Erin stared down at the report in front of her. It was another late night in her office, and she wanted nothing more than to go home to her lover. It was rare that he was home, and she was loathe to give up any time with him. Yet here she was, trying to finish up this damnable report so that she could fly home to him.

Without meaning to, she dozed off, her head coming to rest on the desk. When she woke up, she tried to stretch, only to find her arms bound tightly to the arms of her chair. "What is going on?" she asked in a panicked voice, looking around the darkened office, trying to peer into the abyss and see something. "This isn't funny."

"Oh, I never intended it to be funny, Pretty Lady," her lover drawled, running his hands up and down her arms. "In fact, I was hoping to be a little bit dangerous tonight. Garcia told me that you were working late, and I just had to come bring you home. But first, we're going to have a lot of fun."

Erin shivered as his lips caressed her neck, and she lolled her head back against his stomach. "Derek," she moaned as his hands slid around to cup her breasts, pinching her nipples lightly. She squirmed in her chair, feeling her panties become wetter by the moment.

"What do you want, my Pretty Lady? Do you want me to let you go, or do you want me to continue this?" As he said those words, his fingers began to unbutton her blouse, parting the fabric to brush his fingertips against the bare skin of her chest. "Ah, the front clasp today. Easy access for when we got home?"

"Y-yes," she whimpered brokenly, digging her fingers into the arms of the chair as she strained to get closer to his hands, his magical, wonderful, hands. "Oh, god, did you use your ties to bind me?"

"No, one of my ties and one of your scarves. That silk Hermes one you love so much." She nodded heavily. "Will you let me continue?"

"Mm-hmm," she groaned, the snick of her bra unfastening sounding very loud to her ears. His hands covered her breasts, the thumbs brushing against her nipples, tightening them even more. "Just like that, Der, right there," she breathed out, wishing her hands were free so that she could reach up and hold him there.

"I know what you like," he growled softly before running his tongue along her ear. He was right, he did know her, could read her like a book, and that knowledge kicked her desire up another notch. Again, she whimpered as his hands left her breasts to slip down into her lap, rucking her skirt up. "And you wore the garters that I love so. Were you deliberately trying to undo me, Erin?"

"Maybe. I had no idea this was what you had in mind, though." Her voice was already strained, her breaths coming in pants. "Please."

"Please, what?"

"You know."

"Not unless you tell me, Erin. Now, what do you want?"

"Touch me, there," she whimpered out, closing her eyes once more. His fingers crept up under her skirt, brushing against her mound and she bit her lip hard, trying to keep in the sharp moan that threatened to escape. She had no idea who else was still in the building.

Derek knelt in front of her, pushing the chair back a little so that he could lean forward and press his lips against her stomach. Scooting her skirt farther up her legs, he hooked his thumbs into her panties, rolling them down her legs until they hit the clips on her garters. "Looks like I have to get these out of the way," he whispered, quickly undoing them before continuing to disrobe her. "Fingers or mouth?"

"Mouth, please, honey. Oh, Derek, please." She lifted her hips a little in clear invitation, her head thrown back against her chair. The moment his mouth touched her down there, she felt a rush of pure desire flood her, and she gave herself over to the pleasure of his mouth loving on her. Her orgasm came hard and fast, and she gripped the chair arms tightly as she tried to muffle her moan of pleasure.

"This was fun," Derek panted out as he looked up into her face, and she smiled at him, slumping in her chair. The scent of sex hung heavy in the air, and she longed to be home so that she could reciprocate. "Would you like me to untie you, now?"

"Yes, please." He grinned and quickly undid the soft knots that bound her to the chair, and once she was loose, she collapsed into his open arms. He bundled her up close, rocking her back and forth as he rubbed her back. "That was slightly dangerous, you know."

"That's why I had to do it. We have to take some risks in our relationship."

She nodded and lifted her lips for a kiss, relishing the feel of his lips claiming hers. "Chief Strauss, are you still here?" They both stiffened at the sound of Penelope's voice and she felt her eyes grow wide as he placed his fingers against her mouth, quieting her. "Your light is still on. Is everything okay?"

"I just dropped a file on the floor," she said, hoping she didn't hear the quaver in her voice. "Did you need something?"

"No, I just wanted to pop in and tell you to have a good night. I think Derek rushed right out of here to get home, and he's probably waiting for you to come…home." From the teasing lilt in her voice, Erin knew the jig was up and she let her head thunk against Derek's chest.

"Thank you for telling me. Have a good evening as well." She listened to the shuffle of feet out the door and then heard it close with a soft click. "How am I ever going to show my face to her again, Der?"

"She…wasn't the one who figured us out first. We're like the BAU's worst kept secret. Anderson actually spied us making out in my truck a few weeks ago, and you know his ability to keep a secret." Erin nodded and scooted back from his arms, starting to right her clothes. "Are you okay with everyone knowing?"

"I suppose I have to be." He seemed to be able to pick up on how tender she was feeling at the moment and he reached out, tugging her back onto his lap and holding her close. "My heart is very tender in this regards, you know that. I just wanted to be a little more certain of things before we went public. Yes, the sex is amazing, but…"

"I love you."

His words shocked her into silence. After the Replicator, after David had decided to move on, he had been there to pick up the pieces, to keep her from drinking once more. From there, a sweet relationship had begun, and she had dared to let her heart be open to him. And now this. "Derek?"

"I've fallen in love with you. I didn't mean for it to happen, and then, I realized how much I looked forward to coming home to you. After that, I had to ask myself why. The only answer my heart would give is that I'd fallen for you."

"Oh." She hadn't given much thought to her feelings, had just gone with the attraction that had sparked up between them. "Oh." Looking into his eyes, she watched him retreat emotionally. "Oh, Derek." Reaching up, she cupped his face before leaning in and capturing his lips in a passionate kiss.

"That's all you have for me?"

"No." She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on to him for dear life as the first tears began to roll down her face. "You really love me?"

"Yeah, I sort of do, Pretty Lady."

"Because I do, too. I love you." He sighed and kissed her once more, and she let herself cry harder, letting him hold her close as she sobbed. "I love you."

"Making up for lost time?" he joked, rubbing her back lightly. "Come on, let's head home for the night. My place is closer, so I can love on you some more."

Erin nodded against his chest, still reluctant to let go of him. "Just give me a second, please, Der." He nodded and pressed a tender kiss to her head, his arms tightening around her. Finally, she felt ready to stand and she helped him to his feet. "We're heading into dangerous territory."

"How so?" he asked as he grabbed her panties off the floor and stuffed them in his pocket.

"We've said the words. Those special, sacred, words." She tugged her skirt into place and pulled her purse out of her desk drawer. "You can't put the genie back in the bottle, and now, you hold a lot of power over me."

"You hold the same power over me, Pretty Lady. Mutually assured destruction in our hands." She shrugged a little before nodding, holding her hand out to him. "I don't think I'll ever be able to let you go now."

"Funny, because that is exactly what I'm feeling." Together, they made their way over to the elevators and waited for it to come. As they stepped into the small space, she caught Penelope's eye, giving her a small smile even as she tried to smooth her hair. "Please make sure she doesn't ask us about what we did in my office. I prefer to keep some things private."

"I can do that, Pretty Lady." The doors closed, shutting them off from the rest of the office, and he turned her to look at him. "I might need a kiss, though, to keep me from blabbing."

Erin nodded as she smiled up at him, feeling a soft wave of love sweeping over her heart. His lips covered hers in a sweet kiss and she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck even as his hands cupped her ass, tugging her closer. This was dangerous territory they were entering, and she wanted to make sure they charted it together. "I love you," she whispered as he lowered her back to the ground.

"I am going to hear those words a lot, aren't I?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Of course, since I want to make sure that you know just what is in my heart." Stepping closer to him, she rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart. Derek's arms closed around her, cocooning her in warmth. "I've told you a little about Alan, and about David, and how things always ended with me hurting. I'm still hurting, Derek."

"So am I, but I want to try and heal our hearts together." The sweet hope in his words caused her to tear up and she nuzzled her face against his chest. "And if that makes this dangerous, then this is the sweetest sort of danger." Erin felt his lips press against the crown of her head and she smiled, sighing with pleasure.

"The sweetest danger, indeed," she murmured as she tightened her arms around his waist, never wanting to let him go.