Chapter Four:

Lani entered the interrogation room early that morning, words of love that had spilled out of her with Eli consumed her thoughts, as did the brief moment of silence before being interrupted and called back into the SPD to deal with Mr. Larkin once again, and then neither had mentioned it before going their separate ways for the night.

Those words had just slipped out – she was caught up in the moment.

The events of the case.

The danger and scare she faced.

Then - the way he touched her that night, and the way it burned through her skin.

All of it led to uttering the words, 'I love you'.

She could admit, all the feelings she had for him bubbled over in that moment and there was a second of sheer honesty, one that probably took him by surprise at it did her. And now, she wasn't about to lie and say it was a mistake when in fact, she did love him.

Those feelings had been held in too long.

They were bound to spill out at some point.

Trying to move from those thoughts and back to the case file she knew was waiting on her desk, Lani turned and poured herself a cup of coffee, a much-needed jolt, even if it was from the caffeine. 'Forget about it,' she reminded herself before turning around, right as she caught a glimpse of him almost walking right past the interrogation room and then stepping back, it was evident he had something to say when he entered and closed the door tightly from behind.

"Good morning…" Lani drew out slowly with a smile on her face, and then sat down on the edge of the table while taking a small sip from the cup in her hand.

A part of her wanted to talk to him about what she had said.

She decided against it.

Eli took a breath, not uttering a word as he stepped further inside – instead, he moved toward the inside windows, closing the blinds one by one, trying to avoid any type of interruption for the next few minutes. He had thought about her most of the night, feeling like an idiot for the way he'd let her slip out of the bed without saying how he felt in return, even if he assumed it had been clear.

To him, maybe.

But – he knew where assumptions got them.

Lani watched closely, there was a slight confusion by his silence from the moment he stepped into the interrogation room, which caused her to wonder what this was all about, did it have to do with her case? For some reason, she kept getting pulled back in; and while she wanted to help the mother protect her baby, she also knew Eli didn't want her anywhere near this father that held a gun and threatened her with a knife, all the while dangling his new born baby in her direction as bait.

His eyes darted to her for a split second, right before moving around her.

She turned slightly as he moved to the other side of the room.

There was still confusion on what this was about.

Eli had been hesitant up until now, and it wasn't even because he didn't feel it, that wasn't it, he just wasn't sure she was ready for that type of declaration after everything they had been through, he wanted to take this as slow as she needed it to go. "I wanted to clear the air about last night-"

"Clear the air?" Lani repeated back, while setting down the cup of coffee in her hand. What was that supposed to mean?

Eli noticed the underlying tone in her voice.

"We got that call last night and I should have – I love you," he finally admitted, ending the look of confusion that was written all over her face, which turned into nothing but a glowing smile in his direction.

She had said the words before he worked up the courage to do so.

This made it easier for him to return those sentiments.

It had been a big step – they lost their son, and they had been an emotional wreck, trying to put one foot in front of the other and find a way for it to be all right, and through that, they leaned on each other, and while his feelings came to the surface a bit before hers did, deep down he knew waiting for her would be worth it.

Her smile lit up the room.

He bit down on his bottom lip as she moved toward him.

Stopping before him and placing her hand in his for a brief moment, she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips, and then his hands left hers and they rested against her hips as he drew her near, the two barely remembered they were standing in the interrogation room, where anyone could walk in and catch them.

Their lips eventually parted, and the realization of where they were set in.

Eli's forehead rested against hers while holding her close, wishing they were anywhere else but the station at that moment, as he ached to be with her, show her how he felt, words weren't enough.

Pressing her hand against his chest, Lani leaned in for another kiss.

Before her lips brushed against his again, she felt him pull back.

Eli placed both hands on her shoulders, physically putting distance between them while he still had the chance, or that would be it, he would probably get fired for what would come next, which by the way she was looking at him, they wouldn't get past the table, or hell, maybe not even that far.

"We shouldn't be doing this here – we have to stop."

Lani pressed her lips together and giggled, once he took another breath and moved clear across the other end of the room, which she got a little pleasure knowing his attraction for her had intensified in a matter of a few short minutes, mostly because she had felt the same way.

Looking over and resting her chin on her shoulder, she smiled at him.

He wanted her to stop – but at the same time, he didn't.

How was he supposed to get through the next 8 hours like this?

And then the there was a knock and the door swung open, forcing the two of them out of the trance they were in, which probably was a good thing considering the thoughts that were going through his mind as she gazed at him. However, once Hope walked in and turned to Lani, he damn well knew what this was about, and he didn't like it one bit.

"We still have Mr. Larkin in a cell—" Hope began, looking between the two of them, and not wanting to have to come and ask again, but he just wouldn't cooperate with anyone else, not even his own lawyer. "I'm sorry to ask – Lani, he wants to speak with you."

Lani glanced over at Eli, knowing that he didn't like her continued involvement.

"For what?" Eli quickly questioned, irritated that either one of them had to deal with this more than they already had. "What does he want with her this time?" He noticed the look Hope gave Lani, and he knew this was a losing battle. "I just don't understand what he could possibly want from her."

"I'll talk to him-" Lani reluctantly agreed, knowing that it was her job as a cop to put aside any personal feelings she had on this case and deal with it as any other, despite the fact that Eli hasn't been comfortable with her interaction with this guy.

Hope then turned to Eli and said, "Maybe you should go with her this time."

That was probably the best idea anyone has had since they brought this guy in.

Eli watched Lani closely as Hope exited the interrogation room, and then once the door closed, he moved over to where she stood, sitting down on the edge of the table. "You know there's no rationalizing with this guy – we have him where we want him, and I don't want him messing with your mind in order to get off on some light sentence, and I don't want you feeling as though you owe this guy or this mother anything. You did your job."

Lani stepped between his legs, resting her hand on his shoulders.

Those hands eventually trailed up and cupped his face, and then his hands moved to her thighs as she leaned down and pressed her lips to his for a few kisses, more from appreciation than the passion that had been circling around them earlier.

Once she pulled back and began to step away, he grabbed her fingertips and stopped her from taking another step, as he didn't want to break the moment between them just yet. He didn't want to walk down to the holding cell with her and watch from a distance, knowing that this wasn't just any case, it was one that hit a little close to home for the both of them.

"Let's just – let's get this over with and get on with our day," Lani told him before he tried to change her mind, it wasn't like anyone was going to get anywhere with this guy until she spoke to him.

"Hey—"

Her fingers slipped through his, and he could tell she felt uneasy.

"Look, you can refuse to see him. It's not like you owe this guy anything." Eli noticed as she stopped near the door, obviously listening to what he had to say. "I don't like what he's doing – you don't have a vested interest in his well-being, so what the hell is this even about?"

Lani shrugged. "Maybe it's best that you—"

Interrupting, "No – you're not going down there alone another time. It's like he's developed some twisted version in his mind of what happened, and he needs you there for some sort of moral support."

A smile appeared on her face at the tone in his voice, it was clear that he was beyond annoyed at the events of this case. "What was that?"

Eli was clueless. "What?"

"That – you do realize I am not emotionally invested in what happens to him, right? I sympathize with Tracey, the mother, mostly because of what you and I went through with David. I hate to see any mother lose her baby for any reason." She noticed the way he was looking at her, the way his deep eyes pierced through her. "He'll get what is coming to him – I'll be sure of it."

"That's what I'm afraid of –" Eli said with a smile, standing to his feet and reaching for her hand, just as he pulled her back for a kiss, letting her know that she didn't need to do this solo, he would walk through it with her.

His hand dropped from hers, and they stepped out of the interrogation room.