To Hell and Back // Alex Keller.

His tattooed arms.

With the first hours of the morning sun, another heatwave arrived in town in the middle of the week. Bright sky was wrapped in a thin layer of smoke, as not even a single cloud flew over the summer blue. Warm air was still, as the wind finally ended its dance with the tall trees. A lonely car passed through the long street of town, bringing one of the few noises echoing from one corner to another. Even birds were hiding away from the heat and flying low. Their songs were not reaching the tall houses but hiding deeper into the dark woods.

The metal carafe was full of ice, as the hot coffee poured over it in the coffee machine. Noises of the dark drink brewing in the kitchen flew from one room to another, together with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. The coffee machine let out the last loud 'beep' as it finished its work. Kelly opened the wooden kitchen cabinet above the device, hoping to find the cups hiding from everyone in the house. Emptiness of the shelves looked back at her, as a redhead kept on opening the cabinets until luck finally found her.

A tall cup of coffee stood next to Alex's laptop, while his fingers were running on the keyboard just like in the marathon. The bright blue eyes of the officer were glued to the lines of code on the dark background, as Keller followed the mission known only to him for the last few hours. Lonely curtain flew with the help of a slow wind, as it entered the kitchen through an open window. Wildflowers occupied one of the tall glasses, bringing a splash of colour to the kitchen and a smile to the woman's face. Hazel's eyes fell on the clock, noticing that it was too late to eat breakfast, but way too early for lunch. Miller found herself lost in thoughts, as her eyes were travelling around the room, and eventually, always found their way back to the man at the dining table.

"Phone number is spoofed." Alex sighed, finally reaching the bright white page with the information he needed. Burning bridges with the CIA was never on his mind, and at that moment Keller was thankful to his brain for winning the battle over temporary emotions. A note of surprise ran up with the man's eyebrows, as the officer still had access to everything he was once working with.

The phone number belonged to the elderly lady who passed away earlier that year down in Florida. There were no other messages, nor phone calls in the last months to anyone else other than the message that reached Kelly. Whoever sent that message never expected a response. Even if there was one, the sender was never interested in reading anything a redhead could respond with.

"Anyways, thank you for looking into it." Miller added cold milk to the large cup of coffee, bringing the temperature of the drink down as the temperature outside was getting noticeably hotter. Her eyes noticed that the phone was still connected to the laptop as if Alex was still trying to catch anything that would lead them to the solution of the mystery. If there was no dead end, it was an endless tunnel leading nowhere. 

"Kel, do you think you could recognize the man from the pub if I show you some photos?" Keller reached for the cup when the drink finally cooled down with the help of a few cubes of ice, the last pieces of which were still floating up. His eyes caught the look of hazel, forcing eye contact between the two. The officer remembered about the saved personal file of her brother, and maybe, the names mentioned in it would be familiar to at least one of them.

"You already helped me a lot. I can do the rest, Alex." Miller emptied the cup of coffee and let the fragile porcelain meet with the cold metal of the empty kitchen sink. The eye contact between the two was broken off by a woman, as she hopped on ending the conversation for good. Talking about her issues out loud has always been complicated for Kelly. She could advise the patients on talking more about their issues, but never listen to her own words. Some part of her was holding a stronghold of regret around the woman's neck for drowning Alex in her issues.

"Sure, ma'am. Where do you think I should wait while someone is hunting you down, here or in the living room?" Alex left the warm seat on the wooden chair, as his fingers abandoned the warm walls of the half-full cup of coffee. Hazels tried to escape from the look of the blues, but Keller was a hunter, and never a prey. The height difference between the two became noticeable as the officer crossed the arms on his chest, looking down at Kelly's figure. The man was not used to deserting the missions right in the middle, and no cold word escaping from the woman's lips could make him forget about it.

"Anywhere where you can heal in peace, Keller." A woman shook her shoulders, pointing out the man's most painful wound that was still bleeding. Rare pains were still waking him up in the middle of the night, or catching him off guard in the middle of the day. The prosthetics for the leg solved many of Keller's physical problems, but never the mental side of the situation. His lips turned into a thin line, as Alex was understanding where Kelly was trying to turn in their conversation.

"Quit being so stubborn and let me help you, Kelly." A redhead caught her breath when Keller's tattooed hands landed on her waist just to make her sit on a cold countertop of the kitchen. The officer towered over her, forcing the two to meet in an eye contact as the words were slowly escaping out of his lips. A shadow of seriousness took over Alex's face, as he let his hands fall on the woman's tights that were covered by the thin material of the dark summer dress. Keller couldn't help but let the smirk appear on his lips, as the goosebumps were running all over the redhead's skin under his touch.

"Alex." Kelly knew that she was running the short road each time Alex's rough fingers would run up and down her sensitive skin. A blush of shame over how quickly her body reacted to the officer was painted all over the redhead's cheeks, as his name escaped out of her lips like a prayer. Keller blocked all the possible ways of escape for a woman with his large body, making Miller meet face-to-face with the consequences of her own actions.

"What happened, sugar? Not so vocal now, eh?" One of Alex's hands stayed on a woman's tight, while another lifted up her chin, making Kelly dive into the deep blue eyes of the officer. The air seemed to be running out of a redhead's lungs, as she was getting comfortable in a trap set up by the man. Keller whispered into her lips, catching himself enjoying Miller's reaction to his presence so close to her body, and his hands over it. It's been a long time since either of them got lost in feelings other than anger, or despair. But on a summer afternoon, Kelly could swear that her heart would jump out of her chest if Alex's fingers would keep on going up her leg.

"Okay-okay, I give up." She whispered back at Keller, putting her guard down this time. But, if Kelly let the officer win the battle that time, it never meant that she would let him win the war too. Redhead's body was already shouting about the ways Alex made her feel, and a woman didn't want him to know yet about the power the man had over her body and mind.

"Don't be shy to let me know if you're needy for a little touch, darlin'. " A smile over a victory in this small battle appeared on Keller's face, as it got covered in the freshly shaped mustache. He bent a little to reach for Kelly's face and covered the woman's lips with his in a slow, tender kiss. Short beard was leaving its marks over the soft cheeks of a redhead, as Alex was still in control, slowly making their tongues dance in the rhythm known only for the two.

At one moment, everything else in the world flew out of the open window. Miller's hands were on his strong shoulders, as the woman left her stubbornness somewhere on the floor of the old kitchen. Her mind was somewhere far away from all the threats, strangers, and old traumas. Something unknown to the hazel eyes was still running over the screen of the laptop, while the dark phone was connected to it. Keller was a soldier who believed he was doing the right things. A man who respected women around him, and a gentleman.

But there's darkness even in the brightest room. After all, how could he let his birdie fly away to the arms of the darkness and danger?

Hello loves! I am on my second day 2 of post-wisdom teeth extraction, so I hope the words I write make sense, lol. Please don't hesitate to let me know if they don't and what you think of the story so far! Have a great week everyone, LOOOOTS OF LOVE