Strike A Match

Chapter Four

Last week in January 2007

When the team came back from their case they headed straight home from the airfield. The next morning Derek was at work and hadn't seen Penelope around before the 10 am briefing. After that was over he went to his desk and called her.

"Office of the woman who defines both sexy and brilliant. What can I do for you?"

"Garcia," he said with warmth in his tone "are you hiding in your bunker?"

"Just working hard. Are you hardly working?"

"Something like that. Come have coffee with me, girl. Give that beautiful mind a break."

"Give you a thrill is more like it."

"Little bit of the first, a lot of the latter. Its all good, right?"

"Oh, sugar, it is all more than good. Don't tell me your forgot already?"

"Woman, get out here before I come get you."

"I love it when you're forceful, baby. It makes me almost as hot as I was last Saturday in your truck."

"Penelope," he said, dragging out her name "focus. Are you gonna join me for coffee or just go on about how fantastic making fantasies come true can be?"

Sitting nearby at her desk, Emily's head jerked up. She raised an eyebrow.

Garcia answered Morgan "Little bit of the first and a whole hell of a lot of the latter, Hot Stuff."

He laughed as she hung up on him. Derek got up and headed for the break room. He poured two cups of coffee, fixed one how he liked and one how she liked, and was leaning there with his arms over his chest when she showed up. His eyes raked over her. She was wearing pink that day.

It was nearly Valentine's day- a couple of weeks off- and Derek knew that meant his baby girl would be sporting lots of pink and red outfits till the holiday passed.

Derek gave her a long look, happy to see she was glowing, and then he handed her the coffee he fixed. "Good morning, princess."

"I'll show you a good morning, Hot Stuff." She sipped her coffee. "Mmmmm, heaven in a cup."

"I thought I'm your version of heaven on earth?"

"Oh, sweetness, you're heaven in the body of a man. Big difference."

He chuckled. Moving a little closer to her, he asked "Did you sleep okay last night?"

"Better than the night before."

He raised an eyebrow.

She went on "I ended up crashing here on my couch. Wasn't in the mood to deal with going home and coming back."

Derek rolled his head on his neck. "This last case was hell. Glad to have it done."

"You made my day brighter with those flowers."

He grinned. "Oh yeah? Cool."

"Your charming lines always work wonders on me," she said, referring to what he wrote on the card:

Thank you very much for giving me my first kiss that ever meant anything in all my life. That offer of a dance is still on the table.

He gave her a hurt look."That wasn't a line and by now you should know that, Garcia."

She hitched a thumb over her shoulder. "I should get back to my bunker. Thanks for the coffee."

She left him standing there with a puzzled look on his face. No other woman ever made him feel off balance but her. Sometimes he wondered if she did it on purpose but he knew she wasn't like that.

Still the effect was the same as if she was trying to mess with his mind. Derek didn't know if they were in a great place or a shaky one. All he knew is he missed her when she went away.

XXXXXXXXXX

That afternoon Penelope got another delivery. This time it was chocolates. The card read:

I bet you taste sweeter than candy. You're still the fuel for all my fantasies. Let me dance for you, baby girl.

As she was reading the card she heard Morgan behind her, in the doorway of her office, "Hey."

She spun around and smiled at him. "You're just encouraging me by feeding my sweet tooth. You could create an insatiable monster that requires more and more sugar to survive."

He raised an eyebrow and then opened his arms. "Look no further, baby."

She laughed.

He walked into the room. "So are you gonna share?"

"The candy or my body?"

"Baby girl, you can just about stop my heart when you ask a question like that. You can keep the candy. I want the second option."

"I just bet you do, angel eyes."

"You know I do, sexy mama."

"We all want a lot of things. Don't mean we get them."

He gave her a pout. "Garcia, you are gonna put me in the hospital, if you keep this up."

She gave him a confused look till it dawned on her what he meant. "I would never, baby."

He gave her a playful look and then said "Hey, just so you know, I do wanna continue what we started but only if you want that just as bad....cause I'm all about keeping my girl happy. So if you want me to back off just say back off and I will." Teasingly he wiggled his head at her "But I'll always be jonesing for a taste, just so you know, baby girl." After a moment he straightened, got serious, and added "No pressure, okay?"

"Okay."

"Cool."

"Thank you, Morgan."

"Sure. Well...um....I'm gotta get back to my paperwork. I'll catch up with you later, baby girl, all right?"

"Most definitely. After all, you do owe me a dance and I plan to collect sooner rather than later."

His face lit up. For a second he just smiled at her and then he walked out. Penelope giggled at the cockiness that took over his posture after she said that to him. Her body heated up from head to toe just thinking about how they were gonna kiss again....and so much freaking more.

God, she wanted to know so damn desperately what he looked like naked. What it felt like when he thrust into her. She even wanted to feel him coming inside of her, filling her up, making her feel completely whole for the first time in her life. Loved by someone who knew her body, heart and soul.

The idea of fucking him was so sexy to her. And the idea that it might be more than just a one night stand had her heart racing with excitement.

Derek didn't want to give up on the idea of them and she was starting to think maybe...just maybe....they would become more than one amazing night of shared fantasies acted out with the goal of getting off.

Maybe her man was finally looking to make them something more than just friends. She smiled through the rest of her shift as she thought about that.

XXXXXXXXXX

After exchanging an afternoon full of hot text messages Derek walked into Penelope's office. "Hey there, you gorgeous Goddess."

"Hi, sweet cheeks. You think up any new fantasies you wanna share with mama?"

"I think you've heard enough for one day." He chuckled and leaned against her desk. "You about ready to get out of here?"

"I've been ready since you mentioned whip cream." That was in one of the texts he sent her.

Grinning he said "I know how you love your sugar." Morgan moved so he was standing behind her, bent near her ear and whispered "I'm heading to the bar. Meet me there if you want another dance."

His warm breath on her ear made her shiver. With a sweet kiss on her forehead he left, while Penelope sat there with an ache throbbing through her that only one guy could take away. She didn't ask herself if it was smart to meet up with him that night.

Already her panties were damp just from thinking about it.