Kensi rolled onto her side, frowning with her eyes closed when she smacked into something solid. She reached out, eyes springing open at the feel of warm, bare skin, and her eyes sprang open to the sight of Marty Deeks' naked torso and chest.
"Oh god," she groaned, the night before rushing back to her with stunning clarity. Straddling Deeks, slowly stripping his shirt off. Heat suffused her skin as she remembered running her hands over his smooth skin, glowing in the dim light.
Her dress had come off shortly after that, along with her bra and from there it was a blur of hands roaming skin, mouths attacking, bodies pressing together.
They'd stopped just short of having sex, but Deeks turned out to be amazingly creative in working around that one stipulation. Kensi shivered at the memory of his mouth moving across her skin, shifting restlessly under the sheets.
"Mmm, what time it is?" Deeks groaned beside her, rolling onto his back, and rubbed his hand over his eyes and up through his hair.
"Just after 7," Kensi answered, eyes traveling over his chest as his muscles flexed as he stretched. "Um, so last night…?"
"Yes?" He opened his eyes fully now, lips twisting with a smug grin.
"That was a really bad decision," she continued, trying to appear professional while wearing nothing but a very thin sheet.
"Probably, but do you regret it?" he asked, propping his head up on his fist. She could tell that it was a genuine question and not intended to end the conversation.
"No. I initiated and…however ill-advised it might have been, it wasn't completely unenjoyable—"
"Wow, "not completely unenjoyable"," Deeks repeated, shaking his head. "That is high praise." He leaned forward, the sheet falling lower, and Kensi couldn't stop her gaze from following its descent. His abs really were amazing, especially in full light. "Somehow I thought I'd get a slightly higher review with how much you were saying my name last night."
"Shut up," Kensi ordered around a laugh, cupping his neck to draw him back to her mouth. Deeks tossed the bedding aside to give him better access. He rolled her sideways, sliding his leg between hers while his hands slid to her hips.
Deeks had just begun kissing a path along her neck when his phone rang. He dropped his head on her chest, groaning quietly for a moment before leaning over to answer.
"What's up, Frankie?" He paused, nodding a few times while the other man spoke. "Well, if you say it's no good, then we can't use it. I'll be over soon."
When he hung up, he sighed, and playfulness long gone.
"What's going on?"
"Some of the new product is contaminated," he explained. Kensi's eyebrows rose and he quickly added, "By design. There's another agent undercover who messes with batches when I need her to. I try to keep as many drugs out of circulation as I can without looking too suspicious or incompetent. Plus, it helps back up my reasoning for switching over to Dimitri for business."
"Those sound like dangerous tactics," Kensi commented. A thread of worry ran through her.
"Well, you should know by now that I like to take risks. Within reason." He slid out of bed, searching the floor until he found his discarded pants (and giving Kensi a nice view in the process). "Do you want to shower first?"
She glanced around the room, seeing her dress balled up in the corner, and then down at her bare chest.
"I think need to stop at my apartment for some clean clothes. It might cause just a few questions if I show up in a wrinkled party dress."
"Right. Didn't think about that, sorry." He shook his head slightly. "Ok, you can meet me there when you're ready. Make sure no one's following you" He glanced back at her as he headed for the door, hesitated a second, then surprised Kensi by coming back to kiss her gently. "Be careful."
Kensi showered and changed at her apartment, and then called Ops to update the team.
"Kensi," Nell answered, sounding relieved. "Are you ok? You basically went no contact last night after one text."
"Yeah, I'm good," Kensi assured her, quickly rubbing a towel through her hair while rummaging through the small collection of outfits she'd brought back from Ops. "I just got busy working with Deeks and lost track of time."
"Wow, I didn't realize he was so captivating. What were you guys working on?"
"Um…" Kensi trailed off, thoughts of Deeks carrying her to the bedroom flashing through her mind. "We were just working on establishing my cover and prepping for a meeting with an important contact. Hey, on that note, can you look up Dimitri Novak? I have to go meet Deeks, sorry Max, in a little bit."
"You got it," Nell promised, tapping audible over the phone. "Sam and Callen said you didn't hit it off well with Detective Deeks," she added. "How's that going?"
"We're managing," Kensi answered, struggling to keep any trace of last night's events out of her voice. Nell would jump on it in a second; she'd always been good at spotting when Kensi was lying, and ferreting out gossip. "He's actually really good at undercover, but unpredictable."
"Oh, well, then you should fit right in," Nell commented, and Kensi made a skeptical noise.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, just that you like to take risks and prove your skills whenever you can."
"That is so not true," Kensi gasped.
"Oh please, I can name at least a dozen times where you've rushed into a situation without fully knowing what's going on. You thrive on it," Nell insisted. When Kensi started to object, she added, "What about that time you were at that gala and instead of letting Sam or Callen take the lead, you ran across a banquet table, in heals might I add, and out into the middle of the street where you tackled him?"
"Ok, that is taken way out of context. There were extenuating circumstances."
"Sure…nothing to do with you wanting to show off."
"You're hilarious. You know, next time I'm just going to test Eric," Kensi threatened, even as Nell laughed.
"Uh-huh. I'll let you know when I have something on Dimitri Novak. Try not to cause any international incidents in the meantime."
Frankie let her in again when she arrived at the warehouse an hour later. This time his hair was pulled back, revealing the sharp angles of his face and he wore a plain dress shirt with jeans. His scowl was the same as the first time though as he led her through the warehouse to Deeks.
He stood in the middle of several crates, one hip canted out as he examined a packet of powder with a look of distaste.
"Maybe we can still use some of it," a stocky man with a buzzed head suggested. He had his arms crossed and seemed nervous.
"Not unless we check every last package, Jose," Deeks replied. He caught sight of Kensi and offered her a knowing smile before returning his attention to Jose. She wanted to smack that smirk right off his face. God, he was infuriating.
"Getting rid of all of it is gonna cost a lot."
"Not as much as if half your clientele ends up dead or in the hospital," Kensi spoke up, carefully picking her way through the mess of plastic packaging and crate lids. "Then the police will get involved."
"And what do you know about it?" Frankie sneered. "Like you ever got your hands dirty." He stalked towards her. "You come in here acting like you run things."
"I've been around, and I suggest you take a step back," Kensi warned him.
"Or what? You gonna scratch me with one of your little claws?"
Closing the space between them, he bent close enough that Kensi could see his grey irises give way to pupil.
"Frankie—"
He ignored Deeks, raising his hand, and Kensi grasped him by the wrist, jamming the heel or her shoe into the soft back of his knee. As he fell with a shout, she twisted his arm back at an uncomfortable angle, using the thumb of her other hand to press sharply against his jugular.
"This isn't my first time around, Frankie," she hissed into his ear. "You even think of touching me again and you'll see exactly what I'm capable of."
Frankie growled, his lips pulled back in a snarl.
"Very impressive, Bella," Deeks said, crossing over to them. "Now how bout you let him go? I'm sure he's learned his lesson. Right, Frankie?" He gave Kensi a sharp look as Frankie growled something unintelligible, and she reluctantly released him.
As soon as he was free, Frankie whipped around, shaking out his clothes, sending Kensi a malevolent look.
He muttered something unintelligible as he passed by Deeks.
"Hey, man, I told you to watch it around her," he said with a shrug. "It's not my fault you didn't listen." Clapping him on the back, Deeks turned more serious. "Go ahead and get this out of her while I finish showing Ms. Mendez the layout."
"Bella." He gestured for her to go first, leading her through the circuitous hallways.
"Well, that was certainly a bold and unexpected move," he commented lightly once they were out of earshot.
"I was just taking a page out of your book," Kensi responded. "You know, going on instinct."
"It was certainly a surprise. And potentially dangerous."
"Oh, and what you did with Andre Simons wasn't?"
"Andre isn't brave enough to hold a grudge," Deeks answered softly. "Frankie is however."
"I can handle myself," Kensi said, lifting her chin. Deeks nodded, completely serious.
"Good. Because I think you just made an enemy. Like I said, Frankie is a dangerous man. You'll need to watch your back from now on."