SHELTER - CHAPTER TWO

Standard disclaimer - I do not own any of the characters from "In The Heat of The Night" nor am I making any monies from this work of fiction.

So what will our couple get up to, now that there are a few days off duty ahead of them and they are only two doors away from each other?

ITHOTN

"Very nice 440 and clean as a whistle, Captain," Agent Urquhart complimented him after requesting to see the engine of his truck.

"What's in that 'Cuda of yours?" he asked, appreciating a woman who knew an engine size by sight.

"I wish it was mine! It is a rental and advertised as a 360, but I suspect it has been boosted a bit as I was able to go over a hundred on the loop around Jackson without even pushing it," she answered, sharing his laughter. "Oh, probably shouldn't admit to breaking the law so blatantly, eh?"

Bubba looked around smiling. "No on-duty officers here," he answered, winking at her.

Adair held out her right hand and he shook it. "Captain Skinner, I appreciate your assistance. Enjoy your days off."

"Call me Bubba," he said.

"That cannot be the name on your birth certificate. Come now - it cannot be worse than Adair Ianthe," she teased.

"My name's on a need-to-know basis, Agent."

She noticed the change in his body language and dropped the teasing. "Please call me Adair. Have a good night, sir." Before he could respond, she was half way back to the Johnson's driveway.

His internal dialog was heated. 'Good job, son. Get mad when a pretty girl teases you - the prettiest girl you have laid eyes on in a long time, too.' Bubba retrieved the leftovers from the truck and went into his house. 'Never mind one who is in police work, appreciates powerful vehicles and has an arsenal in the trunk of her car that made you hard as a steel rod.' That last thought made him pause. It had been several years since his last girlfriend. He would not fantasize about this woman - it would be hard enough to be around her without thoughts of sex popping into his head.

Food was eaten and dishes done. Bubba was not in the mood to sleep and he needed to work off energy. First he would call the Chief, and then go run the track at the school.

"You have reached the residence of Chief Bill Gillespie," the Chief's voice on the machine surprised him. At the beep he left a message and hung up. He dialed again.

"Tibbs," a voice answered on the second ring.

"Hey Virgil, it's Bubba. Listen, agent from Interpol come into the station this evenin'. You an Chief been told 'bout this yet?"

"No, Bubba. Do you remember his name?" Virgil asked.

"Remember her name; Agent Adair Urquhart," he replied.

"The Adair Urquhart?" The Chief of Detectives sounded excited. "What is she here for?"

"Witness bein' brought in Wednesday. Gonna testify to a grand jury on the coast Friday an leave from there. She said Chief would get the information tomorrow, but wanted to tell somebody. Left a message on his machine to call you, if he gets in tonight. I might oughta tell you they're packin' a lotta firepower, too." He remembered the arsenal Agent Adair had shown him in her trunk; guns and ammunition.

"That's fine, Bubba. He went to see his cousin in Meridian this weekend. I'll tell him in the morning. You enjoy your days off," Virgil said.

"Thanks. Bye." Captain Skinner hung up the phone and went to put on running clothes.

He jogged across his back yard and over to the middle school track a block away. This late on a Sunday there would be few people out, much less running. Looking forward to some quiet time to clear his head, his body was on automatic as he leapt over the low fence and landed behind the benches. Bubba had just stood up straight and was starting to turn when a voice made him stand stock still.

"Do. Not. Move. I have a loaded weapon," the feminine voice said in a low tone. "Slowly raise your hands."

He complied and finally spoke. "Ma'am, I'm with the Sparta Police Department. Apologize for startlin' you like that."

"Skinner? Oh Christ - you scared the hell out of me!" The voice was finally recognizable.

"Agent Urquhart?" he asked, turning around. His eyes took in her outfit of shorts and running top; internally he groaned. He did not need to see this much of her body right now.

"I told you to call me Adair. Seems we had the same idea. How many laps do you normally do?" She began stretching and bending after securing the safety and stowing the small 9mm into its holster.

"Don't really count 'em. Just run 'til I'm 'bout too tired to make it home an stop," he answered.

"How about we do ten and call it a night?" she proposed.

"Ain't no lights here," Bubba commented, looking up at the sky. "Think five's about all we can get in an still be able to see our way home."

"Why, Captain, was that an overture you just made?" the woman teased as she jogged around him. "Inviting me to your home, unchaperoned, the first day we meet."

Before he could correct her, Adair was off like a shot and a quarter of the way around the track. He smiled as he ran after her, suspecting this was how things would always be with the woman. They fell into an easy gait and ended up going six laps before twilight loomed. She began jogging to the opening in the fence that lead out to the street.

"Where ya goin'?" Bubba asked, heading the opposite way.

"Back to the hostel, or did I get turned around?" Adair stopped and looked around.

"This way's quicker," he pointed to the fence.

She shook her head. "I cannot jump that high."

"Come on - I'll help you over," he prompted, heading to the fence and giddy with the idea of getting his hands on her.

She stood at the fence and watched as he braced his hands on the top and swung his legs over. He was surprised when she handed him the clip-on holster holding her gun. "Safety first," Adair told him and he nodded.

Bubba opened the snap and checked that the chamber was empty before placing the holster on the ground behind him. "Safety first," he confirmed. "Brace on top here and jump up." Her look of doubt prompted him to reassure her. "Jump on three an I'll lift you over. Don't worry."

The dialog in her head would not stop! She did not want to be so close to this attractive Southern boy. It had been far too long since any man had touched her and this was going to be far too tempting to ignore. Technically they were both off duty until Wednesday, but how complicated would things get after that? Adair finally realized she was staring at the man in question.

Captain Skinner smiled and she was lost. "Come on, now. Up ya go," he encouraged.

"Count, Captain." Her hands squeezed the railing and her muscles tensed.

On three, she jumped up and his hands gripped her waist as he lifted her over the rail. He gently lowered her in front of him and settled his hands on her hips. "There. That weren't so bad, right?" It was sinful how good it felt to hold on to her.

Gods, he smelled so good. She had always been attracted to the musk of a man and this was a bad idea and why were her hands holding his biceps - his wonderful, strong biceps. Fine. It was high time to have an affair. How much safer could she be than with Captain Skinner? Adair stretched up on her toes and looked into his eyes.

Bubba was drawn to her and their mouths were inches apart. He watched as she swallowed and then licked her lips. Just before he lowered his head to kiss her, a finger came up to stop him. "My weapon," she nodded behind him. "Don't forget my weapon. And Captain?"

"Yeah?" His voice was rough.

"If you catch me, you can kiss me," she whispered in his ear, the tip of her tongue licked the outer shell. He opened his eyes and she was running away.

He winced as his erection pulled the elastic tight around his ass and tightened the material around his balls. At least the supporter hid his condition - somewhat. It had been far too long since a pretty - correction, beautiful - since a beautiful woman had flirted with him. No, that was not quite true. Since one he wanted to flirt with him had done so. Oh, he was so screwed - probably in more ways than one by the end of week. A deep breath to settle himself and he grabbed the holster off the ground, taking off after the temptress.

Adair was almost to the edge of Captain Skinner's yard when he caught up with her. Her pace had slowed to a walk and she heard him closing in. The surprise was when his arms came around her and she was lifted off the ground. He set her down on the steps at the back door and turned her around. They were nearly the same height now.

"Was you serious, Adair?" Bubba asked.

"Yes sir. I do not jest about matters of intimacy." Her arms lifted and settled on his shoulders. "So will you claim your bounty? Do not feel obligated in any way to partake…"

"Hush, now," he told her before leaning in to gently kiss her lips.

It had turned dark as they stood there kissing. So dark that the flashlight was startlingly bright when it shone on them. A voice came from the direction of the beam. "Hey, now - what'd Captain Skinner say 'bout people neckin' on his back porch?"

Adair giggled and put her forehead on his chest. "Get the hell outta my yard, Jamison. That's what I'd say," he answered.

"Sorry Bubba. We got a call 'bout a woman bein' attacked one street over, but no one heard any screams. Was just checkin' the area." The beam was directed at their feet. "Apologize for the intrusion, ma'am. Carry on."

"You ain't sayin' nothin' 'bout this to nobody, Sergeant. Understand?" The voice was his 'Captain Skinner this is an order' one.

"Yes sir, Captain. Only to the Chief if he asks directly." The officer left.

"Maybe we oughta go inside, if ya like," he said.

"I think I would like that very much. First, are my guns safer in my car or inside Johnson's?"

"Miss Lena's gotta gun safe that'll hold everythin' but the AR-15. Case for that should fit in your headboard," Bubba told her.

She frowned. "My headboard? Does it swing open?"

"Yup, from the top, so you don't hafta move much to get to it."

Adair took a step back and studied his face in the faint moonlight. "And you know so much about the beds in Miss Lena's establishment how?"

"Built most of those beds. Well, my brother an I did."

"Give me a moment. A handsome policeman, who is athletic, drives a Dodge and kisses like the devil was more than enough. Adding 'handy with tools and can build things' is more than I can process."

"You makin' fun?" Bubba eyed her, a bit hurt.

"No sir. I told you; I do not jest about matters of the heart." She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "Might you get a torch so we can see to move the guns inside?"

It took him a minute to process and translate the word. "Yeah. Got one right inside. Hang on a minute." He walked up the steps and unlocked the door. The meowing started as soon as the door opened. "You been fed, boy. Go take a nap."

"Aw. Poor kitty. Have you been neglected, little one?" He watched as Diablo, his 12 pound Siamese stud, laid across the floor and purred at the woman. "May I?" she asked, hand on the screen door handle.

"Sure, come on in. Don't know how friendly he'll be," Bubba warned, walking into the kitchen to get a flashlight. He returned to find Adair sitting on the floor by the door with Diablo in her lap, all four feet in the air as she scratched his stomach.

She looked up, guilt showing in her face. "Sorry. I miss my own cat and have begun spoiling yours." Her hands went to move the cat and he started to growl. Both males were surprised when she bopped the feline on the nose while saying 'no' in a low tone. Diablo reached up, grabbed her hand with his front paws and instead of biting, licked the finger.

Adair was standing at the door. "Are we ready, then? What is the plan after we stow the weapons?"

He had thought about this since he started kissing her. Several ideas had come to mind, none of them ending with this woman sleeping at the inn tonight. His respect for her required that he leave the deciding in her hands. "Need to take a shower 'fore too long."

"Hm. A shower does sound like a good idea. Tell me, Captain Skinner - is your shower large enough for two people?" Her left eyebrow rose as she studied his face.

Well, that was one of the ideas he'd had. "Yes, ma'am. Big enough for four."

"Would you be willing to share your shower?" She looked a tad unsure of being so bold.

Bubba stepped right up next to her. "A beautiful woman, in police work, who appreciates a muscle car an kisses like a angel was enough. Addin' 'wants to share a shower with me' might take a few minutes to process." She laughed and did not miss that he had echoed her earlier words.

"Come on, then. The quicker we get this detail taken care of, the quicker I get to see you naked!" Adair grabbed his hand and he barely got the door closed behind them as she pulled him along.

Lonnie walked back into the police station and went straight to the coffee pot. It was going to be a quiet night, which meant it would drag on and caffeine was definitely needed.

"What did you mean 'unfounded' on that last call?" Parker asked.

"It means I didn't find anythin'. What do you think it means?" An overnight shift with Parker Williams was going to drag on even more.

"Well, Miss Jenkins was sure she saw somethin'."

"It was nearly dark; who knows what she saw. The principal was drivin' by and said there was a few runners on the track tonight. Maybe some was just cuttin' through her yard to get home." He hoped that would shut the man up. What Skinner did on his off-duty hours (and who he did it with) was no one's business, least of all Parker's.

ITHOTN

Adair's sports top:

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Adair's running shorts:

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