Chapter Four

Tony stayed quiet and subdued as Gibbs drove the very short distance to the hotel. His hands moved over his thighs, clenching into fists and then releasing, and Gibbs was very aware that Tony's nerves were getting the better of him.

"DiNozzo, we don't have to…"

"Don't have to?" Tony asked, his voice higher pitched than normal. "We don't have to? Of course we don't! But this is something I've been waiting for…You think I'm backing off now, Boss?"

"Hoping not," Gibbs replied. Tony didn't answer and Gibbs stepped around to the trunk, removing his duffle himself and handing the keys over to the valet. He explained that they needed the car in three hours. Check-in was a breeze. Tony insisted that they use the NCIS credit card, certain that Vance would understand. Gibbs didn't much care. Tony made a few comments about a photo shoot and threw in one that he was Gibbs' personal entourage, which made Gibbs roll his eyes. Whatever made Tony comfortable in the end was okay with him, but when DiNozzo went so far over the top, Gibbs found himself unable to relate. The room was put in the name of Gus Bricker and as Gibbs looked on, he found himself musing.

He and Tony had such different upbringings. Gibbs didn't have to look beneath the surface to understand that Tony had been largely starved for human companionship when he'd been a child, where Gibbs had a very attentive mother and father. They'd both lost their mothers very young, but instead of the way Jack had hovered and watched out for Gibbs, even when he didn't want it, Tony's father had pushed him farther away. Whatever his reasons, DiNozzo senior definitely had a lot to answer for.

Gibbs pulled in a breath and shifted the strap of his duffle higher onto his shoulder. It wasn't a good idea to think of fathers and sons now. That would pull in some comparisons he didn't need at the moment. He had to view Tony as an equal and not a guy who needed a father figure. This could never work if he focused on that.

Gibbs strode into the elevator and leaned against the wall, looking at Tony, remembering his arms around him, remembered Tony jacking him off, the feel of Tony's mouth on his hand, cleaning him off.

Yeah…that was it. That was much better. Gibbs let out a low satisfied sound and relaxed against the elevator wall, trying to dim the emotion he knew was probably reflected in his eyes.

"You went from serious to intense," Tony remarked and Gibbs realized the other man had been studying him. "You okay?"

Tony's concern and his innocent look was enough to push Gibbs' arousal higher. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to goad DiNozzo, but a part of him wanted to. "You tell me," Gibbs retorted. "You had more than a handful."

Even when Gibbs was flirting with a suspect, he wasn't unusually this blatant. He'd been brash and aggressive when he'd been a teen, but the Marines had shaped him and smoothed the edges, giving him charm and refining his brashness to bluntness. But right now, he didn't want to be charming with Tony. He wanted to be as direct as he could, to lay it all out on the table so that neither of them could retreat.

Tony swallowed hard, his eyes drifting down to Gibbs' pants. He wasn't hard yet, but he would be before too long. And if Tony kept looking at him with that intensity, it would be mere seconds before he was raging.

"Don't do that," Gibbs said quietly, licking his lips.

"What?" Tony asked, all innocence even as he stepped closer.

"Give me that look, Makes me want to…"

"To what?" Tony finished in a whisper.

****please see comments in earlier chapters***

"You think I want to go back?" Even though Tony's voice was hushed, there was a note of astonishment in it, shock that Gibbs couldn't quite place yet.

"Do ya?"

"Hell no." Tony said firmly. Mirroring what Gibbs had done in the elevator, Tony stepped forward, jamming his own leg between Gibbs', and kissed him hungrily. When Gibbs was squirming and panting in a very un-Gibbs-like fashion, Tony pulled back, his eyes electric now.

"I want you, Boss. I've been waiting so long for you to make a move. I'm ready. I'm more than ready. All you have to do is open the door and let me in."

"Just had to know, Tony."

"And now you do. We only have three hours. You ready?"

"Ready."