Falling For You [Tom Hiddleston]

11

Claire's POV

"What?" I froze at Tom's glib suggestion, certain that I hadn't heard him clearly. Surely he didn't say what I thought he'd said.

Love him? Love him?!

The grin slowly slid off his face as I stared at him, unblinking; I hadn't expected to hear that, not at all - certainly not this soon. If Tom was my usual kind of assignment, I wouldn't think twice about making a teasing quip in response - delivered with a sultry smile and bedroom eyes that never failed to make a target believe I desired them...but just the thought of doing that to Tom left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I couldn't find it in me to give him lip service; not when he deserved someone who could reciprocate his feelings...and that wasn't me. I shook my head to clear it and brushed past him without another word, heading downstairs; I really did need to get moving. I still had to stop back at my temporary apartment to change clothes (and make sure I didn't smell like Tom) before heading to Caleb's for the night; he was expecting me to be there at my usual time and any deviation would cause further scrutiny.

"Claire?" Tom called, following me. "Wait, please."

I paused at the door, one hand on the knob, refusing to look at him. "I really do need to get going."

"To be honest, I've never gotten that reaction before," he admitted as he put himself in my line of sight. "What's wrong, Claire?"

He tipped my face up to meet his concerned azure gaze; apparently he didn't like my attempt to ignore him. "You agreed to do this my way, Tom. If you can't-"

He cut me off with a kiss. "I can; I can. I'm sorry. When will I see you next?"

"I don't know yet. See you later, Thomas."

"Be safe, darling," he murmured, kissing me again in a way that left me weak in the knees. I couldn't help but notice he seemed a little breathless when he reluctantly let me go, a bemused smile on his handsome face; I wasn't the only one affected by whatever this was between us.

I let myself out and caught a taxi back to Brixton, trying not to think about Tom...and therefore unable to think about anything else. I'd made a rookie mistake by staying longer than our usual brief encounters allowed. The more time I spent with him, the more time I wanted to spend with him...even though I knew Thomas Hiddleston was just another assignment.

Even though I knew better...and even though I knew that nothing good could possibly come of it, my heart still wanted him; that meant it was a weakness...one I needed to be wary of. Unfortunately, you still couldn't survive without a heart or I'd have rid myself of it a long time ago - damn physical impossibilities. After what happened with Jacob, I certainly wasn't going to let my stupid heart have its way again; I'd promised to never get involved with another civilian - and my word was as good as gold when it came to promises.

* * *

Tom's POV

The moment Claire froze before me, I knew I'd made a mistake by answering her rhetorical question in such a manner. Her conditions - no commitment, no promises - precluded love. But in my experience, hearts were wild creatures...and my heart was telling me that Claire, despite her protestations, was who I was meant to be with. The more time I spent with her, the more time I wanted to spend with her - to the point that I sincerely hated seeing her leave. Surely that wouldn't be the case if this was just another infatuation?

The incessant ringing of my mobile jolted me from my thoughts and I dashed back upstairs to grab it, hoping it was Claire. "Yeah Luke?" I snapped, seeing it was just my assistant calling a second before answering.