Honesty Chapter XVIII
Title: Honesty (18)
Author: snarkyandsparky
Catagory: Angst, humour, romance
Rating: NC:17
Pairing: Jack/Nathan
Word Count: 5,155
Disclaimer: I don't own them, but I like to play with them once in a while...
Author's Note: This chapter contains some adult situations that are not appropriate for minors. I'd also like to sincerely thank
coke_monkey for the tremendous help in doing, yet again, an amazing beta job and on very short notice.
Summary: Purely and unapologetically fluffy.
chapter 17
“Jack.”
“Jack…”
Silence
Nathan had awoken to find himself pinned firmly to the mattress. Apparently Jack only shifted slightly during the night and he was now stretched diagonally across the bed with his head nestled comfortably on Nathan’s chest and his arm slung over Nathan’s waist holding him down securely. Nathan chuckled as he took in the slumbering man atop him, while musing silently, ‘Who’s the cuddler now?’
He was not complaining since he was warm, utterly comfortable and wanted nothing more than to drift back to sleep for a few hours. However, the slight sunlight shining through the large bay windows of his bedroom told him that it was time to get ready to go to work, especially since he vaguely recalled that they had ignored the entire world last night in their bid to finally get some privacy.
He tried yet again, “Jack,” he whispered, as he moved the pad of his right thumb slightly over the sleeping man’s hairline and against his forehead.
This time Jack mumbled incoherently against his chest in a faintly stubborn tone.
Nathan resisted the urge to smile, he moved to lightly stroke through the short blonde hair, trailing his fingers down the back of Jack’s neck and then lightly down the top of his back, unable to resist touching and exploring.
Jack’s only response was to tighten his arm around Nathan and press his cheek closer to his skin
“Jack…” Nathan's fingers were now dancing across his back, his voice dropping unconsciously to a whisper.
“Shhh.” was the firm response that came.
Stark almost burst out laughing. “Come on Sheriff, some of us have to get to work” Nathan drawled, the amusement clear in his voice.
Half heartedly Jack’s hand came up to flap at his face, clearly dismissing that idea then curling firmly back at his waist.
Well to be fair, Henry had agreed to handle the third series of logistics tests this morning in the project laboratory, so technically Nathan could arrive at Global a bit later than his usual 6AM. It was also fairly obvious that nothing short of physically launching Carter off and throwing him to the floor was going to move him right now.
As Nathan mentally yielded, closed his eyes and began to drift back to sleep; a sudden thought struck him that made his eyes fly open and his mouth let an undisguised, “Shit.”
They had missed the briefing with the General last night.
His mind began racing with the consequences of their actions, he hoped that someone at Global had the good sense to create a plausible cover story. Nathan instinctively began to sit up and reach for the phone to call Fargo and hear exactly what had happened in his absence; however, Jack’s hand came up to push firmly down on his chest.
“I have to call Fargo…“ Nathan began, but was cut off as Jack’s head rose slightly.
Jack’s watery blue eyes caught Nathan’s reassuringly as he mumbled “Relax.” Then he again stopped him from sitting up.
Nathan opened his mouth to answer but Jack’s hand on his chest while soft was insistent.
“I called a few hours ago…you were dead asleep” Jack said softly with sleep still thick in his voice, “Allison said to tell you that the situation was taken care of and that she will brief you later today.”
It took a few seconds for the words to make sense and for Nathan to relax and stop resisting the touch. As the words sunk in, he let out a small sigh of relief and laid back down, thanking every deity he could think of for his ex-wife.
‘Okay,” he muttered, raking a hand down his face tiredly as Jack gave a small grunt of amusement and closed his eyes, settling back onto Nathan’s chest.
A bit more alert now, Nathan's mind began to recall the chain of events that led to them being here this morning. Thoughts of last night began to race through his mind and what it meant for them now. He was not regretting anything; he was purely taking in the fact that as of last night he and Jack had become lovers and what this meant. On the microscale it meant that Nathan had slept better than he had in years and had woken up in the arms of the man that had been haunting his thoughts for the past two months. But what did it mean on the macroscale?
“Relax…” Jack repeated softly, breaking Nathan’s train of thought. He could feel the lingering tension in the body beneath him and he didn’t want that. After last night the very last thing he wanted was uneasiness and apprehension between them this morning. He could only imagine the thoughts racing through the scientists’ mind, as Nathan poked, prodded and over-analysed everything that had happened last night. With his eyes still closed, Jack shifted slightly up Nathan’s body to bury his face into his warm neck; his lips grazed the slight stubble he found there low on Nathan’s throat.
Despite the turmoil of his thoughts, Nathan automatically raised his hand to rub Jack’s bare back; even as he opened his mouth to say that they should still get up.
“We should-” Nathan began.
Jack didn’t let him finish; with his eyes still closed he reached up with two fingers, gently angled Nathan’s head away from him and placed three sleepy kisses along the nape of his neck. At the same time, he slipped his hand down Nathan’s body to stroke him softly under the covers.
Nathan groaned intensely as these sensations hit his still partially asleep brain and all previous thoughts and sentences flew from his head. All the detailed memories and deep reaching emotions from the previous night began filtering back in as his body reacted to Jack’s touch and a slight shiver ran up his spine. All hesitations about staying in bed vanished from Nathan’s mind because when Jack touched him like this, without shame or hesitation; …nothing else mattered.
Nathan groaned again, this time softly as his fingers stroked through Jack’s hair and his free arm tightened around his waist as Jack’s body shifted to lie more fully on him. Pulling him closer, Nathan curled an arm up his back and over his shoulder then rolled them over on the bed, turning them until Jack lay fully underneath him. As he moved, the stiffness of his muscles and the dull soreness in his arms and legs reminded him of exactly what had transpired between them last night. This thought made Nathan growl softly and appreciatively against Jack’s neck as he settled himself above him.
“It growls…” Jack muttered sleepily, clearly amused even as let himself be moved. He opened his eyes and bit down lightly on Nathan's neck, his tongue lightly flicking over the skin.
Nathan pulled back slightly and smirked down at him, then raised himself to hover over Jack, bracing his knee on the mattress between his legs.
Jack ignored him and kept up his ministrations, stroking him softly but firmly and arching his neck off the bed to peck kisses against Nathan's chest, a little frustrated that the man was just outside of the reach of his lips.
Nathan’s head ducked down and his nose nudged at Jack’s chin until he looked up to catch his gaze. Nathan reached between them and grasped Jack the same way, making Jack shut his eyes tightly and arch towards him giving a low groan that sent another shiver down Nathan’s spine.
Nathan nudged at Jack’s chin again, then unknowingly echoed his words from the previous night, “Look at me.” As he spoke the words; a shudder went through Nathan at the very memory of last night.
Jack opened his eyes to see impossibly long eyelashes and clear green eyes looking back at him and a look of total concentration upon Nathan’s face.
Holding eye contact they kept up their pace, until Nathan couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss him, his breathing growing more ragged as his tongue begged entrance. Jack complied, his head arching off the bed and kissing him back fiercely, his free hand tangled in the now messy curls at the back of Nathan’s head.
As their pace increased it became harder to continue kissing. Nathan’s lips slid down to Jack’s throat and gently licked at that sensitive spot on his neck just beneath his right ear lobe; while panting softly into the curve of his neck. The combination of sounds and sensations made Jack moan slightly, which travelled straight to Nathan’s cock and made him bite down on Jack’s neck lightly. This only served to make Jack hold him tighter and yet try to move away from his lips at the same time.
Nathan chuckled as Jack squirmed. The man beneath him was clearly torn between the sensitivity of the area and wanting to feel more. Nathan showed no mercy and took his time alternating between soft nibbles and light licking at the area that he knew was most sensitive. Soon Jack was writhing uncontrollably beneath him while his hand still pumped Nathan furiously. “Oh God Stark…” escaping from his lips in a strangled whisper.
Nathan caught his eyes and smiled while muttering and brushing their lips together, “Nathan will do just fine Sheriff.”
Jack rolled his eyes and then his nose and chin nudged at Nathan silently asking him to continue.
Nathan grinned and complied by sucking softly at his neck; his teeth grazing the area while his tongue flickered over the skin.
Jack groaned harder, his entire body was now arching completely off the bed, only Nathan’s body weight holding him down. He was desperate for release from both exquisite tortures.
Nathan passed his thumb firmly over the head of Jack’s cock making him whimper and push up even harder against Nathan’s body.
All of these reactions coming from Jack were sending Nathan’s senses into overdrive, his own body was soon pushing downwards as he felt Jack’s touch become firmer and more demanding. Nathan had the advantages of gravity and greater body weight and soon won that battle, pinning Jack to the bed, even as Jack’s hand entangled itself deeper into Nathan’s hair pulling him firmly against his neck.
Nathan grinned and pumped Jack firmly as he suckled harder at his throat, refusing to let him squirm away. Nathan felt every nerve in the body beneath him begin to tense and heard Jack’s breathing becoming ragged and desperate in his ear. At the first sharp intake of breath, he bit down hard on Jack’s neck making the man let out a strangled yell, this final torture sent him over the edge as he came hard in Nathan’s hand. Jack looped an arm under Nathan’s shoulder and desperately held him closer, his entire body pushing up against Nathan’s, shuddering against him even as he could hear Nathan himself groan and release, pushing his forehead hard against Jack’s shoulder.
After a few moments, Jack’s body began to relax and he let his fingers loosen their hold and his body sagged to the bed. Smiling with his eyes closed, he felt Nathan relax and his body descended to rest heavily on top of him, he loved the feel of the weight on top of him. Nestled in the crook of Jack’s neck, Nathan's tongue darted out and licked comfortingly at the red mark he made there. The warmth and softness of the touch against the now extremely sensitive area sent lingering traces of pleasure down Jack’s spine making him groan encouragingly at the gesture.
“Evil…” was all Jack managed to get out as his fingers threaded gently through the back of Nathan’s hair.
Nathan smiled against his neck, giving one last soft kiss to the quickly reddening patch of skin. He then moved off of Jack completely and lay on his back beside him, both still breathing heavily, completely spent and satisfied.
When his breathing had returned to normal and he could speak again, Nathan turned his head towards him and asked softly, “Any regrets?”
His heart still racing Jack turned over on his side, propped himself on his right elbow and returned the gaze steadily before answering, “I regret we didn’t do this sooner.” He was rewarded with that early morning sleepy smile he adored, the laughing green eyes and easy smile that seemed to come straight from Nathan’s heart.
Suddenly a realization flooded Nathan and the smile dropped from his face, “Fargo.”
Jack shook his head, “See, why did you have to go and ruin it? That’s not the name I want to wake up hearing, especially not from you.”
Nathan shook his head, “The internal camera system…”
Jack caught on and groaned increduously, “You have security cameras inside your house?” Then thinking about it he added, “And at the bunker… Oh fantastic, remind me to kill Fargo later if those cameras weren’t disabled like I told him to.”
For the first time since Jack had known him; Nathan gave Jack a slightly guilty look.
“Why, why do you look like Zoe when I’ve caught her sneaking back into the house after curfew?” Jack demanded.
Nathan closed his eyes and lay back flat on the bed,
“What?” Jack asked, taking in the still guilty look on Nathan’s face.
“I may have told Fargo that he had to leave all cameras on at the bunker.” Nathan said without opening his eyes.
Jack’s eyes widened comically, “Why the hell would you do that after I told him my life was not to be videotaped?”
“The bunker is an ongoing experiment, it has to be fully documented, the footage is necessary,” Nathan answered with his eyes still closed.
Jack took this in and then unable to help himself he grinned and said conversationally, “Seriously? Well I hope that the footage of us almost having sex that night, and us actually having sex here last night and us jerking off this morning is very useful to your project.”
Nathan didn’t answer; he had honestly expected Jack to start complaining about lack of privacy and ranting over breaches of rights. He opened his eyes and looked over thoughtfully at him. Jack, still propped up on his elbow, shifted closer as his fingers came to trail slightly over the light scar on Nathan's’ chest, his eyes flickered back up and searched Nathan’s face inquiringly.
Nathan said softly, “Callister” and closed his eyes again; not wanting to see the pity that would be reflected in Jack’s eyes and hoping that he would not want to talk about this right now. It still hurt to even say the name out loud sometimes.
Jack didn’t immediately answer and Nathan was about to open his eyes when he felt the slightest of touches on his chest. His eyes flickered open to see Jack’s head was hovering slightly over his chest. His lips were gently skimming over the scar on his chest. The gesture was intimate and Nathan could feel the understanding and unspoken compassion in the slight touch. His throat tightened slightly with emotion as Jack’s lips seemed to brush some of the deepest memories that Nathan kept closest to his heart.
Jack pulled back slightly and catching his gaze he raised his head and brushed their lips together lightly while muttering, “That night Callister died…when I dropped you back off at GD… ”
Nathan stared up at that honest open gaze and nodded numbly.
“I wanted to stay, make sure that you were ok” Jack continued, “…I didn’t think you’d let me.”
Deeper emotions began to break into that kiss for Nathan, his fingers climbed into Jack’s hair and he rolled himself back on Jack and braced his hands on either side of his head, his head ducking down to kiss him again softly.
“You should have said something…” Nathan muttered softly as his fingers slid to the back of Jack’s neck, nipping softly at his chin.
“Yea Zoe’s identity theft and red hair were really throwing me off my game that day” Jack said with a slight roll of his eyes.
Nathan chuckled in response and moved back up to capture his lips.
Jack yielded to his kiss. Nathan’s palm rested over Jack’s heart and began moving slowly down his chest. As Nathan ducked his head down to follow his hand he noticed something else. “Freckles…” he muttered, his fingers trailing lightly over a few faint spots on Jack’s chest.
Jack laughed softly, “Yeah, you’ll see them come out during the summer.”
Nathan looked back up to catch his gaze.
Jack quickly back-pedalled, “I didn’t mean that we would, just that they would…they’re freckles!” he said exasperatedly. “- they come out during the summer, you know? You can’t see them otherwise!”
At Nathan’s amused smirk he continued, “I didn’t mean that we would still be, uh doing this for the…”
Nathan didn’t answer, or help, he just let him babble, knowing that there were serious issues lying in there whether Jack meant them or not. Instead his eyes caught a pattern and trailed it lightly with his fingers.
Jack stopped trying to explain and squirmed slightly “Hey don’t, I’m ticklish!”
Nathan ignored him, his index finger tracing a distinct pattern over Jack’s chest and stomach.
“Hey…hey!” Jack squirmed. He was about ready to shove Nathan away playfully when he looked up, and was caught in Nathan’s green eyed gaze, which saved him from being thrown off the bed.
Nathan smiled, “It’s Hamiltonian” he said softly, resisting the urge to find a marker and connect the graph. A new glint was clear in his eyes.
“Speak English Stark” Jack said with a smile, knowing that it had to be a geek moment with the way Nathan was smirking.
.
Nathan’s head ducked down and placed a chaste kiss on Jack’s chest, “A Hamiltonian path...” he began slowly, tracing his finger downwards to another freckle, “…visits each vortex only once” he explained softly while pressing a kiss to the second point. He let his fingers trace lower to the third, fourth, and fifth freckles, while his lips left soft kisses between them.
Smiling, Jack threaded his fingers lightly through Nathan’s hair holding his head gently as his lips moved across each freckle, travelling across his chest and down his stomach.
Nathan continued, “ It’s a traceable graph that never re-crosses itself…” he began moving back upwards this time until he reached the freckle where he started, “…and it can always find a unique pathway to return to the original vortex” placing a last kiss to the original spot and looking up to find Jack watching him intently.
“Geek…” Jack muttered as their lips met again. In all honesty, Jack’s heart was racing in a completely different way than how it was ten minutes ago. The surprising tenderness of Nathan’s touch, the gentleness and calm playfulness in his voice had always had this effect upon Jack, ever since this whole relationship began. His mouth would go dry and his heart would bang erratically against his chest in the quiet knowledge that this was real. First the moment with Callister and now this, it was a moment where they both knew that something was changing between them, something was growing stronger but neither could voice it yet.
Giving a small grin he pulled away and answered Nathan’s questioning gaze with, “You’re just itching to pull out a sharpie and play connect the dots on me aren’t you scientist?”
He was again rewarded with that warm open green-eyed smile, which was Nathan’s only response.
“Hmm...maybe later,” Jack allowed “As for now, since you don’t have to go prowl around GD for a few hours and the experiment is stabilised, how about we…”
He didn’t even get to finish his sentence; Nathan cut him off by swiftly moving up his body and capturing his lips. Jack’s legs parted and let him settle comfortably on top of him.
---
Nathan's forehead pushed hard against Jack’s neck as he stayed completely still and resisted the urge to let his control snap.
“Nathan-” Jack gasped out holding on to him fiercely, every nerve in his body was urging Nathan to move within him.
Nathan moved slowly, feeling as though his chest was about to explode with each shuddering inch. Trying to control himself, he let his hands move over Jack’s chest, closing his eyes and memorising the texture, heat, scent and contours - he found the control he needed and his pace increased. His hands roamed over Jack’s shoulders, gripping tightly, possessively, slipping down his chest and kneading softly, then to his stomach and pressing down, feeling the slight shuddering beneath his touch.
“Nathan…” Jack gritted again through clenched teeth.
Nathan opened his eyes and looked down at him, his lower body movements slowing.
“No oh fuck don’t stop ” Jack gritted out. “But you keep touching me like that and this is going to be over any second now,” Jack gasped.
Nathan’s hands brushed over Jack’s chest again, his other hand passed firmly over that tender spot on Jack’s neck, and sending bolts of pleasure through the other man - making him pant harshly.
“Nothing wrong with that…” Nathan whispered seductively into his ear then brushing his lips lightly over Jack’s nipples, making Jack groan out loud, even as Nathan’s hands resumed their tracing over his chest and stomach, slipping lower to tease and then up to his back to explore. It had the desired effect, Jack was soon shuddering uncontrollably beneath him and Nathan had found a way to focus his thoughts.
Jack’s hands slid to the back of Nathan’s head tugging his head down to kiss him. “Evil…” he muttered shakily against his lips.
Nathan didn’t answer; he just kissed him tenderly marvelling that this was indeed happening. Only two months ago the snarky comments and stolen glances were all that he had. His body reacted to his thoughts, holding Jack as close to him as physically possible and Jack responded in kind. Jack’s fingers tightened in his hair as they kissed, his hand winding around Nathan’s waist tightly. Two months ago Nathan was at wits end to come to terms with what he was feeling and now they were moving as one body.
He opened his eyes and saw Jack staring up at him, his body shaking - his gaze never wavering, he could tell that they were both having the same thoughts.
“It’s still us…” Jack said softly with a shaky smile.
A shudder passed through Nathan’s entire body and he nodded, not trusting himself to speak as he buried his forehead against Jack’s chest. He slid his hand between them to curl around Jack and heard that groan that sent his senses wild, making them both desperate for release.
As Jack groaned again, deeper and more unrestrained, Nathan could feel his body about to go over the edge and he concentrated every fibre of his being on remembering what this felt like. The movement of their intertwined bodies in this moment, the sounds, the heat, the exact feeling as Jack’s fingers tightened impossible in his hair as he came hard and silently. Jack’s entire body tightened around Nathan pushing him over that final edge as well, making it impossible to breathe. A minute later they were both laying heavily against each other gasping for air as their bodies gradually relaxed their hold on each other
Rolling himself off Jack, Nathan lay on his back waiting for his heart to stop racing, his hand resting on his chest. A few minutes later he heard rather than saw Jack raise himself easily on his elbow to face him and Nathan could hear the exhausted smile in his voice as he asked lightly, “So, any security cameras in the shower?”
Nathan’s eyes closed, as he chuckled lightly in response.
-----
Much later that day…
Nathan again awoke first this time and even before he opened his eyes he knew where he was and who he was with. He was lying on his side face-to-face with Jack, their arms loosely curled around each other. Even as he watched, Jack’s head shifted and he moved forward to press his forehead against Nathan's chest, intertwining their legs slightly. As Jack nestled there Nathan felt different emotions tugging at him. He felt happy, that he knew, but there were other emotions entangled in there, things he needed to sort out before sleeping beauty woke up.
He was falling in love with Jack; that he knew without having to think about it, the same way he had known with Allison. He was also no where near ready to admit that to anyone, it was too much of a risk.
How did they get here? A memory of Jack lying in a hospital bed, unconscious, flashed through his mind. It was that fateful night that had forced Nathan to admit to himself fully, for the first time, that he had felt something deeper for Jack. That he had wanted something deeper from him. Fear had done it, fear of losing something he didn’t even know he wanted; until it was almost taken from him.
This thought made him open his eyes again and take in the sleeping form against him, it was this thought that broke down one of the few remaining barriers Nathan had against this relationship. Instinctively his arms came to wrap around Jack, holding the unconscious man in a hug, relishing the fact that he could do this. Jack was here with him, in his bed, and they both wanted to be here
It always took Nathan extra interest to be open and honest with people. He didn’t approve of it; actually he thought that it unnecessarily complicated the issue, especially in Eureka where most of the town was under his authority. He usually reserved such leisure’s for Allison, Henry and Kevin. Though to be fair, recently Zoe Carter had somehow fallen into that category. Without even having to make an effort Nathan had found himself being uncannily open with her. Her father was a different matter because no matter how natural this was between them, Nathan’s sense of self preservation always made him inclined to hold back his full thoughts, especially when it came to his heart.
A good example was earlier when Jack was talking about Callister. Despite his seemingly nonchalant verbal response, Nathan remembered that night well. Jack did indeed linger after he had helped Nathan carry Callister into the AI storage unit and he remembered Jack voicing surprise that he would bring Callister down there and not up to his office. Nathan had replied coldly, ‘He was an AI, Carter, this is where he belongs’. Jack had reached out and touched his shoulder, looking at him with such understanding and compassion that Nathan’s façade had almost broken down right there, but he didn’t let it; instead he strode out of the room without looking back.
He had wanted Jack to stay close that night as well. If nothing else, he knew that Carter had understood what Callister meant to him. However even now he wasn’t ready to admit such truths. Nonetheless, as an unconscious Jack crossed his mind again, Nathan decided that maybe it was time to re-evaluate that particular tendency. That meant that perhaps he had some explaining to do with regard to the experiment that had killed Walter Perkins and Bill Johnson. At the thought his arms tightened around Jack again slightly; maybe he could offer something without giving everything.
He felt a smile against his neck as Jack’s arms tightened around him slightly hugging him back.
“Missed me already Stark?” came the mumbled sleepy reply into Nathan’s neck.
Nathan didn’t answer; he just let his hand rub softly up and down Jack’s back.
“You ok?” came the hazy sleepy question.
Nathan nodded “Yes.” he said softly, “But there’s something we need to talk about.”
“Can it wait until tomorrow?” Jack said sleepily, burying himself deeper into Nathan’s neck, “I just got back to my happy place.”
Against his better judgment Nathan let his hand continue rubbing lightly up and down Jack’s back as he answered, “Yes, it can wait.”
“Good man…sleep.” Jack pressed a kiss to Nathan’s neck before letting himself drift back off, Nathan sighed and soon followed suit.
-------
“What’s the betting that we don’t see those two for the rest of the week?” Taggart remarked as he drove past Stark’s house and saw the Sheriff’s jeep still parked outside from the night before. Jo’s smirk just got bigger, but she said nothing as she pulled out her phone and dialled a number,
“Yes, he’s still here Zoe” she listened for a moment and then smiled, turning her face so that Taggert couldn’t see, then offered with a smile, “They probably have a lot to talk about.”
Taggart snorted softly from the next seat, “Yeah, I’m sure they are just having a good chinwag**.”
She ignored him and continued with Zoe. “We are in total agreement on that, you ok at the bunker tonight? Okay.”
Jo shut her phone and turned back to face a curious Taggert. “Zoe says she spoke to Carter and Dr. Stark earlier- they’re fine. Carter told her he’d check in with her later tonight.”
Even as Taggart opened his mouth to comment she hid her grin, Zoe had made her promise not to call Carter into the office unless it was absolutely necessary and Jo had absolutely no problem with that.
-----
At Café Diem ...
Vincent shook his head and smiled as he counted out his winnings from this morning. After what Fargo had told him about those two yesterday, he had correctly predicted that neither Sheriff Carter nor Dr. Stark would be in to work today. Food and sexual tension…he was never wrong about these things.
-----
At Global Dynamics...
The elevator to Nathan’s office opened and Allison stepped out glancing around. She quickly confirmed Fargo’s, twitchy and incredulous announcement that Dr. Stark had not yet been into work today. This was Nathan’s second sick day in his entire life. Giving a bittersweet smile to the empty office, Allison turned and stepped back into the elevator, feeling the bittersweet memories of an old life tug at her heartstrings. Tomorrow would be a new day for all of them, and anything she had to tell Nathan today could wait a little longer.
---
On Level 4...
Behind closed doors Henry stood alone in the room housing the relocated project. He had a worried calculating look on his face as he perused the clipboard in front of him and flipped pages, checking and rechecking against the pc tablet in his hand. He had a bad feeling that he would soon have to bring Nathan crashing back to reality rather harshly…and a lot sooner than he would have liked. It couldn’t wait…
----
**Aussie slang for having a good chat
chapter 19
Author: snarkyandsparky
Catagory: Angst, humour, romance
Rating: NC:17
Pairing: Jack/Nathan
Word Count: 5,155
Disclaimer: I don't own them, but I like to play with them once in a while...
Author's Note: This chapter contains some adult situations that are not appropriate for minors. I'd also like to sincerely thank
coke_monkey for the tremendous help in doing, yet again, an amazing beta job and on very short notice.
Summary: Purely and unapologetically fluffy.
chapter 17
“Jack.”
“Jack…”
Silence
Nathan had awoken to find himself pinned firmly to the mattress. Apparently Jack only shifted slightly during the night and he was now stretched diagonally across the bed with his head nestled comfortably on Nathan’s chest and his arm slung over Nathan’s waist holding him down securely. Nathan chuckled as he took in the slumbering man atop him, while musing silently, ‘Who’s the cuddler now?’
He was not complaining since he was warm, utterly comfortable and wanted nothing more than to drift back to sleep for a few hours. However, the slight sunlight shining through the large bay windows of his bedroom told him that it was time to get ready to go to work, especially since he vaguely recalled that they had ignored the entire world last night in their bid to finally get some privacy.
He tried yet again, “Jack,” he whispered, as he moved the pad of his right thumb slightly over the sleeping man’s hairline and against his forehead.
This time Jack mumbled incoherently against his chest in a faintly stubborn tone.
Nathan resisted the urge to smile, he moved to lightly stroke through the short blonde hair, trailing his fingers down the back of Jack’s neck and then lightly down the top of his back, unable to resist touching and exploring.
Jack’s only response was to tighten his arm around Nathan and press his cheek closer to his skin
“Jack…” Nathan's fingers were now dancing across his back, his voice dropping unconsciously to a whisper.
“Shhh.” was the firm response that came.
Stark almost burst out laughing. “Come on Sheriff, some of us have to get to work” Nathan drawled, the amusement clear in his voice.
Half heartedly Jack’s hand came up to flap at his face, clearly dismissing that idea then curling firmly back at his waist.
Well to be fair, Henry had agreed to handle the third series of logistics tests this morning in the project laboratory, so technically Nathan could arrive at Global a bit later than his usual 6AM. It was also fairly obvious that nothing short of physically launching Carter off and throwing him to the floor was going to move him right now.
As Nathan mentally yielded, closed his eyes and began to drift back to sleep; a sudden thought struck him that made his eyes fly open and his mouth let an undisguised, “Shit.”
They had missed the briefing with the General last night.
His mind began racing with the consequences of their actions, he hoped that someone at Global had the good sense to create a plausible cover story. Nathan instinctively began to sit up and reach for the phone to call Fargo and hear exactly what had happened in his absence; however, Jack’s hand came up to push firmly down on his chest.
“I have to call Fargo…“ Nathan began, but was cut off as Jack’s head rose slightly.
Jack’s watery blue eyes caught Nathan’s reassuringly as he mumbled “Relax.” Then he again stopped him from sitting up.
Nathan opened his mouth to answer but Jack’s hand on his chest while soft was insistent.
“I called a few hours ago…you were dead asleep” Jack said softly with sleep still thick in his voice, “Allison said to tell you that the situation was taken care of and that she will brief you later today.”
It took a few seconds for the words to make sense and for Nathan to relax and stop resisting the touch. As the words sunk in, he let out a small sigh of relief and laid back down, thanking every deity he could think of for his ex-wife.
‘Okay,” he muttered, raking a hand down his face tiredly as Jack gave a small grunt of amusement and closed his eyes, settling back onto Nathan’s chest.
A bit more alert now, Nathan's mind began to recall the chain of events that led to them being here this morning. Thoughts of last night began to race through his mind and what it meant for them now. He was not regretting anything; he was purely taking in the fact that as of last night he and Jack had become lovers and what this meant. On the microscale it meant that Nathan had slept better than he had in years and had woken up in the arms of the man that had been haunting his thoughts for the past two months. But what did it mean on the macroscale?
“Relax…” Jack repeated softly, breaking Nathan’s train of thought. He could feel the lingering tension in the body beneath him and he didn’t want that. After last night the very last thing he wanted was uneasiness and apprehension between them this morning. He could only imagine the thoughts racing through the scientists’ mind, as Nathan poked, prodded and over-analysed everything that had happened last night. With his eyes still closed, Jack shifted slightly up Nathan’s body to bury his face into his warm neck; his lips grazed the slight stubble he found there low on Nathan’s throat.
Despite the turmoil of his thoughts, Nathan automatically raised his hand to rub Jack’s bare back; even as he opened his mouth to say that they should still get up.
“We should-” Nathan began.
Jack didn’t let him finish; with his eyes still closed he reached up with two fingers, gently angled Nathan’s head away from him and placed three sleepy kisses along the nape of his neck. At the same time, he slipped his hand down Nathan’s body to stroke him softly under the covers.
Nathan groaned intensely as these sensations hit his still partially asleep brain and all previous thoughts and sentences flew from his head. All the detailed memories and deep reaching emotions from the previous night began filtering back in as his body reacted to Jack’s touch and a slight shiver ran up his spine. All hesitations about staying in bed vanished from Nathan’s mind because when Jack touched him like this, without shame or hesitation; …nothing else mattered.
Nathan groaned again, this time softly as his fingers stroked through Jack’s hair and his free arm tightened around his waist as Jack’s body shifted to lie more fully on him. Pulling him closer, Nathan curled an arm up his back and over his shoulder then rolled them over on the bed, turning them until Jack lay fully underneath him. As he moved, the stiffness of his muscles and the dull soreness in his arms and legs reminded him of exactly what had transpired between them last night. This thought made Nathan growl softly and appreciatively against Jack’s neck as he settled himself above him.
“It growls…” Jack muttered sleepily, clearly amused even as let himself be moved. He opened his eyes and bit down lightly on Nathan's neck, his tongue lightly flicking over the skin.
Nathan pulled back slightly and smirked down at him, then raised himself to hover over Jack, bracing his knee on the mattress between his legs.
Jack ignored him and kept up his ministrations, stroking him softly but firmly and arching his neck off the bed to peck kisses against Nathan's chest, a little frustrated that the man was just outside of the reach of his lips.
Nathan’s head ducked down and his nose nudged at Jack’s chin until he looked up to catch his gaze. Nathan reached between them and grasped Jack the same way, making Jack shut his eyes tightly and arch towards him giving a low groan that sent another shiver down Nathan’s spine.
Nathan nudged at Jack’s chin again, then unknowingly echoed his words from the previous night, “Look at me.” As he spoke the words; a shudder went through Nathan at the very memory of last night.
Jack opened his eyes to see impossibly long eyelashes and clear green eyes looking back at him and a look of total concentration upon Nathan’s face.
Holding eye contact they kept up their pace, until Nathan couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss him, his breathing growing more ragged as his tongue begged entrance. Jack complied, his head arching off the bed and kissing him back fiercely, his free hand tangled in the now messy curls at the back of Nathan’s head.
As their pace increased it became harder to continue kissing. Nathan’s lips slid down to Jack’s throat and gently licked at that sensitive spot on his neck just beneath his right ear lobe; while panting softly into the curve of his neck. The combination of sounds and sensations made Jack moan slightly, which travelled straight to Nathan’s cock and made him bite down on Jack’s neck lightly. This only served to make Jack hold him tighter and yet try to move away from his lips at the same time.
Nathan chuckled as Jack squirmed. The man beneath him was clearly torn between the sensitivity of the area and wanting to feel more. Nathan showed no mercy and took his time alternating between soft nibbles and light licking at the area that he knew was most sensitive. Soon Jack was writhing uncontrollably beneath him while his hand still pumped Nathan furiously. “Oh God Stark…” escaping from his lips in a strangled whisper.
Nathan caught his eyes and smiled while muttering and brushing their lips together, “Nathan will do just fine Sheriff.”
Jack rolled his eyes and then his nose and chin nudged at Nathan silently asking him to continue.
Nathan grinned and complied by sucking softly at his neck; his teeth grazing the area while his tongue flickered over the skin.
Jack groaned harder, his entire body was now arching completely off the bed, only Nathan’s body weight holding him down. He was desperate for release from both exquisite tortures.
Nathan passed his thumb firmly over the head of Jack’s cock making him whimper and push up even harder against Nathan’s body.
All of these reactions coming from Jack were sending Nathan’s senses into overdrive, his own body was soon pushing downwards as he felt Jack’s touch become firmer and more demanding. Nathan had the advantages of gravity and greater body weight and soon won that battle, pinning Jack to the bed, even as Jack’s hand entangled itself deeper into Nathan’s hair pulling him firmly against his neck.
Nathan grinned and pumped Jack firmly as he suckled harder at his throat, refusing to let him squirm away. Nathan felt every nerve in the body beneath him begin to tense and heard Jack’s breathing becoming ragged and desperate in his ear. At the first sharp intake of breath, he bit down hard on Jack’s neck making the man let out a strangled yell, this final torture sent him over the edge as he came hard in Nathan’s hand. Jack looped an arm under Nathan’s shoulder and desperately held him closer, his entire body pushing up against Nathan’s, shuddering against him even as he could hear Nathan himself groan and release, pushing his forehead hard against Jack’s shoulder.
After a few moments, Jack’s body began to relax and he let his fingers loosen their hold and his body sagged to the bed. Smiling with his eyes closed, he felt Nathan relax and his body descended to rest heavily on top of him, he loved the feel of the weight on top of him. Nestled in the crook of Jack’s neck, Nathan's tongue darted out and licked comfortingly at the red mark he made there. The warmth and softness of the touch against the now extremely sensitive area sent lingering traces of pleasure down Jack’s spine making him groan encouragingly at the gesture.
“Evil…” was all Jack managed to get out as his fingers threaded gently through the back of Nathan’s hair.
Nathan smiled against his neck, giving one last soft kiss to the quickly reddening patch of skin. He then moved off of Jack completely and lay on his back beside him, both still breathing heavily, completely spent and satisfied.
When his breathing had returned to normal and he could speak again, Nathan turned his head towards him and asked softly, “Any regrets?”
His heart still racing Jack turned over on his side, propped himself on his right elbow and returned the gaze steadily before answering, “I regret we didn’t do this sooner.” He was rewarded with that early morning sleepy smile he adored, the laughing green eyes and easy smile that seemed to come straight from Nathan’s heart.
Suddenly a realization flooded Nathan and the smile dropped from his face, “Fargo.”
Jack shook his head, “See, why did you have to go and ruin it? That’s not the name I want to wake up hearing, especially not from you.”
Nathan shook his head, “The internal camera system…”
Jack caught on and groaned increduously, “You have security cameras inside your house?” Then thinking about it he added, “And at the bunker… Oh fantastic, remind me to kill Fargo later if those cameras weren’t disabled like I told him to.”
For the first time since Jack had known him; Nathan gave Jack a slightly guilty look.
“Why, why do you look like Zoe when I’ve caught her sneaking back into the house after curfew?” Jack demanded.
Nathan closed his eyes and lay back flat on the bed,
“What?” Jack asked, taking in the still guilty look on Nathan’s face.
“I may have told Fargo that he had to leave all cameras on at the bunker.” Nathan said without opening his eyes.
Jack’s eyes widened comically, “Why the hell would you do that after I told him my life was not to be videotaped?”
“The bunker is an ongoing experiment, it has to be fully documented, the footage is necessary,” Nathan answered with his eyes still closed.
Jack took this in and then unable to help himself he grinned and said conversationally, “Seriously? Well I hope that the footage of us almost having sex that night, and us actually having sex here last night and us jerking off this morning is very useful to your project.”
Nathan didn’t answer; he had honestly expected Jack to start complaining about lack of privacy and ranting over breaches of rights. He opened his eyes and looked over thoughtfully at him. Jack, still propped up on his elbow, shifted closer as his fingers came to trail slightly over the light scar on Nathan's’ chest, his eyes flickered back up and searched Nathan’s face inquiringly.
Nathan said softly, “Callister” and closed his eyes again; not wanting to see the pity that would be reflected in Jack’s eyes and hoping that he would not want to talk about this right now. It still hurt to even say the name out loud sometimes.
Jack didn’t immediately answer and Nathan was about to open his eyes when he felt the slightest of touches on his chest. His eyes flickered open to see Jack’s head was hovering slightly over his chest. His lips were gently skimming over the scar on his chest. The gesture was intimate and Nathan could feel the understanding and unspoken compassion in the slight touch. His throat tightened slightly with emotion as Jack’s lips seemed to brush some of the deepest memories that Nathan kept closest to his heart.
Jack pulled back slightly and catching his gaze he raised his head and brushed their lips together lightly while muttering, “That night Callister died…when I dropped you back off at GD… ”
Nathan stared up at that honest open gaze and nodded numbly.
“I wanted to stay, make sure that you were ok” Jack continued, “…I didn’t think you’d let me.”
Deeper emotions began to break into that kiss for Nathan, his fingers climbed into Jack’s hair and he rolled himself back on Jack and braced his hands on either side of his head, his head ducking down to kiss him again softly.
“You should have said something…” Nathan muttered softly as his fingers slid to the back of Jack’s neck, nipping softly at his chin.
“Yea Zoe’s identity theft and red hair were really throwing me off my game that day” Jack said with a slight roll of his eyes.
Nathan chuckled in response and moved back up to capture his lips.
Jack yielded to his kiss. Nathan’s palm rested over Jack’s heart and began moving slowly down his chest. As Nathan ducked his head down to follow his hand he noticed something else. “Freckles…” he muttered, his fingers trailing lightly over a few faint spots on Jack’s chest.
Jack laughed softly, “Yeah, you’ll see them come out during the summer.”
Nathan looked back up to catch his gaze.
Jack quickly back-pedalled, “I didn’t mean that we would, just that they would…they’re freckles!” he said exasperatedly. “- they come out during the summer, you know? You can’t see them otherwise!”
At Nathan’s amused smirk he continued, “I didn’t mean that we would still be, uh doing this for the…”
Nathan didn’t answer, or help, he just let him babble, knowing that there were serious issues lying in there whether Jack meant them or not. Instead his eyes caught a pattern and trailed it lightly with his fingers.
Jack stopped trying to explain and squirmed slightly “Hey don’t, I’m ticklish!”
Nathan ignored him, his index finger tracing a distinct pattern over Jack’s chest and stomach.
“Hey…hey!” Jack squirmed. He was about ready to shove Nathan away playfully when he looked up, and was caught in Nathan’s green eyed gaze, which saved him from being thrown off the bed.
Nathan smiled, “It’s Hamiltonian” he said softly, resisting the urge to find a marker and connect the graph. A new glint was clear in his eyes.
“Speak English Stark” Jack said with a smile, knowing that it had to be a geek moment with the way Nathan was smirking.
.
Nathan’s head ducked down and placed a chaste kiss on Jack’s chest, “A Hamiltonian path...” he began slowly, tracing his finger downwards to another freckle, “…visits each vortex only once” he explained softly while pressing a kiss to the second point. He let his fingers trace lower to the third, fourth, and fifth freckles, while his lips left soft kisses between them.
Smiling, Jack threaded his fingers lightly through Nathan’s hair holding his head gently as his lips moved across each freckle, travelling across his chest and down his stomach.
Nathan continued, “ It’s a traceable graph that never re-crosses itself…” he began moving back upwards this time until he reached the freckle where he started, “…and it can always find a unique pathway to return to the original vortex” placing a last kiss to the original spot and looking up to find Jack watching him intently.
“Geek…” Jack muttered as their lips met again. In all honesty, Jack’s heart was racing in a completely different way than how it was ten minutes ago. The surprising tenderness of Nathan’s touch, the gentleness and calm playfulness in his voice had always had this effect upon Jack, ever since this whole relationship began. His mouth would go dry and his heart would bang erratically against his chest in the quiet knowledge that this was real. First the moment with Callister and now this, it was a moment where they both knew that something was changing between them, something was growing stronger but neither could voice it yet.
Giving a small grin he pulled away and answered Nathan’s questioning gaze with, “You’re just itching to pull out a sharpie and play connect the dots on me aren’t you scientist?”
He was again rewarded with that warm open green-eyed smile, which was Nathan’s only response.
“Hmm...maybe later,” Jack allowed “As for now, since you don’t have to go prowl around GD for a few hours and the experiment is stabilised, how about we…”
He didn’t even get to finish his sentence; Nathan cut him off by swiftly moving up his body and capturing his lips. Jack’s legs parted and let him settle comfortably on top of him.
---
Nathan's forehead pushed hard against Jack’s neck as he stayed completely still and resisted the urge to let his control snap.
“Nathan-” Jack gasped out holding on to him fiercely, every nerve in his body was urging Nathan to move within him.
Nathan moved slowly, feeling as though his chest was about to explode with each shuddering inch. Trying to control himself, he let his hands move over Jack’s chest, closing his eyes and memorising the texture, heat, scent and contours - he found the control he needed and his pace increased. His hands roamed over Jack’s shoulders, gripping tightly, possessively, slipping down his chest and kneading softly, then to his stomach and pressing down, feeling the slight shuddering beneath his touch.
“Nathan…” Jack gritted again through clenched teeth.
Nathan opened his eyes and looked down at him, his lower body movements slowing.
“No oh fuck don’t stop ” Jack gritted out. “But you keep touching me like that and this is going to be over any second now,” Jack gasped.
Nathan’s hands brushed over Jack’s chest again, his other hand passed firmly over that tender spot on Jack’s neck, and sending bolts of pleasure through the other man - making him pant harshly.
“Nothing wrong with that…” Nathan whispered seductively into his ear then brushing his lips lightly over Jack’s nipples, making Jack groan out loud, even as Nathan’s hands resumed their tracing over his chest and stomach, slipping lower to tease and then up to his back to explore. It had the desired effect, Jack was soon shuddering uncontrollably beneath him and Nathan had found a way to focus his thoughts.
Jack’s hands slid to the back of Nathan’s head tugging his head down to kiss him. “Evil…” he muttered shakily against his lips.
Nathan didn’t answer; he just kissed him tenderly marvelling that this was indeed happening. Only two months ago the snarky comments and stolen glances were all that he had. His body reacted to his thoughts, holding Jack as close to him as physically possible and Jack responded in kind. Jack’s fingers tightened in his hair as they kissed, his hand winding around Nathan’s waist tightly. Two months ago Nathan was at wits end to come to terms with what he was feeling and now they were moving as one body.
He opened his eyes and saw Jack staring up at him, his body shaking - his gaze never wavering, he could tell that they were both having the same thoughts.
“It’s still us…” Jack said softly with a shaky smile.
A shudder passed through Nathan’s entire body and he nodded, not trusting himself to speak as he buried his forehead against Jack’s chest. He slid his hand between them to curl around Jack and heard that groan that sent his senses wild, making them both desperate for release.
As Jack groaned again, deeper and more unrestrained, Nathan could feel his body about to go over the edge and he concentrated every fibre of his being on remembering what this felt like. The movement of their intertwined bodies in this moment, the sounds, the heat, the exact feeling as Jack’s fingers tightened impossible in his hair as he came hard and silently. Jack’s entire body tightened around Nathan pushing him over that final edge as well, making it impossible to breathe. A minute later they were both laying heavily against each other gasping for air as their bodies gradually relaxed their hold on each other
Rolling himself off Jack, Nathan lay on his back waiting for his heart to stop racing, his hand resting on his chest. A few minutes later he heard rather than saw Jack raise himself easily on his elbow to face him and Nathan could hear the exhausted smile in his voice as he asked lightly, “So, any security cameras in the shower?”
Nathan’s eyes closed, as he chuckled lightly in response.
-----
Much later that day…
Nathan again awoke first this time and even before he opened his eyes he knew where he was and who he was with. He was lying on his side face-to-face with Jack, their arms loosely curled around each other. Even as he watched, Jack’s head shifted and he moved forward to press his forehead against Nathan's chest, intertwining their legs slightly. As Jack nestled there Nathan felt different emotions tugging at him. He felt happy, that he knew, but there were other emotions entangled in there, things he needed to sort out before sleeping beauty woke up.
He was falling in love with Jack; that he knew without having to think about it, the same way he had known with Allison. He was also no where near ready to admit that to anyone, it was too much of a risk.
How did they get here? A memory of Jack lying in a hospital bed, unconscious, flashed through his mind. It was that fateful night that had forced Nathan to admit to himself fully, for the first time, that he had felt something deeper for Jack. That he had wanted something deeper from him. Fear had done it, fear of losing something he didn’t even know he wanted; until it was almost taken from him.
This thought made him open his eyes again and take in the sleeping form against him, it was this thought that broke down one of the few remaining barriers Nathan had against this relationship. Instinctively his arms came to wrap around Jack, holding the unconscious man in a hug, relishing the fact that he could do this. Jack was here with him, in his bed, and they both wanted to be here
It always took Nathan extra interest to be open and honest with people. He didn’t approve of it; actually he thought that it unnecessarily complicated the issue, especially in Eureka where most of the town was under his authority. He usually reserved such leisure’s for Allison, Henry and Kevin. Though to be fair, recently Zoe Carter had somehow fallen into that category. Without even having to make an effort Nathan had found himself being uncannily open with her. Her father was a different matter because no matter how natural this was between them, Nathan’s sense of self preservation always made him inclined to hold back his full thoughts, especially when it came to his heart.
A good example was earlier when Jack was talking about Callister. Despite his seemingly nonchalant verbal response, Nathan remembered that night well. Jack did indeed linger after he had helped Nathan carry Callister into the AI storage unit and he remembered Jack voicing surprise that he would bring Callister down there and not up to his office. Nathan had replied coldly, ‘He was an AI, Carter, this is where he belongs’. Jack had reached out and touched his shoulder, looking at him with such understanding and compassion that Nathan’s façade had almost broken down right there, but he didn’t let it; instead he strode out of the room without looking back.
He had wanted Jack to stay close that night as well. If nothing else, he knew that Carter had understood what Callister meant to him. However even now he wasn’t ready to admit such truths. Nonetheless, as an unconscious Jack crossed his mind again, Nathan decided that maybe it was time to re-evaluate that particular tendency. That meant that perhaps he had some explaining to do with regard to the experiment that had killed Walter Perkins and Bill Johnson. At the thought his arms tightened around Jack again slightly; maybe he could offer something without giving everything.
He felt a smile against his neck as Jack’s arms tightened around him slightly hugging him back.
“Missed me already Stark?” came the mumbled sleepy reply into Nathan’s neck.
Nathan didn’t answer; he just let his hand rub softly up and down Jack’s back.
“You ok?” came the hazy sleepy question.
Nathan nodded “Yes.” he said softly, “But there’s something we need to talk about.”
“Can it wait until tomorrow?” Jack said sleepily, burying himself deeper into Nathan’s neck, “I just got back to my happy place.”
Against his better judgment Nathan let his hand continue rubbing lightly up and down Jack’s back as he answered, “Yes, it can wait.”
“Good man…sleep.” Jack pressed a kiss to Nathan’s neck before letting himself drift back off, Nathan sighed and soon followed suit.
-------
“What’s the betting that we don’t see those two for the rest of the week?” Taggart remarked as he drove past Stark’s house and saw the Sheriff’s jeep still parked outside from the night before. Jo’s smirk just got bigger, but she said nothing as she pulled out her phone and dialled a number,
“Yes, he’s still here Zoe” she listened for a moment and then smiled, turning her face so that Taggert couldn’t see, then offered with a smile, “They probably have a lot to talk about.”
Taggart snorted softly from the next seat, “Yeah, I’m sure they are just having a good chinwag**.”
She ignored him and continued with Zoe. “We are in total agreement on that, you ok at the bunker tonight? Okay.”
Jo shut her phone and turned back to face a curious Taggert. “Zoe says she spoke to Carter and Dr. Stark earlier- they’re fine. Carter told her he’d check in with her later tonight.”
Even as Taggart opened his mouth to comment she hid her grin, Zoe had made her promise not to call Carter into the office unless it was absolutely necessary and Jo had absolutely no problem with that.
-----
At Café Diem ...
Vincent shook his head and smiled as he counted out his winnings from this morning. After what Fargo had told him about those two yesterday, he had correctly predicted that neither Sheriff Carter nor Dr. Stark would be in to work today. Food and sexual tension…he was never wrong about these things.
-----
At Global Dynamics...
The elevator to Nathan’s office opened and Allison stepped out glancing around. She quickly confirmed Fargo’s, twitchy and incredulous announcement that Dr. Stark had not yet been into work today. This was Nathan’s second sick day in his entire life. Giving a bittersweet smile to the empty office, Allison turned and stepped back into the elevator, feeling the bittersweet memories of an old life tug at her heartstrings. Tomorrow would be a new day for all of them, and anything she had to tell Nathan today could wait a little longer.
---
On Level 4...
Behind closed doors Henry stood alone in the room housing the relocated project. He had a worried calculating look on his face as he perused the clipboard in front of him and flipped pages, checking and rechecking against the pc tablet in his hand. He had a bad feeling that he would soon have to bring Nathan crashing back to reality rather harshly…and a lot sooner than he would have liked. It couldn’t wait…
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**Aussie slang for having a good chat
chapter 19