Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Seven

Maggie could still hear the gunshot ringing in her ears as she sat down at the small kitchen table in Antonio's modest house, her cobalt blue eyes fixated on the closed door before her. On the opposite side she could hear Antonio talking in the hushed, reserved tones that he used for his children. As soon as Diego had called Maggie had decided to slip out of the living room to give the two of them a little more privacy. After everything that had happened today with Kurt Hollister Maggie understood the compulsion to spend some time with his children. Sadly the two of them were away for the week with Laura catching up with her brother in Idaho so a phone call would have to do.

She found her brain puzzling over the past couple of hours morosely, her heart began to pound even harder in her chest, smashing against her ribcage before she drew in a long deep breath herself.

Antonio is here, she told that flutter of panic. Jay got Hollister before Holliser had got him.

Even then it had been close, that noise still vibrated through her, causing her to clench her fist once more as she watched Antonio turn his back on their armed suspect, Connor clasped protectively against his chest. She had always known that Antonio had that fierce sheltering instinct but seeing it right there in front of her had rattled every single one of her nerves. Her heart had been in her throat when he had finally straightened his spine, his large hand was on Connor's shoulder lightly guiding her towards him.

"Maggie will take care of you." he had whispered, his voice hoarse as his dark eyes flickered up towards her, his face almost ashen. He had known just how close it had come, she could see the weight of his own mortality reflected in his eyes as she wrapped her arm around Connor's shoulders before guiding him back towards her patrol car.

They hadn't spoken much in the car on the way home from the precinct, the two for them had been wrapped up in their own thoughts, trying to process the events of the day. They had wasted so much time, Maggie couldn't help but think and she was still wasting it now. For months they had been doing this dance, stepping cautiously around each other, never going too far physically and Maggie couldn't help but wonder what the hell was keeping them from taking those final steps. All those scars that Cooper had left her with didn't seem to anymore, she'd been hiding them away for so long using them as an excuse to bury a piece of herself along with wasn't fair to Antonio and it wasn't fair to them, she had to be in this one hundred percent, for better or worse.

That handsome smile was back on Antonio's dark features as he opened the closed door and stepped into the kitchen, slipping his cell phone into the back pocket of his jeans.

"Antonio..." Maggie said his name softly as she rose to her feet coming to stand in front of him Her gentle fingertips reached out for his hand before she clasped it lightly in her own. Antonio's chocolate brown eyes fixated on hers as his forehead came to rest upon hers.

"Today..." he murmured, his nose trailing along the length of hers until their lips were precariously close.

"I know." she whispered.

He could feel his whole universe in those beautiful eyes of hers, the love he felt for her was overwhelming and he couldn't control himself as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, closing the space between them. Her lips felt soft underneath his as she melted against his muscular form. He had expected her to pull away, the same way she had every other time the two of them had gotten this close but what happened today had changed things between the two of them and just like her Antonio didn't want to wait any longer. Antonio parted his lips allowing his tongue to delve her mouth so that he could taste her sweet essence. Maggie keened against his firm form, her nimble hands tangling in shirt as she tugged it upwards. Antonio broke away for a second, his breath ragged and his eyes black with passion as he clasped her hands in preventing her from tugging the shirt any higher.

"Maggie." he uttered her name like a warning as he withdrew. "Our first time will not be a quick fuck on the kitchen table. I want to see every single part of you, take my time."

His words sent a pleasurable heat tingling through every one of her nerves as Antonio's fingers entwined with hers and he tugged her in the direction of their bedroom.

He closed the door behind them before releasing his lover's hand and standing before her. His dark eyes met hers, before his finger tips skated along the hem of his shirt raising it just enough to give her a peek of the dark treasure trail. Maggie licked her lips before allowing her gaze to flicker back up to his finely sculptured features.

"I'm not afraid any more." he told her, stripping the shirt from his body and tossing it to the floor.

The scars were worse than she had imagined, her memories of that night were hazy in places but she remembered the blood, how it ran in rivets down Antonio's chest until she hadn't been able to tell what the damage really was. He stood before her like a God, his chin jutting out as he tilted his head upwards inhaling deeply as he watched her reaction.

Maggie said nothing, instead she reached out her petite hand. Her tender fingertips traced along the vivid white line that started just above his right nipple and traveled diagonally across his chest to the place where his rib cage stopped. He could feel the tension began to seep out of his muscles as she pressed her lips to the very top of the ridged skin and kissed it lovingly. Her palms came to rest on his pectorals, her fingers playing over the bizarre pattern that had been etched into his flesh.

"That feels good." he encouraged, inhaling abruptly as she followed that jagged pattern down towards the waistline of his jeans sending a thrill of pleasure erupting through his nerve endings.

He hissed through his teeth as she drew away from him putting the tiniest bit of distance between the two of them. He craved her touch more than anything in the world right now and it took every ounce of self control not to loop his arm round her waist and gather her up into his arms.

"My turn." she said with a determined glint in those pretty blue eyes of hers before she began to unbutton the red and white plaid shirt she was wearing.

The lace black bra was a startling contrast against her pale skin, highlighting the violent red slashes that had been carefully sliced into her skin. His breath caught in his throat as she allowed the shirt to flutter to the ground. She was still beautiful, stunningly so. Seeing those scars reminded him how strong she was, how fierce his sexy little warrior really was and it made him as hard as a rock. A low deviant growl emitted from his throat causing Maggie to break into a relieved grin.

"So I guess that answers any concerns I may I have had." she said playfully as Antonio's hand encircled her wrist, drawing her back against his demanding form.

"Never doubt how much I love you." he whispered ferociously, his calloused fingertips trailing along the curve of his lover's spine until he reached the slender strap of her bra. "I need to see more of you."

His skilled hands were already unhooking her bra as she pressed her pert pink lips back to the white bullet wound just above his beating heart.

"Detective Dawson..." she drawled. "All you had to do was ask."