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Chapter 38
The shock that passed over Irina's face was evident. If only for a moment before being replaced with a glare that made Jack thank God, and his old mentor, for the help.
"What?" he asked innocently, though his thoughts were anything but.
She sighed, not sure how to respond and decided to actually allow her opposition a small victory in return for escaping the conversation. She changed the subject, "How long are we going to stay down here?"
"How long do you think we should stay down here?" he asked back, adding quickly onto the end, seeing another question being shot his way, "Honestly?"
Irina paused, letting the gentle breeze that was blowing through whip her hair about her face before answering, adopting Jack's previous method of shock treatment and being completely blunt and honest, as he had requested, "Minimum...until tomorrow night."
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, instead waiting for at least a little elaboration. She continued, "I saw his face, I'm a good judge of character and I know he's still up there. Waiting. We just have to wait until he either leaves or drops his guard low enough that we can sneak past."
"Tomorrow night? Twenty four hours?" Jack asked.
"Minimum."
The silence that followed, for once, was incredibly uncomfortable and neither knew why. Jack sat wondering what he was going to do for twenty four hours while Irina could only imagine why Jack was suddenly giving her charge of the operation.
For the following five minutes, though it felt like a decade, their thoughts meandered around each other, eventually returning to the subject which Irina had abruptly cut short. Despite having risked her own upper hand in changing the subject, Irina was now regretting not pushing for more information, even it was just for the shock that Jack had known perfectly well would ensue.
She glanced up to find him watching her again and rose quickly, suddenly and unpredictably, quite upset. "What are you looking at?" The anger brought her accent out even more, much to Jack's interest.
He looked at her from sitting down. "I," he started defiantly, "Am really starting to get on your nerves."
"Of course you are!" she responded.
He grinned, the small creases around his eyes forming as the humour overtook him. This, of course, only served to upset her even more. "You're infuriating! You always have been!"
He nodded, as though she was commenting on the state of the weather, "How so?"
She glared at him, knowing his game, knowing that he was answering all her questions and looks with the most honest opinions he had because she didn't expect it and it was, indeed, infuriating. But what could she do. Counter it, but how? She wracked her brains trying to work out just how to beat her ever-ready opponent. Smirking slightly, though still enraged, she answered her own question: by giving him a taste of his own medicine.
"I think I've told you all of this before, perhaps you just like hearing it," she paused, watching as the smug look slowly ebbed away from her 'husband's' face. "You're smart, one of only a few people that I actually consider to have half a brain. You know what you're doing and you're most often correct in your assumptions. You know me better than is safe, you can play with me better than anyone else," she paused seeing the smug look was now completely gone as he realized what she was leading to, "You manage to be irresistibly attractive while still," again she paused, this time for effect, "Dangling just out of my reach."
She grinned as he slumped back, the power of her statement hitting him like a tidal wave, but she wasn't finished yet, not quite. "But that's not so bad, that's not the bit that really gets to me." He glared at her, not ready to hear what she had to say, but willing her to say it all the same. "It's the fact that every moment, of every day, I sit there, and watch you watching me and I hate you," he was crushed, he wasn't going to admit it, but he was, he bit his lip, angry at himself more than anything else. The emotion didn't last long as he turned his thoughts, with much force, back to what Irina was saying as she continued to speak, moving to position herself on her knees in front of him, "Almost, as much, I think, as I love you."
She leaned forward, ever so agonizingly slowly, and kept her eyes locked with his until the last moment when her lips gently moving over his. It was brief and mild and simple. She made no move to further the action and after a second, at most, leaned back and sat down across from him. Smiling, she spoke to the obviously shocked man in front of her who was deftly biting his lower lip in a futile attempt to recapture the taste Irina had previewed to him.
"But I wouldn't want to complicate things, would I?" She looked calm and unaffected by what had just taken place but what Jack didn't know was that inside she was holding on by a very thin thread to the small voice of reason that told her not to scramble over the slight area separating them and ravage him until satisfied beyond belief. Instead of doing this she stayed back, waiting, each precious second raising her temperature, it would seem another twenty degrees.
All Jack could do, on the other hand, was stare at her, wondering whether this was some incredibly cruel trick or is she was actually being honest. If she was being honest, for whatever reason, he saw little point to trying to argue with her.
The stalemate lasted another twelve seconds; Irina actually knew this figure as she counted slowly to twenty in her head, positive that she would die if she got to the number. The air was thickening and the undeniable flicker of desire was evident in both sets of eyes.
Yet still Jack wasn't sure and asked, "What did you say?"
Irina looked at him, head cocked as she tried to remember the last this she had said, "I don't remember." She stuttered, her voice rasping at the same time.
Jack grinned, faintly, "Why don't you remember?"
Irina watched him, eyes wide as she saw her opening and dived, not bothering to grab any kind of safety net because she knew, at this stage, that she was already gone, "You wanna know why?"
"Yeah I do." He said, all hesitation leaving him.
"Because I am far, far too busy thinking about how many ways, how many places and how many times I could possibly make love to you before I die."
She shut her mouth abruptly, not sure what she had just given away. Too scared to let the silence ring out she questioned him back, "Why did you have to ask me what I'd said?"
He watched her, knowing what he was thinking was wrong, that it broke more rules than he knew existed and could land him in a million different, equally bad, situations, but at that time it didn't really matter and he answered, not for the shock, but for the honesty, "Because I had to be absolutely sure of where you stood before I did this."
Irina didn't even have the time to comprehend what it was that he had said before their lips were joined again. This time, however, the kiss wasn't mild but roaring hot and there was very little care taken as was evident as Jack's hands roughly grabbed her upper arms to forcefully drag her closer to him.
Both knew that bruises were already forming, both where Jack's hands had grabbed her and where Irina's back, somehow, miraculously, was now pushed up again the foot high pile of rocks from which the hot spring was now sending heated water down Irina's back.
The kiss was good, neither would deny it if questioned and as they took the time to explore each other's mouths again, to feel out and taste just what they continued to chastise themselves over having missed for twenty years, the air became scarce and they reluctantly pulled apart.
Jack looked up at the beautifully messed up woman in front of him from where his head rested on her shoulder, his breath coming in heavy, work- laden breaths. Her head was leaning back, her hair getting wet along with her back as she, too, fought for breath.
She glanced at him and saw the raw look of need flittering over his face. She grinned; she loved when he got like this, though it hadn't happened for over twenty years and even then the power behind him had never been quite so full-on. She grinned, "You gonna keep going? Or would you rather take it slow?"
She moved in, but he stopped her with a hand on her side, his thumb stroking her abdomen tenderly to counteract what she might have taken as withdrawal. "Before that, there is just one little thing that, if I don't tell you right now, I'll die."
Her brow creased as the million things that he could say which would ruin this little adventure crept into her mind. Tentatively, she asked, "What?"
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Chapter 38
The shock that passed over Irina's face was evident. If only for a moment before being replaced with a glare that made Jack thank God, and his old mentor, for the help.
"What?" he asked innocently, though his thoughts were anything but.
She sighed, not sure how to respond and decided to actually allow her opposition a small victory in return for escaping the conversation. She changed the subject, "How long are we going to stay down here?"
"How long do you think we should stay down here?" he asked back, adding quickly onto the end, seeing another question being shot his way, "Honestly?"
Irina paused, letting the gentle breeze that was blowing through whip her hair about her face before answering, adopting Jack's previous method of shock treatment and being completely blunt and honest, as he had requested, "Minimum...until tomorrow night."
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, instead waiting for at least a little elaboration. She continued, "I saw his face, I'm a good judge of character and I know he's still up there. Waiting. We just have to wait until he either leaves or drops his guard low enough that we can sneak past."
"Tomorrow night? Twenty four hours?" Jack asked.
"Minimum."
The silence that followed, for once, was incredibly uncomfortable and neither knew why. Jack sat wondering what he was going to do for twenty four hours while Irina could only imagine why Jack was suddenly giving her charge of the operation.
For the following five minutes, though it felt like a decade, their thoughts meandered around each other, eventually returning to the subject which Irina had abruptly cut short. Despite having risked her own upper hand in changing the subject, Irina was now regretting not pushing for more information, even it was just for the shock that Jack had known perfectly well would ensue.
She glanced up to find him watching her again and rose quickly, suddenly and unpredictably, quite upset. "What are you looking at?" The anger brought her accent out even more, much to Jack's interest.
He looked at her from sitting down. "I," he started defiantly, "Am really starting to get on your nerves."
"Of course you are!" she responded.
He grinned, the small creases around his eyes forming as the humour overtook him. This, of course, only served to upset her even more. "You're infuriating! You always have been!"
He nodded, as though she was commenting on the state of the weather, "How so?"
She glared at him, knowing his game, knowing that he was answering all her questions and looks with the most honest opinions he had because she didn't expect it and it was, indeed, infuriating. But what could she do. Counter it, but how? She wracked her brains trying to work out just how to beat her ever-ready opponent. Smirking slightly, though still enraged, she answered her own question: by giving him a taste of his own medicine.
"I think I've told you all of this before, perhaps you just like hearing it," she paused, watching as the smug look slowly ebbed away from her 'husband's' face. "You're smart, one of only a few people that I actually consider to have half a brain. You know what you're doing and you're most often correct in your assumptions. You know me better than is safe, you can play with me better than anyone else," she paused seeing the smug look was now completely gone as he realized what she was leading to, "You manage to be irresistibly attractive while still," again she paused, this time for effect, "Dangling just out of my reach."
She grinned as he slumped back, the power of her statement hitting him like a tidal wave, but she wasn't finished yet, not quite. "But that's not so bad, that's not the bit that really gets to me." He glared at her, not ready to hear what she had to say, but willing her to say it all the same. "It's the fact that every moment, of every day, I sit there, and watch you watching me and I hate you," he was crushed, he wasn't going to admit it, but he was, he bit his lip, angry at himself more than anything else. The emotion didn't last long as he turned his thoughts, with much force, back to what Irina was saying as she continued to speak, moving to position herself on her knees in front of him, "Almost, as much, I think, as I love you."
She leaned forward, ever so agonizingly slowly, and kept her eyes locked with his until the last moment when her lips gently moving over his. It was brief and mild and simple. She made no move to further the action and after a second, at most, leaned back and sat down across from him. Smiling, she spoke to the obviously shocked man in front of her who was deftly biting his lower lip in a futile attempt to recapture the taste Irina had previewed to him.
"But I wouldn't want to complicate things, would I?" She looked calm and unaffected by what had just taken place but what Jack didn't know was that inside she was holding on by a very thin thread to the small voice of reason that told her not to scramble over the slight area separating them and ravage him until satisfied beyond belief. Instead of doing this she stayed back, waiting, each precious second raising her temperature, it would seem another twenty degrees.
All Jack could do, on the other hand, was stare at her, wondering whether this was some incredibly cruel trick or is she was actually being honest. If she was being honest, for whatever reason, he saw little point to trying to argue with her.
The stalemate lasted another twelve seconds; Irina actually knew this figure as she counted slowly to twenty in her head, positive that she would die if she got to the number. The air was thickening and the undeniable flicker of desire was evident in both sets of eyes.
Yet still Jack wasn't sure and asked, "What did you say?"
Irina looked at him, head cocked as she tried to remember the last this she had said, "I don't remember." She stuttered, her voice rasping at the same time.
Jack grinned, faintly, "Why don't you remember?"
Irina watched him, eyes wide as she saw her opening and dived, not bothering to grab any kind of safety net because she knew, at this stage, that she was already gone, "You wanna know why?"
"Yeah I do." He said, all hesitation leaving him.
"Because I am far, far too busy thinking about how many ways, how many places and how many times I could possibly make love to you before I die."
She shut her mouth abruptly, not sure what she had just given away. Too scared to let the silence ring out she questioned him back, "Why did you have to ask me what I'd said?"
He watched her, knowing what he was thinking was wrong, that it broke more rules than he knew existed and could land him in a million different, equally bad, situations, but at that time it didn't really matter and he answered, not for the shock, but for the honesty, "Because I had to be absolutely sure of where you stood before I did this."
Irina didn't even have the time to comprehend what it was that he had said before their lips were joined again. This time, however, the kiss wasn't mild but roaring hot and there was very little care taken as was evident as Jack's hands roughly grabbed her upper arms to forcefully drag her closer to him.
Both knew that bruises were already forming, both where Jack's hands had grabbed her and where Irina's back, somehow, miraculously, was now pushed up again the foot high pile of rocks from which the hot spring was now sending heated water down Irina's back.
The kiss was good, neither would deny it if questioned and as they took the time to explore each other's mouths again, to feel out and taste just what they continued to chastise themselves over having missed for twenty years, the air became scarce and they reluctantly pulled apart.
Jack looked up at the beautifully messed up woman in front of him from where his head rested on her shoulder, his breath coming in heavy, work- laden breaths. Her head was leaning back, her hair getting wet along with her back as she, too, fought for breath.
She glanced at him and saw the raw look of need flittering over his face. She grinned; she loved when he got like this, though it hadn't happened for over twenty years and even then the power behind him had never been quite so full-on. She grinned, "You gonna keep going? Or would you rather take it slow?"
She moved in, but he stopped her with a hand on her side, his thumb stroking her abdomen tenderly to counteract what she might have taken as withdrawal. "Before that, there is just one little thing that, if I don't tell you right now, I'll die."
Her brow creased as the million things that he could say which would ruin this little adventure crept into her mind. Tentatively, she asked, "What?"
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