For Fiona

21. Cravings

Tim sat at his desk, staring blankly at the open case file in front of him. He drummed his fingers against the metal surface, willing himself to focus. It should have been a productive morning. He had plenty of work to do and many distractions to keep him occupied, but his mind kept wandering.

To her.

He exhaled sharply and leaned back in his chair, since his brain was too preoccupied to even pretend to do anything else. The memory of Lucy's lips against his sometimes soft, sometimes wild, and always genuinely enraptured lingered like a brand as if his mouth had been marked by hers and would forever only belong slotted with hers. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her and felt her, but his imagination would never be enough anymore. It was after they had only kissed once for "work" that Tim indulged himself in a few rare daydreams about what it would be like to taste her again. But that would not satisfy him any longer, especially since Mother's Day the day before when he finally let himself admit everything in his heart, and she accepted his feelings and fears so lovingly, it was like a switch had flipped. He had always felt drawn to her at varying degrees, but now it was different. Now he did not have to pretend for even a second that she occupied his mind constantly. Like a prayer answered, he heard her voice in the hallway. Pushing back his chair, he stood abruptly. He did not have a plan exactly, but his feet carried him to the door of his office before he could overthink it. "Chen," he called, his voice firm enough to cut through the low hum of the usual goings on of the station.

She looked away from Aaron, startled by that specific tone she had not heard in a while filled with authority and sternness in a single syllable. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion, but she nodded. She smoothed her hands down the sides of her pants as she approached his office.

He held the door open for her and let it close behind them while he stared at her backside until she turned to face him, and suddenly, he was unsure what to do like there were too many options afforded to him, and he wanted to exercise each and every one.

"What's up?" She searched his face, curious but unconcerned.

Tim did not answer right away. Instead, he reached out, his fingers finding her wrist. Her skin was warm beneath his touch, and his thumb brushed lightly over the spot where her new bracelet belonged that she only removed because she was on shift. A bracelet, much like the wedding ring she kept on during shift, that was a tether between them.

"Tim?" She prompted, her voice softening as she stepped closer. "Is this about this morning? Are you actually mad I couldn't kiss you because Fiona asked for me? I'll make it up to you later."

He went to her while also driving her back a few paces in one fluid motion with the desk catching the backs of her thighs as he guided her against it. When he did, he looked at her, then dropped his mouth to her neck to suck on the skin without warning.

Her eyes widened as she expelled a half laugh half moan. "Okay, what's gotten into you?"

"You," he answered lustfully.

"What about me?"

His hands found a comfortable spot to settle low on her hips, and he dug his fingers in there, then he used his nose to push away the collar of her uniform shirt to get to a spot even lower on her neck. "I can't stop thinking about everything about you."

With an admission like that, she craned her neck to give him better access as she sighed. She knew her cheeks were flushing, and her heart was fluttering, and she was happy to feel him show her how much he wanted her. Still, she could hear people walking by his office, which thankfully had the blinds shut and the door closed, yet, it was a bad idea, "We're at work," she whispered, hating how her voice sounded more desperate for him than for following the rules.