Author's Note: Well, this is the end of 'A Valentine Rendezvous!' I hope you've all enjoyed reading it! Thank you so much to everyone who's taken the time to read and review!

As promised, I will be finishing 'Upping the Ante' next. After that...it's up to you! I've put a poll on my profile asking which story you'd like to see finished most, and the one that receives the majority of the votes is the one I'll work on after 'Upping the Ante.'

Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy this last installment. (Minus a probable epilogue!)

~Angie

With his sexy grin he used a single finger to dislodge the lavender towel, causing it to pool at his feet. He was already hard for her—though he was willing to concede the mere thought of her caused his body to react.

His gaze travelled from her eyes down to her chest; her rigid nipples were straining against the fabric of her nighty. When she lifted her hands and used her middle fingers to trace a path around each one, he growled. "Mine," he said greedily, striding towards the bed. She screeched as he grabbed her by the waist, hauling her closer to the edge of the mattress.

He lowered his head to her breast, covering her silk clad nipple with his mouth and giving it a tender pull with his teeth.

Her lips parted with a whimper; her eyes closed as her head fell back. Derek's mouth immediately ascended to her throat, desperate to taste her flesh. His kisses were hasty and frantic, as if he couldn't decide where to kiss her next. He'd wanted to do something they'd never done before and take it slow this time; clearly that wasn't going to happen.

He kissed his way over to her collarbone, then down her arm, pausing to run his tongue over the crease of her elbow. He felt her shiver under his lips as he moved down to her wrist; he could feel her pulse racing. Good, he thought with a grin. He figured his own was matching it thump for thump.

He positioned himself so he was standing over her. Lifting a hand to the back of her head, he gripped her hair and tugged gently to pull her head backward. Her lips parted with a surprised gasp, and he used that moment to capture her mouth with his own. His tongue plunged forth, not satisfied with the taste of her skin he'd gotten earlier. He wanted to taste her heat—the moisture from his mouth mixing with hers. He used his tongue to lick the roof of her mouth, the insides of her cheeks. Amazingly enough, she stayed still, giving him complete control. His hands moved to cup her cheeks as he continued his slow exploration. Her fingers dug into his waist; her nails sinking into his flesh. He knew what she wanted, and he gave it to her. His tongue found hers, caressing it tenderly.

He heard her whimper, then felt warm liquid on his thumbs. He pulled back immediately, breaking their kiss. "Penelope?" he asked hoarsely when he saw the tears running down her cheeks.

"Please don't stop," she begged. "These are happy tears. I promise."

He nodded hesitantly, lowering his head to her neck giving her a gentle nuzzle. He reached for the hem of her nighty and pulled it off over her head, tossing it to the floor. She immediately moved to her back, spreading her legs so he could rest between her thighs. He leaned down using his lips to kiss away any remaining tears as his hand travelled lower until he reached the waistband of her pastel purple thongs. He slid his hand inside, hissing as the backs of his fingers brushed against the moist material between her legs; she was as wet as he was hard.

He swiftly removed the last barrier between them, then repositioned himself between her legs and slid inside of her inch by inch. It was all he could do not to drive into her; he was barely able to hold back. But the feeling of her heat wrapping around him was such a sweet reward.

He heard her moan when he'd pushed fully inside of her, and then began his slow pace. Keeping his control was a struggle; every time he filled her, a sweet moan made its way from her lips. He was able to keep the pace until he felt her soft hands on the sculpted muscles of his back. She began moving them back and forth, and as always, her touch was his undoing.

His pace quickened, sweat breaking out onto his brow as the sound of their bodies coming together filled the room. He was gritting his teeth to keep from coming when he felt her body clench around his.

"Derek…" she whimpered.

Then was when he lost control.

"I forgot my travel case on the first case I went on after Sara and Paxton's wedding," Derek told her. "I found your letter on the next case, while I was in Vegas. I wanted to call you immediately, Baby Girl, but I didn't think this conversation should happen over the phone. I needed to see you."

"I'm so glad you came," she said, giving him a soft, simple kiss on the lips.

"Me, too," he said quietly, his middle finger absently tracing a path from the valley of her breasts to her belly button and back again. "I don't want to do long distance," he decided aloud.

"Neither do I," she agreed.

He nodded. "Good. I'll talk to Hotch, my boss. With his recommendation, I should be able to get any open position at the Boston headquarters."

Penelope's heart swelled at the thought of Derek being so committed to her and she had to bite back a grin. "No," she said softly.

His brows furrowed in confusion. "But you said—"

She shook her head firmly. "I don't want you to give up your career for me."

He sprung up off the bed so quickly her eyes widened in surprise. "Dammitt, Penelope! Don't you fucking do this to me again!" he practically roared.

Penelope cleared her throat, the look in her eyes amusement mixed with lust. He was, after all, standing before her naked. "Derek, you're not coming here because I gave my notice at work last week," she explained. "I'm coming there."

"You…" He stared at her. "You what?"

She sighed. "When it became clear that you didn't want anything to do with me…I decided I needed to make some changes. Starting with my location."

As he stood there dumbfounded, a grin spread across her face.

"We'll work on the trust thing," she teased.

He winced. "Sorry," he said sincerely as he moved to join her on the bed once again.

"Don't be," she replied softly. "I haven't exactly given you many reasons to trust me."

"That's not true," he argued. "You've been straight with me from the beginning about what you wanted."

"I—but it was only what I thought I wanted. You get that, right?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Good," she said feelingly. "Because I can't do this again. I can't be separated from you like this."

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her body against his. "Better?" he teased.

"Much," she answered, wiggling to get as close to him as she possibly could. "Maybe we should take things slow," she said.

"I think that's a good idea," he agreed.

Three weeks later, Penelope moved into her own apartment in Quantico, Virginia so they could take things slowly, as planned.

Two weeks after that, Derek bought out her lease so she could move in with him.

***THE END***