinking back to those days. "I remember those days very fondly! I thought the kids were going to eat us out of house and home."
Us. She paused for a moment realizing what the statement had just taken her back to… the days when 'us' was two dedicated teammates making life work. She had never in her wildest dreams thought that 'us' would be referring to them in the past tense only.
"Speaking of kids, how did your kids react to news of our dinner plans tomorrow?" He asked.
She took a deep breath before answering. "It could have been better… it could have been worse."
The truth was, it didn't go great. Stevie took it fine, as expected… but considering she has been in serious relationships and understood the gravity of their divorce and what it meant for each of them individually better than Ali and Jason did, her reaction was everything Elizabeth expected. Ali did not take it nearly as well and Jason's reaction was an absolute disaster.
"Do you still want to do it? We can wait if you want, it's totally up to you." He was extremely understanding of the situation.
She took a moment to think… but she had thought about it a lot. "Yea… I do. You all will have to meet eventually and there's no better time than now."
"Well whatever you want to do, I will happily support you." He told her before looking over quickly and giving her a small smile.
He had observed the silence but kept his eyes and attention forward. The red light that they approached presented the perfect opportunity for him to lean over and place a soft but expected kiss on her lips. He turned his attention back to the red light to see it still had not changed to green. "Ok one more." He said before he leaned over to kiss her again.
The smile still hadn't left her face when the stop light finally changed and he shifted his attention back to driving. The car moved through the intersection before he reminded her "I think we had forgotten to do that earlier." He finished the statement with a quick look at her and a wink.
We. She didn't think 'we' would ever be anyone but her and Henry. It was just as much an adjustment as 'us' was.
"I think we did." She responded with a smile. It was an adjustment she was getting more comfortable with the idea of making.
He looked back at her and smiled. He had noticed her use of the word 'we' and he definitely appreciated it. She matched his smile.
"Alright, now we just have to find a parking spot…" He said aloud as they pulled up to the first house.
His realtor had called this one 'the perfect town home.' The location was great and the features were going to be nearly impossible to find anywhere else. He quickly found a parking spot a few houses down and she gave him the satisfaction of waiting for him to open her door.
He realized and appreciated the gesture and after opening the door and holding out his hand to help her out of the SUV he whispered simply "thank you, beautiful" as they walked towards the house.
They hadn't had any other public dates besides their first but they were both careful not to walk too close to each other. Jake had to resist the urge to put a hand on the small of her back or interlock their fingers together as they reached the front gate. They hadn't had discussions about any more public displays of affection but they both took comfort in knowing their relationship didn't have to lie on big displays of affection.
As he began to unlock the gate, his realtor opened the door of the house. "Jake, good to see you again!" The man in the doorway greeted Jake.
"Good to see you again too, Mark!" Jake returned the greeting and extended his hand out for a hand shake.
"Nice to meet you as well, Madam Secretary." Mark greeted Elizabeth, also extending a hand out to greet her.
"Nice to meet you! Please, call me Elizabeth." She politely told the realtor.
Mark then naively turned his attention to the member of her protective detail who was tasked with following the couple in. "Nice to meet you, I'm Mark!" He said, reaching out his hand.
The agent behind her kept his attention forward and ignored his gesture.
"Don't worry, he does that to everyone." Elizabeth told Mark, only half joking.
The comment got a bit of a laugh. "Well let's check it out!" Mark told the group as he held open the front door for the three of them. Since her detail wasn't able to secure the location before she arrived, an agent would have to tour this house with them.
"So first thing, we walk into this beautiful sitting room. Great size, perfect for entertaining! The bay window provides plenty of light and the wood detailing around the doorway and the windows is the same throughout the house." Mark started the tour as the couple peeked their heads around the doorway to take a quick look at the sitting room. "To the left is a great sized coat closet and down the hallway on the left side you'll find the entrance to the basement apartment. We'll check it out later!" He led them further down a small hallway. "To the right you've got your elevator, access to all floors, and the only half bath." He opened the door to the elevator and the door to the bathroom for Elizabeth and Jake to view.
The couple continued to look at the spaces he pointed out and Mark led them towards the kitchen and living space.
"Back here you've got your main living space." Mark told the couple as they walked into the massive room.
"I love this wood." Jake remarked looking closer at the cabinets.
"Oh yea, it's beautiful! And doing the same wood throughout the house was a great choice." Mark replied. "Light fixtures might be a little too low for you."
Jake laughed and replied "I expect that."
The comment got a smile from Elizabeth that was met with a wink from Jake.
"Wait until you see the garden…" Mark began, opening one of the two sets of french doors leading from the living space to the outdoor space. The couple followed him as he continued to tell them details about the area. "Not a ton of green space but you do have two plunge pools: one hot and one cold and the coolest part…" Mark walked over to a button on the side of the house. "Hidden car lift."
The couple watched in a bit of amazement as part of the ground in the garden slowly began to rise up showing what looked like a parking spot coming up from the ground.
"So if I add an extra 10 minutes to wherever I have to be, the car will get up here in time?" Jake joked with Mark after observing how slow the feature was.
"Yea, probably!" Mark answered, obviously picking up on Jake's joke. "Well, while we wait for that to go back down, let's check out the rest of the house."
Mark led the couple back inside as Jake knew he finally had the opportunity to get closer to Elizabeth and placed a hand on her back as they went inside. The gesture was met with a smile from Elizabeth who didn't realize she had been craving his closeness.
They continued to follow Mark up the stairs as he continued to talk about little details or special things about the house but Jake wasn't listening… his attention was on the little details and special things about her. The way her hair fell perfectly in loose waves, stopping just short of her shoulders. The way her trench coat sleeves were the perfect length to allow him to catch a glimpse of the bracelet he had given her on her left wrist. He could study her all day.
"So here you have your paneled billiards room. This could make a great second office as well." He could hear Mark say but it still didn't take his attention off of her. "Over here you have a little TV enclave."
Jake followed just a half a step behind Elizabeth and felt like his body was taking steps without his mind being there. He wasn't sure what it was… maybe the lighting, maybe the smell of her perfume, but something was so intoxicating about her in this moment.
As Mark began to leave the small, private space, Jake took a moment to surprise Elizabeth by grabbing one of her hands and pulling her in for a quick, secretive kiss.
He was already drunk on her but her smile meant he'd continue to take her like she was a shot of something he knew he didn't need.
Just as quickly as the kiss began, it ended and they continued to follow Mark around the rest of the house. Sure he took in the other bedrooms and bathrooms but nothing else would ever be enough to distract him from her.
"So the closets in the master aren't the biggest but I think you'll love the masters suite as a whole!" Mark continued to tell the couple as he led them to the master bedroom.
There it was. Another overwhelming, 'what am I doing? This feels like cheating on my husband' moment. The sinking feeling in her stomach that she wanted to wish away but somehow couldn't. As she walked into the bedroom, it reminded her so much of the bedroom she spent so many nights crying in, the one she so desperately wanted to share with the Henry she used to know. All of the feelings put together reaffirmed her decisions and desires for change.
"Here's the real magic of this suite! The bathroom is amazing!" Mark then led them into the bathroom. It was perfectly designed for a couple, two single vanities, two completely glass showers, and one copper tub in the middle. The wood choices were absolutely stunning with the airy feel of the rest of the bathroom and it was truly captivating for a bathroom.
"Alright, the real test… if I can fit in the tub I think we've got a winner." Jake commented walking towards the tub and getting in. The action brought Elizabeth back to the beauty of the moment that she was in and even got a little laugh out of her and Mark. "Eh, little bit tight but not too bad."
"Well if that is too tight then I'm sure the jacuzzi spa and pool on the rooftop will be a perfect fit!" Mark told Jake, joining in a bit on his joking.
As Mark walked out of the master suite and up the last flight of stairs, Elizabeth followed a bit behind with Jake a half of a step behind her. His hand of course found the small of her back again as they navigated through the rest of the suite. He desperately wanted to ask her what she thought but it was almost like he could sense that she wasn't going to be able to answer that question. It would feel too much like he was purchasing a place for the two of them and that wasn't his intention. He did value her opinion and wanted to spend time with her but he was buying a place in DC because it made sense for his business and yes, it did mean he was closer to her.
Once they were beginning their trip up the stairs, he noticed her left hand right in front of him since he was a couple of steps behind him. He reached out his right hand and interlocked their fingers as she reached the top of the stairs.
Just like he had done a few moments before with a similar action, he surprised her once again. A soft smile found its way to her lips and she quickly passed it to him. They kept their hands wrapped in each others as they followed Mark outside.
"I love this rooftop! You've got a partial lap pool to your left, plenty of entertaining and hang out space here, and your jacuzzi is over to your right!" He told them as they took all of it in.
There was a couple of seconds of silence before the sound of a phone buzzing pulled everyone out of their separate thoughts. Mark pulled his ringing phone out of the inside pocket of his jacket and told the couple that he had to take the call. Once he had walked inside, Jake took the first step towards the side of the roof to really take in the view.
"This is beautiful." He thought out loud after taking in the view. He wasn't just talking about the view or the house though.
"Yea…" She agreed quietly, taking in the truly breathtaking view.
His attention slowly turned to her as he happily studied her in awe.
"What?" She asked with a giggle when she noticed him staring.
"Nothing! Just taking it all in." He answered with a smile.
He was happy to see her lean in to kiss him. He would always happily return them.
"Sorry about that guys!" Mark interrupted. He didn't notice the couple midkiss and that was ok. "If you guys are done here, let's head to the next house!"
"Let's go!" Jake told Mark, making sure he didn't let Elizabeth's hand go as they made their way back down to the front door.
Just before they got to the front door, Jake requested to skip the next property. While it was a beautiful condo from the pictures, it wasn't really what he wanted.
"No problem! Let's head to the house in Spring Valley." Mark happily obliged.
As Mark opened the door, Jake let her hand go and gave her a soft smile. She understood why he did it, even if she didn't want to stop holding his hand either, but they weren't ready to go public and viewing a home together was already sure to tip that off if someone saw.
They made their way to the SUV and she was surprised when he didn't rush to open her door. "You didn't open my door?" She questioned, mostly jokingly.
"Yea… I think the neighbor might have recognized us." He told her. She didn't notice but she was thankful for his watchful eye.
He quickly started the car and pulled away before his hand found hers again on the center console. He took in another moment of silence, debating what he was going to say.
"So, question…" he had her attention as she shifted her body more to face him. "You don't have to have an answer for this but I figure it's worth asking." Her heart began beating faster as she hung on to his every word. He paused a little bit longer than felt necessary in order to be fully stopped at a red light so he could give her all of his attention. "When do you want to take the next step?"
It was like he had read her mind. She wanted to have this discussion but wasn't sure how to bring it up. "I've actually thought a lot about that…" She knew what she wanted to say in her heart but she had to make sure she could verbalize that. Before she could continue any more, the light turned green and Jake began driving through the intersection. "I'm happy with the status quo… but I also feel like I'm getting ready for whatever is next. In some ways, what happened two weeks ago has made me more ready for the next step and in a lot of ways I'm still not ready."
Like he had already done many times before, he brought her hand up to his lips and gave her hand a gentle kiss. "I understand and I'm comfortable with whatever timeline you're comfortable with." He answered her softly.
She savored the silence for just a moment. "I also have a question for you."
His eyebrows perked up as he replied. "Ok…"
"What was your intention when you sent me those flowers?" She had been wondering about that for a while. If their dinner that evening was supposed to be strictly work related, how had it turned into this?
He paused for a second, thinking of exactly how he wanted to say this. "I wanted to get your attention, but I think you knew that. At the time, did I plan on this turning into something romantic? No, but I am very happy that it did." It wasn't necessarily the whole truth but there were certain details that needed to be spared.
She took in his answer and the slight moment of silence that followed. "Speaking of romantic…" he began, breaking the silence. "are you ready for the gala coming up?!" He asked.
"I am." She answered with a soft smile that barely left her face when he was around.
A smile found its way to his face as well and they enjoyed the last few seconds of the drive in a comfortable silence.
Once they arrived at the next house, he pulled in the driveway next to his realtor. This house was much more suburban and though it was beautiful, she could already tell it wasn't what he was looking for.
Just as he pulled in the driveway, he noticed a small crowd of neighbors that had begun to form, likely after her detail secured the house about an hour ago.
He put his window down just enough to say "Mark!" and get his attention.
"What's up man?" Mark replied.
"Is there any way I can pull into the garage?" Jake was a very smart man… he knew that her getting out of the car with him now was sure to be something that hit the news tomorrow morning. He would do anything he could to spare her from that.
"Yea, let me get the code and I'll open the door." Mark answered before he walked towards the keypad on the side of the house near the garage door and punched in a couple of numbers.
As soon as the door opened, he drove the car into the appropriate spot and watched in the rearview mirror until the door was completely closed before he got out of the car and rushed over to Elizabeth's side to open her door for her, in his true fashion.
They walked around the home, admiring some of the detailing and charm of the property but it didn't feel like it was his… the last one felt like it was made for him… this was made a family and while he didn't doubt their relationship could turn into a big blended family, this wasn't the space for it.
At the end of their tour, they got back in their usual spots in the SUV and waited a minute or so for Mark to lock up the house and open the garage door for them.
"Want to grab dinner and drinks?" He asked while they were waiting on the garage door to open.
"I'd love that." She answered with a smile, making quick eye contact before he placed a small kiss on her lips.
He saw that the garage door was open in the rear view mirror and quickly pulled out of the garage and driveway.
"What sounds good to you?" He asked once they were out of the driveway.
"Well… going home and curling up on the couch under a blanket with the Food Network on in the background sounds great." She answered only half jokingly.
He smiled at her answer because it did sound pretty great. "Is there room for one more in that plan?"
She smiled back before she answered "I think there's jusssssst enough room for one more."
"Great." He responded softly before kissing her again.
"I still have the bourbon." She reminded him.
"Do you want bourbon? We can stop and get something else." He knew she was still acquiring a taste for bourbon and sometimes it could be too much if you didn't love it yet.
"The bourbon is fine! Do we want to pick up something to go or order something in?" She didn't care one way or another, she was just exhausted and ready to curl up next to him.
"Whatever you want is fine with me!" He answered.
"No you pick!" She really didn't care either way. There wasn't anything food wise that was jumping out at her.
"Baaaaaaabe." He jokingly whined which got a little laugh out of her. "You pick!"
"Ok, let's just order pizza." She answered with a smile still stuck on her face.
"Sounds good babe." He responded.
They spent the rest of the trip in a comfortable silence. She was exhausted and the silence was welcomed as it at least gave her mind a little bit of a rest.
As they got closer to her place, she broke the silence. "Park in the driveway." She instructed him and then gave him directions to the back of the house.
Once he put the car in park and turned it off, he looked over at her. He could tell she was exhausted as she rolled her head over to face him. Her head was resting hard on the headrest and the rest of her body didn't move when her head did.
He leaned his head back on his headrest as well, matching the way she was sitting. "Come on, babe, let's go inside and relax." He told her before he got out of the car and walked over to her side.
Deep inside, she loved when he insisted on opening her door. It was such a little thing that she didn't pay much attention to before but now it jump started the butterflies in her stomach. As he opened her door, she reached down to pick up her bag.
"I'll get your bag." He told her, holding out his right hand for it, leaving his left hand free to hold her hand.
She handed her bag over with a smile and took his other hand in hers. They walked hand in hand to the kitchen when that overwhelming feeling hit her again. This was 'their' kitchen, in 'their' home.
He didn't notice her slight hesitation and she was surprisingly relieved when something inside her began to calm her nerves. Maybe she was getting to a point where she could find herself moving on.
He might not have noticed her hesitation or the uncomfortable heat building inside of her but after putting her bag safely on the counter he pulled her in for a hug that felt so much like the first and her body immediately relaxed.
They enjoyed the simplicity of the moment for just a little bit longer before Elizabeth slightly pulled away and looked up at Jake. "I'm going to go change into something comfy. Where would you like to order from?"
He matched her gaze and took just a second to admire her light blue eyes. "Wherever you want." He answered softly.
She pulled away to walk upstairs and replied "surprise me."
"Well what do you like?" He asked, standing in the same spot and getting just a tiny bit louder which each step she took away from him.
"Everything." She answered from halfway up the stairs.
As Elizabeth changed into her favorite black, knit pants and a loose white pullover, Jake frantically searched on his phone for the closest pizza place.
After quickly discovering a Dominos nearby, he made an order online for one medium pizza with nearly every topping they had available. He had just finished paying when he heard her walking down the stairs.
"Hey." She greeted him softly, nearly chest to chest with him.
"Hello." He responded but before she went in for a soft kiss. "Don't we have some Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives to watch?" He asked half jokingly.
"I think we do." She answered with a nod.
She took his hand and led him over to the couch in their family room just off the kitchen. He sat down next to her and settled in as she picked up the remote and turned the TV on to the appropriate channel.
Once she was done, she settled back into the little nest created by his arm on the couch back and his long legs. She curled up in his side and took a quick breath of his cologne in. It was somehow both intoxicating and sobering at the same time.
The kiss he placed on the top of her head pulled her out of the trance his cologne put her in. She lifted her head and initiated their next kiss. She let a moment or so of sweet, soft kisses go by before she sat up a little bit more and put her arms around his neck.
He was the one who grabbed her leg and had her straddle him. He was the one who took the kisses deeper and deeper with each passing moment. He was the one who softly put his hands all over each of her curves… but she was the one who wanted it.
She was the one who pulled him down with her as she laid back on the couch. She was the one who adjusted her legs so he'd fit perfectly in between. She was the one who started to take his blazer off of his shoulders… but he couldn't act like he didn't want it.
He pulled away just long enough to take off his jacket before getting right back to kissing her with the same passion he had left. She started unbuttoning his shirt, craving an even more intimate closeness. He quickly whipped his shirt off when she was done unbuttoning it, enjoying every second that she took to get him to that point.
Just as one of his hands began slipping under her shirt, the doorbell pulled them back to reality.
"Crap, pizza's here." He said, making his way off of her and trying to hide the obvious sign of his arousal.
"I've got it!" She replied, quickly getting up from the couch and heading towards the front door.
She quickly opened the door and took the pizza and receipt from the young man. She walked back to the kitchen with the pizza and let the receipt fall somewhere on the floor - some things could be dealt with later.
Once she got back to the family room, she was happy to find him still shirtless on the couch. "So… you wanna pick up where we left off?" He asked with a smirk.
She put the pizza on the table in the living room and went back to straddling him. He was surprised when she didn't immediately go back to kissing him, instead just looking into his eyes with an air of mystery surrounding her.
"What?" He finally asked with a smile.
"This is just so different." She told him softly.
"Yea, it will be." He replied. "It'll feel very different at first… but it will come to feel more natural and comfortable. You'll find you're ready for it, no matter how long it takes. Something you may have never felt before will take over the guilty, heartbroken feeling you're probably feeling to some degree right now… and that's a good thing."
She nodded in agreement.
"You might need time to get through that moment…" He continued "you might need to see other people… you might need sex with someone else… you might need all of that for a long time and it's totally ok."
She couldn't believe he was speaking exactly what she needed to hear.
"All of that is ok. It's ok if your heart and your mind find themselves in different places. It's ok if they need a lot of time to catch up to one another and then more time to catch up to reality. There's no normal or expected way to move on." He paused briefly to take in the beauty of her. "It's all ok… and I'll be here through all of it."
She wasn't sure how to respond and wasn't sure if she could think of any combination of words to express how much she needed to hear all of that. She just leaned down and kissed him with a passion that matched what they were experiencing just a few moments before. She pulled away ever so slightly to leave a soft "thank you" on his lips.
"Come on, let's eat. I know you're hungry." He whispered to her, gently patting her bottom to get her to move off his lap.
"You read my mind." She replied with a smile as he opened the pizza box and smiled.
He pulled out a slice and handed it to her before taking one out of himself. She settled back into the nest his arm and side created on the couch. Though she was starving, one slice was enough and she quickly shifted to rest her head on his chest as he finished his second and third slices.
"Before you fall asleep, can I have one more teeny tiny kiss?" He asked in a playful manner.
She immediately smiled and shifted to kiss him again. It wasn't going to be just one teeny tiny kiss. As expected it deepened, and quickly. They were soon back to where they left off before the pizza arrived and somehow the pizza made the passion grow even more.
She welcomed the change when he pulled away from their kisses and began leaving a trail of kisses around her neck. His hand began it's trek up her shirt like it was nearing before. His touch left her taking in a sharp but deep breath and she let her eyes roll back and close, enjoying the moment and more importantly… his touch.
He needed her touch as well. She was surprised when he took one of her hands and put it under his shirt at the top of his jeans. She was able to stretch just enough to slip her hand down enough to feel him.
This was so different. In some ways, she welcomed the change… but it was still incredibly different and she was hoping the feeling of guilt wouldn't follow tonight.
He was just about to lift her shirt over her head when her phone began to ring. She pulled away from their kiss to answer it.
"I have to get that." She whispered to him.
"Just leave it." He replied, trying to get back to what they were doing.
She grabbed her phone off the table and immediately saw Russell Jackson's name on her phone. She rolled her eyes and answered. "Hey Russell."
"White House, now." He said with a force on the other line loud enough for Jake to hear. Russell hung up immediately after that.
"Gotta go?" He questioned even though he knew the answer.
She nodded her head yes as she walked closer to him. He stood up from the couch as she got closer. "I'm sorry" She whispered when they were chest to chest again.
"Don't be sorry… never be sorry for saving the world." He told her with a smile. "Now, go change and we'll make plans later." He tilted his head down as he gently lifted her head up and placed a sweet, soft kiss on her lips.
"Thank you." She whispered after their first kiss and before going in for another one. She pulled away from the hug they were in and told him "duty calls" as she walked upstairs to change and he walked back out to his car.
