A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all the wonderful feedback! Here it is...chapter thirteen hot off the press. I will go ahead and give this an M rating...it describes a love scene in much greater detail than I have previously written. Hope you enjoy!

Well, this sucks.

Why wasn't I paying better attention to our surroundings? Why did I ignore that 'detective spidey sense' telling me that we were being watched?

I suppose it could have something to do with the gorgeous woman in my company. She's beautiful tonight, she always is, but the way her gold gown accents her eyes and hugs perfectly to her body...it has had me beyond distracted.

But, because of my carelessness, this gorgeous woman is now in danger.

Okay. Let's asses this situation.

He's not very big...or tall. He's probably just a few inches taller than I am.

That knife is enormous. Seriously, now. Who does this guy think he is? Crocodile Dundee?

His stance is weak and I can see the blade shaking. He either has a medical condition or he hasn't been doing this very long and he's nervous.

Either way, it's an advantage for me.

He interrupts my thoughts by taking two steps forward and thrusting the weapon within an inch of my face.

Oh Hell no.

"You two deaf or somethin? Bags. Jewelry. Let's go!"

I allow years of police training to dictate my next actions.

I slowly lift my hands to either side of my face, palms facing him, as if showing my surrender and impending compliance.

He thinks he's scared me. I can tell because he relaxes his death grip on the base of the knife by just a fraction.

It's enough.

In one swift and powerful motion, I fling my hands together as if I'm going to clap. One hand comes to the backside of his wrist and the other swats the hilt of the weapon in the opposite direction. The blade is dislodged from his grasp and it clatters to the ground.

He is disarmed, but I am not finished.

I recoil from my initial strike and deliver a back-fist to the side of his face. Before he can stagger backward, I clasp my hands behind his neck, pull down with my arms while thrusting my bent leg up. My kneecap makes bone splintering contact with his nose.

The crunch of the impact is audible.

Who ever said I couldn't clinch?

He falls to the ground and covers his face with his hands while groaning. I can see blood starting to seep from between his fingers.

I'm stuck in place.

I feel my chest rapidly rising and falling with my labored breathing, but I can't feel the relief of oxygen filling my lungs. My fist and knee should hurt from the hits I delivered, but they don't. I am physically numb.

Mentally, however, everything is in sharp focus. I have tunnel vision. The scene is playing in slow motion but my mind is racing much too fast to make sense of it all. This causes my thoughts to be out of sync.

Long story short, I am shell shocked.

Before I can regain my composure, the perpetrator crawls over, picks up his knife, wobbles to his feet, and starts to run away.

I feel like I should chase after him and I move to do just that; but a trembling hand on my forearm stops my pursuit.

I turn around and look into Maura's wide, watery eyes.

Her voice is strained and pleading.

"Please, Jane. Let him go."

It's not just her hand trembling; her entire body is shaking like a leaf.

I wrap my arms around her and pull her close. I whisper loving reassurances to her and rub soothing circles across her back.

She rests her head on my shoulder.

I can feel the tickle of her breath on my neck as she steadily and deliberately inhales and exhales.

I'm not exactly sure when my mood changes...but my physical numbness suddenly subsides. I am vividly aware of her body pressing into mine and the wonderful feel of her curves under my palms as my hands begin to roam.

I take a deep breath and allow her intoxicating scent to wash over me.

I feel guilty about my building arousal in the wake of such a dramatic event. Maura is obviously distressed, but I can't stop carnal images from filling my mind.

I do my best to wrangle my wayward impulses as I drop my mouth to her ear.

"Are you okay?"

My voice is too husky, too laden with desire to be considered a simple inquiry.

She lifts her head and looks into my yes.

She sees it...I know she does. I watch as a blush colors the porcelain skin of her cheeks.

And now I feel even more guilty.

Before I have a chance to cover my lustful demeanor with a more chivalrous one, she speaks. Her voice is calm and collected.

"I believe I've had enough fresh air this evening. Let's head back to our room."

She faintly chuckles and I'm sure it's an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

I try to give her an amused smile, but I think it comes across as a predatory leer.

"Yeah. Let's get back."

I wrap my arm protectively around her shoulder and we head toward the sounds of traffic.

We manage to find our way back to a main street, hail a cab, and return to our hotel without further incident.

I had hoped that the journey would allow me to collect myself and calm down...but no such luck. I begin to burn from the inside out, like my blood has been laced with battery acid. I want her so badly; it's close to causing me physical pain.

We enter our hotel and take the elevator up to our floor. I have my hand on the small of her back; I don't trust myself with a more intimate form of contact. My noble resolve was weak to begin with...and it's fading fast.

We arrive at our room and Maura retrieves the key from her handbag. She unlocks the door and walks in ahead of me.

My resolve fails me completely. As soon as the door closes, I spin her around and snare her lips in a demanding kiss.

She doesn't stand a chance of matching my intensity. I dominate our embrace and push her up against a wall.

I'm reckless. My actions are too rough. She hits the wall with a thud and lets out a squeak. I immediately pull back and offer a breathless apology.

"Sorry."

She's just as out of breath as me when she responds.

"It's the adrenaline."

My brow furrows as I try to decipher her statement.

"What?"

A small smile appears on her face...it doesn't reach her eyes. It's not a happy smile...it's almost like she's come to terms with something, like she's practicing acceptance. She places a gentle hand on my cheek and caresses it with her thumb.

"This intense desire you feel...It's just a side affect of the adrenaline rush you experienced from the fight."

I pull back a little further and blink several times as her words sink in.

No.

No. No. No.

This woman is the very best friend I've ever had. She is the love of my life. The adrenaline may have made me more aggressive than I want to be, but my desire for her is based on the intensity of my love and devotion. If she doesn't know that...then I've really been screwing up.

I lean forward and she tenses in anticipation, but I simply press a sweet and lingering kiss to her forehead.

I pull back to see her watching me, curiously.

My voice is quiet, but my words are indisputable.

"No. It's you, Maura. Just you."

Her next smile almost brings me to my knees. Her eyes sparkle and I have to fight back tears. I will never get used to the fact that she wants me...that she has given her heart to me and subsequently honored me by accepting mine.

She leans in and kisses me.

I kiss her.

I am no longer demanding...I am offering. She offers right back. We each give a part of ourselves and fill the resulting voids with what we receive in return. We are two halves of a whole, coming together in a magnificent expression of adoration and commitment.

The process is indescribable. It's beauty is beyond words.

We make our way over to the plush bed and come to a stop at its foot. She breaks the kiss and turns her back to me, then peers at me over her shoulder.

"Unzip me?"

My mouth goes dry.

I bring my fingers to the back of her dress and grab hold of the zipper, then slowly pull it down and watch in amazement as a perfect canvas of skin appears before my eyes. I complete my task and rest my palms on the newly exposed flesh of her lower back.

My eyes come back up to meet hers. She's watching me, hungrily.

She gives me an encouraging smile.

I let my gaze fall once more to my hands. I slowly slide them up her back and begin to push the material of the dress apart as I do so. I reach her shoulders and help her slide her arms out. The silky gown floats to the floor, leaving my lover in just a pair of panties.

I trail feather light kisses from her shoulder to her neck, then to the other shoulder and back.

She turns to face me once more and removes my jacket before helping me out of the blouse underneath. My pants go the way of her dress and end up as a heap on the floor.

With most of the barriers between us eliminated, she slides onto the bed and I follow. Her head comes to rest on a pillow and I remove my bra before settling my weight on top of her.

The kiss we share is slow and exploring. This feels just as amazing and miraculous as our first time together. We take the time to rediscover each other's most sensitive areas and adorn them with tender, loving attention.

I eventually slide down her body and hook my thumbs in her last remaining article of clothing, then gently move it down her toned legs. When she is laid completely bare before me, I take a moment to admire her.

I must take a little more than a moment because she giggles and quirks an inquisitive eyebrow.

The expression is so sexy, I waste no time ridding myself of my own undergarments and resettle myself over her.

We're in no hurry as our hands meander over now completely naked flesh. We alter between gently brushing our lips together and drinking deeply from one another.

When our need builds to a level that is beyond containing, we shift our position just slightly.

I situate a thigh between her legs and she reciprocates. We build a steady rhythm.

What we experience is hard to put into words...

It's the rising and setting of the sun; the ebb and flow of the tides. It's water evaporating before raining back down to earth. It is a wondrous cycle where one event is dependent on the other, where the end of one course is the beginning of new one.

I lose track of where she ends and I begin...I honestly stop caring. We are two individuals writhing and pushing and pulling ourselves into a single entity.

The heat between us builds and I can feel the imminent blaze about to ignite. I bury my face into the crook of her neck and moan my pleasure. I welcome the flood of sensations as a flash burn races from the center of my very being and radiates out with an intensity that could easily eclipse the sun.

Every color of the light spectrum flashes through my vision like the intricate pattern of a kaleidoscope.

I feel her convulsing against me and she gasps my name into the stillness of the room. I slow my thrusting hips in favor of a gentle rotation.

We delicately coax each other down from our mutual high.

Eventually I roll my back to the mattress and pull my lover to rest her upper body on top of mine. I feel her shiver and I reach down to drag the blanket that's resting at the foot of the bed over our sweat slicked bodies. She lets out a contented sigh and snuggles into my side.

I can feel her body twitching from the aftershocks of our exertions and I smile as her breathing begins to even out. She's on her way to a peaceful slumber.

I whisper to her like I'm praying.

"I love you, Maur. So much."

She places a sleepy kiss on my neck.

"I love you, too."

Warm. Happy. Loved. Sated. Euphoric.

These are the most prominent feelings that encompass me as I drift to sleep.

A/N: There you have it. They are safe and sated. Hope you liked the chapter! Thank you so, so much for reading and for your amazing support! -SJR