Bathing Beauty Chapter 20
As usual mature readers only.
A/N: Okay I'm back in the game with this story, I had to go back and read parts of it myself so I'm sure that some of you have long forgotten it. I promise to keep working on more chapters so go ahead and get invested in it again, I'll keep going until I finish it. Thank you to all those people who sent me little notes expressing their interest and asking that I post more of this story. Your encouragement is what ultimately brought me back to the keyboard so don't think your words were without influence. As always observations and comments are greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: They are not mine but if Hart continues to torture them by denying them the healthy sex life that they deserve I may have to sue for custody so their heads don't explode from frustration.
The chiming of the alarm pierces her sleep and she slowly opens her eyes. Her arm stretches across the soft sheet and finds nothing but the cool material beneath her fingers. For a second she frowns before her mind retrieves the feeling of him kissing her good-bye sometime in the early hours of the morning. He had to be into work to get some things organized before a meeting. He told her about it last night. She pulls herself into a sitting position and pushes her hair out of her face. Her body aches as she stretches and she's filled with a wave of satisfaction despite the discomfort. Smiling she heads to the shower to think about what she can wear that will cover the marks he's left on her through the weekend. Dinner and a movie had turned into dinner, sex, a movie and more sex once they were in bed.
She was going to have to concentrate at work to catch up on some of the tasks she's ignored to spend time with him. She's up to date on the cases at the Jeffersonian; it's her own schedule for the bones in limbo that has fallen a bit behind. There are just so many of them, it seems like some weeks they close two and three more are delivered. It's been her personal goal to drive the number of the unidentified down to something manageable.
Her thoughts are diverted when the hot water strikes her as she steps into the shower. Several places on her body sting for just a second and her mind tumbles through the moments when his mouth was on her. She has to tell two people that he's a better shot to finish paying up on their bet. In exchange he's going to tell her what fantasy he wants from her. Her body warms in anticipation. He doesn't know it but she'd wear a shirt to work proclaiming him a superior marksman to have another weekend like this one. Her thoughts shock her but still make her smile.
She loves him, really loves him the way she imagines her mother loved her father and amazingly she finds the idea comforting. It's still a little frightening but on a level she can manage. Her mind wanders back to the previous day, how grazing against each other in the kitchen had scorched her skin with desire. They had let it burn between them, touching here and there as they worked. By the time they were eating dinner she was fixated on his lips and the throbbing between her legs had become almost unbearable. They had each other for desert right there on the kitchen floor. He had been full of fire and pounding need and she had soaked him when she came in relentless waves of shattering force.
Later when they went to bed they had taken their time with each other, as caught up in the sensation of each gentle touch as they had been in the intensity of their earlier encounter. She shakes her head as she turns off the water, pausing to make sure that while she was deep in thought she hadn't missed anything. Had she put conditioner in her hair? She runs her hand through it and then wraps it in a towel. It feels like she did but she certainly has to start paying attention to what she's doing. All these thoughts of Seeley are putting her entire life behind schedule. She's meeting him for lunch today so she shifts her focus to the set of remains that she knows is waiting for her at work and vows not to think of him again until lunch time.
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The crisp air and bright blue sky that greet her as she drives into work make her think of the balloon ride and she scolds herself but allows the indulgence of the memory anyway. When she stops for coffee and briefly considers the hot chocolate it occurs to her that the man is just embedded in everything she does. He's always been a part of her thoughts and actions through the day and really she's the only one at work that knows the difference now. She needs to just let the whole thing be what it is for a while. Things will calm down eventually, they always do.
When she walks into the building Cam is the only one on the floor. Without a large case on the table she wonders why her boss has come in so early. Nodding an acknowledgement to the other woman she keeps on moving until she's in her office. She feels relieved to be in the comfort of her own space so she brushes off the peculiar feeling that nudges her. Right now she needs to get organized and get to work. Setting down her coffee and firing up her computer she pulls up the files on the last case she had transferred upstairs.
Over an hour later it's the loud sounds of Angela arriving that draw her attention from the file she's closing. She pulls on her coat and heads to the platform with the case file so she can examine the remains. The area feels extra bright after the soft glow of her office lamp so she drops her eyes to the file in her hand. Checking the registered numbers on the report to those with the body she situates her things and pulls on her gloves.
"Good morning Bren. How long have you been here?" Angela looks refreshed from her weekend but her expression is one of barely contained disappointment.
"Not quite two hours. I didn't get in as early as I had hoped so I'm a little behind this morning."
"Seriously you came in two hours ago and you're calling that a late start? I was still deep in dreamland two hours ago. Where were you this weekend? I called you to go out on Saturday night." Angela is used to Temperance not turning to look at her when she's working on a body but despite that fact she keeps her eyes on her friend. When Temperance's back stiffens at the question, it doesn't go unnoticed.
"Saturday night I was out doing some research until late but I had my cell phone with me, why didn't you call it?" She's trying to stick to the truth. She was out doing research at the planetarium, or at least she could have been. No one knows that's where she goes to think when she's upset, not even Angela so she rationalizes that it's this secret she's protecting and not Booth. She can't believe that she didn't check her home phone when they got in or all day Sunday for that matter. It's a testament to her current level of distraction.
"I tried; I kept getting a weird message that you were not in service." Angela watches closely but as she shifts her weight she notices that Cam, although bent over a microscope is also listening intently to the conversation. Before Brennan has a chance to respond Angela stops the conversation. She's uncomfortable with Cam's feigned disinterest. "Don't worry about it; I probably didn't need to go out anyway. I'm done with the reconstruction from last weeks limbo case but so far there haven't been any hits in the missing person's network. I'm going to run it again and switch out her hair and eye colors and see if anything pops up but I'm not feeling very optimistic about it."
Temperance is grateful for whatever it was that pushed Ange into her work gear because she really doesn't want to answer any more questions. "Anything in the personal effects found with the remains that will help with the identification?"
"I don't have the reports from Jack on that yet but when he's done we should probably meet on this one for a few minutes." Angela glances at Cam and sees that she is still listening but not with the same concentration as before. Something is definitely off with her. Maybe she's still mad about last week when she couldn't find Brennan.
"Okay, just let me know when." Temperance's voice fades off as she leans closer to inspect something that has caught her eye on the skull she's currently examining.
Angela hears the swipe of a card and turns, expecting it to be Jack or Booth but is surprised to see a security guard holding a package. She remembers when such a sight would have caused a rush of excitement in her but this job has robbed her of that pure joy. Now she's tinged with a twisting of fear whenever a package gets delivered.
"I have a package for Dr. Brennan; it's already been cleared through security because there was no return address on the box." Angela takes the box and smiles at the young man.
"Thanks Dave, since we know it isn't a gruesome body part or a bomb I'll stay and watch her open it." He gives her a bashful smile and a nod before retreating back to the front of the building. Angela watches him go and shakes her head. "He has a great body, if I was completely single and he wasn't such a boy I swear I'd ask him out, or in." She laughs, clearly amused by her own words.
Temperance turns, pulls off her gloves and then reaches for the box. It has some weight and there is nothing on it or the label that gives a clue as to who sent it. She begins to walk to her office knowing that Angela will be right behind her. She has the end cut open when the artist appears in front of her.
"SO what is it?" Her impatience and exasperation are apparent in her tone.
"I don't know I don't have it open yet. I know I haven't ordered anything so I wasn't expecting a package." Angela looks at her slightly confused but holds her tongue as Bren pulls out a frame. The picture is a beautiful aerial photograph of Washington D.C. On closer inspection she can actually make out the location of the Jeffersonian. She wonders if it means someone is watching them but when she looks up to question Brennan there is a rare beaming smile on her face.
"Okay, there is totally a story here so spill it right now." Temperance says nothing and just shakes her head, the smile absolutely radiating from her. She holds the photo up at arms length and then brings it closer so she can see the detail. She knows the exact moment it was taken. She can almost feel the bite of the cold wind on her cheeks and Seeley's warm body behind her. So much for getting work done and not thinking about him until lunch time.
It's too late to hide her reaction from Angela or to pretend that the photo confuses her so for a few moments she just stares at it. She's stunned by his thoughtfulness. He's managed to give her a picture of a moment that will remind her of him without anyone else knowing. For her it may as well be a photo of the two of them.
"Brennan obviously this picture means something to you. Who sent it? Was it one of those military guys or one of the astronauts that took you on the zero gravity flight? I know you know, now do tell. You've been hiding something, or someone from me." Her words are coming in a rush and her penetrating stare is fixed on Temperance, searching for clues.
She looks in the box to buy herself a moment and then scans the back of the frame. "There's no card Angela, I'm not sure who sent it."
"You may not be sure but you have a good idea. That gift doesn't have a card because the sender knew that you would know as soon as you saw it and from the look on your face, you did. Let me help you out here, it's either the last man that crawled out of your bed or the one that is currently trying to crawl in." As Temperance blushes Angela turns and sees Dr. Saroyan standing in the door, not moving, just standing. She's immediately annoyed because now she's definitely not going to get her questions answered. She wonders how long Cam's been listening to their conversation and why there is such a sudden interest.
Cam quickly gathers herself and walks up to the desk, looking at the photo that Brennan is still holding. "That's a beautiful photo Dr. Brennan. Is there some special occasion?"
"No, it's just a gift from a friend." She walks over and moves some artifact and then perches the photo on the long shelf of her wall.
"That's a thoughtful friend." She smiles sweetly wishing she had been allowed to listen to one more minute of conversation before Angela had noticed her. "Here are copies of the reports from Dr. Hodgins. We'll be meeting in about an hour to go over them and any other information that you have ready."
Temperance smiles because she's in a good mood and consequently has a higher level of tolerance at the moment. Angela nods but rolls her eyes as Cam turns her back to stride from the room.
"Okay, who sent you the photo? You might as well tell me because you know I'm not going leave you alone until you do." Angela crosses her arms in front of her to accentuate the idea that she is serious about wanting an answer.
Temperance is still looking at the picture. "I'll make you a deal Ange. You give me a couple of days to confirm the source and when I'm sure we'll talk again." She's careful not to say she'll reveal the sender, just that they will talk. She's getting better at this vague communication thing, Booth would be proud. She can feel Angela studying her so she stays very still, hoping that telling her the confirmation would take a few days will confuse her or at least lead her away from the truth.
"I swear you're getting harder to read." Temperance looks at her with genuine confusion and Angela shakes her head. Her friend is not that good at deception. She'll wait the next few days to see what develops because there is definitely something happening. The fact that it's going to take Brennan a few days tells her means it's probably one of the astronauts.
Angela finally wanders back to work and she feels like she can exhale. It's far harder to hide their relationship than she thought it would be. She heads back out to the platform to finish working on the remains. Cam said they would be meeting in an hour and she wants to be ready. Once the meeting is over she can start on her documentation for the file and then it will be time for lunch with Seeley.
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She's running late, almost a half an hour late. She sent Booth a text to let him know she needed to bump the time up by half an hour but it still bothers her. Cam had developed almost an unnatural interest in these remains. Her questions had been endless and in Temperance's opinion somewhat redundant. It was frustrating. Angela had finally put an end to it. She started declaring there were labor laws and that she was starving so if Cam had more questions they would have to reconvene after lunch. It had never occurred to Temperance to just stop the meeting. She would never do that unless she was called away for evidence on an open case.
She turns her car into the parking lot and feels herself relax when she sees his truck. Of course he's already here. She picked this little Greek restaurant because it not only has good food but there are booths in the back with wall dividers that offer some privacy. She's been looking at restaurants in the area that are not on the radar of the rest of the staff. Even she has to admit that there is something thrilling and sexy about sneaking around town to meet with Seeley. She smiles when she sees him leaning out and waving to her. It's such a spontaneous feeling of happiness that it still leaves her a bit uncomfortable. Just seeing him shouldn't make her feel this good but none the less the relief and joy are there.
He watches her slide gracefully behind the small round table and grins helplessly when he feels her thigh press against his. She glances over her shoulder before leaning into him. Her hand slips around to his neck and holds him as her mouth captures his. He's so shocked by her semipublic display of affection that he freezes for a second before his body responds. When she releases him he can barely breathe.
"Thank you for the picture, it's beautiful." He smiles at her then, having forgotten that the photo was being delivered today.
"You're very welcome. Here I thought you were just glad to see me." The slight blush that washes her cheeks makes his thighs tighten.
"Well, that too. I am glad to see you but I did love the gift. Angela is launching a full scale investigation to find out who sent it. I managed to avoid an answer today but I won't be able to do it for long."
He laughs softly at how seriously she takes this dilemma of Angela digging around in her personal life. "What did you tell her today?"
"I told her I wasn't sure who it was and that when I knew for sure we could talk again. She thinks it's an astronaut."
"I'm not sure if I should be complimented or insulted." As she opens her mouth to respond to him the waitress speaks.
"What can I get you today?"
Temperance doesn't hesitate, "a bowl of lemon rice soup, the spinach pie and a small Greek salad without the olives, dressing on the side. Oh and an iced tea please." She hears Booth chuckle beside her and turns to glare at him.
"I'll have the gyros lunch special with a cup of the soup and ice tea also." When the waitress leaves the table he just smiles at her. "How did you order without even looking at the menu?"
"When I found this place I called and asked some questions so I knew what I was ordering. Why are you laughing?"
"I am just constantly surprised by how prepared you are for almost every situation. A lesser man would be intimidated." She rolls her eyes at him as their drinks hit the table. "I do have good news though, I spoke to a buddy of mine and if the weather holds out and doesn't turn too cold we could go skydiving with him next weekend. That is if you don't have other plans already." He hates these moments when he falters and seems unsure but he has to be careful. He still sees the look in her eyes that reflects her urge for flight. She isn't used to sharing her life this way so he treads gently when staking his claim to her time.
He's equally happy and relieved when he sees her eyes light up in response. "I'd love to go. What time and where?"
"I still have to make arrangements for a time; I wanted to make sure you were available first. We can do night jumps if we like, the moon will be almost full so if it's a clear night it should be perfect. I still have to keep an eye on the weather though and if we decide to do it at night we'll have to wear thermal suits because it's going to be cold."
"If we have the choice I'd like to try it at night but I want to go either way." They eat quietly for a few moments basking in the good feelings between them. "Have you talked to Cam recently?"
His stomach tightens even though he has nothing to hide. "Not since she called the other day. I don't have a case that she's involved in so there wouldn't be any reason for her to call me." She looks at him for just a second and he hopes his face isn't flushed. Their food arrives and he watches her, knowing that she's ruminating about something.
"She's acting strangely at work, micromanaging cases from limbo that are fairly routine. She seems agitated about something but she hasn't approached me directly other than to insist I report to her about my schedule every day. I just thought you might know what's on her mind." She keeps eating and he pauses for a moment before responding.
Sometimes he forgets that she isn't like other women; there isn't any deceit in her. She would never try to trick him with a conversation; it's just not her style. If she wants to know something she just asks him and it's one of the things he loves most about her. "I have no idea what's bothering her but if you think there's something on her mind why don't you just ask her?"
"I've learned that sometimes with Cam it's better to just leave things alone. She already thinks I'm confrontational." He laughs and she scowls at him.
"You are, but in a very honest and direct way. Some people find it uncomfortable but that usually means they have something to hide or it wouldn't bother them." He is trying to stay with the conversation but he's become distracted by her fingers tracing the edge of her glass. Images of her hands on him swim in his thoughts and his chest tightens. "Hey, don't worry about Cam, eventually she'll tell you if she has a problem with something you're doing. Let's talk about something more interesting like what you're doing tonight after work."
She smiles then and she can feel herself growing warm. His hand slides onto her thigh and slowly trails up and down her leg. She likes it when he touches her like this, even when she knows it isn't some form of foreplay. There is just a soothing nature to his touch that settles her. Despite her reaction she decides she can't make it too easy on him. "If you think that charming smile and a hand on my leg are going to get you into my apartment later you're mistaken."
He can't believe that she's actually teasing him, playing with him in this way. He can see the smile she's trying to contain. His warm palm moves to the top of her thigh and his lips are now against her ear. "Really? Well then how about if I put my hand here?" His voice has dropped to a low rumble and his warm breath sends a chill down her neck.
"No, I still don't think that's going to do it." So much for a touch that isn't foreplay. She wishes her voice had come out stronger and more convincing.
He wiggles his fingers and they graze against the seam of her pants. He turns his wrist and cups her through her slacks. "Is this better?" His voice is almost a growl and she's about to respond when he presses the heel of his palm into her. On sheer instinct her hips push forward into his hand and a small sound escapes her. He loves her like this, when Dr. Brennan has retreated and he's left with his Temperance.
"Yes, that's much better. Maybe you should stop by around seven; I'll be home from work by then. I could draw a bath, fulfill a fantasy or two…"
His penis rises as she speaks and he can no longer take a deep breath. "I'll be there at seven, do you want me to bring something for dinner?" he nips at her earlobe and her head tilts in response.
"Is there anything else I can get for you?" At the sound of the waitress they snap upright and Booth whips his hand back onto his own lap. He starts chuckling as it occurs to him that it didn't matter, that woman could have been standing there listening to the whole thing and they wouldn't have noticed.
"No, just the check will be fine." She takes a drink of her iced tea to try to cool the burning flush she knows has risen across her breasts and up to her cheeks. She hears him laughing softly beside her. They're loosing their minds, both of them. They don't even think about where they are or who's watching them. She struggles to regain her composure before turning to him. "Maybe we should just meet at my apartment for lunch. This feels a little too…public."
His laughter stops immediately. "I'd love to meet you at your apartment but I doubt we'll get to eat much lunch. I believe that's what they call a nooner."
"A nooner? I thought it was a booty call." His laughter bursts from him again and when it subsides he suddenly leans over and kisses her.
"That would be a booty call of sorts but when you're doing it on your lunch hour it's also called a nooner. Either way, we can definitely start having lunch at your place. It's closer than mine so we'll have more time. Today though your booty is going to have to wait until after work because I do have meetings this afternoon and Cullen is at two of them so I have to attend."
"Well, if I can't wait I can slip into my office and take care of myself." It's intentional; she knows what the idea of her masturbating does to him. It is after all what brought them together.
"Damn it Bones, did you have to say that? I would like to go back to work and not have a raging hard on when I get there." Something in her is changing, or maybe it's just now revealing itself to him. All he knows is that he wants to see more of this open playful side of her.
"That's exactly why we need to start meeting for lunch at my place." He groans loudly beside her and she smiles. "Come on let's pay this bill and get out of here. We'll order pizza tonight, that'll keep things simple." She slides out of the booth and he slowly gets up and follows her to the counter. He buttons his suit coat and deliberately stalls at the register to give his body time to calm down.
Her phone rings and she steps outside to answer it as he finishes his transaction. He watches her for a moment through the window and is captured by the natural beauty of which she is so unaware. As he walks to her car to kiss her good bye he's thinking about the fact that he's a very lucky man.
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Temperance walks back to her office and sees Cam on the platform checking her watch as though timing her. She can't remember the last time anyone worried about her hours. She has always put in a long work week, easily exceeding 60 hours most of the time. Maybe Cam was doing something else and she misinterpreted the action. She fires up her computer and begins working on the notes from the meeting they had before lunch. There were some good leads with particulates that have given them a location on where this woman spent her final days. Jack is still working on some of the samples to see what else he can find. She's hoping there is enough of a story in the bones to give them her identity.
She's heading back to the platform to continue her examination when Angela catches up with her.
"Where did you disappear to after the meeting? We were all going to the diner to catch a bite and when I got to your office you were already gone." She's got her hand on her hip as though an answer is required but the gesture goes unnoticed.
"I had some errands to run so I went on my lunch." As usual she doesn't look up and keeps lifting different bones to examine more closely.
"Did you get a chance to eat because I have a half of a sandwich in the break room if you want it?" She can see that Temperance is engrossed in her work but if she doesn't interrupt her while she's working she'll never get to talk to her.
"No, I'm fine I had a salad and spinach pie but thanks Ange." Her voice fades some at the end of her sentence as she moves the magnifier over the piece she's holding.
"Spinach pie? Where did you go? I don't know of any good Greek restaurants around here except fast food and I know you didn't go through some drive through."
"No Ange, I…" She stops because she realizes what she was about to say. She shouldn't be talking while she's trying to work, it'll be too easy to slip. "I called ahead and picked it up on my way. It's a little place on the other side of the capitol building and I was already headed in that direction." She sets down the bone and turns toward her friend. "Next time I'll take you with me and you can try the food. It's pretty authentic but dining in is slow so I usually get a take out order." She sticks to the truth as much as she can without raising suspicion. Angela has a sense when something isn't right so she tries to be as casual as possible.
Angela looks satisfied and almost as an after thought hands Temperance the pages she's been holding. "There's something wrong with the depth markers on this woman's face. I wanted you to doubled check them because I was struggling with the drawing. If these are right she had some kind of facial deformity that I haven't captured in the rendering. That may be why we're not getting a hit from the missing person's network."
Temperance takes the report and looks it over before setting it down. She takes the skull over to another station, changes her gloves and begins working on it. Angela slips back to her office with a disturbed look on her face. She can't figure out why Cam didn't jump in when she told Bren that the face was deformed in some way. Before lunch she showed so much interest in this case that her apparent disinterest in such a major statement isn't right. Angela is sure something is going on with Cam but for the life of her she can't seem to pick up on what it is exactly. The only thing that she's sure of is that it has something to do with Brennan.
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Cam finally goes to her office and checks her computer system security detail. It appears that Dr Brennan has been working in her office when not on the platform. She took three phone calls and two of them made her smile which leads Cam to believe they were personal. She can barely hear the sound on the feed because the camera is across the room from the desk. It's the only place the unit could be hidden to show a view of the entire space. Well, the entire space except for a small area behind the door and in the bathroom.
After watching it for a while Cam decides the woman is actually quite boring. She works for hours at a time on the computer or writing reports without pausing to snack or stretch or anything. Her ability to focus is astounding and if Cam didn't hate her she'd be impressed by it. There is a moment that she notices her looking at the framed photo and smiling. She pauses and replays that section several times. Dr. Brennan knows exactly who sent that photo and why. She wonders if the reason she's hiding it is because it has something to do with Seeley. There isn't anything else revealing on the footage so once she watches her pack up for the day she shuts it off. Information is a waiting game, the person with the most patience and the most expensive equipment wins in the end. She smiles because she knows eventually they will get another case from the FBI and Booth will be back in this building. She's going to find out once and for all who it is that Seeley is seeing instead of being with her.
Tbc….