She didn't know he would be here. She anticipated Bell, maybe, but OCCB didn't regularly work with sexual assault victims, so she didn't mentally prepare to see him sitting a few rows ahead of her.
She always needed to be mentally prepared before seeing him. She needed to make sure she was strong enough to keep things in check. But she didn't expect him, and they were here at this conference, far from their regular lives, and her stomach lept nervously because this was a recipe for disaster.
Maybe she could get out without him noticing her. She laughed at herself. There was no way that would happen. That man had a sixth sense, and she was willing to bet he already knew she was here, and he was already planning to track her down after the speaker concluded.
She was still contemplating whether or not she wanted to bolt when the speaker finished. She sat, still undecided, but her indecision eventually made the decision for her when his eyes found hers through the crowd. There had to be at least 300 people here, and he found her in a matter of seconds. He grinned and headed in her direction, and she felt her stomach filling with nervous butterflies.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hey," she said back, "I didn't know you were going to be here." She hoped that didn't sound off-putting.
He shrugged. "Bell sent me. We've had more human trafficking cases lately, and she wanted at least one person on the team with the ability to speak to victims." He shrugged again. "Since my background was SVU, I was the natural choice."
She gave him a genuine smile. His years at SVU seemed like a lifetime ago, but at the same time, it seemed like it was just yesterday. "That's good. I'm glad Bell noticed the need."
His hands were in his pockets, and he was rocking from his toes to his heels, and she knew he wanted to ask her something, but whatever he wanted to say was making him nervous, and that made her nervous too.
"Are you going to the thing tonight?"
Ah. There was a cocktail party thing planned as part of the itinerary. She was planning on skipping it, but she had brought a dress just in case she changed her mind. "I hadn't decided yet." Her eyes flitted to his, and she hoped she didn't seem too eager, or not eager enough.
He shifted nervously. "I was going to go. Maybe," he rubbed his hand across the back of his head. "Wanna go together?"
She nearly laughed. This was more awkward than the time when she was 15, and the kid in Bio tried to ask her to prom. His clumsiness was adorable; how could she say no? "Yeah, that would be fun."
"Kay." He said, and she was almost blushing at how big his grin was.
She gave his arm a squeeze and turned to leave. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked away, and she let out a slow breath. She was going out with Elliot Stabler tonight.
-000-
Elliot let out a long, slow breath before taking a sip of his drink. He was nervous. When Bell volunteered for this conference, he hoped she would be here, but he knew she could have delegated it to someone else. But she was here, and she was coming to an event with him, and he was nervous.
He glanced up towards the entrance of the ballroom for what felt like the millionth time in the last five minutes. He sipped his drink, and he tried to be patient. His heart stopped in his chest when he saw her finally pass through the entry.
She looked incredible. She wore a deep red party dress with a lace overlay that showed off the tan skin of her shoulders. And damn those heels. God. He was going to have a hard time keeping his hands off of her.
She sauntered over to where he stood, and he knew she was very aware of what she was doing to him right now. She brushed her hand against his elbow in greeting, and that was it. He was going to die right here.
"Hey partner," she greeted.
His mouth was dry, and he couldn't swallow. He managed to croak out a soft "Hey."
She grinned. Oh, she knew. He let out a mental exhale before returning the grip on her elbow. He pulled her closer and whispered, "You look incredible." He was pleased by the light shudder that rolled through her body.
He motioned for the waiter to bring Liv a drink. "So," they needed conversation so he could distract himself from those perfectly tanned legs standing beside him. "I figured you would send one of your detectives to something like this."
She kept her eyes on him while she drank her drink. She set it gently on the coaster before saying, "I usually do, but once a year I go to one of these." She shrugged. "I may have worked sex crimes for a long time, but I want to make sure I know what I need to know to connect with victims." She sipped her drink again.
"I don't think you have ever struggled with connecting with victims."
She bit her lip nervously, and it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. "Maybe not." She suddenly found her hands intensely interesting. "Connecting with others, though," she sighed. "That's the hard stuff." She finished her drink and signaled for the waiter to bring her another.
He couldn't help but drop his hand over hers. "You don't have a problem with connection, Liv. You connect with everyone you meet." His eyes met hers. Everyone loved her. He loved her.
"Not in ways it matters," her eyes dropped to the table again.
He gripped her hand tighter and said, "In every way, that matters."
The waiter dropped her drink next to her on the coaster. She took a sip. "You know me. I'm not an open person. I'm not an easy person. Sure, I can connect with victims, but I mess up every meaningful relationship in my life."
He wasn't sure where all this was coming from, but he was happy to reassure her.
"What about Noah? Fin? Amanda?" He took a deep breath, hoping he was still part of that list. "Me?"
She gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I'm pretty sure I have screwed us up."
"No, that's on me. I'm an idiot."
She gave a wry smile. "You are, but relationships are a two-way street, and I have been so angry."
He felt a stabbing pain in his chest. "I get why. I was so stupid. In so many ways." He shook his head. He broke them, and he always worried he wouldn't be able to fix any of it.
He was taken aback when her hand was suddenly on his cheek. She looked like she was going to say something. She opened her mouth but shut it again. She dropped her hand and focused on her drink again.
He noticed her rolling her ankle around a bit, "Definitely should have worn more comfortable shoes," she complained.
He winced. That ankle injury was another thing that was his fault.
"Just take them off," he shrugged.
She eyed him skeptically. "I'm not wandering around this party barefoot."
"Okay, yeah, dumb plan." He laughed, "Go change them real quick." He smiled flirtatiously. "They make your legs look amazing, but I don't want you suffering through the evening."
She gave him a grateful smile and started to walk away. She suddenly turned back. "You comin'?"
Of course, he was. He caught up to her and snagged her hand before heading towards the elevators.
-000-
She only made it up two floors before she kicked off her heels. Her ankle was screaming. Elliot kept his hand pressed on her lower back, the gesture making her heart pound.
They made it about half way down the hall when she stopped. Elliot immediately turned towards her, probably wondering what the holdup was.
His blue eyes caught hers, and for a moment, she just stared. She had that feeling. The one she often had when he was with her. That feeling of rightness. They had hurt each other. They had both run and returned, said things they didn't mean, and fought passionately, but they were still them, and they were still here. Something told her that he would always be here.
Maybe it was the drinks. Maybe it was his hand in hers. Maybe it was just time.
She kissed him. Hard. To his credit, he didn't miss a beat. He fell right in step with her. Always so in sync.
She staggered backwards, shoes still in hand, and the other pressing into the back of his head.
His hands gripped her hips, and he walked her back until her back was pressed against the wall. His body pressed against hers, and his hands slid up and down the sides of her body, leaving a trail of fire wherever they roamed.
His tongue swiped her bottom lip, and she left out a soft, pleasured sound when he pulled it further into his mouth. They were careening towards something, and she didn't have any desire to stop it.
His hands were on her lower back, and he turned her away from the wall, so they were now backing towards her room, which felt like it was a mile away.
She tugged at the bottom of his shirt, and he felt her up over her dress, and her breathing became erratic as she realized his touch was more incredible than she ever could have imagined.
Once they finally made it to her door, she knew she needed to pull out her room key, but one of his hands was gripping her ass and the other trailed aimlessly down the outside of her thigh, and she couldn't even think straight anymore.
"I need my key," she breathed, and he turned his attention to her neck and collarbone. She dropped her shoes and dug her key out of her clutch while his lips continued to roam the expanses of her neck.
She somehow managed to maneuver the key to open the door. His hand gripped the handle, and the weight of their bodies pushed the door open.
Elliot broke away for a moment to kick her shoes into her room before letting the door shut behind him.
Both his hands tugged up on the hem of her dress, sliding it high onto her upper thighs. The cool air chilled her bare skin until his hand pressed into the skin of her upper thighs, effectively warming her entire body. She moaned as her body fell into his. His hands slid beneath her dress before gripping her ass and lifting her for the last few staggering steps to the bed.
He dropped her to the bed, following her down. Her hands dipped beneath his shirt, and her fingers pressed deeply into his back. His mouth broke away from hers, and his hot breath was suddenly against her ear. "Are you sure, Liv?"
Her fingers were working on his belt buckle. "Yes," she breathed.
"How many drinks did you have?" She worked her lips up his neck. While she appreciated his obvious efforts with explicit consent, she was more than ready for him to get her out of this damn dress.
"God Elliot." Her fingers started working on the buttons of his shirt. Her lips crashed hard against his. "I'm not too drunk." She had maybe two drinks, but she felt clear enough. "I want this. I want you, and I'm tired of thinking." She pulled back and looked into his eyes. Her hand cupped his cheek. "I'm sure." She softly kissed his lips. "Now, will you please kiss me?"
That seemed to be all the permission he needed, as his mouth fell hard on hers, and his tongue was in her mouth, and she felt blissfully dizzy by the sensation of it all.
She continued working the row of buttons on his shirt, and he shucked it off onto the bed next to him. Then he sat up and pulled her into his lap. Her legs wrapped around his hips as both of his hands ran the length of her spine until they found the zipper laying delicately between her shoulder blades. The sound of the zip and the feeling of his hands on her bare skin sent another wave of chills over her. In one quick movement, her dress was carefully tossed to the floor.
He laid back while she hovered over him, her hair brushing over him as she left a line of kisses up his chest and neck until she eventually found his lips again, kissing him deeply.
She shuddered as his hands began exploring every part of her body. His lips broke away from hers, allowing him to run his lips down her neck and chest. His fingers worked open the clasp of her bra, and he carelessly tossed it aside. He rolled her beneath him, and he paused for a moment. She felt his eyes roam all over her body before his mouth found hers again.
His hands were everywhere, and she was more than halfway to oblivion when his lips were unexpectedly at her ear as he whispered, "I love you."
She had never felt so perfectly loved and completely connected to anyone, so it felt effortless when she whispered, "I love you too."