Chapter Fourteen
He was going to kill her. Sure, she probably had black belts in things he’d never heard of, but that made absolutely no difference to him. The incessant sound of something hitting the wall in the next room over was driving him to have homicidal tendencies.
It was almost midnight, and there was no way for him to even begin to guess how long she’d been at that, but he was going to put a stop to it. Now.
He threw the covers from his body and pushed himself off of the bed. He crossed the room in no time at all and didn’t bother to knock.
The sound of the door being thrown open startled Alana and she toppled backwards in her chair. She landed hard on the carpeted floor and glanced up, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.
“What the hell? I thought you were asleep!”
“Yeah, because that’s totally possible with you over here beating up the wall. What the hell are you doing?” He saw the fuzzy green ball still clenched in her hand and he knew immediately what she’d been doing. “A tennis ball?”
A sheepish smile formed on her lips and she shrugged. “I’m sorry. It helps me clear my mind. It helps me think.”
He rolled his eyes. “Could you find something that helps you think that’s a little quieter?” He asked as he walked over. He held his hand out and pulled her to her feet. He looked her over carefully, and once he was satisfied that she’d not been hurt, he released her hand.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated, averting her eyes. “I just can’t sleep. I have too much stuff on my mind.”
“Care to elaborate on ‘stuff’?”
“Not really,” she said, shrugging slightly.
He laughed lightly and shook his head. “Well, that’s too bad. You don’t really have much of a choice on the matter.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“And what exactly are you going to do about it?”
“Well, let’s think about it logically, Al. You come up to about my knee cap. You may be more than equipped to kick my ass, but if you recall, I have height and weight on you. So if necessary, I’ll hold you down and tickle you until you pee yourself or start talking. Either one. It’s totally up to you though.”
She rolled her eyes and shoved him gently. “Get out of my room, nerd.”
“Nope. See, I can’t sleep unless you sleep. So if you don’t go to sleep, then I’m not going to be able to sleep. So, if you can’t sleep because you have crap on your mind, then I say we sit here and talk it out so that you CAN sleep. Sound good?”
“Not really.”
“Well, too bad honey. Start talking.”
She let out a laugh and shoved him once more. “Go. Seriously. I have work to do and I can’t do that with your dumb ass in here.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Al. You don’t need to be working. You need to be sleeping. You’ve had a long day.”
“And so have you. So go back into your room and go to sleep. And don’t call me ‘Al’.”
He smirked and shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere, Al,” he repeated.
“Jace, I’m serious. You’ve got a long day tomorrow, okay? Just go get some sleep.”
“I’m not going, Alana. Stop whining and start talking.”
“I really don’t want to talk about it.” While their teasing had been light hearted up until this point, he could tell that him pestering her was really starting to upset her. And the obvious thing to do would be to drop the subject and leave her alone but that wasn’t in his nature.
They had declared themselves friends already. And he took that to heart. She was his friend. Any of his other friends could attest to the fact that when they had a problem, JC was always there to help get them through it. This was no different.
“Hey, no need to get upset, alright? I’m just trying to help you out here, Al.”
“I don’t want your help,” she responded through clenched teeth. “I don’t need help. There’s nothing wrong.”
“You don’t have to act like a bad ass all the time, Alana. I promise I won’t go tell anyone that you’re acting human for once, instead of some crazy, hard core FBI chick.”
He had braced himself after that comment. He was mentally preparing for what he was assuming would be the worst verbal smack down of his life. But what he wasn’t prepared for was the single tear that trickled down her cheek.
“How am I supposed to fight someone I can’t see?” Although it had started with a single tear, the question had caused the dam inside of her to break. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she fell back onto the bed, quiet sobs wracking her tiny body.
He didn’t quite know what to say at the moment. He knew that she was shook up. She had been out of whack ever since getting the phone call earlier that day about her friend. But he hadn’t known it affected her this much.
“I didn’t… I didn’t even see it coming, JC. I had no idea what that @#%$ was planning. This is my career. This is what I’ve been doing for the last five years. I’m paid to get inside of criminal’s minds, to think like them. But how can I do that when I don’t even know what I’m dealing with?”
Unable to find any words of comfort to speak to her, he simply chose a physical alternative and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He squeezed her gently, using one hand to smooth her hair back from her now tear stained face.
“You’re doing a great job, Al,” he cooed softly. He meant it. He felt safe when he was with her. He saw the pains she took to ensure his safety and he was grateful for it. He hadn’t felt this safe since before the emails started.
“Y-you’re just saying that so I s-stop snotting on your shoulder,” she said, forcing a laugh.
“I’m saying it because it’s the truth,” he told her. He pulled away from the hug so that he could gaze into her beautiful eyes. Had he ever bumped into her on the street, he never would have guessed her choice of profession.
She was everything a man could dream about. She was beautiful, smart, funny, and a smart ass! What else could a guy want? He gave her a smile as he used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the remaining tears on her cheeks.
“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are, Alana?”
Attempting to shift the focus from her breakdown, she forced another laugh. “Once. But then, I kicked him between the legs and he wasn’t saying much of anything after that.”
“You’re such a smart ass,” he told her. “Some guys think that’s a huge turn on.”
“Some guys?”
“Well… maybe not ‘some guys’ but this guy right here sure does.”
“He does?”
“Mmmhmm. And he’d even be willing to get kicked between the legs just so he could tell you how beautiful you are.”
“He would?”
“You’re gorgeous,” he told her. “Everything about you is perfect. Your beautiful blue eyes that change colors with your mood… the way your nose wrinkles when you laugh… the way your hair falls into your face… you’re…”
There faces were inches apart. She felt her heart pounding in her chest. It was happening again. They were so close to one another, she could feel his breath tickling her skin.
“You’re…”
“Josh?”
“Hmmm?”
“Stop talking. Just kiss me.”
Not having to be told twice, he quickly closed the gap between them and immediately, he felt sparks. He closed his eyes and allowed his lips to press against hers in a way that was almost desperate. He had been waiting for this for what seemed like an eternity.
And it was every bit as perfect as he’d imagined it to be.
When she pulled away, however, he felt his heart drop slightly, until he opened his eyes and saw the look in hers. She had felt just as much as he had. It was evident. And he couldn’t help but smile.
“So much for being just friends, huh?” He asked, a smile on his face. He never got a response. Instead, Alana threw her arms around him, and pressed another kiss to his lips.
Oh yeah. He could get used to this.
~*~
The light filtered through the curtains in the hotel room, waking JC out of the most peaceful slumber he’d had in awhile. He had no trouble forcing his eyes open, and he certainly couldn’t keep the smile from his face once he’d done so and realized that last night had NOT been a dream.
While the night had started out with a pretty emotional moment on Alana’s end, the night quickly went uphill, especially following the kiss that the two had shared. Or rather, following the first of many kisses the two had shared.
One thing was certain… pretending to be her boyfriend would not be a problem now. In fact, there was no pretending necessary.
They had talked for what seemed like hours, until neither of them could hold their eyes open, despite the fact that it would be a long day for both of them. He rolled onto his side and looked down at her face. She looked angelic when she was asleep. Quite misleading, considering the firecracker that she was any other time. But he wouldn’t have her any other way.
JC leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. He ignored the fact that neither of them had brushed their teeth as of yet.
The kiss caused Alana’s eyes to flutter slightly, before she opened her eyes. A tired smile found its way onto her lips. “Wow… what a way to wake up! Good morning,” she said as she leaned over and returned the kiss. This was something she could easily get used to.
She stretched and let out a small groan before she pushed herself up on the bed. He was still laying there, his arms stretched out over his head as he looked up at her with a smile.
“Tired?” He asked her.
“Hell yes. But you know what?”
“Mmm… what’s that?” He asked, a lazy smile creeping onto his face. He watched as she leaned over and pressed yet another kiss to his lips.
“It was worth it.”
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