Disclaimer: see previous
A/N: Ok another short one but the whole chapter thing drives me nuts.
"Something I didn't ask you on the boat…" Gibbs asked as they walked side by side across the wooden planks. She looked up at him with one raised eyebrow. He smiled.
Uh-oh, she thought. Here it comes. Ok, so she wasn't sure what it was but he was grinning like a damn Cheshire cat.
"Your car. It's still in the shop," he said as he pointed out the gravel lot that was empty but for his car. "How did you get here?"
She stopped and grabbed his coat. She held up a finger, telling him to stop for a second. She crossed her arms in front of her and gave her a head a nod.
"I Dream of Jeannie. Cute."
"But effective," she said. She smiled at him. "Ducky dropped me off. Tony offered but he was letting Ziva drive and…"
The approached his car. He disabled the alarm and opened the passenger door for her.
"And they say chivalry is dead," she said with a grin as Gibbs shut her door and walked around to his side.
It was quiet as they drove. Silence. No music for Gibbs, she thought. His voice broke the silence. "Penny for your thoughts?"
She looked sideways at him.
"Ok ten cents, but no more"
She grinned and laid her head back. "To be honest…"she said as she closed her eyes. This time he looked sideways at her. She was still grinning. "To be perfectly honest, I was thinking how curious could a cat be with nine lives."
This time he turned his head completely to look at her. She opened her eyes and gave him a wink. He threw back his head and laughed. Damn, he thought. He reached into his pocket and flipped something to her.
"What's this?" she said catching the small object.
"That one was definitely worth a quarter."
She opened her hand and sure enough…
She shook her head and flashed a smile. They fell into a comfortable silence until they pulled into his driveway. She was nervous. She hadn't been with anyone since she had started at NCIS. She had dated and flirted but nothing impressive. And here she was three years later wondering if it really was like riding a bike… But that's not what they were here for. They were here to look at the boat. Right?
She opened her door and stepped out. She reached for her backpack but he got to it first.
"I could have gotten that," she said.
"I know," Gibbs said, slinging the pack over his shoulder. "Just wanted to show you that chivalry is still alive and well in D.C."
They walked through the front door and she noticed he hadn't used a key to get in. The team had told her about the unlocked door but she hadn't believed them. He set her pack down at the foot of the stairs leading upward. He then took her hand and led her downward. Down a set of wooden stairs that brought them into his basement.
"Nice boat," she said, walking slowly around its entirety, her hands never leaving the wood. So smooth. And the smell. She inhaled. Almost another orgasm. This was the scent Gibbs wore. This was the attraction. She kept her hand to the boat. She took notice of the detail towards the ground and her eyes followed the railing as she walked. She momentarily forgot where she was. Her hand ran into Jethro's as she finished her examination of the boat. She looked up but never moved her hand. His hand was warm, as always. She had always loved his hands. The hands of a craftsman. She had daydreamed about those hands. Always tan and always…He stepped closer, putting her between himself and the boat.
Dammit Gibbs, she thought. She was going to explode. He was staring into her cool blues again and again she tried to read what they were telling her. Again with the poker face. Say something Lizzy, she thought. Anything, just speak.
"It's a beautiful boat Gibbs, but I have to ask—"
She paused and he smiled. He shook his head and she raised an wanted to know. They all wanted to know. How did he get the boat out? He already had an answer ready but she spoke quickly.
"—why no name?"
"Huh?" he said, confusion spreading across his face.
"Did you want me to sign it for you?" "Why," and she signed, "no" and she signed, "name" and she signed with a cute smile eating up her face.
"Most women want to know how I get the boat out of the basement" he said moving in slightly closer as he spoke.
"Jethro." she said as she slid his Carhartt vest off his shoulders. "I'm not most women and I—"she paused to slip her hoodie over her head, "—already know how you get it to the dock. It's a passion for me too, remember?"
"Passion." he said in a low voice growling with desire. He pushed her against the boat and leaned his head closer. His eyes darted from her eyes to her lips to her eyes. He wanted it as much as she did. She reached up both hands and pulled his face to hers. Their lips met in small kisses. When their lips met again, she deepened the kiss. She was pressed up against the curve of the boat and he was pressed against her. He broke away first but only to press kisses against her neck. He found his way back to her mouth.
This was real. This was happening, she thought. And it's good. Better than her daydreams. Better than her nightdreams. She had to find a bed. The upstairs seemed awfully far away. She wondered about the boat. He'd have to christen it sometime…
She slowly pulled her mouth away and pushed him gently back. She took his hand this time and pulled him to the stairs. She walked slowly even though she wanted to run. She made it to the platform on the stairs before he stopped her and pressed her against the wall. This time when he trailed kisses down her neck, he went further, further, until he came to a button. He pulled back long enough to undo one button and then kissed what had been revealed. He undid another button and his mouth followed. This time they made it to the foot of the staircase inside the front door. She pointed to the rooms above and he nodded. One foot on the bottom step but she was drawn back. He turned her slowly. The rest of the buttons were undone at a maddening pace. Her shirt fell open. Blue lace. Gibbs sucked in a breath. Before his hands could go any further, she reached for his buttons. She pulled the shirt from his waist and unfastened every button. She started to reach to pull it off but was stopped. Gibbs gave her a hard kiss and turned her around and gave her a gentle push up the stairs. She held on to one of his hands as she ascended the steps ahead of her. At the top of the stairs, she looked left, then right, debating. He moved around her and led her to the bedroom.
***
He felt movement in the bed next to him. He struggled to open his eyes. He felt warmth against his back. Naked warmth. She had her arm across his hip and her fingers intertwined with his. He wondered about the time. The clock was on her side which was usually his side. He released her hand and shifted in the bed. He turned to look at her. Blue eyes again met blue eyes.
"You're awake,"he said yawning as he spoke.
"I'm trying to talk myself into my daily run," she said as she again brought her hand to rest on his hip. She moved closer.
"You want me to try and talk you out of it?" he said with a smile.
"Nope. I was actually hoping you'd go with me. I don't know this neighborhood."
"How long of a run are we talking about? Remember how mature I am" he said laying flat on his back with his hands behind his head.
"Yea you're so old that we didn't get to sleep til 2" she smiled as her mind replayed a few choice scenes.
He grinned at her. He watched as she got up and looked around for clothing. She slipped on bra and panties but had to retrieve her backpack from the bottom of the stairs. She brought it to the bedroom and began searching for her sweats. She had packed warmer clothes thinking she was going to be on the water for a few days. She pulled on a t-shirt and slipped on her sweats.
"My hoodie?" she questioned Gibbs.
"Same place as my vest"
"The basement" they both said together.
She walked down to the basement and found their things lying in a heap on the floor. She picked them up and started for the steps. She stopped as she walked past the boat. She put her hand to the stained wood. She ran her hand back and forth. With the grain. Always with the grain. She closed her eyes and she could see her father. In that old garage, night after night. Her boat had been finished five years ago and she had not started another since. She missed the sanding and the pounding. And the sawdust. She took a deep breath and started towards the stairs. Gibbs was there. She hadn't even heard him come down. He looked at her then. She gave him a small smile and started up the steps.
"You ok?" he asked.
"Memories."
"Yea. I know."
And in that moment she figured out what it was about the basement, about the boat. The pain here was the same as in her garage. She followed him up the stairs. He had changed into sweats also and was leading her to the door.
"So what are we talking about here? Around the block? Around the park?" he said as he started jogging in place.
"How about we run til you catch me?" she said as she took off down the street. He shook his head. That won't be far, he thought. She doesn't even know where she's going. This is gonna be a short run, he thought as he took off after her. He finally caught up with her after a block and a lot of sprinting. She laughed when he caught up to her. She slowed her pace and let him keep time with her. They evened their pace and jogged in silence for a while, both lost in thought. The events of the night before replayed in Gibbs head. He couldn't remember ever feeling that satisfied. She had asked him where his energy was coming from and he didn't have an answer for her. But he had entered her body time and again. He glanced at her and wondered what came next. Not next as in the next hour or even the next day but… he had broke the rule. He knew it, she knew it. Lt. Col. Mann hadn't worked with him but she had pushed for answers. She had wanted more. More than he had wanted to give. What if Lizzy wanted the same thing? They had crossed a line. Not just any line…the line. They had stepped right up to it. Taken a good long look and jumped it. And in their line of work, that line wasn't crossed without consequences….consequences and complications. Her voice broke into his thoughts.
She had turned around to face him and was now jogging backwards, a little ahead of him, and smiling.
"So is this your idea of keeping pace, Gramps? You've slowed down to a crawl and you've had your left turn signal on for the last ½ mile," she said as she picked up her pace slightly, challengingly.
"Gramps?" he said with a half grin on his face.
"Ok, ok. Sugar daddy, then." And she turned around and took off again, sprinting the last block to Gibbs house. She stood on the porch waiting for him. He was only a few seconds behind her.
"Damnit Lizzy," he said as he stood next to her, bent at the waist, hands on his knees.
She laughed. "I figure if I wore you out enough, you couldn't say no to going back to bed." She opened the door and they stepped inside. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.
"Coffee first."
***