Disclaimer: They're not mine, but someone is… so it's all good…

A/N: Back to Alex's POV! I don't know about you guys, but a woman who is willing to stake her claim is incredibly sexy… there's something about confidence and forwardness that I find extremely attractive, and who better exudes forwardness and confidence than the lovely Alexandra Cabot? I was wondering who I was going to get to make the first move, but I didn't have to wonder long…

Just Because I Can: I spent eight months with the wrong girl and didn't know it until the right one came along… I should feel stupid, but I'm too excited to rain on my own little pride parade… so this chapter goes out to the beautiful girl who opened my eyes...

Simple Gestures
-iheartSVUbabe

I have always known that it is not polite to stare, but as my eyes wash over the length of her legs, then drink in the sight of broad shoulders and toned arms, my desire to be polite diminishes.

Oh, god…

She's sitting next to me, leaning back against her couch, her legs spread open, and all I can think about is being between them..

"You like being around me?"

No one likes being around me… I've heard the rumors, heard the nicknames that have been hung on me… Ice Queen, Frigid Bitch, Ball Buster… I've heard that everyone swears that the temperature drops twenty degrees when I walk into a room…

The thought of the possibility of her wanting me the way I want her is almost too much for me to bear, and I cross my legs, a familiar warmth slowly flowing throughout my entire body.

"I've always liked being around you… I saw through that façade of yours a long time ago, and I understand the reasons why you put up a front… your reasons and my reasons are probably similar… Under all your layers of arrogance and confidence, there are layers of warmth and compassion… You're not so tough, Alex, but I admire that you can convince everyone that you are…" She tells me, a small smile forming on her lips.

I study her expression but learn nothing..

"Not everyone… not you…"

For some reason, she has her guard up, but given time and a little effort on my part, she will learn to let me in because I will show her that she can..

"That's because I've taken the time to watch you, to observe you. There is always more to a woman than just what meets the eye.. Most people never dip beneath the surface… I'm not most people." She assures me, and I feel my heart flutter.

Tell me about it…

"No… you're not."

Unsure of how to take what she has just said, I fall silent, continuing to study her features.

She smiles at me.

"You do that a lot, you know… stare at me. I never know if I have something on my face or if you're just trying to figure me out." She says, her smirk exuding the usual confidence that can be detected in almost everything that she does, and I find it almost as unnerving as I do adorable.

That confident swagger, that arrogant grin… and still, she is, quite possibly, the most humble person I have ever laid eyes on. How she manages to remain so high above the rest of us while being so down-to-earth, I will probably never know… but it's part of what draws me to her, like a moth to a flickering flame..

"I have never been one to avert my eyes when surrounded by beauty."

Her smirk turns into an all out smile, and she laughs a little.

"Neither have I… that's probably why Munch and Fin offered to go halves on getting us a room… I tried to deny it, but Fin laughed and told me that he's a detective, that 'knowing shit' is part of his job description… even Elliot has called me on it more than once." She freely admits, and I just laugh.

I can't help but ask..

"I take it they have noticed that I notice you?"

She nods.

"Yeah, and it has broken Munch's heart that you are, quote, "more inclined towards the female persuasion"… Every now and then, Fin will walk by after you've walked out of the precinct and ask me what I'm waiting for… and Elliot always tells him that I'm waiting for you to make the first move." She says, then pauses for a second before she adds, "Elliot knows me well."

She's been waiting for me to make the first move while I've been waiting for her to make the first move?

Taking her words as a sign, I move closer to her, leaning in and reaching out to slip my hand behind her neck. Pulling her to me, I press my lips to hers.

Incredibly soft lips move against mine, then part, and I slip my tongue into her mouth and begin an achingly slow exploration. Her tongue finds its way into my mouth as she reaches out and rests her hand on my thigh.

Moments of passionately inquisitive probing later, I pull away, resting my forehead against hers.

"That move enough for you?"

I'm slightly out of breath, and so is she, but when I pull away from her so that I can look into her eyes, she is smiling… which causes me to return the gesture.

"I took your dinner invitation as the first move… but if you've got a few more moves like those that you want to make, I wouldn't protest…" She says, leaning in and capturing my lips.

I should have known that kissing her would be like this, that it would put every other kiss to shame… that nothing would compare to the taste, the feel of her…

Her hand leaves my thigh and finds its way to my neck, and as she pulls me to her to deepen the kiss, she runs her fingers up into my hair and tangles them in my blonde locks.

I moan, loudly, shamelessly, as her tongue dances with mine.

God, this woman can kiss…

When I pull away from her, I let out a low moan.

"I'm not the only one with some moves…"

She laughs, and so do I.

"I aim to please…" She tells me, winking at me.

As much as I hate to leave… if I stay…

"And if I aim to get that office painted… I should probably get going.. if you want to come over around one, we can have lunch… then you can put those to good use by helping me move some furniture so that we can paint… "

I reach out and squeeze her bicep, licking my bottom lip.

Picturing her all sweaty, in the shorts and tank top that she's wearing now, the occasional spot of paint on her arms and face, I have to suppress a moan.

I stand up, and she escorts me to the door.

Ever the perfect gentleman…

"I guess I'll see you at one…" She says, opening the door for me.

I could get used to this…

"Wear something you don't care about getting paint on, and bring a change of clothes… we might do Chinese for lunch, then head out to eat later on… "

She smiles at me, and I swear, I feel my heart skip a beat.

"Okay, sounds good to me…" She says, leaning in to place a quick kiss on my lips.

I step out into the hallway and smile at her before heading downstairs to hail a cab.

Ten more minutes in there and we probably would've ended up naked...