The second time they kissed was more gentle; they took their time and explored each other's mouths—and other regions. Nick discovered Liv's other erogenous zone was her neck, and his tongue and lips showed her no mercy. He indulged his inner "caveman" and left his mark on her, to remind her that she was "his." He knew the consequences of giving her a hickey: a tongue lashing from her or worse, but he didn't care. And from the way that Olivia moaned with every lick, nip and suck, he guessed that she didn't either.

It's the middle of winter, he thought. She can wear a turtleneck. Judging from the furious shade of purple she sported, it didn't look like she had much choice in the wardrobe department. She would have to wear one. Every day. For a week. He knew she'd flip the moment she saw her neck in the mirror, and he knew who she would direct her anger at. He could almost feel her knee digging into his groin.

The stakeout turned out to be a complete bust; the perp had relocated and was laying low somewhere in Queens. But for Olivia and Nick, this event was a major turning point. They crossed a line, and neither of them could step behind that line again—no matter how much Olivia wanted to.

It's not that she didn't have feelings for Nick; her body "felt" all types of heat while they were in the squad car. But at this point in her life, she wanted more than just the carnal. Getting ass wasn't difficult; especially in NYC. But at her age, a blur of tequila-induced one-night stands was just plain sad. She had an opportunity for something more, and she wanted to seize it.

Olivia was a stubborn woman, and the road she traveled was often uphill and on difficult terrain—and most of the time, that was of her own doing. She needed a man with a lot of patience who could see through her self-sabotage tendencies and straight into her heart. She was too old and too jaded to still believe in the Prince Charming fairy tale. She just wanted an equal; a sexy, sensitive and boyishly handsome equal.

Nick's alarm on his watch went off, and he reluctantly pulled away from the nape of her neck. His lips and tongue tasted of her perfume—a taste he never wanted to wash out of his mouth. She sighed, irritated that they were interrupted, but aware that they needed to head back to the precinct.

They made eye contact and held each other's gaze for at least a minute. Finally, Nick broke the silence.

"I know I shouldn't say this, but I'm happy our stakeout was a bust."

A slight look of guilt washed over her face, but then she gave a little smile. "You just said what I was thinking, but I didn't want to say it out loud. After all, we're trying to catch a serial rapist."

She paused and looked at him; the smile vanished from her face, "Nick, I—"

His heart dropped like a lead weight into his stomach. He knew what was coming next. The way she chewed on her bottom lip and fidgeted with her hands. He went on the defense to soften the blow.

"Don't say anything. I just want to sear this memory of you and me into my brain. It's the only souvenir that I can take with me."

"Nick, do you know what happens when you assume?" She placed her hand on his thigh and flashed him a smoldering stare. "I was going to tell you that you were right. I am just as attracted to you as you are to me."

Nick felt her grip on his thigh tighten. He didn't know what she was going to say next, but he knew she was nervous.

Olivia wasn't nervous; she was terrified. She couldn't believe that she was moments away from turning her world—their worlds—upside down.

"Maybe we should explore this 'thing' between us."

Nick just stared at her with his mouth hanging open. He knew Olivia was a creature of habit; she resisted change, even when it was good for her. She didn't make this decision on the fly, which meant that she had feelings for him long before the stakeout."

"Close your mouth Amaro, unless you want to become a human flytrap."

He reached for her hand on his thigh and interlocked their fingers. "Liv, if I ask you a question, will you promise to give me an honest answer?"

"I can promise you that I'll try."

"How long have you been attracted to me?"

She sucked in her breath, and he could feel the muscles in her fingers tense. She tried to pull her hand away—but he tightened his grip. "Why do you—"

"Don't insult me by trying to deny it. I know you. We've worked dozens of cases together. Sometimes I can finish your sentences in my head, while you're still speaking. You don't make spontaneous decisions, especially ones about dating your partner."

"So, you think I'm boring and predictable?"

He chuckled, "No, I'm saying that you don't make decisions lightly. Unless you've already considered the possibilities or weighed the pros and cons. You know, trying to change the subject to take the heat off you is another habit of yours that I'm familiar with."

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, as he stared at her, his eyes demanding an answer. Why does he always have to be so goddamn perceptive?

She looked at him and puckered her lips, "For a while." Nick studied her face and gave her a firm nod. He knew to read between the lines.

In Liv-speak, "for a while" meant "longer than I care to admit to you or to myself." That answer was all that he needed.

"Since I'm in confession mode, I just want to warn you that sometimes I can be difficult to deal with. I'm very stubborn, and there will be times when you'll get frustrated with me and want to yell—"

"So, in other words, I should expect you to be...you." She rolled her eyes. "Liv, relax, we're not going to the wedding chapel. Let's get past our first date, OK? Baby steps."

"Right, baby steps."

"And Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for giving me a chance and trusting me. I know this isn't easy for you, so I'll promise to do my best not to fuck this up. You won't regret this. I'm going to—"

"Nick, we're not moving in together. We're just going on a date, remember?" she smirked and squeezed his hand.

"Alright, alright. I guess I had that coming. Smart Ass."

After an exhausting night, and a new possibility on the horizon, Nick and Olivia drove back to the 1-6 in silence, with clasped hands and matching grins plastered across their faces.

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