Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 40

I wake up with her arms around me and her head on my bare chest beneath the covers. Her alarm rings but she makes no effort to shut it off. I smile softly and roll towards the nightstand on her side of the bed, reaching across her for the snooze button. Elle hangs on to me like a koala. She gets clingy when she's tired. I love it.

She moans as I disturb her. I sigh and lay back down, drawing her onto my body as she settles in again. One hand rubs her back, her bare skin warm beneath my palm.

"You know we have to go to work today, right?" I remind her with another smile. I've done a lot of that lately.

She moans again. "We should take a sick day."

"Both of us? You're right, that's not suspicious at all."

She pushes up on her forearms, her face inches above mine. She pauses for a moment to take me in and smiles. She leans forward, her body brushing against mine, naked except for underwear. She kisses me softly before rolling to her left. She takes my hand as she falls into bed beside me.

"Last night was..."

"Amazing," I finish for her.

We glance sideways at each other and I bite my bottom lip. She climbs on top of me again, her legs straddling my waist.

"That's one word for it," she whispers as she leans forward and meets my lips with her own. My hands graze her calves as she runs a hand through my hair.

She pulls away and frowns as she notices my distant expression.

"And now we go to work and pretend it never happened," I mutter.

She lays on my chest again, her head tucked under my chin. Her lips brush my neck.

We stay in bed together for another few minutes before she slides off me, leaving my skin exposed and longing for her warmth. "Come on, we can't be late."

I yawn, still exhausted. I didn't sleep well over the weekend, worrying about Elle. And of course, I didn't exactly sleep much last night. I sit up and swing my legs over the other side of the bed, searching the floor for my bra. I find it and put it on. "You got a t-shirt in there?" I gesture towards the closet. She opens the door and tosses one towards me.

I unfold it. It's a mens size XL with the Yankees logo across the front. I smile back at her. "You expect me to wear this?"

She gives me a sly smile. "Personally, I'd rather you keep it off, but..."

I laugh. "It better not be an ex-boyfriend's."

"Nope. Stole it from my brother in high school."

"Good." I toss the shirt over my head, the seam falling to my knees. I walk around the bed to her. She now wears a button-up flannel. Neither of us bother to put shorts on. My hands find their place around her waist. I kiss her, our height difference just enough to make me tilt my head up. We sway back and forth and I suppress another yawn.

"Breakfast?" she asks.

"Please. I'm starving."

She leans in close again but doesn't kiss me. Instead, her lips brush mine as she speaks, sending shivers down my back. "Must've worked up an appetite last night," she whispers.

I laugh, stepping away. "Does that mean you're making me pancakes?"

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Over pancakes and coffee, we simply talk, the conversation flowing effortlessly. She tells me about her family, her mother and brother back in New York. Her dad passed away when she was a kid.