Author's note: all usual disclaimers apply. This is just a silly fluffy piece.

The stubble on Tommy's chin felt like sandpaper as it scratched across her neck. Barbara Havers took a deep breath and pushed softly against his body. She felt her boss tense slightly before he gently pressed back. His chin seemed to nuzzle further into the soft flesh where her neck tapered into her shoulder. The itchy sensation spread across her skin raising goosebumps. He began to rub his face into her hair. She thought she heard him sniff it and give an approving murmur. She inhaled slowly and closed her eyes. Then he pushed a bit too hard. "Ow!"

"Sorry," he whispered, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know Sir. You didn't. Not really."

They stopped moving but Tommy Lynley did not take his face from her neck. He dared a delicate brush of his new whiskers across the skin of her shoulder as he pushed her blouse collar away from her face. He had an urge to bite her, not in a vampiric way but more as a teasing nip on the way back to her neck. His sergeant had a long neck; one he had never fully appreciated until tonight. He imagined the tip of his tongue tracing circles across her shoulder. He wondered what it would be like to nibble on her earlobe. He turned his face back towards hers and his nose found her ear. He ran it around the edge and smiled when she gasped.

He snuggled closer to her body. He liked the way her contours moulded so neatly into his own as if they were made to be together. The moment of perfection did not last. Barbara began to wriggle. "It'll hurt less if you move with me, not against me," he warned.

"I don't know how."

"Then just stay still and let me do it."

For the next few minutes, Barbara gave her complete trust to Tommy. He was being patient and as gentle as he could but every movement hurt. "Nearly finished?"

"Nearly," he said through gritted teeth.

"Take your time. I can handle it."

"Ah! Arghhhhhh!" Tommy stopped moving.

"You okay?"

"Yes, fine. Sorry, I wasn't expecting that. I...just give me a minute to recover." Tommy let his face fall against her neck.

Barbara put her hand on his naked shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Her other hand was still around his waist. His skin was more textured than she had imagined and she took the opportunity to explore it. His knees pressed almost painfully into her thighs but she was not about to complain. After all, it was the first time they had ever been this close after years of fantasising about it. Slowly his hand started to rub her back.

"I think we're done." He pulled away carefully. Barbara regretted losing the feel of his body against her. He took her hand. "You okay?"

Barbara nodded slowly. "Yeah. It hurts like hell, though. I can feel the blood soaking through."

"I know. I'm sorry but there was no way around it."

"It's okay Sir, really." In the faint glow of the stars, she could see his face. He looked contrite and worried.

"It hurt me too. I have something that will help in the tent." He guided her back to the three-person tent that they had set up in the lee of a hill only a few hours before.

"I should've stayed here."

"Yes, it would have been more comfortable. Was I snoring too loudly?"

"No, I just needed to pee; which reminds me."

Tommy laughed softly. He guided her to a protected spot. "Go here, where you were supposed to go. I even have water to wash in that container." He still had her hand and reluctantly let it go. "I'll look the other way."

"But you'll be able to hear."

"Can I trust you not to fall into any more briars?"

Barbara sighed in resignation. "Well, whistle or something so you can't listen."

Tommy grinned to himself. When he had heard her scream and call for him he had reacted quickly. He feared the worst but she had only tripped and fallen backwards into a heavy bramble. The thorns had caught her shirt and her skin. He had started with her arms, carefully pulling the spikes out of the material. Her back had been harder. He had needed to lean over her and, as he edged down her back gently freeing her skin, he had needed to rub against her. He had enjoyed it, perhaps too much. Her hair had felt silky against his face and smelt delightfully of coconut. He had deliberately delayed freeing her so he could stand there feeling her body react to him. She had pushed against him and not pulled away. She had sighed involuntarily when his arms were around her. He had felt her braless breasts harden through the flimsy material of her blouse. Her hands had burned where they touched his naked skin and he had wanted to kiss her. He wanted to make love to her. It was becoming far more difficult to disguise his desire and he was no longer sure he wanted to hide it. They were both adults and he knew she shared some of his feelings.

"Whistle!"

Tommy shook his head then started to quote Shakespeare instead. "When in the chronicle of wasted time..."

Barbara listened to him as he spoke. His voice was slightly less certain than usual but still had that rich timbre and gentle accent that she loved. She wondered if her handsome boss might have enjoyed himself a little too much in the brambles. His fingers had been caring as they probed her back and de-thorned her but he had lingered in his task and his strokes had been unnecessarily, but magnificently, sensual. There had been no need to run his nose around her ear but when he had her reaction had come straight from her groin. She had rolled her hips against his, delighted to feel his response. They had been openly flirting with each other for several weeks and this seemed a natural extension. She had always known Hillier's wilderness trek was a dangerous idea. Wickedly, deliciously dangerous! "Shakespeare?"

"Yes, a sonnet, CVI. They had not skill enough your worth to sing,"

"I'm finished."

Tommy laughed. Only Barbara would interrupt his attempt to tell her he admired her. "Come on then let's look at those cuts."

"Sorry. I feel bad that you cut your hand."

"It was worth it."

"Mmm."

In the tent, he lit the portable gas lantern and adjusted it to be just bright enough to see. "Take off your shirt," he said as he rummaged in his backpack for his first aid kit.

Barbara looked at him. "I don't have anything on under it."

Tommy did not look up but he momentarily stopped breathing. He knew she was warning him rather than being seductive but her words stirred him. "I promise I won't look at anything but the wounds."

He found the kit but waited until the rustling of her clothes had stopped before he turned around. Her alabaster skin was surprisingly flawless except for two dozen weeping puncture wounds. He placed his left hand cautiously on her shoulder then dabbed them systematically with antiseptic, aware she was wincing. "Sorry but you don't want them to become infected."

"It's fine," she said through clenched teeth. She imagined his hand moving slowly down her arm. She should feel embarrassed sitting in front of him with no shirt on but instead, it seemed natural. In the brambles necessity had done what months of dinners together, weekends at Howenstowe and very little time apart had failed to do. It had shown her that his feelings mirrored hers, at least in desire, if not in the depth of love.

"You have beautiful skin." It sounded far creepier aloud than it had in his head. The tension between them was like a fog closing in.

"Thanks." She was not used to compliments but she was determined not to say anything too smart and ruin the mood.

"It shouldn't scar."

The dabbing stopped as he reached the last wound just above the line of her hi-cut underwear. At first, she thought she imagined it but then it happened again. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing them better," he said then kissed another one.

"Oh."

"Is it working?"

Barbara closed her eyes and suppressed a moan. His lips were soft and his stubble tickled. "Yes."

Tommy kissed a few more spots on her back. "You'd better put a shirt on Barbara."

Disappointment knotted in her stomach. She grabbed a shirt from the top of her backpack and hurriedly pulled it on. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not you, it's me."

Barbara snorted. "At least be honest Sir, rather than sound like a cliche from a soapie."

Tommy took her hand. She looked up and he could see pain and humiliation in her eyes. "It wasn't meant that way. Feeling your skin on my lips was too much. I was breaking my promise. I was looking at your skin and the shape of your curves. I was thinking about the feel of your body against mine when we were in the brambles. I wanted to make love to you, desperately and probably not as a gentleman should."

"And you don't want to now?"

Tommy hung his head. "No, I do. Much more than you imagine and it's not just tonight Barbara, I've wanted it for months."

Barbara's heart was racing. She had no idea how to answer him. "I see."

Silence hung uncomfortably in the air. "I'd never do anything to hurt you. That's why I never said anything."

"I see."

"Stop saying that and just tell me if you find the idea abhorrent."

"Is this just about sex?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Tommy understood that his response was answering so much more. "No, it's about love Barbara. It's about sharing everything with you, body and soul. It's about building a future together but only if you feel the same way."

Barbara lifted his hand and kissed the thorn-pricks on his palm. "It's frightening and exciting but not abhorrent."

Tommy pulled her towards him. He kissed her gently. They were both nervous and it showed in silly grins and clumsy movements. As their lips tried to find a rhythm he ran his finger from her ear, across her throat to the top of her breast. She gasped in surprise and he seized her mouth. His tongue found hers and all the awkwardness dissolved in fiery passion.

"Not at all abhorrent," she confirmed as dawn broke over the ridge of moorland she could see through the open tent flap.

Tommy propped himself up on his elbow then leant down and kissed her passionately. "Anything but abhorrent, but maybe we should do it again to be sure."

"I could stay here all day like this Tommy but we have to pack and leave or we'll never complete Hillier's bonding exercise."

"I don't know Sergeant, I think we've bonded superbly." He kissed her again as he cuddled her close "What if I said there was a way to spend all day and night in bed and still beat Hillier to the finish tomorrow?"

"Where do I sign?"

Thirty minutes later they had packed camp and were hiking hand-in-hand away from where they should be going. "You're sure the car will be there?" Barbara asked.

"Positive. I had it delivered just in case and the hotel is expecting us."

"How do you know where the finish is if we don't find the clues?"

"My friend own's the catering company that will provide the spit roast. He rang for some advice about what police like to eat."

Barbara laughed. "Hmm, a car parked strategically, a hotel booked, knowledge of the finish, a convenient pack of condoms in your backpack; you did plan to seduce me last night."

"No," he said with mock mortification. "I planned to seduce you at the hotel."

Barbara grinned at him. "You still can."

Tommy drove quickly to the hotel which was perched on a rise overlooking a large lake. The moorlands offered little in the way of trees to soften the landscape so the hotel was designed with sharp angles of concrete, glass and wood to match the austere mood. The foyer was a contrast that surprised Barbara. The angles and textures were softened by plush leather couches and huge, bright modernist paintings.

Their suite had panoramic glass windows that framed the lake and the moor behind it. Nothing else disturbed the view. "It's as if we're the only people here."

"We probably are. They asked if they could serve dinner tonight in our room rather than open the restaurant."

Barbara explored and found the bathroom. A large circular spa bath was in front of another window with a sweeping view and the wall of an enormous shower was thick glass that overlooked the mountain. "People might see in!"

Tommy came up and stood close behind her. "No, it's like a one-way mirror. No one will see us making love."

Barbara's body reacted instantly to his words and his body. The idea shocked her but also aroused her. She pushed back against him and smiled. "I need a shower now."

"I thought you'd never ask."

They stripped each other quickly between deep, sensuous kisses as they shuffled towards the shower. The warm water cascaded over them as they slowly washed each other. Tommy admired her curves as he ran the soap over her hips. Slowly he backed her against the glass wall.

Barbara laughed gently as he kissed her neck and then nibbled on her ear. "I seem to remember we've been in this position before."

"Hmm and, this time, I will do what I wanted to then." He bit her neck just hard enough to elicit a shiver and a deep, desirous moan.

Dressed in white, fluffy bathrobes they were propped up in bed, admiring the afternoon storm that drifted over the moor as they sipped on the beers Tommy had ordered. Champagne was too cliched for Barbara. His arm was around her shoulders and she was snuggled in next to him. "Sleep well?" he asked.

"Very. You?"

"Like a baby. Actually like an old man very content with his life."

"You're not an old man. Certainly not based on this morning!"

"You keep me young. We are rather compatible don't you think?" He gave her a cheeky but loving grin.

"I always knew we would be."

"Did you indeed?" Tommy wrapped her arms around her and hugged her to him tightly.

"Ow! Sorry, my back is sore."

"Take your robe off and I'll take a look." Tommy was concerned that perhaps her thorn wounds were becoming infected.

Barbara stood and slipped off the robe then sat on the bed facing the window. Tommy sat up behind her and examined her back. "They're scabbing over nicely and don't look red."

"Delightfully put but they're damned itchy."

"Lie face down and I'll rub some more cream in."

Barbara obeyed as Tommy stood and slipped off his robe then fetched his first aid kit. "Hillier would have a small fit if he could see us now," she said.

Tommy laughed. "I think it might be quite a large one."

"Yeah, he sends teams off into the moors to bond and we drive to a hotel and shag."

"Barbara! A Lynley does not 'shag'! A Lynley makes love."

"Sorry, Your Lordship. I think the Havers just shag."

"Then perhaps we need to change that." Tommy rubbed his stubbly face over her back in long sweeps from her neck to her spine. She shivered under him.

His face felt good on her skin. He certainly did know how to please a woman. "What, so the Havers' start to make love like lords and ladies?"

"No, so that a certain Havers becomes a Lynley." Tommy continued his anti-itch treatment.

Tommy continued to tickle her back. It was so erotic she was focussed on that and not his words. "Hmm, more of that, ooh yeah, just there."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Something about Havers becoming Lynleys. Oh!" She stopped moving, stopped breathing.

"Only one Havers," he said as he nuzzled his face into her neck, his body covering hers but the weight on his knees. "Marry me Barbara."

"But..."

"Hmm," he said kissing her ear and gently tugging on the lobe. "no buts. I love you and want to spend the rest of our lives like this."

"I love you too. I told you that last night but after all this time as friends you think one night in bed and we should get married? Oh dear...don't do that, it's very distracting." Tommy was kissing his way down her spine.

"Yes, good summary."

"Shouldn't we wait?"

"So you agree in principle, we just have to decide the timing?"

She groaned as he ran his whiskers over her tail. "At the moment, I'd agree to anything!"

Tommy moved up her body with his sandpapery chin. "Anything? I'd be careful about that."

Barbara rolled over underneath him. "Persuade me."

Tommy parked the car about a thirty-minute walk from where they were to meet. They had not washed their clothes or combed their hair so as to look suitably dishevelled. He pushed the pace so that they would be sweating. They skirted around the ridge and approached from the side that should have been their course. Tommy gave her a loving kiss before they headed down to the clearing.

Hillier frowned as he saw them but welcomed them. "Ah, so how did you enjoy the trek?"

"Fine Sir. Quite tiring but rewarding," Lynley replied diplomatically.

"Yes, it met its aim. I think the DI and I bonded quite effectively," Barbara added with a hint of mischief.

Hillier looked at Barbara and raised his eyebrows. "Yes, I thought so too." Barbara frowned and Tommy smiled tightly. Hiller winked her. "You two do realise that you've been holding hands since you walked into view over the ridge. " Hillier walked away quite chuffed with himself.

Barbara groaned. "Should we tell him now we are getting married?"

"No, let him worry about how he's going to manage the situation. Let's get something to eat. You must be starving."