"Nice place you got here, Cabot."
Olivia Benson stepped through the door to Alex's apartment, taking all the time she could to revel in her own triumph. Somehow she found herself inside Alex's home at 3:30 in the morning, with the blonde following so closely behind her that Olivia could actually smell the sweet scent of her perfume.
"Thank you. I do what I can."
At the sound of her measured tone, Olivia looked about to find Alex carefully arranging her leather jacket on the small coat rack next to the entrance mat. White-blonde hair fell loosely down, brushing the powdered peach of Alex's skin. For an instant Olivia saw the tip of a nose, a flash of elegant blue, and the ripe crescent of a lower lip. Then Alex Cabot looked up, and the moment was gone.
"After this, I'd be too embarrassed to let you see my apartment."
"Don't be absurd, Detective. I'm sure your apartment would be perfectly acceptable."
Olivia paused, trying to decide what Alex meant by that statement. A second of confused silence sucked the air out of the room, and Olivia's brown eyes met Alex's blue ones. In an instant Olivia felt fire burn deep inside of her, like an explosion of sparks and ashes, so hot that it made her heart race.
"You're very tired."
Olivia didn't deny it. How could she, when the only reason she was even here at all was due to a clever disguise of drowsiness?
"If you say so."
Squeezing her eyes shut, Olivia stretched her arms above her head, stifling a yawn with difficulty.
"I get the couch, right?"
Lowering her arms and blinking sleepily, she gave Alex a lazy half-grin, brown eyes quizzical as they touched upon Alex's confusing expression.
"Something on your mind, Cabot?"
Alex started at the question, and she blinked quickly, raising both eyebrows.
"Not at all."
"Oh."
Tilting her head to the side, Olivia made a decision. With one eyebrow raised, she began to walk towards Alex, watching with surprise as Alex's blue eyes suddenly widened. If she didn't know any better…Olivia could've sworn that the attorney was holding her breath.
"You sure?"
She was so close now. Every time Alex exhaled, warm breath brushed against Olivia's tan neck, and the daring brunette angled her mouth so that it was tipping downwards, inches from plush pink lips that she so desperately wanted to taste…
"Goodnight, Detective."
Inhaling, Olivia caught Alex's eyes and watched with disbelief as the flushed attorney smiled at her, a smile that was full of satisfaction and secrets and wry intelligence. Olivia could have groaned, but Alex was already moving away across the main living room, disappearing into a darkened hallway that undoubtedly led to the bedroom. How was it that in one second Alex could make her feel completely sure of herself, and in the next leave her wondering what the hell had just happened?
Taking a heavy seat on the couch, Olivia looked over her shoulder towards the kitchen and sighed.
It must be an attorney thing.