Chapter 8

Dave slowly woke. Something soft tickled his cheek as the smell of Jasmine woke his senses. He cracked his eyes open. The room was dark. Turning his head, he realized that he wasn't alone. Penelope was snuggled against his side, his arm around her and their legs intertwined. Her head lay on his chest. It was her hair that tickled his cheek and nose.

'How the hell did this happen?' he wondered.

He lay there quietly and held her. His mind raced as he plotted to keep her here like this for the rest of their lives.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

He jumped, startled and she chuckled.

"Hi," he said softly.

She tilted her head up to look at him. "Hi."

She looked tousled and sleepy, perfect. His body reacted to her nearness and he felt himself harden. She shifted against him, making his erection grow even more.

"What are you doing in my bed?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I got lonely in that spacious room and over-sized bed all by myself."

"Ahh," he nodded. "So, you just slipped in here with me?"

"Would you rather I slept with Mudgie?"

He chuckled and stared at the ceiling as he willed his body to relax. "No. No, this is fine."

She stretched and slipped her arm around him pulling them closer together. "Good. I really don't want to sleep with your dog."

Her thoughts raced as she lay there caressing him. He didn't seem to mind the fact that she was there in his bed or that she was touching him intimately. 'What if,' she wondered. 'What if, she told him how she felt right now and just saw what happened? Would it make a difference if she waited until he returned? If she told him now, then she could back out if necessary.'

She bit her lip and chanced a glance at his face. He looked content.

Dave breathed in the scent of her as his body relished the feeling of hers pressed against him. 'Maybe I should tell her how I feel,' he thought. 'I'm going to be gone for a few days and if she isn't willing to give us a chance then I have that time to make peace with it alone.'

They lay there in silence for several minutes, their breathing synchronized. His eyes closed as she gently rubbed her hand on his chest, slowly – up and down. He wasn't aware when her hand slipped under his pajama top to touch his skin. A moan escaped his lips as she caressed the area between his belly button and the top of his pajama bottoms.

"David?"

"Yes?" he moaned.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Yes?"

"This whole week has been a ruse," she confessed.

His eyes blinked open. He stared at the ceiling in confusion for several seconds before looking down at her. "What?"

She bit her lip, removed her hand from his belly and sat up, pulling away from him.

His body grew cold, inside, and out. "What are you talking about?"

She sighed. "Everything from the whole Kevin getting married to this moment has been a lie. Well, not a lie exactly but a deception."

"How is that not a lie?" he asked. He sat up as well and turns on the bedside lamp before leaning against the headboard. He looked at her in her nightgown and considered turning off the light again.

"Kevin is getting married and I couldn't be happier for him," she started. "I realized that I never loved him the way that a woman should love a man. Kevin was a lot of fun to be around and spend time with, but he wasn't the man I really wanted to be with."

Dave stared at her in silence. 'Please be in love with me!' his mind screamed.

"I fell in love with you – a long time ago – and instead of telling you I thought I needed to make you fall in love with me. So, I convinced the whole team to help me even though several of them told me you already had feelings for me."

Dave looked away for a moment to school his features. "That explains a lot," he mumbled.

"Explains what?"

He looked back at her. "Hotch… Morgan. Your sudden interest in me."

She glanced away and bit her lip again. "It was only sudden on your side. It's been building up for me for a long time."

He laughed softly which built into a real, loud laugh. They truly were a pair of idiots.

Penelope frowned at him. "I don't see what is so damn funny," she growled.

His laughter faded as he regarded her, eyes soft and shining and warm smile upon his lips. "We are made for each other," he said finally.

When she didn't reply, he reached out for her hand.

"Kitten, I've been in love with you for a long time too. I never said anything because you were with Kevin when I figured it out," he explained. "And since then, I've been so comfortable in loving you from afar that I was afraid to take a chance and ruin the relationship we do have."

She scoffed. "David Rossi? Afraid?"

He squeezed her hand. "I'm sure you've figured it out that when it comes to matters of the heart, I really suck at it. I like you as a friend and I love you as a person. I don't want to ruin anything."

"Why did you ask me to come here and take care of Mudgie?"

He sighed and chuckled once more. "I was hoping that if you stayed here and got comfortable that we would just fall into a pattern of living together and eventually I would get you in my bed. But you seem to be a few steps ahead of me."

It was her turn to chuckle. "Well, I guess you could say that we are on the same page, just different paragraphs."

"Oh?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You see, I gave up my apartment. All my stuff is in a U-Haul in Derek's driveway. I was waiting for you to leave Friday and then we were going to move all my stuff over here," she told him.

He stared at her in shock. "Really?"

She nodded.

"Okay," he said finally. "Okay. What do we do now, my Queen?"

"Uhhh, I don't know," she replied. "I didn't plan for this."

"I have an idea," he smiled.

He tugged her closer while he leaned forward. His free hand slid into her hair, gently pulling her closer to kiss.

Penelope moaned as she fell into his arms. She allowed him to explore her mouth as her fingers unbuttoned his pajama top. Skin upon skin, they both moaned in unison.

Dave rolled her onto her back, still kissing her. She pushed his top off his shoulders and down his arms.

His lips moved to the side of her neck and down the front of her chest.

"Wait," she pleaded.

Dave stopped and pulled back. He watched wide-eyed as she removed her clothes and lay back naked and open to him.

Awkwardly, he slipped out of his own pajamas tossing them haphazardly across the room.

She reached out for him. "Show me how much you love me, David."

He groaned and moved into her arms. Naked and warm, touching one and another driving their desire to the top. Dave slipped inside of her. She wrapped her legs around his waist holding him tight.

"No condom?" she asked.

"Would you prefer I…"

"No," she said sharply. "I'd rather take a chance. You want to have a baby, David Rossi?"

He smiled at her teasing. "Hmm, we can at least try."

They made love, touching and kissing and holding each other long into the morning until they fell asleep in each others arms.

They woke sated and smiling. Dave pressed a kiss to her lips. "How do you feel?"

She smiled widely. "Well loved."

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. After a few seconds he pulled back.

"Do you smell coffee?" he asked.

She sniffed the air. "Yes."

End Chapter 8