Rating: Adult
A/N: My deepest thanks go to both Elle and Amanda for their invaluable feedback on this story.
Words Fail
He had the most amazing focus she'd ever seen.
She watched him, hunched over his desk, all too aware of how consumed he was by the serial killer that seemed to elude him. She found it more than a little ironic that she had fallen in love with him as they teased the tiniest of details out of the messiest of crime scenes, finding answers in places where there seemed to be none.
There were times in the past when his single mindedness had left her with the sinking feeling that she would lose him to a case; that he would somehow be consumed by his need to know why. But time had taught her that he always came back to her, and now tucked safely away in her bedside table drawer, she had all the proof she needed. He had given her a gift that she had never thought possible; a way to hold his heart in her hands.
She smiled as she felt a sudden warmth brush against her leg, and a wet nose nudging her hand. "You are a sweet pup," she whispered as she crouched down and kissed the top of his head. Giving the dog one final scratch behind the ear, she crossed the room.
"I don't suppose you are coming to bed any time soon?" She leaned against the edge of the desk, her heart tightening as she watched him press two pieces of matte board together. She knew this was his way of working out the case, his way of trying to understand that which seemed unimaginable.
"Hmm." His glasses slid down his nose a little as he inspected his work. "Hold this for me?" He handed her a small square of cardboard, applied some glue, and then pointed to where he wanted her to place it.
She did as she was instructed, a small smile gracing her lips. His reply to her question had been noncommittal at best, but it didn't deter her as she slid her hands over his shoulders, and bent over to place a kiss at his temple before whispering in his ear. "So, either by thy picture or my love, thyself away art present still with me."
He went utterly still as her words echoed through him, taking him back to the moment he had put them to paper, filling him with the same longing he had felt for her then; the constant need to find a way to open his heart to her when just the sight of her seemed to rob him of speech.
"For thou not farther than my thoughts canst move, and I am still with them and they with thee." The words fell unbidden from his lips, deeply embedded in his memory of her. He looked up at her then, his gaze finding hers with a magnetic pull, and was met with a look of love so deep that the whole world fell away.
He stood up, drawing her into his arms as his mouth descended upon hers; she countered his kiss with such passion that it filled him to overflowing, need blossoming through him like a wild fire.
She molded her body to his; from the moment his lips touched hers it was if he had somehow unearthed all of her desire at once. Threading her fingers through his hair, she drew his head down to hers, and opened her mouth to him.
Just kissing her was enough to push him over the edge, the hungry way her mouth moved against his, stealing his breath and shaking him right to the soul. He pushed her shirt up, his hands sliding against the bare skin of her back as he felt her working the top button on his jeans. He was losing himself in her, but there was something tugging at the back of his mind, something that he needed her to know.
"Wait." He drew back slightly and looked down at her. He traced the curve of her cheek with his finger, knowing that she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen and suddenly he felt compelled to make sure she saw it too. "I want to show you something."
She looked up at him before sucking lightly on the sensitive skin just below his ear, murmuring her assent as she allowed him to guide her into the bedroom, her limbs still tangled with his. She could see his desire for her so clearly etched on his face that it made her wonder where he'd hid it for so long.
She stopped beside the bed, but he swung her around in his arms, leading her over to the dresser. He answered her questioning look with a kiss, turning her around in his arms so that she was facing the mirror, and he was standing behind her.
He trailed two fingers along the side of her face, bringing them under her chin as he met her gaze in the mirror. "I want you to see what I see when I make love to you."
She felt a rush of heat travel through her as his meaning became clear. Looking into the glass, she was embarrassed at the nakedness of the emotion she saw on her own face, she tried to turn away, but he held her close to him.
"For me," he said softly.
It was the sound of his voice that was her undoing, and she nodded mutely as she felt the hard length of him press against her. There was a rush of wetness between her legs, and she ached to feel him there.
"This is the part of you that I carry in my heart." He whispered the words into her ear, sliding his cheek against the side of her head, as he loosened the elastic holding back her hair. "The part that only I see." He brought his hands around her waist, slipping them under the edge of her tank top.
Sara lifted her arms, letting him pull the garment over her head. She felt the warmth of his hands move over her stomach and come up to cup her breasts. He held the soft weight of them in his hands as he licked and sucked his way along the length of her neck.
She raised her eyes, taking a tentative glance into the mirror as he touched her. She was fascinated by the way his hands moved across her skin; she'd felt the way her body responded to him a thousand times, but seeing it was something entirely different. Shifting her gaze, she found his eyes in the reflection in front of her, and wondered about the woman she saw there; her heart raced as she took in the depth of the desire that was so plainly written across her body.
He sucked in a breath as her nipples tightened under his caress; she was a work of art under his touch, a dream he never imagined would come true. "Do you see how beautiful you are?"
She wanted to answer him, but at the moment the ability to speak was lost to her. She was captivated by the scene in the mirror; her eyes were glued to his hands as they released her breasts to slide down her belly, and over her thighs.
Easing a hand between her legs, he brushed his fingers over her sex, sucking in a breath as her hips thrust forward, silently demanding his touch.
He nipped lightly at her ear, sucking the lobe into his mouth and teasing it with his tongue as he freed the button on her jeans. The zipper came apart as he slid his hand into her pants, caressing the short hair that covered her mound before dipping his finger into her wetness. She was exquisite; at once a mystery and an open book. He groaned, unable to control his hips as they ground against her back, instinctively seeking solace in her body.
His touch was electric and she arched back against him, feeling the hardness of his cock against her. A soft sound, full of need escaped her lips as his finger found her clit, circling it lightly before increasing the pressure.
She pushed her hips into his hand, as her eyes moved back to the mirror, at first she had been reluctant to look, but now she found the view intoxicating, and she watched with delicious anticipation as his finger disappeared between her legs. A moment later, she felt him enter her, and she fell back against him as he slid two fingers inside of her.
He loved the slick, wet feel of her against his fingers and could feel the pleasure ripple through her from his touch, but when he looked into the mirror he was shocked at the wanton look on his own face. Before this moment he never realized how clearly his desire was written across his face, how she must have known how he felt all along even if he couldn't say the words.
"Sara, I--."
"Yes." She pushed her jeans down and kicked them aside before turning to help him with his clothes.
"Open your legs for me." He barely managed to get the words out as he shifted her weight forward, her hands finding purchase on the cool, smooth wood of the dresser.
She was growing used to the hoarse sound of his voice in her ear and her body complied without even a thought. She wanted to close her eyes, to lose herself in the moment, but there was something deep within her that wanted to see herself the way he saw her as their bodies came together. She felt the head of his cock between her legs, a gentle pressure at the opening of her sex and groaned. She slipped her hand between her legs, guiding him into her core.
A groan fell from his lips as he slid easily inside of her; he stilled his hips for a moment, losing himself in the feel of her as desire coursed through his veins.
She pushed back against him, taking him deeper, and he moved with her, shallow thrusts that filled every part of her. Looking into the mirror, she was mesmerized. The picture she saw before her was stunning, the way their bodies twined together, moving at a perfectly matched pace as if they had really become one
There was a secret part of her that came alive when it was like this between them, as if she was somehow reborn under the power of his touch. This was the part of her he held close to his heart, it was her love that carried him through indescribable horror, safe in the knowledge that he had her arms to come home to.
Sara's eyes found his in the mirror, her need for release echoed through him, and he drew his finger over her clit more urgently. She pressed herself into his touch, as he thrust into her one final time, and an unfathomable pleasure soared through her as she felt the hot, thick surge of him inside of her.
In the split second before he tumbled after her, he saw them together, their bodies moving in concert, united in the most intimate of ways. He held tightly to that image, committing it to both heart and mind before ecstasy consumed him.
She fell forward, leaning against the dresser as he collapsed against her; the last tremors of her orgasm washing through her as she reveled in the feel of his body encompassing her both inside and out.
When she shifted under him, he turned her in his embrace, holding her face between his hands as he kissed her. Her arms circled his neck, pulling him even closer to her. He trailed kisses across her cheek, and along the curve of her ear. He smoothed her hair back, as he pulled back to catch her eyes with his own. "Words have often failed me, but my heart has always been yours."
"I always knew." She drew her thumb across his bottom lip. "Even when you didn't." She felt his hand curl around hers and she twined her fingers with his. When his mouth found hers, his kiss held a new promise, and she knew that the letter was only the beginning.