A/N 1: Here it is, the much-awaited rude awakening of Churillo!

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CHAPTER THREE: WHISKER BURN

The first time Bobby's cell phone buzzed, he was laying half on top of Alex on her sofa, kissing her enthusiastically. It tickled her inner thigh where she'd wrapped her leg around his hip. She laughed, partly from the sensation and partly from the sheer joy of where they were and where they were undoubtedly going.

The second time, Bobby had his hand up under her pyjama top, caressing her while she cooed encouragingly into his mouth. He grunted and dug the offending item out of his pocket, flinging it carelessly onto the floor before reaching back into her night-clothes. "Bobby, what if it's work," she said, laughing again at his single-mindedness. He was even more wonderful up close, with a warmth and glint in his brown eyes that she'd never seen before; his lips, moist and swollen from their kisses, beckoned her.

"It's not," he growled, settling himself over her again.

When her cell rang, they'd temporarily left off making out in favour of a much-needed chat: about the past few days, about the future.

---

~ I thought you were sick of me.

~ I'm not sick of you! I just thought – that I couldn't – court you, properly, while we were working together.

~...~

~ I knew that I'd blown it…

~ What?

~ The way I told you about – my plan… but, it took me a while to figure out how to fix it.

~ So did tonight go more according to plan?

~ Better. More kissing.

~...~

~ You were… crying, tonight.

~ I thought I was losing you.

~ You could – never – lose me… I – I love you, Alex.

---

"Hello?" Alex listened for a second, then sighed. "Yes, he is, just a moment." She handed her phone to Bobby. "It's Special Agent Churillo."

He looked at her in panic. Alex shrugged. She handed him the phone and lay back down next to him, smirking.

Alex listened to Bobby's awkward, stilted monosyllables with ill-concealed glee, now that she knew he didn't want the woman on the other end of the phone. She still had an irrational urge to push the smug Special Agent's pert little nose in, but forced herself to be magnanimous. Until the end of the call, when it became clear that the irritating hussy was returning to New York and expected to see Bobby.

"Um…" he looked at Alex in dismay. "Yeah, um, I guess tomorrow is OK." Tomorrow was Saturday, and they had plans, dammit! Alex hadn't yet told Bobby what they were, but… she could tell by his unhappy face that he'd come up with a similar plan.

He snapped the phone shut to end the call. "What time is she arriving?" Alex asked.

"Late morning. She wants to take me around the NY Field Office. Can… can you come too?"

"Try and stop me."

---

Alex sat in the driver's seat of Bobby's car on the arrivals level at LaGuardia, waiting for him to return with Special Agent Churillo. Staying behind was a strategic move on her part, but it also allowed her to daydream a bit about the rest of her evening with Bobby.

She stroked the whisker burn on her chin feeling very naughty and very petty. She didn't know what had come over her after that unwelcome phone call – it had evinced in her not only an unaccustomed wave of possessiveness, but also an irresistible urge to stake her claim on Bobby physically.

After he'd told her what Churillo's plans were, they'd lain back on the sofa with their legs entwined, but Bobby had been subdued and deflated. In mood and body, which had made Alex very happy actually, considering the source. But she'd been determined to restore both.

When she'd tugged on his shoulder to pull him down on top of her, he'd yielded easily, and he'd groaned and flexed his body over hers when she began nuzzling and sucking his earlobe and the exposed tenderness of his throat. Tender but for the hours worth of stubble, which was already evident and nicely rasped her lips and chin. By the time she'd applied herself to marking him with her mouth, he'd been hard and urgent, thrusting himself against her and groaning into her hair.

Bobby had told her he wanted to take things slow, poor boy. No hope of that now. She'd tugged on his shoulders again to urge him down to her level, so she could nip and suck on his lips to bruise and chafe them the way his whiskers had hers.

She smiled, imagining what must be going through Churillo's mind right now, the unwelcome sight of Bobby's beestung lips, tired eyes and lovebitten skin staring her in the face.

There they were, actually. Bobby carrying her bag for her like the gentleman that he was, her following him a bit uncertainly, no doubt trying to get her legs back under her.

Churillo had another couple of surprises awaiting her… Alex had made sure of that. Last night, when Bobby had bent down to return the attention she'd paid his throat, he had been – again – gentlemanly, moving his lips over her reverently, as if murmuring a poem into her skin. Whimpering, she'd arched against him while wrapping a leg around his waist, and he'd instinctively begun to suck and nibble her throat. To urge him on further, she'd made a desultory attempt to dissuade him, shaking her head and pushing ineffectually at his shoulders as if to shove him away. Which had made him reflexively press his body down on hers and suck harder.

Afterwards, he'd been aghast and apologetic for the vivid marks he'd left on her throat. She'd smiled magnanimously and told him not to worry about it.

When the two got to the car, Alex waved and leaned over to unlock the doors. Bobby opened the front door and helped Churillo into her seat, then got into the back with an ill-concealed yawn. The FBI agent turned in her seat to give Alex a fairly obvious once-over, then turned to Bobby and said, "Tired?"

"Yeah," he said sheepishly, glancing at Alex's reflection in the rear-view mirror.

As Alex pulled out and manoeuvred the car into traffic with obvious relish, Churillo tsk'd impatiently. "You two on duty today?"

"Nope," Alex said, shaking her head. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Churillo eyeing her unhappily, and decided to give her a good look. When they came to a red light, she turned towards the passenger seat and smiled, saying, "Hello, by the way. Nice to see you again, Special Agent Churillo."

The woman being addressed stared for a second at Alex's throat, then nodded perfunctorily and turned to Bobby. "You let her drive your car, Robert?"

"Yeah," he replied, smiling. "I, uh, it's fun to watch." He shook his head. "Her drive, I mean. She's, uh, she's really good at it." Nicely done. Not his most eloquent speech, but Alex would take it.

"Hmmm," Churillo said. "Robert, have you thought any more about your five-year plan?"

He glanced reflexively at Alex before looking down. "Actually, uh, I – I've already gotten started on it."

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A/N 2: I don't know if Goren's car is a two- or four-door, but in this fic it's a four-door. Thanks for being so patient for the final part of this fic – I was on a roll with it for a while, but I needed to really think to get back the mood and feel of the fic, and what I had originally wanted to say. Hope you all enjoyed it! If the mood strikes you, please review!

On another note, a reviewer just told me that she found my fic Hangups relevant to her marriage! Wow! Thanks for the review, K8.

WORDS: 1392 POSTED APRIL 5, 2010