A/N: As always thanks for all the reviews and continuing to read...sorry there was a bit of a wait since the last chapter.

Chapter 15

After picking up Abby's things from her apartment and stopping off for some Chinese food Gibbs pulled the truck up into his driveway. Getting out and walking around to her side he opened the door, smiling as Abby used his shoulder for support when she stepped out. Her arm wove around his back and Gibbs pulled her close, leaning her weight against him as they walked up the path. Letting her in the front door he turned the lights on and scanned over the living room with his eyes. He didn't expect anything to look out of place, but with Abby there he wasn't taking any chances. Satisfied that everything looked as it had when he left Gibbs went back outside to bring in all their bags from the truck in several trips, refusing Abby's offers of assistance.

Gibbs wasn't sure how long she was going to stay with him but from all the extra stuff she'd packed it was obvious she didn't intend on going back to her apartment within the next couple of days. And that was okay with him; it was better than okay. He wanted her with him permanently, but he knew it was too early for them to start talking about living arrangements. Even for the short time that Abby had stayed while she was sick her presence in his house had felt like it was meant to be. At least this time he knew when she did decide to go back to her apartment it wouldn't be forever, she would always come back to him. Abby also needed to know that if she needed time and space away from him she had somewhere to go. Although they were moving forward together, it was still only very early days and he didn't want her doing something she wasn't comfortable with.

Throwing the last of the bags down on the living room floor Gibbs locked the door behind him and joined Abby in the kitchen, where she had already put a pot of coffee on. "Sure know the way to a man's heart, Abbs."

He stood behind her, his arms encircling her waist and crossing over her stomach as she looked through the bag sitting on the counter with their food in it. Abby tilted her head to the side when his lips started to lightly trace the curve of her ear. Her eyes drifted closed as Gibbs' nimble fingers pulled the front of her shirt up slightly. Warm rough hands slipped underneath and across her flat abdomen, the tips of his fingers teasing along the waistband of her pants. He was so drawn to her, the raging hormones she sent surging through him made him feel half his age and more virile than he had in a long time. But it was more than that. Although his lust for her seemed unquenchable, his feelings for her went much deeper. After spending so much time together and getting to know each other as people, as friends, the love and admiration he had for her not only as a woman but as a colleague was unquestionable. There was no-one like Abby and he was thankful every day that she'd come into his life.

Abby's hands left the food to reach behind her and slide into the front pockets of his jeans to pull him closer. Her fingers massaged his thighs through the material, her voice seductive as she spoke. "And here was me thinking you were just keeping me around for my body."

"That too," he mumbled, sucking on the tip of her ear before he continued to talk, noticing her shiver when he lowered his voice. "I meant what I said earlier Abbs, this is serious...I'm serious, about us."

Abby rested her head back on his shoulder and opened her eyes. "I know...I guess everything just felt too good to be true and I panicked; I thought that the second we got back to normality it would all just disappear."

Although he had considered how things would be different once they got home from the cabin, Gibbs had no hesitations as to how far he was willing to go to keep Abby. It had taken a lot for him to let go and give in to his feelings for her and now that he had there was no way he would let them go back to the way they once were. "Don't intend on going anywhere," he promised.

"That's good," she said, her lips curving into a tempting smile when she twisted her head to look up at him. "I was kinda thinking of keeping you."

The kiss they shared when he leaned forward was slow and gentle, their lips softly brushing together over and over again as Gibbs tried to convey just how much she meant to him. Every time he touched her and every time he looked at her, she took his breath away. He couldn't explain just how she'd seen through the cracks in the walls he'd constructed or how, unlike anyone else, she had been able to break through. But she had, and she'd given everything of herself to him in the process. Whatever Abby had seen in him that had made her fall in love with him had given her the courage to push all her own fears aside and take a chance on him, on them. It was something Gibbs would never forget, and he intended on making sure she understood just how brave he thought she was. Because of Abby they were together.

Gibbs' chest tightened at the realization that Abby really was his and he broke away from her lips, leaning his forehead against the side of her head. He kept his eyes closed, inhaling the sweet subtle scent of her hair before nudging his nose gently against her cheek. Now that they were home and away from the cabin, everything seemed more real to him as well, and it was a feeling he found himself embracing. There was no need to hide himself from her anymore and there was no illusion that what was happening between them was merely some kind of holiday fling. What he felt for her was not only sincere but it was endless, and now he knew she felt the same. Abby being in his house and spending the night was proof of that.

"Never thought I'd have you here like this..." he admitted, pulling back from her so she could see the honesty in his eyes. "That you'd be mine."

"Have been for years, Gibbs."

The truth was that he had been hers for just as long. All the other relationships he'd had, the attempts to find comfort and peace of mind, it had all been a figment of his imagination. A way of telling himself he wasn't alone and that he had someone who cared about him and wanted him like he did Abby. Until the weekend, he had been living a lie.

Unable to keep himself from her any longer Gibbs kissed her again. He let Abby take control, giving her what she wanted but not asking for anything in return. She was in no rush, taking her time to nibble and taste her way along his bottom lip then moving over his top lip. Gibbs' hands remained covering the warm skin of her stomach, his body craving contact with every part of her. He never wanted to let her go.

Abby's hands, which were still in his front pockets, began to move more firmly up and down over his thighs. Gibbs groaned, his reaction enough to make Abby deepen the kiss and slip her tongue between his lips. The feel of her hot slick tongue sliding against his snapped something inside Gibbs and the movements of their mouths became more urgent, both of them desperate to touch and feel. When Abby could no longer keep her head tilted at the angle needed to maintain the kiss she broke away, gasping for air.

Despite his need for oxygen Gibbs' lips sought out the back of her neck, not willing to give up contact with her. Panting against her skin, he felt her tremble as he worked his way up to the opposite ear he'd started his ministrations on, sucking on the fleshy tip in the same way.

"Feels like forever since this morning," he breathed into the shell of her ear. "Even longer since the hammock..."

As much as Gibbs didn't like the idea that someone had been watching them the night before, it stirred up all kinds of memories for him. When he thought about them together on the hammock it was impossible for him not to think about Abby in the throes of passion; her lithe body pliant under his mouth, each of her beautiful curves just made for his hands. Gibbs loved everything about her but when he thought about the way she'd pursued him in the shower, the way she'd touched him, every drop of blood in his veins rushed between his legs.

"Do you want to eat first?" Abby asked and Gibbs' gaze flickered quickly to the bag of food on the counter in front of them before returning to her. As they'd been driving home with the smell of Chinese food wafting around them, his stomach had growled noisily numerous times and he'd been so hungry he'd almost taken Abby up on the offer to feed him as they drove. But now food was the last thing on his mind.

"I thought you were hungry," Abby said when he hadn't answered.

Gibbs' lips left her ear to venture slowly down the side of her face, across her cheek to the corner of her mouth. "I am."

The way Gibbs angled his hips in an attempt to bring the hands in his pockets closer to his groin made it perfectly clear it wasn't food he was hungry for. And if Abby still had any doubts, Gibbs quashed them when he spread his hands out over her belly and steadily began to rub up against her ass. Her moan refused to be contained and she bent forward, the bulge in his pants firm against the softness of her backside.

Abby wasn't sure why he seemed more open and playful since they'd gotten home but she wasn't going to complain. Perhaps it was the thought that they were back in his domain and he had more control over what happened under his own roof. Or maybe it was just because he wanted to make the most of the time they had left before they had to go back to work.

Abby lifted her hands out from his pockets and turned within his arms. "You know technically we're still on our mini vacation."

Gibbs pushed the food out of the way and hoisted Abby up to sit on the edge of the counter, moving forward to stand between her legs. "Hmm?" he asked distractedly, his lips grazing over hers but barely touching them. His hands moved to her lower back, dragging her forward so he was snugly pressed into the junction of her thighs.

Abby gasped as Gibbs refocused his attention and buried his face into the curve of her neck. His lips skimmed over her skin, his warm breath sending a jolt through her body. She linked her ankles behind his backside and thread her fingers through his silver hair. "It means I should still be recovering...and to do that I need to lie down."

Gibbs stopped his movements and drew back from her, his eyes scanning over her worriedly. "You're not getting sick again are you?"

She rolled her eyes and leaned her forehead against his. "I feel better than I have in weeks...not what I meant, Gibbs."

When he looked at her still unsure, Abby locked her legs tighter around him. Gibbs stumbled forward against her, the weight of him pressing against her most sensitive places. His hands held onto her sides, just under her breasts and Abby reached down to lift them higher so he cupped her within his roughened palms. Massaging her slowly through her clothes, his thumbs teased her nipples to hardened peaks while his mouth covered hers, stifling her moans.

She clutched at his shirt, dragging it up frantically as her hands sought out his chest. Her fingers smoothed over him raking up and down through the smattering of hair with the same rhythm that her body used to rock against him. Gibbs tore himself away from her lips to move back slightly and lift her t-shirt over her head, wasting no time in removing her bra as well. Within seconds his mouth was on the newly exposed skin. His tongue trailed up the outer curve of her breast, moving higher before circling down the other side. When he began kissing the underside of her supple skin Abby's hands instantly went to the back of his head, pulling him closer to her heaving chest. Gibbs lavished the same attention on her other breast and with each touch of his lips against her Abby felt the deep ache between her legs get heavier.

Part of her wanted to go slow, to learn every one of Gibbs' pleasure points and to taste every inch of him. But part of her still couldn't let go of the fact that this was Gibbs she was about to make love to and that any moment her dream might shatter into a million pieces. Everything told her he was real and that what they were doing was real, but her unrestrained desire for him was clouding her senses and all she could think of was her need for him.

Struggling to push him back a bit, Abby's hands moved to seek out the hidden prize in his pants. Unable to get her fingers under his waistband and belt she whimpered in frustration, lifting his face back up to hers. Captivated by the unadulterated yearning she saw reflected in his hazy eyes Abby kissed his swollen lips and lowered her hand to gently massage the front of his tenting pants. Gibbs leaned his forehead on her shoulder and groaned, grinding against her as she kneaded him through the confining fabric.

"Think it's time we got to the laying down part." Abby grinned, pushing him back a step and jumping down off the counter. "Want you in your bed."

TBC...

A/N: This chapter was meant to be the last until I got carried away, there'll be a few more chapters but since they're not written and RL has a way of getting in the way there'll be a bit more of a wait between them...but they will happen! :)