I attended a romantic/erotic writing workshop at the weekend. Apologies if it has influenced my writing too much ;-)
They still don't belong to me, although they're on my wishlists everywhere. I'm still not making any money from this, and I still want to thank MintExpresso for being a brilliant beta reader.
Brennan woke up and wondered for a moment where she was. Then she felt the warmth of another body next to her and remembered; she was in Booth's bed. She turned onto one side and lay looking at him in the near darkness. She could hear him breathing steadily.
She touched him gently, experimentally, and he groaned and shifted slightly, then opened his eyes and looked back at her. He grinned with pure pleasure at the sight of her, and she felt her heart melt. She tried to force herself to ignore the way she felt, but she felt her body responding to his eyes and to the warmth radiating from his hand as he touched her face gently.
"What are we doing, Booth?" she asked, taking hold of his hand and moving it away from her cheek, holding it for a moment before releasing it.
His grin widened. "Do you need me to explain it?" he said mischievously, running his hand up her thigh instead.
"No, I mean - should we be doing this?" She dreaded hearing him say that no, they shouldn't, but at the same time felt compelled to examine their behavior carefully, to make sure that they were being sensible.
Booth rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow, regarding her seriously. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"
"Not second thoughts exactly - just first thoughts. So far we've been listening to our bodies and not our minds."
"Nothing wrong with that," he answered, running his hands over her body in a way that made her shudder with pleasure.
She pushed his hand away reluctantly, refusing to be distracted. "Booth, please, let's just stop and think about this," she pleaded.
He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "Seems to me we've been doing far too much thinking, and not enough feeling," he answered. Did he sound disappointed? "I've wanted you so much, Bones."
"But what if it doesn't work out?" she persisted. "How do we go on from there?"
"Who says it won't work out?" he countered, turning to face her again. "Bones, we have something special."
"But - I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I'm comfortable the way I am, Booth. I have my career, I have my work at the lab..."
"But it's not enough," he replied, and kissed her gently. "I know it's not, because it's not enough for me either. I want you. What we've got is too important to ignore."
She put her finger on his lips. "Please, Booth. This doesn't mean anything. It can't mean anything. Don't put too much at stake. Let's not go too far too soon. I need time to get used to this."
He nodded. "I'll give you time, Bones. When you're ready, I'll be here. Until then, let's just enjoy this for what it is, okay?" He leaned forward and kissed her gently. She responded for a moment, then pushed him away again.
"I'm just scared, Booth. Scared that it won't work, and we'll lose what we already have." She searched for the words to explain to him how part of her was desperate to join with him, while another part warned her about the danger of letting down her barriers and letting anyone inside. If you love someone, they leave you. Wasn't that the truth?
He took her in his arms and held her, smoothing her hair back from her face. She felt a tingling as he touched her skin. "We're not going to lose anything," he assured her. He kissed her tenderly, and she felt her resolve melt in his arms.
She snuggled up close to him, resting her head on his shoulder and enjoying the feel of his bare skin against hers, and the faint scent that she had come to associate with him. As he kissed the top of her head, she felt the prickling that said he needed a shave, and she ran her hand over his chin appreciatively. "What about the work? Can we still work together? I'd hate to lose that."
"As far as the FBI is concerned, they wouldn't be dancing with joy about it, but there's not much they can do, as long as it doesn't affect our work." He caught her hand and kissed it, nibbling gently at each finger in turn as if tasting her. She felt a melting inside at the tender touch of his tongue and teeth.
"Dr. Goodman wouldn't be able to do much either," she told him, trying to force her mind back to practicalities. "But I'm more concerned about us. Can we work together and have a relationship?"
Booth glanced over at the clock by the side of the bed, which displayed a steady 5:43. "We're both too good at our jobs to let any relationship get in the way of a case," he assured her. "And to prove it, I'm going to suggest we forego the pleasure of each other's company in bed and make an early start to Pittsburgh. I don't like leaving Ted Harvey in charge of the crime scene for any longer than necessary."
Reluctantly she nodded. She still felt uneasy about the change in their relationship, but neither did she feel able to stop it. For too long now she had been hyperaware of Booth's presence, feeling the air around her tingle as he entered the room, feeling the touch of his hand burning through her skin as he casually put his hand on her shoulder or in the small of her back. Now that they had crossed the line, she knew there was no going back without cutting herself off from him altogether, and that was something she felt incapable of. Could it deepen into something more serious? The thought scared her but excited her at the same time, and she felt like she was on a roller coaster and had no choice but to hold on for the ride, and hope she didn't get thrown off and hurt. At the end of the ride? Well, that was something she didn't have to face yet. Better to enjoy her time with Booth, and let the future worry about itself for now.
It hurt to get up and leave the warm bed, but she knew that unless they figured out a way to manage the relationship inside their work it would stand no chance of survival. Booth offered to share the shower again, but she pointed out with a laugh and a kiss that a shared shower would take far longer than separate ones, if the previous night were anything to go by. She had packed a fresh overnight bag before she had joined him for the run, as much in optimism as in forward planning, and an hour later they were on the road. Booth drove, while Brennan sipped at a coffee. She had offered to drive, but Booth had just shaken his head and told her she could drive on the way back. So she had given up and sat back to enjoy the journey, as dawn spread all round them. She buried herself in the files, reading relevant bits out to Booth, and searching her memory for anything they'd missed, anything that could give them a clue as to the identity of the second body.
They were only a few miles away from their destination when they were interrupted by Booth's phone ringing. He fished it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Booth...You did? Hold on, Dr. Brennan is with me, I'll hand you over and she'll give you instructions." He held the phone out to Brennan. "Looks like you're right about there being more to find in Pittsburgh," he said dryly. "They've just found another body."
And so it's back to the case, for a headlong rush to the finish. Hope you're still enjoying the story! Please let me know what you think.