(A/N-Special thanks to Lynn for beta reading this. Last day of Valentine's Week. On another note, I was planning on taking a break in a few weeks to rest my hands. I have carpal tunnel in both of them, but I'm going to take that break now. I've had a few hurtful messages this week and going to reassess things. I hope all have a great Valentine's Day for those who celebrate.)

Tris Prior's date lifts the butter knife a few inches off the table and takes yet another look at his reflection on its shiny surface. He nods slightly to himself, satisfied that he is as gorgeous now as he was when he last looked—five minutes ago. She knew this date was headed downhill once they sat down and he ordered for her. Veal. She hated veal. She decided not to make a big deal and just order something else.

"How's your veal? It's a specialty here. They only make it for select clientele such as myself," her date Al, says.

"I don't like veal. I tried to tell you that, but—"

"It's not like the others you've had. Here, try it," he says, reaching for her fork. She reluctantly opens her mouth and lets him feed her. It tastes awful. It's soft and has a gamey taste to it. She waits for him to look at his refection in the knife again and then she spits the mushy veal into her napkin.

"Christina told me she met you at the benefit to aid Haiti."

"Yeah, one of clients gave me a ticket, so I had to make an appearance. But other than that—it's not my thing."

"Charity isn't your thing?"

"No, but you know what is my thing?"

"What is your thing?" Tris asks out loud.

"You," he says with a cocky smirk.

It's all she can do not to roll her eyes.

"Her people were so happy with my work, they invited me to her movie premier next weekend. Now, I can't promise you will be my plus one—I mean, I do have two other dates lined up next week—but don't fret, sweetheart, so far, you're in the lead."

Tris stands up from the table and prepares to give him my standard sorry-this-won't-work-for-me speech, but he's not even facing her. He's looking over at the waitress and flashing her his best "soap opera smile." She blushes shyly, looks down at the floor and then back up at him. She's giving him her "come do me" look.

Tris grabs her purse and starts to the door, as she is about to exit she sees a couple enter. It's Robert and his new girlfriend! She quickly darts into the kitchen and makes her way to the back and out the exit door, a little too quickly as she ends up on her hands and knees. As she is getting up she sees two dark figures are carrying on a conversation. The alley is too dark to see them fully. "Hey! Excuse me! Fellas, can I use your phone? I need to call a—"

"Get down!" someone shouts behind her. Tris turns just in time to see a large figure crash into her and sends her flying to the concrete floor. Shots are fired overhead, and the figure orders her to stay down. Everything happens so fast, it's hard to know which came first—the hail of bullets, the shouting, or the sirens. She shuts her eyes and buries her face in her hands as if that could somehow stop the bullets from making contact with her.

"Colter is heading down Sixth Ave., cut him off!" he orders in a deep commanding voice on what sounds like a walkie-talkie.

"On it!" someone replies from the other end.

"What the hell is your problem, lady?" the man demands of her. Tris opens her eyes to curse him out, sure he may have just saved her life but who the hell is he to talk to her like that?

But when she takes her hand from her face, she finds the most piercing ocean blue eyes looking back at her. His rich dark blonde hair and perfectly sculpted features cause her head to spin. She looks past his flawless face and down to his broad shoulders and brawny yet agile body. Seriously, this guy has the kind of hotness that makes good girls lose their shit!

Even her!

*****PAGEBREAK****

Tobias Eaton is already having a crap day. His partner, Zeke, and him put a lowlife away last month for dealing drugs outside a junior high school in lower Chicago, and this morning that bastard got off on a technicality. One of his informants was a no-show at their prearranged meeting, the captain has been on his ass about taking a vacation whether or not he wants to, and Zeke's wife is being more of a pain than usual about his love life—or lack thereof.

His undercover guy was in position, as was his team. Tobias ordered them to stay as alert as possible because Colter has been getting high off his supply and is extra jumpy. He'd shoot a rat thinking it was someone out to get him. It was important that Colter feel at ease. So imagine Tobias' surprise when some crazy-ass lady runs out of the back door. Right away Colter begins to shoot at any and everything.

Tobias races out of the car and pushes the crazy lady out of the way before he can make holes in her. Colter takes off and Zeke goes after him with sirens on. And now, Tobias left in this alley, lying on top of this insane nut job. He's so fucking pissed; it's all he can do not to lose it. Her face is covered as he yells at her and ask her what the hell she thinks she's doing. She removes her hands, and he gets a clear view of her face.

She has vibrant, sparkling grey eyes that pull him in and make even the thought of looking away painful. Her small frame and delicate features make her look more like a doll than a grown woman. But one look at the slope of her breasts and the curve of her hips lets him know she is all grown up. They lock eyes. He hates her. Mostly.

Aside from ruining his night, she awakened his cock, and damned if it's not seeking her out. What's even more insane is she's fresh from the ground, dipped in trash and slime. And yet, he has never seen a woman more beautiful. Well, beautiful or not, this crazy woman just screwed up an operation that took three months to plan. And she will damn sure pay for it.

Her name is Tris Prior, and she's stubborn as fuck. She fights tooth and nail not to have to go to the hospital. After the EMT guys check her out, they tell her she's good to go. But that's not gonna happen.

"Get in the car," Tobias orders her.

"I don't need a ride," she says dismissively.

"Hey lady, I'm not your driver and this damn sure ain't a car service. I'm taking you down to the station."

"What? You're arresting me?"

"Not yet, but the night is young," Tobias replies as he opens the back of the squad car and watch her get in. She's so pissed her face is red, and she's glaring at him like he's just killed her dog or something. He tells one of the uniforms to drive her to the station and he will follow. As the car drives away, "Ms. Charm School" turns and gives him the finger. Zeke runs towards him and tell him that Colter is in the wind. Fuck.

"Let's send a couple of units to his ex-girl's house. They're not together anymore but she might know where he's likely to run to."

"I'm already on it. What's the deal with the woman?" Zeke asks.

"I had them take her in."

"Tobias, you think she's a part of this?"

"In my gut, no. But she's screwed this up for us and I just want to make sure she has nothing to do with this investigation."

"Did she say why she ran out like that?"

"No, but I'm guessing it was to get away from someone, a boyfriend maybe."

"Well shit, how bad does he have to be for her to prefer the trash?"

"There are plenty of times I'd pick the trash over facing one of my exes."

***PAGEBREAK***

It's easy to see she doesn't belong in an interrogation room. Her big eyes scan her surrounding with uncertainty. He introduces himself. She remains silent. He studoies her. She's even more mesmerizing than he first thought. He places a notepad in front of her and ask for her statement. When she's done, she slides it across the table to him.

"You need to let me go. I didn't do anything wrong," she says firmly. Her tone wants to come off as in control and in command. But it's easy to see that behind her eyes, she's panicking. He's pretty sure she's not involved but he needs to know for sure. He also finds the thought of letting her walk away from him…unsettling.

"You have no idea who this man is or what he does for a living?" Tobias ask as he places the mugshots of Colter on the table in front of her.

"No," she says with an attitude.

"And what about these guys?"

"Why did you run out like that? Did some woman enter the restaurant and find you with her man?"

"What? No!" she says, clearly affronted.

"Then what could have been so bad that you had to escape?"

"If you must know, I was running from an ex. Okay?"

"So, just to be clear, you're single?" Tobias asks before he can stop himself.

"Does that matter?"

"I ask the questions here. Not you."

"You're holding me here against my will. So am I under arrest?"

"No."

"Then I can go."

"Yeah, you can."

"Good," she says as she marches towards the door.

"Hey," he calls out.

"What?!"

"Your ex was a dick."

"You don't even know him," she says.

"It's an educated guess."

"The shots must have sounded closer than they were, right? I mean, how close did I come to…" Her voice trails off.

She came very damn close to a bullet in the head. Had he gotten to her a fraction of a second later, they'd be making notifications to her family. But he can't bring himself to say that to her, not seeing the terror in her eyes as tonight's events begin to sink in.

"Donavan is a lousy shot," he lies.

She nods and gives him a small smile but it's not real. She's freaking out. She's just doing it internally. He gets it. She turns towards the door and he spots her hands shaking. Crap.

"Hey, I'll take you home."

"No, I'm fine."

"Yeah, I know. Still taking you home."

"I can refuse," she pushes.

"Let's go," he orders as he walks towards her.

"You don't have my permission to take me home, Mr. Eaton," she says, gritting her teeth.

"Here's what you need to know about me: I don't ask permission."

***PAGEBREAK***

She settles in the SUV and places the seat belt around her. It's clear from the way she folds her arms across her chest that she does not appreciate being forced to accept a ride. She pouts and looks straight ahead. She doesn't say much on the drive to her home. He'd like to know what she's thinking. But he restricts himself to basic questions, just enough to keep her from being swallowed up in the void of all the awful things that must be going on in her head. She tells him she's twenty-eight. He's thirty-one. She has lived in Chicago most of her life. Her parents now live in Long Island.

He want her to talk to him. He wants to hear her thoughts. What are her dreams? What does she do for a living? Is it her passion or something to pay the bills? What does her laugh sound like?

What does she like to do when she's not running from an ex? What do her lips taste like?

It's a half hour later when they enter her apartment. It isn't lavish but it's thoughtfully decorated. The glass coffee table has a large photography book on various colorful birds. She's decorated with warm yet bright colors that make it easy to feel cozy and at home. There's a sketch of a large bird in flight in a dark frame that takes up a large part of her wall. He doesn't know anything about birds or drawings, but even he has to admit it's impressive.

"Nice place."

"Thanks," she says.

He turn his attention to the doorway and studies the locks on her door. Not good. He looks over at the locks on her windows and they suck even more. "Your security is a joke. You need to fix it," he informs her.

"Why? Do you think this Colter guy is coming after me?" she says on high alert.

"No, his number one priority right now is getting as far from the city as he can."

"Oh, okay," she says, relieved.

"I didn't mean to scare you, I just—"

"I am not scared," she says, insulted.

"Okay, fine. You're a rock. Alright?"

"What is your problem?" she demands.

"Me? I'm just trying to make you feel better."

"By telling me my security is bad?"

"It is! Your locks are equivalent to sticking gum on the door. The locks on your window frames would cave in with the slightest push."

"That doesn't make me feel better."

"It will, after you get it fixed."

"Argh, you are so damn…"

"What? I'm so what?"

"A jerk. You're kind of a jerk."

"You women kill me. You don't want the truth no matter how much you say you do."

"Oh, so that's who you are? Mr. Truthful? Great. Then tell me the truth, how close did I come to dying tonight?"

"Fine, if I had gotten out of the car a millisecond later than I did, chunks of your brains would be splattered all over the alley for the rats to feast on!" The minute the words leave his mouth, he knows he fucked up—badly. She bursts into tears.

Great job, asshole!He scolds himself as he runs over to her and hold her. She sobs into his chest and he swears this is the worst he's ever felt. He didn't mean to say what he said or at least not the way it came out. Christ, what the fuck was he thinking?

He takes her over to the sofa and have her sit down. He enters her bathroom and turn on the shower, hoping a nice hot shower will make her feel better. While the water runs, he goes into the kitchen. He turns on her stove, fills her kettle with water, and place it on the burner. She has like twelve hundred boxes of tea, so he's thinking that's her thing. So, maybe it will relax her. He goes back to the sofa, where she's shaking and looking off in the distance.

"I'm sorry if I scare—made you feel unsettled. It was a fucked-up way to—look, your locks suck. I'm not gonna lie to you about that. But we'll get them fixed. I know a great locksmith, he'll come first thing in the morning. But for now, you don't have to worry about the door or the windows. You don't need them to protect you. You have me." She looks into his eyes. He aches to touch her but he doesn't dare try. He would be crossing a line neither of them is ready to cross.

"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up," He tells her as he helps her stand up. She looks at him with worry and surprise.

"Relax, I didn't mean I would join you," he assures her. She smiles a little. It floods his chest with warmth. Shit. What is happening right now?

She enters the bathroom; he closes the door behind her. On his way to the kitchen, he spots her bedroom; the door is slightly ajar. Her pink satin robe is slung over the edge of the bed. He pictures himself sliding the silky fabric off her shoulders and exposing her bare breasts.

But now is not the time, so he pulls her bedroom door closed and makes his way to the kettle. He picks a tea flavor, Earl Grey. It's the one she is almost out of, so he's guessing she drinks it more often than the others. He pours the tea into her large red mug.

"Thanks for staying," she says as she emerges from the shower a while later. Her hair is freshly towel dried, and she's wearing a large tee shirt. It's grey and hangs just above her knees. She's barely showing any skin but she might as well be naked. It is having the same effect on him This is ridiculous. He needs to make sure she's okay and then get the hell out of here before he loses it.

"And thank you for saving my life," she says softly.

"Well, there was another woman a block away that needed my help, but you're more beautiful," he teases as he hands her the cup of tea.

"So you only rescue good-looking women?" she says as she starts to blow on the surface of the tea.

"Chicago policy. Hot women first," he replies, clearly teasing. She smiles but it quickly fades. She's thinking again. Not good.

"You have to stop that," he moves her over to the sofa

"Stop what?"

"Overthinking. You had a bad night. It's over."

"I'm over the initial shock, it's just…if this were it, if it was really the end, what would that look like for me? My life is…my last act on Earth would be running from my ex and into a gun fight. Not actually a hero's story," she says.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call anyone for you? A friend?" Tobias asks.

"No, Christina is a worrier, and I don't want to give her a reason to lose her mind."

"Okay, I get that. Come here," he replies. He's not sure how she'll react but he takes a chance and puts his arms around her shoulders. She leans into him and places her head on his chest. It feels way better than it should. He looks down at her; she's studying the poster of the bird in flight on the wall across from us.

"You have a thing for birds—is that part of your day job? You study birds?"

"No. I run an outreach program for foster kids. It's based in a community center not far from here," she says, and she goes on to tell him about her program.

It's not too long before the day's stress takes an effect on her and she falls asleep in his arms. He moves from the sofa and picks her up and carries her to her bedroom, he moves a strand of hair from her forehead and bring the duvet up to cover her. He quietly shuts the door and makes a few calls before grabbing a pillow and lays on the sofa.

His dream that night is of the woman in the other room.

****PAGEBREAK****

Tris must have fallen asleep because when she opens her eyes, the sun is beaming through the window and Tobias is gone. He leaves a note on the coffee table: "Work calls. Get some rest, beautiful." She feels a sharp pang of disappointment when she realizes she won't see his face. Hey, maybe it's just hunger pains. She is ravenous in the morning. Yeah, maybe that's it.

Tobias is true to his word. First thing in the morning, a man comes to install new locks on the doors and the windows. Not long after, she places a call to her best friend Christina. After she updates her, she tries really hard to contain herself and not come through the phone and strangle Tris for not calling her last night. When Tris finally convinces her that she's okay, she makes Tris promise that they'll meet up soon. As she is listening to Christina, her mind is on something...someone else.

She's only half listening to my friend because she's too busy looking over at the sofa where they sat. He held her all night and carried her to her bed. His hold was firm but tender. She had laid her head on his rock-solid chest and felt safe. And when his powerful hand gently stroked her arm, it caused a tingle down her spine unlike anything she ever felt before. When she replays that moment, a fleet of butterflies takes flight in the pit of her belly.

"Christina, I gotta go or I'll be late."

"Are you one hundred percent sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I am."

She reluctantly agrees and lets Tris off the hook. She hops in the shower and wait for it to get nice and hot. She stand under the downpour and try wash away all the drama of the past twenty-four hours. But no matter how long she stays in the shower, she can't seem to get Tobias out of my head. It's not just being held by him that has her acting so nuts, it's something else—he listened. They sat on the sofa and he listened to me.

She gets out of the shower and reminds herself that chances are, Tobias was just doing his job. She had been a hysterical woman that he had no choice but to look after. There was no "spark" like she thought when their eyes met in the alley. It was all in her head. In reality, he's got several women or one amazing woman at home. She's one of those women who looks good in everything and doesn't own any fat pants. Why would she? She never gains any weight. She wears white and never spills anything on it. She opens her closet and decide on a chocolate brown pencil skirt, paired with a fitted ivory silk blouse. That's it. She's ready to go back to normal. No bullets. No drama. And no dating.

***PAGEBREAK***

When Tris gets to work she runs into a co-worker who just got back from vacation.

"How was Jamaica?" Tris asks.

"Yummy!" she says with a mischievous grin. She tells Tris about her many conquests on the small island. She's always complaining that she needs to lose weight, but she never has trouble getting guys. She's charming, sweet, and cares very much about the center.

"I don't think mangos are supposed to be used like that," Tris replies as they share a laugh. She nears the end of her third tale of island scandal by saying she can't wait to go back and that Tris should come with her next time.

"Thanks, but I've had enough adventure in the past few hours. I need peace and quiet."

"What's going on?"

Tris tell her about yesterday as they unpack the supplies. She could see that all in all Tris was okay. However, she can also spot when Tris is holding something back. She can sniff it out of me like a police dog.

"So…this guy who took you home…" she begins.

"Oh, yeah. His name was Tobias or something. Anyway, he stayed the night to make sure I didn't go totally nuts. Then he went home or wherever. Anyway, I'm good and the drama is over. Yeah, anyway…it's all good now," Tris replies as she keeps herself busy with tasks around the office. She pauses, raises her eyebrows, and looks over at her with suspicion.

"Tris, you better stop lying to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Yes you are. When you lie, you say 'anyway' like ten times. You're terrible at lying. So don't try it. What's up?"

"Nothing,"

"Okay, okay. The guy—the detective was…kind of good looking and kind of not a jerk."

"Oh my God! You had a sexy-ass detective holding you all through the night and you got the hots for him!" she says, jumping up and down.

"Shhh! Lower your voice."

"Do you know what this means? You are finally over that shit rag, Robert. You are ready to venture, and Mr. Hottie is going to be your first rebound."

"No, he's not."

"Why not?" she whines.

"I'm done with dating."

"Okay, so you two make out all night. You're not done with that, right?"

"I don't want anything to do with Tobias."

"Oh my God, you like him! Oh, this is too good!"

"Jana, can we get back to work? We have a ton of things to go over before the afternoon sessions begin."

"Okay fine, but this isn't over," she warns.

***PAGEBREAK***

A few hours later, Tris is in her office and she can hear one of her favorite sounds—a hallway full of chatty kids running to class. Today is their 'Life Skills' class. The kids love it because a professional comes to talk to them and explain how they got their jobs and the skills that were required.

They thought they were just going to have business people come and lecture them, but Tris and Jana go out of their way to get them interesting speakers that will excite and educate them. They've had firemen come in wearing their uniforms, chefs who made them dessert, and scientists who let them create their own mini science projects at their table.

Today they're supposed to have a class on "Drug prevention." The local precinct was supposed to send a drug prevention officer to them but they have cancelled twice already. So, when Tris sees the look on Jana's face as she comes down the steps, she's guessing they cancelled a third time.

"You have to be kidding me! Don't they get how important this class is to the kids?" Tris snaps before she can even speak.

"I know. I told them the last time they cancelled that we really need them to come through," Jana replies.

"So the kids are ready to go and, yet again, there is no speaker? That's unacceptable," Tris takes out her phone to call the precinct.

"Okay, Tris, don't call with an attitude. If you do they won't send anyone over here."

"Well it's not like they are sending anyone here anyway. Argh! What the hell is their problem?"

"Maybe the speaker is just late," Jana suggests.

"What kind of jerk would keep a class full of kids waiting?" Tris asks.

"The kind of jerk who didn't know about it until twenty minutes ago," someone says behind her. Tris turns towards the entrance and find Tobias standing in the doorway. Her jaw drops. Her pulse races and she marvels at how good he looks in daylight. Damn him.

He looks so damn good, every inch of her is aching to touch him. He's even hotter than she remembers. He's not wearing anything special, just dark jeans, a grey tee shirt, a leather jacket, and boots. But he's the finest thing she's seen in all her life. Her heart leaps into her mouth. She can't recall what she was mad about or even what Jana and her were talking about.

"It's…you," Tris finally says.

"Hi. How's your arm? Does it hurt? Are you okay? I thought I'd hear from you," he says warmly as he gazes into her eyes. He has this way of turning off the whole world and only paying attention to her. It's as if she's the only one he sees. She's never had that before. It's a powerful thing. It's also scary for her, since it only makes her want him more.

"You're a detective. You don't do this kind of stuff," Tris replies, still in a haze.

"Normally, no. But the guy who does this is a friend. He needed me to cover for him, and I owed him one," Tobias says. His voice. She forgot how deep and rich it was. It awakens parts of her that has no business being awake. Jana clears her throat and holds out her hand. She's so damn happy; it's a wonder she's not dancing.

"So…you're Tobias. Wow. Just…wow. I'm Jana," she says, sounding like she's auditioning for a feature porn flick.

He takes her hand, never once breaking eye contact with her. The urge to fall into his arms is so strong that she has to place her hands on the wall behind her so she won't give in. He studies her like she's the last piece of a puzzle he's been trying to solve. She'd love it if he played with her like a puzzle. If he laid his powerful hands all over her. She'd whimper as he bent and molded her to fit into place.

"We should probably get started," Jana says as she studies both of them. They enter the assembly room, the largest room in the center. All the kids, of various ages, have gathered awaiting today's speaker.

If Tobias is nervous, he's not showing it. His walk to the front of the class is confident and certain. When he addresses the students, he does so with a strong, commanding voice that scares the hell out of the kids but in a good way. His tone is firm and adamant. He's unlike any other speaker they've had.

He tells the kids about the horrors of drug use, but it's more like a conversation than a lecture. He curses. Tris hates that. But the kids love it. They feel connected with him. She can tell because long after the bell rings, the kids are still seated. They ask follow-up questions, and he's honest with them.

He tells them about some of the bloody, messy, and sad things he's seen in his line of work. And how he believes they can avoid that if they really want to. He gives it to them straight, no bullshit. (Which is exactly how he put it.) When he's done, the whole class cheers.

Joy, a cutie pie no more than five years old, raises her hand. When Tobias picks her, she gives him her bright, toothless smile. "Do you have a girlfriend?" she says as she giggles. Her classmates join her. Before he can reply, Tris stands up and tell the kids to thank Tobias for coming. She did that because the after school is over and they need to get home and also because there's a very real chance that he does have a girl. And she just didn't want to hear him say "yes."

***PAGEBREAK***

Normally her staff of twelve is in a hurry to get home when the workday is over. Yet for some reason, ten of her staff members, all of whom happen to be women, find reasons to linger. It's like nothing Tris has seen before. The women who normally rush to their cars or head for the train station suddenly find themselves with a little extra time today. They surround Tobias a few at a time and strike up a conversation, and some of the quieter women linger in the doorway of their classroom, licking their lips as they gaze at Tobias.

"You were so good with them today, Mr. Eaton," one of the English teachers, Macy Morrison, says as she bats her eyes at him. She has a great figure and a pixie haircut. She makes sure he notices by arching her back slightly and sticking out a hip to accentuate her hourglass curves.

"Call me Tobias, and thanks."

"I bet your kids just love having you around," she replies, damn near purring.

"Macy, did you need something?" Tris asks in an official tone.

"Oh yeah, I really need something," she says, pulling in her lower lip and biting it.

"And what is it that you need?" Tris sharp tone brings her back to her senses.

"Oh, um…I need more textbooks. The three new kids don't have any," she says, blushing.

"It's in my office," Tris replies. She walks towards the office and passes by Tobias in the process.

"Tobias, you're still here, great!" Jana says.

"You know I was supposed to help Tris get some stuff out of the basement, but I hurt my arm earlier. Can you help her with that?" she says with a sweet smile.

Tris is gonna kill her.

"Yeah, I'd love to help Tris,'" he says with a big grin. One of the teachers raises her hand to volunteer her services. Jana takes her hand down and dares her to join her and Tobias. Meanwhile, Tobias loves how uncomfortable Tris is. He follows her down the steps and into the basement. There are stacks of books and classroom supplies around them. In the corner is a large box too heavy for her to carry by myself.

"Listen, you don't have to help—I can get the janitor to help in the morning," Tris assures him.

"Are you a bagel person or a pastry kind of girl?" he asks.

"Um, what?"

"This morning, I was gonna go out and get you breakfast since you had nothing in the house—by the way, how do you have nothing in the house to eat? Anyway, I was gonna do bagels but I wasn't sure if you wanted like a donut or…in the end I thought I'd get both but then my cell rang and I had to go."

"Oh, it's fine. It's not a big deal."

"It is to me. I wanted to have breakfast with you," he says.

"You've done enough, really. And you were great with the kids earlier. Aside from the cursing, which they didn't really need to hear," Tris mumbles.

"People curse, and if that's all those kids ever have to deal with, they're really lucky."

"Anyway, thanks again. And I'm sorry I ruined your operation."

He sighs deeply as he looks over at her. She's been keeping a safe distance since they got to the basement and now he comes closer, about to close the gap. He places an arm on the wall on either side of her head, essentially blocking her in. There is a very good chance her heart will beat right out of her chest. She doesn't want him coming closer but she dreads the thought of him leaving any space between them.

"Thank you for sending the locksmith this morning. It was really nice of you," Tris adds, not knowing what else to say. He sighs and hangs his head in frustration.

"Christ, I wanna kiss you so fucking bad…" he says once his head comes back up.

"We don't know each other. You could have a girlfriend."

"I don't."

"How is that even possible?"

"I don't know, how can a woman as gorgeous, funny, and crazy as you be single?"

"I'm not gorgeous."

"I'm gonna have to disagree with you," he says.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm cute. And pretty on some days, but I'm not…no one has ever said I was…"

"Well, I'm saying it." He leans in even closer. He's about to kiss her, and she can't stop it. She doesn't want to stop it. But she has no doubt that this is a bad idea. He places his hand under her chin and gently brings her to him. But before their lips touch, someone enters the basement.

"Tris, I can't find the textbooks." Macy says, stomping down the steps. That bitch knows very well where the textbooks are. And although she can't stand her at this moment, Tris is relieved she came in and broke the spell Tobias cast on her. Tris quickly points out the boxes that need to be brought up and run up the steps to help her.

It takes about an hour to get everyone out of the building and lock up. Tris thought Tobias would have been called away by then. But when she gets out to her car, there he is, waiting for her. She's guessing Jana and her crazy self thought she'd try again to get them to be alone.

He looks her over. His smoldering gaze is doing things to her that no one ever has. His arms are folded across his chest. He looks down at her with an intense genuine longing that makes her ache with desire. She inhales his intoxicating scent of crisp autumn and musk.

"Thank you for last night—for saving my life," Tris says, trying to keep her voice steady.

"You already thanked me," he says softly as he studies her lips.

"I did?"

"Yeah."

Tris licks her lips and looks away from him.

"Can you stop doing that?' he asks.

"Doing what?"

"Licking your lips like that. It's doing some really crazy things to me."

"Like what?"

"Like making it hard to focus on asking you out."

"You want us to go out?"

"For starters."

"Tobias…last night you save my life and—"

"Don't thank me again. Just say you'll have dinner with me later tonight."

"I don't want to see you later," Tris whispers.

He's taken aback. The disappointment in his eyes makes her feel like she's dying. He looks past her, as if he needs a moment to regroup.

"Okay, what's going on? Talk to me, babe," he says.

"Tobias—"

"There's something between us. I don't know what it is exactly but I know you feel it. I know you feel it. So, what's the issue?"

"I don't know you."

"That's the whole point of going out, to change that."

"Tobias, I don't want to date you—or anyone. My date last night was the first one in a year. It was also my last."

"Tris, are you saying you don't want to see what this could be between us?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

****PAGEBREAK***

She did the right thing, didn't I?

She has been asking herself that question since her conversation with Tobias in the parking lot five days ago. Her phone rings. It's him. He input his cell number in her phone the night they met, in case she needed anything. She doesn't pick up. It's hard to listen to it ringing, knowing he's on the other end. She wants to talk to him. She wants to know how his week has been. He seems so serious; did anything make him smile or laugh today? He's a detective, so she's guessing danger is part of his everyday life, but is he being careful? Is he okay? Is he alone tonight?

After six rings, the phone goes silent. Deflated, she turns her attention back to House of Cards. But then, her phone makes a chirping sound, which lets Tris know that unlike the other times, Tobias has left her a voicemail. She leaps off her sofa like a cartoon character whose butt has been set on fire. Her hands are shaking and her mouth is dry. She can't reach the "play" button on the screen fast enough. Soon, his deep voice is filling her ear and resonating throughout her body.

"I've been thinking about you. I don't know how long I can…I really fucking miss you."

Tris replays it six times and each time brings her closer to returning his call. She tells herself the only thing to do is to delete the voicemail. She touches the screen and her cell asks if she's sure she wants to delete…

She can't do it, and listens to his voicemail a few more times before she turns off the TV and gets ready for bed. She crawls under the covers and close her eyes. But she knows the night will be long and sleep won't come easily.

***PAGEBREAK***

Tris managed to get about an hour and a half worth of sleep. So, this morning, she makes her way to the biggest cup of coffee she can find. She pulls into the parking lot and find my favorite helper waiting for me.

"Hi, Jamie! Why are you wearing such a light jacket? Where's your coat?" Tris asks.

"Ms. Prios, it's not even winter yet."

"Yes, but it's only fifty-two today. And the rest of the week will get even cooler. Did your mother let you leave the house with that jacket?"

"Well…"

"Jamie."

"Okay, she gave me a heavier coat but it's hard to move around in it. I gotta be free, man," he says, sounding more like an old hippie than a nine-year-old.

"I know it's been nice out lately, but it's October in Chicago. You know better."

"Okay, I'll put on the jacket my mom gave me," he says reluctantly.

"Good. Here," and hands him the cup of chocolate she got for him at Starbucks.

"Thanks, Ms. Prior," he says as he walks her to the front of the center.

***PAGEBREAK***

Tris is doing some paperwork when her phone rings.

"Are you ready?" Christina asks.

"For what?" Tris asks, glued to the budget sheet she's looking over.

"Are you serious? The Halloween party."

Crap.

"It completely slipped my mind."

"How is that possible? I've been planning this for weeks," she reminds Tris.

"I know. I guess I had a lot of things on my mind. Sorry."

"Did you call him?" she asks as she takes a seat in front of the desk.

"No."

"What? Even after that message he left you? What is wrong with you?"

"I don't want to talk about him."

"Tris, he's not Robert. Just because Robert did you wrong doesn't mean the next guy will too."

"I know that."

"Then what the hell? Call Mr. Hotness and put it on him. You haven't had sex in a year. That's illegal in some countries."

"What country?"

"United States of Christina," she jokes.

Tris is silent for awhile until Christina speaks up. "Sweetie, I get that's it's hard but it's unhealthy to lock yourself up like that. Think about calling him. You don't have to say yes to going out. Just agree to have a simple conversation. Damn," she says.

"Why is this so important to you, Christina?"

"I miss my friend."

"I'm right here."

"No, you're off in lala land. Living the life of a ninety-year-old woman. TV and warm tea. In fact, I know a few grannies that have better love lives than you do."

"Fine, I'll go to the party."

"Yes, you will. You have two hours before the party; you will go and get a slutty outfit that will make me proud," she says ending the phone call before Tris changes her mind.

***PAGEBREAK***

Tris finds her sluttiest costume from a few years back—a sexy bunny—and puts it on. It's a strapless, pink sequined body-hugging romper with a white bunny tail and lace-up back. She complete the outfit with the bunny-ear headband.

Tris enter the bar where the party is being held. It's packed. Christina did a great job with the decorations and the food. Everyone is in costume and having fun. Tris tries to catch her eye through the large crowd but she can't see her. Tris makes her way towards her and pulls her close.

"You totally nailed this, Christina!"

"Thanks! I'm so glad you came. I thought you were gonna flake out," she shouts above the music.

"Not a chance. I know how hard you've worked, and given the budget, you did a really nice job."

"Well, I'm glad you like it. Now, I have something to tell you but I need you to promise not to be mad."

"Oh no! You didn't set me up on a date, did you? Please tell me you didn't!" Tris replies, knowing full well that stuff is right up her alley.

"No, I didn't set you up on a blind date," she assures her.

"Phew, okay. Good."

"I did, however, invite a certain someone—on the off chance you might show up," she says as she signals towards the entrance.

Tobias...

***PAGEBREAK***

Ten minutes earlier

Tobias sits in the parking lot of the bar where the Halloween party is being held. He has yet to go inside. But the fact that he's at a place where grown-ass people dress in costume tells him he's got it so bad for the woman, he's way past the danger zone. Tris said she wasn't interested. That should be enough. And normally it is, but this situation is anything but normal.

He thinks Tris wants him. That shit is not ego. He's a detective, and any detective worth a damn can tell when someone is turned on. And even if he didn't have the job he does, as a man he knows when a woman is excited. He's watched her body react to his in a way that partially spells out arousal. When they were in the basement of the community center, he could see her pupils dilating, she was breathing rapidly, and she moistened her lips while slightly arching her back.

When they were in the parking lot later that day and she said she didn't want to see where things could go with the two of them, he admits, that shit threw him. He thought she was playing a game. He hates games. Standing in the parking lot, hearing her tell him she's tried dating and that she's unwilling to try again, he realized she wasn't playing any games. She wasn't saying "no" to see how long it would take for him to be on bended knee like some dumb bastard in a chick flick. This woman was genuinely scared that she might like him. Like seriously terrified.

A part of him thinks he should leave her alone and let some other guy come and try to break her out of her self-imposed prison. But then the thought of that other guy holding her makes him want to rip his fucking arms off.

There's no one else like her. She's nuts but smart as hell. She's impulsive enough to jump into a shooting but selfless enough to dedicate her entire career to children. Unlike a lot of women he's met, she doesn't go out of her way to try to be sexy, she just is. He'd get a bigger thrill seeing her exposed shoulder than he would seeing most women naked.

Good, so get the hell out of the Tahoe and go get her.

It's not that simple. This woman is working really hard to run from what this could be. She might not even let him in. And if by some chance he got in and they started going out, what then? He's never been one for relationships. He's been upfront with the women in his past about that. His focus is work. He won't lie to them and say he sees a future, when he doesn't. But something tells him that he won't have that conversation with Tris. He wants to know her—in all the ways he's never cared to explore another woman before.

He stayed away from her although it took all the willpower he had. He ended up parked in front of her door more nights than he cares to say out loud. He just wanted to make sure she got home okay. He wanted to see her face and know that she was alive. And in a crazy way, knowing she existed meant that there was light somewhere in this godforsaken world.

He know she got his calls. He knows she thinks he wanted to talk to her, and he did. But he also knew she wasn't done trying to run from them. And that the only way he could get some kind of relief from the agony of staying away from her was to listen to her voice on the voicemail.

"Hi! It's Tris. Leave a message and I'll do my best to call you back, if my rigorous Netflix queue allows. Enjoy your day!"

The last time he called, he ended up leaving a message. He hadn't planned on it but shit, he missed her to the point where it was leave a message or go over there in person. He wants to know all about her life. He wants to know why she's so afraid to date or even entertain a conversation with him. But on the other hand, that might mean hearing about her past boyfriends, and that's not something he wants to do.

Jana asked for his number before he left the school a few days back. He looked at her as if she was out of her mind but she quickly explained that she was on his side and wanted to get Tris out of the house and back into the dating scene. She explained that she would also get Christina on Team Tobias. Christina ended up calling him that night and he could tell by her tone she was sincerely trying to help her friend.

Tobias gave Christina his info and my address—she insisted on the address because she said she wanted to make sure he didn't have a live-in girlfriend somewhere. She noted that if she had his address, he'd forever live in fear that she'd pop in and bust him. That chick is all kinds of crazy, but he loves that she cares enough about Tris to threaten a cop.

When she called him and invited him to the party, he didn't hesitate, because by then, his desire to engage Tobias had outgrown all reason and logic. A few days ago, his partner, Zeke, and him were on a stakeout and after a long pause in conversation, he'd shouted, "For Christ's sake, go see her already!" According to him even his silences were screaming 'Tris.' And now, he's here in the damn parking lot, fearing that coming to see her here might push her even further away.

He gets out and heads inside the bar; he see her before she sees him. She's wearing the sexiest bunny costume he's ever seen. He doesn't like it. Well, actually he does like it; he likes that shit—a lot. But he knows how guys are and he knows the vile things they are thinking. He wants to cover her up. He doesn't want them eye fucking his girl.

His girl…you two have barely had a conversation.

He lets his issue with the costume drop when he sees her look around the room and smiles at Christina. Damn that smile of hers. It makes it all the way across the room, over to the entrance where he is. He's not sure how he missed her entering the bar but then he spots a second entrance over on the other side. He's hoping she'll see him and fight the urge to flee. That was the whole point of giving her some space, give her time to get used to the idea she's wanted by a guy who isn't out to hurt her.

I am about to make my way towards her but before I do, our eyes meet. Okay, this is the moment. She can stay and talk to me or she can give in to her fear and try to hide from me. I make it halfway across the room and so far she's not running for the door.

He makes her way to her and he's relieved to find her still there, standing near the snacks. God, she's working so hard to fight her desire to run. He can see it in her eyes. She's like a kid in the middle of a storm, scared to death that the wind will sweep her up and away. He'd like to be her shelter, but he can't if she doesn't let him. He knows it's best if he is just casual with her, but fuck it. He pulls her into him and holds her. Shit, this feels good. Holding her against him makes everything in his life right as fucking rain.

It takes a few seconds, but eventually, she allows herself to hug him back. She lingers. He wants more. She wants more. So naturally, she pulls away.

Argh!

"I called," Tobias tells her as if she didn't already know.

"I've been busy. Work," she says, trying to avoid his eyes.

Hell no, he wants to see those babies. They are his favorite pair of eyes. The grey is so subtle yet so intense. The compassion and generosity that embodies her is reflected in those eyes and hs can't bear the thought of her pulling them away from him. So when she does, he follows her gaze so that he won't lose her eyes: his light.

"So, Christina invited you?" she says.

"Yeah, is that okay?"

"No…" she mumbles before she can catch herself.

"Oh…okay," Tobias replies.

"Oh no, I meant, it's fine that she did. It's more than fine," she insists.

"That's not what you actually said. You said 'no' as in 'no, it's not okay that you are here."

"It's not okay but that's only because I've been…"

"Avoiding me?"

"Yeah," she says, deflated. She's so fucking cute when she's silently scolding herself for no reason.

"Tris, let's just start over, okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just some guy who came to a Halloween party, with no costume, in hopes of meeting someone nice," Tobias offers.

"Yeah, that sounds simple," she says, taking a deep breath.

"It is. And I enter the room, looking for that nice person. Oh, what do you know, I found a nice woman only a few feet away. If I ask her for a drink, I hope she says yes," he replies as he gets lost in her eyes.

"Yes, I'll have a drink with you. I just need to go to the ladies' room and I'll be right back," she says.

"I'll be right here," he assures her.

The most important thing he learned in all his years of training is to trust his gut—no matter what. It's saved his life more than a few times. And when he watches Tris and her sexy gleaming pink getup walk away from him, his gut tells him something is off. He plays out his hunch. He orders two beers, grabs a fistful of junk food from the bar, and races out of the exit door that leads to the back of the bar.

He finds her car a few yards from the lot. He places the snacks on the roof of the car, holds the beers in his hand, and waits. And sure enough, a few minutes later, he sees a sexy pink bunny scurry out of the bar and makes a run for her getaway car.

The lamppost she's parked under in fairly dim, so at first she doesn't see him leaning on the front of her car with the beers in his hand. But once she gets close enough, she stops dead in her tracks. He holds both beers out and give her a choice:

"So, what'll it be, babe? Light or regular?"

***PAGEBREAK****

Tris hates him. She hates that he knows what she's gonna do even before she does. And she hates that seeing him standing there brings her joy and dread all at once. Fuck! It's one thing for him to catch her trying to sneak out, it's another for him to be leaning on her car with a cocky, sexy smirk. She's at a loss for words for several moments. He hands her her choice of beers. She takes the light one and stands next to him over by the car.

"How did you know?"

"Gut feeling."

"Well, congratulations," Tris replies.

"Thank you, what do I win?"

"What do you want?" Tris asks.

"You know what I want," he says suggestively.

"Look, I am not—"

"Talk," he says quickly.

"What?"

"My prize for busting you and for saving your life—and yes, I'm throwing that in too—is that we have a conversation."

"Fine, about what?"

"Babe, anything. I want to know you. Is that so bad?"

"Not on the surface, no," Tris mumbles

"Let me guess, you were involved with some guy and things were awful. Now you hate any and all men. Is that it?" he asks.

"Something like that."

"Well, you can put your hatred of men aside for a few minutes—don't worry, it will keep."

"I don't hate men."

He looks at her with disbelief in his eyes.

"I don't," Tris replies.

"Let's hope not," he mumbles to himself as he reaches onto the roof of her car and displays his handful of treats. And right away she spots her favorite seasonal candy, Candy Corn.

"I love these damn things," Tris replies and grabs some.

"I grabbed that by mistake. No one likes Candy Corn. It's the fruitcake of the Halloween candy world," he informs her.

"See, Candy Corn gets a bad rap. All the glamour and glory go to the mini Kit Kat bar. And that's just not fair," Tris replies.

"Have you ever had a Kit Kat? Do you have any idea how good they are?" he demands.

"I'm sorry but your taste in Halloween candy is uninspired, and frankly, a little common," she informs him as she pops a handful of Candy Corn into my mouth.

"Is that judgment?" Tobias asks, doing a great job at pretending to be genuinely offended.

"Sorry, man, I'm just calling it like I see it."

"Just what I would expect from a girl who loves Candy Corn," he says, shaking his head in dismay.

"It could be worse, I could be a 'Raisinet' person," Tris adds.

"Or even more freighting, a 'peanut chew' lover," he says.

"Argh! I hate those things," Tris replies as they share a laugh. "When we were kids, my mom would make Caleb and I hand out Halloween candy. But things were tight at home, we couldn't afford the good stuff. So she made us give out generic candy. And trust me, it's better not to give anything at all."

"Oh no! Were you one of those houses that gave out candy buttons and lemon heads?"

"I'm truly sorry for anyone whose childhood my family may have ruined," Tris replies with her hand on my heart.

"It's okay, babe. My family was worse," he assures her.

"What could be worse than generic candy?" she challenges.

"Fruit."

"No!"

"Yup. Every year," he says.

"Oh come here, you poor boy," She teases as she sympathetically stroke his hair. It started out as a silly joke between them but by the third time she runs her fingers through his hair, her heart is racing. The airy, lighthearted mood gives way to a new air: one of yearning. She strokes his hair one last time and promise herself she will stop, and she does. But her fingers lingered far too long and now she wants to touch more of him.

He leans in slowly and places his hands on her waist, causing an erotic sensation through her body that guarantees she's going to give in. And yet, once again, she is truly, truly terrified.

His kiss will give her life again.

His kiss will be the start of the end.

He leans in, even closer; their lips are about to touch. But at the last moment, he reaches past her lips and goes to whisper in her ear.

"It's okay, baby, we have all the time in the world..."

***PAGEBREAK***

His cock is not okay with the decision that he made not to kiss her. In fact, no part of his body is okay with it except the part that he is trying to listen to the most—his heart. Christ, he wanted to taste her succulent lips and part them with his tongue. Even if they didn't make it to bed, standing there holding her in his arms and drinking from her lips would have been more than enough to send him into orbit.

But it's clear she wasn't ready. He could see the turbulence in her eyes and although a very large part of her wanted the kiss to happen, some part of her was hesitating. And he doesn't want their first kiss to be laced with any doubts or hesitations. Also, he couldn't stand the thought that after they kissed she'd regret it. Or worse, she'd run away. So after he whispers in her ear, he reaches over and kisses her temple.

She needs time, and he's gonna give it to her. He just hopes he can handle the wait…

Although he doesn't get to kiss her, he gets something equally good—he gets to spend more time with her. He thought after the kiss didn't happen she'd get shy and retreat, but that didn't happen. In fact it was just the opposite. She asked if he was hungry for some real food. He said yes. So she suggests they go eat at one of her favorite deli places. They get there, and order. Soon, they are seated before the skyscraper of meat and toppings. They look at each other and laugh because they both know that this is not the way adults are supposed to eat. They have loaded up on beer, candy, and now towers of fatty meats. He tells her that they are officially frat boys.

"I have never seen a woman able to take on the pastrami they serve here," Tobias challenges.

"Well get ready, Mr. Eaton, it's about to happen," she says gleefully. Okay, he really thought she was kidding, but to her credit, she inhaled nearly all of her sandwich. He had to rush through his corn beef to keep up with her. When they are done, they down some iced tea, then split a slice of cheesecake. And by the time they get to the coffee, they are beyond stuffed. They talk about Man Vs. Food, a TV show about a guy who travels the world eating crazy large portions of food. It turns out she loves that show, just like he does.

When the waiter puts the check on the table, Tobias reaches out to get it. She places her hand on top of his to stop him.

"No, it's on me," she says.

"Yeah, not gonna happen," he promises her.

"What? Why? I was the one who invited you."

"You're not paying for anything when you're with me," he informs her as he takes out his card and sign the check.

"Wow, I've never been flattered and insulted at the same time."

"I have to pay."

"Why, because I'm the woman?"

"You can turn it any way you like. I'm paying—every time."

"You are such an adorable sexist."

"I heard the words 'adorable' and 'sex', all good things in my book."

She laughs despite herself and thanks him for the meal. They chit chat about their families next.

"How long have your parents been married?" Tris asks.

"Forty years."

"Wow, that's a really long time."

"Yeah, what about your parents?" Tobias asks.

"They got divorced a few years after I went off to college," Tris said, then adds. "It goes to show couples don't last," she says sadly.

Tobias intertwines his fingers with hers and gazes into her bright eyes. "Tris, it's true some couples don't last but some do…"

****PAGEBREAK****

It's almost midnight by the time they get her car back from the bar. She says she's okay heading home, but what kind of date would he be if she didn't see her to her door? She's uneasy with the word "date." She knows because of the small flash of panic that appeared after he said it. She can't help but smile to herself but in the end, he lets her off the hook by changing the subject. They're now standing a few feet from the entrance of her building. She's hidden her sexy costume under her jacket but the light from the lamppost catches a glimpse and causes her to sparkle.

"I had a really good time," she says.

"Me too."

"Sorry I tried to ditch you earlier," she says awkwardly.

"Wait, was that you?"

"Ha, ha. It was a stupid thing to do."

"Well I met you in a gunfight so my expectations were low," Tobias teases her.

"Shut up!" She laughs as she playfully places her hand on his chest and pushes him away.

"I would ask you in but…"

"Yeah, I get it. It's okay. I gotta get to work anyway."

"Work? It's almost 1 a.m."

"We're doing surveillance and my shift is coming up in an hour," Tobias replies, looking at his watch.

"Really? Who are you running surveillance on? Is it Colter? Did you find out where he is?" she asks. She studies the expression on his face and then nods her head. "I'm guessing you can't tell me."

"It's an ongoing operation, so I can't go into details. But we hope to wrap this up by tonight."

"So, what made you want to be a cop?" she asks.

"I wanted my job to matter and to help the community in some small way. I know it's a really boring answer."

"Yes but it's also a good one," she replies. "If you're working tonight, shouldn't you have slept in?"

"Maybe, but I knew if I didn't make the effort to go tonight, you'd keep avoiding my calls."

"I wanted to call you back," she admits.

"I know."

"I must be the most ridiculous girl you've ever taken to dinner," she says as she frowns and bites her lower lip.

"You are the most interesting and the most engaging. Really, I had a great time. My only worry is that once I let you walk into your apartment, you'll go upstairs and think of all the reasons to hide up there."

"You think I'll barricade myself in my apartment?"

"Yes, I do."

"But if I did, you'd come and find me, right?" she says.

"Hell yeah, I would."

"Glad to hear it," Tris said.

"I hate to end here, but I have to go," Tobias says as he takes her hand.

"It's okay. I understand," she assures him. She's nervous again. He's guessing it's because now is the part when they kiss, or so it would normally go. He kisses her on the forehead and tells her he will call her when he gets off work. She's beaming like an angel. His angel.

***PAGEBREAK***

Christina calls her the next morning, waking Tris up from a delicious dream...about Tobias.

"Okay, so I looked out the window and saw the two of you in the parking lot talking. You looked trashy yet sexy with your bunny tail, and he looked extra fuckable in his 'I'm too manly to wear a costume' and ardent stare. Take it from there; okay, go!" she says excitedly. Tris runs down the events of last night to her. She listens as if she will later be quizzed on the story.

"I knew it! I knew this would work. You know, I try to be humble about the whole thing but the fact is, I have a gift," she says.

"I did have a good time, and yeah you may have a gift of some kind. But it was wrong not to tell me he'd be there," Tris reminds her.

"If I did, would you have come?"

"Probably not," Tris admits.

"And hence why I do what I do," she says with a big smile.

"Christina, it was so much fun and I can't even remember all the things we said to each other. It was just…effortless."

"That's great, honey. I'm so glad. Now, I love a 'suspend the kiss' moment like any other romance hound, but when are you gonna kiss him, on your next date? Or the one after? Hey, don't make him wait past three dates, that's just wrong," she insists.

"We didn't really talk about another date. He might not call."

"Are you kidding? Tobias is on you like the first BBQ stain of the summer on a white dress. The situation is real and it's serious."

"I love that he was okay with us not kissing."

"What? No! He wasn't okay with it but he put up with it because he sees how fantastic you are and he's willing to wait to get him some. I admire his patience. I mean, he could have any woman he wants and he's willing to wait to kiss you. That means he's special."

"Last night I dreamed about him."

"Really, how was he in the dream?"

"So good. I mean, Christina, I couldn't contain myself."

"That's the way it's supposed to be. So stop getting wild in your dreams and do a little of that in real life."

"God knows I wanted to last night."

"Well then call him and tell him that."

"What? No, I can't do that."

"Why not? Pick up your cell and call. Tell him you are ready to ride all the rides in the park," she says.

"I can't do that." Tris laughs. A smile forms on her face as she pictures what his reaction would be if she called and said what Christina wanted her to say.

"He went out of his way, Tris. Now, it's your turn. C'mon, call and say something...dirty."

"Well, maybe."

"Good, I'll write down what you should say," she says.

"I can think of something dirty to say on my own," Tris lies.

"Really? Like what?" she challenges. Damn her.

"I'll say, 'I want you.'"

"That's it?"

"Yeah, that's pretty dirty."

"You need a lot of work," she teases.

"Okay, I'll say, 'Hi, Tobias, I had a thrilling adventure with you in my head last night. I really enjoyed it.'"

"You can't say that."

"It sounds courteous and satisfied,"

"It sounds like you're sending a thank you card to someone who gave you a blender."

"I like blenders."

"Keep it simple. Tell him you want to grind on him until his eyeballs pop out of his head."

"Classy."

"Isn't it though?" she says as they share a laugh.

"Tris, you go as fast or as slow as you want. I just want you to be happy. And ever since you met Tobias, you've been…glowing. Don't push that feeling away, okay?"

****PAGEBREAK****

It's a few hours later and the center is just about to close. All Tris needs to do is sign off on some forms and she can get home. She thought about calling Tobias but thought he must be tired, so why bother him. Okay, okay, she was afraid that calling him would seem needy.

On an impulse, she picks up her cell and calls Tobias. She quickly hangs up, mid ring. Shit. Why did she do that? She should have just talked or not called at all. What the hell? Okay, okay, maybe he didn't even hear—her cell rings.

"Hey, did you just call me? Is everything okay?" Tobias asks. God, she loves his deep voice.

"Did I? Sorry, I must have touched it by mistake. Everything's fine. How um…how did last night go?"

"Went really well. We got what we needed."

"Good. What time did you get home—not that I'm trying to monitor your every move or anything. I just thought I'd ask or whatever," Tris replies, quickly feeling like a fool with every passing moment. He clears his throat in order to suppress a laugh but she catches it.

"I had to cover for my partner, Zeke. I just got home about ten minutes ago," he says.

"Wow, you must be exhausted."

"I am. I'm gonna get some sleep but how about breakfast tomorrow?"

"Um…I'm not sure…"

"Great, I will see you in front of your building at seven," he says, not taking no for an answer. Tris can't help but smile.

"Oh and babe—it's never wrong to want to know where I am. I'm good with most things," he says just before he hangs up. Tris has a smile on her face that's so goofy Jana would make fun of her for weeks on end.

****PAGEBREAK****

Later Tris takes out her cell and dial Tobias' number before she can talk herself out of it. It goes to voicemail. Damn. She text him:

Starving. Missed lunch. Should have saved the Katz sandwich for later use. Sigh. Can't wait for tonight.

Her stomach growls but she's in no mood to figure out what to eat or anything. So, she puts her phone away and tries to catch up on some overdue paperwork. It's about an hour later when she gets a text back from Tobias:

Sorry for late reply. Work stuff. Sent you something. Feel the same way, can't wait!

She looks at her cell to see what he sent but there was no attachment. She's about to text back when someone knocks on her office door. She opens the door and finds a guy, almost as tall as Tobias.

"Can I help you?"

"Wow, you look much better when you're not under arrest," he says.

"Excuse me?" Tries replies, thinking she knows him.

"I'm Zeke, Tobias' much better looking and virile partner," he says, playfully faking a deep baritone voice.

"Oh, you were in the alley!"

"Yeah, he sent me to give you this," he says as he hands her a brown paper bag.

She looks inside and finds a Katz Deli sandwich with sides. She laughs and texts him "Thank you."

"He didn't have to send you, Zeke."

"Are you kidding? I volunteered. I wanted to get a good look at you for myself."

"Oh really? Well, come in,"

"For once in his life, Tobias may be right. You are something else," he says as he studies her.

"Aw, thank you. How long have you two been partners?" Tris asks.

"Five years. He'd be nothing without me. The fact is, he needs me. I'm a wonderful cop. I keep him on the right path," he says, clearing joking.

"Well, he's a lucky guy."

"Seriously, Tobias is a good guy. He really is. My kid loves him."

"You have a kid?"

"Yeah, Mia. She just turned five. She's crazy about Tobias. The two of them are crazy for baseball."

"That's sweet but you really don't have to sell me on Tobias."

"I'm not. He doesn't really need a sales pitch. But I came because…well, I've never seen him so into anyone before. I wanted to check you out since the last time I saw you, you were diving headfirst into a gunfight."

"Geez, you do it once and they never forget." Tris says.

"Oh, and he also told me to tell you to go easy since you guys have a date tonight."

"Yeah, I know. Tonight he's gonna try not to kill me with his cooking," Tris said.

"Have a great evening." Zeke says.

"Zeke, what do you know about the South Kings?" Tris asked.

"They're a new gang that has came up," Zeke said. "Why?"

"No reason," Tris said.

"Tris, are you in trouble with them?" Zeke asked.

"No, but they are hanging around the center, around a few of my kids," Tris said.

"Tris, you should tell Tobias immediately," Zeke said.

"No, it's nothing," Tris assures him. "Don't say anything to him."

"Tris, he's my partner. He'll have my ass if I don't," Zeke said.

"Please. It's probably nothing."

"Tris, if they give you any trouble, you tell Tobias immediately."

"I will and thanks for bringing the food."

"Anytime."

***PAGEBREAK***

A few hours later, after going home and having a shower, she is getting ready for her date. She looks at herself in the mirror one last time, call a Lyft, and head out to see Tobias. When she gets to his apartment building, she can't help but marvel at its beautiful five-floor spice-colored exterior. He opens the window and calls out to her from the fifth floor.

"Hey, babe! Be right there," he says.

This place is worth some serious money. How much do cops make? Well, maybe he's renting a room here and they let him use the stove.

He emerges from the doorway and pulls her in for a tight hug. Tris inhales his fresh, intoxicating scent. It feels so good to be in his embrace. Can she stay in his arms, please? When he pulls away she can't help but be a little sad. He's got on a pair of dark jeans and a grey V-neck long-sleeve cashmere shirt. She can see make out his well-defined muscles from here. God damn.

"You okay?" he asks as he studies her face.

"Yeah, sorry." Tris smiles nervously.

"C'mon, baby, get inside, it's freezing out here," he says as he takes her hand. They enter the elevator and go to the top floor. He signals for her to enter the apartment.

"Are the apartment owners home?" Tris asks before she enters.

"What?"

"The people you rent a room from."

"I'm not renting. You're fine to go in. No one is here but us," he assures her, amused by her question. She enters the apartment and finds an exquisitely decorated home. The various shades of grey, white, and black help create a warm, yet distinctly masculine feel. The "L" shaped sofa could easily double as someone's bed, given its large size. It sits before a grey-and-black Persian rug, which works perfectly with the hardwood floors. The large wooden coffee table sits across from what must be the largest flat screen she's seen in someone's home. But her favorite aspect of his home is the exposed brick.

"Okay, so please tell me you are on the take. That's the only way I can think for you to be able to afford this place." Tris says making him laugh. "Seriously, are you a crooked cop?"

"Can I take your coat before we discuss my finances?" he teases.

"Oh, okay," Tris replies as he helps her take her coat off. His smile fades. He looks concerned. Crap, did I forget to button something or put on deodorant?

"What is it?" Tris asks.

"You look…" He growls.

"That's a good thing, right?"

"How am I gonna be able to stop myself from…you don't make it easy to stay away from you," he says as he studies her curves in her little black dress. He likes the plunging neckline. She can tell.

"Maybe you don't have to stay away—I mean…maybe I'm not the same girl from Halloween night," Tris teases.

"Good to know," he says as he pries his eyes away from her figure.

"I love this place, it's beautiful," she tells him as she looks around.

"Thanks. If you see anything of beauty, I'm sure my mom picked it out, to be honest. I was good with a TV and a place to sit and watch it. But decorating always makes her happy, so I said she could add a few things. Then I went undercover last year, and when I got back, she had done all of this," he admits.

"She did a great job."

"She's gotten really good at decorating. She now has a hand in all our properties."

"Excuse me?"

"My family owns some real estate around town. No big deal," he says as he takes her hand and guides her toward the kitchen. Something smells heavenly.

"Um, I'm gonna need more details." Tris sit at the dark grey marble countertop and watches him move around the state-of-the-art kitchen. Who is this guy? He signals towards a nearby wine rack and asks me her preference. She chooses a bottle of red wine. He pours some for her in a glass but gets himself a bottle of beer.

"It should be ready soon. There's just enough time for the Q&A you're dying for," he teases.

"Good!"

"My family does pretty well. My granddad saved his whole life to buy his first rental property, and through a series of investments and a 'work until you drop' attitude, he became pretty wealthy. We own a few dozen properties in the city alone."

"So you were raised super rich, huh? You grew up drinking gold for dinner?" Tris teases.

"No, not at all. My parents paid for my college; everything else, they wanted me to do for myself."

"So, how does your mom feel about you being a cop?" Tris asks.

"She has offered me ten million dollars to get a different line of work."

"Wow! Seriously?"

"Yeah, she worries. A lot. But she also knows I love what I'm doing. Deep down, she knows it's what I was meant to do."

"And what about this place?"

"My Grandfather willed me this townhouse."

"Tobias, why didn't you tell me all this before?"

"Money is a really funny thing. It makes people act different once they find out."

"Well, I want you to know I don't care about how much money your family has," she assures him.

"Really?"

"Yes, I only want you for your body—and your flat screen TV." He laughs and leans in so their foreheads touch. When they pull apart, he looks in her eyes and smiles to himself.

"What is it?" Tris asks.

"Tris, you really are everything I've ever wanted..."

****PAGEBREAK****

The moment he slid her coat off her shoulders and got a look at her in that curve hugging black dress, it was a battle between his dick and his mind. He pulled her to him because he couldn't bear the space between them. As they embraced, he inhaled her scent. She smelled like jasmine and happiness. How the hell did she manage that?

He watched her take in his place. She asked a lot of questions; it was hard to focus because that fucking dress hugged her ass so well. . No one has ever messed with his control like this. The funny thing is, she's not aware of just how dangerous that body of hers can be. How can she expect him to think when she's wearing that?

And now, they are at the dinner table. Everything has been laid out and she's just looking at the food, not eating or anything. She's just staring with her mouth open. Why the hell isn't she eating? She's such a weirdo.

His weirdo.

"Babe, are you gonna eat or what?" Tobias asks.

"This looks very good," she says, sounding confused.

"Glad to hear it."

"No, seriously. This looks amazing. You made real food."

"As opposed to fake food?" Tobias teases, although he knows exactly what she means.

"It's just that I thought you'd boil pasta and pour a jar of sauce over it, but this looks like real food. What is this?"

"It's brown butter scallops with Parmesan risotto and sautéed spinach. It's really not that hard to make," he assures her.

"You might hate it. You don't know until you eat it. Hence the eating utensils near your plate," he playfully reminds her. "Babe, it's getting cold. Eat."

"Okay, okay," she says, then she takes a bite. Her face falls. He asks her what's wrong. "This is really fucking good!" she says as shock takes over her face.

"Can you be less shocked, please?" Tobias replies.

"Sorry, it's just that I practiced my fake smile in case the food sucked, but no, this is really good. This is my real happy face," she says, laughing. He has no choice but to join her crazy ass and laugh along. He's in so much trouble with this woman.

The rest of the meal goes by in a blur of laughter and discovery. She tells him about saving up to go to Hawaii one day to visit one of the largest bird watching fields in the world.

When they are done with the entrée, he heads to the kitchen and comes back with dessert—a plate of freshly dipped chocolate strawberries. She beams. She leans her head back and opens her mouth to take a bite. He watches as she makes contact with the skin of the strawberry, swirls it around her tongue, and wraps her lips around it. She bites down on the strawberry and suckles on its juices.

He groans.

***PAGEBREAK****

He didn't eat dessert; said he's good just watching her. They talked a lot earlier, but now their words are gone and all that's left is the crackling sexual tension that threatens to break them if they don't give in to it. She has wanted to kiss him ever since she laid eyes on him. She wants to feel his lips against hers more than she wants air. But she doesn't know where to start. It always looks so much easier on TV. She starts to clear the dishes.

"You don't have to do that," he says, sounding thrown by her actions.

"Yeah, I do. You made dinner. I can clean up. And it's not good to let them stay overnight. No big deal, I got it!" She rushes into the kitchen. He follows her.

"Babe, put down the dishes and turn around," he says behind her as he runs his fingers down her bare arms; every stroke causes a tingle down her spine. He nuzzles the nape of her neck and her breathing pattern changes.

"Turn around," he says in a husky voice. He leans in further, closing the gap between them. She can feel his enormous stone-hard erection behind her. He reaches over and turns off the water.

"Turn around if you want me to kiss you," he whispers. She takes a breath and turns, he puts his hand on the back of her head, and hungrily devours her mouth. His tongue parts her lips with a series of seeking and possessive strokes. He swears under his breath as he latches on to her bottom lip. His touch sends a series of erotic sensations that grip her as their tongues intertwine.

She doesn't freeze up. Thank you, God! Her body knows exactly what to do with his lips and his tongue. It knows to service him and every savage demand his mouth makes. They move in a frenzy of desire that so strong, it nearly consumes them.

His cell phone rings.

"Fuck! I gotta take this," he says as he takes his phone out from his back pocket.

"What?" he barks into the receiver. Tris tries to catch her breath and manage the sharp disappointment of having him pull away so suddenly.

"When did this happen?...Why the fuck didn't you call me?...No, don't do anything until I get down there!" he says, then angrily hangs up on whoever was on the other end.

"Is everything okay?" Tris asks, not knowing what else to say.

"No, I gotta go. Sorry, babe. Stay hang out if you want, but if not, the door locks automatically," he says as he pulls out his gun and checks how many bullets are in the chamber. She jumps slightly at the sight of his weapon. He rushes towards the door, and she calls after him.

"Exactly how dangerous is the situation you're headed to right now?" Tris asks as she catches up to him.

"Are you worried about me?" he asks.

"Very."

"I promise I'll be careful, and Zeke's got my back. Don't worry, I'll be fine, babe," he says as he gives her a quick kiss on the lips.

***PAGEBREAK***

She's still wheeling from their first kiss. She slides her finger over her swollen lips and a current of lust floods her body. Damn. Why does he kiss like that? It's a fucking weapon! If she thinks about that kiss anymore, she'll never leave this man's home and he'll think she's a crazy stalker chick. So, she gathers her stuff, cleaning up before leaving. He went out of his way for her and she thinks it's only right she help out. When she gets home, she finds herself missing him. She takes a hot bath and then goes to bed, she closes her eyes for what seems like a minute but turns out to be hours. When her cell rings, it stirs her out of a deep sleep. It's him.

"Hey, babe," he says, sounding sad and exhausted.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Tris asks as she turns on her side.

"Yeah…" he says in pensive whisper.

"Tobias, what's wrong?"

"New case. Young girl. Vicious pimp…a lot of blood. Sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"No, I'm glad you called. I know you can't go into details about the case but are you gonna be okay?"

"Hearing your voice makes that more likely."

"You want some company?" Tris offers.

"Nah, babe. It's late. I don't want you in the street right now."

"Well, you don't make my choices for me and as it so happens, I am headed your way," she says.

He laughs. "I don't have a say in the matter?" he asks.

"No, because you sound like you need me."

"Actually, it would be so good to have you next to me right now…" he says.

"On my way."

"At least let me send my driver for you."

"You have a driver?"

"We have a few on staff. I rarely use them. He'll be there soon. And babe?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

****PAGEBREAK****

When Tris arrives at his house, Tobias knows part of her doesn't know what to expect. She's coming to spend the night with him to be supportive, but he's sure a part of her worries what sleeping next to each other will mean. He can't put into words how much he wants her, but tonight is most definitely not the night. He just came back from a brutal slaying of young girl, all he wants is to lie next to something good. And that something is Tris.

The fact is, even if work hadn't pulled him away, he would have stopped kissing her.

Okay, it would have taken some time to pull away from those succulent lips of hers, but he would have. She's just not ready. It took everything in her to give in and kiss him. And in the end, when she let go, the kiss was the kind of kiss that makes a man want to swear off any other woman.

When they finally kissed, it was out of this world. When a whimper of passion escaped her lips, it awakened him to a new level of arousal: a level he didn't know existed before. He needs her to give in to what's happening with them and give herself to him, body and soul. He'd have her collapsing onto the bed, saying his name as the last bit of strength leaves her thoroughly explored body. He wants to lie beside her when it's over and hold her just as tenderly as he did before they made love. That way she'll know making love only enhanced the good thing they have. He wants all of that, but she's not ready and today is not the day.

So, when he opens the door and sees her there, he's not aroused, he's touched. He's touched that she'd come back, despite her fears, just to check on him. He asks if she wants anything to eat or drink, but she says no. He gets her out of her coat and finds her wearing cozy grey sweats and a pink tee shirt. She says she's sorry for not having time to dress. He tells her she looks perfect, and they slip under the covers.

The crazy part is, this somehow feels natural. It's like she was always meant to snuggle beside him. He wraps his arms around her and they spoon the whole night. They don't talk much, there's some music playing somewhere around the house. It's low, barely audible. She asks how she can help make things better given the horrors he saw tonight. He tells her the truth: lying next to her takes away all of the ugliness. They fall asleep in each other's arms. And as sleep carries Tobias away, a revelation sneaks up on him.

Tobias, you idiot! You're in love.

***PAGEBREAK***

A few days later, Tobias enters the precinct after spending the whole morning chasing down leads on their new case. It's not exactly a big mystery. Everyone knows who killed the young girl, Monica Jones. However, finding someone willing to testify is next to impossible.

"So, what's on your agenda this weekend?" Zeke asks as he comes over to Tobias.

"I'm taking Tris to this exhibit on blue jays at this gallery in SOHO."

"Wow, that's brutal."

"Yeah, tell me about it. It's like a two-hour show, with a presentation after."

"Again, brutal."

"Totally, but it makes her happy and she could use a smile. She's been stressed out lately. Work stuff I guess."

"I like her, I really do."

"Yeah, she's incredible. Shit, I'm gonna be late. Let's meet up around midnight, that okay?"

"Sounds good."

***PAGEBREAK***

Tobias didn't think he'd have a good time at the gallery, but that's not really why he came. He knows how much she loves this stuff and he made her suffer though a bunch of action flicks and ESPN, so he figures he owes her one. But it's kind of pointless right now because they have been in this gallery for half an hour and she's barely paying any attention to the art on the wall. When she's looking at artwork, especially that with birds, she normally lights up. She tells me how majestic they are and gives him some random facts about them.

"Babe, can you put your phone away?" Tobias asks.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry," she says, taking his hand in hers. His gut tells him something is off and has been for a while. But then again, this new case has him all wound up and they've both been working really long hours, so maybe they're both a little off. But when he looks at her again, and yet again she's looking at her phone, he's done.

"We need to go, now," he says and guides her out. The wind is too strong to allow them to stand on the sidewalk and talk. So, they get into his car, and he wants some answers.

"I'm sorry, I was just checking something. But it's fine now, we can go back in," she vows.

"No, we can't. Tris, what the fuck is going on with you? You've been preoccupied and tense lately, and I'd like to know why."

"I have a lot of work stuff on my mind."

"I get that, I do. But if it's that crazy at work, then we can talk about it. That could help."

"You should talk. You don't tell me anything about your cases," she replies.

"You know I can't discuss my case. I tell more than I should as it is."

"I know, you're right. I'm just trying to get this kid I know into an art program upstate. His name is Jamie, and it's only a four-week program, but if I can get him in, he gets to leave the city and he really needs to do that. I'm waiting to hear if he made the cut."

"What about his regular school?"

"They have an academic section too. But their arts program is being taught by this brilliant artist who's come in from Italy. It's a once in a lifetime chance."

"You've helped other kids get into programs before, and you haven't been this stressed. What's so different about this kid?"

"It's a great program and it's tough to get in. I submitted all his past artwork—he doesn't even know."

"You're doing all of this behind his back?"

"He has to get in, Tobias. He has to." She mumbles to herself as she looks out the window.

"What's going on with this kid? Why is it so imperative that he get out of the city? What kind of trouble is he in?" Tobias asks.

"It's just a great opportunity. And if he makes it in, by the time he gets back, it'll be Thanksgiving break. And the group home he's in has planned a week long trip upstate. He needs that. Even if he doesn't know it yet," she says.

"Did he get in a fight with someone? Did he knock up some girl? Did he hold up a 7-Eleven?"

"No!"

"Then tell me why this kid is weighing so heavily on your mind, more than any of your other kids."

"I don't want him to get lost in the shuffle. I couldn't live with myself knowing I could have kept him on the right path but I didn't."

"You are putting way too much pressure on yourself, babe. You really are," he replies as he puts his arm around her shoulder and leans her head against him. He places a kiss on her forehead and wonders how he got here. How did he fall so completely in love and when the hell is he going to say it to her?

"To be fair, I'm not the only one distracted. Ever since our first kiss, you've stopped trying to kiss me. Was the kiss bad? Did you hate it?" she asks as she pulls away from him.

"Babe, that's not what's happening," he swears.

"Then what is it? Because I liked our kiss, actually I loved it. And I thought you did too."

"I did love it. It's the reason I need so many cold showers, and by the way that shit does not work," he says bitterly.

"Then what's the problem?" she pushes.

"Tris, kissing you or even hearing your voice on the phone does shit to me. Every day I'm battling between what I want and what you need. I want to make love to you so bad I can't stand it. If I kiss you, I won't be able to stop this time. I could barely pull away from you last time."

"Would that be so bad?" she says, sounding hurt.

"For me, no. But I don't want to push you to go somewhere we're not ready to go."

"If you don't want me, just say so," she counters.

"Christ, you're killing me! All I want to do right now is take you in this car right now."

Tris says nothing. He feels like crap.

"Babe, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be an asshole. I just…normally, I don't want to hear about the guy before me, but it's clear this guy did something to you. And if you want us to go past kissing, you are going to have to tell me what happened with you two."

"Robert's not a part of this," she insists with panic in her eyes.

"He is, at least right now. It's clear something happened with you two. Sometimes you look so broken and I want to fix it, I want to help. But I don't know which parts of you he fractured or which parts are broken completely. But I want to. I want to know what he broke so we can put it back together."

"Why? Why does it matter?" she says with tears in her eyes.

"Because…I love you."

****PAGEBREAK***

It's been a week since Tobias said he loved her. It was the best and worst moment of her life. On one hand, hearing how he felt made her heart flutter and a billion butterflies dance in her stomach. On the other hand, it made her want to run to the furthest island in the middle of nowhere and hide out.

He wants to know what happened with Robert, the one thing she never, ever wants him to know about. How will he look at her if she were to tell him? Would he still be in love or run for the hills?

So now she finds herself stepping out of a cab and heading to his place. She can't wait to get inside and have Tobias warm her up from this cold. She looks up towards his building just in time to see Tobias with his arm around another woman, walking her up the steps to his home.

His heart is breaking. No, seriously, she thinks it's actually breaking in two. She can't seem to catch her breath. The harder she tries the worse it gets. She look around for somewhere to run. There's a bar across the street, and she runs there as fast as she can. She will get warm there. She will put her heart back together and she won't hurt anymore.

Don't run to a bar. Call Christina. Talk to someone.

****PAGEBREAK****

Someone is pounding on her damn door like they are ready to blow it off its hinges. Tobias marches to the entrance, not sure what to expect. The person pounds again. What the fuck? He opens the door and finds Tris standing there, drunk off her ass. Her eyes are red, she reeks of tequila, and she needs to lean on the wall in order to stay upright. Fuck.

"Tris, what are you—"

"Where is she?!" she shouts in a drink induced slur. Before he has a chance to reply, she storms past him and into his apartment.

"Where's who?" He asks as he follows her. She turns towards him with eyes puffy from crying and her face red with anger.

"You know who I'm talking about! Where's that bitch? I know she's here."

"There's no one here."

"LIAR!" Tris says as she stomps into the closest room and busts the door wide. "Ah-ha!" she shouts at the empty room. He lowers his head and pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. His lips twitch in frustration, he exhales deeply, and he looks up towards the sky. He begs whomever the is up there to give him an extra helping of patience with this woman.

"I know she's here somewhere. You know how I know?" she demands.

"Tris, you need to come over here and sit down. Okay?" He replies as he guides her towards the sofa in the living room. She pushes his hand away or at least she tries to. She doesn't have the strength to fight back but she keeps trying.

"Get off of me! I know she's here. Where is she?" she asks, looking around as if she could have missed an entire person standing in front of her.

"There's no one here. Sit down, Tris."

"Then she was here before and she's gone now. But she was here," she insists as they make their way down to the sofa.

"Tell me!" she snaps.

"Tris, there's no one here." He pleads as he tries to get her to sit down.

"You think you had me fooled? Acting like a nice guy? Well I wasn't fooled! And you know what, yeah, you're hot and gorgeous but guess what? YOU'RE NOT PERFECT! ONE OF YOUR EYE LASHES IS LONGER THAN THE OTHER. SO HA!"

"Tris, you need take a seat so I can make you some coffee."

"All of you men are liars! You all lie and cheat and break hearts for fun. But I am not stupid. I knew you couldn't be real! I knew it! I knew it," she yells.

"Baby, please come sit down," Tobias begs.

"No! I don't want to sit down. Get off me!" She wrestles so hard, he fears she'll hurt herself. He has no choice but to hold her from behind. He applies enough strengthen to keep her from running away but not so much that it hurts her. She wiggles and tries everything in her powers to get out of his hold but it does no good. Finally, after what seem like forever, she goes limp and sobs in his arms.

"Did you fuck her?" she asks in a broken whisper.

"No, baby."

"Please don't lie to me. Okay, you can tell me if you fucked her. I can take it, but don't lie to me. Please, okay? I can't…I can't take another lair. I don't think I will survive if you're like him. Please. Please don't be like him…" She begins to cry and sounds very much like a wounded animal. He's never been a fan of women crying. It always angers him that someone did something to make them cry. But listening to his woman cry, that shit is killing him.

"It's okay, baby. It's gonna be okay," he promises her. He finally gets her to the sofa. But she gets up shortly after and runs to the bathroom to throw up. He follows her and she tells him not to come in, but no way he's letting her go through this alone. He enters the bathroom and sits on the cold floor with her. She throws up three more times as he holds her hair back. He cleans her up and puts her in his bed. It's nearly four in the morning by the time she drifts off to sleep. He wakes her up just long enough to give her two low dose Ibuprofen and a bottle of water. After which, she goes right back to sleep.

***PAGEBREAK***

He's in the kitchen making breakfast when she enters, wearing the smallest grey tee shirt he has. She managed to run a comb though her hair and put it into a low ponytail. She looks small and pale. Her eyes are back to their original grey wonders, but now they are also filled with shame and embarrassment.

"Um…do you know where my clothes are?" she asks.

"Hi," he replies warmly as he makes his way to her. She steps back.

"I need my clothes," she says in a whisper.

"No, what you need is to eat something."

"No, I can't stay. I have to go."

"No, you don't."

"I have made a fool out of myself and I can't be here right now."

"You're not the first person to drink too much."

"It wasn't just that and you know it."

"Damn it, sit your difficult ass in that chair and let me take care of you. I get that you are not used to being looked after but you better get used to it because I'm not ready to stop."

He goes back to the stove and tends to the eggs while the bacon is frying. Once she sits down at the counter, he pours her a strong cup of coffee. She adds sugar and wraps her hands around the mug as she sips it.

"Tobias, I'm so sorry about—"

"Baby, we're not doing that right now, okay? Let's just have a nice meal and watch mindless TV for the rest of the day."

"I can't. I have to work."

"It's Sunday, baby."

"Oh, yeah. I still—"

"You have nothing that can't wait. And the day is all but gone anyway." She looks over at the clock on the wall above the stove. It's nearly six in the evening.

"I slept all day?" she says in disbelief.

"You needed it, baby. That's why I didn't wake you."

"Well, what about you, didn't you have plans today?"

"If I did, they come second to us. Now, chocolate chip pancakes or banana?" Tobias asks.

"You're making breakfast in the middle of the night?"

"Listen 'Candy Corn,' breakfast is good any time of day."

"Okay, fair enough." She laughs. "I'll take…both," she says as she as he hands her the stack of pancakes. "Where are the plates?" she asks.

"Just above your head," he replies. She takes out dishes for both of them and soon breakfast is a team activity. In the beginning it was little awkward because she still had doubts about what she saw. So before they dig in, he turns on the small seven-inch screen on the counter.

"What's this?" she asks.

"Watch."

Soon the screen turns on and they see people walking by and cars heading down the street. He tells her it's a live feed and that it's always recording, given the line of work he's in. She watches on the monitor as he pulls up and takes the woman upstairs. They come back down about three minutes later, at which point she tearfully thanks him and gets into the cab he hailed for her.

"I don't understand," she says.

"She gave us a lead on our current case. It was a really good one, but it could get traced back to her. So, she's skipping town. I didn't want her to go empty-handed and there's too much red tape with stuff like this. It would have taken too much time if we went through the proper channels. So, I gave her a few bucks because I didn't want to risk her hanging around and getting hurt for helping us."

"Why did she come up to your place?"

"The girl is scared for her life, why would I leave her alone in the car? And did you get a good look at her? She's barely nineteen, what kind of guy do you take me for?"

"It just looked like…"

"Like I was screwing some random girl because you and I haven't had sex yet?"

"Kind of," she mumbles, looking at the floor. He places his hand under her chin and angles her face so that she's making eye contact.

"God knows I'm ready to burst, but babe, I don't want anyone but you. Just you. Now, c'mon, food's getting cold."

She tells him about how she got the program for Jamie. He's happy for both of them. Now, she can stop worrying so much. They spend the next few hours going back and forth between stuffing themselves and binge watching TV. Most of the time, they are doing both. They order Thai food, and she shares her egg rolls with him, which he's told is an act of love unto itself.

But somewhere along the way, he stops watching the screen and watches her instead. She's lying on the sofa next to him with her knees up and her head on his lap. Watching her breasts rise and fall as she breathes is hypnotizing. The soft cotton shirt she's wearing is so loose, it drapes near the opening and allows a partial view of bare breasts.

Her knees are slightly parted and I follow her exquisite legs until the damn shirt obstructs his view. Just thinking about the space between her legs and how close he is to that space makes his fucking head spin. He tries to focus on the screen again but then she scoots up further into his lap. She turns to her side, giving him a good view of his shirt cupping her ass. He feels her supple, warm breasts pressed against his thigh.

"Babe, what do have on—under the shirt?" Tobias asks.

"Nothing."

Christ.

She looks at him and takes his hand and starts to move it down her stomach and between her legs, but he stops. He takes his hand from hers, causing her to look up at him.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asks.

"I can't do this. If I touch you, I won't stop and—Christ, I can't take it anymore!"

"You don't have to, I'll make some tea and I'll tell you about me and Robert. You're not the only one who's tired of holding back…"

*****PAGEBREAK****

She is finishing their tea and after its ready he sits on one of the barstools at the counter; she gives him a mug and she also sits down.

"You can start anywhere, babe," he says.

"Okay…"

Silence.

"How did you meet Robert?" he asks softly.

"I met him three years ago. I was taking a class in grant writing because we couldn't really afford to hire a grant writer for the center. I thought I'd give it a try. The first day of class, everyone had years of experience and I was already behind. I felt like such a loser. And I wanted to pick myself up, so I went to a movie. The movie sucked and I left early, and I met Robert coming out of the same movie. He said I looked as disappointed as he felt. We started talking about the awful movie and then we got a cup of coffee next door. He was kind and sweet. He said I was different and that he liked that.

"We would made up and break up several times and each time I'd take him back because I thought I could change him. I thought if I loved him hard enough, he'd eventually be kind to me. And I held on to him because he made me believe that I only mattered so long as he was with me. Then he wanted other things. He wanted to tie me and stuff like that. He kept hounding me about it. He swore if I didn't give him the kind of sex life he wanted, he'd be forced to look elsewhere. So for his birthday, I did the bondage things he wanted and some role playing stuff. I thought that was the end of it."

"Did he want you to make it an everyday thing?" Tobias asks, unable to get the anger out of his voice.

"No, he dropped the subject. I was surprised, yet relieved. I thought we were getting better as a couple. Jana and Christina tried to warn me that Robert was and would always be a sadistic asshole, but I couldn't see it. I didn't want to."

"What made you end it?" Tobias asked.

"He had secretly videotaped us when we had sex on his birthday. He taped the bondage and the role-playing, he taped everything. When he saw that I was truly done with him, he wanted to get back at me, so he…he emailed the video to every one of my contacts, my mom, my dad,…everyone. Everyone." Tris bursts into tears. He quickly reaches out for her and she sobs into his chest.

"Tobias, there were parents on the email list, kids I kept in contact with in case they needed me. I almost lost the center. My parents couldn't look at me for months. It was my fault. It was all my fault; I let him twist and bend me like a stupid rag doll. I let love make me weak."

"Baby, that wasn't love. That was evil. Plain and simple," he says as he strokes her hair.

"I promised I would never trust anyone like that again. He destroyed me. He was the first and only guy I've ever slept with and he…he destroyed me. How can I ever trust a man again? How? I want to, I do. But I don't know how. Tell me, how?"

***PAGEBREAK***

While she's telling him her story, he thinks of all the ways he could kill and torture this Robert guy. He likes the scenario where he's on the floor begging for mercy as he cracks his ribs in two, to start. He doesn't need fancy torture devices; he just needs ten minutes with him. That's all he needs, ten minutes. As she's talking he can see her in his mind's eye begging this asshole to love her back, this piece of shit guy who doesn't deserve to live. Finding him won't be hard at all…

Focus on her. She needs you now.

He holds her against him and tries to remember that he's a cop. But he doesn't care. Not today. He just wants ten minutes…

"Tobias, I know you can find him, but please, don't. Okay? Please. Please," she says as she pulls out of his embrace.

FUCK!

"Baby, what he did to you—"

"I know but please, just let it go," she says as she wraps her arms around him. He holds her as tightly as he can without hurting her. She's the only person that could get him to calm his rage because the only thing he wants more than to kill that bastard is for his woman to be okay.

Please, God, let her be okay.

"Okay, I won't."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"It was my fault. I had so many chances to see who he was and I didn't want to. I let him have control over me, how could I have been so weak for so long? I really thought I could trust him. But I was so wrong. I was wrong and everyone in my life got front-row seats to the most private moments of my life. What was wrong with me? Why wasn't I brave enough to stand up to him? Why did I stay? Why did I let him take everything away from me?" She begs as wave after wave of heart-wrenching sobs overtake her. She's shaking as tears stream down her face.

He sits her down on the sofa and kneels down low enough to look up at her. He takes her face in his hands. "What can I do, baby? Tell me. What can I do?" I beg.

"I've never said this stuff out loud or told anyone. Is it okay if I just cry for a little while? Let me cry. Can you do that?" she whispers. He holds her and lets her cry. And for the first time in his life he truly understands just how courageous women really are…

****PAGEBREAK****

It's Monday morning and they're having coffee at his house, well that's what we're supposed to be doing but honestly neither of them has taken a sip. Tris think he's checking on her, silently trying to figure out if she's okay. The truth is, it all depends on the conversation they're about to have. He starts drinking his coffee and she follows along, not sure what else to do. She doesn't want to speak first; she don't know what to say.

"You make good coffee," he says.

"It takes a lot of talent to press the ON button but I try," Tobias replies with a smile.

"Are you sure you don't want me to make you a real breakfast?" he offers.

"No, I'm cheating on Christina by having coffee with you. I don't want to make it worse."

"I won't tell her about your little indiscretion," he assures her.

"Listen, about last night…"

"Last night…" His lighthearted tone fades.

"Does what you found out make you look at me differently?" she dares to say out loud.

"Why would it?"

"Tobias, I made a sex video and it got sent to everyone. I was weak, I was stupid—"

"Babe, you have to stop taking the blame for this guy's actions. It's insane."

"No, it's not. I did those sick things on video and—"

"You were two consenting adults. He took an intimate moment and shared it with the world because he's a sick and twisted fuck. You did nothing wrong. I won't let you keep punishing yourself. Babe, you saw who he really was and you removed yourself from his life. I'm sure that shit wasn't easy. But you did it and I'm really fucking proud of you. Now can you please stop being so hard on my girl?"

"Am I—your girl? Do you still want that?"

"You mean do I still want to be with a hot woman who spends her days helping foster kids? The same chick who got out of her warm bed so she could hear about my lousy night? Yeah, babe, I still want to be with that girl," he says as he pulls her into him and lightly bites her neck.

"Now, here's a question for you: I had no idea what was holding you back from me. Had I known it was so…awful, I don't know if I would have pushed you to tell me. But I did and I need to know, do you resent me for it?"

"No! No. I'm glad I told you. It was just nerve-racking because I thought you'd want to run away," Tris admits.

"I'm here. No running on my end. How about you, are you itching to run?"

"No, not at all."

"Good, 'cause I wouldn't let you go anyway," he says as he places his hand under her chin, tilts her head up, and kisses her. She sinks deeper into his kiss and feels the electricity of his touch surge up and down her body. She gets up on the tip of her toes so she can meet his lips. The more she tastes, the more she wants. He growls with bitter disappointment as she pulls away.

"You have to go to work and so do I," she reminds him. He looks at his watch and his eyes widen. He really does need to be at work—about ten minutes ago. He gives her a quick yet impactful kiss that makes her rethink ever leaving the house. She'd like to stay in his bed all day.

***PAGEBREAK***

"So are you you two having sex yet?" Christina asked as they had a lunch date that day.

"What? No, that's…never mind."

"Okay, okay. I will behave. Just talk to me. How is it going with you two?" she asks gently.

"We're actually doing pretty well. We haven't spent a night apart practically since we met. He's made me dinner and he's actually good at it. We make each other laugh, and we talk to each other, I mean really talk. It's so so so good."

"It's scaring the shit out of you?"

"YES!"

"Are you two sleeping together?" she asks.

"No…"

"But you want to?" she says.

"Christina, he's the first guy that made me want to try and trust again. If I can ever be intimate, I want it to be with him."

"He must be some guy…" she whispers to herself.

"He is, and his family is pretty well off. Doesn't mean anything to me but I thought you'd like to know," Tris teases.

"How well off?"

"Christina!"

She laughs and places her hand on top of Tris'. "Tris I want you to be happy. I really do. And if this guy is everything you think he is then I'm all in. I just want you to go in with your eyes open."

"I don't think that's how love works. I think you're supposed to take a leap of faith. You know, do anything for love or the promise of love."

"Is that what you're doing? Anything for him?"

"I just meant that sometimes you have to take a risk."

"Tris, are you in love with Tobias?" Christina asked.

****PAGEBREAK****

After work that day, she goes to Tobias', he told her he'd love to come home from a long shift to find her at his home. And when she hears a knock on his door, for some reason it startles her. It's not like she's at his house without permission, but still, it makes her jump. She goes over to the door and finds a flawless dark-skinned woman with a fantastic pixie haircut and stylish boots. She has full lips, rich dark brown eyes, and perfect teeth. If this is one of his exes, Tris should just give him up now.

"Can I help you?" Tris asks.

"Hi, I'm Shauna. You must be 'the pause,'" she says as she scans Tris up and down and enters the apartment.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Tris asks.

"I'm Shauna, Zeke's wife," she explains as she scopes out the scene.

"Oh, hi! I'm Tris."

"Yes, I know. Like I said, you're 'the pause,'" she replies.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what that means."

"Well when we catch up, that is to say when I force him to return my calls, I always ask about his dating life. He normally just says 'Shauna, mind your own damn business.' But the last few times I've asked him, he's taken these big dramatic pauses."

"Oh, then…yes. I guess I'm the pause," Tris replies.

"You are really too cute!" she says.

"Um…thanks? Look, Tobias isn't here so if—"

She laughs and wags her finger. "I like you," she says. "You should come to family dinner sometime," she offers.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"Don't worry, honey, I'm sure enough for us both. Don't just stand over there. Come, let's girl talk."

"That's hard to do since I don't know you."

"Yes, I suppose. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be fast friends. I was friends with a few of his past girlfriends."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he has good taste in women, eventually. They vary in background and education, but all in all, he has good taste."

"Hope I don't ruin that streak."

"We were remodeling our town house a while back and Tobias let us stay in the apartment below. I tell you the noises that came from this apartment… Honey, you are in for a treat. Wait, what the hell am I saying? I bet you already been on that ride, well congrats!" she says, laughing.

"I'm not on a ride or anything—look, I think you should come back when Tobias is home."

"Oh sure, no big deal. Tell him I came by. Oh and you really are a lucky girl. Big heart and big, well you know…"

***PAGEBREAK***

Later that night, they are having a quick dinner before Tobias has to go back to work. He learned about Shauna's visit about an hour before when Shauna called to tell him she met her. He's so upset he's hardly eating his dinner.

"Tobias, it's fine, she wasn't mean, she's just…outspoken," Tris assures him.

"That's not the point, she shouldn't have been dropping by without calling or entering the house like she owns it. And God only knows what she said to you. Knowing her it's something that crossed the line. She does that. A lot. I'm gonna kill Zeke for not warning me," he says, stabbing his dumplings.

"She didn't mean any harm. She invited me to family dinner, so she can't be that bad. At least she invited me," Tris said kidding.

"Tris, you're the same woman who tried to ditch me like ten seconds after saying you'd be right back. I know how much pressure these family things can be, and I was trying to spare you. I want you to meet my family but I want it to be on our terms, not Shauna's."

"One thing did come out with Shauna's visit…" Tris begins carefully.

"Am I gonna hate this?" he says with a deep sigh.

"Um…I'm not sure. She implied that you have had a lot of women."

"Yup, I'm gonna hate this." He grumbles.

"No, it's not a matter of how many women you've been with," Tris replies quickly.

"Then what is the matter?"

"She made it sound like you had an epic sex life."

"I hope this isn't the part where I talk because I don't really know what to say here," he admits.

"So you have had a lot of amazing sex…?"

"God, I'm seriously going kill that woman," he says, referring to Shauna.

"I just wanted to…"

"Baby, what is it you're trying to say?" he pushes.

"I went to a sex shop today. And apparently you can't get a lifetime of sex ed in a half hour. That means now that we are ready to have sex, you might be…underwhelmed by my performance."

"I sincerely doubt that," he says with a smirk as he places his hand on her thigh suggestively.

"Tobias, I'm serious. When I was with my ex…I don't think I'm good at the whole sex thing. And since he's been the only guy, he's all I have to go on."

"You've been overthinking this subject all day, haven't you?" he asks.

"What? No!" Tris lies. He raises an eyebrow.

"Only part of the day," she replies, trying to save a little dignity.

"Tris, you just opened up to me in a major way. And believe me there is nothing I want more than to make love to you. But it doesn't have to be right this second."

"Yes, but when it's time, what exactly are you expecting?"

"You on a trapeze swinging wildly and a series of top-shelf dessert toppings. In other words, the usual," he says with a smirk. She pushes him playfully and fold her arms across her chest.

"Tobias!"

He tries to suppress his silly grin but he can't. He's enjoying watching her stress out and overthink things. Damn him. He sees the dismay in her eyes and then turns all serious/sexy as he rakes over her body with his intense gaze.

"Tobias, don't do the 'smoldering, sexy thing,' just answer me."

"Wait, I have a 'smoldering sexy thing'? Good for me," he says, looking more like a playful kid than anything. Tris exhales slowly and walks over to the window.

This really isn't funny now. She's majorly insecure about pleasing him. She hates this feeling. He notes the change in her demeanor and calls her to come to him. When she doesn't come to him, he calls her again.

"C'mon, bright eyes, don't stand so far away. Come here," he says in a low, commanding yet warm tone. She walks back over to the dining table and he props her up on his knee. He places his arm around her waist and pulls her close.

"There is nothing in a sex shop that can turn me on the way your smile does. There's no other woman in world that could do to me what one of your kisses do. And believe me, when it's time for us to have sex, we'll fill the house with so many passionate screams, we'll get noise complaints from half of Manhattan."

"But I don't have the skills that other women—"

"Baby, it doesn't matter who I've been with in the past or what that woman could or couldn't do in bed. Being with you is going to be better than it was with anyone else for the simple fact that I love you. That changes everything for me."

***PAGEBREAK***

A little while later, Tris is sitting on the sofa, looking through a magazine she picked up at the sex shop. He enters the living room with this bemused look on his face. "I know, I know, it doesn't matter that you have more experience than me. But still…Tobias, I don't want to be unprepared for…you know," she mumbles.

He comes over and takes a seat next to her. He looks the magazine over, then closes it and turns his attention back to her.

"You pick this up at the sex shop?" he teases.

"Yeah, I couldn't decide what you'd like or what I'd like. And then there's these toys in the back of the but they look…complicated. I mean I'm not sure if they are toys or Ikea furniture." He watches her and tries to hide his smile but it reaches his eyes.

"What? Are you making fun of me?" she asks.

"No, babe. But I have a radical idea on how to make up for your lack of experience."

"Does it involve knives because I'm not sure—"

"No, it's not knives."

"Oh, okay. What's this radical thing you wanna try?"

"Talking."

"What?"

"Babe, come sit next to me," he says. Tris moves closer to him and tries to remember that it's rude to daydream about someone when they are talking to you. He turns to face her and lovingly brushes a stray hair away from her face.

"I love that you're thinking about ways to please me. But it's not just about me. What do you like? What makes you excited? What turns you on? What are your fantasies? Those things are important too."

"I don't know, really," she admits.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I never really got to see what worked for me. I always acted like I was being pleased so that it would make my ex happy."

"Hmmm. So, you'd fake an orgasm sometimes?" he guesses. She averts her eyes. He looks at her closely.

"Babe, you faked all your orgasms with your ex?" he asks. She shrugs her shoulders.

"Kind of," she admits slowly.

"Okay, what about on your own? You've given yourself an orgasm, right?"

"This is like…really personal," she replies, covering her face as it grows red with shame.

"I know it's personal, babe, and I promise it'll always stay between us."

"What if we break up and stuff?" she asks.

He places his hand under her chin and tilts her head up so that they're eye to eye. "Tris, it doesn't matter if we are together or not. It doesn't matter if five days or fifty years has gone by; I don't betray the people I was involved with. I don't discuss what goes on between us in the bedroom. I'm a man. That kind of shit is what little boys do. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, okay." She loves his reply.

"If you're not ready to talk about this, Tris, we don't have to."

"I think I'd like to try—talking,"

"Good; so the orgasm thing, you've only had them by your own hand or with the help of a toy?"

"Toys felt…impersonal. And when I do it myself I'm…uncertain. It feels…odd and stupid," she answers, looking away. And once again, he brings her back to eye contact.

"So you've never really had an orgasm?"

"I don't think so. But I'm really good at faking it."

"Okay, well that is a skill that we hope you won't need."

"Haha, funny,"

"Seriously, I want you to be honest. I want to know what feels good to you and what doesn't. It's the only way we can please each other—be honest. Be open."

"So, you don't want to buy anything from here?" she asks, holding up the catalog.

"I want my girl to have her first orgasm tonight. If she wants me to give her one."

"Yes, please," Tris says.

He picks her up and places her on his lap, with her knees on either side of his thigh. But he doesn't do anything, he just looks her over with this very pleased look his face. She places her hands against his solid chest as if that can stop his ardent stare.

"Stop looking at me like that." She laughs, unable to summon up the firm tone she needs for him to take her seriously. He grins and his head falls back with laughter. They share that laughter, together.

"I'm sorry but I have to stare," he says with an unmistakable lustful undertone.

"Why?"

"You are just so hard to look away from—your brilliant eyes, full lips, kissable jawline, and then there's that body…goddamn." He growls. Suddenly shy again, she turns away. "Stop leaving me, bright eyes. Stay with me," he says as he turns her face to meet his eyes. "Stay with me," he says again in a deep voice that echoes deep inside her.

She keeps eye contact and drinks him in.

He traces the outline of her lips with his thumb. He leans in slowly and tilts his head slightly. He presses his soft lips against hers, and claims her by gliding his silky tongue across her mouth. A strong, intense wave passes though her. He dips his tongue and parts her lips, demanding to taste more of her. He seeks out her tongue, coils it around his, and together they dance a series of erotic moves that make her vibrate from the inside out. He glides his mouth along the length of her neck, and she sighs and let her head fall back.

While he's sliding along her neck, his lips hit on a spot just below her ear: a spot she never knew was there. She takes a sharp breath. He goes back to that same spot and she tries not to give it away but when he glides his lips and warms her skin with his tongue, she shivers. He now knows what she just found out. She has a spot on her neck. They made their first discovery together. She wonders if he'll explore it or move on to the next. He does both: while his lips suckle on her new spot, his fingers travel to her breasts and sweep across her nipples, leaving them hard and aching for his attention.

There's a small, yet powerful whirlwind forming in her body, and the more he touches her, the more powerful it grows. She moans, not sure if she can handle this kind of singularly focused attention. Her nipples are distended and make a dent in the white fabric of her tee shirt. The whole time, he has not stopped licking and stroking the spot on her neck; there are so many sensations taking over her—between his lips, tongue, mouth, and fingers.

She can't take it anymore, she needs to feel his fingers on her nipples and this shirt is in the way. He knows that. But he's taking his time, until she can't take it and pulls the tee shirt off herself. He pinches the tips of her breasts and sends a surge of both pain and pleasure down her body.

She brings his face to her chest. He latches onto her breast and sucks—hard. Her hips grind against him in smooth strokes as her mind tries and fails to process the amount of ecstasy coursing through her. She can feel him underneath her—he's bigger than she thought, so much bigger. He hisses and growls as she grinds deeper and deeper into him. He's bringing her to the edge, and she's terrified of going over. He licks the sides of her breasts and send sparks down her spine that give her chills. She cries out, "OHSHIT!" as her head looks up towards the ceiling; she arches her back and begs for more.

He reaches inside her lace blue panties and slides his finger inside her; he thrusts, flicks, and rubs until she's shaking. He adds another finger and a force one hundred times stronger than her suddenly grips her. It rips through her body.

"Whatshappening?!" Tris pleads.

"Look at me, baby," he says as he guides her head down from the ceiling and makes her look into his heavenly face. He adds a third finger, and together they take total and complete control of her body.

"TOBIAS!" she begs.

"I want you to come for me, baby."

"I CAN'T," she moans as the passion whips its way through every cell in her body. He heats her nipples with the silky lining of his mouth, then cools them down by blowing a gentle breeze across her breasts. She's so lost in the delicious torture he's putting her nipples through, her eyes start rolling to the back of her head.

"Come for me," he growls.

"I CAN'T."

"Yes, you can."

"I CAN'T."

"You can. You will," he says as he skillfully grazes his fingers along the ridge of her clit over and over again until, "OHMYGODIMCOMING!" She screams.

"That's it, baby, just like that." He groans.

"Tobias!" Tris begs as her body spasms wildly. She's being rocked violently back and forth; she has no control over her limbs.

"I got you, baby, I got you…you're safe with me," he vows as he pulls her to him and lets her jerk against his rock-solid chest. Her body goes limp; exhausted, her head falls between his neck and shoulder. He grabs a nearby throw blanket and protectively covers her bare flesh. She spends the rest of night exactly where she belong: in his arms…

***PAGEBREAK****

Before he headed out, Tobias took one last look at her curled up in a ball on the sofa. He would have made her go into the bedroom but it would be pointless. See, every time he comes back from work, she's somehow found her way to the sofa. She lies there and falls asleep waiting for him.

His work day was long, running down a few criminals and such. His only good part was getting to go home to Tris. She's waiting up for him, and he gives her a quick kiss, and heads for the shower to get the scent of low-life scum off of him. When he come outs, he finds Tris in the bedroom, she reaches behind her back to unhook her bra and he watches her wince slightly as the silk fabric brushes against her nipples. He doesn't even remember walking into the damn bedroom, all he knows is that he's now standing behind her. He kisses the nape of her neck and whispers softly in her ear.

"Do they hurt?" he asks, signaling towards her nipples.

"Yeah, my period is two weeks away but they are already swollen and tender," She says.

"They must be really sensitive right now…" he replies thickly.

"Yes, they respond to any little thing that touches them."

He suppresses a growl as his cock stiffens. He reaches from behind and glide his thumbs down the slope of her breasts and on to their sharp peaks. She inhales slightly.

"So, if I do this…?" he asks as he captures her nipples between his thumb and index fingers. She whimpers from the slight pain but arches her back as if to ask for more.

"And what about…" he completes his thought by rapidly grazing her now taut pink buds with the palm of his hands. She purrs. He turns her around to face him. He looks into her glassy eyes and drops his head so that her hard peaks are perfectly aligned with his mouth. He uses the tip of his tongue to makes tight circular patterns on her hardened mounds. She lets out a heavy sigh.

She knows with every lick, he is getting closer to his ultimate desire. He knows she's sensitive but he needs to suckle on them; right now. "I need a taste, baby, just a little taste," he pleads. She whimpers with pleasure as he pops her right breast into his mouth and gently bite down.

She inhales sharply and gasps, "Oh…"

He alternates between kneading and suckling each tender mound; she groans, rakes her hands through his hair, and presses his face deeper into her chest. He slides his hands down her ribcage, around to her ass, and palm both cheeks. He then hoist her up and she wraps her legs around his hips. He walks her back towards the bed, never once disconnecting from her lips; their kissing reaches such a feverish pitch, they barely remember to take a breath.

He lays her down on the bed and yanks his shirt off. Their lips were parted for only three seconds and that was three seconds too long. He wants to touch as much of her as he can, for as long as he can. He wants to fill up his body, his mind, and his soul with this woman; this woman only. He places his knees on either side of her and lowers his mouth down to her seeking lips.

She bathes his bare chest with a series of open mouth kisses and skims her velvet tongue across his nipples, sending him into overdrive. The sensations caused by her lips, tongue, and teeth make him groan and swears under his breath. He licks, sucks, and flicks his way down her throat, breasts, and stomach. He glides his finger over the middle panel of her panties; it's warm, silky, and soaked all the way through.

"Christ, baby, you're so wet…" he growls as his cock expands, demanding to be released, to the point of being painful. She takes his hand and slides the panel off to the side and insert his middle finger deep inside her.

"Tobias..." she sighs. Hearing her call his name summons an animalistic growl from deep within him. The first dip his finger makes inside her makes his dick stretch past the breaking point. By the time he adds a second finger, his cock is so hard. He groans when she cries out and lift her hips to meet his thrust.

"More…" she begs.

He yanks his jeans off, more than ready to embed himself inside her and be one with her, in every way. But when he climbs on top of her there's a slight, almost imperceptible hesitation in her body.

Damn…

He can see the hesitation, feels it and so instead of being inside her, he parts her legs even further and he glides her panties down her legs. She gasps as he places his face between her thighs and slides her swollen folds apart with the tip of his tongue. He drinks every single drop her body yields to her, until he's intoxicated off her juices.

"Damn baby, you taste so good." When his tongue darts instead of slides, she lets out a sharp cry. He puts his lips together and sends out a low hum on the tip of her clit. It resonates through her entire body, causing her to arch her back high off the bed, convulse uncontrollably, and holler at the top of her lungs, "OHMYGOD!"

Her body slowly stops shaking but one quick lick from him brings a new wave of spasms. He rubs her clit with his thumb so that every time she starts to gain control of her body, she's off again, headed for yet another orgasm. Finally unable to take it, she moans in an exhausted whisper, "No more, babe, please. No more." He gently kisses her overstimulated body and climbs into bed behind her.

He wrap his arms around her and she sighs lazily as she nestles against him. She turns her head to face him; judging by her heavy eyelids, she's about to drift off to sleep. "It's never felt like this before…but what about you, why didn't you get inside me? I was so ready," she purrs as she closes her eyes.

"No, you weren't ready, baby, but it's okay. You're my girl and I'll wait for you..."

***PAGEBREAK***

When Tris pulls up to the center, all the blood drains from her face. Her body goes cold as shock washes over me. She gets out of her car and blinks several times as if what she's seeing can't possibly be real. All the windows have been shattered, the building has been spray-painted with graffiti, and locks on the doors have been cut in half, thrown to the ground. Her heart is pounding inside her chest as she runs inside the center.

The hallway is littered with torn textbooks, trash, and shattered glass. She enters the nearest classroom and find all the tables and chairs overturned. Boxes of supplies have been hurled on the floor, their contents dumped out into the center of the room. She races to the other classroom and find the same chaos awaiting her.

All their computers have been smashed, destroyed. She calls Jana but she can't find the words to tell her what happened. Luckily she's only a few minutes away and will see for herself. They even got into the media room and smashed the two TVs they had. The dumped out all ten bins of snack foods and threw them everywhere. They used bats and bashed holes into the wall. By the time Tris discovers the full extent of the damage, Jana arrives. Tris sits on the steps outside the center, numb.

Jana is horrified and making calls, a lot of calls. But Tris is just sitting still, trying to absorb what happened. There must be thousands of dollars' worth of damage. They won't be able to repair any of it. It took so long to get those computers—they don't even have enough for all the kids and now…

Tris is watching people come in and out of the center, cops in uniforms and parents who live nearby. They ask questions but she doesn't really hear them. She's far away. In her head, she's so far from this place. This must be what an out-of-body experience is like.

"TRIS, DAMN IT! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Zeke shouts.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah. I hear you," She lies. She's not sure when he got here. Jana must have called him or gotten his number from my phone.

"We need you to fill out the police report while I talk to my guys in the gang unit. Okay?" Zeke says.

"Everything is gone. All our supplies, all our computers, everything." He looks her over, shakes his head sadly, and pulls her in for an embrace.

"Ah…Tris, there's someone here to see you," Jana says in a strange voice. Tris follows her gaze and watch as Tobias gets out of the car, just in time to see her in Zeke's arms.

***PAGEBREAK***

Tobias' face is etched with worry as he comes towards her but there's something else written on his face—but it goes away quickly before she can gauge what it is. She pulls back from Zeke's embrace and as soon as he sees Tobias, he gets this look as if he's bracing himself for something. Tobias takes her by the shoulders and looks her over.

"Are you okay? Were you here when this happened? Did they say anything to you? Did you see anyone?" Tobias demands.

"I'm fine—fine," Tris lies.

"Tobias, I—" Zeke doesn't get to say another word before Tobias glares at him and marches into the center. He surveys the damage and begins to give orders. He sends some of the uniformed cops to canvass the neighborhood for witnesses while others chronicle the damage. While she watches him work, she's struck by how in control he is and how much those around him respect him. He's commanding, knowledgeable, and has an undeniable authority.

"Eaton, take a look at this," one of the officers says as they show him a file cabinet. All the staff files have been pulled out and thrown on the floor. "According to Ms. Prior, there are twelve people working at the center. We found eleven staff files."

"Shit…" Tobias hisses as he takes her aside.

"What is it, what does that mean?" Tris asks.

"They kept your file, they are not done with you."

"You're saying I can't go home tonight?"

"I'm saying you can't go home—period."

"Wait, no…I can't just leave my home," Tris pleads.

"You don't have a choice until we find the guys that did this."

"What about my things?"

"Look I'll have a patrol car swing by," Zeke says.

"I need to talk to you," Zeke says to Tobias.

"Not now you don't," Tobias replies as he marches away. Zeke takes off after him. Tris races after them.

"Look, let me explain," Zeke offers. Tobias is livid now and turns to face his partner.

"She doesn't know what these guys are capable of, she's a civilian. But you know this shit! You know what can happen when a gang wants to make their mark. You let her walk around with no protection and no security whatsoever. She works late all the time, she could have been here when they did this. You have been hiding this shit from me for God knows how long, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"We had it under control, Tobias. We just didn't—"

"Under control? Does this shit look like it's under control?" he barks.

"She wanted to tell you in her own time—

"I don't give a damn what she wanted. You're a cop, you know what's out there. This was about her safety. You fucked it up!"

"Look, man, you don't get it—"

"NO! YOU DON'T FUCKING GET IT! SHE COULD HAVE BEEN HERE WHEN THIS SHIT WENT DOWN! SHE COULD HAVE BEEN...JUST STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"

Tobias has been waiting for her in the car. He hasn't said anything since he blew up at Zeke. She knows that he really wants to blow up at her. If its anyone's fault, it's hers. Her center is closed, their kids are displaced, the repair bill will be sky high, and she's ruined the friendship between Tobias and Zeke. She steals a glance in his direction and there's no mistaking the look on his face—Tobias hates her right now.

He arranged for a female officer to get some of her clothes from her place. They're now in the back of his trunk. When he gets to his place, he gets her suitcase and takes it upstairs. All the while not saying a word to her. Okay, she is not going to just bitch and moan about Tobias being mad. She can fix this. Everything else is screwed up right now but not this, she can fix this. Okay, here goes nothing.

Tris enters the kitchen, where he's just downed a bottle of beer in three big gulps. His jaw is tense, his arms are folded tightly across his broad, muscular chest. God, even when he's pissed off, he's sexy. Or especially when he's pissed.

"Tobias, I wasn't trying to keep this from you,"

"That's funny because that's exactly what happened," he replies.

"I know. I was gonna bring it up but it was never the right time."

"Do you understand what you did? You knew a gang was around you. A gang that's new and has something to prove."

"I know, it was stupid."

"No, it's more than that. There are guys on that crew who are one violation away from going in for life! Do you know what they would do to you if they thought for a second that you could get them sent back to prison? They have enemies whose bodies we have yet to find. What the hell were you thinking, Tris?!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. Because not only did you put yourself at risk, you are not doing the kids any favors."

"Yeah, I know. Instead I tried to handle it on my own."

"And when that didn't work, you didn't come to me. You went to Zeke," he said, sounding just as hurt as he is pissed off.

"I didn't want to bother you."

He places his hands on the rim of kitchen sink behind him and hangs his head in a mix of frustration and anger.

"I know it sounds silly, but you've already done so much for me, so…I didn't want to push it," Tris admits.

"I'm not sure if you're just lying to me or if you're lying to yourself too."

"What does that mean?"

"The reason you didn't come to me and tell me about this has nothing to do with you not wanting to bother me. It has nothing to do with how much I do or did not do for you."

"You seem to have a theory, Mr. Eaton. You wanna share with the class?"

"Yeah, sure. Here's my theory. You're afraid of letting me in your life in any real way, so much so that you would rather go to anyone else for help. That way you can put yet another wall between us."

"Hey, that's not fair! That's not what—" She stops as he heads out of the apartment.

"Tobias, wait!"

"I…I need some air..."

***PAGEBREAK***

For the record Tobias no fucking idea where he's headed. All he knows is that he can't be home right now. He told her he loves her and God knows he does but she has yet to say it back. He always thought it was a matter of her working up the courage but maybe he was wrong. Maybe she hasn't said it because she doesn't feel that way. Maybe he's pushing her in a direction she really doesn't want to go.

FUCK!

He knows this is fast for her, that shit was fast for him too. He has never wanted a woman with the intensity that he wants Tris. He can't remember the last time he thought about someone as much as he does Tris. The hold she has on him is thrilling but also scary as hell. He's falling so hard and so goddamn fast; it's all he can do to hold on. But all of that was worthwhile because he knew she was falling too. They were in the same whirlwind, for better or worse, but maybe he was wrong.

The thought that Tris may not feel what he feels for her hits him like a heated blade through the chest; it fucking burns. And when he thinks of her going to another guy for help, it's like that blade is twisting and digging deeper into him. His anger returns and this time it's aimed at Zeke. He knew better than to keep that shit from him. That's not how partners work. She must have felt some kind of connection to go to him, though. It's not like she went to just any random cop, she went to him.

Before Tobias knows, it, he's at Zeke's door.

When Zeke opens the door and sees Tobias standing there, glaring at him, he knows right away why he came. "If you're going to beat the crap out of me, be a decent guy and do it in the kitchen near the cold beers," he says as he opens the door wider and heads back inside. Tobias follows him into his relatively new apartment, where he's surrounded by boxes. He makes his way to the kitchen and he follows.

"Where's Shauna and Mia?" Tobias asked.

"They went to see her parents for the week. Now ask what you want to."

"Is there something going on with you two? I need to know that shit and don't you fucking lie to me," Tobias threats.

"C'mon, if you really thought there was really something going on with us, we would have been having this conversation in the ER," he says as he hands Tobias a cold beer.

Tobias knows he's right. There's nothing between them. But it still hurts that she went to another man. As he walks around the place, he picks up a doll of Mia's. A doll that she had wanted that Zeke had to track down last Christmas.

Tobias would like to think he's that kind of closeness with his own kid someday. He thinks somewhere way in the back of his head, he kind of pictured his kid with Tris' eyes.

Tris..

"We ok?" Zeke asks.

"Fine, but next time you keep something like this from me, I'm shooting you in the fucking balls."

***PAGEBREAK***

Tris hears him come back and gets of his bed, wearing only one of his shirts. She finds him sitting on the sofa in the living room.

"Tobias, please talk to me. Tell me what's on your mind," she insists.

"I thought that you had issues trusting guys but then when you went to Zeke…"

"I made it seem like I trusted him and not you," she concludes.

"I don't know what else to make of it,"

"The reason I didn't go to you is because I needed you. And that need scared the shit out of me."

"Yeah, I get that. I do. But…Zeke…"

"There is nothing between the two of us. He's a good guy who tried to help me out. It's you that I keep thinking about. It's you that makes my stomach flip when you enter a room. And when my phone rings, and I see that it's you on the other line…I feel like I won something. Something wonderful."

"It's the exact same thing for me but I just don't want to push you into something you're not ready for. I'd hate to be that guy with you. I need to know, am I in this thing alone?"

"My locksmith thinks I have a crush on him," she says.

"What?"

"He's about seventy-two, bald, and has a glass eye. He thinks I like him because I keep coming into his shop to remake the same key over and over again. He thinks I'm using it as an excuse to see him."

"I don't get it, why are you going there so much?"

"I made you a key a while ago. Then I threw it away because I thought you'd think I was being pushy. But then you gave me a key and I had another one made. Then I got freaked out and threw it out. Only to go back and get it copied again."

"Wow, and how many times…?"

"Let's put it this way: I might need to take out a loan to pay off my locksmith."

"Aw, babe! That's crazy," he has to smile. "Why didn't you just have one made and give it to me when you're ready?" Tobias asks.

"I'm ready," she says, handing him a shiny silver key.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. If you still want it—it's yours," she says sincerely.

"I do want it, babe, but for us to work, you have to talk to me. You have to be able to trust me and I have to be able to trust you."

"I know that, but you have to believe I'm trying, I really am."

"I know. And look, I'm not saying you have to get over your past in one day but we have to deal with that together. You can't go to someone else—another guy—for help. I'm not gonna lie, baby, that shit really fucking hurt."

"I know. I'm sorry. From now on, it's the two of us," she says, taking his hand in hers.

"And it's okay if that freaks you out, just tell me so we face it, don't hide."

"Deal," she assures him.

"And please, please don't go around any more gang members. My heart can't take that shit," he informs her.

She laughs. "I promise," she says, looking into his eyes.

"You should get some rest, babe, it's after midnight."

"Only if you're with me," Tris says as he puts his hands in hers and together they went to sleep in his bed.

****PAGEBREAK****

A task force was set up to capture a criminal who was selling guns to teens, and they were a few bodies short, so Tobias volunteered. They were undercover and had a briefcase of money to give to him for the guns. It was going well enough, until Moose the criminal got a call at that exact moment. Tobias no idea who was on the other end but whoever it was blew their cover. Moose had never spent one night in prison and the thought of changing that scared the shit out of him. He vowed he'd rather die than go inside for the rest of his life.

He took six of them hostage and right away, he knew he was in over his head. Tobias could tell by the fear growing in his eyes. This guy had no idea what to do. They tried to talk him down but he held on to his weapon for dear life and used Tobias as a shield. By now Tobias is certain there are snipers on the roof but there's no clear shot because Moose backed himself into the wall. The only way to get to him is to get to Tobias.

The cop across from Tobias is Detective Henson. Tobias has known him from previous cases and he's a damn good shot. He gives him the go-ahead to take the shot when he finds an opening. Tobias is hoping he can do that without killing his ass; meanwhile, the other detectives try to distract Moose. It works. He's so pissed off that one of them won't put his hands up, he turns to face him and gives Henson a clear shot. Henson takes it...

"I swear to god it's more pleasant to be shot than write a report about how you got shot," Tobias barks to himself as he looks over all the forms on his bedside table. The bullet just grazed him. It hurt like a bitch, but it's not serious. So when Zeke walks into his hospital room, he's not sure why he looks so upset.

"I know that look isn't because you're concerned about me." Tobias laughs, happy to make fun of him.

"Nah, I don't even like you. I just hang out with you for your family money," he replies.

"Good to know," Tobias replies. "What's up?" He asks as he studies the uncertainty on his face.

"For a while there, we didn't know what was going on, we had no eyes in that room," he explains.

"Yeah, I asked the tech guys, they said there was some kind of interference around the building; it was wreaking havoc on the monitors."

"Well, I know you're okay and you're only wearing that stupid bandage on your arm to get attention, very desperate of you by the way," he scolds.

"You're right. It's a shameful ploy, on my part," Tobias replies shaking his head. "To hell with these fucking papers. I'm ready to get out of here and go home to Tris."

"Yeah, so that's what I came to tell you. She's here."

"What? Why? Don't tell me you called her," Tobias snaps.

"I had to."

"Zeke! C'mon, man. We have a pact."

"Yeah, I know. We don't worry family unless it's very real and very bloody."

"Exactly. So why did you call Tris?"

"It was on the news, I don't know how the media found out but I thought it might be a bad idea to let her find out that way."

"Damn…yeah, you're right," Tobias reasons. "How's she taking it?"

"Not good," he replies.

"You told her I'm okay, right?"

"Yeah."

"But not good enough."

"If you heard she was hurt, would you just take someone else's word for it that she was okay?"

"Yeah, good point. How freaked out is she?" Tobias asks.

"She's sitting next to the family of the cop that got hit when Moose's gun went off as it fell to the floor."

"Yeah, his name is…Cross, right?"

"Yes, and he didn't make it."

"GODDAMNIT!"

"They just told his family," Zeke replies sadly.

"Great, just fucking great,"

"Some of the guys are gonna have a drink in his honor, at bar near the station, later tonight."

"Okay, I'm there."

"Actually, I think you're gonna be busy," he says.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw her, man…it's happening."

"No…" Tobias grumbles.

"Yup. There's no way around it," he says sadly.

"Maybe she'll just see that I'm okay and let it go," Tobias suggests.

He laughs at Tobias. "I have never met a woman who knew how to let anything go. I didn't remember to take out the trash on Mother's Day when I was fifteen and my mom had to take it out herself. I swear to you, every year my mother calls me to remind me about it. She calls it "The Dark Day."

"I can't have that conversation with her. You know that," Tobias said.

"I do."

"It's the kind of conversation that fucking ends relationships."

"Yeah but it's also the kind that you can't avoid."

"Damn. She's gonna ask me, isn't she?" Tobias asks.

"Yup, she's gonna ask you to stop being a cop."

She enters the room and she's near tears. She's only focusing on the bandage around his arm. He points out every few minutes that it's really just a flesh wound and that he's fine. He swears it says it a million times hoping it will help ease her mind. He hates being someone she stresses over. When they get to the car, he tells her that he can drive and she looks at him as if to say "touch the wheel and I kill you." So, he wisely backs away and lets her drive.

Once they get home he tries again to assure her. "It's only a flesh wound, babe. I swear."

God, she looks so sad. Yeah, they are definitely headed for that damn talk.

"Come, let's just sit here, okay?" He offers as he pulls out a stool for her to sit on.

"Okay."

She stills for about three seconds. Then she gets up to do shit that doesn't need doing. God help him. She's freaking out. He can tell although she's trying like hell to hide it. She doesn't know what to do with her hands, her breathing has quickened, and she's avoiding eye contact at all cost.

She knew he was a cop and they met while he was on duty but tonight is different somehow. She had to watch as the whole thing played out on TV and it scared the shit out of her. He's scared as fuck too but not about what just went down. He's afraid of the conversation that usually takes place following this type of shit. Maybe he's wrong, maybe tonight didn't freak her out and she's stressing about the center and not about his job.

Yeah, that could be it. She's probably not even thinking about what he does.

"Have you always wanted to be a cop?" she asks.

Fuck.

"Yeah," Tobias replies, feeling his chest tighten.

"Always? You never thought about anything else? I mean I'm sure you're good at a lot of things."

ARGH!

"No, babe, I've never thought about being anything else."

"You were really great when you talked to the kids at the center. They loved having you," she says with a hopeful smile.

Christ.

"I loved talking to them. You have some really good kids. So, how is the search for more funding going?" he asks, desperate to change the subject.

"Very slowly. So, does talking to kids about staying off drugs and stuff pay the same as being a regular cop?"

Here we go…

"I don't know what they make but being a cop isn't about money, so…"

"Oh no, of course not. I didn't mean…I just thought you were so great with the kids…"

"And…"

"And what?"

Tobias sighs deeply and tries to keep his frustration at bay. "And you think talking to kids is safer than me running around town getting shot at," I conclude.

"Well, isn't it?" she replies.

"You never know, I could piss off some first grader and have pudding hurled at me. That's no laughing matter. That's like a twenty-five-dollar dry cleaning bill."

"That's not funny."

"Well dessert-related crimes never are," he replies with a fake bitter tone.

"Tobias!"

"What?"

She glares at him. God, she's even hot when she's upset. There goes the tightness in his chest again. He needs her to drop this subject that she's trying to tiptoe around. But he can tell by the furrowed brows, she has no intention of dropping the issue.

"Hey, I'm really serious here. You would make a wonderful outreach officer. You could go around to different schools all over the city; you could really help some kids. And you'd change their lives," she pleads.

"I had a good time doing it and I'd love to do it again, once in a while, if they need a last-minute replacement and I happened to be around."

"No, I mean maybe you should do it full time," she says.

His shoulders start to tense up and he swears to God someone placed a large boulder on top of his neck. He places his hand behind his head and tries to rub the stress away but it does no good. He walks into the kitchen, praying to God she doesn't follow him.

She follows him.

Damn…

He reaches for the door of the fridge and she blocks him by placing her body in front of him. God, that body. Even when he's stressed and annoyed, he can't help but want it.

"Babe, I need to get some water. Can you please move?"

"Can you please answer my question: Don't you think you'd make a great outreach officer?"

He walks out of the kitchen.

"Why are you running away from me? I'm talking to you," she challenges.

"Babe, you're not talking to me. You're dancing."

"Dancing?"

"Yes! You're dancing around the subject. Just come out and say what you need to say," Tobias says.

"I'm saying what I need to say. You're not listening."

"No, I am listening. But you are hiding behind the wrong questions and it's…argh!"

"This feels like an argument but I don't know why," she admits.

"Can we sit?" He asks as he walks over to the sofa. She follows him and sits alongside him. He makes himself wait until he's certain his voice won't come off harsh or annoyed. That takes a few moments, to be honest.

"Tris, you're not asking me if I want to be an outreach officer and talk to kids about staying off drugs."

"Yes, I am."

"No, babe, what you are really asking is if I would consider ending my career as a detective in exchange for a safer job."

"Yeah, I guess I was asking that," she admits. "Is that something you would even consider?"

"You know most guys live in fear of the 'where is this relationship going' conversation, and while that's very high on the list, the conversation most single cops hate is the 'Do you have to be a cop' conversation. Do you know why?" Tobias asks.

"No."

"Because it's usually the last one they have before they break up."

"Tobias, are you saying that we're—"

"No, babe. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying once we go down this road and we have the conversation you are trying to have…we can't come back from it. If I say I won't quit being a cop, it will push you away. If I quit being a cop…"

"It would make you miserable," she reasons.

"Yeah, it would."

"I can see that," she says as she stares off in the distance. His heart is on the fucking floor right now. It's never good when Tris goes quiet.

"Babe, please don't do that right now,"

"What am I doing?" she asks.

"You're going dark. You're thinking all these thoughts and you're keeping them to yourself. You're blocking out the entire world and creating this mass frenzy in your head and out here, I'm left wondering what the fuck is going on. So please, just don't go dark and break off all communication."

"I didn't give you a real kiss before when I last saw you," she blurts out.

"What?"

"This evening, I was rushing out and you were running late…I didn't get to give you a real kiss. And then a few hours later I'm watching on the news and there were gunshots and I thought…I didn't get to kiss you the way I wanted to if it was the last time. And I didn't get to tell you…"

"Tell me what, babe?"

"I…I …" She bursts into tears and he places her head against his chest. Knowing that he's the reason she's been reduced to tears makes him feel like shit. Fuck, he would do anything to make it better, but this is the kind of stuff that can't really be made right.

"Baby, I get it. I do," he assures her.

She pulls out of his embrace and reaches for the box of tissues. "I'm sorry. I didn't think I'd do this. I mean I met you while you were on duty. And you told me how much your job means to you. It's just that when I saw the footage…I thought I'd never see you again. And that scared me so much. I don't want anything to happen to you," she says as she tries to pull herself together.

"You don't have to be sorry. I love that you care so much about me. My mom stays constantly worried." Tobias said.

"How is she okay with that?" Tris asks.

"I don't think she's okay with it. But I think she gets that when all is said and done, it's who I a. It's what makes me happy. And she is strong enough to put her worries aside and let me be who she raised me to be."

She snuffles as she cries what he hopes are her last stream of tears. "Wow…I am in awe of your mother," She says.

"Well don't think she doesn't give me crap for it. She tries to guilt me all the time. She sends me 'are you done playing with guns' messages that are cleverly disguised as 'I'm just checking up on my boy.' They are usually twenty minutes long and she goes on and on about how she's growing old and fragile. And how I should consider retiring to spend time with her. Then she adds a weak cough at the end of it. She gives an Oscar winning performance each time."

"I take it she's not fragile?"

"Are you kidding? That lady could easily take anyone. She is fit and in perfect health. She just likes making me feel guilty. But she puts up with so much because of my line of work, I get it."

"And you said you'd quit for her but she said no?"

"Yeah, she did. It was hard for her. I know it was. But in the end, she loved me enough to allow me to do what I do. What I need to know is where you stand on that. I know it was hard to sit and watch that story play out. And baby, I am sorry it freaks you out. But I need to know, is this something you can live with?"

"Before I answer that"—she stops midsentence and flares her arms out as if she's about to make a grand announcement—"how do you feel about the wide, wondrous world of …accounting!"

He throws his head back and chuckles as he grabs her and places her on her lap. He holds her tightly against him and leans her head to the side so he can have access to the nape of her neck. He squeezes her firmly and kisses up and down her neck.

God, he loves this woman.

"Babe, I know it's not easy being with a cop. But I need to know that you're up for it. Are you?"

She inhales deeply and looks at him. "Yes, I am. I am up for it. But no matter what happens, you make sure you bring your ass home to me, every night. Got it?" she says. He suppresses a smile. Damn, she's sexy as fuck when she takes that tone.

"Do you understand, Mr. Eaton? You will make it home safe every night, right?"

"Damn right."

***PAGEBREAK***

He palms her ass and hoists her up onto his hips with such force, she gasps as she wraps her legs around his waist. She doesn't pull back; instead she holds his face with both hands and kisses him with such frenzy, she makes the fucking room blur. They kiss every inch of exposed skin they can find on each other as he carries her into the bedroom.

He shuts the door behind them and slams her against it. They start to strip as if their very lives depend on how quickly they can get naked, and he swears to god it does. Outside it's pouring rain now and inside clothes are flying in the air. He unties, unzips, and chews through buttons—whatever he needs to do to get to her bare flesh.

She's left with only her bra and panties when he lays her down on the bed. He climbs on top of her, placing his knees on either side of her. She lifts her back off the bed and kisses him all over until he's so hard, he hisses from the pain. He hungrily places his mouth on her breast and summons her nipple though the mesh fabric of her bra. And within seconds, her hard points are bursting through the fabric.

She's panting as she rakes her hands through his hair. He attends to both nipples in very different ways. He bites lightly on the right and kneads the left. The combination of pain and pleasure causes her to cry out. He reverses it so that the nipple that was once in pain is now taut with pleasure. He tastes every inch of her upper body and leaves her weak and begging for him to take off her bra so there is nothing between them.

"Please, please." She moans as she reaches out to him. He removes her bra and pops her breast into his mouth. She sighs and presses him up against her chest. He makes his way down her body, between her already trembling legs. He glides his hands over her panties. The sight of her ready, willing, and wet is almost more than he can stand. He opens her legs wider, moves the panel aside, and sink his fingers inside.

Tobias quickly unbuckles his belt, tosses his jeans aside, and only his boxers remain. She sees the large bulge and she's excited. She's also scared. She's both and uncertain which side will win out. He grabs a condom from the nightstand, take off his boxers, and puts it on. He then licks her inner thigh until she sighs his name. He circles her clit with his tongue but teases her by never touching it head-on. She squirms with need as he teases her with his mouth. Finally, unable to take the torment of not being inside her, he parts her legs and places the tip of his cock inside her opening. She hesitates. It's ever so slight but he can feel it.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she says, suddenly sitting up, ashamed.

"You felt it?"

"Yes, I just closed up, I don't know why…I'm sorry," she says, on the verge of tears.

"Hey, stop, baby. Stop saying you're sorry. It's okay."

"What's wrong with me?" she begs.

"Not a damn thing. I have an idea." He reposition the two of them. They sit in the center of the bed; he places her on his lap, facing him. Her legs are wrapped around his waist. That way, she has all the control. She looks into his eyes, worried and overwhelmed. He needs to help her find a way through, the same way she has done for him these past few days.

She searches his eyes and sees that he is not frantic or pissed off that she couldn't let him in. He's just happy to be holding her in his arms. They are literally entangled in each other. There's no else in the world but them.

"Hi, bright eyes," he whispers as she gazes at him.

"Hi," she says in a deep loving tone that resonates deep inside him.

"The only thing I'm here to do is love you. Do you believe me?" Tobias asks.

"Yes."

"Then let me love you," Tobias replies. She nods slowly. "Grab me." A spark appears in her eyes. "The last time you were with someone like this, they betrayed you. I won't ever do that. You believe me, babe?"

"Yes," she says.

"Put it in," he whispers in her ear. She grazes the tip of his cock with her finger, almost by accident as she wraps her hand around it; the sensation is so good, he has to suppress a groan. Her touch is light but causes an unspeakable amount of pleasure inside him. She places him inside her as far as she thinks it can go. He fills her to the brim, and she inhales sharply as she adjusts to take him in.

"That's good, baby." He swallowed hard and try to stop the dizziness that comes with being so fucking hard and turned on. "You need to keep going. Take all of me inside you, baby."

"There's more of you…?" she asks, breathless.

"Yeah," he replies, laughing softly. She laughs softy too. It's such a silly, stupid moment. But laughing while he's inside her helps. She's now more relaxed. He takes the moment and he thrusts the rest of the way in. She groans out loud and clings to his neck.

"Jesus, babe, you're so tight…so wet,"

"It hurts." She whimpers.

"I know, baby, I know. It's because you're fighting me."

"I want you, Tobias; I do."

"Good, baby. Then let me in,"

"Oh…."

"Let me in, baby,"

"Oh..."

"Does it hurt, baby?"

"Yes." She pants. He uses his thumb to play with her clit so she can focus on the pleasure and not just the pain.

"Do you want me to stop?" Tobias asks as he thrust slowly..

"No…" she moans.

"That's it, baby, just like that," he caresses her earlobe with his tongue and whispers in her ear. "Tris, I belong to you. All of me. Do you belong to me?"

"Yes."

He starts pumping in and out of her. She screams as she tilts forward and sinks her teeth into his neck. His thrusts taking him deeper and deeper into heaven. He can hear her breathing hard against his ear as she rocks back and forth. Fuck, he's so goddamn lost inside her; he has to force himself to check in with her. If she wants to stop, he will stop.

"You good, babe?"

"It hurts," she says. Fuck. He makes himself pull out of her. She looks at him like he just pulled the plug on her life support.

"No, no, no. Why did you stop?" She moans.

"You said it hurt."

"Yeah, it hurts good. It hurts really good now," she says as she takes him and inserts him inside her.

Now she's really ready.

There is no more hesitation in her. She hops on him and rides him like it's what she went to school for. She glides up and down his shaft faster and faster, until he's on the fucking edge and about to forget who he is. She swirls and shifts her hips in a way only his body can understand. She grinds and slides up and down his lap, taking all of him inside her, as her breasts bounce high in the air. He kneads them with his mouth, but he's rocking so much, they sometimes pop out. He greedily pulls them back into his mouth again.

Without warning, he picks her up and places her face down on the bed. He takes her from behind, before they fall seamlessly into one sex position after another. The rain bangs on the window as their sweaty bodies collide. The last position they take is the one they keep coming back to—sitting in the middle of the bed, facing each other, legs intertwined.

She's about to ride him to the last orgasm his body can take. She's controlling this ride. She moves slowly and rhythmically. The passion she created in him is beyond what he can handle. FUCK! He drive into her for the last time; she arches back and shouts, "Tobias!" They cling to each as the ecstasy claims them yet again.

As they lay there, as the last bit of their strength takes them, she whispers to him the words he had been aching to hear. "Tobias, I love you."

She loves him. She loves him. He loves this woman more than life. He feels a tear leave his eye and trail down onto her cheek. He kisses that cheek and tells her. "I love you, Tris. So much."

****PAGEBREAK***

He left his hand prints all over her. He marked her in places no one had ever even touched before. Her body is still buzzing from his touch. She's never been so drained and yet so satisfied in her life. She watches his eyes flutter as he sleeps peacefully beside her. The gentle sound of rain mixes with the sound of passing cars from the street below. She looks over at the clock by the bed; it's four in the morning.

She's exhausted but she doesn't want to close her eyes and miss this moment.

Their moment.

She turns on his side, facing away from him, but go in close so she can snuggle against him. He instinctively wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her tighter. Her lips glide into a smile, and he wakes and nibbles on her neck.

"Sorry, I woke you," she whispers.

"I'm not," he says as he trails his fingers along her spine and down to her lower back. His touch alone makes her head spin. She had slipped on one of his tee shirts sometime in the middle of the night and now he's seeking what's under it. He grazes her thigh; she shakes her head and turns to face him.

"Happy Birthday, Tobias," Tris said as she reached for a bag by the bed and gives him a small box.

"Tris, how did you know?" Tobias asked.

"Zeke told me," Tris asked.

Tobias smiles as he opens the box. "A key?"

"To my heart, it's yours," Tris said. "Do you like it?"

"No, I love it." Tobias says as he kisses her lips. "But there's something else I want for my birthday. Something only you can give me," he says. He gets out of bed and pulls on some lounge pants and walks back to her and takes a knee before her and takes out a stunning ring. It has diamond-encrusted bird wings that meet in the middle, with a large diamond in the center.

"I didn't think all my problems could go away in a flash but that's what happens when you smile at me. It doesn't matter what happens on the job because when I come home to you, you make it all better. Your love fixed me. I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you have made me. You think that I rescued you that night in alley but the truth is, you saved me. And you have been saving me every day since then. I love you more than anything in this world, will you marry me?"

There's a big lump in her throat and tears spring to her eyes. It's hard to see him behind the tears, it's actually blurry. "Tobias, this doesn't make sense. We have only known each other for a few weeks. And yet I know in my soul that I don't want to belong to anyone but you. When we first met you said that I would have to find a place to land sooner or later. And I did. I found you: my safe place to land. I love you so much. Yes, yes! I will marry you!"

***Six years later***

They are under attack! Tobias thinks back to how this all started and he knows for a fact that his wife is to blame. Their kids decided to wake their parents up early today. He loves his family and he can't imagine life without them.

What he blames his wife for is forgetting to lock the bedroom door. That's how they walked right into this pillow fight ambush. Theo is almost six and Thea is four. You'd think they would be too young to plan a coordinated attack but here they are kicking their parents' butts. And for the record, these aren't light pillows. These kids are way too strong.

"Seriously, what are we feeding you guys?" Tobias asks as Theo jumps on his chest, pillow in hand.

"Hey, you can't attack me, I'm your mom!" Tris reminds Thea.

"Sorry, Mom, I gotta do this," she says as she brings the pillow down on her head.

"Babe, I'm coming to rescue you," Tobias shouts as if she really were in trouble. The kids start to pummel their parents.

"Okay, okay! We give up! We surrender," his wife says. The kids jump up and down excitedly.

"Now if all of you little terrors are not brushing your teeth by the time I count to five, no one is going ice staking tomorrow," Tobias warns.

His wife starts counting. "One, two…" they hear the patter of tiny feet racing throughout the house. They laugh as they make their way to their room.

"You and Zeke are working tomorrow, right?" His wife asks.

"Yeah, new case. Why?" Tobias asks.

"I need to steal Shaua from him for the night. We're going shopping. I need a dress for the dinner and you need a new suit."

"What I need is my wife, naked," he teases as he nibbles on her ear.

"Tobias," Tris said.

He kisses her neck and whisper, "At that dinner we're having, don't drink any alcohol, okay?"

"Um…okay, why?"

"You're pregnant," Tobias replies.

"What? No! I'm not…Am I?"

He doesn't say anything; He just smirks.

"Tobias, what makes you think I'm pregnant?"

He whispers in her ear, "Babe, I know your body…"

It's a year later and their daughter Rose has just started sleeping through the night. She's a perfect little baby, and they are hopelessly in love with her.

It's late in the Eaton household when he checks on baby Rose. She's sound asleep, thank God. On his way back to the bedroom, he hears his wife inside Theo's room. She's just finished telling him a bedtime story.

"One more!" Theo shouts.

"I have a story for you," Tobias says as he stands in the doorway. "Did I ever tell you about the time I found something in a dark alley?" His wife shakes her head and starts to laugh.

"Daddy, what did you find? Was it treasure?" Theo asks.

Tobias looks over at his wife. "Yes, it was the biggest treasure in the world…"

The End