Chapter 2:
What was she doing? It was freezing outside and she could feel the first drops of moisture falling from the sky. She shuddered at the echo of thunder in the distance as she quickened the pace from the subway towards his apartment. Was she crazy? Probably. She had no idea what she wanted to say to him, what she intended on doing when she got to his front door but she just knew she had to go see him.
By the time she let herself inside the foyer and up the stairs to his apartment, she knocked, leaving a puddle on the floor as she was soaking wet from head to toe.
"Livia?" Peter answered the door, watching her teeth chatter and her body shivering uncontrollably. He wanted to ask what she was doing out in the rain but instead let her in watching the puddle follow her in through the front door. "I'll grab you some towels." He insisted, pushing Walter aside in the bathroom as he found a half-dozen or so walking back over, dropping one on the floor and using another he wrapped it around her shoulders.
"I wanted to see you," she whispered through clenched teeth. Her lips very visibly blue and though he hadn't thought it'd been that cold out, standing out in the rain certainly hadn't helped.
"Well here I am," Peter offered her a warm smile. "How about I grab you something of mine to change into?" He watched her stand by the front door, shivering and cold, holding the towel tighter as she was making it sop. Quickly he grabbed a pair of sweatpants and his MIT shirt handing it to her. "I'll kick Walter out of the bathroom so you can have some privacy."
Her teeth chattered with a nod, "appreciated."
Peter walked over, "Walter, Livia needs the bathroom." Walter glanced her over, seeing her pale and nearly blue, shivering as she held the towel tight in her hands and Peter held his spare change of clothes for her. He put them on the bathroom counter. "Walter." Peter said his father's name a second time, this time causing a reaction.
"Oh, right." Walter nodded. "It's all yours." He walked out eyeing his son before climbing into bed.
Peter watched her walk into the bathroom and he handed her the additional towels that were still dry. "You might want these," he offered, "help dry you off some more."
"Thanks," she nodded taking them and closing the door behind her. Her body felt cold and numb. If it had been snowing she'd have wondered if she had hypothermia. The fact it wasn't that cold outside though, made her just seem weak. She stripped out of all her clothes, watching them hit the floor with a thud. She wrapped them in a towel, doing her best to dry them and used another towel to dry and warm herself up. Finally she pulled on Peter's sweats and his t-shirt, smiling faintly. It smelled musky and exactly of him. She sighed contently knowing full well the effect he had on her and being in his clothes was making it all the more tempting to do something she knew she wasn't supposed to. She ran a towel through her cold damp hair before finally opening the door, seeing Peter sitting on the couch. "Do you have a dryer around here?"
Peter glanced back, trying to hide the growing smile on his face, as he saw her in his clothes. "There's one in the basement of the building," he nodded. "I'll take you down there, we can put your clothes on." He smiled seeing her holding the sweat pants at the front. "You know there's a drawstring to tighten those."
Olivia gave him a look, "no, there's not. I already looked." She hadn't looked but she was pretty confident she would have noticed. She watched him stand up and walk over. He was standing so incredibly close she felt her body shiver as his hand moved to the hem of her shirt, lifting it to reveal the top of her sweatpants. Gently his touch caressed her stomach, rolling the elastic band down slightly and smiled as he tightened the string before his eyes met hers. "Okay, so maybe I missed it." She laughed nervously feeling his hands move away as she pulled the shirt down further around her.
Peter nodded, his eyes on her the entire time. "Grab your clothes, we'll put them in the dryer. They shouldn't take too long." He grabbed the keys to the door, eyeing Walter. "We'll be back later."
"Have fun son!" Walter called back.
Peter led Olivia down the stairs towards the basement of the building. Opening the door there were an array of washing machines already on but the dryers were mostly empty. She pulled open one of the doors, tossing them in and turning it on. "Thanks," she smiled hearing the sound and finding it slightly reassuring for the first moment in awhile, she was alone with Peter. Her eyes landed on the row of washing machines, a laugh escaping her lips thinking back to a simpler time.
Peter followed her gaze, not seeing what she was laughing about. "What's so funny?"
"When I was a senior in high school," she paused unsure how much to tell him. "Well, use your imagination Peter. A washing machine is a lot like a giant vibrating device and with someone else---" her words trailed off remembering how amazing it had been.
He laughed feeling his cheeks burn just imagining her, "you lost your virginity having sex on a washing machine?"
She met his stare, a laugh escaping her lips. "Yeah, something like that."
Peter felt a smile creeping onto his lips. "And how was it?" He was curious and didn't want her dropping the subject.
"The washing machine did a better job than the boyfriend," Olivia chuckled, shaking her head. "We were both young and --- inexperienced," her tongue darted out, licking her suddenly dry lips. "What about you? What's the craziest place you've had sex?" She tilted her head to the side, a smile on her face as she watched him intently.
"Are you trying to flirt with me Agent Dunham?" He teased stepping closer, "I don't think there's any place that's been crazy." It was better she didn't know. As much as she was asking him, he knew it would make her jealous. He'd seen the look on her face in the office, when she'd thought he was dating Rachel. As tempting as it was to rile her up, it wasn't worth the fight either.
Her eyes locked on his, "you're lying." He had to be. He was handsome and charming, a heartthrob to most women. She knew he probably had many partners but his past didn't matter to her. "Come on, Peter. I shared. It's your turn."
"At the lab, the other day." He stared at her with a deadpanned expression.
"What?" Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. He didn't! Rachel swore nothing happened between them.
He couldn't help but laugh seeing her face. She very much reminded him of a cartoon character. "I'm kidding, Livia." He rested his hand on her arm. "Come on, you know me better than that." His touch was gentle yet firm. Soothing and arousing at the same time. His thumb gently caressed her skin, sending goose bumps down her body.
She smiled faintly, shaking her head as her eyes stayed locked onto his. "You're cruel, you know that?" She couldn't believe the things he put her through. The rollercoaster she was feeling right now—had been feeling for the past day or so. "I honestly thought you were dating Rachel."
"Yeah, really?" He laughed stepping closer, his hand staying on her arm and the other finding her hips. "How'd that make you feel?"
"Jealous, pissed, angry. I yelled at her for it this evening," Olivia confessed.
Peter felt the smile tugging at his lips, "then I think you owe her an apology."
"No way." Olivia was adamant, shaking her head. "I'm not apologizing." Though she knew she may have been slightly wrong in the matter, she still saw something there and it scared her. Backing down meant Rachel could easily still hurt her. Though she was family---she'd been hurt before by those she loved.
"You really are stubborn, aren't you?" Peter asked. Though it was rhetorical, he knew she'd answer him.
"That's something you're just figuring out now?" She asked, laughing when she felt his hold on her tighten as he was walking her backwards. "Peter?" She had no idea what he was up to, though her heart was fluttering in her chest.
"Want to try something adventurous?" He breathed letting his lips move down to her neck, feeling her body instantly responding.
Olivia sighed feeling her heart pounding in her chest. "Depends what you have in mind." She felt her eyes close the moment she was backed against the washing machine. He didn't have to say anything. "Oh." The words slipped past her lips as her eyes opened. Her breathing was heavy and deep. He hadn't so much as kissed her yet and already she was feeling her desire building within her.
Maybe it was his proximity or the fact she'd wanted him for months. Though she'd been denying herself the reality of it—the fact Rachel had nearly come between them scared her. It made her reach out, wanting what she couldn't have to find maybe, she could have it. Her hands snaked into his hair, pulling his lips to hers. The kiss was hot and passionate, fueled by a growing fire building between them. "In here?" The words croaked out, suddenly worried someone might actually see them.
"There's a lock on the door," Peter acknowledged, "but that means I'd have to let go of you." He didn't want to break the physical contact he had with her body but if it meant doing this---he was willing to part for only an instant.
"Screw the lock." She rasped covering his lips much more forcefully this time. Her heart pounded in her chest as her body clung to him. His hands found her hips, guiding her onto the washing machine. Her body leant forward towards him, her insides throbbing as the kisses deepened and intensified. She felt his fingers moving around her lower back, dipping beneath the shirt she was wearing and feeling over her warm skin. She hummed as they kissed, his lips moving down her neck, the vibration of the washer putting an even bigger smile on her face.
Neither knew how much time had passed, his hands roaming over her body, her fingers in his hair and down his neck, pulling him tighter and closer, wanting him naked with her and the thought of his body above hers, crushing her, pushing into her caused a shudder to run through her. They failed to hear footsteps or the instant coughing of someone standing there.
"Excuse me," the voice finally echoed, clearly annoyed with them. "You're on my machine."
Immediately her cheeks reddened, slipping off the washer grateful his hands had roamed her skin but left her clothed.
"Let's see if your clothes are done," his arms instantly wrapped around her hips from behind, his lips on her neck, trailing a path of kisses as he felt her leaning further back into him. The last thing he wanted was her to pull away.
"You're not really going to make me put on more clothes, are you?" Olivia laughed glancing back over her shoulder seeing the smile on his face.
Peter laughed, "that's not what I had in mind." He eyed the washing machine where they'd been making out and shook his head, the biggest smile on his face. He couldn't believe what had just happened and the fact they'd been caught. He was a little relieved they were caught now rather than actually in the act.
Olivia opened the dryer, feeling her clothes dry and warm. She pulled them out, her hips teasing his. "How about you come over to my place?" She spun around in his arms, the smile never leaving her face.
"You have a washing machine in your apartment?" He really hoped she did.
Laughing she shook her head, "no but I have a bedroom and seeing as how you and your father share an apartment---" she didn't have to say anything else.
The smile grew on his face, "what about Rachel and Ella?" He knew they were still staying with her.
Her sister's name on his lips immediately brought a frown to her face. "Shit." She'd forgotten about them staying over. "No chance they can stay over with Walter and we can have the place to ourselves?"
Peter laughed, "you'd do that to your sister and your niece?" He leaned in brushing his lips over hers. "Come on, you can go back upstairs, get changed then we can find ourselves a hotel room, just the two of us."
Olivia nodded weakly. "It's ridiculous, us getting a hotel room," she laughed following him up the stairs standing out in the hallway with him.
Peter felt his heart ache. "Please don't tell me this is the part where it's a mistake."
"God no!" Olivia laughed wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning in she kissed him. "Quite the opposite. You can come back, we'll just have to try and be quiet." Her lips took one taste then a second, her hands moving down his chest. "Please."
Peter felt the smile on his lips growing by the second, "you just want to take me home to make Rachel jealous."
"Yeah, that might be part of it."
