Author's note: Wine is one hell of a smut motivator. Smut is not my specialty by the way, but I am trying to get better at it. Practice makes perfect. Some smut here, then back to our regularly scheduled program! I sort of also feel like some of their emotions are rushed in here at the beginning but, I think between the last chapter and this scene they both come to realize what they both really want. I read through this one time. Apologies in advance for any fuck ups. I'll fix them tomorrow/today? It's 3am and sleep is calling!
Thank you guys!
11/16 - some small editing here and there
CHAPTER TWELVE
Moments later they burst through the door to the house, Shane's tongue rubbing against her bottom lip eagerly as she fought to nudge her boots off. The sun was fighting to rise, giving them just enough light to see each other and their surroundings. Both of them were desperate to have each other, each one ready to let go of the emotions that had plagued them most of the night. He was in a rush to get her upstairs, after seeing the way she had walked across that hospital lobby, not much else had been playing in the background. She fought the urge to moan when he bit down on the same spot he had been toying with his tongue. Finally free of her boots, Jennifer took charge and pushed him onto the nearest wall, running her hands up and down his clothed chest. An offhanded smile caught his lips as she fumbled with the latch on the belt. She was pleasantly surprised at his reaction to the kiss in the patrol car. There wasn't anything to hide from him anymore. He knew almost everything there was to know. There was only so many different ways you could explain being abused. He knew her story now. He wasn't disgusted by her. He held his hands up and allowed her to work, with a quick glance up, she met his eyes and smiled back. Something about the smile caught him off-guard. Maybe it was the careless was she had done it, he wasn't sure, but it made him hold her gaze for a little longer than what he was used to. With a single swipe of his hand, her hair was out of its tight prison, flowing down past her shoulders.
In the soft light coming in from outside, he tried to take in every small detail of her face that he could. Trying to memorize the way her hair framed itself around her face. His hands ghosted over the cut of Jennifer's jaw, yearning to be tangled up in her mess of dark curls. Using her time wisely, she sent off onto the task of unbuttoning his uniform as their mouths collided. Their mouths were heated, neither able to get enough of the unique taste that accompanied them. Jennifer's had an unusually spicy, salted taste from the jerky she had been eating most of the night. He angled her head to match his rhythm. A low moan rumbled in her throat. They broke away from each other for a second, but he held her flush to him, not willing to let her get any farther away. He had let her out of his reach enough for the last year. He had let her go so many times. He wasn't willing to do it so easily anymore.
"Upstairs?" she panted, eyes unconsciously bouncing to the ceiling before landing back on his. Shane trapped his lower lip between his teeth and nodded. Jennifer smiled again and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the stairs, allowing Shane to fumble to knock his boots off this time. A small giggle escaped her lips as he cursed, kicking the pair across the wooden floor. He was having difficulty concentrating on anything else but the small brunette in front of him. "Having a bit of trouble?" she whispered, turning, her foot on the bottom step.
"That's not the first thing to give me trouble tonight," he mumbled, taking the chance to pin her to the wall. A playful smirk spread across her face as he pulled her uniform to the side to bite on the skin where he neck and shoulder met. She coughed out a mix of a moan and laugh, clutching his back to hold him in place. His tongue wet the area and he bit down again before dragging his mouth up her neck. Shane outlined her jaw with his mouth, peppering her skin with kiss after kiss. He was desperate to show her he was trying. He was trying to be more for her, trying to show patience and understanding. This was one of the only ways he knew how. He only knew how to show her these things with his body, with his actions. Jennifer's hips pushed into his. She slipped her hands around his opened uniform shirt to touch the skin that awaited there behind his thin white undershirt. He sucked in a breath at the touch, pulling his lips away from her jaw. "Upstairs," he groaned.
"Upstairs," she agreed, willing herself to stop touching him for a moment. Her fingers scrambled over the latch of her own utility belt, fighting against the adrenaline pumping through her. At the last step she had managed to get the belt loose, holding it in her right hand as she turned to meet Shane. His mouth was in a hurry to be back against hers. In the collision, she dropped the belt with a loud thud, unable to contain the beast that needed to touch the man before her. Shane did his best to lead her backwards into her room, using one hand to skate along the walls as the other attempted to undo the buttons on her uniform shirt. Inside of her room, it was a flurry. He worked feverishly to take the clothing away from her body as she did the same to him. Each one was pushing and pulling, throwing things across the room. She kicked the door to her room closed as he pulled her pants off. When she was down to her panties and sports bra, he pushed her backwards onto the bed. Jennifer pouted, sitting up on her elbows, eyes landing on his still clothed bottom half.
"Your pants," she muttered as he climbed over her, pressing his lips to her shoulder.
"In time, darlin'," he whispered, his tongue making a variety of shapes and swirls to the crook where her shoulder and neck met. He knew it was her weakness without her even saying so. He could feel the change in the pace of her breathing, from heavy, pleasurable exhales to the short, swallow pants. Positioning himself on his left forearm near her shoulder, he drew a line with his finger across her chest, the touch was soft and light. Their eyes met and he pressed his mouth to hers, feeling himself mold to her. He added more fingers, dragging them down her stomach, noting the tight and warm feeling he had in bottom of his stomach when touching her. Jennifer shuddered at the touch, moaning as his tongue tangled with hers. Shane's fingers stopped close to the edge of her panties, teasingly pulling and pushing at the fabric, rubbing the skin there. Her hips bucked and she reached down to take them off herself when his hands shot up and trapped her hands above her head. He nipped at her neck. "I'll do that." The feeling of his breath on her already aching skin made her hips twinge.
"Shane," she moaned, "please." He smirked and rubbed himself against her hip, the strain in his pants was evident. She was hopeless there beside him, unable to contain that groan that came when he shifted himself on top of her to allow her to feel him in the place where she wanted him the most. He gripped her hands a little tighter as he rubbed himself against her. The tight feeling of his pants hit her in a way that she wasn't expecting. She choked back a whine and closed her eyes, throwing her head back as he did it again. He did it one more time before releasing her hands. He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips and worked himself down her body, pulling her panties off in a slow, steady tug with both hands. His dark eyes raked themselves across her toned body, taking in the definition of muscles in her legs. He ran his hands up and down them before hooking them under her thighs and pushing them up. She took in a ragged breath, slowly realizing what he was doing as he positioned his mouth above her spot. His mouth was warmer than she was. She didn't remember his mouth being that warm when she felt it earlier. It left her breathless. He worked slowly at first, using the entirety of his tongue to stroke the bundle of nerves. She bucked against him and moved her hands down to his hair, running them through his long, wavy locks. Shane grunted and released his grip from her thighs to hold her hands down at her sides.
She hissed as he continued to work, moving his tongue a little faster. Jennifer was sweet in his mouth. He moaned at the taste, swallowing hard before flicking the tip of his tongue against her a few times. Her lower lip became the point of frustration, her hands balled into fists. He smirked as she moaned again, thighs quivering slightly. He kissed her on the small, tight nub, working his mouth out to the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. Her entire body convulsed when his lips made contact. His name slithered out of her mouth and he felt it down in his core. He kissed and licked each thigh with no real rhythm, finding pleasure in the way her body shook at every touch there. Her hands were gripping the sheets now, knuckles white, the lacerations there threatening to burst open again. Shane released her hands to rub the inside of her thigh and she reached out to touch him.
"Darlin'," he warned, his voice jagged from his own unreleased tension. "I'll handcuff ya to the bed." She smiled at him, something innocent and sweet that made him completely lose control. He climbed his way on top of her again, bumping teeth as their mouths collided again. Jennifer's hips shifted below his and she pushed them, wanting to meet what was waiting for her behind his uniform pants. He drove his lips down into the woman's below him and she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer. Shane grunted, lips hovering above hers. She raked her nails down the bare skin of his muscled back. He inhaled quickly, arms shaking. "Jen…" he warned again, nipping her jaw. She bit down on his lip this time.
"I'll get them off one way or another," she teased, running her fingers down his chest. She undid the button and struggled with the zipper, not wanting to hurt him. He sat back on his knees and worked the zipper down as she ridded her chest of the sports bra. The sun had completely risen now, casting a yellow haze into the room. She helped him pull his pants and boxers off, rubbing her tongue on his chest, kissing skin here and there as she did. His head fell back as she wet her palm and stroked him, using a slow and steady stroke. His eyes closed and he hooked an arm around her waist, helping her settle back down onto the bed. Shane hovered above her for a moment, caught in the way she was staring at him. Her green eyes filled with want, a slight smirk on her lips. A heavy pant escaped between them as he rubbed himself against her opening. It was his turn to smirk. This was what she wanted. She wanted him. She trusted him. He knew it. He had known it the entire time. She was his, she was too afraid to admit it. It was slowly starting to make sense to him. How could she look at him that way and not be his? He closed his eyes and sank himself into her, tasting Jennifer's lips through a grunt.
The pair walked into the hospital later that afternoon in civilian clothing. Shane debated back and forth through the parking lot on whether or not to hold her hand, unable to read what she was thinking. Jennifer smiled at him as they directed themselves to the elevators. She turned to face and him and gave him the quickest of kisses on the cheek. He smirked and ducked his head down, fumbling with his keys in the pocket of his hoodie before reaching down and grabbing her hand. The redness that crept onto her cheeks made it worth it on his part. The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and they walked inside. There was a telling smile on both of their faces. Most of their morning and afternoon had consisted of sex, napping, and more sex… which had brought to showering, more sex, and another nap. They had finally climbed out of bed and off of each other near five in the evening, both of them hoping that they hadn't slept enough to ruin their sleep that night. Shane and Jennifer started their day shift patrols the next day. Last night was the first time she had been able to recover from an unsettling trigger without needing to drink until she was unconscious. Something about it had felt liberating, but she knew most of the reason why she had been able to make it through the night was standing right next to her, rubbing a gentle thumb across her bandaged knuckles.
The car opened on Casey's floor and Jennifer walked to get off, turning when she didn't feel Shane move. "You go on ahead, I'm gonna go see Rick," he told her, rubbing his free hand on his neck. "I jus' need ta talk ta him." She nodded and gave his hand a squeeze before letting go.
"Do you want me to meet you upstairs?"
"Nah," he smiled, raising his head to meet hers. "I'll come back down an' getcha."
"Okay." She returned the smile and let the elevator doors close before walking off to Casey's room.
Inside, Casey and Megan were arguing over rental cars. Neither one of them were able to come to an agreement due to either size or price. Megan was mostly concerned about how Casey was going to fit into the backseat with his leg needing to be completely straight. Casey was worried about the dramatic increase in price between a compact and an SUV. He was willing to sacrifice a few hours of discomfort for a two hundred dollar difference in the fees. "Quit bein' such a damn cheap ass, babe. How're you gonna make it all the way to my parents scrunched up in a damn Yaris?" Megan argued, showing him the specs on the backseat again.
"I'll find a way. We can stop and let me stretch my legs a few times on the way. It's not like I'm going to make it North Carolina without taking at least one stop or two to go pee, Megan," Casey argued back. Jennifer knocked before walking in, giving the couple a moment to cool off before heading in the rest of the way. "Come in!" Casey shouted as he handed a stack of rental agreement paperwork back to Megan. She walked in to greet the both of them. Their faces turned to polite smiles, neither one of them exactly happy about anything due to the complexity of their trip planning with Casey's injury. "Oh god, if I wasn't glued to this bed I'd make you take me out for a beer," he whined to his friend as she hugged Megan.
"Don't be such a baby," Megan bit at him over Jennifer's shoulder.
"I'm not being a baby! I'm already going broke from being in the hospital! Now you want a big ass car when we already agreed on the Yaris!"
"An' that was before ya got shot!" Jennifer attempted to smile at the both of them, the arguing putting a damper on her mood.
"Guys, I can leave…" Jennifer piped in, pointing at the door with her thumb. "I don't mind…"
"No! Get over here," Casey ordered, patting a spot on his bed. "And tell me what happened after you left here." Blush flooded Jennifer's cheeks. She walked over and took up the space he offered to her. She silently glanced over some of the papers spread out on his bedside table, looking at a map with the route already planned out. They were trying to make a few historical stops on their way to Megan's parents. Casey had never been to North Carolina or South Carolina before so they were trying to get the most out of their trip.
"You never did tell where exactly you were going," she told him, picking up the map.
"My parents live in Kitty Hawk, right on the beach," Megan chirped in, smiling as she handed Jennifer a picture. She whistled at the clearly newish single story beach house on stilts. It was a bright yellow, outlined in white trim, large windows in the front flanking each side of the front door. The front door was a dark blue with a small round window.
"It looks beautiful." Jennifer handed the pictures back over before turning to look at Casey who was studying her curiously. "What?" she barked, shifting to face her best friend head on.
"What happened?" Casey muttered, reaching for a cup of water off of his table.
"What do you mean, what happened?" He raised an eyebrow at her as he drank. She didn't break eye contact as he swallowed. There was something going on with her. Something was off and he wasn't quite sure what it was yet.
"What happened when you left here?" Jennifer raised an eyebrow this time, shrugging her shoulders. "Jesus, Jen, how was patrol? Did you and Shane talk?"
"Yes…" she answered, the yes coming out a lot longer than she intended. He narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Quit!" she chirped, smacking his arm with the back of her hand. "Patrol was fine. We didn't get any more calls and Shane and I are fine."
"Oh, I'm sure you're both fine," he teased with a short laugh.
"Just because you're crippled doesn't mean I won't kick your ass."
"I've been tellin' him that all mornin'," Megan added in.
"So where is Mr. Man at right now?" Casey asked, glancing at the doorway, halfway expecting Shane to come barreling through at any moment. He refocused on Jennifer when he realized that Shane wasn't actually going to come in.
"He's upstairs with Rick," Jennifer told him, standing to stretch out before sitting in the chair beside his bed.
"Interesting."
"Why is that interesting?" she mocked, positioning her hands behind her head.
"That he wants to see his best friend after a night or should I say day, of sex with you."
"Yes, Casey, it's very unusual that someone wants to see his best friend while he's in a coma." Casey shrugged his shoulders and stared outside, wishing he was able to spend at least an hour outside. He hated being stuck in a hospital bed. And he absolutely hated being waited on every second of every hour. It was draining to him, not being able to do the things he was used to doing, right on down to being able to use the toilet. The nurses still hadn't been able to progress him into using the bedside commode and he was growing more and more frustrated about that on top of his trip. "When are you two going to leave for your trip?" she asked casually, trying to keep the pair from fighting again.
"At the end of next week," Casey answered.
"I'm surprised you're still going."
"We weren't goin' to, but ya know how he gets. He gets stuck on somethin' an' he wants to do it," Megan chimed in, shaking her head as she typed away on her laptop. She was desperate to find a voucher or some kind of code that would discount their upgrade to an SUV.
"Oh yes, Casey's biggest flaw: persistence," she teased, giving him a playful nudge in the hand with hers. "It's a shame you weren't a politician."
"I think we can all agree it's a good thing I'm not," he teased back. Jennifer nodded her head and allowed herself a small laugh.
"How long are you going to be gone? Still for two weeks?"
"I think so," Casey answered. The thought of being without him for that long was daunting. She knew he needed this trip, especially now, but not being able to see him whenever she wanted was so slowly beginning to freak her out. They hadn't gone any more than two days without seeing each other since they had met. It was selfish, but she wanted him to stay. She would even tag-along if she was asked. Sure, she would pretend like she didn't want to go at first, but knowing Casey and his prodding, she would eventually get asked and be able to say yes without looking desperate. With all the pressure on her from Tim to do a good job, she wasn't sure how she would handle him being gone. "Hey," he whispered, reaching out to grab her hand. "I'll call you every day. You know that right? It's going to take more than two weeks for you to get rid of me." She smiled and squeezed his hand.
Upstairs Shane paced Rick's floor for a few moments. He felt like he was physically unable to look at his friend. Rick was lying in a hospital bed, tube down his throat, the machine on the pole near his bed was beeping furiously, a bad of fluid hanging above it, a line going into his arm, a line coming out from under sheets filled with urine. His skin was as a dusky color, not it's usually tanned hue. There were dark circles under his eyes, a five o'clock shadow along his jaw. The sickeningly pale green hospital gown that he was wearing made his skin color even more washed out. This was not Rick. Not to Shane. He swallowed hard before making himself really look at his partner. He glanced at all of the cards and balloons around him, smiling as he looked at a crayon drawing made by Carl. Someone had positioned it directly over Rick's bed. Shane was willing to guess it had been Lori's doing. He kept his distance in the room, standing as far away from the bed as he could get. Running a hand across his chin and up his face he glanced out of the window again, wondering for a brief moment why it hadn't been him that had gotten shot. He didn't have a wife, or a son, or a family. He wasn't the leader that Rick was. With a quick sigh he approached the bed and sat in the chair that had been placed across from the IV pole.
"I don'know if you can hear me or not, but shit's really goin' south out here an' I really need ya to wake up," Shane grumbled, low enough for only Rick to hear. "Tim's been ridin' my ass an' there's some crazy ass guy I had to shoot the other night. He was absolutely fucked, bro. I mean jus' kept goin' after this lady, tryin' to bite her, he actually scratched her leg. It was somethin' else." Shane shook his head and rubbed another hand down his face. His eyes trailed over Rick's face again and he felt nausea rock through him this time. He bit down on his lower lip and ran both hands through his hair, massaging his scalp. There was a lot he wanted to talk about. He wanted to tell Rick about him and Jennifer. He wanted to tell Rick how good the sex was and what her uncle was like. It was just too strange for him. He wasn't used to doing this. It was hard enough to talk about his feelings with a live person, but to do it with someone who couldn't talk back? Fat fucking chance. "The coroner isn't even sure what this guy was on. Jen thinks it was some kinda stimulant, ya know? She thought it might'a been some kinda cocaine." He stared at Rick again, half expecting him to wake up. Rick didn't do this. Rick didn't get hurt and lay in bed like this. Rick was supposed to be the strong one. He was supposed to be out here knowing exactly what to do. Shane was the one who would just nod and make sure everyone did what he said. That was Shane's job. Shane was the back-up. He shook his head again and stood up, pacing the room when his cellphone rang. The coroner. With a heavy sigh, Shane answered the call.
Shane ran to the elevator. He pressed the button and when the car didn't arrive immediately, he sprinted to the stairs, running to find Jennifer in Casey's room. His mind was racing with what the coroner had told him. After about a hundred different tests, the coroner had found out that the man was actually infected with the mysterious illness that had been popping up around the world, the one on the news that everyone had been in a frantic mess about. Shane came to stop outside of Casey's room. He paused when he heard them laughing, knocking hard on the door frame. The laughter stopped and he glanced in to find Jennifer in his sight, turning to look at him. Her face became serious upon seeing Shane, who was out of breath, panting in the doorway. "We gotta go," he told her, giving a short wave to Casey and Megan. Jennifer rose from her chair slowly, narrowing her eyes as she tried to read him. "The coroner called. It's serious." Her eyes widened and she bid her goodbyes to her friends. She halfway jogged to meet him outside the room, a panicked look spreading into fear.
"What did he say?" she asked, still trying to read his face.
"He wouldn't say much," he choked out, leading her to the elevators.
"Shane," Jennifer warned, giving him a serious look. "We're partners, remember? You have to tell me what you know." Shane shook his head.
"We gotta tell Tim."
"Well you gotta tell me first." She turned to face him, arms across her chest, feet planted firmly on the floor. She wasn't going to let him push her out. He could try. But he wasn't. Not with whatever this was. She had never seen him this scared, except for the moments after Rick had been shot. This wasn't Shane.
"It's that illness they keep talkin' 'bout on the news." Her face fell and she covered her mouth with the back of her hand, eyes wide.
