Mission: Interrupted

Chapter 28 - Parting... is Just Sorrow

Her answer caused his heart to stutter, and for the first time he realized how much restraint she was showing.

Her kisses were intense and passionate, but also tender at the same time. They took their time exploring one another's mouths and necks. Norman sat up finally and stared down into her eyes and ran his finger across every surface, memorizing exactly how she looked right now in this moment when her emotions were on full display. Going from her face, he dragged his finger down her neck, across her clavicle, and down until it circled her nipple which pebbled up while goosebumps covered the entire surface of her body. He took so much satisfaction in this reaction her body had to him, and the thought entered his mind that regardless of whatever else about her changed, this would not. He knew how to elicit pleasure from her body and that was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

Meg sat up and ran her hands through his light chest hair and circled his nipples. Now it was his turn to get the chills. She followed the path of her hands with her mouth and soon he was moaning her name. She felt the evidence of his desire against her thigh and smiled as she nibbled on the area behind his ear. Wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her hands into his hair, she lifted herself slightly and then slowly impaled herself onto his velvety length. They rested their foreheads together and stared into each other's eyes as they began the slow dance towards their climax. They rocked back and forth, breathing in each other's whiskey-tinged breath.

"Norman," Meg whispered and the way she said it made it sound like a prayer. "I love you... I'd crawl through the depths of hell to be with you."

Her words coursed through him like a bolt of electricity. He groaned and flipped her over on her back, holding himself up on his forearms while he looked down into her tear filled eyes. He felt a tsunami of emotions rise up and fill his chest; his hips picked up speed and she met him thrust for thrust and soon she was chanting his name like a benediction.

"Shit, babe, you drive me crazy." He breathed as he felt the fire start deep in his loins, signalling his nearing orgasm.

"Oh god, Norm, I'm so close... please fuck me harder!"

Not one to disobey, he slid his hand under her hips and used the leverage to pound himself into her. They both screamed each other's names as their orgasms hit with toe-curling intensity. Norman collapsed next to Meg and pulled her into the crook of his arm. With his other hand, he started twisting her hair between his fingers.

"What color will this be?" He asked.

"Deep dark brown... almost black," she answered.

He pulled the hair to his nose and breathed in deeply and was rewarded with the smell of honeysuckle. "You'll be beautiful with black hair, just please don't change your shampoo."

"Don't worry, not everything will have to change." She smiled and kissed his forehead. Getting serious for a minute, she added "You and Bob'll talk a whole lot more about this, but you're going to have to get ready to put on a public face of grief." A dark shadow passed over his face as she spoke, but they had to talk about it. "In order for this to work, you have to let your fans know that the woman in your photos, the woman you've been seeing... is dead."

Norman groaned thinking about how hard this was going to be. He was an actor, so he knew he could do it, but lying to people he was close to would be the hardest thing he'd ever done. Looking down at her face, he felt a truth wash over him. "There's nothing I wouldn't do, no obstacle I wouldn't cross, if you are the prize on the other side." He shook his head and then kissed her lightly and whispered against her mouth, "You have my heart in your hands. I don't care what your name might be or what changes might take place in your looks, I love you. The you deep down inside – your heart... your soul." Then, as his throat swelled and his eyes filled, he added, "Just please, please promise me you'll be careful and that you'll come home to me."

At the sound of his teary petition, she felt herself become emotional and instead of trying to temper his expectations, she just nodded and whispered, "... scout's honor."

_____________________________________________________________

The next morning they woke early and had some good, clean fun in the shower, being playful with one another. Over breakfast they discussed their plans to keep in touch over the next few days. She had already ditched both her personal and satellite phones and was given a new one by the advance team that had showed up the day before. She gave that number to Norman so that as soon as he received a new phone he could text her. They had no idea how long it would take for El Sombre to make his or her way to the cabin, and the waiting was going to be hard on them both.

At 8:45 exactly, a Range Rover pulled up in front of the house. Bob was there to collect Norman. He and Meg stood on the front porch with Norman's suitcase and duffel bag. He put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her forward until her forehead was resting against his.

Neither could find the words to say, so they just smiled and kissed one last time before he walked down the steps to put his bags in the back of the SUV. When he walked back around the side, she choked out his name and rushed down the stairs launching herself into his arms.

Inside the car, Bob watched the infamous Mack M.D. crumple into this man's arms and he marvelled at the change in her. He never thought in such a short amount of time that she would come alive like this. At the same time that he felt happy for her and this newfound life, he couldn't help but worry over what it might mean for her ability to make sound decisions when it came to the threat facing her.

In the next minute, Norman climbed into the car and they were off to the local airstrip. In that ride, Bob watched the poor man's face go red, then back to normal, then crumple completely as the plane came into view. As they pulled their bags out of the car and walked towards the jet, Bob grasped Norman's shoulder and squeezed. "I love her, too. Not in the same way, of course, but I understand how easy it would be to be to fall for her. She's mesmerizing and dangerous, but what you need to understand is that she is not all brawn... she was the smartest agent I've ever worked with. She doesn't make rash decisions; every move she makes is well thought out and she's always one step ahead of her enemy. This time will be no different." He looked away and then revised his statement. "Actually, that's not true is it? This time she has something to fight for... something to come home to. Personally, I believe that makes her more dangerous than she's ever been before."

Norman looked at the other man, searching his face for any bravado or falseness. Not finding any, he just nodded before turning to climb the stairs into the plane.