Title: Holding On To Words.
Author: Me.
Summary: The game of hide and seek was getting old. (Fluff)
Disclaimer: Newsflash - they're not mine. (
Thanks Cait for beta-ing it for me.

She can't quite remember when it started, why or how. Or even when she gave him the green light because as far as she can recall, she always dealt with his flirtation as good as one could, cutting him off every time without being rude or snob; not letting it affect her as much as she knew it did. He always threw it at her and she stepped aside, letting it fall to floor while she held a smirk on her face. He never stopped, neither did she.

Now, as she is trapped between him and the counter of the department break room she tries to remember when she gave him the consent; when she let herself allow him to kiss her for one more time even though she kept saying to both of them the previous would be last, she kept saying no, but when he looks at her like this and when she simply cannot look away and break the spell he always manages to put upon them, she finds the words dying on her lips and that is so frustrating because she's always this close to stopping it all but not quite.

Her breath is rapid, her heart accelerated and as her eyes are locked on his she prays he can't hear either because then he will know the kind of effect he has on her and that is an information she wants to keep locked inside her brain. When his hands leave the counter to chastely touch her arms and run a whisper up to her face, goose bumps immediately form and she knows the effect can't be hidden. She inwardly curses her body for not asking her permission, especially when her body won't move out of his space and away from him even while her brain screams for her to go already.

When his breath is mixed with hers she knows it's too late. He won't stop and neither will she.

The first contact is exactly like the previous times. The instant tingle is still surprising and she shivers at the bubbling in her stomach and the trembling of her hands. She can feel her heart beating so damn fast in her ears and it's like it's going to jump out of her chest any moment. Still, it's different this time, but only a bit. It's not as hungry, as anxious; a desperate stealth of her kiss. It's gentle, his lips pressing just right against hers, his mouth opening just a little bit to cradle her pink lips perfectly against his. Her eyes fall shut as his lips open and close and open and close as he tastes her, taunts her, plays. His hand splayed against her ribcage, moving slowly upwards until it finds the right spot on her back to rest and push her against him; the other hand cradling her face gently, fingertips touching so softly the satin hue of her cheek.

He presses his mouth harder as he finds a moment of positive boldness and the tip of his tongue finds her lips semi open and she feels it, her body nearly crumbling and fuck it all, she thinks as she sneaks her arms around his neck and gives him full access of her mouth, moaning into his as he does just the right things.

When the emptiness of their lungs is no more acceptable, they're forced to pull apart, mouths open with deep breaths, cheeks flushed, lips swollen, chests heavy.

She tries to remember when she gave him the green light because as bold as Shawn Spencer may be, he wouldn't cross the line if not allowed to.

French fries, her brain whispers and a flicker of recognition lights in her eyes. Right.

They had a thirty minutes break during the Anderson case and they happened to be paired up then. Shawn offered to buy lunch for them but she refused. She knew he would bring that up again and call their non-date a date. Besides, she wasn't that much hungry, and didn't have time to spend on a full lunch. They decided to buy some french fries to share between them and eat on the way back to the station. Halfway to the car Shawn had managed to eat his half and nearly most of her part of the fries and as he reached out for another one, she slapped his hand away, glaring playfully at him. It only earned her flirtation from his part, which she didn't let fall to the ground, but played right back instead. Soon, he had grabbed from behind, trying to take the french fries pack from her hands as she shrieked in a playful struggle, running towards her car, as she finally got free.

He reached her before she managed to even open her door, his laughter mingling with her own as he grabbed her again, the remaining french fries falling to the ground, but mostly forgotten as she had found herself trapped inside his arms, her back against the car door, and his lips laying siege upon hers.

Her cell phone vibrating between them interrupted the moment, Shawn looking more than surprised and Juliet horrified.

She avoided him for the following ten days until he found her on the parking lot of the station and strode right up to her. Without a single word he grabbed her by the head and pulled her towards him, his lips crashing upon hers and she allowing it. It was his time for avoidance until she found him and it was her time to raise the stakes.

After that, it had been easy.

They had been playing this game of kissing and pretending for too long and she was getting quite good at it, except she wasn't because every moment he was around she wanted nothing more but to reach out and kiss him senseless, to grab him and pull him into a dark closet and have her 7 minutes in Heaven with him - except it wouldn't be 7 minutes; and not pretend anymore.

"I can't do this anymore." She says when her breath is back to normal and her cheeks are less pink and his arms are still around her. She looks down because she doesn't want to see the expression on his face, his look. She knows he's a player and an eternal bachelor, but this isn't what she wants. She wants to knock down piles of files and jump his bones, she wants to laugh into the corners of his mouth, she wants to hold his hands, and just hold his hands. And this is not what he's willing to give.

He brushes a stray blond tress from her eyes and lets his palm rest against her cheek. He kisses her again just moments later; soft, gentle, playful.

This time she manages enough willpower to stop him with a hand to his chest. "Shawn..." There is a mix of anger and sadness and a tiny bit of hope in her voice.

"You'll have to teach me to bowl."

She snorts into his chest as her face falls into his green shirt and grins stupidly as she lets the meaning of the unspoken words sink in.

----

THE END.

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