CH

The next night, when Sheldon and Leonard walked into the building, Penny was coming down the stairs. Her hair was wet, she had clearly just gotten out of the shower, and she smiled at them happily. "I'm just off to get the takeout for tonight boys, I hope you're ready to eat?"

Her voice was honey sweet, but the private smile she shot Sheldon definitely wasn't.

"Yeah." Leonard mumbled, starting up the stairs, "I'll go get the plates etc."

Sheldon lagged behind a step or two, steeling himself. When she reached the stair just above him, he paused, grabbed her hand, and pressed his mouth to her palm, his tongue darting out quickly, barely touching her, just a taste.

Her knees buckled, and he looked at her with interest, before carrying on up the stairs without a word.

He had intended to kiss the back of her hand, but her choice of words had changed his mind. He was aware, from his reading, of what a tongue to the palm of a hand could do to a woman. From the look on her face, his reading had been accurate.

He was smiling smugly when he reached the top of the stairs.

"Are you and Penny fighting again?" Leonard asked warily when Sheldon followed him through the door of their apartment.

Sheldon looked surprised. "Why no, why would you think that?"

Leonard shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You didn't even say hello to her!'

"Oh." He thought back, puzzled. "I thought I had."

He ran his tongue around in his mouth, trying to discern a taste, of something, anything, which should not be there.

He couldn't find one.

Drat. He would have to do it again, let his tongue touch longer this time. Perhaps a different location? She was wise to the hand manoeuvre now, but maybe her wrist, or the back of her neck, her shoulder?

His memory supplied him an image of what she was wearing, one of her usual tank tops, and a pair of sweatpants. Both her wrists and her shoulders were exposed.

Her hair was down though, the back of her neck was not an option, unless he first swept the blond strands out of the way? The idea was strangely appealing.

He did not notice the strange glances Leonard kept giving him, as he sat down at his spot, his thinking face on. Once again, he would have to wait for the opportunity, He would take the first one he was given, in case he needed to verify the results. He felt he should be annoyed at this seeming delay, the look on her face, the obvious shifting of her weight, had lit something in his mind which he normally only felt when he got to use the term "I told you so" or its companion "I informed you thusly."

He flicked on the tv and found the show they were to watch that night, and settled in, barely noticing when Koothrapali and Wolowitz barged in arguing about something to do with girls. Their problems were petty compared to his. He had to deal with Penny!

Leonard had also had to deal with Penny, his mind recalled, though Leonard had never been up to the task, and had failed, again and again, and clearly knew nothing about her so was not worthy of consulting. He knew the facial expression "dissatisfaction' well enough, and he'd often recognized it on Penny's face after a drunken night with his roommate. He rolled his eyes at nobody in particular. That whole thing should really not have happened, he had warned them. The geek never got the pretty girl.

Genius's however, were different. They took notes, and prepared, and had much more to prove.

He smelt the food before she opened the door, and sat patiently, waiting.

He ate, everyone ate, it all seemed as was normal. He kept on alert for the proper opportunity, but it didn't come.

Until he was cleaning his plate and she was in front of him, her hair swept to one side, putting her own clean plate back into the cupboard.

He did not think, he merely acted.

His body hid hers from the rest of the room and his hand found her hip, holding her still as his head dipped, and his tongue traced a line along the top of her shoulder, up the bare side of her neck.

He noted that she was frozen, barely breathing, and that her skin was warm, but not hot. She smelled like vanilla oil, and she tasted... He couldn't describe it, so he licked the upper part of her neck again, catching her ear. She tasted good. Just, good.

He straightened, put his plate away, and turned back to the living room to go sit down.

It was then that he realized he forgot one thing.

Three sets of stunned eyes stared at him.

"What?" He asked blankly.

"I think they put something in the food." Howard mumbled. "A hallucinogen."

Raj just blinked, and then smiled.

Sheldon frowned at them both. "Mine tasted just fine. I told you not to order the mu-shoo pork."

Leonard had his head tilted to one side, a confused look on his face. "Did you just.. LICK, Penny?"

"Yes." Sheldon gave him an odd look. "Do you need the prescription on your glasses checked again?"

Penny was still at the counter, facing away from the room, her hands clenched on the edge, trying desperately to stay upright.

First the hand, oh, the tongue on her palm. She'd nearly fallen down the stairs.

Then, his body against hers, his hand on her hip, did he even notice that his middle finger had dipped under her waistband as his tongue had touched her shoulder? His lips? Her neck? Her ear?

Her knees felt like rubber. She felt like sliding to the floor in puddle of Penny, and just staying there, for like, an hour. Dimly she could hear remarks behind her, and belatedly she realized the others had seen.

She smiled to herself, thinking, 'Yes! Witnesses! I am NOT dreaming this!' but then she realized it was not so simple. She listened, hearing more clearly Sheldon's response to Leonard's remark.

"Sheldon. WHY did you lick Penny?" Leonard's voice was slow and quiet.

"To see what she tasted like of course." Was the response.

Penny turned and arched an eyebrow at Leonard, sending him a clear signal.

Leonard opened his mouth, closed it, and then shook his head. "Don't do that in front of me, please?" He finally settled on.

Sheldon considered it, and nodded. "Agreed."

Howard wiggled his eyebrows at them both, "I don't care if you do it in front of me, I'm going to have to see it to believe it anyways."

Sheldon was severely tempted to pull Penny around in front of him and lick her again, but decided however much she seemed to enjoy his previous attempts, she'd probably knee him in the family jewels if he tried that.

A sideways glance at the woman now beside him confirmed the theory.

"I believe it's Halo time." He said instead. "Prepare for imminent death Wolowitz."