Olivia had left the precinct after checking in with Cragen, but he was still stuck at his desk. The woman was going to kill him…that little black dress and that wink she had given him as she left the squad room were all he could think about. It was getting to the point where he wasn't going to be able to stand up for fear of embarrassing himself. He looked at his watch for the 10th time in the last hour, and let out a sigh of frustration when he realized it was only a little after 2 in the afternoon.
"You got someplace you need to be?" Fin asked. "You've been banging on your desk and huffing around. Christ. I thought you'd calm down once Liv came back."
Elliot shot him a dark look. He hadn't realized how vocal he had been. "It's boring as hell around here." Before he knew it, he was pushing himself back from his desk, and heading towards Cragen's office. He had some vacation time of his own, and now seemed like as good a time as any to take some time off.
EOEOEOEOEO
Olivia let herself into her apartment and stood in the entryway. It was quiet…and dark…and she set the groceries she had picked up on to the counter. She let the duffle bag fall to the floor and she crossed the room, opening the blinds and a window to let some fresh air in the room. It was good to be home…to be in a familiar place. But she knew that from this point forward, her life would never be the same. The thought made her smile…and that surprised the hell out of her.
She thought she should be scared…terrified that the life she knew…the track she'd been on for most of her adult life…was veering in a different direction.
But instead…for maybe the first time in her life…she welcomed change. She was looking forward to a new adventure. It was thrilling that she didn't know what was going to happen next.
When she had put her groceries away, she went into her room to unpack. She saw the bags on the floor…the things that Amy had purchased for her. She picked them up and sat down on the bed, holding them on her lap. It seemed like it was so long ago…the day Amy had shown up at the precinct. But it wasn't. She sat there for a few moments, her fingers gripping the bags tightly…and wished there was something she could do to change the events of that night. Maybe if she hadn't been able to go out…maybe if she hadn't had anything to drink…maybe if they had gone somewhere else…or left earlier.
She closed her eyes. Jason had been following them…following Amy. It wouldn't have mattered where they were, or where Amy was. It was going to happen. She had to keep reminding herself of those facts.
Jason Logan was going away for a long time. Too bad it hadn't happened before he had hurt her friend.
Olivia let out a sigh. It was done. They had to move on. She and Amy had talked about it the entire time she was there, and Olivia had agreed to go to counseling once Amy agreed to go. She would hold up her end of the bargain. She would. She was going to need it. To help navigate all the changes in her life. She had never been the best at communicating her feelings, but she had made a promise to Elliot, and to herself.
Elliot.
She smiled. She was really looking forward to going out with him tonight. She had dated lots of men, but she had never really been invested in any of them for years. When she was younger, even when she had just joined the force, she had been having fun, thinking she could fall in love, live a life different from her mothers. But then she and Elliot had become closer…too close…and she realized she was just as fucked up as so many others. Every date after that had been an attempt to forget that she was in love with a married man. Dating for dating's sake. To fill the time. To fulfill a sexual need. To pretend her life was normal. But no one could compare to the man that sat across from her every day.
Olivia pushed the bags onto the bed and started fishing through the items. Stuffed at the bottom of one bag was the little black dress. She stood up with the dress in her hand, and held it up to her body. She looked in the mirror, shocked to see that the dress looked even smaller than she remembered.
"I can't wear this." she mumbled to herself. She turned to the left and to the right, and then fingered the thin spaghetti straps. They weren't going to provide much support. She lifted the dress and looked at the deep scoop in the back. It was pretty deep…well down her lower back…there was no way she could wear a bra. She put her hand beneath the material…was it too sheer? Christ. She ducked her head down. No, it wasn't really sheer. She looked back in the mirror. She was going to have to try it on and then decide. She didn't want to disappoint Elliot, but she wasn't about to go to dinner half-naked.
She threw the dress on the bed, and ran her hand through her hair. She didn't know what to do with her hair, and she was glad her face was almost back to normal. The little bruising and cut could be covered with make-up. She let out a small laugh then. She couldn't believe she was standing here, slightly nervous about a date with Elliot. He had seen her at her absolute worse…so anything was better than that.
Still…tonight…she wasn't his partner. She wasn't his friend.
Tonight, the only thing she wanted him to see was a woman. She looked back at the dress on the bed. She didn't think that was going to be a problem.
EOEOEOEO
Elliot had called Olivia and told her that he would pick her up at 7. She had laughed, and he recognized the nervousness in her voice. He felt relieved, because for some reason, he was nervous too. It was stupid…he had known Olivia for years. They knew about as much as two people could know about one another without being lovers. He didn't know what he was nervous about.
He had already told her he loved her. That was the hard part.
And thank God, she had told him she felt the same.
Maybe it was because he was worried they wouldn't be able to relate to each other outside the job. What do you talk about on a date when you spend all your time at work? That topic was off-limits. He certainly didn't want to talk about any events of the last two weeks. An update on the kids would take ten minutes. Olivia didn't like sports, and he didn't know shit about art or literature or any of the thing she had grown up with. Their childhoods were something they certainly wouldn't talk about.
Jesus.
This is why he didn't date. He laughed. That wasn't the reason he didn't date. He didn't date because as soon as he was a free man, he had confessed, to himself at least, that he was in love with his partner. He scrubbed his hand over his face and fell back on the bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
This was Olivia.
They could talk about anything. Everything.
Maybe he was more worried about what would happen after dinner. Elliot wasn't nervous about having sex with Olivia…when the time was right. The way their kisses ignited a fire in him, he had no doubt that their lovemaking would be spectacular. It felt natural with her…like she was made just for him. What he was worried about was his own restraint. Or lack thereof.
This afternoon, on the roof of the precinct, he had found himself hoping that she wouldn't stop him. Despite the location…the risk.
He was getting himself worked up just thinking about it. He pushed himself off the bed, and headed towards the bathroom. He needed a cold shower.
EOEOEOEOEO
Elliot pulled up in front of Olivia's apartment at 6:45. He knew he was too early, but he hadn't been able to sit around his apartment any longer. He climbed out of the car and slammed the door closed. He leaned with his hands against the roof of the car, and looked up at her apartment window. She had her blinds drawn, but he could see a shadow moving in her living room. He thought that probably meant she was ready, but he decided to wait anyway. He didn't want to barge in on her if she wasn't.
When it was just a few minutes before 7, he headed towards the door. He was almost there when he realized he had left the wine and flowers in the car. Idiot. He turned around and went back to the car, pulling out a bottle of red wine and a bouquet of Stargazer lilies and white roses from the car. He hesitated, wondering if she would think it's too much, but then he kicked the door shut. She would appreciate the effort, and probably think him a ridiculous romantic, but that was fine with him.
He shifted everything to his left hand so he could let himself into the building. The stairs were straight ahead, but he opted for the elevator, giving himself a few more minutes to calm his nerves.
Christ. He needed to calm down. He was excited and nervous, and he couldn't stop grinning. This was finally happening.
When he got to the fourth floor, he headed down to Olivia's apartment, but before he could knock, the door opened in front of him.
Elliot nearly dropped the wine and the flowers, and his skin flushed as he took her in. She was standing in front of him, wearing that sexy black dress, and he could see nothing but curves, bronze skin and long legs. His eyes roamed down her body, and when they reached her spiky black heels, he trailed them back up until his eyes connected with hers. Her hair was in waves, her eyes were dark and smoky and her lips were perfectly glossed. She gave him a shy smile as he continued to stand there, and he sputtered out a hello.
Elliot blinked twice and swallowed hard. "You look…amazing." He wanted to kick himself. That word didn't even begin to describe how she looked.
"Thank you." She waited a beat. "Are those for me?" Olivia raised an eyebrow, happy that she'd had the desired effect on him. He had stood rooted in place, and that gave her a few moments to let her eyes roam as well. He was wearing black slacks and a stark white shirt, open at the collar. He was wearing a black jacket, and looked so sharp. He had gotten rid of his usual 5'o'clock shadow, and she thought he was the perfect mix of sexy and sweet…especially standing there with the flowers in his hand, that smile on his face and the slight flush in his cheeks. She wanted to devour him on the spot.
"Yes." Elliot handed her the flowers as he regained his composure. He strode into the apartment as Olivia stepped to the side, and she closed the door behind him. He stopped short when he saw the lights were on low, and candles were lit around the room. He could hear some music paying quietly, and he turned to face her. She was standing with her back to the door, holding the flowers in her hands and looking up at him through her darkened lashes.
"I thought maybe we could have a drink before we go." She brought the flowers to her nose and inhaled deeply.
Elliot stood in place, watching as she adopted an innocent look on her face.
He knew better than to believe that look. There was nothing innocent about her…with those long, bare legs and those pouty lips and that tousled hair.
Olivia brushed past him as she walked into the kitchen and he caught a whiff of her perfume.
"Sure, that sounds like a good idea." He followed her into the kitchen and watched as she filled the vase with water and placed the flowers in them. The sight of her bare back made him pause, and he had to work hard to resist the urge to move closer and run his fingers down the ridge of her spine. He realized there was no way she could be wearing a bra. He couldn't help wondering if she was wearing any underwear at all…the way the dress clung to her body.
She turned then, and he tried to avert his eyes from the deep V of cleavage that the low scoop neck of her dress revealed. The thin straps of her dress were straining with the weight of her breasts and he felt the arousal low in his belly. When he lifted his eyes, he saw a mischievous smile on her face. He knew she was happy that she was having the desired effect on him. But he had no one to blame but himself. He had asked her to wear that damned dress. He was somewhat surprised that she had.
"You look a little warm." Olivia said, moving a little closer to him. "Maybe you should take off your jacket." She slid her hands up his arms, feeling the hard muscle of his arms, until she reached his shoulders. Then she slid her fingers beneath the collar and started sliding it off his shoulders.
Elliot lifted his hands and placed them over hers. He pulled them off his shoulders, and lowered them until he was holding them in between their bodies. "You are trouble…" He said with a small smile. "With a capital T." He didn't know why he was surprised…this wasn't the first time she'd shown this side of herself, but it was still new to him.
"Just trying to make you comfortable." She said with a small pout, loving this game they were playing. Elliot could pretend that he didn't want her for as long as he liked…but she'd seen the way his eyes had devoured her and the flush in his body.
It would be fun to make him break.
She felt her body starting to react at the thought of all that animalistic power unleased and directed at her, and she had to turn away from him before she gave herself away.
"Let's open this wine." She gripped the bottle of wine in her hand and fumbled with the corkscrew as Elliot came up behind her.
Elliot knew she was toying with him, but two could play at that game. He moved in close, his body just inches from hers. "Let me help you." He said, his breath in her ear as he leaned over and took the corkscrew from her hand. He moved a little closer as he caged her against the counter, grasping the wine bottle in his left hand as he used his right hand to feed the corkscrew into the cork. He felt a sharp intake of breath as he pressed himself against her and he smiled.
Two points for him.
He was working the cork out of the bottle, and it was causing him to press gently against her. He hadn't intended it, and it was too much. He had to take a step back, leaving the bottle on the counter. "You should be able to get it from there."
Fuck.
This was getting out of hand. He wanted to control his baser thoughts. He had given himself a little pep talk on the way over. Dinner, discussion and then after that it would be up to her. But he hadn't expected her to direct all her sexual energy at him when he walked in the door. It was working though, because the only thing he could think about was pinning her against that counter and sliding that damn dress up her thighs.
Be strong. Take it slow.
Olivia braced her arms on the counter, unable to think about how it had felt to have him pressed up against her, even if it was for a moment.
Elliot startled her when he set the two wine glasses down on the counter next to her.
"You OK?" he asked. His fingers rested lightly on her lower back, and he saw goosebumps break out against her skin as he trailed them lightly up her back.
"I'm fine." She said, her voice breathier than she intended. Damn.
Elliot leaned in close, and he could feel her tense slightly. He whispered in her ear. "Liv…don't think I don't appreciate this attempt at seduction. Your damned hard to resist." He rested his open palms on her hips. "This act may work on other men…but I'm not like other men. I said I was taking you to dinner…and we're going to dinner."
Olivia felt a strange mixture of arousal…his hands were almost burning through her dress…and annoyance at the brush-off and his cocky attitude. She pushed back against him angrily. "That's pretty presumptuous Stabler. I wasn't…"
Before she could say anything else, Elliot spun her around and pressed his mouth against hers, silencing her. He pressed her body against the counter as he threaded his fingers through her hair, and he kissed her hungrily. He bit at her lips and sought out her tongue with his, and he felt her knees buckle slightly as he stole her breath away. When he finally released her mouth, he smiled down at her, still holding her with his arm.
"Consider that a preview of things to come…" His eyes dropped down to her lips, now devoid of lipstick. "But right now...we have someplace we need to be."
AN: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I know everyone wants the loving. It is in the next chapter. I PROMISE. These two…they get in the way sometimes.