A/N Jealousy, dye-job insecurity, smut. Jealous Liz fic from a Lizzington Shippers prompt – thanks to SomeLikeItHot! Sorry it took so long to get round to this. WARNING: Oh so very NSFW – if you don't like smut, don't read. Disclaimed as ever. Reviews welcome :-)

8: Jealously

Liz stood in front of the bathroom mirror studying her reflection with a mixture of awe and trepidation. It was bold – the lightest her hair had ever been before was when she'd had those 'Baltimore' highlights that Red had referred to. Her eyes looked warmer somehow. It was strange showering knowing that Red was in the next room. The bathroom door was locked of course, but she doubted that such a trivial detail would matter to him if the occasion required an urgent response. She'd half expected him to burst in on her, to say they'd been found, that they needed to leave.

They'd gone from a professional relationship defined by the formality of his many layers and her badge to…something else. His suits were gone, replaced by slacks and shirts unbuttoned at the collar. They'd slept in the same house, although she had yet to see any evidence of him actually sleeping – the previous night he had been settled in the living room when she'd gone to bed, and he had been standing over the coffee maker in the kitchen when she'd emerged in the morning.

She pulled on a black lace cami and looked back to her hair in the mirror. She'd twisted the ends into a pretty curl as she'd dried it. She didn't want to think about why she'd done that – why did it matter what he thought of it? As he'd pointed out when he'd handed her the home dye kit, it was just a necessary part of keeping a low profile, nothing more.

There was a soft knock at the door. "Lizzie? Are you alright?"

Her stomach knotted a little at the sound of his voice. "I'm fine. Um…" She took one last look in the mirror and reached out to open the door. She stepped back and regarded him nervously. "What do you think?"

His eyes widened fractionally and he rolled his tongue as if formulating a response. "Well… that will do nicely."

She would have been offended were it not for the way he said it, which was rather breathily and with another roll of his tongue that sent an unexpected jolt straight through her abdomen.

"I'll let you finish up" he said abruptly and closed the door behind him.

What was that? Perhaps he didn't like it – after all he had complimented her on her natural dark hair when they first met. But then again, she felt that something had just passed between them and was surprised to find that she enjoyed it. Yes. Something had definitely changed, at least in the way she was thinking about him. Her inner psychologist warned that she was likely to feel attracted to him now that her life was in tatters and she was reliant on him. But the hair… the hair was making her bold. She decided to offer to cook for him tonight. He wouldn't expect that. They could open a bottle of wine and at least talk, at least give her the opportunity to figure out what the hell it was she was feeling.

She exited the bathroom and went to find him in the kitchen. "I thought I'd cook for us tonight. You've been sorting everything out so I want to do something. Not that my cooking is a great way to say thank you…" she trailed off, hoping he would step in.

He looked at her with a slight frown on his face before smiling and answering her breezily. "I'd love to Lizzie, but alas I won't be here tonight. I'm having dinner with a contact. She could prove to be very useful to us."

Liz tried to quell the disappointment settling in her gut. "Who is she?"

"Anahita Salehi." He wrapped his tongue around the name like it was a delicious sweet.

Liz's raised her eyebrows. "As in Paul Von Essen's wife? Her husband's the media mogul?"

Red frowned slightly. "Yes, although I doubt she would enjoy being referred to as Paul's wife – she's an extraordinarily shrewd and successful business women in her own right. That, and they recently divorced."

Liz blushed, feeling both annoyed and ashamed. Of course Red would know someone like that. Of course he would rather have dinner with an 'extraordinarily shrewd and successful business woman' than her. How did he know they were divorced? It wasn't common knowledge as far as she knew. Perhaps his interest in this woman was more than just as a contact.

"And how exactly is she going to help us?" Her comment came out more icily than she'd planned but if Red noticed he didn't show it, merely smiling enigmatically.

"Anahita has multiple…talents… that I may need to exploit at some point in the future."

Liz felt an unpleasant pang in her gut. Whatever that moment had been in the bathroom she had totally misread it. Or perhaps he was just like that with all women whether he was interested or not. She thought back to the many women he'd flirted with during their different cases.

"Right" she said sardonically. "Well enjoy yourself." On her way out she added "I won't wait up" in the hopes that he would reassure her that he would be home, but she was disappointed.

"That's probably best" she heard him say.

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Red watched as she flounced out of the kitchen, her newly blonde curls bouncing on her shoulders and reflecting the light as she moved. After she was gone he turned and griped his hands against the counter until his knuckles turned white. He needed to get a handle on himself. That moment in the bathroom had been too close for comfort – he'd barely been able to conceal his reaction. She was stunning.

He'd been aware for some time that his feelings towards her had become… complicated. He had no right whatsoever to think of her in that way. No right to do anything other than care for her and guide her. She was totally reliant on him to keep her safe, to keep her free. To keep her alive. Nothing must subvert that.

Admittedly he hadn't expected to find it quite so challenging living in close quarters with her. He was a little surprised at her reaction to his plans for the evening, although, he thought with a wry smile, her sarcasm and volatility were old friends of his by now. He couldn't afford to think too much on why she had reacted in that way. God, he needed to be away from her, at least for tonight.

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That evening Liz sat alone in the safe house, unable to keep her mind off Red and his exotic, sophisticated dinner guest. She felt foolish, like a silly school girl with a crush on a charming older guy unwilling to give her the time of day. She fiddled with her hair, looking at the blonde color out of the corner of her eye. It looked brassy and fake to her under the lights. She felt another unpleasant pang in her stomach. He must hate her hair – he was the epitome of class and elegance and, at the end of the day, this was a cheap home dye-job. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. Grabbing the bottle she walked over to the laptop in the living area and sat down.

She knew what Anahita Salehi looked like – she'd seen pictures in the newspaper from time to time. She was very pretty. She took a gulp from her glass and typed the name into Google. She wasn't just pretty. She was beautiful. She looked poised and elegant, like a Persian princess, her enormous dark eyes and long, luxurious black hair effortlessly stunning in every photograph. Liz ran her fingers through her own hair, hating it more by the minute. She scanned some of the headlines. Red was right – Salehi was very successful, running businesses and charities, giving speeches, attending galas. She pulled up her bio. 44 years old. Much nearer to Red's age than Liz, though you wouldn't know it to look at her. Liz shut down the computer and poured herself another glass.

She was still sitting in the living area hours later when Red came in. He tossed his hat and coat on the large dining table and observed the empty bottle of wine with raised eyebrows.

"Decide to have a party on our own, did we?" he said drily.

Liz shrugged at him from the chair, her focus a little unsteady. "Why should you have all the fun?" she said sulkily.

"Had I known you were interested I would have invited you to come. Perhaps next time." His voice sounded tight. Condescending.

Liz felt stung. The thought of being a lame third wheel in between Red and Salehi's flirtatious repartee was unbearable.

"You know what? You're right" she spat. "I'm not interested. Sleep with whoever you want. Just don't pretend you're doing it to help me."

His expression darkened. "And who says that Anahita and I have an intimate relationship?"

"It's fine. Forget it."

She drained her glass, stood up and marched past him. His hand shot out and gripped her arm, spinning her back to face him. "We're not done."

She felt a jolt of fear run through her; he'd never touched her like that before and she was reminded that he was a dangerous and powerful man. She'd seen him kill people. Suddenly her petulant, alcohol-fuelled outburst seemed terribly ill-advised.

He studied her face for a moment, his eyes dark and tempestuous. "Elizabeth, if I didn't know better I'd say you were jealous."

His tone was low and serious, although she thought she detected a sparkle of amusement flash across his features. She felt an unstoppable wave of fury and shame wash over her, and something else as well – he had pulled her so close to him she could feel the warmth of his body, she could smell him. His grip on her arm was tight but not painful and the feel of his fingers on her skin made her whole body ignite with want.

She swallowed. "I am not jealous!"

"Don't lie to me Lizzie, you're no good at it." He tutted at her and shook his head. "Anahita and I share a professional relationship only. Under normal circumstances I abhor jealously" he continued "but on you, I find it rather enchanting…" Maintaining his hold on her he brought his other hand up to tuck her blonde curls behind her ear, his thumb brushing her cheek purposefully.

Oh. Oh Yes. The wine had made her a little giddy and she felt a tell-tale blush of arousal creep over her chest and onto her face. He smiled knowingly as he watched her cheeks color and she felt his fingers in her hair, interlacing with the golden strands with a pleasant tugging sensation.

Suddenly he leaned in until his lips brushed softly against her ear as he spoke.

"Elizabeth- how much have you had to drink?"

"Why do you care?" She could feel his breath on her neck.

His fingers tightened slightly in her hair. "Because I don't want you to do anything you will regret in the morning."

Oh God. His achingly deep tones spiralled deliciously inside her, settling between her legs, and she couldn't help the small moan that escaped her lips. He drew back then, his cheek brushing against her until his lips were just inches from hers, his eyes dark and filled with the question he hadn't asked.

"Yes." She whispered. "Please, Red…" She was blushing furiously now, unable to get the words out to tell him what she needed, to tell him that she wanted him to take her there and then, to quell the desperate ache inside her.

He seemed to understand, and relieved her of further embarrassment by pressing his lips to hers in a bruising kiss, his passion intensifying when she willingly opened her mouth to accept his tongue, allowing him to explore her, while his fingers raked through her silky blonde curls. She slid her arm inside his jacket, pulling him closer until his impressive bulge was pressed against her, leaving her in no doubt of his intentions. Giving her one more, deep, intoxicating kiss, he lifted her suddenly onto the oak table behind her. Her eyes gleamed as he planted her on the table top, and he watched in awe as she stripped off her black cami, revealing full round breasts, her hardened nipples more pink and delicate than he could have imagined.

He wanted to take his time with her, desperate to explore every inch of her sublime body, but he could no longer control what they had become - a lustful haze of tongues and teeth and unstoppable desire, her fingers tearing at his belt as he sucked the sensitive flesh of her neck and squeezed her breasts in his hands. He quickly pushed her back on the table and undid her jeans, yanking them down along with her panties until she was naked and trembling with desire, wound tight as a spring.

"God Lizzie – you are divine. So beautiful, sweetheart."

Still fully clothed he allowed his eyes to feast on her body, running his thumb up the inside of her thigh whilst undoing his pants with his other hand. She swallowed as his erection bounced free, reaching out to wrap her hand around him. He groaned as he watched her delicate fingers slide up and down his thick length. "Ah, sweetheart keep that up and this will be over far too quickly."

She smiled wickedly at him as he reached into his back pocket and produced a condom. She watched in awe as he rolled it deftly down his shaft, and then gasped as his fingers slid along her entrance, his thumb brushing expertly over her clit. She mewled at the sensation and thrust her hips forward, eliciting a breathy laugh from him. Taking his cue, he ran the tip of his cock up and down her before pausing a moment, looking at her seriously. "Lizzie – you're sure?"

He felt her fingernails dig into his forearms. "God, yes I'm sure – please!"

Balancing her on the edge of the table he thrust slowly forward until he was buried inside her. They both moaned with pleasure and the relief that came with the moment they had both longed for. He moved slowly at first, determined not to hurt her, but soon she wrapped her long legs around him, drawing him in to the hilt and making him cry out gruffly. Bracing himself against her wrists on the table, he angled her just-so, each powerful thrust hitting her sweet spot until he felt her begin to quiver and pulse around him. Her eyes slipped shut in ecstasy and he felt the loss of her deep blue eyes acutely. "Open your eyes sweetheart" he breathed "let me see you come." She looked right at him then, her lids heavy and pupils dilated, and it was enough to take him with her, his balls tightening exquisitely before he was overcome with the most intense pleasure he had experienced in years.

Afterwards they collapsed on the sofa together and he wrapped his warm arms around her, kissing her head and running his fingers hypnotically through her hair. She looked up at him.

"So… I'm guessing you like my hair then?"

"Lizzie… it left me speechless."

The End