Chapter Nine

Freedom?

It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be…there were a few raised eyebrows when she and Woody brought the box with the Simmons case to the conference room at the morgue. Her co-workers knew better to make a scene concerning Woody. Garret pulled her aside and asked, "What the hell happened?"

Ruefully, she explained, omitting her breakdown and flashbacks about Digger. "I'm going to go over a few things with Drew and call it a day," she said. "Is that okay?"

"Fine by me…go home and get some real rest, but make sure Mr. G-man is fine with it, too." He nodded toward Haley.

Drew looked at her long and hard and raised one eyebrow. "Are you okay?" he asked her softly in her ear, while Woody was in the room.

"I'm fine," she nearly snapped. Woody might be a foul-tempered bastard at times, but he wasn't a monster.

"Just wanted to know that he didn't hurt you…again. Look…go home. Get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'll wade through the Simmons case and see if there's any corresponding evidence."

"I can stay if you need me, too."

Drew shook his head. "Nope. You're grumpy when you don't get enough sleep." He flashed her his most charming smile, having said the comment just loudly enough for Woody to hear.

Jordan was aware of what Drew had done and why he had done it…to get a rise out of Woody. She would be so glad when both of these alpha-males could go back to their own offices. Muttering under her breath, she grabbed her pocketbook and jacket and stalked to her car, mumbling a good-bye and "thanks" to Woody on the way out.

"She thanked you?" Drew asked. "What on earth for?"

Woody grinned and focused back on the Simmons evidence. Let Drew think what he wanted. He would never tell the profiler any different. Meanwhile, Woody worried just how much rest Jordan would really get…or if dreams of Digger would continue to interrupt her sleep.

That thought was still on his mind three hours later when he finally left Drew alone to sift through the rest of Simmons evidence on his own. "Go home," Drew had finally demanded, exasperated by Woody's foul temper. "Get some sleep and come back tomorrow. Jordan may be grumpy when she doesn't get enough sleep. You're grouchy all the time for no reason."

Woody had left the morgue, sliding the knot down on his tie and unbuttoning the top button on his shirt. God, what a day…what a last couple of days, he thought, wincing at his own lack of sleep and Jordan's memories. He wondered once more just how Jordan was doing…if she was truly able to rest…if Digger was invading her dreams. Finally, he gave up the fight and pointed his car towards Pearle Street. He wouldn't be able to rest until he got some answers.

Ten minutes later, he was knocking on Jordan's front door. "Just a minute," she called, as she came to the door. "Woody? Is every thing all right? Do I need to come back to work? Why aren't you home resting? Your back…."

"Can I come in? I promise I won't stay long."

She pushed the door open a little wider and let him walk through. "Why are you here?" she continued to ask.

He guessed he was the last person she expected to see in her apartment again. Hands on his hips he turned to face her…with a weariness on his face that touched her heart. "Everything at the morgue is fine…you don't need to come back in today. I just need to…to…" What are you going to say? Hold you again… this time maybe when you're not scared out of your wits?

"To what?"

"See if you were okay. I mean last night, the flashbacks of Digger…you were pretty wigged out…I was worried."

She swallowed hard and tightened the belt on her robe. "I'm better than I was. I'm not going to lie to you…being locked in that room was scary for me…you have no idea…"

"I relive my shooting nearly every night in my dreams, Jordan."

"Then you do know how it is…"

Woody nodded. "Better than most."

She lowered her head a moment to digest that thought. Finally raising her eyes back to his, she spoke. "Thanks…then…for everything you did for me last night. I know it wasn't easy for you to be sitting on that floor last night – all night long – with me practically in your lap. I know I must have hurt your back…I wasn't thinking clearly…"

"You needed me. It was that simple." He laughed then. "I think that was the first time you really needed me the entire time I've known you, Jordan Cavanaugh."

She smiled. "No, there was a few other times you've come in handy…bailing me out in LA…trading your Kinks tickets for information…."

"It was worth it." He sighed and looked at her. "We made a good team, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did." She bit her lip and looked away, blinking back tears and praying he didn't hear the break in her voice.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Too bad everything got in the way, you know? Too bad it's over. God only knows what else we could have done."

She just nodded, not trusting her voice.

"I guess I'd better be going. I just wanted to stop by and make sure you were okay." He started to walk past her to go to the door.

"I'm…okay. Thanks again, Wood."

He stopped in front of her instead, reached out and gently wiped a tear off her cheek. "You don't seem okay."

"Then what do I seem like?" she asked, her voice a mere whisper, her eyes on his lips.

"Like…like you need this." He bent and covered her lips with his.

She hesitated for only a half a moment, thoughts whirling through her head…he's got the wrong idea…he doesn't want you…he said he didn't. So why are you letting him kiss you?

Then in a moment of perfect clarity she realized that she needed it. Call it making one more memory of him to make a bad day better…call it residual lust that needed to be blown away…call it unrequited love….call it passion, desire, or a thousand other things, but she needed him…more than water….more than her next breath…she needed him. Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him closer, and opened her mouth.

And he met her with equal passion…having needed her close to him again for so long he had lost count of the days. Gently he framed her face with his hands, then ran one hand through her long chestnut hair…finally wrapping the length of it around one hand at the base of her head and anchoring her to him…the other arm held her tightly around the waist…waiting for her to try to pull away.

Instead she only gasped for breath as his tongue caressed hers with increasing intimacy. He was only vaguely aware of it himself, feeling her move closer to him…straining to be as close as she could through the terrycloth of her robe. When he released her lips to find that sensitive spot beneath her ear, he heard her sharp intake of breath. When he allowed his tongue to liberally explore the same area, she melted against him.

Oh, hell… he thought. What he had imagined would begin and end with a good-night kiss…a promise of things to come…was quickly getting out of hand…turning more passionate by the second. Soon he wouldn't be able to stop. Sooner than that, he wouldn't want to. A brief glance down at Jordan, taking in her glazed eyes and softly smudged lips, let him know she didn't want to stop, either. Damn…I hope she doesn't regret this in the morning…He began to back her towards her bedroom, expecting her to halt him somewhere along the way. Nothing doing. Her hands finished removing his jacket and tie, and began to unbutton his shirt.

No words were spoken as she finished removing his clothes and he reached for the tie belt of her robe, releasing it and then slidingthe garmentfrom her shoulders. She was bare beneath the robe…he figured she was. "Oh, Jesus," he breathed. "You're beautiful." She blushed and tentatively touched his bare chest with her hands. "Not getting shy on me, are you?" he asked…his voice sounding strained.

"No…" She lightly traced his scar…the one where the bullet had entered his body…An angry red line now…although it would eventually fade to pink as the years went by. Then she lowered her head and kissed it. "I wish I could take it away…all the hurt…what you went through…"

He pulled her face back up to his and kissed her again. "It's over…don't worry about it….especially now…" He twisted and toppled her on the bed.

For the life of him, what happened after that remained a blur. Whether it was exhaustion that caused the details to be fuzzy or if was just the fact that he had wanted her for so long and now had her and his mind couldn't comprehend it, he never would know. He remembered long, wet, kisses…slow and deliberate….kissing her neck and shoulders…lightly cupping her breasts with his hands and feeling her arch against him…replacing his hands with his lips. Feeling her arch against him again…more urgently. Sliding his hands up her thigh…making sure she was okay and ready…

There had been nothing but sighs and moans until then…when she suddenly gripped him. "Jordan," he managed to choke out.

"You don't like it?"

He shook his head. "Quite the opposite. I like it too much." He endured it for a moment or two before he made to slide into her.

She put her hand on his chest then. "Your back? Should I be on top?"

Woody shook his head and grimaced. "Not this time, sweetheart. Later." Then he began to move in her…slow at first, but building up speed at the passion mounted and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He could feel her tell-tale clinch a few minutes later and he quickly followed her. Then spent, he lay on top of her…hearing both of their breathing finally steady out…he had expected her to pull away…instead she wound both arms around him and pulled him closer.

"Don't leave me?" she whispered. "Please?"

He rolled over and took her with him, settling her on his chest. "I'm not going anywhere else for the rest of the day, baby."

She swallowed her tears, then.

That wasn't what she meant.