Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 54

Another two weeks go by of me and Elle keeping our relationship to ourselves. I'm hoping that in the end they'll just find out on their own. I mean, we work with profilers. They've got to figure it out eventually.

For now, though, it's just me and her. Her and me. We spend nearly every night together when we're not working a case. I've gotten used to her arms around me, her head against my chest. I know what her breathing sounds like when she's fast asleep. I know her favorite coffee shop, and her order. I know there's a small scar on her knee from falling off her bike as a kid. I know I've never felt this way about anyone before.

I'm scared, if I'm being honest. Scared to tell the team. I love what we have. And it could be so easily ruined by the truth.

Our team finished a case in New York yesterday. We all agreed to spend an extra day in the city, and Elle is thrilled to show me around. She came to my hotel room late last night. Technically, we're not working anymore.

Her lips find mine, kissing me until I open my eyes. I'm already awake; I felt her get up beside me to open the curtains. I smile against her lips and tangle my hands in her hair. Sitting up, I pull her into my lap and deepen the kiss.

She breaks away, laughing. Her eyes shine with excitement. "Get dressed, we're leaving in twenty minutes."

I tilt my head back and groan. She leans forward, kissing my exposed neck. I smile. "Why don't we just stay here a little longer, Baby?"

She breaks away and climbs off of me, the strings of her shorts dragging across my legs. I reach out and grab her wrist and she drags me after her. I slide from the covers onto my stomach and hold on tighter, challenging her.

She rolls her eyes with a smile and comes back to my side. I yelp as she flips me over onto my back and wraps one arm around my shoulders, the other under my legs. She picks me up easily and carries me to the windows. We have a beautiful view of the city but I'm looking at her.

"Put me down," I pout as I push against her shoulder.

She smiles and drops my legs unceremoniously. I stumble, using my grip on her shoulders to avoid falling. I wrap my arms around her waist once I've regained my footing, drawing her hips into mine. We kiss in the warm sun of the morning with our bare feet on the shag carpet.

I pull my lips away but keep my arms around her, swaying back and forth. "Where do you want to go?"

She smiles widely, her dimples shining in the morning sunlight. "Everywhere."

I check my wrist as if I'm wearing a watch and tilt my head in a thoughtful gesture. "Well, we have to make dinner with the team at seven, so I'm not sure 'everywhere' is going to happen."

"Then you better get moving, D'angelo." Elle steps back and takes my hands in hers, sliding her palms across mine as she turns and walks away.

She heads to her bag (which she brought over last night) and grabs a pair of light blue jeans and a nice long-sleeved shirt.I follow her back to the bed and reach for my own bag. I grab a pair of black jeans and a forest green sweater.

"Where first?" I ask her as I pull the sweater over my head.

"Breakfast. There's this bagel place a few blocks over." Our hotel is in midtown Manhattan, and Elle knows the area like the back of her hand. "Then the Empire State Building, and Central Park. And by the time we've seen all that it'll be nearly lunch." She rushes through her words, the way she does when she's excited about what she's saying. It's not hard for me to understand her, though.

I walk up behind her, fully dressed now. "And for lunch? I'm sure you have a few ideas," I say as I spin her to face me.

She pulls her jeans up and I buckle them for her as she speaks. "Actually, I do have one idea."

I glance up at her, noticing the apprehension in her voice. "What is it?"

"There's this little cafe in the area, my mom and I used to stop there if we were out on the weekend."

The intensity of her eyes never fails to make my heart beat faster. She searches my features for a reaction.

"Okay, let's do it." I smile at her but she doesn't say anything else. I give her a knowing look before squeezing her hips gently. "And..." I prompt.

She sighs. "My mom called last night. She's been asking to meet you."

My mouth hangs open in surprise but it quickly turns into a smile. Elle smiles back, her dimples returning.

"I'd love to meet her, Elle." I lean in, kissing her softly. When I pull away she stands for a moment in my hands with her eyes closed. She takes a deep breath before opening them.

"She's going to love you."

A blush forms in my cheeks and nervous butterflies swarm in my stomach. Which is weird, because I don't usually get nervous about meeting new people. But Elle's mom? I need her to like me.

Elle notices my anxious expression and laughs. I look up from the floor, shooting her a playful glare. "Not funny. What if she hates me?"

"Carli, come on. Nobody hates you. It's kind of annoying, actually."

I'm laughing now too, but the butterflies remain. "Ground rules?"

"Don't talk about work. Or weapons or violence or serial killers. She's not exactly in love with the idea of me–"

"–being in constant danger. Yeah, I know how she feels," I finish with a small smile.

Elle shakes her head. "Is that why you carried a knife into an active hostage situation?" she teases.

I shrug. "My bad. But I did save your life, remember."

She tilts her head to the side as if recalling that day on the train. "I believe Spencer was actually the one that arrested him..."

I roll my eyes and release my grip on her hips, trying to keep myself from smiling. "Whatever you say, Manhattan."

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a/n
not me feeling sooo single as i write this
they're so cute together i want what they have pls
can i just write an entire book of fluff?? like is that allowed???
and as requested ⬇️
:)