This chapter is X-Rated (until the break near the end). And as always, if you want to skip the sex, you can do that, but do read the bit after the break!
I'm glad that new readers are still finding this story! I'm very flattered that so many people are enjoying it! All your comments make me smile, so if you're into leaving a review, know that I'm reading them and appreciating every one of them! It definitely motivates me to keep writing and posting quickly when I know that you guys are looking forward to the next piece.
If you like listening to music while reading, I made a playlist of what I was listening to while I was writing. Apparently I can't link to things in a story, but if you search "Ch14 Caged Animals" on youtube, the playlist will come up. You clearly don't have to give that a listen! But if you're into that sort of thing, these songs set the mood.
The hand that caressed Root's waist beneath the undershirt was gentle despite the rough finger tips. Shaw's lips were tender on Root's, featherlight as they moved from Root's lips to her jaw, down her throat.
Everything about Shaw's motions suggested that they had all the time in the world. Unhurried but not teasing, she spread her fingers on Root's stomach. Just to feel Root's skin.
Root felt a surge of affection for Shaw when the shorter woman pulled her head back so their eyes could meet.
She let her hand slip further up under the shirt, her thumb brushing against the swell of Root's breast. Root lifted her head a little to kiss Shaw again and Shaw obliged, meeting her lips again as her hand and fingers kept moving, lightly tracing patterns on Root's ribcage in slow motion.
Shaw removed her hand from under Root's shirt, instead running her fingers through Root's damp hair, separating her lips from Root's as her hand shifted from Root's hair to her neck. It drifted to Root's mouth, one finger drifting along her bottom lip like she was blind, reading brail, and Root kissed it. Shaw replaced her hand with her mouth again, kissing Root and moving her hand down her neck to her chest again.
Her palm pressed warm against Root's breast through the shirt, and when she lifted her hand Root raised herself up to keep the connection, her spine lifting from the mattress. Shaw's fingers lazily circled Root's hardening nipple through the white cotton, then gently rolled it between two fingers. Root sighed into Shaw's mouth, and Shaw moved her head down, kissing Root's throat. Root's eyes slowly shut, and through the undershirt she felt the hot exhale of Shaw's breath against her other nipple followed by the contact of Shaw's mouth.
Shaw kissed her way down Root's chest and stomach to the edge of the undershirt and slowly pulled it up. Root arched her back again to let Shaw pull it up more smoothly, but she seemed content for the moment to place soft kisses just below Root's belly button. One after another in a wandering line, her hands circling Root's waist.
Root tried to sit up but when she used her elbow to help prop herself up it hurt and she had to stop, a shiver running down her spine at the pain. Shaw took hold of Root's hand in her own, giving it a squeeze as she looked up into Root's face, asking with her eyes if she was ok. Root smiled at her, and Shaw helped Root sit up and took the shirt off carefully, then followed it with her own.
Root's eyes immediately went to the wounds on Shaw's chest. They were magnetic to her. She couldn't inot/i think about Shaw being so desperate to leave that Finch resorted to using a taser on her. She put out her hand, covering the scabs again because it hurt to think of Shaw wild with anger and worry. Shaw's face immediately saddened. She looked hesitant again. Like she was afraid of Root, maybe.
Reaching out to her, Root kissed Shaw reassuringly, not sure why there was fear in her eyes or what else she could do about it. The hands that found Root's face were purposeful and careful at the same time, fingers in the soft hair at the base of her skull, heels pressed against her jaw, Shaw's kiss increasingly needy.
Root put her hands on Shaw's waist, careful not to move too much because she knew it would hurt her arm and she was afraid Shaw would stop kissing her if she sensed the pain.
Shaw laid Root back on the mattress, still kissing her, and Root relaxed into the bedding, Shaw's chest and her own touching lightly. Then her eyes shut again as Shaw kissed across her cheek to her neck. She felt Shaw's nipples brush against her stomach as Shaw continued her trail of kisses to Root's chest, lingering on her collar bones, then down her sternum. With her face between Root's breasts, her touch was so gentle on Root that she might have been someone else.
Her mouth on Root's breasts was luxurious. The lips and tongue that encircled each nipple were tender, taking their time. Root put her bandaged hand on the back of Shaw's head, feeling her face flush and her breathing increase as Shaw moved against her, pressing her hip bone between Root's legs so Root was laying with her legs apart, shifting against Shaw.
After she'd spent a long amount of time kissing and touching every inch of skin from Root's neck to her stomach, Shaw shifted down more, kissing Root's thigh, letting her breath and lips slide over the pale skin, her fingers breezing over Root's hips, carefully missing the grazed skin on Root's side.
One hand, fingers spread like a star, traveled back up Root's stomach. Shaw kissed her through her underwear, just as soft and delicate as every other kiss, her other hand on Root's thigh. Root put her hand on top of Shaw's on her chest, wanting to feel as close to her as possible.
When Shaw exhaled onto Root through the fabric, Root's hand tightened on Shaw's. Shaw turned her hand around from Root's chest to be palm to palm with Root's, pressed her fingers between Root's, entwining them as she kissed Root's body again, open-mouthed against the fabric of her underwear. She reached her hand from Root's leg up behind her, beneath the underwear's edge to pull Root's hips towards her face.
Root took a shaky breath, sighing at the fluidity of Shaw's motions, that perfect body and all of its muscles that worked in unison towards a goal. A goal that was being on or in or with Root, or all of the above.
Root's mind was going fuzzy.
She squeezed Shaw's hand like it was an anchor, but her arm throbbed painfully and she had to stop. Shaw released her hand, like she knew, but kept her palm warm against Root's chest, the hand behind Root, inside her underwear, shifting to pull the underwear to the side.
A sharp little exhale caught in Root's throat when Shaw's tongue pressed into her. Her breathing was already unsteady, little pants, coming short. Shaw groaned once, low and quiet, her mouth pushed against Root. The vibration made Root's toes curl, her body tightening deliciously.
Shaw pulled away, smirking up at Root as she pulled her underwear off, followed by her own boy shorts.
Then Shaw moved back down between Root's legs, and her mouth was on Root again, one hand taking Root's in her own, holding onto Root's hand reassuringly, blindly, her other hand brushing against Root's inner thigh. Shaw's tongue moved rhythmically against Root, and then a finger slid slowly inside of her, and Root sighed an 'oh', drawn out and quiet as Shaw's hand and mouth moved together.
Root knew her hips were moving in time with Shaw, knew how hopelessly desperate she must seem, but she didn't care. She felt herself being pulled higher and higher by Shaw's expert mouth, her breathing increasing, her hips grinding up into Shaw. She lifted her head and saw Shaw's strong shoulders.
Root took a shuddering breath, wanting contact again, wanting to be close, closer than before, closer than they ever could be. Shaw looked up when Root reached out for those strong shoulders and tried to sit up, so she saw her wince, saw the tears immediately blurring her vision because it hurt and she wanted to be able to grab Shaw and hold onto her.
Shaw quickly moved up Root's body, kissing her hungrily and pressing their chests together. Root could taste herself on Shaw's tongue.
She pressed a leg up between Shaw's, and Shaw let her, let them move together, her own breathing coming shorter. Root put her arm around Shaw's shoulders, holding them close together as Shaw gently sucked on her bottom lip, releasing it only to take an unsteady breath, a low groan coming from deep in her throat as her hips pushed harder back against Root's.
They were so in sync, so closely fit together.
Their eyes connected and Root felt like some of Shaw's perfection was spilling out through those dark eyes into her own because Shaw was looking at her with so much adoration and desire. Like this was the only place they could ever be this human. This animalistic.
Shaw's teeth clamped down on her bottom lip, and Root could see the split, still healing. She pressed her mouth into Shaw's, making her give up the assailment on her own lip so they could kiss again because this wasn't about hurting. The pressure in Root's chest and between her legs grew, more intense, and she had to stop kissing Shaw because she felt like she was gasping for air when that warm palm found her chest again, those strong fingers delicate when they closed on her nipple.
Under Root's arm, Shaw's back moved faster, and Root arched up into her, their legs pressed together. Her eyes shut. She couldn't help but grind harder up into Shaw, and she felt the sharp intake of air that this brought. Root opened her eyes again and saw that Shaw was as close as she was. She put her bandaged hand on Shaw's hip, guiding their motions, looking directly into one another's eyes, their mouths open, panting, breathing in one another's exhales.
Root felt the tidal wave cresting inside of her, and saw Shaw shaking above her. She could see that Shaw's eyes were screwing shut and with her bad arm she put a hand on Shaw's cheek. She was too close for the pain to matter, too hungry to see into Shaw's eyes. Shaw understood, her eyes opening, hazy as they darkly met Root's.
The sound that escaped from Root was too high, an accidental little whine of pleasure because she could see behind Shaw's eyes, the endless light behind them, and they fell over the edge together, still moving. Root could feel herself losing her rhythm, and Shaw faltered as well, groaning quietly from that deep place in her throat again. Shaw's head fell to Root's shoulder, burying into her neck so Root could feel the uneven breaths against her throat.
Finally, Shaw collapsed on top of Root, breathing heavily against Root's collar bone. Root moved her arm to drape around Shaw's waist, and smiled when she felt Shaw's lips press a kiss against her skin.
Shaw lifted her head again to kiss Root, her body weighing comfortably on Root's. She took Root's face in her hands and kissed her, long and slow, then rested her forehead against Root's.
"You alright?" Shaw asked, her voice low. Root smiled a little, licking her dry lips.
"Perfect," she replied. Shaw chuckled. They laid still for a minute, then Shaw reached down and pulled the blankets up and over them, settling back on top of Root's chest.
It took Root a while to realize that she'd fallen asleep in the quiet aftermath of their sex. She felt the heavy weight on her and thought it had to do with being shot. But then she realized that there was air being expelled, warm into the crook of her neck, and it occurred to her that the weight was Shaw's body, asleep on top of her, face nuzzling against Root's throat.
She put a hand on Shaw's back and Shaw stirred.
Shaw stretched her arms out languidly, then stiffened, her whole perfect body going rigid against Root's as she tensed. Root thought briefly that Shaw was a bit like a cat. Really she was more like a panther. Silky dark hair and sleek muscle. Powerful. Shaw's body relaxed again and she propped herself up to look at Root. She looked a little surprised.
"I can't believe I fell asleep," Shaw said, her words muddled. Root put a hand on the back of Shaw's head, pulling her into a kiss. They were interrupted by Root's stomach, loudly grumbling. Shaw backed away, looking a little disappointed.
"Hungry?" Shaw asked jokingly as the grumbling continued. Root smirked back at her.
"Yeah, I think I worked up a bit of an appetite," she teased. Shaw shook her head, clearly amused, and kissed her again.
"I'll tell the guys to bring us food," Shaw said, starting to get up. Root's arm felt stiff as she reached for Shaw to stop her from leaving the warmth of the bed. Shaw raised an eyebrow again and smirked a little at her. Even as she said it, it looked like Shaw was surprised that the words were coming from her mouth when she said, "I'm coming right back."
She found the phone at the foot of the cot and came back, sitting down beside Root. She quickly typed a text and sent it, then turned to look at Root.
"I guess we're even now, from the other day when you said you owed me," Root said with a smirk, knowing Shaw wouldn't understand what she was talking about without the explanation. It still took a moment of thought for Shaw to get it, and then she looked up at the ceiling, her dark eyes on the pipes as the hint of a smile played on her lips.
"I don't think this really counts," she said. Root's eyebrows raised, knowing whatever Shaw said next was going to make her smile. "As your doctor, I'm supposed to do everything in my power to make you feel good. So… I was just doing my job."
Shaw looked at Root out of the corner of her eye and when they made eye contact they both grinned.
"I've never had a doctor who's so thorough," Root said, and Shaw turned to look at her and give her a sarcastic shrug, chewing on her lower lip. Then Shaw bent and kissed her again.
"If something's worth doing, it's worth doing right," Shaw said seductively, their mouths close.
"Subtle," Root teased, kissing her again.
The phone buzzed in Shaw's hand and she sat back up, reading the text. Her face immediately fell, and Root looked at her questioningly when she turned back to look at her.
"They're iall/i coming," Shaw said, disappointment and annoyance in her voice. Root's eyes narrowed, wondering what exactly Shaw meant.
"All of them?" she asked.
"John and Fusco are bringing a second cot. And Harold wants to bring Bear and the food," Shaw explained. "So yeah. All of them."
Root winced a little and sat up, her bandaged hand finding Shaw's bare back.
"Guess we should get up then," Root said quietly. Shaw nodded.
"Let's see what clothes of mine you can wear," she said, getting up.