Chapter 14: Messing with Jack's mind.
Riddick had taken a seat in front of the med comp. For the last hour he had been completely silent; he appeared totally absorbed in his work. Jack paced back and forth across the small room like a caged animal. "Stop doing that kid" Riddick warned her.
Jack froze and turned her head to look at him. "That's easier said than done" she said nervously. Riddick didn't bother to look up at her. He was so immersed in his search that he hadn't realized that she was sweating slightly. "Just tell me how much longer Riddick?" she asked trying to stop herself from panicking again.
Riddick wanted to be sure about his suspicions regarding the red liquid, and what he saw in Jack's blood. He had been taking blood from her every thirty minutes for the last seven hours. "Be patient kid" Riddick answered as he checked Jack's last blood sample for ninth time .
Jack's eyebrows raised completely, "Patient?" She asked, annoyed. "You've been pulling blood out of my fucking veins for hours!" she yelled at him. "Dammit, Riddick!" she added, then she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "You're worse than a vampire" she muttered, if looks could kill, he' be dead.
Riddick chuckled at her last words. "Actually, I really do love to bite" he teased her, sliding his eyes in her direction, grinning. He then realized that she was sweating and her hands were trembling a bit.
Jack rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Riddick." There was a hint of anguish in her voice. Jack's heart beat quickened a bit and she could no longer hide her tremors.
Riddick noticed this and frowned, turning his head to look at her. "Come here kid" he said as he offered his hand to her. Jack took a deep breath and went to his side, ignoring his hand. "Look right here" his voice sounded deep.
Jack leaned over his shoulder, putting her hands on them; as if this act in itself was the most natural thing in the world to do. Then she looked at her blood sample. "What am I supposed to see?" she asked after a moment, frowning.
Riddick tensed from the contact of Jack's hands, just for a second, then he relaxed. "There" he pointed towards the screen. "See those?" Riddick asked as his finger moved across the screen. There were what looked like millions of blue particles mixed with her blood. They moved in frantic activity as if they were alive.
Jack stared at them. "What the hell are those Riddick?" She asked with a hint of panic.
"I don't know yet, but their numbers have decreased in the last hour. There's less now than before kid" he answered. Jack's eyes were wide as her hands grabbed Riddick's t-shirt without her realizing it. "The serum is still in your blood, but not for much longer" he explained to her. Oh, my God, she thought. The thought of those blue particles inside of her, alive and moving in her bloodstream, made Jack shiver. Riddick noticed and took her hands in his. Jack caught her breath when she felt his hands stroking hers. "Probably those little bastards will be fucking dead in a couple of days" he continued. "I figure they need the fucking serum to live inside of you, so now that we've gotten rid of that shit, you'll be fine" he assured her. Riddick turned his head slowly and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid Jack" his voice was calm and deep.
Jack gasped when she felt his hot breath against her skin, letting out a small whimper as she closed her eyes tightly. "Are you sure of that?" She answered as she unconsciously pressed her head to his lips.
Riddick inhaled deeply of Jack's essence, closing his eyes. "Yeah Jack." He whispered softly into her ear. "Very sure."
Jack flushed slightly at the sound of his voice. The light touch of his sensual lips was almost ticklish, and Jack couldn't help but giggle. They remained like that for a moment. Jack didn't know why, but she felt captivated by his touch. For a second, the idea of being like this forever crossed her mind; the added sensation didn't seem to be a strange feeling for her. Then she took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. The view in front of them brought Jack back to reality with a shudder. Riddick felt it, and it was enough to make him snap back to reality as well. Careful, Rick. Be careful. Right now she's just a frightened kid, he reminded himself. Riddick cleared his throat and let go of her hands. "Are you hungry kid?" He asked as he turned his head back to the screen.
Jack moved back, suddenly very aware of what they where doing. She was flushed and felt completely embarrassed. Shit, girl. Who do you thing you're dealing with? she asked herself as she lowered her head. She stared at her feet as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. "Hungry," Jack stroked her hair nervously. "Yeah, hell, I think I haven't eaten since forever!" She smiled wryly while still looking down.
Riddick grinned. "Ok, then", he stood. "Let's eat something. I'm starving" he continued as he headed to the kitchen.
Jack just stood there like a statue. She felt so embarrassed that she didn't know what to do next. Jack was trying to understand what had happened a few minutes before. She'd never felt anything similar to this. She had spent the last five years working, and no men had caught her attention. Not one. Jack didn't have male friends, nor had she looked at any man in the way she found herself looking at Riddick. Sometimes it seemed as if the harder she tried to avoid his gaze, the more she tried to catch his at the same time. It was a bizarre feeling. When Riddick was next to her, Jack felt thrilled and excited. It was a mix that had been driving her mad during the last couple of days. Jack suspected that Riddick wanted to mess with her head, and she began to suspect that he actually found enjoyment in the little game they were playing. Jack wondered if he had acted like this with her back when they were together before.
After a moment Riddick noticed that she hadn't followed him so he stopped in his tracks. "You coming?" He called from the corridor.
Jack shook her head. "Um ... yeah", she said as she quickly moved to reach him. Jack walked behind him with her eyes glued to the floor. She was lost in her own thoughts and seemed completely gone from the reality around her. Riddick glanced at her over his shoulder and frowned. He stopped dead, and Jack ran into his broad back. "Shit!" She cried out as she fell on her bottom.
"You ok kid?" he teased.
Jack shook her head and locked eyes with him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed.
Riddick looked down at her. "Never leave your guard down kid" he said. "You never know who you're gonna run into" he teased as he offered his hand to help her stand-up.
Jack raised an eyebrow and took his hand. "Yeah, sure" she said as she stood. "Could even be Richard B. Riddick himself" she muttered as she rubbed her bottom.
Riddick chuckled at that and continued walking to the kitchen. Jack rolled her eyes and followed. She had been so lost in thought that she didn't have time to feel embarrassed. Riddick began to cook their meal while Jack watched him. After a moment she found herself staring at him. Riddick moved around her, pulling things out of the fridge and programming the cook unit with the meal he remembered she liked. Riddick's tank shirt was so tight that it left almost nothing to her imagination. His chest muscles flexed with every movement of his arms. Jack was so lost in watching him, that she unknowingly purred. Riddick froze, Did she just purr?
Riddick turned his head to look at her. Jack was looking directly at his bottom. "What?" he asked.
"Huh?" she frowned. Riddick remained silent and stared at her. Jack shook her head to get rid of her ideas. "Just thinking" she giggled. Riddick titled his head to one side. Jack elaborated. "I wonder what other things you can do with your hands" Riddick slowly arched a brow, and if it wasn't for his goggles, Jack would've seen the amusement reflected in his eyes. The second after Jack's words left her mouth, she realized how they would sound and how Riddick would interpret them. Shit, did I say that aloud? she slapped herself mentally. And, of course, he did. Riddick licked his lips slowly and thought about his answer. Jack flushed. "I mean, ... I mean, I didn't know you knew how to cook", she quickly stammered and stared at the table top.
Riddick simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to fuck with her mind. "Well, I've got a few skills" he said calmly. "Lights low" he added as he moved forward until he was just a few inches in front of her. Jack's body tensed as she wished she was invisible. Suddenly she couldn't get her muscles to move. He then took off his goggles. "And..." he began as he deliberately, gently and slowly, raised Jack's head by her chin to lock eyes with her. "I can do things you would never imagine." Riddick's voice had dropped to his more sensual, deep rumble.
Jack's eyes were wide and a small moan escaped her throat. "Um,... I think,...um,... I think," she stuttered staring into his silver eyes. Suddenly she couldn't think at all. Jack's mind was busy with thoughts about the possibilities he had just caused to spring up inside of her mind with his words. And those thoughts seemed so out of control and place that she just wanted to disappear right there and then. Jack wished that the floor would open below her feet and drag her away, along with her imagination.
Riddick grinned. "Still thinking?" he teased, looking directly into her eyes.
Jack felt a huge shiver pass through her body. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. "I'm going to take a shower" she finally said. She stood, pushing slightly against Riddick's chest as she went out of the kitchen, tripping over her own feet on her way out.
Riddick smirked. "Not hungry anymore?" he called after her.
Jack froze at the door. Oh, fuck, she cursed herself. "Later" she said as she headed toward the bathroom.
Riddick chuckled as he shook his head. Yeah, Jack. He said to himself as he got out a beer. I've really missed you kid, he added as took a mouthful of it.