I know it's late, I know you're weary
I know your plans don't include me
Still here we are, both of us lonely
Longing for shelter from all that we see
We've Got Tonight - Bob Seger
"You'll never make it, recruit. You're too emotional. You're going to get yourself killed on your first day."
The words from training officer Ortiz haunted her as she tossed and turned that night. The blue lights of the alarm clock taunted her every time she opened her eyes, telling her that no matter what, she wouldn't sleep.
Finally, as it ticked past one, she'd had enough.
Swinging her legs off the side of the bed, she was never more grateful for her single room. Not when she cried herself to sleep, not when she woke screaming from the nightmares that plagued her.
No, Kate Beckett was thankful because she could sneak out.
There was a bar across the street, she knew, but she didn't want to go there. It was too close, and they all knew her, knew her classmates and supervisors. So she went to one a few blocks away, one she'd heard of but had never stepped foot in. It was old, and even as the door announced her arrival, she was scoping the place out.
It was about half full, most patrons at the many tables and booths that littered the floor. A few were standing around the piano, drunkenly singing "Piano Man." She scoffed; typical.
The bar counter itself, however, was empty, save for one man at the end with his head hanging over a glass.
She slid onto a stool in the middle of the bar and signaled the bartender, asked for a whiskey. She downed it in one drink and signaled for another.
"Rough night?"
Kate glanced at the source of the voice and found the man from the end of the bar watching her. She caught the bartender's eye and jerked her head towards the man. "His next one's on me."
The man grinned. "You don't have to do that."
"Just shut up and drink."
He bought her one in repayment, then another, and soon he was sitting by her side, having slid down to the stool next to her. They'd barely said a word to each other; she didn't even know his name. He seemed familiar, but...
"So, what's your name?" he asked after they'd moved from whiskey to beer.
"Kate." She finished her beer and signaled for another. "You?"
He shook his head when the bartender motioned towards his glass. "I'm Rick. So, Kate, what's a pretty woman like you doing here, alone, on a Tuesday night?"
"I don't know, Rick." She emphasized the "k," and felt a smile tug at her mouth when his eyes darkened. "Maybe I'm just looking for a good time." She turned towards him, a hand drifting out to sit on his knee.
Rick inhaled sharply. "No, I don't think that's it." When she raised an eyebrow at him, he continued. "In my experience, girls looking for a good time come in groups. They don't come alone, and they most definitely do not gulp down glasses of whiskey."
"In your experience, huh?" Kate repeated, her hand drifting higher. "Have a lot of experience with girls in bars, Rick?"
"Not lately." Rick's gaze flicked to her mouth, and when her tongue darted out to wet her lips, he let out a low grumble. "So, what are you really doing here? What's your story?"
Kate's breath hitched at the look in his eye. He was serious, intense; like he knew exactly what he wanted, and he wasn't going to stop until he got it. She let her hand brush against the front of his pants to his belt buckle, then pulled away. "That's for me to know," she husked, standing, her hand landing on his shoulder when she stumbled, "and you to wonder."
Rick took his wallet out and threw a few bills on the table. "Wanna get out of here?"
Kate hesitated for a moment, then took his outstretched hand. "Abso-fucking-lutely." She followed him outside, letting him lead, but as soon as they rounded the corner she was on him. Her fingers curled around his collar as she tugged his head down, lips meeting his in a hard kiss.
Rick let out a low growl when her tongue slipped past his lips, and his hands fell to her hips, pulled her into him. When her fingers carded through his hair, he pulled away. "Not here," he gasped, glancing around at the street corner.
Her eyes opened slowly, and she stared into his, dark with the same arousal she felt coursing through her veins. Her body was humming, begging her to continue this night, her core aching for relief. It had been a long time, too long, and she wanted it. She wanted it now. "Where? You live around here?"
"No, you?"
"No," she lied. She spotted a hotel sign down the street and pulled him in that direction. He batted her hand away when she pulled out her credit card, and she held eye contact with the front desk clerk when he raised his brow at their lack of luggage. Let him judge. She was there to get laid; nothing more, nothing less.
The hotel had no elevator, so they had to climb up the stairs to their fourth floor room, a task that took twice as long as it should have because they couldn't keep their hands off each other. He pinned her to the wall and attached his lips to her neck; she returned the favor with her hand down his pants, teasing him, bringing him to life.
They stumbled through the doorway that leads to their floor, lips locked, and she let out a giggle when he tripped, almost taking them both down. "Room?" she gasped, pulling her head back to look at him.
Rick dug the key out of his pocket and looked at the number engraved on the side with hooded eyes. "Uh, 407."
She took the key from him and led him down the hall, gasping when he pinned her against the door, his hands fumbling with the button of her pants. She unlocked the door, letting them inside, and turned to push him against the wall. "You have a condom, right?" she gasped against his mouth.
Rick nodded, one hand shutting the door and the other at her zipper. He nudged her towards the bed and hooked his thumbs in her waistband, drawing her pants and underwear down her long legs as she dropped onto the mattress. He settled between her thighs, teased her with his thumb through her folds. "Fuck, you're wet," he breathed, his mouth at her navel.
"What are you gonna do about it?" she teased, threading her fingers through his hair and pushing him down. She didn't want him at her stomach; she wanted him between her legs. Kate cried out when he heeded her silent wish and replaced his thumb with his tongue, pressing it against her clit. She gripped the back of his head, keeping him between her thighs, and when he slipped a finger inside her, her hips bucked.
A second finger joined the first, and Rick draped her leg over his shoulder, his hand curled around her thigh. His tongue and thumb worked her clit while his fingers pumped inside her, and by the time he took her clit between his teeth and sucked she was arching off the bed, her thighs clenching around his ears.
Kate collapsed onto the bed, chest heaving, trying to catch her breath. "Shit," she gasped, arm flung over her eyes. She felt the mattress shift as Rick got off the bed, and she propped herself on her elbow, watched him undress. Her mouth watered at every inch of exposed skin, and when he slipped off his boxers, she sat up and reached for him.
She curled her fingers around him, thumb brushing across his tip, before she leaned forward and covered him with her mouth.
"Fuck," Rick groaned, his fingers tangling in her hair, pushing her back after just a few swipes of her tongue. He retrieved his pants, rummaging through his wallet and pulling out a condom. Rolling it on with practiced ease, he crawled back on the bed, hovered over her. "You're sure?" he asked, gripping his cock in one hand and rubbing it along her folds.
Kate raised an eyebrow and pushed his shoulder, following as he moved to his back. She straddled his thighs, stroking his cock, teasing him. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." She kneeled over him and positioned him at her entrance, twin moans escaping from them when she sank onto him. "Oh God."
"Oh, shit." His hands slid under her shirt as she moved, and he helped her pull her shirt off, one hand finding a breast and the other landing at her hip. He thrust into her even as she rolled her hips, his feet finding purchase on the mattress after just a few strokes.
"Rick…" she moaned, leaning forward, one hand on his chest for balance and the other between them. She could feel the familiar heat coiling deep in her core, and when she shifted her hips for better leverage she cried out as the new angle caused consistent friction on her clit. She could feel herself climbing, her blood boiling, and when Rick sat up and took a nipple in his mouth, tugging it between his teeth, her hips jerked, and she snapped, body shuddering.
Rick slowed his thrusts as she recovered, hands on his chest, playing with the light dusting of hair there. He waited until her breathing slowed and she opened her eyes, then he leaned back onto the bed. "You need a minute?" he asked, voice rough, his fingers stroking where they were joined.
Kate narrowed her eyes and tightened her inner muscles, lips curling to a smile at the groan that it drew from him. "I can go all night." She slid off him and settled on her back, legs open in invitation.
"Good," Rick growled, following her. He stroked himself a few times before entering her again, immediately thrusting, supplementing her cries of pleasure with his own.
She lost herself in the moment: the weight of his body above her, the sound of his skin slapping against hers, of his grunts in her ear. The two orgasms she'd had were already going to prolong any more, but judging by the way Rick was moving, he wasn't going to last. "Rick," she gasped, pushing his shoulder, "get off for a second."
Rick propped himself up on his hands, hips slowing but still moving. "That's what I'm trying to do," he insisted, a hand sneaking between them.
"That's not what I mean." She bent her knees to nudge him off so she could change positions, but the shift of her hips caused him to hit her even deeper. "Oh shit, yes!" she cried, fingers digging into his ass cheeks as he continued to thrust into her.
"Ka-oh God," Rick gasped, hips speeding back up, one hand at her clit and the other on the mattress. "Are you close?"
"Just keep moving," she instructed, her hand joining his between them, pushing it aside so she could rub at her own clit. "Shit, I'm almost-" She gasped when Rick shifted again, rising to his knees, his hands under her ass, lifting her hips to align them perfectly. "Rick! Fuck!"
Rick's cries of pleasure echoed her own, and he stilled inside her, hips jerking as she rode the waves of her own climax. He collapsed at her side, chest heaving, panting. "Holy shit."
Kate just laid on her back, staring at the ceiling. She felt Rick get off the bed and duck into the bathroom, and while part of her wanted to stay, see what the rest of the night would bring, she knew she needed to get back to the academy. She'd been out too long, and if she wanted any chance at getting through the next day she needed a couple hours of sleep. Not to mention if she wasn't there during roll call, she'd be kicked out.
She had a feeling there'd be no trouble sleeping that night. Or, she thought, noting the slight ache already between her legs, for the very near future. Kate slid out of bed and collected her clothes, and by the time Rick came out of the bathroom she was just pulling on her sweater.
"What're you doing?" Rick asked, voice laced with surprise.
Kate barely gave him a glance. "I have to go."
"Kate-"
"Look, it's not a good idea. You don't know me, I don't know you, can we just call it a good fuck and go our separate ways?"
Rick caught her hand when she reached for the door, and he stepped between her and the exit. "Can I have your number?" he asked, voice soft, thumb caressing the back of her hand.
Kate found herself lost in his blue eyes, dark edges of arousal still evident, but shook herself out of it after a few moments. "No, I don't think so. You don't want anything to do with me."
"What if I do?"
"Rick…" She searched his face for any insincerity, any hint that he was lying. Oh, shit… "Look, I'm a mess," she admitted, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "Trust me, you'd regret it."
His lips quirked into a crooked grin. "If sex like that is involved? I could never regret it." At her glare, he bent down and brushed his mouth against hers in a soft kiss. "And I doubt you're even a fraction of the mess you think you are. Look," he continued when she tried to turn away, "obviously I don't know you, whatever's going on that brought you to the bar tonight. But I'm glad you showed up." He reached up to cup her face. "I'm glad to have met you, Kate. I hope to see you again."
Kate hesitated, then gave him another kiss. "Good bye, Rick. Thanks for the drinks."
By the time she was back in her room at the academy the dull ache between her legs had blossomed into soreness, and she knew that the next few days were going to be hell. But she'd gotten some of her emotion out, her tension, and she felt ready to seize the day. So whoever that Rick was - and fuck, he still seemed familiar - she hoped she did see him again. Some day.
A/N: Feedback welcome! Thanks to Callie for her help on this one, all mistakes are mine.