Reunited
Jen praised her own skill at being able to hold glasses of margaritas without shaking or spilling all over the place. Her entire body felt like it was about to vibrate right off the floor. She couldn't believe this was real. He was here.
Nick.
It took everything in her not to leap into his arms the way she used to, feel him hold her tight like he would never let her go. She still dreamed about him at night, even after all this time.
As they sat across the table from each other in Matty's living room, their eyes met half a dozen times. The habit of secretive smiles hadn't been broken. Hopefully no one noticed. They'd need to figure out what to do, now that they'd be working together. This wasn't something they could just rush into blindly. They both had their careers to think of.
But Christ, she wanted him. And if that look in his eye was any indication, he wanted her, too.
"Guys, thanks so much for the party. I've missed you all. But I'm afraid I've had a long day finishing my assignments, and I've got to get to bed," Jen announced. She stood up and gave Emma a hug. "Thank you so much for everything, Emma."
"You're alright to get home?" Emma asked.
Jen's lips quirked into a small half-smile. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. It's Dunny you've got to worry about," she teased pointedly. "No, honestly I'm fine. But you know, it's weird, I realized the other day that I've lived in my little house across town the entire time I've been a detective. I bought it with the raise I got when I made detective and got assigned to Fraud. And I've lived there for almost five years. I've never lived anywhere that long," Jen noted. Her tone was casual and nonchalant, but she stared right at Nick as she spoke.
"That's nothing. I've lived in the same crap flat since I was in uniform," Simon offered. He then went on to talk about how cheap the rent was but all the awful neighbors he'd had over the years.
While everyone was busy listening to Simon whine on, Jen slipped out to her car. She drove home still feeling that electric thrumming through her veins. It killed her that she'd gone through the whole night barely talking to Nick, barely getting within three feet of him. He was so close, finally, and yet, they were still so far apart.
She grumbled to herself. If only he didn't look so good. He looked exactly the same. Not a hair on his head was different than her memory of him. Jen had changed her hair and gained weight and gotten a few wrinkles on her face in the intervening years. Maybe Nick had wrinkles, too. Maybe she'd be able to get a close enough look at him to find out.
A vision of lying in bed and tracing the lines on his face popped into Jen's mind. She quickly shook her head and dismissed it, unwilling to have that teasing memory torture her.
Once she got home, Jen went tearing around the house, cleaning things up and changing her clothes, hoping she'd be ready in time. She was. She sat on the sofa with a glass of wine from the bottle she'd opened the night before.
A knock at the door caused her to jump slightly. Jen grinned as she rushed to answer it.
And there he was. Nick.
"Hi. I think you wanted me to come over, is that right?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe, just like he used to.
She smirked. "I always knew you were a good detective. Come in."
He stood in the entryway, his body just a bit too close to hers to be platonic. "It's been a long time, Jen."
She looked up at him and had to resist sighing in contentment. "Yeah, it has. Too long."
Nick placed his hand on her arm, gently feeling the texture of the pink floral silk robe she wore. "It's good to see you. You look good."
"You look exactly the same."
He chuckled, "Is that a good thing?"
"Made me realize how much I've missed you," she replied with a sad smile.
"You'll see me every day now, it seems."
Jen placed her hand on his chest to stop him talking. "I know, we'll have to figure out work. But just for tonight, before we deal with all of that, can we just be us again?"
He leaned in, pausing just before meeting her lips. "Thought you'd never ask," he breathed, closing the distance to kiss her.
Immediately, Jen threw her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Nick groaned into her mouth as he lifted her up. With her legs wrapped around his waist, he carried her through the house on the well-worn path to her bedroom.
"God, Jen. I've missed you so much. I want you," he mumbled against her skin as he settled them on the bed, sucking and nipping on the sensitive skin of her neck.
"Yes, Nick," she moaned, arching into his touch.
Her fingers made quick work of his shirt before moving on to his belt buckle. He stood up to remove his clothes before crawling back onto the bed. Jen lay with her arms wide open for him to untie her robe. She wasn't wearing anything underneath. For a moment, Nick just stared at her, memorizing every inch of her body, replacing the memories that had barely sustained him in their years apart.
"Please," she begged, aching for his touch once more.
Nick settled between her legs, his mouth making wet trails down her neck and chest, paying each of her breasts the attention they deserved. His hand continued down, stroking her sex. Her hips moved against his fingers to increase the friction. Nick took a moment to kiss her lips again. She sucked on his tongue, giving him shivers down his spine and a jolt to his groin. He was already hard for her, twitching to enter her. But not just yet. Nick lifted her thighs to rest on his shoulders as his mouth sucked and licked at her. "I'd forgotten how good you taste," he growled against her.
Jen was shuddering with climax before she could even adjust to his ministrations. It was always like this with Nick; her body reacted perfectly to his every effort. Oh, how she'd missed him.
Finally, Nick couldn't wait any longer to have her. As she recovered from her orgasm, he gave himself a few strokes before lining himself up with her entrance. Jen lifted her legs to encourage him in. His tip nudged against her already-sensitive flesh. She moaned as he pushed into her, feeling deliciously filled. He started thrusting at a steady pace. Jen linked her ankles behind his back, pulling him in deeper. It didn't take long for him to lose his self-control.
Jennifer's vision exploded with stars as ecstasy radiated through her body. Everything was so much more vivid and powerful than she remembered with him. But perhaps the time apart had dulled her memory. Regardless, this was better than anything she could recall.
They lay side by side, slick with sweat and breathing heavily. Jen lazily flung her arm out to stroke the muscles of his arm. "I am so glad you're back," she panted.
"Happy to be back," he replied with a breathy laugh. He pushed himself into a seated position, looking down at her. "I guess I should get going."
"Or you could stay," she countered. "Just for tonight."
Nick didn't need her to say it twice. He settled back into bed beside her. With a sleepy kiss to her lips, he murmured, "Just for tonight."
When Jen woke the next morning, she smiled at the memory of her long-awaited reunion with Nick. She rolled over in bed and saw the emptiness beside her. With a sad sigh, she hauled herself out of bed to take off her pyjamas and get into the shower. And as she washed her hair, Jen couldn't help but be equally pleased and annoyed with her subconscious. How dare she be punished like this by her own mind? But at the same time...what a wonderful dream. A dream she had every intention of making come true as soon as she could.
