Kate awoke with a languid stretch and a very contented sigh. It took her a minute to figure out exactly what woke her, since her alarm had yet to buzz; then her hands brushed the still warm section of the bed recently vacated by her partner. She held still for a moment, and could hear the sound of the shower running. Tony is in my shower after spending the night in my bed. Who'd believe it?' She ran over the events of the past twelve hours and wasn't sure she believed it herself. Never in a million years would she have thought she'd end up in this situation. Yet here she was, and she was discovering that Tony was far more than just a flirt and joker. The more he was there for her, the more she wanted him, and not just to keep the nightmares away. Last night, sleeping in his arms had been heaven. Frightening dreams had been chased away by ones that had become increasingly more erotic. Daylight made the situation seem surreal, maybe even frightening in its own right. After all, they worked together. This couldn't possibly go anywhere, could it? And if it did, could it possibly end well?
She realized the shower had stopped, and she desperately needed to make use of at least one of the room's facilities. Crawling out of bed, she approached the bathroom and knocked tentatively.
Who is it? sang a falsetto voice.
Kate smiled. Guess. I hope you're reasonably decent, cause I need to... use the head.
The door opened and Tony's face peeked out. Use the head? I thought we just called it a bathroom at home.
Shut up and get out! Kate pushed past him, trying not to notice how good he looked in just a towel.
He laughed as he waited in the hall. She was certainly a firecracker. His thoughts drifted back to earlier. He wouldn't have minded getting an extra half-hour's sleep, but he'd heard Kate moaning again; he was afraid her nightmare had come back. As he roused himself, he was a bit embarrassed to find his hands had wandered; one was cupping her breast. He started to move it away, and she moaned once more. Slowly he realized that her dream was not one of terror but of passion. That knowledge wreaked all sorts of havoc on his Kate-soaked senses. He knew he had exactly two choices: a painfully cold shower; or make love to her until neither one of them could move or breathe. Since he didn't want a dream to be the catalyst for the second, he did the smart thing and opted for the first.
The door opened and Kate exited, looking just a touch sheepish. Tony smiled and caught her around the waist and pulled her close. Looking into her eyes he whispered, Good morning, Gorgeous, and gave her a thorough kiss before releasing her.
She stood there a moment looking stunned before stuttering, I... we... Good morning, Tony. Why... she trailed off, clearly confused.
Smiling at her, he picked up her hand and held it for a moment. Did you think that all the things we said and shared last night would go away in the light of day? I'm not like that, Kate. If you're worried about Gibbs and the rest of the office, what's personal stays personal. Believe it or not, when it really matters, I don't kiss and tell. His eyes locked with hers at this last so she could see the truth of what he'd said.
Kate nodded slowly, then she stepped closer to him. His arms went around her, automatically, the embrace reminding them both how well they fit together.
Tony broke away first, saying, Listen, Todd, we both need to get ready for work. So would you kindly take that sexy ass out of here for a few more minutes while I finish? Otherwise I'm going to need another cold shower! He gave her an impudent grin and a light slap on the rump as he pointed her toward the bedroom.
She gave him an indignant glare in return and then went to select her wardrobe for the day. Several minutes later Tony came in to get dressed and she gave him a saucy wink and a wolf whistle as she left to go shower. She caught the towel snap on her butt just as she left the room and glanced back for a glimpse of him.
He needs a cold shower? Hell, I need a cold shower!' Kate thought as she closed the bathroom door.
When Kate emerged several minutes later she smelled breakfast. she called.
Yeah, Kate!
Are you cooking?
Sure am. Get dressed and come have breakfast while we still have time.
Tony cooks?' Kate thought. Who knew?' She quickly dressed, and remembering the expected heat wave, piled her hair into a knot to keep it off her neck. She was out to the kitchen in short order to be met by Tony fixing bacon and eggs.
How do you like your eggs?
Um, do you do over easy? Kate stood, puzzled. This was very unexpected and she felt unsure of herself.
Sure do. In fact, take these. I just finished them. And there's the toast, if you want some. Tony gestured with his elbow, then realized Kate would know where her own toaster was. He looked up at her as he went to get two more eggs from the fridge. She looked hopelessly confused.
Kate? Something wrong?
Why are you doing this?
Because we've been on an emotional roller coaster for two days and short on sleep. Too much caffeine and too little food. We have the time; you had the eggs, I had the bacon and we need the protein. While he talked, he'd been busy cracking eggs into the skillet, watching them cook. Now he took a moment and looked at her. Because I'm finding out that when you burned me the night you fell into my arms, you made me want to take care of you, Kate Todd. When you let me in your door last night and asked me to stay, you gave me a chance to do just that. With that, he turned back to his eggs and gestured for Kate to sit and eat.
As she watched Tony finish cooking his breakfast, she thought about what he'd said. She realized that maybe he'd put into words what had been nagging at her the night before. Oh, she definitely had an itch she was sure he could scratch, but hearing him say he wanted to take care of her made her realize that she wanted him to do just that. And she wanted to take care of him, too. Was this... don't think it... the L word? With Tony? Was that what was making her so edgy? Did she do more than just fall two stories into his arms? Was she also falling in... don't think it...
Tony watched the play of emotions across her face. He didn't want to interrupt her thoughts, he just hoped they were good ones. About him. Somehow he was getting sucked in deeper and deeper and he was more than a little nervous. It'd been a long time since he had anything more than just a casual relationship and this one was becoming extremely important. From the moment he saw her fall, he knew he couldn't let her down, that he had to catch her. Having her fall in his arms at that moment, maybe it just pushed them down a road they'd been headed for all along.
They ate in silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. As they finished, Tony collected the dishes and Kate stopped him with a hand on his arm.
You cooked, I'll clean up.
He smiled. I don't mind. Gotta do something to earn my night's stay.
You did plenty. Besides, no man's ever cooked me breakfast before.
It was my pleasure. Now let's get these dishes taken care of and get moving. Or Gibbs is going to wonder why we're both late. Tony grinned at her while he helped to load the dishwasher.
