Worthy of Trust and Confidence

by Kara A. McLeod

  The creak of the southwest gate opening caught my attention, and I looked up, full of both hope and trepidation. I held my breath as I waited for the figure to come into view and let it out in a long, loud rush when I recognized it.

  “Allison,” I whispered under my breath, tears of relief and joy springing to my eyes. She was alive. She was okay. Thank God!

  I pushed off the tree I’d been leaning against and shoved my hands into my pockets, now feeling like an utter idiot for rushing down here. I wanted to call out to her, walk over to her, something, but I stood there, frozen. My heart felt like it had tripped, remained suspended in midair for an instant, and then taken a spectacular tumble down that infamous flight of stairs from The Exorcist. Not for the first time that evening, I was plagued with indecision.

  Allison’s expression—what I could see of it through the dim light being thrown off by the nearby streetlamps—was dark and brooding. Her brow was pulled down in something akin to a scowl, and her lips were set in a tight line. She was stalking toward the Ellipse—and, by default, me—with a purpose, and for one brief, terrifying instant I thought her sulky mood was because of my presence.

  As she came ever closer, I finally registered a guy walking maybe a step and a half behind her, his eyes focused feverishly on the back of her head. I couldn’t hear what he was saying to her, but I could see his lips moving. The man was definitely talking fast, trying to get her to come around to his way of thinking perhaps? I hardly cared.

  I took another step away from the tree, a little closer to the edge of the shadow I was currently hiding in, closer to the light. I opened my mouth to call out to her, but my voice shriveled and died in my throat, blown away on my next deep sigh like so much dust on the wind.

  Allison stopped walking suddenly and spun abruptly on her heels, putting her back to me. I couldn’t catch exactly what she was saying to the man—who was near enough to where I was standing now that I could see he was extremely distraught—but by the cadence of her tone, it wasn’t pleasant. I winced in silent sympathy. I’d been on the receiving end of Allison’s temper before. It wasn’t fun.

  As unexpectedly as she’d turned to engage the unknown man, Allison whipped back around and resumed her deliberate trek to the car. The completely useless and highly inappropriate thought of God, she’s beautiful when she’s angry flitted through my mind before I decided to grow a pair and just approach her, temper and consequences be damned.

  “Allison,” I called out, my voice mingling with the unknown man’s as he said the same thing at exactly the same time. I took two more steps forward so she’d be able to see me.

  Allison froze, which caused the man following her to crash into her back, but her eyes had already caught mine and their gaze never wavered. I could dimly hear him muttering apologies to her for his clumsiness, but she didn’t so much as cock her head in his direction. She merely stared at me.

  I held my breath again as I watched a parade of emotions march plainly across her face. Doubt, confusion, and fear were immediately recognizable, and my heart sank. I was debating the merits of apologizing to her myself when a new emotion broke through to stake a claim on her features: joy.

  Allison’s eyes lit up, and a huge grin broke out across her face. For the second time that night, I let out a huge sigh of relief and felt my lips curve into a smile to match hers. Leaving the man to stare stupidly after her without even a good-bye, Allison rushed over to me, only stopping when perhaps six inches separated our bodies.

  “Hey.” I greeted her softly, widening my smile impossibly.

  “What are you doing here?” Allison asked, her tone laced with a fragile sort of disbelief, as though she still wasn’t positive I was really standing in front of her and was afraid to hope.

  “You think you’re the only one who can organize surprise visits?”

  Her smile was flat and a touch insincere. “No, seriously. Is everything okay?”

  “It is now. I’m sorry to just show up like this. I tried to call you first. All day, actually, but your phone—mmmpphhhh.”

  Allison cut off my nervous ramblings by pressing her lips gently against mine. Time seemed to grind to a halt for me, and the rest of the world faded into nothingness as we kissed. I’d sort of expected her to pull away after a second or two—neither of us was really the PDA type, and we were standing in the shadow of the White House at the moment—but she didn’t. Instead, she tenderly cupped my face between her hands, allowing the tips of her fingers to play with the wisps of hair just behind my ears as she slowly moved her lips in time with my own.

  The kiss was long, languid, and deep, and when she finally did pull away, I was gasping and faintly dizzy. Every nerve ending in my entire body was reverberating with the echo of it, the way the tone of a bell continues to resonate long after it’s been hit with a striker. I beamed at her bemusedly as she lovingly wiped at my lips with her thumb.

  “Not really your shade, sweetheart,” she teased.

  I halted her attempt to eradicate all traces of her lipstick as well as that mind-blowing kiss from my lips by clasping her hand and dropped a soft peck on the edge of her fingers. “If I’m going to get a welcome like that, I’m thinking I should show up unannounced more often.”

  “You won’t hear any complaints from me.”

  “I’d better not. Although, I admit, I’m mildly intrigued as to what a complaint from you might look like and whether it’d involve punishment of any kind.” I raised my eyebrows once in a playful gesture.

  Allison smirked at me, and then her expression quickly became concerned. “What happened today? Did you arrest Mark? Did he—”

  It was my turn to silence her. I kept my kiss shorter and slightly more chaste than hers had been, but its effect on me was no less visceral. Desire made my insides clench, and I couldn’t help moaning softly.

  After a moment, we broke apart and stood there staring at one another stupidly, smiling. A pleasant hum ran throughout my body like an electrical current, and I shivered.

  “Yes, we did. Everything’s fine,” I told her sincerely. And it was. Because she was okay.

  “Huh?” Allison blinked at me, looking puzzled.

  “You asked me what happened,” I reminded her, secretly pleased that I could short-circuit her as easily as she did me.

  “Oh. Yeah. Right.”

  “Glad to find at least one way to get you off topic. I have a few other possible distraction methods I’d like to test, when we get someplace more private.”

  Allison rolled her eyes at me good-naturedly and busied herself adjusting the lapels of my suit jacket. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you, but what are you doing here?”

  My cheeks burned, and I ducked my head. I started to throw out a quip but discarded that notion in favor of the truth. “I was worried about you. You know, because of Mark and everything. When you didn’t call me back, and you didn’t answer your phones, I thought…” I couldn’t even voice my fears aloud.

  Something dark and dangerous swam beneath the depths of Allison’s eyes, there and gone in the time it took me to blink. The muscles in her jaw tightened, and she swallowed once. Then her face became a perfect mask of impassivity.

  “I’m so sorry, Ryan. My phones died sometime last night—both of them—and I left my chargers at home. I never got your message.”

  “Oh,” I replied softly, feeling like a moron. If I’d just had Jamie call someone at the House—hell, if I’d done it myself and just asked for her—I wouldn’t be standing here in front of her feeling like the biggest idiot on the planet.

  “Hey,” Allison said, a small smile playing across her lips. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Definitely,” she said with a nod as she wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me closer.

  “Well, then, I’m glad that you’re glad,” I said, threading my own arms around her neck.

  “Good. Everybody’s happy,” she murmured, her eyes dropping dow
n to my lips and making my heart stumble gracelessly.

  “Uh…Is that your boss?” I asked. I didn’t really want to shatter the moment, but I could feel the man’s eyes on us, and it was starting to make me uncomfortable.

  “Where?” Allison asked, sliding her hands under my suit jacket so she could trace delectable patterns on my dress shirt over the small of my back with her fingertips. And though she verbally inquired, she couldn’t have been terribly interested in the answer as she never for even one second shifted her attention from my face to look.

  Between the heat in her eyes and the maddeningly gentle touch of her fingers, I almost forgot what the hell I’d just been talking to her about. I paused, taking a moment to enjoy the little sparks of pleasure she was igniting within me before answering her question. I nodded to my right, where, out of the corner of my eye, I could see the man gaping at us.

  “Over there. The guy who practically chased you out of the White House and is now staring at us like we’re some sort of rare and fascinating zoo attraction.”

  Something dark and ominous passed across Allison’s features, and she tensed in my arms. She turned her head to glare at him, and they engaged in a silent showdown that would’ve put my staring contests with Mark to shame. When she started to break her hold on me to move toward him, I tightened my grip and pulled her even closer.

  “I’ll take that as a yes, then,” I said lightly, flashing her a small grin.

  Allison sighed heavily and returned her attention to me. “Yeah. That’s him.”

  “The one who’s been giving you such a hard time lately?”

  “Yes.”

  “You just made out with me in front of your boss?”

  Allison laughed at that. “I guess I did.”

  “Hmm,” I mused, running my fingers through her hair and reveling in the slide of those silken strands over my skin. “The president could’ve been looking out his window just now. He could’ve seen us, too.”

  Allison’s eyes twinkled. “Could have.”

  “Why, Agent Reynolds. Who knew you were such an exhibitionist?”

  “I’m just full of surprises.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “Are you complaining?”

  “Not even a little bit.”

  “Then shut up.” She kissed me again, and, as always, the rest of the world completely ceased to exist as I got caught up in the feel of her in my arms and the sensation of her lips moving against mine.

  When she finally pulled back—far too soon for my tastes—I smiled at her dreamily, feeling ridiculously happy.

  “Will you go out on a date with me?” I blurted.

  Her brow furrowed, and her face crumpled into an adorable frown. “What?”

  “I’m asking you out on a date.”

  Allison’s frown faded somewhat, but she didn’t appear any less confused. “Um…Isn’t it a little late for that sort of thing?”

  I ducked my head and licked my lips, considering how to explain myself to her. I’d given the matter a lot of thought when I’d been stuck in the hospital. You’d have thought I’d have been better prepared to answer that question.

  “We never really dated,” I said slowly. “We sort of just fell into whatever it was we were before. It started out with sex. Mind-blowing, earth-shattering, phenomenal sex,” I said with a grin. “But still, just sex. I think it was sort of an accident that we fell in love. I don’t know if either of us intended that. But for all the time we spent together, I think I could count on one hand the number of times we actually went out anywhere. And even then, it was usually just to grab a quick bite before heading back to one of our apartments.”

  “Huh,” Allison murmured as her expression became pensive. I could see she’d never really thought about it before.

  I took a deep breath to prepare myself to voice this next part. I recognized that it likely sounded better in my head than it would on the air, but I was determined to say it anyway.

  “I want to court you,” I told her seriously.

  Allison blinked at me blankly, so I went on. “You never really seemed to want that before. You know, dates and flowers and my inept, bumbling attempts at romance. You didn’t seem interested in that. You might not be now, and that’s okay. If you’re not, you can just tell me, and we can forget it. But for what it’s worth, I think you’re absolutely amazing. And I also think that, in addition to being with someone who can give you the most incredible orgasms you’ve ever experienced, you also deserve someone who’s going to spend at least some time every day showing you how extraordinary they think you are. You know, with clothes on. And I’d like to be that someone. At least I’d like to try. If that’s okay with you.”

  My words hung heavily between us as silence descended in the aftermath of my announcement. I fidgeted in her arms, feeling silly and anxious and hopeful. The longer she merely stared at me dumbfounded, the longer she offered no response, the more nervous I felt until finally I lost my nerve and attempted to backpedal.

  “Never mind,” I mumbled, ducking my head to hide my blush. “It’s stupid. Forget I said anything.”

  “No way,” Allison exclaimed, using the edge of one finger to tilt my chin back up so she could meet my eyes. Her own were dancing, and her lips were curved into a smile. “Are you kidding me? You offered. There’s no getting out of it now.”

  It took a second for her words to work their way through the tangled mess that was my mind, but once they did, I goggled at her, unable to believe my luck. “You’re saying yes?”

  Allison shot me an exasperated look. “Geez, Ryan. One would think you’d actually expected me to say no.”

  I shrugged my good shoulder and allowed my own grin to steal over my features. I slid my fingers through her hair again. “I never know what you’re going to do at any given time. I didn’t want to be presumptuous and assume.”

  “I thought you liked making an ass out of yourself.”

  “Damn you and your fantastic memory.”

  “I want you to know I expect you to go all out with this. I won’t accept anything half-assed. You know the kinds of movies I watch and what kinds of books I read. The bar’s pretty high.”

  “Hey!” I protested, mildly insulted. “First of all, I never do anything half-assed. You should know that by now. Need I remind you—”

  “Yes, yes. The Peeps. All-consuming hatred. I know.”

  I shot her a dirty look. “Secondly, if you wanted creative control over the courting process, you should’ve asked me out. I guess that makes me the man.” I smirked at her, pretty pleased with myself.

  “Really? If you’re the man, then why am I the one who wears the strap-on?”

  I flushed, alternately mortified that she’d actually said that aloud in public and unbelievably turned on by the mere thought of her wielding that particular accoutrement, to say nothing of the memories the notion stirred. “I have no response.”

  “Didn’t think so. But I do feel it’s only fair to give you adequate warning that I have one dating rule that must, without question, be adhered to.”

  “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

  “No sex until the fifth date.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “You heard me.”

  “I did hear you. I just couldn’t conceive in what reality you might actually be serious.”

  “Well, I am serious.”

  “Oh.” I stared at her, still not convinced she really meant it. It had to be some kind of a test.

  “Yeah. Oh.”

  “I see.”

  “Is that going to be a problem?” Allison was studying me intently, waiting for my answer.

  I considered her mandate for a moment. Not whether I’d be willing to comply with her request. That was a given and required no thought whatsoever. If she truly wanted to wait, we would. No, I was busy contemplating whether she’d let me get away with cramming five dates into one day, the number of cold showers I was likely going to have to endure in order to be able
to survive my imposed abstinence without any permanent nerve damage, and if it was possible for one person to single-handedly cause a drought.

  “Absolutely not,” I said finally, brushing my lips gently across hers in a tender kiss. “The wait will definitely be worth it.”

  Allison kissed me back slowly. “Definitely.” She released her hold on me and turned toward her car. “Come on.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked innocently.

  “To my place. Let’s go. Move with a purpose.”

  “I didn’t realize we were on such a tight schedule,” I quipped, falling into step beside her.

  “I’m short-changing again,” she said. “So we don’t have a lot of time. I’d like to get at least a little sleep tonight. But I have some pretty specific plans for you before that happens.”

  “What kinds of plans?”

  “Plans that involve your naked body, a bottle of chocolate sauce, and you screaming my name.”

  “What happened to no-sex-until-the-fifth-date? Or am I just so irresistible that you’ve caved already?”

  “We haven’t even been out on our first date,” Allison reminded me as she opened the door to her car and gazed at me over the roof with hooded eyes. “Therefore, the no-sex clock hasn’t started yet.”

  The sounds of my laughter rang out in the cool night air, and I followed her into her car, eager to see whether she’d be as selfish with the chocolate sauce as she was with the strap-on and wondering if it’d occur to me to complain if she was.

  About the Author

  Kara A. McLeod is a badass by day and a smart-ass by night. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Or quite possibly neither. A Jersey girl at heart, “Mac” is an intrepid wanderer who goes wherever the wind takes her. A former Secret Service agent who decided she wanted more out of life than standing in a stairwell and losing an entire month every year to the United Nations General Assembly, she currently resides in Colorado and is still searching hither and yon for the meaning of life, the nearest Comic Con, and the best deal on a flight to London.