Beckett was finishing the last of the paperwork. The precinct was almost empty, the day shift already having gone home and the night shift called out to a new scene. In addition to doing her own, Beckett had been stuck doing Esposito and Ryan's paperwork. Ryan had gotten injured taking down the suspect in their latest case, and Esposito had gone along with him to the hospital to get a check-up. Beckett suspected Esposito's eagerness to accompany Ryan had more to do with the nurses than actual concern about their partner's health. Ryan's injuries had been minor, but the paramedics hadn't wanted to take any risks. So Beckett was stuck writing their report, filling out the right forms and rereading the entire case file to make sure they hadn't missed anything.

She was almost done when her phone buzzed. She kept on reading until the end of the page and then glanced at her phone. The display only showed one letter, but it prompted Beckett to read a little bit faster. Ten minutes later, she had finished the paperwork and put the file on Captain Montgomery's desk. She put on her leather jacket, made sure she had everything she needed – keys, phone, wallet, gun – and left the precinct. She got into her car, glanced around to see if any other cops were hanging around, and finally opened the message.

Message from: K

"At your place. Ordered takeout. One hour. Booze?"

She sent a quick text back – "Check fridge ;-)" – before starting the car and finally leaving the precinct. On the way to her apartment, she made a quick stop at a supermarket, knowing full well that she would be coming home to a lecture about the state of her fridge and pantry otherwise. Grabbing whatever was necessary to make a decent breakfast the next morning, she made her way over to the register. While the clerk was scanning and bagging everything in her basket, Kate glanced at her watch. She still had plenty of time to make it home before dinner would arrive. She paid, said goodbye to the clerk – "Have a good night!" – and got back into the car, dropping the groceries on the passenger seat.

She made it back to her apartment with 15 minutes to spare. Kate fished her key out of her pocket – knocking on the door of her own place would feel weird – and opened the door. At first glance, it didn't seem like there was anyone already inside, but then Kate saw a backpack on the ground next to the couch. Beside the backpack lay a pair of shoes, clearly taken off quite casually by their owner since one of the shoes was on its side and the other one almost disappeared underneath the couch. Kate could hear the shower running. She knew there wasn't enough time left to join in, because the food would be arriving soon, so she made her way to the kitchen instead. Kate dropped the bag of groceries on the countertop next to the fridge, leaned back against the cabinet doors for support whilst tugging off her boots, and started unpacking groceries. She had just closed the fridge when there was a knock at the door.

"Food's here!" she yelled in the direction of the bathroom. She heard the water being shut off. Grabbing her wallet, Kate opened the door. She paid the delivery guy, took hold of the two bags he gave her, and closed the door with the heel of her foot, letting herself fall back against the door to make sure it was closed. She dropped the bags on the coffee table and then went into the kitchen to get two beers from the fridge – beer and wine being the only two things she always had in there – and put her wallet back into her jacket pocket. On her way back to the living room she grabbed two coasters, laying them down next to each other on the coffee table and putting the beers on them. Kate had just let herself fall onto the couch when she heard the sound of damp feet on a wooden floor approaching. She looked over her shoulder to see her co-worker walk into the living room, wearing sweatpants and a sleeveless shirt. Kevin Ryan sat down next to her on the couch.

"Everything okay?" Kate asked, handing him his beer.

"Sure. Just cuts and bruises," Kevin replied. "I really didn't need to go to the E.R. for that, but Espo was being a mother hen."

He took a swig of beer and then started emptying the bag of takeout closest to him while Kate did the same with the other bag. They arranged the containers of Chinese on the coffee table, making sure they both had easy access to the ones they both liked. Kate slid a container of Singapore noodles closer to her side of the table while Kevin saved a container of potato salad from her disapproving glare.

"You're the only person I know who orders potato salad at a Chinese place," Kate said before biting into a spring roll.

Kevin shrugged. "It's good potato salad."

Kate, unable to hide a smile, shook her head. "Has anyone ever told you you're weird, Ryan?"

"You, every time we order Chinese," he replied, tucking into his potato salad.

During dinner, they talked a bit about work and what had happened after Esposito and Ryan had gone to the hospital. Eventually, Kate dug the remote from underneath a pillow and turned on the tv. Dividing her time between dinner, conversation and a rerun of 'Friends', Kate started to feel herself relax. When she was done with dinner, she put down the rest of the chicken chow mein and got up from the couch.

"I hope you haven't used up all the hot water," she said as she walked into her bedroom, not expecting a reply since Kevin was still busy chewing on an egg roll.

Kate took off her shirt. She noticed dirt on the sleeves and the back, and threw it in the laundry basket. Catching killers was a dirty business. She unbuttoned the jeans she was wearing and slid them down to her ankles. She stepped out of them, putting a hand on her dresser for balance as she took of her socks too. Kate picked up everything and threw it on top of her shirt. She went into the bathroom, turned on the shower and waited a few seconds to make sure the water wasn't too cold anymore before taking off her bra and panties, and stepping underneath the spray.

As she was rinsing out her shampoo a second time, and enjoying the cherry scent it gave off, Kate heard the floorboards in her bedroom creak. She wrung out her hair and turned around in the shower just in time to see Kevin walk into the bathroom. He was naked from the waist up, his shirt already somewhere on Kate's bedroom floor.

"Got room for one more in there?" he asked, taking off his sweatpants.

"Didn't you already have a shower?" Kate replied.

"I had to wash away some dirt and blood. I got wounded while on the job today, you know," Kevin teased.

Kate pushed open the shower door a bit, at the same time letting in a draft of cool air, which made her shiver. Kevin stepped into the shower, closing the door and shutting out the cold. He grabbed her by the hips, forcing her to step backwards until she was pressed up against the wall. Kate could feel him grow hard against her hip. He tightened the grip on her hips as he started kissing and licking his way down her neck. Kate clung to his shoulders, trying to pull him closer. Kevin's hands let go of her hips and made their way up, sliding from her hips to her waist, all the way up until they were resting right underneath her breasts.

Kate tangled her fingers in his hair as Kevin kissed his way down her neck and breasts. She let out a soft moan when Kevin sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, teasing it into a stiff peak. His hands caressed the underside of her breasts, the fingers of his right hand coming up to play with her other nipple. With a parting lick with the stiff tip of his tongue, he let go of Kate's right nipple and moved on to her left one, sucking it into his mouth after first playfully biting the side of her breast. His hands moved to her back, fingers ghosting down Kate's spine, one hand reaching out to turn off the shower.

"Kevin, please," she moaned, tightening the grip she had on his hair when he let go of her nipple to lick, kiss and tease his way down her body, which brought him down on his knees in front of her.

His hands settled on her hips again as he looked up at Kate, wordlessly telling her to spread her legs. He let his hands glide down the outside of her thighs, down to her knees, bringing them back up the inside of her legs. His left hand continued upwards until it was back on her hip, but his right hand stayed on her upper thigh, his fingers inching their way towards her folds. Kate released his hair from her tight grip, one hand grabbing the water pipe while the fingers of the other locked around the wrist of the hand Kevin had on her hip. He ran the back of his fingers up and down her lips, paying close attention to Kate's reactions. When she widened her stance even more, he slipped one finger up inside her, slowly pushing it in and out, going a little bit deeper every time. He soon added a second finger, his thumb moving in circles around her clit. As he curled his fingers inside her, Kevin was rewarded with a loud moan.

"Yes," Kate panted. "More. I need more."

Keeping his fingers moving in and out of her, Kevin pressed down a little bit harder on the little nub, only to remove his thumb right after. Kate let out a whimper and a disappointed groan, which turned into a moan when she felt Kevin lick a trail, down from where his fingers were still sliding in and out of her, all the way up until he almost reached her clit. He repeated this a few times, always stopping just short of actually touching the small bud, until Kate couldn't stand the teasing anymore. She let go of the hold she had on his wrist and let her fingers glide down to the back of Kevin's head, gripping his hair and pushing him against herself. In response, Kevin sucked her clit inside his mouth, running the tip of his tongue around it in circles, teasing it, teasing her, into oblivion. Kate pulled him even tighter against her center, almost grinding into his face, locking her thighs around his head to keep him in place. Feeling her thighs tremble, Kevin doubled his efforts, his fingers curling and twisting inside of her, his mouth sucking, licking, nipping at her clit, bringing her closer and closer until she threw her head back and fell over the edge with a scream. He kept sliding his fingers in and out of her, trying to prolong her pleasure, feeling her clench around his fingers like a vice. His mouth was lapping at her lips, her clit, her thighs, breathing her in, attempting to taste her as much as he could.

"Stop," Kate said, panting. She pushed him away from her, her hand releasing the hold she had on him.

His fingers slipped out of her, and Kevin was left kneeling in front of her while Kate was trying to catch her breath. He stood up and kissed her, letting her taste herself. Breaking off the kiss, he brought one of his fingers up to his mouth and licked it clean, moaning around it.

"God, you taste heavenly," he said.

Before he could lick the other fingers, Kate grabbed his hand and brought it to her own mouth. She ran her tongue over the fingers, licking them clean, tasting herself again. The last finger was released from her mouth and Kate dropped his hand, staring Kevin in the eye as she let her own hands trail down his body. Keeping one hand on his arm, she clasped the other one around his erect cock, feeling it harden even more. Kate started moving her hand up and down, stroking his cock agonizingly slow. She saw Kevin bite his lip, and sped up slightly, causing him to dig his fingers into her hips, the skin turning white.

"I'm not going to last if… Ah… If you keep doing that," Kevin moaned into her ear.

Kate released the grip she had on him, kissed him hard and turned around, bracing her arms on the shower wall. Kevin lined himself up with her entrance and slowly pushed inside her, both of them moaning. As he buried himself deep inside her, she felt him lick and kiss her shoulders, his fingers still gripping her hips so he could remain in control. As he started thrusting in and out of her, Kate felt herself climb to another high. Bracing herself fully on her left arm, she moved her right hand down between her legs to flick her clit, chasing a second orgasm. When Kevin realised what she was doing, he moved one hand from her hips, swatting hers away so he could take over. His thrusts became harder and harder, occasionally pushing Kate against the cold shower wall, which was both heaven and hell on her nipples. She moved a finger around and over her nipples, squeezing her breasts, looking for any kind of friction or touch that would bring her closer to release.

Kevin had a hard time holding off on his own release, determined to make Kate come a second time before giving in to the siren call. His thrusts became less controlled, lightly rolling and pinching Kate's clit between two fingers. He felt her clench around him, so he did it again, pushing her higher and higher until she finally fell, legs shaking, moaning loudly, urging Kevin towards his own fall. She contracted her muscles around him, making herself tighter, creating more friction for him. Another few thrusts of his hips and Kevin came, biting down hard on her shoulder. He slipped out of her, his head coming to rest against her shoulder blade, forcing air back into his longs, leaning heavily against Kate's body.

When they had both recovered enough to support themselves again, Kevin turned on the shower again, the water still hot. They washed away the traces of their heated lovemaking, Kevin trailing his fingers over the spot where he had marked Kate.

"It's okay," she said, sounding hoarse. "I kinda like it."

He kissed the mark, kissed her, and finished showering, leaving Kate alone inside the bathroom as he slung a towel around his hips and moved into the bedroom to get dressed again. Kate stood underneath the spray for another few minutes, enjoying the scalding heat on her tired muscles. She towelled off in front of her mirror, examining the places where Kevin had left bruises and marks. After brushing her hair, she took her robe from the hook behind the door and put it on. She was still fastening the belt when she walked back into the living room.

"Are you leaving already?" she asked, seeing Kevin sitting on the couch, fully dressed except for his shoes, stuffing his dirty clothes in his bag.

"I have a date tomorrow," he replied, avoiding looking at her.

"The nurse?" Kate asked, coming to stand in front of him.

"The designer," he said, finally looking up at her.

Kate sat down on the coffee table in front of him. "Are you guys getting serious?"

"I don't know. We haven't had that talk yet. I think she's still dating other guys."

Kate took hold of one of his hands. "Do you want to leave, or do you think you should leave?"

Kevin didn't answer. Kate got up again and walked into her bedroom. She dropped the robe and got into bed naked. A few minutes later, Kevin slid in next to her.