The door to her room shut and Morales took a few quick strides to it. He raised his hand to knock on the door but instead leaned his forehead against it and closed his eyes. A heat climbed up his neck, slight anger from the situation. On the other side of the door Pierce leaned against it looking up at the ceiling that was cascaded in the New York lights from outside. Her heart was thumping slowly in her ears knowing he was right outside the bedroom door. Morales was never light on his feet.

"Morales." Pierce said loudly into the room to get his attention.

"I'm here." She heard him through the door verifying what she knew already. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn't stupid. He was dancing around her like she was around him with whatever these feelings were. The call for comfort was too strong, it seemed he was willing to answer the call as well. The sleepless nights, the case, the stress, the loneliness from not being able to hold a marriage or start a family, all of it was taking a toll on her. She knew Morales felt the exact same with this line of work. And now a mutual feeling of attraction was between them. What a cocktail.

Morales didn't take a step back as the door opened. His eyes softened as he looked Pierce over. She had a solemn look on her face, thoughts must be going miles a minute behind those gray eyes. He set the beer down on her dresser that he still held and slowly walked to her. This can't happen she thought to herself as she watched him. Her heart felt as if it was stuck in her throat. This will ruin everything. Everything she worked for to get to her detective title and the position she loved with the LAPD. This will ruin her relationship with him as well, it won't ever be the same.

"I've… I've wanted…" Morales swallowed and looked up before looking down at her again, slightly resetting himself. His left hand twitched and he rubbed it on his slacks. Half of Pierce's brain screamed to shut the conversation down, the other half told her to let him continue. "I've wanted to tell you… there's a lot… no..." He wasn't sure how to say it. He cleared his throat and locked eyes with her. "I harbor more caring feelings towards you than I care to admit, Pierce." She never looked away. She was in disbelief. Morales could tell she was processing the information, she showed no emotion towards his confession. Had he been wrong on her feelings towards him? No. He couldn't be wrong. Everything led to the same answer.

"How long?" She asked quietly not looking away. Morales loved that she could keep eye contact with perps to make them uncomfortable under her gaze but here it made him nervous. A wave of goosebumps enveloped him from her words and shot down his spine. He shook his head and looked away. He took a deep breath to center himself for his answer.

"Longer than I care to admit." She furrowed her brows at his reply. "Maybe there's always been something, Pierce, but since the hotel case it's been different for me. I don't know what changed. I've always been attracted, hell, half the squad probably is. But for me… It's more than that now."

"This isn't the time to do this. With the case going on and we're not even home in L.A., I-"

"Is there ever a good time to do this, Pierce!? We're partners and we're always on a case!" Morales said lifting his hands up and his voice a little from her deflecting the conversation.

"Exactly, Rick! We're partners. Detectives!" She added emphasis on the last word "You can't just go and reveal something this big and expect it to be like a high school-"

"Reveal!? I'm confessing! I know I'm not the only- like what? A high school? A high school relationship or a normal romance?" He was floored.

"These feelings ruin the functioning of our work, Rick, our partnership as detectives."

"You don't think I know that?"

"Then why would you do this? Confess? And now? When you know we're in the middle of a personal case for me?" Pierce was close to steaming, from the frustration. Heat shot up her neck and she finally broke eye contact and turned, walking off to the large bedroom windows. Trying to make any distance to further herself from the uncomfortable conversation. She should of shut it down. They were to far into the conversation now.

"Because... I know you feel the same, Pierce. Don't deny that you don't have romantic feelings as well" Morales finally said it for the both of them. "You don't think I haven't noticed how your looks in my direction have changed in the last year?" He followed her, not letting her escape. "It used to be in awe and disbelief as we showed each other our tactics and now. Just simple lighthearted conversations over lunch and now… it's something else. I feel like we can't even have a normal conversation outside of work most of the time without-"

"You're seeing things, perhaps you need more than readers" Pierce said sharply. She turned and raised her hand, ready to jab a finger in his chest. "You think just because I-" She was cut off as Morales raised two large hands against her soft and flushed cheeks. He had caught her lower lip with his to shut her up. He didn't want to talk anymore, all she would do is deny it. Morales pulled back slightly too look into her eyes.

"I know you feel the same, Aubrey." He whispered lowly, his thumbs brushing her face lightly. "The perps may lie, but you're worse at it." He lowered his face again to her, their noses resting against each other. Morales felt her place her hands on his forearms to pull his hands away from her face in one last feeble attempt to stop herself. He let her for a moment and then forced his right hand back up and against her neck to pull her in all the way to him, turning her head up to him. Their lips locked again in a passion and Pierce's head went swimming. She felt a heat explode in her chest and grow up her shoulders to her neck where Morales's hand rested. "You amaze me." he mumbled against her lips, loud enough she could hear him.

Pierce's hands set on his chest feeling the broadness and softness of his chest and pectorals through his blazer and dress shirt. She liked a man that wasn't completely hard as a rock or as thin as a rail. And like most woman, she liked a man with height too. Morales checked off both of those boxes, her attraction to him was undeniable. He reset his lips on hers and forced her to take some steps backwards until she felt the large bed push against the back of her knees. Pierce took a shuddering breath in as she pulled away from him and looked at his lidded eyes. He waited for her to say no or stop but nothing came. He grabbed her right thigh and lifted her up slightly as he pushed her and himself onto the bed, this allowed him to get her into the middle of the bed rather than her legs dangling completely off.

Morales straddled Pierce, hips to hips, slightly pushing into her to test the waters and gauge her reaction in case this was to much for her. Pierce simply closed her eyes, her lips parted slightly from the welcoming pressure down below. How long had it been now for her? Too long, maybe a year. A carnal act that sat in the hearts of every adult human. How she craved the touch of someone now, her wall was crumbling around her. The dreams of them from the weeks past surfacing. Each one just like this, him eventually on top and burying his face into her neck. As she thought of it, Morales did lower his face against her neck to breath her scent in. The aroma he tried to constantly catch a whiff of when she was close to him, that sugary spice she wore. It drove him mad and he had always wanted to know if it was shampoo or perfume. He would of felt awkward asking during small talk if it was one or the other while on duty. But now he knew, it was in fact perfume. He closed his eyes enjoying the fragrance. "Finally..." he mumbled into her skin happily, putting that mystery to bed before placing a kiss to her jugular. His elbows rested around her shoulders, his back arching up as he felt her hands massage his chest. He let out a sigh in content as she worked his torso.

"You don't know how long I've waited-" Pierce shushed him. She just wanted to enjoy this intimate moment in the silence that enveloped the room, she wasn't sure how long it would last or if this would happen again with the torn emotion she felt. Regardless, she continued as she listened to Morales's breathing. His breath was hot against her neck as her hands roamed him. They found his tie and started undoing it. His breathing hitched as her hand brushed the front of his neck. His breathing then grew heavy as she started on his buttons after throwing the tie to the side of them on the bed.

Her pulse sky rocketed as Morales pulled away to watch her hands under him undo the buttons. When she got to the last three he removed his blazer and pulled the dress shirt and white tank-top off over his head. He picked up his tie next to them and turned his waist to throw the articles of clothing onto the floor. Pierce watched resting on her elbows as his body flexed from the movements. He was decently muscular but a layer softness sat under the skin, a slight belly from nights of whiskey and takeaway with a matching set of slight weight in the pectorals. His arms flexed with a wonderful set of muscles for his age as he tossed his clothes.

"May I?" Morales asked setting a warm hand against her blouse. Pierce shook her head yes and watched his face. Concentration set on his features as he used one hand to skillfully unbutton it. The other went south to pull the blouse out of her waist and then work on her belt and pants button. He licked his lips as more of Pierce was exposed. A black bra displayed a very nice eyeful of cleavage of her breasts, farther down held his answer from the previous week's question in George's house. She had some definition on her midsection. He would have taken her anyway she was, she was perfect if she was heavier or without definition. Morales traced his fingers over the lines of her bra and her lower torso.

His eyes darted down to the open fly of her pants and saw matching black underwear. The color wasn't much of a surprise to him, she did like her neutral colored attire, never any patterns. Morales moved his head down so his lips met her throat again and butterfly kissed down her neck, to the exposed skin of her breasts and down her midsection. He moved himself down the bed and ran his fingernails down her sides. Pierce laid down flat and knitted her fingers through his dark hair. The hair he had grown out for her. She never cared for his short buzzed cuts, he grew it out just for her after a comment five months ago how she thought he looked much more handsome with some length. Now he knew why as he felt her hands massage his scalp and turn in his curls, and how he agreed.

Morales slightly lowered her pants and underwear and nipped at her exposed hip bone and received a quiet moan from Pierce as she sunk her head into the mattress. He felt a light layer of sweat sitting on her skin and gave her a small lick. Clean and soft. Her hands tightening in his hair. He repeated the same maneuvers on her other hip and she slightly lifted her hips and gasped. He found a tender spot. He gave it another nip and then a kiss. He received another moan and a roll of her hips and took the opportunity to crawl back up to push his hips into her while spreading her legs so he could get in between. Pierce's eyes widened as she felt the length of him against her center, teasing through the layers of fabric. From experience she could tell he was well sized. Morales pushed against her core harder and caught her gasp with his lips. Pierces hands pulled him to her, chest to chest, her hands dancing along his back to feel the flexing movements. Morales lowered a hand between them to so he could relieve some of the straining against his slacks by undoing his belt and zipper.

He grounded into her for a while listening to her whimper quietly until she was slightly panting. He wanted her to beg for him, Morales loved foreplay, he could do this forever until she wanted more. He grinned against her lips as he moved his hand to her breast to pull her bra down. Before he could get any further he groaned as the room phone went off and Pierce slid up the bed a bit to grab the phone on the cradle. Morales knew exactly who it was. He hung his head and sighed as he listened to the one sided conversation with Olivia. He looked up to see Pierce gazing up at the ceiling, the lights of the city outside rested over her form under him. Her light skin seemed to glow. He lowered himself in between her legs and rested his cheek against her abdomen, his hand on her hip and his thumb lightly brushing her soft skin.