OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CODING
GRAPHICS
ADVERTISING
CHARACTERS
ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
APPLICATIONS
THREAD MODERATION
MEDIATOR
CHARACTERS
FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CLAIMS
DIRECTORY
CHARACTERS
STAFF NAME
OPEN MODERATOR POSITION
outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
“You have no idea. I'm not talking about commitment issues or stupid habits and quirks. God, I wish it was that easy.”
It was funny how laughter could mean so many things at times at times. It could show joy, true happiness, anger, confusion, nervousness. Hers was a bitter one, and he wanted to ask a million questions off of it. He wanted to know, curiosity kills the cat or something along those lines. But he didn’t even know how to start that question except, he found a small voice. “Well maybe you’ll trust me one day to tell me.” Wishful thinking, considering what she was offering to do. If she turned herself in and was taken away, he would never get to know more about her except her first name and where she lived.
As he stopped his whole you owe me speech, he was unsure of what to think as his hand fell from her mouth. What turn was this going to take? Though he felt a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders for the moment as she didn’t scream or make a dash the moment he released her. He watched her carefully as she turned around, not releasing the door still but also not making any movements to trap her further. It was bad enough that he forced himself on her basically to keep her from bolting. And he let out a small sigh of relief as Ruby agreed to his terms.
A small “Thank you,” fell from his lips as he stepped back from her, giving her a little bit of space. He could see that she was tired, the way that her hands pulled through her hair. Still beautiful somehow, after everything, but she probably was just as tired as he was. His chest expanded as he took a deep breath and reached behind her to lock the door. Even though they were on a base, he still had a habit to lock things. No need for some surprise visit from anyone.
“Can I use your shower?”
“Of course,” His body hesitated for a moment unlike his reply, part of him expecting her to bolt, but he would have to get over that. At this point, short of him tying her up to a chair, he wouldn’t be able to stop her from leaving. He just hoped that she actually planned on following through on her promise now. Meaning he had to trust her a bit as well. So he gave her a small nod as he started up his stairs. His home wasn’t large and was just a cookie cutter home. The downstairs consisted of a living room, garage, kitchen and small dining spot. Upstairs had two bedrooms and two bathrooms as well, and that was about the whole house. When he reached the top of the stairs, he led her to the bedroom on the left side of the small hallway.
He left the door open behind him as he went to the bathroom and turned the light on. He kept it stocked with towels and the sorts, but considering he’s never had an actual guest over it was missing soaps. “Towels are in the closet, the water gets hot pretty quick so just be careful. I’ll run over to my shower to get you some soap.” He moved out of the room and made quick work as he went into his bathroom and grabbed a few different washes and hoped that they’d work well enough for her. But he didn’t really have the means to go about finding her something that smelled fruity or floral or whatever she could have wanted.
He returned to the room with the bottles in his arms. “I don’t have a wide variety, so hopefully these will do.” He said to her as he entered the room and placed the bottles down on the dresser just inside the room.
The words came quietly out of his lips and she couldn't offer him anything in response. She couldn't imagine a world where she told him, or anyone for that matter, the mess that had gone on in her life. She didn't share things, ever. It made things easier when she had to move on. Her life had worked just fine with random hook-ups and light vigilante work before he had come into her life. Then he had stepped into her circle and messed up her whole system, though the more she let her mind dwell on it the more she realized that a lot would now have to change with her system. That was pending she had the luxury to even have a system in place. She was going to be turned in. Soon soldiers would be tearing her life's history apart, picking through every choice with a fine-toothed comb before putting it all on display and boy did she have a lot to display.
Then she had agreed to 48 hours. She was too tired to second-guess agreeing. He had called her on owing him and she had folded. She could tell by his movements that he was tentative about letting her out of his sight and she couldn't blame him. She tended to act quickly, but the fight was all but gone from her, at least for the time being.
She climbed the steps behind him, keeping her eyes low or trained on him. She didn't want to see any more pictures of the blonde little girl. She had taken away one baby girl's father, the idea of taking another was too much to handle at the moment. It wasn't just any child either, she was his. He was a good person, despite his career choice. He was golden boy, one of the good ones. If anyone deserved to have a good life she figured he and his daughter would be on the top of the list. Hell, she was probably the worst blemish in his life's storybook chapters, like a rough draft that should have been edited out by the author long before it was ever added to the book.
She walked inside the guest room, nodding when he told her where the towels were. She turned her back to the door, taking her shirt off. She had pulled her pants down, wincing slightly from the sore muscles when he came back into the room, talking about soap. She turned, pulling the pants all the way off, putting them gingerly on top of her shirt on the floor. When her eyes finally glanced up at him the sight made her laugh.
He had brought a handful of various bottles in for her to choose from. "I don't come off as that high-maintenance do I?" She walked over to where he was, not really caring she was in her bra and underwear. She took a bottle of soap and the first shampoo and conditioner her eyes landed on from the collection he had. She met his eyes. She was ready for this night to be over, but she knew that if it hadn't been for him it would have been a hell of a lot worse. "Thank you." She got on the tips of her toes, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "See you in the morning."
She said it half to assure him that she wasn't going anywhere and half in respect to her being in his home. She had already altered whatever nightly routine he had in place and she didn't want to disrupt anything else going forward if she could help it. It was late and she was sure he was ready for bed just as much as she was. Without anything more, she made her way to the bathroom, putting the soaps in the shower and turning the water on, the door half-shut.
He had been right, the water got hot very quickly. A fact that she was beyond thankful for. She took her time in the shower, letting the hot water soothe her muscles, trying to push out the events of the night. She was glad to be clean, glad to be sleeping in a bed that wasn't in a cell. When the water had began to get cold she stepped out, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around her.
She saw his shorts and shirt laying on the bed and slipped them on. They swallowed her of course, but she didn't care. She glanced out of her room, into the hallway, wondering what he was doing. Wondering if he was regretting helping her. She supposed that if he did change his mind at least she would have one night in a good bed. That had to count for something.
She shut off the lights and climbed into the bed. The shirt she was wearing smelled like laundry detergent and him. She had been so exhausted earlier but irritatingly found that she couldn't sleep. Her mind wouldn't shut off.
She wondered what the wife of the man who she had gotten killed was going through, if she hated her. She wondered why the soldiers had shot him, if maybe he hadn't been a good person like she had thought. Will hadn't said why they had shot him, and she made a mental note to ask tomorrow, not that it changed anything. She wondered how long it would take them to ID her, how long it would take before someone offered up the right clue. A lot could happen in 48 hours.
Treason. That nasty little word came up in her head over and over. The higher-ups wouldn't have to do too much other than utter those words and the entire base, hell the entire country would hate her. She looked at it from a legal perspective. She had given them a court case goldmine. They could allude to who her parents could be, they could bring up her accusation against the officer, they could drag up her history after that, the cases and company she kept. They were rarely pro-government. It would be a piece of cake to any attorney, much less one paid and backed by Uncle Sam.
The hours passed on and the thoughts continued with them, growing worse as the time ticked away. She hadn't been able to sleep. Between her mind and the odd noises of the base, she found herself more exhausted than when she had climbed into the bed. She sat up, wondering what time it was. She had discarded her watch with her old clothes and hadn't bothered to put it back on. She stood quietly, planning on getting some water from the kitchen. Instead of going there though, her feet brought her to the edge of his room.
The room was dark and she bit her lip, debating on whether or not to go in. She didn't want to disturb him, didn't want to be more of a bother than she already had been. But damn he called to her on some level she didn't like to think about. He had a knack for soothing her senses and she desperately needed that.
She walked in quietly, her eyes adjusting to the dark at least well enough to find his bed. She moved the covers, slipping under them, finding his body. She couldn't tell if he was sleeping or not, laying in the bed facing her direction. She closed her eyes, curling her body to his, her arm going around him. She breathed deeply, feeling his body so near, warming hers. Just like she had predicted, his steady nearness calmed her, the horrible thoughts vanishing as she relaxed into him.
With his arms full of soaps, he was slightly distracted on making sure he didn’t drop anything as he came into the room. This was the first time he had anyone in his home here at the new base he called home. And before he came here, his daughter was the only one that stayed for any longer amount of time, and she used that fish shaped shampoo and conditioner and whatever body soap he had at the time in the spare room. But once he was sent to Lethford, where cases were starting to rise and rise, he and his ex girlfriend decided that for Harper’s sake, she wouldn’t come out to visit like she was used to any other time he was state side.
And it wasn’t like he expected a lot of lady visitors either, so he didn’t need to keep spare things around to try and make it feel more homey for them. Not that he was the wait till marriage type or anything but he’s been a bit too busy to go chasing tail around town. But that didn’t mean he didn’t know a stunning woman when he saw one. And the one that just appeared from the bathroom, with more skin than clothes coming into view had him nearly choke on his tongue. When his eyes did a once over, he forced himself to not do it again, especially as got close to him.
“I don't come off as that high-maintenance do I?”
He swallowed once, twice. A third time before he was able to respond to her, her hands grabbing the second bottle from his arms. “No, I just know that we men care a lot less sometimes.” Which was true. Normally it was one soap for hair, face, and body. He stuck to a normal hair and body wash, so two of a kind and every once in a blue moon (like maybe monthly) he threw in conditioner when he let his hair get longer. Her thank you was just as sweet as the kiss on his cheek. He felt a small smile on the corner of his lips as she told him that she’d see him in the morning. So she was planning on sticking around at least till morning. Maybe the exhaustion kicked in and she knew she’d need some sort of rest before the day.
As she disappeared, he’d lie if his eyes didn’t make the same travel down her backside as it did her front side. But he shook his head and left the room as she got the water running. He returned to his room and placed what other bottles were in his arms back on the edge of his own shower and went over to his dresser. He doubted that she’d want to put anything back on that she had been wearing, and he made a note that he’d offer to wash her clothes for her tomorrow, he had a small load he could throw together anything. He went through his drawer and grabbed a t shirt of his as well as a pair of sweat shorts. He tried to find the ones that were a little snug on him to try and help the fit but he was sure that it would still be too large for her. William just wanted to make sure she at least had the option of something.
He moved back into the guest room, listening to make sure she was still in the shower before he placed the folded items on the end of the bed for her. He left the room soon after, not wanting her to walk out and see him standing in the room, as if he was some creep lurking for her in the dark. Entering his room, he could feel the exhaustion weighting down his eye lids. He made quick work of removing his clothes and putting them into the hamper in the corner of his room before he went into the shower. It was there that he stood under the water until it ran cold, knowing that it wouldn’t have too much warmth left after her shower, but he was fine with that. Completely and totally okay with it as he scrubbed down his skin and washed his face clean of any dried blood that might have remained.
A quick brush of teeth and towel drying off the best he could, he moved towards his bed, his feet feeling like he had hundred pound weights attached to them. He thought about checking on her, making sure she was comfortable and didn’t need anything, but he also didn’t want her to feel like a parent who was watching over a trouble child. So instead he listened for any sounds that sounded out of the normal and when he got nothing, he figured she was in bed by now. He looked down at himself and decided to throw on a pair of shorts himself, just in case he had to spring out of bed. No need to shock her if he came tearing out of his room naked. With shorts on, he slid under the sheets and settled in his bed for the night.
At first, he couldn’t fall asleep. He stared at the ceiling for hours as he thought about what they were going to do. Running through some ideas that he could pitch to her during the next two days that she agreed to. But eventually, he let his mind just wonder to her. The imagine burned into his mind was her blue eyes, a wicked grin that she gave him back at the pharmacy when they first met, and that’s what pushed him into a dreamless slumber. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep when he heard the soft padding of footsteps. It was enough to rouse him out of his sleep, but not too much to make him sit up and be on high alert.
Will felt the sheets lift and bed slightly dip as a figured moved into him. He shifted a little to make room as he felt the soft brush of an arm come around him. His mind drifting in and out of sleep for a moment until he realized that Ruby was the one who just crawled into his bed. By the time he was awake enough to notice, her steady breathing told him that she had fallen asleep. He was careful in his movements as he shifted them both, moving them so she was nuzzled into the crook of his arm, head on his chest and his arm securely around her. He felt an odd sense of peace as he took a moment to appreciate the feel of her against him, before his eyes were too heavy to stare at her in the darkness anymore.
Light was peaking through his blinds by the time he opened his eyes again. At first, all was a bit blurry, his eyes adjusting from the rest that he clearly needed. But he felt warm, and he was wrapped around someone, holding her securely to him. He leaned up to look down at her, when she slipped in, he wasn’t sure. But he damn liked finding her in his bed and close to him. He shifted closer to her if possible and buried his face in her hair, smelling faintly like him thanks to the wash she had used. He liked this too much, and part of him wondered if he could just keep her in his bed long enough that she forgot all about her idea of turning herself in. He moved his head forward until he reached the skin just behind her ear and planted a light kiss there. He knew she’d wake soon, if she hadn’t already from him moving them about, even if he meant to do it in gentle ways. “Good morning Kitten,” he murmured against her hair and dared another kiss just below where he kissed her the first time. "Want some breakfast?" He asked, unsure if he'd just have to repeat it later.
Ruby's senses woke slowly. The feel of the bed gently moving bringing her mind out of the blessed dreamless sleep she had been in, back to the real world. She didn't open her eyes yet, savoring the warmth of his skin and the bed they were sharing. She felt him bury his face in her hair and a soft grin came to her lips.
Only a few weeks ago she had a breathless moment of wanting nothing more than to be this near him. Then the world had changed and she had thought in his arms would be the very last place she would ever be. It was like they were two magnetic forces and no matter what had been applied to keep them apart their bodies refused to be separated. She wasn't naive enough to think that it was anything more than lust. Her mind briefly wondering if the magnetic pull would continue if they gave into those needs. If somehow that would break whatever spell they seemed to have on each other. She didn't like to think that it would continue. She didn't like to think that maybe it was something more than lust that pulled her to him. Those were thoughts that were too dangerous to think about, at least this early in the morning.
She felt him gently place a kiss behind her ear and she murmured a soft sigh. Her eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light. She felt his lips make contact with her skin again, the act sending a pleasing chill down her. He told her good morning and she rolled over to face him, her eyes trailing down his chest as she realized he didn't have a shirt on.
She looked in his eyes, in those blue eyes that had a way of making her heart beat faster. The rest of him wasn't helping that either. A not so innocent smile came across her lips as she looked over him. His words and thoughts were so gentlemanly and respectful, but that body of his made her want to do all sorts of improper things.
"Good morning." she replied. It almost seemed unreal to be there, in his bed, less than 24 hours after everything that had gone down. She briefly wondered if maybe she had died yesterday and this was a version of heaven. That thought was quickly dismissed though, people like her weren't bound for eternal goodness.
She settled into the crook of his arm, looking up at him. There was a lot to discuss, she was sure he had questions and she did as well. She wasn't ready for that yet though. She didn't want to disturb the downright perfection she was feeling being so near him, tangled in his bed covers. "I'm not keeping you from work am I?" She hoped he wouldn't get in trouble or anything else of the sort for sleeping in with her. She imagined the punishment his bosses would come up with were much worse than what the average person who slept through their job would get.
When he asked about breakfast she shook her head, "No. Not yet." She reached out, her finger trailing down his chest, making soft circles. She then went to his dog tags, pulling him closer to her. She sat up slightly, leaning towards his lips, but before they could touch she paused, her words innocent, with just the tiniest bit of worry, "Oh, I almost forgot. Can you look at something? I think I may have hurt a place on my back." the words deserving some sort of acting performance.
Then she rolled over, sitting up in bed, her back to him. She took off her shirt, dropping it to the floor, showing off her bare skin to him. She was glad he couldn't see her face, a wickedly devilish grin on her lips. "Do you see anything?"
The breath that left her as he kissed her skin made him smile lightly, he wanted to plant more kisses to see how many times he could make her sigh and react to him. When she would grow tired of it and want more, or less from him. Something about the early morning light was making this all feel like a dream. She was soft against him as she shift around, coming face to face with him, a sleepy grin being pulled across his lips as he got his first look at her. Her blue eyes meeting his before she let them drift down him, which a very male part of him wanted to rip the blankets off himself so she could get a better look.
Though that would probably be too drastic of a move to make and would break this reality that he had. He liked the way her eyes combed over him and the smile that went to those pillowy lips of hers, thanking himself for all those hours he spent training along side others. Clearly it all paid off in this moment because she seemed to rather enjoy the way he looked. Her good morning was what brought him to know that he wasn’t asleep and dreaming away. That she was really curled up to his chest and making herself comfortable against him. Not pushing him away or starting with the plan of action after last nights events. The moment that passed his mind, he pushed it away. No need to get caught up in that right now, he had plenty of time to do that later. Not enough time to do just this.
“I’m not keeping you from work am I?”
He reached up his free arm, and brushed some of her hair over her shoulder, away from her face. The smile that showed up when she turned to him never left his face as he let his eyes roam every corner of her face, committing it to memory. “No, I have the day off today.” He also made a joke that it was because they figured he’d need rest after his brutal attack last night, the one that caused him to lose the target that he had pinned at one point. But that would bring up the whole topic of the night and flood them both with memories that he wasn’t ready to face yet. His hand moved from her hair down her arm and to her side, his thumb drawing small circles on her hip through his shirt that she was wearing on.
“Lucky us, you have me all day. Uninterrupted, unlike last time,” William joked, referencing the pharmacy where he practically took advantage of her on the hard floor. Well maybe ‘taking advantage of’ was the wrong term to use, she definitely was the instigator in that situation. He almost pressed on about breakfast when she shot him down, even if she just accepted a cup of coffee. Hell he had a feeling he was going to down several of those over the next 48 hours… wait no, less time than that now. Her hand pulled him out of that thought as it touched his chest and he took a deep breath. With half opened eyes, he hummed contently as she mimicked the circles he was drawing on her. His mind already drifting as she grabbed hold of his dog tags and his lips parted slightly, waiting to be greeted with her kiss.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Can you look at something? I think I may have hurt a place on my back."
He practically groaned in disappointment when she pulled away from him, his mouth was suddenly dry and she was the full glass of water that he desperately needed. He almost didn’t let her up when she rolled away from him. Instinctively he followed, moving his way through the sheets to keep her within arms reach as she sat on the bed. She probably only moved inches, but he felt like it was miles. Her words finally sank in and it was enough to knock him into a more serious, not lust driven thought process. He propped himself up on his elbow as she started to pull up his shirt. He expected it to rise just a little so she could expose whatever was bothering her. But instead the piece of clothing was completely removed and might as well smacked him in the face.
“Do you see anything?”
His blue eyes locked onto the exposed skin that as in front of him. He shook his head and tried to look for something that would be causing her pain. He briefly thought maybe he caused it when he caught her at the base last night, that he truly was too rough with her. But he didn’t see anything now, and he had immediately let up on his hold the moment he realized who he had captured. Was she… was she flirting with him? Tempting him? His heart hammered in his chest as he ran through several different thoughts. “Hm,” He mused as he juggled with what was possibly going on. Instead of pondering too long, he leaned forward and place a kiss along her spine, just at the small of her waist. He placed another one right above it, and then another one. A line of four kisses before he spoke against her skin, “Did that help? Or do you need more?” A kiss to make it better right?
The whole day. A wicked smile came to her lips at the mention of it. With the curtains drawn, no job responsibilities demanding of them, it was easy to pretend. It was easy to imagine that they were normal. That they could occupy their thoughts with each other and whatever other normal couple things people thought about. Where they were eating. What show they were going to watch. Normal things that didn't matter or change anything. Not the crushing weight of them being practically strangers who were stuck in a hopeless situation together.
"I've got you all day hmm? What could we possibly do to pass the time?" Her eyes moved to his lips, those lips that she couldn't stop thinking about, imagining all of the places he could kiss. His fingers were teasing her skin with little circles, the action igniting a fire in her. She loved this. She could do this, it was as easy as breathing. He was dangerously handsome and she could spend the entire rest of her 48 hours in his arms. Her body could almost go on autopilot as they enjoyed each other, not having to second guess or think too much. It would be easy to allow herself some wicked pleasure before she was turned in. Before it all went away. Plus, if they were giving in to their physical nature it only took more time away from the serious stuff, the conversation that she was dreading. If she could give into this fantasy it would be less time for her brain to think of the reality of it all.
She then had rolled away from him, his face falling in disappointment before she turned her back to him. Her smile was barely containable as she felt his lips touch her skin. She was pleased he caught onto her little game. Another kiss, and another, causing her eyes to close in anticipation.
“Did that help? Or do you need more?”
"I think that did the trick golden boy." She felt him near her, the anticipation of touching his body driving her crazy. "Now I think it's only fair I look you over too....can't be too careful right?" She turned, her body rolling back over to face him, She moved closer, her eyes locked on his, so utterly ready to give in to the temptation and wildness of his body. She straddled him, her legs on each side of his lap, purely enjoying being in control. Her lips went to his neck, her body pressing against his. Her hands roamed over his chest, the muscles that promised all kinds of wicked things. "Tell me soldier...where does it hurt?"
“I've got you all day hmm? What could we possibly do to pass the time?”
A small chuckle rumbled in his chest. Several sinful thoughts ran through his head as he replied to her, “I could give you a few ideas if you need help.” His voice held an unspoken promise that he would make sure she was well taken care of and utterly exhausted at the end of ‘passing the time’. “You might not remember anything but my name come the end of it though.” He continued, his grip tightening just enough on her hip to show that he meant it. That he would make good to that statement.
Even as she rolled away, he was ready to pounce on her and pull her back. But instead he was given a game of sorts, a way that would be teasing and flirty all at once. And he was loving the way she was going along with it. The nickname she had given him, Golden boy, was one that was starting to grow on him. He’d be her golden boy, that was fine by him, if it made her want to be around him. As she told him that she had to look him over, he felt goosebumps rise on his skin at the thought. She hadn’t even turned around yet and Will was already swallowing hard for the sight about to come to him.
And he wasn’t disappointment, not even in the slightest. But what he was locked onto was her eyes, the way they held his had him unable to look elsewhere. And as she moved towards him, he couldn’t help but lick his lips in anticipation of her kissing him. Or perhaps he was going to be the first to make that move. As patient as he could be, as much training as he had gone through to make him sit for hours at a time just observing, he was awfully failing at it right now. His hands immediately shot out and captured her hips as she made the move to straddle his lap. He moved so his back was laying against the white sheets under him, giving her full access to curling up against him.
Will’s hands slide up her bare back as she started her assault on his neck, a soft groan leaving him as he pulled her down against his chest. He couldn’t get her close enough, and suddenly the few articles left covering them were the obstacles that he needed removed. As she carried on with her talking, asking him where it hurt, he felt a small piece of him snap. His hands flew down to grab the back of her thighs and flipped them both, so he would now be the one looking down at her. “Everywhere,” He breathed out as he brought his lips down on hers. He gave a small bite to her lower lip, being gentle as he could in his state before releasing it. “But don’t worry, I know how to fix it,” he said against her lips as he put that promising look he gave her earlier into action.
~FADE~
He didn’t know what time it was by the time he tucked Ruby against his side, his breathing starting to settle itself and his hand dragging soft touches up and down her back. Sheets long ago kicked to the floor and his heart still hadn’t quite settled. He kissed the top of her head and let out a small hum as he closed his eyes. Not tired enough to go to sleep, but definitely content and spent in other ways. “Well kitten, I would say that’s the best ‘good morning’ I’ve ever gotten to be a part of,” He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face if he tried. “Are you ready for that breakfast yet?” He offered as he shifted to look down at her before a teasing smile turned the corners of his lips up, “Or do I need to tire you out some more first?”
“You might not remember anything but my name come the end of it though.
Ruby was in love with this wickedly playful side of him that she was seeing. It was hard to see much of anything past the uniform he wore. When he was wearing it all she could imagine was structure and order, a good boy soldier who did things by the book. Out of it, he was a force to be reckoned with. Lustful promises came from his lips and her senses were in overdrive. His every touch sent shivers racing down her. It was maddening and wonderful all at the same time.
She hadn't pegged him for the type who got what he wanted, who took control, who took the reigns on pleasureful desires like this. But when he flipped her over, giving her a cocky little remark with that damn sexy smile of his, she knew she had made a mistake. If he had just been hot. If he had just been a good kisser, or hell a good lay, she could get over it. She had before after all. It wasn't hard to walk away in the morning, to leave knowing you'd never see that person again. It was never hard. But him? With those maddeningly lustful looks, tempting touches that he knew just where to put and comments that kept her on her toes? She wasn't sure she was going to have a place to stand after this. She had been preparing for a swim in the ocean but he was not a simple thrilling wave. He was a tsunami that demanded all of her, erasing whatever things she had been holding onto.
****
Had it been hours or days? She wasn't sure anymore. They had come together and fallen apart over and over again. She had thought she had known herself, that she could handle whatever life threw at her. Being locked up inside of a military base hadn't put a huge amount of fear into her, it wasn't a concern. She knew what she could handle. But Will had come into her world and thrown it all off balance. He had given her attentiveness and wild attraction in spades. The man had torn down her walls and slipped inside with a damn bomb attached to him and she hadn't noticed. She hadn't noticed the progress he had made until it was too late. Until that bomb started ticking away. She was frustratingly becoming consumed with thoughts of him. When his smiles and lingering touches shut out the rest of the world around her, the bomb ticked away threatening to destroy her.
She should have known better, should have planned better. She had been arrogant in assuming he was just like the rest of them. Assuming that he was like any one of those other soldiers who roamed the streets. That had been a mistake, a damn mistake that was threatening to do her in. She was getting too close, too attached. She could feel it with every part of herself. She rarely stayed longer than a lingering kiss from her other love interest after the deed was done. Will was different. So utterly different. He held her to him, his fingers softly caressing her. She was scared at how much she needed to feel that touch of his. She grinned softly when he mentioned their good morning, a good morning indeed. "You definitely got the job done soldier."
He asked if she was ready for breakfast and she nodded, "I'll make the coffee if you make the breakfast?" She angled her head to look up at him. Realizing though that she didn't know much about his breakfast preferences she gave him a quizzical look, "You do like coffee don't you? I'd hate to fall for someone who didn't like coffee, might have to re-think this whole thing." a small grin came to her lips a second before she realized what she said. She couldn't fall for him, there was no falling for him. Even if she did feel herself falling for him there wasn't a damn point in pointing it out because it could never happen. Period. There was no future for them. She couldn't allow herself to give in to this little fantasy of the two of them together because there wasn't a world where it was possible. He had a child, he was in the military and he wanted a wife. He was a family man. She was...well she wasn't someone who would ever fit into that.
He made another sexy little remark and she found his eyes, trying to hide the sharp sadness that had pierced her chest. He was a good guy, more than she had ever expected, he was going to make some woman very happy, but it wasn't going to be her. She rolled over to she was laying on her stomach, elbows supporting her. She put her hand in his hair before tracing his jaw. She leaned forward, kissing his lips, trying to commit the feeling to memory. "You are certainly something William McCabe."
She held onto him for just a second more, allowing herself to have him just a little while more before she forced herself to pull away. She made herself move from him, getting out of the bed and slipping his shirt on. She couldn't let herself linger, she couldn't allow herself to open up anymore in any of these vulnerable little moments. He was too close, it was too dangerous.
She cleared her throat, trying to push her mind into thinking about something else. Forcing herself to cauterize the wound, "I have a client I need to email sometime today, unless you think that might be too risky?" Work. She tried focusing on her job, it could be a possible distracting, pending she still had a job at the end of the day.
He smiled even wider at that. Will took pride in the fact that he wasn’t selfish in the bedroom, he cared a lot more than that. Especially with Ruby. He already had his mind set on making sure she was throughly taken care of before himself. It was probably the best part, knowing that he could be the one to cause the gasps and moans, it fueled something within that made everything that much better. So he never understood how other men had failed so often and so awfully, judging by the few women he was close enough to that would talk about it. Or even the few men who bragged about their quick hit it and quit it moment. He always walked away shaking his head.
But with Ruby, it was more than just how can I quickly take her over the edge. He was mapping her skin during their ‘good morning’. He wanted to know every inch of it, wanted to touch and feel her. What made her toes curl, what caused her breathing to stop, and what caused her back to arch up under him. He felt like he had only scratched the surface of that this morning, and he wanted to know more. Which was why he was glad that she seemed to sink into him when he ran his hand over her back and had tucked her against him. This was a different, comfortable pleasure that, if he was reading her right, she liked.
“I'll make the coffee if you make the breakfast? You do like coffee don't you? I'd hate to fall for someone who didn't like coffee, might have to re-think this whole thing.”
His heart seemed to skip a beat at her words. Yes, like a damn young adult romance novel, his heart did a weird flip flop as she spoke. He tried his best not to break out in a cheek splitting grin. He knew that she would probably recoil from him if he did that. Not after all the talks they had had about damages and how she viewed things. That kind of smile from him would probably push her to close up on him and he wasn’t ready for that. He didn’t think he would ever be ready for her to shut him out again, especially after this morning. Instead, he brought his hand up to capture her face and brought them together for a kiss. One that wasn’t like the lust filled ones just minutes before, but one that was soft and sweet enough to make his teeth hurt.
Fall for him. Even though those were not the exact words, that’s what he read through that sentence. Because somewhere, somehow, he had done just that for her. As insanely crazy as it sounded and not logical, the intense moments between them had him stuck on her. Had him consumed and willing to pull off things that he never thought he’d do before meeting her. And he didn’t even know her last name. When he pulled away, he brushed another kiss to the very tip of her nose, and then forehead as he laid his head back. “Don’t you worry kitten. Coffee is mandatory with me. And preferably in large quantities.” He gave her side a squeeze as he continued, “I can handle the breakfast. Anything I should stay away from?”
As he gave her the option for round… well the next round, she rolled over, propping herself up on her elbows. Something shifted, her eyes no longer holding the smile there anymore. His heart took a small hit, but his mind told him that he knew it was coming. She was about to spend the time that he basically guilted her into convincing him to turn her in. He pictured the room that he was called to a week ago, where he saw something he didn’t want to believe. And he pictured her there, alone, tied to the chair. Her fingers in his hair pulled him out of it as he stared over at her. His eyes scanned her face, then moved down her graceful neck and the curve of her back, to the next curve that made him want to pull her back to him. To erase whatever was pulling her mind away from him by wrapping her in his arms.
Her kiss was one he welcomed and he met her easily. If he got them out of this, if they got them out of this, he promised himself that he was going to take ever chance he could to kiss her and hold her. If permitted. “You are certainly something William McCabe.” He leaned into her touch and held onto how her small hand fitting against his stubble filled jaw. Within a moment, she pulled away and was standing up, slipping his shirt over her head. He liked the way it covered her, just enough to hide her curves but short enough to drive him wild. Will took it upon himself to get up as well and pulling on the shorts he had on as PJ’s, forgetting about the shirt because it was his day off. And she seemed to like his chest, judging by the way she touched him.
“I have a client I need to email sometime today, unless you think that might be too risky?”
He walked up to her and, determined to not to be closed out, he pulled her close to him. He gave her another kiss, firm yet tender and held her close to him. He’d be damned if after everything she shut him out, and he wanted her to realize he was not going down without a fight. He had made it this far and shown that while probably insane, he was at least loyal as hell to her. As he slowly released her, he took a deep breath, his mind starting to shift into his strategic thinking. “It would be better if you tried to do what you would normally, communication wise. But stick with the stuff you have to do, but don’t take calls. Email, texts.” He nodded his head towards his door, getting them going towards the kitchen. He was only a step away when he turned around and reached out to grab her hand, hoping she’d let him.
He had taken her hand in his, giving her a soft kiss. His lips both exciting and settling her senses all at once. The kiss was sweet, sugary sweet. Like in cheesy romantic movies where the couple gets it on for the first time, soulmates of course, and end it all with a sweet kiss because obviously, that's what soul-mates did. They had to express how thankful or happy they were with an oscar-winning tender kiss. Then they got married, had babies and the movie ended. She had always rolled her eyes, but they weren't kissing because they were two soulmates who had made love and found one another. No, they were just two people appreciating a good physical collaboration before life came knocking at the door. At least, that's what she told herself.
He kissed her on the nose, and she was thankful he hadn't mentioned her little slip-up. It had been a misuse of words, a slip of the tongue. She was glad he didn't bring it up or talk about it further. She wasn't sure she could handle that particular conversation yet. She didn't like the idea of breaking his heart. And she knew, knew it to the very deepest part of her soul that she would be doing just that. Guys didn't do half of what he had done for her if he wasn't into her. There was no hiding the stolen looks, the flirty smiles, the way their eyes could meet and cause a fire to ignite inside of her. He hadn't let her turn herself in and save him so much danger, no he definitely wasn't just a simple friend. She wished for a moment he hated her. She wished that he was just like the rest of the guys she had run around with, that he lost interest with her after they got together, that he wanted her body and nothing more. It would have been easier than what she was fearing the truth to be.
"Well that's a relief. Though I have to warn you, I like my coffee the way I like my men: strong and hot." She winked at him before slipping out the bed. She thought she made a pretty damn good cup of coffee, but her roommate in college had always criticized. She wasn't a fan of the watered-down, sugar-drenched junk that some people preferred. No, she liked dark roasts, the bolder the better, and scalding hot with no sugar or cream in sight.
Will asked if there was anything he should avoid and she shook her head, "Nope. No allergies here. I'm not too picky when it comes to food. How about you? Are you a secret vegan or keto guy?" She doubted he was. Will wasn't an average soldier, she couldn't imagine the places he had been to and the jobs he had to do while there, she didn't want to. She doubted though that there were lots of food options available for them. It wasn't like the military sent them overseas to review and rate the latest resorts.
She could tell that his mind was going to somewhere a little less pleasant than the one they were in too. Good. She hoped he let his mind bring him back to reality. She hoped that maybe before tonight he'd see that there was no point in delaying this further. It was better to turn her in and let whatever happens happen. At least he'd be able to move on with his.
Ruby put the shirt over her and glanced over at him as he slipped the shorts on with nothing else. Damn him. His body was a temptation that she had thus far been failing at turning down. His muscles were large, but not obnoxiously so. Just enough to remind her of all the wonderful ways he could easily take her in. He was fit, trim and tall. The stubble that was gracing his cheeks did nothing but amp his attractiveness. If he had a terrible personality she would have stayed the hell away from a guy like that. A guy who she knew without any uncertainty that he could do whatever he wanted with her. But he didn't. He was smart, funny, irritatingly thoughtful and snarky. He was sweet, so damn sweet. The kind of sweet that told her if she cared anything about him at all she'd leave him the hell alone. But she was finding that hard to take to heart. He was like a drug and she was naive in thinking she wasn't an addict.
His arms came around her again, a kiss to her lips. She met his eyes and could all but feel the energy he was putting out: he wasn't going to give in. At least not easily. This was going to be a lot harder than she had hoped, and apparently in more ways than just one. She sighed softly as he slowly let go of her before answering her question about work. She nodded, "I didn't bring my phone with me. It's still at the apartment. Do you have a laptop I can use? Although...it's not really that important I guess." She reminded herself that in just over 36 hours, give or take, she'd be in custody with the military and in all likelihood never able to practice law again."I don't think my clients would be too thrilled about being represented by a treasonous murderer anyway." She gave a small smile. It sucked to bring it up, but that was the reality of the situation they were in. No, she was in.
He had motioned to go down the stairs, leading before her but then had stopped, reaching towards her to grab her hand. A line furrowed between her brows at the action. She hadn't held hands with a boy since high school. Since she had believed in all the garbage that disney movies threw at girls. Where couples were in love and held hands and won prom king and queen. Not only that, but she couldn't help shake the feeling that this wasn't just an invitation to hold hands down the steps. The thoughts bounced around in her head for a moment before she moved towards him, slipping her hand into his.
There was something odd and powerful with the act, almost protective. She didn't have the words to convey what she was feeling, and she hated how nice it felt, but once he hand slipped in his, she didn't want to pull it away. She followed him down the steps, into the kitchen. When he paused she moved closer to him, her hand that wasn't in his moving around his waist. She kissed the bare skin on his back, then closer to his side, soft kisses. "You know we can't keep doing this."
“Well that's a relief. Though I have to warn you, I like my coffee the way I like my men: strong and hot.”
He couldn’t help the playful side of him that made him flex his pectorals once as she said that, as if to say that he fit that bill. Hell, he wished that he could fit the bill for her in more ways than just physically. Even though she put up this whole front of ‘I don’t need anyone’ and tried to push him away, he wanted to be that one that she needed deep down. Whatever that may be, and if for the time being it was just physical, well he would take it. “Then lets hope I have the stuff to fit that bill for you,” he joked. Though in reality, he had all of two types of ground coffee down in his cabinet, so hopefully she could make something to her liking from it.
“Nope. No allergies here. I'm not too picky when it comes to food. How about you? Are you a secret vegan or keto guy?”
He snorted. “This body wasn’t built on leaves and tofu.” And could he eat. Before he got used to keeping up with his needed intake, he would get embarrassed if ever on a date. Only having a plate and yet that was never enough. He would wind up back at home later on, downing more food because he’s stomach was screaming at him come that time. Will was actually surprised it hadn’t yelled at him yet, seeing as the last meal he had was a late lunch the day before. He was a bit distracted last night to even think of putting together a meal. Which was probably why he was pushing for breakfast without much thinking. The food would hopefully settle his stomach and get the planning juices running. “I eat just about everything and anything, always have to make sure I’m properly fed to keep up with the demands of the job.” Between teaching classes, training, and running work outs, he had no reason to slack on those meals.
When he let go of her, he watched the sigh leave her as she went on about her phone being left at home. Good, that was smart. There was nothing putting her at the base then, no cell phone pings, nothing. And why would they think to look into an email on his laptop for that matter, for any trace of her. That made some of this easier. He already knew that the video of her in the halls wasn’t really clear. The best shot they had found was when he was actually with her, and really her upper half of her face was covered by the hat, and then mainly blocked by him as he held her to the wall. But that was last night, and who knows who was working through the images today. Part of him hoped that they didn’t go back through it much more. “Yeah, you can use my personal laptop. Just erase today’s history once you are done.” He made a note to grab it for her later.
“I don't think my clients would be too thrilled about being represented by a treasonous murderer anyway.”
She gave him the smallest of smiles, as if she meant what she said as a joke. It was the first push into talking about the situation from last night. He almost winced at the way she talked about herself. “You didn’t pull that trigger Ruby.” He tried to remind her, though after he said it he knew that her response would probably be more along the lines of ‘but I let him out, I started it, I might as well have pulled that trigger’. His eyes watched her as she stared at his hand that he offered. He almost pulled it back, feeling embarrassment rise in his throat because she was going to push the hand away. She was trying to put distance between them. Getting dressed, bringing up her client, making the comment of being a murderer. But before he could drop his hand, she slipped her hand into his.
His hand closed around hers, securing it. He almost let out a yell of triumph, but then that would just be ridiculous. They made quick work of the stairs and moved into his kitchen, her hand never leaving his. As they made it through the doorway, he paused, not ready to let go of her. Wanting to turn around and pull her back into his bed, or perhaps just the couch since it was closer, and just forget this whole thing. His eyes slide shut as he felt her free hand make it around his waist, and small kisses started on his bare back. He gave her hand a small squeeze as she got close to his side.
“You know we can't keep doing this.”
Will felt the air freeze in his lung for about five seconds, his breathing just stopping. He always knew this would be part of the 48 hours. Deep down he knew, the topic was going to come up. Especially once they were pressed to one another, bare and needy. As much as he knew it, it was still like taking a step into a cold shower unprepared.”We can, and I want to. I believe you want to too,” his voice was soft as he stared down at the clean floor in the kitchen. “And I have at least another,” He looked over at his oven to read the time and frowned at the fact that it was already after nine in the morning. “thirty one-ish hours to convince you if you say you don’t.” He lifted their hands up and he brushed his lips against the back of her hand. Leaving a kiss on her middle knuckle before he let her go, heading for the fridge.
He didn’t look back at her because he knew he’d break if he did. Those blue eyes would cause him to fall to his knees and make him beg. Right now, that wasn’t going to help anything and she would probably end up disgusted by that behavior. Hell, he’d be ashamed of it too. “The ground coffee and filters are in the cabinet above the coffee maker, as well as the mugs,” He was slightly desperate to change the subject as he opened the fridge, pulling out eggs, bacon, and last container he had of fresh fruit. Today was probably going to be one of the hardest days he has had to face. He looked over at her and couldn’t help but stare for a moment, because he had to appreciate the beauty that she was, even if she was going to be the one to shatter his heart.
The words had come out of her lips and he had picked up right where her playful side had dropped off. He flexed his muscles and she found herself laughing. Not at it being a ridiculous notion of course, because the boy was obviously not lacking in the strength department. No, it was actual delight with him. It had been a long time since she had been around someone who could make her unexpectedly laugh or smile. In fact, if she was being honest with herself, there had only been a handful of times over the years that joy had been unexpectedly pulled out of her. Her life wasn't negative or horrendous, but it wasn't rainbows and sunshine either. "We shall see McCabe," a grin found it's way to her lips.
She found herself genuinely curious about the random things he had in his house. You could tell a lot about a person by what they filled their home with. "If I see cheap coffee I'm running though, fair warning." She somehow doubted that the had crap coffee, he seemed the type to be conscious over what he put in his body. Settling for less than the best didn't quite fit his personality, at least he seemed that way to her.
The conversation moved to his body again and she couldn't help but let her eyes appreciate it. He was built of course, that was apparent. His smile though, the way his lips pulled and his eyes lit up, those were the things that she found hard to ignore. A smirk played on her lips at the mention of his diet. "Well that's a relief."
She hadn't been much of an eater when she was younger. When she started training though, fighting and working out to build lean muscle she found herself constantly hungry. She rarely craved sugary sweets, but after a workout, she wanted nothing more than protein and carbs. Pizza tended to be very high up on her list of must-have foods.
"If we get out of this I'm going to kick your ass in the gym. Your military workouts don't have a thing on me soldier." She gave him a flirty grin. The idea of pushing herself physically, of competing or sparring with him made her mind go to some very R-rated thoughts.
When he reminded her to erase everything on his computer she made a face, "Pft, that's child's play. If you really want anonymity you should be using an encrypted VPN with incognito. It'll help a lot more with privacy, especially with a scrambled encryption, as long as you don't save or download anything of course." Nothing was ever erased, nothing was ever truly private nowadays but using those little tools helped a bit. She had loved diving into case computers and finding things people thought were long hidden. She had won three cases that way. People were too damn trusting for their own good.
“You didn’t pull that trigger Ruby.”
"I got him out Will. I broke the law. I took matters into my own hands, it's on me." She met his eyes, wishing she didn't see all of the softness that was in his. He was good, too good for her. "Why did they shoot him? You never said why they fired on him." She couldn't imagine the events that would have had to take place for an unarmed man to get shot. The only option that came up that made sense to her was one that kept her up: what if he wasn't unarmed? What if he wasn't the good guy she had believed him to be? She didn't like thinking about that option, but the truth was going to come out in the wash anyway. Better to hear it now from him than from a soldier in an interrogation.
She had slipped her hand into his and the pair had walked down the stairs, to the kitchen. She could live like this, at least for a little while. She could spend a few more mornings waking up in his arms, his sleepy smile to greet her in the morning. It would be easy to slide into this role. So damn easy. It wasn't an option though, at one time maybe. But when she had set her course on freeing the man she had taken that option off the table, hell she had taken a lot of options off the table.
Her arm went around his waist and she placed soft kisses on his warm skin. When he mentioned that he believed she wanted this too she felt a lump in throat. She closed her eyes, her forehead resting on his back. She did, maybe, possibly. She had never wanted a domestic life with a boring routine but a few more mornings with him, a few more nights, the idea was tempting her more than she was willing to admit.
Will pressed his lips to her knuckle, spouting off how many hours he had left and she found the smile return to her lips, ever the prepared soldier. "Sir yes sir." He went to the fridge and she followed the direction to where he indicated his coffee supplies were. She opened the cabinet, looking everything over. "This one is pretty good, better for after dinner though." she murmured as she sorted through them. "This one..." She stood on her tiptoes, reaching towards the back for a bolder roast that was peeking out, "This is actually my favorite. You've got good taste soldier." She got the bag out and moved to the coffee maker, measuring out everything as she went. She pressed the brew button and got down two coffee cups before turning to watch him, wondering what was going through that mind of his.
Ruby glanced behind her to make sure nothing was behind her before lifting herself up and sitting on the counter top opposite of him. She watched as he got out eggs, bacon and fruit, preparing their breakfast. "Well, this definitely beats a protein shake." That was her usual breakfast of course, that or whatever she could grab from her kitchen before she was out the door. "So, military brat...special forces badass...never married. What else? What am I missing?" Curiosity was getting the better of her. She hadn't met a guy like him before, of course she wanted to analyze the hell out of him. Her eyes moved towards the hallway where the pictures of his daughter were, "Where's her mother?" The question left her lips and she was surprised at the odd feeling of anxiety that creeped into her mind. The idea that the girl's mother could be someone special to him, that maybe she wasn't the only one pretending to have this little fantasy life of theirs.
“If I see cheap coffee I'm running though, fair warning.”
He cracked another grin at her, eyes narrowing as if he was judging her slightly. “What kind of man do you take me for?” he joked, even though he was constantly on the go, when he found something good, he made sure to carry it. Coffee was one of those where he had a couple different flavors, just all depended on the day. On whether or not he had time for a second cup before he was out the door, or if he had company over. Though since being stationed here, it had been maybe two other soldiers after work, and never an overnight guest. Not until now. And he truly hoped that he had something she approved of.
He caught the way her eyes went over him and he felt like his skin got tight under her gaze. Damn she was under his skin and lighting a new fire under it. One that he hadn’t felt before, even with the mother of his child. And he thought that was something back then. He knew that he was going to fall fast and hard for her, he was already tripping now. Forget that, stumbling hard while traveling down stairs. He was going to wind up at the bottom of the stairs broken if he wasn’t careful. And yet, even with that thought, he was smiling while stumbling. Will could only hope that she felt the same way, because if not, he was in deep deep trouble.
“If we get out of this I'm going to kick your ass in the gym. Your military workouts don't have a thing on me soldier.”
Brows immediately shot up, eyes giving her an ‘oh really’ look as a wicked smirk hit his mouth. He immediately pictured her in a comfortable work out outfit, a pair of leggings and his shirt on her. He would love to have her try to prove herself against him, and the way she was carrying herself, he had a feeling she might take him by surprise. He found himself licking his lips slightly at the thought. “I look forward to the challenge kitten,” Hell he might just lose on purpose so she could pin him and give her that sexy grin of hers.
And then suddenly his thoughts went to something else with that statement. ‘If we get out of this’. That was a hopeful note. As if she thought maybe they could actually get her out of this. That there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and something about the thought that she might not fight him so hard on it, made his heart jump in excitement. Excitement that made him just nod along with her talking about VPN’s. He knew about that stuff, but now thinking about it, he wasn’t sure if he had ever gotten that set up on his personal laptop.
“I got him out Will. I broke the law. I took matters into my own hands, it's on me. Why did they shoot him? You never said why they fired on him.”
He really didn’t want to tell her yet. Not yet. He’d rather get some food for them and ease into that conversation. She wasn’t going to take anything well when it comes to that, she was attached to that situation, just as much as him. He shook his head lightly, he wasn’t ready for that conversation yet. “We will talk after breakfast. I promise.” He silently prayed to the heavens that she would accept that and just hold him to it. He was sure that the moment he put his fork down after breakfast, if she agreed, she’d be pressing for an answer to that question.
Downstairs, and after him telling her he had so many hours to convince her, he almost took her being quiet to his statement as her agreeing with him. That she did want the same thing as him. And that she just wasn’t ready to admit that, whether to him or herself, he wasn’t sure. But damn there was that hope flaring up In his chest again as she went forward with purpose for coffee. He listened to her going through the selection of coffee he had on hand, he glanced over at her as she got on her tip toes, her legs showing off the lean muscle and lines in her calves beautifully. This, he thought as she went about brewing the coffee, was something he could get very used to.
He told himself to focus as he turned back to setting up his station on the stove. Will flashed a smile over his shoulder at her when she mentioned the protein shake. Well, she better get used to this if she wanted to stick around a bit. Protein shakes didn’t fly every morning here. As she started asking away questions he started laying out the bacon in the heated pan. “I’m a big brother as well, little sister. She was supposed to get married a few weeks ago but had to postpone due to, well, ya know.” He flipped the bacon and went to ask her a question when she slipped out another one, one that seemed to almost catch her by surprise to.
“Where's her mother?”
He glanced back at Ruby over his shoulder, his blue eyes watching her as he answered. “With Harper, back in Georgia.” He had a feeling that there was more to that question so he continued on, “We met back when I was stationed near her hometown, years ago. I found out she was pregnant when I was overseas. She wanted someone more present, I couldn’t offer that. So we decided to keep things civil for Harper and we do a pretty damn good job co-parenting.” He turned the bacon over once more, making sure its perfectly crispy. “She’s happily engaged, guy seemed decent and passed a background check. Harper like’s him and he treats her right. So I’m a happy father.” He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to add that, but he also knew he knew why. It was because he wanted to reassure her that there was nothing there. And that she had him wrapped around her little finger.
He pulled the bacon out of the pan and moved onto the eggs. “What about you Rebecca… oh I mean Ruby.” He said, his voice was amused and teasing, “Favorite past time? Job? Family? Any past lovers I need to be worried about?” He just wanted to give her something to go on, fill in on the blanks that he wanted to know. “What about a last name?”
Ruby had grinned wickedly at the surprise that had shown on Will's face. She liked surprising him. She liked seeing the small little gestures he made when she caught him off guard. When he had stopped her at the base, when she had gone toe-to-toe with him in the pharmacy, which led to her personal favorite...when she had dared him to drink with her. He met her challenge and called her his little pet name and an odd feeling lodged itself right in her chest. A feeling she wasn't expecting. She hated pet names, always had. She threatened to beat up a boy who called her Rubes in middle school one time. She had never understood the appeal.
Her name was four letters, why someone would feel a need to call her something different in a means to flirt with her had been beyond her realm of understanding. But then he did it. Then he did it again, and again. In the beginning, it was like nails on a chalkboard, but then he had said it when she had quite literally felt her world beginning to tilt and it had, oddly enough, at that moment, centered her. It began to be something she could expect, something she could stand on, a familiarity that was in a word: him. Even when she had thought he was going to turn her in on the spot, when she wasn't sure what she could and could not trust, that word. That unassuming stupid word told her it was going to be okay. She knew that that little word, that little name meant she wasn't alone, she had an ally. A teammate of sorts. That nickname was a reminder that he was on her side and a feeling of vulnerability like she hadn't known before made its way into her chest.
She pushed the thought out and away, at least for the time being. He had promised to tell her about the shooting after breakfast and she didn't push it. As he reminded her, they had time at the moment, even if it was borrowed, and there was time for all of those questions to be answered.
She made herself comfortable on his kitchen counter, watching him prepare their breakfast. She didn't interrupt when he mentioned he had a sister. She should have guessed that one. He was too protective to be an only child or part of an all-male sibling group. A small smile pulled at the corners of her lips at the thought, a light laugh bubbling up at the thought of the poor girl trying to date with a big brother like him around, "He must be a pretty good guy to pass the trials that I am sure you put him through."
There were worst things in the world than having a protective brother, she was exhibit A for that one. She had sometimes wondered if she had any siblings out there. When she was little she used to lay in bed and wonder under her eyes closed what they might be like, what her life might be like if she had someone like that out there. If there was someone, blood of her blood, who would always have her back, who would always be there when she needed them. Then she had gotten older and had seen too many destructive sibling pairs who destroyed one another to put the childish notion of them away. Life wasn't a Disney movie. Sometimes kids didn't get adopted and more times than not, the bad guys won.
Still, she couldn't imagine him being anything other than protective and caring. Another reminder that he was a good guy, a very good person and she, was not. She had planned on not meeting his eyes when she had asked about Harper's mother, but then he had glanced over and his icy blue eyes had locked onto hers. Ruby listened quietly, hoping that her face betrayed nothing as she listened to what he had to stay.
She wanted someone more present.
She had ended it, not him. Ruby's lips pursed, a moment of uneasiness washing over her. A brief, fearful moment of apprehension as her mind grasped to figure out if that was as bad as she thought or if maybe it was something akin to a mercy kill. Then he had continued on talking and she felt that uneasiness fading bit by bit. She wanted to ask more, she wanted to ask him question after question but she was reminded again that at the end of the day, no matter what her feelings were, this wasn't going anywhere. It didn't matter how she felt about kids, how she felt about relationships or him or a family or anything else in between. At the end of these few hours she would be handed over to the base and that would be the end of it.
So she moved from sitting on the counter back to the coffee pot, filling up the two cups with the blessedly good liquid. "How do you take your coffee golden boy?" She liked hers with a touch of cream and sugar, but with the shortages, there wasn't a guarantee of that anymore so she had been trying to get used to drinking black coffee. It still made her face scrunch a bit when she sipped on it, but it got better the more she drank.
When he called her out on her fake name she found a grin on her lips again. As he began asking her about herself she tried not to sigh, she knew it was coming of course. It was only polite to give him as much info as he had willingly given her, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
"Well, my last name is Torres." She walked back to the counter, taking up her familiar spot on top of it, careful not to spill any of her coffee. Thankful that while he was working on their breakfast she didn't have to meet his gaze. "I grew up near Boston. No family. Good grades. Graduated from Boston University then Penn State Law. And now I'm here." She sipped her coffee, ready to meet his eyes, wondering if he'd let her get away with the barest of the bare of information. "Oh and as for past lovers...lots." She grinned, trying to keep a straight face, "Lots and lots, just too many to count really." The grin threatened to erupt into a laugh as she tried keeping her composure.
“He must be a pretty good guy to pass the trials that I am sure you put him through.”
Will let out a chuckle. Ruby already pegged him down as the protective older brother. And boy was she right. Like straight out of ‘family 101’ chapter “older brothers”, there was probably a picture of him standing besides his sister, looking menacing and ready to attack whoever so much as looked at her funny. He fit that role and took it as a very serious job, ever since the day that she was born. He was there to help her along the way.
So when she brought home her soon to be husband for the first time, Will was the first to come to him. He didn’t threaten him, at first. But he definitely was immediately watching the boys every move. He will say he was impressed that he made the point to approach their father and shake his hand first, before coming up to Will. And he then switched to a warm hug to his mother. The boy had brushed up on how to impress the family that was for sure.
What really got him, was watching his sister and him interact the next several visits. The way he was gentle with her, how he would reach out and just simply hold her hand or rub her shoulders affectionately when he went to get up. It was the small gestures and how so in sync the two seemed as they moved around. That’s what got him. It wasn’t the words that he said, the promise of how he’d never hurt her. It was the way he acted and reacted to his little sister. “I’m pretty sure he was terrified of us at first. Me mainly, as I was a lot bigger than our father. But the way he treats her, the way he looks at her. It says way more than anything that would fall out of his mouth to try and convince me of how he was a good man. So he won me over by that alone.”
As he moved on to talking about his ex girlfriend, the mother of his child, he watched her with calculating eyes. Her lips pursed, as if she was not exactly thrilled by the answer that he had given her. He wanted to reassure her, to take her in his arms and kiss her as if that would bury any negative thoughts she had. There was nothing there, not on his end, with her. And considering she was set to get married, he took that as her also being past them. They had heat back in the day, but it didn’t hold anything compared to what heat he had with the brunette that was in his shirt, currently making a cup of coffee.
“Make it sweet, there’s creamer in the fridge if you’d like. But its only half and half, sugar in the small pot next to the coffee maker.” He had half a mind to reach over and swat at her behind, but it meant possibly ruining breakfast. It would have to wait until later. But it was going to happen. He knew that the topic was going to turn into a debate soon. That he was going to go toe to toe with that brilliant damn mind of hers, and he was going to be kept on his toes. He only hoped his years of training had prepared him for this battle. But for now, he would take in the grin on her face and the way she made herself comfortable in his kitchen.
He listened to her very vague answers as he flipped the eggs around. He could only make scrambled eggs, if he tried anything else, it just ended up scrambled. He started to pile the eggs onto the plates he had grabbed for them, when he shot her another eyebrow raised look at her talking about her loads of past lovers. Even if it were true, he didn’t care. She was allowed to do what she wanted with her body, and that was before him. He turned the stove off, setting down the spatula as he stalked forward towards her.
He placed a hand on either side of her hips as he pushed his way forward until the countertop stopped him. “Well, kitten, hopefully I am high ranking in that list. If not, I might have to prove to you that I deserve that number one spot,” He had a wicked look in his eye, one that easily transferred to his lips in the form of a smirk. His grip on her tightened a little as if making a small promise to make good on that statement. “If I do that though, the food will get cold, so choose your words carefully.” It was all teasing, all boyish charm pouring out of him. But he also had the undertone of being so serious on that threat.
