Hi, sorry for the somewhat longer wait. I have a lot of chapters ready so I'll be updating soon... If people are still interested that is...

Thanks so much to SWEEPEASPATCH for being my BETA again!

Chapter 8

Richard walked outside to find Kris on the stairs to his veranda. He gave her a bottle of water and sat down next to her.

"Do you use factor 50?" He couldn't help but ask as he saw how red her upper chest had become.

"O, er yes, I try to. But I've been burned in my neckline too many times I guess." Kris shrugged. "It's so sensitive now that I burn when I'm not even in the sun.' She smiled.

Richard looked at her red neckline and then looked away quickly when he noticed the swell of her breasts. What was wrong with him? Camille would scold him for ogling. But he wasn't ogling was he? Well... She was an attractive woman... O! now he got all nervous again. He just couldn't quite understand this woman. She was a mystery to him, as was Camille.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Kris asked as her eyes didn't leave the sea.

"Er... This afternoon... I... "

"I'm sorry, I was kind of busy this afternoon." She looked at him. Brown eyes taking every feature of his face in. "I had an appointment with someone." She eyed Richard. She sighed. She'd seen Camille and the state she had been in. She'd wanted to help them but had to be careful how. It was like walking on egg shells. And how to reach this man? Who was so closed down, had so many walls around him? She didn't even know him. What would be the right tactic? She knew his kind. The kind that was frightened off ever so easily. "Was it Camille you wanted to talk about?"

"Camille? Good Lord, no..! I would never... Talk behind her back." Richard answered shocked.

Kris smiled fondly at that. She was sure of that. She was sure he wouldn't do anything to hurt Camille, on purpose that was... "I meant the job you two did this morning."

"Did she say something?" Richard asked nervously.

Kris ignored that question. She wasn't going to tell him what she'd been talking about with Camille. "Is this job in a few days?" She asked.

Richard nodded as he stared at his own water bottle.

"I wish I could do something to help." Kris said honestly.

Richard looked up in her dark eyes and noticed how brown they really were when the light shone in them. A soft warm brown. He hadn't really looked at her up close. Not like this. He was always so nervous around attractive woman, but somehow, this woman, with her teasing and silly behavior jumped off the pedestal he'd made for attractive woman. She didn't seem that threatening anymore.

"It must have been difficult for you to come to me with your questions?" She inquired softly.

"Err... Why would you say that?"

Kris studied him and then smiled. "You don't seem like such a talker..."

"That's... About right. But... This is so important. I'll do anything to make this go right. I have to. It's my job."

"I admire you for that."

"It's a pity you can't play a man. Otherwise you could do the job." He muttered as he looked at his shoes.

Kris laughed at that. "I think Camille would rather have you as her man then me." She said with a sparkle in her eyes as she studied him.

Richard didn't know what that sparkle meant. "No, no I don't think so. You should have seen her this morning. I think she'd rather put me behind the wallpaper."

Kris laughed again.

"She started throwing things again. That's never a good sign." He explained.

Kris bit her lip as she stared at her feet. "The shouting, the screaming and pushing she does..." She looked back up at Richard again. "That doesn't mean that she hates you." She let go of her lip and then bit the right part of her bottom lip again. She was pondering whether or not to share this private bit of information with this man who seemed so oblivious. "She likes you. I can see that. You have to know that." She gave him a pointed look. Hoped that he would pick up on that.

"She is my friend." Richard said softly as he shrugged. So maybe he did know that, somewhere far away. Of course he knew that she must like him somehow, otherwise she wouldn't show up in the evenings so many times to talk to him. To be in his company, would she?

'And for the throwing..." Kris shrugged as she laughed again and shook her head. "That's just Camille. Her quick temper, impatience."

Richard sighed deep as he thought back about the miserable feelings he had experienced this morning while being in Camille's company. The nervousness, the clumsiness. The way his body would freeze, while all he wished for was to be flexible and easy, just like Dwayne. To sweep her off her feet, or at least show her that he did have passion in him. That he could show her how he felt about her. If only he could sweep her off her feet, surprise her, astonish her... Just like he had dreamed. But that was it wasn't it? All just a dream. And it would probably stay that way.

"What did she throw?" Kris asked.

Richard looked at her.

"Just curious." She explained with a tiny smile.

Richard looked away. "An ice cube."

Kris laughed again as she shook her head in confusion. Those two... What a pair they made. They could probably co-star in a comedy together... "What did you do to the ice cube?"

"Nothing! It was very hot this morning." Richard defended himself quickly. "Has she ever thrown around your things too?" He dared to ask after a short pause.

Kris eyed him for a moment and then smirked. "Ahh, you want Camille-secrets?" She concluded as she raised her right brow mischievously.

"Er no... I wasn't prying or anything." His green eyes grew wide.

"I know." She smiled again. She took a swig of her water and then looked in the distance again. Her mouth curved in a smile again when she seemed to recall a memory. "She never threw something that was mine I think..." She thought for a moment. "But I did see her doing it to others though..." Kris giggled at that as she looked at him again. Saw the look of anxiety he was giving her. "O Richard." She said. Poor man. "She's just passionate and moody sometimes. Quick with her temper and wit. You must know that, you work with her."

"You can say that again." He complained.

"But she wouldn't put so much energy into you if she wouldn't like you. She doesn't do this to people she doesn't like. Well, she does... But in a whole different way." She smirked.

"You just said she didn't throw anything of yours.'

Kris shrugged. "Maybe she doesn't like me." She winked at him as she took another swig of the drink. "I'd complain loudly if she does something like that to me. You don't, do you? You're very careful and not as fast as she is. She just likes to rile you up. She likes you." Kris repeated. She couldn't be any more clearer could she? She so hoped this would put the nervous man somewhat at ease maybe...After all; Camille had a very big head start in understanding Richard with her talent for reading people and her intuition.

"I do protest. Just... Not that quickly. And are you from a different planet? Because really..."

'No, I'm not." She shook her head. "I'm really not. Not when it's about this subject anyway..." She said in earnest. "She's just quick with her temper. Sometimes she needs time to think about it."

Richard mumbled something. Then huffed and stopped talking.

"So, Dwayne told me you trained agents to go undercover?" Richard asked after a while.

Kris nodded as she took a sip of her water. The subject was over for now apparently, she concluded. "Yes for a while. I liked it, it was a nice job. We did role playing and acting, stuff like that. I trained them. You wanted my opinion about that?"

He cleared his throat again. "Yes er well... You see... Camille and I have to go undercover for this party." He swallowed and took a gulp of his bottle with water.

"She told me." Kris said as she looked at the sea.

"O er yes. Of course." Who knew what these two talked about every day and night. "We... Well... As you can imagine Camille is very good at her job. I mean, at this job. And at the job in general of course."

Kris nodded. "Yes."

"And... Well, I have to admit.. Undercover work is not really my... How shall I put it... My talents aren't really... I'm not that experienced with women..." He gulped in shock. Women?! Why did he say that?! What a stupid slip of the tongue. "I meant...No... I didn't mean... I mean I'm not that experienced with undercover work."

Kris nodded softly. She tried to keep her face straight and not make a joke about his slip up. That wouldn't help with him opening up to her at all.

"And this morning wasn't really... It didn't go very well... And it's very important that this goes well. Only for some reason..." He looked in the distance. Narrowing his green eyes. "Camille kind of bit my head off... For reasons that are beyond me to be honest... I probably did something to deserve it but I don't know what. God..." He scrubbed his face. Why was this so difficult? He didn't want to gossip about Camille. "If I become better it would be less stresfull for Camille too. And we were at an angry point so talking to her right now wouldn't be such a good idea..."

Kris nodded. "I'm sorry it didn't go that well."

Richard looked at the woman in surprise. He hadn't expected an answer like that. He noticed how friendly and supportive that felt.

"What do you think I can do for you?" Kris asked

"Maybe you could give me some tips... To make it easier?"

Kris smiled at that. She took in a big breath. "I'm flattered that you are asking me. But I wonder... I wonder if this has anything to do with going undercover and your talents as such."

"What? Of course it does? What else?" He asked surprised.

Kris raised her eyebrows. She opened her mouth to talk, and then closed it as she stared at him. Studied him.

Richard felt himself flush.

She looked away at that. "Is this really about the job or is there something else going on?' Like dreaming about a killer strangling you and then needing to hide behind your chair?! Like it wasn't obvious what had been really going on there! At least it had proven that the man did have feelings, did have passions, wants and needs, he just didn't know what to do with them.

"This is about work."

"Is it?" Kris asked as she looked at him.

He noticed how big her eyes were and how vulnerable he felt.

"Would it be as difficult with another woman?" She questioned.

"Of course!" Richard uttered quickly. He looked away, thought about her question. "I would have this with any woman." He reluctantly admitted.

"I bet you would." Kris agreed. "But with Camille..." She looked at him. Measured him. "Maybe a bit more?" She tried carefully.

Richard frowned at her. "I don't know what you're implying."

She sighed. "Nothing, I'm implying nothing." She shook her head. She should let it go. She didn't want to frighten him off. Some things needed time.

"Camille is a valuable team member and I care for her deeply. She's my friend." Richard explained. What was she talking about? He needed to focus on Camille. And how to get this job done to its best.

"That should make working with her easier, one might say." Kris offered slyly.

"Not if we have to play lovers!" Richard blurted out.

"Why not?"

"Because she's all over me... With... With her body... Everywhere."

Kris tried not to laugh. "But it's fake. It isn't real."

"I know that. Of course I know that.. It's just... It's unnerving... I rather keep my distance."

"Okay." Kris smiled inwardly at that. It was better to try to understand his line of thought then to move against him, otherwise he wouldn't open up. "How do you propose keeping your distance when you have to play lovers?" She asked.

"Well... Just like I told Camille... Lovers can have quarrels and such."

Kris smiled. She pressed her lips together to try and hide it.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"No, of course not. It's just... What's your problem with Camille?"

"Well, she's just... You know... French." He uttered.

Kris laughed hard at that. What a useless explanation and so deflecting of the topic at hand! But she had to admit that it was funny and endearing, especially the way he said it. "Yes, that is a problem. I totally agree." She giggled as she looked at the sea again. "French AND impulsive AND fierce." Kris smiled as she shook her head and read Richard. "But oww, how she makes up for it with the many positive traits she has. We wouldn't want to live without those French persons." She said as she looked back at him.

He mumbled something incoherently before gulping some water down.

"We love them, don't we?" She prodded carefully, she couldn't resist...

"Well... As I'm forced to work with her... It's doable I guess..." He muttered as he looked away and felt an emptiness spread through him at the idea of being one day without that insane French woman. But love? That was a too big a word. He wasn't in love. Or didn't love her. It was work. It was just.. He just loved her company. Very much. And her character. Well, if you polished away all the horrible Frenchness and other awful traits... But she could also be so funny... And smart. Sweet, interesting. Loving. He would love to hug her, feel her close. He loved her smell. He loved the way she smiled, her facial expressions. Except the annoying ones. Those were just plain annoying.

"So you want to play lovers with distance? That is a bit hard to achieve don't you think?" She asked as she pondered the idea seriously, trying to help him, to get on his line of thinking.

"Yes." He agreed.

"So what can you do? Get someone else to work with for that job?"

"No one is as good as Camille is." He measured her. "Or maybe you?"

"Oooo... You'd be able to play lovers with me?" Kris asked as she looked up at him. "What's the difference? I'm a woman too."

"Well, yes, of course. But I'm not that attracted to yo-." He froze and flushed instantly as he noticed what he had just admitted too. Stupid clumsy ass... He'd just said that he was attracted to her, that's something he shouldn't have told her! And he had also said that he was more attracted to Camille. He just admitted to being attracted to Camille. O, how he wished the ground would swallow him up. Of all the times of being on a beach and he'd had the feeling the sand wanted to swallow him whole but it never did. Now he wished it would, and of course, it still wouldn't budge! Stupid sand!

Kris noticed how ashamed Richard felt. She shrugged. "She is very attractive. That's a fact." She sighed. "No use to be ashamed of that." She tried to put him at ease. "We all have feelings don't we? Whether we want to or not. I learned a long time ago that it's better not to fight them. But to accept them. Do you know what this makes me think about?"

He didn't answer. He was still too busy with wanting to disappear.

"About Simon." She said as she nodded at him. "Simon Johnson. Smart, friendly, social, funny, a very handsome man, blond curly hair, amazing big green eyes, the sweetest most amazing smile..." She studied Richard. "You know the type."

"Hum..." Richard mumbled.

"I was just out of school and I had this job where I had to act as his wife. We went undercover for about a week in a hotel and everything. I was so nervous." She shook her head as she thought about it.

Richard looked at her.

"I always try to stay very professional, I'm a perfectionist, sadly enough. Because that gives me too much stress sometimes. Anyway... Simon was married, for a long while. Very nice for him." She looked at him. "Not for me. He was so friendly and social. And every time he smiled it made my insides melt. And I was so afraid he would notice it. My cheeks would become red, I'd flush so badly, and I'd turn into this clumsy schoolgirl. Very annoying." She sighed. "I knew I had to find a way around this, but it was so difficult. Because acting like he was my husband... I guess.. It hurt."

Richard saw sadness in her eyes.

"Maybe it gave me hope. Or just a peek into a life I would never have. And for the physical thing?" She looked at him. "Kissing him..." She shook her head. "It was wonderful. But it was something I would never have. It only reminded me more of what I couldn't have. So it was painful in a way..." She looked at Richard again.

He just stared at her. Waiting for her to go on.

"I just had to flick a switch. Accept it. I didn't have many choices. I could never pursue anything with him. Not that he would want me anyway... And of course that option wasn't on the table... I don't cheat. What to do with a man I was wildly attracted too? So I tried to switch it around you know. Now I got to kiss him, and touch him. So I tried to just enjoy that in some way. To do my job as well as I could. I tried to enjoy my time with him, even though it was fake. And that helped. It helped with making it less personal."

"I'm not... It's not like that between Camille and me." Richard quickly clarified.

Kris had to put enormous energy into not making an eye roll at that. "I didn't say that it is." She felt that putting him at ease was very important in winning his trust. And hoping to get him to relax more in this undercover job. "I just wanted to give an example. I do know that you have trouble with touching people. Am I wrong?"

"No." Richard admitted.

"So I could imagine how difficult this job would be for you. And from then on out it only gets harder. When you try to relax it only gets more difficult. And then you try harder but it gets even more difficult. It gets harder and harder."

Richard nodded.

"Is that what happened?"

He nodded harder.

"I have another idea for you. How about this..." She bent towards him.