Over My Dead Body - Chapter 27

"I heard you had a pretty exciting morning."

Jensyn looked from the mountain of papers that covered her desktop upon hearing the familiar voice of MJ Harmon. Her stomach fluttered at the sight of his handsome face and she was momentarily thrown by how much she wanted to run into his strong arms. She shook off her first instinct and gave him a hard stare. "Now is not the time, Harmon. I don’t have a story for you," she said before turning back to her work.

She heard him groan as he slid into the empty chair next to her desk. "Come on, Jensyn. I’m not here for a scoop. I heard about what happened at your folks’ and I was…I was worried about you. Are you okay?"

She turned to face him upon hearing the sincerity in his voice, and was stunned to see the earnest look on his face and concern in his eyes. "I’m fine. It was a little disconcerting to find slaughtered pigs at my parents’ door, but I’m fine."

"Good, that’s good," he said, with a slight nod. "How are your parents?"

That’s it. The man was definitely an enigma. It was this human side of MJ Harmon that drew her in, only to be blindsided when the arrogant Mr. Perfect MJ showed up. The latter was hard enough to resist, but the former was making it downright impossible. His looking like a million bucks in the collarless white shirt and navy blue suit he was wearing was not helping matters. "They’re okay," she finally answered. "Dad is pretty peeved but Mum is the voice of reason. She’ll calm him down."

He raised his eyebrow and chuckled. "That’s a pretty apt description of my folks right about now, too."

"Really? I know your sister graduated high school this morning, did something else happen?"

MJ nodded. "Oh, yeah, something else definitely happened. I can explain it to you over dinner. You have your meal break yet?"

Was he trying to ask her out on a date? "No, I haven’t. As a matter of fact," she glanced at her watch, "my shift is over now."

"So?"

"So?" she repeated, folding her arms and leaning forward on the desk. If he was asking her out on a date, she was determined to hear the question and not the implication of such.

MJ shifted uncomfortably in his chair and muttered something she couldn’t discern. He rolled his eyes and released a deep breath. "Would you be so kind as to allow me to escort you to dinner?"

She was bowled over; he actually did it. "Wow!" Jensyn exclaimed with a smirk. "Now, was that so hard?" She giggled. "You’re still breathing, right?" Her laughter grew louder and stronger.

He wiped away the beads of perspiration that had collected on his forehead. "When you’re finished getting your kicks, you think you could give me an answer to that question?"

After the crazy start of her day, Jensyn couldn’t believe how much fun she was having. The idea of working desk duty was like a fate worse than death. However, after a meeting with Riley, it became clear that sticking close to the station might not be such a bad thing. And now, much to her surprise, MJ Harmon had actually asked her out on a date. He looked as though he just carried a boulder up a steep hill, but the pompous SOB managed to ask the question. She wanted to shout yes, but decided to make him sweat a little more first. When her laughter subsided to a more moderate state, she wiped away the tears that clouded her vision. "I’m sorry, I’m done now."

The glint of displeasure in his eyes told her he didn’t share her amusement. "You sure?"

"Yes, I’m sure, and I will go out with you. I mean, I think I might be the first woman you actually asked out to dinner instead of politely ordered." She couldn’t help laughing again. "Is this what it feels like to be a celebrity?"

The slightest hint of a smile formed on his lips. "You’re deriving a little too much enjoyment at my expense. You’d better come along, Officer, before you make me change my mind," he said rising from the chair and taking her hand in his.

Her uncontrollable spasms of laughter came to an immediate end at the feel of his touch. A family of butterflies invaded her stomach and the flutter of her heart made her think some of them had made a short flight north. She looked down at their connected hands then up to his face to see if he was experiencing what she was. The rapid bobbing of his Adam’s apple and the flush of his honey kissed skin told her that he was. The look in his eyes made her knees grow weak. She cleared her suddenly dry throat. "All right, we…we can go now," she stammered. Slipping her hand away from his, she cleared her desk, grabbed her purse and proceeded to the exit with MJ following alongside. "Think I can swing by my place first and change? I can be ready in half an hour."

MJ stopped, his eyebrows furrowed in surprise. "Just half an hour?"

Jensyn couldn’t help chuckling. This was the MJ Harmon she knew. "Yeah, half an hour. Unlike some people I know, I don’t need to spend hours primping and admiring myself in the mirror."

Something appeared to be at the tip of his tongue, but he never said it. Instead he gnawed gently on his bottom lip, an act she found so incredibly sexy her spine tingled, tipped his head to the side and flashed a bright smile. "Sure, half an hour is fine. I’ll meet you at Kelly’s and we’ll leave from there."

~*~

"Ellen, hey. I’m surprised to see you here," Eve said, dropping off the last of her completed files at the 6^th floor nurses’ station.

"I’m surprised to see me here, too. There was a problem with a patient I admitted yesterday, so diligent doctor that I am; I came to clear everything up." After double-checking the chart, Ellen signed her name to it and handed it to the redheaded nurse behind the desk. "Now, I’m going to go back home and try to clear away the dark cloud over my husband’s head."

"Matt’s down in the dumps?"

"Let’s just say, today didn’t go quite like he expected it to."

Eve squinted her eyes and frowned. "I guess this is about Ally and Jack, huh?"

"Yeah. You already know?"

"Chris was cackling about it earlier, but I didn’t actually think it would happen. I imagine Matt is ready to tar and feather anything Ramsey right about now. Jack breaking up with Ally on the day of her graduation, that’s pretty low."

Ellen shook her head. "That’s the old story, Eve. The story Chris chose to believe anyway. Jack and Ally didn’t break up."

"They didn’t? But Chris said…."

"Chris said that Jack told him things was going to change between him and Ally today."

"Uh huh." Eve nodded.

"He took that to mean they were breaking up, he was wrong." Ellen groaned at the memory. "They got married."

Eve’s eyes widened and jaw dropped. "What?! Are you kidding?"

"I wish," she grumbled, moving around the brunette doctor and over to the elevators. "Matt and I tried to reason with them, but they weren’t listening."

"Does Chris know?"

She pressed the down button then answered the question. "I haven’t heard a sonic boom so I’m going to guess he doesn’t. But, I can’t worry about Chris right now. I need to get home to Matt." The doors opened and Ellen entered the car. "I’ll see you later."

"Yeah, later," Eve returned with a limp wave.

When the doors of the elevator closed, Ellen didn’t have to break a sweat to wonder what Eve would be doing next. That sonic boom she predicted should be occurring at any time now.

~*~

Jack held Ally’s hand securely in his, as they followed the bellhop to their honeymoon suite. Waiting outside, they watched as the man entered the room, sat down their luggage, and began pointing out the room’s many amenities.

After asking Ally to wait outside for a moment, Jack entered the room, thanked the bellhop and assured him that they could find everything on their own. Pressing a few folded bills in his hand, Jack sent him on his way.

The bellhop tipped his hat to Jack and gave Ally a smile as he passed her on his way out.

"So, Mr. Ramsey, is it okay if I come in now?" she asked once they were alone.

He gave her a bright smile. "Absolutely, Mrs. Ramsey." Walking over to her, he swooped her into his arms.

Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "Jack," she squealed.

"This is a ritual, sweetheart," he reminded her, as he carried her over the threshold. "The first of many we’ll share in the course of our life together."

Her fingers combed the back of his thick mane of dark hair. "I’m really looking forward to experiencing all the other rituals."

"Me, too," Jack agreed, brushing a kiss on her lips before settling her back onto to the floor.

He watched as she took a moment to scan the spacious room. She looked as happy as he felt. "This place is absolutely breathtaking."

"No, sweetheart, you are absolutely breathtaking." Snaking his arm around her waist, he pulled her close to him. His blue eyes held her brown ones captive as he lowered his head to hers. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

His lips captured hers in a deep, sensuous kiss that was filled with passion and promise. Things were starting to get very intense when Ally brought an end to his burgeoning desires.

Jack groaned in disappointment. "Allison, we don’t have to stop now," he said, dusting kissing along her neckline.

"I know," she murmured, pressing a soft kiss upon his lips. "We’re not stopping, we’re pausing." She flashed him an alluring smile. "Just a very short intermission, while I slip into something more comfortable." Backing away from him, she picked up her bag, and headed toward the bathroom. "I promise, I’ll be right back and then we’ll pick up where we left off, okay?"

The sound of her voice and the look in her eyes set his body aflame. Nodding his head, "Yes, ma’am," he said. His gaze stayed on her until she disappeared behind the bathroom door. He sighed. Life did not get any better than this.

Jack discarded his jacket and tie and was unbuttoning his shirt when he caught sight of the telephone on the corner desk. His uncle was no doubt waiting patiently for his return home to hear details about his day. It was also no doubt that the details Jack had would not be the ones Chris wanted to hear. After Matt and Ellen’s initial reaction and less than favorable thoughts on the union, the last thing he wanted was more of the same. He was disgusted with his uncle over the whole Harmon Family thing, but it didn’t negate the fact that he still loved him and deep down inside wanted his blessing. Jack sat in the desk chair and stared at the phone. He had to tell Chris something so he wouldn’t worry when he didn’t come home, but the truth was not it. After a little time for thought, he picked up the phone, got an outside line, and punched in the seven digits.

A wave of uneasiness washed over him as the phone rang in his ear. Why was he suddenly so nervous? His heart stopped when the phone picked up on the third ring. He sighed in relief when it was the answering machine. He left a message explaining that everything went according to plan, and that he wouldn’t be home until late morning, before finally requesting that Chris be available at that time so they could talk. When he was done, he sat back in the chair and exhaled a deep breath. His uncle would have a major cow upon learning about the nuptials, but like Ally’s parents, he’d have to find a way to deal with it. At the sound of the bathroom door opening, all of Jack’s conflicting feelings disappeared. He was happily married and about to start his honeymoon. Those facts alone made everything in his world just right.

~*~

Dara watched her husband pace back and forth across the thick wine colored carpeting of their living room. He would stop intermittently and pound his balled fist into his open hand, turn to her as if he was about to say something before shrugging it off and continuing with his pacing. After about fifteen minutes of this, she had had enough.

"Mac, would you tell me what’s on your mind before you burn a hole in the carpet. Besides that, you starting to make me dizzy."

He groaned and joined her on the couch. "Dara, I’m sorry. You know what’s on my mind."

"Sonny. That’s been a constant for a while now. But you’ve been like a caged lion ever since you got that phone call. Who was that?"

Placing his hand on her thigh, he gave it a gentle squeeze. "No one you need to worry about. Look, I have to run out for a few minutes. There are guards outside and Taggert has a car patrolling every half-hour, so you’ll be okay. I won’t be gone long."

"Where are you going? Or do I even need to ask?"

Brushing a quick kiss on her lips, "Don’t ask," he said. "I’ll be back before you miss me."

"I’ll go with you," she said, attempting to stand.

He took her hand and settled her back onto the couch. "No, you won’t. Dara, don’t worry. I won’t do anything stupid, I promise."

Mac was out the door before she could try to convince him to change his mind. He said don’t worry, but doing anything else seemed an impossible feat.