I LOVE EVERYONE!!! Y'all brighten my day to no end!!! :) :) :)
Kat, Al...Buttercup and Wesley are only the heroine and hero of the best book ever written, The Princess Bride... Now go read it! :) Also to Al...I know it was a bit sudden, but my fingers just type what my muse dictates...don't get me wrong, though, I'm sure there'll be a few bumps in the road ahead for our lovely couple....;)
PZB, I think it's called "Breathing," and I love that band too! :)
Angelgirl: Boonie rocks! I love him, too! He's one of my faves...along with Edgar and Dan and John...and everyone;)
Sheri: Yeah! Another fellow baseball fan! I harbor no resentment toward the Reds for taking Ken away from us because I honestly think that him and A-Rod leaving was the best thing that could have happened to the M's...I could go on for a while but at this point I think I've crossed into the babbling stage :)
Deana--I'm glad you liked it, LOL:) If you'd allow me I can write you into the story more a bit later:) Perhaps coaching Evy on the hazards of being married to a secret service agent... (cough cough sequel hint hint;)
Evelyn, MBooker and I think alike, apparently. Honestly, there are about three men in the entire world who look good with long hair, Oded Fehr, Heath Ledger and Johnny Depp among them. ;)
Title is a line I think I remember from "Gone in Sixty Seconds." I could be wrong.
6: Nice Breaks
Evelyn propped herself up on one elbow and eyed O'Connell. "I know what's different," she said. "You cut your hair."
"Why yes I did, Detective Evelyn. How observant of you."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "Some women find long hair unattractive on men. Thought I'd better play the odds."
"You little..."
Her admonition, however, was cut short as he kissed her, invaded her mouth again as his hands...well, his hands were occupied as well, and Evelyn willingly surrendered. A part of her should have been shocked that she was where she was, sans clothing and lying in bed with an equally undressed man who she'd known less than two days. But she didn't care. Something about him made her feel like a princess in a fairy tale, and she was perfectly willing to stay lost in the fantasy.
He'd ended the kiss, opting instead for simply staring into her eyes. It unsettled her a bit. What did he think of her? Did he have feelings for her? Did he... "What are you thinking about?" she asked him.
He grinned. "You."
"Me?" she said, mocking amazement. "What about me?"
He sat up slightly and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, running his hand down the side of her cheek. "I want to know who you are. I want to know what your favorite color is, how you take your coffee, where you like to eat. I want to know what you want to do with your life, the types of people you hang out with, where you grew up. You're this amazing, beautiful, brilliant woman and I have no idea who you are. Tell me."
"Well. Where would you like me to start?"
"I get to pick? Let's see..." He settled himself back into the pillow, preparing to hear a story, but his eyes were still serious. "Why don't you quit your job if you hate it so much?"
"Actually, what I really want to do is go back to grad school. Be a real archaeologist instead of being stuck in a dusty library all day long."
"Why don't you?"
She shrugged. "It's become comfortable. I have a routine. I get up in the morning, I go to work, I take crap from my supervisors, I go home...and then I get up the next day and do it all over again. Weekends I have my friends, my uncle, Jonathan when he's in town, which is almost never."
"Friends? Any...boyfriends?"
"No!" Upon reflection Evelyn thought that perhaps she'd said that a little too quickly. "I mean...of course not. Why, do you...have any...girlfriends?"
"Yes."
She tried not to be disappointed. She really did. She should have known, after all, that a man like him, one so handsome and dashing and brave and--stop it, Evelyn!...She should have known that she couldn't have him, not really.
"Just one. Her name is Evelyn Carnahan," he said, "and I'm falling for her."
She couldn't stop the giddy grin from immediately finding its way to her face as relief washed over her. This time it was she who initiated the kiss, all notions of propriety completely vanished this time as.....
Unfortunately, they were disrupted by the sound of a door swishing open, a footstep, and then a long string of curses that faded as whoever it was retreated back into the hallway. O'Connell added a few swear words of his own as he and Evelyn leapt from the bed, throwing on whatever clothes they could grab first.
"Who was that?" Evelyn asked, but Rick didn't answer her as he stormed out of the bedroom.
"Bey!" he yelled as he reached the living room. "What the hell are you doing in my apartment! Do you know how many times I've changed those locks?! You guys just can't walk in any time you feel like it! Christ, you've probably got this place bugged! There's probably cameras all over the place! Hell, you perverts were probably back at the Treasury watching--"
"Trust me, O'Connell, I saw much more than I needed to."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Rick repeated. "And who is that?"
Jonathan sat on the couch where Bey had left him, staring glassy-eyed at the spectacle in front of him. "Name's Carnahan," he said. "Jonathan Carnahan. Who are you?"
"Rick O'Connell. I'm sleeping with your sister."
"Ah. Cheerio, then. Got anything to eat? I'm starved."
"What the hell did you do to him, Bey, he's completely--"
"I know!" Bey interrupted, patience gone. "It is beyond my power to keep that man sober! And what do you mean his--"
"Uh, excuse me gentlemen," said Evy from behind them. "Might I be included in the conversation?"
"Evelyn!" Bey cried. "That was you? Oh Allah, is the world going completely to hell?"
"Hey," Rick protested, "what's that supposed to mean?"
"Seriously, people, I'm starved..."
"Shut up!" said Evelyn. "Would everyone just shut up!"
All three snapped their mouths closed instantly and looked to her, but Evelyn found she had nothing to say. She also realized that she was standing there in nothing but a t-shirt, and her anger quickly turned to embarrassment. "Uh, Ardeth, you wouldn't happen to have my luggage with you?"
"It's outside in the car."
"I'll go--"
"No, you won't. Someone's trying to kill you, you're not going to go out there by yourself."
"I'll get it," O'Connell muttered, and stalked out the front door.
"Why is this happening to me?" Evelyn asked Bey quietly.
"I don't know. I'll find out, Evelyn, don't worry."
"Find what?" O'Connell had returned with Evelyn's suitcases and she grabbed them gratefully and retreated to the bathroom as the men continued their discussion. With the door shut she could still hear the raised voices. Something had obviously happened between them, and--
Wait a minute. This wasn't her luggage. It looked like it, the same black bag with the blue and yellow tag...
But it wasn't. Instead of nice safe professional suits and skirts, muted hues of browns and blues and grays...Evelyn's eyes beheld bright reds, gold, black, embellishing low cut tops and stylish studded jeans. She dug through the suitcase for a moment, unearthing a small square bag filled with eye makeup and lipsticks, and a pair of impossibly high stilettos adorned with little butterflies.
"Ardeth?" Evelyn peeked timidly around the corner of the hallway, brandishing the suitcase. "This isn't my luggage."
"What do you mean that's not your luggage?"
"I mean you gave me the luggage of some sixteen-year-old with no fashion sense."
Agent Bey scratched his head. "That was the bag in O'Connell's jeep. We could go down to the impound lot to see--"
"Hey!" said O'Connell. "You had my car impounded?!"
"You left it in the middle of an alley," Bey smirked. "The law's the law."
"Never mind." Evelyn rolled her eyes as the men continued to clash. Her bag must have gotten switched in the airport in London. She'd have to make do...besides, those suits weren't exactly...fashionable, anyway. Evelyn supposed her wardrobe could do with a little updating...
And updated she was. Evelyn stood in front of the mirror evaluating her new look. The jeans were a bit low cut for her taste, but the jewel-encrusted belt she'd found in the bottom of the bag went nicely with them, and complimented the black t-shirt with a sequined red and gold cross on the front. The shoes weren't so bad after all, she mused, as long as one didn't have to do any cross-country running in them. She'd tried just a thin layer of the eye makeup, then another, then another...Maybe the makeup was a bit much. Evelyn reached for a tissue but stopped dead when she heard a whistle from across the room.
O'Connell stood in the doorway, also obviously appreciating the change. "Wow," he said. "That's all I can say. Wow."
"You don't think the makeup's too--"
"No, it's gorgeous."
"God, did I look that bad before?"
He sidled up next to her and began nibbling on her ear. "Evelyn, you don't have to wear anything at all to be beautiful."
"Funny," she snapped, even as she was thinking Yesssssssssss!!!!
"No, it's actually quite sexy," he murmured into her neck. "I'd emphasize that point, but Bey is getting impatient. He wants to take you two back to the White House."
"Two? Like, me and Jonathan?...Are you..."
"You couldn't pay me to stay away." Rick turned her around to face him, and the fact that she stumbled a bit in the high heels worked out for the better as it gave him an opportunity to draw her closer. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay? I'm not going to let you out of my sight."
"Promise?"
"Promise. Hey, I brought you the breakfast you never ate. Thought you might be hungry?"
What was it about that lopsided grin that caused her heart to melt so? "You're so sweet," she told him.
"I know." With that, he handed her the plate from the microwave, freshly warmed, and kissed her softly. "Damn Bey," he muttered, before kissing her nose and exiting the room.
---
If all guys were as fabulous as this fictional one, the world would be such a nicer place. Sigh.
Anyway, whatever happened to Meela and the tourists? I know it's been a while since we visited them, but I think in the next chapter we'll find out.
Reviews make me happy :)