A/N: Thank you all for your patience on this story. It was meant to be a pure smut piece but of course with Hotch and Emily, they have to make it all about the angst and emotional stuff as well. Why can't these two characters just indulge in the physical? Here is the final part and I hope folks enjoy it.
"Trust me?"
Hotch's gaze was as intense as Emily had ever seen it. He waited patiently for her answer. She knew he would end whatever they were doing right here and now if she said no. He would never force her into anything she was uncomfortable with; the decision was hers alone.
And what would it be? If she stepped out of this studio with Hotch and went back to his hotel room with him, if she allowed him to make love to her, everything between them, everything she had known and fought hard to get back while the shadow of Doyle loomed over her, would be gone. It would transform into something else, something unknown. That was what scared her: the unknown. Hotch was not like any man she had known before. It wouldn't be casual. It wouldn't be short-lived. It would be intense, demanding; far more intimate than any relationship she had ever had. He wouldn't let her hide away anything. He wouldn't allow her to hold a part of herself back, compartmentalize. Hotch would demand total commitment because it was the only way he did things. Was she ready for it? Could she take that step?
He sensed her uncertainty and while he would let her decide, it didn't mean he wouldn't try to influence her in some small way. His head dipped down and he said softly into her ear,
"You can trust me."
Emily closed her eyes as his breath tickled her neck, the slight stubble on his cheek rasping against her smooth one. She knew that. She had always known that. But sometimes, she just needed to hear him say it, to hear that strong, deep reassuring voice of his so she could believe it to be true. Because far too often, Emily Prentiss had believed and been betrayed.
She turned her head. He had not moved his. Her lips were close to his and she whispered one word, "Yes."
Then she lightly pressed her mouth to his, a butterfly kiss that was sweet to Hotch, but was more intense than anything he had experienced before because he felt her giving him something precious and fragile and he knew he would guard it with his life. Forever.
Her trust. Her heart. Herself.
With that last step, Hotch was galvanized into action and he became his usual efficient, methodical self. He pulled away from Emily and picked up her jacket and shoes, placing the latter before her. He helped her into the jacket and fixed her collar before zipping her up into it. She stared at him in bemusement, allowing him to even bend over and nudge her feet into the sneakers she had worn to the studio. Zipped up and protected from the cold evening air and her feet shod, Hotch then quickly gathered her personal belongings, placed them neatly in her gym bag and zipped it shut. He picked it up in one hand and with the other took Emily by her arm and led her out of the studio.
"Do you have a key?" he asked when they stood in the doorway.
Emily shook her head. "It locks automatically. All I have to do is pull the door shut."
Hotch nodded and while Emily waited on the steps that led down to the street, he switched off the studio lights and firmly closed the door behind them, jiggling the knob to make sure it was locked and then followed Emily down to the sidewalk where he joined her. He slipped a hand around her waist, intent on keeping some physical contact with her, to reassure her and himself. Now that he could, he couldn't stop touching her and he was afraid she might still feel some lingering doubts and hesitancy.
He led her to the SUV and helped her in before sliding into the driver's seat. He started the car and smoothly pulled out into traffic. He glanced over at her where she sat watching him with a bemused expression on her face. Hotch smiled, picked up her hand and pressed a kiss to it. That elicited a smile from her and he rested her hand on his thigh, his hand covering it, keeping that connection between them.
They made it back to the hotel and Hotch quickly parked and got out of the car, hurrying over to Emily's side and helping her out of the SUV before she could step out herself. He was determined to keep physically connected to her as much as possible. She sensed what he was doing and lifted amused and knowing eyes up to his face causing him to blush slightly. He offered her a small shrug.
"I like touching you," he said simply.
She gave him a sweet smile. "I like you touching me."
He wanted to ravish her right there in the parking lot, but this was going to be done right. He hadn't wanted to take her up against a pole in some strange studio, though he hadn't been able to resist making her come with his fingers. He just had to be able to watch the beautiful expressions on her face as he gave her pleasure, knowing he was the reason for the ecstasy she was experiencing. However, when they finally were one, he intended it to be in the privacy of his room, behind a lock door, where they could do to each other as they wished and she could come hard and wrapped around him.
Repeatedly if he had any say, which he did.
With her small hand tucked in his much larger one, Hotch led her to a side door and the elevator. They rode up in silence, hands still clasped and arms pressed against each other. Their rooms happened to be on the same floor, but he led her to his, pausing to fish out his key card and he swiped it through the lock.
He opened the door and allowed her to go in before him. He then closed the door behind them and threw the deadbolt, effectively and soundly locking the rest of the world out.
The sound of the lock sliding home startled Emily and she turned around to look at him. Hotch walked towards her, dropping her gym bag on the floor and stepping up until their chests almost brushed against each other. One hand rose and he gently pushed back a strand of her hair before he allowed his fingers to glide down the smooth planes of her face, as though he was memorizing by touch her features.
His hand cupped her cheek and he gently drew her towards him as he lowered his head for a kiss. He was a gentle kiss again, like their first one, but unlike that one, it quickly morphed into something more passionate, fiercer and consuming. Their tongues dueled for supremacy and Hotch's hands were tangled in her hair as he held her close to him. Emily grasped the lapels of his suit jacket, pulling him towards her.
Their bodies began to sway from side to side as if dancing to the rhythm of their beating hearts. With no fumbled movements, no hesitation, they moved in unison, a synchronicity that they only knew with each other. Their dance continued as they slowly moved towards the bed.
When her legs hit the bed, Emily fell backwards onto it, dragging Hotch down with her. He caught himself on his arms in time so his full weight didn't fall on her. She let out a breathy laugh that sent a jolt of desire straight to his groin as he stared down into her flushed face with her kiss-swollen lips.
He took a moment to simply take in her beauty and once again, his fingers began to lightly trace her features. Hotch didn't think he would ever grow tired of looking into her face and from this moment forward, he swore it would be the last face he saw before he slept and the first face he saw when he woke.
His fingers went to the zipper of her jacket and slowly, he pulled it down. He moved slightly off of her so she could prop herself up and take off the jacket. She dropped it off the side of bed and once again Hotch claimed her lips. Gentle, sensual, his kiss made Emily's toes curl and her body to arch into Hotch as her hand wrapped around his neck to hold him to her.
Hotch moved away and smiled down at her. His fingers trailed over her bare shoulder and then he sat up, bring her up with him. He reached for the bottom of her exercise tank and he looked inquiringly at her. He saw the expression on her face.
He gave her a soft look. "It's okay," he said quietly.
Emily swallowed the thick lump that suddenly appeared in her throat. "The scars…"
"We all have them, Em," he continued. "They're apart of you. And you are beautiful. The scars can never take that away."
"The brand," her voice was a broken whisper.
"Means you won," Hotch said quietly, but firmly, hiding the unspeakable rage he had against the man who had hurt her so much. "You fought Doyle and you won, Emily. You're here and he's gone." He lifted the edge of her tank a scant inch. "Please?"
Slowly, she nodded. Emily held her breath as he gently pulled the tight tank up and over her head until it too was being dropped over the side of the bed. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the look of horror and disgust that must surely be on Hotch's face. She felt the tips of his calloused fingers trace the brand on her breast, just one of the marks that Ian Doyle left on her.
She swallowed again, expecting Hotch to remove his hand and then his person from the room, but instead, he caressed her breast, cupping it and stroking it. She couldn't help the moan of pleasure that escaped from her lips.
"God, you're so beautiful," she heard him say in a low growl.
Emily's eyes flew opened and she saw the look of hunger in his eyes. She stared at him in surprise and he grinned wolfishly at her. Not disgust, not horror, not even pity. All that she saw in his eyes and face was lust, passion and love. For her. For her scars. His strokes became firmer, stronger, sending sharp waves of pleasure streaking through Emily's body and causing her breaths to come out in soft hitches.
"Beautiful," he said again. "Mine." The last word was said in a possessive growl before he lowered his head and took the breast with the brand on it into his mouth, wrapping his lips around the sensitive flesh. His hand came to the other breast, while the other supported her back.
Emily arched towards him. She swung her leg around so she was straddling him, settled on his lap, her hands resting behind her on the bed, propping her up. She couldn't help moving her hips, pressing her core against the hard ridge of flesh straining against the front of his slacks.
The growl Hotch let out set off delicious vibrations against Emily's flesh. She let out a breathy, "Hotch", that spurred him to action.
Abruptly, he released her breasts, causing her to squeak out a sound of disappointment and then surprise as he suddenly reached for her yoga pants. Emily found herself lying on her back and Hotch was stripping her pants and underwear from her body, yanking off her shoes and socks as her pants came down and off. She let out a soft puff of laughter which died away when she saw how he was looking at her.
Never had a man wanted her so much as he did.
Emily's mouth went dry as she looked up at Hotch hovering above her, kneeling between her legs.
"Perfect," he said in a low tone. "I don't know where I want to start."
Emily propped herself up on her elbows and reached out a hand to caress his chest. "How about you start with letting me undress you?" She tugged gently on his tie.
Hotch grinned at her. "I guess it's only fair," he replied as he settled back as Emily rose up.
With quick fingers, she undid his tie and slowly pulled it off of him. With an impish look, she draped it around her neck. She saw Hotch's eyes darken and his nostrils flare as he watched the red silk snake around her naked breasts. His jaw tightened and she could see he was trying to stop himself from pouncing on her. She grinned at him and reached out to stroke his chest through the cotton of his dress shirt.
"Patience," she purred.
Hotch grunted in faint annoyance, but stayed still as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, each small, plastic disc slipping from the button hole with what felt like agonizing slowness. His shirt was completely unbuttoned and Emily snaked her hands under it to rest on his shoulders. He could feel the heat of her palms as she slid his shirt off, caressing his shoulders and arms as she removed his shirt.
She helped him peel off his white undershirt and his scars were now bare for her examination. Hotch had come to terms with his scars a while ago and they had faded over time. And after all he had said to Emily, he knew he could not show any hesitation in her seeing his old wounds, but he was anxious in regards to her reaction.
Tears filled her eyes as she took in the old nine wounds. Not because she thought they detracted from his beauty, never that. The sight of them simply propelled her back to that dark time when she could not find him and all she had was a blood stained floor. That fear came roaring back with her memories and he saw it all play out on her face.
"When I couldn't find you," she whispered brokenly. "So many things ran through my mind. What would I say to Jack? What would I say to the team? Why didn't I say something sooner?"
"Say something sooner?" he asked quietly, though his heart was beating rapidly. Had she felt something for him for so long?
Emily bit her lip and nodded. She looked up into his eyes. "Why I didn't say something sooner to you about how I felt."
His hand came up to cup her cheek. "And afterwards, when you had the chance, you said nothing."
She shook her head, but Hotch wouldn't allow her to dislodge his hand. He wanted to maintain that physical contact with her and he suspected she needed it too.
"You weren't ready," she replied with a sad smile. "There was so much going on, but you weren't ready to hear that your subordinate was developing feelings for you. I couldn't put that on you. And then when Haley died…"
"You pulled away from me," Hotch said slowly.
"I had to. All I wanted to do was to try to make things better for you, but I was the last thing you needed."
"Maybe you were exactly what I needed," he said quietly. Hotch shook his head when she started to speak. "No, I'm not saying you were wrong to pull away. You're right, I wasn't in a good place and likely would have done something incredibly stupid." He smiled fondly at her and brushed back a strand of hair. "I'm always doing the wrong and stupid thing with you. Accusing you of being Strauss' mole, of playing politics. Then not seeing you for so long. For being stupid in not seeing how you were meant for me." He leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers. "God, Em, we've wasted so much time. I don't want to waste another second." He moved forward and kissed her, passionately, possessively.
Emily let out a sigh of contentment and her hands moved down to his belt buckle. His hands came down to help her and soon, the rest of his clothes and shoes joined Emily's yoga pants and panties on the floor next to the bed.
Naked for her eyes and her touch, she allowed her hands to move over the planes of his body. His skin was supple and soft, but she could feel the steel of muscle under the benign covering. As her hands explored him, he allowed his to roam over the smooth silk that covered her body. Skin that had tantalized him for years with its porcelain perfection, where he was only allowed fleeting teasing glances, he could now touch and savor every millimeter of it.
They sat on the bed, facing each other, Emily on his lap, straddling his body once again. Her wet core brushed up against his fully erect cock, but they wanted to enjoy this moment, so long it had been in coming to them. With hands and mouths and tongues they explored the other's body, tasting, touching, savoring.
His nose breathed in the scent of the skin on her neck as his lips trailed across her shoulder. Her fingernails lightly scratched across his back as she trailed them down his spine. For so long they had denied themselves any intimacy with each other it was as if they were trying to make up for those lost years in these few moments.
But urgent needs took over and Hotch pulled back slightly. His hands framed her face and he kissed her, urgently, wantonly, conveying to her his needs. "I need to be inside you, Emily," he whispered against her lips.
She whimpered her agreement and lay back against the bed, her dark hair fanning out against the white pillow and sheets. He was still between her legs and shifted until he was in a kneeling position. His eyes dropped down and he looked at the apex of her legs. With careful fingers he slowly parted her folds and gazed upon the wet rosy flesh he had explored earlier with his fingers, but had yet to see.
Perfect, like the rest of her.
He would taste her later, feeling her coming in his mouth as he drank in everything she had to offer, but for now, he needed to be joined with her in a way no other man ever will be again. He placed the tip of his cock at her entrance. His eyes caught hers and without breaking that connection, slowly pushed his way into the tight flesh of her body.
Emily's breath caught in her throat as she felt him enter her. He was much larger than she had anticipated and it had been so long for her, the earlier finger fucking he gave her notwithstanding. Pain began to creep into her body as he pushed more deeply into her. He felt her tense and stopped, his hands moved to caress her.
"Easy, Em, we'll go slow," he murmured, though she heard the barely controlled thread straining to snap.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. Emily shifted her hips and he moved abruptly forward causing Hotch to suck in his breath and Emily and bite down on her lip as a flash a pain went through her. As soon as it appeared, it was gone and she felt the waves of pleasure course through her. She murmured something, but he knew she was ready and with infinite care, he thrust into her until he was deep and snug inside of her.
For a moment, he simply held her to him, allowing her to adjust and allowing him to savor the feel of her. Hotch had never felt anything so incredible before. Tight, hot, wet, she was like a second skin around his shaft. He felt her move her hips again and he knew she was ready.
Slowly, he thrust in and out of her and the room was filled with just their soft gasps. Hotch wanted it to go slow, for them to savor each stroke, each gasp like they had during their foreplay as they explored each others' bodies.
But soon, he had to thrust a little harder, a little faster. Emily tilted her hips a little higher, rose to meet him with more force. What precious little control he had snapped and he was grasping her hips in a tight grip as she clawed at his back.
He knew it would be good between them. He had imagined it to be magical, a soft romantic joining between two people who felt so much for each other; something that was almost cliched. But this was something else. It was pure passion, raw, and completely unexpected. The sensations, the feelings, the emotions underlying it all hit him with the force of a freight train and he knew he would bear the marks of it forever long after any physical evidence had faded away. It overwhelmed them both and he was driving madly into her as she met him stroke for hard stroke, whispering hotly into his ear how she wanted him to take her.
Emily gently bit Hotch's earlobe as she whispered for him to take her harder, faster, that it was only him she had ever wanted. She felt him pull her legs up higher and change the angle of his entry as he slammed even deeper into her. Her back arched sharply and she keened wildly. "Oh God, yes, Aaron! There! Harder!"
The use of his name drove him into a frenzy and he would wonder later how they managed not to break the bed. He heard Emily's erratic breathing, her gasping sobs and felt the sweet clenching of her muscles as they fluttered around his cock. She let out a sharp, gasping cry as she hurtled over the edge, her body clamping tightly around him. Three more hard thrusts and he spilled himself into her, his hips moving jerkily, blackness coloring the edges of his vision as he let out a loud, hoarse cry of, "Emily!"
He hadn't realized he had collapsed onto her until a few minutes later when his mind registered her soft breath in his ear. Still he moved languidly, spent from the most intense sexual experience he had ever had. Hotch shifted slightly so he was no longer crushing Emily, but he semi-hard cock remained buried inside of her. He smiled down into her flushed face where a small smile was lingering on her lips.
Slowly, he lowered his head and brushed his mouth against hers. "Are you okay?"
"Just trying to…wow," she breathed out. She languidly opened her eyes and gazed up at him. A wealth of emotion were written in those lovely orbs, but the one that made him catch his breath was the loving look she gave him. There was no need for him to doubt what was written in her eyes as her hand came up to gently stroke his cheek. "It was incredible."
He smiled back at her and caught her hand so he could place a kiss on her palm. "You're incredible," he rumbled back, his voice husky from the recent vocalization he had made regarding how incredible he thought she was. His face turned serious. "This isn't something causal or one night, Em. I'm not going to not be here tomorrow morning or the morning after. I want something more, something that has a future. I know you probably still have some uncertainties, but I know we can make it work and because of that, even if you try to pull away, I'm going to still come after you to convince you otherwise."
She blinked up at him in surprise. He was completely serious. Of course he is, she thought wryly to herself, He's Hotch. "You make it sound like you're pursuing an unsub." A trace of amusement was in her voice.
"Someone even more important," he corrected as he brushed some hair back from her forehead. "Someone I see myself spending the rest of my life with."
Her eyes softened. She was still a little scared. A little apprehensive. How would this work with their jobs? There was also Jack to consider. There was the rest of the team. How could they make this work?
He could see her mind spinning and knew exactly what she was thinking about. He had asked himself the same questions she was raising now. He dropped a kiss on her mouth. Emily responded instantly and he felt his heart contract sharply. He could never lose this, the wonderful feeling of her kissing him, of having her in his arms. He pulled away and smiled at her.
"It won't be easy, but I think together, we can make it work." He stared intently down at her. "Trust me?"
He had asked her back at the studio and she had said she did. Nothing had changed since then and she knew now that her earlier leap of faith had given her courage to make this one and made it easier to do. She smiled up at him and said, "Yes."
His grin was almost blinding and he dropped his head again to kiss her. She moaned as his tongue dueled with hers and he could feel himself wanting her again. They broke the kiss to come up for air. "I've fantasized about this, making love to you, but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be so amazing."
She blushed prettily, but gave him a sly look, an irresistible combination that delighted Hotch. "You had fantasies? About me?"
"Mmmhhmmm," he affirmed in a low growl as he dropped his head to nuzzle her neck and the side of her face. "Many."
"Care to share?" she murmured as she felt him harden inside of her. She began to stroke his back.
"I'll do better. I'll show."
Derek Morgan walked a little unsteadily down the hallway to his room. He wasn't drunk, but just pleasantly buzzed. After this case, they all needed some time and way to release and forget. As he passed Hotch's room, he heard music and a woman singing,
The lights are on,
But you're not home,
Your mind, is not your own.
Your heart sweats,
Your body shakes,
Another kiss, is all it takes!
You can't sleep,
You can't eat,
There's no doubt,
You're in deep.
Morgan paused and blinked blearily at the door to Hotch's hotel room. Florence and the Machine? He wouldn't have taken Hotch to be a fan. Morgan shrugged. I must be drunker than I thought. He continued on his way to his room, opened the door and went in, dismissing the unusual incident of Hotch listening to music produced in the 21st century and playing it loudly as a figment of his inebriated state.
Oooh, you'd like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah.
It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough
You're gonna have to face it
You're addicted to love!
A/N 2: I just want to point out for those watching Season 7, Hotch was smiling a lot during this season long before that insipid wet blanket came into the picture. And just because I don't like the Triathlon Hussy (thanks greengirl!), doesn't mean I'm anti-Hotch like Erica Messer seems to insinuate. It just means I don't like the Triathlon Hussy. And if they really want to get Hotch smiling, ahem, see above part! ;-)