Down to One

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

WARNING: The chapter is NC/17

Status: Work in progress.

Chapter 14

Calleigh lay awake as Horatio dozed. Her body was exhausted but her spirit was experiencing a revival. Laying there, in the shadows of the morning, the soft whispers of her love's breathing creating a hypnotic symphony, Calleigh did something she had all but given up on – she embraced happiness.

Her eyes flickered over the steady rise and fall of Horatio's chest to the nearby window where the first vestiges of orange and yellow hues were starting to shine through the curtains. She sighed contentedly and snuggled closer into her lover's body, absorbing the warmth of his exposed skin. She allowed her gaze to linger upon him for several, silent moments before it traveled to the alarm clock on the nightstand. The red digital numbers relayed the fact – to her great disappointment – that soon she would need to leave. She needed enough time to get home, get ready for work and return to the office. In addition to Judge Houser's funeral, there was much both she and Horatio needed to accomplish that day, and though she desperately wished it to, time stood still for no person.

She considered waking the man sleeping next to her, but then thought better of it. They had made love several times into the early morning hours before he finally surrendered to exhausted slumber. Calleigh, however, remained awake, watching him rest. The soft cotton sheets lay draped across his legs, leaving his firm chest exposed. His body was easy for her to appreciate and after the night they had had, she delighted in the notion that she could finally show him just how much she appreciated it.

Stealing a few more minutes of quiet contemplation, she studied Horatio's handsome features. The light shone through his thick red hair, setting each tousled strand ablaze. She considered this aspect of him: Fiery both inside and out. Within him, the fires of passion always burned brilliantly, no matter what the circumstance. She had seen this passion in the steadfast ways he approached finding the science in the evidence, in the relentless ways he pursued those guilty parties who had hurt innocent people, and by the fierce compassion he showed those who could not help themselves. It was apparent in the way he loved his family, guided his son and stood – an unwavering constant - by his staff.

It was as if Prometheus himself had placed the fire of life within the man lying next to her. The magnitude of this caused Calleigh to shudder slightly.

Horatio's face tilted to the side and he took slow, deep breaths conducive to deep sleep. She had never seen him truly at rest before, she had never seen him look so peaceful, and though his fiery determination was one of the traits she admired most about him, she memorized how he appeared now – in a state of total, amazingly beautiful serenity.

It was a sight that took her breath away and she was surprised to find her eyes watering. Smiling to herself, she rejoiced internally at the knowledge that for the first time in a long, long time, the tears she cried where the result of pure, unabashed joy. Resting her head against his chest, she ran her hand over his body softly, so as not to wake him.

But when his own hand rose to cover hers, clasping it firmly over his heart, she knew her attempt at stealth had been for naught.

"You're awake."

His voice was rough with sleep but tinged with amusement. His eyes remained closed as Calleigh shifted slightly, pushing herself up further so that her face hovered more near his. Leaning down, she placed a soft kiss against his stubbled cheek.

Horatio exhaled deeply. Turning his head before Calleigh could pull back, he captured her lips, slowly tasting them in a slow, languid kiss. When she finally did break away, he opened his eyes and drank in the sight of her.

Her bare skin glowed radiantly in the morning light. Her golden hair hung in loose waves around her face and shoulders. Her flushed face was free of makeup. She was always lovely. but he had never before seen her in such a natural state. It occurred to him that when God created woman, Calleigh's likeness had to have been what He had in mind.

"You should try to get a little more sleep," she murmured quietly, running her long fingers through his hair. "You had a long night, Lieutenant."

Her gentle touch caused him to close his eyes and relax.

"But it was worth every millisecond," he rasped with a smile as she continued her hypnotic ministrations.

"You'll get no argument from me on that," Calleigh teased lightly.

"That's good to know."

She grinned and smoothed down an exceptionally unruly lock of his hair. When his breathing started to once again become more steady and deep, she assumed he had fallen back to sleep.

"I love you," she whispered quietly, lying back down against him. When he tightened his arm around her and sighed, she realized he had heard her.

"That's also good to know," he replied with a slanted grin. "I'd hate to think that last night was out of pure, animal lust."

Calleigh chuckled. "There's a lot to be said for that, you know."

Horatio opened one eye and quickly closed it again. "I'm not the kind of guy that would look all that great in leather chaps and nothing else."

The memory of that particular discussion from so many years ago made Calleigh burst out in a fit of laughter and she buried her face into his side. When she finally composed herself enough, she looked up and rested her chin on his chest.

"I beg to differ," she giggled. "In fact, I think I might just have to make a special trip to the leather store."

Horatio barked loudly and flipped her onto her back, pinning her to the bed with his body. Though his actions took her by surprise, Calleigh couldn't help but laugh as he tickled her with roaming fingers and began nibbling deliciously at her neck.

"You are not playing fair!" She laughed.

"That's right. I'm not," he growled against the skin underneath her ear. "It comes with the rank."

It didn't take long, however, for the joking to take a different direction, to a place more … feral. Teasing tickles soon turned into touches with far more serious, demanding purposes. As if recharged, their bodies quickly responded to the need emanating from the other.

The time was all but forgotten to Calleigh as she indulged herself in the taste of Horatio's mouth. He made a sound low in his throat that was half human, half beast. Leaning down, he ran his tongue around one nipple, then the other. As he alternated back and forth, Calleigh arched her chest into his warm and wet mouth; the roughness of his unshaven face against the soft skin of her breasts was nothing short of euphoric torture. When he slid his mouth slowly down one slope and up the other, Calleigh considered never leaving Horatio's bed … work be damned.

Then she felt his hand cup her and she vowed to be bedridden forever.

Horatio rested the heel of his hand just above her feathery curls and slid his middle finger slowly down until he reached her molten core. She moaned loudly and clasped his head to her breast as he added a second finger to the party.

Calleigh gasped. "You … are going … to make me so late … for work."

Getting to work was what Horatio had every intention of doing, but it had nothing to do with the lab and everything to do with making Calleigh come. The deeper his fingers went, the harder he became.

"I think your boss will be okay with it," he groaned against her flesh. "This once."

This morning, his work would come easy to him. An additional finger and a couple more deep strokes sent Calleigh arching up off the bed. She cried loudly as her body shook with spasms. Horatio lifted his head from her and watched the expression of pure rapture spread across her face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open as she gasped for air. A half-smile graced her lips as she came down from the high. Undoing his ballistics expert like this was quickly becoming Horatio's favorite pastime.

When she finally opened her eyes and saw him watching her, she grinned devilishly. Sitting up quickly, she turned the tables and pushed him onto his back. He smirked as she straddled his legs and hovered over him, her breasts – now red in some areas from beard burn – bobbed deliciously as she situated herself.

"Your turn," she purred as she ran a single, manicured finger down his chest to the erection that now strained in between them. He drew in a sharp breath as she scraped her fingernail along his shaft. She bit her lower lip and looked back up at him. His face was red and his breathing was rapid, but she knew he was still in complete control of himself.

And she wanted nothing more than to see him lose that control.

She leaned forward and kissed him thoroughly on the mouth before traveling down his body with her tongue. The feeling of her body working its way down his quickly began to stretch his sanity to its limit. And when she – finally – arrived at her destination, she wasted no time driving him crazy.

He moaned softly as she drew her fingers over his shiny head. With a grin, she gave him a wink, then bent down and got to work on her own special project. When he felt her hot tongue tracing its way up his cock, Horatio's eyes rolled up and his head fell back on the pillow.

"Good god, Calleigh," he groaned, searching every molecule of his being for the strength not to explode that second. But such a feat would be difficult. He was already a ticking time bomb.

Her tongue left hot, wet streaks on his smooth skin. She tortured him in that fashion for several minutes, waiting to see how long he could hold on to his unshakeable resolve. She looked up, finding him clutching the sheets of the bed tightly. He was practically putty in her hands.

And mouth.

Smiling, she took her project to the next level.

She took him deeply into her mouth, and as she did, she flicked her tongue over his most sensitive skin. She knew he was almost gone when he pushed his hips up. Calleigh wrapped her hand around his base and stroked it slowly, feeling him tremble as she did. His reactions were giving him away and with every swipe of her tongue and squeeze of her fingers, she knew she almost had him.

But Horatio wasn't willing to give in quite so easily. Gritting his teeth, he fought valiantly to stave off the climax that was building to explosive proportions within him. As much as he wanted to make it last, he knew that it wouldn't take much more from her now to detonate him.

And he had a plan for her. Entwining his fingers in her hair, he gently tugged until she looked up at him. When he made eye contact with her, he let go of her head and propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her sternly.

"Calleigh. Stop."

The commanding tone of his voice confused her. A second ago, he seemed in total ecstasy. Now he seemed angry.

Calleigh withdrew her mouth from him and pushed herself up on her hands.

"Something wro-…"

Before she could finish, he lunged forward and grabbed her. Crushing his mouth against hers, she tasted of hot sex, which fired him up more. Their hands gripped and grasped at each other. Calleigh ran her nails down his back as he clutched the cheeks of her ass. Their tongues dueled as Horatio sat straight, holding his lover tightly against him, his raging erection caught between their bodies.

"I need to be inside you," he growled against her mouth. "You need it too, I know you do."

In her lust-drunk haze, Calleigh merely nodded and continued licking his lips. She felt him shift beneath her and then …

"Omigod," she gasped as he once again filled her. He groaned as he felt himself slip into her moist, hot center. He hugged her tighter and kissed her deeply. Without breaking from his mouth, Calleigh began to move on him, rising and falling on his length. With each plunge, he filled her more completely.

No matter how many times they came together like this, she always marveled at his size and how her body reacted to his. It was as if they were made for each other. In all the years she had known him, she had never dreamed it would ever be like this.

Horatio moved his hand in between them, reaching down and finding her swollen nub. When he pressed down on it with his thumb, it sent a broiling rush through her, right down to the pads of her fingers.

His tongue was as deep in her mouth as his cock was in her womb. He wanted to pull her inside of himself, protect her with his own flesh and make her one with him for all eternity. He sighed into her mouth and she knew he was getting close.

She clenched her soft walls around him and he felt the familiar tingle crawl through his body, building up low within him and branching out to the rest of him in white-hot tendrils. Calleigh leaned into each thrust more, pressing him as deeply inside of her as he could go. Their sweaty bodies slapped against each other. Her wetness drove him wild; he could feel himself coated with it.

"Do you know how close I am?" he moaned against her mouth.

She opened her eyes and stared directly into his. "Come with me," she whimpered.

Finding he could no longer deny her anything, he plunged into her with short, hard strokes. Finally, they both exploded, gasping and feeding off the other's climax. Collapsing back onto the bed, they lay there exhausted, completely overcome and drained.

When their breathing returned to normal, Calleigh kissed his cheek and settled next to him.

"I hate to break this to you," she said playfully, "but you are going to have to carry me everywhere today. I don't think I'll be able to walk for a week."

Before he could respond, the shrill sound of the doorbell filled the room.

With raised eyebrows, Calleigh propped herself up.

"Were you expecting company?"

Horatio shook his head and sat up. His legs were still a bit wobbly from the exertion of their coupling as well as the previous night's events. Exhaling loudly, he stood and walked – slowly – to his dresser, where he pulled out some pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt.

"It's probably my newspaper delivery guy," he said as he pulled the shirt over his head. "I think my subscription is up soon. He always reminds me when I need to renew."

"Ah," Calleigh said as she stretched out brazenly over his bed and grinned. "I hope early morning interruptions aren't a common thing with you, Lieutenant. Just think how … inconvenient … that could have been if he had been ten minutes early?"

Horatio stared at the vixen in front of him. He wondered how he was going to be able to function the rest of the day with the vision of this memory playing in his head.

"If that happens, I'll cancel the paper," he said as he reached for the door. "And while I'm gone, don't get out of that bed."

She blew him a kiss as he walked out the door. Rolling over, Calleigh glanced at the clock again. The digital time read: 6:23 a.m.

"Oh shit," she grumbled wide-eyed as she bolted off the bed and started getting dressed.

Horatio yawned as he padded barefoot through his living room to the front door. Despite his fatigue, he felt fantastic … and very hungry. Approaching the door, he wondered if they would have time for breakfast, though he had come to learn that nothing was as delicious as Calleigh.

He was so distracted by his thoughts of food and sex, that he didn't bother looking through the peephole before opening the door.

"What's the big news to- …"

He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes adjusted to the outside light and he realized just who his visitor was.

"Good morning, Horatio. I was hoping to catch you before you left for work. I thought you might like some breakfast."

Yelena stood in the doorway holding a small basket of muffins and fruit. She smiled as she stepped around a stunned Horatio into his home. When his brain finally caught up with him, he turned to her.

"Um, thank you, Yelena," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That really wasn't necessary."

The Colombian woman smiled warmly and handed him the basket. "I know you're busy, so I won't stay. I just wanted to check and see how your head was feeling. I tried calling your cell but it kept going to voicemail."

His phone was still missing. In all of the madness of the day before, he had completely forgotten about it. He wondered how many other calls he had missed. Hopefully, none of them were call-outs.

"Sorry about that," he apologized with sincerity. He knew Yelena would have been worried and he kicked himself for not calling her sooner. "My phone was lost in the courthouse shooting. I have to get it replaced today."

"Well, I won't keep you then," she said, running her hands over her white slacks. "I just wanted to be sure you were okay … and eating."

Horatio smiled at his sister-in-law's generosity, but couldn't help but feel a bit awkward given the current situation between he and Calleigh. Unknowing of this, Yelena approached him and wrapped her arms around his mid-section. She gave him a gentle squeeze and a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Horatio, I need to borrow a shirt, I can't find mine," Calleigh's voice carried from the hallway. She came bouncing into the living room wearing one of the Horatio's T-shirts. She quickly stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the man she loved in the arms of another woman.

Horatio watched all the color drain out of Calleigh's face while at the same time, he felt Yelena go rigid against him. As Yelena pulled away, Calleigh looked at Horatio with a look of confused expectation. He tried to reassure her with his eyes, but he could already see her defenses going into lockdown.

Next to him, Yelena bent down and picked up something from the floor. Holding the familiar gray material out, she cleared her throat.

"I think this is what you are looking for, Detective," she said softly, as she handed Calleigh's discarded shirt to Horatio.

Sorry for the delay. RL forced me to take a hiatus. Hopefully, it won't throw me anymore curveballs. *knock on wood*

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