Hey guys!
I'm so sorry!!!
Katty let me know that the same chapter as the previous one was uploaded. Thank you for letting me know!!
So here is the correct chapter 16...
I'll post be next one this weekend to make it up to you!
Have a great #FluegerFriday
Xoxo,
Nina
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.
"Looking sharp brother."
"You don't look so bad yourself." I grabbed his hand and we pulled into our typical half hug, the one we all used to greet each other and the one we were always teased on by the girls. "Wanting to impress Rojas?"
"What can I tell you? I wanna look good for my lady."
Our plan for New Year's Eve was the annual party at Molly's. I was really looking forward to it, it was going to be easy to be around Kim without raising any suspicion around us, although I'm pretty sure Lindsay was getting on to us. Kevin, he was trying really hard to get us together, even when the three of us were hanging out he would make the lamest excuses to give us a few minutes and see if something would finally happen between Kim and I. Little did he know many things were happening with me and Burgess.
"I was thinking…" He began with a mischievous grin on his face "tonight's definitely gonna be the night, man."
"What are you talking about Kev?" I asked as we waited for our Uber to go to Molly's, we were going to pick up Halstead since the girls decided they were going to have their own pregame party and were getting ready together at Kim's.
"Midnight, bro." He said as if he was stating the obvious, I just looked at him trying to decipher what he meant. "Oh, come on! You're just playing stupid right now."
"I don't think I'm following you."
"No wonder why you haven't made a move yet, you're slower than a snail man. Today's is your perfect moment to kiss Burgess again, maybe then both of you knuckleheads will come to the realization that you were made for each other." I was seriously beginning to feel bad for keeping this from him.
"Umm, ok. And how's that going to work exactly?"
"Well, Halstead is obviously kissing Lindsay, I'm gonna be with Vanessa, that leaves you and Burgess…"
"I'm not gonna be the only guy there, though."
"Bro, I'm counting on you not being that stupid and letting this opportunity slip through your fingers." I could sense that he was getting a bit annoyed.
"We'll see how the night plays out"
"Do you even want to be with her? Like, I'm serious now man." He held his hand to my chest making me look at him. It was nice to know how much he really cared about her, too. "Did you really mean all that babble that you've been throwing at me or what? Cus if you just wanted to play, then you're barking up the wrong tree. She's like a sister to me and…" I smiled and I think that pissed him off even more.
"Imma cut you right there bro. I meant every word and hell no, I'm not playing." I looked down, I needed to choose my words carefully so I wouldn't give this away, lucky for me the Uber had a perfect timing tonight. "If anything my feelings are stronger than ever now, I just don't wanna push her. Now let's get in that car and pick up Halstead."
"Ok. I'm happy to hear that. You better not chicken out tonight then." He got into the car shaking his head and I was trying my best not to chuckle.
When we got to Molly's the girls were already there, it was nothing too fancy but they sure cleaned up nice and Kim, well she just looked stunning. I know nothing about fashion, but I'm sure that burgundy velvet mid-thigh and long sleeve dress with a plunging v neck was runway worthy and it was doing all sorts of damage to my brain. This was going to be a tough night.
"What kind of trouble are you three up to looking so damn good?" There was no doubt on Earth, Kev was a major flirt.
"No trouble at all, we just wanna show that the girls from intelligence got game." Lindsay's raspy voice made its way through the buzzing of Molly's.
"Point proven. You girls look great, but you miss, you look incredible." Jay grabbed his girlfriend by the waist and pulled her into a sweet kiss. I envied him so much right now. By this time both Atwater and Halstead were all over their girls, while I was practically dying to kiss mine. Through the corner of my eye I could see Kevin paying attention to every move I was making.
"Looking good, Burgess." I saw Kev's head shaking and I instantly knew he didn't approve of my line.
"You too, Ruzek." She looked at me with the sweetest smile and I felt my heart racing a bit. These were the moments when I had to agree with her. Although at this point I wanted everyone to know that we were dating, keeping things between us, having to hide and sneak around was somewhat exhilarating, building up the moment and making everything much more intense. I'm not only talking about intensifying the passion and lust, I'm talking about intense and deep feelings towards someone. This was real, this was a thing and it wasn't going anywhere.
When she looked down, I knew she was feeling it too.
"Let's take a seat so we can tell you everything that's been going on while you ladies were getting ready." Rojas teased us.
"Oh, come on, we are not that late." Jay said as he played with Erin's fingers on top of the table.
"Jay, you were supposed to be here like 30 minutes ago."
"Well honey, what can I tell you? Some things are just worth the wait." He closed the space between him and Lindsay and kissed her again. I was really hating Halstead right now.
"Anyway," Rojas interrupted. "Hermann organized this karaoke thing." I saw Kim rolling her eyes as soon as Vanessa mentioned that, this had clearly been a topic before we got here. "It's women versus men and the winning team gets 50% off their drinks and some discount for all the guys or all the girls."
"That sounds interesting." Atwater actually liked this kind of stuff, he was a show man himself. "Where do I sign up?"
"Most importantly, are you getting up on that stage?" Jay asked the girls.
"Rojas and I already did." Lindsay replied, "and Kev I think you need to talk to one of the guys from the bar."
"Will do… How about you Burgess? You're not up for it?"
"Well Kev, there's no chance in hell of getting up there. Besides, someone needed to get us all a table and the first round of drinks. Also, Erin and Vanessa did a wonderful job, they didn't need me."
"Can't believe we missed that."
"Don't worry Ruzek, I'm sure someone has that recorded." Erin answered me.
"Let me guess, baby one more time?" Jay asked as he took a pull out of Lindsay's beer bottle and giving his girl a playful look."
"You bet detective." Lindsay said as she flashed a smile.
"How's the score so far?" Kev asked.
"Atwater is getting his competitive spirit on." I joked.
"You know me bro, plus… it's 50% off."
"Well, if you do go and sign up, get me and Jay a beer please."
"Will do. Do you girls want anything?" Kev asked as he stood to make his way over to the counter. He was dead serious about this and I just couldn't wait to see his performance.
A few minutes later he was back with our drinks and with another round for the girls. We were talking and joking around, listening to the people singing in the background. We really were having a great time, I always thought that spending New Year's with the unit was special, it was one of the many ways in which we really were a family.
Of course Atwater was called up on stage and did a pretty cool rendition of Usher's Yeah, to be honest he did one hell of a job. I kind of felt bad for whoever had to go after him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what a performance! That was Kevin Atwater from the CPD earning a few points for the boys team." Stella Kidd was the MC for the night, and man did that girl have charisma. "And now, our last contestant, also from the CPD and playing for the girls team…" Kidd paused, long enough to keep us all expectant to hear the name she was about to say. I could see everyone's eyes wandering around trying to figure out who was going up that stage. "Kim Burgess!" Stella's chirpy voice echoed through the bar as Kim's eyes widened so much I thought they were going to pop out of her head. Instantly, we all heard Kevin's chuckle.
"I can not believe you, Kevin Atwater." Kim was all kinds of pissed right now.
"Come on, Kim! Don't be shy…" Stella's voice was amplified through Molly's again as Kim reluctantly stood up.
"Can I at least pick the song?" Her fiery eyes still set on Kev.
"Oh no, baby girl. I did that for you too." Kev was having way too much fun with this and it made me laugh a bit while I was playing with my beer bottle and looking down at the table. Why on earth did I do that?
"What are you laughing at? You're not gonna say anything?" Yeah, now I was the target of her fury.
"What do I have to do with any of this?" I asked in all honesty without lifting my head up.
"Well, you're my…" she stopped as soon as she said that, now I was the one having fun with the situation. I looked at her over the top of my eyes with a crooked smile and my head still facing the direction of my beer bottle.
"Your what?" Erin jumped in the conversation, forcing Kim to look at her and deviate the connection between our eyes.
"My partner. Isn't he supposed to have my back and stuff?" She sighed with frustration as she began to move away from our table. "I'm just gonna get this over with. And Kevin…" She paused to make sure Kev was looking at her for the next part. "You're going down, bro." She grabbed a tequila shot from a tray that one of the waiters was carrying and emptied the contents in her mouth in a second just before she met Kidd at the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Kim Burgess is in da house!" Kidd's enthusiasm was something to admire and Kim's face was just a work of art. I mean… I always think that, but right now it's not a renaissance portrait that I'm talking about. Right now her face is more like The Scream by that Edvard Munch guy. "We're counting on you to get that prize for the girls, what are you gonna sing?"
"Well, considering that I was forced to participate and that my so-called friend chose the song for me, I actually have no clue what I'm going to be singing." She said with a completely ironic smile on her face.
"Oh, you've got this Burgess."
"Let's hope so…" As soon as the first notes for super bass started to come out of the speakers, we all saw Kim mouthing an 'I'm gonna kill you' as she stared at Atwater. This was definitely going to be a night to remember.
She took a deep breath before she attempted to rap the lyrics.
WOW. I think none of us even blinked while she was up there. Not only did she know all the fucking lyrics by heart, but the way she carried herself on that stage. She was funny, playful, confident, sexy, gosh she was hot as hell and I was the lucky guy who got to go home with her. She was having so much fun teasing Kev, she even changed the lyrics to the song during the second verse that made Erin throw a killer stare at me.
As soon as she finished she walked right back to our table.
"And that's how it's done." Those were her only words.
"Burgess, I did not know that side of you." Kev said as he pointed to the stage and moved his finger around.
"Well Kevin, you'd be surprised to know the secrets I have hidden here and there." She leaned across the table, took my beer bottle out of my hand and finished all in a big gulp. "And now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go to the bathroom and get you another one of these." She said as she slightly lifted the empty beer bottle and looked at me.
I watched her as she walked to the bathroom and just wanted to go right after her and show her everything she was making me feel.
"You know…" Halstead's voice interrupted my thoughts. "It's rude to stare at women's butts when they walk away."
"Shut up, Halstead."
"What exactly is it that you are waiting for?" Erin was now part of the conversation.
"Nothing guys. I'm just… going with the flow." I wasn't really lying to them, we were going with the flow, kind of.
"Leave the kid alone. I already had a chat with him on the way here." Atwater was trying to make the guys stop, but I think only I could do that.
"Guys, I'm not 5. I think I can handle the situation."
"Sometimes Ruzek, you both look like you just came out of preschool."
"You know me Lindsay, I'm a big kid." I eyed over to the bar counter and saw Kim making her way from the bathroom. "I'm gonna head over with the other preschooler, at least she's not gonna be over my case."
I stood up and went over to meet Kim, who by now was leaning against the counter waiting to place her order. I knew for a fact that the guys were gonna keep talking and checking up on us, but I didn't feel like paying attention to that.
Kim slightly jumped when I placed my hand on the curve of her waist, but as soon as she looked over her shoulder and her eyes met mine, I could feel her muscles relaxing under my touch.
"So, you have a thing for intelligence guys?" I asked very close to her ear. It was loud at Molly's, but more than just wanting her to hear me, I was trying to tease her a bit. She leaned a little close to me as she chuckled to my question.
"Isn't that what the lyrics say?" Her eyes pierced through mine and her smile reached over to her ears. She looked like a Renaissance painting again.
"I'm pretty sure Nicky said American guys."
"Well, you're both. So I guess my version of the song doesn't really change anything." She shrugged as her right hand, the one that was more hidden, found its place on my hip and began to play with the belt loop of my pants. "However; the two chicks in the bathroom seemed to like my little remix, since they were claiming that detective Ruzek was so hot."
"Is that so?"
"Mm-hmm" she nodded, and her hand just kept moving, this time trying to reach into my pocket. "They also said, and I quote, that I was some lucky bitch who got to hang around you." She paused briefly and stared into my eyes, her hand finally in my pocket and making little circles over the thin fabric. "If only they knew that I also get to hang under you." The sexy and provocative smile she was putting on was causing everything she wanted me to feel.
"And on top of me." I gasped as soon as I felt her hand where she always intended to place it. I deserved a Nobel prize for behaving in public tonight. "That's just not fair. You need to stop that."
She leaned over to me and spoke directly into my ear. Her lips were brushing my earlobe and her warm breath against my skin was making me lose it. "I don't want to stop. I mean, I have to agree with those chicks. You are so hot, baby. I just wanna kiss you all over."
If it hadn't been for the guy on the other side of the counter who asked us what we wanted to buy, I would have probably pulled her out of there and kissed her all over. Instead I just asked for two beers and allowed myself to cool off for a bit.
"So… speaking of kissing." I started while we waited for our drinks. "Atwater has this whole thing planned out so I can kiss you at midnight."
"Yeah? But what's there to plan? I mean the clock hits 12, then you kiss me and then we leave and then…" I chuckled as she trailed off. I saw how she stopped herself when her free hand was about to go and play with the collar of my shirt. "I do not find this funny at all, detective."
"It's not. It's a pretty serious matter. I'm dying to get you out of here and out of that sexy dress." Now it was my hand holding a tighter grip around her waist while my thumb rubbed the velvety fabric. "Bottom line is, are you ok with me doing that?"
"Doing what, exactly?"
"Kissing you in public." Suddenly the two bottles were in front of us, cuing that it was time to head back to our friends.
"I can't wait until midnight." She grabbed a bottle and started walking. I followed, my hand never leaving her waist.
"There's just one thing I can't stop thinking about." I said right after I moved her hair to the other side of her neck as I leaned to speak to her ear.
"Shoot."
"What kind of bra do you wear with that neckline?"
She stopped walking and turned to look at me over her shoulder with a lopsided smile. "Oh, baby. With this neckline you don't wear one." She winked at me only to continue walking.
"You're killing me Burgess."
"Hey, you asked."
When we got back to the table, everyone was looking at us, maybe we were a little too close, but I didn't care much. Erin on the other hand, if her eyes were laser beams, my hand and Kim's waist would have vanished from this earth.
"So, Burgess. Care to share any of those secrets of yours?"
"There's a reason why they are called secrets, Erin." She was quick to reply as she took a seat right next to me. "I can tell you that I went to theater school for some years and that I performed in all of my high school's musicals."
"I did not know that."
"I figured that much Kev. But thanks, it was fun. Especially the part in which I totally kicked your ass." She flashed him the biggest and shiniest smile, it even made me feel a bit jealous that it wasn't directed to me.
