Penelope sat down across from Prentiss and JJ, not quite meeting their eyes.

"Everything OK?" Emily asked.

"Huh?" Penelope asked, her head snapping up. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine." She lifted a fingertip to her lips and traced a path along her lower one. For God's sake, it was still tingling. What had he done to her?

The object of her thoughts slid into the booth next to her empty handed.

"Where's Penelope's drink?" Reid asked.

"Damn," Derek said, standing. "Sultry blonde at the bar distracted me," he explained. "Be right back."

Derek disappeared and was back in a flash with Penelope's drink—the bartender had been a woman, so of-course he'd been served immediately. He put her drink in front of her and she quickly snagged it up, taking a large gulp. "Let's dance," she said to Prentiss, giving Derek a shove. He stood up to let her out, and Prentiss and JJ followed her out onto the dance floor. The girls began to dance as Derek and Reid sat there for a few minutes. It didn't take long before a few men joined in, and it was then that Derek decided he'd had enough.

"Leaving?" Reid asked as Derek stood.

"Nope," he answered, taking a swig of his beer. "Dancin'."

He headed for the girls and proceeded to join them on the dance floor. Derek Morgan certainly had a presence—and it wasn't long before the three men turned into two, into one, until he was alone with them. He moved behind Prentiss and started dancing, his body cradling hers. She put her hands on his knees and played it up, dancing along.

That was when Reid materialized as if from nowhere. He moved in beside Derek and continued to shift to the right until Derek was no longer behind Emily. When she turned around, she grinned. "Reid!" she exclaimed, putting her hands on his shoulders. "You're dancing!"

He grinned back as he reached for her hands, and they started to dance together. You could fit a full body in between them—they certainly weren't grinding—but they were clearly having a good time.

Derek stayed between Penelope and JJ, the three of them dancing for the next hour. They finally made their way back to the table, and Penelope lifted the hair off the back of her neck with one hand and fanned her face with the other. "Whew. What a workout!" she said, flopping down into her seat.

"I'll say," JJ said as Emily and Reid made their way to the table with some glasses and a pitcher of ice water. Everyone grabbed a glass and filled it, thirsty after their workout on the dance floor.

"I have to go," Penelope finally announced.

"What?" Prentiss looked at her watch. "It's only eleven o'clock."

"I'm tired," Penelope lied. She had to get away from Derek. He'd been getting his groove on while on the dance floor, and she'd gotten a pretty good look at the way his hips moved. She had to force herself not to begin fanning again.

"I'll walk you out," Derek said, standing. Four sets of shocked eyes flew to his face. "I teach self defense," he reminded them. "And I happened to notice that the lighting out there in that parking lot sucked."

"Do you want to walk me out, too, Reid?" Penelope asked hopefully. Derek was the only one who noticed the desperation in her voice.

Reid laughed. "Right. Because I'll be a great asset to Derek if something happens. No thanks," he said, moving the umbrella in his drink aside so he could take a sip.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Prentiss said.

Penelope nodded. "Later." She took off at top speed, trying to avoid Derek, but he was quick to catch up to her.

"You're gonna blog about me tonight, aren't you?" he asked.

Penelope stopped and spun around, pointing her finger at his chest. "What is wrong with you?" she hissed. "Never mind, don't answer that! You know—you might be a good kisser, but I'm sure your skills in the bedroom are severely lacking."

Derek chuckled in amusement. "Oh, those are some fighting words," he said lowly.

"Well, I'd rather be fighting with you than kissing you!" she spat, her speed quickening.

"Can't we do both? A little arguing, then making up?" he teased.

"I'm happy to fight with you, thank you very much. And you know—it was probably a fluke! You probably aren't even that good of a kisser! It was probably a—one time thing," she sputtered.

They'd made their way to the parking lot by now, and Derek grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. "Let's find out, shall we?" he asked, pushing her against the nearest car. She lifted her head to meet his eyes, prepared to continue their sparring.

But Derek was prepared for something else. His mouth came crashing down onto hers and his tongue thrust forth, forcing her lips apart. He moved his hands to her shoulders, pulling her against him. She whimpered in protest, putting her hands on his upper arms to push him away. But when his tongue met hers in a soft caress, she changed her mind, her fingers gripping his biceps. His body wouldn't budge, so she stepped closer to him, her body sinking into his. And that was when he pushed her away. When her eyes opened, the first thing she saw was the arrogant grin on his face. She scowled immediately.

"Two for two," he said.

"Ooh!" she said angrily, pushing him away. She turned around and grabbed the handle, but the door wouldn't open. "What the—this isn't my car!" she said, looking around frantically. "Where in the hell is my car?"

Derek pointed to the left. "Is that it?"

She gave him an angry glare as she reached into her purse for her keys. She pulled them out and then stalked away—she could hear Derek chuckling behind her.

"I told you to stop drinking," Reid said in amusement as he unlocked Emily's front door.

"I'm not drunk, Reid. Just a little…tipsy."

"Yes, well, tipsy to you and tipsy to me…are two different things," he informed her as he opened the door and reached for the light switch on the left.

They walked in and Emily tossed her purse and keys on the kitchen counter. "I'm hungry," she said. "You hungry?"

Reid shrugged. "I could eat." He grinned. "You gonna cook for me?"

Prentiss scoffed. "If you call pouring a bowl of cereal cooking," she said dryly.

"Yeah…I don't," Reid said as Prentiss pulled two bowls down from the cupboard, then opened another one to get the cereal. Reid reached into the refrigerator for the milk and they proceeded to make their bowls of Special K with fresh bananas chunks tossed in.

They made their way to the living room and Emily turned the television on, stopping at The Golden Girls. "Awww…that Blanche really rocked my socks," Reid said.

Emily howled with laughter. "Reid, she's old enough to be someone's grandmother," she said.

"Someone's sexy grandmother," he confirmed.

She rolled her eyes. "We need to get you a life, Reid," she teased.

They finished their cereal, and made their way to the kitchen to take care of their bowls. "You might as well sleep on the couch," Prentiss said.

Reid nodded. "My toothbrush still here?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"OK," he said. He went into the bathroom—it was off Emily's bedroom—and brushed his teeth, then walked back into Emily's room. She was lying on top of the covers in a pair of yellow and red checked short shorts and a yellow tank.

Reid flopped down onto the bed beside her.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a laugh.

Reid yawned. "I don't think I can make it to the couch."

"Sure you can," she told him. "It's about twenty steps…" She pointed to the open doorway. "Through there," she finished.

"Just let me close my eyes for a minute," he said with another yawn. He lay there for a few minutes when Emily spoke again.

"Reid?"

He opened his eyes and started to sit up, but she grabbed his arm. He looked at her questioningly.

"Don't you think it's pathetic that I have to make a bet to motivate myself to get a date?" she asked.

Reid lay back down, moving up onto his side so he was facing her. "You have other priorities," he said softly.

"Yeah, but…don't you think that meeting someone and settling down should be my number one priority?"

"I think that's up to you," he told her.

She sighed, crossing her legs at the ankles and lifting her hands over her head. "I just...I thought I'd be in a different place by now," she admitted.

"Well…where did you think you'd be?" Reid asked.

She turned to face him. "I don't…" Her eyes fell to his lips and she swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat.

Reid lifted a hand to her cheek, using the back of his hand to run his knuckles softly over her skin. His eyes searched hers for a moment before leaning forward, his lips capturing hers in a tender kiss. Her lips parted slowly, and his tongue found hers in a sweet kiss. He moved his hand to the hem of her tank top, reaching underneath the fabric so it came to rest on her bare waist. He lifted her up onto her side and pulled himself closer to her until her breasts were just touching his chest. He lowered his hand until it was gripping the back of her knee, then tugged it upwards so it was resting on his waist.

He pulled his mouth from hers and brushed soft kisses along her cheekbone until his lips were behind her ear. She shivered, then lifted her hand to his chest until she was clutching the front of his shirt. Reid took it as a good sign and his tongue flicked out of his mouth to taste her skin.

"Reid…" she said softly.

He pulled away to look at her face. She was so beautiful with her head tilted backwards, her dark eyelashes resting on her cheeks. Reid felt a tenderness come over him that he'd never felt before and he lifted both hands to her face, running his thumbs over her cheeks. Her eyelids fluttered open and he leaned forward to take her mouth in a hot kiss.

He grabbed her upper arms and pulled her up with him until they were both on their knees. She reached for the buttons on his shirt, opening them one by one. She leaned forward to kiss the center of his chest as she pushed his shirt down off his shoulders, kissing her way up until she reached his jaw. Emily pulled away and reached for the hem of her tank top, pulling it over her head.

Reid watched as she stood up beside the bed, stepping out of her shorts. When she placed a knee back on the mattress, he stood, pulling his shoes off and tossing them in no particular direction. He removed the rest of his clothing and joined her on the bed. She was still on her knees, and Reid moved towards her again, wrapping his arms in a loose circle around her waist. He leaned forward and took a nipple in his mouth, his tongue moving slowly and softly back and forth.

"Oh…" she moaned. Reid continued to tease her flesh before moving to the other breast, his tongue gaining momentum with each passing moment. "Reid…" she said urgently.

He lifted his head, looking at her.

She pushed at his shoulders, and he gave in to her, laying back on the mattress. She moved her hand between his legs and wrapped a hand around him. Reid inhaled sharply. "It's been a long time, Em," he said, his voice rising.

She lifted her eyes to his, a wicked grin on her face. She tightened her grip and moved it up and down a few times before leaning forward and licking the tip of his length. She moved her tongue back and forth quickly and for just a second before pulling back and throwing a leg over his waist. She lowered herself down onto him leisurely—inch by glorious inch. His eyes closed as he took a deep breath, struggling for control. She started to ride him, fast and furious, but Reid shook his head fiercely.

He'd been waiting for this for a long time, and now that the moment was here, he wasn't willing to let it fly by. He reached for her hips and gripped her tightly, forcing her body to still. "Slow," he commanded sternly. He kept his hands on her hips to set the pace—unhurried but steady. When she knew what he wanted, Reid let go of her hips and reached for her hands, linking his fingers with hers. She leaned fowardm putting her weight on him, moving her hips in circles around him. "Fuck, Emily," he bit out in a raspy voice.

Emily wasn't sure why, but Reid's use of the word was her undoing. She'd never heard him utter a single curse, and the fact that he wanted her so much he couldn't control his words—that said a lot for Reid. He suddenly sat up and shifted their positions so she was on her back, staying inside of her the entire time. He moved between her thighs, the same pace as before. He moved his hands to rest on each side of her head, and when she lifted her hands to grip the pillow tightly, Reid let his pace increase, moving upwards so his length could rub against her center as he plunged in and out of her. When he heard a cry escape from the back of her throat, his lips came down onto hers and his pace became frantic until he felt her body stiffen again. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he felt her moan beneath his kiss. That was enough for Reid, his body finding its release with Emily wrapped around him.

His body dropped down onto hers, and he rested his cheek against hers as his breath came in rapid gasps. "Awww…Em," he said softly, giving her a gentle kiss behind the ear. He rolled off her and she moved up onto her side so she was facing away from him, but he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him, his chin resting on her shoulder as his hand splayed over her stomach. He didn't say anything—just lay there holding her.

Emily was…dazed; everything Reid had done had been loving and considerate. She held back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. No man had ever touched her with such tenderness before.