Chapter 2: The Kiss
Jack found Sue in the kitchen petting Levi. A big smile appeared on her face when she saw him, and he gave her the thumbs-up. "You know, I think you may have missed your calling. You put on quite the performance in there. It's safe to say that any suspicions they had were put to rest tonight," Jack told her with a grin.
"Thanks. I can't take all the credit though. You did very well yourself," Sue replied, narrowing her eyes at him. "And I can't believe you said that! Am I still blushing?" she asked him, touching her cheeks.
"Not so much. I'm sorry but I couldn't resist." Sue glared at him but it turned into a smile as he grinned back at her. "Come on, you've got to admit it, you left yourself wide open for that one."
"Well, I'd say we're definitely onto the right people. We just need to keep this up for awhile longer, and we should be in touch with the kidnappers themselves before too long," Sue said, smoothly changing the subject before they got too far off track. She grabbed Levi's stuffed bunny off the floor and tossed it across the room for him. He went after it and settled in the corner, gnawing what was left of the poor bunny. Jack grinned at the dog, shaking his head.
"Yes, I think we do have the right people and we're too close to take any chances now. We've got to be as convincing as possible to pull this off," Jack said. Sue nodded in agreement and was about to say something when he put a finger on her lips to silence her. "I think our company is coming to check on us," he whispered so that Mary and Sam didn't hear. "Are you ready to do some serious convincing?" he asked, putting a hand on the small of her back, pulling her slightly closer to him. Sue nodded again, her heart beating faster as she got the full meaning of his words.
As she slid her arms around his neck and they looked into each other's eyes, they both saw hesitation there. Sue told herself that this wouldn't mean a thing, they were doing it all in the line of duty. It was for the good of their case, nothing else. With their faces only inches apart, Jack took the initiative and kissed her. He gently pulled her even closer to him and knew that when Mary and Sam entered the kitchen there would be no mistaking what they were walking in on.
Sue had closed her eyes the moment their lips had met and rather than dwell on the awkwardness of the moment, she chose to enjoy it instead. It was almost too easy to lose herself in the feeling of his lips on hers and his hands around her waist, holding her against him.
Jack kissed her, surprised by the passion in it, and he felt Sue respond in kind. He knew that if they wanted to fool Mary and Sam they would have to do more than exchange a chaste peck on the lips. At the moment though, he was having a hard time convincing himself that this particular kiss was all for show. The emotions he was feeling were very real.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Mary's exclamation caused Jack to gently break the kiss, but he kept his arms around Sue. He glanced at her and was certain he caught just a glimmer of disappointment in her eyes. They turned to the other couple in the room who looked suitably embarrassed to find them in a clinch. "We didn't mean to interrupt," Mary insisted. "We just wanted to make sure you were okay, Sue."
"Apparently our fears were unwarranted. Your husband obviously has you well taken care of," Sam commented with a very amused expression on his face. Sue wriggled out of Jack's embrace but reached for his hand as she tried to regain her composure. She was breathing fast, and Jack wondered if it was because of the kiss or just the whole situation they were in. His own heart was pounding furiously, and he was having a hard time focussing on the task at hand. All he could think about was the kiss they'd just shared and how he wished it hadn't ended so soon.
"I'm sorry," Sue insisted, casting an embarrassed glance at Jack before turning back to Sam and Mary. He noticed she had carefully avoided making eye contact with him. "I just get so emotional when we talk about having a child."
"It's okay, Sue. Really," Mary said gently, then turned to her husband. "We should probably get going, Honey."
"You're right. I would imagine the dogs need to go outside," Sam agreed, glancing at his watch.
"No, you don't have to leave," Sue protested. She had been hoping they would have an opportunity to get more information, since things had been going so well. Plus, she wasn't ready to address the way she was feeling right now and having them stay would be a good distraction.
"We really should. It's getting late. Besides, I think you two would probably like to be alone..." Mary replied teasingly. Sam laughed along with his wife, and Jack squeezed Sue's hand, giving her a small smile. She smiled back but looked away just as quickly as before. Jack honestly didn't want them to leave either. The thought of being alone with Sue so soon after their kiss made him incredibly nervous. He had a feeling things were going to be more than a little awkward and wondered if he had made a mistake even suggesting it. Obviously it had helped their case but what would the aftermath be?
Well, thanks for coming," Sue said, as the two couples walked to the front door.
Mary turned so that Sue could see her lips. "It was great, thanks for having us. Next time it's our turn to host. We were going to ask you over first but you beat us to it. I can't believe how organized you are only three days after moving in!" she exclaimed.
"Well, we do want to get to know our neighbors since we want to settle down here, so we didn't see any reason to waste time," Sue replied.
"Good point," Mary said as they reached the door. "How about you two come for dinner the day after tomorrow? Plus, by then we should have more information for you about that adoption agency we mentioned."
"That would be great," Jack said. "We don't have plans then, do we Sweetie?" he asked, turning to Sue.
"No, dinner sounds great," she said, nodding.
"Good!" Sam said, holding Mary's coat for her to slip into. "How about you two come over around six then?"
"We'll be there," Jack assured them. They exchanged good-byes, and Jack locked the door behind them. He turned to look at Sue but was surprised to see she'd already left the room. He heard the sound of glasses clinking together and followed the noise to the living room where he found her putting the dishes back onto the serving tray. She hadn't noticed him enter the room so he gently put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, her brown eyes very serious, despite the small smile she gave him.
"Hey, why don't you let me help you with this," Jack said, gently taking the tray from her hands. She complied and turned away from him, straightening the cushions on the couch. Jack took the hint and after picking up the rest of the dishes he carried the tray into the kitchen, knowing that she would come talk to him when she was ready.
Sue felt guilty for avoiding Jack, but she just didn't know what to say to him. It was difficult to act natural and pretend that the kiss hadn't affected her, when just the opposite was true. Still, she knew that avoiding him was only going to make the situation worse. After all, they were living together, and if they were going to break this case then they would have to work together too. Somehow, they would just have to get past this. Turning around with a sigh, she saw that Jack had left her alone in the room. Well, turnabout is fair play...she thought to herself, picking up the empty iced tea pitcher and carrying it to the kitchen.
She realized that she was probably blowing this whole thing out of proportion. Her body had just reacted naturally to what had felt like a very tender, very passionate kiss. Even though she knew that it hadn't been real, it didn't change the way she was feeling. Undercover or not, she couldn't just turn her emotions on and off like a light-switch. She doubted that Jack could either, remembering the way he'd looked at her after that kiss.