Three in the Morning…
"Crews?" Dani asked reaching for him groggily. Charlie had fallen asleep propped up against the headboard, his hand in her hair and Rayborn's file in his lap. It was beyond late now, the middle of the night in fact. Charlie inclined his head to the left and then to the right trying to work out the kink in it from sleeping sitting up. He really needed to sleep well one of these days he thought to himself. The hand tangled in Dani's hair moved to let her know he was there – close – she was not alone. She quieted for a moment and then moved to sit up.
"Honey, what is it? Does it hurt?" Charlie asked setting the file aside.
"You cheated Crews" she pronounced sounding a tiny bit wounded. He looked at her, then the file then back at her.
"Yeah…well, you fell asleep sweetheart" he excused himself with a smile.
"I'll get you some juice" he offered knowing her mouth would feel like cotton from the pain killers.
"How about you just come to bed Charlie?" and for the second time that day, Crews was speechless, breathless and his heart raced like an Indy car when they dropped the green flag.
"You want me to…." He stammered.
"Sleep Charlie. I want you to sleep." She said sounding tired again already.
"Here? With you?" he wanted to be absolutely sure that Dani was saying what he understood her to say. "Are you sure?"
"Yes" she countered softly.
Charlie pushed the forgotten file off onto the floor and slid down until he was laying beside her. He wanted to be here – in her now – more than he wanted to know anything about Rayborn or Jack Reese or the Bank of LA.
Charlie lay on his back atop the coverlet and Dani shot him an annoyed look. "What are you seven? I'm not going to give you cooties Crews" she teased in a patient tone, but somewhat demanding. He could tell she was beginning to feel better – better enough to grouse and grumble, to demand and disdain, Reese was returning to health and that made Charlie grin like the proverbial village idiot. And she wanted to sleep with him….
As her comment sunk in, penetrated Crews tired brain, Dani watched the light bulb go on behind his dim blue eyes and the sparkle return to them. He raised himself off the bed with an ease she envied and pulled back the coverlet to climb under it. He was wearing only black boxers, a grey t-shirt and socks. Dani cleared her throat and said simply "socks" with an arched eyebrow. Charlie smiled if socks were the price of admission to Dani Reese's bed, he'd happy forgo them entirely until the day he died, Charlie thought as he lost the offending articles and returned to her.
"I can barely move Crews. Throw me a bone here?" Dani offered.
Charlie smiled at her joke and slid closer putting his left arm high behind her and gently gathering her into his embrace. She stiffened as the effort caused her pain and took a deep ragged breath, her head buried in his chest. Then she rolled to her right putting her head on Charlie's shoulder and draping her left arm low across his belly, setting a riot of butterflies lose in his groin. She settled, gradually eased and then slung her left leg over his, tangling their legs together.
"Is this okay?" she asked.
Charlie couldn't speak. He wasn't sure he could breath, so he simply nodded and exhaled. He very softly trailed his right hand across the arm resting on his stomach, exploring the smooth skin of her arm and the toned muscle in her bicep and shoulder. He traced a path over her shirt to the juncture of her neck and shoulder and cupped his hand along her neck, his thumb caressing her jaw line.
"Charlie?" she questioned softly, sounding a tiny bit unsure.
"Uh-huh" he responded, incapable for the moment of higher brain function like speech. Her skin was so smooth, so soft, so warm, he just reveled in the feeling of his rougher palm and long fingers on her body.
"Tomorrow?" she bit her lip and continued "Tomorrow…. You're gonna tell me what it is you and my father were talking about tonight" she told him in an unfairly sultry tone. For the third time in six hours, Charlie felt his mouth go dry and mild panic set in.
"But that's tomorrow…" she told him as her hand traveled up his chest to his neck "for now…all I want you to do is kiss me" she said gently. She could feel his heart beating against his rib cage like hard rain on the roof at night. Charlie rolled them together until she was on her back, very carefully so he would not hurt her injured side.
He moved a length of her hair from her neck and trailed his fingers lightly along her exposed collarbone, eliciting a shudder. Two could play at this game, he bent close and breathed heated words next to her ear "are you sure that's all you want, honey?" before moving to a point just over her - poised but not ready to kiss her yet. Dani's smile was priceless, he could see her straight white teeth even in the darkness of his bedroom.
Charlie feinted and then withdrew as she reached for him with the lips, when she could move no further without pain he returned to her. "I'm kissing you remember?" he teased softly against her pout. "You never let me drive, Reese. Here I get to drive okay?" She nodded her assent with closed eyes waiting for him.
Charlie touched his lips to her and felt the release of the breath she'd been holding waiting for him. His kiss was gentle, sweet and slow. He drew breath from her as she released it and forced her to break the kiss for air. He felt her intake of air and knew that her lungs would need some recovery, but he knew just the exercise for that…kissing. Charlie thought kissing Dani Reese was better than oranges, better than strawberries, better than any fruit he could think of. She tasted so good to him, indescribably good.
Dani licked her lips and her eyes returned to his. "Crews" she breathed, unable to summon much else besides his name. Charlie decided he truly loved the sound of his name off her lips and promised himself he'd never tired of hearing it. And when that day came she was strong enough to bear it, he'd make her scream it repeatedly as he pleasured her to distraction, in this very room.
Until then he could still kiss her, he thought placing a trail of small kisses up her neckline to her ear. "Are you okay, honey?" he questioned softly, still concerned for her.
"No" she pouted "you're driving me crazy here" she emphasized the word "driving" for effect "and I can't really move. I want to move Charlie, I really want to move" her breathing was labored and he withdrew looking deep into her eyes.
"I don't wanna hurt you, sweetheart. I never wanna hurt you" he promised with his whole heart. She bit her lip and he knew she was hurting, but she wanted more. "We'll do this – soon, but for now you need to take more meds and rest."
"I don't want that stuff, Charlie" she resisted "I don't like feeling dopey and out of place in time."
"Just think of it as walking a mile in my shoes" he teased as he twisted to retrieve the pill bottle and the water glass. "Just take one, to take the edge off" he offered.
Dani shook her head. Her eyes fell to his chest and she sorrowfully admitted her fears "You don't understand Charlie, those pills are poison to me. They are so easy and so good, but I can't…." and then it made sense to him. She didn't want to get addicted to something else.
"Okay, okay… I get it…honey I'm sorry I didn't understand earlier. You don't have to take anything, we'll get through this together. Shhh" he offered holding her close and rolling onto his back. "I know this breathing exercise…"
Dani snorted a laugh at his Zen breathing exercise comment "I know. Me too, Crews. Just breathe right?"
"How'd you know?" he joked dropping kisses into her hair and letting silence descend on them in the dark.
"Why didn't you say something before?" he asked quietly.
"What you mean like when you were in here with my dad?" she countered.
Charlie sighed and looked down at her in the dark. His partner as always sharp as a razor, even doped up she was sharper than half the cops in the department and Dani never missed anything. He should have known she wouldn't miss her own father skulking in the corner of the room.
"Thought you were sleeping then" he offered "how'd you know?" genuinely interested in what tipped her off.
"His aftershave." She stated flatly. "My father has worn Old Spice for years and unless you've recently had money problems I don't know about - your tastes are more expensive. Cool Water I think is your cologne."
"Beautiful and with a nose like a bloodhound what more could you want in a girl?" Charlie teased stroking her hair.
"Watch it, Mister" Dani warned "I'm not gonna be laid up too long, so enjoy it while you can. I'll be kicking your ass again by the end of next month" she yawned tired again.
"Let's not fight, I know something better for recuperating" he said seductively returning his lips to hers for a gentle kiss. "I promise it'll make you happy…"
She snuggled into his shoulder and warned "it better not be mediation, Crews."
He smiled and held her close. Nope…not mediation at all Charlie thought.