He was laughing! Jack was smiling as he went to take a sip of his coffee and it made him look younger unlike when he was frowning. “You said that to make me mad didn’t you? Is this payback?”
“Well, I must say it is quite refreshing to see it happening to you instead of me for once.”
“I haven’t done anything that didn’t need doing. You are stuffy all the time, keeping to yourself and quiet. Why is that?”
“I don’t know. I just like to keep to myself. I like to remain calm.”
“Then what happened the other day?” Amelia asked.
“The other day?” Jack wondered.
“Yeah, you grabbed me like a cave man.”
“Here we go again.”
“What I’d like to know is why’d you kiss me?”
“It was an accident. I’m sorry, and it will never happen again.”
“Kisses don’t happen on accident. Just answer my question.”
“I have not gone prying into your life, have I? Nor have I not been unwilling to get you home safely.” Jack said sternly.
“Okay, Okay I’ll stop asking.”
Forty-five minutes later they were on the road as he drove her back to her home. It was unusually quiet. He didn’t bother to say anything, and she didn’t dare pry any further. Their dinner started off well, but then it strangely ended just like that. Amelia couldn’t quite understand what went wrong. Asking about his life was a simple question that seemed to flip a switch in him and react like that.
They had finally arrived, and Amelia sat there for a few seconds and then turned to him.
“I’m sorry.” Amelia apologized. Jack didn’t move nor comment.
“West?”
“You’re home.”
“Are you still willing to be my partner?” she poised.
“God, being your partner in any capacity would be-”
“Wonderful?”
“Hell on earth. You are a loose cannon.”
“You don’t think I have what it takes?” Amelia inquired.
“Motivation isn’t enough.”
“What is your problem? I thought we were finally getting along fine. What happened?” Amelia asked.
“I think I’ve made my feelings about you entirely clear.”
“I don’t believe you have. What do you think about me? Truth.”
“No.”
“I suppose you think I’m overcompensating is that it?”
“I’m not trying to think about you at all, but since you asked, you act like a child.”
“A what?” Amelia asked angrily.
“That’s all you have acted like since you arrived. You’re a grown woman for pete’s sake, and all you do is either play games or pout. I don’t get it, why can’t you just act sensibly.” Jack said as he lashed out.
“That’s a rotten thing to say.”
“It’s the truth. You always whine about how you aren’t respected or how everyone tells me you are reckless. If you would just quit the immature attitude, you’d get farther in life. So knock it off!”
“Fine, you asshole! You want me to leave you alone, I will.” Amelia shouted and slammed the passenger door and stormed inside.
Jack woke up startled later that night and found himself in his pitch-dark bedroom. He woke up stiff and exhausted. He was asleep and resting, but not it wasn’t comfortable one at that. He was bothered. He hadn’t meant to upset Mel, not deliberately. There were no excuses for it, and he didn’t quite explain his behavior himself.
She was right after all. They were having an excellent time one minute and then Jack had panicked and pushed her away. What was the problem? Was he afraid of being happy? He’d apologize to her first thing in the morning.
He didn’t see her most of the day, and he was starting to worry about her. It wasn’t until late in the afternoon did he notice she was working out in the agency gym.
She was making use of the heavy bag with punches and kicks, and Jack stood there and watched for a while until she had noticed him standing there. Amelia still upset glanced back and went back to hitting the heavy bag.
“What do you want?” Amelia asked.
“I wanted to apologize for how I acted last night and for what I said. It wasn’t right.” Jack apologized profusely.
“There’s nothing to apologize for remember. I’m a spoiled, and reckless brat remember?”
“I didn’t mean to call you that.”
“No, but it’s definitely what you and everyone else thinks,” Amelia grunted as she threw a massive hook punch at the bag.
“I get it alright. I finally understand what you think about me. I get it. Like I said yesterday, I’ll leave you alone. Fitz is already working on assigning me a new supervising agent.” Amelia walked over to her bag and picked up her towel and started to head towards the locker room.
“Mel. Oh, hell, why am I bothering to explain to you of all people? It’s useless.” Jack said shaking his head as he turned around to leave.
Amelia turned around and said. “What was that supposed to mean?”
“It was the truth. You haven’t listened to anyone in your entire life, why do I think I could be the first one to get through that stubbornness?”
“I’m not stubborn. I am perfectly capable and trained for this job. I’m intelligent and observant-”
“I have no doubts about your intelligence,” said Jack. “It’s just your attitude.”
“Attitude? Well, you are alone in that opinion. Fitz has faith in me. I have confidence in me!” Amelia felt her blood boil. She’d been happy with her accomplishments thus far, and Jack was trying to tear her down again.
“Listen-”
“No, you listen,” Amelia shouted. “I’m not some brat that needs a babysitter. I have the opportunity to excel here! Just because you want to mope around all the time and keep to yourself, doesn’t mean you can blame me for it.”
“That has nothing to do with-”
“Of course it does! You never like anything that I do.”
“No, wait a minute.”
“You heard me. I am going to do what I have to do here, so get out of my way!”
“Mel, wait!”
“And I’m not leaving either!” Amelia threw her towel at him and spun on her heels and opened the door to leave.
“Mel!”
“And you can forget about the dinner I was going to cook for you! Believe me; I don’t cook for anyone!”
“Mel. Mel!” Jack shouted after her.
“What? She said but didn’t turn around to face him.
“I’m sorry,” he said walking up to her before she could retreat to the locker room again.
“What?”
Jack knew his words had stung, but he didn’t realize how much he had hurt her let alone how much hurting her had affected him.
“I’m sorry for what I had said.”
Amelia turned around just then, and Jack swore he could see tears in her eyes. “It’s not true you know.”
“I know. I just, I shouldn’t have said that.” Jack sighed and muttered, “I’m not very good at this.”
“At what?”
“Explaining. Talking. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
“Maybe I didn’t think about how abrasive I can be,” she said after a moment. “But you had no right to say all those things you said.”
“I hurt your feelings. I’m sorry. Really.”
“Well, that’s a start I guess.”
“A start?”
“Well you are tough to get along with too, you know.”
“Me?” Jack step forward. “You think I’m hard to deal with?”
“Yes. But I’ll admit that I can be hard to deal with too. I didn’t want to hear anything bad, I guess. I’ve been very fulfilled here.”
“I can see that. Will you still have dinner with me?”
“Really?” Amelia beamed.
“Yeah, but let me cook. As a peace offering.”
“Okay.” Ameli
a beamed. “I’ll meet you in the parking garage an hour.”
“Alright,” Jack said in agreement. When Amelia smiled, he always got a strange feeling. His heart always dropped, and it left him breathless. As she walked away to shower up and get ready, he just stood there like an idiot and wondered about himself. The thought of having dinner with her made him feel unusually happy. After years of being alone, Jack surprised himself by feeling glad she was here.
Chapter Seven
An hour later, Amelia headed into the parking garage and kept on walking to find Jack’s car to see if he was already waiting there or by the elevators. As Agent Smith passed by waving her a good night a few minutes later, Amelia noticed a red light pointed at his back. She quickly scanned the garage and saw two men she recognized in a dark vehicle with a gun pointed directly at Agent Smith.
Amelia ducked as she pulled Agent Smith to the ground between the elevator wall and a parked car. Gunfire aimed at the car shattered its windows onto them. Amelia sat up slowly and slowly opened the door to try and hotwire it to start. She fumbled with the wires and managed to jump the engine and shifts the car in reverse as the gunfire continued. Unfortunately for her, the other car with the two men in it blocked its path and get gets smashed into. Without hesitation, Amelia opened the car door and rolls out into a somersault out of the way of the collision as Agent Smith took off running back to CIA headquarters.
Amelia picked up her bag and starts running down the parking garage lane trying to evade the car. Meanwhile, the surviving man sluggishly got out of his own vehicle, blood running down the side of his face. He cautiously walked up to the damaged vehicle Amelia was just in only to see no one inside and then heard rapid footsteps ways away.
Amelia continued to dart quickly in the parking garage as the shooter spotted her and quickly followed after her. After she reached another elevator on the other side of the garage, Amelia frantically pounds on the up/down button only to realize the OUT OF ORDER sign. She started to hear rapid footsteps nearing her and Amelia quickly hides in between some of the closest cars. Amelia was breathing heavily due to both exhaustion and adrenaline and could hear the footsteps nearby.
The steps started to slow down, and Amelia peeked through the corner of a car window and saw the gunman walking around as he checked each car one-by-one. Amelia made a quick decision and rushed him from behind and punched the gunman and knocked the gun out of his grasp. He tried hitting her but she had moved out of the way; he countered with a quick hook to her rib cage followed by an overhand punch to her face; Amelia gasped as she fell to the ground out of breath. Angrily she managed to sweep his leg, and the gunman fell backward onto the trunk of a parked car and quickly grabbed the gun on the ground and shot him twice in the chest. His body sunk to the ground, lifeless.
Amelia breathed heavily as she gasped for air and tried to calm down. She could hear footsteps behind her and Amelia quickly turned around with her gun pointed at Jack with a few agents behind him.
“Jack, I – I….”
“Shh, it’s okay now. I’ve got you.” Jack cooed as he pulled Amelia into his arms. “I was on the third level getting my car when I heard the shots and car tires screeching, and I got a call from Smith about what had just happened, I called ops for back up and ran down as fast as I could. I’m sorry that I couldn’t get here sooner.”
“It’s okay. Can we go get dinner now?” Amelia said holding him tighter, and Jack laughs.
“Okay, I’ll let ops handle clean up. Give me a few minutes for updates.”
A couple of hours later, they made it to Jack’s home after he decided to not make a quick stop at the grocery store. He wanted nothing more than to ensure her safety. After scanning his fridge, he decided he had enough ingredients to make Coq Au Vin, a French, chicken braised with wine recipe.
“This is a fantastic place, Jack! It’s huge! How long have you lived here?”
“About ten years,” Jack called from the kitchen. It was big and styled as a chef’s kitchen. He walked over and watched her look around his living room. Exploring the décor, his trinkets, photographs and old books. He found himself staring for a bit before he set about making dinner.
Amelia joined him a few minutes later and started to talk about the happiest moments from her childhood living in foster homes before adoption. She was careful not to provide any clues to her association to Baladin but was able to talk about the ordinary things.
Jack tried to listen to the details and cook as much as he could, but he mostly watched her talk. The sparkle in her eyes, her mischievous smile and her enthusiasm were endearing. He found himself upbeat around her. Energy radiated her like warmth from the sun. It cheered him up.
She rambled and got in his way without being of use, so he ushered her back to the counter and asked her to prepare the bread and salad. She completed whatever task he put in front of her, and ninety minutes later, the food was ready at last.
They ate at the kitchen island counter, and it felt comfortable that way. Jack was happy to listen to her ramble on and on and paid little attention to the dinner he had just cooked. Amelia’s energy seemed to be limitless and infectious.
When it was time for dessert, he suddenly found his mind drifting to what it would be like to kiss her again; a thought that surprised the hell out of him.
She found him staring and as she propped her chin on her hands, “What are you thinking about?”
“What?” Jack asked as he woke up from his trance.
“I asked what you were thinking about.”
“Oh, dessert.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but that’s the one thing I do not have.”
“That’s okay. I am full, thank you for dinner.”
“You are most welcome. I do have some Roda Cirsion red wine if you would like to join me in the living room.”
“Sure I’d love to.”
“Why don’t you wait for me in the living room while I clean this up.”
Jack showed up later with an uncorked bottle of Cirsion and two wine glasses. He poured expertly and handed her a glass and then poured one for himself.
“I feel like I want to ask you a million questions, but lucky for you I won’t.” Amelia joked as she quickly emptied the wine glass.
“That was incredible. I don’t drink wine, but you might have just made me a fan.”
Jack remained quiet and watched Amelia stretch every muscle in her lean frame as he leaned back against the crook in the couch to watch. Both toned and very feminine.
“This is a comfortable home. Seems very cozy.” She said as she adjusted herself and scooted closer to him to get more comfortable.
After a long conversation about Jack and his upbringing, Amelia was surprised that he was wealthy because he didn’t come across as such unless you considered his suits and car, but without seeing those things, you wouldn’t have guessed. He certainly didn’t live like it.
Amelia yawned and kissed him on the cheek and rested her head on his shoulder. Jack surprised himself as he wrapped his arms around her as she stretched again before settling into his arms. His thumb caressed her cheek and smoothed her bangs out of her face. Jack gazed at her and felt his throat tighten as he gulped. His mouth went dry with the realization entered his mind of what Amelia being in his arms meant. He surveyed the shape of her thighs, the softness of her check and the fullness of her lips. Her curves pressed against the cotton fabric of her blouse. He could not look away. Jack promised himself weeks ago he wouldn’t go there; he didn’t want to disappoint or hurt her, but he couldn’t help it; it had been a long time.
He titled her chin up as she gazed back him. His eyes sought hers, and she looked at him with awareness and understanding, something in her eyes got to him. His lips hovered as his thumb caressed her bottom lip, and then he kissed her. It was a soft and sweet kiss; he wanted to take his time as much as he could. The intention eventually turned to urgency. He anxiously started to fumble with his suit jacket and a
button-down shirt and let them fall to the floor without letting her go.
He began to unbutton Amelia’s dress shirt and slipped it off of her in one fluid movement leaving a white undershirt. Jack closed his eyes feeling ridiculous at first, but he didn’t care anymore. He didn’t care what happened tonight, all he cared about was here and now.
Amelia bit his bottom lip, and her hands reached up underneath his tank top and caressed his chest before sliding lower, and Jack started to groan in anticipation. Amelia’s lips moved to his neck and the feeling of her hot breath on his, burned through him. He could feel the rise of her chest against his, and his fingers moved of its own accord underneath the cotton fabric. He pulled the material down and cupped her breast with his palm.
Amelia grabbed at him through his slacks, and the pressure of the fabric felt like agony to him. He pushed her gently onto her back, lifting the undershirt higher until he managed it off of her and kissed her there. She dug her fingers into his hair as her breaths became more intensified. Jack reached down and undid her pants and slid them along with the silk material down her legs until they fell to the floor beneath them. Jack grabbed his belt buckle and unclasped it before unzipping his slacks.
Without wasting time, Jack reached behind Amelia grabbed her from behind and pulled her to him anxiously as he guided himself into her. He thrust into her roughly as he pulled her against him and buried his face in the crook of her neck. She arched her back during their lovemaking, and he moved more quickly as his hands gripped her buttocks tightly. Jack began to grunt like a mad man or an animal that echoed in the big, silent house.
Her nails dug into his back, and his movements increased higher and higher until he was close to climaxing and she screamed in pleasure against his neck. Her legs wrapped tightly around him, and he let out a cry of his own.
Shuddering and then collapsing on her, he laid there breathing heavily. They were both sweaty from their lovemaking, and neither one said a word nor moved for a long time.
After Jack had caught his breath, he propped himself up, still above her he caressed her face with his hands as his eyes sought hers again.
Break Away Page 32