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.
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.
“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.
He could only laugh at that. Of course her name wasn’t Rebecca. She didn’t seem like a Rebecca, and it only made since that she lied to him about that to. Ruby. At least she gave him a name that started with the same letter. He shook his head as he laughed. Whatever happened to her, really made him beyond pissed at the uniform that he still had covering his legs. The top long forgotten back at the base, probably thrown over a chair somewhere in the room where they set up camp to watch the videos and review what the hell had happened.
Her thank you made him feel uneasy. He didn’t like the idea of him having to go through her things without her there. That he would have to comb through her home and see little bits of her around it, knowing she was being held somewhere on the base with little help from him. On her own. Even though it seemed she had that whole ‘independent’ thing down pat. She didn’t need anyone, and maybe that’s what made him feel like he had to step up and be that person for the small moment she did need them. She needed him earlier in the night, and she needed him later as well.
“Does that sound like someone you think your bosses are going to let walk out of here?”
Of course she was right. He was stupid when it came to her but not an idiot. He knew exactly how this was going to work and that’s why he wanted to protect her. Ever since their meeting, he felt like his eyes had a filter taken off of them and he started watching things from a new perspective. All the things that he normally wouldn’t give a second look, he found himself analyzing these things. Was she just really wrong with her thoughts on military and it had just been an off chance that she had a bad run in? Or were things really going down hill right in front of him and he had just learned to turn a blind eye to it? Which made people like her suffer.
“Of course you wouldn’t walk out of here. I know what interrogations have started up, and I can’t…” his voice broke for a second as he thought back a week ago. How he had an ensign run up to him telling him that his commanding officer was asking for him. Without much thinking, William of course went to him and found him in the farthest room possible down the hall he was told to meet him in. And the scene he opened the door to was something that made every sense in his being run cold. That was definitely not how things were supposed to be handled and he wanted nothing to do with it. For sure wanted nothing like that for her either. Her voice continued on about how that was going to be the end of it. As if he had no say so in this at all. Which in a way, he didn’t. But damn he would try. “I can’t send you into that willingly.” He finally finished.
She kept going on about Maria and Alejandro’s family. How he could get the money without letting them know about it. Them being the other men in uniform. None of what she was saying slowed him down from grabbing her and holding her against him. The way she immediately fell into him like it was the most natural thing had him shift closer to her still. Her head turning towards his made him think about grabbing her chin and holding her head still so he could kiss her. Silence any argument that was going to come from her lips. Which at first was just a simple ‘there’s not’. And as simple as that shut down was, she still leaned into him further as if she was enjoying the moment as he was.
Ruby started on her protest further, bringing in his daughter and how her card was up. He felt his shoulders tense up a little because of course what she was saying wasn’t not true. She had facts to her backing and he supposed that was part of her job, she never denied an attorney like position so she would be collecting information along her interactions with him and storing them for moments like this. “But if your plan doesn’t work, I am already jeopardizing all of that anyway. My card could very well already be up, but you just can’t see it.” But still, he offered the 48 hours. Just a delay of action, that’s all he was asking for. Perhaps some sleep to clear his mind and since tomorrow he was told to take the day off to sleep off the blows he had taken, he at least had some time to try and put together something of a plan.
“Why? I am not good for you.”
He allowed her to spin in his arms, as she touched his cheek so softly, it was almost not even there. “A lot of things aren’t good for me, but I still enjoy them.” He said lightly, meaning it to be a small joke but it came out as serious as can be. There was something there in her eyes as she stared up at him, but it was gone in a flash and replaced by something angry and meant to push him as far away as possible. And then she immediately was out of reach, moving back in the hallway and immediately he followed without much though. “I am messed up. I am damaged goods.” God, he felt anger towards whoever, whatever made her feel like that. He stalked closer to her, but not reaching out because he had a feeling she would not react well to that right now.
“We’ve all got baggage, Ruby. It doesn’t make us ruined.” He said her name for the first time and it felt so much better than Rebecca ever did. A small part of him wondered if Ruby was a lie as well, but he felt she seemed to open about it. The tears making their way back down her cheeks made him stop his attempt to get closer to her again. And he instantly regretted it a she spoke up to him again. “I've already ruined one kid's life, I'm not going to destroy another’s.” And she was gone, flying around him and towards the front door. Thankfully some other part of him reacted and took off after her. His larger hand smacking against the door to hold it closed as she flipped the lock open.
His next thought was to wrap his hand around and cover her mouth, because she was going to scream, something. She wouldn’t be able to pry him off that door, his weight alone leaning into it would probably keep it shut. “Ruby, listen to me.” He kept his hand in place and pulled back so she was once again had her back pressed to his chest but in more of trying to have control over the situation kind of way, when compared to just seconds earlier. “I can’t hand you over, not after what I’ve seen happening. I can’t. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself or ever look at my daughter in the eye knowing that I willingly handed you over without trying to find another way. Maybe I am the damaged one who is messed up,” He took a deep breath and tried again, this time with another tactic. “You owe me Ruby. After everything, you owe me for what you’ve done. And don’t try and spin this as you running out my door now and getting yourself caught as calling your debt even. Give me the 48 hours to figure this out. I promise you, if we can’t come up with something better, I will haul you down there and turn you in.”
He could practically taste the bile on his tongue at the thought. But he had to keep going. “You. Owe. Me. 48 hours. No more, no less. That’s all I am asking for. Because if you leave or do something rash, I won’t ever forgive myself for at least not trying.” God he hoped she would give him at least that. And with that small prayer, he lowered his hand from her mouth and waited for her response. His hand still firmly on the door.
William wasn’t a cruel man. He was tough, he knew how to push people to grow and learn things while in the field. He has yelled into their faces just like people did to him back in the day to get their head in the right spot. But he was not cruel. He didn’t seek out pain or suffering, he didn’t wish ill will on people who had done him wrong. But he was also human, which that alone had flaws all throughout it. Pick any year in history and he bet he could show you nightmares of people.
But he felt cruel the moment he watched her face fall after he harshly told her about the fate of the man. He felt like he just reached out and hit her across the face, stunning her. He watched the panic set in her face, the confusion as she started to wrap her mind around what he just said. His face anger started to crumble as collapse, her mouth opening and tears started coming from her eyes. He felt like the cruelest man suddenly and it made his palms ache with the hurt that was radiating off of her. Her chest breathing hard and he had to tell his body to not go forward to her.
The pain was real and as much as it hurt to watch her like this, it was something he felt was needed. So many things got turned upside down because things were done without thinking, without having a complete plan for something. As much as he wanted to stand there, hardened and cold to her, that crumbled the moment she looked up at him and he could see the tears blocking the bottoms of her eyes, making them shinier than ever. And then his name, Will, as if she was close enough to him to call him that shortened name. A name that felt so… intimate for her to be saying. And even when she changed it to ‘William’ it was hard to keep up the ridged body language.
She suddenly seemed to be talking fast, at least in his world. Apartment 277a? The Oaks. And suddenly talk about a gross amount of money and giving it to the wife of the dead man. The name Maria, the daughter she was talking about. The one who just lost her father. And that tore at something personal and made it feel like he had a gaping hole in his chest. Maybe that was part of the reason he couldn’t stand straight anymore and wound up on the floor. There were innocent children involved, maybe not in the direct line of fire, but ones that would be effect from it. The ones that would be left behind in the wake of the disaster. “Rebecca, I…” he started and felt his chest rip open as he caught another look at her tear soaked face.
William stared at her, bracing himself as he got the gears in his head running again. The anger slowly fading. “Apartment 227a. The Oaks. For… Maria.” He felt like he was repeating a mission back that was just handed to him, and he only prayed it didn’t sound completely detached. “Why wouldn’t you just give it to her?” He asked, blue eyes inquisitive and unwavering.
When she crawled over to sit across from him, he was aware of how close she was to him now, how he could easily shift his arm out and touch her legs that were pressed to her chest as they stared at each other. He felt that protective urge rise in his chest as he realized how small she looked as she held onto her legs. And how her eyes slid shut as he asked how they were going to get out of this. She looked as tired as he probably did, probably felt it down to her bones like he did. He felt it clinging to his bones, and yet his mind was awake now. Especially as he watched her seemingly make her mind up at she mused over the fact that she hadn’t been sold out.
“Turn me in. Right now.” He immediately started shaking his head as she stood up in front of him. He watched her from his position on the ground as she put her arms behind her head as if she was being held at gun point and he was an officer getting ready to cuff her. She went on with this story, one that sounded damn good if he was being honest. He got a flash back of her underneath him as she spoke about how she distracted him at the pharmacy to get his ID. Part of him wanted to ask if that is really why she kissed him, why she really took his jacket off and filled his mind with sinful ideas of what he could do to her. Just so she could get his ID badge. He felt a pang of jealousy even shoot through him at the mention of him being her lover, and that was snuffed out as quickly as it ran through his head.
Her head nodded as it faced the wall, not looking at him. Will knew that this sounded somewhat solid, but the idea of marching her back to the base. Giving her over to anyone there so they could interrogate her, question her for hours on end until she gave something of interest to them, and then they’d continue the questions. And depending on who got her, that caused a shiver to run down his spine. He closed his eyes as she spoke about the money and giving it to his family. The little brunette hadn’t dropped her arms from her head and she still wasn’t looking at him as she spoke. “See, I told you I was good at paperwork.” The laugh that came out on a breath was not one that was filled with humor. It was dry and he realized how dry his throat felt.
His gaze hit that picture of Harper. The easy thing to do would be to turn her over, do exactly what she said. It made sense and it probably would hold. The fact that it was his ID wouldn’t be thought about too much if he was the one to turn her over and prove that it was just a bad distraction on his end. He’d probably get smacked with all kinds of classes or extra duty as punishment. But it was the easy way out. Something he was trained to not believe. The easy way worked sometimes, but sometimes that was the quickest thing to blow up. He slowly stood up from his position on the ground. He realized how much taller he was than her as he stood behind her as she waited.
And that was when he stopped thinking again, because this was all messed up and he hated it. He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her against him. Burying his face in her hair and neck, he held her to him and just breathed his shaky breaths, trying to figure out another route in his head. Any route that wouldn’t involve him handing her over. “I can’t let you do that, there has to be another way.” He said against the skin where her neck and shoulder met. He was ready for a fight back from her, because he expected it. Expected that she would argue with him that they needed to do something and that her way was the best. “Give me 48 hours, if we can’t come up with something else, we will go with your plan.” He could only hope she would agree.
The shift of her moving into him, was all about grounding. It was a way that, like her he was sure, was a way to make sure this wasn’t just a dream. A bad dream that had no good endings to look forward to. No, the warmth of her body, the gentle pressure of her head on his chest made him take in the fact that this was one hundred percent the reality of a situation that was just downright trouble. Something he wasn’t ready for was her string of words that started going on about ‘him telling them’.
His brows pulled together in confusion as he stared down at her. What was she even talking about? The channels she took, the case? William was not a dumb man, not by any means. And the more she spoke, the more she tried explaining things to him had the gears in his head trying their best to get traction. As she said they took him away, he suddenly felt his features melt into a look of sorrow. She thought the man was alive that she let out of the cell. Thought that he was being held somewhere and questioned, not that he was currently in a body bag down in a large refrigerator of kinds with a toe tag on.
This took a turn that made him want to immediately back away from her and leave. He was never the one to tell families about the unfortunate fate that fell upon their loved one, and he thanked the heavens for that. It was bad enough when he stood at the funerals with men that he worked with or knew, watching the sadness and distraught wreck havoc over the family that now had to learn how to live without their loved one. How they would never see them again and they needed to learn to heal and move on, with a flag and paycheck handed to them before they were left on their own.
She kept talking, and his eyes slowly moved from her own to the outstretched hand in front of him. There, sitting between her fingers, was his badge. The one that he lost and had spent days searching for. The one that he went back to try and find, with her as well. And she had it the whole time. His eyes closed as he felt anger rip through him. How could he have been so stupid? He was glad she moved away from him, because suddenly his skin was on fire and he had to swallow back a string of cuss words that wanted to flow out of him. His eyes slid back open when he knew he had semi control over the anger. She thought that they would have gotten out? As if they didn’t have other things to catch their escape. And he was brought into this, because of his stupidity a few weeks ago with a damsel in distress with tempting blue eyes and soft pillowy lips.
“I take back what I said, you are stupid. How did you even plan on leaving the base? There is only one way in, and one way out. Heavily guarded.” Suddenly he wished he had left her back there, or at least detained her and left her to be in that cell. He reached out and all but snatched the ID out of her hands, he was now more involved with this whole situation more than he originally thought. He made a point not to touch her as he grabbed it. “And his case? Assuming you are some sort of attorney with that statement, you should have thought this out more. But rest assured, he hasn’t said anything because he can’t say anything. He was dead right after we heard those shots.” His electric eyes staring at his own face looking out at him on his ID. He didn’t know who was staring back at him, because he was no longer that man. His voice was cold and he couldn’t help it.
“You have a child?!”
That caught his attention. William’s head snapped up and he locked eyes on the picture that was near them. The blonde hair, toothy grin of his daughter staring at him made him want to weep. Suddenly all those gears that were struggling to work just went from zero to five hundred in point three seconds. He felt his face pale and he swayed, his shoulder catching the hallway wall as he stared at those blue eyes that were exactly like his. He was going to faint, no, he was going to throw up. He took a deep breath and steadied himself the best he could. His eyes not moving from that picture.
He has a daughter. One who looked forward to their FaceTime dates and sent him pictures in the mail that she drew. One who was looking forward to when he could come visit her again, so they could go bowling and watch movies together with way too buttery popcorn. One that should have been at the front of his mind when he made the choice to patch the woman standing before him weeks ago. “Harper.” He finally spoke, and his voice sounded so foreign to him suddenly. He had to clear his throat as he continued, “Her name is Harper, she’s eight.” His chest felt tight just talking about her. A juicy curse came out of his mouth as he slid down to sit in his hallway, his eyes shifting to the blank wall in front of him. His arms resting on his bent knees.
“What are we going to do?” His voice gave away how tired he was, and for once, he was at a loss as what to do. His eyes finally turned to look at her, desperation causing his eyes to burn suddenly. Because now, whether they liked it or not, they were going to have to see this situation out together.
William knew how long time could be, and how fast it could go as well. It all depended on the situation and what was happening at the time to you. Right now as one of those times that the silence of his own home, was dragging out long enough to make his skin crawl. It made him want to run down the hallways and into the different rooms till he found her. But he knew that would be an idea that neither of them would wind up liking. The sound of running after everything that just happened, would probably only frighten her and then he would be the sole cause for those wide blue fearful eyes.
When he heard a shuffling noise from his living room, a small breath left him. So she was here, she was safe and had made it all the way into his home. When she appeared at the end of his hallway, he was frozen in his spot. How was she still as beautiful as she was, even after everything. He quickly shoved that thought aside as the thank you fell from her lips and she wrapped her arms around herself. His eyes quickly ran over to ensure that she seemed uninjured. As if she had to hold onto something or else she would fall apart, or float away. Still, he stood there just taking her in, afraid he would move too quickly and startle her.
Her eyes caught on his mouth and immediately he could see the sadness that hit her face. He lifted a hand to wave it off, “You’ve got a mean hook. But it looks worse than it actually is,” he said, his voice quiet and trying to get her to understand that he wasn’t upset. That punch, though stunning alongside that kneeing action, was just for show. He dropped his hand as she moved towards him, her hand lifting up as if to touch him and he stood as still as he could. And suddenly it was dropping back to her side, and with that movement he stepped forward, capturing her small hand in hers and lifting it to place on his cheek as she asked him a question that he didn’t quite understand either.
“Why? Why risk that for me?”
He let out a small, almost lost sounding laugh that lasted just a second. His eyes staring at her in this close space. “I’ve asked myself that a lot this last almost two hours,” He thought out loud, because it was true. Whenever his brain wasn’t being pulled in a million different directions after the ‘escape’, he found it going back to what the hell he was thinking. Why had he made that choice. “All I know was I didn’t like the thought of you in one of those cells, and that you aren’t stupid…” His voice trailed off for a second, shaking his head and looking down for a moment before looking back up at her, “Well, okay, maybe stupid after this stunt, but you had to have had a good reason for this.”
He reached out his own hand, hesitant like she was about touching her anywhere that wasn’t her hand. But he was daring enough to brush his finger tips against her cheek and push back a strand of hair there. Yeah, just like in those cheesy movies. But he didn’t do anything drastic after that, instead he let his hand fall back down and he shifted in front of her. “I told you before, you’re like a goddamn beautiful siren sent to lead me to my death. And I truly believe that now.” He laughed, like truly laughed at it and rubbed the back of his head. He had no idea yet what to do from here. And maybe that could wait, wait until morning after he’s had a gallon of coffee and a mound of eggs to kick start the brainstorming process.
William watched her beg him before his explanation of getting out of there started. He didn't like it, he didn't like this part of her at all. He almost rather that she still was fighting him, because at least his heart wasn't crushing in his chest at those terrified, wide blue eyes looking at him. What the hell she did to his mind, he had no idea. And had this been three hundred years ago, he'd suspect her a witch that cast a spell on him. That's how it felt, like he couldn't help but want her safe and he wanted to comfort her until the trembling stopped.
He watched her with sharp eyes as he gave instruction, watching her process what he as saying and repeating back the number he told her. Good, she was actually listening and he knew that she wasn't going to try and do her own thing. She was smart enough to know that he was her best bet for getting out of there. Once she looked like she was ready, he relaxed his hold and she burst into action. Part of him was damn proud of her for not hesitating as she got out of his grip. Her punch hit hard, which actually stunned him for a moment and the knee colliding with his stomach made him grunt and fall to his knees as he tried to catch his breath. On his tongue he tasted the metallic taste of blood and knew she caught him well enough to bust his lip.
He waited until she got outside the first set of doors before he got up, slowly as he sucked in a few deep breaths before he started off after her. He had to put on the chase, knew that it was important to make it look like he really wanted to capture her. He even turned on the heat to gain a bit on her as they hit the doors, up until he knew the cameras didn't have sight of them. And that's when he stopped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He could only help her so far, and he hoped she would get the rest of the way safely. It was late enough that no one would really be out where the homes were, so she shouldn't have any issues. And he never left his lights on in his house, so if she kept in the dark until he got home, there was a damn good chance she'd be good.
The next hour was a circus show, lots of 'what happened?' going around and people fussing over the fact that someone made it around. William was there in the middle of it as well, pushing orders for searches and trying to figure out what even happened, or so they thought. He watched the videos with them, and even though he got some odd looks, like how he had a fast one pulled on him, he snapped at them. Like they had never been caught off guard or lost a fight. He wasn't invincible. Which they all backed off after that. Once he knew there were enough things in place to keep things secure, and knew that his job was done there, he started to make his way back home.
The ride home was quick, and he tried to be as casual as he could as he pulled his bike up the driveway and opened the garage. He parked it, got his keys out and unlocked the door as he hit the close button for the garage. His house was still dark, and he hadn't seen any sign of movement when he pulled up. He realized it was about an hour and a half since he last caught sight of her disappearing. And he had high hopes that she was inside considering no one came in saying they caught her. The garage door lead him right into the hallway between his living room and dining room, so he placed down his keys and flipped the hallway light on.
He felt comfortable turning on that light, because even if someone saw it on, they had to have heard his motorcycle pull up so he was home. He wasn't a great decorator or anything, his walls mainly blank except for a few that had pictures of his daughter randomly down the hallway, and even a few drawings that he framed from her. His living room had the staple couch, gray in color with a few throw pillows on it and a blanket tossed over the back. A widescreen tv mounted to the wall and a coffee table. A lounge chair in the corner that was red in color and out of the way. And one picture sitting under the tv on the entertainment center.
He walked slowly, boots making a solid sound against the hardwood floor as he walked and peered into the dining room before he moved on. "Kitten?" He was sort of surprised that the nickname came out instead of her name, but he wouldn't take it back. His voice steady as he waited for her to make herself known, from where ever she was. So waiting in the hallway between the main areas downstairs seemed like the best idea. The only other area she could have gone was the bedrooms upstairs.
This was out of control. She was struggling against him, even as she saw who he was. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him, and he damn well thought the same thing about her at this point. What the hell was she doing on base? Of course he knew nothing about her and she could very well work for the government and he had her pinned to the wall like a criminal, but that thought barely made him ease up. What were the chances that she winds up being the person he catches right after alarms start going off? She had to be the reason behind them. As her leg shot out towards him, he shifted to avoid contact. Part of him, wanted to remind her what his job was.
He wasn't some pencil pusher sitting behind a desk. He was trained for combat, water, air, hand to hand. So she would have to really catch him off guard to land a hit on him. But his shift did offer her the opportunity to spin and face him. His hands immediately shifted to keep control on her, his hand pinning her wrists together and he gave her no room to run from him. No, she wasn't going to just slip past him like she did the last time.
"Will please, let me go. Please."
Her eyes were wide with fear. He was briefly reminded of a cornered animal and something in him wanted to protect her. It popped up briefly before he heard shouts coming. His initial thought was to call out to them. But it quickly went away as her body froze against his, and he heard the shouts get more frantic. What he wasn't ready for was the unmistakable sound of a gun firing. After counting off one, two, three, more shots rang. Whoever they fired on, probably wasn't moving at this point.
Her small body pressed into his, and suddenly he did not want to be here. Why did he have to be the one who found her? But at the same time, thank god he was the one who found her. She struggled for words against him and he realized that he released the grip on her hands at some point as they grabbed onto him out of solid fear. He had never expected to see her like this, as her knees seemed to give out, he moved to hold her into place, to keep her from hitting the ground.
"They...they shot him, oh god. Don't...I don't want to get shot...oh god..."
And suddenly he became aware of the voices down the hall. He should be calling out for help. He should be putting her into a cell and seeing what the hell she was actually doing there. Because right now, it didn't look great. But as he started down at her, his heart lurched into his chest and goddamn him if he didn't just go against everything he had been training for. "Goddammit," His voice broke as he snapped an awful idea into his head but one that was probably the best chance they had at the moment.
Well the best one he had of getting her away from all this. "Look at me, and listen to me because we aren't going to have time for me to repeat this," he stared down at her, willing her to look into his face. He was going to help her, hide her until he had his questions answered so he could know exactly what he should do with her. It was the only thing that made sense to him because he needed answers at this point. "When I tell you to, you are going to break free of my hold and you are going to hit me as hard as you can in the jaw," yeah he wasn't going to like this but he needed it to be believable.
He continued on, keeping his voice just loud enough so she could hear him, "You are going to knee me in the stomach and I want you to run back the way you came. The door I came from, you are going to exit that door and straight ahead of it, will be another one that goes outside. Stick to the shadows and you are going to go left outside. Run straight through the course, and keep going. You will see some homes. Go to 3268, spare key is on top of the light by the front door. Go inside, keep the lights off, lock the doors. Stay there, you will be safe. And I will come for you as soon as I can." And he hoped she believed him. Because damn him but he was going to keep her safe.
"Do you understand?" The moment she gave him any signal that she understood, he was ready to take those hits and maybe be a bit dramatic if needed. Because cameras were watching and he needed to make it look like she actually got the jump on him.
It was decent weather out, which was why he was still standing outside, watching the few soldiers who wanted to work out with him run the course ahead. He had already beaten a few of them, which prompted in them asking him to train them. He was used to being asked for training in the classroom. What he did took every ounce of energy sometimes, being tested mind and body for his whole training and being expected to keep up with that standard throughout his career. And even after twelve years in, he could keep up with the ones who were younger than him. Not that thirty two was old by any means.
William stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched them running the course for the second time. Lights were the only thing keeping some of the course lit, while the other part was still cloaked in darkness. It was good to have your senses messed with when it comes to letting you test your body with different courses, different environments, and different lighting. A few of them paused as they stopped for a breathe. "You stop on the field and that could leave you exposed. Find a spot for cover before stopping," he shouted to them.
Sure, right now it might not be top priority but you had to train as if you were in a high danger area. One moment of relaxation could be the matter of life or death. Like a few weeks ago, he let his guard down unlike anything he had ever done. He let a moment of bad judgement hit him and wound up with his higher up chewing into him for somehow losing his damn military ID. He went looking for it, showed up at the pharmacy and asked the woman who had caught him in his weakness. At least when he saw her this time he wasn't all heavy lidded or kiss swollen. Or with some smudged lipstick pressed against his neck. He found that once he got home that day.
The thought of her, Rebecca, was something he had to shove out of his mind a lot recently. Because every time he thought about her, he didn't immediately think of how she felt under him or her lips against his. Nope, he thought about that grin she gave him that was a genuine grin, and the way she murmured his name. He snapped out of it as the wind picked up and smacked him in the face with its crispness. He almost thanked it. While looking for his ID, he looked for her. The woman at the pharmacy never found his ID, when he asked about Rebecca, the woman gave him the oddest look as if she had no idea who he was referring to.
When he mentioned it was the woman he was with there, the woman just repeated 'Rebecca?' as if she heard him wrong. He nodded and saw a flash of confusion across her face. But she offered no explanation. Just said she hadn't seen her recently. He was in civilian clothes at that time and pulled out a piece of paper from his wallet and handed it to her. It had his name and cell number on it, and he handed it to the older woman asking if she would give it to her if she saw her. And either she never saw her, or Rebecca chose to not reach out. He half expected no response. Still sucked.
But his ID was no where. He ripped apart the vehicle, searched the pharmacy a bit more throughly with permission. Ripped his home apart looking for it. But nothing. He had to report it to his reporting officer, which earned him that verbal lashing. And then a 'we will get new ones made'. He just got his new ones yesterday, which he was paranoid about and he patted the internal pocket of his pants to make sure it was still there. Yep, haven't moved.
The blaring sirens that started up behind him startled him a bit, and he whipped around to look at the entrance of the underground base that was directly behind him. Without much thought, he took off running towards it. Clearly something happened and he knew immediate action would be needed. As he came through the doors, he ran into another solider who stated that they had an escapee on the loose. The quickest nod went out as they separated. Whoever escaped couldn't have been too far from where the cells were and he knew that he at least needed to get to the halls that were somewhat around it. As he scanned his new card and the door opened, he was briefly surprised to watch a smaller figure in dark clothing bolt from him.
He immediately ran after the person, his long legs closing the distance as he caught up to them. He was getting ready to snag them when an elbow came flying back towards him. Will reacted just fast enough to avoid a full on collision of elbow to throat action, but still caught enough of it to make him swallow quickly at the discomfort. There was no one else in the hallway as he deflected the few blows coming from the smaller figure and he quickly got control over them. The hat flew to the ground as he finally pinned the arm behind the escapee's back and he pushed them forward to use the wall as leverage as well to keep them pinned between his body and the steel of the underground wall.
What he was no ready for, and no amount of training could have prepared him for, was a very familiar scent hitting his nose. And then those blue eyes looking back at him, and suddenly he was completely caught off guard for a second, even his grip on her lightened slightly from possible bruising force to just a firm hold. She was definitely not someone who was being held here.
"Golden boy, fancy meeting you here."
She was still just as beautiful as the last time he saw her. But his mind immediately let that as the sirens blared still in the background, lights flashing. "Don't golden boy me, what the hell are you doing here?" He bit out, not releasing her because truly, he didn't know what was going on. He had hundreds of questions run through his mind as he stared at her. This was not good, he already knew this was not going to be something he was going to look back at later in his career and go 'yep that was the best moment of it all!'. He knew soon that there would be others coming down that hallway and his first thought was how was he going to get her to safety.
This was not good. "Rebecca, what the hell is going on?" Even if she answered, his mind didn't process so he felt the need to ask again.
Confusion was something that William hated being in. Being unsure of what was happening and just straight up puzzled at what the hell had just happened. Which was what he was hit with. One moment she was all over him, pulling him closer to her and holding onto him as if her life depended on it. Her lips meeting his eagerly, at least he believed so considering she started this completely surprising act and even taking it the steps farther by removing his outer shirt, her shirt completely, and going for his pants. In his mind, the angry at the uniform woman was gone and left something behind was someone who was able to tap into the logical, in control side of him and turn it into someone more daring.
But just like the woman's voice was a smack in the rear to him, apparently it worked the same exact way on the brunette. And it didn't bring back the one who was softer during his patching up of her arm. No, it was the one who wanted him as far away from her as possible and he was absolutely crushed by the wall that shot back up and pointed the full arsenal at him. She seemed insulted that he covered her, and took note from the corner of his eye how she threw it off of her like it was on fire. At least that's how he took it. And suddenly, she seemed to think he was toxic as she avoided his offer to help her up.
"Well, McCabe that was real fun while it lasted. Give my regards to your boys outside."
Cold and distant, he didn't like this. Not one bit. He watched her, his boots cemented to the floor as she went to the counter, putting money down and making her way quickly to the exit. His soft "Wait," fell on deaf ears, or she purposefully ignored him, as she worked on putting as much distance between them as she possibly could, as fast as she could. He breathed out a cuss as he ran a hand through his hair, as if it would put him back together. He gave the owner of the pharmacy a polite smile, despite the fact that he was sure he looked all kinds of disheveled. He wanted to run after her, wanted to stop her in her tracks and figure out what he did that turned her from molten hot to colder than the polar caps. But he had a feeling that would not work in his favor, not one bit.
So instead, he started cleaning up the area that he had used as a medic bed and pulled his uniform top back on, and didn't even bother to pay attention to the buttons. He even went over and helped the older woman clean up the glass that started the whole thing in the first place. He didn't try and make small talk, as the woman seemed to already want him out as well. Today was not his day apparently. Once everything was cleaned up, he paid for his items, threw what supplies were left over in a bag and thanked her for everything. He looked down at the spot near the door where he patched her up, where he had her pinned under him and had her hands all over him. Will pushed his way outside and into the back of the vehicle.
He felt eyes peer at him from different sides of the vehicle which he responded with a quick, "What are we waiting for?" which seemed to snap them out of their current daze. The vehicle lurched forwards headed back towards base. The ride was silent, and he stared out the window the whole time, even after the two in the front were brave enough to start their small chatter. His mind was still dancing around what the hell had just happened. As they approached the gates, they were met by another uniform holding a semi-automatic, asking for ID's. Protocol. Even though Will knew the guy at the gate well. As he reached into his breast pocket for his ID, he got a whole lot of nothing. A small frown caused his brows to pull together. After checking the other pocket, and only came up with his wallet that had his driver license he cursed again for what felt like the hundredth time.
It must have fallen out of his pocket at the pharmacy. Thats the only logical possibility. And boy was it fun to try and talk his way onto the base with just his license. The guy at the gate refused at first, knowing it was his job. But William also knew that he had his old military ID at home. It didn't have all the clearance access as his new one, but it could at least get him in and out of the gate. And after 15 minutes of debate, and quite the pile up at the gate, he finally waved them threw after warning him that he wouldn't ever do this again. William knew he would have to go out and check the pharmacy tomorrow. Hoping to whatever God would listen that it would be there safely and not picked up by some stranger.
She was eating him alive. His skin was on fire with every brush, and her responses to him were driving him to lose himself. He wanted to touch her all over. She was soft beneath him in a way that complimented and melded her to his harder muscled body. As the items from his jacket scattered, he didn’t give them a second thought. Her legs pulled him closer as he caressed her neck. Her scent filled his sense for a moment and he wondered what the hell she wore because damn he would never forget that scent. Not in a million years.
The soft feminine noises she made under him were driving him wild. And the grin, that swollen lipped grin that flashed over white teeth up at him had his heart skip a beat. He stared at her as she looked up at him. Damn why was this the sexiest thing he had ever seen? Her beneath him, hair falling around her head, giving him full access to seeing her face. Those blue eyes of her staring up at him as she whispered to him, her hands moving down her body.
“Let's see what you've got golden boy,”
He almost went to her again when she threw a curve ball at him, her hands tossing her shirt and holy hell. Talk about breathtaking, talk about something that shouldn’t be damn real. This was almost too much, and that voice spoke up in his head about something that had to do with being a gentleman. But as her leg shift against him, her thigh pulling up to his hip which made he sink closer into her. Probably giving her too much of an idea about what was going on with him. But a soft groan came out instead of anything else.
And then her mouth was back to his, and this time she took control, dominating the kiss even though he was in the position of power. Her tongue was like velvet in his mouth and he wanted more of it. More of her. More of this. Her hands were small but firm against his chest and he hummed his approval as a hand of his slipped up her side. He wanted to push on but he hesitated. She deserved better than this. No matter how much she yelled at him and complained, she didn’t deserve to be taken down on the floor inside a pharmacy.
He wished he lived closer, that he could just put this on pause and bring her back to his place. Or hell, if her place was closer than hers. But with an angle of her neck, offering it up to him, he was sucked back into her gravitational pull. He happily complied with what she clearly wanted, his lips kissing and sucking at her skin. His hips did an uncontrollable roll as the button popped open and he leaned back, taking a deep breath as he looked down at her. God damn him, but he was going to stop what was about to happen. Especially as his name, for the first time since he told her, left her lips.
“Will…”
He leaned back a bit, so he was holding himself above her, as his eyes ran down her figured again. A quiet cuss word left his lips and he hoped she knew it was in an adoring way. Because she should not be possible. Screw Grant, screw the patrol coming back. He would talk his way out of it, he thought to himself. He wanted her in a bed (really his but that seemed so far) and comfortable under him. “Let’s get out o-” and that’s when he felt like he got kicked straight in the back of the head. A woman’s yelp coming from behind him as the door swung open.
“Excuse me!”
He closed his eyes, clearly distraught by the fact that now he had to reign himself back in. That he was going to have to roll off of her and leave her soft touches and sighs. He reached out and grabbed the closest piece of clothing, which happened to be his uniform top and after letting his eyes trace her body once more, he regretfully covered her with his shirt. He was sure there was a frown on his kiss swollen lips. His shoulders still blocked the door which he was silently grateful for. His black under tank showed off his arms as he pushed himself off of her and without turning to the older woman, he did a quick re-arranging of himself and buttoned his pants. No need to give her a damn heart attack about what was going on downstairs for him.
He heard boots a second later as the door opened and there was one of the three scrooges that had left them to finish patrol. “Sir, rounds are done and -” the voice trailed off as William shot a look over his shoulder, his blue eyes narrow and showing off nothing. “Get back to the vehicle. I am wrapping up here.” His voice was even, despite the fact that his breathing was still labored as he offered a hand to the brunette below him. The scrooge retreated without lingering, knowing that McCabe would be good for running them into the ground if they didn’t listen. He turned his body towards the older woman, “Ma’am, I owe you for some supplies, and I can help clean up the glass that someone fell into,” He shot ‘Rebecca’ a small smirk before he continued on. He wasn’t going to comment on the position that they were found in. Nope.
Man, didn't that just suck hearing that twice in his life. But from a stranger, it was odd. He shook his head at her, still trying to give her the smallest of smiles. "Never asked you to be. I've never married because my life doesn't allow the normal." Because who wanted to be stuck with someone when you got to see them what, a month or two out of the year if they got deployed? The mother of his child refused to marry him because she couldn't sit around waiting for him. And as much as it hurt, he understood it. It wasn't fair to ask someone to be tied down to him.
Still stung, because when he was younger, he definitely imagined having a wife and kids by his age. He just seemed to get everything out of order. And once he hit thirty he sort of gave up on sharing his last name with anyone besides his daughter. "It's just lasagna, not an engagement ring." He teased a bit further. She was not going to sour his mood any further. Hopefully.
He felt another ping of that voice telling him that this was already taken too far. The moment the wine hit his lips it was taken too far. But now that her legs moved to easily straddle his legs, her body shifting into him as he pressed her to him. It was an overload on his senses and his brain thought a million things and yet couldn't put one into action. She was the overload of his senses and he almost cursed at how easily his body gave in to her. His mind was working as if it was half dead as well, only instincts kicking in overdrive.
"That's how I prefer it soldier."
The suck on his neck made his grip on her tighten, and the nip of her teeth into his skin shot electricity down his spine and kicked him in the ass. He sucked in a breath as she let it go, and part of him hoped there wasn't a mark left on his neck. Because he certainly didn't have that at the start of rounds. Though another part of him wanted there to be something to remind him of this head ache of a woman he had met. The one who was pushing all his limits, and to which he had no explanation as to why he was letting it happen.
William got a good look at her face as she moved away from his neck. Damn her, she was absolutely stunning. And he met her halfway for the first kiss, which was ended quicker than he wanted. Barely a ghost of a kiss with how soft it was. It had been a while since he kissed a woman like this, just raw energy between them. It made him want to devour her, which he got his chance when she came back for a second meeting with his lips. He responded with a quick tangling of his hand in her hair. Nothing to hurt her, but enough of a presences to give her ideas that he had a small control over her. Even though she was on top of him. And that wicked grin that hit her lips confirmed that she thought that she was in control of this whole situation.
"The question is, can you play along?"
Her fingers were quick, unbuttoning his outer layer and it slide down his arms easily thanks to some weight that was in the pockets. He easily guided her mouth back to his as her hands roamed his broad chest. His hand that was previously on the small of her back and moved down to grip her thigh and tug her a bit closer. But it was the tug on his dog tags, the sign she wanted him closer that had him spring into action. His hand giving her a small squeeze and he pulled himself free of her lips. His lids were halfway closed as he stared at her swollen lips, swollen because of him. He tugged her hair back, urging her head back so he would have access to her throat. Which he would return the favor of placing kisses down it and giving her a playful bite on her shoulder. "You said it yourself," he breathed against her skin, his hand leaving her hair to drop down to her waist and slip just his thumb under her shirt, lightly stroking the skin under his finger.
"Embrace my golden retriever, who is just wanting to please," and with that, he flipped them, settling himself on top of her and rejoining his lips to hers. Sure, this probably was going to look all kinds of wrong if someone walked in but at this moment, he didn't care who saw. Her pressed under him on the floor as he set about kissing with the plan to make her forget anything that wasn't him.
“Well, I've been around guys who are like pit-bulls and they wouldn't have offered to help me unless something was in it for them. You, sir, are no pit bull. You've just got to own up to it, embrace your inner golden retriever.”
Forever the golden retriever. She could have done worse. Could have said he was one of those annoying lap dogs, if you could even call those things dogs. They were more like oversized rats in his opinion. Most of them just were in a constant state of either fear (which was why they were always shaking) or thinking they were some hundred pound dog that was something to be feared. And they were neither. At least a golden retriever was known as a great sporting dog and lovable family dog.
William noticed her glance at his hand, and something stirred in him that he had to shake his head slightly to get rid of. Certainly, she was not looking for something that would mark him as off the market. A small sense of pride, that’s what it was? Though he did make note that she avoided anything that had to do with a family. That must have made her uncomfortable which made him re-think the reason behind her checking that status. He shook his head as she went about talking about how great that lasagna was up the street. And how even the delivery guys all knew her name. So obviously a frequent flyer there.
“Can’t say I’ve had theirs, but I can almost guarantee that mine would blow theirs out of the water.” He remarked, and feeling ever so bold, he continued on. “Maybe one day I can let you compare them.” Though he already knew that the response would probably be an immediate shut down. Because that would mean she would want to see him again. And especially after his small blow up about her not knowing him, he was sure that was a huge turn off.
What he wasn’t ready for after his whole rant, was for her to be calm and apologize. It was like a kick in the rear that he was not ready for, which was why his eyes flashed up to hers, probably slightly wide with surprise. He was prepared for the fight to come back, which was when he would probably have to do what she was exactly doing in that moment. Agree to disagree. Perhaps, but if she was able to be the bigger person, he would at least give her a nod to show his agreement.
He knew she would get a kick out of that movie choice. It definitely stood against what he did, but damn was the acting good and he had a small crush on Natalie Portman. The woman looked good with or without long hair. He wanted to pry on the nicknames when none came out, even though she explained that he was not some monster. Well hopefully she really believed that and it wasn’t part of the whole ‘agree to disagree’ thing they had just come to agreement on. He kind of wanted a nickname from her, better than her going around calling him McCabe all the time. That was something he expected from work, not from a beautiful woman.
Though as he downed that wine and held her eyes as she called him ‘golden boy’, he felt his blood start rushing. What in the world was happening? How did this turn from her almost wanting to ring his neck into her looking like she wanted to devour him there in the pharmacy. He noticed too late that his eyes were focused way too much on her mouth as she lifted her own cup up and took a drink of the red wine. And they only left her lips as she shifted closer to him. Close enough that he could smell her hair and almost swayed from his sitting position.
As she leaned closer, he swore that she would be able to hear the pounding in his chest. It felt like it was trying to leap out of it, and he inwardly cursed at it to cool its jets. She was messing with him. She was probably just trying to stand to her feet and walk away from him, put distance. Something. But as she moved even closer, he froze, almost afraid that if he moved he would frighten her away and damn wouldn’t that be a shame. His blue eyes slid closed as he felt her breath on his neck. Part of him, in the back of his mind went, hey dumbo, you are on duty. But another side, the one that was definitely winning, hushed it as her voice softly spoke to him.
“If the water is too deep for you just say the word and I'll put you back on dry land.”
Yep, he was done for as he felt her lips make contact with his skin. Fire lit under his skin for the second time since their meeting, but this one was more hot. And was not because of anger. He was sure that she would feel his heart racing through the pulse she was over and her gentle touch on his shoulder tore a bit more at his self control. Without much thought, one hand slid around the small of her waist and pressed her into his chest, so she would be straddling his legs and closer to him. He knew his shoulders were wide enough to block anyone coming in the door from seeing her body pressed into his, but definitely not blocking the brunette head of hair that was, he pictured, cascading down his shoulder now.
“This is a dangerous game you are playing Kitten,” His voice was rough and low as his other hand slipped up her back and into the hair at the nap of her neck. It was so much softer than he thought it would be. And even though his hold on her was firm and from an onlookers view, would look like he was in control, he knew he wasn’t for the time being. This was her game that she started, but he wasn’t afraid to give her a run for her money if she pushed it farther than this. And boy was he torn, his hands urged her closer but his words were a warning. And that small, slowly being smothered voice was still shouting, ‘you are on duty! You could be caught!’ But he wasn’t quite listening to it. Not when his senses were overwhelmed at the moment by the lovely smell of her and the feel of her touch.
