Chapter 11
It was after midnight…way past midnight…when Luis slipped inside their hotel room. Smelling like smoke and cheap perfume. "Sheridan…are you still awake?" he hissed in the darkness. She shut her eyes tight and forced herself to breathe evenly. "Guess not," he mumbled. Stripping his shirt over his head. He groaned when he spotted Alison's fuschia lipstick on his collar. How was he going to get THAT out without Sheridan seeing it and getting the wrong idea? He'd never been…MAULED…like that before. Alison had practically attacked him. He couldn't deny he deserved part of the blame. He wasn't exactly unwilling. But the weirdest thing…when he kissed her back…it was Sheridan's lips beneath his. Her blue eyes he stared into. "Dammit, Luis. You have to stop that."
Stop what, Sheridan wondered as she listened to him move around the room. Her heart thumped against her ribcage when she caught a glimpse of his naked back as he walked past her into the bathroom. The door clicked shut, and she released a sigh of relief when she heard the shower running. She stared up at the ceiling. Noting absently the cracks there. Why did she have to feel this way? Why was she so…jealous? She hated being jealous. Luis wasn't even hers. But you ran away with him, Sheridan, her brain supplied. He's got to be something to you. You dropped everything and followed him down here. Maybe not the ends of the earth. But she knew all it'd take was one word. Just one word, and she'd follow him anywhere. Why was that?
The water in the bathroom ceased running, and she buried her face in her pillow once more. She wanted so badly to cry. She could scarcely breathe around the lump in her throat. Why did she feel this terrible ache? Hot tears slid down her cheeks as she felt the mattress shift beneath his weight. "Sheridan?" Luis whispered once more in the darkness. And her shoulders quaked at the concern in his voice. She was so confused. Jealous. And maybe…maybe even a little bit homesick. Though she didn't know why. "Sheridan," Luis sighed. Combing his fingers through her hair. "Are you crying, Princess?" She came undone. Sobbing openly as he slid his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her bare shoulder. "Don't. I can't stand to see you cry."
Luis sighed and kissed her damp cheeks. "Shh. Don't cry. Everything's going to work out. You'll see." Sheridan turned around in his arms and gazed up at him with big, tear-filled blue eyes. "Sheridan," he whispered. Brushing her tears away gently with the pads of his thumbs. "Talk to me," he pleaded softly. Threading his fingers through hers and bringing their joined hands to his lips. She shook her head and tried to avoid his searching brown eyes. "No, you don't," he said. Grasping her chin and forcing her to look at him. "Tell me what's wrong." She looked at him with glittering, sad blue eyes. "Luis…I don't…"
"Spit it out," he told her. "I can't," Sheridan muttered under her breath. Growing angrier by the minute. It was too embarrassing. Mortifying, actually. "Luis…leave me alone. It's not like you care anyway. If you cared, you wouldn't have been out with Alison all night." Luis grabbed her hand and held it down with his own beside her blond head on the pillow. Grinning at her broadly. She was jealous! "Aww…the little girl is jealous," he teased. Sheridan's jaw set stubbornly, and she struggled against him. "I'm not a little girl," she protested heatedly. "Luis! Leave me alone," she demanded when he grabbed her other wrist and held it above her head. His deep brown eyes shining with mischief.
"What's the matter?" he taunted. "Ugh! Luis…if you don't let go right now," she ground out between clenched teeth, "I swear you'll live to regret it." Luis smiled wider and leaned in closer. Unbearably closer. Sheridan held her breath as his mouth hovered over hers. "Luis, please," she cried. Fresh tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "Don't…" "Don't what?" he breathed. Staring at her full pink lips.
"Don't play games with me." He sighed guiltily and leaned his forehead against hers. Releasing her wrists and running his hands down her arms. Then trailing his knuckles across her cheeks. "I'm sorry," he apologized. Kissing her forehead and turning over to lie on his back.
"Come here," he whispered. Pulling her into his arms. "Shh, Sheridan," he soothed. "Go to sleep. Close those pretty blue eyes and relax. Forget all about today. All of it." No more Alison, he thought silently. "Forget everything bad, and just concentrate on the good. You doing that?" he asked. Tipping her chin up with the tips of his fingers. "Yes," she said with just the hint of a smile. "What are you thinking about?" he ventured curiously. "No. Wait," he laughed. "Water and Juliet." Sheridan shook her head with a smile. Her laughter music to Luis's ears. "That's not all," she admitted. Tucking her head back under his chin. Yawning. And listening to his heart thud inside his chest. "But I'm not going to tell you," she said in a teasing voice. Not going to tell him HE was her good thought. "Fine. Be that way," Luis grumbled good-naturedly. "Go to sleep, Luis," Sheridan whispered. And he did. A matching smile on his face.
It was after midnight…way past midnight…when Luis slipped inside their hotel room. Smelling like smoke and cheap perfume. "Sheridan…are you still awake?" he hissed in the darkness. She shut her eyes tight and forced herself to breathe evenly. "Guess not," he mumbled. Stripping his shirt over his head. He groaned when he spotted Alison's fuschia lipstick on his collar. How was he going to get THAT out without Sheridan seeing it and getting the wrong idea? He'd never been…MAULED…like that before. Alison had practically attacked him. He couldn't deny he deserved part of the blame. He wasn't exactly unwilling. But the weirdest thing…when he kissed her back…it was Sheridan's lips beneath his. Her blue eyes he stared into. "Dammit, Luis. You have to stop that."
Stop what, Sheridan wondered as she listened to him move around the room. Her heart thumped against her ribcage when she caught a glimpse of his naked back as he walked past her into the bathroom. The door clicked shut, and she released a sigh of relief when she heard the shower running. She stared up at the ceiling. Noting absently the cracks there. Why did she have to feel this way? Why was she so…jealous? She hated being jealous. Luis wasn't even hers. But you ran away with him, Sheridan, her brain supplied. He's got to be something to you. You dropped everything and followed him down here. Maybe not the ends of the earth. But she knew all it'd take was one word. Just one word, and she'd follow him anywhere. Why was that?
The water in the bathroom ceased running, and she buried her face in her pillow once more. She wanted so badly to cry. She could scarcely breathe around the lump in her throat. Why did she feel this terrible ache? Hot tears slid down her cheeks as she felt the mattress shift beneath his weight. "Sheridan?" Luis whispered once more in the darkness. And her shoulders quaked at the concern in his voice. She was so confused. Jealous. And maybe…maybe even a little bit homesick. Though she didn't know why. "Sheridan," Luis sighed. Combing his fingers through her hair. "Are you crying, Princess?" She came undone. Sobbing openly as he slid his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her bare shoulder. "Don't. I can't stand to see you cry."
Luis sighed and kissed her damp cheeks. "Shh. Don't cry. Everything's going to work out. You'll see." Sheridan turned around in his arms and gazed up at him with big, tear-filled blue eyes. "Sheridan," he whispered. Brushing her tears away gently with the pads of his thumbs. "Talk to me," he pleaded softly. Threading his fingers through hers and bringing their joined hands to his lips. She shook her head and tried to avoid his searching brown eyes. "No, you don't," he said. Grasping her chin and forcing her to look at him. "Tell me what's wrong." She looked at him with glittering, sad blue eyes. "Luis…I don't…"
"Spit it out," he told her. "I can't," Sheridan muttered under her breath. Growing angrier by the minute. It was too embarrassing. Mortifying, actually. "Luis…leave me alone. It's not like you care anyway. If you cared, you wouldn't have been out with Alison all night." Luis grabbed her hand and held it down with his own beside her blond head on the pillow. Grinning at her broadly. She was jealous! "Aww…the little girl is jealous," he teased. Sheridan's jaw set stubbornly, and she struggled against him. "I'm not a little girl," she protested heatedly. "Luis! Leave me alone," she demanded when he grabbed her other wrist and held it above her head. His deep brown eyes shining with mischief.
"What's the matter?" he taunted. "Ugh! Luis…if you don't let go right now," she ground out between clenched teeth, "I swear you'll live to regret it." Luis smiled wider and leaned in closer. Unbearably closer. Sheridan held her breath as his mouth hovered over hers. "Luis, please," she cried. Fresh tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "Don't…" "Don't what?" he breathed. Staring at her full pink lips.
"Don't play games with me." He sighed guiltily and leaned his forehead against hers. Releasing her wrists and running his hands down her arms. Then trailing his knuckles across her cheeks. "I'm sorry," he apologized. Kissing her forehead and turning over to lie on his back.
"Come here," he whispered. Pulling her into his arms. "Shh, Sheridan," he soothed. "Go to sleep. Close those pretty blue eyes and relax. Forget all about today. All of it." No more Alison, he thought silently. "Forget everything bad, and just concentrate on the good. You doing that?" he asked. Tipping her chin up with the tips of his fingers. "Yes," she said with just the hint of a smile. "What are you thinking about?" he ventured curiously. "No. Wait," he laughed. "Water and Juliet." Sheridan shook her head with a smile. Her laughter music to Luis's ears. "That's not all," she admitted. Tucking her head back under his chin. Yawning. And listening to his heart thud inside his chest. "But I'm not going to tell you," she said in a teasing voice. Not going to tell him HE was her good thought. "Fine. Be that way," Luis grumbled good-naturedly. "Go to sleep, Luis," Sheridan whispered. And he did. A matching smile on his face.