Witness Protection Ch. 02

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Life hadn't taught Jessica to avoid uncomfortable situations... rather, she was used to confronting them and usually had a good grasp on using logical reasoning to solve any problem. This, however, was a whole new level of uncomfortable. What was the biggest problem here, really? David was on duty, meant to protect her, and he might feel as though he had taken advantage of his power. Fair enough, she could convince him that this was not so. Anthony, was he the problem? Their relationship was simple and new, although she did feel guilty knowing that he was waiting for her back home, safely unaware of her location. No, she knew that the real problem was screaming in her head. She and David had grown closer than they should have over the past few weeks, and her feelings for him could lead to trouble for them both.

After thinking it over for nearly an hour, Jessica reluctantly got up from her seat on her bed and went out to confront the 'elephant in the room,' as the saying goes.

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"Okay, I've decided. The remote is all yours," she attempted a weak smile as she handed him the controller. He was seated on the couch in the quiet living room, thumbing through a magazine and looking as though he didn't have a clue what it was about. Sitting down on a nearby chair, she wondered if she should have just waited until morning to come out of her room. The look on David's downturned face was part pain, part annoyance, neither of which she had seen from him before, and it bothered her to know that she was the cause of his discomfort. When he didn't speak, she nearly faltered but decided to say what she had come to say.

"David, I think we need to..." before she could even finish her sentence, he turned his gaze to her and she saw the pain and annoyance soften slightly as their eyes met. She stumbled over her words. "I mean, we can't just pretend..." she shrugged her shoulders and looked questioningly at him. "Help me out here?"

He put down the unread magazine and turned his eyes to the floor. "Like I said, I'm really sorry. I think it's just cabin fever, I guess. I won't do it again, I promise you." She was surprised at the distance in his tone, and even more surprised at the pit she suddenly felt in her stomach.

"Do you really think that's all it was?" she asked, masking the hurt in her voice. Why didn't she just let it go? She wondered that herself. "I want to make sure that we are being honest with each other." And ourselves, she thought.

He looked directly at her this time. "Yes, Jessica, that's all it was. It's been a long couple of weeks, and we've got at least two more weeks ahead of us, and I guess I just let my guard down. I can't do that again, not if I want to keep us safe." He stood and walked toward the front door. "I'm going to go do a quick perimeter check, so please head to your room and lock the door." And just like that, the conversation was over.

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For the next few days, Jessica felt as if they were walking on eggshells around each other. If she sat next to him on the couch, he would get up to go get something out of the fridge and then sit in the armchair when he returned. At mealtimes, his movements seemed slower and more careful, most likely so that they didn't brush up against each other in the small kitchen space. The playfulness and once delightful conversations were replaced with small talk and lengthy quiet times. Jessica felt as if she were going to go insane from the monotony. Even more frustrating was the fact that even though they had this new distance between them, she knew that David was always aware of her every action... always on duty, always ready.

Really, though, the worst part was how she suddenly couldn't keep her mind off of him. And that kiss. Goddamn, that kiss. As she lay in bed at night, she would close her eyes and run her fingers lightly over her lips, remembering what he had tasted like. She let her hands wander down to her breasts, remembering the eagerness in his fingers, the way his hands had felt so forceful and yet so... perfect. Further down, she imagined those hands fumbling with her shorts, maybe removing them before her mind would even allow her to put up a weak protest. She couldn't take it anymore.

"David, how can I make things right again?" she asked him on the third night after dinner. He was sitting at the kitchen table, and she had come to stand directly next to him so that he couldn't avoid her question.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice guarded, not looking up. She wanted to scream, felt like stomping her foot like a frustrated child.

"Look at me, please." He did, and her voice shook. "Everything between us has changed, and it sucks. How can I fix it?"

He stood up, probably assuming she would move and let him pass, but she stood her ground in front of him. Now they stood facing each other, both aware of the closeness of their bodies. Looking up into his face, just about a foot away from her due to his height, she could feel her breath quickening and knew that he probably sensed it, too.

"What do you want me to say?" he said, and she felt as though he really needed her to give him the words.

"Tell me the truth. Tell me that I'm not crazy. Tell me... that you meant to do it." She pleaded with her eyes for him to end this.

"Okay, you want the truth?" The firmness in his voice surprised her, after days of no emotion at all. Suddenly he put his hands on her upper arms and pushed her back, up against the wall, and leaned down so that his face was closer to hers. She gasped, not sure if she should fear him or his strength. "I want you so bad I feel like I'm going to explode. I can't even look at you when you speak to me, because I know what the feeling of your mouth does to me. I pace back and forth all night, trying to get my thoughts off of you and back to where they should be -- my JOB." As he spoke his hands clenched at the fabric on her arms, bunching her shirt and baring the skin on her shoulders. "All you want is to get the hell out of here, back to Anthony, away from me, back to your LIFE. Is this the truth that you want?"

Anger made the blood rise in her face, and Jessica's cheeks were hot and flushed. She balled her fists and put her arms between them, trying to push him away. "Don't you dare presume to know what I want! You don't know anything about me!" she said with as much force as she could muster.

Without loosening his grasp on her, he moved so that his lips were mere inches from hers while she continued to push against him. "Tell me what you want," he whispered huskily, and she was lost. Her arms lost their shove, and her hands opened to rest on his chest. Understanding her response, he brought his large hands up and clasped them around her bare neck, tilting her head slightly with his thumbs so that her lips were grazing against his own. "I made a promise that I wouldn't do it again," he said into her mouth, with barely a hint of regret in his voice.

"I'll do it," she responded, and she took his mouth hungrily with hers.

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