Sigh. My somewhat facetious comment about 10 reviews seemed to rub people the wrong way. But you did review, and I am glad there is so much interest in this story! This chapter is why we have an M rating. Because after Bobby's breakthrough with Dr Gyson, he needs a reward, don't you think? And so does Alex for patiently waiting for her man. And this is by no means complete.
Alex was over at her dad's, cleaning the apartment with a vengeance.
"Hey, slow down, Alex. You'll scare the dirt," Johnny laughed.
"The dirt could use it," she gave the dust cloth a vigorous swipe.
"C'mon, talk to your old dad," he appealed.
She plopped down on the couch with a huff, "What do you want to talk about?"
"Hey, you're my kid. It's either the job or the man," he snorted.
"It's both," she conceded.
"As much as I like Bobby, mixing the work and your love life, it's dangerous," he said.
"I know, I know," she raked her fingers through her hair.
"You had a fight," Johnny poured himself a drink, and offered her one.
She shook her head, instead grabbing a soda from the refrigerator. She popped the top and took a swallow. "This case...it's been a bitch. Without telling tales out of school, it's brought up a lot of issues for Bobby, and for me."
"A whole family gettin' whacked, little kids...cops' worst nightmare," he acknowledged. "Any closer to getting the sick bastards to trial?"
"Maybe," she hedged, looking over at her parents' wedding picture. "How did you do it, Dad? Not bring the work home to Mom?"
"Well, not working in the same place helped," he said dryly.
"You know what I mean. She grew up in a cop family, too, so she knew about the garbage you dealt with," Alex persisted.
"You were married to Joe for three years, and lived with him for a couple years before that." he reminded her.
"But we weren't partners," she said. "And we fought about the job plenty. Why I didn't want to get pregnant right away. When was I going to give up the job for something safer. Turns out, walking Greenpoint in a halter top was a lot safer than working Narcotics," she added sarcastically.
"Why didn't you want kids, Alex?" he asked.
She stared at him, stunned, "You-you've always given me shit about that."
"I just-your mom and I thought you'd make a great mother. You take care of everybody in this family, you had a kid for your sister, for Christ's sake," he said.
"It wasn't that I didn't want to," Alex blinked away tears. "Joe...he was a lot like you. Guess it's true-women tend to marry men like their daddies. And about six months before he...died...he'd had an affair."
"Son of a bitch," Johnny muttered. "I never cheated on your mother."
"Oh, I know you didn't," Alex grasped his hand. "But his views on marriage... a cop marriage..."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Johnny ruffled his daughter's hair.
"I forgave him, Dad. Because I loved him. But I wasn't ready to trust him, not totally," she rubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes. "And bringing a baby into that...wasn't right. You didn't answer my question, how did you and mom do it?"
Johnny was till reeling from his daughter's revelation, "It was hard. What we do...not great dinner conversation. That's why there's cop bars, you know? We could bullshit and blow off steam there, try to drink away the sewer we swam in most days. Then we'd go home, where there were kids to raise and bills to pay." He refilled his glass. "Your mother wanted her family to be...safe."
"You never talked about it?" she wondered.
"It was a different world then," he reminded her. "This talking about feelings shit...made you weak in my day." He barked out a laugh. "So we'd drink too much and smoke too much, some guys...ate their guns."
"Right," she said dryly.
Johnny chuckled, "I have to say, Bobby is a whole lot different than Joe."
She scowled at him, "I thought you liked him."
"I do, Alex. He's just...not the kind of guy who I thought you'd go for," her father said.
"Me either," she admitted. "But I love him."
Johnny looked over at his late wife's picture, "Then you'll find a way to make it work."
Bobby left Gyson's office, still a bit surprised at himself for revealing his paternity issue. He caught the train home, thinking. About his mother. And fathers. And Alex. He had to hand it to the shrink, he had a new perspective on his partner's actions. Love versus meddling. Christ, what a concept. Maybe because he'd had to rely on himself for most of his life, it was too easy to fall back on those survival skills. He had to recognize that he could share the load, that she had never turned on him, and never would. Once home, he went for a run, then called Alex. Voice mail. He paused, then left a message. "Hey, it's me. I-uh, I had a good session with Gyson today, and would like to talk about it...if you want. I love you."
An hour later, she called back, "Sorry I didn't pick up. Was out running."
"That's okay," he felt absurdly happy at the sound of her voice.
"You sound much better," she said.
"I am," he paced back and forth as he talked. "I told Gyson about Brady."
"Whoa," she gasped, dropping into the nearest chair. "Th-that's huge."
"Yeah," Bobby took a deep breath. "Want to talk about it over dinner?"
"Sure, just give me a chance to get cleaned up," she grinned. "I have a couple steaks in the freezer, want to come over and watch me burn them on the neighbor's grill?"
"I like mine medium rare," he laughed.
As soon as they hung up, she made a mad dash for the shower, then pulled on a white tank top and short denim skirt. Hair blown out, steaks defrosting in the microwave...she was ready just as the doorbell rang.
He looked at her attire and grinned. "For you," he handed her a handful of white tulips and forget-me-nots.
She buried her nose in the fragrant little bouquet, "Sweet."
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.
She leaned up to kiss him, then pulled him inside, "Get in here."
She set the bouquet in a vase, then set to work slicing zucchini, mushrooms and peppers.
"So, you steal propane from your neighbors?" he joked as he seasoned their steaks.
"They're in Aruba on vacation, and I'm feeding their cat," she informed him, tossing the veggies in olive oil.
"Do you have a key, or will you just...pick the lock?" Bobby laughed.
"The cat'll let us in," she led the way down the stairs and across the hall.
"Just so we don't get busted for B and E," he followed with the platter of food, his eyes on her butt and bare legs and feet.
The key turned easily in the lock, and they walked through the apartment to the patio. While Bobby fired up the grill, Alex checked on the cat food and water, and dumped the litter box, "Yuck," she muttered as she dumped the bag in the dumpster.
The cat, Sydney, wandered from her hiding place, slid out the patio door and rubbed around Bobby's legs, meowing plaintively.
"Don't kiss up to him, because we're not sharing our steaks," she scolded the chubby calico. "Your food is in the kitchen."
"Aw, Alex, don't be mean to the kitty," he leaned over to pet Sydney.
"That's right, you ate hairballs for a girlfriend," she sighed.
"Jealous?" he teased, straightening to put his arms around her.
"Shows that much, huh?" her voice was muffled into his chest.
"Sweet," he chuckled.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and a few fat raindrops hit the concrete. "Great," Alex muttered.
"The steaks are about ready," Bobby reluctantly let her go. He forked the meat and veggies onto the platter and Alex covered it quickly with foil. They locked up the apartment and headed back upstairs.
"Want a beer?" she offered as he helped her set the table.
"No, I think I've inflicted enough damage on my liver this weekend," he said dryly. "Water's fine."
"Okay," she filled their glasses with lemon wedges and ice water, then lit a few candles. The murky dusk and the rain falling outside contributed to the cozy feeling in her kitchen.
"So, you said you told Gyson about Brady today," she broached the subject cautiously.
"Yeah," he stabbed at a slice of zucchini. "After...my meltdown on Friday, I knew that it...was time she knew. But it really had as much to do with how I treated you. I am so sorry, Alex. You-you were trying to save me from myself, and I didn't handle it very well."
"I suppose I should be used to it," she sighed. "That didn't come out the way I meant it to."
"It's the truth," he nodded sadly. "I have a lot to learn about how...to be in a relationship."
"We've been in a relationship for years, Bobby," she reached over and took his hand. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "And we know how to push each other's buttons."
"I've been in survival mode for so long, from the time I was a kid, the sharing thing is hard for me. You are probably the one person I trust in this whole world, and yet...I test you. Because in my past..."
"People you trusted have let you down," she finished his thought. "I hope you know that I would never knowingly do that."
"In my heart, I know that. It's my screwed up head that...I over-think things," he said ruefully.
"This is not news to me," she chuckled affectionately. "So...telling Gyson...must've been scary."
"Yeah," he laughed. "And I sure surprised her. But it was the right thing. Because...I want to get better, to be better."
Alex felt tears mist her eyes, "Anything I can do to help that along?"
"Do what you do every day, I couldn't ask for more," he squeezed her hand.
They spent the evening snuggling on her couch, watching Ocean's Twelve. At one point, Alex was lying down, with her legs draped across Bobby's lap. During one of the commercial breaks, he began massaging her feet.
"That feels really good," she sighed, curling her toes.
"Better than Derek Jeter?" he teased, referencing a long-ago snarky comment she'd made.
"I can't believe you remember that," she grinned. "Way better."
"I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop," he remarked, pressing a kiss on the instep of the foot he held.
"I'm not wearing any shoes, dear," she said sleepily.
He got back at her by tickling the back of her knee, keeping enough of a hold that she couldn't kick him, "You know what I mean. The last time we were on this couch...we were very rudely interrupted."
"Stop tickling me and we can finish what we started," Alex said seductively, grabbing the remote and shutting off the TV.
He considered her mussed up hair and languid expression, "Things might get out of hand."
"Counting on it," she smirked, rubbing a foot over his fly.
At that, he shifted their positions so that she was under him, pinning her easily. He rained kisses over her cheeks, nose and eyes, deliberately avoiding her lips.
She made a mewl of protest, her hands grabbing at the back of his neck, finally succeeding in capturing his mouth with hers.
Their tongues tangoed, laughter died in their throats. "Alex, baby," he groaned, moving his hips against hers.
"Want you," she murmured, her hands squeezing his butt.
"Soon," he rasped into her ear.
"Why not now?" she groaned as he found the sensitive spot behind her ear.
"Because I want to take my time with you..." he nibbled at the case of her throat, "spend all day..." he cupped her breast, "and night..." his mouth left an exquisite dampness on her shirt over the nipple.
"We can call in sick," she begged.
"Hmm, we'll just play a little tonight," he said persuasively, sliding his hand beneath her skirt.
"Okay," she gave in, with a sharp intake of breath as he moved her panties aside.
"Like that?" he asked.
"Um, yeah," she whispered as she arched to meet him. "Let me...ahh." She pushed her hands against his chest.
"What?" he was puzzled until she sat up, facing him.
Her hand reached for his fly, the sound of the zipper loud in his ears. "See, we can both have fun," she explained.
His hand slid back under her skirt, while she reached inside his underwear, her hand closing around him.
They sat in the near-dark of the room, their eyes locked, focused on pleasing the other.
"Feels so good," he groaned as she stroked him purposefully.
"That size 13 thing...totally true," she gasped a little as his fingers found the bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs. "Jesus, Bobby!"
"Faster, Alex," he moaned. "Oh, yeah!"
The only sounds in the next few minutes were gasps, groans and murmured epithets. Then satisfaction.
Bobby drew her against his chest as their breathing returned to normal, their clothes displaced.
"You can come over to play anytime," she murmured drowsily.
"No one I'd rather play with," he pressed a kiss into her temple.
"Wanna stay?" she kissed his chin.
"Love to, but I shouldn't," he kissed her lips.
"I'd make it worth your while," she chuckled, her hand moving towards his groin.
"You already did," he laughed, pushing her hand away. "Feels like...high school, you know? The experimenting...discovering..." he mused.
"...am I doing it right? Is he going to like me...after?" she finished his thought. "Although I suspect you did more than this in high school," she added snarkily.
"I plead the fifth," he laughed. "And what about you, missy?"
"Plead the fifth, too," she grinned.
Monday began with a double homicide, a diplomat's son and the son's fiancee. Add that to their current caseload and the fact they had to testify at grand jury later in the week in the Richman case, it promised to leave them with little downtime.
Captain Hannah called them in for a briefing on the new homicide Tuesday morning, "Any leads on who whacked these folks?"
"Plenty of suspects," Alex flipped through the file in her lap. "Franklin Brandon IV, aka Fritz, age 30. Harvard, Oxford, snazzy apartment on the upper west side...lots of family bucks. Shannon Marie Atkins, nee Jones, age 29. More self-made than junior, she attended Princeton on a scholarship, then London School of Economics. The victims were into the money business, him as a trader on Wall Street, her as an investment banker. She had an ex husband, John Atkins, no kids. She'd taken out an OOP against him in 2008, their divorce was final in 2009."
"Where's the ex?" Hannah asked.
"Uh, moved to California, but he has family in Jersey," Bobby informed him. "We're gonna chase that this afternoon. We also have some disgruntled fired traders, and with the financial crisis, bankers..."
"...have a list of enemies a mile long," Hannah groaned. "Great, just when I get to hold the grand-kid, we get handed a press case."
"Welcome to our world," Alex snarked.
"So is Josh's family here for a visit?" Bobby asked.
"They're flying in tomorrow," Joe said. "First time we get to see Grant in person."
"Well, you're the boss, ought to buy you a little time off," Alex commented.
"Put a word in for me with the Chief of D's," he said in dismissal.
On the way back from Jersey and a dead end, Alex got a call from Claire, "Hey, how about coming over for dinner Thursday night?"
"Uh, I dunno. We just caught a case," she demurred.
"You're always catching cases," her friend groused good-naturedly. "C'mon, bring Bobby with you."
"Bobby and Jack, right," she rolled her eyes. "Two alpha males at dinner."
"And three kids, including two teenagers. Tell him for me that I'll make Jack tone down the testosterone," Claire said.
Her partner looked up from his binder, questioningly.
"Dinner with the DA and his family," she mouthed.
"If you want to go, I'll try to behave," he laughed.
"Want me to bring anything?" Alex asked in resignation.
"Your appetites," Claire replied. "See you around seven."
"Are you sure?" Alex asked.
"Of course," Bobby looked over at her seriously. "Look, you've met my friends over the years, I want to get to know yours. Part of the couple thing."
"I'm...touched," she smiled. "I know you're not a big fan of Jack McCoy."
"Well, I really don't know him," Bobby waved a hand.
As it turned out, dinner in the McCoy household was informal, and highly entertaining.
Claire answered the door in faded jeans and t shirt, "C'mon in," she invited. "Ainsley, quit arguing with your brother and set the table please."
"But Mom, he just called my friends morons," a thirteen year old version of her mother appeared.
"John, don't call your sister's friends names, and you are supposed to be taking out the trash, not tormenting your sister," She waved their guests into the living room, where she had a pitcher of sgroppino and a tray of marinated veggies, cheese and crusty bread.
"Sorry, the animals are restless," she apologized. "They're bored and picking on each other. Time for school to start."
"No apologies necessary," Bobby smiled, his charm in full force. "Kids are great."
"We'll be happy to export them to you and Alex for a few days," she said dryly. A little boy of about nine came into the room. He had his mother's eyes, and curly dark hair, but his father's smile and bearing. "This is my baby, Adam." she gave the boy a squeeze.
"Aw, Mom, I'm not a baby," he said, embarrassed. "Can we take Remy for a walk after dinner?"
"We have guests, son," Jack came into the room. "Alex," he gave her a light hug, and he extended his hand to Bobby. "Detective."
"It's Bobby, off the clock, Counselor," He shook his hand firmly.
"Jack, please," Claire's husband was clad as casually as his wife, and seemed to shed a bit of his intimidating personality at home. He poured himself a drink and scooped some veggies on bread.
They made small talk for a bit and then moved into the dining room. Dinner consisted of chicken Parmesan, salad and pasta, with strawberry pie for dessert. The conversation was lively, with the two teenagers arguing like the lawyers Alex and Bobby suspected they would someday be. John at nearly fifteen was clearly his father's son, both in looks and attitude. Ainsley was equally spirited, not letting her older brother get the best of her on anything. Adam was quiet, sweet; his contribution to the conversation seemed to be peacemaker between his siblings. Through it all, Jack and Claire maintained an attitude of loving discipline. After the meal was cleared, the adults went out to the back patio.
"Peace at last," Claire said blissfully, sitting next to her husband on the small swing. Their lab-mix dog curled at their feet.
"John, why don't you take your brother and Remy on a quick walk around the block?" Jack requested.
"All right," John gave an exaggerated sigh.
"Remy?" Bobby asked.
"Short for 'Remand,'" Jack laughed.
"Lawyers, aren't we awful?" Claire elbowed her husband affectionately.
"Speaking of, are you ready for the grand jury tomorrow?" Jack inquired.
"No work talk," she scolded, holding a hand to his mouth. "Ignore him."
The rest of the evening passed pleasantly. In spite of Claire's edict, they did talk a bit about the Richman case.
As they drove home, Bobby at the wheel of her Malibu, Alex held his hand, "Thanks for tonight, Bobby."
"You're welcome. I had a good time," he added, raising her fingers to kiss them lightly.
"You sound surprised," she chuckled.
"I am," he said. "I guess...people are different away from work. And they seem happy together."
"Oh, they've had their ups and downs. They took a lot of shit over the age difference, and his reputation of bedding his assistants," Alex said dryly. "Claire was in a car accident about fifteen years ago, when she was pregnant with John. She was in a coma for months. When she recovered, Jack promised that he'd never take her for granted again. They've been married ever since."
"Their kids give 'em a run for their money," he chuckled.
"Yeah. The youngest was kind of a surprise baby, after September 11th. And Jack has a grown daughter, she lives in California. She's married, got a couple kids. They don't see her a whole lot." Alex commented.
"So, how did you become friends with Claire?" he wondered.
"I met her about the time I joined MCS. Was testifying in a couple of her cases, and we just sort of hit it off. And we got the girls night out group going...it's lasted through divorces, boyfriend breakups, unplanned pregnancies..." she explained.
"That's nice," he said.
They were called to testify at grand jury in the morning, then they were back on the case they caught earlier in the week in the afternoon. Captain Hannah brought in his family over the lunch break.
"Josh, I don't think I've seen you since you were about this high," Bobby grinned.
"I remember you used to do magic tricks when you'd come over for dinner," Josh's eyes twinkled.
Sharon handed Grant to her husband, "Now, support his head," she fretted.
Joe shook his head, "It hasn't been that many years, honey. Kept three kids alive without too many mishaps. He beamed at his grandson, who babbled and blew raspberries back.
"Isn't he just the greatest?"
Alex took hold of a chubby fist, "He is adorable."
"Want to hold him?" Sharon offered.
Josh's wife, Amy, frowned a little, "Not sure I want him passed around a lot."
"Oh, honey, she's family," Sharon took the baby from her husband and put him in Alex's arms.
Big blue eyes regarded her solemnly, then he broke into a toothless grin. "You're gonna break a lot of hearts, baby boy," Alex cooed, fluffing the fringe of soft blonde hair.
The baby responded with another round of babble.
Bobby watched her interact with the baby, a wistful smile on his face. That was one of his biggest regrets...that he didn't have children. And now that they were the age they were...guess they'd have to be satisfied with nieces and nephews.
Saturday they spent working, much to their dismay. "Goddamn media cases," Alex muttered.
"Make you a deal, we give it til five thirty, then we blow this place," Bobby bargained.
"What'd you have in mind?" she inquired.
"Dinner and dancing," he flipped open his laptop.
"You're on," she said with a smile.
They wound up in a bar in the West Village, where there was good food and an even better band that played everything from oldies rock and roll to current pop love songs.
Bobby and Alex stumbled into his apartment after two AM, too tired to do anything but tumble into bed and sleep.
They woke to the ring of the phone, "Goren," he muttered.
"Hey, got a guy down here who says he has information on your stock trader," the desk sergeant at the 2-7 informed him.
"We'll be there in a little while," he groaned.
"Don't like the sound of that," she sighed, pulling the pillow over her face.
As Alex drove, Bobby called Gyson to reschedule his appointment.
"Wednesday night at seven," he responded to her unasked question.
"Oh, shit," she sighed. "Nate's school carnival is that night."
"So, go," he said.
"I wanted you to come with me," she explained.
"We're going to have lots of chances to do stuff together," he reminded her gently.
"I know," she agreed. "And I want you to keep your appointments with Gyson."
Work was their focus the next several days. By Wednesday afternoon, their hard work paid off. They'd broke the murder case from the week before, and the grand jury had handed down indictments against both Dimitris.
Captain Hannah offered his congratulations on the indictment, saying, "You've earned a day off tomorrow."
"A whole Thursday off, whatever will we do?" Alex asked Bobby as they got ready to leave that night.
"Go for a run with me, and I'll treat you to lunch," he grinned.
"Hmm, like that idea," she nodded. "But let's do it early, because it's supposed to be brutally hot tomorrow."
"See you at seven," he said.
"Seven?" she groaned. "By the time I get back from Nate's school carnival tonight, it's going to be late."
"Whine, whine," he teased.
"You could come with me tonight," she wheedled.
"Can't, got to see Gyson, since I missed Sunday," Bobby's tone was sardonic.
"Hey, I understand," she put a hand on his arm as they rode down in the elevator.
Alex rolled over and scowled at the alarm clock. "Whose bright idea was it to do this?"
But she got up, dressed in shorts and a ratty NYPD t shirt, tossing a change of clothes into a bag into a bag. She pointed her car towards Brooklyn, and eased into a spot near Bobby's apartment.
He greeted her with a kiss and a steaming cup of coffee, "Good morning, honey."
"Why is it that you're a morning person?" she mumbled, taking a big drink of the sweet elixir.
"Best time of the day," he grinned like a six-year-old.
"You look happy this morning. Good session last night?"
"It was good. How was the carnival?" he asked, filling his water bottle at the sink, then filling one for her.
"It was fun, lots of junk food and sweets, face painting and a dunk tank," she flipped open her phone, and showed him a picture of Nate, his face mess of red, white, blue and green stars.
"Hope that's washable," he laughed.
"I dunno, Liz said he refused to wash his face before he went to bed," she tossed the phone aside, and tugged at his arm. "C'mon, help me run off the junk I ate last night."
They ran about four miles, bagging it sooner because the heat and humidity were approaching unbearable. They stopped for smoothies during their cool-down.
"Oh, thank God for air conditioning!" Alex breathed as Bobby shut the door to his apartment.
"You want the shower first?" he inquired.
"Right now I just need to pee," she laughed, heading to the bathroom. She emerged a few minutes later, saying, "Your turn!"
Bobby returned to the kitchen, to find her rummaging through his fridge, coming up with a bottle of water. She rubbed the cold bottle over her face and let the condensation trickle down her throat to her chest. She caught him looking at her, "You want one?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah," he wasn't really wanting the water, just liked what the cool air was doing to her breasts.
Bobby gulped as she bent to get the water from the bottom shelf in the fridge, and took a step forward. His hand reached out, grabbing her ass.
"Bobby..." she groaned.
"What?" Slowly, his fingertips moved over the curve of her butt, around to her inner thigh, stroking softly to her knee.
Alex felt her skin go hot then shivery. She pressed back against him, shutting the fridge door. "You don't really want that water, do you?" her breath hitched.
"Nuh-uh," his left hand moved upwards again, this time venturing under the leg of her shorts, while his right snaked around her waist, drawing her against him.
"We're all hot and sweaty," her voice sounded thin, reedy to her own ears.
"And about to get hotter and sweatier," he ran his tongue in her ear. "Unless you object?"
Alex groaned as his left hand moved higher.
"You were saying?" his fingers slid beneath her panties, and parted the slippery folds. Alex gripped the refrigerator door, afraid her legs weren't going to hold her, as he stroked, then slid a finger inside her, "Jesus, Bobby...that feels..." her voice died away in a strangled cry.
"Doing great things for me, too, baby," he groaned, adjusting his position so his erection was pressing on her low back. And still his fingers were moving, pleasuring. Her shivers and little sighs were stoking his desire.
"This-this better not be a tease," she whispered hoarsely.
"D-does it feel like a tease?" he breathed, running the tip of his tongue behind her ear.
"N-no," she whimpered as his right hand moved under her shirt to her breast, plucking the nipple through her bra. He repositioned his left hand, fingers probing deeper, rhythmically. "Oh, God...coming..." she wailed.
"Kinda the idea," Bobby laughed raggedly as he withdrew his fingers, and turned her so he could gather her in his arms.
She was still shuddering, "That was...words fail me." Her heart was thudding in her ears.
"Well, I've heard that after exercise your endorphins are high, making orgasm more..." he murmured.
"Shut up, damn it," Alex slapped a hand to his mouth, "Bed," she gasped.
"Tired?" he bit her fingers lightly, then began aggressively bathing the recesses of her mouth with his tongue.
She manged to throw her head back, her expression murderous, "Courtship is over, I want you inside me."
"Oh. Okay," a rapacious grin defied his casual tone. He flung her over his shoulder and strode the few steps into his bedroom.
She landed on the bed with a little bounce, but it hardly broke their rhythm. Greedy hands ripped at clothes, impatient. Shirts, shorts, underwear and socks were cast carelessly to the floor.
Alex pulled his jock off, her fingers shaky with haste. She gathered one hand around him, a predatory look in her eyes.
Bobby pushed her hand away, more interested in trying to loosen her sports bra from her damp skin.
"Rip it," she begged as they struggled with the unwieldy garment. Just then, it let loose and went flying, making them both laugh.
"Bossy, aren't you?" he teased, laying on top of her and kissing her. "'S okay, like that in a woman."
"Impatient," she countered, her hips rising against him.
"Lots of time," he groaned as she stoked his hard on slowly.
"Twelve years, Bobby," she pleaded.
"Let me court you just a little bit more," he moved his mouth lower, to the base of her neck. His fingers searched out, cupped her breasts. "Tell me what you like, what makes you feel good." he took a nipple in his mouth, leisurely lapping, sucking, with a light nibble thrown in..
"But you...I've already had a turn," she gasped. "Oh..like that."
"You get one more," he chuckled, fingers, lips, and tongue branding her skin. "Maybe two."
Alex felt her body slip into a unceasing state of arousal, "I like when you do that it...feels..." he was kissing the back of her knee. "Tickles," she giggled.
"What about here?" he swirled his tongue in her navel while holding her thighs apart.
Her hips rose, toes grasping the sheets, her skin slick with sweat, her fingers tangled in his hair, "Lower," she gasped.
"Thought so," he said raggedly. Fingers, then the tip of his tongue lapping at her inner folds..lips caressing. He sought the little pearl at the top and focused his attentions there.
Alex wailed, "Right there...torturing me...faster, no...slower..." words dissolved into sobs.
He took a tiny nip with his teeth, sending her flying. Time ceased to exist as the pleasure took her body, shook it like a rag doll, then dropped her in a boneless puddle.
Bobby was holding her firmly to his chest, fingers running through her wet hair, raining soft kisses on her cheeks, her lips, murmurs of comfort, affection. The first words she heard clearly were,"...too much?"
Yes and no and...her brain was still foggy, "That was more than two more turns," she managed to squeak.
He erupted in laughter, "Okay, you're back."
"And now it's your turn," she kissed him passionately, elbowing him onto his back.
Bobby was painfully hard, and his actions of the past hour made him wonder how long he would last. He felt the sweep of her hair against his chest as she nibbled at the base of his neck, her hand gently stroking his manhood. He didn't want to disappoint her, and he faltered, "Alex, it's been a while...don't know how long..I'll last..."
"Leave it to me," she grinned. She nibbled at his nipples, gently massaged his shoulders, arms and belly.
"That's...um, wow," he groaned as she kissed the sole of his foot, ran her fingers behind his knee.
"Yes?" she set her teeth near his left hip, her hair falling in a curtain over his groin.
"Kinda like a scatter-gun, not sure where you'll hit next...Oh, my God!" her fingertips stroked the underside of his erection, near the base and exerted an exquisite pressure.
"Wh-where did you learn...?" he gasped.
"My days in Vice," she smiled. "The working girls...have an abundance of useful information." She paused then used her breasts to squeeze him.
"Very...useful," he groaned.
"Then you might like this even better," her mouth took him in fully.
She tilted her head just enough so that she could meet his eyes. Her fingers pressed in his groin, keeping him still.
"Maybe the gun analogy wasn't...Jesus, Alex..." he felt the edges of her teeth. "The gun may go off..."
She stopped long enough to grin, "then we'll just reload." And she went back to pleasuring him with her mouth.
Bobby felt the heat spread, "Now, baby, right now!"
He hauled her under him, then lay very still. "Just...just a minute," he whispered.
"Bobby..." she whined, turning her head so she could suck on his fingers. "What?" she panted.
"I love you," he kissed her tenderly.
"Love you too," she whispered, stroking his cheek.
"Little out of practice," he admitted, bracing himself on his forearms.
"Me, too," Alex assured him.
"I don't want to hurt you," he groaned.
"You won't," she let the tears spill over as he lunged roughly into her.
"Breathe, baby...breathe," he moaned into her ear, thrusting again and again.
After a few seconds, she did breathe. And sighed. And wept. And screamed.
With one final thrust, he collapsed, pouring himself into her. The room was silent, save for their harsh breathing.
Alex managed to get her voice back first, "If that's out of practice, I'll be dead in a week."
Bobby chuckled, rolling onto his side, taking her with him, "Guess it comes back."
They both dissolved into giggles. "Bad pun," she shoved his shoulder lightly.
"Ah," he groaned, drawing the covers over them. "We need a day off like this more often."
"Um, hmm," she murmured into his chest. "let's ask for that when we go back to work."
"Funny," he snickered.
"Sleepy?" she kissed him lightly.
He buried his face into her neck, his unshaven cheeks pleasantly scraping her skin, "Yeah."
"Me too," she murmured, drawing his head down so that he was pillowed on her breasts.
"Love that," he took a tiny nip of her skin.
"Love you," she sighed, drifting off.
Okay, it was a slightly shorter chapter. And definitely a lot smuttier. And you thought they were going to have this romantic dinner, maybe dancing...seduction scene...surprise! Also wanted to give you some hints of friendships, angst and issues that will be addressed in future chapters. Bobby has a milestone birthday in the next chapter, and of course Alex will help him celebrate. I welcome any and all feedback :)