8. Tender Moments
The lock clicked as she turned her key in the door. She glanced at her watch. 12:05 am. The interrogation went way too long. She dropped her bag and coat on the kitchen counter, and looked around for Elliot. He picked up Noah from dance so she could finish up at the precinct, but the interrogation ran four hours longer than she planned. Worse yet, they weren't able to get the information they needed.
Olivia picked Noah's jacket and backpack up off the floor on her way to the family room. Elliot probably crashed on the couch once it got late.
Her heart melted when she saw Elliot sound asleep on the couch with her curly haired boy snuggled up beside him. She hated to wake them, but Noah had school tomorrow and Elliot probably needed to get home.
She gently shook Elliot's arm, "Hey, I'm home."
His eyes opened sleepily and he smiled. "How'd it go."
She shook her head, "Awful. I'll tell you about it later." She motioned toward Noah, "I need to get him to bed."
Just as she went to give Noah a kiss and wake him up, Elliot scooped the boy into his arms. "No need to wake him."
She brushed his curls out of his face and gave him a quick kiss before Elliot hauled him to bed. Liv stood in the doorway, watching him gently put her son to bed. The contrast between work Elliot and home Elliot was striking. She found it hard to believe this man, who spends his days taking down gang leaders and mob bosses, was the same man quietly putting her son to bed. Elliot tousled the boy's hair before turning back towards the door. She walked into the hallway and Elliot followed, closing Noah's door quietly behind him.
Elliot continued to follow her into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, "Want one?"
"Nah I'm good," Elliot waved her off and sat on one of the barstools at the counter.
She took a quick swig of water. "Did he behave?"
Elliot chuckled, "That boy of yours doesn't have a bad bone in his body."
"True." She drank some more water. "Sorry it took so long, I didn't mean for you to stay—-"
He cut her off, "Believe it or not, I like spending time with him. He's a good kid."
"Thanks. He's liked having you around." She looked up and he gave her that grin that made her feel weak at the knees.
He stood and sauntered closer to her, leaning against the counter. "How about his mom? Does she like having me around?"
Her cheeks flushed. When did she get so bad at flirting?
She reached for his hand. "Thanks for staying with him all night."
He tugged her hand pulling her towards him and resting his hands on her hips. "How long will it take you to realize I want this, all of it? You. Noah. Everything."
She slid her hands up his arms stopping to hold on to his biceps. "I don't know."
His arms tightened around her, and her arms slid around his neck. He brought one hand up to her face and asked, "Do you trust me?" His steel blue eyes bore into hers with intensity.
She dropped her gaze resting her forehead against his chin. "I want to."
"Maybe that's enough." He lifted her chin, and softly kissed her lips. He kept his eyes closed and asked, "was that okay."
"Mmmhmm," she murmured, this time bringing her lips to his. His arms tightened around her as he deepened the kiss and she willingly responded.
He pulled back and whispered against her lips, "Do you want me to stop?"
"Don't stop," she answered breathlessly.
Their lips met again, and the kiss increased with intensity. His hand threaded into her hair as she clung to his shirt.
