I realized this chapter started to get a little long. The next one will pick up where this one leaves off. I've never written anything sexually explicit which is part of the reason it took me a while to post this chapter. My plan is to try and post 2-3 chapters at a time but it will depend on my work/travel schedule. If anyone has any feedback, good or bad, I'd love to hear it. Thanks!
Jay spent another hour digging deeper and wider but still nothing. Either the body was never buried or someone already dug up the body. Erin was still watching, her wide eyes not believing that the grave was empty. Even though it was getting close to noon, the temperature dropped and snow flurries were beginning to fall. It was hard to believe it was May and they were still dealing with freezing temperatures and the threat of snow.
"Maybe we should head back," Jay suggested. He was covered in mud, his breath visible coming out in great waves as he heaved the mud back in the hole. Erin just nodded and said she would update O and Dawson while he finished. Once the hole was filled, Jay completely worn out.
"If it snows, the ground is going to freeze and this hole is going to be visible should anyone else come snooping around," Jay told Erin, leaning on the shovel for support. "And someone is going to have to explain."
Erin shrugged then handed Jay his coat back but he shook his head. "I'm way too muddy." They turned to walk towards the 300. As they approached their car, Jay looked down at himself.
"I really shouldn't get in the car being this dirty."
He opened the truck and started looking through it, not sure what he was looking for but hoping there would be something that would allow him to clean up. While he was digging, he was hot but now that he stopped his wet shirt clung to him, causing him to shiver. It entered his mind that he was at a crime scene and going out of his way to make sure that no one could connect him to it. He glanced at Erin, who was standing next to him also rummaging through the trunk. He knew it wasn't rocket science, his number one priority was Erin. Eventually he would have to deal with the moral and ethical dilemma he's found himself in. It's not like he hasn't faced these types of situations. In fact, this wasn't too far removed from what he faced during his stint in the military. His eyes clouded over in memory when Erin leaped back with a box in her hand.
"Ah ha!" she exclaimed. She handed him a box of large garbage bags. "I threw these in a few months ago when I was cleaning out my apartment after my… sabbatical…" she paused because she still felt uncomfortable discussing her inability to deal with Nadia's death. She shook her head as if she could make herself stop thinking about yet another death of someone close to her. "Remember? I donated a bunch of stuff to that domestic violence shelter in Cicero? We can use them to cover the seat and floor."
She walked over to the passenger door and gave him a small smile. "But this does mean you don't get to drive."
"Well, it was nice while it lasted!" Jay walked over and watched as she put multiple bags over the seat, on the side and floor.
Jay sat sideways on the seat with his feet outside the car. He removed his muddy boots and put them in another bag. After seeing the mud caked on his socks, he removed them as well. Because his jeans were also wet and stiff from the mud, he decided he should remove them as well. Erin's eyebrow shot up when he stood up to slip them off.
"Don't go getting any ideas, Lindsay. I'm just thinking of the car."
Despite the seriousness of the past few days, it felt good to have a small reprieve with a little flirty banter. Erin added the jeans to the bag, added a second bag around the first so it wouldn't tear and placed it in the trunk.
"I don't know if you'll want to salvage those clothes. They're so muddy you might break the wash machine, "she noted as she climbed back into the driver's seat and adjusted the seat to accommodate her shorter legs.
When she turned onto South Indiana, Jay questioned where she was going. "Uh, don't you think I should go to my place so I can get some clothes?"
Erin gave him the side eye. "My plan was to keep you at my place without any clothes so you couldn't escape. But… if you insist I guess we can get you something to wear." She had to admit he looked pretty ragged. Poor guy was freezing, his feet and legs were blue and he had goosebumps. Even his boxer briefs were dirty from the mud that soaked through the denim.
When they reached his apartment, Jay handed her his keys he had tossed into the glove box, giving her instructions on what clothes to grab. "I think I threw my workout bag on a chair in the living room. You should be able to stuff some jeans and a shirt in it. My socks and…"
"Oh, I know where you keep your stuff," she interrupted. "Trust me, I got you covered. I'll leave the car running and be right back. Sit tight," she told him with a sly smile.
Jay picked up his phone while he waited. He sent Mouse a text, looking for an update on Voight. Last he heard from him, Hank had turned his phone off so they couldn't track him. His car was parked at the social club but he wasn't there. It seemed pretty obvious that he didn't want to be found. Antonio and Alvin were with Olive, Daniel and her aunt at Voight's. They had finally left the hospital after Justin's organs were donated and he was officially pronounced dead. He also checked his email and soccer scores. His legs were moving up and down, still feeling chilled.
Twenty minutes later, he glanced at the clock and began to wonder what was taking her so long. Just when he started to send her a text, he caught her out of the corner of his eye when she walking out of the building. He whipped his head around when he realized she had a suitcase and not his gym bag. He raised an eyebrow when she opened the back door to throw it on the backseat. She just responded with her own eyebrow raise then chuckled.
"What?" she shrugged her shoulders and threw him a pair of sweats to put on.
Before he could respond, Jay's phone pinged with an incoming text. Mouse said he had moved back to the District but would be headed home soon. He set up an alert so that if and when Hank turned his phone on or his car moved, he'd know. Until then, he said to let him know if there was anything else he should be doing. Part of him hated having to tell Erin anything since she seemed to have relaxed since they left the scene but knew he needed to keep her up-to-date.
Her face clouded over but she didn't respond. The flurries turned into big, wet snowflakes that begun to stick to the road. Even though it was technically still day, it was getting dark with the incoming storm. She stopped in front of her apartment building and told Jay to go ahead and grab his bag and head upstairs, it looked like she wasn't going to find a parking spot closer than a few blocks away. Grateful, he took his bag and made it to the door in four big leaps. His bare feet were burning from the cold, wet sidewalk. As much as he liked taking the stairs, he opted to take the lift. He didn't have the energy to lug his bag up three floors. All he wanted was to get into a hot shower and warm up.
By the time Erin got upstairs, Jay was in the shower. She hung both their coats and left her muddy boats by the front door, deciding she'd deal with them later. The suitcase she packed lay open on the bed, but didn't look like he took anything out of it. Discarding her clothes on the floor in her closet, she was tempted to crawl into bed to warm up but decided that a shower would be a better idea.
"Save any hot water for me, Halstead?" she teased as she joined him in the shower.
"You ever hear of waiting your turn?" he replied.
"Wait… whose shower are you in again?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
"You're right. My bad!" he admitted. "Guess I'll let you have it…" he trailed off as he tried to slip around her to leave.
Erin wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tip toes to kiss him. He placed his hands on her waist to spin her so she was under the showerhead. He kissed her deeply then whispered in her ear, "I don't want to be in your way." Jay made another move to exit the shower, but Erin wouldn't let go.
"Babe, you missed a spot," brushing her fingers along his neck. She grabbed the bath sponge and added more body soap, squeezing it until it was nice and soapy. She started to softly rub the sponge around the base of his neck, moving down to his broad chest making swirling motions as her hands worked their way down. Jay breath quickened in anticipation but she avoided touching his manhood, just continued to wash his legs. He sighed heavily but she looked up with a twinkle in her eye and just mouthed "patience."
The soap just rolled off his body as she proceeded to work her magic, going around to the back side of his muscular legs, using her free hand to trail the one with the scrubber. Finally, she gave up the pretense of washing him. She reached around him and grabbed a small brown bottle of oil adding a small dab into her palm. Rubbing her hands together, she applied the oil to his back and shoulders, massaging his tired muscles. Jay leaned forward resting his forearms on the tile and groaned. Erin continued to work his back muscles but eventually her hands wandered to caress his ass. Pressing her body against him, her hands wandered around to his front and was pleased to find him aroused. She planted small kisses along his spine, gently tugging at him, feeling him grow harder.
Jay's breathing became more labored as she stroked him. Finally – perhaps to prevent an evitable outcome, he spun around grabbed her hands to them pin above her head as his mouth found hers. He leaned into her, his tongue desperately seeking hers. She started to squirm as his mouth started to drift to her breasts. His lips circled her nipples and she moaned his name as he released her hands so she could run her fingers through his wet hair.
The water had started to cool down so Jay suggested it might be a good time to get ready for bed, saying he was so exhausted, he couldn't wait to go to sleep. Erin opened her eyes and tried to gauge whether or not he was joking. She was also tired; so emotionally drained she couldn't even tell by the sound of his voice if he was teasing. Surprisingly, tears sprung to her eyes but she squeezed them shut trying to hold them in. Once again, her old insecurities start to rise up as she wondered why someone like him would want someone like her. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved him. But what if he didn't love her? Why did she even say it out loud? It's too soon. And why would she say it today of all days.
Jay had stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist. Erin was still standing under the lukewarm water, obviously lost in thought. He reached back in to turn off the water and wrapped a towel around her shoulders.
"Hey," he cupped her face. "Where did you go?" Before she could respond, he started rubbing her with the towel explaining that he didn't want her to get chilled and thought moving to the bed might be more comfortable. He could tell that she was fighting tears and who could blame her? Erin has been on an emotional rollercoaster since Justin was shot.
She allowed him to dry her off and he reached for her robe hanging on the hook on the back of the door. He was worried that she was going to start reliving the events of the prior evening and selfishly he wanted to continue what they started. The aftermath of Justin's death and Hank's action would obviously need to be dealt with but they both deserved a night off. Despite everything, he still clung to those three words she whispered in his ear. It felt like a lifetime ago, but he was determined to reciprocate her feelings before the inevitable nightmare continued tomorrow morning with the sunrise.
