When she awakes and wonders into the kitchen for her daily dose of caffeine she's somehow very surprised he's still there sleep sprawled shirtless and shoeless on the couch still wearing his dress pants.
His gun lay on her coffee table littered with abandoned scrabble tiles. It looks like it belongs there.
He shivers and ever the caregiver she steps forward to cover him. He springs to life catching her wrist in a firm unforgiving grip. His eyes seem temporarily wild and lost before he comes back to himself.
The wildness turns to softness and he loosens his grip but doesn't let go. He kissed the pulse point and then stroked his thumb across it. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" he moved up slightly to kiss her palm.
"No." She said softly unwilling to break the fragile moment. His eyes stay on hers deep unreadable brown. "I'm fine Grant truly."
"Sometimes I can get a little sucked into my dreams." He explains in an abashed tone.
"It's alright really. Would you care for some coffee?" She slips begrudgingly from his grasp.
He throws on his shirt and buttons it as he speaks. Jemma has never been sadder to see a man's abs disappear in her whole life. "Sure sounds great! I'm going to go check the traffic reports and call in."
She simply nods heading for the coffee pot.
The air between them so comfortable last night is now unbearably and painfully awkward. Really all she bloody wants to do is kiss him again.
-/-/-
He spends all of his off rotation doing anything to avoid thinking of her in any way. He fails miserably. Everything reminds him of her or something they'd talked about. He knows he's starting to lose it when he buys a fucking Ring Pop at the gas station simply because they are her favorite American candy.
His first day back on rotation she opens the door with a bright smile that hits him like a punch to the solar plexus. "Oh you changed ties!"
"Don't worry I have twelve of these too." He quips.
"Was that self-deprecation Grant?" She asked with an arched brow as she stifled a laugh.
"A little, mostly I wanted to see your face when you're proven wrong." Why is he flirting with her? He knows better he tells himself as a small voice in his head sounding irritatingly like Skye says. "Because it will lead to kissing and you so wanna know what happens after kissing.
He mentally gives his inner Skye an eye roll.
When she turns to grab her coat and he sees her bare back. The long sleeved shirt has a huge circle cut out in it. "Are you trying to make me touch you Jemma?"
"What if I am?" She said and walked before him slipping on her coat.
He shoves his hands into his pockets before he does touch her their surroundings be damned. As he steps on to the elevator Bobbi gives him an inquisitive glance he nods good morning not trusting his voice.
His fingers brush on something filmy and plastic like. Damn it the Ring Pop is in his pocket.
Jemma pushes the button and turns toward Bobbi. "So Bob dress designers, should I go with Marchesa or Jenny Packam?"
"We both know you heart eyes some McQueen."
"Yes but Middleton is wearing all McQueen these days. I can't outshine the future bloody queen." She muttered darkly.
"And she definitely would." He says… wait that wasn't to himself judging by Hunter's face. Fuck!
There's definitely an awkward silence and then Jemma blushes as thankfully they reach the ground floor.
-/-.-
Once at Skye's place she drops down on the divan in the dressing room. "What did you do Jem?" Bobbi accuses as she comes in. "Hi Skye. Nat," she greets the other women.
"I didn't do anything! Close the door." She justifies and leans into the cushy couch as Morse closed the door before rounding on her again.
"You did something! He was flirting with you."
"Who? I'm lost…" Natasha said slouched in a chair near Skye who is trying on a red asymmetrical dress.
"Wait he flirted…. Eww no to this one…" Skye said turning in the mirror.
"He was not… it was an offhand comment." Jemma protested.
"He said you could outshine a princess Jemma."
Skye laughed out right. "He has less game than Leo."
"Again who in the hell is he?" Roman off reiterates.
"Ward." Bobbi explains.
"What?! She's right you did something."
"I'm not even sure the supposed something is a something. I mean it could be a nothing or an all in my mind that happens to me a lot." She rambles.
"Jem Jam you have the I did it with Carson Tolliver in the stacks face going. What happened?" Skye moved to sit next to her in the discarded dress.
"Bobbi has to promise no screaming or harming first."
"No spit it out already." Bobbi pushed faced deadly serious.
"He kissed me…I…we kissed." She confessed against her better judgment.
Natasha laughed uproariously as Bobbi gaped in shock. "Tell me everything well not everything because ewww Ward but Leo's gone so I need to live vicariously through you." Skye said excitedly it made Jemma feel slightly better about her faux pas.
"I'm going to kill him!" Bobbi said heading for the door.
"No Bob, I wanted him to kiss me. It's okay, I like him and I really like the way he looks at me." She hurriedly said.
"He can't be with you Jemma and it's sad because he's wanted you for as long as he's known you but being with you is a violation of his protectorate agreement. It's a conflict of interest and dangerous to your safety." Natasha says once her laughter died off looking at her with uncommonly kind eyes.
Skye brushed Romanoff off. "How was it?" Skye asked.
"It was really nice. Sweet, gentle even…and way too short bloody fucking lights came back on and spooked him right off." She sighed. "I feel as if I've cocked the whole thing up. Ok so I just back off. Dress me Skye before I give in to the urge to cry." She said and allows Skye to pull her to her feet and toward the rack off dresses intended for a state dinner honoring one of the republics.
-/-/-
She leaves the white house with a dress for the state dinner she's attending with her dad. She lays the garment bag on the back of the couch. She watches Grant do his sweep of her apartment before taking his post outside the door.
"I'm sorry if I made today difficult for you. We can just forget last weekend or the fact that we kissed all together." She said kicking the door closed.
"Who says that's what I want?" He stopped searching to look at her for a moment.
"Little things like common sense and self-preservation?" She leaned into the door and eyed him advancing on her.
"I've never had use for either." He bent and kissed her.
It starts like the first one then evolves into a whole other thing. It's suddenly heated and harsh. It feels desperate and so impassioned she can hardly draw air. He tastes like cinnamon and something else entirely.
He pressed her into the door and kissed her until her lungs were on fire. When she tugs his hair to tilt his head back she wants to know what the skin of his neck tastes like.
Sadly, that seems to snap him out of it. He moves her bodily yet very carefully away from the door as though she is a bomb set to explode in his face. She lets him pass and leave as she tried to breathe and force the warming tingles from her body and off her properly kissed lips.
There's a knock and she opens the door and he hands her a green apple Ring Pop her favorite. "I thought of you." He says with a little shrug
And for some utterly incomprehensible reason she has to force back the need to cry. "Thank you."
She closed the door.
-/-/-
Over the next few weeks Ward's presence on her protection detail is rare to nonexistent. She has no way to contact him so she tries to let it go because he obviously wants to leave their tiny dalliance behind them and she's not a woman who begs.
When she sees him at the White House back at his post guarding Skye. Her heart speeds up of its own accord. His eyes glide over her for half a second and move away again but she can feel the heat his eyes leave behind once again. She wonders idly if it shows in the blush of her skin.
They are to have cocktails and canapés on the residential floor before they move on to the dinner. Skye comes and sits on the arm of the chair she's perched on they're both wearing the same designer Paolo Sebastian.
She wears the long sleeved lacy number that is so sheer at first glance she looks naked underneath it. "You look lovely Skye."
"Too many bloody buttons if you ask me." Fitz says as he wonders over to them.
"Shhh my dad is ten feet from you Leo!" She complained "And thank you Jem. How are things with Mr. Broody Pants?"
"He works for you again, I got the message." She said glumly.
"Simmons! I have an idea." Fitz says distracting her.
"One of these days we'll end up rich or dead off one of your ideas." Jemma quips trying to muster up a smile for her partner.
"Wait! Who is broody pants? Fitz asked. Skye whispers the answer in his ear "Bloody hell Simmons of all the-"
"Your idea honey?" Skye redirects him with a gentle smile and he rubs a hand down her back.
"This will be discussed later."
-/-/-
He can feel her presence like a charge in the air before he sees her. She's wearing a short lacy ivory colored dress accented in dark blue ribbon criss crossing her torso. It's short at least by Jemma's standards it has barely noticeable blue straps so that the neckline highlights one of his favorite things the delicate line of her shoulders.
If he didn't know better he'd think she was trying to push his buttons with the dress and sexy eye makeup. The sapphire blue "Fuck me." Heels let him know she was definitely trying to catch his eye.
"Look somewhere anywhere else." Romanoff advised. "She likes you don't lead her on by looking at her like you're going to do something you don't have the balls for in the first place champ."
"Thanks Nat." he whispered sharply.
"Any time there stud." She retorts.
-/-/-
Half way through dinner she gets up to go to the restroom. His feet follow her like they have their own mind. Hunter hangs back thankfully.
Part way down the hall she whirls on him. All narrow eyes and angry pouts and damned if he's not turned on in five seconds flat. "What do you want from me Grant?" She hissed "You kissed me not once but twice and you bailed! So what is it that you want me to do?"
"Why do you have to dress like that?" He complained gesturing vaguely at her attire.
"Like what? A woman instead of school marm?" She snaps at him.
"No! Like you're trying to tempt me."
She raised her chin in challenge and smiled like a cat that ate the canary. "Do you ever just do something because you want to Grant? Because it feels good or are you always the dutiful rule follower huh?"
And that's it his control snaps like old tree branches in a strong wind. He can practically hear it.
"Did you really have to go to the bathroom or was that an excuse?" He says tightly.
"Excuse to get up why?" He takes her elbow and leads her down a random hall and opens a door.
"Be quiet. No matter what be quiet." He commands before pushing her into the closet and looking both directions before following her in.
"What're we doing?" She said sounding thrilled if he's not mistaken in her tone.
"What I fucking want." He growls out kissing her deeply. He yanks out his ear piece even though he'd turned it off as an added measure but he doesn't stop kissing her just softens it when she moans quietly into his mouth.
She unbuttons his jacket and is working on his belt buckle as he walks her back first into a corner of the supply closet. "Too many clothes…" she mutters.
"Next time…slower more naked." He promises kissing away from her mouth down to her pulse point. It jumps erratically at the scrape of his teeth. She gets his belt and pants undone as he's blindly tearing down her pantyhose.
They make a distinct ripping sound."Fuck."
"I don't care Grant." She said breathlessly as she sucked a bruise into his neck as she was shoving his jacket off.
He hikes up the skirt of her frilly dress. "I swear you're trying to make me lose my fucking mind."
"You like it?" She asked. He tests her body with his fingers first he doesn't want to hurt her. He feels slightly victorious as with each pass into her body his hand comes away wetter. It's nice to know he has the same maddening effect on her.
"Losing my mind or the dress." He asks and never gets answer because she's not thinking only feeling. He loves that. Her head kicks back as he strokes upward. She moans rather loudly as he body takes over to the baser of instincts. "Shhh, I've got you." He whispers before leaning into kiss her. He removes his hand and brackets her legs around him. He sinks in slowly. He slides arm under her ass to lever her up some and force her down onto him more firmly. She makes a little choked sound that claws at his insides with a blinding heat.
He gets lost in her. The softness of her skin, the heat of her body, the tempo of her breathing the taste of her kiss. The deep slow rhythm they create. He loses track of time focused solely on the moment drawing everything he can from this because it will be all he gets. He knows that. They fit together like they belong together and that scares him for multiple reasons. He watches her face as her orgasm begins and crests. It's like watching the sunrise…beautiful calm and sure to never look the same way twice.
"Open your eyes Jemma." He commands. "You will never know how long I've wanted you. You are all I thought you'd be." She looks like she might cry. He really just wanted her to know she was worth every risk and reckless thing he could ever do, that she had value to him. She kissed him and he feels surrounded by her in every way. "Let go." She whispers against his lips.
And he does.
Afterwards he's still holding her up and he knows they shouldn't linger but he needs these five seconds of calm first.
"HI, I've missed you." She says kissing his forehead down the line of his nose before landing on his lips.
"Hi Baby." He said. He was so completely sunk hell he was the Titanic. He'd never had anyone miss him he's not sure he can give it up. "We gotta move Jem. We get caught and I get court martialed by a very fancy court."
"Right!" She kissed him once twice a third time. . He gingerly pulled away from her body and slid her down his body sitting her gently on her still blue heeled feet. "Where are we?"
"Why? He asked buttoning his pants. He side long glanced at her straightening the frilly dress.
"You ripped my knickers or at least part of them I need to text Skye for more. I still have to sit through the entertainment." She brushed her hair in place. She reaches up to adjust his tie.
He hands her his phone once his tie is fixed. "Off east room, hallway third door."
She taps out the directions followed up by "Manscaping emergency bring panty hose."
"Manscaping?" Grant now fully redressed asked dropping a quick kiss on the shoulder He's reading over.
"Don't ask."
-/-/-
Skye knocks in their little code. Grant opens the door and she can see Skye wink before handing him the hose and disappearing.
He watches her change with curious eyes. "We just shagged in a coat closet in the White House and your side eyeing me for changing my knickers?" He just smiles momentarily.
"You go first I'll be right behind you go directly to the table. Stop for nothing. The place is secure but I trust nothing." He demands in his no nonsense business tone.
"Alright." She said she stopped to kiss his cheek. "See you."
"Always." He replied.
-/-/-
Of all the crazy shit he's done screwing Jemma Simmons has to be the craziest. He feels like all eyes are on him as he exits the tiny closet though no one is around. This must be how Jemma feels it's unsettling at best. He reaches the dining room and finds her next to her father. She's eating gelato in dainty bites and it takes every bit of his will power to not think of her lips on his moments ago.
He shoves his hands into his pockets to find her discarded hose. It really shouldn't turn him on but it does as his slacks suddenly get tighter.
"Think dead puppies or your grandmother naked or something mate because the head of the FBI is staring you down like all hell. John Garrett is not one for games my friend." Hunter advises knowingly.
He needs to end this now because he will not be able to keep his hands, eyes, mouth, and mind, his anything off Jemma fucking Simmons.
He thought once might satiate him. He was so incredibly wrong about that.
"We've all become compromised by our assets somehow it's alright." Hunter says.
"Not like this you haven't." He said darkly.
AN: I hope you like it Paolo Sebastian is real designer the dresses Jemma and Skye are wearing are on Tumblr. I do not own the design or idea for them. I just thought they were pretty. Anything white house related I get off Wikipedia. I own nothing at all. I stopped holding out on y'all if you liked it tell me! Thanks for all the support and feedback thus far!-MM