Rating: R
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Timeline: A few hours after Chapter 2
Ch 3 – Living Under The Radar
By Lattelady
Mark held Lexie tightly against him, unable to take his eyes or hands off of her. It was late. They were exhausted from a long day that had culminated in a clash of wills in an empty room at the hospital and some of the most passionate sex he'd ever encountered, once they'd returned to the Archfield.
His long strong finger felt for knots in her back and shoulders. Each time he found one, her breath caught and she sighed quietly against his chest, while he gently stroked away the tightness. Dr. Badass Hunt had worked her like she was in some crazy hospital version of boot camp. The medical professional in Sloan understood the reasoning behind it, but the lover…his thoughts stumbled on the word. He shook his head and searched for another noun. He settled for, the new man in Lexie Grey's life. Yes, that almost fit… As the new man in her life, Mark was appalled at the way she'd been taken through her paces to earn her spot as the first intern in Seattle Grace's history on the Code Call Team.
"Ohhh, yes, right there," she groaned when he found an especially sore area.
"Shhh, Sweetheart, go to sleep," he whispered, pressing deeper with his knuckle causing, cramped muscle fibers to loosen and relax. He concentrated on keeping his hands on her neck, shoulders, or the sleek plane of her back, in an attempt to satisfy the desire that pumped through his blood. The need to touch her silky skin was overpowering and he was worried that if he didn't find an outlet, he'd end up rolling her beneath him and taking her while she was half-asleep.
"That feels sooo good," Lexie's words were accompanied by a blissful moan. She was floating in a sleepy warm fog, surrounded by Mark Sloan. He'd wrapped her in his arms and comforting scent. His busy hands were touching her everywhere, except where she wanted to feel him the most. No matter how tired she was, she yearned for more. Her fingers drifted across his chest making slow circles over his breastbone, before traveling downward over his flat belly and below.
"Lex, that's not a good idea," he warned, as all his senses came alive at her touch. He'd deliberately separated their hips, so she wouldn't feel how much he wanted her. They'd already made love...had sex - he amended - twice. What the hell was wrong with him?
His criteria for sex was easy and had almost never failed him. Rule 1 – The woman had to be desirable and willing. Lexie was both, so he placed a mental check mark next to her name! Rule 2 – He had to be in the mood…well when wasn't he…a large double check mark appeared next to his name. By all rights, it should have been playtime, but…. Lexie could barely keep her eyes open. It was a condition he could remedy, he'd done it before with other women, but Lexie Grey wasn't any of those other women. As quickly as that thought took root, he buried it.
"Why not?" Her voice cracked as she moved her left leg over his thighs. She wanted him and it was obvious from her very recent exploration of his body that he wanted her.
"You need to get some sleep." Mark couldn't believe those words came out of his mouth. He almost never turned down sex.
"I'll sleep later." Her smile was pure sex kitten as she slid on top of him. "Right now, I want you inside of me." She walked her hands down his chest, pushing herself into a sitting position with her legs straddling his hips. She caressed him gently and rose up onto her knees. Her breath caught as she slowly sank downward, letting him fill her.
"God," he gasped. He fought his natural instinct to arch deep and hard into her warm wetness. He knew he could make her enjoy it, even if he pushed her beyond her limits but he didn't want her sore in the morning. She really was little Grey and he was big Sloan and there was no getting around the anatomical truth.
"It's alright, Mark, please, let me do this for you." She'd felt him recoil so she gripped the headboard and struggled to take control of their rhythm. But as she moved upward, her already tortured thighs, trembled and began to give out. She wobbled slightly and would have come down too hard and too deep, if he hadn't wrapped both hands around her waist to steady her.
"I've got you, Babe." He gritted his teeth and damned Owen Hunt.
"I'm okay, really," she caught her breath and leaned down to kiss him, as if her life depended on it. "I can do it."
"I know you can. You're a stubborn thing." It was one of the qualities he admired most about her, but he wasn't taking any chances on hurting her. She was a small slim woman and she needed to be careful. "Let's try a little variation, just for tonight." He sat up, taking her with him. Their bodies were still joined and his arms were holding her tightly against him. "Put your arms around my neck and then wrap your legs around my waist."
It took some maneuvering to straighten out her tired legs, without separating their bodies, but she accomplished it with Mark's help.
"Oh, I like this." Lexie nibbled at his lips as she rocked her body up and down. "It has the advantage…" she felt her muscles tightening and knew that she was very close… "The advantage of being able to kiss you." Their lips met and her tongue explored deep into his mouth. He tasted of toothpaste and sex and she wanted more.
Her hips swayed hard, but no matter how hard she tried, she was aware that he was holding her back. "No, Mark, please, let me do this."
"I can't!" he gasped. Didn't she realize how hard it was for him to give over control and how terrified he was that he'd hurt her?
"Let me be the one taking care of you for once," she whispered. Her hands cupped his face and her eyes were filled with need. "Let me do my share. Neither of us will get hurt, I promise."
It frightened him that she could read him so well. It was almost more frightening than what she was offering. Despite the fear, he couldn't deny her especially when every nerve fiber in his being was shouting to let go. He slowly loosened his right arm and brought it around until he twisted his fingers in her hair, slanting her face upward.
"Okay, Little Grey, it's all yours." For the first time in his life, Mark Sloan allowed someone else to minister to his pleasure.
"Yes!" she gasped and pitched upward and then down. She cried out and the world exploded around her. Even as her body contracted and her back arched, she still moved riding him until he gasped her name, gripping her tightly to him as his body convulsed deep in hers.
Lexie Grey woke slumped over Mark Sloan. She remembered he'd pulled the comforter up around them, as she'd let go of the death grip her legs had on his waist. She remembered he'd run his hands through her hair as he'd kissed her and pulled her down on top of him.
Their bodies were still joined and skin touching everywhere possible.
"This is a hell of a good way to wake up," Sloan was groggy and pleased with this new development in his life, as he stroked her back.
"Ummmhumm." It was the best she could do, when she couldn't even pry her lids open.
"Come on, Grey, we're burning daylight." He squeezed her bottom before throwing back the covers. He didn't care that it was still dark. A man had needs when he woke up. His were intensified by her breath caressing his neck and the feel of her belly pressed against his.
"Don't tell me you're a morning person," she grouched.
"I am about some things." He grinned at her wickedly and ran his hand along her side until it contacted the outer slope of her breast. He worked his thumb between their bodies and pressed her nipple into his rib, causing her to moan.
She was so damned responsive it sent a shiver through his body. As much as he was enjoying their present position, he had other plans. "Shower sex is always best in the morning." Before she could answer, he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.
That was how they began. It was a fragile start for a woman who had no one and a man who believed only in the here and now.
No agreement was made, or rules discussed, beyond the heated words they'd exchanged in an empty patient room the day before. At work she called him Dr. Sloan and he called her Dr. Grey. They were determined to keep the private side of their lives…private.
They'd spent Saturday working together on Sloan's personal project. He'd approached the Chief months earlier about offering cleft palate and cleft lip repairs to underprivileged children. His plan was to run it through the Denny Doquette Memorial Clinic. The stumbling block had been the funding. The state paid a small amount for those surgeries, but fewer and fewer doctors and hospitals were doing them, for the disadvantaged, because the reimbursement was so low, compared to the costs involved.
It was a major undertaking to finance the venture. Mark counted on his reputation in the field to bring in paying patients to help offset some of the costs. Now that the clinic was open, if a family wanted him to do their child's cleft surgery, it was done through the clinic on a sliding scale, overseen by SGH's Office of Social Work.
Most people thought of Sloan as Dr. Tits and Ass, but that wasn't what had interested him about plastic surgery, despite the show he put on to the contrary. Mark's aesthetic, cash paying, patients paid for his expensive lifestyle without taking a penny from his trust funds and allowed him the freedom to do pro bono case, where his real interest lay. But the scope of the project he was beginning went far beyond a few cases a month and everyone involved knew it.
"Wow, that was amazing." Lexie slumped on her rolling stool. She didn't care how much she hurt from her previous week of Code Call Boot Camp, as Mark had snidely referred to her time spent with Owen Hunt, she was excited by what they'd accomplished in a few short hours.
"You ain't seen nothing yet, Grey." Sloan grinned at her as he made a final entry in his last patient's chart. "I've had a mother or two accuse me of giving her back the wrong baby after the surgery was over, though it only took a few moments for them to realize their error. There's a special love between the moms and kids like these." He shook his head unable to comprehend maternal caring.
"I wish I could see it...the surgery…that is." She sighed.
"If ya can't do the time, ya shouldn't have done the crime." His brows rose as he gave her a meaningful look. Mark had been the one person who hadn't chided her for attempting to do an unsupervised appendectomy on Sadie Harris. He remembered her looking sad and broken in SGH's lobby that night and had promised himself he'd never add to her hurt.
"Please, not you too." She looked at him with pleading eyes that made them both aware that she'd accidently crossed the line between professional and personal. Her breath caught in her throat and she shook her head trying to put some emotional distance between them. She'd spent the last eight nights in his bed with him inside of her a good part of it. This was their first test. If they couldn't work together and leave all feelings at the door, she knew they'd be found out. "I…I…" she stuttered as she tried to clear her head of his scent and feel. "Ahh... ahh...How…how far ahead is your OR time booked?" she gulped, finally back on professional ground.
"I squeezed some extra block time out of Richard. He gave me Friday mornings, in one of the Pedi OR's." He'd watched her internal fight and let her battle it on her own, aware how deep and dangerous the waters they were treading could get. She needed to be able to hold her own or they were done for. As the thought crossed Mark's mind, he refused to acknowledge the hollowness it brought to his stomach…to never touch her again, never see her cheeks turn pink and her eyes glassy as he brought her to climax over and over again…and the new thing he permitted only her to do…to let her strip him bare of his pretenses and allow someone to pleasure him…
"Dr. Sloan," Lexie called out. He'd gone somewhere inside his head and if the way his eyes smoldered was any indication she didn't dare touch him – though she had a quick uncomfortable thought – what if it wasn't her he was thinking about? "Dr. Sloan."
"Ah…yeah…ah…Here are the charts, in the order I want the surgeries booked. Jenny, my office manager, has volunteered her time to process the paperwork."
"I see I've arrived just in time, young man." Jennifer Kirkwood walked quickly into the room. She was a tiny, compactly built woman with stylishly cut blonde and silver hair that was still damp and ruffled from the weather. Her cheeks were pink and her grey eyes danced with joy. She was still wearing damp jeans, and a heavy turtle neck sweater, though she'd changed from the sticky soled rain-gear boots she wore when sailing, into a pair of flat-heeled Frye boots.
"I'm always glad to see you made it to work safely. Unlike most sane people who live on any of the San Juan Islands, Jen sails her own boat to work instead of taking the ferry." He informed Lex before glaring at the sixty-year old woman who looked and acted years younger. "My office and private clinic would be in a real mess, if you fell overboard one of these days?"
"Ferries, who do you think I am Derek Shepherd? I like to have control when I'm on the water." She drilled Sloan with a steely grey glance that slid easily into an impish grin. "I've been sailing the Windswept for too many years to stop now. I'm more likely to fall on dry land and break my hip than I am to end up in the drink." It was an old argument between them and Kirkwood knew that Mark worried about her, so she put up with it. "Besides, sailing is the way I like to start my day."
"Well...ah...yes..." he stuttered remembering how his day had begun. "Ah...Jenny, have you met Dr. Lexie Grey?" He nodded toward the blushing woman beside him.
"Grey?" the older woman questioned.
"Afraid so," Lex smiled shyly. "The younger one."
"Oh…" pieces fell into place…so she was finally meeting Little Grey… it made a woman wonder, especially if that woman had a romantic heart.
"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Kirkwood." The intern offered her hand to the petite older woman.
"Actually it's Miss Kirkwood." Jen smiled, though her grey eyes turned misty. "Or better yet Ms., but to make things simple call me Jenny, less confusing that way." She nodded emphatically and blinked quickly.
"I...uh...just...ah..." Lexie caught the flash of the brilliant emerald cut diamond ring on the older woman's left ring finger, but there was no accompanying wedding band.
"It's all right, dear, most people make the same mistake." Jen took the files from the flustered intern. "I'd been hoping to get a chance to meet you." She smiled gently remembering what her old friend Carolyn Shepherd had had to say about the young doctor. "Mark, I'll get these surgeries booked before I head home." She flipped through them quickly to be sure she didn't have any questions. "I'm assuming ear tubes for all the palates, as well as the repair?"
"You got it." He grinned. "But Jen..." she flinched when he called her that name. He'd accidently bumped into her ghostly past, something he went out of way to avoid. "Jenny, go home, you can schedule them on Monday. There's a storm brewing."
"I'm not ready to go home, yet. I still have tasks to complete. Besides, this wouldn't be the first storm I've weathered." She refused to admit the double meaning behind her words, but the sigh that accompanied them spoke volumes. With a quick nod she turned and left the two doctors standing alone in the clinic. How could she explain to a man who didn't believe in lasting emotions that her heart was still tied to the Marine pilot who had given her his love and his ring and then headed off to lead his men in a routine training exercise? Inexplicably, he'd returned in a body bag. Now all she had left of him was the ship they'd sailed, his dog tags, her gold bracelet that he'd taken with him so he'd always have part of her close, and a brilliant emerald cut diamond ring she never took off her finger.
Lexie watched Jenny Kirkwood walk out of the building and dash across the parking lot. The older woman moved with dancer-like grace as she dodged puddles and finally disappeared through the Emergency Department doors.
"Is she going to be all right?" The lump in Lex's throat made it hard to talk and she was terrified she was going to cry.
"She's a smart woman. If the storm is too bad, she'll sleep on her boat, docked at the marina." Mark dodged the real question he was being asked. He wasn't going to discuss anything deeper, especially not at work. Jennifer Kirkwood and Lexie Grey were too much alike. Both had stubborn loyal hearts and a moral strength that put others to shame. Mark had met Jen years ago at the Shepard's and he'd never seen her without her engagement ring.
"Dr. Grey," though he used her title, his voice was intimate and smoky. It caressed as if he'd touched her. "Would you like a ride home?" Mark nodded toward the sheets of rain that were hitting the window.
"Home?" Her brows shot up unsure what he was asking. She didn't really have a home anymore. Her things, that weren't stored at her Dad's, were scattered between Mark's room at the Archfield and the apartment she was supposed to be sharing with George.
"Yeah," he leaned in before whispering, "I thought you might like to pick up a few items before visiting a friend."
"Yes, Dr. Sloan, I'd like that very much." She nodded her head, sending her silky hair flying over her shoulders.
As soon as he got her across the threshold of his room at the Archfield, Mark pulled Lexie into his arms and kissed her. He'd wanted to all day and his patience was stretched thin. Clothes were left in a trail, both his and hers, as they kissed and caressed all the way to the bed.
She was like a drug he couldn't get enough of and it only got worse each time he touched her.
Lexie lost count of the number of times he'd driven her over the edge before he finally gave in and took what he needed. Then they fell asleep to the sound of rain hitting the windows and the pounding of each other's heart.
It wasn't until after room service had come and gone and they'd eaten that things became difficult.
"I'm really going to have to find somewhere to do laundry." Lex muttered as she put away some clothes she'd brought from the apartment she shared with George. Though since neither she nor George were ever there anymore, it could hardly be said they shared it. He'd gone off to spend the weekend with his brothers, for which she was very grateful. There had been no need to lie to him when she'd packed a small tote and headed out. Mark had been double-parked in front and she wanted to be as quick as possible.
"The hotel has a laundry service. Put your things in the valet bag with mine. I leave it out each night and twenty-four hours later everything is returned clean, pressed and neatly folded or hanging on hangers."
"I can't do that." Her face was troubled. "Someone will know I'm here, if I do."
"Sweetheart, I don't know how to tell you this, but the staff already knows you're here." He brushed a lock of her hair off her cheek and curled it behind her ear.
"But…but…" She felt out of her depths.
"Room service has been bringing two meals up here for over a week." He ticked off the reasons on his fingers. "Look at that bed, even the most dimwitted maid can tell I haven't been sleeping alone. Besides you leave all that pretty hand laundry decorating the bathroom." He grinned when he thought of her colorful collection of panties, bras and tank tops that dangled from hangers in the shower.
"This isn't funny!" she snapped. "You wanted to keep us a secret. How can it be a secret if the entire Archfield knows?"
"I wouldn't say entire…. there may be a janitor or two who isn't aware of the situation." This time he made the mistake of laughing out loud.
"This…this…can't be." She was beginning to panic. If Derek found out, it could ruin Mark's friendship with a man who was like a brother to him. She refused to be responsible for that.
"Hey, wait a sec. What's this all about? I mean really about?"
"Mark, they'll find out and ruin it. That was the one good thing about a hotel, the anonymity."
"Wait, back up." He gripped her shoulders as she moved nervously from foot to foot. "You resent this happening in a hotel?" It was as much a statement as a question.
"I….I…didn't think I did." She pressed her fingers to her mouth as all the memories of what they'd done in these rooms flew with lightening speed through her head. Nothing was forgotten, left out, amended, or glossed over. It couldn't be when you had a photographic memory.
"I thought you said you didn't want to change me." He shook her slightly to get her attention. "Well, this is who I am."
"I know," she smiled sadly. "And I'm not trying to change you. You're 'One Foot Out the Door Sloan'." Lexie shrugged and prayed she didn't cry as the revelation hit her. She cared deeply for a man who was always on the run.
"No! No, that isn't it. That's not why I live here…okay, maybe at first, before Addison left." He couldn't believe he could say her name and not feel pain, but it had finally happened, he'd gotten over her. "Now I live here because it's close to the hospital and it's easy. All my needs are met by picking up the phone."
"Don't you want something more than that? Don't you want something that really belongs to you, that's just your own?" She wasn't sure they were talking about living space any longer.
"I tried once, but it cost too much." He thought sadly of the townhouse he'd sold when he'd found out Addison had had an abortion rather than have his baby. It had been the final step that had set him adrift from anything that he'd called permanent or, it had been, until he discovered a whole new world in a set of deep brown eyes and a quirky smile.
Lexie watched pain and sorrow pass over Mark's face and couldn't stand it any longer. "Ya know what, I think this doesn't have anything to do with living in a hotel. I think we just need to get out of here for a while. As much as I love the perks, I think we're both getting cabin fever." She looked at her watch. It was 11:30. If they hurried they just might make it. "Ya got some cash on you?"
"Sure, but where can we go?"
"Oh ye of little faith." She grabbed his hand and headed for the door. On her way past the closet she tossed him his leather jacket; settled her purse over her shoulder and her coat over her arm. "We're outta here."
Twenty-fine minutes later Mark pulled into the parking lot of a small theater in the University District. "Ta – Da," Lexie grinned and spread her arms at the marquee, which read: Saturday Midnight Movie – Fight Club."
Mark grinned. He loved that movie. "You ever seen this movie, Little Grey?"
"Sure have, Big Sloan." Her comeback was immediate and it caught him by surprise. There was no way she knew about the conversation he'd had with Derek, beyond what he'd told her and he definitely hadn't referred to himself by that name, but it was kind of cute when she said it. It took him a moment to realize that she was playing with him. There had been no innuendo involved.
"Did you enjoy it?" He watched her expressive face and read the truth.
"It was an interesting concept, though rather violent." Her nose curled in distaste. "But I'm sure going to enjoy watching you enjoy it." Her smile was genuine and it did funny things to his heart.
"You were right. We were getting cabin fever," his voice was deep and husky, as he leaned in to kiss her. His tongue swept her mouth and her hands gripped the front of his jacket in her fists.
"If you keep kissing me like that, I'm not going to want to get out of the car."
"If I keep kissing you like that I won't be able to get out of the car." He pulled back and straightened his jacket. If he was going to keep hanging around with Lexie Grey, he was going to have to think about getting a coat that was a bit longer.
That first midnight movie was how they figured out that they could go almost anywhere together and never run into someone they knew. They had to make some adjustments to when they went out. The day and the time were usually key factors. Plus there were whole sections of Seattle and the surrounding area that were never frequented by anyone from the hospital. Once or twice they saw one of Mark's patients, but since most people who have had plastic surgery usually weren't eager to broadcast the fact, the connection went unacknowledged. Though it meant Mark and Lexie crossed that establishment off their list of places to go.
They walked along the waterfront at dawn, each with an arm around the other's waist and a cup of steaming coffee shared between them.
Instead of working out in the hospital's gym as he'd done on days he didn't run, Mark harassed the Archfield management into giving him a key to their weight room so he and Lexie could use it before anyone else was up or, on the occasional late night, long after it was closed for the day. He was determined that by the time she was allowed back in the OR, she'd have the upper body and arm strength to do anything that was thrown at the interns.
When a heavy snow hit Seattle and the emergencies had finally stopped rolling in through the ED, and they were able to escape Seattle Grace, they went to one of the downtown parks and let the white fluff fall around them. Their bodies pressed together to keep from freezing. At least that had been the plan, until Lexie tossed the first snowball. A rowdy, take-no-prisoners fight ensued. In the end when he tackled her to the ground and kissed her like there was no tomorrow, she gladly surrendered.
They still went with their friends to The Emerald City Bar, but they went separately, together. She would be with the interns, usually playing darts. He sat at the bar or a table with Callie and sometimes Cristina. It wasn't a nightly occurrence anymore and when they did go, they never stayed long.
One night there was a bit of a ruckus by the dartboard. The tall sandy-haired male intern, who needed an attitude adjustment, was hitting on the women.
"If you don't stop breathing down my neck, I'm gonna rip your tongue out." Lexie turned to him holding a dart tight against his neck. "And if you don't believe the damage I can do with a sharp object, just have Sadie show you her scar!" Her eyes flashed and she gave him a shove into the nearest chair.
"Way ta go, Three." Cristina raised her drink, fully expecting Mark and Torres to join in her fun, but Sloan was glaring as if someone had stolen his surgery. "Ha and they say I haven't been teaching my interns anything." Yang finished her beer and stood, her eyes looking toward the end of the bar. "Well I'm outta here, guys. It's been real, or whatever."
Callie waited until her roommate was out of earshot before she elbowed Sloan and whispered, "Watch this."
"What, what's so interesting?" It was hard to drag his eyes off the slimy prick who'd been trying to put the moves on Little Grey.
"The end of the bar, watch Yang and then watch….him…" She nodded to the silent brooding figure of Owen Hunt.
Cristina stopped to button her coat at the door, and looked quickly over her shoulder. From their table Sloan and Torres had an excellent view of troubled blue eyes meeting inscrutable brown ones. Moments later, Hunt took one last swallow of his drink and causally headed for the door. He couldn't have been more than twenty-five feet behind Cristina.
"No! No, I will not believe it." Mark's eyes about bugged out of his head. "Hunt and Yang…" he was speechless.
"Shhhhh," Callie leaned into him with her finger against her lips. "I wasn't supposed to say anything. But I wanted you know why Cristina was immune to your charms a couple of months ago," she snorted at the memory of how outraged Mark had been at the time. "Thought it would make you feel better...ya know, cheer you up."
"Feel better, cheer me up? What are you talking about?" He scowled trying to keep one eye on his best friend while he made sure Lexie was safe from horny interns. "I don't need cheering up."
"You've been awfully quiet lately, never see you around much anymore. Have you been sulking about something?" Torres took another swallow of her drink and turned to see why Mark kept looking over his shoulder.
"Sulking about Yang? Never. I only put the moves on her 'cause Derek asked me to. If I'd been interested, really interested..." He glared at the dark haired woman beside him, she knew him too damn well. "And I have not been sulking! Can't a man spend extra time...ah...working." Callie's eyes were sparkling and he had an idea that he'd said too much.
"Working, huh?" She laughed at him and he had to force himself from looking over his shoulder at the noisy interns behind him. "Question is who ya working on? The old Sloan rumors have been real quiet."
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Torrez. There was a lot of prep work needed to get my clinic up and running and now that it is…well more work." He nodded emphatically and let his eyes casually slide to his right only to discover Lexie was missing from the crowd by the dartboard.
"Workings good. That's a good thing to be doing." She nodded, draining her glass and set it on the table harder than intended. "Cause there are no secrets at Seattle Grace, not for Yang and Hunt, or anyone else." Her lips twitched and her eyes fogged over, either from memories, alcohol, or something he didn't want to contemplate.
"Why should I care about secrets?" He frowned wondering what Callie knew, or if she was simply spouting nonsense brought on by a broken heart and alcohol.
"Dr. Torres, Dr. Sloan..." Lexie smiled as she passed their table heading for the door. She'd sat ten feet away and watched the voluptuous orthopedic resident leaning against Mark for as long as she could take it.
"Little Grey." Callie greeted the slim girl as she passed their table. "Wait...wait a second, Grey..." She felt dizzy as she was struck with a sense of déjà vu. The way Sloan's eyes followed Lexie, was like watching Owen Hunt and Cristina Yang all over again. Except this time it was...it...was... "Ohhh not good. I...ah mean...I'm not feeling so good. Would you two help me get home, it's just across the street." She had a sick feeling that she knew what had been taking up all of her friend's time the last few months and if she was right, there was trouble brewing.
"Sure, glad to help." Lex took one of her arms and Mark the other.
"Come on Cal, let's get you home."
The walk across the street was slow and steady. Sloan suspected Torres was suffering more from exhaustion than alcohol. The young orthopedic surgeon's life had been a mess recently adding extra stress to an already hectic schedule.
"Yang didn't get here before we did?" Mark was surprised to find the apartment dark and empty as he unlocked Cal's door.
"Naw, nope, they're not…well, enough said about that." She grinned, looking sheepish and shrugged for lack of anything else to say.
"You gonna be okay?" Sloan was concerned about his friend, but wanted to be alone with Lex.
"Fine...gonna be fine...gotten pretty good at the alone thing nowadays." She tried to smile but was afraid she was going to cry and ruin her image as a strong independent woman.
"You sure?" Mark's voice was deep and low as he studied her.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Okay then, I'm going to give Little Grey a ride home. It's...ah...going to rain." He cringed slightly at the lame excuse. When didn't it rain in this damn city?
"You just do that." Callie smiled and sighed. "And thanks for walking me home, guys." As she closed her door she wondered if the two who had just left realized how intently they looked at each other, and if they did, just how much trouble there would be when Derek found out.
Mark and Lex walked slowly down the steps to the street. She had her hands in her pockets and didn't say a word. All the way to his car, her eyes burned holes in some unknown spot in the distance and she didn't utter a sound.
They were in the comfortable confines of his Porsche 911 when she finally spoke. "Did you want to stay with Dr. Torres?" Her words spilled out; light and breathy as if she were afraid if she didn't speak as quickly as possible she'd never be able to finish the question.
"What?" She caught him completely by surprise. Only ten minutes ago he'd been about to pound a man into the ground for touching her and she thought he wanted to be with another woman. It didn't make sense. Women didn't make sense!
"Well…I mean…I know…everyone knows that you and she have…were…" Her lips trembled and she knew she couldn't say the words. "Please, you have to tell me the truth."
"I am." He gripped her shoulders and pulled her close so he could see her eyes and she could see his. "I want to be with you, Lexie. Don't you understand that?"
"Mark you have to promise me that if you change your mind, you'll tell me. I'll understand…no, I take that back…not understand, but I won't stop you. I may cry, but then I cry over a broken nail, so…just…just ignore it and please tell me. Don't move on to someone else and make me find out the hard way." Her eyes overflowed and he pulled her against him.
"Shhhh, Sweetheart, shhhhh." He rocked her gently and damned himself for hurting her by simply being who he was. And she was definitely hurting, because she was wrong, she never cried unless she was exhausted, or following intense sex, but even then it wasn't real jagged sobs, like now.
"Please, promise me." She looked up at him and hated to have to ask, but it was too important. This was Mark Sloan, the man who usually didn't stick around for a second date and they'd been seeing each other for almost two weeks. She didn't know if she was forbidden fruit and therefore tasted sweeter, but she had to put some safeguards in place.
"Do you want out?" Something deep and dark moved through his soul. "Were you interested in that asshole who was hitting on you tonight?"
"What in the hell are you talking about?"
"Answer my question. Did you bring this up because you were getting bored…?"
"No, no…" she began to shake. "I'm simply trying to protect myself." With one hand she quickly unfastened her jeans, with the other she grabbed his wrist. "Does that feel like I'm bored or want out, because you're the reason for that. You and no one else." She had his fingers buried between her lace panties and her abdomen, trapped against her warm wet skin.
"Oh god, Sweetheart," He wrapped his arm around her and pressed her face into his neck and shoulder, so no one would recognize her if they happened to look inside the car. He figured they were safe, three blocks from the bar, late on a dark night. But he wasn't taking any chances that Lexie might end up being known as one of his women.
He'd never taken a woman in his car before. It was one of his cardinal rules, but he didn't think he could stop if his life depended on it. His fingers curled against her and dug deeper.
She whimpered against his neck and bucked as she spiraled out of control. "You have to stop…I can't take much more…I can't…"
He ducked his head until his beard caressed her ear. "I'm not stopping until you come for me."
"But…but…"she whispered as her body tightened.
"Lexie, come for me." His fingers moved upward and she gasped his name over and over again as she exploded around his skillful touch. But he wasn't satisfied and kept pushing his restraint and her need. "Again," he growled, marking her in the only way he knew how.
She lost track of time. All that existed was his touch and her need for it. She shook as his insistent hands moved over her body again and again.
Later, she lay trembling in his arms, unable to move. He kissed her temple gently and looked her in the eyes. "You already know I'm bad – just how bad…" he shrugged unable to complete the thought. "You should know that you've just made a deal with the devil and he expects… I expect…it to work both ways. You've got to promise me too."
"I don't consider it completely sealed until I get my hands on you at home," her voice was husky and strained, whether from what had just happened, or anticipation she wasn't sure. To drive her point home she grabbed his face and pulled it down kissing him and sucking his lower lip in a promise of what was to come.
"Oh I can definitely live with that." He grinned.
By the end of the eighth week, Lexie's flatiron sat in the cupboard next to Mark's blower drier. Long strands of reddish-brown hair were tangled with his sliver tipped dark hair in the bristles of his brush. Her toothbrush sat in the holder beside his. A pair of women's jeans and some shirts and sweaters hung in his closet. Her soft, colorful lingerie was mixed in with his boxers and t-shirts.
It was a beginning, a start, neither knew where it would take them or how long it would be before they got there. But they were happy.
TBC
