Devil’s in the Details (29 page)

I grinned back at her, pouring the last of the muffin batter into the pan, "I see your sticky fingers are back at it." I nodded with my chin to my Navy Seabees hoody that I never wore anymore. Turning to slide the pan into the oven, I moved to pour Alex a fresh cup of coffee. Adding the exact amount of milk and sugar she preferred. "How did you sleep?"

"I was cold and this sweatshirt was under my scrubs in the laundry basket." She came to stand next to me as I finished making her coffee. I could hear the smirk in her voice well before it showed on her face. "I slept really well, but then woke up when I realized you were gone after I rolled over and found nothing but cold pillows." She zipped the hoody up to the neck, smirking fully at me. "So I decided it was time to get up and find something warm to wear."

I shook my head, "What am I going to do with your grabby hands?" I turned to hand her the cup, but caught the dark look in her eyes. It was an innocent comment, but one that was probably not the best choice considering the amount of sexual tension hanging in the air between us over the last day.

"I could think of one or two things." She paused, looking down as her cheeks flushed, fiercely embarrassed by her bold comment. "Are you making muffins?"

I swallowed hard, nodding as I set the cup down and reached up to Alex's face. Gently cradling her face with both of my hands, I placed a slow, soft kiss to her one cheek. Then moved to the other, kissing her other cheek softly. Before I backed away I waited for her to look up into my eyes. When she did, and I saw the pure love swimming in her dark blue eyes, I leaned forward and kissed her fully on the mouth. It was a slow, delicate kiss that was full of intention. I wanted to kiss Alex slow and with purpose. Soaking up the way her lips felt against mine, how she would search out my bottom lip with her tongue and coax it towards her teeth so she could nip at it. Already knowing it would pull a moan from me and force me to kiss her harder.

I held her face in my hands, smiling against her mouth as I felt her hands fall to my hips, digging her fingertips into the small space of skin available to her as my sleep shirt lifted up a fraction of an inch. We kissed slowly, for what felt like half an eternity, until the warm berry muffin smell began to distract our bodies need to touch each other and redirect it to filling our stomachs.

I parted from Alex's lips, kissing the corner of her mouth one last time before dropping my hands from her face, "I almost forgot to kiss you good morning." I whispered it, smiling as she grinned and blushed, licking her lips. "Wow, I think that beats my goodnight kiss, Victoria." She squeezed my hips once more before letting go and tucking her hands into the front pockets of the hoody, clearly trying to control the urge to go further and put those grabby hands to good use. I knew that taking it slow would explode in our faces in the most glorious of ways, and I wasn't sure if I could wait much longer.

I picked up the coffee I made for her and motioned over my shoulder, "Sit down, the muffins will be ready in a minute." I glanced up at the clock on the oven, "What time does your shift start?"

Alex sipped the coffee, frowning slightly, "I have to be in by noon. Stacy called me while I was digging for the sweatshirt, um, I mean, looking for my scrubs. One of the other nurses called off sick and they want me to come in at twelve to cover lunches." She leaned forward on the island, watching me pull out the hot muffins.

"I will feed you a muffin or two, and then you should probably head upstairs. Start getting ready. I’ll pack up some of the leftover lasagna to take with you." I suddenly started laughing at how domestic I sounded.

Alex shook her head, laughing with me, "Yes mom, and that sounds like a plan." She took the offered muffin, pulling it apart to cool it before popping a bite into her mouth. "When are you leaving for Rhode Island?"

I felt my smile fade when Alex mentioned my trip. Bringing back the reality I was so desperately trying to keep out of the day, out of the routine until Alex was on her way to the hospital and not sitting in front of me. Making me wish I really was just a silly military history Professor. "First thing tomorrow morning. I’ll be back Tuesday night. Then I’m on vacation for a few weeks." I tried to turn my smile a little more genuine, "You have doubles Monday and Tuesday, so you won't even know I'm gone. Then on Wednesday we can get together for lunch and think about what boring things we can do this coming weekend."

Alex chewed on her muffin, pulling pieces off it as she looked up at me, "Promise me that you’ll call and text me?"

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Yes, of course I will." I handed her another muffin, hoping to distract from the look in her eyes that told me so much more than a simple request to call her when I landed. "You better start getting ready, it's going to take you at least an hour to get back to the hospital from here."

Alex smiled, grabbed the second muffin and slid off the chair. Two steps out of the kitchen she paused, looking over her shoulder she met my eyes, "I always notice when you're gone Victoria, because a piece of my heart goes with you every time you leave, and I can't sleep until I know you're home and my heart is whole again." She said it so faintly that if she wasn't standing a foot away from me, I wouldn’t have heard it.

I watched her smile tightly, turn back around and jog up the stairs.

After Alex had showered, changed back into her scrubs and packed up what little things she had brought with her, including discreetly shoving my SeaBees sweatshirt into the bottom of her bag, I had her lunch set aside and ready to be taken with her.

The leftover lasagna was in a glass container with one of those fancy sealing lids, a small container of the side salad I had made yesterday for our burger lunch, and a bag of muffins for her and Stacy. I even went so far as to set a bottle of ice tea and plastic utensils neatly on top of it all. The entire lunch was in a brown paper bag I had found in my pantry from my last grocery trip. I also couldn't help but set one of the purple tulips into the bag. I knew how much she loved the flower and I oddly wanted to have a piece of me with her when she went back to work, while I prepared to get back into my work mindset.

Setting it next to her purse, I smiled and rolled my eyes. This weird domestic side of me was out in full force and I actually enjoyed it. It helped keep what would come next after Alex was gone and I had to return to the morbid version of my reality. The one where I was due in Ireland to kill someone in less than twenty four hours.

As I packed up Alex's lunch, waiting to send her off to work with a kiss on the cheek and a cheesy wave from the porch, it made me feel like this was possible. The impossible I had thought for so long to be impossible, was now truly possible. Shit, I was still wearing my pajamas of baggy blue striped cotton pants and an oversized White Stripes tour t-shirt that I still had and slept in going back to before I started at the Academy. It was faded to almost nothing and one of the few things non Navy related. Alex did indeed, make relax and forget to worry about the little inconsequential details.

Alex came running back down the stairs, pulling her hair up into a ponytail, grinning, "I think I’m going to be late."

I raised an eyebrow, "You did take a forty five minute shower then dawdled around, looking for your scrubs and stealing my sweatshirt."

Alex's cheeks flushed as she walked over to the island where I had all of her things neatly lined up. "I didn't steal anything. I just had a hard time finding my long sleeve shirt I wore the first night I came over." She went to grab her large bag when my hand shot out and dug into it.

Pulling up a corner of the dark blue fabric, tilting up it to show the bee's face wearing a sailor's cap, I smirked at her, "This just fell in your bag?"

Alex gave me wide puppy dog eyes, "Sure did."

I shook my head, tucking the sweatshirt back into the bag, "You can keep it. I know your floor gets icy at night, but I do expect you to bring it back when you come over after I land Tuesday night."

Alex paused all of her movements, looking right up into my eyes. A soft smile curling around the edges of her mouth, "Are you inviting me over for another sleepover, Professor Bancroft?"

I had to bite the inside of my cheek when I heard Professor, immediately thrusting thoughts of Dani into my head and what was still waiting for me in my den. I picked up the brown paper bag and Alex's hand, guiding her to the front door, "Maybe. I still have to check the flight itinerary, but I should be home an hour after you get off work."

I felt Alex's hand slide into mine, squeezing firmly as she dropped her head and grinned, "Well maybe I'll accept the invite."

We walked slowly to the front door and I opened it to allow her to go first out into the bright sunny late morning sun, pouring down through the few clouds in the blue sky. I heard her sigh as she took a deep breath, looking over at her car parked next to mine. "For the first time in a very long time, I really don't want to go to work." Alex looked up, smiling softly.

I lifted her hand, "We have the weekend." Running my thumb over her soft skin, I also really didn't want Alex to go to work. I wanted her stay with me and continuing living in this little bubble we had created over the last couple of days. I turned to look over at Alex when the black sedan parked a few feet down the block caught my eye. My stomach began to turn and I clenched my jaw, but I plastered on a brighter smile and gently guided Alex to her car. I had the sudden urge to get Alex quickly out of my neighborhood. The urge struck my heart with a quick thump, like a flimsy gut punch that sucked my breath away. I kept my tone even so Alex wouldn't pick up on anything.

That my second was life hovering right around us, closer than I wanted it right now. "The quicker you get to work and the quicker I get to Rhode Island, the quicker we will get to the weekend of doing nothing but all the boring things you can imagine."

Alex laughed, leaning into my side as her other hand ran down my forearm, "You got me there, Victoria."

I helped Alex place her bags and her lunch in the old mini, smiling at the yellow tulips sitting in a glass beaker on the passenger side floor. The tulip bulbs had opened and tilted towards the light coming from the window. Looking up at me as if to say, “Finally! You finally opened your heart to the light.”

After shutting the passenger door, I walked Alex to the driver's side, opening the door for her. I glanced around making sure that my BMW blocked the view of the black sedan that faced us. Alex turned to face me, opening her arms up wide, grinning, "Bring it in Bancroft."

I laughed and walked into her warm embrace. Breathing in deeply the smells that were all Alex, holding her close, so close I could feel her heart pound against my chest. I shut my eyes, murmuring against her ear, "Call me when you get to the hospital and when you get home, or whenever you're bored." Her arms tightened around me, her palms firmly flat against my back. Her silent request for me to hold her even closer.

I could feel Alex smile against the side of my neck as she leaned back just enough to look in my eyes, "I will, and I will text you whenever I’m bored." She reached up and brushing some of the hair back behind my ear, "You’ll call me when you land in Rhode Island and when you've landed back home?"

I grinned, loving that we had already so easily fallen back into the groove of our old friendship. "I will."

The air grew thick as we both stood in each other’s arm, staring like dreamy Shakespeare lover's. "You better get going." I motioned to the brown paper bag, "There's a small surprise in your lunch for you, help get you through the double tonight and there’s a little something for Stacy." I grinned when Alex giggled, rolling her eyes.

"I almost forgot about her." Alex reached up with both of her hands, holding the sides of my face, "Thank you for this, Victoria. It's..." She paused, clearly searching for the words to say to avoid saying the words I knew she wanted to say.

I didn't allow her to search for very long, I bent forward and kissed her softly, holding her in my arms one last time as I felt her melt into them. Leaning back, I memorized the way she looked right after I kissed her. Flushed cheeks, a goofy smile that she tried to hide by biting her bottom lip and lastly the way her blue eyes grew brighter the longer she looked at me. It was a look I had seen a hundred times over our friendship. Mainly, when she was debating whether or not to get another scoop of ice cream, or when I turned quickly in a store to ask her a question and caught her looking at me like she was now. All signs that unnerved the foundation I had been living upon for so many years, but would now memorize and cherish.

Taking a step back I cleared my throat, "You need to hit the road." I knew if I didn't force Alex to get in her car and leave, I would drag her back inside and keep her and the bubble we created intact for the rest of my life. Damn the world around us and the second job that was looming. Damn Dani who was sitting in that black sedan down the block just out of sight of the untrained eye, who would think nothing about a plain black sedan with black window tint in a neighborhood full of nice family cars.

Alex sighed dramatically, stepping back and slowly getting into her car. I softly shut the driver’s door. Alex looked up as she started the car, "See you late Tuesday night?"

I grinned at the way her voice was almost pleading, but in the cutest way, "You will."

Alex's face split into the biggest grin I had yet to see from the woman. I moved to the front of the mini as she backed out of my driveway and drove down the street, waving and blowing me a kiss as she took the last right turn, taking her out of my neighborhood and back out towards the freeway.

Walking down to the mailbox, I grabbed the morning newspaper and looked directly at the black sedan that was slowly moving towards my driveway.

I read the front page headlines as Dani pulled into the spot Alex had just left, not bothering to look up as she got out of the driver’s side and walked around the front of the car to stand across from me.

"Is she going to be a problem?" Dani's voice had no emotion in it. She asked the question just like one would read a monotonous test question out loud.

Keeping my eyes on the headline about the upcoming primary election campaign battles, I furrowed my brow. "My house is not on the surveillance list. The old man and old lady signed off on that request when I brought it to them over five years ago." I glared at Dani, "Unless you are suddenly in the business of going rogue."

Dani rolled her eyes at me, shifting the black leather bag in her hand as she tugged at the collar of her khaki uniform, trying to get the gold bars on her lapels to lie flat. "I came by last night to drop off your next job. Old lady changed her request from email to hand delivery. She seems a little paranoid ever since the one mainframe firewall collapsed last week." Dani sighed, "All of us in the basement told her that it was one out of a thousand firewalls and it would take a genius hacker a week to break through them all." She moved towards the front porch, "Can we take this inside, Professor?"

Folding up the newspaper I tucked it under my arm and kept my glare on the redhead. Nodding once that she could go inside the house. I knew Dale would be out in the next five minutes to start his morning ritual of watering the plants.

Dani went directly to the kitchen and slide her leather bag across the island. Clicking open the small metal latches, she reached for a muffin, "I thought you and nurse blue eyes were on the outs? A friendship going down the drain after you pulled the plug." She removed a very familiar thick blue envelope, placing it on top of her bag as she took a bite of the muffin in her hand.

I walked to the other side of the island, tossing the newspaper on to the edge. "Things change." I moved to grab the envelope when Dani dropped her hand on top of it.

"Victoria." She waited until I looked up at her, "Is she the reason why you asked me to monitor internet searches? Is she why you look happier? Like you have actually been smiling for real and not faking it like you always do?" She lifted her hand and shoved the blue envelope my way. "Is she the reason why you want to finally take a vacation after almost three years of working nonstop?"

I clenched my jaw, picking up the envelope, "Why does it matter?" I didn't want to get into it with Dani. I knew the rules of Voltaire. They didn't frown on or discourage their operatives to find families or relationships, just as long as secrets remained secrets. I was the one who backed out of following that road, finding it far too difficult to lie to someone I cared about. Lying that I was going to a stupid conference when in reality I was off on a sniper hit in the far reaches of this country or another. I also knew the ultimate rule of Voltaire, that if anyone found out what I did, their face and background would end up in a case file and be slid across another plumber's kitchen table like Dani just slid one across mine.

A case file that had notes attached with requests to make it look like a car accident or something completely random and semi innocent. A death that would be written off as a random tragedy. Nothing more. All it would do was send a clear and solitary message to the operative that Voltaire's missions and secrets were to remain secret. At all costs.

Dani flicked a few crumbs from the top of her ribbons on her uniform, "It matters shit all to me personally, but professionally, well you know how it goes when Voltaire finds problems." She glanced up at me, "But I can tell you like nurse blue eyes a lot, and have from that first day you asked me to play Creeper McCreeps for you. It seems you two have breached the friend zone."

I sighed hard, growing agitated with Dani as I tore open the top of the envelope, "Again, Dani. Why does it matter to you?"

She paused, staring at me with a look that was far from business or the heavy sarcasm that always radiated from the woman's bright green eyes. When she spoke, her voice was different. A far reach from the usual tone I experienced and had from her on a daily basis for the last five or so years. "It matters to me, Victoria, because you're happy. I can see it. No matter how hard you try to plaster on more of the concrete mask you live behind, I can see in your eyes, you’re happy."

She stood up, clicking her bag closed, "And I like that, because after everything you and I have been through. All the things I have seen in your eyes going all the way back to the dreadful day in that sandy shithole of an interrogation room we first met in, I finally see the beautiful human you once were before all of the world took a hot shit on you."

She smiled tightly at me, her own memories beginning to dim the bright green of her irises. "I need to get back to the basement, I have a meeting with the old man before lunch."

Dani snatched one more muffin and headed towards the front door, "The old lady has confirmation instructions in the case file. The usual protocol as always and I’ll be in your ear throughout the duration."