"Well, that's it." Wilson dejectedly plopped down beside her in the blue vinyl chair. He rubbed his hand through his hair and leaned his head back.
"So, no flights anywhere?" Allison knew the answer before she even asked, but it seemed that talking about it might release some of his tension.
"No. None. Zilch. We are snowed in at Chicago O'Hare on New Year's Eve." Wilson spoke while looking up at the ceiling, as if it would give him the answer he was looking for. "I told Cuddy not to send us to this conference when a major snowfall had been predicted for Chicago! Why couldn't she send us to Hawaii?" he muttered almost to himself.
Allison was trying to see the positive side of their being snowed in. For one thing, at least they weren't flying through the snowstorm. The very thought caused a slight shiver to run down her spine, as she hated flying in bad weather and avoided it whenever possible. Staying here until the storm cleared was just fine with her.
She tried to ease some of his frustration, by volunteering to find them somewhere to spend the night. "Do you want me to go see if they have any hotels in the area that aren't full?"
"Yeah, okay. I don't think you'll find any, but it won't hurt to try." He watched as she got up and grabbed her briefcase and purse.
"I'll try the concierge's desk, and then the airlines, to see what I can find. Stay here so that I can find you later, okay?" She looked down at him and he nodded. She could tell he was upset by their dilemma, and she was hoping to help make them more comfortable.
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After speaking with the management of quite a few hotels around the airport, it became clear that they weren't going anywhere in the vicinity for accommodations. She hoped that he would agree to the plans that she had made on their behalf, and made her way back to where Wilson was sitting. As she got closer, she found herself unable to resist the opportunity to look closely at him, without his knowledge.
Even frustrated and upset, he was a caring man. He didn't belittle or snark at anyone, he just tried to find ways around the roadblocks that life put in his way. The last few days of traveling and attending the conference with him had given her a new respect for him as a person. He cared. That was the big dark secret about Dr. James Wilson. He cared and he tried to make life easier for his friends.
The on-going drama between House and Stacey had almost broken Wilson, as his third divorce was taking its emotional toll at the same time. House seemed to be blind to Wilson's troubles, as he'd been on his own downhill slide to nowhere. She was always amazed at how the two so very different men could make their friendship last for so many years. She often wondered if Wilson realized just how strong an influence he had on House, and pretty much everyone at the hospital.
Over the last few months she and Wilson had developed their own friendship. During her scare with HIV, he'd secretly made sure that her meds weren't bothering her, and had adjusted them when the side-effects had made work a hardship for her. Many times he'd found time out of his busy schedule to have lunch or coffee and discuss non-work topics, to take her mind off of the impending tests.
So it wasn't surprising to find that she'd fallen in love with the good doctor, which had become increasingly difficult to mask. Especially the day that she'd taken her last HIV test and gotten a negative result for the final time, when all she had wanted was to be wrapped up in his strong arms and comforted. She'd settled for a short hug and a pat on the back, instead. She'd yearned for more, but hadn't wanted to push him.
To make the matter even more precarious, Cuddy had then insisted they travel to Chicago for a conference. And after a grueling three days, her emotions had grown even stronger. She had always admired his abilities as a doctor, however, while they sat through the endless seminars, she'd seen more of the inner Wilson than most people were ever allowed to see.
It was all she could do to just sit quietly beside him, during one long afternoon at a presentation, when the hotel had cranked up the air conditioning instead of the heat. The ballroom had turned into the polar ice cap and she'd been surprised when he had slipped his sweater over her shoulders and given her a slight one-arm hug. She'd had to fight to keep from leaning her head over and resting it on his shoulder. Needless to say, she hadn't gotten anything educational out of that afternoon.
It also never ceased to amaze her that Wilson was very well known in the medical circles, almost more than even House. She was proud to be seen as his colleague, as they represented the teaching hospital.
She considered their situation, and wondered how she would get through the next few hours. If she hadn't been in love with him before this trip, she had totally fallen for him now.
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"Well, I have good news and bad news." She smiled down at the picture he made, trying to stretch out his long lean body in the uncomfortable airport chairs. Sitting down beside him, she prepared herself for the inevitable uncomfortable emotions, as the only room she'd been able to get was at a 5-star hotel a few short miles away. It actually was a suite, but it meant that they would be sharing the same space for the night.
After she'd explained the situation to Wilson, they'd headed off for the hotel. There really wasn't any choice in the matter, as it was New Year's Eve - It was either share the room, or stay the night at the airport, and that was not something either one of them wanted.
Overall, she was surprised at how well Wilson took the news about having only one room. Although, it had been more of a shrug of acceptance, than in the form of words, but she figured that he was exhausted and would probably fall asleep before they felt any awkwardness creep in. She decided to just let herself be open to whatever happened, and hoped things would right themselves when they got back to Princeton.
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Their suite was quite big, even if it only had one bed. There was a separate area with a couch and Wilson had offered to bunk there, in hopes of easing some of the sudden tension he'd felt coming from Allison.
They were both starving but way too tired to drag themselves downstairs, so they decided to order room service. Wilson flopped back on the couch after he had ordered the food, waiting for Allison to take her shower, so that he could take his turn.
He wasn't really sure what he was feeling at the moment, but he could tell that something had changed between them. Whether it was the storm or the physical proximity they'd had to endure because of it, he didn't know. However, he looked heavenward and thanked his lucky stars for the opportunity this presented. Maybe now he'd get the chance to show Allison how he really felt about her.
He'd kept his feelings deeply hidden for so long. At first, he'd been so afraid of House finding out, that he'd probably wound up treating Allison as if he didn't really like her. Later, even after House had obviously lost his chance with her, Wilson had still held back, afraid to get close to anyone. Afraid of being on the re-bound after Julie, and he hadn't wanted to screw up any of the relationships that he'd had left.
Now, he sighed audibly and turned the TV up, as he could hear the shower running and he wanted to keep his mind off of what was taking place in the bathroom. But nothing on the TV held his attention long, as his eyes kept drifting back towards the bathroom door. Oh, what he wouldn't give to see all that was happening behind that thin piece of wood.
Lately, his dreams had been filled with Allison. Her hands, her body, even her mouth and smile. All of them touching him and pleasuring him. He'd wake up often in his quiet house and empty bed, sometimes even calling out her name and feeling lost and alone when she wasn't there. It had been a real struggle to keep his feelings hidden these past few months. He'd wanted a chance with her, and it looked like now was the time. Sighing again, he successfully brought his eyes back to the TV, and tried to clear his mind and calm down.
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Allison was having a rather long talk with herself. She knew Wilson had been hurt terribly from his last divorce. He'd deliberately never mentioned his divorce or Julie in front of her, Foreman or Chase. She also knew House's situation with Stacy was precarious at best, and that Wilson was trying to help his friend through it. So he didn't need anyone bringing up dead issues that would only cause him grief.
Swallowing her feelings, never showing them or telling anyone about them, had made her stronger, but now she longed to have Wilson's arms wrapped around her. Now, standing under the hot spray of the fancy hotel shower, she thought that she might get her chance tonight. At the same time, however, she also didn't want to lose his friendship. He meant too much to her, now.
She shook her head and stepped from the shower. Smiling, she combed her hair and pulled her towel tighter around herself. She opened the door slowly, and then tiptoed out of the bathroom and was halfway to the bedroom doors, when a loud "Ahem" sounded from directly behind her.
She turned with a start when someone touched her arm, which caused her towel to dip precariously, and as she grabbed for it she ended up leaning against the wall.
"You scared me, Wilson," she said breathlessly, looking up into his deep brown eyes. They twinkled humorously back at her, but with a hint of desire showing also.
"Really? Because I thought maybe you were trying to give me a heart attack," he said in a low voice, stepping forward so that she had to back up even more against the wall.
"How would I do that?" She asked in a raspy voice, while secretly hoping that he would come even closer.
"The same way you do everyday at the hospital, just by looking at me with your beautiful hazel eyes." He reached up and cupped her cheek in his big gentle hand. Slowly, very slowly, she watched him bring his face to within millimeters of hers.
Licking her lips, she said, "James…."
He had no idea how sensuous her voice would sound saying his name, and he all but growled back, "Yes, Allison…."
She was powerless to resist as he moved his hand around to the back of her head, and pulled her lips to his. He took her mouth with a sizzling intensity as he hungrily pressed her lips open to allow his tongue to duel with hers. It was a kiss that her tired soul melted into, and she felt her thoughts spinning away. All that mattered to her right now was the feel of James kissing her.
Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she felt her towel give way and slide to the floor. James broke their kiss and looked down at her beautiful creamy skin, exposed to his eyes for the first time. He drank in her uptilted breasts and curved hips as he watched a blush spread across her chest and neck. Lifting his eyes to meet hers, Allison could see his desire written plainly in their velvety brown depths.
"I hope every snowplow in this state gets stuck in a snowbank," he rasped, and then reached for her hand and dragged her into the bedroom, while she giggled at his urgency.
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Allison awoke to the sound of the wind howling, and ice pellets pinging against the hotel window. The howling noise made her shiver under the covers of the bed, so she pulled the blanket up under her nose. As she lay there drifting back to sleep, she felt a strong warm arm reach around her and pull her back against his warmth.
"Come here," he growled roughly, and then moved so that he was up against her naked backside and with his arms wrapped around her. She could feel the strength in his embrace and smiled. Snuggling her butt back against him she felt, and not for the first time that night, how aroused he was. How she had never guessed at this very manly and passionate side to him, she would never know. As the storm continued outside, she abandoned thoughts of sleep as her body melted against his and her world was filled with him.