AN: I was looking through all the stories I have partially drafted, and found this one. I could have sworn I posted this but I can't find it on FF. So here you go. If you've read this before, let me know. This will be a short story – maybe a two or three chapter "one shot". Leave a review i you like what you've read! (Or even if you didn't.)

EOEOEOEOEO

Olivia sat down at her desk and dropped her head in her hands. She and Elliot had been here until after 2AM, and now here she was, less than 5 hours later, sitting at her desk again. She'd had to cancel another date last night…one of a string of many over the past several months…and she was tired and she was crabby. It was like every pervert and sociopath had been let loose in the city and made it their person business to ensure she never had sex again…at least not with a real live person.

Munch set a mug of coffee in front of her. "You look like you could use this." He said. He'd been off the past couple of days, but he had obviously heard about her late night.

Olivia lifted her head from her hands and focused on the mug of coffee. She picked it up and took a sip. She looked up at Munch. "Thank you." She said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Munch sat down on the edge of her desk, and Olivia leaned back in her chair, creating some space so she could look up at him.

"Heard you had to cancel your date last night." He said.

Olivia furrowed her brow. How could he possibly know that? She glanced over at Fin and saw he was ignoring them. It was beyond her why her love life was a topic of conversation but he had been here last night, so it was either he or Elliot. "Yeah." She took another sip of her coffee.

"That sucks." He said.

Olivia sighed. That was the understatement of the year. It was hard enough to find a guy she was even interested in… and that she trusted. It only took one or two canceled dates before they gave up. So far, over the past few months, it had been three different guys and seven canceled dates.

"Yeah." She said, agreeing with him before she took another sip of coffee. "That's the third date I had to cancel with this guy. He won't call back again."

"You never know." Said Munch, walking back to his desk. "If it were me, I'd keep calling."

"Because you're that desperate." Said Fin, chiming in on the conversation. He looked over at Olivia. "It won't always be this crazy." He said, focusing his attention back on his computer screen.

Olivia nodded absentmindedly. Their hours had been insane since the end of May, and it was already the end of July.

The worst part was that all these extra hours at work meant more time with her sexy as hell partner.

She wasn't exactly sure when she'd given herself permission to start thinking about him that way. She supposed it was about the time he stopped wearing his ring and told her the divorce was final. When he'd provided that little piece of information, all of the thoughts and feelings she'd suppressed for so long came to the surface, threatening to suffocate her with a dizzying array of possibilities. She wouldn't have to feel guilt eating away at her for her unwholesome thoughts. She didn't have to worry if she stared at him for a minute too long. Or wonder what it would be like to have him press up her against the wall and kiss her.

She had a sneaking suspicion she wasn't the only one. She'd have to be blind to miss the way Elliot looked at her over the years…she knew he had some of the same thoughts she'd had. And that he had worked hard to suppress them himself.

Or course she hadn't been naïve enough to think that he'd show up at her doorstep the day after his divorce was final. But she'd expected they'd spend more time together. That he'd talk to her. That maybe…just maybe…they'd start being honest with each other.

It had been a complete and utter mindfuck when the nature of their relationship hadn't changed. At all. It had been six long months and he carried on like nothing had changed. If anything, he had been a little more distant than usual.

Fin disturbed her thoughts. "You gonna sit there and wait for Stabler or you gonna go wake him up?"

Olivia turned to face him, setting her mug of coffee on her desk. "Wake him up?"

"Yeah. He's sleeping in the cribs."

Olivia furrowed her brow. Why would he be sleeping in the cribs?

She stood up, swiping her hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear. She was annoyed that he was sleeping a few feet away when they'd agreed to meet back here at 7. She'd gotten up, showered, changed and cabbed here to work, and he couldn't walk ten feet to get here on time? She considered leaving him there and letting Cragen read him the riot act when he realized he was missing, but she figured he was as tired as she was, and probably didn't need that today. She pushed her tired body up from her chair and headed to find her partner.

She pushed open the door, letting light from the hallway flood into the room. She could see the bunk he'd slept in; it was the one she usually slept in and she wondered briefly about his choice. It was empty, the blanket crumpled messily at the end of the bed.

She wove through the beds, headed towards the lockers, when she saw him emerge from the bathroom.

"Hey Liv." He said. He stopped when he saw her standing there. "Did you just get here?'

Olivia couldn't form words. Elliot had clearly just taken a shower. She desperately tried to keep her eyes trained on his face, but she could see his bare chest in her peripheral vision. It still had a sheen of moisture, and suddenly she was consumed with the idea of dragging her lips across his shoulder…her tongue across his broad chest. She lost her battle and let her eyes drop down, the image of her mouth against his skin still fresh in her mind as her eyes swept down his body. She followed the defined muscles in his abdomen until she hit the white of the towel. He was holding the two ends of it with one hand at his hip, and she couldn't stop herself from imagining herself tugging at it and watching it drop to the ground, revealing him in all his glory. She had no doubt that he would be well endowed in that area; that cocky swagger didn't come from nowhere.

Eliot watched her with interest, and a little bit of amusement. He wondered if this was what it was like for her; men ogling her body all the time. But he didn't feel offended; this was Olivia. And he'd by lying if he said he wouldn't take the same opportunity, given the chance. Even now, standing in front of him in her jeans, with a simple white t-shirt stretched over her breasts, she was breathtaking.

He stayed rooted in place, interested to see what she would do. He saw her eyes were still trained on his lower half, and he adjusted the towel slightly, clutching it a little tighter. He knew this gave her a better view of what lay beneath the towel, and he watched her subconsciously run her tongue across her lower lip.

Olivia's mind had gone far beyond getting rid of the towel and she swallowed hard at the thought of that body pinning her to the bed. She could feel a pang in her lower belly at the thought of it, and she immediately turned her head, cursing inwardly at herself for letting her mind go there. She chalked it up to her current level of sexual frustration; one look at this man's bare chest shouldn't make her body ache like this.

"Seen enough?"

Olivia turned her head back towards him, and saw him looking at her with a smirk on his face. She felt her cheeks flush. Of course she'd known he had seen her ogling him. It would have been hard not to. But she hadn't expected him to make a comment like that.

"No." she said. There was a challenge in her tone.

Elliot raised one eyebrow, surprised by her answer. He could see she was surprised as well…her eyes got wide and her lips parted slightly, as if she was going to say something else. Something to justify her answer. He waited a beat, but she didn't say anything and her mouth closed. She drew her bottom lip in between her teeth and it was his turn to suck in a breath. She obviously didn't know how often she did that…and that it drove him crazy. She'd release her bottom lip, and it would be red and plump from where she'd bitten down. It made him think about how much he'd like to pull that lip between his own; run his tongue over it to soothe it.

He wondered what she would do right now if he dropped his towel. He knew he'd be crossing a big fucking line, but he wanted to know. He'd been trying to keep his distance; been trying to keep the boundaries they had firmly in place, despite his desire to smash them to hell since his divorce. She'd been dating, or trying to, and he'd never gotten any real indication from her that she wanted anything more from him…

Until now.

This was the first time he'd seen any tangible evidence of her desire to change things between them. It was written all over her face. Her cheeks were flushed, from embarrassment or desire he couldn't be sure, but it didn't matter because the guilt was there as well. And that's how he knew.

"I'm going to get dressed." He said.

"Huh?" Olivia said, her eyes drawn back to his face again.

Elliot took a step towards her and bent his head slightly, looking her right in the eyes. "Dressed. As in, put some clothes on." He smiled at her and straightened up. He turned to walk towards his locker, and when he'd taken a step, he dropped his towel. He smiled when he heard her small gasp and he wished he could see the expression on her face right now.

Olivia closed her eyes quickly when she saw his bare ass, unable to believe he actually stripped down in front of her. But only a second passed before she opened them again, watching the muscles of his body work as he walked away from her. She groaned inwardly. No man his age should look that good, and the thought of that sheer power driving into her was almost more than she could bear. She swallowed hard, trying to her body to calm the hell down; she didn't think she had an extra pair of underwear in her locker.

She stood rooted in place, and when he reached his locker, he turned to open it. It caught her by surprise; he had to know the view he was giving her. She had a full profile of him and she clenched her legs together as she took him in.

Jesus Christ.

She'd never sleep again without that image burned into her mind. She knew she should turn away, but she couldn't.

And then it hit her. He wasn't stopping this. He had caught her looking at him when he came out of the bathroom, but he was the one that had escalated it. Tightening that damn towel, dropping it to give her a full view of his ass, and then putting himself on full display in front of his locker. The realization of it hit her full force. Maybe her assessment of the situation had been wrong; maybe he did have the same lascivious thoughts she did.

That made her bold.

She sauntered over to her locker, careful to keep her eyes off of him. She could see him out of the corner of her eye. He was still standing at his locker, but he wasn't making any move to get dressed. He was watching her. She hesitated a second, but then she tugged at the bottom of her t-shirt, untucking it from her jeans.

"What are you doing?" he asked, and she thought she heard a little bit of panic in his voice.

She looked over at him, careful to keep her eyes trained on his face. "A shower sounds good." She said, keeping a straight face. He wanted to play this game? She could play too, and now she was almost certain she would have the same effect on him as he had on her. "I just took a quick one this morning because I was running late, but now that it seems I have a few minutes…"

Elliot watched as she grasped the bottom hem of her t-shirt and pulled it over her head. She turned towards him slightly as she set the t-shirt down on the bench and his head was swimming from the view. Lots of bronze skin; her full breasts straining against the white satin and lace bra she was wearing. His eyes trailed down the expanse of her stomach to the low rise of her jeans.

Christ.

He wanted to run his hands up her torso, splay the palms of them against her ribs and slide them up until he had her breasts in his hands. He wanted to pepper her chest with kisses; slide his tongue down the deep V of her cleavage. He felt his dick twitch at the thought of it and he willed himself to keep control. It would be easy to let his mind wander to dreams he'd had about moments like this…and for a second, a part of him wondered if he was still asleep in the cribs. This couldn't possibly be happening.

Olivia bit her lip to keep from smiling. She wasn't looking at him, but she could feel his eyes burning into her, and she knew he hadn't moved since she'd began her little striptease. She wondered how far he'd let her take this before he stopped her. She wondered how far she'd go if he didn't.

Her hands dropped to her belt buckle and she heard a sharp intake of breath from him as she did. She unbuckled her belt and unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, and she felt like a stripper because she made sure she did it slowly to have maximum effect. She grabbed her jeans at her hips and started tugging them down, letting them go as they dropped to her ankles.

Elliot wished he still had his towel because he could feel himself getting aroused as she dragged her jeans down her hips. Her white panties came into view, a small patch of satin at the apex of her legs, and he gripped the side of the locker until his knuckles were white. She turned as she bent over to pick her jeans up off the floor, giving him a perfect view of her ass, and he almost lost it right then and there. He breasts were magnificent…her entire body was amazing…but her ass was something else. He wanted to take her right then and there. Walk up behind her, grasp her hips, drag down those panties and drive himself inside of her.

He wondered if she'd be ready for him. He imagined sliding his fingers inside the seam of those panties and finding out for himself.

Olivia straightened up and tucked her jeans in her locker. She bit down on her lip, considering her next move. Elliot hadn't moved except to grab his locker door; a move that brought a secret smile to her face. She wanted to look at him. Specifically, she wanted to know if he was having a reaction to her. With the death grip he had on the locker, she imagined he might be sporting the beginnings of a hard-on. She felt a flush of heat through her body at the thought; she was wet and she was aching. She wanted him. Badly.

She closed her eyes. They were in the locker room. They were at work. It was insane that this had even gotten this far. Fin knew she had gone to find Elliot. They'd been gone a long time. It wouldn't be long until Cragen sent someone to look for them. And if they didn't, the rumors would be flying.

But right now, with the ache between her legs and Elliot's eyes on her, she didn't give a fuck. It was like she was drunk; intoxicated by whatever was happening.

She grabbed a towel from her locker and stood for a second. She looked over at him and saw he was staring at her. Was he waiting for her next move? She hesitated another second, but then she let her eyes drop south.

Jesus.

He was more than ready for her and her body clenched at the sight of him. He was long and thick and she wondered for a brief second if she could take him. She decided she'd enjoy the hell out of trying.

"Liv." He said and Olivia's eyes went back to his. His voice was throaty and she could hear the strain in his voice.

She was surprised when his hand dropped from the locker and he turned to face her. They were only a few feet apart, but when he started closing the distance, she felt a moment of panic. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like this spell that had been cast was about to be broken. She shook her head as she felt his hands on her upper arms. He squeezed them gently as he moved her back up against the lockers.

Elliot looked down at her, his face mere inches from hers. His gaze moved from her eyes to her lips and he wanted to kiss her. It seemed strange to him that he felt odd about it, considering everything that had happened in the last few minutes, but nothing about this was normal.

Olivia saw his intent, and she held her breath. His mouth was poised over hers and she felt his hesitation. She closed her eyes and tipped her head up slightly, and he must have taken that as permission. He cupped her left cheek with his hand, and placed his lips against hers lightly and then gently sucked her lower lip between his. He released it and then grasped her upper lip, and it was soft and gentle and surprised the hell out of her. In her dreams, he'd always been passionate and demanding, and feeling the way he kissed her made her think that he might be more of a gentle lover than she thought.

He tilted his head slightly, kissing her with a little more fervor, and he opened her mouth with his. His hands dropped down to her waist and he pressed his lower half against her. His erection was pressed between them and he rocked into her a little. She heard a small groan escape from his throat as he did and she let out a small moan of her own. He was kissing her harder now, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts into his chest. She was fully committed to whatever happened next, and she found herself wishing she had taken off her bra and panties.

Suddenly, Elliot pulled his mouth from hers. He took a small step back, reaching for her arms that were wrapped around his neck. "Liv." He said, again, this voice even deeper than before.

She furrowed her brow slightly at his tone and the look in his eyes.

"We can't do this." He said.

Olivia's heart dropped to her stomach. "What?' Her mind was trying to comprehend what he was saying, but it was distracted by the desire swarming through her body.

Elliot could see the confusion on her face, and before she jumped to any kind of conclusion about what he was trying to say, he brought both hands to her face.

"God, I want you." He whispered. "More than you can possibly know." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "But not here."

Olivia realized that he'd been having the same thoughts she had earlier. There would be no explanation if anyone walked in on them right now.

"We can go in the showers." She said. She grabbed his hips and pulled him against her, letting him know how much she wanted him too.

Elliot shook his head. "No. You're not listening to me." He said. "I want this…but I don't want the first time to be some quick fuck in the showers. You mean too much to me for that."

Olivia released his hips then, and ran her hands up to his chest. She splayed her hands there and pushed back slightly, forcing him to take a step back. "What?" She couldn't comprehend what he was saying.

"I'm trying to tell you how I feel about you. You have to know it's not just about sex." He didn't understand why she was looking at him like that. Did she really think he would just fuck her as some kind of one time fling? If she did, then he'd obviously done a damn good job of keeping his feelings for her under wraps. "Tell me you feel the same way."

"El…I…" She swallowed hard, unable to process his words. This was not the Elliot Stabler she knew. She had dreamed that things might change for them after his divorce, but she had come to the conclusion that it wasn't going to happen. This sudden change in reality was throwing her. She took a deep breath. "I do."

"Will you go out with me tonight?"

"Like…a date?" Somehow the idea of that seemed ridiculous; dates were something people went on to get to know each other better. She didn't need that. She laughed.

"Is that a horrible idea?" he asked, a little put-off by her nonchalance.

She wiped the smile from her face. "No." She reached up and caressed his cheek with her palm. "but I think it's fair to say that we've been dating for years." She said. "And we don't need to take this slowly." Her eyes flicked over his bare chest. "How about if I make you dinner at my place tonight. And after dinner, we can pick up where we left off."

Elliot smiled. "I could never turn down an offer like that." He said. "But only if you're sure. I'm not pressuring you."

She smiled seductively. "Maybe I'm pressuring you. I'm already going to have a hard enough time making it through this day. And dinner." She pushed him off of her then, and he took a few steps back. She grabbed her towel. "Now I really need a shower." Her eyes dropped down and then back to his face. "And looks like you could use a cold one when I'm done."

Elliot watched her walk towards the showers, and he swore she was swaying her hips more than necessary. He cursed himself, knowing it was going to be one hell of a long day. But they had done the right thing. He snagged his towel off the floor and wrapped it around his waist, letting out a heavy sigh as his hard-on showed no sign of subsiding. He went back to his locker and started digging through the clothes stacked there when he heard Fin yell his name.

He startled and turned his head, careful to keep the front of his body hidden. He saw Fin standing in the doorway. "Yeah?

"Cragen's wondering where the hell you guys are." He said, looking around the room. "Where's Liv?"

"She decided to take a shower." Elliot said, keeping his voice neutral.

Fin looked at him skeptically, and Elliot said a silent prayer that they had come to their senses. Fin walking in on him would have been a disaster. "A shower?"

Elliot shrugged. "Yeah. I came out and we talked for a few minutes and she said she was going to take a shower." He acted nonchalant and went back to his clothes. "I'll be down in a few minutes.'

Fin stood there for a second, and then left, apparently deciding he wasn't going to get anything more out of Elliot.

He looked toward the shower room, and wondered if she had locked the door. New images of that body in the shower started flitting through his mind, but he shut them down quickly. He'd meant what he said. He didn't want their first time together to be quick; although after having seen the way her eyes devoured him, and the sin that was that woman's body, he wondered if either one of them would be able to exercise any control.

He'd waited a long time. Probably longer than he'd ever admit to himself.

But she was worth the wait.