The next day crawled and sped by at the same time. James was busy with work, trying to catch up and get ahead so he could justify taking the next day to recover from his night with Juliet. It felt like sand slipping through his fingers. He wanted to see her, wanted to hold her for all the remaining time they had, but the closer they got to that time, the less total they would have.

His own conscience rolled its eyes at him. It's not the end of damn days. He was still shocked by how calm he was, how little he was freaking out about it.

"You're in denial." Miles kept telling him, expressing his concern in his own special way.

"Leave it alone, Miles." James sighed.

"Ten days, tops," Miles said. "Before you snap. You'll strangle me first. We'll be out somewhere, questioning a suspect, and it'll hit you. It's alright, I'm ready for it."

"You'll taser me, right? Set to stun?"

"Uhhh...sure."

"You'd kill me?" James squawked. "Just for strangling you in a sexual-frustration-induced rage?"

"I would murder you, yes. To save my virgin butthole."

"I'll never get that desperate, believe me."

"I've seen you looking at me." said Miles. "Out of the corner of your eye."

James held up his arm and made it obvious he was checking his watch. "Would you look at that! It's quittin' time."

"Bang her a few times for me, Ford?"

"You can go fuck yourself, Straume. And I do mean that literally."

James was surprised Miles didn't tease him for the way he was dressed. All day long, he waited for a comment about runway models being fair game for the perps in the holding cell. He braced himself, until he realized he was only waiting for Miles to notice so he'd know he looked good. Fishing for compliments from Miles was a losing game, though James knew his friend's secret language. Insults were terms of endearment. James reassured himself that it only mattered what Juliet thought. As long as she was pleased...

James arrived at the hotel first. He checked in at the desk and went up to the room alone. They had a full suite, though they weren't planning on doing anything but each other the entire time they were there.

He checked himself out in the mirrored closet door. Adjusting his tie, James smirked at his own choice of clothes and at the situation itself.

"You made yourself a sex date." he murmured, sharing in his reflection's amusement. Wasn't that what old married couples did? It felt like that sometimes - like they were an old married couple. Except they weren't married; they didn't even live together, and they were nowhere near bored with each other's bodies. This was a get-it-while-you-can, not-goodbye-but-see-you-later sort of sex date. A single day and night together would never be enough.

In a text, Juliet told James she was on her way. James replied with the room number, and he heard a knock on the door a few minutes later.

"Hey." he said, conveying in one word how desperate and lustful he'd become while being made to wait. Juliet was happy to see him, that showed in her eyes. Her eyes also held some anxious anticipation, and she withheld her own lust when James stepped into the hallway to kiss her.

Not out here, her tame reaction to his kiss seemed to say. She wanted to close the door behind them and forget the world. Sensing her hesitation, James took one of her hands and pulled her into the room. If privacy was all she needed to relax, he'd give it to her.

"Apologies in advance if I rip any of those clothes." James joked lightheartedly as he reached around her to put the Do Not Disturb sign on the outer door knob. Once the door was latched and bolted and locked twice, he was all over Juliet. They'd gotten really good at tearing their clothes off like it was a race or contest, but when James went for the usual route to getting Juliet naked, she hesitated, stopped his hands.

"Sit over there." she murmured, gesturing with her head at the arm chair that sat next to a small round table.

"Why?" asked James. "I sat all day, it's time for some exercise, if you know what I-"

"James." Juliet said sternly. The tone surprised him...and it was sort of a turn on. Then again, in James' current state, Juliet's mere existence in the room was a turn on. She got him to look her in the eyes and she told him in that same stern voice, "I want you to sit down over there."

He seemed to catch her drift then. "Are we gonna play doctor, Doctor?" he asked playfully as he backed toward the assigned chair. Then he grinned. "Or do you want me to interrogate you?"

James dropped into his seat and he watched Juliet step out of her heels, untie her wrap sweater and unzip her skirt.

"Whatever you do to me," she said, letting the clothes drop silently and pile up on the floor. "Do it slow. This night has to last us a while."

The words took a little longer to process than the image James now had of Juliet standing before him in her bra and panties. He watched her approach his seated form, and he contemplated all the ways he could fulfill her request.

Do it slow...

"I was planning on buying something ridiculous." she said of her undergarments, as if her body wasn't enough for him. "But between all the packing and everything..."

She realized then, of course, when she saw him grab himself over his pants and start fucking her with his eyes, she had nothing to apologize for.

"Don't." she murmured as she climbed onto his lap, pulling his hand away from the growing bulge in his pants.

"Come here, then." he chided her playfully. She straddled him without really touching his body, except where her knees touched the sides of his legs. He placed his hands on her thighs, running his palms up the smooth skin, reaching around to squeeze her ass in a tight, hungry grip. Her upper body fell a little closer, and she bowed her head, waiting until he turned his head up so she could give him a kiss. Juliet rested her forearms on the back of the chair behind James' head, and her body moved subtly with the squeezing motion of his hands as they made out. He moved one of his hands, Juliet was too dazed to notice until he was touching her between her legs. She moaned, a sudden high-pitched reaction to his brazen fast forwarding of her imagined plan of events. It felt so good though, and he didn't stop, not even when Juliet took hold of his wrist. It was barely an attempt to stop him anyway. Soon her hips were grinding softly to that motion instead.

Juliet rested her forehead on his forehead and whined in pathetic half-protest.

"I'm supposed to be seducing you." she said, right before the lusty exhale of a moan. He had big hands. They covered a lot of territory.

"I don't need seducing, case you haven't noticed."

Juliet reached for his crotch and squeezed. "I noticed." she said. She moaned, thinking about having him inside of her all night. He grabbed her ass with both hands and squeezed hard.

"What the fuck am I gonna do without you?" he asked. Her upper body moved toward him, and he licked the tops of her breasts.

"Don't think about that." she said, stroking him harder.

He groaned. "Shit..." he muttered. It felt good. He tried pulling her underwear down, but her legs weren't in the right position. She ignored him for a moment, too entertained by the effect her hand had on him. He pushed and pulled her until her legs were close together enough to pull her panties off. She gave in and settled on one side of his lap, and kissed and lapped at the side of his neck while she let him free her of her undies. He flung them away, turned his head for a kiss and returned his hand to her inner thigh. Juliet climbed back into a straddle, never breaking the deep, wet kiss. His hand stroked up her thigh, fingers searching out the soft mound between her legs. The feel of it, and the sound she made when he touched her, made him harder than before. The tip of his middle finger teased her entrance, and she pulled her face away from his so she could let out some of the sounds building up inside of her.

"Unnh, yes..." she mumbled, lifting a knee up onto the chair's arm to give him better access. He looked up so he could see the knot in her brow when she closed her eyes and waited to see what he'd do next. He slid his finger up, parting her lips to get her wet with herself. He drew tiny circles over her clit. It made her gasp out. It didn't take much from him to get her that turned on. When the tip of his finger slid back down to her entrance, and she felt him slowly push his way inside, she dug her fingernails into the back of the chair, ready to rip the stuffing out if necessary. As her arms tensed up, she relaxed her pelvis and let him in. His finger sank all the way in. His palm cupped her.

"Fuck..." she spat out.

"That's right," he muttered in a cocky tone of voice, feeling like he might rip his pants open with his erection. "I'm gonna fuck you all over this room."

She made a desperate sound, experiencing another wave of heat in her core. His hand moved, slowly and softly tugging her forward. She moved her hips with him, back and forth, riding his hand. His palm curved, and his deeply nestled fingertip stroked her from the inside.

"...make you come 'til you pass out..." he whispered, his lips right next to her ear. She'd bowed her head, and grabbed a fist full of his shirt in her hand. She was about to come and he still had all his clothes on.

She moaned in time to the motion, his hand and her hips moving together. It was when he began to move his palm in tight circles that sent her over the edge. It was short, built up too quickly, but it was intense for that moment. The loud moan gave it away, along with the way her hips took over the motion as she rode it out. She swore softly - gratefully - as it faded. He made it so fucking easy.

James' finger slipped out of her, and caused one last orgasmic tremor when it swept over her clit, which was sensitive and slick from her pleasure. With her senses back under her control, Juliet relaxed on top of James and pushed her tongue into his mouth. She had not intended to let go so quickly. She'd imagined teasing him for a while, making him behave, rewarding him by removing one article of clothing at a time. It didn't matter anymore. The gates were open and there would be no more holding back.

Their lips smacked as Juliet pulled her head back. Then she leaned in close so she could speak low in his ear.

"Take it out." she said. He almost shivered. Smiling a lazy smile, his hands on her ass again, he squeezed her and asked what she meant. He had to hear her say it.

"Take what out?"

She grinned. Okay, so he was entitled to some gloating. He'd made her come right after walking in the door. She would be evening the score momentarily.

Juliet closed a fist in his hair, licked his neck up to his ear and sucked hard on the lobe. He grunted softly, giving her ass a smack.

"Take out your cock." she said slowly, right in his ear. His rough stubble rubbed against her cheek until her lips hovered near his mouth. "I want it in my mouth."

"You gonna suck my cock?" he asked like a dare.

"Mm-hmm..." Juliet nodded. He could feel her sliding down, making her way to a kneeling position on the floor.

"Ohh, fuck I love you." James groaned with a laugh, leaning his head back. He looked down to see Juliet smiling up at him.

"Love you too." she said sweetly. "Now take off your clothes."

Dimples appeared as James smiled big. "He suddenly wondered if he was going to survive the night..." he joked while he loosened his tie. Juliet was taking care of the pants for him.

"You afraid I'll fuck you to death?" she asked, raising one of her perfect eyebrows. She was the cocky one now.

"Something like that, yeah." James chuckled. He tossed his tie to the side. She'd opened his pants, unzipped his fly and pulled his boxers down just enough to get his cock out in the open.

"Can't make any promises." Juliet murmured as she stroked him up and down. He was already hard and she was going to keep it that way. "But I'll try."

James got his shirt unbuttoned. He was all slouched down in the chair, framing her body with his legs. Juliet ran her free hand up his abs and over his chest.

"That's good." she said. The clothes were off enough. He found the approval so very sexy. She took him into her mouth, until her lips brushed the very base of his shaft. She moaned, and held him there for a long time. The feeling of being so full of him gave her a corresponding ache between her legs. That would happen later. She lifted her head slowly, keeping her tongue soft and her lips tight on his shaft. Then it was right back down again, and again, a little faster every time.

"Nnhhh..." James moaned, leaning his head back again. "Fuck. That feels good, baby." He opened his eyes when he reached down to hold the back of her bobbing head. Her hair was gathered on one side, giving him a clear view down to the curve of her ass. She was naked from the waist down and still had the sheer black strap of her bra dividing the pale skin on her back. She worked him like a pro, and moaned like she loved him. She did love him. There was nothing quite like hotel sex.

Usually he would have stopped, taken a turn at bat, dragged the main event out a little longer. But the sooner he came, the sooner he could go down on her, and the sooner he could recharge and eventually fuck her on every available surface in the room.

"Ahh," James sighed out moan after moan, feeling like he could drown her soon. He waited as long as he could before warning her. "I'm gonna come," he said quickly, giving her a chance to lift her head. She didn't stop. She clearly wanted him to come like this. So he held her down, his hand clamping down on the nape of her neck. His hips bucked, hard, and he sucked air in through his teeth. Then everything froze for a second. He sighed loudly, deeply, praising her incoherently.

She took as much as she could. He let her go when she tried lifting her head. He didn't remember closing his eyes, but the next thing he saw was the hotel ceiling. He took another deep breath and blew it out slowly.

"Don't fall asleep on me." she teased him. James looked down with a huge smile. She was licking her lips, wiping the corners of her mouth with her fingers. Her lips looked pink and pleasantly swollen.

"No sleep tonight." he promised. "You don't even know how hard and how long I'm gonna fuck you."

Juliet bit her bottom lip, smiled and made a soft sound of excitement deep in her throat. "How are we going to pass the time until then?" she said, playing idly with his softening cock.

"Go lie down and I'll show you."

Juliet stood up, reaching behind to unclasp her bra as she went. She turned her back to him, and he watched her walk bare-assed toward the bed. James sat for a moment, gathering strength to stand up and follow her. She left her bra with the rest of her clothes and covered her breasts with her arms. Looking over her shoulder, she fixed him with an expectant look.

"Can you walk?"

"Almost." James laughed.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Juliet said with a smirk.

"You should." said James. Then he pointed to the bed, and said "On your back."

"Yes, sir." Juliet replied, getting into her role. She let herself fall back onto the covers, legs still hanging over the edge, and turned her head to the side to look at him, waiting patiently.

"Sexy." he said, with a slow and easy grin.

She beckoned with a finger. His legs finally felt solid again, so he stood, pants loose around his waist, shirt open. He didn't bother taking any of it off. He walked over to the bed and yanked her closer to the edge. Then he got right down on his knees between her legs.

"Spread 'em." he said. Even with sex disheveled James kneeling before her, it sounded like a serious order. All that was missing was a pair of aviator sunglasses. Juliet giggled and complied, spreading her thighs further apart. He put his hands under her knees, pushing them further up and even further apart. She breathed deeper and braced herself. He was going to pay her back for the swallowing, she just knew it.

Juliet folded her arms above her head and closed her eyes. She was completely open to him. She felt it when he put his mouth on her. Going down on him had kept her wet, and the extra stretch he put on her legs made her extra sensitive. He gave her a long, deep lick right in the curve, and stopped at the top to make out with her clit for a while. He knew just how to make her squirm, and he kept a tight hold of her legs so he could feel every little motion her hips made against his mouth.

She struggled against his grip - that felt very nice, for both of them. He especially liked the sounds she made; she seemed to forget that there were adjacent rooms, or maybe she didn't care if they the neighboring rooms were occupied. Her boyfriend had a way of erasing parts of her brain during certain carnal acts.

She moaned in sweet, whiny bursts when he licked her really fast, and she moaned deeply when he slowed things down and teased her entrance with the tip of his tongue. "No-no-no-no..." she said desperately whenever he left her clit. But it felt that much better every time he returned to it, and she would immediately call out and switch to an emphatic series of yes, yes, yes's. Her back arched higher, the closer he got to pushing her over the edge. After a nice, long session of torturing Juliet with pleasure, James felt himself getting hard again. There was no reason to put it off any longer. He gave her thighs another gentle push, and she let loose some sounds and curse words that made him proud to call her his own.

James growl-sighed and let her legs down so he could crawl onto the bed. "We ain't even half done." he said. She giggled somewhat drunkenly, still right in the middle of her sex high. "Already screamin' like a banshee," James teased her. She smiled up at him laying on top of her. "And I ain't even inside you yet..." he said.

James received no protest when he leaned down to kiss her. The taste of her was all over his mouth. She lapped it up, mussing his hair and making it a really dirty kiss.

"Ain't even got my clothes off," James murmured, astonished, against her lips. "And you already come twice."

A deep throaty laugh was all he got in response. He picked himself up off of her and got rid of his shirt. Juliet scooted back on the bed, propping herself up on her elbows to watch him undress. She watched his erection spring back up once his boxers were gone, with a pleased and proud smile to know that yes, she'd done that. He watched her too, and he saw that smile. She'd brought her legs together to make up for all the stretching. They fell open again. Her feet rested on the bed, legs bent at the knee.

They caught each other checking out the equipment. Juliet's smile softened, inviting him to come closer. Then James was crawling back on top of her, kissing her mouth, feeling the inside of her thighs rubbing against the sides of his torso.

She made a sexy sound when she felt his cock rub against her, trying to find a way in on its own. Suddenly she felt very empty, and for a moment she despaired, thinking about how empty she would feel in the weeks following this night. Juliet kissed James harder, trying to erase the thought. She'd deal with that later. In the moment, she still had him. She could, and she did, reach down, wrap her hand around James and guide him right into her. Once he'd pushed the tip inside, Juliet let go and clutched at his back.

The rest of him went in slowly. They'd been together so many times, Juliet was losing count. There were little details from each time, enough to make them all special in her mind. Juliet's breathy whimpers came faster as he filled her up. James moaned, pushing deeper. They were both savoring the moment, that first push inside. Their foreheads touched; he couldn't get any deeper, but still he pushed, pressed her into the bed, groaned and let out a tense breath. God, he was going to miss this. There were voices in his head, saying This might be the last time you make love to her. Make it count. Did you really think perfect happiness would last? He tried to tune them out and concentrate on her body. It would be the one thing he wouldn't have access to, since they had every other form of communication at their disposal.

It was difficult for Juliet too, knowing it was their last chance to do this, to be together this way, for an undetermined amount of time. She thought about those three days and nights they'd spent apart, how ravenous they'd been for each other on that fourth day. Maybe they'd devour each other next time, and just meld together into one person forever.

Hours passed, and James made good on his promise. No surface was safe. The bed served them well, and there was the somewhat awkward but intensely hot session on the credenza. Bent over the arm of the chair they'd started on, Juliet almost came again, but it was back on the bed where James gave her a third orgasm. He sat upright and she straddled him, kissed him, was held tightly and touched softly by him, until it was all too much to handle and she shouted, loudly. Before they'd started seeing each other he never would have guessed she could be so loud. He loved it. She hugged his head to her chest, and he kissed and licked at her breasts distractedly, pushing himself as deep into her as he could go.

Juliet moaned desperately, desperate to get him off one more time. "I love you," she whispered, more than once. There had been a time when he would have been turned off hearing those words. Recalling that time was like looking back at a version of himself that no longer existed. He held her tighter, and he came inside the beautiful body of the only woman he'd ever truly loved.

Somewhere in the early hours of the morning, cuddling felt better than anything, so they rested naked in each other's arms in the fluffy hotel bed. James had Juliet curled up against his chest, where he could give her forehead all the kisses he wanted.

"You picked a nice place." said Juliet. She hadn't had the chance to look around until then. "I could stay here forever." she murmured.

"You should." said James.

Juliet tilted her head up. James regretted saying it then. He'd promised himself he wasn't going to make her feel bad about leaving.

"I'm gonna visit you as soon as I can." he told her, as a way to make up for his indulgent comment.

"Really?" she asked, clearly happy to hear his intentions.

"Really." he answered. "Gotta make sure Dick Alpert doesn't overstep his bounds."

Ohhh, so he had noticed Richard's particularly friendly attention. Juliet watched his face, saying nothing.

"I don't like how he keeps asking you about who's moving out there with you. He's fishing for info."

"James," Juliet said slowly. She lifted her upper body and leaned on her elbow. "Are you jealous?"

James looked at her. His first instinct was to deny it. He was a proud man, but he trusted Juliet. She deserved to know the truth, especially when it illustrated how much he cared about her. She had a cute twinkle in her eye anyway. She already knew.

"Yeah." he admitted, smirking at her. "I'm jealous."

Juliet smiled, quite pleased to hear it. "Good." she said.

"Good?!" James reacted with exaggerated urgency. "You plan on torturing me for the next eight months?"

"No!" Juliet laughed. "It's just...good to know."

"So you can use it against me." James teased her.

"No," she insisted.

"Promise you won't be anywhere alone with him."

"James!" Juliet laughed. She didn't think he was being serious, but he wasn't completely joking either. "What if I'm working -"

James shook his head. "You gotta promise."

Juliet laughed again and climbed on top of him. "Fine," she said, settling on his lap. "Then you have to promise not to look at other women."

"I can't even look?" James asked incredulously. His hands rested on her thighs.

Juliet shook her head. "No, you can't even think about them."

"I'll be thinkin' about you." James said sweetly.

Juliet rolled her eyes and smirked. "Yeah, okay."

"I will!" James insisted. His panicked look garnered sympathy from her, enough to soften her expression. He relaxed underneath her, relieved. "You know I'll do whatever you ask." he said, glancing down at her thighs, which he began to stroke softly with his hands.

Juliet broke eye contact, her gaze moving down to his chest where she touched him lightly.

"I think we should pick more realistic promises." said Juliet. There was a hint of seriousness that made the air in the room a little heavier.

"Like what?" James asked, worry settling in a little deeper, a little sooner than he'd anticipated.

She stared at his chest, one side of her mouth twitching up, a tiny smile. "Promise we'll talk on the phone a lot?"

"Of course." James agreed.

"Every night?" Juliet added.

"Not negotiable." he said, and he was rewarded with a smile. He waited for another request, until he realized she was looking at him and waiting. It was his turn. He didn't need long to think about his first request.

"Promise you won't be goin' out to dinner or gettin' drinks with him."

Juliet's eyes widened, even as her tentative smile broke into a grin and then a quiet laugh.

"I'm serious about that." James said, his tone light but convincing.

"Alright." Juliet nodded, getting her grin under control. That unyielding look he gave her, coupled with a subtle smirk, she found it very amusing. He really did mean it.

"What else you want?" he asked, like she was sitting on Santa's lap. Juliet's mood shifted again, back to serious contemplation. Her fingertips brushed his hands, and they followed the thigh stroking motion. Her eyes followed it too.

"Promise you'll be honest with me..." said Juliet. "If you feel like it's not working out."

Disappointed, James looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Juliet..."

"That's what I'm serious about." said Juliet.

"I'm not looking for a way out, here."

"I know you're not -"

"Do you?" James asked, interrupting whatever she was going to say next.

Juliet looked at James' face. They stared at each other, James with his questioning look and Juliet with her reproachful one.

"I'm trying to be realistic." she said.

"Preparing yourself for the worst." said James, offering a different point of view.

"I just don't want this to hurt," Juliet explained, feeling like she'd blurted out something embarrassing. "Any more than it has to." Her cheeks tingled, and she felt the ache in her heart she tried so hard to ignore.

"Come here." James murmured, reaching up to touch her face. He pulled her closer. She still straddled him, her upper body leaned down close enough for him to kiss her lips. It was a strong kiss, full of love and comfort, different from the ones he used to turn her on. He pushed her hair back from her face and held her close, their cheeks pressed against one another.

"Can't you see how committed I am?" he asked, speaking tenderly in her ear. "How protective I am of you? I know, it's gonna suck being apart. But you ain't gettin rid of me that easy."

Juliet swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "I love you." she whispered.

"I love you too." James replied. "I'm with you, no matter how far apart we are."

Juliet nodded. So close, James didn't see it, but he felt it against his own face, her head held gently in his hands.

"Okay?" James asked, so he could be extra sure.

"Yeah." Juliet whispered. She turned her head and kissed him. His hands slid down her shoulders, gliding smoothly down her back. Juliet pressed her body closer, writhing slowly, and pressed her tongue into his mouth. The urgency in her kiss built up quick. She wanted that hot, sexy feeling back. They had to get it all in now, months worth of physical contact.

"Come on..." Juliet murmured against his mouth, grinding her hips softly against him.

"Woman, you gotta give me ten minutes' rest." James teased, though his body clearly told her otherwise.

"I just did." she said softly. She sat up straight on top of him and glanced at the clock. "It's been half an hour."

"You clocking me?" James joked. Juliet placed her palms flat on his chest and held his gaze, the motion of her hips intensifying. Near silent moans emanated from her throat every few seconds.

"I need you back inside of me." Juliet said, voice trembling with intense desire. She could feel him getting hard again and she didn't want to waste any more time. She had to board a plane in a few hours. His hands clamped down where her hips met her waist, pulling her down harder as he thrust his hips up. Juliet cried out softly, and tried to press him back down onto the bed with her thighs. She fought his upward motion a few more times, riding him, until he flipped her onto her back. She grabbed and clung to his neck, spread her legs and let him find his own way inside. They built up a furious pace - a fast, hard fuck for the road - making love like they needed something to remember each other by.