Chapter 16
AN: Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews. I am posting a smidgen early because I am snowed in...My state is getting 16 inches of snow. Whew!
The next morning, Penelope rose quickly, well before Derek, which was usually unheard of. She'd gone to bed well before him, and only woke up to make love to him in the middle of the night. That was exactly what it was. There was no fancy position, no interesting technique. It was just them, joining together, pouring out their love.
She paused for a second.
Well...technically...she poured out her love. Verbally, too, before she passed out. She cursed that Men's Health magazine for giving him advice to give her such a damned powerful orgasm; it knocked her out before she could see and hear his reaction. She worried for a second. Pen was a strict believer in cosmic fate and karma. Were the gods of uncomfortable, Oh-Shit-What-Did-I-Just-Say? sexual confessions protecting her from heartache? She didn't think so, but she couldn't be one hundred percent certain.
She put on her sweatpants and toodled into Derek's kitchen, wanting to make coffee, eggs, and toast for breakfast. Whenever she was nervous, she'd eat or cook. In this case, she had to cook, since there was nothing accessible to eat, besides Cheeseburger Doritos, which just didn't sound one iota appealing for breakfast to her.
Derek didn't have much food in his fridge, either. She moved a Ziploc bowl that looked like a science experiment to the left, a black banana—didn't anyone ever tell him not to store bananas in the fridge?—and a very old looking Chinese takeout container.
"Oh, Derek. Ick!" she said, taking the Chinese container out. It was from Wong's Kitchen, and she specifically remembered eating there with him three weeks ago. She tossed it into his trash, before heading back to the fridge. Finding that nothing readily edible was nearby, she started searching rather intently towards the back shelves.
"Eureka!" she crowed, finding eggs. She whipped them in a bowl with some milk and put them in a frying pan. They looked kind of bland, so she was back in search of cheese.
"What is it about BAU employees and empty fridges?" she grumbled, looking at the back of the bottom shelf where something orange that might have been cheese was laying.
"We're never home." She turned to see him walk in the kitchen, with just his sweatpants on. He had an adorable pillow crease on his cheek, and he looked groggy still. "Fresh food spoils."
She nodded, and then went back to digging in the fridge. It was good. It was cooling off her hot cheeks. She hated that she was blushing, but she knew she was. God, why did she have to say something before he did? She was just so moved by that damned picture, and she dreamed of forever with him, and—
"Whatcha looking for?" he asked.
She came up so quickly, she clonked her head on the shelf of the fridge, knocking a carton of orange juice onto the ground. She started rubbing the top of her head, and then bent to pick up the bottle.
"Here," he answered, reaching down and scooping up the bottle before she could do any more damage. She noticed his hands were steady, but hers were shaking. "I got it."
She met his warm eyes, and croaked, "Thanks."
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" he asked, his brow quirking.
"I'm...ah...I'm fine. I just can't...um." She laughed uncomfortably. She could barely form a sentence. She swallowed hard, and then grinned and said, "I just can't find cheese."
He took a step forward, a smirking grin on his face. "My beautiful, intelligent, fantastic goddess can't find the cheese that's in the appropriately named cheese drawer?" he remarked, gently teasing, as he reached over her shoulder and put the orange juice back on the shelf. "That doesn't sound like you."
She turned, and he pulled her in his arms, against his chest. She knew her cheeks were flaming, she was shaking like she was standing on top of an off center washing machine, and her heart was pounding so hard, she was sure he could hear it.
"You're trembling," he murmured, running his hands soothingly down her arms. "Baby Girl, are you okay?"
She tried to talk, but she couldn't. She was looking into his eyes, and she even opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She immediately looked downward, and fought against the tears pricking the back of her eyes and burning her nose. Despite a valiant effort, she failed, and two fat droplets rolled down her cheeks.
He put his fingers under her chin and made her meet his eyes again. They were so soft, warm, gentle...
Just like her best friend's.
That made her feel almost worse, but then she thought she felt mistaken. She didn't think it was possible to feel worse than she did.
"Would it help if I told you I heard what you said?" he asked, his thumbs rubbing the moisture off her cheeks.
She shook her head. She already knew he had.
He leaned forward and brushed both of her cheeks, and then her mouth, with his lips. "How about I tell you that I love you, too? With all my heart and every breath I take."
She felt her face crumple, and she burst into tears, noisy ones. Derek pulled her into his arms, cupping her head against his bare chest, cooing and shushing her, trying to calm her down.
"Baby, are you okay? Sweetheart," he murmured, obviously at a loss for words. "I'm sorry, I—"
"No, silly," she said, sniffling and laughing. "I'm happy. I just... it's just sudden, you know?"
He shook his head and laughed a self-derisive laugh. "No, honey. It's not sudden for me."
"I didn't think so." She blushed sheepishly and said, "I saw the picture in your condom drawer."
"Yeah. It's always nice to have my best girl nearby at all times." He kissed her forehead. "You were the last thing I looked at before going to bed so many nights."
"Aww... that's so sweet. I kind of wondered why you had it there."
After a moment, he began to blush.
She frowned, wondering what the problem was, and then started to giggle and downright hoot as she figured it out. "Derek Morgan, that's...that's...whoa! You kinky devil!"
He flushed even darker. "Umm...ah..."
She was snickering, big time, completely relishing his discomfort. "I always knew men were visual people, but that so totally proves it for me."
He gave her a half grin, one that was admittedly sheepish. "Enjoying every second of this, aren't you?"
She raised her arms around his neck. "Mmm hmm."
He laughed. "Well, I'm glad one of us is!"
She kissed the side of his neck, near his ear, or as close as she could reach. "I think it's kinda sweet...and kinda sexy."
"Really?" he replied, his eyebrows going up. Along with that hint of surprise, his eyes were heating.
She gave him a heated look of her own. "Oh, yes. I may have to watch that sometime, sugar. A little self-worship at the chocolate god's temple. It's hot just imagining it."
"Would it help, for imagination purposes," he murmured, leaning down and kissing the side of her neck, "that I always dreamed of your lips? Wet, red, kissing me everywhere, talking to me, so damn dirty."
She gave a throaty chuckle and tipped her head back. "Do tell..."
"And your breasts." He ran his hands up her ribcage slowly, under her t-shirt, cupping and lifting her heavy breasts, brushing his thumbs against the peaks. "I dreamed of these, sucking these, licking these, tonguing these." He stopped his thumb movements, which caused her to open her eyes. "It makes me kind of mad, really."
She frowned at him."Why?"
"I didn't do them justice, angel." He tugged her shirt over her head and stared unabashedly at her breasts. "Not even close."
"Derek," she said, feeling herself getting wet, just from his words and his hot looks sweeping over her.
He pulled her close in his arms, crushing her chest against his. "How about I tell you that when I came, I did it with your name on my lips?" He devoured the side of her neck, and whispered fiercely, "I can tell you that is true."
She shook again, but this time because her knees were weak from arousal. She lifted her arms, reaching for his head, tugging his mouth to hers. She kissed him, one hot, deep kiss, before he tore his mouth away, leaving her panting.
"I want to make love to you again, Penelope. Not because of some fucking position I want to test, or because we're trying to learn something. I want to make love to you because I want you." He swept her up in his arms and left the kitchen in massive, ground eating strides.
"Derek!" she cried. "Stop!"
He did and gave her a look, bless him, that wasn't quite patient.
"The eggs are still cooking."
He grinned, turned around with her. When he reached the stove, she reached over and turned off the now very overdone eggs. Then she smiled up at him.
"Now hurry up, handsome," she said. "You have a hot little tech kitten who needs to purr."
And he turned and nearly jogged into the bedroom, still carrying her in his arms.