There wasn't much that Greg needed in life to be happy. Resolved cases. A good night's sleep. A decent pint at the end of the day.

But to be content, to be almost blissfully satisfied? A woman in his arms, enjoying a ripping match on the telly – well that did it. The fact that it was Molly Hooper, something he had increasingly doubted would ever happen, made it exponentially better. It was a little prosaic to think of how perfect being with her was, how much it surpassed everything he'd ever hoped for.

His divorce had left him struggling to understand many things, the most daunting of which had been how he was supposed to start over again in his late forties. That wasn't something he'd ever planned on needing to do. A part of him had become resigned to the routine of a bachelor life, with half-mad consulting detectives and pub owners as his main relationships.

But there was Molly, sitting on his couch with her head resting on his shoulder and shouting at Gloucester in between bites of pork dumpling and spring rolls.

To his recollection, no one had ever looked more beautiful after sex. With her long hair slightly mussed and her skin tinged pink, she looked magnificent; particularly in his shirt, which was far too big for her but suited her anyway. He had to stop himself from staring, multiple times, sure that it would make her uncomfortable. He did, however, allow his arm to remain firmly wrapped around her, his fingers bunching up the shirt and gently stroking the smooth skin of her waist.

It wasn't long before the food was consumed and the match had become background noise. Molly's arm stretched across his stomach and her lips ghosting over his shoulder and against his neck had him fairly distracted; he decided she was far more interesting at the moment and turned the telly off before turning and snogging her into the back of the sofa. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, her delicate hands turning strong as she pulled him close. Greg let out a low groan of appreciation for her, one hand sliding down her bare thigh and hitching her leg over his hip. He could feel himself hardening as the heat from between her legs was exposed, easily penetrating his pants.

After a few minutes of heavy snogging that bordered on rutting, Molly broke away from him and slipped deftly out of his arms. He was confused for a moment before she stood purposefully in front of him, her knee nudging his apart. Greg watched in stunned silence as she dropped to the ground, her fingers tucking into the elastic of his pants and dragging them from his hips, letting his erection free. He swallowed heavily as he realized what she was doing.

And, oh God, was she ever doing that. The strangled noise that came out of his throat as her warm mouth enveloped him was shameful, and he didn't care in the least. It was hard to care about the noises he was making when she was swirling her tongue over the head of his cock and her lips were sliding along his shaft, building a fire in his groin that was threatening to turn into an inferno. He wasn't sure when his fingers had anchored into her hair, but she didn't seem to mind, allowing him to use the silky strands to guide her pace, his hips rocking gently towards her. When he felt the sensations rising to dangerous levels, he reached for her shoulders and pulled her away.

"Molly, oh, Christ, Molly," he gasped, looking down into her smirking face. He grinned, shaking his head and leaning down to kiss her, hard. "That was amazing...but I want to be inside of you, darling."

"Well then," Molly said as she stood up, running her hands through his hair. "You wait right there."

Greg collapsed back into the cushions as he watched her saunter towards the bathroom. How the hell had this all happened? How had he gotten this lucky? A few weeks before, he had been prepared to step aside and let the hope of being with her fade away in his mind until the idea was a shadow.

She had stepped out of the fading fantasy, though, warm and real and decidedly ready to embark on whatever journey this was with him. And she was apparently going to start by driving him mad with how gorgeous she could look half-naked in his flat, walking towards him with a sultry look and an unwrapped condom held between her fingers. He sucked in a sharp breath when she immediately climbed into his lap, her mouth seeking his as her hands slipped the condom over his erection. His overly sensitive skin tingled under her touch and he shuddered, eager to slide his hands under the shirt and grip her hips.

In one swift movement, Molly took ahold of his cock and lifted herself up, positioning him at her entrance and sinking down. The sudden feeling was almost too much and he broke away from her kiss, wrapping his arms around her and clamping his mouth onto the soft skin of the curve of her neck to keep from groaning too loudly. The push of his hips prompted her into a steady rhythm as she moved above him, the warm clench of her muscles forcing him to fight against the desire to increase his pace. She smelled of the soft, floral scent of perfume and the tart aroma of sex - absolutely irresistible.

Leaning back against the sofa once more, Greg began unbuttoning her shirt, pushing the fabric aside and enjoying the perfect view of her breasts. It was her smile, the sight of her bobbing up and down on him while looking so gorgeous that sent him spiraling towards the edge, almost losing control.

"God, Molly, you're going to drive me insane," he growled, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and pulling her closer, his mouth landing on one breast.

He sucked and teased her nipple until she was whimpering, her grinding rhythm becoming erratic.

"Oh, Greg, fuck," she bit out, drawing the last word out on a low moan.

He groaned again, never having heard her swear before, let alone so strongly. Unable to hold back any longer, he reached for her arms, sliding his hands along her limbs until they landed on her wrists, pulling her hands behind his head. Molly lurched forward with the movement, bracing herself on the back of the sofa as he held her in place and began thrusting in earnest. He captured her mouth, swallowing her cries of pleasure as she finally climaxed, her muscles spasming violently around him. A few artless thrusts later and he was groaning her name into her shoulder and spilling himself inside of her, overcome by the events of the evening and the sheer bliss of being with Molly.

When her muscles stopped quivering, she lifted herself off of him and settled back on his thighs, her head dropping to the crook of his neck as she recovered. Greg took a few deep breaths, releasing her wrists and running his hands soothingly over her back, brushing her sweat-dampened hair with his fingers.

He wanted to be able to hold her like that every day; he refrained from saying so, thinking that it would be better to wait until they'd at least made it through a whole day of… dating? Seeing each other? It didn't much matter what they labeled it, as long as he got to be with her.

Molly kissed his neck gently and lightly ran her fingers over the dusting of hair on his chest.

"Greg?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you have any plans for what you wanted to do tomorrow?"

"You," he said silkily, smiling when he felt her chuckle. "Other than that…no plans."

"I'll have to feed my cat eventually," she said, leaning up and gazing down at him. "You're welcome to come back to mine, though."

"And what, exactly, do you plan to do there?" he asked her slowly, running his hands over the curve of her bum.

Molly cocked her head, her hair spilling to one side.

"You," she mimicked him with a smile.

"Bloody fantastic," Greg laughed, tightening his grip on her and hoisting her up as he stood from the sofa.

Molly wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked them towards the shower, feeling that it was only fair to offer her the opportunity to clean up since he'd been responsible for getting them dirty in the first place…

oOo

He woke slowly the next morning, slightly disoriented by the glow of sunlight making its way through his bamboo shades. He couldn't remember the last time he'd woken after the sun had risen. It felt glorious. Of course, part of that feeling could've been the morning-after sensations associated with two rounds of sex and a decent amount of snogging in the shower before collapsing into bed with a woman he was crazy about. That generally made anyone wake up in a good mood.

Scrubbing a hand over his face to wipe the sleep from his eyes, Greg rolled gently to his side. Molly was still sleeping soundly, partially turned away from him and snoring softly. The soft morning light made her skin and hair appear golden and warm. It took a large dose of self control not to lean over and kiss her awake, much as he wanted to. She was too peaceful to disturb. Instead, he slowly climbed out of bed and padded to bathroom.

Minutes later, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, he quietly set about making coffee and setting things out for breakfast in the kitchen. He wasn't exactly sure how she took her coffee, but if memory served, he figured he was safe with sugar and a splash of milk. She was just waking up when he strolled in through the bedroom door, a mug of steaming coffee in each hand. The smile she gave him could have knocked him off his feet.

He swallowed, suddenly unsure of himself.

"Morning," she said, her voice low and raspy with sleep.

"Morning," he replied, his feet finding the ability to walk again and making his way towards the bed.

The mattress dipped a bit as he sat down opposite her, holding the coffee out. She held the sheet to her chest and sat up against the pillows, taking the cup with a smile.

"Thanks, it's wonderful," Molly said gratefully, taking a large gulp.

"So," Greg said after a few moments of silence.

"So," Molly repeated, settling the cup in her lap and looking down into the liquid. "Last night happened."

"It certainly did," he agreed with a raise of his eyebrows. He watched a smile creep onto her face as she contemplated the thread pattern in his sheets and hoped that it was a good sign. Everything he'd liked about her before had been amplified a hundred times in the previous twenty-four hours and there was no going back for him. He was done for; it all lay in her hands. "Everything about that...still okay with you?"

"Yeah," she responded immediately, her eyes drifting up almost shyly to meet his. "Yeah. Definitely."

"Good," he said, smiling broadly at her. "That's really good, because otherwise breakfast was going to be obscenely awkward."

Molly laughed and placed her cup on the nightstand, scooting across the bed to take his face in her hands and kiss him.

"And what is on the menu this morning, Detective?" she asked, gently threading her fingers through his hair and activating nerves he'd forgotten he had.

"Might not be food, at this rate," he murmured, trying to balance the cup of coffee with one hand while the other wrapped around her bare torso.

"Pretty sure it's your fault I have an appetite after last night," she giggled as his lips found the sensitive spot on her neck.

"That's fair," he relented with a grin, placing one final kiss to her shoulder before pulling back. "Eggs and sausage?"

"Crumpets and jam, too?" she asked mischievously with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Better than that," he said, trying not to sound too proud of himself. "I can make crepes."

Molly's eyebrow raised in sincerity at that.

"Consider me charmed," she said.

"That was the goal," he admitted.

While Greg fried up a plateful of kippers and eggs, Molly perched on the kitchen counter and sipped her coffee, their conversation flirtatious and easy. He handed her a plate of breakfast to enjoy while he whipped up the crepe batter and set out lemon slices, sugar, and whipped cream that he miraculously had sitting in the back of his fridge. He hadn't been betting on her staying the night, or coming over at all for that matter, and his preparation for breakfast had been nil. Improvisation was at its finest that morning.

If he had been a slightly smarter man, maybe paid more attention to detail outside of the Yard, he would have foreseen where full, satisfied bellies and platefuls of sweet crepes and whipped cream would lead right there in his kitchen. It had been a while since he'd been so domestic with anyone, and even longer since the possibility of sex outside of the bedroom was even a realistic expectation. Molly sitting on his counter in a pair of his shorts and her grey blouse, licking whipped cream and sugar from her fingers, had him remembering that, oh yes, the entire flat could be explored that way.

She caught his eye with one finger still lingering between her lips, her expression changing quickly as she realized what he was thinking. Slowly, he moved in front of her and took the plate out of her hand, setting it on the counter. She watched his every move as pressed against her knees, reaching out to take her hand away from her mouth. He held her hand in both of his and brought her fingers to his lips, tentatively sucking a cream covered digit. When her eyelids fluttered and he heard her soft whimper, he knew he'd found yet another way to curl her toes. He couldn't say he wasn't proud of that.

Greg grinned slightly as he continued to languidly remove the remaining whipped cream from her fingers, stepping forward when her legs gradually parted and made way for him to press against her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him forward insistently, and he was completely hard in seconds as he abandoned her fingers and captured her mouth. He grunted and groaned when her hand slipped down the front of his pants, his mind flashing back to the night before and the things she had done to him on the couch.

He forced himself to focus, gripping the hem of her blouse and pulling the garment over her head, lavishing as much attention on her breasts as she was giving his erection. When he was fairly certain he couldn't survive another moment, he hooked his fingers into the shorts she was wearing and tugged. Molly pulled her hand from his pants, holding the edge of the counter to balance herself as she tilted her hips up. The shorts were gone in a second and he yanked his pants down before pulling her to the edge of the counter.

"Is this… is it alright?" he asked gruffly as his bare cock throbbed against her entrance.

Molly nodded fiercely.

"IUD," she told him. "Totally clean."

"Same," he said hurriedly, claiming her mouth again and pushing forward, fighting back the urge to shout when her warm wetness enveloped him. "Ohhh my God," he moaned, thrusting roughly into her. "Molly...I'm not going to last long…"

"S'okay," she panted, her hands pressed into the small of his back. "Feels good. Amazing."

He needn't have worried about the warning. Between the angle and his mouth assaulting her neck and breasts, her muscles were clenching around him in minutes, hurtling him over the edge with her. He practically saw stars, his head buzzing as he pulsed inside of her, feeling the little flutters of aftershocks from her.

"You're going to spoil me," she murmured against his shoulder.

"Mm?"

"Food and amazing sex?" she said, pulling back to look at him. "Properly spoiled."

"Happy to do it," he told her, kissing her slowly before helping her down.

That night, as they lay in Molly's bed after an evening of chatting, telly, and amazing sex, as Molly so aptly phrased it, Greg couldn't help thinking about the last time he'd been in her flat. He stroked her back as she rested her head on his chest, contemplating the fact that he'd been ready to give up altogether that night. He'd admired her for so long and she'd seemed so unattainable. It had seemed pointless, then, to hope for a relationship with her.

How wrong he'd been.

"I like this," she murmured suddenly, her fingers tracing slow patterns on his chest. "A lot."

He felt a surge of happiness go through him and smiled.

"My pleasure," he said, kissing the top of her head.

Molly laughed, lifting herself up and turning to face him.

"That's been lovely, too," she said, glancing away for a moment before meeting his eyes. "But...but I mean, all of this. You...and me. Us."

Greg smiled at her gently, reaching out to run his fingers along the side of her face.

Us.

God, that sounded wonderful coming from her.

"I like it, too, Molly," he said, pulling her close again and reveling in the feeling of her body against his. "Quite a lot."