Chapter 12
Scarlett sat on the couch, her legs tucked up into the sweater with a mug of tea in her hands. She'd flipped on the stereo, listening to more of the music that Spencer and Penny had entered into her hijacked iPod. One piano piece in particular caught her attention and she listened closely, enjoying the soft sound. She heard him shut the water off after what had to be the world's quickest, coldest shower and she shook her head. When he stepped into the living room, hair still dripping, she just laughed her throaty chuckle. Spencer picked his head up at the sound and looked at her with a shy smile.
"I love that laugh," he told her.
She smiled and stood up on the couch. "Good, I happen to like to do it a lot," she teased. "Come here…" she crooked her finger, calling him closer. "Bring that towel, too…" she told him, waiting patiently.
Spencer moved in front of her and she placed the towel over his damp shirt where his hair had dripped onto his shoulders. She shook her head slightly and bit the inside of her cheek as she laughed again.
"You're soaked…" she chastised him, running the towel through his hair. "You're going to catch a cold," she said lightly.
"You can't catch a cold from wet hair," he told her matter-of-factly. "That's an old myth…" he was just about to explain how infections were transferred when he caught her smile and realized she was teasing him. She rubbed the towel roughly into his head as he grinned.
"Okay, pretty boy, I think you're good now," she told him, stepping down from the couch and heading to the bathroom to hang up the towel.
He watched her moved through the rooms, her bare thighs peeking out of the oversized sweater and closed his eyes tightly. "So much for the cold shower myth, too," he muttered.
"What?" she asked.
He opened his eyes and took a small step back. "Nothing," he said jamming his hands into the pockets of his pants in an attempt to hide his arousal.
Scarlett cocked her head to the side intrigued. She took a step forward and he squirmed. "You've started talking to yourself now?" she asked lightly.
"Apparently," he said shifting his feet slightly. He watched her move towards him warily.
When she stepped closer reaching towards him and he took a step back, her eyes rounded. She pulled away.
"Sorry," she said quietly, turning her attention to something else. "I won't touch you…" she said. Her emotions ran into overload and she felt her face burn.
"You don't have to stay, Spencer…" she blurted out, thinking maybe he felt as she was now damaged or dirty. "I can deal with it, if you can't… but don't play games, okay?"
"No! Scarlett, no! That's not it, that's not why… Christ…" he pulled his hands from his pockets and grabbed her, her hip bumping into his arousal. "I don't want to push you away, Scarlett, I just… didn't want to scare you either…" he stood stock still waiting while she absorbed that bit of information. He'd expected her to pull away when he'd grabbed at her like that, but instead she stayed in place. She touched him, running her palm against his erection, the heat from her hand warming through his cotton pants. He shivered slightly, willing himself to think of other things besides her hands on him.
"Oh!" she said in surprise. "I thought..." she started.
"No…" he said again. "You thought wrong…" he told her adamantly. "I didn't want to scare you… I don't know what you're feeling right now," he said frustrated. He ran a hand through his hair and she jumped back when he moved. He quickly tucked his hands into his pockets again. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Scarlett hesitated and then moved back towards him again. "No, I'm sorry," she told him. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Raising her hands slightly towards him, she trailed a hand down his chest. "I don't know what I'm feeling right now, either, okay? I just don't know, so I can't tell you, but I'm not trying to hide anything from you, Spence... I just don't know…"
"Katy… You don't have to explain…" he said stepping towards her. When she jumped nervously again, he froze.
Scarlett growled at herself and squeezed her eyes shut. "Damn it!" she swore. "I hate feeling like this…" she opened her eyes and looked at him.
Spencer stood there, sadness etched on his face. "I don't like seeing you like this either…" he admitted.
She blew out a stuttered breath. "Just, hold still… don't move," she clenched her fists tightly and closed her eyes. "I've just got to get these other images out of my head…" she pressed her fists to her eyes.
When she peeked up at him, he still hadn't moved. She met his eyes and looked away quickly. He watched as she stepped forward, and hesitantly ran her hand down the front of his shirt. She concentrated on her own hand; the texture of the material, the feeling of the buttons against her fingers, the heat from his skin radiating through the shirt. She felt herself want to pull away again and forced herself to stay. She pulled in a breath through her nose and pressed her lips together in a thin line. She could smell his hair and shampoo and his skin still damp from the shower. Soap and Polo and Spencer… she reminded herself. Good scents, things she loved…
Spencer watched as her brows furrowed in concentration, as if touching him was a painful thing for her and he felt a stab in his heart. He didn't know what she was seeing in her mind and didn't know how to help her through any of this. So he did as she'd asked, and didn't move. When she reached for the buttons of his shirt, her hand was trembling.
"Scarlett..."
"It's okay," she told him, turning her huge eyes up to meet his. "I'm okay…" she ran her hand along his arm, trailing a finger against the bruise that rode on his bicep. She smiled softly and stepped a little closer. "I'm okay… I'm with you," she told him.
When he saw fear still in those green depths, he only nodded and swallowed hard. He felt her fingers work the buttons open at his neck as she stroked his collarbone softly with her fingers. This time he closed his eyes. She undid the rest of the shirt so his chest was exposed. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his skin, resting one palm over his heart. She closed her eyes and felt the strong beat against her hand and sighed. She felt the muscles of his chest and arms, strong and tight under his soft skin, reminding herself again that she was touching him. His strength, his warmth…
Spencer held his breath under her tender scrutiny. When she moved closer and he felt her breath fan against his chest he slowly exhaled, clenching his jaw tightly reminding himself to not move. When her lips moved across his skin he felt his knees go weak.
"Scarlett..." he croaked out. "I'm not going to be able to not move if you're going to do that," he warned. His body shivered as she pressed another kiss to his chest as if in proof to his words.
She nodded and her hair brushed against his chest. "I need to touch you Spencer," she said softly, her words raising chills against his skin.
His groan echoed in his chest and she pressed her ear against him, listening to the timbre vibrate there.
"Talk to me, Spencer. I need to hear your voice," she told him, slowly reaching her arms around his waist. She leaned into his chest and gently stroked his back.
Spencer groaned again, his arms tensing with the need to hold her. "I don't know what to say, my beautiful girl…" he told her. "I want to fix everything, make it all better and I don't know how," he lowered his head just a little, breathing in the scent of her hair.
"My darling, my love…" he said taking a step closer, praying she didn't startle again. "My friend, my lover… my life…" he said huskily.
Scarlett's breath hitched and she felt her heart stutter. "Spence…" she raised her face to his.
Spencer moved slowly, setting his hands to her waist very gently. When she didn't pull away, he lowered his head and carefully kissed her lips.
Scarlett leaned into the kiss. He moved, raising his hands to her face, gently stroking her neck, jaw and cheeks. He kissed her again, tasting her soft lips, drawing her closer still. When he heard that familiar purr in her throat, his body reacted and he pressed into her. Her nails bit into his back.
"Scarlett…" he moaned her name into her mouth. "I can't…"
She felt him tremble against her and she moved her hands back down along his hips, pulling him against her.
"You can't what, my sweet boy?" she asked gently nipping at his lips.
He ran his tongue along her mouth and when she parted her lips he pressed closer. "I can't stop," he said in a moan. "I need you, Scarlett, please. I need you…"
"Okay," she told him softly. "It's okay, baby. I'm alright. I need you too…"
She felt his hands clench at her shoulders then release, moving down to her hips, pulling the sweater up. Once it was above her waist, he reached down and stroked his hands along her thighs and up to her ass. His breathing shifted sharply and he pulled her leg up onto his hip.
Scarlett threw her head back as he trailed kisses down her throat. "Please, Spencer…"
He lifted her then, picking her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. When he moved over to the bed and laid her down, he stopped briefly, to look into her eyes.
"If you want me to stop, just say stop, Scarlett, alright?" he wanted to be certain that she understood, that she was fine… he looked her over carefully. Her lips were swollen and slightly parted and a flush crossed her neck, chest and cheeks as he knew it did when she was aroused. "Promise me, you will…"
"I promise. Make love to me Spencer…"
The slow burn that was in his blood turned into a full on flame at her words. He unzipped the sweater, pulling it away from her body, kissing her skin. When she shivered, he pulled the blankets back and covered them together, keeping her warm with them and his body.
Scarlett arched against him, tugging at his pants, pulling them from him until there was nothing between them but heat. She sighed as he slid against her skin, running his hands over her hips. When she arched against him, he slid into her warmth, watching her eyes the entire time. She focused on him, lacing her fingers behind his neck, pulling him into her kiss.
"What are you thinking, farm boy?" she asked him when she saw he was watching her again. She rested her hand against his cheek and he kissed her palm.
"A hundred different things, crazy girl…" he said, kissing her nose. He grinned slightly. "Predominantly at this moment, I'm thinking of chess…"
Scarlett laughed. He could feel her body relax completely as the sound reached his heart. "Are you laughing at me?" he teased. "That's not exactly something a guy wants to hear in bed…" he nuzzled into her neck, tickling her.
"A girl doesn't exactly want her guy thinking about chess, either," she joked back shifting slightly and hooking her ankle behind his knee. She pushed him onto his back and moved on top of him.
"Mmm… I said mostly chess…" he told her between her flurry of light kisses across his face. When she pressed her lips against his, he held her close. She stretched over his body, rocking slightly and he closed his eyes and arched deeper. "I have to think of something, Scarlett or I'd never last…" he told her in a groan.
"Then what else are you thinking about then, besides chess?" she asked, pulling herself up into a seated position across his hips. When she rocked against him this time, she felt him tense. She smiled as his eyes scanned her body and he gripped the sheets at his side.
"Scarlett…" he arched again and this time she anticipated his reaction and ground down against him and rocked back. He moaned.
She saw sweat bead across his forehead. She leaned down slightly, moving slowly, contracting her muscles against him. Her hair fell in a curtain alongside his face and he felt like he was surrounded by her.
"I want you thinking about me, Spencer Reid…" she told him huskily, her breath against his ear. She kissed and nipped lightly at his neck. "I want to feel your body tremble for me," she spoke softly, pulling away slightly, teasing him, before moving back down. She continued the gentle torture as his breathing changed. "I want to know how bad you need me."
When she moved to pull back again, he grabbed her hips, and pushed her back onto the bed, driving himself deeply into her.
"No, no more," he panted. "Scarlett…" he felt himself tense. "God… I can't talk, I can't think…" he moved against her again and felt her body respond to his. Her heat burned though him and he followed her as she came…
Spencer dropped down across her, breathing heavily. When she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close, he shifted just slightly to her side so he could hug her to him. He kissed her again, pulling her head onto his shoulder.
Scarlett was just drifting off to sleep when she felt Spencer tense up under her. She picked her head up and looked at him.
"What's wrong, pretty boy?" she asked running a hand across his cheek.
He looked up at her and caught her eyes. "Just thought of something…" he said vaguely.
"What?"
He sighed deeply. "Well, at least we bought condoms," he said sardonically, watching as that sunk in for her.
Scarlett covered her mouth. "Oh for Christ's sake," she rolled her eyes. "We aren't very responsible rabbits, are we?" she sighed.
"I guess not…" he shifted as Scarlett lay back down against him. He kissed her nose and saw her wrinkle it and smile.
She moved a foot and kicked something on the bed. Turning, she reached over and picked up the photo album that he'd had thrown on the bed earlier. She lifted it and cocked her head towards him.
Spencer sat up beside her. "Morgan pulled them out before…" he said by way of explanation, not sure what to say. He wasn't sure if he'd been snooping by looking through them. He shrugged slightly.
Scarlett nodded and switched on a small night lamp alongside the bed. She scooted back against the headboard and patted her lap.
"Come here, farm boy and cuddle. I'll tell you a story…" she said softly, knowing a part of him still wanted to know about her past.
"You don't…"
She smiled and pulled him closer. "I know… I know I don't… I want to, okay?" she dropped a kiss to his brow as he lay against her side. She opened the album and started telling him about her life in Chicago.
Dawn was starting to show its signs through the bedroom window as Spencer reentered the room and handed Scarlett a bottle of water he'd retrieved from the fridge. She was sitting cross legged in the middle of the bed, watching the first rays of light stream in. When he sat back against the headboard, she leaned back on him and looked up.
"It's been a while since I've pulled an all-nighter," she told him with a smile, stretching her legs out until her toes touched his.
"I'm a bad influence," he remarked wrapping his arms back around her. He flipped the blankets up to cover them both. "Good thing it's a Sunday and we can sleep in," he said nuzzling into her neck and kissing her ear.
She giggled and turned in his arms to kiss him. "Mmm, but I'm not really sleepy," she told him with a smile, pulling him down over her.
Spencer moved over her, pressing her back against the mattress. "I was hoping you'd say that…"
They both stopped and tensed up as each of their phones began to ring. Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Always bad timing…" she muttered and reached over to grab her phone from the nightstand.
Spencer answered his first. "Reid…" he heard JJ's voice rushing through the receiver.
"We have an urgent case, how quick can you get here?" she asked.
He looked at the clock quickly. "We can be there within the hour JJ," he answered looking at Scarlett. She nodded while talking to who he'd assumed was Morgan.
"Right, okay…" he heard her saying.
JJ's voice muffled and she came back on the line. "We're going to head to Ohio…"
"Okay," he agreed. "About forty minutes, maybe less," he said as he watched Scarlett drag on some clothes in a hurry while still listening on her phone.
"Right… see you there," JJ answered and disconnected the call.
Spencer grabbed his clothes out of the closet, following Scarlett into the bathroom. She was trying to run a brush through her hair while still on the phone. When the brush tangled up around one of the ends, she dropped it and threw a baleful glance in his direction. Spencer laughed lightly and picked up the brush, pulling it loose and worked it through the rest of her hair. He twisted it up as he'd seen her do on other mornings and secured it in a clip on top of her head while she finished brushing her teeth.
When she checked out his handiwork in the mirror, she turned and gave him a quick kiss. "I think I'll keep you," she teased. "You come in handy…"
He laughed. "Fine, but leave now so I can finish getting ready… " he swatted her across the backside as she exited the room. He heard her laugh as she continued her conversation with Derek.
Within a half hours' time, they were ready and heading to his car. Scarlett handed him a travel mug of coffee and grabbed her own as they headed out the door.
"The unsub has killed two couples in two weeks?" he was asking her, clarifying some of the information that Morgan had given her over the phone. To save time, Derek had read the case file to her, knowing she'd remember every detail and pass it along to Spencer.
"Not much of a cooling off period," she said following him down the staircase.
When Spencer stopped suddenly at the bottom of the stairs and turned back to face her, she stepped back and cocked her head. "What?" she asked, seeing a slight change cross across over his face.
He stepped up one tread so they were eye level, pulled her close and kissed her. "I may not get many chances to do this in the next few days…" he said, kissing her again.
"Oh…" she leaned against his tall frame. "In that case…" she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back more fully.
"I love you, Scarlett…" he told her, kissing her cheek.
"I love you, too, Spence…" she grabbed his hand and pressed three fingers into his palm and he smiled and returned the gesture.
