7 | i like the way you kiss me

A/N: Please vote! It really does help, and it lets me know that you like my story, giving me more motivation to write. I appreciate comments as well. Thanks for reading!

As I woke up, the remnants of the night before left a sickening feeling in my stomach. The sticky residue on my thighs was a stark reminder of what had happened, and I couldn't help but feel repulsed. Glancing around, I noticed that he was no longer in bed, which brought a slight sense of relief. Gathering my clothes, I made my way to the bathroom for a shower, hoping to wash away not only the physical but also the emotional dirt clinging to me.

As I passed through the kitchen, a note on the counter caught my eye. I hesitated before picking it up, unsure of what it might contain. Reading the words, my heart sank. It was a reminder of what awaited me when he returned from his work trip in two days – another round of whatever twisted game he wanted to play.

"Morning, you fell asleep to early yesterday. We will try again after i get home from work in two days ;)"

Tossing the note into the bin, I tried to push down the rising tide of despair threatening to overwhelm me.

The hot water from the shower provided some solace, washing away the remnants of the night and temporarily easing my troubled mind. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to hope that today could be different, that I could reclaim some semblance of normalcy.

As I meticulously applied the concealer and makeup, a new layer of anxiety settled over me. Tim, my colleague and closest friend at the station, couldn't see the bruises. If he knew what had happened, he would undoubtedly confront Chris, risking his own safety in the process. I couldn't bear the thought of Tim getting hurt because of me, yet the fear of being discovered weighed heavily on my mind.

Every brushstroke felt like a delicate dance between hiding the truth and maintaining the facade of normalcy. I had to be careful, ensuring that not a hint of the bruises peeked through the carefully applied layers. The thought of Tim's protective instincts kicking in sent shivers down my spine, knowing that his unwavering loyalty could spell trouble for both of us.

As I struggled to conceal the evidence of last night's torment, the sound of my own sobs threatened to betray me. I had to be strong, for Tim's sake if not my own. But each tear that escaped my grasp threatened to unravel the carefully constructed facade, leaving me exposed and vulnerable once again.

In the end, I managed to hide the bruises from Tim's prying eyes, though the effort left me emotionally drained. The relief of avoiding his scrutiny mingled with a sense of guilt, knowing that I had kept him in the dark to protect him from the truth. But in a world where danger lurked behind every corner, sometimes the greatest act of love was shielding those we cared about from the harsh realities we faced alone.

Feeling slightly more composed, I decided to reach out to my mom, a rare gesture considering our strained relationship. It had been too long since we'd seen each other, and I longed for the comfort of her presence. But her response, filled with criticism and disappointment, only added to my burden. It seemed she would never understand or accept my choice of career, adding another layer of guilt and shame to an already heavy load.

Wiping away the tears threatening to spill, I forced myself to focus on the day ahead. Heading to work, I tried to drown out my inner turmoil with music, but a notification on my phone brought it all rushing back. My mother's words echoed in my mind, a painful reminder of the divide between us.

MOM: you acctualy remembered your mom is still alive. Before I come visit you choose a different job and stop playing this cop you want to be.

Arriving at the station, I buried my feelings beneath the facade of professionalism, slipping into my uniform with practiced ease. But deep down, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was living a lie, trapped between the expectations of others and the desperate longing for escape.

"Hi Lucy," Tim said when I emerged from roll call. "Hi Tim," I replied, standing there awkwardly, waiting to see what he'd say next.

"So, um, Nyla recommended we start practicing for our UC-" he began.

"-I mean, practicing the story about Sava and Jake, not, you know..." he trailed off, a bit embarrassed. I didn't know Tim could ever feel embarrassed.

I giggled. "Yeah, of course. I already have our story in mind," I said.

He smiled. "Oh, really? That's great. Let's go to my office so we can talk," he suggested, leading the way. I followed quietly.

I shared the story of how Sava and Jake met, and Tim's jaw dropped the entire time.

"You could just say it's a great story, you know," I teased, looking at him.

"Yeah, it really is. You have some good ideas in there, Boot," he said.

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't his "Boot" anymore, but he liked to call me that, so I let him. He was funny, wanting to show his power over me, even though he's not my TO anymore.

"So, um, we would probably need to, you know..." he started, hesitating.

"What would we need to do?" I asked innocently, sitting down in his chair while he leaned against the wall.

"You know, Lucy, we would need to, like, uhm-"

"Like what?" I interrupted, trying to hide my smile.

"You know what I mean!" he said, frustrated.

I started laughing. "What's so funny?" he asked, not understanding.

"You're funny because you can't say the word 'kiss,'" I said, laughing until my stomach hurt.

He stood there defeated and speechless.

"So what? You were saying we should, like, try again?" I asked, already remembering our last passionate kisses in his kitchen.

"I don't know. I mean, the ones in my kitchen were kind of heated. We should probably do less heated ones in front of, like, criminals and stuff," he said, looking at the floor.

I stood up and walked over to him, stepping into his personal space.

"So, should we just, like, start kissing?" I asked, my face turning as red as a tomato.

He nodded.

"Great," I said, trying to convince myself. "That's great."

"We're just kissing for work, Lucy." Tim tilted his head as he leaned forward. "No big deal. Take a deep breath and try to relax."

Easy for him to say, I thought.

My hand wasn't on any part of his body but his neck. I had the strangest urge to plunge my fingers into his hair. My fingers itched to move, but I wasn't that daring.

"You can do what you want," he said as if reading my mind.

God, I hoped he couldn't.

As I glided my hands up into his dark hair, feeling the smooth strands fall through my fingers, I paused there a moment.

"This okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "You're good."

I allowed one hand to drift down past his shoulders, chest and finally ending on his abs. The material of his t-shirt was still between us, but as I ran my fingers over the hard ridges there, Tim huffed.

Tim's made his first kiss to my temple. He made a trail of kisses from there, over my cheek until he was just at the corner of my lips."Lucy?" he said in question. I could hear the hoarseness in his voice. "Can I-

My answer was to kiss him.

There'd been enough talk and hesitation, at least from my end. Though I might regret it later, I had to feel his mouth on mine again.

Tim seemed surprised for a whole two seconds. And then he was all in, kissing me back like his life depended on it.

I couldn't believe we'd kiss again after the last time. Even if it was not a real kiss but just practice.

Our first kiss was amazing, but this...oh God, this was on another level. Probably beacuse I'm not drunk right now.

My hands glided across Tim's shoulders to his back, one moving down his front again to his chest. I couldn't get enough of touching him. And he seemed to feel the same about me. With the next breath, Tim had picked me up, my legs closing in reaction about his waist.

I didn't realize he was walking until my back was pressed against the wall.

And still, we kissed.

Tim's mouth moved with mine in a rhythm we created together. If this was a symphony, our harmonies would've melded perfectly. It was beautiful.

He was beautiful. I couldn't get enough. And I realized as he kept kissing me and kissing me and kissing me that I never would. Never get enough of his lips caressing my lips, his hands flexing as they gripped my thighs, his scent filling me up. It was like we were in our own little bubble...

....which burst when someone cleared their throat.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but you can practice further later. I need you two right now." said Angela smirking leaning on the doorframe.