What the hell was that?
She sat there motionless staring at the red wine stain on her carpet that she never got around to getting shampooed. Her lips still tingled from his kiss, her mind still racing, consumed with Elliot.
He went from treating her like shit all day to knocking the wind out of her in the weight room. No explanation, no warning, just hot, steamy and wrong. So wrong. What the hell was he thinking?
He is married.
She's Olivia.
She licked her lips, no longer thinking about his tongue but how angry she was at him for doing that. It was completely out of line, fitting with everything else he did today. How exactly did he expect her to be after that?
Her eyes drifted back to the stain and immediately she was craving red wine, or anything with alcohol in it at that point, she needed to stop thinking about this. She already knew she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. She rose from the couch and walked into the kitchen, the bottle of wine was housed at the back of the cupboard, she rarely drank. She pulled down a glass and filled it half way when there was a knock at the door.
Her stomach dropped, she knew immediately who it was. No question and she wasn't answering it.
She stood still, careful not to make any movement. She eyed the glass of wine and swallowed.
There was a second knock, more intense this time and she closed her eyes, silently willing him to go away.
"Liv?" She heard his voice muffled through the door and her eyes snapped open. That pissed her off. How dare he call her Liv at a time like this? She wanted to answer it now just so she could slug the son of a bitch. She walked over to the door, her fists clenching and pulled it open forcibly.
He stood there catching her eye contact for a second before looking away. "Hey." He said quietly.
She folded her arms. "Hey?" She questioned with a scowl, nearly erupting in laughter, "That's all you've got to say?"
His eyes wandered back to hers, he was just staring at her and it was unnerving. This silence he'd adopted threw her, he had dropped the alpha male prick attitude that he'd rode all day and now he was looking at her blankly, almost fearfully.
She raised her eyebrows at him, as if waiting for an answer. He didn't give an inch and that only made her anger rise. She moved to slam the door in his face but he finally snapped out of it and stepped forward. He grabbed the other side of the door and held it so it wouldn't close.
"What do you want me to say?" He asked with defence.
Finally she saw some anger, she could deal with angry Elliot. She opened the door so she could fight back.
"Explain what the hell that was back there and apologize." She pressed. Her expression gave the impression he was an idiot for even asking.
His features morphed into sarcasm, "It was a kiss Olivia and I'm not going to apologize for something I'm not sorry for." He said so matter-of-factly. She didn't concentrate on the fact that there was no regret in his eyes, meaning it would be something he'd do over again, she concentrated on the fact that he was not willing to take responsibility for the onslaught he had caused.
"Oh you're not sorry?" Olivia stabbed, anger taking over, "You're not sorry that you single-handedly sabotaged our partnership?" Her grip on the door remained, as if she was going to slam it in his face again at any moment.
He rolled his eyes, "You can save the dramatics." He cut her off.
Her eyes went wide, "How can you stand there and belittle the situation Elliot? Do realise what you've done? What the hell were you thinking? Why would you do that?" She fired question after question at him.
He watched her for moment, his eyes trailing over her, noting she was still in that damn tank top. Each moment he took to answer her amplified her anger. His eyes drew her back in and she waited for any kind of explanation.
"You asked me what I wanted…" He said bluntly, leaving her to put the pieces together.
Her stomach spiralled, and she tried to stay strong. "I can't believe you." Her words were dripping in venom, she shook her head at him. Her fingernails were almost digging into the door, she was willing herself to calm down. Her head dropped and she was staring at the floor tired and uneasy that he was here to begin with.
"By the looks of things, it was what you wanted too." He dropped the bombshell.
Her eyes rose up to his immediately, she nearly laughed, "You think that's what I wanted?" She shook him off, "You've got to be kidding me." She tried to stay strong in control but the way he was looking at her was making her weaken.
"You kissed me back." He noted.
"No, actually I didn't." She was quick to deny it. Finally thankful that she resisted the urge to slide her tongue in to meet with his.
"You didn't stop me." He fired back.
"Yes, I did." She said sternly.
"Right… " He smirked, knowing he had her. "At the eleventh hour when you realised we were about to get caught."
Her throat caught, she knew she should have pushed him off earlier, immediately even. He had it all over her now, she had no excuses left so she tried for a low blow.
"You caught me off guard Elliot, I was blindsided." Nerves swarming inside her as she tried to get out of it. She knew he wouldn't let her off the hook.
"You had ample time to stop me and you know it." He concluded, his lips tilting upward into the makings of a smile.
She was about to respond when his eyes flickered in delight, as if he'd just realised something, his smile broadening even further. "Tell me something," he began and she swallowed. "When were you going to stop me? Or were you going to at all? If Munch hadn't had walked in when he did, how far would you-"
"I would have stopped you." She said firmly cutting him off, she knew where he was going with this and didn't want to hear it. "I was about to when Munch knocked." She knew it sounded doubtful.
He laughed, "Likely story, I guess we'll never know." He told her, evidently not buying it.
Her emotions flicked back to anger, she'd had enough of this attack, "Believe what you want Elliot, I don't want to discuss this anymore."
"Too bad." He informed her, pushing his way into her apartment. She reached out to grab him, stop him in his tracks but refrained. The idea of touching him right now was not going to help the situation.
She sucked in a breath as she watched him walk towards the kitchen. She'd have to stop him with her words. "Elliot, I'm serious, I don't want to talk about this and I think you should go." She was still holding the door, as if expecting him to walk back out.
Her words were quickly dismissed. "Winding down are we?" He asked as he reached the kitchen counter, lifting the half full glass of wine.
"Yeah, it's been a rough day." She raised her eyebrows as if to suggest he was the reason. He began drinking from the glass and she slammed the door closed in frustration. She didn't waste time, she walked over to him, pulling the hand down that was holding her wine glass. She had forgotten the no touching rule she'd established and swallowed at the contact. She touched the hand, that only hours ago had been roaming across her body.
"Don't." She managed to choke out.
"What? There's enough to go round." He observed, indicating the near full bottle.
"That's not the point…I don't want you here." She told him roughly.
"What do you want Olivia?" He asked like he was oddly curious of her answer. He watched her carefully, as she tried to decipher what exactly he meant from his question. "Another painful day tomorrow, no resolution?" He helped her out.
"I was prepared to resolve this, all day I was trying to talk to you but you were unwilling to meet me half way, instead you were just a complete asshole to me. Then you turn around and…" Her words trailed off and she just looked at him, trying to figure out a way to finish her rant without saying the words.
"Turn around and… what?" His words were suggestive, he wanted her to say it but she wouldn't give him that satisfaction.
"Screw up everything. I just don't understand you." She watched him, a ropable expression on her face.
"I kissed you Olivia, I didn't kill your first born child so why don't you leave the melodramatics alone." He pointed out angrily.
"No, why don't you go home Elliot," she suggested in a yell, "go home to your wife." She could see her words cut deep and he took a step back. He looked away for a moment. She had him then, vulnerable and retreating, she had to act on it.
"That's right - your wife, did you forget about her?" She questioned with sarcasm, "Because I certainly didn't." She snatched the glass from the table and took the bottle with her to the couch. As she sat down she drained the remains of the glass and began to refill it. He slowly walked over to where she was sitting.
"It's not like that." He said softly.
Olivia just laughed, she didn't even look over at him. "Of course not." She mumbled as she took another generous sip from the glass.
"Look, I'm sorry ok." He told her and she looked over at him, a cynical look on her face.
"I'm sorry for acting like a jerk today, for treating you…" He let his words linger hoping she wouldn't need him to continue. She still couldn't understand why he wasn't apologizing for crossing the line.
She sighed, that was all he was going to give her, "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
"That's not enough for you?" He questioned, his anger rising.
It wasn't enough, she wanted him to apologise for everything. The comments, the moods, the insults, the disrespect, that mind-blowing fucking kiss that was now burnt into her brain. Or better yet she wanted him to turn back time and get his fucking hands off her so the first thing she thought of when she closed her eyes was not his body on hers.
"Elliot, I said it was fine, now just go." She was beyond trying with him.
"No, I want to know exactly what you expect from me, you want me to apologize, yet you won't accept it?" He wouldn't let up.
She placed her glass down on the table and stood up walking over to him, "Elliot, I expect you to go home, forget today ever happened and tomorrow, treat me with the dignity and respect that I deserve. I don't want to discuss the weight room again, I don't even want to discuss your behaviour during the past few days, I don't care why you are acting the way you are acting, I just want it to stop. So please can we just start fresh and get on with our jobs, ok - that's what I want."
He rolled his eyes, "How healthy, let's just ignore it and hope it goes away." He said with mockery.
"Elliot," She yelled, "I think I've been quite reasonable through all of this, you on the other hand seem intent to screw things over for good, so do you want me to talk to Cragen? Is that it? Because I'll do it, I don't care, if you're not going to even try and meet me half way then we've got nothing. So just try me." She dared him with her words.
He watched her strangely, trying to determine if she was bluffing, he didn't know. His eyes wandered down to her tank top again and the silence was almost stifling.
"You still haven't changed your top." He finally noted out loud.
That damn top.
She stepped forward determinedly, closing the distance between them and forcing his eye contact back up north, "Did you even hear a word I said?" She was clenching her jaw, the look in her eyes almost begging him to push her.
"I heard you Liv, loud and clear." He told her directly, "but I can't promise anything."
Her eyes narrowed, "Get out Elliot, I've had enough." She was livid at his in ability to even compromise. "If you're not even willing to try-"
His words cut her off, "I'll try Olivia, but I'm just being realistic, I can't promise you things will be peachy tomorrow, just like I can't promise you the weight room won't happen again." His words rattled her.
Her stomach dropped, and she felt a redness seeping into her cheeks. Was he really suggesting he'd try that again? She looked away shaking her head, she couldn't believe his nerve. She finally got control of herself, drawing her eyes back to his, her voice took on a serious tone.
"The weight room will not happen again Elliot, that I can assure you."
He stepped closer to her, she was just waiting for another smart arse cocky remark. His eyes were searching hers, but she had misjudged his next move.
He cupped her cheek, his lips pushing against hers, he had swooped in so fast she didn't have time to step back. His arms encircled her waist, pulling her into him, drawing her lower lip between his in a breath. She wasted no time, pushing him firmly off her. His lips left hers as did the hold he had on her.
"Don't!" She said with anger, her voice wavered. She tried to be strong.
He gauged her for a moment, but didn't honour her request. He stepped towards her slowly and she began backing away from him, recreating the distance he was removing. She wasn't letting him get any closer but when the back of her knees came in contact with the side of the couch she realised she had no space left to retreat.
His body sandwiched hers between him and the couch.
"Elliot." She said his name as a warning as his face inched towards hers, but he didn't seem phased. His confidence was out of place and somewhat alarming. It completely threw her.
She put up her hand to stop his lips from getting any closer, but he only grasped it, using it as leverage to pull her into him.
He was kissing her again and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Even she could admit she barely tried to deter him. She closed her eyes as he deepened the kiss, her anger had subsided momentarily and she had taken on a carefree attitude. If he is going to screw things up, she would just let him. It was his funeral.
Just as she had made the executive decision that she would let the kiss play out before ending it, he went over her head, falling into her body, causing both of them to drop heavily on the couch.
His weight came down on top of her and she gasped in his mouth. He moved up, settling into her comfortably and she was just coming to terms with the fact that Elliot had so smoothly found himself on top of her. His lips were dangling above hers and he was looking down at her with a small smile, giving her the slightest chance to stop this if she so dared to. A cocky smile spread across his lips at her silence, knowing he had her, for that moment at least.
She was going to wipe that look off his face. She quickly moved up kissing him firmly, and dragging his cheeks down to hers. She let her hands frame his face as she parted his lips. She took joy in the fact that it was her catching him off guard this time.
She drove her tongue between his lips and he moaned at her sudden participation. She could feel his lower half pressing into hers and she was having a hard time convincing herself to end this any time soon. She was sucking his top lip between hers when he surprised her further by smoothing his right hand over her breast. The breasts he'd been staring at all day in that tank top. His forward actions were surprising, up until recently he had barely even looked at her breasts let alone groped them. All of this was happening too fast.
She mumbled his name against his lips but it might as well have been a moan.
His hand was running over her upper arms causing goosebumps to break out across her skin. His lips left hers, trailing across her cheek and down her neck. With her mouth free to tell him to stop she hesitated as he kissed her neck with passion causing pleasure to flood through her. She closed her eyes, she needed some sort of strength to stop him or she didn't know where this could go.
"El." Was all she could say but the tone was in no way an instruction to stop. He moaned into her neck, his lips finding their way back to hers, before his tongue drove into her recesses. She would need an earthquake to stop this from happening. Or a cell phone. She felt the vibration against her hip and she wondered for a moment what it was. When it began to ring she realised with relief that yes, it was his cell phone.
Halleluiah. He wasn't stopping, but now she had good reason to.
She pushed his lips reluctantly off hers, "Elliot." He made motions to return to the kiss but she turned her head, "You should get that." She told him unable to look him in the eye. When he didn't oblige she pushed the matter, "It could be work."
He sighed and reached down between them, accidentally grazing her thigh as he pulled it from his pocket. "Stabler." He answered a little out of breath. She had hoped he would have gotten off her to answer his phone but she was out of luck.
"Elliot, it's me, where are you?" Came the loud shrill from the other side. Olivia could hear every word the phone was so close to her ear. She could hear that voice, the one she would recognise anywhere.
Elliot moved slightly bumping Olivia to look at his watch, "Sorry, I'm still at the office, I'll be there in ten minutes."
Olivia shook her head, she could not believe what was happening. Here he was lying on top of her, lying to his wife and suddenly she was the 'other woman'. She'd had enough. She pushed Elliot hard, almost hitting him in an effort to get him off her. He looked down at her confused and a little hurt. He was watching her as Olivia heard the end of Kathy's rant, "If you're not going to take this seriously…you were supposed to be here an hour ago."
'Get off me' Olivia mouthed to Elliot with a strong seriousness, his eyes still on her. He began to get up, giving her room to move out from underneath him. She took it immediately, nearly causing him to fall down in her pursuit.
"I said I'll be there in ten minutes." He said gruffly before hanging up.
When he turned Olivia was already at her door, holding it open for him, barely looking his way.
"Liv." He began stepping towards her.
"Don't, ok don't, just go." She told him, her adrenaline pumping.
He gave her a look that said he was sorry yet he couldn't find the words.
"There is just something I have to take care of." He tried to explain.
"Yeah Elliot, your wife." She said sarcastically, "I'll see you at work." She told him formally, waiting for him to leave. When he still stood there stationary she continued. "Ok?" The question boomed through the open hallway.
"Ok." He said quietly before exiting.
