Title: Games
Author: Mindy
Rating: T, sexual situations
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.
Summary: KIBBS PWP. Can Scrabble be sexy?
-x-x-x-
Kate's concerned that they are having too much sex. She told him so last weekend. Once again, they had successfully evaded the real world, choosing instead to spend another blissful couple of days alone and joined, quite literally, at the hip.
They'd barely made it out of the bedroom between Friday night and Monday morning. But, on Sunday evening, he'd managed to drag the confession from her swollen and anxious lips as they sat on her sofa catching up on the boring news of a world they'd not really been a part of since their recent entanglement began.
"Kate, for a man," he'd smirked in dubious reply: "the phrase 'too much sex' is an oxymoron."
She'd pursed her lips and flopped against him: "You're a moron," she retorted sullenly.
Apparently, incessant mind-blowing sex robbed her of her usual, stellar wit, he noted -- he found it adorable. In fact, his increasing knowledge of the private Kate Todd only made her more adorable, more fascinating, more desirable and more irresistible by the day.
He is continually surprised by the vigorous and unflagging passion she can inexplicably arouse in him. He really hadn't known he had it left in him, after his numerous and devastating heartbreaks and disillusionments.
But with Katie Todd as his daily inspiration, he's found he can rise to the occasion, on any occasion, with fevered relish.
Tonight, however, his relish and his passion were unexpectedly forestalled. As he was bending her body over the kitchen table, his mouth sealed over hers in a zealous hello kiss, Kate had patted his chest with both her hands and pulled her lips from his mouth. Her eyes were glassy and her cheeks delectably pink as she offered him a sheepish smile.
"Gibbs…" she'd puffed, her hands smoothing over his jacket lightly: "I was thinking… maybe… tonight… we could… play some Scrabble… or something…?"
His brows furrowed as he stared at her: "Scrabble?" he'd grumbled unenthusiastically.
"Or something," she'd shrugged, her eyebrows raised hopefully: "I've also got--"
He shut her up by pressing his hot mouth to hers and crushing her small, soft body against his. Kate moaned in his custody, writhing with their combined heat.
No board game she could name could possibly compete with the pleasure of the ruleless sport they'd been indulging in of late at every opportunity.
After another interminable week of work, where they dutifully kept their hands off each other and quietly pretended for an office full of strangers that they weren't desperately and blissfully in love, he was absolutely starved for her. He was so greedy for her sighs of surrender, so hungry for her looks of love-- but he couldn't ignore her persistent little pats on his chest.
"I'm serous!" she panted as soon as he let her breathe again. "We need to cool off here…" she sighed, dropping her hands to her sides and her eyes away from his face.
Gibbs searched her expression with sharp eyes, wondering worriedly whether his incapacitated brain was missing some significant feminine subtext. Somehow, he felt like he'd done something wrong -- but wasn't sure what exactly. The dreadful thought flashed through his head that he was already witnessing the beginning of the end, and he'd only just started to love this woman.
But when Kate looked up again, her eyes shone at him with affection and humor. She took a deep breath, her warm gaze passing over his features as her fingers fiddled with the lapels of his jacket. Around them swirled the spicy aroma of the dinner she'd been cooking when he interrupted, arriving full of want and demand.
"I just think," she'd said softly, her arms slipping around his neck: "a quiet night would do us good." She kissed him short and sweet then gazed up at him with her big, brown, irresistible eyes, murmuring shyly: "It'd be nice to just sit and talk with you."
Gibbs relaxed and took a breath, his hands skating lightly up and down her sides. "Okay," he'd acquiesced easily: "Scrabble it is," he'd nodded, giving her a warm squeeze and a half-grin.
She smiled and kissed him. "Thank you," she whispered as she slipped out of his arms and returned to the stove.
Kate had prepared a simple but delicious meal, which they ate, seated at her kitchen table, chatting mostly about work. They moved to the sofa for coffee and Kate snuggled against his shoulder as she updated him on the latest news from her brother in the Navy.
Now, they sit facing one another over the low coffee table, which holds two freshly refilled mugs of steaming coffee, an old Scrabble board and numerous scattered pieces. Gibbs is perched on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as Kate sits opposite, cross-legged on a cushion, one finger stuck between her lips as she stares at her letters.
The room is low-lit and warm and she has tuned the radio to some tasteful classical station. The atmosphere should be peaceful and civilized. But all Gibbs can think of is how utterly erotic Kate Todd's mannerisms are when she plays this pointless, tedious game.
It's ridiculous. He's counted four separate tells of hers that involve her lips, three where she uses her hands or fingers, two entangling her hair and one delicious one which includes her tongue. She's got the worst poker face he's ever seen in his life. Which, logically means he should be winning. But she's steadily and thoroughly whipping his ass.
His mind is not on the game; his heart's not set on victory. It pounds in his chest, pleading for release, along with the rest of his anatomy, while his mind seems incapable of locating his vocabulary.
It's lucky that he only has seven tiles to play with because, at present, he can only think of words of three or four letters anyway. His efforts so far have been less than dazzling. He's managed to put down, amongst others: 'CAT', 'BAG', 'MUG' and 'WORK'-- but at least he got a double word score on that last one.
Meanwhile, Kate, indulging that overeager competitive streak of hers, has somehow already managed to rack up a score that practically triples his. He watches as she picks up the pencil and neatly adds another sixteen points to her column. Then she tucks a lock of hair behind one ear and meets his gaze, blinking expectantly at him.
He clears his throat and scratches his jaw. He's had his eyes fixed so purposefully on her that he hasn't even noticed what word she has laid out on the board. He glances at his array of letters, having also forgotten in his contemplation of her lips and hands to even construct a new addition to the game.
He picks up a 'T' and turns it right side up, trying to look like he's concentrating as hard as she is. Lifting his eyes, he sees that Kate's latest word is 'REMOVE'.
He smirks slightly as he examines his options, shuffling his letters on the small rack. Then, with a hidden grin, he drops his choice of tiny tiles on the board, joining the word 'SHIRT' with the 'R' in her word. His score is not bad this time and he gets the added satisfaction of a darkly withering look from Kate as he reaches out to replenish his supply of letters.
With her eyes lowered in deliberation, Kate slowly picks up her coffee and purses her lips over the rim of the mug. His skin tingles slightly just watching her blow a cool stream of air across the dark surface of her coffee. His eyes light up as she tips the mug and takes a tentitive sip, her tongue swiping absently over her upper lip. Then carefully she leans forward and responds with another word, not one of her best, but the placement garners her a triple word score: 'MAN'.
He can't resist the obvious rejoinder. He's been waiting to get rid of his 'W' anyway. Promptly, he grabs two tiles and transforms the word into 'WOMAN'. And for his efforts, receives another pointed look from his fiery little brunette across the table. He just cocks his head, staring at her, forthright and unruffled.
Sighing quietly, Kate averts her eyes to refocus on the game as Gibbs picks out and shelves another two tiles. And it's just his rotten luck because now all he can see or form are words of a distinctly sexual nature. They float in front of his eyes, tantalizing and evocative and dangerous, as he sits separated from the woman he wants most in all the world.
He glances over at her, knowing that she must be able to feel his mounting frustration; she must feel his hungry gaze and restless energy in the quietness and stillness. There are so many more pleasurable pursuits they could be spending their time engaged in. But Kate seems blissfully resolved on her game plan for the evening, however it might torment him.
Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he shifts in his seat, hearing the plastic tiles clack on the board once more. He opens his eyes, with a sigh. 'BEHAVE' is Kate's next word and she looks overly pleased with it as she shoots him a smug look and scribbles down her score.
He hums thoughtfully as he takes a long sip of coffee. Then shamelessly, he retaliates by spelling out for her in black capitals: 'TASTY'. Rolling her eyes at his crooked grin, Kate silently adds his score then goes back to biting her lip again as she studies her tiles for a long moment.
Gibbs almost groans aloud seeing that plump piece of pink flesh, captured and worried between her delicate white teeth, her tongue nipping out to slide along the inner edge. When she sticks her middle finger in between her lips, munching on the tip thoughtfully, he has to look away. He leans back into the soft cushions of the sofa, crossing his arms over his chest, dropping his head back and letting the faint music wash over him.
Kate hums softly as she tries to decide on her next move and he turns his eyes back towards her face. She picks up a few pieces and then sets them down again. She hesitates, her eyes flicking back and forth between her letters and the board. She seems to have a few words up her sleeve but is having trouble placing them on the board.
Finally, without looking at him, she sighs and lays down her letters: 'MAKE'. Swiftly, Gibbs leans forward again, trying to hide his glee. This is perfect. The fates are obviously not against him, after all. With enormous satisfaction, he carefully places his three letters, positioning them vertically to join 'MAKE' with 'LOVE'.
Kate can't help a soft, low giggle as she tips her head at him, her eyes twinkling beneath her exasperation. He smiles in reply, his warm gaze roving over her face briefly. Their hands brush as they both pull out new pieces. Kate's eyes hold his this time, only skating away at the last minute.
She takes a breath as they arrange their tiles on the miniature racks, a strange tension starting to seep into the still air about them. Gibbs sees her eyes light up as she studies the growing puzzle sitting between them. Then, she selects her letters and arranges them, neat and proud. 'RESIST.'
She stares at him calmly over the coffee table, sitting straight on her cushion, her mouth curved up slyly in one corner. He pauses while he has her gaze fixed on him and deliberately lets his eyes drop down, caressing the scoop of her shirtfront and tracing the swell of her curves underneath.
He doesn't attempt to disguise the heat and the admiration from his face as he peruses her languidly, intimately, possessively. He watches Kate tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture. Her fingers graze down the exposed skin of her neck and he cocks his head to one side, running his avid gaze over the soft, gentle slope.
She really doesn't want to resist, he muses privately, noting from his peripheral vision how her toes are twitching against the carpet. And she probably doesn't want him to resist either.
He removes his gaze from her shape and carefully picks out a new word to add onto hers. The letters are just there for him, obvious and perfect, and he doesn't think twice about letting them speak: 'KISS'.
Kate smiles shyly, her lips pressed together and her eyes lowered. "Gibbs?" she whispers, breaking their long silence. "…..are you trying to tell me something here?" she inquires softly, leaning across the table and gazing at him steadily with one perfectly arched eyebrow.
"Just playing the game, Kate," he lies smoothly. He shrugs, hoping she will choose to believe the message his eyes are sending instead of his mouth. "Just doing my best," he huffs, watching her closely: "with the hand I'm dealt."
Kate narrows her eyes at him. "Uh hm," she nods skeptically and turns back to their game.
He lets out a breath and sinks back into the couch again, feeling uncomfortable in his own clothes, in his own skin. This sort of pursuit is not his usual style and with Kate in the room, it feels even more unnatural. He wonders how long a game of Scrabble is supposed to last and whether Kate has ruled out sleeping with him tonight altogether. He's not sure he can take much more of this but his pride prevents him from being the first to fold.
"Your turn," Kate prompts from across the table.
He retrieves his wandering gaze from the clock over the mantle and focuses it back on the board. She has put down the word: 'CLOSE' and is waiting patiently for him to take his turn. He leans forward again, resting his elbows on his knees and squinting at his letters in the low light. He takes another sip of the bracing coffee and, using her 'C', he adds: 'CONTACT' to the mix.
Kate nods faintly, tapping on the tiles with the end of the pencil as she tallies his score. He's still far behind her but at least, she's woman enough not to gloat -- yet. Silently, she hands him six more pieces. He puts out his hand as she places them face down on his palm, one at a time, her fingertips brushing his skin.
Then she resumes the gentle chewing of her lips and fingertips. Eventually, she settles on a new word: 'WELL'.
Gibbs groans internally. Every little thing has an obscene connotation to him in his thwarted state. He can't help but add onto the 'W' to make the word: 'WET'.
Kate shoots him a surprised glare from across the table and shifts on her cushion. She tucks her legs under her and quickly uses his 'T' to make 'TEA.'
Before she can even calculate her score, he attaches two more tiles and makes the word spell: 'TEASE.'
He meets her gaze, a challenging glimmer rising to the surface and flashing across his face. Kate's cheeks are slightly pink as she looks away and scrambles to find a word.
She adds onto the 'S' to make 'STOP'.
He shakes his head emphatically and retaliates with 'COME'.
She falters, her eyes lifting and flashing at him over the table. Her lips part softly as he stares at her face, noting the heat rising over her chest and her cheeks. He can see the effects of his suggestive words flickering back and forth in her mind's eye, no doubt inciting the same insane and sensual images that plague him. But for a minute, neither of them makes a single move.
Then, suddenly they both spring into action. All rules and any scores are abandoned as they both start reaching for new letters, trying to create the best word, attempting to outdo each other with the most erotic word.
They take turns, impatiently building their shared, sensual poetry with words like: 'FEEL', 'SKIN', 'NAKED', 'TOUCH', 'DESIRE', 'JOIN', 'SOFT', 'HARD', 'SWELL', 'THROB', 'LAY', 'INSIDE', 'FIT', 'SIN' and more…..
They toss the tiles onto the board, quickly, erratically, excitedly, letting the words run diagonally or backwards or slotting them into any space that will fit. Kate giggles as they work and Gibbs raises his gaze to her face.
She is up on her knees, leaning close to him over the table, her arms entangled with his, her smile flashing and her eyes twinkling. Her face is full of color and glee and he feels a momentary urge to sweep every last thing off the wooden surface of the coffee table and push her down onto it, submerging her in his body's passion.
Instead, he seizes the bag of leftover letters and dumps them all out onto the table. Some skitter off the edge as Kate sits back on her heels and watches him. With impatient hands, he brushes all the little tiles to the side, sifting through them until he finds the ones he wants.
Then in the middle of the blank board he arranges the characters, messy, bold, inept. But simple and true.
'WANT U'.
He watches as Kate's eyelashes slowly lower and her dark eyes take in his admission. She swallows, her chest falling deeply and her tongue slipping out to wet her lips.
He sits in rapt agony, awaiting her response. His heart beats in his chest, his body throbs for her nearness. He can almost taste her from where he sits, mere inches from his own personal paradise.
Her eyes rise to meet his and a slow, sweet smile spreads across her face. With delicate, calm fingers she discards all but two letters still sitting on her rack. Pausing briefly, she pushes the two tiles into the center and then turns the rack around for him to read.
'OK'.
His heart jumps into his throat and his pulse picks up. Kate rises to her feet, her eyes fixed on his face and glowing with a heat he has come to recognize and cherish. Still moving very slowly, she reaches up and, with one hand, undoes the clip in her hair. Her dark locks fall about her face and she sinks her hand into the mass of fragrant curls, giving it a freeing flourish.
Gibbs leans back slightly, his eyes wide and bright as he watches her small hands drop next to the first button of her white shirt. With her eyes still watching him closely, she begins to slip each button free of its hole until the shirt hangs loosely on her shoulders. Then, tipping her head back, she lets it slide down her arms and drop to the floor.
She stands before him silent and still for a long moment, allowing his avid inspection and unperturbed by his stunned response. A little smile lifts her lips as she slowly reaches around to unhook her pale pink bra.
She begins to move, sauntering around the coffee table, past the sofa, and towards the bedroom. Only when he feels her discarded bra hit the back of his head does he awaken from his blissful stupor.
He vaults from his seat, sending the remnants of their game flying and nearly knocking the coffee table on its side as he tears out of the room and follows her down the hall to her bedroom. Crashing through the doorway, he arrives in time to see Kate, standing by the bed, kicking away her skirt with her foot.
Their eyes connect across the space and in an instant, he is against her, enveloping her in his desire. His hands and lips and arms and body sweep over and around her, wild and loving as his lips descend to hers for a hot, hungry kiss.
"Gibbs," she pants as he presses a string of kisses down her neck. "Just so you know…" her voice is firm, despite her obvious arousal: "this doesn't change the fact," she tells him, her little fingers tearing at his shirt buttons: "that I whipped your ass."
"Huh?" he responds dumbly, squinting up at her face. Her cheeks are flushed but her eyes gleam, clear and resolute.
"The game," she reminds him, proudly: "I still won."
"Humph," he growls darkly, grabbing her bottom in both hands and giving her a determined squeeze: " -- not from where I'm standing."
He swoops in again and her wet lips open, welcoming his prying tongue into her sweet depths. They strain against each other in excruciating ecstasy, gasping and grasping for more, fumbling and falling to the bed in an ungraceful heap of limbs and moans.
She shoves the shirt from his shoulders and he yanks it down his arms and off, throwing it away without ever relinquishing her kiss. Her hands move to the hem of his undershirt, tugging upwards insistently as her lithe legs wrap around his hips, anchoring him against her small body.
He breaks from her mouth, rapidly pulling in air and stripping his shirt off over his head. He chucks the garment to the floor settling against her happily as Kate begins to explore his upper chest with eager eyes and appreciative touches and rapt kisses.
"Hmmm," she hums quietly, nuzzling into his chest hair: "I love your chest…."
"Kate--" he says, staring down at her.
"What?" she murmurs in her bedroom voice, giving his nipple a little bite.
He smoothes the hair off her forehead and adjusts his hips slightly: "Kate," he says again, drawing her gaze.
She stops her playful exploration and gazes up at him: "Yeah?"
He stares at her for a long moment, the sight of her – beautiful, open, loving, HIS – hitting him like a sledgehammer in the gut. Being with anyone – particularly her – is so utterly new and unfamiliar to him that he still gets surprised by the intimacy of it, the significance of it, the perfection of it.
He still has mornings where he wakes up and has to remind himself that Kate Todd is his now. That the gorgeous woman he denied he wanted for so long loves him; that he is a taken man, a conquered man, a happy man. He is still becoming accustomed to the impact of it on his life and his heart.
He's really not sure how he managed to get so lucky, how he happened to land such an incredible woman. He knows he's not very good at romantic relationships. It's not just lack of practice either -- he was never confident or comfortable with the whole dating game. So far, however, Kate has not had any complaints.
Until tonight, that is.
She hadn't wanted this tonight. She'd asked for a quiet night. She'd asked for his attention and consideration and restraint. And yet, here they were again -- entangled in reckless passion.
From the beginning, Kate's desire for him always seemed to match his for her. But perhaps, he'd been observing with impaired vision. Maybe, he was seeing only what he wanted to see. Maybe he was being the insensitive bastard all of his wives at some point accused him of becoming.
He cleared his throat uneasily, watching Kate lazily trace his jaw line with one finger.
"What's wrong?" she asks gently.
"Kate…" he begins, shifting off her body and to the side.
He struggles to find the right words. He's not sure whether to ask, how to ask. But, many times in his life, he has withheld this question from women – including his spouses – and later regretted it. After the fact, he'd always wondered what he'd done that was so wrong -- and whether simply asking might have changed the way things invariably turned out.
He doesn't want to make the same mistakes with Kate. He's sick and tired of his old pattern and of his endless private heartache. He has a chance to do better this time, to do right. He knows he's not good at this stuff -- she knows it too -- but he may just have to swallow his pride and ask for her help.
"Is there," he shrugs, one hand moving restlessly over her smooth belly: "something I'm doing…" he stumbles, his eyes lowered, staring at her navel: " …that I shouldn't? Or--" he shrugs again, his words faltering and falling from troubled lips: "something I should but--"
"No," she interrupts him quietly.
He looks up at her, eyebrows raised. "No?" he repeats uncertainly.
She shakes her head, her eyes steady on his face. "No," she smiles softly, slipping her fingers into his hair.
He pushes against her hand like a cat and shifts further up on the bed. Kate gazes up at him, sure and serene as he settles on his side and studies her face. His hand drifts up her stomach to rest lightly on her ribcage.
"Would you tell me if there was?" he questions quietly after a moment.
She holds his eyes, her expression faltering slightly. "I would try," she nods, thoughtfully.
"Good," he nods carefully.
He's been told by more than one woman from his past that he can be stubborn, domineering, difficult – that his will is stronger than he's aware. So he needs a partner who can match his will, equal his strength.
He needs a woman who's strong and open, straightforward and honest. He needs someone who won't keep secrets, won't keep him on edge, won't keep him guessing. Someone who won't shut him out and take his heart hostage. Someone who doesn't play games and can call him on his crap. Someone who'll talk to him – yet know when to remain silent.
Someone he can sit with, in silence, and be totally comfortable. He needs someone with whom he can be completely secure in the knowledge that he has her trust, her love, her faith and her future.
"So… you're happy," he asks, injecting his voice with a little humor to mask his uneasiness: "with….. everything?"
Kate's smile grows, her hand skating down his neck to lie over his heart: "More than happy," she assures him simply, her tone quiet and honest. She leans into him and kisses him lingeringly, her lips tugging at his with a generous sweetness. She settles back on the pillow, her eyes glowing with warmth: "You make me," she whispers emphatically: "…very, very happy."
Gibbs shakes his head faintly as he stares at her, his hand curling about her naked waist. As pathetic as it is, he doesn't think he's ever heard a woman utter that phrase. He doesn't think that any of the women he has loved have ever looked at him with that air of utter faith and unwavering contentment.
It makes him feel twenty foot high to have put that look there, to have made Kate Todd so happy. It makes him feel like he's finally getting it right, like he's capable of anything – even conducting a worthwhile, long-term relationship with a wonderful woman.
He strokes her with his palm, smooth and tender. "You and me…" he murmurs hesitantly: "it's not… just about sex, you know…"
Kate looks mildly surprised when he meets her eyes. "No, I know," she nods after a moment. She glances downwards and shrugs lightly: "And it probably won't always be like this," she remarks reservedly, meaning their constant and overwhelming desire for one another.
He nods vaguely, his gaze drifting down her practically stripped body. He knows the sensual map of her frame like the back of his hand now. He's had her more times than his mind can count -- but he still can't imagine a time when he might not want her so badly, so frequently, so intensely.
"Probably not," he admits skeptically, bobbing his head a few times.
Turning on her side, Kate mirrors his position and plants her head in her hand, studying him intently. "Gibbs?" she murmurs, her brow creased with concern: "…Are you happy?" she inquires seriously.
He huffs lightly, amused by her gravity. Then his face splits into a wide grin and he leans in, tugging her close and sealing his mouth over hers once more. Kate smiles as he nips at her lips, and tips her head back when he moves his mouth over her downy cheek to nibble persistently at her ear.
"Okay," she laughs breathily, clutching his head in her hands: "I'm gonna take that as a 'yes'."
They are back on the same page, he thinks, hitching her leg up over his clothed thigh. In fact, they were never really off it.
He's got to stop constantly doubting himself, doubting his instincts, he reasons distractedly. And he must start trusting her. Maybe, things between them really are as good as they feel.
"Tell you what, Katie," he breathes as his lips progress downward over her squirming body: "Next week…. I will take you," he plants his chin in the center of her chest and gazes up at her: "on a real date. A proper date."
"Hmm?" she tips her head to one side and blinks at him, a little smile forming at the edge of her lips.
He clears his throat and continues in a low voice: "I will wine you." He kisses her skin once, and adds leisurely: "And dine you." He lays another kiss a little lower and grins boldly: "And I will consider myself a very lucky man if I get so much as a goodnight kiss."
He gives her hip a long, wet, open kiss then glances up at her face. He can tell from her eyes that she loves the idea, but her response, after a short pause, is cautious and considered.
"Only if you want…" she replies quietly, her hands resting on his shoulders.
He moves up to cover her body with his again. "I want," he assures her, whispering his promise against her mouth and giving her a lazy, soft kiss on the lips.
Kate smiles brightly. "Okay then," she agrees, her arms wrapping around him as he begins kissing her more urgently. "But… you know, Gibbs…." she muses, taking a breath when they disengage: "…. you probably will get a goodnight kiss," she informs him candidly.
Gibbs nods, his mouth tugging upwards in one corner. "I kinda figured I might," he admits wryly, slipping his arms around her body.
Kate chuckles, the sound throaty and sexy as her hands return to his chest for further investigation.
"So…" he muses, looking her in the eye as she lies under him, flushed and sweet and smiling: "No more Scrabble?" he hints hopefully.
"Well…" shrugs Kate, her small palms skating down his sides to land on his hips, nestled snugly upon hers. "Not for another twenty years or so," she agrees. "Maybe by then," she adds seductively, lifting up to suckle the spot between his chest and his neck: "I might have had my fill of you."
Gibbs chuckles, pleased and lowers his lips to meet hers. "In the meantime…" he rumbles, his voice rough with excitement and anticipation.
Clutching his Kate close, he feels her limbs encircle his body and his heart pounding freely in his chest. A new game has begun in which both of them will ultimately win.
END.