Chapter 72 - Jealousy In The Air

Halia held onto the coffee that Max brought her and sipped at it nervously as she tried to maintain her composure. She couldn't believe that Sean was down there in the lab with them.

"Are you OK?" Jackson asked as he approached, noticing that Halia was in a bit of a daze.

He gently patted her on the head and smiled at her lovingly.

Sean watched this interaction from the closet with suspicion. Why did these two seem so close?

Halia jumped a little and looked up at the man awkwardly. She knew that Sean was watching. What would he think if he knew that she was officially dating her target? That was completely against the rules of being an undercover officer.

At that moment, Jackson grabbed her chin and began to lean over. Halia looked into his eyes and knew what he was thinking: he wanted to kiss her.

"I love it when you smell like coffee," he whispered seductively.

The man's voice sent tingles down her spine. But, she had to resist.

Sean clenched his fists from inside the closet. He couldn't hear what Jackson said, but there was something ambiguous about the atmosphere. Jackson was a man and Halia was a woman, and the two of them had already spent one night down here alone together. Did something happen between them? For some reason, he felt a complex mix of emotions. He wasn't just merely concerned; he was also a little jealous. While he was running around worried about Halia all day, while he was preparing gifts for her birthday, was she down here doing something indecent with her target. If this continued, would she become emotionally invested and possibly even cover for him? Could he still trust her?

At that moment, he noticed the little black dress on Halia's body. Had she been walking around Jackson in revealing clothes like that, this whole entire time?

While Sean's anger grew inside the closet, Jackson had leaned in so close to Halia that she could feel his warm breaths on her lips. She wanted so much to kiss him, but she knew Sean was watching. So, in a panic, she dropped her coffee on the table and it rolled onto the ground.

Halia screamed, pretending to be surprised.

"Stay still, I'll go get the mop," Jackson quickly said as he looked down at the mess. He then turned and headed for the closet.

Halia's eyes quickly opened wide as her heart raced. "No!" she yelled. That was where Sean was hiding! Had her plan backfired?

Jackson looked at Halia curiously.

"Errrm...get a tea towel first. I want to wipe the table," she instructed.

Jackson nodded confusedly and walked over to the little kitchenette in the opposite direction to find a tea towel.

"I'll get the mop," she volunteered as she stood up and started hopping over to the closet.

Jackson looked at her worriedly, "Be careful of your foot."

"OK," she replied.

Just as she reached the closet, she checked to see if Jackson was looking before she opened the door. But, while she was glancing back, she felt a tug on her hand. Sean had pulled her into the closet with him.

It was a fairly big closet, enough to fit two people and shelves on three sides.

Sean pinned Halia against one of the shelves and looked down at her. He was so close that she could feel his body against hers, but it was so dark that she couldn't make out his expression.

"Is there something going on between the two of you?" he asked with concern and a trace of jealousy in his voice.

"What are you talking about?" Halia avoided answering. Lucky the closet was so dark or Sean would have definitely seen the guilt on her face.

"Why does he seem so affectionate around you? Isn't he meant to be your boss?" Sean asked as he copied Jackson's actions and held onto Halia's chin. "Don't forget who you are!" he warned.

Halia tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness and look into Sean's eyes. She understood where he was coming from. As an undercover officer, she had completely crossed the line. But, she couldn't help it.

"Halia, are you OK?" Jackson's voice suddenly resounded from outside. "There's a light switch on the left and the mop should be on your right," he directed.

"Oh OK, I'll be right out," Halia responded as she lifted her hand to find the switch.

But, a hand suddenly wrapped around her wrist and stopped her.

Halia gasped. She could feel Sean breathing on her and could tell that he was a little upset.

"I need to get back out before he comes to check on mmm..."

Before Halia finished her sentence, something wet and soft covered her lips.

It was dark in the closet, but she recognized this familiar feeling. She had felt this in Sara's memories before...

The rough grip on her wrists and the passion in the air...

It was Sean's kiss...

Halia wanted to push the man away. She struggled a little at first, but to her surprise, she began to kiss him back. Sean liked this reaction, so he let go of her wrists and quickly grabbed her legs, lifting her off the floor and pressing his body firmly against hers. He then shoved his tongue into her mouth, tasting the nostalgic coffee flavor that lingered in her breath.

Unlike Jackson, this man was rough and passionate.

In the darkness, Halia felt like she was in a trance as she hooked her arms around the man's neck and completely lost control of her reactions. What was happening? Was she actually enjoying this? This was her handler, she had no romantic feelings for him, but why couldn't she stop?

The man ran his fingers down her back, sending tingles down her spine and she let out a slight m.o.a.n of pleasure.

Sean smiled.

Her reactions were exactly the same as Sara's.

He couldn't see the woman in front of him clearly, but he knew it was Halia, yet it felt like Sara had come back to life. Perhaps, it was the roasted chestnuts or the coffee she got him that brought back feelings he thought he had lost.

He couldn't resist it, he wanted to enjoy this feeling that he missed so much. He wanted more from her.

Halia panicked. This wasn't right...

At that moment, a voice suddenly cut in, "Do you need help?" Jackson asked as he approached the closet.