"Dinner, Lieutenant Commander….that’s an order."

Susan Ivanova tilted her head to the side and gazed at her superior officer with a slight squint. Her quarters had emptied out of those who had come and sat Shiva with her for her father. All that remained were Uncle Yossel and Commander Sinclair. Her eyes hurt where her tears had forced themselves from her soul; her teeth hurt where she still held back even in her grief. Sleep, she thought, for about a month was in order and definitely not dinner…especially dinner with her commanding officer.

"Commander, sir…" Ivanova sighed, trying to quickly find a counterargument to the argument that he was going present.

Jeffery Sinclair stepped forward, more into the soft light that permeated the room and less in the shadows. His black suit was form fitting, more so than his uniform; it was less heavy and flowed from his broad shoulders. He appeared more a friend than a commander in the EarthForce at that moment. The change made Susan even more hesitant about joining him for dinner. Seeming oblivious to Susan’s hesitation, the tall, commanding officer turned to nod his head at the Rabbi. "Join us, please, Rabbi."

Yossel moved forward to clasp Jeff’s arm tightly with a slight, sad smile on his face. "I would be honored, Commander."

Sinclair nodded slowly, and turned to readdress Ivanova. Sensing a need for the two officers to talk, the Rabbi shouldered the pack that he had brought with him and moved toward the door.

"Susan, you need company, people to talk to. These are times when you should not be completely alone. And I do not think that you truly want to be alone."

"I might not want to be alone, but I cannot guarantee that it is the best to be amongst people, Comm-"

"Jeff. Call me Jeff tonight. I’m your friend here…" he shook his head. A sole finger got held up on one strong hand in the air in between them. "…not your commanding officer. And I won’t take no for an answer about dinner, Ivanova."

She pursed her lips and gave her assent quietly. Arguing with Jeff Sinclair was a useless endeavor, although she had tried in the past. In reality, she was just too tired, too languid from her tears to mount a formidable defense. Time to withdraw and re-strengthen, she thought. In Jeff’s chocolate swirling eyes, she could see the smile start before it reached his expressive lips. His brow underneath his short dark hair evened out in relaxed bliss. "Well, good."

"But I get to pick the place, Comm-…Jeff," Susan warned, her voice low, with a very throaty quality.

A half-smile appeared, followed by a chuckle before Sinclair laid a hand on her back and led her to the door. Susan allowed her old family friend to step in front of them. As they left, she keyed the door to remain safety locked.

**

True to her warning, Susan chose the Nebula Inn, one of the two inns located on the outward shell of Babylon 5. It had the appearance of a street side tavern in France before the third Great War. Around softly lit tables were various topiaries and above…above was a ceiling of Plexiglas. Outside was the nebula of newborn stars: clouds of blue and purple swirled around bright pinpricks of light.

They were shown to a booth, lined against the warmed Plexiglas. Sinclair stepped aside and allowed Susan to slide in first. Yossel chose to sit across from Ivanova and Jeff folded his long legs and sat next to his second in command. The table was small and his broad frame encroached in her space and their legs and arms brushed together.

The waiter arrived, carefully setting menus in front of them. Sinclair waved his away, and handed Susan one. He leaned over toward her, over her arm and spoke quietly, "I recommend the triell."

Ivanova laughed outright, and she placed her menu down on the table with a loud smack. "See, Uncle Yossel, I told you. They are known for the treill here." She looked to Jeff, her blue eyes shining in the low light. "Maybe you can tell him if it is Kosher…"

" I personally think the Centauri are the furthest thing from Kosher, Ivanova…but…I would say it is a safe guess that it is. There was seriousness to Sinclair’s tone that betrayed the easy smile on his face.

Susan’s eyes widened for a moment as a thought crossed her mind. "No cloven hoofed animals on Centauri Prime, at least, I don’t think there are…"

Sinclair’s smile grew. "Now that is something I would not have thought of…interesting, Ivanova…logical."

"As many people she knows think her to be," Yossel rejoined, leaning forward on the table. "It is your father’s influence on you, Susinka. He taught logic to you well." His sad eyes swept over the lustrous hair that fell about Susan’s shoulders. "So like your mother, Susan: beautiful. And so like your father: intelligent. I am glad that his legacy continues through you."

Susan’s smile faded slowly as the pain of earlier in the night flooded back in her mind. But she was saved from saying anything by the appearance of the waiter with a wine list and water glasses. Jeff leaned over near her ear and asked: "Treill then? So I know what to order for wine?"

She heard Yossel laugh and joined in as they began their dinner ritual.

**

Sinclair shook his head as he upended the wine bottle to fill all of their glasses one last time. "And you were up the tree…" It was clear that there was a aura of disbelief about him in reference to the story at hand.

"Have you ever been to Russia in the winter, Commander?" she asked lowly, almost sighing. "Right after a snowstorm, the snow is not hardened enough to hold weight. I would have been up to my neck in snow…"

With a wide smile, Jeff turned and stared at her. "And the problem in that…? That might have actually kept you out of trouble."

"If you weren’t my CO, Commander. I would have to retaliate for that."

"Should I notify my next of kin, Ivanova?" His smile widened even more. With a silent perusal, his eyes swept from her hair, over her luminous pale eyes, past her lips to where her neck met her shoulders. "And do I have a choice as to the method of my impending doom?"

She screwed her mouth up in a parody of a snarl mated with a smile. "No choice….aggressor’s privilege, " she answered simply and then returned to the conversation. "So I climbed the tree and waited for Ganya and Papa to find me."

Sinclair leaned back in the cushy seat and laughed wholeheartedly. Yossel was surprised with the freedom that the reserved man responded to his little Susan’s taunting. The elderly gentleman had been around people all of his life, true it was not among the stars, but humans were humans wherever they went. Strong and sweet, evil and cunning, humans had not truly changed in several millennia. They were still subject to their biological callings even if technology had removed them out into the stars.

Jeffrey Sinclair was subject to his nature as was any man, Yossel thought. The tall commander was a man racked with pain…emotionally scarred and reserved to a fault. He was a good leader, a strong man, but was having a hard time realizing that no man is an island. To see him open up with Susan was heartening. Yossel sipped from his glass and decided to throw in more ammunition to the younger man. "That is nothing compared to her sixteenth birthday, Commander Sinclair. Found in the Ivanov winter cottage she was on that occasion and not alone, I would like to add."

An eyebrow was lifted and Jeffrey turned in his seat to half-face Susan. "Sixteen, Ivanova…that’s a little young, isn’t it?"

Susan’s jaw fell open and she stared at Sinclair for a few minutes before turning to Yossel. Her eyes were like embers in a forgotten fire, smoldering and burning. Expressive lips, painted a deep red that evening, opened into an OH. "Uncle Yossel…"

Yes, it was good for him to add fuel to the fire like this. The Rabbi smiled and leaned back into the chair. Susan Ivanova had always had the fierce need to succeed, and her father’s denial of her had made her strive for acceptance. If not on Earth amongst her love ones, then in Earth Force from her commanding officers. She had to learn that acceptance came simply because she was. I might be an old man, Yossel thought, but I still know problems when I see them. "It is not a lie, Susinka...disheartening, but very true."

"You are interfering again, Rabbi," she stated lowly. She pulled the napkin from her lap, but before it could make it to the table, a larger, warmer hand closing on her arm stopped the movement. Ivanova looked sideways at Sinclair. The gentle smile on his face let her take a deep breath.

He didn’t say anything, but the light rub of his thumb spoke for him. Against her nature to bite first and ask questions later, Ivanova felt herself relax…felt her mortification at the mention of one of her youthful indiscretion’s ease. As the embarrassment fled from her, she smiled slowly.

"You should have seen Papa…I thought he was the reincarnation of Stalin when he found us," she laughed, maintaining eye contact with her superior officer. "He was incredibly angry and…"

"Fatherly," Jeff offered. "I believe it, Susan, I would have been the same way…"

"Somehow I believe that, God Forbid anyone try and date your daughter when you have her. You’ll open up a full defense grid on them."

Sinclair nodded and smiled. Susan removed her arm from his grasp quickly; feeling a little unsettled with the touch of his warm skin. "If you would excuse me, gentlemen?" she asked, motioning with her hand to the outside of the booth.

Jeffrey slid out and allowed her to stand, extending his hand to help her out of the booth. She laid her hand on his for only a minute and then stepped off with a sure stride towards the rear of the restaurant. Sinclair watched her go for a moment and then slid back into the booth with a sigh.

Yossel folded his hands over his torso with a satisfied nod. "You care for little Susinka," he stated. "It is plain to see."

Sinclair leaned forward on his arms to stare at the Rabbi. His brown eyes were black in the low light and with his dark hair and black suit, he appeared a figment of the night. "She is my second in command and a friend. Of course, I care for her, Rabb-"

"Yossel. And I do not mean as a commander over his charges."

Jeff sighed and lowered his head.

Yossel pursed his lips for a moment, and dallied with his fingers. "Protective, too."

"As I need to be. Susan can fight her own battles, make no doubt of that," Jeff rejoined, his hands folding in front of him. "I would not allow anything to happen to her if it is within my power to prevent it. I can give you my word on that. But that is no different than any other friends that I have here or elsewhere."

"Defensive…"

"What are you trying to get out of me here, Yossel? That I care for her, yes I do. I value her friendship," Jeff ran a hand in his hair. "She needs this tonight, that is why I am here."

Yossel nodded. "Yes, yes…but she changes you simply by being around you. You relax. You change her; she allows your simple acceptance of her without questioning herself…that is a feat, Sinclair. All that I am saying is that I think your friendship runs deeper than you are willing to admit, Commander."

"That’s ridiculous," Sinclair said, eyeing the approaching object of the conversation. "It is as it is. It runs no deeper."

Yossel leaned forward and whispered across the table like a conspirator. "Just mind it, Sinclair. She is the last member of a family that I loved and love as my own…take care of her."

Sinclair nodded a half-smile on his face. "I will."

**

"Are you sure Uncle Yossel?" Susan was holding her head up on her hand, her elbow bent and on the table. Her cinnamon chocolate hair tumbled over the back of her hand and fell to the table. She was tired, but not deadly so. Tears, wine and food had pushed her closer to the edge of exhaustion, but the laughter with her friends pressed her even closer.

"Positive, my child," Yossel sighed and slid the remaining way out of the booth. "I am an old man and a tired one. I will be retiring to my quarters."

"I will see you tomorrow morning?" Ivanova lifted her head to stare at her old family friend. The Rabbi was surprised by the brightness of tears in the clear blue.

"Yes, you do not need to worry about that, Susinka. I will see you at….how do you say it….0800?" Yossel pulled his folded coat over his arm with a sigh. "That is correct?"

"If you mean 8 o’clock in the morning, Uncle Yossel, then yes," Ivanova smiled and sighed.

"Ah, yes…this military time takes time to get used to. Goodnight, little heart. Commander Sinclair?"

Jeff lifted his chin to acknowledge the address. He shifted his hips where he sat, spread relaxed. One of his arms rested across the top of the booth, behind Susan’s shoulders; the other arm folded in his lap. His expression was one of ease at that moment, as though he had spent a relaxing, easy evening. "Yes, Yossel?"

"Escort Susan to her quarters, please? I do not like the idea of young women walking around unescorted, especially where there are areas that are…shall we say, undesirable?"

Sinclair nodded with a slight smile on his face. "I will see that she is delivered safely to her cabin, Rabbi." He rose out of his seat slowly to hold out his hand for Yossel to shake. "It has been a pleasant evening, Yossel, in spite of the circumstances. I will see you before you depart."

"Very good, very good, Sinclair. Goodnight you two." The Rabbi held up his hand and rapidly nodded for several seconds. "A miracle, this place is." With that last utterance, the man moved off through the arbor and into the darkened corridor beyond.

Sinclair folded his long legs and sat back down next to Ivanova. His arm fell back to its old place along the back of the booth. With a sigh, he turned and looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "It seems I have a job tonight."

Susan rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Thank you for humoring him, Commander. The last time a man walked me home, I was five. It won’t be necessary. I can assure you I am more than able to get to my cabin. He is just slightly old-fashioned…"

"He cares about you, Ivanova," Jeff stated, his bass voice lowering in timbre, "you are dear to him. He just wants to see you safe. Besides, it has been years since I walked a woman home."

Ivanova laughed outright, her alto voice ringing out in the dim interior of the restaurant. Jeff smiled in return, watching his officer’s blue eyes ignite and sparkle with humor. "Commander Sinclair…"

"Come on, Susan, I will follow through on my promise to your uncle." He pushed out of the booth, still holding her gaze with his. Her face morphed from a smile to a frown quickly, making her eyes sparkle with more heat. He could see her jaw setting, tightening, becoming a taut spring. Like a tiger, she was getting ready to pounce. He held out his hand. Whether it was to calm the animal he was seeing or to offer his help for exiting the booth, he didn’t quite know.

After a second, she began to rise, ignoring his hand. He moved back as she gained her height. She brushed her hair back from her face with a vicious flick of her hand. Jeff raised a hand to lay on her shoulder, his thumb brushing her powerful muscles.

Susan studied his face. His brown eyes were wide under his powerful brow, his usually motionless lips were moving as if he were thinking of saying something, but was holding back. His hair in the dimness of the interior was black, and dressed in black as he was, he appeared like night itself…space but with warmth not found in the reaches of the stars. But it was the sincerity in his gaze that made her stop and think.

With a tilt of her head, she addressed him. "Okay, Commander. A walk home it is."

"That was what I wanted to hear," he sighed, lowly. Quietly, he dug out his credit bar and laid a few down on the table. "Come on…"

**

"Through here," he muttered, his head dipping to talk close to her ear. "Walk through the garden…it’s a shorter route and it is interesting at night."

"Can’t deny yourself one evening of your Zen garden, huh, Commander?" Susan asked, with a teasing quality to her voice. "You must have had a pet rock when you were young."

"Very funny," Jeff intoned. "It just reminds me of home. Mars. It…calms me." His hand curved a little against her back. "Besides that, I can check on your coffee plants and make sure Garibaldi has not pulled them out."

"How did you know…?" Ivanova asked as the door slid open. She stopped with her back against the door jam.

"I’m the Commander, it is my job to know all that goes on B 5." He moved his hand back down her flank to urge her ahead of him.

She had not been in the arboretum during the night cycle in a very long time. She strolled ahead of Sinclair, her hands tucked behind her back. In the dark that was split by softly lit paths, she could smell the life around her. Dirt, fresh air, plants…their aura surrounded her as if she were wrapped in a warm, secure blanket. She tilted her head back to glance at the high, mist-filled ceiling. Listening to their footsteps echoing amongst so much space made her feel more alone. It was so vast…like space. "It’s always so beautiful here," she commented.

"Yes, it is."

Jeff had always been a man of few words, but those words that he uttered always held deep meaning. Now was no different, thought Ivanova as she righted her head. She could feel that he meant not only the arboretum, but also the station as a whole. She could feel him walking slightly behind her, touching her only with his quiet strong presence. "This was the one thing that I fought hard for…space for these paths through the gardens. Things like this…openness… should be enjoyed."

"You love life, don’t you, Jeff?" She saw him slow his pace and turned to gaze at him.

"So much so that killing hurts me. It might be my duty, a necessary means to secure an end, but I feel that it is a waste of something sacred, yes." He stated his bass voice hushed in the wide-open silence. "And yes, I come here to remind me of that life. That was what you were going to say next, wasn’t it?"

She nodded, both in understanding and in answer. Susan knew that he was telling her something important to him, not to the Commander he had become, but to Jeffrey Sinclair, the man.

Leaning back on her feet, she looked to the trees around her once again. "I come here because it reminds me of home, of my family and of my childhood," she answered with honesty permeating her voice. He had shared his thoughts, she shared hers; it was an exchange of information between friends. "Of before Mother being treated with the drugs and Ganya’s death. When Papa was still…" she stopped talking, feeling the loss of her family acutely.

"Susan."

Ivanova acknowledged him and stopped by the nearest tree to lean against it. Jeff approached silently, his bulk moving easily with his long strides.

"In whose squad did your brother serve?"

"The 23^rd," she answered easily leaning back into the tree. "He died in the War."

Jeff stopped close to her and put his hands in his pockets. "Many did, Ivanova, they were all brave, heroic men…"

Raising her eyebrows, she gazed at him for a moment before she spoke. "His bravery led me to join Earth Force. They became my family. They became a way to feel close to a brother who loved me."

Sinclair tilted his head down to look at his feet. "You joined Earth Force against your father’s wishes."

"Uncle Yossel has been talking again, I see," she rumbled threatening. "Yes, but I did many things against my father’s wishes, Commander. It was what I had to do. I had to do something to feel valuable, useful…"

Commander Sinclair moved closer still. He knew that there was much wrapped up in this conversation: what made his second-in-command tick, what drove her, what gave her that fire in her eyes, and what deadened her soul at times. "No one’s value rests on what they achieve."

Ivanova pursed her lips and quickly pushed away from the tree. The sharing tone of the conversation had suddenly become one-sided. Susan rounded on the path, walking away from him quickly. He remained where he was. They had entered an area of the garden that was enclosed, a dead end. She could not go far. When she reached the end of the path, she turned. Her black dress flared, baring her lower thighs, and her hair flew about her head like a shiny halo. "With all due respect, Comm-" she said, tightly, with restraint.

"And it didn’t matter to your father, either. He loved you, Ivanova. Cherished you. Whether you were in Earth Force or not, planetside or not."

"Commander," She began, rapidly striding and trying to fit by his bulk.

"He was your father. He raised a beautiful, strong, intelligent woman. How could he not be proud? He might not have shown it to you, Susan. But he did care…"

"Enough, Commander…" Susan said, her head down and her eyes hidden from his view.

He stepped in, invading her personal space. "You have gotten where you are by driving yourself. You are one of the best officers I have ever served with and to deny what has caused you to arrive at what you are negates what you have become. I won’t suggest that. But you have to realize now that your father did love you…change the future of your memories, Susan…"

She continued to avoid his gaze, and turned sideways to get by him, "Good evening, Commander. Thank you for dinner and for accompanying me this far. I will see you tomorrow in C and C."

Jeff’s eyes squinted as he tried to place her tone, the inflection of her voice. The normally throaty, powerful voice was tight, stressed. He insinuated his body more into her personal space and cupped her chin to raise her eyes to his.

In the darkness of the garden, her normally pale eyes were deep endless wells of feeling. Pale skin and deep dark lips framed by midnight hair complete the vision that he saw before him. A sole tear streamed down her cheek. Under his hand, her jaw was set, tight…like a bowstring. "Susan…."

She just gazed at him; torn between ripping his hand from her face or curling up in the support that he offered. She raised her hand and wrapped her fingers around his and pulled harshly on his fingers…but they tightened like a vice…almost painfully on her chin. "Let me go…" she stated.

"He did love you." Was all Jeff said, his chocolate eyes searching hers.

She gulped and gasped a deep fissure of pain opening up in her chest, like a bubble that just popped. Tears fell in rapid succession. With a louder gasp, she tried to move away from him to run with the pain, the embarrassment only to be pulled to his chest by a pair of strong lean arms. Her hands landed on his pecs followed by her face. He surrounded Susan, as he braced his legs to take the extra weight of the two of them together. With another tear-filled gasp, she shook her head. "This is…wrong…"

"Let it out." Jeff tucked her head into his chest, under his chin. "It is the only way to heal."

She tensed, but then relaxed, her hands falling to his waist. Soon strong sobs overtook her, causing her body to shake against his.

"You are never alone, Susan. You always have your friends." Jeff stated simply, his arms wrapping completely around her. "And we will never leave you alone."

As more sobs came from her, he closed his eyes against the pain in her voice. No further words were exchanged as he turned his cheek sideways on her head and just held her.

Time passed without measure. The air currents from the fans high overhead stirred the leaves of the trees near them. It ruffled Ivanova’s hair, raising it slightly to tickle Jeff’s nose as he held her tight. His breaths matched hers. They just simply existed. She could feel all the strength in his body, all the damned drive and emotion that always rode just under his surface. His tight thigh muscles rested against her, his broad chest supported her. He could feel her breasts pressing against his upper abdomen, could feel her stomach pressing against his groin. When she felt the heat from his touch rise, she pressed back to glance at him.

"Thank you," she said simply, her hands clenching at his jacket where they rested. She pushed on his chest to move away with a measure of dignity that almost made him smile.

He nodded, his arms tightening for a moment. "My shoulders are good for something else other than wearing my dress blues. I’m glad they could be of worth."

She laughed. "It means more to me than you know."

Sinclair sighed, his eyes roaming her face. His lids slid closed slightly as her stare centered on his. Without another word, and without thought, his hand moved from her chin, and his thumb rubbed her cheek with a measure of affection.

Ivanova wanted to run, away…to find a place to hide to lick her emotional wounds. To find comfort with a superior officer was unheard of…unwise and unacceptable in her book. Although Jeffrey Sinclair was a very different person from any other that she had served under while in Earth Force, it still remained that he was her superior officer…friend or no. Her personal motto had always been: No tears, no fears, no admissions of weakness. She could feel the embarrassment flood through her again, could feel the heat rising in her cheeks…a clenching in her gut. Fight or flight was a way of life for her. Fight in professional situations…flee from the family, from friends. Only if she could have the upper hand did she want to involve herself in situations…and in this situation…she definitely did not have the upper hand.

But in the depths of his eyes, there was a warmth, a infinitely strong steady flame that burned. Strong and steady…two words to describe attributes that she found attractive in friends, in lovers, in any one she allowed close to her. His mouth was relaxed in a pleasant smile, an easy one…one that was only given to friends. And she felt friendship flowing off of him…like heat from a fire.

Sinclair acknowledged her want to flee with a raised eyebrow. He knew that she wanted to run…not from him…but from anyone…from the situation. The heat he had felt while holding her body made him want to pull her back again. He wanted to keep her there, wanted to keep her from running…his other hand came up and wrapped around her upper arm. "Ivanova," he said, his voice only barely above a sigh, "it was for comfort…"

"Comfort," she repeated, almost dubiously.

"Yes….and for support." Sinclair released her a little, letting her move back from him. "From a friend."

She pulled back, nodding, "I understand, sir."

His hands fell completely from her body, his leg pulled back. She straightened herself, drawing up to her full height. With a sigh, he put his hands in his pockets, ignoring the slight shake to his hands.

With a smile, she turned from him to walk a little while away. He watched the slight sway of her hips with interest, but tried to keep his mind on the conversation. It was hard, however, his body was responding to her. "You are never alone…even here…" he whispered, his head still down, but his eyes watching her. "I am and always will be, your friend."

She stopped walking. Turning slightly, she addressed him over her shoulder. "And I am always your friend, Commander…never doubt that. Once you have made a friend with a Russian, they are hell to lose. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried. That show of comfort…"

"Will have no bearing on our command relationship, Ivanova…separate the person from the rank." He knew his voice was harsh, but the want to continue to hold her was strong.

She nodded and her voice echoed with honest intensity. "Good."

He was quiet until he moved completely alongside of her. She gazed at him in silence. "Commander?"

"Yes, Ivanova," he asked, his hands still buried in his pockets.

She grunted and swung her hands wide. "Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow."

He was fast to answer and spoke in a low tone. "Stop right there, Ivanova. I have a duty to finish. I would not want to have to report to your Uncle Yossel that I didn’t do my job."

"And an Earth Force officer…"she answered, lowly, as a sudden urge for friendly laughter descended on her.

"Always puts duty first," they said together, eliciting smiles from both of them.

Susan nodded, moving forward without his consent and he stode to keep even with her. They approached the door quickly and exited out into the corridor. Their thoughts were each their own and the silence was comforting between them.

Ivanova felt off balance from the lack of his strength against her. She could feel a tingling in her legs…where his thigh had been against hers…she could rub her fingers together and feel the material of his suit between them. Her head felt light without his chin against her crown. She felt comforted and warm…hot…almost…aroused. She frowned. To feel different, to feel aroused…when it had not been meant in that manner…she had too much pride to say anything…to give into the feeling.

As they entered green sector, she slowed her feet. Her berth was only a short distance away. As she stepped up to the door, she nodded decisively. "Thank you, Commander."

He nodded, his hands still in his pockets. "My pleasure, Ivanova."

With a smile, she accepted the exchange. "Uncle Yossel leaves tomorrow morning…I’ll be seeing him off and then I think I will return to duty…"

He held up a hand, his finger extended. "Let me know tomorrow, Susan. See how you feel. Grief can be a strange thing. But if you need me, someone to talk to, or just to be there, contact me…please?"

"I will. But, right now, this officer needs sleep." She sighed, her hand extending to the door mechanism. As the door slid open, she asked: "Do you need coffee…water…anything?"

"No..no…I’m fine." Sinclair turned and backed a short distance away. "I’ll see you at the docking bay tomorrow, I will be seeing off Yossel as well."

"Thank you. Good night," she offered, moving in the door.

"Good night, Susan. Sleep well." Jeff stated lowly.

"And you."

The door slid shut quickly and quietly, cutting off her face from his vision. He stared at the door for a few moments, his face immobile. Then he turned, his feet moving off quickly. Sinclair’s head felt light, his arms felt heavy. With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair, almost frustrated at the feeling of his large hand instead of a smaller, strong, lithe hand…

A sigh was forced through his lips as his feet quickened their pace. There was no denying it. A tightness in his groin, tingling….he was aroused….and was aroused from Susan.

But he had held her in friendly support and comfort.

His own body had betrayed him.

She was beautiful, warm and fierce…and cared about him only as a friend, as he cared about her.

It might have been a strange way to show his support, but it had been done…and it had seemed right.

His hand tightened in a fist as he felt a surge of arousal at the memory of her legs spreading over his thigh.

He believed in the strength of himself, of those around him….he only hoped that that strength would get him through this. His body reacted as a man to a woman. …hardness to softness. Christ, he thought, two years in space with only two visits from Carolyn and one from Catherine, and suddenly he was becoming a walking hormone. He would not negate his honor and hers by hurting their friendship with the needs of a man long alone. It was friendship. A new friendship that needed to be cultivated and nurtured not toyed with.

Friendship. Only, blessedly, friendship.