Authors note: Really sorry if my spelling reverts to British! I've got my word processor set to American so it usually picks them up. It's funny if I read anything Harry Potter and it's in American. So sorry guys!
Chapter 18 – Make a move
After getting shot at in the jungle it was still tense, but in a different way. It wasn't tense in a way that he didn't feel comfortable. It was tense as in sexual tension.
They were getting along better, being more caring than before. She would make sure he was fed after or before a long shift, and fuss over him when he was tired. He would find ways that he could touch her, like a hand on the small of her back or a squeeze just above her knee.
He hoped she didn't think he was sleezy, he picked up no signs from her to show she didn't like this attention.
He would love to make a move, the tension was driving him crazy, but he didn't want to scare her.
Their friendship was precious, and he couldn't ever throw it away for anything, he had never depended on someone like this before.
It scared the hell out of him.
She was making some sort of dessert one afternoon, which would probably go wrong and end up in the bin, and he watched her lick some mix off her finger.
He felt electric, and when she noticed him looking she locked eyes with him making his heart start to race. Keeping the eye contact, she slowly put her finger in the mixture and raised it to her mouth, sucking it off slowly.
He growled and drawled in a low voice 'If you do that one more time I'm gonna have you on that kitchen side before you can protest'
She kept the eye contact and repeated the motion, slowly and purposefully.
He could feel his heart beating and blood pumping as he stood, the sound of his chair scraping back was so loud in the silent room.
They kept eye contact, and just as he made the decision to move the front door opened.
Miles walked in like he owned the place with Jin in tow and enquired what was for his dinner. James sighed and flopped back down into his chair. Not breaking her eye contact until he was sat down.
'Not sure yet, but we are sure as hell gonna have to change what I wanted for dessert' James replied, looking at Juliet's back as she carried on baking.
He should wait and see if she ever made a move, then he would know if it was what she really wanted.
Although women he had been with before had been fickle and not known what they wanted, she wasn't one of those women.
So he decided, it was her turn to make a move . . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was still really tense in their little house, but it was a different kind of tense. It had changed since James got shot at in the jungle. It was now a sexual tension, and she didn't know if it was all in her head or if he was feeling it too.
They weren't really fighting as much as before, as if they were both scared of shifting the balance. It was more of a caring relationship now. She would stoke his arm or lean into him when he put an arm around her. He would also try and tend to her needs, bringing her drinks and checking if she needed anything.
She hoped he wasn't walking around on eggshells just for her.
She ached to make a move, just to see what would happen, or could happen. The tension was driving her wild, but she didn't want to frighten him off, he was her room mate and best friend.
It was too fragile, this thing between them, and it meant too much to her to throw away in a moment of lust.
Loosing him, and what they had frightened her more than the thought of never getting home.
One evening, she enjoyed a long soak in the shower as James was still at work. She preferred showering when he wasn't in as she could leave her clothes in her bedroom, and walk back to her room in just a towel. Then her clothes didn't feel damp from the steamy bathroom.
She opened the bathroom door, the colder air hitting her damp skin. She felt a presence and spun to face him, almost slamming into his chest.
They both froze.
He did that thing that confused her, where he tilted his head like a dog. She could feel droplets of water running down her shoulders from her wet hair.
She took a tiny step back and he snapped out of his trance 'You waitin on me darlin?' He drawled out in a quiet voice. It made her heart rate double.
She felt herself involuntarily smile at him, 'I, uh, just, getting dressed' She managed to get out, and cursed herself as she felt her face heat with a blush.
He seemed to take that as an invite and took a step closer. 'Well don't get dressed on my account' He was whispering now, and she could feel his breath on her skin, which caused a very physical reaction in her body.
He reached out and started to move her hair behind her shoulder as his walkie went off. They both jumped, it sounded a lot louder than it actually was, breaking the spell.
He took two loud steps back towards the kitchen. 'What the hell do you want Miles? This had better be good!' He barked down his walkie, turning back in her direction to look her up and down appreciatively.
She heard a garbled reply and used the distraction to nod her head as a see-you-later to James and ducked quickly into her room.
She fell back against her bedroom door and exhaled when she heard him stamp his way out of the house and slam the door.
She should be more careful, he was male after all. It couldn't be easy for him having to live with a woman. Her prancing about naked couldn't be easy for him. Although if he made a move she knew she physically wouldn't be able to stop anything happening. But knew she definitely could not take the rejection.
If he came onto her would she know that he definitely wanted her? Or was he just horny?
He seemed to care about her, and went out of his way to make her happy. So surely if he did make a move he would be sure that it was her that he wanted?
She would just have to wait and see if he ever did make a move . . . .
