Part 6

Robin hesitated before knocking on Patrick's hotel room door. Since their heated discussion in the lab she had been feeling alternately relieved and nervous. Relieved that they'd gotten back to a state of communication that was normal for them – combative and straight - and nervous at the things that had gotten said. She felt like she was slipping off the track she had set with herself with those rules and now didn't know where she was going to end up.

As much as she's tried to repress it over the past couple of weeks, she knew that she had been working harder than she should have to in order to keep her feelings in check. She'd been warned about this by two people who know her better than anyone - Brenda and her mother – and her dismissals now ring hollow. She almost didn't show up, but the truth is she didn't want to end things.

She didn't want to give up the best sex of her life. She didn't want to give up how it made her feel when he looks at her like she's the most beautiful and desirable thing he's ever seen. When he touches her like he can't and won't ever get enough of her. She knows she should, she simply doesn't want to.

She waited a moment after her first knock, but there was still no answer. She wondered if he'd decided that it was getting too complicated and is blowing her off. She frowned and knocked again. Down the hall the elevator doors opened.

"Hey." His voice carried down the hall.

Robin turned to find Patrick walking out of the elevator obviously coming from the hotel gym. He was wearing a sweaty gray sleeveless cotton shirt and navy blue shorts. He carried a white hotel towel and was covered in sweat. He looked even sexier to Robin like that than he did in scrubs. But not as sexy as he looked naked and aroused.

"Sorry I'm running behind." Patrick slid his hand down the back of Robin's head as he opened the hotel door and pushed it open above her head to let her in ahead of him. "Let me go take a shower."

"Sure." Robin watched him walk right past her and into the bathroom. She had a strong urge to follow him into the shower, but his words strip that idea out of her head.

"There's a menu near the phone. Can you order me a chicken sandwich, some extra water, some fries and whatever you want for dessert for two?" he called out as he turned on the water.

"Okay," Robin said slowly to herself as she realized she was not invited to partake in water activities. She again began to worry that he's going to let her down easy. To distract herself she picked up the receiver and pressed the button for room service. She placed the order, not needing the menu as she was already familiar with the luscious desserts on the Metrocourt menu, and hung up. Then she looked around for something to occupy her mind and hands while Patrick was in the other room wet and naked. She closed her eyes and blew out a breath before wandering further into the room.

On the table by the window she saw he had paperwork spread out. It was a general mish-mash of things. Bank statements, a couple of more recent medical journals, including she noted with surprise the French-language medical journal she just finished an article for and had been published in many times over the past few years, some patient forms and, she couldn't help picking it up, real estate listings.

She felt a tightness in her chest as she looked at the evidence that Patrick was planning to make his stay in Port Charles more permanent than his continued living in a hotel room had indicated. The custom report had listings for all types of housing, as if he hadn't made up his mind about what he wanted. Some were for the new downtown lofts, condos near the harbor, a townhouse and even a few houses around the size of the house she used to own. As she turned the page it occurred to her that without even realizing it she had been expecting all this time that Patrick would pick up and leave; his commitment to General Hospital notwithstanding. Before she could delve into why this discovery made her breathless Patrick came out of the bathroom.

"I'm going to look at some places tomorrow." He walked over, rubbing a towel over his wet hair, and looked over her shoulder. "I know you have off too, I'd appreciate you coming along and giving me your opinion. I know how you love to do that anyway." His words held more than just a friendly inquiry, the measured tone told her that he was being careful. Far from blowing her off he was doing just what he said he'd do. He's making small advances to make her comfortable with him outside bed. He's cementing their friendship.

Robin blinked and opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. "Yeah, I could do that." The moments the words left her mouth she realized that it put her in a poor position for not staying over tonight, a rule she is steadfastly committed to. Unnerved, she put the paper down and sidestepped away from his mostly naked body and suggested they clean off the table for dinner.

"Robin." Patrick clasped her upper arm and waited until she looked at him to speak. "What's going on in that busy brain of yours? I said I'd try to make you comfortable with this and I meant it. If you don't want to come with me it's fine. I just know how much you love telling me how I should live my life and this was the perfect opportunity to tell me where." He smiled and shrugged.

Robin studied his expression for a moment before talking. "Staying over. I was worried about staying over." She stopped and blew out a breath. Then in frustration she rubbed her hands over her face. "I'm over thinking this." She uncovered her face in time to see Patrick bite back a smirk. "The sex must be really good if you're willing to put up with me."

"Being with you." Patrick reached out and circled her waist with his hands and pulled her towards him. "Is amazing. And when you allow yourself to enjoy yourself, to have a real conversation with me, I can't get enough of spending time with you."

Robin blushed and put her palms on his naked shoulders. She could feel him hardening under the towel tied around his waist.

"You're an incredible woman, Robin." His voice was husky and his eyes darkened with desire as they stared into each others eyes. "This is not just about sex, all right?"

"That's what worries me," she whispered.

"Let's make a deal. An agreement, you like those," he teased and dipped his head down closer. "You go with the flow, we both go with the flow, and if you start to feel like you're getting in over your head you tell me and we both deal with it. Agreed?"

She didn't know whether it was because his offer was so uncharacteristically generous or because she was intoxicated by his nearness but she expressed her agreement by stretching up to press her lips against his. It was her tongue that sought and gained entry into his mouth. She who pressed herself against his now urgent erection. She who moaned as she trailed her hands down his smooth, muscular back to release his towel to the floor. She who slid her hand between their bodies to wrap it around him and stroked him in the rhythm she had learned made him lose control.

"Robin." He surged into her strokes and dug his fingers into her back. "Robin." His voice was a broken moan punctuated by gasps.

She tightened her grip on his silky hardness, using his pre-release to lubricate her steady movements. She didn't stop when she felt his warm wetness spill over her hand, but continued to draw out his pleasure until he slumped over and blew his unsteady pants into her ear.

"Where did that come from?" He sloppily nibbled her ear.

"I agreed to go with the flow." She smoothed a hand down his waist to cup his firm, bare ass cheek.

"Hallelujah. I need to lie down and you need to come with me."

>>>>>>>>

They ate their meal naked and in bed. As threatened, Patrick shared her dessert by smearing it on various parts of her body and nibbling it off. Still in the spirit of going with the flow, Robin did the same to him. Hours later she was resting her cheek on his strong thigh and couldn't imagine she'd ever have the energy to move again. Unless, she amended with a glance at his slack member, he did.

His fingers were gently sliding through her hair, massaging her scalp.

Robin closed her eyes and let herself drift on sensation and afterglow. She heard Patrick's soft breathing in the distance and couldn't think fast enough to try and push away the feelings that were coursing through her. This felt right, but at the same time so wrong. She was uber-conscious that this was a moment-by-moment situation and that in five minutes he could decide he wanted to move on to future conquests. Robin blew out a deep breath as she opened herself up to the probability that she would be hurt.

"You all right?"

Robin realized from his question that she was trembling. A lot of it was fear, but some of it was pure emotional release. She'd had this wall up for so long she didn't even realize it was there. She felt bare, vulnerable and her body was humming with adrenaline and post-coital hormones. Her fight-flight instinct kicked in. She quickly sat up and began to slide off the bed.

"Hey! Hey!" Patrick sat up and chased her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I need to go." She scrambled up, so intent on leaving she didn't even bother to hide her nudity as she scrambled for her clothes and to get dressed. She was sitting on the chair by the table where she had found the real estate listings putting on her shoes when she was startled by a still-naked Patrick Drake kneeling down in front her.

"What just happened, Robin?" he asked softly.

"I…I can't do this, Patrick." She stopped what she was doing and looked at him; the looking into each other's eyes for a long moment.

"You felt…something, for me, didn't you?" he asked softly.

Robin looked away. "I know you don't want that. I don't want that." She shook her head in self-deprecation.

"Robin, look at me." When she did he continued. "What I said I want was casual, that doesn't mean devoid of all…feeling. I thought I made that clear earlier. If meaningless sex was all I wanted there's plenty of sports bars in Port Charles and plenty of." He stopped and ran a hand through his already messy hair. "I won't lie to you and make promises I won't keep, but it is you I want right now. That I…I thought I'd work this out of my system, but being with you just makes me want you more." Patrick's eyes softened. "But I'll step back and put an end to this if that's what you need." Patrick stroked her hair off her face and licked his lips as he waited for her answer.

TBC