Give Up the Chase

Part 4

With a few weeks down, Chris and Street were finally adjusting to being together. Though, they never officially said they were boyfriend and girlfriend, it seemed to be mutually understood. Jim blurted the B word out after about a month in and Christina had a newfound appreciation for the pet name. She used to hate hate hate being called babe. But, if it was coming out of Jim's mouth, she didn't want to be called anything else.

She was becoming more affectionate and it was something Street absolutely loved. She always put up such a tough front, but she was pure liquid on the inside. If you didn't know her and you were asked to compare her to an egg, you'd think she was the shell. But, in reality, she's the runny yolk. She wasn't like that with everyone, though, and he knew that. She felt comfortable enough to give that part of her to him and it was a privilege he would cherish for as long as she would allow him to.

Getting used to being together made work that much harder for them. Apparently nonchalantly interacting with the coworker you're secretly dating was way more challenging than avoiding your feelings for them in the first place. There were subtle relationship habits they were falling into that they had to be mindful not to bring to work with them.

Street, however, would sneak them in occasionally. He was strategic with his lower back grazes whenever he would walk by her at HQ and he would make sure to hold eye contact just long enough for her heart to flutter without anyone else noticing. Aside from that, though, they were pretty good at staying professional.

Somewhere along the way, they started spending more time at Chris's apartment. It was genuinely the only place they could be alone, be them, without any fear of interruption. Street had spent every night at her place for the past week and Chris was enjoying every second of it. She noticed he had a habit of holding her from behind whenever he could and, as much as she hated to admit it, she absolutely loved it. There was something about that position that made her feel completely engulfed by him. The combination of his strong, yet gentle hold and the scent of his conditioner mixing with his cologne would surround her in a way that should have suffocated her. But it was the first moment of each day where she felt like she could finally breathe.

She would melt into his chest, finally feeling able to release all of the tension from the stressors of work and life. Sometimes he would simply rest his chin on her shoulder, other times he'd place a series of kisses on the exposed skin of her collar bone. It wasn't the first time she had ever experienced being held that way, but it felt different with him. Everything always felt different with him. Somehow he could take basic actions and turn them into the most innocently intimate moments for them. He brought a level of domesticity she never thought she wanted and showed her that it was exactly what she needed.

Their relationship was progressing quickly, but she guessed that's what happened when a relationship started with two people who were already in love with each other. They were only a few weeks in before it reached the point where something felt off if she had to fell asleep in any position that didn't include his body behind her own and his nose nuzzled into the nape of her neck.

"Come're," Street broke her out of her thoughts by waving her over from his spot at the edge of her bed.

Chris smiled softly as she made her way over to him, stood between his legs and let her arms rest on his shoulders. He imitated the face she always made when she wanted him to give her a kiss, earning a small laugh from Chris before she leaned down.

"So, your cousin's wedding," he voiced once their lips parted. "How exactly do you plan on bringing me as your date without raising any suspicions?"

She shrugged her shoulders, feeling his hands find the back of her thighs and pull her onto his lap. "I'm not sure, honestly. I haven't even thought about that part," Chris admitted. "We'll have to come up with some kind of reason I had to bring you last minute."

"Should be a decently believable story. Tan's literally married already and Luca's more the guy you bring to the family barbeque, not the wedding," Street half joked.

"Going with Hondo or Deac would be entirely too weird. So, really, you were my last resort," Chris played along.

Street chuckled. "Shouldn't pat myself on the back too hard should I?" he teased, earning a glare from her as he quoted the time he had to help her after a drunken night out.

"You're an asshole," she rolled her eyes and pushed his chest. He laughed as he pulled her body closer to him, pressing a series of kisses from her collarbone to her lips. "You think you're so funny," she weakly scoffed once he started creating another trail down the other side of her neck.

"I think I'm hilarious," he spoke, chuckling at her intake of breath when he nipped her skin between his teeth. He worked his way back toward her lips, capturing them with his own.

He didn't think he would ever get used to this; being able to kiss her whenever he wanted to, hold her however he wanted to. Her lips were the softest he'd ever felt and her tongue moved perfectly against his. He slid his hand under her shirt, tracing his fingertips along the silk that was her skin.

Although she was hugged fully against his chest, Chris didn't think she would ever feel close enough. She pressed into him even more, moaning softly as he bit her bottom lip. She felt his hands grip her sides, anticipating a deeper kiss only to have him push her away.

"Mmm, we have to stop," he breathed as he looked at her with swollen lips.

Confused, she leaned back. She felt like a teenager, suddenly feeling insecure in a way she hadn't experienced since high school. "Do you... not want to?" she asked.

Jim shook his head as he huffed a light chuckle through his nose. "Of course I want to, Chris. We just don't have to yet," he answered softly, his eyes darting back and forth as he softly gazed into hers.

"I know we don't have to, but I want to," Chris started. "I want you," she whispered, gently pressing her lips to his.

Street smiled into the kiss. He brought his hands from her hips to gently hold the sides of her face. Before letting himself get too lost in her, he pulled away. "I want you too, babe. I just don't want us rush at all," he started to explain. "This is important to me - we are important to me. I don't want us to get caught up in what we want to do to each other before we fully give ourselves a real shot."

Understanding his point, she nodded and whispered a reluctant, "That's fair."

"Don't worry, there are plenty of things I plan on doing to you," he rasped before kissing her again.

Chris moaned in playful frustration and pulled herself off of him. "You can't say things like that if you're not going to deliver," she jokingly rolled her eyes.

Jim followed her lead - standing up, sliding into his side of the bed, and settling himself behind her. "I'm just saying," he shrugged. "Once the flood gates are open, I can't promise I'll be able to keep my hands off of you. I don't know how often you'll see the world outside of this bedroom."

"You're an idiot," Chris chuckled as she reached back to gently slap his thigh.

"Am I an idiot or am I honest?" he asked, tilting his head and raising eyebrow even though she couldn't see him.

"Just an idiot," she answered with a laugh. He chuckled and grazed his lips against her shoulder, drowning himself in the scent of her as they drifted off to sleep.