Chapter 8

When he arrived to Sue's apartment Lucy was already gone, returning to her grandmother, the table in the living room prepared for him. He smiled at the white map and the bouquet of flowers that stood in the corner. He heard Sue in her bedroom, obviously dressing, the apartment smelled like vanilla bubble bath and he grinned to himself, wishing a silent good luck before placing the plates and silverware on the table.

He placed the pasta and salad at the center of the small table and then lit a few candles before dimming the light, making sure she could read him. When seven thirty arrived he called Levi and told him to get Sue, the golden barking his agreement before trotting towards Sue's bedroom and pushing the door open.

"Is Jack here, Levi?" He heard her asking, his heart thumping in his chest as he saw the door opening and watched when Levi walked towards him, followed by Sue. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him and he smiled at her, handing her the flower he held in his head.

She took it with a smile, a look of confusion rising on her features. "Jack?"

He smiled at her, her hair falling on her shoulders and her black dress hugging her curves perfectly. She was bare feet and he wasted no time in removing his shoes and socks before inviting her to sit down at the table. "I thought we were going outside." she mumbled, eyeing the food with excitement.

"I thought we'll have more fun in here." Jack spoke quietly, picking up her plate and serving her a huge portion.

"Did you make all that food?"

"I can cook." He declared proudly. "But normally I don't have the time and cooking for one is…well, depressing."

She swallowed with a sigh. "You're pretty good."

"Just pretty good?" He asked, feigning insult as he took a bite of his own dish. "I think it's delicious."

She rolled her eyes and they ate in comfortable silence. Sue enjoyed being able to just be with him, not analyzing everything that happened between them just sit and enjoy him, enjoy them. When they finished, he cleared the dishes and presented her with the desert. "I didn't make it…I'm not very good with cakes." He chuckled. "I hope you have room because I know it's your favorite." He winked and she laughed.

"Let me tell you a little secret, Jack." She whispered.

"Shoot." He moved his face a little closer to hers, glancing annoyingly at the table that separated them.

"Women have a special stomach for deserts and chocolate, there's always room for more."

Jack blinked, a feeling of deja vu coursing through him, remembering having a chocolate cake after a difficult exam. He smiled. "Jay used to say the same thing." He said.

"Jay?"

"The old friend I met this morning." He chuckled and she smiled.

"I think I'd like to meet her someday." She said quietly.

"She's a good friend." He smiled, handing her a piece of the chocolate cake.

"I'm glad we stayed at home." She curled her feet beneath her. "I'm much more comfortable without my sandals."

"Well, we will go and watch the fireworks later so you'll have to wear them eventually." He grinned, taking her hands with his, curling their fingers together.

"We'll watch the fireworks together?" She asked. "With the team?" He nodded his head, a smile forming on his lips. "As a couple?" She dared to ask, watching with fascination when his eyes darkened slowly and his tongue moved to moist his lips.

He squeezed her hands and gazed at her eyes. "I think we need to talk…really talk, Sue."

She nodded her head, following him towards the living room and sitting beside him on the sofa. "Go ahead, Jack, I'm listening."

He raised his head to see if it was another one of her playful remarks but found her serious eyes looking at him. Cupping her face with his hands, he brought them closer, kissing her sweetly, conveying everything he always failed to tell her. She sighed into his lips and her hands moved to his neck, anchoring herself to him. They deepened the kiss, the slow exploration passionate and consuming. He pressed his hands closer, trailing one of his palms lower to her neck, his fingers scorching her skin with fire.

He moaned into her lips, her touch sending him into delicious oblivion, feeling complete with her in his arms. He opened his eyes a little, smiling into the kiss, feeling pleasure at her flushed face. She broke the kiss, raising startled eyes to meet his. "You kiss with your eyes open?" She blurted, flushing when he laughed.

"Sometimes…" He grinned, taking her hand in his again. "What I want to say, Sue…it's a good thing…something I should have said a long time ago, because…because you deserve to know."

She nodded her head, waiting for him to speak.

"I can't believe you made me buy that bikini." Jay grumbled behind him and he turned to face her.

"I didn't make you buy anything, besides it looks good on you." He pulled her after him towards the thick bushes. "You need a bathing suit for the pool."

"Let me get this straight, the pool is closed right now, right?" Bobby nodded his head. "So basically, we're breaking into the pool but I need a bathing suit?"

"We are not breaking into the pool, its open. The fact that it says on the sign that it's closed doesn't mean anything. Would you prefer to swim in your underwear?" He allowed the meaning of his words to sink in before leering at her, a grin forming on his lips. "Your white bra is very beautiful."

"Alright…alright…" She smiled, raising her hands in mock surrender. "What if someone catches us?"

"Nah…I know the security guys and they usually let me hang around here after closing time." He said, opening a small gate and leading her into the small pool.

Jay took in the sight in front of her, moving forward until she stopped at the edge of the pool. It was relatively small, designed for fun more then for actual swimming, the shallow edge of the pool had marble stairs and she walked towards them, removing her shirt on the way. "Are you going to stare or join me?" She joked, catching sight of his gaping mouth.

He closed his mouth, smiling at the sight of her as she bent to remove her sandals and skirt, taking in the contrast between the black material of her bikini and her pale skin. She stretched her arms above her head and slowly dipped a tow in the water. "The water is great." She murmured, sensing when he stood behind her.

"Then let's go." He smiled, walking past her into the water and starting to swim in a lazy pace, waiting for her to join him. They raced to the deep end on the pool and back, stopping to rest on the stairs. Jay leaned her head against his shoulder, her breathe tickling his throat.

"This was a great idea." She laughed. "But I'm not sure we could get back to your apartment afterwards." Bobby turned his head and his dark eyes gazed into hers. "I mean…assuming that we'll want to go back to your place…I mean…" She flushed, averting her eyes from his, surprised when a wave of cold water hit her face, blinking and watching when he swam further into the pool, laughing loudly. "Bobby!"

He laughed when she caught him, trying unsuccessfully to dunk him under the water and ending up right where he wanted her, between his arms. "You know…" He caressed her wet hair, his fingers getting tangled in her curls. "For someone who's going to leave tomorrow morning you're getting too embarrassed over little things."

She moved her eyes from his and sighed. "I'm not used to it." She confessed quietly. "Being so open with a man…but I see your point."

"Well, we could play twenty questions." He offered lightly, grinning when she made a face at him. "But every question you ask, you must answer yourself."

Jay pursed her lips. "Alright, go ahead." She settled comfortably in his arms, allowing him to pull them towards one of the pool edges so they could hold the rail.

Bobby pursed his lips. "Alright, the most embarrassing moment in your life."

"Can I say two?"

"That's against the definition of the most embarrassing moment, Jay." He chuckled when she rolled her eyes.

She tapped her lips with her fingers and he busied himself with following a drop of water that traveled from her cheek to her neck and slowly merged with her skin. "It would have to be today."

"Huh?" Bobby raised his eyes to meet hers.

"Today, this morning when I went to meet Jack, fantasizing about a small wedding and passionate honeymoon." She chuckled. "Luckily, it wasn't a public humiliation just him. Imagine what would have happened if he started laughing at me or something."

Bobby smiled. "Nice to see that you stopped swooning when you mention him." He coughed when she sprayed his face with water.

"Your turn." She grinned when he moved a hand in his hair.

"Mine was a public humiliation." He admitted. "First time I went to buy protection." She burst into giggles. "I was eighteen and I browsed through the store in record speed, picking up the first package of protection I could see and sneaked into the less crowded cash register."

"And what happened then?" Jay asked, grinning when he broke into a wide smile.

"The cashier picked up the package and waved it in the air, calling her supervisor and asking loudly if she could check the barcode of the condoms." He chuckled. "I considered fleeing from the scene and I felt very relieved that none of them knew me since it was a small town."

Jay trailed a line across his cheek. "And was your girlfriend aware of all the trouble you went through?"

"Oh, yeah, she stood at the exit and laughed out loud." He leaned into the touch. "You're next, what's your question?"

"The best sensual moment with a woman." Jay grinned.

"Wicked." He smiled, lifting her in his arms until she was a head taller then him, the length of her body pressing against him. "I'll answer, although technically, it wasn't a question. It was on my sofa, on a hot summer day." He grinned. "And my air conditioner broke."

Jay raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Are you trying to grovel?'

"Nope, it's the truth." His face turned serious. "I was ready to lose control but then you hesitated and I saw it. I have more restrain usually…I hope." He trailed off, raising his eyes to meet hers before lowering her into the water again. "You're turn."

"My best sensual moment with a woman?"

"Funny Sheila, but you can tell me about that too…"

Jay smiled softly. "Watching 'Ice Age' at the movies."

He drew her closer. "Really?"

She nodded her head, watching the slow descent of his lips, meeting him halfway for a kiss that stole her breath away. She welcomed the pressure of his mouth and met his tongue with a slow dance, allowing him to pull them to the center of the pool, holding onto each other as they forgot about the outside world.