Author's note: How excited am I that I've passed 200 reviews? Go on, ask me how excited I am!

Disclaimer: Alas, I cannot cash in reviews for dollars, so I'm not actually making money off of this.

"I don't think my body can take much more of this abuse," Olivia groaned as Elliot cleaned and bandaged the cut on her chin.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and quipped, "Oh, I think your body can take more than you give it credit for."

She laughed and shoved him away playfully.

He placed the last butterfly stitch on the cut, then leaned in and kissed it. "There. All better?"

"Yes. Thank you," she answered sweetly. She hopped down off the table and Elliot casually slung an arm across her shoulders as they walked towards the car to head back to the hotel.

"So I noticed the hotel has a jacuzzi," Elliot said offhandedly.

"I noticed that, too," she answered just as nonchalantly, snaking her arm around his waist.

They got back to the hotel and went right to their room to change. Olivia came out of the bathroom wearing shorts and a tank top over her swimsuit.

Elliot, who was wearing a tank top with his swim trunks, ushered her out the door.

There were only a few people in the pool, none of them with the conference group. Elliot grabbed two towels from the stack by the door and set them on two chairs. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the chair with the towel.

Olivia tutted and picked up the shirt and folded it, then placed it neatly next to the towel. Elliot shook his head and tugged her shirt. "You gonna wear all that swimming?"

She shot him a "don't press your luck" look before lifting her shirt over her head. Elliot couldn't help but admire how her lithe torso stretched. She folded her shirt just as she had Elliot's, and placed it on the other chair. She then unbuttoned her shorts and let them drop to the ground.

Other men in the pool area watched intently as she stripped down to her aqua bikini.

"Pool or jacuzzi first?" Elliot asked.

"Pool," she answered after a moment of consideration.

They did laps together, content to just swim in each other's company in silence.

After a while, Olivia sat in the shallows and leaned against the side, her arms spread along the ledge. Elliot watched as her eyes drifted closed, and her body relaxed. He crept closer and reached his hand towards her under the water. His hand paused just over her skin, then he prodded the ticklish spot on her side.

Olivia jumped at the contact and took a few seconds to come to her senses. Her gaze zeroed in on Elliot, hovering sheepishly a few feet away. She lunged at him, pushing him under the water.

He quickly regained his bearing and flipped her beneath the surface, letting her up after she found his own ticklish spot on his rib cage. She jabbed again, but this time he caught her wrists.

She playfully resisted, wriggling close to him, forcing his back into the corner of the pool. Having caught on to her game, he held one of her wrists in each of his hands and brought them around his back, pulling her towards him.

They were both sore from the ropes course, out of breath from the underwater struggle, and laughing like children from the novelty of being two grown adults in a pool fight. Their faces were inches from each other, and they were grinning like they were ready for more mischief.

"So…" Elliot said, in a deep rumble from the back of his throat.

Olivia secretly loved that tone. "So…" she answered, raising an eyebrow and biting her bottom lip.

Elliot's mouth revealed a wider grin before drawing back in, the tip of his tongue just barely brushing his front teeth, making him look like a naughty kid feeling gleeful about getting caught. He let their "So"s linger a moment before continuing, "You ready for the hot tub?"

"Always," was her reply.

He climbed out of the pool and walked over to the unoccupied hot tub. His partner was a few steps behind. He tested the water with a toe, then eased himself into the tub. He hit the button for the jets as Olivia slid into the steaming water.

He beckoned her towards him and she complied. He turned her around so that she was on a built-in ledge, set lower than the one Elliot was perched on. Her shoulders were just beneath the surface of the water. He began to work on her muscles, the warm water helping to loosen the knots.

She started drifting off again, but one particularly stubborn kink presented itself beneath Elliot's touch, and she became aware of something.

"El, I think it's your turn to get a shoulder rub."

He stopped his ministrations for a minute and leaned his head down to look at her. "I'm fine," he said.

She turned her head to meet his gaze. "No, you get down here right now," she told him firmly.

He hid a teasing smile at her motherly tone and obliged her order. Who's gonna argue over getting a backrub?

Once he settled, she started digging out the tight spots in his shoulders. He didn't realize it had been so long since he'd had a decent massage. He leaned his head back to tell her as much.

"Olivia, if you ever decide to give up the badge, you will be immediately hired as my personal masseuse."

She indulged him with a smile, then nudged his head forward again so she could rub circles along his neck. He had begun to nod off when Olivia said, "Elliot, can you move over here so I can get a little lower?"

He shifted automatically, following her direction. He was now leaning against the side of the jacuzzi, his arms propped up on the edge, with his partner behind him working miracles on his lower laterals.

She found a stubborn cluster, and Elliot bit down on his arm, not sure if it was from pain or pleasure, and not really caring at the moment.

"Jeez, Elliot, what are you doing to yourself?" she mumbled sympathetically.

"Apparently not hanging out with you nearly enough," he groaned.

She leaned forward and said, "I get that a lot," then propped her chin on Elliot's bicep, batting her eyelashes playfully at his sideways glance. He let out a short burst of laughter and leaned towards her, placing a kiss on the end of her nose.

She chuckled softly, wrinkling her nose reflexively, then laid her head on his shoulder, her fingers continuing their ministrations.

The jets had long since stopped running.

To be continued…

Okay, I'd like some directed feedback this time. I habitually end my chapters with short sentences such as the one above. Does it work for most of you, or is it merely annoying? I only ask this because it was the first thing to pop into my head as an endnote. Just be thankful I didn't ask the second thing. It had to do with penguins. And tap shoes.