Author's note:

Hi, there my favourite people! :) So, we are in the first day of December, I spent all day buying Christmas presents – exhausting as Hell – but I have everything I need and I can focus on the last 18 days of my semester with all the tests I have to write and one exam in front of me. It's going to be very hard but I'll make it, I have no other choice. To those who are experiencing the same thing as me – good luck! To the others, I hope you're having a good time! :)

Thank you Bethany! I'm glad you like it and trust me, the fun is really worth it. ;)

Debbie, thank you so much for the review and your apt word, it really flatters me to have you as a reader. :)

Dear Celine Krause, the countdown is over – the Monday is here! Hopefully, enjoy this chapter and thank you so much for your review!

Thanks also belong to you Hockeymom! Glad you like the previous chapter, hope you also like this one. :)

And as for you Fem – I'm glad you actually read my previous A/N and expressed as well as clarified your opinion. I truly and honestly value every point of view I can get and I always take the best from it. That's why people differ in their opinions because if we all were the same, with the same beliefs, it would be boring so it's more of a challenge for me. Still, it saddens me and upsets me that you probably don't perceive the concept of the story as I and rest of my readers do (at least I hope so, since nobody has told me something similar like you), because Tony and Ziva are entering in this story into a consensual sexual relationship. That's the reason why the seduction takes so much time, after all. He's giving her the chances to back away, he's trying to show her that if she tells him to stop, then he really will so he's not pushing her to do something she actually doesn't want. And Ziva is incapable of doing so because she really wants him. Her 'no' isn't caused by her defiance against him as a person, but because she knows it might destroy their friendship and partnership. He knows that too, he knows why she is reluctant because he held himself back for such a long time for the same reasons. They know why they couldn't do it before and this story is just describing how tired he is with the 'cat and mouse' game. Just because he is making advances towards her when she clearly isn't able to resist to the temptation, doesn't make it to be an attempt to rape her. If he really wanted to do so (and Tony would never do such thing), I think he would just grab her and throw her on the bed, he wouldn't try to convince her about his feelings, his intentions and he wouldn't give her any chance to back away. And if Ziva felt she was about to get raped, she would injure him, throw him out or she would do something to prevent it. I have the impression that you are taking it all in general way, like if I write about just some random guy who bumped into a hot-looking girl who seems to him to be easy or something. But I write about certain characters with certain personalities, certain history and certain relationship between them. You judge the story on the basis of one chapter that might seem a bit off but you have to incorporate it in the whole story. He is careful with her, he tries to show her that if she just doesn't want him then she can tell him and he will leave, he will reveal his true intentions and in the following chapters, she will give him the consent because she trusts him. What will happen between them is going to be consensual and if she will have any misgivings that it won't be because she would think he tried to rape her. What I'm trying to say is that even though you readers see into their heads and know what they think because I'm giving you the insight, you forget to notice that they know each other for years so they know the looks and the behaviour of one another, they know how they behave in certain moments etc. I don't want to say that they are able to reach each others' minds but the body language is always very important to observe (not to mention that their job is using the body language to convict people of lying and so on) and if he's able to recognize safely that whatever her mouth says, her body doesn't mean it, then he's right because he knows every detail of her behaviour in the same way she knows his. Nevertheless, I do respect your opinion because like I remarked above – people differ in their points of view and it's your right to freely express it if you want. I guess it all upsets me just because my future job concerns fighting against crime and I felt offended that you probably judge me without knowing me and my desire to protect people. However, I feel flattered that you thank me for my writing and that you are interested in my story because it means I have hope that I can change your opinion on the story itself and that you will see it in the same way like me. I'm truly sorry that you feel it different way because it wasn't intended but I like I said – you have every right to feel different. Thank you for clarifying your opinion and hopefully, enjoy the rest of the story if it's possible. :)

But let's get back to the story. I know you're all impatient and so, and I promise you that the final surrender is just around the corner but before that, we have to deal with few things which are the topics of this chapter. The main one is that Tony will reveal his true intentions...

So, hopefully, enjoy the ride, people! :) We've reached 100 followers for which I'm thankful to all of you! And Eve, I hope you're somewhere in a quiet corner and alone... :D

Disclaimer:

I do not own NCIS or the characters.

Towel – Chapter 7

*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***

He, again, forced her to take another step backwards, as they both moaned at the gentle rub of their abdomens, and Ziva knew that she was absolutely lost. Although there was something left from her common sense that appeared from time to time, he always managed to silence it and repress it with the marvellous mouth of his, and she didn't have any other choice than to succumb to it.

He suddenly broke the kiss with a gentle nip on her bottom lip and had to smile at her woozy face that revealed how compliant she was becoming. Really, what an amazingly responsive woman she was, he sometimes couldn't comprehend. On the one hand, she was able to bottle up all of her emotions very well, but on the other, when the walls crumbled, he could read in her like in a book since everything she was feeling reflected in her face perfectly.

"Come on, say it. It's not that hard, Ziva. Just a stupid four-letter word." He prodded her with amusement, challenging her and helping her to make her to say the word 'stop' that she apparently wasn't able to get out of her mouth. It was only another game for him to show her that she wanted him and that was why she couldn't do anything explicit to stop him.

*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***

She stared at him, unable to say a word and just breathing heavily, trying to absorb what this man made her feel. She knew damn well that it was four-letter word, but for whatever reason, she couldn't transform the orders of her brain into that word. The only thing that had some meaning for her was to welcome his lips on hers as he quickly kissed her, just to taste her once more before he continued in teasing her.

"'S' – like the fantastically smooth skin of yours." He whispered, deciding to toy with her through seductive wordplay by indicating the letters with her body parts he admired or he could touch. With the first letter, he opted on the skin on her spine, purposively sending shivers down it as his fingers travelled up and down, hinting the letter with writing it on her back.

She didn't know why but she found it arousing as Hell, especially when his hand left the area of her spine and shifted down, cheekily sticking behind the towel and touching her warm stomach where the butterflies tossed from side to side, ruining her will to stand and making her whimper. She now regretted that the word 'stop' didn't have a letter B in it because in that case, he would be touching her breasts right now, and if she wanted to be honest, her breasts craved for that touch and not only with his fingers.

He smiled happily at her reaction, putting the hand back on her waist to support her because it seemed she might fall down soon, and he certainly didn't want that since he still wasn't entirely done with her. "'T' – like your slender thigh." He continued in his wordplay, gripping her thigh with his hand and pushing her crotch into the bulge in his jeans even more, loving the way she gasped every time she felt it.

In addition, he bent down and licked her skin thoroughly with his tongue to emphasize his insinuation of the letter T, starting in the swell of her breasts, continuing across her collar bone and up her swan-like neck, scooping the few drops that fell down from her hair in the meantime. Her skin tasted as the finest chocolate, not to mention that he could still smell the shower gel and body lotion she had applied just few minutes ago, and he was sure that nothing smelled so good.

She moaned his name which brought a smug smile into his face, especially when he considered that she had obediently bent her head backwards to give him the space for tasting her throat. The tremble of her body was rather noticeable because she was openly enjoying the way his rough tongue grazed her sensitive skin, She added to the proof of her pleasure by digging her nails into his arms in desperation.

Ziva couldn't think clearly, but she was pretty aware that she had lost all control over herself and used his name to moan. He, again, forced her to do another step closer to the bed. But how far they were, she didn't know because her eyes were closed. She stumbled a bit, but he managed to help her to keep her standing, knowing he had to quicken the pace of the seduction because she was really on the brink of complete surrender.

"'O' – like those beautiful brown orbs which grace your perfect face." He carried on with his plan, watching as she opened her eyes and blinked a few times, struggling to breathe and so fanning his face with her hot breath. He embraced her more tightly with his left hand and brought like that their bodies even closer, if it was possible at all.

She had the impression she would soon burst into flames under his gaze, but she couldn't bring herself to avert her eyes from it. He had succeeded in hypnotizing her, making her weaker by each passing second she was in his arms. It was harder and harder to deny her desire for him anymore, especially when he could assure himself by touching her or just looking at her.

Her eyes slipped down on his lips and he could see it, but didn't give her what she wanted right away. There was still last letter to insinuate and he always finished what he had started, especially when it came to her. So he ignored her yearning gaze and impatient sigh that begged him to kiss her and never stop, because he still had something in plan and he wanted to stick with it.

"And the last letter – 'P'." He said, taking another step and finally getting straight in front of the bed, grinding his pelvis into hers, making her to moan loudly. The only thing that remained was to push her and she would easily land on the bed, completely compliant and willing to do everything he fancied.

He bent down and brushed his lips against hers gently, tempting her and teasing her, loving the fitful breaths of hers, accompanied by adorable whimpers, and he couldn't fight the contended smile that crept into his face. "I don't think that this one needs some further definition." He whispered, pulling away slightly and explaining why he didn't try to make some hint with the letter "P" and just repeated the movement of his pelvis. There were too many words he could use, but rather left it to her imagination.

Ziva had had enough of the teasing. She wanted him, and she wanted him right now. She could understand that he wanted to be sure whether she desired the same thing he did but she had given him crystal clear answers in her moans and her touches, so she couldn't comprehend why he still stalled it by some stupid, teasing games. Fine, she couldn't stop him, not that she actually wanted to, but he already knew it and didn't have to thrive on it.

She groaned in frustration and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him forcibly down for a kiss, finally taking the initiative all by herself. She started to drink on his swollen lips, using her tongue to part them and seeking for his tongue to challenge him for the amorous battle of dominance as he obediently took her up on her offer and participated very gladly on the kiss.

She palmed his face, just to be sure he wouldn't try to escape, because she now intended to kiss him to death for what he was doing to her. She needed her revenge at least a bit for what he was making her feel, not to mention how he had managed to break her, totally disarming her with his actions, making those walls around her to crumble so that she'd then let him to do everything that crossed his mind.

Somewhere in the back of her head, her common sense was slowly recuperating and waiting for the right moment to intervene so it could stop her from doing such a big mistake. But for now, she decided to ignore it and focus completely on his magnificent mouth which she was currently tasting. Her hands found their way back on his waist and under his T-shirt, raking her nails across his skin.

He moaned, feeling and enjoying her lust for him. But he knew he couldn't just continue it like that. He wanted her to admit that she couldn't say the word 'stop' because she wanted him, despite her attempts to make him go away. He didn't want to hear it for his self-confidence or because of his pride, he didn't want to boost his ego. He wanted her to say it aloud so she could finally admit to herself her need for him and yield to it fully and unconditionally, because he didn't want her to regret it later and accuse him of taking advantage of her state of undress.

So he broke the kiss, in spite of her moans in protest and her attempts to stay glued to his lips, which only proved him even more that she was slowly but certainly giving in. "Why can't you say it when you want to stop me so much, huh?" He asked her, gripping her thigh and her waist, wanting her to surrender at discretion so she would stop fighting with herself, because her body and libido had been winning the battle against her common sense for quite some time.

She opened her eyes and batted her eyelashes on him, trying to make her brain work so she could answer his question. If it wasn't for her state of arousal and the fact she didn't want anything else than to fall down on the bed and take him with her, she would be pissed with the way he tried to make her to admit her defeat. But like that, she could only stare into his face full of unsustainable longing.

She sighed resignedly and decided to admit it. There was no point in denying her weakness, it wasn't going to stop him, so the best way to respond was to go with the flow. "I can't." She said, her voice trembling with the desperation and hopelessness she felt, palming his cheek and caressing it with her thumb to assure him of her words and sincerity.

"As much as I want to, I just..." She continued, being interrupted for a while by his light kiss as his face lit up by a contended smile, and he couldn't resist rewarding her with a peck on her lips. Those words were warming his heart so much, she couldn't even imagine that – literally music to his ears.

Another sigh in resignation followed as she slipped her hand down his chest, smoothing out the fabric of the T-shirt with her fingers. "I can't bring myself to say it." She conceded, ready to capitulate and accept her fate without thinking about the consequences. After their make out session, she just didn't have the strength to fight the inevitable, because he was right – it was bound to happen one day, and apparently that day was today.

She expected that he would just take her and fling her on the bed, tear off the towel and do what they both craved for. But he just stood there, still keeping her thigh in place hooked around his hip, and stared at her with an expression of dreamy adoration. She really didn't have any idea what it meant for him that she'd just admitted she couldn't resist him, because in his eyes it meant the only one thing – she had some feelings for him.

"See? Told you, want me." He uttered, but it didn't sound somewhat complacently. On the contrary, it was stating the obvious in the most affectionate way she had ever heard. For the emphasis, he ran his free hand across her arm, sending goose bumps across her skin and making havoc in her head even more.

Her common sense chose this moment to get through the sensual haze she was in, making one last attempt to prevent her from giving in completely. "Just because my body wants it, it doesn't mean that it is right, Tony." She said, biting her tongue immediately because she didn't want to say it but she couldn't deny that it was actually true.

Their bodies hungered for each other, and they were aware of that, but it had been happening for years and still they had been able to bottle it up – most of the time. Sure, there had been times and moments, for example this one, when they didn't want anything else than to finally cross the line, tear off their clothes and show one another how much they hungered for it. But they valued their friendship and partnership enough to realize how much it would change things between them.

So, they had pretended it hadn't been that strong, and if she didn't count those few kisses they had shared in certain moments of their relationship, the farthest they had gone was actually right now. And even though she wanted it like nothing else, she had to agree with her common sense in some points. Her libido had betrayed her too many times in her life, and if she wanted to be honest at least with herself, her relationship with Tony was the healthiest thing she had ever had and to destroy it by sleeping with him would kill her.

Tony understood the hidden message. He was good at reading between the lines. It was time to reveal his true intentions – the fun was over, he had to stop hiding his feelings. He knew how much he was risking with it, but if there was even the slightest chance that she had similar feelings towards him, then he was able to take the chances and show her how deep his love for her actually was.

The smile disappeared from his face at her words, which created a frown on hers. He stopped holding her thigh and let her to put it back on the floor, putting his hands around her waist to help her keep standing because she needed to find her balance first. She wasn't sure what that sudden shift in his mood meant, but the way he was looking at her with the dead seriousness that emitted from him didn't make her feel any better.

He sensed her unease but didn't let himself to be disconcerted by it since he didn't have any intention to do something bad. When he was sure she was steady enough, he raised his right hand and raked her hair softly, enjoying the smoothness of it although it was still wet. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, purring inwardly in delight as he cupped her cheek and her eyes fluttered open, flushing in heat in the moment she looked into his face.

She couldn't remember when he had been looking at her so warmly although she was familiar with this expression and it kept her completely frozen on the place, waiting for him to say what he wanted. It was partially fear and partially curiousness what made her so nervous but she wouldn't miss it for a world. The way he stared at her was just overwhelming and the suspense was killing her but she didn't dare to step away from him and put an end to this since she would probably collapse if she did.

"You know I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you, don't you?" He asked her in all seriousness. He wanted to show her that what he had done so far was done on purpose, with specific intent, and that he wasn't messing with her. That he had a damn good reason why he was trying to seduce her, that it wasn't just a stupid game for him.

She furrowed her eyebrows in surprise. Why was he asking her such a question? It was completely self-evident to her, she hadn't ever considered that Tony might do anything to hurt her, to cause her some pain. And even if he did, then it wouldn't be intentional. On the contrary, this man in front of her would do anything he could to avert any harm that could happen to her.

"Sure." She answered without a second thought, rubbing his arms to assure him about her reply because she really didn't think he might do anything to deliberately hurt her. Still, she didn't understand what it had to do anything with what was happening between them right now.

He smiled and ran his fingers across her face lovingly, feeling slightly nervous because he knew how much he could now scare her. But he had to finish what he had started. "Then trust me, Ziva. I know what I'm doing." He pleaded her for having confidence in him because he wasn't going to take advantage of her or anything. He was pretty aware of what was happening, why it was happening and what he expected from it.

She was staring at him unbelievingly because, if she wanted to be honest, she didn't have any idea what they were doing, let alone what she was doing. She was completely confused with herself, perplexed by her own inability to throw him out, letting him to kiss her, to touch her in a way she wouldn't allow to him under normal circumstances, fondle her and make her horny with his caresses. She just couldn't exactly tell why she was so compliant all of a sudden.

But those thoughts quickly disappeared in the moment he bent down and caught her lips between his in a sweet kiss that made her knees to buckle and she felt suddenly very dizzy. It didn't resemble their previous kisses at all. It held something more significant, something he tried to show her through it, but she was too stunned to give it a deeper thought.

The way his lips devoured hers, tasting and slowly drinking, immensely affected her and the only thing she could do was to perceive the movements and respond to them obediently. It was tender kiss that shook them both to the core. The warmth of their bodies raised on another level, making them sweat with desire and breathe heavily, feeling completely giddy.

She clutched his T-shirt between her hands while he gently gripped her waist through the towel's fabric, moaning occasionally to express the pleasure they were experiencing thanks to the kiss. They only played with their tongues. There was no amorous battle like during those kisses before, just teasing each other playfully to add some vigour into the lip lock.

Tony so much wanted to show her through the kiss that she didn't have anything to worry about, that she should trust him because his feelings for her were serious, that it wasn't just lust and sexual frustration. He needed her to have the faith in him because it was required for what he wanted to do. Making love wasn't just casual sex, it was a lot more than that and he needed to be sure whether that she understood what he tried to tell her and trust him that they were ready to do it.

Because he firmly believed they were ready for it. Sure, they hadn't told each other about their feelings, but he suspected she didn't have to be completely honest with him since she was rather evasive person when it came to them. Like that, he could be sure that if she let him to make love to her, then her feelings were as strong as his were. No more lies, no more half-truths, no more misunderstandings and no more hiding – just plain trust between them expressed through their love-making.

That was what he wanted to achieve. He was getting rather tired with her constant pretending that nothing had been happening between them. It was as if she had just decided not to see it or something. It was the reason why he didn't even believe that some conversation would solve anything, because he didn't believe she would be sincere with him.

Meanwhile Ziva was wondering what was wrong with her, because she entirely gave up any fight against it and what surprised her the most was that her common sense suddenly agreed with everything. She found the harmony between her brain, heart and body eventually and the only thing she was able to make it up from all of this was that she wanted him more than ever before.

If he wanted her to trust him, then she was able to throw her inhibitions away and give in unconditionally and have the confidence in him he demanded. She felt loved and worshipped. so it was just natural for her that her trust in him was very strong. She couldn't believe that, but she felt that he was trying to tell her something important, something that was matter of the heart.

The tenderness of his kiss, the way he hold her body in his arms gently as if she was the most precious thing in the world, made her believe that this was about something more significant. His actions were supposed to tell her what he had in mind, because words probably weren't enough. She let herself to be captivated by it and let him swallow her with the feeling he had kept locked up deep inside his chest for years.

She was totally bewitched in the moment he released her lips, gently nipping on her bottom one and pulling away slightly. She kept her eyes firmly closed, because the kiss was so powerful that she still could feel it even though it was over already. Through the blood rushing through her head, she registered the urgent whisper by which he tried to persuade her to trust him and let him to do anything he wanted.

"Just give me your trust. Please." It was a soft whisper, barely audible, but she could sense every letter in those words since he whispered them across her lips.

The End of Chapter 7

Is this cliffhanger once again? Hm, maybe... :D So, what do you think that Ziva will say to him? Do you think she will give him her trust and therefore, she will surrender and give in?

I hope you liked the teasing wordplay, honestly, I don't even know why I wrote it. It just occurred in my head when I was at work and my mind wandered... :D It happens rather often, actually. :D But I swear I'm a good employee!

Anyway, I can't wait for the next Monday, literally (well, if I don't blow up my kitchen, I'm going to bake Christmas cookies on Saturday :D). Because I just love Chapter 8 so much and I'm sure you'll love it too, despite the little plot twist... :D Because the plot twist is fun! And then Chapter 9 and 10, I freaking love them too! I think I'll finally make it worth your while. ;)

Until then, have a nice week, guys and have a good time! Love you! ;)