Author's Note: This story was written for the August Heat Wave Challenge on the Chit Chat Forum. I picked Hotch as my character and was assigned JJ as my second character. I had to choose from a list of prompts, managed to squeeze them all in but the ice cream cone: melting ice cream cone, swimming pool, a bikini top, swim trunks, a thunderstorm and soaring temperatures.
"Any hotter and I think the pavement is going to start melting," Emily Prentiss couldn't help but groan as she walked into the stifling motel room she was sharing with JJ. The team had been called to a case in Texas during one of the worst heat waves of the summer and since they had been there the temperatures had continued to soar to the point that even the killer seemed to be taking a break after an overloaded electric plant crashed causing scattered brownouts and sending residents of the city to seek other alternatives to stay cool, unfortunately the location of the motel where the BAU had been booked was in one of the affected areas.
"I wish Hotch had been able to convince Strauss we needed to come back until the killer resurfaced," JJ groaned in agreement as she began peeling off the clothes sticking to her body.
"I know a better way to cool down," Prentiss suggested with a smile as she held out a shopping bag to her friend. "When the power outages started Morgan and I made a quick stop by the store to get some swimsuits for ourselves and when we saw how fast they were flying off the shelves we picked out some for the rest of you as well."
JJ didn't need any encouragement as she grabbed the bag, eager to don the suit and escape the heat in a cool swimming pool. "I love the shade of blue but did you have to get a bikini?" She said self-consciously as she viewed the skimpy bikini top in the mirror and imagined wearing it in front of her coworkers.
"You're lucky I got that, there wasn't much to choose from, the only other suit in your size was a thong," Emily said as she donned her own emerald green bikini, "besides it won't hurt the guys to be reminded that we're women," she teased as she pulled on her sunglasses before opening the door, admitting the relentless rays of the sun into their room as JJ retrieved her own sunglasses and a towel, forgetting her concerns over the modesty of her bathing suit as she anticipated the cool water.
"You don't need to wear a shirt man, we don't care about your scars," Morgan was candid as he watched his boss standing in front of the mirror in the black swim trunks, he was glad that with Emily's help they had selected the correct sizes for everyone and he knew he had guessed correctly that their leader would prefer something understated like a basic tone instead of the lime green and orange trunks he wore and other colorful trunks they had picked out for the others. Rossi and Reid had already donned their suits and headed out to the pool with Reid carrying the sunscreen.
Hotch didn't reply as he kept staring in the mirror, imagining the pale lines that marred his chest and abdomen, hidden only by the white t-shirt he currently wore, intellectually he knew that going into the water wearing it would be even more conspicuous to his observant colleagues but it was still a hard call to make. He barely registered the sound of the door closing as Morgan left to join the others at the pool deciding to leave their unit chief with the privacy to make his decision but hopeful that ultimately he would come out demonstrating his trust in the team.
Hotch had to admit feeling the warm rays of the sun beating down on his bare skin felt good as he approached the pool, ready to show his scars publicly. All thoughts of his own appearance quickly fled his mind as he approached the pool, his eyes immediately resting on the curvaceous blonde climbing up the ladder out of the pool, feeling his heart almost stop as he stared. He had certainly been aware of JJ's attractiveness before, but to see so much of the seemingly perfect skin in public had caught him off guard.
"Tongue back in your mouth Aaron," Rossi's amused voice sounded in his ear, helping him refocus as he hoped no one had noticed the appreciative look he had been giving to his subordinate. With a quick glance around he realized two things, one was that they apparently had the pool to themselves, and the other was that the eyes of all the men seemed to be subtly fixed on the two attractive women enjoying the pool.
"Are you guys ever coming in?" Prentiss finally shouted out an invitation that sounded suspiciously like a dare, she and JJ had initially enjoyed the attention but it was now beginning to feel a little strange to be the only ones in the pool while the men on their team did a poor job of pretending that they weren't checking them out. Taking the challenge Morgan was the first to run and jump with a whoop as he managed to splash not only the women but Reid who had been standing a little too close to the pool, but it apparently broke the spell as the men finally began to ease themselves into the pool and enjoy the relief from the hot rays.
As the team took turns alternating between lounging in the hot sun or swimming it was almost easy to forget there was a killer lurking out there somewhere as they enjoyed an easy camaraderie, finally ordering when the pangs of hunger began attacking more relentlessly, Garcia had been most helpful in quickly triangulating their location and finding the one store within their coverage area that had electricity.
"Reid, it's time for you to put on some more sunscreen," Prentiss said helpfully as she saw the skin on his back growing pinker while they ate, her words causing everyone to study the doctor which put him on the defensive.
"You know sunscreen is really recommended even when you aren't the type to burn because you still need protection from the UV rays," Reid countered as he opened the bottle and began smearing it on his arms and legs, wishing he could leave it off and get a little tan instead of the more likely scenario that he would resemble a lobster by the time the day was finished.
"Kids got a point, probably good for all of us, but especially you fair skinned folks," Rossi encouraged as he gestured to the remaining agents, stopping before he reached Derek as he helpfully picked up the two bottles they had and distributed them as the agents began smearing the white lotion over their legs, arms and faces.
"Can someone get my back?" Reid's request sounded plaintive yet almost humorous as they turned to where he was extending the bottle, appearing a little nervous when JJ took it and easily sat behind him. Hotch felt a flash of jealousy he felt as he watched her hands smoothing the lotion over the slightly pink skin, he knew the two were more like brother and sister but it didn't stop the tightening in his gut as he watched them.
"I have a bad feeling about this Dave," he couldn't help but mutter to his friend who was obviously enjoying the idea of having some help with the sunscreen as he had already maneuvered himself to be next in line with Emily when she finished with Derek's back.
"What, us smearing lotion on each other in the hot sun, has your mind gone to the gutter Aaron," Dave chuckled as he followed his friends gaze. "Just admit you want her touching you like that also, I'm already heading for Emily so guess that leaves you to JJ," Rossi waggled his eyebrows as he prepared to saunter over to where Morgan was rising from his seat and preparing to re-enter the pool. "Live a little Aaron, we're not going to cross any lines here, but it's okay to have a little fun," he admonished playfully before he disappeared.
Out of the corner of her eye JJ noted the split of agents and realized that logistically Hotch would probably be heading her way as she absentmindedly continued to rub the lotion into the freckled back in front of her. She tried not to smile at the thought, giving Reid a pat on his shoulder as she let him know his back was covered.
"Next," she said looking straight at Hotch as he slowly approached, eyes darting to see that aside from Rossi watching with a bemused expression on his face no one else seemed to be paying them any attention.
"I'm not sure about this," he admitted as he straddled the end of the poolside chair, trying not to jump when he felt the delicate hands and cool lotion hit his sun warmed back.
"Relax, just think of this as us having each other's backs in a slightly different way," she teased as she indulged in the opportunity of rubbing in the lotion into the strong back, feeling the tense muscles beneath her fingers that told her he was not following her instructions in the least. His lack of verbal response told her he wasn't going to be chatty as he sat stiffly, obviously willing himself not to enjoy the experience, it was the devil in her she supposed that caused her next response as she gave one last swipe across broad shoulders and proclaimed that she was done. But as he rose with a murmured thank you she had more to say. "Could you get my back for me?" She asked loudly enough for the others to hear but sweetly enough to make the request sound purely innocent.
Hotch clenched his teeth in response as he realized that with everyone hearing her request he would look like a complete ass if he refused, also he had to admit that he would probably visibly seethe with jealousy if anyone else touched her and judging by Rossi's interested look he knew the other man would be happy to jump on the opportunity should he pass it up.
"Sure," he finally ground out as he took the proffered bottle, noting the glint in her eye that was anything but angelic as she scooted forward and pulled her hair forward to expose the nape of her neck and expanse of her back to him, bare except for the one flimsy string from her bikini top, which could be moved so easily he thought before forcing himself to change the direction of his thoughts before his trunks became too tight.
"Mmmmhhmm," she sighed softly so that only he could hear as she leaned back imperceptibly to increase the pressure on her back, scooting just enough that she could now feel his thighs against her hips. "That feels good," she said encouraging him, the tone in her voice reaching him even more than the words.
"Dammit JJ, you're going to kill me if you keep this up," Hotch hissed into the blondes ear as he continued to methodically caress the silky skin, hoping it continued to look like nothing more than one colleague helping another even as he felt her responsiveness beneath his hands. "Do you want them to find out?" He asked, knowing that if she kept teasing him it would soon be obvious to their teammates that their relationship had surpassed professional boundaries quite some time ago.
"Why not? I doubt they would be surprised, or even care, I could turn around and let you kiss me, we wouldn't even have to say anything, they'd get it." She retorted, having decided earlier that very day that she was tired of hiding their relationship from the others. "Just think of how much easier it would be on cases, less sneaking around," she encouraged, feeling his hands go still as he obviously deliberated the idea.
"You're bad," he finally teased back lightly as his hands resumed their work, trying to keep the tone lighthearted and abandon the current conversation until they could resume it more privately later considering the small audience they now had. Rossi wasn't the only one watching them anymore as others seemed to pick up that there was more going on than a simple backrub, but JJ did not seem inclined to let it go.
"So punish me later," she taunted, seeming undeterred by his attempt at avoidance, barely noticing the rumble of thunder from a distance.
"I think we should consider this an omen," Hotch said after looking up to see dark clouds rapidly rolling in, promising a relief to the soaring temperatures putting the sunscreen down, knowing there would be no more swimming today as the team began quickly gathering towels and pizza boxes to head back to their rooms before the downpour started. "We'll talk later," he promised with a barely perceptible huskiness to his voice as he let his hand linger just a moment longer than necessary on the curve of her ribcage before standing, feeling a thrill at returning the subtle taunting she had been giving him.
"You guys going to quit flirting and help us out here?" Morgan's voice over the thunder broke the spell as they quickly leapt into action and began running back to their rooms as the downpour began.
AN: Thanks to whiteswan for providing her sounding board abilities as always, I was lucky enough to get a pairing I enjoy writing, so the challenge was using the prompts and also keeping it to a light one-shot vs. an epic.