Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 55

We walk through Central Park, her arm hooked through mine. There's plenty of people in the park but it isn't crowded. A slight breeze blows the hair from the side of her face, exposing her cheek blushed from the chill.

I watch her as she speaks, my eyes tracing her features. She turns to look at me and I realize I didn't hear her.

"Sorry, what?"

Her smile widens. "I said we should head to the cafe soon. We don't want to be late."

"Oh, right." I drop my gaze and try to push down the nervous feeling rising in my chest.

She stops waking and pulls me closer by the belt loops of my jeans, her fingers brushing against my skin under the hem of my shirt. "Carli. Relax. You're great with people."

"I just..."

"You care."

I look up to find her eyes shining. "I do. A lot. And I don't want to screw this up." She has no idea how much I mean it.

"Don't worry, C. I'm sure she'll do enough talking for the three of us," Elle assures me with a soft laugh.

I smile before leaning in and kissing her gently, then hooking my arm through hers again. "You should know I expect stories of baby Agent Greenaway."

Warmth explodes in my chest at the sound of her laugh. Her shoulder brushes against mine as we walk, our arms wrapped around each other and our fingers interlocked. We continue through the park until we reach Fifth Avenue where Elle calls a cab. We climb into the backseat. I slide all the way over and she sits in the middle, refusing to let go of my hand.

"Where to?" the driver asks. Elle gives him the address to the cafe as the cab pulls away from the curb.

I stare out the window, my gaze drawn to the passing skyscrapers and busy streets. My eyes unfocus as I zone out, overthinking. Elle tugs on my hand, drawing my attention. When I turn to face her she's smiling, her dimples on display.

"Your dimples are adorable," I blurt out.

She blushes and rolls her eyes, making my smile widen. She reaches up with her free hand and tucks my hair behind my ear. I take her hand in mine and angle my head, kissing the palm of her hand. When I meet her eyes again she's watching me hungrily. Her gaze travels across my body while she licks her bottom lip.

I smirk and lift her hand to my mouth again. This time when I kiss her my tongue darts between my lips, touching her skin. I hold eye contact as my lips move softly against her palm.

I pull away suddenly when the driver honks his horn and curses in Spanish at the car that just cut him off.

Elle and I make eye contact and we both laugh. She leans forward and murmurs in my ear, "you better not try that in front of my mom."

I smile and give her a quick kiss on the lips. Gazing into her eyes, I tilt my head as a thought comes to mind. "Elle? Does she know we haven't told the team?"

She sighs, pulling away and leaning against the seat. "She knows. And she's not thrilled about it." Elle still holds my right hand and now she rubs her thumb across mine. "She's worried. That we're both agents. She has some idea that it's not allowed, but I haven't told her just how many rules we're breaking."

I stay quiet, unsure what to say. Elle's right, of course. We're breaking at least ten different protocols every time we spend a night together. I put my arm around her and press her body against my side. She rests her head on my shoulder and sighs.

"We'll figure it out, Elle."

"You don't know that." Her voice is quiet, barely above a whisper. I can hear the stress of her words.