Sorry for the cliff-hanger – but enjoy the next instalment – probably not what you were expecting...

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It was the squeeze on her hand that made Alex stop dead in her tracks. She could feel his lips practically against hers, and, though the effort nearly killed her, she pulled away a little.

"Gene," she panted, apparently not in full control of all her faculties, "What are we doing?"

"You tell me, Bolly," she could hear the barely restrained frustration in his voice, yet, there was also a fondness there. She knew that if she could see him, he would have raised his eyebrows and be watching her closely.

"I don't really know to be quite honest, Gene. I mean – it's me and – it's you!" She could virtually feel his eyes burning into her, even in the pitch-black of the tiny room.

She decided that there was no other option but to continue her explanation.

"Well... there's work to think about... not to mention the others!" Sensing that this still wasn't enough, she searched around in her mind for another idea, finally settling on a more recent memory. "Ray! I mean – have we even talked about Ray? Was he unconscious? Did you manage to stop the bleeding? Where exactly was entry wound? Was it below or above the diaphragm... or the kidneys? Might he have hit a lung? Because you know how fatal a wound like that can be, and I mean-"

She could have continued pontificating for another ten minutes, if something hadn't stopped her.

And that something happened to be DCI Gene Hunt's lips, pressed to hers, in a gentle kiss.

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Alex had no idea what had just occurred; one moment she had been trying to talk some sense into her colleague, and the next... Well, the next thing she knew was the most mind-blowing kiss she had ever encountered.

At first, she was so shocked by the contact that she didn't move; time seemed to stop still around them, as though holding its breath. It was just his lips against hers; soft, warm skin on skin. She savoured the sensation, allowing the long-anticipated moment to be burnt into her memory.

Gene Hunt, however, seemed to have no scruples on stepping the action up a notch. When Alex felt him begin to move against her, she almost melted into his arms. At first, he only moved a little, brushing his lips slightly against hers, though each movement to Alex seemed to spark a shiver of electricity to run down her spine. Then, as he grew a little bolder, she felt him open his mouth slightly against hers; gently nudging her lips open as he did so. Now she could feel his hot breath in her mouth; seeming almost to burn her throat.

Taking advantage of her open mouth and lack of movement, Gene closed his mouth slightly, and took her bottom lip gently between his teeth, tugging at it slightly.

This was Alex's undoing: she felt the groan rise in her throat, and before she could stop it, felt it escape into his mouth. Unconsciously, she fisted his shirt once more, pulling herself around further into his lap, flush with the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He brought his hands up to her neck, holding her in place while he plundered her mouth. This simultaneously dragged her hands up, and she slipped them under his open shirt a little, pulling him closer still.

Alex was almost completely absorbed by his kiss, a kiss that was almost the complete opposite of his crude and abrasive outer shell. She was so absorbed that she almost forgot herself. But when she felt the low growl from his chest, she seemed to snap back to consciousness.

Once more pushing herself, grudgingly, away from Gene Hunt and his searching lips, she shook herself a little, trying to clear her head.

"What was that?"

"Shhh!" His urgent response galvanised her.

"What?" She asked again, her tone now lowered to barely a whisper.

"There was someone outside – I 'ad to shut you up unless you wanted the both of us dead!" His voice too was hushed.

"Well why didn't you say so then?" She sounded somewhat affronted.

"'Cos you were too busy shooting ya gob off to pay any attention! I assumed that you'd prefer a snog to a bullet?" Even at a whisper, he still sounded a little annoyed that she wasn't thankful for his quick thinking.

"Well there really was no need to-"

He cut her off again.

"You didn't put up much of a fight, did ya though, Bolls?"

She went to open her mouth, but nothing came out. Why did he have to be so irritatingly right all of the time? She would have loved to have put her reaction down to shock, but she knew that she wouldn't be telling the whole truth if she did.

"I reckon," he said slowly, but smugly, "I reckon, you might 'ave a bit of a... thing... for me, Drake."

"Well you are horribly mistaken then, aren't you, Gene?"

"Well if you 'ate me as much as you make out," he continued, still irritatingly complacent, "why is it that you've still got one 'and tangled in my 'air, one under my shirt, and you're tits are pressed so tightly to my chest, that they're practically my tits?"

Still, she stuttered for words.

"Face it, Drake. You want me." He sounded so arrogant and sexy at the same time, that she nearly collapsed right there.

Having given up on the power of speech momentarily, Alex decided her best bet was to concentrate on other parts of her body for mobility. As she tried to move her hands from the offending areas that Gene had so tactfully pointed out, she accidentally nudged his wrists down simultaneously.

The next thing she knew, Gene Hunt's hands were firmly on her breasts. She stopped moving altogether, and held her breath. In the silence, she heard a quiet "oh" from Gene, and felt rather than saw his thumbs run gently around the edge of each breast. She had to draw a deep shuddering breath to prevent the moan from rising up her throat.

"Like that, do ya, Bolls?" His voice was still hushed, but still it seemed to thunder in her ears, "I knew-"

But whatever it was that Gene Hunt knew, he never explained. Because Alex Drake had just crushed her mouth to his, rendering him speechless.

He was the perfect mix of hot and sweet; passionate and yet so gentle. His tongue met with hers in a fierce duel, before he bit down gently on hers, coaxing another low moan from Alex. She twisted her head to get a better angle, now meeting him move for move. When she tugged at the hair on the back of his neck, she won an appreciative growl from his lips, and he pressed his mouth more tightly to hers. His hands and fingers explored the soft dips and curves of her breasts, rubbing gently at one nipple, squeezing the other slightly.

As she moaned, he pulled away just long enough to ask the muttered question.

"What was that for?"

"To shut you up – someone outside – " She mustered enough breath and energy for these few words, before once more silencing him with a furious kiss.

Teeth clashed, and she nipped at his bottom lip, he growled again and squeezed both breasts hard. She allowed her hand to travel further down his chest, running it over the softer skin, and the almost hairless torso. Twisting around even further in his lap, she felt the stirrings of arousal beneath and moaned into his mouth. Twisting her other hand up and into his hair, she pulled him down further, trying to get their mouths as close as was humanly possible.

Eventually, they had to come up for air; resting against each others' forehead, they tried to catch their breath. It was only in the silence that Gene noticed, with surprise, that something was amiss.

"Drake," he panted into her ear, "You kissed me to shut me up?"

"Yeah?" she panted back, "Problem?

"One problem, Bolls," she felt him grin against her mouth, "There was no-one out there - was there?"

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Oooh-hooo!

Oh I'm so evil!

R & R!