McCall's version - part 17

As she gathered her dark hair in a loose twist, her fingers grazed the long scar that
began at the base of her hairline. She froze (how had she forgotten?) and spent time
contemplating her decision of this particular hairstyle. When her arms began to tingle
from the awkward position she held them in, she let her hair drop around her
shoulders.

Months ago, she was bemoaning the iffy air-conditioning system in Hunter’s car as
she lifted her hair off her neck to cool off. Tucking her hair between her head and the
head-rest, she had been staring out the window until her felt his eyes on her. Or more
accurately, on the back of her neck. Immediately she leaned forward and glared at
him.

“What?” he asked innocently. “It looks much better.” She cringed, hoping that
was the end of the topic, but words continued to flow from his mouth. “When I came
back from the war, I had this deep gash right here,” he said, gesturing to a spot below
his ribcage. “It’s tiny now. You’d hardly even know it was there.”

“Well, you’re one of the few people who’s seen it, or even knows it’s there,” she
scolded him. “Let’s keep it that way.”

“Why the attitude?”

“I try not to draw attention to it,” she told him. “Scars just show where you’ve
been hurt.”

“It also shows that you survived,” he reminded her, and for the past month
especially she’d tried to adjust her thinking to this new perspective. Okay Hunter, she
thought, I’ll show you just how well I’ve survived.

She returned to pinning up her hair as she smiled again at her partner’s
suggestion. When she’d unloaded on him about all the pressures she’d been feeling
lately - recovering physically and emotionally from the whole Fredericks ordeal while
dealing with FBI paperwork for her upcoming trip to Quantico - she’d been pleasantly
surprised when he proposed they go out to dinner. A real dinner, he’d called it,
dressing up and everything. She tried to renege when the date he suggested was her
wedding anniversary, but he was insistent, stating that it would be good for her to have
plans.

She hated it when he was right. He’d noticed the funk she’d been in the past
couple months and also knew just what would improve her mood. They were going to
celebrate, he announced, nothing in particular. She had been anticipating their evening
out more than she would have thought. The night before she’d spent the better part of
an hour deciding what to wear, then berated herself for her indecision. It’s not like he
hasn’t seen you in jeans and a sweatshirt before, she rationalized, trying to put this
evening’s meal into perspective.



When she handed him the coffee, Hunter took her hand in both of his and she felt
her pulse quicken. The four glasses of wine she’d had at dinner were double what she
normally allowed herself, but she couldn’t blame her flushed cheeks or rising
temperature on the beverage. He gazed strongly into her eyes and she initially looked
away before returning his steady gaze. Helping her set the coffee aside, he took a step
closer to her, decreasing the distance between them to millimeters. As many times as
she’d been this close to him, she had never felt this current passing between them as
she did now.

He framed her face with his hands and she inhaled deeply, catching the masculine
scent of his cologne. His thumb lightly traced along her cheekbone and she felt a
shiver run down her spine. She knew exactly what was coming and she had no desire
to stop it. As he leaned towards her she could not keep her gaze locked with his, but as
their lips touched a new connection was made. He drew away hesitantly, gauging her
reaction, and she looked into his blue eyes again. They had spent so many years
reading each other’s thoughts, surely no words were needed now.

It felt as though her insides were liquefying as he kissed her. She wasn’t sure
that he could sense the weakness in her knees, but he lifted her gently, never breaking
their kiss. She rested lightly in his arms, continuing to explore his mouth with her own.
Moving towards her bedroom, the movement of Hunter’s steps only added to the
pulsating rhythm that flowed through her body. When he sat down on the bed, holding
her in his lap, he finally broke the kiss. She rested her forehead against his and a
smile erupted on her face.

She felt him cup a hand on the back of her neck, fingers gently rubbing over the
place where her scar was. “Is this what you want?” he asked her, and she heard both
desire and doubt in his voice. Wanting to ease any uncertainty in his mind, she
loosened the tie around his neck and slid his suitcoat from his shoulders. He responded
by releasing the clip that held her hair off her neck and dark curls spilled around both of
their faces. She met his lips again for a deep kiss as they continued to undress one
another.

Hunter leaned backwards and stretched out onto the bed, pulling her with him.
Her pleasure increased as she could feel his hands roam from her shoulders, down her
back, proceeding downward. He shifted his weight and maneuvered positions until his
body enveloped hers.



The sky had begun to lighten, but it was not yet daylight when she awoke. She
was lying on her side facing the window, as was Hunter, his arm draped around her.
She could feel him pressed against the length of her back, their bodies curved in
unison, heads sharing a pillow. She wished she could halt the forward progression of
time, hold on to this moment without having to view their actions in the reality of the
day.

Turning towards him, careful to keep his arm around her, she pressed her cheek
against his chest and wrapped her arm around him. She gently stroked his back and
shoulders, feeling the solid muscles beneath his warm skin. Her movements stirred
him to wakefulness.

“Everything okay?” He had asked the same thing last night, before they had both
drifted off to sleep. Her response was the same.

“More than okay.” He gave her a brief smile before closing his eyes and
tightening his grip around her. Tucking her head under his chin he exhaled deeply and
within minutes was asleep again.