*Author's note: Thank you for the great reviews! They mean the world to me.*

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"Lucifer, where is your shirt?"

"I must have forgotten it," was all he could say.

Chloe just shook her head, in disbelief but also to clear her mind of the train of thoughts that threatened to distract her.

"I guess I should just be glad that you didn't forget your pants. Now come here, I've found something odd." She turned back to the layout of photos. Lucifer walked behind her chair and leaned over her.

"I was trying to recreate a timeline. The chapel obviously was first, but afterwards we ate and continued drinking."

He saw that she had tracked their progression last night. The story seemed typical. First, a ceremony at a dingy 24-hour stop. Followed by a steak dinner at what he recognized as one of the finer restaurants on the strip. Last was a stop at The Bank, a flashy club in the Bellagio hotel. It was the last few pictures that Chloe was hunched over, scouring for every detail.

Initially, her focus had been distracted by the positions she and Lucifer had been in. She was sitting in his lap in one, laughing so hard at something he had said that she was leaned backwards and his broad hand looked like the only thing keeping her upright. In another, they were sitting next to each other but her legs were crossed and laying casually over one of his knees. It looked so easy. How had she ever felt that comfortable? And why wasn't she surprised when she imagined the scenario, that she did feel safe with him? Then she had noticed the other person in the photos.

Lucifer was still stuck on the look of familiarity they both had. He had made her laugh. He had made her happy. A wave of possessiveness swept through him. The feeling was foreign, and not pleasant. It made him feel weak. To ignore that, he switched his focus to the picture's background, specifically on the pretentiously large mirrors in the club. The picture taker could be seen in the reflections. While the flash from the camera covered most of his face, the part that should have been visible was demonstrably obscured. Funny, considering the reflections of objects even at the farthest edge of the shutter could be made out clearly. It prickled a thought, but he struggled to materialize it. It was like a memory of a dream that faded the more he tried to focus on it.

"Who is that?" Chloe asked. In his eagerness to see the details closer, he found himself behind her and leaning over her shoulder. Focus Lucifer. With his skin still warm from the shower, he was even more aware of the cool material of her shirt rubbing his bare chest.

"I have no idea," he managed to say while trying not to break the moment. Lucifer always wanted Chloe, that was nothing new. But for some reason, he felt a need that was stronger than usual. It wasn't merely physical, he had to make Chloe trust him. It was important. Paramount even.

Unbeknownst to him, Chloe was vividly aware of their proximity. She had been running over theories in her mind for almost an hour, yet suddenly her mental priorities were elsewhere. Like what his skin would taste like, or if he was wearing anything under those pants. Pull yourself together Decker.

"I need a drink," Chloe announced. She needed some air, and maybe a cold shower. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't calculated his delayed reaction to her hasty exit. When she stood to escape to the kitchen, she found that she was trapped between the table and his half naked body. The chairs hedging her in on either side made her predicament unavoidable.

"Why Detective, why are you in such a rush? We have evidence to dissect, a conundrum to solve, and a guilty party to implicate. It isn't like you to run from a problem." As he spoke he took a half step toward her and she felt the backs of her thighs hit the edge of the table behind her. Almost instinctually, Chloe raised her hands to his chest. Her intent had been to push him away but she found her fingertips paralyzed upon contact.

"I told you that I didn't want this." Chloe spoke softly, locking her headstrong gaze with one of steel.

"You want this. You just can't admit it to yourself." Lucifer closed the minuscule gap between them, fitting one of his legs between hers. She could feel the heat seeping off him. His words caressed her neck. She didn't want this, did she?

"My desires have never been a mystery to you Detective. And you wanted to kiss me before any of this even happened," he whispered into her ear. His tone was soft, but uncompromising. His stubble was scratchy on her chin, but it felt like electric shocks running down to her toes. His hot breath tickled her ear and she bit her lip to stifle a groan.

"When you kiss me, and you will, it will be of your own doing. It will be your choice Chloe. And it will be worth it…"