AN: I couldn't make you guys wait too long for the next update since that was a pretty mean cliffie, though I can't guarantee chapter 6 will be as quick. Once a week has worked for me since it's been a tad busy with helping ailing aunts and uncles, work, and helping cousins out. But I'm trying, and I wanted to take a moment and thank every guest reviewer that has taken the time to drop me a line since I can't give you a personal message to thank you guys, this is the best place :) Thank you to all you reviewers, you guys make me smile and I'm glad you enjoy the story so far XOX to everyone!
Shaw was bored to tears without Reese. She hit all the restaurants and bars she could get away with that could be considered as recon before learning from Reese that the Wixoms were heading for the Fortunes Casino. Not the first place she anticipated newlyweds to head. She had thought they would eat and then would head straight to the sack. So that must mean that she was correct, sex stopped the moment you said the 'I dos' and she so wished she had betted Reese over it. She would have made easy cash on that one.
She exited Cellar Masters and tried to connect with Reese but he didn't answer. Shaw shrugged. Most likely he was already at the casino and making contact with their targets. The very idea of double dating and making small talk gave Shaw the hives, but with Reese not answering that unfortunately left her the undesirable task of updating Donnelly on what was going on.
"What is it Shaw?—my back is hurting from this job already! I can't believe I have seven days of this, all because of a maybe-threat that might never happen," he complained.
Shaw rolled her eyes. "Baby!"
"Well, Shaw, you got the cushy job of pretending to be Reese's wife; I wouldn't have minded that job. I kind of feel bad for Reese, drawing up the short end of the straws, having to pose as your husband."
Shaw smirked. "So you're saying you'd pose as a gay man married to Reese and let me do the manual labor?"
"Hell yes!" he assured her without a second thought.
"I guess chivalry is dead," Shaw commented dryly.
Donnelly laughed. "You're not a woman you're like one of those small fishes that have sharp teeth."
Shaw scowled. "A piranha?" she growled.
"Yea, one of those!" Donnelly agreed.
"That's where you're wrong! No, I think I'm more like a Candiru. It's a small fish from the Amazon. It's known for swimming up men's penises and chewing through to their scrotum. Yep, that describes me much better, so make another comment about my height again, I dare you." she snapped but was met with dead silence. Shaw could almost picture him covering his crotch in answer to her statement. "But it wouldn't matter, Donnelly, since you couldn't get a Reese even if you tried," Shaw asserted to get back the upper hand as she walked unhurriedly to the glass elevator. She needed to head to her cabin to change. She couldn't take looking like a walking and talking rainbow much longer.
"Oh I could get a Reese if I wanted too, but you on the other hand…" Donnelly started then trailed off, finding himself pleased that he had finally turned the tables around on this woman.
Shaw stiffened. "Are you suggesting I couldn't land a Reese?" she demanded hotly.
He laughed. "Reese is way out of your league," he said amused. Shaw began fuming. "And as for you being the butler, you couldn't since you'd either scare half the passengers or kill them and Reese couldn't do that job, because me and you pretending to be married would end badly."
"It would end with you in a body bag." Shaw stated, furious, uncaring that the argument they were having was stupid; she just didn't like it that Donnelly thought she couldn't get a man like Reese!
"But is there an actual reason why you're calling? Because otherwise I'm muting you. Unlike you, I have to do a job while you get to play tourist?" Donnelly grumbled.
Shaw entered the glass elevator to head back to her deck. "Like I want to talk to you, but since you're a part of the team I need to update you on our case; the Wixoms are headed to the Fortunes Casino and Reese is presently trying to make contact."
Donnelly sighed. "Okay, thanks, Shaw, keep me posted."
Shaw rode up the elevator in silence while she continued to fume about her conversation with Donnelly. Wait until she saw Reese! He was going to have to choose who he wanted to be with on Earth if he only had a choice of Donnelly or her!
John was stunned. He stood staring at the woman who had haunted him for nearly five years. He had a million things he always wanted to say to her but yet nothing came out. Rarely did anything ever gave him a jolt, but seeing Joss standing before him after all this time had left him speechless. Then her words penetrated. Married?—and he looked down at the wedding band he was wearing.
She went to turn away from him and he reached out, grabbing her elbow, solidly but gently at the same time. He couldn't let her leave and think he was married, but he couldn't tell her the truth either. Telling her what he was doing here went against direct orders and he could land himself in hot water if Ma'am ever found out, but even with that thought he didn't care; he'd take the consequences. He trusted Joss to not tell anyone anything; she was a cop so she'd understand.
To hell with the Wixoms and heading to Fortunes Casino, Shaw could head there herself and he'd meet her in a while. "Don't go Joss, I need to explain," he asked, close to begging.
Joss stopped to look at him. "Explain what?" she whispered. This was not how she imagined their first meeting to go after so long of not seeing each other. She had been fooling herself. Now she just wanted to escape, to go cry in her room over losing something before it even had a chance to begin. They could have been amazing together if only she had met him at the right moment of his life. This faceless airhead got to piece back together his heart with love and care; that was her job and suddenly she felt angry of the unfairness.
"Please, just come inside my cabin. I can't explain anything out here," he urged as he pulled her with him and she let him. He knew Joss was a detective and former military herself so she had training, surely she could break free of his loose grasp if she truly didn't want to come with him. That had to mean something that she was willing to hear him out.
John tugged her inside and kicked the door shut behind them, blocking her exit with his big…gorgeous body, and Joss knew she was toast. John looked amazing and she was fully aware of what little she wearing and she willed her body to not respond to his, but she felt the hardness to her nipples. This wasn't a good idea, being enclosed together in a room alone with a bed. Not with the man she had thought about every day for the last five years, the man that fathered her child, and the man or thief that had stolen her heart without even trying…because he was married. And her heart broke at the lost chance.
"I should go, John. There is nothing to explain," she said dejectedly. Unless he was in the process of getting a divorce and just forgot he had the ring on. She felt a little surge of hope at that thought, oh god please let him be divorcing. Joss felt a small attack on her conscience for hoping such a thing but she didn't feel too bad since the powerful feelings between them, even after all this time and distance, was still there.
John just eyed her. He needed to explain and apologize for everything but yet he remained silent because he wasn't prepared. He had missed this woman so much, had thought about her nearly every day of these last near five years. And now here she was back in his life and she thought he was married. This wasn't at all what he imagined when and if he ever saw this woman again.
Joss stood staring at him, looking as gorgeous as ever, if not more, and he groaned in the back of his throat as he eyed her sapphire colored bikini. The five years had been good to her. Joss was like fine wine. He felt the stirring in his groin which didn't surprise him; he had been attracted to her the moment he turned around to see who was talking to him in The Bean. John tried to open his mouth to tell her the truth; that he wasn't married, only pretending to be, to tell her everything that he needed too. But instead he grabbed her to him and crushed his mouth on hers. He had been so damn thirsty for another sip at her lips. It had been so long since he tasted her and the moment their lips meant it was like he was alive once more. He sucked in a breath when she tasted the same. The same intoxicating taste he couldn't stop thinking about for nearly five years. The only woman to make him crazy with need and made him want to banish his fears and just go for it. She was here now and he could finally explain and, if she wanted him, perhaps try starting over again.
She let out a helpless sound as she kissed him back desperately, her arms snaking around his neck. He walked her backwards until she was pressed against the wall of the cabin he was sharing with Shaw. John pulled back, breaking the fervent kiss for a second to change angle and went right back at it. He let his tongue dance its way into her mouth and got reacquainted with hers. She was exactly as he remembered, her taste, her touch, her feel. God, she felt amazing in his arms. His hands finding her breasts, her nipples hard for him, and found things between them exactly the same: her body responded to his so easily. His body responded in kind.
He pushed free of the kiss leaning his head down and taking her breast into his mouth, bikini and all. She gasped as he slid a knee between her legs, pressing right against where he wanted to bury himself.
Joss was having a hard time thinking about anything except for John and his mouth on her after all this time. It was exactly the same between them as it had been their one night together; an insatiable driving desire to be connected and joined, a craving that was never quenched for her and apparently not for him either. She took solace in that and that he might have missed her as much as she missed him. And while she wanted answers; she needed him more, answers could wait, but her need for his touch threatened to burn her alive.
John had a single minded focus at the moment to get to her flesh. Telling her he wasn't really married and explain to her why he had stupidly stayed away had to wait a few more minutes. He needed this more than his next breath. He pulled his mouth back, tugged the bikini top down and latched his hungry mouth on her breast and she moaned his name. Only she could satisfy this blinding desire he had that he felt would never be satisfied. He circled her nipple with his tongue to draw out one those sexy little noises that she used to make and she didn't disappoint him. His cock hardened painfully at the sound that he missed so damn much as he pressed closer, letting the evidence of his arousal press into her pelvis.
"John," she moaned breathlessly as his mouth was sucking at her breast. Her hands restlessly rubbed his hard body, wanting less clothes in the way so she could reacquaint her skin with his.
Both of them were so caught up in the moment, neither one heard the door to the room open and close loudly.
Shaw's foul mood faded away as she eyed the scene before her; so this must have been what struck Reese's fancy earlier. She never saw him like that before, nearly in a trancelike state. Her eyes took in the way Reese was pressing the tiny black woman up into the wall of their cabin, mouth on her breast, and looking ready to fuck the tiny woman right this second. The woman had her eyes closed, mouth open moaning John's name with her hands on Reese's ass. She watched for a full minute realizing they still weren't aware of her presence, so lost in each other, that given a few more minutes she was going to get a live porn show. Shaw snickered because she kind of liked this side of Reese, usually he was such a stoic tight-wad, though he was her stoic tight-wad, and if this lady hurt him in any way she was going to rip her intestines out and wrap them around her neck.
She better say something before anything was pulled out and inserted. "Well honey, if you're going to bang someone right in front of me you should invite me to join, otherwise it's just rude," Shaw commented which penetrated the sexual haze in the room. The woman's eyes snapped opened and she made a sound of mortification as she pushed Reese's head back. They separated and John turned around. The black chick looked disheveled and shaky as she fixed her top. Reese looked tense and well…she grinned evilly as she motioned at his crotch. "Nice boner, Reese."
"Shaw," he growled in warning, with hands on his hips not shy about the evidence of his arousal.
Joss felt wet, needy, and embarrassed. "I'm so sorry," she said, unable to look anyone in the eye as she made a beeline for the door. So much for him divorcing and the heartache that had started earlier increased tenfold.
"Joss, wait, this isn't what it looks like," John said helplessly, glaring at Shaw for not helping matters, needing to explain, which had been the reason he had tugged Joss in here to do just that, but he got sidetracked.
Joss ignored him, wanting to make a quick escape. She needed to get the hell out of here, so she could go cry in her cabin before she went and picked up her daughter. Their daughter…oh god, she had to tell John he had a daughter, but she couldn't do it in front of his wife. But her escape was cut short as she looked at the tiny brunette, his wife, who leaned against the only exit and amusement danced in her dark eyes. Joss hated that she was pretty even in that hideous shirt.
"I'm sorry for what you walked in on and I would really like to leave now," she said, hoping her voice didn't wobble to show how close she was to tears. She did not sleep with married men, no matter if he fathered her child or not. No matter how much she wanted him and loved him. How stupid was she to fall in love with a man over one night! She didn't believe in love at first sight, but as time went on she couldn't hide from the fact that she had fallen in love with John.
The amusement died in the woman's eyes immediately and rage contorted her face. "Why not?—Reese isn't good enough for you?" the tiny woman snarled. Joss took a step back as the tiny woman simmered.
"Shaw!" John bit out in warning.
Joss eyed the pretty woman and saw no anger in her eyes over what they had been doing but at her words. What the hell was this woman, some kind of swinger or something? John deserved a woman that wanted to be with him and only him.
"He's married to you, which is a mystery as to why, that's why not!" Joss said with a flare up of her temper, at this woman, at John, at herself and at her lousy situation.
"I could get a Reese if I wanted too! Why is everyone so damn quick to assume I couldn't?!" Shaw snarled as she pinned Reese with a glare. "Who the hell is she?" Shaw asked with a dismissive wave at the black chick.
Joss lifted her chin. "I'd be no one if you'd just move the hell out of my way."
Shaw didn't pay the woman any attention because Reese was busy with that: she watched in disdain as Reese looked like an unwanted puppy who wanted to be taken home with this woman. Shaw shifted her gaze off his pathetic look and onto the pretty woman in front of her before shoving away from the door, grabbing her elbow tightly and tugged her further into the room.
Joss stopped short as she stood near John. Being even around him was a bad idea, even knowing he was married and having his wife in the room she still wanted to jump him. God, she missed him so much, thinking about him….loving him. This was a blow to her heart she hadn't been anticipating which was foolish. John was a gorgeous man, even sexier than before, he was aging beautifully, and surely someone would scoop him up once he got over the ghost.
"Is this broad trustworthy?" Shaw demanded, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Joss narrowed her eyes on his wife. "Best watch who you call a broad, I don't know what's going on but I want to leave and you two have five minutes," Joss stated icily.
"You can trust Joss, Shaw," John said immediately, nearly pleading with her. Shaw turned her gaze off him and put it frostily on this 'Joss' woman. What was this woman to him?
Joss was lost in thought so it took a moment to realize the tiny lady was holding something under her nose. She blinked and focused her attention on that and saw a badge for the FBI with this woman's picture on it, reading: Sameen Shaw. Joss recalled John calling her Shaw a few times, and quite angrily too.
"You better be worth the consequences. Reese and I could get canned if our handler ever finds out we ousted our cover on purpose." Shaw said with a threatening tone lacing her voice.
Joss stepped back and her eyes flew to John, not bothering to dignify this tiny angry woman with a response and watched as he too tugged out his own black leather wallet of sort, to flash her, his badge. His name was: John Reese.
She looked up at him. "You're FBI," she breathed and then smiled as she shook her head. It was fitting for him since he took so much care of his body and he was extremely intelligent. "We had even more in common than I thought. I always wondered what you did for a living. I tried convincing myself you were something dull like an accountant," she said and he chuckled softly as he relaxed a little.
"No, that night I never did get around telling you that I was FBI."
Shaw had to add her thoughts. "Probably because you two were busy fucking each other's brains out, judging from what I just saw," she commented which got the predicted effect: two sets of eyes on her. "Yea, I'm still in the room and unless you two want an avid audience, you animals have to wait."
Joss did not want this woman watching her and John. But maybe it was best that they had a chaperone right now. She needed to understand what the hell was going on before she went any further.
John saw his opening and took it. "Shaw and I are friends and partners in the FBI stationed in D.C. and we are undercover posing as newlyweds enjoying a honeymoon on this cruise. We aren't really married, just pretending to be which is why I asked you in here to explain so no one overheard us but…uh…I got a little sidetracked," he admitted, trying to withhold blushing. Shaw would never let him live it down if he blushed in front of her.
"Yea, judging by her wet lips you were busy sucking on her face, then her tits," Shaw tacked on. John glared at her and Joss giggled, now knowing that this woman wasn't really married to John; she didn't despise her as much anymore. And Joss sighed happily as she watched crimson creep up his neck and flushing his cheeks, she loved that he still blushed. "Oh my fucking god, Reese, you're blushing!" Shaw barked out with dark laughter at his expense.
"Shaw, do me a favor and shut up," John requested forlornly.
"I think it's cute," Joss said.
Shaw eyed them and made a face. "You would,"
Joss pinned her with a look. "And what does that mean?"
"Shaw, could you please go see if you can make contact with the Wixoms, so I can speak to Joss for a moment alone?" he butted in, really not wanting Shaw to try to run Joss out.
Shaw shrugged. "Whatever, I have to change into something else first."
"You can go as you are," John countered. He really didn't need Shaw being Shaw in front of Joss right now. He needed to convince her to hear him out, not walk out that door and he'd never see her again.
"No I can't, I look like a box of crayons!" she snapped.
"And about as smart," Joss muttered, still not fully warmed up to this woman.
"I could color you black and blue," Shaw sneered, finding herself enjoying the sparring match. This chick seemed okay, but if Reese wanted to date then he needed to find someone she liked too because she was here first and she wasn't losing Reese's friendship for anyone. So far this one wasn't wetting herself around her. But Shaw was reserving judgment.
"Go ahead and I'll knock loose some teeth," Joss said assuredly.
John exhaled roughly as Shaw opened her mouth to continue on their threats. "Please Shaw, just go, and I'll be there in a few minutes." he said before she could land a death threat.
Joss lifted her chin when Shaw paused to eye her. "Hurt him I will break you apart," she vowed coldly. Joss could hear the protectiveness in her voice.
"SHAW!"
Joss smirked, not put off in the least. "You try to lay a finger on me and I will jam my thumb into your eye socket and twist until I find your brain…that is if there is one," Joss said equally chilly. She wasn't letting this woman frighten her off. Now that she knew John wasn't married, then he was fair game, and wasn't going to let his weird overprotective partner scare her off. She let him go once because they weren't at the right place at the right time. Well this time she wasn't about to let him go again. She had a daughter who deserved her father in her life and damn it, Joss deserved to have him in her life too. They were good together.
Joss saw the tiny brunette's brows rise in surprise before she thought she saw a hint of a smirk before she turned to eye Reese. Shaw had one last question. "Answer me a question Reese: me or Donnelly?"
John tugged his gaze off Joss. "What?"
"If you had to choose only between Donnelly and me to spend the rest of your life with; who'd you choose?"
"I'd choose to kill myself." he answered and Joss coughed to hide her laughter.
Shaw exhaled. "That isn't one of the options! Now choose!" she barked impatiently.
"Why the hell does it matter?"
"It just does Reese! Answer the question." Shaw demanded. She didn't want Reese in any shape or form but it was the fucking principle of the thing! "Or I'm going to stay here and..."
"You," he answered immediately.
"HA! I told him I could land a Reese if I wanted too. I have to go and gloat," she responded triumphantly and with that she disappeared out of the cabin, leaving John confused and Joss somewhat amused.
Joss watched as the woman left before turning to look at John. "She's something else."
"I'm sorry about Shaw. She can be childish at times but she doesn't make many friends, in fact I'm her only friend so she's…"
"Protective," Joss supplied. Now Shaw's mood made sense. If John was her only friend she was going to be overprotective of that friendship. An overly possessive good friend who had a chip on her shoulder was easier to deal with than a wife. But she needed to corner this Shaw and find out if she had any feelings for John and to let her know she wasn't budging now that she found John again.
John sighed. "Psychotically so," he agreed. "She also has a personality disorder, so as long as you continue to not allow her to get away with her comments you'll be able to handle her. Our third wheel is getting the hang of it," he added. In fact he thought Shaw kind of liked Joss for putting her in her place.
Joss wanted to talk about other things more pressing like that kiss, those feelings that were still between them, and the fact that he had a daughter. But he didn't know about the last one and he was still trying to explain his work.
"So I take it that there are three of you on the ship?"
He nodded. "Donnelly is a butler."
Joss blinked. "Does he have dark hair, kind of thinning on top?"
"Yea, why?"
"I think I met him, he called himself Don. He offered to unpack for me," she muttered and saw jealousy surge in John's eyes as he no doubt thought about her under clothes she packed and Donnelly would have seen. "But he didn't," she felt the need to add and smiled as the jealousy evaporated nearly as quickly as it formed. Joss felt immensely pleased that she wasn't the only one jealous here. She would love nothing more to have ripped that Shaw woman to shreds when she had thought she was his wife.
Joss wanted to talk to him about everything but he wasn't here on vacation or married, thank god, but he had work to do. And she didn't want to get in the way of it. Now knowing he was here on a ship for the next seven days without being able to leave, they had time to talk. It would give her a chance to prepare what she wanted to say, to ask, and come up with a good way of telling him about Madeline. Also it would give her a chance to eyeball the clothes she did pack and see if she could find something to wow him with.
"Since it sounds like you have to go to work, can we just set up a time to sit and talk alone without your friend around?" she asked. "Not that she's not a peach to be around but we need to talk John."
"Sure," he agreed softly. "I'd like that."
She smiled loving how quiet and shy he was getting all of a sudden. "Good, how about I come by your cabin sometime tomorrow after we get back on the ship from port?" she asked and he nodded. She smiled in agreement before she eyed her watch. She needed to go pick up their daughter. "I should go," she murmured before she shoved him down on his bed and reacquainted her body with his. They had some talking to do first before they could pick up where they left off.
"Yea, I should go help Shaw on our case," he agreed. He escorted her out and Joss committed his cabin number to memory before they walked side by side. Joss was hyperaware of John beside her and she thought he bumped his hand against hers on purpose a few times, yearning for the touch. Maybe it was her imagination but she prayed it wasn't. He walked her to the glass elevator. They paused and looked at each other. John tentatively reached out and touched her cheek and the heat of his touch warmed her so. "I'll be seeing you soon," he purred in his soft voice that really was orgasmic. It had urged her onward to an orgasm more than once.
"You can count on it, John. I let you go once, don't expect me to again."
His eyes held hers before the moment was broken when the elevator opened and a couple exited and Joss slowly withdrew from his touch, missing it immediately, and entered. He watched her and she pressed the button for the deck the Fun Factory was on and waved at him as the doors shut. She was grateful it was glass because as she rode up she got to watch him the entire time and noted with happiness he watched her leave.
AN: And now the real fun begins ;D Next chapter:
Chapter 6: Girl Talk
I love these subtle hints in the title names. I think I'm going to do this more often! Thanks for reading!
