Part Nine

She wasn't sure what had awaken her, only that she was hung over and distinctly naked, certainly two things that she rarely was during a case. Shivering, Emily opened her eyes, intending to reposition the covers, instead she found herself staring at the sleeping form of David Rossi. It all came flooding back and she inwardly groaned, closing her eyes briefly in the hope it would fade away. Unfortunately, when she opened them again, he was still laying on his back beside her, snoring softly, the sheet somehow wrapped around his waist leaving his upper torso exposed.

Carefully, she lifted up the ecru cotton sheet from her own body and slipped almost silently out of bed. The man beside her sighed and rolled on to his side, settling himself back against the pillow. Emily froze, her hands moving unconsciously and fruitlessly to cover her body, her eyes searching the room for something to hide behind. When he didn't wake, she began to pad around the room, collecting her clothes, separating what was hers from what was his. It didn't take her long to get dressed, the urge to be gone before he awoke too strong. Emily ran her fingers through her hair one more time, confident she looked almost professional if she met anyone in the corridor, her eyes flickering between Dave's sleeping form and the only exit. She had almost made it to the door when he propped himself up on his elbow.

"What no breakfast in bed?" he asked, his voice devoid of embarrassment and his smile evident in his voice. There had been too many women in too many hotel rooms in his past to be concerned with what happened next or even with how the night had gone. The only difference was that he had actually enjoyed the night's activities and was hoping for an encore, although convincing her would be a whole another challenge.

She turned and shot him a killer look. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but good sense told her to keep her mouth shut and get out of there as fast as she could.

"I'm just saying if you wanted to avoid the awkwardness just remember in a few hours we'll be working together." He sat up further in the bed, the sheet pooling around his middle.

"I don't really know what to say," Emily admitted. The only saving grace in the situation, she had concluded as she stood there staring at her half naked colleague was that they were both discreet. Of course up until the previous night they had also been professional. Her thoughts briefly wandered to new adjectives to describe them.

"Thank you for the wonderful sex would go a long way." Dave watched her, anticipating her quickly she would flee, his own concerns masked with amusement.

Her mouth opened but no words came out, the goldfish impression bringing forth yet another chuckle from him.

"Or David, this was a mistake and no one can ever know about this," he offered seriously, the smile dissipating in favour of a frown.

"I thought that was a given."

He shook his head. "I think maybe we should have quelled our urges until we got back to DC, but sometimes a little spontaneity is good for the soul." He waited a beat, hoping he didn't need to convey his meaning in sentences rather than words. "As for secrecy being a given, it is. This is between us, not because I care what people might think, but because I know it's what you want."

"Thank you." Emily offered him a small tentative smile. As awkward as the whole incident was she couldn't help but be distracted by the small fragments of memory that she had.

"No, thank you."

She stood poised, her hand on the door knob as she glared at him smirking self satisfied at her. "Dave," she offered in warning, his name sounding all too husky.

"So, I'll see you at breakfast."

"Try not to look so . . . So . . ."

Dave waited for her characterisation of him, finally throwing back the covers and placing his feet firmly on the floor.

Emily knew she was blushing, knew how stupid it was after what they had done, but she couldn't help herself as he rose to his feet and her eyes remained drawn to his naked body.

"I'm going to take a shower. Stick around if you want to," he said, smirking at her, as he walked straight passed her and into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar.

Her hand lingered on the door knob as she heard the faucet splutter to life and Rossi's humming increase in volume. She couldn't resist smiling nor shaking her head at the image that danced across her brain. "I'll see you in the coffee shop for breakfast," she called finally, detaching herself from the simple moment of domesticity and opening the door. Once beyond the door her FBI instincts kicked in and she found herself checking the hallways and listening for signs of her colleagues moving about. Satisfied that she was safe, she darted down the corridor and slipped into her room.

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