Instead of the owner or one of the kitchen staff as Kensi had expected, Deeks poked his head around the door, gesturing her forward. When she didn't immediately move, he grabbed her arm, yanking her into the room before she could say a word. He quickly shut the door behind them.
"How the hell are you doing in here?" Kensi hissed. They were that appeared to be used for random storage based on the stack of chairs, cardboard boxes, and a spare clothes rack.
"Don't you mean 'thank you'?" he whispered back, briefly pressing his ear to the door, then turning to face her again. "My diversion didn't last quite as long as I expected, so I figured I better standby in case you got trapped. Looks like I was right."
There was something especially annoying about the matter-of-fact way he said it. It'd be much easier to dislike him if he was being smug.
"I could have handled it."
"By sucker-punching somebody?" Deeks guessed.
"No," Kensi said, crossing her arms. "I was going to pretend I was drunk and got lost."
"Ooh, now I wish I hadn't interrupted." He grinned at her, popping a hip as he leaned against the wall.
Kensi had the sudden urge to kiss him again, but she suppressed it. "So what did you do to make those two dancers get in a brawl?"
"Paul and Armand haven't been on the best terms for a while now. They're very competitive and tend to pick at each other. Somehow Paul's phone ended up in Armand's locker, and the rest, you might say, is history," he explained.
"You're lucky it worked out so well," Kensi pointed out, and now his smirk did turn smug.
"Hey, there's a reason why I'm here instead of anyone else. Also, this may not be the first time that someone's gotten into a fight." He nodded to her. "Did you get what we need?"
"Eric's looking into it. There was a briefcase I didn't get a chance to look at. Hopefully what we downloaded is enough.
"Good." Leaning to listen at the door once more, he added, "I think we're safe to go. I don't want to get fired for missing my hallmark routine. Maybe I should dedicate it to you tonight."
"Don't you dare."
"Or, maybe I'll pick you for the cop routine," Deeks continued, wiggling his eyebrows.
"You can try to put handcuffs on me again," Kensi said sweetly. "As long as you don't mind walking with a limp for a week." She would never live it down if she let him involve her in one of his dances. Even if the thought of him snapping a pair of fake cuffs on her wrist sounded oddly intriguing.
"Aw, you say the sweetest things, Tracey. C'mon, let's go."
They walked back into the empty hallway, moving quickly. Deeks' hand settled on the small of her back, his touch and light but providing enough support in case she tripped.
Just as the reached the end of the hall, the owner, Jasper Holsby, appeared in front of them. He glared at Deeks, his already red face flushing more deeply in anger.
"What the hell are you doing, Wyler?" he demanded. "You're supposed to be on in two minutes."
"I'm sorry, I distracted him," Kensi said, putting on a slightly higher voice as she grabbed his bicep. "You know how it is." She giggled, and Holsby gave her a dismissive look of disgust.
"Guests aren't supposed to be back here. Any Wyler, you know if they're not paying, then you don't put out."
"Right. Won't happen again," Deeks said tightly.
"It better not. Now get changed and if you miss your cue, I'm taking it out of your paycheck," Holsby informed Deeks.
Kensi sincerely hoped he was involved in criminal activity, because given the chance, she'd enjoyed arresting him.
"I'll see you later," she said, shooting Holsby a look before she gave Deeks a quick kiss on the cheek.
As she walked away, and Deeks hurried off to change, it occurred to her that this had been kind of fun. Almost getting caught and hiding out with Deeks had been a little thrilling. Not to mention, they worked well together. Even when he was annoying the hell out of her, a part of her liked it.
As she sat back down, waiting for Deeks to come onstage, she considered for the first time, that just maybe she wouldn't mind seeing him again after this case.