Ronnie Masters | the MENTALIST (COMPLETE)

bonus chapter

//DRAMA//

"I'm sorry you didn't get to recover any more of the art you had your heart set on." Ronnie brushed one hand up her arm, the other carrying her stilettos by her fingertips. She still wore her dress, but had changed into her work boots.

They weren't nearly high enough and the dress kept getting caught underfoot.

Coming to a stop by his car, a sensible dark blue sedan most likely rented by the FBI, Marcus Pike unlocked the door and gave her a shrug. "You know, I can't say I'm not disappointed." He tossed his briefcase into the front seat and turned back to face her, leaning against his car. "Then again, I can't say I've ever had so much fun on a case, either."

Sweeping up her skirt into her hand, Ronnie was dismayed to find that the bottom six inches of her skirt was drenched from dragging. She looked up with the barest smile. "Definitely my favorite non-mission. Back to Texas with you?"

Pike watched her through the light of the street lamps. "Yeah. You know, you really looked beautiful tonight."

Ronnie blushed at his praise. "That's very kind, thank you."

He reached out and touched her arm for a second. "You have a very powerful kind of beauty, Ronnie. Just something I noticed. And if I could give you any advice," he nodded back toward the CBI building. "Don't take your partner in there too seriously. I don't know why he gives you such a hard time, but he's wrong."

Thoughts returning to Cho, Ronnie laughed awkwardly and lifted her hands as much as the skirt would allow. "Oh he's always bothered about something. Thank you, though, for your kind words."

Pike took the smallest step toward her, a fond smile curling his lips. "If you don't mind, I think I'd like to kiss you again."

Ronnie's heart stuttered at his advancement, but her chin lifted ever so slightly. "Oh yeah?" She couldn't help a breathy little laugh, breath catching as his gentle thumb brushed across her jaw.

"Don't kick me," he uttered lowly, and pressed a kiss to her lips, his other hand curling around her waist.

She lost herself in his caress for a moment, feeling the tenderness of his touch as he moved his mouth sweetly over hers.

When he leaned back, she knew her face was pink.

"It was a pleasure working with you, Ronnie." Pike said with a smile, stepping back towards his car. Before he slid into the front seat, he pressed another kiss to her cheek. "Take care of yourself."

the MENTALIST

Cho met her in the bullpen when she went inside. The first thing she noticed was the smell of dinner, probably perfectly cooked in the slow cooker.

Her stomach growled loudly, but Cho was sitting on her desk waiting for her, so she diverted from the kitchen and went to meet him.

"You okay?" She wondered lightly, not overly pleased with his abrasive behavior all afternoon. Even the excitement from the kiss wore off at the memory of Cho's careless words tossed her way.

Cho sighed, peering into her eyes with his hard gaze. "You did good, today."

The over confident response 'I'm good every day' died on her tongue when she noticed him favoring his side.

There she was flirting with an FBI agent while her partner, whom she shot, struggled through his work without her.

Humbled, Ronnie's gaze dropped to her shoes. "Thank you, Cho. How do you feel?"

He felt his side with one hand. "It's sore. It bled a little earlier. But I'm fine. It's healing."

At the mention of blood, she stared at the area of the injury as though she would see some trace of it from earlier.

Evidently he'd changed his shirt since then.

She hadn't even noticed.

"I'm sorry about today," Ronnie muttered, dropping her stilettos on the desk. She yanked a tissue from the dispenser and wiped off her lipstick. "I should have been out there with you."

Cho took the tissue from her and threw it away, as he was closer to the trash can. "You and Pike did a good job. You pulled off the ruse. I'm proud of you."

Somewhat offended and thoroughly uncomfortable with his paternal tone, Ronnie squinted at him. "You're like six years older than me, not my dad. You don't have to talk to me like I'm a child."

Cho gave the tiniest smile. "You're not a child, Ronnie." His eyes coasted over her figure when she grinned at the ceiling in exasperation, but she caught him when she looked down.

He pursed his lips for a second and then nodded to her dress. "You look good."

She glanced down at herself. "Like an escort?"

"Like a good lookin' woman, Ronnie."

She blushed.

She reddened.

Her face flamed.

Lisbon's words to her earlier, Pike's kiss, or the one in the parking lot, none of it reached into her soul and left her utterly trembling like those words from Cho's mouth.

"Really?" She'd be surprised if he heard her, the word coming out almost like a gasp.

Cho got off her desk and sighed heavily, taking her by the arms. "I got worried you were pushing yourself into danger to make up for what happened with your mom—"

"When I shot you."

"And everything else, and I was unfair to you. I'm sorry."

When a man of few words said so many whilst looking one intensely in the eyes, one had better listen. Ronnie swallowed seriously. "I was just doing the job, Cho."

He squeezed her arms reassuringly. "But I said a couple of cruel things. I just want you to know—" he leaned back and appraised her once more. "That dress looks better on you than on Van Pelt."