Epilogue

Five weeks later

Living the dream, facing reality – it was all so much better when you had someone to share it with. That went for showers too, Dani thought when the glass door opened and Nico stepped inside. "Goodmorning," he murmured, his darkening eyes slowly going over her body. Reaching out, he let his finger trail down her arm. His touch was so light she should barely be able to feel it, but it left a trail of fire in its wake nonetheless. His hand circled her wrist and he pulled her nearer.

"Hi – I've missed you," she whispered, putting her arms around his neck as his came around her waist. Every so often, despite his weekly sessions with Doctor Gunner, Nico's nightmares still prevented them from sleeping in the same bed. But it didn't happen every night, and he always made it up to her in the morning, so she'd figured she could live with it for now.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him, studying his face to see if she could get any indication of how bad the dreams had been this time.

"Better every minute." He walked her backwards until her back touched the wall, the cool tiles providing a shocking contrast to the heat that was pooling in her belly. "You? Ready for your first day at work?"

He bent his head and her reply was lost in a gasp as his teeth nibbled on her earlobe. His tongue followed, assuaging the slight sting, and then he covered her mouth with his. Their tongues danced to a slow rhythm at first, then picked up the pace along with their hearts. Moans and sighs were not quite drowned out by the sound of the running water as their hands joined the action, fueling their desire to be as close together as a man and woman could possibly be – but delaying that moment as well, building the anticipation until neither of them could stand it anymore. Nico lifted her up and entered her in one smooth stroke, his lips leaving hers.

"Look at me," he murmured, holding still.

When she opened her eyes he started moving, setting up a slow rhythm that seemed designed to drive her crazy. Burning with need, she tightened her legs around him and tried to entice him to go faster. But he was in control this time and he was relentless, hypnotizing her with his gaze, his breath coming in short pants and groans that matched her own. With each tantalizing thrust they both climbed a little higher, until the line between pleasure and pain began to blur and Dani had to dig her nails into his shoulders and her teeth into her bottom lip to keep from screaming out in frustration.

His gaze dropped to her mouth and he let out a growl. Meeting her eyes again he started to thrust hard and fast like she wanted him to, crushing her between himself and the wall at her back.

A wave of pleasure crashed through her, causing her entire body to tense before turning to jelly as she went over the edge with Nico following close behind her.

Nico leaned in the kitchen doorway and drank some of his coffee as he looked at Onyx, who stared right back at him. "You can come down now. There's food waiting for you in the kitchen," Nico told the cat after a few minutes of silence.

Onyx stayed where he had apparently been all night – crouching on top of the cardboard boxes that were stacked up in the hallway, his tail wrapped around his legs.

"Fine, suit yourself," Nico muttered, going back to the counter to finish making breakfast.

"So Onyx seems kinda… tense," Dani observed as she entered the kitchen and hopped up on a barstool. "Is he okay?"

Nico put their plates on the island and sat down across from her. "Sure, why wouldn't he be?"

"I've been told that cats don't like change very much. And, you know, this is gonna be a big change for him." Resting her chin in her hand, she raised her eyebrow at him.

Nico felt a smile tugging at his mouth. He hid it by taking a sip of coffee. "Onyx will be fine. He knows that not all changes are bad. He's a smart cat," he deadpanned.

"If you say so." She didn't look convinced. "But what if he doesn't like his new home?"

Nico got up and walked around the island to stand behind her, pulling her back to his chest and resting his chin on her head as she leaned into him. "I really don't think Onyx cares that much about where he lives," he told her.

"I don't know, I've heard stories about cats running away from their new homes to go back to their old homes…" She sighed.

"Onyx won't run away."

She turned around and studied him, her brow furrowed. "How can you be sure?"

Nico shrugged. "He likes me too much. So as long as you keep me around, he'll be happy to stay at your place too."

It was a different parking lot, at a different facility. But when Dani parked her car, she was hit by a sense of deja vu. Some might say that this was a step back in her career. When she'd told Abby Bruce about her decision to go work for Nico's client instead of SBG, Dani had read that sentiment in the other woman's eyes. Dani didn't agree. She saw it as specializing herself further in a field she was already familiar with. She was looking forward to once again helping athletes to overcome the issues that stood in the way of achieving both their own and their team's goals. She was also looking forward to working with people she'd already proven herself to, so she wouldn't have to fight them every step of the way.

Following the sounds of whistles blowing and men shouting, she went around the building. It was purely on reflex that she managed to catch the football that came flying at her as soon as she rounded the corner.

"Damn! Nice catch, Doctor D!" TK's voice rang out to her.

She grinned and threw the football back in his direction, the sense of deja vu leaving her as she followed it with her eyes until it landed safely in TK's hands.

"Damn it, Williams, how many times do I have to tell you to keep your head in the game? What the hell is your problem these days?" Coach Purnell shouted from the sideline.

Dani rolled her eyes and smiled a little as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall of the Bobcats training facility to watch the team practice. Her eyes searched and found the player Coach had been addressing and she squinted as she took note of his tired expression and the slump in his shoulders. She'd find her office later. She had a feeling it might be a better idea to observe this Williams for a while first.

A/N: So - it's finished. Time for you to give me your final verdict on this story. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't like, and tell me why. I want to improve my writing skills, so hints and tips are appreciated! If you don't feel comfortable leaving a public review, send me a PM.

And of course I hope you will return for the other NR stories I have in mind - including a sequel to this!