British Airways

It wasn’t till much later that Wisdom rolled out of bed, passing his hands over his unshaven jaw and gracelessly shoving his hair back. He was alone, and it seemed he had been for some time. The empty side of the bed was cool, and its end-table was adorned with a small tray bearing an innocuous cup of milk, a digestive biscuit, and two orange pills. Cracking a smile, he took a sip of milk before polishing off the biscuit, downing the pills with his last swallow of milk. _Seems as if little Lee’s seen more’n her fair share of rough come-downs._ He thought, rising and snagging a towel on his way to the washroom. He was a little surprised when he saw that the shower was running, and behind the glass sliding door was a long, golden body, from which a faint humming could be heard over the noise of the water.



Tugging aside the door, he poked his head in, senses immediately assaulted by the scent of fresh, clean woman and soap. ‘Mind if I join you?’ her brown eyes flicked up, her hands filled with shampoo.



‘Sure.’ Her voice was a little husky, and, combined with her slick skin, more than sufficed to bring his morning arousal to full life. He slipped in beside her, and she positioned him under the scalding water, sliding her hands up into his hair, working the shampoo in carefully. The sensation of her fingers across his scalp, moving with confident precision, relaxed him enough that he sagged against the tiles, and when she drew him forward to rinse out the suds, he closed his eyes and bowed his head. As the last of the shampoo rinsed away, she drew his face up, grazing mint-cool lips over his forehead, trailing down over one eyelid, and finally rested on his own.



Almost unsure of the sudden change in her, from the eager, almost violent passion of the previous night’s encounter to this mild, steady, nurturing woman, he paused for a moment. Wisdom hadn’t been touched this way in years, and there was something appeased in him that he’d not realised was hurting. It was with an effort that he rejected it, opened his eyes, and dragged her against him. Almost immediately, she shifted back into that sultry-voiced succubus, letting out a breathy moan, arching into him, hands tangling in his hair, devouring him. Her belly slid across his aching cock, and he shuddered, grappling behind him for the shower control and turning it off. At her squeal of protest, he caught her up in his arms and hauled her back to the bed, dripping over the tiles and carpet and blanket, driving into her as they fell.



She caught her breath, and sighed raggedly, catching her lower lip between her teeth, and Wisdom wondered whether she’d done that last night—it had been too dark to tell. She lifted her slim hips to meet his, clenching around him, her eyes smoky with desire. He knew he wasn’t going to last long, but he didn’t exactly give a damn, especially not when he felt her come around him two dozen strokes in. She set him off, and he choked out her name as he spent himself inside her.



When he recovered marginally, he rolled onto his back, bringing her with him, and she sprawled contentedly across his chest. ‘You took my hangover cure,’ she murmured absently.



‘Mrm. Lifesaver.’ He replied foggily, running a fingertip down her neck. Her face expanded into a smug grin.



‘Flattery will get you nowhere, Wisdom.’



‘Bollocks. Got me inter yer knickers, dinnit?’ his hands became more adventurous, roaming down her back and across her bum, squeezing gently, fingertips grazing the tops of her thighs.



‘Bollocks yourself, you snarky little James Bond wannabe,’ he snorted at this, ‘I got into your knickers.’



‘First off, luv, James Bond would give ‘is right arm an’ left testicle ter be considered a Pete Wisdom wannabe, an’ secondly, I don’t wear knickers, I wear pants.’



‘And under your pants?’



‘Ah, I can see I’m going ter have ter school yer in th’ almighty English language. “Pants” here means “underpants.”’



‘Oh.’ She laughed, and Wisdom was pleasantly surprised to discover that she did not giggle.



‘So that’s why Shock-o-Shock always looked at me funny when I asked him whether my pants were too tight.’



‘Right you are.’ He grinned, as she spread her tiny hand across his chest. ‘Oi, d’yer have the time?’



She glanced at the clock radio on the end table. ‘Early. Too damned early.’



‘Define.’



‘Five forty-two.’



‘AM?’



‘Yep.’



‘Bloody hell. Well, it’s for th’ best. ‘Sides, Meggan’ll be up making some otherworld tea err another.’



‘How’s Ali?’ Jubilee inquired tentatively.



‘Blaire? Oh, she’s pathetic, sleeps in till one. Nah, th’ only early risers are Meggan an’ Sage. But she won’t be up till seven.’



‘Well, look.’ She seemed hesitant, and pushed herself into a sitting position. ‘I’ll just vacated the premises, so to speak, and let you get some extra shut-eye.’ She was about to stand and leave when he caught her by the wrist.



‘The sod d’yer think yer goin’, Lee?’



She blushed a little, shooting Pete’s mind back to the way her chest turned pink the night before, when he teased her about Rasmussen. ‘Oh, I just…I didn’t want to impose…’ Wisdom’s jaw fell slack. Bloody woman with her bloody assumptions.



‘It’s been a while since I considered a shaggable bird in my bed an imposition. Probably been a while since any straight bloke did. So unless you have a pressing appointment, you can bloody well relax an’ keep me company. Sides, yer feet are warm.’ He tugged her back down for a kiss, and within the space of twenty seconds, she somehow ended up straddling him. ‘Don’t start that again too soon. I’m an old man. Yer’ve gotta give me time ter recover.’



‘Kay.’ She settled against him, fitting her head in the perfect little cradle between his chest and shoulder, one arm sliding across his waist. He took her hand, and their fingers meshed. She seemed a little uncomfortable, even if she was relaxed against him, and he knew she was second guessing herself.



‘Look,’ he began peremptorily, ‘I know this was sudden, an’ I’m not going ter pretend it didn’t surprise me. But in my bizarre an’ varied experience, shagging a teammate never falls under th’ one night stand category.’



‘Don’t worry,’ she said, and though her voice was low and sleep fogged, he heard the mild exasperation, ‘I’m not clingy, and I won’t expect you to buy me flowers or chocolates or whatever it is women want these days.’



Ruddy hell, the woman’s mind works fast. ‘Not worried.’ He replied. ‘Well, actually…I am, a little. I’m pretty chuffed ter ‘ave snagged yer before anyone else, an’ I’m determined not ter feel guilty about it. But I’ll have yer know, I’d be right annoyed if yer suddenly decided was just the boy toy of the moment.’



‘What’re you on about, you crazy old man?’ she growled, but he could feel her lips curving against his skin.



‘I mean, maybe last night didn’t mean anything, an’ yeah, maybe I don’t know yer, but maybe it could, and I could.’



‘What’s that supposed to mean?’



‘S’not supposed to mean anything. It means that I’m not exactly averse ter this being something more than a drunken leap inter th’ nearest bed, that’s all.’ His hand moved soothingly along her back, and she seemed quiescent, if a little unsure. ‘Not ter say that I’m gonna birth chimpanzees if you wanter look at another bloke, I just thought…’



‘Wisdom,’ she sat up, and scooted back till she could look him in the eye, ‘this was fun,’ and his heart sank, ‘but I don’t want you to think I’m some fragile little do-gooder who can’t fess up to her own actions. You don’t have to take responsibility for this. It was a bit of fun, and I’m all right with that.’



‘I’m not asking ter take responsibility fer this.’ He growled, propping himself up on his elbows, frustration beginning to roil. ‘Bloody hell, woman, we’re already arguing.’



‘I don’t want to argue, Pete.’ She put a hand over his. ‘Maybe were miscommunicating.’



‘I’ll say. Orrite. All nonsense aside. I like you. I have since I first met yer, all tangled up in wires, with LeBeau glaring at me every time I checked out yer arse.’



‘You were checking out my ass on the Spangler job?’



‘Yeh. Of course, so was LeBeau.’



‘He was just teasing.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘He looks at me like I’m his little sister.’



‘Ah. So that’s why I got th’ impression ‘e wanted ter rip off me sexy bits.’



‘Nah, that’s just posturing. Remy’d never be a possessive wanker.’



‘S’not th’ impression I got. In fact, I thought th’ two of you were shagging.’

She grinned. ‘Maybe he was right to glare at you,’ her eyes softened. ‘I mean, I was checking you out when you weren’t looking. You were so efficient. I love men who know what they’re doing.’ She looked straight into him, and Wisdom felt that odd warmth stir again, and it was uncomfortably close to his chest.



‘Oh?’ he sat up, against the headboard. ‘So does that mean yer might want ter ‘ave some coffee with me?’



‘Depends. How good is your coffee?’ the tease was back in her voice.



‘It’s been known ter make strong men weep.’



‘Can’t be any worse than Logan’s.’ she stroked his forearms, and the hidden meaning in her words was more than clear. Sure, she knew about his snarkiness, his mood swings, his alcoholism, and chain-smoking, but she’d put up with a self-loathing bastard who wouldn’t quit before, and she never gave up on him. Pete was a lightweight compared to the Wolverine, and for some reason, that wasn’t as challenging to his masculinity as it might have been.