He stood way too close to her during the briefing. God, he's doing this on purpose , she thought. His arm brushed hers, and she did everything she could to focus on the presented information and not the man invading her space. The problem was that whenever he was this close, her heart pounded mercilessly, and she couldn't breathe.
He wouldn't look at her, so she couldn't give him a glare. She worked hard to maintain respect at work, and that could effectively go out the window if a certain detective kept pawing at her.
"Elliot," she muttered under her breath, trying to keep her voice low so others wouldn't hear.
"Hmm." He responded, still keeping his eyes on the presenter.
"Move," she nearly begged.
"Why? We are friends, hanging out during a work meeting." He kept his eyes forward, but it didn't keep a smirk from developing on his face. "You're the one making this uncomfortable," he breathed.
She didn't care if he was looking at her or not. She gave him a glare anyway. She stepped away and gave him a look, daring him to follow her. Thankfully, he stayed where he was while she found a more comfortable position in the room with Fin and Bruno.
Apparently Fin couldn't help making a snarky comment: "Gettin' a little heated over there?" He asked cheekily.
Bruno's eyes widened, but to his credit, he kept facing the presenting sergeant.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied.
"Yeah sure. We'll go with that," he muttered, turning his attention back to the briefing.
Just then, her phone buzzed, and she glanced down to see a text. She half expected it to be from Elliot, but she was surprised to see it was from Trevor Langan.
T: Busy?
She hadn't heard from him in ages, so she wondered what he needed.
O: I'm in a briefing right now, but it should be done soon. What do you need?
He texted back.
T: Can I bring you lunch? I have some work-related stuff to run by you.
She smiled at his clear statement of intentions. They had flirted with the idea of something more on and off over the years, but then Elliot came back and blew up her life.
O: Sounds perfect. See you in like a half hour?
He replied.
T: I'll be there.
-000-
Elliot tried not to feel miffed when Olivia retreated to the other side of the room during the meeting. He knew how tight her boundaries were at work, but it was impossible not to stand close to her whenever he could.
Every time he saw her, the word 'I want to' echoed through his mind, and it left him breathless. He told her he'd give her time, but the question was, how much time did she need? What was he supposed to do in the meantime? She hadn't really been clear on what she wanted him to do, so he felt caught in a weird, ambiguous place with no idea where he stood.
The meeting concluded, and his eyes followed her to her office. He resisted the urge to follow her in, knowing he had no professional reason to talk to her at the moment. She valued discretion in relationships as long as he knew her, and he needed to allow her that space if he wanted any chance of this working.
He scanned the room for Sergeant Bell, wanting to go over their plan for their involvement in the case, but he noticed a familiar face making his way towards Liv's office. Was that Trevor Langan? What the hell was he doing here?
He was so focused on Liv's office that he didn't hear Ayanna approach him. "Who's that?" she asked, effectively pulling him from his dangerous thought spiral.
"Trevor Langan," Elliot said flatly. He felt himself unconsciously tense when Olivia gave Langan a lingering hug.
He could feel Ayanna's eyes studying his reaction, and he tried to keep his face neutral. He was doing a shitty job at it.
"Is there history there or something?" He wanted to yank his eyes away and casually talk to Ayanna, but he stayed transfixed on Olivia's demeanor while she ate lunch with this man.
"I don't know. I was gone for ten years, remember?" he grumbled as he began to realize how much he didn't know about her during his absent decade.
Ayanna picked up on the guilt and jealousy spiral he was floundering in. "Well," she said slowly, "want to get lunch on the way back to work?" He could tell she was desperately pleading for him not to make a scene when she added, "I'll pay."
He felt his hands clenching and unclenching as he tried to talk himself down. Just then, Olivia's eyes wandered to her office window. Her brown eyes inadvertently caught his. She tried to look nonchalant, but he could read through her well-practiced front. He saw a little of what looked like guilt.
He immediately turned away. "Yeah, let's go." He gruffly said to Bell.
-000-
Lunch with Trevor went well. Their relationship was an easy friendship, safe from the emotional turmoil Elliot always seemed to elicit.
Even with a nice drama-free lunch, she wasn't able to get Elliot's heartbroken face out of her head. Trevor was just a friend, but there wasn't any way Elliot would know that. Part of her felt frustrated. While the promise of a potential relationship sat at the forefront of both their minds, there was no commitment.
Still, she felt guilty. She effectively brushed Elliot off earlier and then had lunch with another man. Of course he would be hurt, and knowing Elliot, he was also filled with jealousy. After a lot of back and forth, she texted Elliot.
Sorry, we didn't get to talk much earlier. Lunch tomorrow, so we can catch up?
No response. That in itself was concerning. He'd all but begged to have lunch with her over the last month, but she continued to put him off.
Hoping he was just busy at work, she waited another hour before trying again.
Want to have dinner with me and Noah tonight?
She'd never known Elliot to retreat from anything, especially her. This wasn't good, and she knew it. Work ticked by slowly. She contemplated texting him again, but after two unanswered messages, she knew he wasn't planning on responding to her today. The problem was that she might have inadvertently triggered a month-long silence. She texted Amanda.
O: Why is this so hard?
A: Do you want the honest answer or the comforting answer?
O: I'm not sure.
A: What happened with Elliot?
O: I was being... me, I guess.
A: That's not really specific.
O: More of the usual. Pushed him away for no reason.
A: How's he taking it this time?
O: I'm assuming he's not great since he's not responding to my texts.
A: Shit.
O: I know.
-000-
Olivia busied herself, but she couldn't stop worrying about Elliot. She sighed and resorted to texting Sergeant Bell.
O: He's ignoring me. What am I dealing with?
B: I'm not sure. He's being weird.
O: Weird how?
B: We went to lunch, and he seemed fine. Now he's working at his desk and doesn't seem bothered.
O: Shit.
B: Yeah
-000-
Elliot tried to keep it all together. He felt tired. Tired of begging her to give him a chance. Tired of begging for forgiveness. Tired of constantly being turned down only to have her say yes to other people? He was just tired.
Olivia texted him twice, but he wasn't ready to respond. He knew she only reached out because she felt bad about what happened earlier, not because she was any more ready for this than she was a month ago.
He gave Ayanna a quick wave before he headed home. He ignored the obvious look of concern on her face.
Once he got home, he tossed his keys on the counter and made his way to his bedroom. He dug out some exercise-appropriate clothing while he decided what outlet he needed today. He could hit a bag for a while or run it out.
He felt more hopeless than angry, so he prepared for a run. As he tied his shoes, there was a knock at the door. He knew who was there before he opened it. He hated how his heart pounded. He hated the fact that he had no control over how he reacted to her.
He let out a long breath before opening the door, not sure if he wanted to talk to anyone right now. As expected, Olivia stood at his front door, looking perfect and making his heart race.
-000-
Olivia stood at the door, her heart pounding, suddenly forgetting the conversation she had rehearsed on the way over. They stared at each other for an uncomfortably long minute.
He turned, leaving the door open, and said, "Come in, Liv."
She followed him in and shut the door behind her. Her heart raced, and her nerves overpowered her. He sounded tired. He sounded defeated. And that was on her.
She followed him into his kitchen. He leaned into his counter, palms down on the granite countertop. She sat on one of the barstools across from him.
There was another uncomfortable moment of silence before he asked, "What do you want, Liv?"
She tried not to feel offended at his tone; after all, she was the one continually shoving him away. "Um," she started. She put her hand on her belly, trying to quell the nerves building there. "About today."
He surprised her when he turned away and rummaged through his cabinets for a coffee cup. "We don't need to talk about it. It's fine."
"It doesn't feel fine," she said quietly.
"It is," he insisted. "This is what you want, right? For me to back off and give you space to figure things out?" She didn't love the bite she felt behind his words.
"Come on, El, you know this isn't what I want."
"What do you want, Olivia? I'm tired of pushing. I know I missed a lot; hell, I missed everything important that happened in your life, but if I can't spend time with you, then I'll never know about any of it." He rubbed his hand behind his neck in agitation. "I don't make you happy, Liv. Today showed me that. Maybe you've known all along. Our relationship isn't easy and natural like it seems to be with Langan."
She didn't even know what to say to that.
He started for the door. "I can't even get you to go to lunch with me. What? Did he ask you, like, twenty minutes before coming? Maybe you should think about why it's so easy to tell him yes when all you ever tell me is no."
He walked out the door, shutting it behind him.
Did he just walk out on her? Oh, hell no. She followed after him. Once outside the building, she yelled, "Get your ass back here, Elliot!"
He turned and said, "To do what? Tiptoe around the issue, and then have you run. Guess what? I can run too."
He turned away from her, and she grabbed his arm. She was somewhere between angry and devastated, and she felt hot tears of frustration falling from her eyes. "You did run. For ten damn years." She was angry and crying now, and it was getting embarrassing. She let go of his arm and said, "Whatever Elliot, Just go. I can't stop you. I learned that a long time ago." She winced, knowing that was a deep stab.
He whipped around, and she saw the Stabler fire she hadn't witnessed in years. "Is this going to hang over me forever? Or just, what, seven more years? Then will we be even?"
"Now you are just being petty," she said in frustration.
"No. I'm not. I get that I hurt you. Guess what? It hurt me too!"
"You CHOSE it! I didn't! One day you were here, and the next you were gone! How the hell did you expect me to deal with that!?" They were yelling. Probably making a scene. She couldn't find any reason to care.
He started to walk away again, putting some space between them, but turned back. "I knew you would be better off." He sighed, and his voice leveled, "And you were. You thrived. You survived. That would have never happened to me there. I held you back."
She took a step toward him, her voice softening. "You know that's not true."
"I don't know that. Do you think you would have made Captain with me here? Adopted Noah? Built the life you have now?" He shook his head. "There was no way you would have any of those things if I stayed. I wasn't good for you ." His eyes dropped to his feet, "and I'm beginning to realize that I may still be holding back." He backed away from her. "Just go home, Liv. Noah needs you. I'll be fine."
With that, he turned away and began his run.
-000-
Olivia stood there. Stunned. He didn't really believe that. Did he? Suddenly, she realized he probably did. Since they were partnered, he had her back. He would have taken a bullet for her. She had no doubt about that. He would have protected her at any cost to himself. She wandered to her SUV and sat in the driver's seat.
The conversation from that night at the hospital played through her mind.
I was afraid that if I saw you if I heard your voice, I wouldn't be able to leave.
At the time, it felt like a terrible excuse for ten years of silence, but now...
He couldn't tell her. He wanted to do what was necessary for her, and he couldn't let her talk him out of it because she certainly would have.
She leaned her head against her steering wheel and cried. It made sense. He might have sacrificed her for her own benefit. That was something that handsome idiot would do. She knew it.
He hurt her, but in the process, he hurt himself. She was holding onto all this pain, but was he right? Would the good things in her life be there if he had stayed? If she dug down and was truly honest with herself, she knew she would have none of these things if he stayed. He took up too much room, and she sacrificed a lot of herself and her ambition, to make him stay.
Damn it. She hated when he was right—well, kind of right. She opened her car door and went back to his apartment. He was so pissed when he left that he failed to lock the door.
She slipped back in and dropped her bag and coat by the door. She glanced at her watch, trying to figure out how long that man could realistically run. Judging by the look of his body, she could be here for awhile.
Texting Amanda
O: How would you feel about relieving my babysitter and hanging out with Noah?
A: I can grab him. The girls have been asking to have him over. What's goin on?
O: I'm at Stabler's.
A: Oh?
O: Get your mind out of the gutter; we are SO far away from that right now.
A:Should I ask why?
O: Probably not. There's been a lot of yelling, and now I'm sitting on the couch waiting for him to come home from a run.
A: I might need clarification on that.
O: I'll explain when I pick Noah.
A: Which will be when?
O: I have no idea. He could kick me out the second he gets back, or we can work this shit out. Not sure which way this will go.
A: He won't kick you out.
O: He told me to leave earlier, so who knows?
A: I'll need deets when this is all said and done.
O: Consider it payment for watching Noah.
A: Agreed
-000-
She was so damn infuriating. He checked his watch, three miles… The knot in his stomach hadn't been released yet, so he continued running.
What did he expect from her? She had been very clear about how much he hurt her. She had been very clear that she wasn't ready. She didn't trust him, and that was glaringly obvious. Hell, she kept Noah away from him so long because she was protecting Noah from him. The thought made the twisting anxiety in his stomach worse.
Five miles. He didn't know what to do anymore. She thwarted every attempt he made at reaching out, and aside from working joint cases, he rarely saw her. He tried to find hope in "I want to,' but wanting was significantly different from doing.
Trust . That was the central issue here, and he wasn't sure if he could ever win that back. No matter how hard he begged for her to give him a chance, she might never trust him. And that was on him. He knew better when he left, and he left anyway.
He knew patience mattered, but he couldn't stomach seeing her with someone else. He couldn't handle it when he was married, and he definitely couldn't handle it now. She could move on from him, but there was no world in which he could move on from her. .
He thought of the way she acted with Langan. She was at ease with him. Probably because he helped her out of a scrape and helped her adopt her son. He probably hadn't disappointed her in the way he had.
Eight miles. Darkness began to fall as the sun sank below the skyline. He should go home. To what end? He basically kicked Liv out, so he'd be going home to a quiet apartment. He could call her and apologize, but he seriously doubted she'd take his call.
He made it to his building, but he felt tired, and the run didn't do much to lift his brooding mood. He was so stuck in his own brain that he didn't notice that Olivia's SUV was still parked in front of his place.
He opened the door and pulled off his hoodie and shirt, discarding them in his room on his way down the hall. He stepped into his kitchen and finally noticed Olivia sitting silently on his couch. He took a couple more steps towards the fridge and grabbed a water bottle off the shelf. He cracked it open and took a long drink without taking his eyes off of her. Silence permeated the room.
She broke the ice. "You really should remember to lock your doors," she said, forcing a smile.
He downed the rest of his water bottle. "Clearly," he replied. He leaned against the counter with his arms folded, keeping his distance from her perch on the couch. Maybe he should put his shirt back on? Nah. It was fine.
He felt her ever perceptive brown eyes studying him, and he wanted to snap at her to stop it because he felt done with the whole talking thing. "Elliot, I..." she said, watching her struggle to find words while he stood motionless. She seemed to switch gears: "I wanted you to know that Trevor and I are just friends."
"Okay. You didn't have to stay to tell me that. I could have easily been informed over text." Why the hell did he keep snapping at her?! .
Silence.
"Elliot. I need you to talk to me."
"Why? I'll tell you how I feel, and then you'll backpedal and tell me you're not ready. I already had enough yelling and emotional drama for the night. Just say what you want to say so you can go home, and I can shower and go to bed, and we can pretend like this night never happened."
He hated how harshly the words spilled from his mouth. In all honesty, he would love for her to stay, but he couldn't stomach anymore of this tonight. He was just tired.
Olivia's eyes dropped to her hands, and she shifted nervously, a far cry from the commanding presence she held in every room. Right now, she looked different. Right now, she looked vulnerable.
He inched closer. The change in her demeanor startled him. He was nearly to the couch when her eyes flicked back up at his nervously.
The pull she had on him was otherworldly. No matter how much he wanted to give this up for the night, he found himself moving towards her until their knees were touching. Both sitting quietly on the couch.
"I love you." The words felt like they burst out from her lips, like she couldn't contain them for even one more minute.
Elliot's brain didn't seem to be processing the words. She kept her nervous eyes on him while he stupidly tried to figure out what to say. All he could come up with was, "What?"
He heard her let out a nervous breath before she scooted even closer to him, placing a gentle hand on his knee. "I love you," she repeated.
This time her words washed over him, and he put a hand on her cheek. "Do you?"
She let out a nervous chuckle. "How many times are you going to make me say it?"
"Not sure yet. My brain is having a hard time keeping up with what's going on right now."
She nodded in understanding and clarified. "I love you, and that's why this is so hard," she admitted.
He brushed his thumb over her lips softly, and she closed her eyes, savoring his touch.
"I love you, Elliot, and I'm terrified, and it's paralyzing." She opened her eyes and bit her lip. Her body radiated discomfort. "I've never loved anyone the way I've loved you." Her eyes started to tear up. "No one can hurt me in the way you can, El, and it scares the shit out of me."
His fingers continued to caress her face, wiping the tears away. "Olivia, I could never hurt you."
She sighed, "But that's just it; you already did. I was SO sure of you. You were my partner and my best friend. I loved you. And then one day I came to work, and it was like you never existed. I want to trust you as much as I did then. I want to lose myself in you, but I can't. I can't let myself because the small part of me that isn't sure is louder than the part that is."
He felt so many pieces clicking together. She jerked him around because she was scared. She pushed him away because she was scared, and she wouldn't give him a chance because she was terrified of how much she would lose herself in him. The thought was heartbreaking and humbling, and damn it, he loved her. He'd always loved her. .
The act of baring her soul on this couch was the most intense show of love and affection she ever allowed him. Her honesty and vulnerability laid bare the fear and pain that she kept locked away. He felt tears pressing the corners of his eyes while he tried to find words to express what he was feeling.
In an instant, he pulled her into his arms, pressing her head into his shoulder while she cried. "Liv," he whispered, and her tear-filled eyes lifted. "You have been my everything for longer than I like to admit. Everyone knew. My kids knew. Kathy knew. I was helplessly in love with you, and I was hopelessly in denial. The moment I realized how much you meant to me and how thoroughly I could derail your life, I had to go. It felt impossible. I should have called, seen you, and done something, but I felt paralyzed." He pulled her face closer to his. "I wanted to save you from me."
"Elliot?" She whispered with her eyes tightly shut.
"Living without you was one of the most difficult things I'd ever done. But you were right. If you stayed, I wouldn't have the life I have now. I wish things could have been different, but the truth is, no matter the choices we made, our relationship was going to be hard and complicated." She opened her eyes and said, "But it doesn't have to be hard and complicated anymore." Her lips were incredibly close to his. "I'm choosing to trust you, Elliot." Her lips lightly brushed on his, "but please don't break my heart again."
She kissed him softly until he pulled away. "Never," he responded before kissing her. It was an apology. It was a promise. It was everything.
-000-
"Liv." She wasn't listening. "Liv?"
"Hmm?" She really didn't seem interested in talking right now. Her lips continued to engage his. She still sat on his lap, one of her arms draped over him and the other pressed into his bare chest.
He tightened his arms around her before breaking away from her mouth. She kissed his jaw and continued a line of kisses down his neck. He couldn't believe this was happening. With Olivia. He let her continue, basking in the feeling of her lips on his skin. Finally, in a raspy voice, he said, "I really need to shower."
She laughed lightly on the back of his neck, and pleasurable goosebumps flooded his skin. "I guess that's fine." She kissed the base of his throat and moved up, capturing his lips again. She withdrew slightly and added, "As long as you don't kick me out again."
He rolled her off of him, so she was now lying on her back on the couch. He kissed her deeply, his tongue finding hers. "That's the last thing I want." He pulled back, and his breath caught at the sight of Olivia on her back beneath him, her hair splayed out across the couch cushion. He dove down for another kiss, and her hands grasped the sides of his face, pulling his body into hers.
When he came up for air, he brought his lips close to her ear and whispered, "You're so damn beautiful." He kissed her again deeply and then groaned as he pulled away. He sat up and helped her back up into a sitting position. He cupped her cheek and kissed her again quickly. "I do need to shower." His voice was deep and gravelly. He closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek against hers. "But I'm worried that when I come back, you will be gone, and this will have just been a dream."
His heart raced when her lips met the base of his neck and traveled to his shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere," she promised. "Go shower."
He stood, still holding one of her hands. "I'll be quick," he promised before dropping her hand and hurrying into his room.
-000-
Olivia found herself sitting alone on the couch again; however, everything had changed in less than an hour. She could still feel his warm body pressed against her and his tongue on hers. Her cheeks flushed, and she stood. She needed to walk around and let some of this tension go.
On a whim, she wandered into his bedroom. The door to the bathroom was left half open, with shower steam drifting into the room. In the many times she's been here, she has never ventured into his room.
She wandered around, noting the pictures lined up on his dresser. She lifted a very familiar photo of him and Kathleen. It had sat on his work desk for years. It was a picture of them sledding; just after they crashed, both were laughing. It was a perfect snapshot of a beautiful moment.
She sat the picture down to view the others. The one of Elliot holding Eli on the day he was born was another favorite of hers. It seemed like it was just yesterday.
She was surprised at the neighboring photo. She picked it up to view it closer. She was certain she hadn't seen this one before. She couldn't even remember when it was taken, probably before Eli was born. She was sitting at her desk, and Elliot was behind her, looking over her shoulder with one hand steadying himself on her desk. She grinned brightly at the camera, and Elliot was grinning at her. The adoration in his eyes was obvious. How did she never see that before? How was she so oblivious? No wonder there were rumors circling them.
She hadn't heard the shower turn off, so she was startled when Elliot suddenly appeared beside her. He reached around her for the picture. "I kept this one buried for a long time," he admitted. "We were so happy then. I knew Kathy would hate it, so it stayed in a box stuffed in the closet for a long time."
He set the frame back down, and his hand ran down the length of her arm. She leaned back into his chest, which still radiated the warmth of the shower. His arms came around her middle, and she leaned her head back into his shoulder.
He brushed her hair out of the way, exposing her neck. She closed her eyes when his lips roamed the expanse of her neck. The sensation of his lips and tongue on her skin pressed a breathy hum from her lips.
That was permission enough for him to continue. Both his hands crept up the front of her shirt while his lips continued the exploration of her neck and shoulder. Her breathing became more labored as he moved further up her shirt slowly, his fingers mapping every dip and curve as he made his way up.
"This okay?" he asked behind her ear, causing delightful shivers to encompass her body.
She turned her head, her lips finding his. She turned her body into his. "Yes," she breathed out before kissing him again, and her arms wrapped around his neck.
He caught her bottom lip between his, and her head was spinning. She moved her hands away from his neck and pressed into his chest. He groaned as he pulled at the hem of her shirt, quickly tossing it to the floor.
She pushed into his chest and took two steps backward, pulling them both into his bed. She moved into a more comfortable position on top of him, kissing him deeply as her hair lightly brushed against him. His hands drifted down her back and onto her ass, gripping her as he lightly rolled her underneath him. His lips ran down her chest and further down her belly, before he withdrew, his eyes taking her in. "God, I love you," he breathed before he caught her lips again. She pulled at the waistband of his sweats as he worked on the clasp of her bra. Both their hands became more frantic, desperately exploring what had been forbidden for so long.
-000-
Olivia rolled to her back, and he rolled onto his side. His strong arms drifted around her, pulling her back into him. He dropped a kiss on her lightly glistening shoulder and said, "Tell me this is real."
She turned into him, her bare body flush with his, basking in the afterglow. She kissed him deeply, "It's real," she assured him.
His hands lightly roamed her backside, and she sighed as she settled into his chest. He kissed her forehead. "You're incredible," he murmured.
She kissed his chest. "I love you," she said with meaning.
They lay in his bed, with the comforter lightly tossed over them. Olivia's mind drifted to the conversations and truths admitted in their earlier conversations. Something bothered her. She wasn't entirely certain Elliot was still awake, but she asked the question anyway.
"El?" She took a breath. "You don't believe you're not good for me, right? I mean, you just said that because you were angry."
His eyes popped open, surprised at her question. He kissed her again before answering. "Liv, I'm not sure if I am, and it's probably selfish, but I know I can't live without you."
She pulled away from him, just enough to better view his face. "Why would you think that?" Her hand brushed his face affectionately.
"Work," he answered simply. "I don't give a damn about my reputation with the brass. God knows I have mixed reviews with them." He kissed her lightly. "My record is spotty; I'm reckless, and I do what needs to be done, regardless of the consequences." He cupped her cheek. "Your reputation matters to you, and I don't want things to be more difficult because you are with me."
"I don't care." She shook her head and buried herself in his chest.
He kissed the crown of her head and said, "Yes, you do, and it's okay. You worked hard to get where you are, and I don't want to destroy everything you built." He shook his head. "I'm not good for you; I might have never been good for you." He tightened his grip on her, and she could hear the emotion rising in his voice. "But I love you so damn much." His voice was filled with emotion. "I tried to do what was best for us once, and it was a disaster."
She understood where he was coming from, and he appreciated his consideration of her feelings, but he didn't understand one complicating factor. She loved him, and they were better together than they'd ever be apart.
"Let me worry about my reputation." She lightly traced her fingers up and down his arm. "I can handle myself,"
She promised.
He chuckled. "Don't I know it?"
She laughed too, but then she became serious once more. "I need you, Elliot. Don't get all self-sacrificing on me. Let me decide what I can handle. We will figure it all out, but one thing I know is that we are much better together than we could ever be apart."
His perfect blue eyes met hers, and she felt all the love and devotion locked behind them. His lips found hers, and he kissed her deeply. "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," she whispered back. She settled back into him. "I think we had enough talking for one night." She looked up, grinning wryly. "We need to rest up. I have more things to get out of my system before I need to get Noah in the morning."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," she replied with a grin.