Here you go folks, sorry about the long wait- but life interferes as usual.
I hope this is worth the wait!
Thank you once again for all of the reviews and thank you for being patient and continuing to read it.
Thank you to my beta reader Laura!
Enjoy!
Opening his eyes slowly, it takes a moment for Neil to remember what happened last night. Smiling when it comes back to him, he turns his head to his left to see Grace lying next to him on her side, facing him. So beautiful,
Seeing that she's still fast asleep he can't resist placing a cheeky kiss on her lips. Sliding carefully from the bed, Neil throws on a t-shirt and slips out of the room to make breakfast.
The smell of food wakes Grace from her slumber. Stretching and rolling over she lands on Neil's pillow, inhaling his manly scent. What the hell? She jerks upright when it dawns on her that she's not in her bed. Ah, now I remember, She thinks, flopping back down on the bed relieved when she recalls last nights' events. She brings the covers back up around her and snuggles into them, revelling in the warmth. I suppose I better get up if he is making food… but this bed is sooo comfy.
Hearing the door open, Grace turns and looks over. Standing in the doorway is one very delicious-looking Neil. Well, who else is it going to be? He's holding a tray with lots of food on it, and Grace shuffles herself into a sitting position, making the necessary protests. "Hmmm, that smells lovely, but you didn't have to," she smiles shyly.
God she looks good in the mornings, his mind whirrs upon seeing Grace with her tousled bed ridden hair. Let us hope I get to see more of that.
Walking over to the bed he places the tray in front of her, before going round the oak bed and reclining back on it, his back against the headboard. "Of course I did, I can't let you starve now can I?"
Ignoring the rhetorical question, Grace smiles indulgently at the tray. Looking at the selection of food, she takes a moment to choose. Pancakes, waffles, toast; choices, choices. Well at least he is a much better cook than I am.
Watching Grace peer at the food, Neil speaks up a little nervous that he'd rushed things. Well, after what they'd done so far, they couldn't have, but still. "I know there's a bit of a selection but I didn't know what you usually eat for breakfast… So I just did a bit of everything," he reddens slightly but ignores the urge to cover his eyes when she looks up at him.
"I just can't decide that's all," She grins, putting him at ease. Realising that he's staring at her, Grace starts to pat down her hair, blushing furiously. God I must look like a state. Messed hair, no make-up- morning breath! Oh my god.
"Don't," Neil says urgently, reaching for her hand, watching her with a strange intensity. "You look good like that," he adds, mouth seemingly moving on its own accord.
Blushing further in response Grace looks back at the food. Concentrate on the food, just the food.
With both of them picking at the food on the tray, they eat in comfortable silence. Finishing, Neil places the tray with the now-empty dishes on the unit next to his bed.
"Well I suppose I'd better get up and head back to mine; we do have to start work in a few hours," She sighs regrettably, not making any move to get out of bed.
"Uh huh," He replies absently, running his fingers up and down her arm. Again. I wonder if the rest of her body is this silky smooth? His mind hums contentedly.
"Neil," Grace says, actually getting his attention this time, her eyes lighting up in amusement when he looks at her with a puzzled expression.
"Yeah, sorry," He says, shaking the thoughts from his head and dropping his arm, "What did you say?"
"I said that I had better make a move, get home and freshen up. We have got work in a few hours." She repeats, watching him.
"Oh, I suppose so," he mumbles, playing with her hand. "Bu-ut, before you go, I think I should get a reward for doing you breakfast…" He grins cheekily, eyes lighting up when she laughs.
"A reward, eh? Well, what did you have in mind?"
"Well… I did have one thing on my mind," He says, voice laden with desire as his eyes cloud over, inching closer to her.
"What would that be then?" Grace breathes, peering into black eyes now mere inches away, knowing full well what he was after.
"This," he mumbles breathlessly before pulling her in for a kiss.
Cupping her face Neil deepens the kiss, bridging the gap between them. They both slide down the bed so they're both lying on their sides, not breaking their kiss.
With a sense of urgency Neil intently deepens the kiss, pulling Grace closer with his spare arm, feeling the T-shirt that she's wearing riding up a little bit as her bare skin touches his arm. Groaning he bites her bottom lip firmly, eliciting a moan from Grace. Feeling Grace arch her back, Neil rolls onto his back pulling Grace with him.
Needing to get some air, he breaks the kiss for a moment, but doesn't stop his exploring. Peppering kisses down her neck he follows her skin to her shoulder, leaving his hands still on her waist. He pauses when he feels her moving. Please don't tell me that she is stopping, he groans softly in frustration.
However that was soon replaced with another type of groan when Grace moving on top of him, straddling him. Oh thank god for small mercies. Leaning up he once again captures her lips with his, pulling her down on top of him, this time making a whimpering sound when he feels her body mould with his.
Running his hands down her sides, he reaches the hem of her shirt and slips his hands underneath, caressing her skin. So soft, he thinks. Moving his hands up her sides slowly, they just rest below her breasts. Hearing her moan at his actions makes him grin against her lips.
The feel of Grace moving against his groin makes him moan embarrassingly loud. Feeling himself react to her, he shifts his hips against her, getting comfortable between her legs. Bringing his arms around her back he pulls her in close, breaking the kiss once more. "Grace," he whispers, eyes closed. Feeling a light kiss being placed on each of his eyelids he slowly opens them, to be met with Grace's eyes staring at him.
"Grace," he whispers again, running his fingers up and down her sides. "Grace, I don't want to stop, -really, I don't- but I think we should," He says regrettably, closing his eyes. It is so hard to concentrate with her on top of me. Feeling Grace moving on top of him, he snaps his eyes open.
"Yeah, I think your right" she whispers, not looking at him.
Seeing her sit up but still straddling him, Neil begins to worry slightly. Leaning up on his elbows he tries to catch her eye without success. "Grace," he murmurs for what seems like the seventeenth time in the last ten minutes. "Believe me, I really want to carry on -I do- but I want it to be just right, not to rush it just before we head off to work." Neil tells her honestly, blushing and averting his own eyes.
As his words sink in brings a smile to her face, Such a gentleman; so sweet. "You're right," she decides, "-bu-ut, we can still have some fun for a little bit longer," She murmurs seductively. Running her fingers along his chest she feels him tremor a little.
"Uh-huh," he whimpers, concentrating on staying on his elbows. Hearing a snicker he looks up at her. With slightly swollen lips and even more messed up hair, Neil can't take his eyes off of her. She looks even more beautiful. Sitting up suddenly he captures her lips, cupping her face in his right hand and slipping his left under her shirt again, balancing carefully.
Placing her hands on his chest she feels how taut the muscles are. He must have worked hard on these, she thinks as she flutters her palms over his stomach.
Breaking the kiss, "We'd better get off this bed, or we definitely won't be going in," he murmurs kissing her neck, pulling her closer to him. Hearing her chuckle he grins against her skin, "I guess I'm not helping much, am I?" he mumbles rhetorically, trailing kisses down her neck to her collar bone.
"No," she laughs, "You're not," Pulling away she sits back out of his reach.
Looking at him now, it seems like he's a different person. No worry lines, cloudy, lust-filled eyes with no bags under them, less stressed; happy even. Have I done that? Smiling she gets off his lap, moving to stand at the side of the bed. "Can I have a shower before we head to mine?" She asks bashfully.
Sitting on the bed, it takes all of Neil's strength not to pull her back onto the bed. "Sure, you can use the one in the en-suite," he nods his head in that direction, ignoring the slight croak his voice had to it.
"Thank you," she says, gathering up her clothes from the day before and moving into the bathroom.
Get a grip of yourself man. He rubs a hand over his face before swinging his legs over the bed. He groans when he hears the shower starting up. I gotta get out of here. Grabbing clean clothes he leaves the bedroom and heads into the main bathroom.
Getting washed and dressed Neil is in the kitchen clearing up the dishes when he hears movement in the doorway. Spinning around he sees Grace standing against the door frame. He flashes her a cheeky grin before sidling over. "Hey," he purred.
"Hey yourself," Grace answers, her face showing a little blush.
Stooping in front of her, Neil places a kiss on her lips. "Now that is how I want to start everyday," He grins, which in turns makes Grace blush even more. She places her head on his chest, scrunching her eyes shut; grinning widely he places his hands on her hips. Kissing the side of her neck, he murmurs "Everyday."
"Me too," he hears Grace mumble into his chest. Putting his arms around her Neil holds her closer, smiling to himself.
"Let's get you home then, shall we?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Dropping heavily onto Grace's couch Neil watches as she enters her bedroom. "I'll only be a few minutes," She throws over her shoulder.
"We've got plenty of time, don't worry," Neil assures her, watching her retreating backside. Getting up when she moves out of sight, he heads into the kitchen. He fixes himself a glass of orange juice and wanders back into the living room.
Looking around casually, Neil once again spies the photographs on her mantlepeice. Looks like mum, dad and brother perhaps? He squashes down the pang of jealousy that rose when he saw the man had his arm around her shoulder, instead focusing on the small details. Looks quite recent. He makes a small sound in the back of his throat as he takes a sip of the drink.
"That was taken a couple of months ago," Grace says from behind him. Turning around he finds her leaning against the door frame with a smile on her face.
"I'm off to see them in a few days," she says casually, walking over to him. "I haven't seen them in a while."
"Yeah, it'll do you some good to get away from here for a few days; it'll give you a well needed break." Neil says, taking her hand in his affectionately.
"Yeah, I thought the same... Well it would be good to get away for a bit," she replies.
He sighs exaggeratedly, watching her as she looks at him curiously. "I guess I can survive a few days without you," he pouts, laughing when she ducks her head.
"Wycancwithifnt," Grace mumbles to the floor.
Staring at her Neil raises his eyebrows "Grace if you want me to respond to what you attempted to say, then you're going to have to repeat that. I don't understand mumble," laughter lacing his voice.
"I uh, if you want you… can come with me," she repeats, lifting her head up to wait his response.
Meet the family! Is that a bit too soon? "Uh-" His eyes widen in full-blown panic.
"Don't worry, forget I said anything," Grace backtracks when she sees how scared he has become, trying not to scare him any more.
"What? No, I uh, I just thought that you might want some time away on your own," He says tactfully.
"I suppose so..." she mutters, "I just thought it could be nice to spend a few days with each other," she fiddles with his hand.
Hmmm, alone for a few days… could be fun, He grins to himself. "Who am I to say no to my lady?" He brings her hand up and places a chaste kiss on the back. "But now... we have to go to work." He chuckles.
Grinning, Grace drops his hand and grabs her coat and bag, "Let's go then," She says, moving to her hallway.
Walking into the station together, Grace is glad that they're early and the office is empty; with Neil's hand hovering lightly on her back, people might suspect. Well, if they didn't already. She heads over to her desk and places her belongings down.
Sitting down she looks up to see that Neil has placed himself on the edge of her desk facing her, not saying anything. A couple of minutes pass with them in silence, watching each other.
"If this is too much for you Grace," Ahh, it speaks! He pauses, searching for the words "You haven't got to be here today," He finishes, looking like he wanted to say something else.
"No, it's fine, I would rather work. It's over now, he'll be sent away. Won't bother me anymore," She smiles warmly, placing her hand over his that was resting on the desk.
Turning his hand over he clasps hers in his gently. "Okay, but I want you to take it easy today, just paperwork, okay?" Seeing her nod, he gives her hand a quick squeeze and flashes a small smile. Opening his mouth to speak again, he snaps it shut with an audible 'click' when he hears the door opening.
Dropping her hand he turns and looks at the door, standing up when he sees Terry and Banksy walk in, as to look more professional.
"Afternoon Gov. Grace, how are we?" Terry asks in his offhanded way as they walk up to them.
"Fine thank you Terry," Grace smiles.
"Glad you're okay Grace," Banksy says squeezing her shoulder gently.
"Thanks," she smiles again. "Now, I just want to forget about it all and get on with some good ol' boring paperwork,"
"Now, I'm sure we can find some of that," Terry says clapping his hands together and rubbing them false-eagerly. Wandering over to his desk he flicks some paperwork. "Yep, good old fashion boring work." He chuckles loudly, slumping into his seat.
"Well, I'll leave you guys to your work, I know I have a lot of paperwork to do, so… have fun," Neil says, stepping into his office and closing the door.
Watching Neil sit down, Terry slyly peers at Grace. "So..." he starts, capturing Grace's attention. "You and the DI eh?" He smirks, giving her a wink. He grins broadly when she blushes.
"Look, it's-" Grace searches for the right words, worrying forming in her eyes.
Waving his hands, "Hey, it's none of my business. Bu-ut, that doesn't mean I can't tease you about it now and then," He laughs when she blushes even more. "All I will say is: best wishes to you both. If it- He, makes you happy, go for it," Terry says sincerely.
Ducking her head and peering at the desk blankly, "Thank you," Grace replies, unable to think of anything better to say. What's the point in denying it? They'll all find out eventually. Neil isn't too worried about letting people know. Flicking her eyes over to his office; smiling when she sees him watching her with a stupid looking grin on his face.
The day goes by pretty quickly. Pearson was remanded and taken to court with no chance of bail, which was a big relief for Grace. With that news they all seemed to relax a bit. Getting on with their paperwork they all immerse themselves in it, barely looking up from the desks. Before they all know it, Seven o'clock rolls by.
Standing up in his office, Neil looks proudly at his team from his window. His. All his.
Terry and Mickey were annoying each other -asusual-, flicking bits of paper back and forth between their desks, aiming at each other rather than the desks. Nothing changes there then, Neil smiles.
Banksy was reading that days paper, looking up now and then when he hears Terry or Mickey cheer. He must still think he's a teacher some days, he thinkwhen he sees the amused look shot at Mickey.
Stevie was on her mobile texting- again. I swear that thing is attached to her hand. He thinks after seeing her face light up when her phone flashes.His mind snorts at him, You can talk; you haven't let your phone out of your sight lately. He can't find a decent enough argument so moves his eyes to the other desk, dismissing the problem.
His eyes land on Grace, stillworking. Working right until the end. He thinks seeing Grace tapping away on the keyboard and scribbling something down. It's about time she has a break. Tis just luck that you get to spend some of it with her. His mind pipes up.
Strutting out of his office Neil asks: "Hungry anyone?" glancing around. Seeing a group of nods and shrugs, Neil rubs his hands together eagerly. "Right, what d'we all fancy then?" He asks, shrugging his jacket back on.
Deciding on Chinese, they all head down to the local chinky laughing and chatting about general life. Sitting around at one of the tables they order their drinks and head to the buffet situated in the middle of the restaurant.
Watching Neil slide smoothly up to Grace and whisper in her ear with a silly grin, Terry nudges Stevie and Mickey, jerking his head in their direction.
"Aww, they make a cute couple," Stevie observes, piling more food onto her already-full plate.
"Yeah, they both deserve to be happy," Terry agrees, grabbing more prawn crackers.
"Lets not spoil it for them, eh. They're both very private people," Banksy murmurs from behind them, picking up some chopsticks from the tray.
"Well, we can have a bit of fun now, can't we?" Mickey grins cheekily. "Are you sure you're gonna eat all of that Stevie?" He chuckles, peering at the mound of food on her plate.
Raising her eyebrow Stevie looks at Mickey, "Of course. Bet I could eat mine before you finish yours," she smirks.
Knowing not to bet with Stevie, Mickey waves his hand dismissively. "I know better that to bet with you," he chuckles.
Walking back over to the table, the four of them sit back down and turn to watch Neil and Grace stand by the buffet table talking, looking as if there is no-one else in the world other than the pair of them.
"Aw, that's so sweet," Stevie gushes upon seeing Neil tuck some hair behind Graces' ear. "I don't think they've even noticed that we're watching them; they're in a world of their own." She sighs wistfully.
"You know, they're all watching us, right?" Neil murmurs, a smile tugging at his lips when he sees her fighting her own smile.
"I thought I felt eyes burning into the back of my skull," Grace admits, blinking her dark eyes at him, "Terry and Banksy know." Seeing his questioning look Grace adds to the statement. "They spoke with me earlier, they were quite nice actually; they didn't tease me too much," she shakes her head lightly, "I'm sure that won't last long though," she laughs quietly.
Seeing her hair fall from behind her ear, Neil tucks it back there again, murmuring absently: "Well, I'm sure we can give them something more to talk about," he laughs. "Come on, lets go eat. I'm starved." As if on cue his stomach rumbles loudly, causing them to both look down at it and chuckle.
Placing his hand on her lower back possessively Neil guides her back to the table, letting her slide into the booth fist. Seeing the smirks Neil asks, "What?" false-impatiently, fighting to hide his grin.
"Nothing, nothing at all boss," Terry smirks, peering at his food.
Sitting around chatting and laughing in the warm atmosphere, the time flies by and soon they have all finished their food and are heading back to the station to their respective cars.
Waving goodbye to Terry, Mickey, Banksy and Stevie, Grace turns around and leans on Neil's car.
"So I guess you want a ride home," Neil purrs, sauntering up to her. Stopping a few inches from her, he places his hand on her hips to draw her closer.
Circling her arms around his neck, Grace murmurs; "If that wouldn't be too much trouble," bringing her lips closer to his. Moving so her lips are only a hairs breath away, Grace slides her tongue over his bottom lip.
"Hmmm, I guess not," he whispers hoarsely before pulling her flush against him. Capturing her lips he makes quick work of opening her mouth by tugging at her bottom lip with his teeth.
However just as his hands begin to wander, Grace pushes him back with gentle pressure on his chest. Raising his eyebrows at her, he waits for the forthcoming explanation.
"Although the team knows, I don't think we should be advertising this in the middle of the station car park," Grace chuckles deeply, eyes conveying her regret that they couldn't continue.
Looking around as if suddenly realising where they were, Neil becomes quite sheepish. "Sorry, I forgot where we were," he coughs awkwardly, pulling away slightly.
"Me too, although we can have some more privacy at your place," Grace suggests.
His eyes light up at the thought. Really? Whoa, "Who am I to say no to that?" he says huskily, pulling open his car door.
The drive back to his house was silent, both preoccupied with their own thoughts, both nervous and excited at the same time. All too quickly they arrive at Neil's house. Walking in they both seem to stutter to a stop in the hallway, stalling. Neil then coughs again, going to lock the door behind them.
Taking her coat from her Neil places it on the stand and put her bag on the little end table before taking her hand and leading down the hallway and through into the kitchen.
"Drink?" he offers, pulling out a bottle of wine from the fridge. Seeing her only nod in response he grins at her, "Grace, relax, I'm not going to pounce on you," not yet anyway.
Walking into the living room they both sit stiffly on the couch and Neil puts the T.V. on. Drinking their wine they both start to relax and unwind.
"So what's the plan about going up to your parents then?" Neil asks her.
"Well they haven't finalised yet, but we probably head up there on Friday and come back on Sunday, if that's okay?" Grace tells him.
"Yeah, that's fine, do you want me to drive?" He asks, taking a sip of his wine.
"Oh, no you won't have to, my father is sending a car," Grace says watching him for his reaction.
Sending a car? "Sending a car?" Neil squeaks.
"Uh yeah, erm, well y'see, my father knows I don't like driving so he offered for his driver to come and pick me up," She answers, chewing her lip.
"His driver? Cor, I wish I could afford a driver," Neil says offhandedly. Sensing a slight change of mood, Neil turns the conversation away from that. "Anyway, enough about your father, I have other things on my mind," he growls the last bit, leaning over to her and placing a kiss on her cheek.
Seeing a smile appear on her face, along with a nice blush, Neil grins back at her. Playing with a strand of her hair Neil leans over and kisses her again. Cupping her face with one hand he places his wine glass on the coffee table, then takes Grace's glass out of her hand on puts it down as well.
Kissing her again Neil pushes her into the corner of the sofa, deepening the kiss. Slowly he begins to push her top up making contact with her skin, feeling Grace pull him closer he doesn't resist, laying on her. Sensing things getting heated really quickly Neil breaks the kiss. "Maybe we should move this somewhere else?" he suggests, desire lacing his words. Feeling her nod against him he gets off. Not literally.
Standing up in front of the sofa, he offers his hand to her.
Taking the offered hand Grace pulls herself up, smiling shyly at him.
Neil leads her along the path to his bedroom, struggling to keep his heartbeat level, licking his suddenly dry lips. He swallowed the nerves that had built up in a matter of seconds, and shuts the bedroom door behind them, drawing her close against his body.
Hands caressing her face softly, brushing a curl behind her ear. He could feel her tremble beneath his hands, and it sent a thrill shooting through his body. So I'm not the only one.
Grace sensed it, sensed the subtle change in his body, and pressed closer to him. She presses her mouth against his, soft at first, and then intensifies it. Her hands went up the back of his shirt, sliding along his muscles, his soft skin.
Neil follows her lead, one hand creeping up her back, under her shirt, unhooking her bra in seconds. He drew both hands down her back, along her sides, up to her breasts.
She inhaled sharply as his hands made contact, and felt a tingle travel down her body.
She opens her mouth, deepening the kiss, and simultaneously began working on the buttons on his shirts. I'm so glad he already has his tie off.
Neil stills her hands once she had undone his buttons, slipping the shirt off himself. He moves his hands back toward her top, pulling it gently above her head, and letting her bra fall to the ground.
He presses himself back against her, the feel of their bare skin touching adding fuel to an already stoked fire. It roared through them like a wild thing suddenly released from its cage, all the pent up energy over the last few days and their emotions which were swirling around in their heads were coming to the surface.
Making quick work of her trousers, Neil feels her hands brushing his belt and zipper and groaned aloud when she brushed against his already painfully strong erection. Oh god. Finally Grace undoes his trousers and lets them fall to the floor, where he quickly steps out of them. Thank god for that.
In only their underwear, still joined by the mouth and the need to keep flesh against flesh, Neil eases them onto the bed, pulling her with him.
Rolling herself on top, Grace kisses along the soft skin of his chest, teasing a nipple, her tongue slipping dangerously under the band of his boxer-briefs, before moving back toward his face.
Neil lay back, breathing heavily, gasping now and again and moaning as she teased. He watched her above him, breasts dangling before his eyes as he squirmed as she sucked an earlobe; he felt his blood rush down his body, making him harder, if that's possible.
She felt him too, and it momentarily distracted her. Neil took the opportunity to roll them back so he was on top.
Grace gasped in surprised, but didn't fight him; it was his turn to tease. He placed soft butterfly kisses along her stomach, before travelling up to her breasts, the kisses deepening as he moved around her body.
Grace moaned and arched her back, grabbing handfuls of his hair. He moved to her neck, kissing along her collarbone, smiling as she gave him the reaction he wanted.
She whimpered, gasped, moaned, and murmured his name quietly. He could feel her pulse racing beneath his lips, and chose that moment to slowly slide his hand inside her panties.
Grace gave a shuddering gasp as his fingers slid inside her, breath coming even faster than it had been. .How does this man know exactly what to do? She managed to think as she arched her back. He worked his fingers inside her, watching her arch her back again. He intensified his delicate movements, and she gave a strangled cry and bucked wildly on the bed. Desperate, she scrabbled at the sheets, her breath coming in struggled gasps.
Neil's pulse was racing, and his own breath was beginning to come faster. With one hand, he gently slid her panties down and off her legs, having already gotten his off. While she was still writhing and breathing heavily, he captured her lips, and slid inside her in one smooth move.
Her body shuddered beneath his, as she tightened around him, arching her back again to meet him. He paused, waiting until she was comfortable with him.
Slowly he started thrusting into her, building up as he went along; his thrusting grew in intensity as he watched Grace writhing beneath him lost in ecstasy. Her grip tightened around his back, and she contracted around him, pushing him to the edge.
They finally came, screaming each other's names, before falling breathless back to the bed. Grace held him inside her for a few seconds longer, not wanting to give up the feeling up quite yet. They lay catching their breath for several minutes.
Neil resting his head just below Grace's collar-bone, arms still holding each other. They seemed to sense when they were both ready as he slid from her.
Lying down on his back next to her all Neil could manage was a very breathy "Wow," earning a chuckle from beside him. Looking over he sees Grace covered in a fine sheen of sweat, her eyes ablaze with something. He couldn't quite place it.
Moving onto her side she leans over and places a kiss on his lips, getting a grin as a reward. "I'm never going to give you up," she hears him murmur in her ear. Pulling back Grace beams a smile at him and then lies down against his side.
Neil pulled his arms tighter around her side, pulling her closer. He inhaled the scent of her skin, and closed his eyes. Letting out a relaxed sigh sleep pulls them both into their own dreams.
Well? What did you all think?
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Next chapter soon hopefully!
