Waiting for Dawn

The cowboy stretched lazily, leaning his hands against the windowsill so he could gaze out to the front walk of the hotel again. He didn't need any gear to see clearly anymore: it wasn't sunrise yet but there was already enough light illuminating the grounds outside. Soon, the rest of Los Angeles would be waking up and the area in view would start swarming with hotel staff and patrons. There was little chance of their suspect showing up now.

"Looks like our friends won't be coming. Rather sad excuse for a hootenanny, huh?"

Beside him, Lana shifted in her spot and raised her wrist up to glance at her watch.

"Five fifty... so the tip was false, after all. It's a good thing Damon followed his hunch and went to check by the docks."

"It's a good thing Damon left instead of tellin' me to hoof it over there." He grinned and stretched out again—but this time with a purpose, letting his hand fall across the woman's shoulders. His fingers found their spot, holding her just underneath her epaulette. "I doubt he's found Bate either, and you n' me finally got to spend a night together."

"Some night," the woman retorted laughingly. "But you're right, I did enjoy spending time with you." Her voice softened. "Even if most of it was just spent looking out this window."

Leaning towards his body, she brushed a hand against his tired cheek. He felt rather grimy after the lack of sleep, and his stubble definitely needed some trimming—he wondered dimly why her hand still felt so cool and how she still smelled so fresh and clean, and dismissed it as one of her mysteries he'd never be able to solve. Her forehead was there to be kissed and so he kissed it; he would have done the same for her lips save that she drew back from him. He raised an eyebrow.

"You're off duty now, aintcha?"

"In ten minutes, yes."

He took her arms properly and grinned a suggestive grin.

"Well then, what say you to enjoyin' ourselves before we check outta here? It's not every day the city pays for your stay at a five star hotel."

His arms circled around her back and he would have pulled her over to the king sized bed some feet away save for that she shook her head insistently and pulled away once again. He uttered a groan as she straightened the front of her jacket and turned to look back out the window.

"In ten minutes."

He could spot that faint flush of red on her cheeks though, in the new dawn's glow. That was encouraging: it showed him he wasn't on the wrong track. He laughed and shook his head.

"Always gotta follow the rules to a 'T', dontcha."

"Always. That's why they're there." As prim as her response was, there was quite a level of unprofessional smugness to it. So, she liked making him wait—he'd make it difficult for her.

Moving away from the window he kicked off his boots and tossed off his poncho, throwing it to the overstuffed armrest in the corner where his hat was already hanging. He kicked off his boots and tossed his jacket and belt there too, stripping with a slow, intentional air before pulling back the sheets on the bed and collapsing onto the mattress. The enthralled sigh as his back hit the soft surface was genuine.

"Oh bambina, you've got to try this."

She didn't turn around to look at him.

"In seven minutes."

"Suit yerself."

His fingers moved to unbutton and unzip his pants, and he uttered a rather lewd groan as he took himself into his hands and began to stroke. The sound caused the woman at the window—she was listening oh so carefully, after all—to flinch.

"Detective!"

"Hey, just because you've committed to starin' at nothing outside of a window for so many minutes doesn't mean I haveta."

He eyed her figure as he yanked at himself. She looked damn fine from behind; that skirt of hers was at just the right length—but he kept his motions slow. It was just to tease her and not for him to find an immediate, selfish release. He called out over to her.

"Careful on keepin' me waitin', bambina. I don't know how long I can hold it off."

"Then that would say quite a lot about your stamina, hmm?" she snapped. But he caught the quiver of her hand and how it gripped the windowsill tighter than before, and laughed.

As the minutes ticked away he made various noises, rustled the sheets in alluring ways, but she stood resolute there by the window as he knew she would. It was a long wait for him as well, and when she finally glanced down at her watch again and turned to the bed he let out a relieved sigh.

"Woman, you sure know how to tease a cowboy."

She stepped out of her heels and slid onto the bed. Sitting up, he kissed her and she finally returned the kiss, parting his lips with her tongue as his fingers helped unbutton her jacket and ease off her bra.

They were both quite eager and quite in the mood after their earlier restraint—they'd kept their hands off each other the entire night, after all. He let her straddle his legs and mount him, and she rode him hard for a time before he took over, pushing her back to the mattress and gratifying his urge to touch her, taste her skin. As they continued and he thrust into her with a greater intensity, she began making sounds that would have awoken people in the surrounding rooms if he hadn't offered her his neck to smother the moans. She dug her nails into his back and he bit her earlobe and they kept on going till they'd both found their release.

Sweaty and spent, they splayed out on the bed. She leaned against his chest and he kept his arm around her, holding her close. He was starting to feel sleepy but wondered if they'd have to get dressed and clear out the room.

"Should we get up?"

Her response was to settle herself against him and offer a half shake of her head.

"Check-out's at noon."

It was the beginning to a great day.