Chapter 3

The next morning Emily pulled herself out of bed and jumped in the shower. She left her apartment a little after seven with her bags in the trunk of her car. Emily was the first one there besides Hotch who seemed to live there. First one there and the last to leave that was her Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner, devoted to the job was beyond definition for this man. That was one of the things she loved about him, the devotion he showed for his job, his team and most importantly his son. Not to say that there weren't other things she loved about him, his loyalty, his bravery, his strength, and his eyes. And don't forget that ass, god that ass was perfect. She snapped herself out of her line of thought as she put her purse in the bottom drawer of her desk. Opening the top drawer to put her phone away when she noticed a note sitting on top of some papers she had put in there the day before.

She took out the note and opened it to read it.

Emily, I just wanted to tell you that I meant what I said yesterday. I really do like spending time with you. Aaron

Emily noticed that he had signed it Aaron and not Hotch and that made her smile. Emily pulled her phone out and sent Hotch a text.

Aaron, I meant what I said too. Emily

She sent the text and looked up at his office. Hotch's phone buzzed and he picked it up and read it. He looked out his window down at the bullpen and saw her looking at him. They smiled at each other for a few seconds till the others started to arrive, breaking up their little moment unaware.

Five hours later everyone was loaded up and following Dave to his beach house. Morgan followed directly behind Dave with Penelope riding shotgun.

"Hey my Chocolate Adonis have you noticed anything going on between our fearless leader and our gumdrop?"

"What, Hotch and Prentiss?"

"Yeah, you know they have been spending a lot of time together since she came back to the land of the living and I've been watching them around the office too. I've caught Hotch a couple of times staring out of his office window at her when she's not looking and did you seem them the other day in the conference room. They were sitting so close and their arms were touching and you know Hotch just doesn't touch people like that."

"I've noticed the looks they have been giving each other but I missed the conference room touching though. Hell girl you should have kicked me or something because I really would have loved to tease her about it. Seriously though maybe they finally see what everybody else on the team has known for years. It's about time if you ask me." Morgan said with a laugh.

"Yeah let's hope so because you would think that two profilers as good as they are would have picked up on something by now." Penelope turned smiling at Morgan.

An hour later they pulled up to Dave's beach house getting out and stretching their legs. Everyone got their bags and followed Dave into the house.

"Damn Dave do you think it's big enough?" Emily said as she took in everything.

"Well I use it mainly for family get togethers and publicity parties when I publish a new book. All the bedrooms are up stairs but there is going to have to be some bunking up. There are only four bedrooms and I don't share. Each room has two beds and their own bathroom. My room is the last one on the left; I'll leave you to fight it out for the rest."

"I call dibs on Morgan because gumdrop over there talks in her sleep, sorry boss man." Penelope said looking at Hotch.

Hotch just stood there with a shocked look on his face. Penelope and Morgan took their things upstairs and grabbed the room across from Dave's. Will and JJ took the one next to Morgan and Pen so that only left the one next to Dave.

Hotch and Emily stood outside the room they were to share and just stared at each other for a minute. Hotch smiled and said "We're adults we can do this. Are you ok?"

"Uh yeah, sure I'm fine let's just get unpacked."

They unpack without speaking; Emily took her toiletries and put them in the bathroom while Hotch got his out following after her. They brush against each other as she came out of the bathroom.

"Which bed do you want Emily?"

The only thought running through her brain at that moment kept playing over and over. 'Whichever one you're in.' snapping out of it she looked over at him before speaking.

"Doesn't matter to me, I guess you can have the one closer to the door if that's ok."

"That's fine."

Hotch and Emily met up with everyone in the kitchen ten minutes later.

"Hey guys what smells so good?" Emily asked eyeing the food on the counter.

"Dave cooked for us and it is delicious." Said JJ.

"It looks great Dave." Hotch said as he came over to stand beside Emily at the counter.

An hour later they guys had all changed into their swim trunks and were waiting for the girls to come out.

"How long can it take to put on a bathing suit?" Morgan griped just as the Penelope and JJ came out of the house.

Penelope wore a black one piece and Morgan's eyes almost bugged out of his head.

"Damn Baby Girl, look at you… look at you. Very nice."

Penelope blushed and said "Well thanks sweet cheeks, you look dashing yourself."

Will picked up four year old Henry and walked over to JJ and kissed her.

"You look beautiful honey."

"Thanks Will, glad you noticed." She said as she smiled up at him. JJ was wearing a dark blue bikini. The bottoms sat high on her hips.

Hotch looked at JJ "Where is Emily? Is she not going swimming?"

JJ came closer so the others couldn't hear her.

"I don't know. She forgot her one piece bathing suit and only has her bikini with her and she is feeling self-conscious about her scars. No one has ever seen them Hotch and she is upset about how everyone will react to them. Penelope and I tried to talk to her but I don't know if we did any good." She whispered to him.

Hotch knew all about the effects scars had on a person. Especially scars that not only marked the skin but the soul as well. It had taken him a long time to work through his own feelings about his scars and he didn't have to imagine what she was going through because he knew how she was feeling.

Twenty minutes later Emily came out of the house and stopped on the patio watching as everyone sat around talking, off in their own little worlds. She started to relax a little bit, what was she afraid of these were her friends. They wouldn't judge her or look at her any differently. She looked around no one noticed her till she felt his eyes on her.

He was the only one she really worried about, what he would think would he look at her disgusted or take pity on her? No one besides the doctors had ever seen her scars not even JJ or Penelope. Emily met Hotch's eyes with her own and gave him a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. He could see the worry in her eyes no matter how hard she tried to put that mask up he still could see it. What she did next he knew took a lot of courage on her part.

Emily took the hem of the long dark red tank top she wore over her bathing suit and pulled it over her head and held it in her hand. Still looking at Hotch she saw something flash quickly in his eyes. 'What was that? Nah he doesn't think of me like that. Does he?' She thought.

Hotch sat up straighter and stared at Emily letting his eyes flow over her slim frame. She wore a red string bikini, the triangles of the top molded perfectly to her breast and the bottom piece of her suit rode low on her hips tying on the sides.

The spell between them was broken when Morgan let out a wolf whistle and said loudly, "Damn Princess, who knew you looked like that underneath those suits you wear and look at those legs they go on for miles. Damn girl… you're fine!"

Emily blushed and looked down at the ground feeling a little uncomfortable for a second before looking back up smiling.

"Thanks Morgan. Now shut up and put your eyes back in your head." she said jokingly at him before turning to the rest of the group. "Who wants to go for a swim?"

Dave, JJ and Will decided to stay and play in the sand with Henry. Morgan, Penelope, Hotch and Emily went for the water. Hotch had a suspicion that Emily was using the cover of the water to hide her scars.

As they played around in the water Penelope got as idea turning toward the others she said "Who wants to play chicken?"

"Come on Pen, what are we twelve?" Emily returned her question with a question.

Emily was shocked when Hotch said to her "Come on Emily you can be on my team."

All four moved a little deeper in the water, Morgan got Penelope up on his shoulders and waited for the other two to get ready to battle.

Hotch stood behind behind Emily leaning into her back and whispered into her ear.

"You ready?"

She nodded and prayed that he didn't notice the shiver that ran up her body. He placed his hands on her hips and Emily had to bite back a moan at the contact of his hands on her skin. Hotch took a deep breath and ducked under the water letting his hands slide down her thighs as he slid between her legs till he felt her thighs hit his shoulders. He raised himself up in the water with her sitting on his shoulders and Emily locked her legs behind Hotch's back while he held her thighs firmly against him.

Hotch could feel the heat coming off her core up against the back of his neck and all he could think about was his face buried between her legs. 'Thank God my waist is below the water because this could be embarrassing.' He thought trying to get his hormones under control.

"Ok the best two out of three wins." Morgan said while holding on to Penelope.

"Ok we're ready." Hotch said as absently rubbed his thumbs back and forth on the underside of Emily's thighs.

Emily could not concentrate with him touching her like that but she didn't want to make him stop either, it felt to good. She wiggled on Hotch's shoulders grinding into his neck before she realized what she was doing and prayed he hadn't noticed.

But she couldn't have been more wrong he had felt her and it instantly made his cock hard, harder than he could remember it ever being before. By the end of their game Emily and Hotch lost only winning one round because neither of them could concentrate on anything else except the feel of the others skin against theirs.

"In your face Gumdrop and Boss man" Garcia yelled loudly. Laughing as Morgan dumped her backwards into the water.

"Come on Baby Girl let's go get something to drink." Morgan said as they turn to go back to where the others were.

Hotch and Emily stood there staring at each other for a few seconds before Emily lowered her gaze to the water.

"JJ told me how uncomfortable you were before."

Emily's head snapped up quickly "What? Shit, she shouldn't have said anything to you. That was private and she knew that."

Emily couldn't look at him. She turned and swam off down the beach away from the house. Hotch followed after her, he had to get her to talk to him.

Dave watched them and knew that Emily was upset about something. He watched and she swam off and Hotch followed after her. He knew that he would help her and smiled to himself 'this looks promising' he thought as watched till they were out of view.