Bones fanfiction - The Bet, Ch 3
It was the only kind of bet he made anymore. And the stakes were impossibly high. Rated M for later chapters. Romance/Angst/Humor. Definitely BB, some Hodgela, and Zach!
Chapter 1: hpaich.livejournal.com/14992.html
Chapter 2: hpaich.livejournal.com/17749.html
The first fifteen chapters are listed at fanfiction.net, if you want to read more quickly. I hope you enjoy!
THE BET
They’d left him. They’d up and left him here, alone, tied up in knots with Bones pulling the ends ever tighter. For one frightening, tempting moment, the little voice in his head said good. She was tucked so close to him, he could feel every inch of her up against every inch of him, and damned if it didn’t feel pretty fucking amazing. Then she sighed again, a little, tired wisp of sound that slapped him back into reality. With one single, decisive movement, he finally freed himself from their combined embrace.
Dizzy from exhaustion and taken unaware by his actions, she stumbled backward, only stopping when he grabbed her shoulders to steady her. But not like before. He was carefully keeping as much distance as possible between them. Blinking, trying to clear the clouds from her mind, she at last locked in on his expression, and she trembled at what she saw. He didn’t want her. Yet again, he was as good as telling her he found her undesirable. As much as it hurt, at some point she’d stopped wondering at it. They were colleagues, partners, friends. That had been enough. Just lately, though, it had stopped being enough. Being in close physical proximity to him every day, the tiny ember of longing that she’d tried to douse had instead been nursed along, flaring up at the most inopportune moments. Her partner’s behavior had not helped matters any. Booth himself had begun to act in a way that made her think she might not be the only one who was wavering. I don’t understand…it seemed like he wanted me. He did want me - I think. The confusion inside her was now running alongside hurt, with resentment a close third. I’m tired of all these mixed signals, damnit. I’m not good at this.
Jerking her shoulders testily, she pulled free from his grasp and turned on her heel, heading for the bar. She wasn’t about to hang around him like a loser, thirsty for affection. Before she’d taken three steps, she sensed his presence next to her, his solid heat transmitting to her even though their bodies were no longer touching. She should’ve known he wouldn’t have the sense to just let her go. Drawing herself in, she flicked a careful, disinterested glance up at him. “What are you doing?”
“What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m bringing you home.”
“I’ll go home with Angela and Hodgins. Don’t worry about me.” Her tone was brisk with dismissal. It was a tone that sent most normal people scurrying away. Not surprisingly, it didn’t work on him.
Unfazed, he kept his hand on her, kept his eyes on her, as they reached the bar. “You can’t - they left.”
A flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes, and she forgot her annoyance for a moment as she searched the crowd. “They left? When did they leave?”
“I’m not sure, but they’re definitely not here. Look, just let me take care of the tab and I’ll take you home.”
“I already told you, Booth, I don’t need you to worry about me. For your information, I’m perfectly capable of taking the Metro all by myself. I’m a big girl.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.” Oh shit, had he just said that out loud? Yep, he thought as he watched her eyes narrow menacingly; he’d said it out loud. Great.
“You know, Booth, you take entirely too much responsibility on yourself. I never gave you the right to hover over me. As you’ve seen in the past, I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.” Her blood was beginning to heat, her annoyance feeding off the hurt until she was stiff with righteous anger. “You seem to have appointed yourself my guardian. I can assure you, it’s not necessary. There’s no need for you to bother.”
“What? What do you mean, no need to bother? It’s not a bother.” This conversation was tanking, and fast. He’d have to try reasoning with her, try to be logical. “Look, I know you can take care of yourself - normally. But you’re exhausted; even you have to admit that you’re not one hundred percent. Your reaction time is significantly slower than usual, and let’s face it,” he quipped, pointing at her feet in an attempt to lighten her mood, “those are not the best shoes for a fight.”
“Oh, really? I seem to be performing satisfactorily in them right now.”
He’d been calm, knowing she was only reacting to the admittedly inconsistent way he’d acted on the dance floor. He’d had no right to let them get that close to each other, as much as he might have wanted it. But why did she have to be so stubborn? He felt frustration rising, and struggled to contain it. He would be issuing ultimatums next - and that was definitely not a good idea. “Bones, c’mon. You know what I mean. You can be angry at me if you want, but I would really feel much better if we headed home together.” He flashed a grin, hoping to disarm her. “It’d be less boring…”
Although she defiantly crossed her arms, she found herself, as usual, softening toward him as he offered his rationale. She began to consider the logical points of his argument. She was very tired. And her feet hurt quite a bit, now that she wasn’t leaning on him. If her feelings hurt more than her feet - well, no one had to know that but her. She’d been alone for most of her life. She didn’t need anyone. Adopting her usual calm demeanor, she smiled. “I suppose you’re right. If you’re sure it won’t be too much trouble for you, I’d appreciate it.”
“Why would it be too much trouble?” he asked, sincerely confused. He escorted her everywhere these days, as often as possible. It was his thing. He waved his credit card at the bartender, only to pull it back in surprise when the man indicated that nothing was due. “Alright, Bones - I don’t know why the hell they left us here, but we’ll worry about it later. Let’s head out.” Subtly scanning her body language, he suspected she wouldn’t welcome his hand on her back right now, and settled for following her out onto the street.
*****
“Two hundred dollars!”
“One hundred-eighty dollars.”
“Same thing!”
“Oh, come on. It’s not like you can’t afford it.” Angela spared Hodgins a brief glance before settling back in the taxi. Her lips quirked slightly. He’d been fuming and sputtering for the last twenty minutes. The instant Brennan and Booth had taken to the dance floor, she’d announced that the rest of them were leaving. Unwilling to stick them with the tab, however, she’d nagged at Hodgins until he paid it in full. Since then, he’d kept up a steady stream of complaints directed toward anyone who would listen. As Zach was the only other passenger in the cab with them, and Zach was asleep, she was getting the brunt of what she would term his ‘liquor-soaked male bitchiness’.
“That’s not the point! See, this is why I didn’t want anyone to know about my family - from now on, it’s gonna be, ‘Sure, stick Hodgins with the bill, he’s rich, he won’t care’.” He flung himself into his corner of the backseat, crossing his arms. “How the hell did we drink so much, anyway?”
“It’s what’s known as a normal Friday night out with friends, Bug Man. Be sure to take notes and memorize my teachings, and you too can live a semi-normal life.”
“Okay, that was uncalled-for.” Leaning toward her, he looped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him. “You’re being entirely too brutally honest and nefarious tonight.” He grinned, his direct stare locking onto her before he dropped a brief kiss on her lips. “I like it.”
“Hey, baby, brutally honest and nefarious are on my birth certificate.” She snuggled into him, tapping her fingers against his chest.
“After Pearly Gates, you mean?”
Her lively laughter filled the backseat, causing Zach to stir and wake. “Are we home yet?”
“No, Zach, not yet. Go back to sleep.”
“I’d rather not. I’ve been having nightmares.”
Sitting forward, Hodgins peeked curiously at him. “What about?”
“I keep dreaming that Agent Booth comes into the office on Monday and shoots all of us for leaving him and Dr. Brennan at the bar.”
“Okay, Zach, Booth wouldn’t do that.” Hodgins’ cocksure attitude suddenly took a nosedive. “I hope.” While he was certain Booth wouldn’t shoot them, well, a fist in the face wouldn’t feel very good, either. Peering at Angela again, he decided to lay the blame for their possible deaths where it belonged. “You know, it’ll be all your fault if he comes into the office loaded for bear.”
Spangled earrings jingled and dipped as she jerked her head carelessly. “Feh. Booth doesn’t scare me.”
“No, of course he doesn’t. Booth would never hit a woman - he’s not gonna knock your head completely off your body.”
She sneered delicately. “Don’t worry; you can hide behind my skirts. C’mon, babe, where’re those tough-guy cojones I’ve heard about?”
“What was up with the sudden cash and dash, anyway? Are you crazy? You know Brennan hates it when you meddle in her life.”
I wasn’t meddling, I was just…facilitating. Big difference. Meddling would be if I tried to create something out of nothing. Facilitating is when I clear the path for something that’s there, and everyone knows it’s there, but neither of them will admit it’s there, but it’s there.”
“Okay, that was confusing - and yet I understood you. You know, Brennan’s bound to be just as pissed at us as Booth.”
She finally relented, patting him lightly on the cheek. “Bren was seriously getting her tired on, so I doubt anything even happened. Knowing the two of them, they probably finished dancing, went to the diner so Booth could have his pie, and went home. Look - if they come in with attitudes, I hereby grant you permission to blame all of this on me. I’ll deal with them.”
Grudgingly, he snuggled up to her again. “Well, if you’re gonna be reasonable about it…” He nuzzled her neck, whispering in her ear. “How ‘bout I hide under your skirts, instead?”
Zach surrendered to sleep again, lulled by the buttery female giggle slipping through his consciousness.
*****
She hadn’t lasted five minutes. Her hurt and annoyance hadn’t stood a chance against the exhaustion. The minute the gentle sway of the metrorail began, her eyes had started drooping, and now her head was solidly planted on his shoulder. Watching the yellow line stops go by, he took advantage of the downtime to replay the events of the evening.
He’d been an idiot, no doubt about it. She’d been tired, hadn’t known, not really, what she was doing. He was supposed to be a gentleman. He should have stopped what happened, before it went so far. And now she was upset. He couldn’t blame her, really. He’d acted like an idiot. But he’d been so weak, and it had felt so damned good. He just hoped she’d forgive him for taking advantage. The announcement board lit up, indicating that their stop was next. He looked down at the top of her head, at her hand lax on his thigh, and couldn’t help but smile. They were best friends, partners. They’d get past this - they’d gotten past worse.
“Bones.” She shifted, murmured, but didn’t wake. “Hey, Bones. C’mon, wake up. It’s our stop.” Long black lashes flickered, fluttered. His stomach tensed in answer, and he quickly quashed the response. She was tired as hell; he needed to get her home. “You awake?”
Brennan sat up quickly, pressed a hand against her eyes for a brief, indulgent moment. “I’m awake.” She glanced back at him, then his shoulder, before meeting his eyes again. A quick, almost shy smile flitted over her lips. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re here, you ready?” He stood and offered her his hand, surprised when she took it. They made their way off the train and headed to the taxi stand.
After several minutes of searching for a cab in vain, she turned to him. “This stand is terrible, Booth. We might as well walk.”
He frowned at her. “You sure?”
“Yes, I am most definitely sure. It’s not that far, and I want to go to bed.”
He tried not to react to her statement, but something must have shown on his face, because she looked at him strangely for a long moment, before walking slowly away. Shaking his head, he followed.
After several minutes, he noticed her feet dragging, and decided to take a chance. Casually draping his arm around her, he tugged her closer to him. “It’s not too much further now, Bones.” She didn’t answer him, but didn’t pull away, either, and he let out a quiet sigh, relief and tension mixing together.
They walked quietly, and he enjoyed the beautiful sights and sounds of the city, and the feel of his partner against him, the gentle motion of her hips as she walked. He chuckled to himself. He truly had a flair for torturing himself.
Little by little, as they walked, she began leaning more and more against him, until finally, about two blocks from her building, her head once again settled gently on his shoulder. He stopped when they reached her building and peered down at her, but her eyes were tightly shut. “You okay, Bones?” When she didn’t answer him, he smiled softly. “Bones.”
“Hmm…”
“Bones?” He tapped her shoulder until she wearily lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes, so dark, sleepy, and goddamned appealing, focused on him, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to lower his head and fit his lips to hers. For an instant she froze, and he panicked, waiting for her reaction. When it came, however, it wasn’t what he expected. She turned toward him, pushing closer, and sank into him, responding lazily. His hands slid up her arms, gripped her shoulders, and he deepened the kiss, tensing when her hands slid around his waist to clutch at him. Why had he ever thought this would be a bad idea? His stand against having a relationship with her was rapidly eroding; in fact, he was having trouble at the moment remembering just why he’d been against it. Her lips were so generous, so warm and perfect, that several minutes passed before he regained his senses. “Bones, stop.” He gently extricated himself from her, pushing lightly on her shoulders. “We should stop.”
“I don’t understand.” Frowning, she looked at him, her eyes clouded with hurt and confusion.
“We shouldn’t do this, not tonight. We need to talk. You’re tired, and it’s late - I should get you home.”
Not trusting herself to speak, she turned and hurried away from him, down the street. Home, yes, she had to get home, she couldn’t let him see how he’d hurt her. Stumbling slightly, she came to an abrupt halt when Booth took her arm. Her intense stare lanced over to him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m taking you home. What do you think I’m doing?”
“I don’t want you to take me home. I don’t need your help, Booth - I wouldn’t dream of imposing.” Her forward progress was again arrested when he tightened his grip.
“Alright, what is all this about imposing? Why would you think you’re imposing on me?”
“I’m just trying to relieve you of your burden. I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“Bones, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Booth, it’s alright, really. I thought you might be interested, and I was wrong.” Swallowing hard, she looked away from him. “I won’t make that mistake again. I’d like to go home.”
He was about to let her go, just escort her to her building and let it all go for the night, when he saw a suspicious shimmer in her eyes. He easily blocked her path. “Well, I’d like to talk about this. I’m sorry about before, Bones -”
“I think you made it quite clear tonight that you aren’t interested in becoming intimately involved. I had come to the realization that I am physically attracted to you, and I thought it seemed like you felt the same. I apologize for the erroneous presumption.”
A team of mules couldn’t have moved him from in front of her now. “What did you just say?” He tilted his head, scrutinizing her.
“You heard me, Booth. Get out of my way - I’ve had enough, I’m going home.”
When he didn’t step aside, she began to shove angrily past, but his fingers circled her wrist and he pulled her firmly back to him. Though he knew he was taking his life in his hands, he’d somehow ceased to care. A bright flame was beginning to burn hotter and hotter inside him - leaning close, he kept stepping forward until she had no choice but to move back. “Not interested. Really. You think I’m not interested.”
“Booth, what are you doing?” The look in his eye wasn’t one she’d ever seen before. Although she wasn’t good at reading moods, his expression made her breath back up in her throat. The way he was looking at her made her feel…exposed, somehow.
Lust spiking in him until there was room for nothing else, he crowded her again until her thighs bumped the fender of a parked car. “Apparently I’ve made a complete mess of this. Let me enlighten you.” He jerked her close, held her fast. Hungrily he took her mouth, ruthlessly using his own, satisfied when she trembled and moaned against his lips. He ground his hips against hers, darkly pleased when she undulated in answer. Her lips were soft, her body was soft, and his needs were sharp. He let himself go in a way he’d never thought he would, suddenly determined that she know the truth about his attraction to her.
She couldn’t think, could barely breath. The feel of his body, hard and ready against hers, pressing her against the unyielding metal of the car, was overwhelming in its intensity. His mouth against hers was driving her crazy. Unable to do more than clutch him tightly, she gasped as she felt him grab her.
His hands wrapped around her waist, and with a quick flexing of muscle, he set her on the car and moved even closer, snugging solidly between her legs. Finally, after another desperate embrace, he was forced to finally stop to breathe, and he watched her, gratified with the way her eyes had dilated. The way her lips had parted. “Do you understand, now?”
She smiled and her hands slid up his back, pulling him closer. “More.”
He would’ve laughed, if his body wasn’t screaming furiously at him to keep going. Reluctantly, he eased away, pulling her down to her feet. “As much as I’d like that, we have to talk before this goes any further. We both need some time to think about what we want. You know I’m right,” he said when he saw she wanted to argue. “You know this is too important.”
“I know what I want, Booth. I don’t need time to think.”
“But I do, Bones. I don’t want to fuck this up. It’s important to me. You don’t want to think about it, but you need to.” He walked her to the entrance of her building. “Give it the weekend, give me the weekend. We’ll talk Monday, I promise. I need some time, and you need some rest.” His muscles relaxed when she eventually nodded in agreement. “Go ahead in, now.”
He stayed until the elevator doors closed, watching her watch him. The minute he could no longer see her he sagged, rubbing his hand against his chest. “Oh my God. Please don’t let me fuck this up.” Head down, he started walking. A good long walk was perfect - there was no way in hell he’d be able to sleep tonight.
Chapter 1: hpaich.livejournal.com/14992.html
Chapter 2: hpaich.livejournal.com/17749.html
The first fifteen chapters are listed at fanfiction.net, if you want to read more quickly. I hope you enjoy!
THE BET
They’d left him. They’d up and left him here, alone, tied up in knots with Bones pulling the ends ever tighter. For one frightening, tempting moment, the little voice in his head said good. She was tucked so close to him, he could feel every inch of her up against every inch of him, and damned if it didn’t feel pretty fucking amazing. Then she sighed again, a little, tired wisp of sound that slapped him back into reality. With one single, decisive movement, he finally freed himself from their combined embrace.
Dizzy from exhaustion and taken unaware by his actions, she stumbled backward, only stopping when he grabbed her shoulders to steady her. But not like before. He was carefully keeping as much distance as possible between them. Blinking, trying to clear the clouds from her mind, she at last locked in on his expression, and she trembled at what she saw. He didn’t want her. Yet again, he was as good as telling her he found her undesirable. As much as it hurt, at some point she’d stopped wondering at it. They were colleagues, partners, friends. That had been enough. Just lately, though, it had stopped being enough. Being in close physical proximity to him every day, the tiny ember of longing that she’d tried to douse had instead been nursed along, flaring up at the most inopportune moments. Her partner’s behavior had not helped matters any. Booth himself had begun to act in a way that made her think she might not be the only one who was wavering. I don’t understand…it seemed like he wanted me. He did want me - I think. The confusion inside her was now running alongside hurt, with resentment a close third. I’m tired of all these mixed signals, damnit. I’m not good at this.
Jerking her shoulders testily, she pulled free from his grasp and turned on her heel, heading for the bar. She wasn’t about to hang around him like a loser, thirsty for affection. Before she’d taken three steps, she sensed his presence next to her, his solid heat transmitting to her even though their bodies were no longer touching. She should’ve known he wouldn’t have the sense to just let her go. Drawing herself in, she flicked a careful, disinterested glance up at him. “What are you doing?”
“What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m bringing you home.”
“I’ll go home with Angela and Hodgins. Don’t worry about me.” Her tone was brisk with dismissal. It was a tone that sent most normal people scurrying away. Not surprisingly, it didn’t work on him.
Unfazed, he kept his hand on her, kept his eyes on her, as they reached the bar. “You can’t - they left.”
A flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes, and she forgot her annoyance for a moment as she searched the crowd. “They left? When did they leave?”
“I’m not sure, but they’re definitely not here. Look, just let me take care of the tab and I’ll take you home.”
“I already told you, Booth, I don’t need you to worry about me. For your information, I’m perfectly capable of taking the Metro all by myself. I’m a big girl.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.” Oh shit, had he just said that out loud? Yep, he thought as he watched her eyes narrow menacingly; he’d said it out loud. Great.
“You know, Booth, you take entirely too much responsibility on yourself. I never gave you the right to hover over me. As you’ve seen in the past, I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.” Her blood was beginning to heat, her annoyance feeding off the hurt until she was stiff with righteous anger. “You seem to have appointed yourself my guardian. I can assure you, it’s not necessary. There’s no need for you to bother.”
“What? What do you mean, no need to bother? It’s not a bother.” This conversation was tanking, and fast. He’d have to try reasoning with her, try to be logical. “Look, I know you can take care of yourself - normally. But you’re exhausted; even you have to admit that you’re not one hundred percent. Your reaction time is significantly slower than usual, and let’s face it,” he quipped, pointing at her feet in an attempt to lighten her mood, “those are not the best shoes for a fight.”
“Oh, really? I seem to be performing satisfactorily in them right now.”
He’d been calm, knowing she was only reacting to the admittedly inconsistent way he’d acted on the dance floor. He’d had no right to let them get that close to each other, as much as he might have wanted it. But why did she have to be so stubborn? He felt frustration rising, and struggled to contain it. He would be issuing ultimatums next - and that was definitely not a good idea. “Bones, c’mon. You know what I mean. You can be angry at me if you want, but I would really feel much better if we headed home together.” He flashed a grin, hoping to disarm her. “It’d be less boring…”
Although she defiantly crossed her arms, she found herself, as usual, softening toward him as he offered his rationale. She began to consider the logical points of his argument. She was very tired. And her feet hurt quite a bit, now that she wasn’t leaning on him. If her feelings hurt more than her feet - well, no one had to know that but her. She’d been alone for most of her life. She didn’t need anyone. Adopting her usual calm demeanor, she smiled. “I suppose you’re right. If you’re sure it won’t be too much trouble for you, I’d appreciate it.”
“Why would it be too much trouble?” he asked, sincerely confused. He escorted her everywhere these days, as often as possible. It was his thing. He waved his credit card at the bartender, only to pull it back in surprise when the man indicated that nothing was due. “Alright, Bones - I don’t know why the hell they left us here, but we’ll worry about it later. Let’s head out.” Subtly scanning her body language, he suspected she wouldn’t welcome his hand on her back right now, and settled for following her out onto the street.
*****
“Two hundred dollars!”
“One hundred-eighty dollars.”
“Same thing!”
“Oh, come on. It’s not like you can’t afford it.” Angela spared Hodgins a brief glance before settling back in the taxi. Her lips quirked slightly. He’d been fuming and sputtering for the last twenty minutes. The instant Brennan and Booth had taken to the dance floor, she’d announced that the rest of them were leaving. Unwilling to stick them with the tab, however, she’d nagged at Hodgins until he paid it in full. Since then, he’d kept up a steady stream of complaints directed toward anyone who would listen. As Zach was the only other passenger in the cab with them, and Zach was asleep, she was getting the brunt of what she would term his ‘liquor-soaked male bitchiness’.
“That’s not the point! See, this is why I didn’t want anyone to know about my family - from now on, it’s gonna be, ‘Sure, stick Hodgins with the bill, he’s rich, he won’t care’.” He flung himself into his corner of the backseat, crossing his arms. “How the hell did we drink so much, anyway?”
“It’s what’s known as a normal Friday night out with friends, Bug Man. Be sure to take notes and memorize my teachings, and you too can live a semi-normal life.”
“Okay, that was uncalled-for.” Leaning toward her, he looped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him. “You’re being entirely too brutally honest and nefarious tonight.” He grinned, his direct stare locking onto her before he dropped a brief kiss on her lips. “I like it.”
“Hey, baby, brutally honest and nefarious are on my birth certificate.” She snuggled into him, tapping her fingers against his chest.
“After Pearly Gates, you mean?”
Her lively laughter filled the backseat, causing Zach to stir and wake. “Are we home yet?”
“No, Zach, not yet. Go back to sleep.”
“I’d rather not. I’ve been having nightmares.”
Sitting forward, Hodgins peeked curiously at him. “What about?”
“I keep dreaming that Agent Booth comes into the office on Monday and shoots all of us for leaving him and Dr. Brennan at the bar.”
“Okay, Zach, Booth wouldn’t do that.” Hodgins’ cocksure attitude suddenly took a nosedive. “I hope.” While he was certain Booth wouldn’t shoot them, well, a fist in the face wouldn’t feel very good, either. Peering at Angela again, he decided to lay the blame for their possible deaths where it belonged. “You know, it’ll be all your fault if he comes into the office loaded for bear.”
Spangled earrings jingled and dipped as she jerked her head carelessly. “Feh. Booth doesn’t scare me.”
“No, of course he doesn’t. Booth would never hit a woman - he’s not gonna knock your head completely off your body.”
She sneered delicately. “Don’t worry; you can hide behind my skirts. C’mon, babe, where’re those tough-guy cojones I’ve heard about?”
“What was up with the sudden cash and dash, anyway? Are you crazy? You know Brennan hates it when you meddle in her life.”
I wasn’t meddling, I was just…facilitating. Big difference. Meddling would be if I tried to create something out of nothing. Facilitating is when I clear the path for something that’s there, and everyone knows it’s there, but neither of them will admit it’s there, but it’s there.”
“Okay, that was confusing - and yet I understood you. You know, Brennan’s bound to be just as pissed at us as Booth.”
She finally relented, patting him lightly on the cheek. “Bren was seriously getting her tired on, so I doubt anything even happened. Knowing the two of them, they probably finished dancing, went to the diner so Booth could have his pie, and went home. Look - if they come in with attitudes, I hereby grant you permission to blame all of this on me. I’ll deal with them.”
Grudgingly, he snuggled up to her again. “Well, if you’re gonna be reasonable about it…” He nuzzled her neck, whispering in her ear. “How ‘bout I hide under your skirts, instead?”
Zach surrendered to sleep again, lulled by the buttery female giggle slipping through his consciousness.
*****
She hadn’t lasted five minutes. Her hurt and annoyance hadn’t stood a chance against the exhaustion. The minute the gentle sway of the metrorail began, her eyes had started drooping, and now her head was solidly planted on his shoulder. Watching the yellow line stops go by, he took advantage of the downtime to replay the events of the evening.
He’d been an idiot, no doubt about it. She’d been tired, hadn’t known, not really, what she was doing. He was supposed to be a gentleman. He should have stopped what happened, before it went so far. And now she was upset. He couldn’t blame her, really. He’d acted like an idiot. But he’d been so weak, and it had felt so damned good. He just hoped she’d forgive him for taking advantage. The announcement board lit up, indicating that their stop was next. He looked down at the top of her head, at her hand lax on his thigh, and couldn’t help but smile. They were best friends, partners. They’d get past this - they’d gotten past worse.
“Bones.” She shifted, murmured, but didn’t wake. “Hey, Bones. C’mon, wake up. It’s our stop.” Long black lashes flickered, fluttered. His stomach tensed in answer, and he quickly quashed the response. She was tired as hell; he needed to get her home. “You awake?”
Brennan sat up quickly, pressed a hand against her eyes for a brief, indulgent moment. “I’m awake.” She glanced back at him, then his shoulder, before meeting his eyes again. A quick, almost shy smile flitted over her lips. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re here, you ready?” He stood and offered her his hand, surprised when she took it. They made their way off the train and headed to the taxi stand.
After several minutes of searching for a cab in vain, she turned to him. “This stand is terrible, Booth. We might as well walk.”
He frowned at her. “You sure?”
“Yes, I am most definitely sure. It’s not that far, and I want to go to bed.”
He tried not to react to her statement, but something must have shown on his face, because she looked at him strangely for a long moment, before walking slowly away. Shaking his head, he followed.
After several minutes, he noticed her feet dragging, and decided to take a chance. Casually draping his arm around her, he tugged her closer to him. “It’s not too much further now, Bones.” She didn’t answer him, but didn’t pull away, either, and he let out a quiet sigh, relief and tension mixing together.
They walked quietly, and he enjoyed the beautiful sights and sounds of the city, and the feel of his partner against him, the gentle motion of her hips as she walked. He chuckled to himself. He truly had a flair for torturing himself.
Little by little, as they walked, she began leaning more and more against him, until finally, about two blocks from her building, her head once again settled gently on his shoulder. He stopped when they reached her building and peered down at her, but her eyes were tightly shut. “You okay, Bones?” When she didn’t answer him, he smiled softly. “Bones.”
“Hmm…”
“Bones?” He tapped her shoulder until she wearily lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes, so dark, sleepy, and goddamned appealing, focused on him, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to lower his head and fit his lips to hers. For an instant she froze, and he panicked, waiting for her reaction. When it came, however, it wasn’t what he expected. She turned toward him, pushing closer, and sank into him, responding lazily. His hands slid up her arms, gripped her shoulders, and he deepened the kiss, tensing when her hands slid around his waist to clutch at him. Why had he ever thought this would be a bad idea? His stand against having a relationship with her was rapidly eroding; in fact, he was having trouble at the moment remembering just why he’d been against it. Her lips were so generous, so warm and perfect, that several minutes passed before he regained his senses. “Bones, stop.” He gently extricated himself from her, pushing lightly on her shoulders. “We should stop.”
“I don’t understand.” Frowning, she looked at him, her eyes clouded with hurt and confusion.
“We shouldn’t do this, not tonight. We need to talk. You’re tired, and it’s late - I should get you home.”
Not trusting herself to speak, she turned and hurried away from him, down the street. Home, yes, she had to get home, she couldn’t let him see how he’d hurt her. Stumbling slightly, she came to an abrupt halt when Booth took her arm. Her intense stare lanced over to him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m taking you home. What do you think I’m doing?”
“I don’t want you to take me home. I don’t need your help, Booth - I wouldn’t dream of imposing.” Her forward progress was again arrested when he tightened his grip.
“Alright, what is all this about imposing? Why would you think you’re imposing on me?”
“I’m just trying to relieve you of your burden. I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“Bones, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Booth, it’s alright, really. I thought you might be interested, and I was wrong.” Swallowing hard, she looked away from him. “I won’t make that mistake again. I’d like to go home.”
He was about to let her go, just escort her to her building and let it all go for the night, when he saw a suspicious shimmer in her eyes. He easily blocked her path. “Well, I’d like to talk about this. I’m sorry about before, Bones -”
“I think you made it quite clear tonight that you aren’t interested in becoming intimately involved. I had come to the realization that I am physically attracted to you, and I thought it seemed like you felt the same. I apologize for the erroneous presumption.”
A team of mules couldn’t have moved him from in front of her now. “What did you just say?” He tilted his head, scrutinizing her.
“You heard me, Booth. Get out of my way - I’ve had enough, I’m going home.”
When he didn’t step aside, she began to shove angrily past, but his fingers circled her wrist and he pulled her firmly back to him. Though he knew he was taking his life in his hands, he’d somehow ceased to care. A bright flame was beginning to burn hotter and hotter inside him - leaning close, he kept stepping forward until she had no choice but to move back. “Not interested. Really. You think I’m not interested.”
“Booth, what are you doing?” The look in his eye wasn’t one she’d ever seen before. Although she wasn’t good at reading moods, his expression made her breath back up in her throat. The way he was looking at her made her feel…exposed, somehow.
Lust spiking in him until there was room for nothing else, he crowded her again until her thighs bumped the fender of a parked car. “Apparently I’ve made a complete mess of this. Let me enlighten you.” He jerked her close, held her fast. Hungrily he took her mouth, ruthlessly using his own, satisfied when she trembled and moaned against his lips. He ground his hips against hers, darkly pleased when she undulated in answer. Her lips were soft, her body was soft, and his needs were sharp. He let himself go in a way he’d never thought he would, suddenly determined that she know the truth about his attraction to her.
She couldn’t think, could barely breath. The feel of his body, hard and ready against hers, pressing her against the unyielding metal of the car, was overwhelming in its intensity. His mouth against hers was driving her crazy. Unable to do more than clutch him tightly, she gasped as she felt him grab her.
His hands wrapped around her waist, and with a quick flexing of muscle, he set her on the car and moved even closer, snugging solidly between her legs. Finally, after another desperate embrace, he was forced to finally stop to breathe, and he watched her, gratified with the way her eyes had dilated. The way her lips had parted. “Do you understand, now?”
She smiled and her hands slid up his back, pulling him closer. “More.”
He would’ve laughed, if his body wasn’t screaming furiously at him to keep going. Reluctantly, he eased away, pulling her down to her feet. “As much as I’d like that, we have to talk before this goes any further. We both need some time to think about what we want. You know I’m right,” he said when he saw she wanted to argue. “You know this is too important.”
“I know what I want, Booth. I don’t need time to think.”
“But I do, Bones. I don’t want to fuck this up. It’s important to me. You don’t want to think about it, but you need to.” He walked her to the entrance of her building. “Give it the weekend, give me the weekend. We’ll talk Monday, I promise. I need some time, and you need some rest.” His muscles relaxed when she eventually nodded in agreement. “Go ahead in, now.”
He stayed until the elevator doors closed, watching her watch him. The minute he could no longer see her he sagged, rubbing his hand against his chest. “Oh my God. Please don’t let me fuck this up.” Head down, he started walking. A good long walk was perfect - there was no way in hell he’d be able to sleep tonight.