A/N: Sorry I didn't get another chapter up earlier in the week, but a family crisis got in the way. At any rate, I hope I can make it up to you with the news that I need one additional chapter to finish this story properly. I hope you don't mind.

I should warn you that there's some more "M" stuff toward the end. Now, the morning after…

Chapter 9

"Teresa," Jane whispered into Lisbon's ear. She lay on her stomach, face in the pillow, having slept quite through her alarm. "We're going to be late for work, Sleeping Beauty."

"Mmmmmm," she growled.

"I remembered you weren't a morning person," he grinned, "so I made you this." He brought the steaming coffee cup he held down closer to her face where not even the pillow could hide the reviving aroma.

"Mmmm?" She turned her head an inhaled with a lazy smile. "Have I ever told you that sometimes you can be quite the nice man?"

"Not quite in so many words, well, unless Oh God, or Don't stop mean the

same-"

"Shut up," she muttered in acute embarrassment, burying her face in the pillow again.

He chuckled softly, sexily, and Lisbon felt her heart contract at the sound, memories of the night before flooding her mind with happiness. She felt him move her hair aside and press his lips to the back of her neck. She shivered.

"Here, Miss Grumpy Pants, drink some coffee."

He set down the mug by her bed and helped her sit up, propping the pillow behind her. His eyes devoured her when the sheet slipped to expose one well-loved breast, and she hastily pulled the bedding up to her chin. His eyes darkened at his own memories. Sitting on the bed beside her, he put the warm mug in her hand. She met his eyes, smiled, and inhaled gratefully before taking a sip.

"Too strong?" he asked, but he could tell by her euphoric expression that it was perfect.

"Just right. Thank you." She reached one hand over to hold his, and a wave of pure feeling passed between them, unidentified, but strong nonetheless.

"I didn't hear my alarm," she said, squinting at the alarm clock. She nearly spilled her coffee when she saw the time. "Dammit, Jane! We're gonna be at least an hour late!"

"Meh, so what. You deserve an extra hour after all I put you through last night." He was obviously not talking about their dance beneath the fire sprinklers.

Her blush heightened again as she looked at him, realizing he had already taken a shower, his hair now brushed neatly (she would find blonde hair in her hairbrush later) smelling of her soap. He was clad in the borrowed sweat suit, and his eyes looked bright and clear and infinitely happy. It was an expression she had never seen before. Naturally, her reaction to that was to tease and cajole.

"You know," she said between sips, "you didn't have to make up for five dry years in one night. I'm pretty sure I'm going to walk with a noticeable limp."

His smile turned wicked-another expression she hadn't seen, at least not in this context. "Oh, but that was maybe…six months' worth, tops, leaving me four and a half years and odd days still to catch up."

They smiled at each other while she finished her coffee, then suddenly Jane was hastening her along. "You realize you have to take me by my place to change. While sweats are wonderfully comfortable, going commando all day isn't."

Lisbon nearly choked on her last gulp of coffee. "Not to mention how terribly distracting it would be for me knowing that little secret," she said wryly. He grinned and placed her empty mug on the bedside table.

"Well, okay then, Lisbon, chop, chop."

He reached for both of her hands to pull her out of bed, but she surprised him, pulling him back down on top of her, using her best take-down-a-suspect-cop- moves to flip him over and pin him to the bed. He laughed against her mouth, then a moment later, when her hands slipped inside his sweatpants, he moaned.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What's up with the boss and Jane?" Rigsby asked Cho and Van Pelt. He'd just returned to the bullpen from the break room, where he'd seen the two people in question shooting each other heavy looks as they each made coffee and tea, respectively. "I mean, first they're nearly three hours late, then they come in all smiles. It's weird."

"They're sleeping together," ventured Cho.

"What?" Rigsby and Van Pelt said at once.

"I can't believe the boss would blatantly break the rules like that," Rigsby commented, envy lacing his tone.

Cho shrugged.

"It's not against the rules," Grace informed them. "Not for those two, anyway. He's not a member of the team; he's a consultant to the team. Check the manual; it's a nice little loophole for them."

She tried not to sound bitter, recalling her recent embarrassment with Jane, not to mention the fact that even if she were ready to pursue a relationship with Rigsby, it would be forbidden. Rigsby caught her eye and blushed, obviously having similarly morose thoughts.

The trio looked up to see Jane and Lisbon parting ways at the bullpen entrance, Jane heading to his couch, steaming teacup and matching saucer in hand, Lisbon off to her office with her mug and a bear claw. Both wore enigmatic smiles on their faces.

"Why so glum on such a beautiful morning?" Jane asked the room at large, bringing his cup to his lips.

"Not all of us got to sleep in so late this morning," Rigsby said pettily.

"I wasn't sleeping," Jane replied evenly, but his eyes were lit with laughter. His colleagues looked at each other in shared confirmation. "As a matter of fact," he continued, "my tires came in early for the Citroen, so Lisbon took me by the mechanic's to pick up my car. Look out in the parking lot if you don't believe me." He inclined his head toward the windows. No one moved to look. He wasn't about to tell them that that little side-trip had only taken them an extra fifteen minutes. He grinned between sips of earl grey.

Jane knew that the CBI's finest investigators had likely figured out his and Lisbon's secret, but he wasn't sure Lisbon would want the fact that he was sleeping with the boss to be made public knowledge yet. Besides, a secret lover could be very exciting, he thought, imagining stolen kisses in her office, assignations in the stairwell, trysts in the interrogation room. His body grew warm just thinking about it. He glanced longingly toward Lisbon's office window, wanting nothing more than to rush in there and test his theory. But she'd warned him before they left her apartment that there would be no hanky panky (her words) in the office. Jane wasn't discouraged; he knew a few things about the art of persuasion.

Before he'd even had a chance to finish his tea, however, Lisbon appeared in the bullpen doorway, a slip of paper in her hand and a serious expression on her face.

"We're up, guys," she announced. "Three dead in Solano County on state property. I'll fill you in on the way."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was probably a good thing they'd gotten a case, thought Lisbon at the end of the day. It had kept her mind occupied (for the most part) on something other than the way it had felt to be in Jane's arms. As it was, she was pleased he'd been on his best behavior-well, as far as their budding relationship was concerned.

Naturally, he'd managed to insult and cajole enough witnesses and victims' family members to add another lawsuit to the stack, but at least he'd been occupied himself enough that he'd only looked at her inappropriately a few times. She hadn't thought anyone had seen him, and she'd tried to tamp down her blushes and her racing pulse as much as she could, but damn, the man was sexy, and he had a way of looking at her that took her right back to the bedroom. All the warning glances she'd shot back at him had only made him grin. The man was infuriating.

They'd narrowed the suspect list down to two, and Jane and Cho had tag teamed the interrogations in the Solano County sheriff's office, but by that evening, they'd hit a roadblock, and after a fruitless return to the scene of the crime on Jane's hunch, Lisbon had sent her tired team to their motel rooms for a few hours' sleep.

She watched the black SUV crunch its way down the gravel road leading out of the Suisun Marsh. Jane had driven his Citroen that morning,"To check how the new tires run," he'd said, but she knew he didn't like riding in the cramped SUV when the entire team was packed inside.

Lisbon had had a few more questions for the Fish and Game warden, so she'd stayed behind with Jane, who would give her a lift to the motel in Suisun City. After a few moments, she said good-bye to the warden and sighed as his green SUV followed the CBI vehicle into the darkness. Lisbon realized with a start that she and Jane were alone.

It was quiet in the marsh, except for the sounds of hooting owls, croaking frogs, and chirping crickets, far away from the distant noise of cars on the freeway. The moon was full in the sky, and the scent of eucalyptus and briny water hung in the breeze. Jane reached in and killed the headlights of the Citroen, leaving them with only the light from the moon. She froze where she stood as she watched him move purposefully around to the front of the car to stand before her. Her heart picked up speed as he pulled her willing body into his arms, his mouth fastening on hers. His hands found her ponytail and he pulled out the elastic band freeing her silky hair to his greedy fingers. After a few torrid moments, they moved slightly apart for air.

"I've been wanting to do that all day," he whispered, his warm breath fanning her cheeks.

"Me too," she admitted shyly, and his answering smile shone brightly in the moonlight.

"Shall we go back to your motel room," he asked politely, as if offering to join her for tea. His hands slipped inside her CBI windbreaker to run suggestively up and down her t-shirt clad ribs. She shook her head.

"Jane, we're on a case. I think it would be totally unprofessional for us to—well, you know—use our motel rooms for anything other than sleeping and business. You've about gotten this case solved anyway. We'll be home before you know it and—"

Her words were cut off by his impatient lips, and she allowed him to back her against the Citroen, lifting her up so that she was sitting on the low-slung hood of his car. He stood between her thighs, increasing his sensual attention. Things began to get out of control very quickly, and when his hands began deftly unhooking her bra, she reached up to still his frantic movements.

"Jane…we can't do this outside in the middle of a state wildlife area…" she said breathlessly.

He chuckled at the absurdity of her words. "This meets your high standards of professional behavior, Lisbon," he countered, his lips finding her neck while his hands cupped her breasts beneath her shirt. "We're not in the motel room. We're not in the office. We're out here in the wild the way nature intended…"

She gasped as his fingers found her nipples, and her hands clutched his forearms reflexively. "But what if—" she began, and he stopped his impassioned movements to look at her. He pressed his mouth briefly to her trembling lips.

"Hush, woman, and stop over-thinking this. Besides, this is all your fault anyway, you know."

"What?" she protested indignantly.

"That's right. You've been taunting me in those tight jeans of yours all day. I think I've held myself in check quite well, considering, and if you're so opposed to doing things right in a decent bed back in your motel room, the least you could do is compromise a little."

"Compromise? Getting it on on top of your car is not exactly a fair trade. It's chilly out here, and uncomfortable, and…can't you wait until we're home?"

"No," he said firmly. "I don't believe I can." One hand slipped out of her grip and moved to the snap of those offending jeans of hers. But despite his commanding tone, his eyes shone with humor and passion, and Lisbon felt herself giving in to his persuasive words, his tempting hands.

"But I didn't bring anything—" she tried, playing her last card. After their first time the night before, she'd had a momentary feeling of panic that they hadn't used protection, but she'd directed him in mild embarrassment to the box of condoms in her bedside drawer. He hadn't even raised an eyebrow.

Jane reached into his jacket pocket now and brought forth a small, familiar packet. He waved it before her triumphantly. She didn't know whether to be angry at his assumption or pleased with his forethought. She settled on amusement.

"Your arrogance knows no bounds, does it?"

"Nope," he said simply, and slowly lowered her zipper, eyes boring into hers. He watched her as he eased his hands inside her jeans, his fingers finding her panties, then sliding beneath them. She lifted her hips a little to allow him better access, and he found her heated softness, circling there while she panted and gasped. One long finger slipped inside her, then two, and he kissed her again before lowering her body gently until she lay back on the hood of his car. His hands continued working her body until she cried out into the night.

Jane wasted little more time, his pants feeling suddenly, overwhelmingly constrictive. While she lay before him in a daze, he pulled off her boots, then pulled down her jeans and underwear, letting them fall where they may on the gravel at his feet. Lisbon was too boneless to help him, but she shivered as the cold blue metal made direct contact with her bare behind.

Mindful of the cold and of his aching need, Jane's hands made quick work of his own pants, and he pulled her upright again, sliding her closer until she was sitting again at the front end of the car, thighs opened invitingly. He fumbled with the foil packet, then grabbed her hips almost roughly, entering her body with one smooth stroke. Her stocking feet rested on either side of the bumper, her hands propping her body up behind her on the hood as he glided in and out. They both moaned at each deep thrust.

Lisbon was taken to a plane of pure sensation, and she felt nearly overcome by it. It seemed like he was everywhere. His shallow breaths filling the air, his hands at her hips, warm in spite of the cold, and of course, he was inside of her, filling her completely. It was a connection unlike she'd ever felt before, and she felt tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Emotions bubbled up from somewhere in the region of her heart, and as his movements began to reach a crescendo, she felt three words, long dormant, rise unbidden to her lips.

He froze a moment, his eyes flying open to meet hers, which were wide with her own shock. But Jane was way past the point of no return, so, with two more powerful pushes, he growled out his release. He leaned forward, trembling, hands resting on either side of her body on the cold metal of the hood, as he tried to reengage his brain. Had she truly said what he'd thought she'd said?

"Teresa?" he whispered, when he could speak. She lay quietly drained, her back flat on the hood of his car, eyes staring blearily up at the stars.

He withdrew from her body and pulled up his pants, then, still shaking, fished around for her belongings on the ground. He stood and looked at her, naked from the waist down, her t-shirt pulled up to her neck, her bra askew, her breasts alabaster in the moonlight. He could barely believe what he'd just done with her, fulfilling all kinds of masculine fantasies about taking a woman on a car. But her words had had the power of a sledgehammer to his stomach, and he found that he was reacting now more to what she'd admitted than to their passionate encounter.

"Teresa?" he said again, covering her with her jeans.

She sat up, found her panties, numbly separating them from her pants. She awkwardly put both articles of clothing on before willing her trembling fingers to put her bra and shirt to rights. He handed her her boots and she put them on again, re-fastening the side zippers before sliding down the car to her feet. She ignored his helping hand.

"We'd better get back to the motel," she muttered, heading for the passenger's side.

"Lisbon—"

She stopped abruptly and turned back toward where he stood, shirttails hanging out of his slacks, vest half-unbuttoned, hair a riotous mop. He looked adorably disheveled and beautiful, and she'd meant what she'd told him with all of her pounding heart.

"Look, you don't have to say anything," she told him gruffly. "It was the heat of the moment. Forget about it."

"You don't expect me to—"

"I don't expect anything, Jane. Now, let's go. I've caught a chill."

It was a quiet drive back into town.

A/N: Yep, Lisbon said the L-word. There will certainly be some fall-out from that. And yes, the next definitely will be the last chapter—I wasn't trying to tease you before, I promise, lol.

Thanks for reading this, and for all your wonderful comments. You guys are the best!

Oh, and in case you missed it with the inundation of new stories posted over the last couple of days, I did post a tag for last week's episode. I'd love it if you took a moment to read it!