Chapter 17

"Honey, I'm home," Bobby called as he opened the front door of his temporary home later that night. He couldn't help, but smile at how comfortable that felt. Even though it had only been a few days, he'd grown accustomed to having her around and was dreading the end of the case.

Well, enjoy it while you can, Bobby thought as he threw his jacket over the back of the sofa in the living room and went in search of his 'wife'.

It didn't take him long to find her, perched on her knees on the kitchen counter, struggling to reach something on the top shelf of the pantry. Bobby knew he should help, but he couldn't stop himself from just watching her for a moment.

The fading sunlight glistening through the window brightened the golden strands of her hair, making him ache to run his fingers through the silky locks. Her tiny frame wiggled as Tara tried to squeeze her hand to the back of the shelf, and Bobby longed to wrap his arms around her, pull her close, and never let her go.

But I can't, he sighed regretfully, remembering their pact. I need to give her the space she needs, Bobby told himself firmly, moving forward to help her. As his shoes clicked on the tile floor, Tara jerked around, losing her precarious hold on the cabinet, and started falling backwards.

Bobby's eyes widened when he saw her start to slip from the counter and lunged towards her, grabbing her around the waist as Tara yelped in surprise. Unfortunately, his foot slid on the rug in front of the sink, causing him to lose his balance, sending them both tumbling to the floor in a heap.

As Bobby landed with a thud on his back, he gazed up at a surprised and confused Tara sprawled across him. Instinctively, his arms tightened around her to cushion her fall as he fought the urge to pull her closer.

"Ah," Bobby stammered, unable to think of anything to say as his heart pounded in his ears like a jackhammer. His hands slowly moved up and down her back as his eyes locked with hers.

His breath caught in his throat when he realized her mouth was only inches from his. In his heart, he longed to close the distance between them while his mind told him not to move.

It would be a mistake, Bobby told himself sternly, but all he could think about was kissing. About him kissing her. About her kissing him back. She's already made it clear she doesn't want more. It would be a huge mistake, his mouth went dry with the very notion.

His mind raced with the knowledge of how those wonderfully soft lips would feel pressed to his. Bobby wanted to forget everything and enjoy that one perfect moment of bliss again, when everything was right with the world.

Bobby realized suddenly that he'd raised his head towards her just a hair. It was subtle but maybe enough to be sending a signal that relayed what was going through his mind. A signal he knew better to give at this point.

He pressed his head against the floor, hoping the slight turn of his head would overcompensate if she'd noticed his slip. Desperately, Bobby tried to think of something witty to say, but his mind wouldn't cooperate as his eyes continued to be drawn to her lips.

"You better get that," Tara murmured, looking away as she pulled herself out of his grasp and quickly stood up.

As he watched her move away, Bobby tried to figure out what she was talking about. Get what? he wondered. Finally, the shrill ring of his cell phone penetrated the fog in his mind. Oh, he thought, shoving his hand into his pocket, his eyes following her as she moved around the room.

"Manning," Bobby barked into the phone as he pushed himself to his feet. He knew giving her the space she needed would be difficult, but he never expected it to be this complicated. He'd just have to work harder to stay away from her.

Which should be easy, Bobby thought sarcastically as he recalled their assignment. Maybe after this is over, I should ask Jack about an assignment away from the team. If anyone can understand, he would, he sighed.

"Yeah, I'm here," Bobby snapped when he realized the person on the other end of the phone had called his name again. Turning, he purposefully strode out of the kitchen, hoping a little distance would help him think more clearly.

Chapter 18

Tara breathed a sigh of relief when Bobby left the room to take the call. Leaning her hands against the counter, she struggled to control her erratic heartbeat. Before his phone rang, Tara could have sworn Bobby was going to kiss her, and it bothered her how much she wanted it.

But it was only my imagination, Tara told herself, trying not to think about his expressive eyes and mile-wide shoulders. She sighed deeply as she thought of his large hands that could cup the entire back of her head against the pressure of his kiss.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it," she said firmly. Tara honestly didn't want to be thinking the things she was thinking. She didn't want to be attracted to any man, let alone one of her best friends. She honestly didn't want any boost to her ego that could make her vulnerable again.

Tara couldn't afford to risk anything that might make history repeat itself again. She wouldn't allow herself to be put into that same emotional state that had followed the break-ups with Stanley and Rob. She would never willingly open herself up again to more of the grief that she'd felt previously.

"So get your head out of the clouds," Tara instructed herself as the kitchen timer went off, indicating dinner was ready.

By the time Bobby finished his phone call and returned to the kitchen, Tara was putting the dinner on the table. When he entered, she glanced up at him shyly but continued working.

"Can I help with anything?" Bobby asked as he leaned nonchalantly against the doorframe.

"No, I've got everything," Tara muttered t,urning back towards the stove trying to block out her thoughts of how natural he looked standing there in 'her' kitchen. "Who was that on the phone?" she called over her shoulder as she dished out the food onto the plates, hoping to get her mind off her wayward thoughts.

"Jack," Bobby stated from just behind her, causing her to jump. "I asked him to check into SAIC Franklin's background a little for me," he declared, taking the plates from her and returning to the table.

"Franklin? Why?" Tara questioned, slowly following him to the table unable to stop her eyes from traveling appreciatively down his muscular back.

Get a grip, Williams! she admonished herself, not quite believing that he could act as if their little incident on the floor had never occurred. You're not some hormonal teenager with a crush. He's a co-worker and nothing more, she tried telling herself as Bobby pulled the chair out for her. Unfortunately, no matter how many times she told herself that, she couldn't quite make herself believe it.

"Uh, Hannah indicated there was some bad blood between Franklin and Brad Morgan," Bobby explained as he took the chair across from her.

"Hannah?" Tara raised her eyebrow curiously. She couldn't help the little pang of jealousy she felt at hearing him mention this other woman.

"Hannah Starr, the shelia I work with at the Austin RA," Bobby clarified as he dove into the meal in front of him. "We got to go to lunch today, and I questioned her a bit about the Morgans. She indicated things might not be what they seem with our friendly SAIC," he continued as Tara watched him eat.

"Actually, I was able to speak to members of Brad Morgan's team today, and while Kat and Shanna felt there was some friction between Morgan and Wayne…" Tara sighed resigning herself to talking about the case to get her mind off her wayward thoughts.

"Wayne?" Bobby's fork stopped midway to his mouth as his eyes shot to her face. Since she was looking down at her plate pushing the food around with her fork, Tara missed the intense look he gave her.

"You know, SAIC Franklin," Tara clarified with an absentminded wave of her hand. "Anyway, they thought all the showboating was some macho boasting between the two of them, and Colton, Carlton, and Cameron seemed to agree when we went to lunch," she continued.

"Colton, Carlton, and Cameron? Sounds like the names of a law firm or something," Bobby smirked sarcastically. "Those last names? I don't recognize them from the briefing materials we were given on Morgan's team," he asked curiously.

"First," Tara corrected, glancing up at him briefly. "Well, except Colton. His real name is James Colton Rand, but his dad was James so he went with Colton," she explained. "And no, Taylor, Moss, and Davidson transferred to another team. Only Kat and Shanna actually worked directly with Morgan, but everyone knew him because of the arguments he'd have with Wayne," she finished, forcing herself to take a bite of the meat she'd cut. I hope my stomach has calmed down enough that this will stay down, she thought

"That's exactly why I think Franklin's involved in the Morgan's disappearance," Bobby maintained, returning to his meal.

"Because an employee argued with his supervisor?" Tara questioned sarcastically. "A little weak, Bobby, and besides I'm the lead agent on this assignment, if I heard Garrett correctly, so I think we need to do more investigating before we assume it's Wayne," Tara sighed. Why is he so caught up on Wayne at this point? she wondered. We've only been here a day?

"Well, in addition to the arguments, it's not normal for a SAIC to take over an investigation," Bobby insisted strongly.

"The office was short staffed, and Kat explained that Wayne takes the backlog when that happens," Tara explained, slowly losing her patience.

"Taking the Morgan case would be convenient, if he didn't want to risk anyone finding out his involvement," Bobby mentioned.

"Then he probably wouldn't have authorized me looking into Morgan's cases and checking up on what he found," Tara sighed. She had to agree with Bobby, but she didn't want to believe it. Wayne had been so open and honest with her during the day, that she was reluctant to accuse him yet.

"Why did he do that?"

"I was helping him with a firewall for the office, and I asked," Tara shrugged. "Wayne was quite impressed with my skills, so he was willing to let me take a look at them. You know there's never been a firewall built better than mine," she boasted.

Bobby looked up then, recalling what Hannah said earlier about Denise Morgan. Franklin was awed by Denise's computer skills, the brunette agent had told him over lunch. At first, Denise had been enamored with his Texas drawl, but eventually she dreaded the SAIC's visits, she'd said.

"I want you to stay away from Franklin until Jack and Myles can get here and check him out," Bobby demanded abruptly. I need ask Hannah more about that in the morning, he reminded himself.

"You want me to what? Until Jack and Myles can get here?" Tara repeated incensed. "I'm an agent too, Manning, and I can take care of myself. I can also check out anyone or anything I see fit," she shouted, slamming her fork down on the table.

"Calm down, shelia…" Bobby started.

"I will NOT calm down," Tara raged. "I'm tired of you, and Jack and Myles, constantly telling me what to do. I'm in charge here, and I will NOT have you dictating to me," she shouted, standing up so suddenly that her chair flew backwards, banging against the floor as it tipped over.

"I'm…"

"Your assignment was to check out the RA," Tara reminded him. "As the lead agent, I will continue my investigation at the San Antonio office and, whether my investigation includes Wayne or anyone else in that office, I will decide that myself," Tara roared before stalking out of the room, leaving Bobby gaping after her.