Out of The Woods

Chapter One

'There's a lot of chances, bets really, that I'm willing to take. You're no longer one of them.'

Kate couldn't get the words to stop replaying as she left the bullpen, her heart felt like it was being thrown into a shredder.

Don't cry. Don't cry. Make it to your car.

If stupid Cara hadn't shown up out of nowhere, trying to reconcile a relationship that Kate had thought would fizzle out. Then none of this would be happening. She would have been there for Lucy, calmed her nerves a bit. She wouldn't have walked into Ernie's lair and heard those words... She would have already been there, helping the team in any way she could.

'You're no longer one of them.'

Kate bit her lip as she finally reached her car, unlocking the door and getting in. That's when the tears fell, the tears she could no longer hold back. The DIA officer sat there for a few minutes, not starting the car as tears flowed from her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Kate wiped her eyes and finally started the car. But instead of heading to her apartment, she drove to the closest bar. She needed a drink, something stronger than the Pinot Grigio.

Pulling into the lot of a local bar, Kate parked in the nearest spot and turned off the car. Getting out, she made her way into the bar.

One glass of Malibu Bay Breeze turned into two, before she knew it she'd had four. That's when she noticed Kai, sitting a little ways down, near the end of the bar.

"Agent Holman." The words left Kate before she could stop them, her mind a little delayed because of the four drinks, now five coursing through her veins.

Kai lifted his head and looked shocked to see her. "Whistler?" He said, taking a sip of his beer.

The blonde stood up on shaky legs and made her way over to him, taking the empty seat next to him. "What are you doing here?" She asked, lifting her drink to her lips.

"It was a tough case, Jesse was supposed to meet me here. But his wife needed help getting the kids settled." Kai explained, raising an eyebrow at her. "You?"

"I made a mistake." Kate admitted, the alcohol impairing her judgment. Normally she was good at keeping things to herself. "Now I'm here to drink away the heartbreak."

Kai's eyes widened and he put his beer down. "Do you... do you want to talk about it?"

Shaking her head, Kate looked away from him and took another drink.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before they started talking about surfing and the best places to catch waves.

****

Kate couldn't pinpoint when things had changed or why she invited Kai back to her place. Well she could at least answer the last question. The bar was closing and Kate didn't want to be alone.

But suddenly they were sitting on her couch and she was kissing Kai, her fingers twisted in the hair at the base of his neck.

Shifting slightly, Kate pushed herself closer to Kai as their kiss deepened.

Kai wrapped his arms around her waist, slipping his fingers under the back of her shirt, tipping his head to the side.

A soft moan escaped Kate as Kai's tongue found its way into her mouth. Her hand that wasn't in his hair, resting on his chest. Kate's inhibitions were low because of the alcohol coursing through her system. She wasn't thinking straight. She just knew that this felt good and that was a whole lot better than feeling heartbroken.

Breaking the kiss, Kate panted softly as she looked down at Kai. "Bedroom." She breathed out, moving to stand up.

"Are you sure?" Kai asked, consent was important to him.