A/N: Thanks for all your great comments and for reading!

During their meeting with Roger Bates, he'd shared two homicides had led LAPD to "Love and Lust". They'd quickly realized that something nefarious was going on, and coming at the investigation head on would likely get them nowhere. At which point, they decided to bring Deeks in on the case.

Before they'd parted way for a few hours, Kensi had arranged to meet Deeks back at his Wyler's apartment. She climbed the long staircase now, remembering a much different and slower journey last time. It felt odd to be here in the middle of the day, especially after everything that happened last night.

"Tracey, it's good to see you again," Deeks greeted her at the door. He surprised her by pulling her in for a hug, and she stiffened for a moment before she slowly lifted her arms around him. Her fingers brushed over toned muscle, and she forced down a pleasant shiver. Dropping her arms, Deeks opened the door wider. "C'mon in."

"I'm assuming that little show was just in case someone from the club is watching us," she guessed, following Deeks into the sitting area.

He lifted his shoulders. "What can I say, the lady next door is kind of nosy. Make yourself at home."

Kensi took as seat on the edge of the couch., a little uncertain how to proceed. While undercover work wasn't new to her, the way Deeks did it was completely new to her. He seemed to jump in and out of character without an ease that both impressed and worried her.

"So, what do you have on Mark Jackson?" she asked, settling her on her hips as she tracked Deeks across the room. He picked up her shoes, which she'd promptly discarded in the entryway, moving them to the side.

"He had a lot of debt, some bad acquaintances, and liked women with big hips—you probably don't want to hear to much about the last one. Trust me," he replied. Kensi gave him an exasperated look, and he smirked. "You want a drink? I've got water, juice, coke, coffee…"

"I guess that means beer's out of the question?"

"I'm afraid Jason's usually a teetotaler, surprising as it is."

"I'll take some coffee, then." Since it seemed like he wasn't on a hurry to get to the point, she might as well settle in.

He disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes, reappearing with a mug of coffee, a bottle of water, and a Manila folder. He handed her the first, and slapped the file on the table in front of her before plopping onto the couch next to her.

Kensi inhaled softly as his arm brushing against brought up the memory of their last time on this couch, and along with it, a hint of arousal. She cleared her throat, and quickly took a sip of coffee to push away any inconvenient feelings.

"I suppose since Mark needed money, he was probably involved in something shady," she said, beginning to flip through the documents Deeks collected.

"Yeah, he was. Like I said before, he was a good guy, but got in way over his head. He was also an extremely reluctant CI. I had to be really careful I didn't scare him off, which is why I'm still ripping off pants every night," he explained.

"Oh, so you weren't able to charm him into giving everything up?" she teased.

"Not exactly. Mark liked the waitresses a little bit more than the dancers." He paused, sighing heavily as he slipped a paper free with notes written across it. "The night he died, he was supposed to introduce me to someone at the top of the chain, he wouldn't give me any names. Mark was always paranoid." He sighed again, and Kensi found herself reaching for his hand.

"Hey, that's not your fault. Given that two other men were killed, he was keeping dangerous company." She squeezed his hand. Deeks glanced down at their hands, folded together, his expression turning thoughtful, softening. Inexplicably, another wave of desire ran through, sharp and electric.

Deeks' head snapped up, almost like he'd felt it too. She stared back at him, into his stunningly blue eyes, mouth suddenly dry. He started to lean towards her, ever so slightly, and she yanked her hand back, nearly smacking it on the lamp next to the couch. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she grasped at the file, studiously examining a receipt.

"We better get back to work. Sam and Callen will be expecting a report," she said in a forced calm voice. Like she hadn't been two seconds away from kissing him.

"Yeah, no, you're right."

Kensi listened as he described the last few days at the club, ignoring the heat emanating from his skin.

She was never going to survive this.

A/N: In case you haven't noticed, the case really doesn't matter all that much, so it's light on details. It's all about Kensi and Deeks and their sexual tension.