She felt a flutter of guilt and frustration in her stomach, and she glanced off now, staring at the road heading in the opposite direction from John’s own gaze. Both of them continued to stare in different directions for a moment. And John muttered, “Taxi should be here soon.”
“Great.”
“Yeah. Great.”
Adele waited, hesitant. She hadn’t known what she wanted John to say, but silence wasn’t it. She’d broken open the dam, cracked the seal, voided the warranty, as it were. Now, it was John’s turn. But what had she expected? It wasn’t like Renee was a wind-up toy she could force into her bidding at a moment’s notice. Hell, half the time, John didn’t seem to have rhyme or reason behind anything he did. And yet he was an effective agent.
An effective companion… after a style.
The silence continued a bit longer, and Adele found herself getting angry. She didn’t even understand why, and yet as John refused to speak, as she stared off and away from him, her imagination churning, her own mind began to grow restless. Her lips drew in a thin line and she muttered. “Damn it, Renee. Why can’t you ever just say what’s—”
“I hate what you do,” he said, suddenly, interrupting her.
Adele blinked and turned back now. Both of them were watching each other like two cats in the dark, searching out the boundaries of new territory.
“How nice of you to say,” Adele murmured.
“You’re the one who called me a bastard.”
“I did that for emphasis.”
“So am I. I do hate what you do. I hate…” He hesitated, scratching at his jaw, but this time not quite looking away. “I hate how you make me feel.”
Adele blinked, staring now. She found her breath came a little more quickly.
John gritted his teeth, his jaw stretched, the scars along his chin standing out rigid and pale in the poorly illuminated outside terminal. He sighed, then passed a hand through his hair. “Christ, Adele,” he said. “You’re a strange one—I’ll give you that. I wish I didn’t… you know… care.” He shook his head as if puzzled. “Really, I do,” he added, glancing back at her as if in emphasis. “But you’re just… you’re an odd bird, aren’t you? You’re… You’re…” He sighed and shrugged.
“An odd bird,” Adele said, softly, trying not to smile. “What every girl wants to hear.”
“I might not be able to tell you what I’m thinking… but I know how you make me feel,” he said, nodding adamantly. “That Leoni fellow, he’s an asshole. I hated him. Hated him the moment I saw him. Couldn’t quite place why, to be honest with you. Then I saw him hold your hand, and I swear, Adele…” John inhaled deeply. “I swear I wanted to put a bullet in him then and there.”
“John!”
“I didn’t—just to be clear. Need I remind you? I didn’t. But also, the thought of him driving us to the airport. Of taking us in that stupid limousine.” John shuddered, shaking his head. “I could’ve punched him.”
Adele hesitated, feeling a panic rising in her. Was this what she wanted to hear? Part of her thought so, another part wished he would shut up, or lie. But in that moment, ever the investigator, her curiosity got the better of her. She said, softly, “John… I don’t care what you think about Leoni. I know what you’re trying to say. But I want you to say it. Leave Leoni out of it. Leave your anger at the door, just for one moment. Can you do that? Or is it so much a part of you, you’re not even able—”
“God damn it. Just shut up, will you,” John growled. Then he leaned in, reminding her once again just how tall the Frenchman was. He didn’t hesitate, he didn’t ask, he didn’t do anything or speak any more words except place his arm around her lower back and press his lips to hers.
The faintest of moments passed where she could have pulled away, where she felt his breath against her cheeks, warm and soft.
And then, he pulled her in complete. For a moment, the two of them stood there, beneath the flickering lights of the airport terminal. John holding her close, sharing breath, their mouths drinking the other in. The warmth from him, the scent of smooth cologne and sweat. The sound of his breathing, the gentle gust of air from his nose against her cheek as he exhaled a soft sound of pleasure.
He leaned in, holding her tighter now, practically lifting her from her feet. The kiss itself seemed so… John. Aggressive, passionate, intense. There was a sort of kindled rage to it as well, a declaration—it seemed—a howl against any who might intrude on that moment, intrude on the space between them. But there was no space, not where John was concerned. His frame blocked out any glimpses of shimmering fluorescent lights, his back to the road now, fully facing her at last.
They remained like that, the intensity rising and falling in swells like rolling waves dashed against the shore. For a moment, Adele felt a flicker along her back where his fingers pressed, felt a sense of tingling along her spine.
John Renee… unprofessional, obnoxious. But damn, was he a good kisser.
Not the first time, but this second kiss was more… honest… than the first.
At last, though, she pulled back, panting and staring up at him wide-eyed. He didn’t blink, didn’t look away, but also breathed, gasping, his chest heaving as if he’d just sprinted up a flight of stairs. A faint flicker of delight flashed across his eyes, the corners of his lips turned up into a sort of tomcat grin. He winked at her. “Call me a bastard again,” he murmured.
Adele stared back.
“Come on, Adele,” John probed. “Call me—”
This time, it was her turn to roll her eyes and mutter, “Shut up.” She leaned in, hard, giving just as much of the fire, the fury, as he’d provided, leaning into him. She shared her breath with his, feeling the way his lips fit to hers, soft and yet rigid. The way he leaned in, hard, his eyes closed the moment they drew too near. Her own eyes flickered, flashing and casting images of his features like through an old projection screen across her vision.
At last, when she was good and ready, she let him go, stepping back and staring at him. This time, she flashed a grin and also winked for good measure.
Even in this shared embrace, it seemed impossible to fully put aside the edge to their relationship. And perhaps that’s what made it intoxicating.
“Well then,” John murmured.
“Well then,” Adele returned.
She paused, breathing, gathering her thoughts. She watched John, staring at him, frozen in that delightful moment a second longer. She didn’t want to leave it. It seemed a warm cocoon, a shield from the rest of the world, from… everything.
But like all cocoons, this one began to shatter the moment she heard the squeak of taxi wheels against the road. She glanced over and spotted two cabs coming down the road outside the terminal. She blinked, and glanced at John.
“Called two,” he murmured in matter of explanation. “Figured we’d be going opposite directions.”
Adele nodded, biting her lower lip and frowning for a moment. She thought of Leoni, of his offer for a ride to the airport. Of the way he listened, the way he seemed to care about what she thought. He had limped along the train, following after them with gritted teeth. A liability more than anything on that case.