Chapter Fifteen
Walking Together Again
The problem with Boston police cases is that they don't always stay in Boston.
And Woody found him dealing with such a case a couple of months after January first. After their New Year's Eve discussion, he and Jordan spent as much time together as they could without raising suspicions of anyone they worked with. They just weren't ready to answer awkwardly phrased questions that they had no response to yet.
That night, Woody had held her close until next morning, and softly kissed her awake after the sun was half way up the sky. Jordan had smiled contentedly and kissed him back.
And that's as far as they had gotten in their physical relationship. Woody was a patient man…and he wanted Jordan to take the lead in directing the level of intimacy she was comfortable with.
Emotionally, the detective knew he had hit a home run with her. They talked for hours…about everything from their childhood vacations to the emotional baggage they carried on their journey to adulthood. He felt he knew her better than anyone else and reveled in the fact that once again, Jordan felt safe enough with him that she could open up.
But now he had to fly to Pennsylvania to retrieve a captured suspect in a string of car jackings. He would only be gone a few days, but still worried about her. He hadn't been away from Jordan since her attack.
He didn't want to leave now.
"I'm as close as the phone if you need me," he told her before he boarded the Delta flight out.
"I'll be fine…and Nigel said that if I got frightened while you were gone…"
"I know…you have a standing invitation at his apartment."
She smiled and kissed him good-bye…with a level of passion and need that Woody hadn't felt from her yet. "Are you all right?' he asked.
"Just missing you already."
"Hey, Detective," she said, softly tapping on his door at the same time.
"Hey yourself. C'mere." She shut the door behind her and found herself caught up in his arms in a heartbeat. "How did you know I got back?"
"Santana called me." Woody hadn't known exactly when he would get back from Pennsylvania, and the department had sent vehicles to pick him and the suspect up. At Jordan's request, Santana had phoned her the minute Woody showed up at the precinct.
"You missed me, didn't you?' he questioned, after kissing her.
"Yeah. Very much. When can you leave?"
"Five o'clock. Wanna meet me for dinner?"
"As long as it's somewhere quiet."
"How does the Chez Hoyt sound?"
"Your apartment, Chinese delivery, and a movie?"
Woody nodded.
"I'll be there at seven."
She arrived promptly, and dinner was ordered. And they didn't spend a lot of time watching whatever movie it was that made it into the DVD player. They ended up cuddled on the couch talking and making out like a couple of teenagers. When Woody's watch finally chimed it was midnight, she pulled away. "I guess I could go home now…" she began.
"But you're tired…and I hate the thought of you driving when you're exhausted. You could fall asleep at the wheel…and lots of nasty things could happen…."
"Or I could stay here, if you would loan me a shirt to sleep in."
Woody pretended to seriously consider her request for a few moments, acting like it took a long time to make a decision. "I guess that could be arranged," he teased as he got up and found her a soft, cotton flannel shirt to sleep in. When she came out of the bathroom from changing into it, he had to chuckle. It swallowed her…hanging nearly to her knees.
"Okay…your turn," she said, indicating the bathroom and ignoring his jokes. Jordan went back into the kitchen and finished rinsing their dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. It was there he found her a few minutes later.
And caught his breath. Sometimes he so closely interacted with Jordan that he forgot just how beautiful and petite she was. He quietly came up behind her and encircled her waist. "Ready for bed?" he softly whispered in her ear.
When he reflected on that moment the next afternoon, he realized that was exactly the time he lost the control he thought he had of their relationship.
"Um-hmmmm," was her breathless reply as she reached up behind her and pulled him down for a kiss…one that was more than just tinged with passion, it was laced with longing and desire. Woody nearly gasped at her actions and struggled to regain control.
He didn't get that back until much later.
Woody kept his arms around her waist, not sure exactly where she was taking this embrace. When she finally moved one of his hands from her waist to her breast, he knew exactly where she was going. He cupped its fullness and heard her softly moan against his lips.
He kicked up the passion in their kiss a little more, letting his tongue dual more tantalizing with hers. When she didn't protest, he slowly unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt and slipped one hand inside while the other splayed over her abdomen, pulling her fully against him.
Still no protest from Jordan. Instead, the soft moans that came from her were encouraging him. The hand on her abdomen slipped below the hem of the shirt, seeking the silky skin of her tummy. Woody's knees nearly buckled when he made a startling discovery.
She was completely bare beneath his shirt.
His groan made her chuckle then. "Jordan…."
"I told you I missed you…now let me tell you that I love you…and I never want you to leave me again."
He turned her around to face him. "Are you sure, Jo? I can wait…"
"I know you can. I can't. Not any longer."
He never fully remembered exactly how they made it to the bedroom, just that when he woke up later that morning, she was snuggled close, her head on his chest, their legs still tangled together…and both of them were as bare as the day they came into the world. She opened her eyes when he shifted beneath her and Woody held his breath, not knowing what her reaction would be.
Her smile was his answer.
"You're okay." It was a statement to her, not a question.
"More than okay…thanks to you."
He blushed slightly. "You're welcome." Looking at her closely, he continued. "You're all the way back now, aren't you?"
She shook her head. "I don't think I'll ever be the same person I was before. I'm more cautious about my safety. I don't ever want to be a victim again. I still get frightened sometimes at night and sleep in my closet, although that hasn't happened recently. But I also feel I'm more compassionate, more sympathetic, and more appreciative of the little things in life.
"But I also am more aware of what's important. And you're at the top of the list."
"So that is why you…"
"Seduced you last night?" She grinned at him.
"You didn't have to work too hard…."
"I wasn't lying…I missed you…and I love you…and I want you in my life forever. I was just ready to move the relationship along…and I knew you were, too, but you wouldn't make the first move. It had to be me. That way you would know I was ready."
"Ah."
"So…does this," she motioned to their still entangled bodies, "bother you?"
"No. Not at all. Just one thing."
She gave him a quizzical look.
"The next time…it's time to move the relationship to the next level…it's my turn."
Jordan grinned at him more widely. "Why Woody…I let you be in control at least half of the time last night."
He shook his head and gently circled her left ring finger with his own index finger. "That's not what I meant. I'll propose to you….not the other way around. I'm old-fashioned like that."
She gasped when his meaning sunk in. "Woody…"
He smiled. "I don't mean now, but in the near future…and no friendship rings. We're beyond that. We both may have had some hard times and difficult obstacles to overcome. We've both fallen from grace…and had a hard time getting back up. But we did. Now…soon….I think it will be time to finish our lives together." He lowered his head and kissed her fully. "Don't you agree?"
Her tearful smile and enthusiastic nod was the answer to all of his questions. They may both have fallen…him from a bullet and her from the attacker, but they were up and walking again…this time together.