Even before she opened her eyes, Cadence was very much aware that she was not alone. As her mind reached the outskirts of consciousness, she realized who it was that had his arm wrapped around her, and she felt an overwhelming wave of calm rush over her spirit unlike anything she had experienced since the day Jack had called her and told her he was sick.
She wasn't quite ready to wake up, not yet, though she was looking forward to seeing Aaron. Still, the exhaustion that had knocked her flat last night wasn't quite done with her, and rather than force herself awake, she rolled over and put her head on his chest, feeling him shift beneath her, adjusting his arms and enveloping her body into his. She felt his lips brush her forehead and breathed in his scent as deeply as she could. If she could just stay right here forever, she would be perfectly content for the rest of her life.
"Are you awake?" Aaron asked softly, not sure if she was fully with him.
"No," she whispered into his chest. The sound of his voice was pulling her back toward the shore of full consciousness, despite her best attempts to stay afloat and, reluctantly, her eyelids began to flutter.
"Talking in your sleep, then?" he inquired. His right hand was slightly tangled in her long brown hair, but he didn't want to attempt to move it, afraid he'd pull her long tresses. He was also keenly aware that she had her hand inside of his shirt, wrapped around his side, and he wondered if she knew that as well.
"Yes," she agreed. "I must be dreaming. Because you're not here. You're in Kansas City." She still didn't open her eyes or change the angle of her face, talking into his chest.
"I had to come and check on you," he said quietly. "Had to make sure that you were okay."
The battle with Barbarosa hadn't entered her mind until then, and flashes of memories invaded her previously peaceful thoughts. "Mmm," she sighed, finally raising her head and opening her eyes. Even though she had known him for several weeks now, his eyes always caught her off guard, particularly when it had been a while since she had gazed into them, and she found herself blinking, not because of the invasion of the morning light, but because of his piercing, blue stare. "Hi," she said, a smile spreading across her face.
He grinned back at her. "Hi. How are you?" He gently brushed her hair out of her face and carefully began to pull his hand out of her long hair, smoothing it as he did so.
"Pretty perfect," she admitted. His lips were just an inch or so from hers and she longed to kiss him. But they had talked about that, not pursuing a relationship, though he was the one who had invaded her bed. Nevertheless, she hesitated, not wanting to scare him away--and also very much aware that her breath had to be stale and unappealing after hours of sleep.
"Good," he whispered, still running his hand through her hair. "Heard you had some excitement last night."
She dropped her chin to his chest, looking up at him sheepishly. "I don't know what you're talking about?" she toyed, a futile attempt to hold the line she had promised to Elliott.
He ran his hand over the smooth skin of her cheek. "I think you do."
"Who told you?" she asked, suddenly aware that her hand was tucked into his shirt. She struggled with the notion that she should probably draw it out only briefly before determining that, if he was going to play with her hair and caress her cheek, surely he wouldn't mind her hand on his side. He didn't seem to be annoyed with it, so she decided to keep it there.
"I can't reveal my sources," he said, matter-of-factly. "How come you didn't tell me?"
"Um," she began, looking around the room as if she were trying to come up with an excuse, "I fell asleep?"
"You should have told me, Cadence," he replied quietly. "Actually, you shouldn't have gone in the first place."
"I know," she admitted, turning her head to the side and resting it on his chest. She slowly began to move her hand from his side to his stomach and found herself very much distracted by the clearly defined muscles she found there. He made no indication that the location of her hand bothered him, and so she continued to gently run her hand back and forth, also very much aware that his arms were around her, his hand resting on her hip. "I was trying to make nice with Elliott. And I did. I think. . . unless he's just a really good actor."
"He's a terrible actor," Aaron spouted sarcastically, absently thinking about how uncomfortable it must be for her to sleep in the dark blue leather hunting outfit she still had on. Though he didn't mind her hand on his stomach, he was finding it rather distracting and had to concentrate in order to focus on the conversation. "While I think it's amazing that you were able to take out Barbarosa on your own, that wasn't the smartest thing the two of you could have done."
"I know," she admitted again. "You're right. I'm sorry."
He gently kissed the top of her head and Cadence thought, for a moment, if she tipped her face up to look at him, perhaps he would kiss her lips as well. And just as she was about to test her theory, she received an IAC from Christian, congratulating her on the kill and asking how she was doing. While that shouldn't have prevented her from kissing Aaron, it was a reminder of the night she and Aaron had decided not to pursue their relationship, and the memory of that night shattered any confidence that she had, despite the fact that the tips of his fingers had now slipped inside her waistband and were exploring the top of her hip.
She didn't answer Christian, not then; he could wait. Instead, she regained her focus on the man in her bed. "How long can you stay? Aren't you going to Billings or someplace?"
"Yes, the great state of Montana," he said, not necessarily intending to sound cynical. "I actually have to be at the airport in just a bit. Plane leaves at 10:00." He felt Cadence's shoulders slump, a groan escaping her lips. "I won't be gone too long," he assured her. "I'm hoping to make it back in time for the memorial."
Mention of the memorial reminded her of Jack. She hadn't spent too much time thinking about him lately, which she felt was odd. "You know, I'm not sure if it's Elliott and Hannah's magical powers, or what, but I don't feel as sad as I thought I would. I mean, don't get me wrong, I miss him, and I feel very cheated that he was taken from us so young. But I thought I would be inconsolable. And I just don't feel that way."
"It's Hannah," he assured her, still lightly brushing her skin with his fingertips. "Once she's set a change in motion, it's difficult to turn it back."
"So, is that healthy?" she asked, raising her head to look at him. "I mean, shouldn't I have to go through the grieving process, like everyone else?"
"Oh, no, it's not healthy at all," he agreed with her. "Eventually, those emotions will catch up with you. But for now, at least you can concentrate on your job."
Cadence was confused. "What is so important about what I am doing right now that I need to concentrate, as opposed to a few months or years from now, when the emotions may strike?"
Aaron didn't want to go into that right now, not when he was about to get on a plane and leave her for a day or two. "Well, I think we have some important work on the horizon," he said, as generally as possible. "When I get back from this hunt, I'll talk to you about it."
