They left the Cutter Bar at the same time as their friends. The sound of the sudden rainstorm drumming against the roof and windows drowned out their conversations. There was a mad dash to pay off tabs and hit the restroom one last time then a giddy race from the sheltered doorway to the parking lot to get home before the roads became too dangerous from the storm. Jack had been warning everyone all day not to be fooled by the beautiful weather and he was smugly vindicated when the sky darkened and the clouds opened around 8:30pm.
Mick and Alex had ridden to the bar together after work. He had already promised Alex a ride home since they lived near each other in the suburbs and she had loaned her car to her brother while he was in town.
The unexpected storm had made them giddy with excitement and they laughed as they ran through the soaking rain. Mick's shoes immediately filled with water and Alex's spaghetti strap tank top soaked through and clung to her torso. She was glad she had left her suit jacket in Mick's car.
"Drive safe, Gav!" Matty yelled at Gavin as he unlocked his car doors for Donna, his roommate, and Sophie, their friend and Matty's crush.
"Always do, mate!" Gavin replied as he hopped into his car.
"Bloody Hell!" Jack yelled when he reached his car.
"What's happened, Jack?" Mick hollered back, turning to look at Jack where he stood next to his car.
"I've only left the fucking windows open!" Jack called out, and then muttered some unintelligible curses as he lowered himself onto the sodden driver's seat.
Mick laughed at Jack's predicament and waved at Gav and then Matty and Sophie as their two cars pulled out of the parking lot.
"Mick! Are you coming or what?" Alex stood waiting with her hand on the car door handle.
"Yeah, give me a minute. So impatient!" He teased as he pulled out his car keys and unlocked the car for them.
Jack drove past them and honked as he pulled out onto the road. Mick gave a big wave and laughed again. He felt like he was on top of the world—they had cracked a ring of home invasions earlier. Alex shook her head to get some of the water out of her hair, which now hung dripping in her face and leaned over the seat to grab her suit jacket from the back. She was grateful to have something dry to put on but also grateful to have something to cover up her wet tank top—she was self-conscious about how revealing it was when wet and her coworker was not someone who she needed seeing this side of herself.
"Oh my God, Alex, you look like a drowned rat! Or like, a very wet chihuahua!" Mick watched her struggle into the jacket as her wet hair clung to her cheeks and laughed.
"Pull yourself together, Mick. You're laughing so much tonight you sound like a loon." The elation of the closed case and the sudden storm had left her and she was grumpy about being soaking wet in her coworkers dirty car. She pulled the hair back from her face and turned to him. "And when was the last time you cleared the trash out of this car? 1993?" She moved a magazine and an empty crisps bag from her foot into the back seat. Mick grinned at her, his smile contagious. She grinned back despite herself and rolled her eyes to show him how annoyed she was.
"No, it was probably 1995…1996? Much more recent than '93, at any rate." He joked.
"Very nice. Way to show respect for your belongings."
"You're just grumpy because your fancy silk shirt got wet." He teased. She was momentarily speechless when she realized he had looked at her outfit enough to note the fabric of her tank top. Then she blushed when she realized how revealing it must have been as she ran through the rain to his car. "What, you didn't think I knew anything about fabrics? I've got two sisters." He pulled the car out onto the street and headed for their neighborhood.
"You think you know so much about women, don't you?" Alex shook her head in mock disbelief.
"Hey. Maybe I do. What would you know about my knowledge of women, anyway?"
"One name: Suzi Abramovich."
"Come on, Alex. You can't still be giving me a hard time about Suzi! Obviously, that was a…misstep on my part. But how was I supposed to know her boat was part of the import scheme?" Mick was referring to a case they had solved last year involving illegally imported yachts from Indonesia.
"A misstep? I notice you only seem to misstep with blondes." Alex could tell her teasing was starting to bother him and she smiled as she watched him try to find a comeback. "What, nothing to say to defend yourself?" She teased.
"I'm focusing on driving, right now, Alex. In case you didn't notice the visibility is dangerously low and the risk of hydroplaning is quite high." He explained.
"Sure, sure. I'll be quiet and let you remember your time with Suzi in peace."
Mick rolled his eyes at her but couldn't stop himself from grinning at her, "Peaceful is the last word I'd use to describe me and Suzi."
"Oh, I know! Don't forget, Jack and I were on surveillance when we bugged her boat. You two were still together and we got an earful of it a few times." Alex remembered that week of surveillance in the van fondly. She and Jack had ordered delivery from every place within a 20 mile radius and had passed the time doing crossword puzzles together. They had also fallen over each other laughing every time Mick's voice popped up on the surveillance tape. It was usually he and Suzi having a fight and then making out before their voices faded out as they moved out of range of the hidden transmitter. Because of his closeness to the subject, Mick was kept in the dark on Suzi's illegal actions and the Water Police's surveillance of her. Only after she had been busted did Jack and Alex have a good laugh telling him what they had overheard.
"I'll remind you that is confidential evidence and it's illegal for you to discuss what you heard." Mick reminded her. "And I'd like to add that it was pretty shitty for you and Jack to continue to let me make a fool of myself over her when you both knew she was involved in illegal yachting activity. Furthermore, I'd like to add, that because the bug you placed in the forward cabin was a dud, you missed out on hearing anything of real value."
"I'm not discussing any particulars of the case. Just saying, I know something about you and women. And, please, I definitely did not need to hear what you were up to in the forward cabin with her." Alex was pleased to have the last word in their little argument.
They drove in silence through the suburbs for a few miles, their wet clothes sticking to their skin and turning cold.
"Illegal yachting activity?" Alex broke the silence. "That's not an actual phrase. When did you make that up?"
Mick laughed. "Yeah, illegal yachting activity. Illegal activity on a yacht. It's an actual term, I swear."
"It is not an actual term. You made it up."
"Ok. Maybe I did. It sounds real, though." Mick kept his eyes on the road but reached over and shoved Alex's shoulder.
"Shit, the rain isn't letting up at all, is it?" Alex peered through the windshield. Her apartment was still a 15-minute drive away and then Mick would have to back track 20 minutes to get back to his own apartment. It was sundown when they had left the bar and it would be completely dark soon. The roads in this condition were going to be even more dangerous after dark.
"Hey, Alex? I don't want to ruin your plans for tonight, but do you mind staying at mine?" Mick asked.
"My plans?" She was momentarily caught off guard. Was he taking the piss? Had he somehow figured out she had feelings for him and was having a go at her?
"Well, plans or no plans. I just mean, it's going to be dark soon and I know I offered to drive you home but I'm sorry, I really don't want to drive in this rain anymore." Mick sounded nervous.
"Ok. Yeah, that's ok." She sounded as if she were trying to convince herself. "You're right; it is getting dangerous out here. I don't mind crashing on your couch for a night. I mean, you didn't know there would be a typhoon when you offered to drive me." Alex sighed. She had been looking forward to a hot shower and a cup of tea when she got home. Now she was faced with sleeping on Mick's couch in her damp clothes.
"I'm sorry, Alex. I know we had a long day. And you've had a few drinks. You probably just wanted to get home." Mick apologized. Alex noticed he had a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel and his back and shoulders were tensed up in an effort to stay alert to the increasingly risky road conditions.
"No need to apologize. Thanks for driving, Mick. Glad it's you and not me, though."
"Yeah, alright, Alex. We're almost there, anyway. And I have some cold beer in the fridge with my name on it." A beer would take the edge off his anxious mood. Mick was stressed out not only by the driving conditions but by the fact that he was bringing Alex home with him. He had dreamed of this night for a year. A year that was full of flirting and banter and camaraderie and late-night drinks where he sometimes allowed his knee to touch hers under the table at the pub. The weather tonight was not part of his fantasy. His eyes felt like they were bugging out of his head as he strained to see the road past the water pouring off his windshield and the rapid movement of the windshield wipers. He was getting a tension headache at the base of his skull from tensing his back and shoulders as he leaned forward.
"No promises on that one. I already had too many drinks tonight. I'm just starting to get a clear head now." Alex told herself she would not drink with Mick. She got handsy when she drank, and she always entertained the notion of she and Mick as an item when she was drinking. She knew it was a terrible idea. She could not act on her feelings toward him. They had each saved one another's lives on the job more than a few times. They shared an office; they shared a car; they were a partnership. Their jobs depended on them working well together and not getting their personal feelings involved.
"Well, that's alright, I guess. Making a bloke drink alone is pretty low, but if that's the way you want to be." Mick teased.
"Just drive, Reilly." Alex used his last name as she often did when she was shutting him down. Mick kept his eyes on the road but smiled to himself.
After a few miles of Mick focusing on nothing but the road and Alex focusing on everything except the road, they pulled up in front of Mick's apartment. It was now dark out and still pouring and the wind had picked up.
Mick flung open the car door, relieved to be off the roads. Alex opened her side more cautiously, her clothes still wet from the last time she was outdoors.
"Shake a leg, Alex. This isn't fit weather for man nor beast." Mick quoted the popular children's film and waited for Alex to join him before jogging up to the front door.
Alex tucked her hands into her jacket pockets in an effort to keep them warm and jogged after Mick. "I've never been to your place before. First floor or second floor?"
"Second floor. My roommate and I got the sectional stuck in the stairwell for two days when we moved in." Mick unlocked the door and held it open for her. She had to turn sideways toward him to fit through the small vestibule. She had to force herself to ignore the alluring smell of his cologne mixed with his sweat from a 12-hour shift. His eyes darted down to her chest and the lace edge of her bra showing above her wet silk shirt as she turned toward him to pass into the hall. He locked the door and followed her into the hall.
"Up here?" She started up the stairs.
"Yeah, it's the door just on the left when you get up there. My roommate is probably sleeping so let's try and be quiet when we get in." Mick loosened his tie as he followed her up the stairs, trying not to watch her legs move up the stairs in front of his face.
"Your roommate is already asleep? And what are we, still in university? No one has roommates anymore, Mick." Alex teased him.
"He's a cook in a diner. He leaves for work at 3am. And not all of us are as fancy as you, Ms. Alexandra and your one bedroom with open concept living area and balcony." Mick had been to several parties and get-togethers at Alex's apartment. She was the one in the station most likely to host them on days when the bar didn't feel appropriate. She had been in the force longer than him, had made good money during her years as an undercover agent, and didn't have a big family to help support. "I'd prefer to save my money than to spend it on a fancy apartment at this time in my life." Mick explained.
"I'm just giving you a hard time. I can appreciate that you want to save some money. No sense blowing our amazing salary all in one place." Spending their salary was a running gag between them because they made so little.
She waited while Mick unlocked the door and flicked on a lamp. She followed him to the rear of the apartment, taking in her surroundings as she did. The structure of the place was decent. Crown molding and a built-in bookshelf in the living room and a bay window with a window seat in the dining room. The furnishings left a lot to be desired. Nothing matched and everything looked like it had been dragged off the side of the road before the trash collectors arrived.
"Well, here's me." They stopped in the kitchen and he opened a narrower-than-normal door into a small bedroom that felt more like a hallway to nowhere than a room. It had a sliding door closet at one end that was partially blocked by a full-size mattress and box spring that rested on the floor. There was s small desk with a mismatched chair against the wall near the door and a metal shelving unit holding some books and folded clothes against the far wall.
Alex leaned in the doorway. "A bedroom off the kitchen? I didn't know that was a thing that existed."
"A bedroom can be any room with a bed in it. Don't be so close-minded." Mick teased. He draped his wet tie over the back of the chair and shrugged out of his wet suit jacket, kicking off his sodden shoes at the same time. "Oh wow, I don't know that my socks have ever been this wet in my life." He sat down on the edge of the bed and started peeling off his socks.
"Mick?" Alex was still leaning in the doorway, dimly lit by the desk lamp in his room and framed by the darkness of the kitchen behind her.
"Yeah?" He looked up at her.
"Do you maybe have some sweatpants or something I could borrow?" She had seen him arrive at work from a morning jog almost every morning for the past year so why was she acting like she wasn't sure he had sweatpants? Mick paused with a wet sock in this hand and just started at her. "Sorry, I don't mean to be presumptuous. It should be enough that you've given me a lift." What was wrong with Mick? He was just staring at her with bug eyes. She glanced behind her, suddenly worried he was looking at something behind her that she was unaware of.
"Nothing's there. I'm sorry." Mick stood up quickly and moved to the bookshelf. He had just been caught admiring the perfect curve of Alex's lips. Thankfully, she seemed not to have noticed. "I definitely have some clothes you can borrow. He pulled some Water Police logo sweatpants and a navy-blue t-shirt off the shelf and tossed them to her. She caught them and stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to leave so she could change. "Um, I'll go wash up and you can change in here."
He motioned her further into the bedroom and headed for the bathroom. His head was spinning. This was supposed to be his dream come true, but he felt sick to his stomach and his head hurt and his shoulders ached from the tense drive. He didn't want to leave her alone for too long but now that he was in the bathroom, he realized how amazing a shower would feel. He glanced at his watch. It wasn't too late; he could take a 5 minute hot shower and be back to keep her company in no time. He peeled off his remaining sock and his damp shirt and pants. He turned on the shower and brushed his teeth while he waited for the water to heat up.
Alex closed the bedroom door and made herself relax. She had to accept the situation. The storm was raging outside; she wasn't going to make it home tonight. This wasn't an ideal location, but it was with Mick and it was safe and dry. She shivered from the chill of her wet clothes. As she bent over to undo the straps on her heels she caught a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror that hung on the back of the door.
"Well, shit. That's not great." She muttered to herself. Her tank top had ridden down with the weight of the water and exposed the top of her bra. Which meant more cleavage than she ever intended to show was currently showing. Her skirt likewise clung to her thighs, leaving little to the imagination. She peeled off her clothes and hesitated while deciding whether to take off her underwear and bra. Surely, Mick would notice if she wore a t-shirt with no bra. But she was tired and had been wearing a bra for at least 16 hours now. He was tired, too, so maybe he wouldn't notice. She decided to risk it and tucked her undergarments into her suit jacket pockets which she hung off the doorknob. Her tank top and skirt she draped over the arms of his desk chair. They probably wouldn't dry by tomorrow, but she could ask him to swing by her place on the way to work for some fresh clothes.
She shivered again and looked around. She was flipping through his wall calendar featuring the local footy team in various poses of victory when she heard the shower turn on. A hot shower would be perfect right now, she thought.
"I'll just go see what the situation is…" She whispered to herself. She quietly opened the bedroom door and slowly moved through the dark apartment toward the bathroom—identifiable by the light shining through the crack around the door and the sound of the shower. She hesitated outside the bathroom door. If she opened this door, it would change things. It would be an admission to herself that she had let her feelings for him go too far. It would be an admission to him that she felt more than just friendship toward him. And it would prove Jack right when he claimed there was something going on between them that could only lead to a bad situation for them as a team. Yet here she was, turning the doorknob and quietly slipping into the steamy bathroom. Putting their partnership at risk for no other reason that she was exhausted and still a little buzzed from drinking and high on the scent of Mick that lingered in the fabric of the t-shirt she was wearing.
Mick heard the bathroom door click shut and he froze. His first thought was of his gun, still in its holster on his bed where he had left it after taking off his jacket. His second thought was of Alex, possibly already asleep on the couch and unaware of an intruder. Then his mind went blank as he prepared to fight whoever had just broken into the bathroom to attack him.
"Mick?" Alex's voice whispered over the sound of the running shower.
"Fuck, Alex! What are you doing? Are you alright? I thought I was about to get my ass kicked by thieves!" He exhaled in relief and poked his head around the shower curtain. Only realizing the oddness of the situation when he saw her standing in his bathroom, his sweatpants too big for her and riding low on her hips, and her breasts stretching the fabric of the t-shirt.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I should have knocked…" Alex let her explanation trail off, watching the water run off his broad shoulders and through his black hair.
"No worries. I'm just a bit jumpy after we did that burglary case. You know how it is. Of course, you do. I mean, we were both on the case." Mick was rambling. "It'll just take some time to feel comfortable again." He added lamely, knowing that Alex already knew everything he was saying because she felt the same thing, having been on the same case with him.
Alex didn't answer but pushed the sweatpants lower on her hips and then let them drop to the floor. His t-shirt was long on her and hit mid-thigh. Mick's eyes immediately focused on the spot where the t-shirt gave way to her long legs. "I was wondering if I could join you?" She heard the words come out of her mouth but could barely believe she had said them. This could either be amazing or could blow up in her face.
"Can you join me? In the shower?" His voice went up a pitch in surprise. Mick's mouth went dry and he swallowed and then cleared his throat. "Yeah. Yeah." He ran his fingers through his wet hair and watched as Alex stepped clear of the sweatpants and pulled the t-shirt over her head. He broke into a classic Mick Reilly grin at the sight of her.
"What? Stop grinning. I said, stop grinning. You're making fun of me and I can tell." Alex was suddenly self-conscious. Yet she found herself grinning back at him. She stepped up to the edge of the shower. Their faces were very close.
"Sorry I'm smiling too much for you. I know you hate joy." Mick teased, laughing a little at the way they were entering unchartered personal territory but still keeping up their coworker banter.
"I do not hate joy. That's just a rumor about me." Alex took hold of the shower curtain and slowly pulled it aside, admiring the sight of Mick's lean and muscular body. She had seen him shirtless countless times during their workdays together, but it still made her catch her breath.
"Just a rumor? Rumors are founded in truth, you know." Mick openly admired Alex's naked body as she paused at the edge of the shower. "Are you coming in or just letting all the hot air escape?" Mick asked, reaching out a hand to her.
"So impatient." Alex took his hand and stepped into the shower, closing the curtain behind her.
"Alex, look, I need to say something." Mick wrapped a towel around his waist and leaned against the edge of the sink.
"Don't even say it." Alex finished drying off and put on the sweatpants and t-shirt Mick had loaned her.
"No…don't get dressed yet." Mick reached over and grabbed her arm, pulling her against him and leaning his face towards hers for a kiss.
Alex smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him and returning his kiss.
"Too late. I'm already dressed. We should probably go into your bedroom and stop hanging around in this tiny damp bathroom."
Mick nodded in agreement and reached over for the door handle, letting Alex lead the way across the flat to the bedroom off the kitchen.
He closed the bedroom door behind them and took the towel from his waist, hanging it off the bookshelf. Alex blatantly stared at his body.
"Take a picture. It lasts longer." Mick joked when he noticed her staring. He pulled on a clean pair of boxers to sleep in and joined Alex on the bed.
"Very funny, Reilly. Don't tempt me." Alex flung the covers back and slid between the sheets. Mick switched off the lights and lay down next to her, lightly resting his hand on her hip as they lay on their sides facing each other.
"What I want to say, Alex, is that-"
"Let's not say anything about it. We have to be back at the office in 7 hours. That means we have 7 hours until we have to pretend that this never happened." Alex said.
"What if we…what if we didn't pretend?" Mick slid his hand under her t-shirt and couldn't stop from smiling at the way his hand fit perfectly against the curve of her hip. He leaned his face closer to hers and lightly kissed her lips.
"Shhh." Alex covered his mouth with her hand. "Don't even suggest something like that. You know Jack would sniff us out in about a day and half and then Gavin and Donna would throw us into their morning gossip. We'd be ruined as partners."
Mick kissed her hand where she held it against his mouth and gazed into her eyes. She let her hand caress his cheek and then brushed his wet hair off his forehead.
"We don't know that…we could still be partners. And who cares if our coworkers know? Gav and Donna used to go out and it was fine."
"Oh, excuse me, you know that was not fine. Donna was always in a bad mood and Gavin was distracted on the job. That's fine for them. She's the receptionist and he just rides around in a boat all day…we can't afford to be distracted like that in our jobs." Alex leaned her head against her hand, propped up on her elbow, and gazed into Mick's brown eyes.
"I can't go back to pretending I don't care about you, Alex. I was already distracted at work because you were always so close to me. Every time we're in the car together I imagine reaching over and resting my hand on your leg. When you lean against me to read over my shoulder, I imagine what it would be like to just turn my head and kiss you." Mick leaned closer and kissed her, closing his eyes and wrapping himself around her.
"I know what you mean. The way you smell after your morning run drives me mad...and when you roll up your sleeves before you type up a report is very distracting." Alex sighed. "But I can't imagine this working out. What's the end game?"
"Does there need to be an end game? Can't we just do this for a while and see where it leads? Be spontaneous and live in the moment…and have a lot more sex?" Mick grinned at her and slid his thigh between her legs. "Why are you wearing so many clothes right now?"
"They're not my clothes. Someone loaned them to me and it would be rude not to wear them." Alex shrugged.
"Oh, it'd be rude? Well, we can't have you being rude, can we?" Mick chuckled against her shoulder.
"Mick. We're not done with this conversation." Alex reminded him.
"I know. But maybe we can put it off until tomorrow? Let's just relax and enjoy ourselves. We've got a cozy warm bed, our shoes are currently drying by the radiator, we've had a hot shower…hot sex…" Mick trailed off.
"Ok. We can drop the subject for tonight, but we can't bring these vibes into work with us." Alex had started rubbing his shoulders and her fingers found a knot.
Mick dropped his head into the pillow. "Mmmm. That feels amazing. My shoulders are full of knots after driving in that crazy rain storm."
Alex sat up and rolled him onto his stomach, straddling him in order to lean into a shoulder massage. "You're in luck. What you may not know about me is that I took a semester of massage school before I decided to switch to criminal justice."
"Alex, everyone knows that. You reference how you could have been a masseuse at least once a week." Mick muttered into the pillow.
"Well, I could have been." She dug her thumbs into a large knot and Mick groaned.
They let ten minutes pass in silence and then Alex stopped. She reached her arms above her head and stretched out her arms before laying down beside him. Mick rolled onto his side and kissed her.
"Thanks, Al. That felt amazing. I'll do yours next time?" Mick offered, floating the idea of another sleep over.
"Better believe it. I take spa treatment seriously." Alex cuddled close against his chest.
Mick wrapped his arms around her and laughed.
"Michael Reilly. I am not joking." She feigned seriousness and then lifted her face to his and they kissed, their kiss interrupted by their smiles.
