(Un)masked
Chapter 4. The longest night
"I'll use the couch," he replied, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.
"What are you saying?" Isobel asked, holding back a laugh more the result of tension than humor.
Jubal looked confused, but only for a second. "True. You're right," he muttered, blinking in embarrassment, and followed her to her bedroom.
Without another word, Isobel grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom.
Jubal looked around, rubbing his lower back, not knowing what to do next. He felt so foreign in this room. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a rare display of trust on Isobel's part to invite him there. In fact, Jubal only was in her bedroom once before. When David Owen attacked her. In a different house. Now, having -in a way- forced his own presence there, Jubal felt as much of an invader as Owen.
With a somewhat heavy sigh, he took off his watch, leaving it and his phone on the bedside table, and climbed into bed. He didn't even take off his t-shirt. He would be hot, but not as hot as if he risked skin-to-skin contact...
He heard the sound of the shower. Was Isobel one of those people who preferred to take a shower before going to bed? For Jubal, doing it when he got up was a necessity. It cleared his head. Although, if the day was particularly hard, he liked to do it in the evening as well... He supposed the day must have been very stressful for Isobel.
Unintentionally, his mind wandered and he imagined Isobel stepping into the shower, standing under the stream, letting the water slide down her thick, dark hair, down her bare shoulders...
What the hell-? Jubal, Isobel is your boss. Don't forget it.
He shook his head. He needed to think of something else. He forced himself to recall the crimes of the psychopath they were trying to catch.
Isobel hoped the shower would relax her, but the truth was it didn't. She still felt the intense, unexpected tenderness tinged with barely restrained ardor Jubal's lips left on hers.
Fleeing from the deep emotional impact, she caught herself then wondering how it would feel if he were really ardent, if he took possession of her mouth.
Irritated, Isobel turned the water temperature down sharply before this secret part of her began to fantasize about Jubal being so bold as to join her in the shower.
When she came out of the bathroom, already in her comfortable pajamas, all the lights were off except for one of the nightstands. Jubal was in bed, on his back, covered with the duvet. He looked asleep, but he was not.
"He's online," he reported quietly.
Repressing a sigh, Isobel crawled under the covers. After a moment's thought, she left a light kiss on the corner of Jubal's lips, turned off the light, and tried to pretend to fall asleep.
Jubal had to strain to suppress the urge to capture her mouth again. Isobel is your boss Isobel is your boss Isobel is your boss, he repeated in a stern mental mantra.
This was going to be a very long night...
·~·~·
After a long time -a couple of hours, perhaps- simply too alert to fall asleep, Jubal was finally beginning to relax when he noticed Isobel stirring in the bed. He saw her slowly get up and walk out of the bedroom calmly, barefoot. It seemed a bit peculiar to him, but he chalked it up to Isobel maybe having gone to get a drink of water or something.
After a while, he found it strange Isobel didn't come back. He thought about going to look for her, but he didn't want to be any more of a nuisance than he was already being.
However, time passed and Isobel still did not return, and Jubal decided he would go and have a look.
He found Isobel in the living room, her slender silhouette, a lined shadow among shadows. The pajamas she wore were not really provocative, but her figure was still a wonder to behold. She was standing in front of the large window, as if gazing nostalgically at the view.
But, the curtain was drawn.
"Isobel?"
She did not respond and Jubal approached, intrigued.
On her beautiful face, Isobel's eyes were open, but she didn't seem to be looking at anything. He moved his hand before her face. There was no reaction.
Are you... a sleepwalker? Jubal thought in surprise.
He stood in front of her, waving his hands. She didn't move. He touched her gently above the elbow and called her name again. Nothing.
After a few moments of hesitation, Jubal decided it was best to take her back to bed. Grabbing her arm carefully, he led her toward the bedroom. Fortunately, Isobel didn't resist.
As they made their way there, she began to seek his touch, as if drawn by his warmth. The night chilled both the house and Isobel's body. Slowly, she ended up hugging him in the dim light of the hallway.
This brought them to a stop. Jubal hesitated. Swallowing hard, he returned the embrace, rubbing her back gently, trying to be comforting while at the same time struggling not to let it reach so deep inside him to have her in his arms like this.
Pushing aside his secret longings, Jubal started to pull away, making no sudden moves. But Isobel began to slide her hands up his torso to his chest and surprised him by kissing delicately on his neck. The intense tingling spreading throughout Jubal's body rendered him inoperative for a few moments.
"I've missed you," she mumbled against his skin. "Thank you for being here with me..."
Then Isobel caressed his cheek, and moved her lips to rest on his, with a tenderness which captivated him hopelessly. Jubal's heart no longer had enough room inside him.
He found himself reciprocating without meaning to. Or maybe without wanting to avoid it. He looked forward so much to having the chance to kiss her again.
What he didn't expect was, little by little, Isobel's mouth became more demanding, even fiery. Her arms went around his neck, pressing her body against him. The rush of euphoria was spectacular.
But then, Isobel's somewhat sluggish movements planted the seed of alarming doubt within Jubal. He grabbed her around the waist and tried to pull back. He did not succeed. Isobel chased after him until his back hit the wall of the hallway...
You're awake, aren't you? he wondered uneasy, as he couldn't stop his mouth and body from fully reacting to the eager touch of hers. She had to be awake; she spoke to him. She wouldn't kiss him like this if she wasn't.
It took a few -wonderfully delicious- seconds, but Jubal managed to muster the will to gently but firmly push her away from him a little. Somewhat panting, he studied her closely in the half-light. Isobel's eyes were still open, but her gaze was glazed, unfocused and lost.
Dammit.
Of course. Isobel would never have been this passionate with him under normal circumstances, much less knowing she was being watched... Wouldn't she?
She must be asleep, but she kept trying to kiss him again.
"I swear I would never turn you down if you were doing this consciously," he murmured against Isobel's lips. What are you doing talking to her, Jubal? She's asleep! Cursing under his breath, with a dull ache in the chest and a shaky sigh laden with frustration, Jubal gently turned her around.
"Come on, let's get you laid- I mean- Just let's go."
Taking her by the shoulders with his arms outstretched, he made her walk in front of him, as far away from him as possible.
To fight his disappointment, he reminded himself he shouldn't have let anything happen anyway, having two of his agents being potential witnesses to everything...
Isobel calmed down on the way. When Jubal put her to bed, she seemed to be dozing off. In fact, she snuggled under the comforter as soon as he pulled the covers over her. Jubal got into bed on the other side. Then he breathed slowly, trying to calm himself. At this moment, his body felt like it was powered up and frenzy like an amusement park.
"Hold me," Isobel then asked in a whisper.
Jubal's pulse skipped a beat. He wondered, pained, what it would feel like if it were real. He would never know. Surely Isobel didn't even know she was with him, now or earlier in the hallway, but thought she was with someone from her past whom she truly missed.
No, no way. He ignored her. The last thing he needed right now was to have Isobel in his arms.
It was of no use. She asked him again and started sliding towards him. Jubal almost panicked. Should he just get out of bed and run away? No, Isobel could follow him, and besides, she didn't know if the killer was still watching. He needed to find another way to deal with the situation.
Stopping her with gentle hands before she curled up against him, Jubal moved her until she was on her side, facing away. He hugged her from behind, in a way as brotherly as he could.
The smell of her hair was making it even more difficult for him.
Jubal waited in agony, counting the seconds until Isobel's breathing became deep and heavy. Then he retreated to the far side of the bed, almost on the verge of falling over. He could not trust himself in his present state.
He tried to think of anything other than Isobel's hot mouth and her eager body against his. But he failed completely.
·~·~·
Early in the morning, she wasn't even fully awake when Isobel noticed someone hugging her from behind. Her sleepy mind recognized Jubal's familiar scent and she relaxed without thinking. His warm body held her, bringing pleasant sensations of affection and intimacy. His arm around her, his chest against her back, Isobel could feel his soft breathing, the steady, serene beating of his heart. And the firm, warm, elongated -unmistakable- pressure on one of her buttocks. With a soft moan, she unconsciously leaned back into the embrace, seeking even more of the pleasurable contact.
She didn't sleep this well in weeks. And she dreamt about him. They were in the hallway of her house, kissing. But not like last evening. This time it was... hot. Isobel didn't remember much else, but she still had the feel of Jubal's torso in her palms, of his body against hers, of his mouth returning her own hunger.
The fire which began to well up inside her made her finally realize what she was doing now.
The uneasiness and guilt woke her up immediately and completely. With her face burning, not least because of the sensual reaction invading her body, Isobel tried to pull away from him. Unfortunately, deep in his sleep, Jubal refused to let her go, and pulled her tighter against him.
Isobel's eyes narrowed as the warm temptation nearly overcame her. For a few moments, she couldn't help but enjoy being held in his embrace... No. She shouldn't let this continue. She carefully maneuvered to free herself, trying not to wake him.
It didn't work. It made Jubal notice he was holding her in his arms, as well as provoking the pleasant -even through the clothes- rubbing of the voluptuous curves of Isobel's behind against his crotch. For the long seconds it took him to become aware of what was happening, Jubal pressed her against him, unconsciously reveling in it with a low grunt. Holding her breath, Isobel stood completely still, paralyzed between desire and responsibility.
Until Jubal finally woke up... and suddenly panicked.
He spent most of the night avoiding contact with Isobel, forcing himself to wake up every time he started to fall asleep, in fact, to stay awake with great effort, trying hard not to lose control of the situation because he was worried his subconscious would betray him. But, shortly before dawn, exhaustion finally overcame him, and he fell fast asleep.
Now, precisely what Jubal feared, happened. He surely have hugged her again as soon as he was unconscious of what he was doing. Actually, he wasn't stimulated when he woke up, just under a not-uncommon morning physical reaction, but now... Hell, he sure was!
Cursing through his teeth, Jubal jumped out of bed. He stood there for a moment, hands raised in a defensive, apologetic gesture, staring somewhat appalled at Isobel's obviously embarrassed face for long seconds.
"I- I'm sorry!" he exclaimed.
And he fled to the bathroom.
Exhaling slowly, Isobel wrapped both arms around her body, pressing her thighs together tightly. She couldn't help but miss terribly his warm embrace, what it might have led them to...
Damn. She needed a cold shower.
Suppressing a start, Isobel suddenly remembered the killer might be watching. Did Jubal's inconvenient reaction give them away? Controlling her sharp anxiety, Isobel reached for her phone in a move she tried to look casual. The last notification, less than an hour ago, read: 'Online.'
She mentally swore, fearing, with this unfortunate incident, they ruined everything.
~·~·~·~