Well, I made y'all wait about a month and a half. Better than my usual three months! Hopefully I'll post the next chapters even sooner - I really hate to keep you guys waiting! While this story is not over, we are nearing the finish line. I hope I can end the story as strongly as it began. Oh, and hopefully I can make you guys happy. That's really important to me.1
This chapter is kinda long - almost 7,000 words. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading all of them! Thank you so much for sticking with this story.
THE BET
"I'm telling you, Bones, if those bony bits wind up being the husband, I like the brother-in-law for this one. Did you see the look on his face when his sister walked in the room? There's something going on there." Stepping off the elevator, he dropped his hand to her back and ushered her down the hall toward his apartment. The days off they were supposed to have taken had been yanked after only one day. Booth's plan to sabotage Brennan's writing and coerce her into a picnic at Rock Creek Park had itself been sabotaged when work reared its persistent head. A diced skeleton had turned up in the garden behind a house being renovated in Front Royal. The sheriff had remembered him and Bones from a past case and had specifically requested them. Although they'd only just finished the Lederson case the Bureau had happily tossed the new remains their way. Luckily, the day of rest they'd gotten had done him a world of good – instead of being stiff as a board he was only nursing a couple of bum spots. He'd be bandaged for a while, but that would barely slow him at all. And who was he kidding? He'd never been very good at sitting still for long.
"So you think Stuart Sutcliffe is having an incestuous relationship with his sister?"
"What? No, I don't think that. I just...something's going on there, is all I'm saying. Maybe the husband abused her. Maybe the brother just didn't get along with him. Anyway, as of right now he's my number one suspect." A quick snap of his fingers added emphasis to his statement. "And that is the last time I'm gonna talk about this today. It's Friday. For all intents and purposes it's the weekend. We got called out to that scene at four freakin' a.m. – I am done thinking about murder and motives. And I am definitely not going to think about mulchers in any capacity." Hooking a companionable arm around her neck, he pulled her down the hall toward his apartment.
"I really should get some writing done, Booth. I lost a good portion of the day on this case, and my editor keeps asking for another chapter." She'd told him the same thing on the drive back to the District, but had agreed that they did indeed require sustenance after several hours at the crime scene. He'd surprised her when instead of stopping for a meal while en route he insisted on making lunch for her. She'd argued with him but had finally acquiesced to his wishes, worn down by his unbelievable stubbornness. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd met someone so intractable. "If we head to the lab after we eat, I can get some writing done, and we can ensure that the evidence is logged in properly."
He automatically placed his palm on her forehead as if to check her temperature. "Are you sick? I'm not going anywhere near the lab today, Bones, and neither are you. You know perfectly well that your team and my team are completely capable of handling this stage of the investigation. Until all the data is logged and notated there's nothing we can do anyway. No. No lab for us. I want to do something way more enjoyable."
She sighed. He was right, at least with regard to the Jeffersonian. She hated it when he was right. They would be superfluous at the lab. It would be a waste of their time to go there at all today. Hodgins and Angela were completely autonomous in their fields, and she needed to step back from Zach a bit in order to allow him to process and analyze skeletal samples independently. In fact, one of the reasons he'd been brought on full-time was to free her up for less rudimentary tasks. He was exceedingly capable, and if he had any problems he would contact her. She focused on his last sentence and began to warm to the idea. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to relax for a short time. She could write this evening, and she had all of Sunday allocated for her book as well. And then there was the fact that Booth was still healing. If she left him to his own devices, he could very well decide to play basketball or worse, fix something mechanical. If she stayed for a while she could make sure he didn't overextend himself and perhaps worsen his injuries. "Very well. What did you have in mind?"
"Oh, I don't know. But it's the weekend, and I want to enjoy it. Specifically, I want to enjoy it with you." Hesitating, he gave the matter some thought. "A picnic or a matinee. Maybe we could shoot down to Mt. Vernon for the afternoon." Fumbling with the door lock, he finally coaxed the finicky deadbolt to give way and ushered her inside. Dropping his keys in the rolled clay dish Parker had made for him, he watched her covertly as she set her bag and kit on the coffee table. She was much more comfortable spending time with him than she'd been in the beginning. But there was an underlying tension that never quite disappeared. It was slowly easing since they'd come back from Warm Springs, but it wasn't gone completely. Once she'd revealed her horrible past to him, exposed all the painful details, she had immediately acted as if she'd never said anything at all. He understood that. It was a defense mechanism, and he'd done the same thing in the past. He was all too familiar with the Shutting Up Now form of self-preservation. How long it would last, well...he'd just have to wait and see. By tacit agreement neither had mentioned the night she'd come to him. He knew she was nowhere near ready for that discussion. That was okay for now. The sound of her voice brought him back from his musings, and he quickly snapped to attention.
"I've been to Mt. Vernon."
"Ah, but you've never been there with me." Intent on convincing her, he kept talking over his shoulder while he shrugged out of his jacket. "It's a beautiful day, it's close...oh, and I've never been there with you, so you could hold a Bonesy-type class and tell me everything you know..."
"I couldn't possibly tell you everything I know in one day, Booth. It would take several days, at least."
He quirked a brow at her. "Yeah, I know, Bones, you're a genius."
"No, that wasn't what I meant –" She stopped when she noticed the twinkle in his eye. "Oh, wait – you're joking."
"Yeah, Bones, I'm just joking. Although you are a genius. Okay, so not Mt. Vernon. Well, how about a picnic –"
"I've never been to a matinee."
He stopped, his forward motion arrested mid pants-shuck. "Huh?"
"I've never been to a matinee."
He shot her a look. "I heard what you said, Bones. I just don't believe it."
She nodded emphatically, neat ponytail bobbing in time. "It's true."
"Never? Really?" Mouth gaping, he struggled to free his leg from the pants and nearly keeled over in the process. Only a hand hastily clapped onto the bureau saved him from a mortifying face plant. "Not even with your parents or Russ?"
"No. I was very focused on my studies, and there was never anything I wanted to see badly enough to go."
"Oh, come on, Bones." One leg trousered and one leg bare, he turned to her, regarding her with blatant disbelief. "You're telling me you never, not one time when you were younger, went to a movie on a weekend afternoon? No", he decided crisply, "it's just not possible."
"I assure you, Booth, that that is precisely the case. I went with my family several times a year in the evening, but that was always during the week. My extracurricular projects kept me busy during the day on Saturdays and Sundays."
He began vigorously shaking his head. "Nah. No way. You must have forgotten. What about your school friends?"
"I told you. I was much too busy with all of my honors assignments to view films."
"Well, I don't know. I still think you just don't remember." He wadded up his trousers and sent them sailing into a squat black hamper in the corner of the room. "But since you're claiming ignorance of this particular tradition, that settles it. We are going to a matinee."
She settled frowning eyes upon his now-bare back, watching the muscles flex and extend as he grabbed a pair of jeans from the bureau drawer. "I don't know, Booth. What are we going to see?"
"I don't know. We'll figure that out when we get there. But we're going, and we're getting popcorn and candy and so much soda that we'll be doin' the soda dance by the time the movie's over."
She'd been against spending the afternoon with him when he'd mentioned it as they left the scene earlier. There had been a level of discomfort and stress between them since they'd returned from Warm Springs, and she'd been anxious to remove it and restore their relationship to its normal, uncomplicated state. But she hadn't known how, despite spending many hours dwelling upon it. That the awkwardness was there at all was her fault. Every time she remembered what she'd told him, the agonizing facts of her life she'd laid bare before him, she'd cringed inwardly and quickly moved on to other, less uncomfortable thoughts. Surely if she just focused on acting normally she would eventually begin feeling normal. She was displeased that the same feeling was rising in her yet again, and she determinedly put the unsettling emotions away and focused on Booth once more. He'd thrown on jeans and was donning a faded blue t-shirt with a quick, impatient shrug.
"C'mon, Bones, let's go check the listings and see what's playing."
She frowned, looking at him more closely. Without warning she was drawn in, and she watched him for a moment. Something in the pull of the fabric, the convex and concave of his form, the coil of his musculature set her on edge. Slowly she followed him out to the living room, trailing just far enough behind to be able to study the graceful economy of his stride - an economy that couldn't quite hide the physicality of his actions. The hunger that rose in her was so sudden, so raw and startling that she took a step back in automatic retreat. Hands fisting in an attempt to regain control, she forced herself to regain her ground. Something was different. If she could just figure out what it was she could move past it and enjoy the day with him. What was it? She started toward him again but misjudged the corner and came up solidly against the tray table, watching with startled confusion as it was sent bumping several inches to the side.
He looked up, surprised and then amused. "Walk much, Bones?"
Her brow creased. "I walk all the time. Why would you ask me that?"
His lips quirked slightly. "I have no idea." Taking a moment, he caught up the paper and flipped to the movie listings.
A clumsiness had overtaken her, as if she couldn't quite regulate her motions. She felt a tingling - a numbness in her fingers, her cheeks, her torso. Like a head rush but so much more pleasant. As if hypnotized, her eyes glazed and fixed on him until he was all she could see. It was more than physical desire. Deep inside, in the place where she kept uncomfortable truths she recognized that; she was familiar with the sensations that came with sexual attraction. It was more than just wanting a man. It was wanting this man. It was, perhaps, even more than that but she couldn't, wouldn't recognize it. Not now. She shied away from the upsetting knowledge and embraced the simplicity of the sexual gravity between them. Foot by faltering foot she approached him until she realized with a shock that she could smell him, a heady mix of faded cologne and the mint gum he'd had earlier. Her last two steps were taken in a breathless rush and she leapt onto his back, lashing her arms and legs tightly around him.
He staggered under the unexpected assault but quickly regained his footing, craning his neck to see behind him. "Bones...what the hell?" He twisted a bit in an attempt to shake her off, even as his hands automatically moved to her legs to support her. "What are you doing?"
"I've changed my mind about our afternoon plans. I find I'm feeling exceedingly aroused." Unable to resist, she drew her tongue along the razor line of hair at the back of his neck, inhaled his scent until her head spun.
The wash of heat caused by her provocative actions was almost overwhelming. He could feel his system beginning to snap and snarl to life. "That's nice...Bones," he muttered hoarsely, "but what about the matinee?"
"We can go to the matinee later," she whispered, punctuating her words with sharp nibbling bites to the nape of his neck.
"If we go later, it won't be a matinee."
"Why pay to get into a movie when you can get free admission right here?"
He choked, the combination of lust and shock at her words nearly strangling him. "What? Where the hell did you pick up that gem?"
"Not important at this moment, Booth."
Tightly riding his back, she hesitated when she inadvertently rubbed against a remaining sore spot and drove a hiss from him. Her immediate move to drop off of him was arrested when his arms flashed further back to cup her bottom and he spun them around, pinning her between the wall and the broad planes of his shoulders. The soft jersey of his shirt stretched and wrinkled between them, reminding her in no uncertain terms of the ferocious strength underneath. "Booth..."
He leaned back, grinding firmly against her. The feel of her curves pressed so tightly against him was like an electric shock, her heat and strength and proximity quickly setting him off. The hell with the movies. If she wanted to change their plans for the afternoon he wasn't about to argue with her. "Don't you dare move."
"I don't want to hurt you. Your injuries – I forgot -"
"You aren't hurting me." The press of her against his back was luxurious, erotic – but she wasn't where he needed her most. He couldn't feel enough, see enough, taste enough with her behind him. Startling a gasp from her as he boosted her higher he headed down the hall, grinning confidently when her arms slid around his neck.
The shadows deepened around them as he carried her down the windowless hallway. She didn't need the light. She didn't need to see a movie. But she needed him now, needed him so badly that such simple concerns as coordination and communication were lost to her. Helpless to resist her urges, she buried her face against his neck and indulged herself.
From her piggybacked position she wiggled and teased him, awkwardly nipping at his neck and ear until she succeeded in winning an amused growl from him. "Behave back there." When she only laughed and renewed her efforts, he stepped quickly to the bed. Her grasping hands and sinfully undulating hips tempted him, but he stayed focused. Tipping his head to grant her better access, he waited for the right moment and was rewarded when she momentarily loosened her grip. Without warning he set his feet and heaved.
One minute she was busily tormenting both him and herself; the next, she was flipping over his shoulder without any understanding of how he'd done it. The room and her stomach whirled and tipped and she landed among the soft, downy blankets with a painless thump. He was upside-down to her now – with something approaching awe she gazed dizzily up at him, her view from the new perspective both arousing and disconcerting. His shoulders seemed impossibly wide; his eyes unfathomably dark. Before she could break free of the spell his hands gripped her hem and pulled, bringing her shirt toward him and off her in an instant. Quick as a flash her bra was gone as well and with barely a break in stride his lips descended, assaulting her with a hard sucking kiss to her solar plexus. Her broken moan filled the room as she arched beneath him, flexing and straining to get even closer. He devoured her with kisses and little nipping bites until her head spun all over again, this time for a different reason. Unable to bear the sensation she reached for him, her agile fingers making quick work of his shirt and attacking the button and zipper on his jeans. With maddening precision one of his big hands found and gripped her wrists, bracketing them together against his thigh while he continued to lazily taste her sensitive, quivering skin. Finally he released her, but as her hands streaked to him he slid his fingers into her hair and leaned in, laying his lips softly on hers in an inverted embrace. Her hands stilled against him, her voracious hunger instantly silenced by his gentle caress.
"Do you know," he murmured, pausing between each feather-light brush of his mouth, "your skin is the softest thing I've ever felt? I can't stop touching it. The minute I feel it under my fingers I have to taste it. The minute I taste it I have to taste it again." Without the slightest sign of haste he captured her lips again. "How can anything feel so good?"
Gasping, she inhaled his words, raising a lazy arm to caress his cheek as an inviting smile bloomed. "Perhaps the matter requires more investigation."
He grinned back; no other invitation was needed. Moving around the corner of the bed he rolled onto the mattress, one muscled arm effortlessly scooping her up and pulling her on top of him. Silky hair and even silkier skin surrounded him immediately as she chuckled and flowed languidly against him. Feet and hands grabbed and pushed, slid and nudged until their jeans fell to the floor in a pile. Her body lay fully on his, her long limbs settling easily around him while he breathed in her delicate, feminine scent. Hands tightening on her waist, his thumbs rotated in lazy circles on her hipbones. "Yep. Still so very good." He stroked gently up her back and down past her hips, giving her a loving squeeze. "You have to tell me your secret."
His touch sent warm prickles radiating out just underneath her skin, causing rings of warm pleasure to ripple outward across her pooling calm. Feeling unaccountably indulgent she dropped her forehead to his, her smile soft and pliant. From her scalp to the soles of her feet he was against her, both warming her and causing delicious shivers down her spine. "There's no secret, Booth."
For a long moment he was motionless. "No?" He kissed her, his lips meeting hers intimately, persuasively. "I'm not so sure about that. There has to be a secret." He nibbled and tasted her, his mouth curving upward even as hers did. "Too soft. Too soft and much too tasty. Tell me the truth."
She couldn't take her eyes off him. Couldn't stop feeling him. A sudden surge of playfulness flooded her and she grinned coyly and said nothing, deliberately teasing him. Her silence ended on a peal of triumphant laughter when he flipped her, his muscular arms and legs pinning her to the mattress. She chose not to free herself, instead running her hands around his lean waist, sensitive fingertips pressing lightly over his back to his muscular shoulders. When his powerful frame shuddered against her she was quick to take note. "Agent Booth. All this impressive strength, so carefully concealed." Satisfaction flared in her when he tensed, deltoid and trapezius muscles bulging, biceps and triceps like stone under her wandering touch. "And sometimes not quite so carefully." Pleased with his instant response, she moved against him, subtly tormenting him. "Surely you agree that this is better than going to a movie."
"Do I?"
Her eyes flashed with humor as she tightened her grip on him. "It would be in your best interest to agree."
He dragged one big hand down her side, teasing and soothing simultaneously, and smiled when her body and lips twitched. Unable to resist, he did it again, then hissed in surprise when she angled her fingers into his back, blunt nails digging in painfully. "Ow, damn, Bones..."
An expression of smug satisfaction bloomed on her face. "What is that expression? Oh yes. Don't play with fire." Pleased with his deep chuckle, she grinned and wiggled saucily underneath him. She did it to provoke him, but her movements were rewarding for her. His body was velvet-clad iron, and she couldn't help the feminine purr of approval as she felt him. "What do you want, Booth?"
Midnight eyes met eyes the color of a mid-afternoon sky. "You know what I want. Same thing you want, baby..." He bent down to kiss her but was surprised when she planted a hand on his chest, a slightly mutinous pout on her lips. "What's wrong?"
"Don't call me baby. I don't care for that name."
"Oh, c'mon...I know what you said, but it's not cause I think you're an infant or anything." His tone was soft, persuasive even as the corner of his mouth lifted slyly. "It's 'cause you're so goddamn hot, hotter than the sun. It's a term of endearment...Besides, you told me not to call you Bones in the beginning, but you wound up liking that..."
Spotting the mischievous tilt to his lips, she smiled hotly and brought her other hand down hard on his backside, excitement flaring in her at his involuntary jerk. "I said no."
"Oh man, you're in trouble now..." Swapping grins with her, enjoying her lightheartedness and driven almost out of his mind by the sultry sway of her body beneath his, he tried to gain the upper hand. But all of a sudden she seemed to have twice the speed and dexterity than normal. Every time he pounced she whipped her hand away. Tauntingly she pinched and poked and prodded sensitive spots he hadn't been aware he possessed, and once her knee lifted dangerously high, causing his eyes to cross in reaction while she snickered. She shouldn't have been able to get the upper hand so easily, but it was all he could do to keep up with her. Her reaction time and agility were a match for his swiftness and determination. It didn't matter, though. He planned on ending this game, and he knew how to end it so they were both winners. "I gotta tell you, Bones..." Pausing for effect he slid his palm down, lifting her thigh and stroking firmly, fully, into her. "...everything about you is worth the price of admission." Pleased with her surprised gasp he moved slowly against her, determined to hear it again.
"Booth..." Everything in her coiled and heated when she looked up at him, when he moved inside her. In an instant, their levity was gone, replaced with a lovely, easy languor. Responding in what felt like slow motion she shifted dizzily, stretching and arching against him, sliding her legs higher against his thighs. Fingers reaching, grasping, drifting down to settle on his waist. The feel of him so heavy and strong over her. All of his power held in check as he kissed her quietly. Almost reverently. No one had ever looked at her like Booth did. Anyone she'd ever been with...she'd never had this. No one had ever touched her like this, looked at her like this. Gladly foregoing her need for air she answered him unreservedly, taking him in, both straining against him and moving with him, her ebb and flow following the force he exuded.
He reached under her, sliding one arm under her shoulder, weaving his fingers through the satiny strands of hair. "Let me in." He stilled the automatic inquiry and silenced her deliberate confusion, laying his finger against her lips. "No. Let me in..." Seconds passed and he froze, waiting for her, hoping he hadn't ruined everything. The fear and tension was so evident he began moving again. It didn't matter. She just needed more time. But the touch of her fingers on his jaw stopped him, and when he looked at her again his heart slammed in his chest; a sledgehammer blow. Her apprehension and anxiety were gone, replaced by a look of something almost approaching wonder. Her features lightened, her manner toward him growing softer and more yielding in a way that made her appear almost painfully young. When she spoke, the vulnerability in her hushed whisper almost broke him.
"Booth, I want you to know. I trust you. I do. It's just that –"
"I know, Bones. I understand. I'm here. It's okay. You don't have to say anything."
He was braced above her, the solidness of his form blocking out everything else. His face, so full of understanding, full of patience. Full of...finally forced to recognize the truth, she couldn't look away. She wouldn't have thought it possible but his eyes intensified even further, the truth, the breathtaking truth of the emotion in his face deepening so much that, witnessing it, she wondered how she hadn't known. She'd seen that look before. How many times before had she seen it and not recognized it? Not wanted to recognize it? She'd known the answer. He'd never had to tell her. But the emotion so strong in his face humbled her. "I don't want you to..."
"Bones..."
I don't want to hurt you." She repeated her words from earlier, her voice barely audible. He was so special. Fear sprang up in her, but not fear for herself. She'd never before cared if she hurt someone. She always made her position on relationships perfectly clear before becoming involved. But somewhere, when she wasn't looking, wasn't guarding herself, he'd become so very special to her. For the first time, she began to understand his need to protect. To shield what was important to him.
He knew instantly she wasn't speaking of the physical anymore. "Don't you get it, Bones?" Tracing the curve of her cheek with his thumb, his half-smile full of resignation and longing. "I'd take pain from you over pleasure from anyone else."
She could no more stop the tears that fell than stop wanting him. Ravenous for the feel of his skin she reached up, tracing the strong line of his jaw. The brow that displayed so much bravery and intelligence and caring. "That isn't logical."
"No." He could try and explain it to her. He much preferred showing her. Slightly at first, then more strongly, he began moving in her again. "It's not logical. It's love."
Her heart started pounding even harder. His muscular arms were around her, his mouth dropping liquid kisses on her body. She trusted him. She believed him. Unable at first to speak, she surrounded him with her warmth, holding him as tightly as possible. Soon, all too soon, it wasn't enough. She began whispering to him, over and over, words for him alone, her words of gratitude mingling with his soft promises to her.
Her color was high, her eyes shining with tears and trust, her warmth surrounding him. So close. She was so close. It was nearly all he wanted. It was one small word away from everything. He did the only thing he could do and gathered her near, sinking into her, drowning in her. If this was as far as she was ever be able to go, as much as she was ever be able to give, he would take it and hold on as tightly as possible. It was already more than he'd ever hoped to have, so much more than he'd ever thought he deserved. Somewhere along the line he'd quietly begun to feel that maybe he'd been wrong, that the theory he'd always held about one person being out there for him simply wasn't true. He had Parker, and Pops, and a couple close friends. He didn't need more than that. A lot of people didn't even have that much. He'd realized that once he'd met Bones. She had Angela, but that was it. A family that had abandoned her when she was a teenager. A family that even now was barely there for her. And him. She'd had him. He'd tried to be the best friend to her that he could, once he'd realized just how brilliant a diamond was under the rough. Then somewhere along the line there'd been a shift in the way he viewed her. He'd begun to think that maybe he'd found the one, that they'd each found that one person, but just didn't know it. After that the fall had been short, and it had most definitely been a one-way trip.
She was trembling almost violently under him, her hands clutching frantically at his shoulders, his arms. Dismayed to see tears streaming down her face, he caressed them away, smiling encouragingly as he stroked her damp cheeks and hair. She finally smiled back at him and he kissed her, unable to resist quickening the pace.
The irrational emotions that had gripped her suddenly ceased and she could feel the sensations building and layering within her. Her arms and legs vised around him with all the strength and desire that was boiling up inside her. "I want you. God, I want you...I want you...please..." The feel of his skin against hers, his hot breath warming her inside and out, made her feel as if she was inside a roiling volcano. The heat, it was too hot, too much. She couldn't stand it. She couldn't see. She couldn't see anything but him. His broad shoulders loomed over her, blocking out everything else.
"You have me. I'm right here." He tried to focus, tried not to be dragged away in her undertow, but it was impossible. His love for her exposed every vulnerability and stripped his heart as bare as his body. Spurred on by her soft, almost sleepy murmurs he found just the right rhythm and smiled when those murmurs became moans. "That's my girl..." Her relentlessly plunging body matched his stroke for stroke, her moans morphing into shuddering gasps and sobs that he greedily swallowed. "Bones, God...Bones..." His fingers clutched fiercely at her, digging into her soft flesh as she writhed and convulsed, locking around him in an almost-painful embrace. Helpless to resist her wanton reaction, he shuddered and jerked almost violently into her, a groan of heady satisfaction pushing past his gritted teeth.
As her breathing began to slow she became aware of his lips pressed just behind her ear. When he would have rolled off of her she tightened her arms again, pleased when he acquiesced to her wordless demand and remained in place. His heavy body anchored her, much as his unswerving support had anchored her for so long. She was no longer able to ignore how her life had changed since he'd come into it. She contented herself with listening to his heart, the steady, rhythmic pulsing seeming to echo her own heart's cadence. It was enough. It would have to be enough.
BBBBB
"You should try to finish that." Barefoot and shirtless, unbuttoned jeans riding low, Booth waved at her sandwich with his own. "It's the only thing you've had to eat all day." Mouth full, she merely stared him with raised brow. Seeing his chance, he hurried onward. "You have to admit, that's the best Italian sandwich you've ever eaten, huh? Right?"
She swallowed and reached for her napkin. "Well, it's actually the only Italian sandwich I've ever eaten, so although your statement is technically correct, more research would need to be done before that result can be substantiated." With the next bite, she jumped as cold juice from the slice of tomato plopped on her leg. "It is a very good sandwich, however."
"Here, let me get that for you." Instead of using a napkin, he pushed his thumb slowly up the inside of her thigh, capturing the errant droplets before they had a chance to stain the Flyers shirt draped over her willowy frame.
Unable to fully fight the shiver sprinting up her spine, her eyes remained glued on his while she wondered at his ability to so easily pull responses from her. Just fifteen minutes ago she'd been pinned underneath him, still reeling from the sensual shock waves. And now her system was now revving all over again from a simple brush of a finger. He shouldn't have been able to do that. No one had ever been able to do that. She fidgeted uneasily, patches of crimson staining her cheeks while he smiled knowingly.
"So what do you say, Bones? Let's go in and check out the boob tube, see if we can find a good movie to watch."
"I'm not sure, Booth. I stayed much longer than I had originally planned. My editor has already paged me three times today. I have to finish the next chapter by Wednesday." Brushing off her hands, she carried her plate to the sink and began rinsing it. "I promised her I would complete this section."
He blinked in surprise. Not because of the excuse, but because of the genuine regret he heard in her voice. After he'd shown his hand in the bedroom he'd expected her to bolt at the first opportunity. But she'd surprised him a few times today. Not only had she agreed to stay for a meal, she actually sounded as if she didn't want to leave. However, she'd made a promise to her editor and she was most definitely a woman of her word. Then his surprise faded as he remembered their conversation in the diner. She'd promised that she'd try, and she was trying. She was trying regardless of the awkwardness he was sure she must be feeling. There was no way that what had happened before could have been anything but a shock and yet she was still here, eating and talking and not running as fast as possible in the other direction. Watching her, his chest burned with pride at her strength of will. And her kindness, too. She was displaying a generosity to him that he wouldn't have expected even a week ago. She constantly claimed she was utterly rational, that she was completely removed from her emotions. That she deliberately kept people – men, specifically – at a distance. But she was clearly trying to let herself open up more, at least when it came to him. Wanting to give her a choice, he dropped his own dishes into the sink and reached out to turn off the faucet. "Don't worry about this. I can bring you home whenever you need to go. I don't want you to run into problems with the book. You work too hard as it is."
She wasn't sure what to say, so she busied herself with drying her hands on the dishtowel for a moment. He was doing it again – she'd never met anyone like him. He was trying to give her what she wanted, trying to be as selfless as possible. She hadn't thought she'd want to stay, but realized suddenly that she was not exactly looking forward to going home to endless hours of work. With a sense of discomfiture she heard herself speak. "I could probably stay for another hour, if you'd like."
Threading his fingers through hers, he smiled and tugged her closer, bringing her near. "I'll take that hour." Moving briskly toward the living room, he scooped up the remote and flopped onto the couch, his yank on their still-joined hands causing her to sprawl on top of him. With a deft flick of the buttons he whirred about the channels, bypassing several sports stations with only a couple of murmurs about draft picks and disabled lists. Suddenly he stopped and backed up a few channels, smiling when a familiar black-and-white scene filled the screen. "Ooh – Shadow of a Doubt. Have you ever seen it?"
"Yes. I find it a very impressive example of Hitchcock's earlier work. But it's already been on for some time, Booth."
"Nah, that's good. There's only about an hour left, which works out perfectly. Besides, that Theresa Wright was a real looker. I could watch her anytime." Hauling her up even higher, he kicked his legs up onto the cushions and dragged a blanket down over them.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm cold." He wasn't cold, but when he'd pulled her against him her skin had been cooler than he liked. He made a mental note to kick up the thermostat the next time she was here.
Suspicion glinted in her eyes. "You're never cold."
"You don't know that. I'm rarely cold."
"Perhaps if you were fully-dressed..."
"I don't need to be fully-dressed. I'm fully-blanketed. And fully-Bones'd." As he'd expected, she rolled her eyes and her mouth quirked in that little involuntary grin she got whenever he behaved foolishly. "I'm already warmer. Feel." Grabbing her chilly hands, he slid them around him and then quickly leaned back, effectively trapping her against him. "See? I'll be toasty in no time."
"Booth."
"Bones." He planted an impulsive kiss on her lips. "You wanna watch the movie, or just argue for an hour?" Another kiss, this time with slight licks of heat just behind it. "I can do either..."
Fighting the creeping flush his proximity and intensity were inspiring, she settled more comfortably against him. "I believe I would like to watch the end of the movie." Fully aware that he was still watching her, she ignored his wicked grin and focused her attention on the television set. They watched in comfortable silence for a time as the drama unfolded. Young Charlie had just been rescued from the garage when she felt a change in Booth's breathing and twisted around. His eyes were lightly closed, his expression one of complete relaxation. Many times she found herself on the receiving end of one of his intense examinations but she rarely had a chance to watch him. She took a moment now to study him thoroughly, in a way she would never have dared were he awake. The bruises were worse now, having developed over the last two days, but the cuts and scrapes were beginning to heal. He was obviously still tired from the arrest and the resulting injuries. He could easily have begged off from this last case; he had a more-than-valid excuse. Yet he hadn't. Aside from grousing good-naturedly to her, he'd suited up and jumped right back into their routine. He was the only person she knew who was as dedicated to what they did as she was.
"Why are you watching me?"
She frowned, surprised. "How did you know I was looking at you?"
"Please," he mumbled sleepily. "I can feel the burn of your baby blues a mile away. Somethin' wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. I felt like looking at you. Is that a problem?"
"Unh-uh. But I'm losing the eyelid battle here, Bones. What say I take you home before I'm out for the count?"
Her shrewd observation caught the hint of shadow under his eyes and the slightly drawn quality around his mouth. She stood and dropped the blanket back onto him. "Rest for a few minutes. I'll wake you up when I've gathered my things."
"Mmm. Just a minute or two, 'kay?" He managed to worm his way flat on the couch, half of his head disappearing under the blanket in the process.
She backed away until her calves hit the scarred leather of his armchair and quietly sat, drawing her knees up under her chin. The movie ended and another began, the television blaring ceaselessly as the light slowly faded from the room. Still she sat, arms wrapped tightly around her knees as she watched him, a troubled frown on her face.