Sunday morning broke bright and sunny for Woody and Jordan. Jordan rolled over and was vaguely aware of a hard male body underneath hers. She looked up and found a pair of very serious blue eyes staring back at her. "Good morning," she said, suddenly shy under the intense scrutiny of his gaze.
"Good morning," Woody said. "Feeling okay?" Arching one eyebrow at her, he waited.
"Uh-huh...very okay," she replied, grinning.
"I thought you felt pretty okay, too," said Woody grinning back at her. Jordan blushed up to her roots. He chuckled.
"Shower?" he asked.
"Yeah, but do you have a shirt I could borrow?"
"I think we'll find one somewhere, maybe."
Forty-five minutes later, after a longer than normal shower, Jordan found herself seated at Woody's bar, sipping coffee and watching him flip pancakes. After fixing two platefuls, he took a seat across from her. "We need to talk," he began.
"Oh, no, not another one of those, 'last-night-was-great-but' talks," Jordan said, rolling her eyes.
"No. But last night was great."
"You're welcome."
Woody cuffed her lightly on the arm. "And what about me?"
"No complaints here," she said tenderly, leaning over to kiss him lightly on the lips. He leaned into her kiss, wishing it could last forever. Or at least a little longer. Reluctantly, he pulled away.
"No, this is about my new job. I want you to listen to me carefully, Jordan."
Jordan looked up from her pancakes, startled at the seriousness of Woody's tone. When he knew he had her complete attention, he continued. "I've already got my first assignment. I'm going undercover to expose a drug ring in Boston. It's tricky, it's a bit scary, and it's dangerous." Woody glanced at Jordan to gauge her reaction. She swallowed hard, but said nothing.
"I'll be changing my appearance. Hopefully, no one, not even my mother, will recognize me. I'll be checking in with my supervisor on a regular basis, but other than that, for the next few months, you won't be able to contact me. I'll be in touch with you as much as I safely can, but I can't jeopardize the assignment or the other officers' safety that are involved." Woody reached out and took both of Jordan's hands. "Do you understand, sweetheart?"
Jordan was a cop's daughter. "Of course," she said, wondering how much contact that would be. "How long do you think you'll be on this assignment?"
Woody sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. It's going to take a while to win these guys confidence so they don't suspect me. I imagine it could be six months or longer."
Jordan didn't say anything. She just looked down at her pancakes. She suddenly wasn't hungry anymore and wished she would have told Woody her feelings weeks before now. "In for a penny, out for a pound," she thought. Tightening her grip on his hands, she said "You will be careful, won't you?"
"Of course." Woody bit his lip. "I need to ask you something, Jo. I know we both said a lot last night, but I need to know something. Will you wait for me until this assignment is over?"
Jordan looked deep into Woody's blue eyes, committing that blue to her memory. She had a feeling she would need that memory in the long days and nights ahead. "Of course," she simply replied.
Woody leaned over and kissed her again, the kiss deepening with every minute. When he finally released her, she sighed.
"Woody," she said.
"What, sweetheart?"
"Make love to me again."
And he did. As a matter of fact, they didn't leave his apartment until time to take Jordan home much later that night. Neither one of them said much on the way back to Pearle Street. Jordan was torn between wanting him to go home and get some rest and inviting him in to stay with her one more night. In the end, Woody made the decision for her.
Following her into her apartment, Woody pulled her into his arms and settled himself onto her couch with her in his lap. Tilting her head so that she was looking directly into his eyes, he kissed her deeply. Jordan responded and began to run her hand up his shirt when he stopped her.
"Jor, are you going to be all right?"
"I'll be fine, but I'm going to miss you. I miss you already."
Woody smiled at her. "I'm going to miss you, too. But I'll be in touch as much as I can. Just don't change your e-mail address or your cell phone number anytime soon."
"I won't," Jordan promised.
Woody held her for a while, gently stroking her hair and face. Finally, all too soon, he arose and set Jordan on her feet. "I've got to go. I have to be in the office at 6 a.m.," he said.
Jordan wanted to cry and hold him a while longer. Reluctantly, she walked him to her door. "Woody, please, please be careful," she whispered.
"I will, I promise." Woody slipped something in her hand. It was a small piece of paper with a phone number written on it. "If something bad happens, an emergency, call this number. This is my supervisor's phone. He'll get in touch with me. I've told him you were my fiancé."
Jordan looked at Woody, her eyes widening and jaw dropping.
"Okay, so maybe I haven't asked you properly yet and I haven't had time to buy a ring, but when I get back, that's the first thing on my 'to do' list."
And with that Woody drew her in his arms and hugged her tightly. Bending his head, he kissed her long and hard. Running his finger lightly down her nose, he whispered, "Good night, sweetheart," and left her apartment.
Jordan shut the door and looked at the number for a few minutes. She walked over to her desk and dropped it in the pencil holder and wondered what constituted an emergency – a broken bone or a broken heart.
"Good morning," Woody said. "Feeling okay?" Arching one eyebrow at her, he waited.
"Uh-huh...very okay," she replied, grinning.
"I thought you felt pretty okay, too," said Woody grinning back at her. Jordan blushed up to her roots. He chuckled.
"Shower?" he asked.
"Yeah, but do you have a shirt I could borrow?"
"I think we'll find one somewhere, maybe."
Forty-five minutes later, after a longer than normal shower, Jordan found herself seated at Woody's bar, sipping coffee and watching him flip pancakes. After fixing two platefuls, he took a seat across from her. "We need to talk," he began.
"Oh, no, not another one of those, 'last-night-was-great-but' talks," Jordan said, rolling her eyes.
"No. But last night was great."
"You're welcome."
Woody cuffed her lightly on the arm. "And what about me?"
"No complaints here," she said tenderly, leaning over to kiss him lightly on the lips. He leaned into her kiss, wishing it could last forever. Or at least a little longer. Reluctantly, he pulled away.
"No, this is about my new job. I want you to listen to me carefully, Jordan."
Jordan looked up from her pancakes, startled at the seriousness of Woody's tone. When he knew he had her complete attention, he continued. "I've already got my first assignment. I'm going undercover to expose a drug ring in Boston. It's tricky, it's a bit scary, and it's dangerous." Woody glanced at Jordan to gauge her reaction. She swallowed hard, but said nothing.
"I'll be changing my appearance. Hopefully, no one, not even my mother, will recognize me. I'll be checking in with my supervisor on a regular basis, but other than that, for the next few months, you won't be able to contact me. I'll be in touch with you as much as I safely can, but I can't jeopardize the assignment or the other officers' safety that are involved." Woody reached out and took both of Jordan's hands. "Do you understand, sweetheart?"
Jordan was a cop's daughter. "Of course," she said, wondering how much contact that would be. "How long do you think you'll be on this assignment?"
Woody sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. It's going to take a while to win these guys confidence so they don't suspect me. I imagine it could be six months or longer."
Jordan didn't say anything. She just looked down at her pancakes. She suddenly wasn't hungry anymore and wished she would have told Woody her feelings weeks before now. "In for a penny, out for a pound," she thought. Tightening her grip on his hands, she said "You will be careful, won't you?"
"Of course." Woody bit his lip. "I need to ask you something, Jo. I know we both said a lot last night, but I need to know something. Will you wait for me until this assignment is over?"
Jordan looked deep into Woody's blue eyes, committing that blue to her memory. She had a feeling she would need that memory in the long days and nights ahead. "Of course," she simply replied.
Woody leaned over and kissed her again, the kiss deepening with every minute. When he finally released her, she sighed.
"Woody," she said.
"What, sweetheart?"
"Make love to me again."
And he did. As a matter of fact, they didn't leave his apartment until time to take Jordan home much later that night. Neither one of them said much on the way back to Pearle Street. Jordan was torn between wanting him to go home and get some rest and inviting him in to stay with her one more night. In the end, Woody made the decision for her.
Following her into her apartment, Woody pulled her into his arms and settled himself onto her couch with her in his lap. Tilting her head so that she was looking directly into his eyes, he kissed her deeply. Jordan responded and began to run her hand up his shirt when he stopped her.
"Jor, are you going to be all right?"
"I'll be fine, but I'm going to miss you. I miss you already."
Woody smiled at her. "I'm going to miss you, too. But I'll be in touch as much as I can. Just don't change your e-mail address or your cell phone number anytime soon."
"I won't," Jordan promised.
Woody held her for a while, gently stroking her hair and face. Finally, all too soon, he arose and set Jordan on her feet. "I've got to go. I have to be in the office at 6 a.m.," he said.
Jordan wanted to cry and hold him a while longer. Reluctantly, she walked him to her door. "Woody, please, please be careful," she whispered.
"I will, I promise." Woody slipped something in her hand. It was a small piece of paper with a phone number written on it. "If something bad happens, an emergency, call this number. This is my supervisor's phone. He'll get in touch with me. I've told him you were my fiancé."
Jordan looked at Woody, her eyes widening and jaw dropping.
"Okay, so maybe I haven't asked you properly yet and I haven't had time to buy a ring, but when I get back, that's the first thing on my 'to do' list."
And with that Woody drew her in his arms and hugged her tightly. Bending his head, he kissed her long and hard. Running his finger lightly down her nose, he whispered, "Good night, sweetheart," and left her apartment.
Jordan shut the door and looked at the number for a few minutes. She walked over to her desk and dropped it in the pencil holder and wondered what constituted an emergency – a broken bone or a broken heart.