MADE WHOLE

CHAPTER FOUR

ALEX

I stood in the desert over a body that was missing both arms. This was going to be an interesting day. I would rather be out in the desert in the arms of my boyfriend than to be standing over an armless body. I snapped some photos while a black SUV pulled up right next to mine. I looked over a smiled at the figure getting out. Nick walked my way. I wanted to kiss him, but we were working. He barely touched my arm, but I knew what it meant. We were trying to be careful and trying to keep our relationship as quiet as possible.

"What do we have here?" he asked me.

"Armless body. Female. Been out here maybe 2 days." I said as I watched him bend down next to Ray who was already at the body.

"The tool marks suggested something with a rough edge. Wasn't a smooth cut at all. The bone is even jagged. This wasn't professional." Ray said.

"I'm going to send off the images I've got so far." I said as I walked over to the SUV I'd arrived in and opened the trunk. I opened up the laptop in the truck and connected my camera. Moments later while I waited for the photos to upload Nick was standing next to me.

"I missed you." He said quietly.

"It's been busy." I said looking down at the computer. I felt his fingers on my arm. I looked at him and gave him a smile.

"Too busy. I was thinking tonight we could see a movie or something." He said.

"Sounds good." I said as I finished uploading the photos.

It was so hard to work together sometimes. A few weeks had passed and we were doing a good job at keeping our relationship quiet. Most times I was on different cases, but every now and then like today we were working together. There was so much we couldn't say and he couldn't do. There was this really awkward fine line that we seemed to straddle. We didn't want to be too standoff with one another, but we didn't want to be too close with one another. It was hard to find the balance that wouldn't lead to some suspicion.

I walked into the DNA lab. I was hoping Wendy had some results for me and I had a few more things to drop off. I walked in to find Nick there. He gave me a smile as I entered. He was already working on another case while I was still working on my armless woman. I loved the way he looked just standing there. I felt like the luckiest girl because he wasn't just an incredibly nice guy, but he was very hot. He stood there in a grey T-shirt that was just tight enough and showed off everything and his pants were at the perfect about of tightness showing off his butt in the perfect light. I had to blink a couple times because I felt like this couldn't be real. He couldn't be real, but he was and he was mine.

"Alex… hey." He said to me.

"Hey." I said trying to seem casual when truthfully I wanted him to rip his clothes off, but that would be unprofessional and we weren't there yet. We'd spent the last few weeks just hanging out when we could and getting to know one another. I liked that he didn't seem to pressure me into being more intimate. It made or relationship relaxing in that I knew he wasn't after something else, but truly was trying to know me before we got to that point.

"Well um… thanks Wendy… Alex… I'll see you." He said. His hand barely bushed my arm as he exited. I felt like I was holding my breath as I felt the last of the electric sparks leave my body.

"So do you have results for me?" I then asked Wendy after taking a breath.

"I do, but first you have to tell me what is going on with you and Nick." She said as she starred me down.

"Nothing." I said at once.

"Come on… nothing?" she questioned. "I just saw the way you two looked at each other and then there was the other night when you came out for drinks with Mandy and I. I saw his name on your screen while you texted and when your phone rang it was his name before you ran out to take the call. So tell me."

I let out a sigh. She was good and obviously we needed to try harder to not seem so obvious. "You can't tell anyone." I said in a hushed voice. "He and I are kind of a thing."

"Seriously?" she questioned clapping her hands together.

"Shhhh." I said at once trying to hush her. "We're keeping it low key and we don't need word getting out around here."

"I promise I won't tell anyone." She said at once. "But that's great and you two look great together. I knew something was up. He seems happier."

"Who seems happier?" came a voice. I turned to see Hodges in the doorway. I rolled my eyes.

"Nobody." Wendy said quickly. "Here are your results." She said handing me a paper.

"Plus I need to drop these off." I said handing her a couple vials.

"Who seems happier?" Hodges then asked.

"No one." I said at once. "Thanks Wendy." I said before quickly leaving. This was for sure getting much harder.

NICK

It was so hard to work around Alex now. There was such a tension that hung around us when together. I loved to be around her, but to be around her and not be able to show any affection took a lot of will power. She is beautiful and amazing. The last few weeks with her had been great. She was so smart and there was just that factor about her that drew her to me. I loved spending time with her and just being around her. I wanted her in every way possible though we'd stayed clear of having sex. I liked that we hadn't though. I'd never been in a relationship in my adult like this long where we hadn't already had sex. It was nice to really get to know one another, but it was getting more difficult as the sexual tension seemed to keep rising.

Sitting at my desk I was finishing a few things. I couldn't wait to see Alex later on. I'd looked up movie times and I was ready to take her out. I heard a knock on the doorframe and looked up to see Ray standing there.

"Mind if I come in?" he asked.

"No come on in Ray." I said to him. He walked in and sat down. "What's up man?"

"I know it's none of my business, but I've noticed a little something between you and Alex. Not trying to pry or anything, but you do seem much happier." Ray then said. I was shocked, but pleased. I was happy that others saw a change in me because I'd felt it in myself. Being with Alex had given me a new perspective on things. I remembered last week when I went with her to the concert she wanted to go to. She was so joyful and so happy. She just kept dancing and was so content and in her own world. She was who I aspired to be and her taste in music didn't suck either.

"We're doing a bad job at keeping it quiet?" I questioned.

"Well it is hard to keep something like that a secret in a building full of trained observers." Ray said with a chuckle. "Plus I think you two are trying too hard. Relax more. The moment the two of you cross paths you get very tense. Try and relax. It will make things flow better."

"Will try." I then said. I then spotted Alex coming towards the office. She stopped in the doorway.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked sweetly. Our eyes seemed to connect instantly.

"Nope. I was just leaving. Have a good one." Ray said as he stood. He gave Alex a door and left the office. Alex walked in and sat down in the chair that Ray had occupied previously.

"So I looked up movie times. I'm not sure what you want to see. There is this action movie, there is this romance movie…" I was kind of keeping it general as I told her the options.

"I want to see the Star Trek movie." She then said. "What time is it playing?"

"I didn't expect that one." I then said looking at my beautiful girlfriend who sat in front of me. She was full of surprises everyday. I observed her. She wore a loose blouse that I could barely make out, but could see her curves. I would be lying if I said I didn't think about what she looked like under her clothes. I wanted to take her clothes off layer by layer and feel her warm skin against mine. I felt myself wanting her right in this moment. A pressure built in my pants. I took a breath to subdue the feelings.

"Yeah, I was into Star Trek for a minute in high school. Plus Chris Pine is smoking hot." She said. I laughed.

"So you want me to pay for you to check out some guy on a screen?" I questioned with a smirk.

"Umm yeah…" she said smirking back at me.

"Well that movie plays at 6:10, 7:50, 8:30, and 10:05." I said as I looked down at the times I'd printed out.

"8:30 is good with me." She then said as she looked down at her cell phone. "That's Wendy with results for me."

"So I'll pick you up at 7. We can get a quick bite and then catch the movie." I said.

"Sounds good." She said as she stood. She went towards the door before turning back around and facing me. "By the way. You're much hotter." She gave me a smile and then left the office.

We walked out of the theater hand in hand. I can't say if the movie was good or bad because we'd spent the entire time making-out in the back row like teenagers. There was something about her that made me feel giddy and free. Her positivity that shined through everything always helped too. We walked up the strip together just looking at the lights. In my years living here I'd been down here more times than I can count, but it all felt so new with Alex.

"So we paid $15 each for a prime make-out spot." Alex said laughing. I looked at her. Her curls bounced as she walked.

"Did you at least like the movie?" I asked her.

"What movie?" she questioned with a grin. I pulled her close and kissed her gently.

"So Ray knows about us now. Apparently we are too obvious by trying to not be obvious. He says we get too tense around one another." I said looking at her. She frowned a bit. "Don't worry Ray isn't going to tell anyone."

"Well Wendy also knows." She then said with a shrug.

"Oh God please don't let Hodges find out." I said with an exasperated sigh.

"Then we'll be turned in for sure." Alex said rolling her eyes.

ALEX

I unlocked the door to my apartment. Nick was standing right there with me. Whenever we went out he always made sure I got inside of my apartment safe. I loved how careful he was with me and how much he showed he actually cared. I bit my lip as I looked at him. His hand was on my arm just touching me gently.

"Want to come in?" I asked him. We seemed to avoid really spend time at each other's places and I think we both knew why. We were having the best time getting to know one another and to be alone in this way just increased the sexual tension that had been lingering over us the past few weeks.

"Yeah sure." He said. He walked inside and I closed the door behind him. This was his first time in my apartment. He looked around and his eyes landed on one corner. It was where I kept my instruments. "You play instruments?" he asked.

"Yeah." I answered as he walked over and pressed a key on my keyboard.

"You never mentioned anything." He said at once looking at me. Truthfully I didn't really talk about it with anyone. It was a thing I did to relax and distress. I'd taught myself for the most part with exception of the piano that I took lessons for as a kid. I walked over to where he was standing next to my keyboard.

"I play to relax. Mostly just my piano and my guitar, but I also play the violin. I left my violin back home at my mom's house." I explained to him.

"That's amazing." He said. I sat down on the bench in front of my keyboard. I put my hands to the keys and started to play. I could feel his eyes on me as I played. I then started to sing. It was something I also enjoyed doing. I finished the song and he looked at me. "That was beautiful." He said.

"Thanks." I said with a shrug. "It's something I've been working on."

"You amaze me everyday." He said as he sat down next to me. "So you play, sing, and write your own stuff?"

"Pretty much. It's relaxing." I said simply. He pressed his lips to mine. We'd kissed so much this entire evening, but this was different. I could feel a fervor building inside of me. I intensified the kiss and parted my lips. Our tongues began an intimate battle. One of his hands was in my hair while the other stayed on my waist. My hand ran up his arm settling on his strong and bulging bicep. Instantly I wanted more, but I wasn't sure where his mind was.

At once he broke from the kiss and looked at me. I knew straightaway that he also wanted more. I was instantly nervous. I bit my lip. His look then turned to concern. I knew I must have been giving away my nervousness and apprehension on my face.

"We don't have to." He then said placing a hand on my cheek. I loved that he didn't want me to feel forced or coerced into it. I loved that he wanted me to lead the pace of our relationship. I'd never had this before with anyone I'd dated before.

"I want to…it's just… I don't know if you will like what you see." I then admitted. As confident as I came across I was incredibly self-conscious for a few reasons.

"Don't be silly." He said giving me a reassuring smile.

"I'm not." I said seriously. I lifted up the side of my shirt to reveal a scaly rash on my torso.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I have psoriasis. It's an autoimmune disease that attacks the skin. It's not contagious, just ugly and uncomfortable for me some days. I explained to him. He ran his hand over my exposed skin. "I've had it since I was 15. I've learned to live with it and right now it's actually quite tamed. I'm on a great medication for it and it has allowed my arms to clear so far. Normally I walk around in long sleeves no matter the time of year because it will also cover my arms, but the medicine and all the sunshine in Vegas has helped a ton." I gave him a small smile. It felt good to finally revel it to him. It'd been such a dark cloud over my love life. I've had guys who seemed fine with it and others who've just run away immediately. I'd been so afraid of scaring Nick off.

He simply pulled me to him and gave me another strong kiss. He stood and pulled me with him. I felt my knees instantly going weak with the way he kissed me. I realized he had no idea where to go. I broke the kiss and took him by the hand to lead him towards my bedroom. He slipped his other hand around my waist. We were just at my bedroom door when he pulled me to him. His lips were on my neck as he placed wispy kisses along my neckline. His hand pulled my body right up against his. I could feel his eagerness protruding through his pants and against my back. I opened the door to my bedroom and pulled slightly away from him to bring him inside.

"Sorry for the mess." I said as I looked at the pile of clothes in the corner and my bed that was unmade.

"It's ok. My house is the same." He said giving me a smile.

My heart was pounding. I stood at the foot of my bed and we just looked at one another. He came to me. I kissed him this time. I felt his hand slip under my t-shirt and slide up my side. He began to pull my shirt up. We broke the kiss to allow him to bring is over my head and off. I did the same with his shirt, but him being much taller than me he had to finish removing it on his own. My eyes instantly were on his perfectly toned chest. Was I really about to have sex with this man who was built like a god?

I unbuttoned my own jeans and slid them down my legs exposing more of my psoriasis patches. If he wanted to run, now was his chance. I stood there in my underwear. He quickly pulled me to him. His lips were once again on my neck. One of his hands held me close by my butt. I let out a moan as his lips teased at my neckline. I felt his other hand work at the clasp of my bra and he freed me at once. He slipped my bra straps from my arms. I then realized something.

"I've got condoms in the drawer." I said quickly. The box of condoms was a parting gift from Simone. I now felt like she was psychic or something and knew they would come in handy.

"Thanks." He whispered in my ear. He began to plan kisses from my ear down to my collarbone stopping every now and thing to slightly nip at my skin. Each time I would let out a gasp or a moan. I wanted him more and more with each kiss. "Lie down." He whispered gently. I did as I was told and lied down on my bed.

I watched him undo his belt and unbutton his jeans. He took them off, but kept his underwear on. He joined me on the bed. He bent down and started planting soft kisses up my legs his hands following. He seemed to pay extra attention and kissing along my psoriasis patches. I felt his fingers find the waistband of my panties as he slipped his fingers under and slid my panties down my legs and off. My breathing became quick as his kisses began to work towards my inner thighs. He spread my legs slowly. I was practically panting I was breathing so hard out of anticipation. His kisses continued until his mouth, his lips, his tongue were between my legs. I let out a gasp. My eyes were tightly shut as I gripped at my sheets. The feeling of his tongue flicking over my most sensitive area made my toes curl.

"Oh God, Nick." I groaned out. I wanted him more with each flick of his tongue.

He gave me one last lick before he started to plant kisses up my torso. His hands slipped up my body taking care at each patch, dimple, and curve. I loved the way he touched me with reverence and wanting. His lips reached one of my nipples. I let out a moan as he flick his tongue over my stiff nipple. He was so gentle with each touch as he started to plant more kisses up my body. His lips landed on mine. I slid my hands down his strong chest and made it to the waistband of his underwear. I slipped them off of him and he kicked them off. He broke the kiss and reached into the drawer of my bedside table. I could hear him digging around. I looked over to see his hand produce a condom package from the drawer. He quickly ripped the package open and put it on. I lied there looking up and him and him looking down at me.

"Alex you are everything and so much more. You're perfect." He said down to me. I could only smile at him. His lips came to mine. He spread my legs and slowly entered me. I moaned in his mouth. One of my hands went into his hair as he found a rhythm and I joined him. Both of us were now panting as we moved together. My hips arched up towards him begging for more. I couldn't remember enjoying sex this much with anyone. One of his strong arms was holding me tightly. He moved slow, but purposefully. I closed my eyes as he planted kisses along my neck while he kept me in his arms and with each perfect movement I couldn't help, but moan out his name. Swiftly the feelings inside of me shifted and I was on the threshold. At once the most intense orgasm I'd ever had took over my entire body. I was gripping at his hair with one hand and the other hand gripping at his back.

"Nick!" I was screaming out over and over again. He captured my lips with his, his movements continuing. I didn't know how much more I could take and then his body seemed to go stiff.

"Alex." He growled into my mouth.

He then lied down next to me. I turned to him as he removed the condom and disposed of it in the wastebasket next to my bed. He then pulled me close to him. His chest was sweaty, but I didn't mind. I laid my head on his check. I felt him kiss my forehead. I closed my eyes. It was so peaceful to lie here with him in the quiet. He ran fingers through some of my curls.

"Hopefully your neighbors didn't call the police with all the noise you made." He said with a small laugh. I hit him across the chest. "Imagine having to explain to officers that we probably know what was going on."

"I'd be mortified." I said at once looking up at him. He grinned down at me and quickly kissed me. I laid my head back on his chest. It was quiet again except for the sound of his heart beating in my ear.

"Have you ever performed live? Your music?" he asked. I looked up towards him.

"No way." I said at once.

"Why?" he then asked. "You're good. You should perform one day at an open mic. I think you'd be amazing." I smiled at him. He was the first person I'd ever played for and now he was encouraging me to play for the world it seemed like. I wasn't so sure about that. I planted a kiss on his chest and lied there just thinking about everything.

Morning came too quick for me. I opened my eyes to see Nick starring at me. I gave him a smile before I scooted closer to him and gave him a kiss. With that kiss all the memories of the night before came rushing back to me. I was so happy with everything. He pulled me to where I was on top of him. I could feel his morning eagerness just under me. I grinned down and kissed him once more. His hands slid up my sides and landed on my breasts. I moaned out. Then I heard a sound in the background. It had to be his cell phone because it wasn't mine. He pulled me off of him and sat me back on the bed. He got up and found his pants searching for his phone. I looked over at the clock. It was only just after 8 in the morning. I let out a yawn as I saw him find his phone. He looked at the screen confused before he seemed to answer the call.

"Hey mom it's early for you." He said smiling. It was obviously his mother on the other line. I loved seeing how his face lit up while his mother spoke. His grin quickly became a frown. He looked very concerned. I sat up as I watched him. "Yeah… ok… yeah… calm down…. I'm coming out there… going to get the next flight…see you soon." At once he was putting down his phone and grabbing his clothes. I watched him frantically start to get dressed.

"What's wrong?" I asked him at once.

"It's my dad. He's in the hospital. He was shot. I need to get down there." He said as he threw his shirt over his head. He was instantly leaving my bedroom. I jumped out of my best as fast as I could, wrapping the sheet around me. He grabbed his keys from my coffee table.

"Be careful. Call me when you get there." I said at once as he started making his way to the front door. He turned back to me and quickly came to me. He pulled me in for one final kiss before he was then out of my door.

A/N: It took me a minute to find my groove with Nick and Alex, but I think I found it and I like them now. I needed to give Alex something to bring her timid yet fun personality to the forefront. I like the idea of her having psoriasis, I also have it and so I obviously understand the mind of someone with it.