Chapter 14

Jordan woke up with a jerk, still trying to focus in on where she was at. She slid her jeans on and walked into the living room, but no Woody. He had told her that when she woke up, they would go have dinner at the hotel's restaurant. Reluctantly, she began to get ready, still wondering where he was at. How Lily knew to pack her good black dress, she would never know, but silently thanked her friend. Looking at herself in the mirror, no one could fault her appearance. Hair up, make up perfect, dress hugging her in all the right places. At least she would look good tonight on the outside, even if she was a wreck on the inside.

Jordan nervously began to pace and checked her watch – 8:30. Then nine o'clock came, and still no Woody. She began to think the unthinkable. Finally, when she could stand it no more, she crossed the living room and walked into his bedroom. Looking around, she gave a small sigh of relief. His things were still there. He hadn't walked out her again.

The bedroom door closed with a click.

Jordan jumped at the sound. Turning around, there was Woody leaning against the shut door.

"What's the matter, Jordan, checking up on me?"

"No, I was just wondering where you at...you know, dinner..." her voice trailed off, as Woody walked over, and stood in front of her with his hands on his hips.

"No, you were scared I ran out on you again, weren't you?" he accused.

Jordan's silence spoke louder than any words.

Woody sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was having a drink with a friend at the bar. I lost track of the time. I'm sorry."

"That's okay. I shouldn't have come in here." She turned to leave.

"Jordan...." Woody reached out to grab her arm, but she was too quick.

"I'll leave and let you get dressed." Jordan turned and quickly left the room.

"You know, I don't think you've changed all that much, Jordan," Woody said as he followed her into the living room. "You're still running like hell because you're afraid to face the truth."

Jordan stopped in her tracks and swung around to face Woody. "Not afraid the face the truth?" she stormed back over to Woody. "I was not the one who ran and hid out for three years without a damn word to anybody. I was not the one who rejected you. You rejected me. That's what the truth is and I faced it a long time ago, Woodrow Hoyt. I dealt with it. I coped. I survived. While you were away, I faced the fact that no matter what I did, it wasn't good enough. If it had been, you would have stayed. But so what? It doesn't matter, because in a few weeks, when the Task Force is over and this case is solved, your butt will be back on a plane to North Carolina where you and Old MacDonald can live happily ever after back on the farm."

"Jordan, it wasn't like that..." began Woody.

"Well, then how in the hell was it?" Jordan said, her voice dropping lower and her eyes glaring angrily at Woody. "Tell me how it really was Farm Boy."

"I left because you kept pushing me away, just like you are now. I couldn't take it anymore, loving you and not being able to show it to you like I wanted to."

"So you chose to leave after making love to me? Do you have any idea how that made me feel?"

Woody lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I hadn't planned on sleeping with you that night. Things just ....happened. I had already booked my plane for the next day weeks before that."

"Yeah, I know. And you chose not to tell me a thing about it."

If possible, Woody's head lowered even more. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But at the time it was the matter of my survival with you. Do you know what it's like to love somebody and not have that love returned? It was tearing me up inside."

This time Jordan looked at Woody closely. Without a word, she reached out and lifted his chin until he was looking her in the eyes. He was telling the truth, and she saw it.

"Oh my God. I'm sorry Woody, I am so sorry. I should have..." her voice caught and she looked away quickly, but Woody saw the tears. Ruthlessly, he pulled her in his arms and just held her and let her cry for what seemed like eternity. When she finally stopped, he said, "We both should have talked this out a long time ago." He lifted her face and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "Come here."

He sat down on the couch and drew her down on his lap. "Jordan, I never stopped loving you. I tried to get you out of my system, tried to forget, but it didn't work. When the opportunity came to come back to Boston, I jumped at it, not because of the police work, but because it might give me the chance to be with you again and find out some answers."

"What have you found out?"

Woody sighed. She wasn't going to make this easy. "I found out that first of all, I still love you. And I think you love me. And that you were going to probably tell me that the night I left, only I didn't give you a chance.

"And I found out that when I left, I destroyed not only a fragile relationship, but a part of you I desperately want to get back. I didn't reject you that night. I was only trying to survive. But you thought I had rejected you because you weren't the right girl for me. But where in the hell did you get the idea that I wanted someone perfect?"

Jordan was toying with Woody's tie. "I don't know. Somewhere in my screwed up mind I thought that if I was better, you would want me. You'd come back and you would want to be with me."

"So you drove yourself hard?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Woody looked down at her face. The brown eyes were not quite so sad or confused. He brushed his fingertips down the side of her face and ran the pad of his thumb across her lips, parting them in the process. Slowly, he lowered his head and began to gently kiss her, deepening the kiss as he felt her respond. Reluctantly he pulled away after a few minutes and looked her in the eyes. "Stop."

Jordan looked confused. "Stop?" she asked.

"Stop working so hard. Stop trying to be so perfect. Just be Jordan – the girl I knew and the woman I love."

"I don't know if I remember how."

"Then relax and let me show you." Woody began to kiss her again, deepening a little more with each one. Jordan moaned when his tongue rubbed against hers. Woody slowly slid his hand down her side to the hem of her dress and let his hand slowly slide back up her leg, over her calf and knee to her thigh. Jordan moaned again.

"Do you still want to do dinner?" he asked against her lips.

"Dinner?" asked Jordan, trying to capture his mouth. "I never eat dinner."

Woody chuckled and lifted her in his arms. Carrying her to his bedroom, he laid her down on the bed and leaned over her, amused that she was busying herself with the buttons of his shirt. This was the old Jordan. Slowly he reached around and slid the zipper down her on her dress and drew it off her arms. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. She pushed his shirt away and then urged him out of his t-shirt. He slid the dress the rest of the way off her body. Suddenly, Woody laughed again. "I don't see what is so funny," Jordan said, wiggling under the touch of his hands.

"You do still wear pink lacey underwear."

"Woody!" She laughed against his lips for a moment, but then began to moan again as his touch began to work its magic on her again. Slowly, slowly he took her to heights that she thought she'd never reach again, and when he finally entered her, he felt her contract and tremble against him.

"Hold me," she pleaded.

"I'm right here, sweetheart, I've got you." Woody heard her sigh softly and reach up to run her fingers through his hair.

"I never thought I'd see you again," she confessed, looking at him with solemn brown eyes. "I thought I had really ruined it."

"No, you didn't ruin anything. I left too soon, you waited too long...it was a lot of things. But we're here now. And we're together and things are going to work out. And I'm ready to have another go at this if you are," Woody said, wagging his eyebrows at her, letting Jordan know that he wasn't just talking about the relationship. She laughed and rubbed her body against his, causing his breath to catch sharply in his throat.

"On one condition, Farm Boy."

"What's that?" Woody inquired as he nuzzled her throat.

"You're always there to catch me on my way back down."

"That's a promise," Woody vowed as he looked down into her laughing brown eyes.