I'm sorry that I haven't written for so long. I've had some personal issues and it didn't leave that much time for me to write.

I started to write bits and pieces of this chapter right after the last one but ended the whole thing just recently, which is why it might be a little change of mood/writing here and there. Also, it's probably not as cheerful and loving as I intended it to be at first and the adult scene is pretty much cut because I just haven't been on top of my game for a while. Although writing is making me feel considerably better : ).

Disclaimer: You know it already.

Flashback

Horatio entered the NYPD with a big grin on his face. He couldn't remember ever feeling better in his life.

He had kissed Amanda Wolfe, the girl of his dreams, and she'd kissed him back. Sure, she'd literally kicked him our of her house one second later, but that didn't matter. What did matter was that she'd kissed him back, which meant that she on some level felt the same way about him that he felt about her.

"Why are you so happy this morning?" O'Connell asked him in the locker room. "Was the blonde really that good?"

"No, didn't you hear? I hooked her up with Ron." Horatio responded.

"Then why are you so happy?"

"Really? That's what you're wondering about? What about the fact that Ron hooked up with a woman? Doesn't that surprise you at least a little bit?"

"It's Ron, he does what he feels like. Plus, the thing with him liking guys is very likely to be just a rumor, nobody really knows."

"I bet you do."

"I'll tell you if you tell me why you're so happy."

"I think I'll keep it to myself. It's nice to know something you don't." Horatio gave him a playful smile before closing his locker and leaving the room.

"Okay, there's been a murder downtown. Wilson, Caine and Ron, you guys go down there. O'Connell, the victim's wife is coming in soon. Talk to her and see if you can get anything." Amanda didn't even glance at Horatio, who was still smiling broadly, while she was talking.

"What about you?" Horatio asked. She quickly looked at him before turning her back against him, but not before he could se that she was blushing slightly.

"I'll have to stay here, I've got some paperwork. I'll be in my office if anyone needs me and…"

"You look tired Wolfe." Horatio interrupted. "Did something happen yesterday that kept you up?" Wilson and O'Connell gave him confused looks, while Ron looked just as out of it as ever. Amanda looked over at him again but this time there wasn't even a hint of a blush.

"Know what Caine, you can stay behind a little while, I need to talk to you. The rest of you can go ahead without him." The others glanced at him worriedly before leaving, but he just gave them all a confident smile. "Let's get into my office." He went after her into her office and closed the door behind them. "As I said, we need to talk…" He interrupted her by once again surprising her by coming up to her and kissing her. This time she was much faster on pushing him away. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" he answered with a smile, getting closer to her again.

"Back off." she said angrily but he didn't move, which led her to take a few steps back instead. "You need to stop this."

"Why? You like it, which is why you kissed me back last night."

"I was caught by surprise and it was a natural response. It didn't mean anything." she was suddenly avoiding eye contact with him.

"Come on, we both know you're lying." he took one step closer, and she took another step away from him.

"You know this is counted as sexual harassment. I could report you and you would get fired." She suddenly seemed a little hesitant, and her usual confidence seemed to be gone.

"Then why don't you? I won't deny it if you do and I'll happily take my punishment. Because, you see, I love you, and now that I know that you feel the same way back, I won't stop until I have you. Even if it costs me my job." This time she didn't back away when he came closer. He put his hand under her chin and pushed it up slightly so that she would look at him.

"I'm your boss, you work for me, we can't…" There was a knock on the door and Horatio and Amanda quickly jumped apart. She ran her hand through her hair and in less than a second her face got it's normal, stern expression back.

"Come in." she called and a young officer came inside.

"Morris wants to see you in his office ma'am."

"Okay, I'll be right there. I'll finish this conversation with you later Caine, you should get down to the scene."

"Yes ma'am." he gave her a soft smile and then left her office to joining his team members at the crime scene.

-/-

Horatio knocked on Amanda's front door and she opened it quickly. She was still wearing her work clothes but her hair was out and she wasn't wearing any socks, so he assumed she'd been in the middle of changing when his knock interrupted her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him surprised when she saw him.

"You said we'd finish the conversation later but we never did, so I thought I'd come by. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Come on in." She stepped aside and let him in and then he followed her into the kitchen.

"Funny, how we always seem to end up here." Horatio commented and looked at her.

"Ryan is asleep and this is the room furthest away from his so he won't get waken up by hearing our voices."

"Ah." An uncomfortable silence lowered over them.

"About last night, and earlier today…" Amanda started, while avoiding looking at him.

"What about it?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Horatio asked surprised. "Pushing me away?"

"No, for leading you on. I never meant to make you think that I had romantic feelings towards you."

"Yeah, you see, you say that. But your actions say something else." he went closer to her but she didn't seem to notice.

"My actions like me pushing you away?"

"After kissing me back."

"I told you; I was caught by surprise, I didn't mean to…"

"Stop, just stop. Save it to someone who hasn't worked with you long enough to know when you're lying." he went closer to her. "I know you like me."

"Of course I like you. You're one of my best friend, you're practically like a brother…"

"Not like that. I mean you like me, like me. You want me, just like I want you." He went closer to her and once again she was trapped against the fridge, only this time she seemed to be more afraid of herself than him.

"That's not…"

"Come on Amanda, just give it up. We both know it's true." he said confidently, but she kept looking away.

"Okay, let's assume it was true, which I'm not saying it is." Horatio couldn't help but give a short laugh, which she ignored. "There are still things that speak against us."

"Which are?"

"We work together. I'm your boss, and any office romances are completely against the rules."

"So we don't tell anyone at work that we're together. It can be our little secret."

"It's still highly unethical…"

"Since when have you cared about that? You do unethical stuff all the time."

"Okay, fine. But there are other things."

"Like what?"

"I'm older than you."

"I don't care. What else."

"Harry, I'm serious. You deserve someone in your own age who can love you and…"

"I don't want someone in my own age, I want you. And you're not that much older than me anyways, so what's the big deal?"

"I… I've got a kid. Are you sure you're up to something like that?"

"Really, that's the best you've got? I baby sit your kid all the time. I love him, and he loves me, and I am more than up to taking care of him with you."

"But…" She got quiet; she was completely out of things to say, and the fact that he was standing so goddamned close didn't make matters any better.

"But what?" he leaned in and tried to capture her lips with his, but she turned away.

"I don't…" she started, but then she got quiet again.

"Want me? You don't want me." She didn't answer. "Then say it." She remained silent. "Say the word and I'll leave, and I'll pretend that none of this ever happened, and we can continue being just friends. I'll do it, but you have to say it."

She stood there silently for a while. At last she looked up at him and for the first time looked him straight in the eyes.

"Say it." he said again, but she remained quiet, and his smile came back. He leaned in to kiss her again, and this time she didn't turn away. Instead started kissing him back. He sensed the heat rise between them and let his left hand get entangled in her brown hair while the other one went down her back under her blouse, and he heard her gasp slightly when he touched her skin, getting him to smile even wider into the kiss. His hand went up and with a trained finger he got up the clasps of her bra in one try, but apparently that wasn't the right thing to do because she immediately broke the kiss. "What, what's wrong?" he asked her slightly breathless. "Too fast?"

"No, it's not that." Horatio immediately felt his pants tightening at the thought that she didn't seem to have anything against what he wanted to do, but he quickly calmed himself down when he saw her insecure look. "It's just that I haven't… Not since Graham…" she got quiet and looked away. He put his hand on her cheek and carefully caressed it.

"I'll be careful I promise." he said softly. She looked back into his eyes and slowly nodded her approval. He brought her back against him and gave her a deep kiss.

The kiss quickly got hot and Horatio suddenly found himself fighting for dominance, and losing. He broke free from her and managed to pant out "Bedroom?" She nodded again and he quickly took her hand and led her to her bedroom, the only place in the house he'd never been in, although he had imagined the way it looked many times. And to his surprise, it looked a lot like it had in his mind; everything was neat and clean and everything seemed to be either sorted by color or, in her perfumes case, size. It was just as clean her office, unlike the rest of the house, because let's face it; it's not that easy to keep a house in order when a kid is running around in it, even when the kid is as unusually organized as Ryan. He felt Amanda wrapping her arm around him and kissing him up his neck.

"What are you thinking?" she whispered in his ear before nibbling it, sending a chill down his spine.

"That I love you." he smiled and brought her lips back to his, kissing her hungrily, his hands starting to unbutton her blouse.

And that's it for now. A bit shorter than I'd originally planned but it's the best I could do under the circumstances.

As always: RnR away! :D