Chapter 1
Just for this once, he didn't mind watching a chick flick. He didn't mind at all.
Especially since Lisbon – Teresa – had discovered that his chest was much a better pillow than the cushions of her sofa.
They weren't exactly paying attention to the movie, actually. Jane was busy tracing her collarbone with his fingertips, while Lisbon seemed strangely fascinated by his now bare ring finger.
He smiled to himself. There was a certain solitaire ring – carefully hidden in the bottom drawer of the nightstand at his motel room – which he really hoped could have her even more fascinated.
Not yet, though. He didn't want to scare her. They both needed to take this slowly.
Jane reckoned another some two weeks would do.
"Patrick?"
His smile widened. He loved it so much when she called him by his first name.
"Yes, darling?"
"The guys know about us, don't they?"
"Well, I deem that's pretty obvious. They're cops, after all. What would you expect?"
She considered the notion for a moment, then shrugged. "Hope that's not a problem for them".
"Oh, not at all. They're quite happy about it, as a matter of fact. And I think Cho got some fifty bucks from Rigsby out of this – so he's even happier".
"They could bet on anything in the world, couldn't they?"
"No CBI rule against it, at least".
Lisbon suddenly frowned.
"Teresa, you know it's not your fault if Rigsby and Van Pelt had to split up. They're not blaming us, believe me".
She didn't even bother to ask him how he had guessed precisely what she was thinking about. He was Patrick Jane, after all.
"What now?"
"Care to elaborate, Teresa?"
"I mean… do you think they would get together again if they were given the chance to?"
"Mm. Probably. Would you allow them to?"
Suddenly she shifted her gaze. "Maybe".
"Got it. Don't worry, I'll take care of this".
"Patrick…", Teresa warned him.
"I'm not up to any mischief, I promise. Besides, the kid deserves some kind of payback for poking her nose into my life".
He heard her chuckling. "Really?"
"You should have seen her, yelling at me as if I was a selfish bastard who broke you heart".
"Are you not?"
She delighted in seeing him squirm slightly. "All right, you're not".
Jane pouted in mock offense. "Seriously, woman…"
"What?", she asked innocently, placing an hand on his chest and tilting her head in order to kiss him.
How was he supposed to resist to that wicked grin of hers?