Chapter 13 â€" Declaration
Warmth.
That was the first thing Abby registered when she woke the next morning.
Warmth around her, beneath her, on top of her.
The familiar scent of the body she was snuggled against and feel of the arms around her told her the warmth was caused by a wrap-around Gibbs. When they were standing and fully clothed, his full body hugs always felt wonderful. Lying down in his bed with them both half naked, it was intoxicating.
She felt so comfortable and so safe, she wished they could stay here all day, cocooned under the comforter.
"I can hear you thinking, Abbs," came an amused rumble from beneath her cheek.
"I could stay here all day." She rubbed her cheek on his chest like a contented cat.
"Me too. How d'ya feel?" When she didn't answer, he tilted her head up forcing her to meet his concerned gaze.
She grimaced and sighed, "A bit sick… again."
She'd managed most of the night without nightmares, only waking once, jerked awake with the image of the Phantom with axe raised vivid in her mind. Gibbs had held her again, soothing her with his hands and she'd drifted off into an undisturbed sleep. At least the nightmare had been about a real event this time, not an imagined inability to breathe like the night before.
"Gonna try some breakfast?" Gibbs was conscious of just how little she'd eaten since even before she was kidnapped.
"I guess," came the less than enthusiastic response. "You gonna cook it for me?"
"Thinkin' about it," his hands rubbing in soothing circles over her back.
After a few minutes lying there in comfortable silence, Abby asked, "Can we pick up some more clothes from my apartment this morning?"
Shrugging, "Sure."
She raised her head and propped herself up on his chest. "I'd also like to go into the Navy Yard and see everyone today."
He frowned, concerned she was going to overdo things on her first full day back in DC. "I'm sure they'd love to see you but you sure you're up for it?"
"Yeah, I really want to see everybody. I've missed them all." She paused. "I also wanna see what that temp has done to my babies."
That earned her a laugh. "Yeah, I thought you might."
She swatted his chest, chuckling. "I also wanna collect some stuff from my lab. I know I'm not gonna be allowed back to work yet."
"Not till the pysch eval clears you, you know how it works, Abbs." It was a side of his job that he too hated about being on sick leave. He always fretted about the restrictions placed on him and Abby was enough like him in that respect to rebel against anything that stopped her from returning to her beloved lab.
Forensics was as much a vital part of her life as being a field agent was an essential part of his.
"I know, Gibbs, but I'll go mad if I can't work." She rolled onto her side and propped her head on her hand to look at him. "So if I'm not allowed in my lab, I've got to do something. I've got several papers I'm writing and another one I'm editing. If I download them onto my laptop, I can work on them here."
He nodded. "Good idea." He picked up her other hand, lacing their fingers together.
Abby looked down at their joined hands, enjoying the feel of his calloused fingers. "I also have a selfish motive for wanting to go in and see everyone this morning." He looked at her questioningly. "If we don't go in today, everyone's gonna come by later after work to see me. Don't get me wrong, I really want to see everyone. I love those guys dearly and I feel really mean for saying this… but I'd quite like you to myself later."
"Sounds good." He shuffled over onto his side and pulled her down into the circle of his arm.
Abby snuggled closer again, seeming to fit to his side as she were measured for it. "We haven't spent much time alone together or been able to talk much in the last couple of days, apart from that first evening."
"I know." He didn't like it any more than she did. All he wanted to do was shut out the world and explore this oh-so-new side of their relationship. But circumstances had worked against them.
"And with me still feeling yuk, I feel like we've been… almost on hold ever since we talked about how we feel." She gave him a shy smile. "So I guess I'm feeling a bit selfish."
"Me too, Abbs. I just want to hole us up in here and not come out for days." He brushed her tousled hair off her forehead, loving this just woken up look she had. He was gradually adding more images to his mental catalogue of favorite Abby looks.
She smiled at him slowly. "Then let's go say hello and then do exactly that."
The sexy smile he gave her was full of promise and he wrapped both arms around her again, running his hands slowly up and down her spine, feeling a shiver go through her.
She loved the fact that the physical ease they already had with each other in their friendship was now extending so unselfconsciously to their relationship. Plus the fact that she couldn't keep her hands off him… and that was before they'd had sex. She suspected she might need a straightjacket in order to behave herself once they had.
Lying quietly together again, she felt herself starting to doze again before she heard his quiet question. "How d'ya muscles feel?"
"Not too sure yet given that I haven't moved much, except to snuggle closer." She nuzzled into his neck just to prove her point. His neck was another part of him she could become addicted to… along with his hands… and his lips… and his…
Yeah, okay, Scuito, I get the picture… all of him… just as soon as you stop feeling hinky.
His arms tightened involuntarily around her at the feel of her breath on his neck. "Perhaps later this evening we ought to try what the nurse suggested?"
That brought her head up, a mischievous smile breaking out. "Are you offering me another hot massage?"
He grinned. "Might be."
"Is this for medicinal purposes only?" Abby tilted her head to one side, loving the sparkle in his eyes.
"Maybe."
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For the first time in days, Abby found herself not only enjoying a meal, the breakfast of eggs he cooked for her, but it wasn't followed by the familiar rolling nausea which had been the aftermath of everything else she'd eaten lately. Her muscles did still feel stiff but the pins and needles this morning seemed less, so maybe the drugs were finally clearing her system.
Perhaps it was progress at last.
After they'd eaten, Gibbs drove them to Abby's apartment. As he followed her into the lobby of her apartment building, he heard her curse.
"Oh rats, look at this, Gibbs." Abby waved a notice at him which had been pinned to the mailboxes. "The heat's out… again. And at least a week before it can be repaired."
"One of these days, Abbs, you're gonna move out of this crappy building." He'd been trying to persuade her to move out of this building and away from this neighborhood for years.
She rolled her eyes at the familiar argument. "I've told you before, the rent's cheap. Looks like you're stuck with me for at least a week, Gibbs, sorry."
He tugged on a pigtail and leaned in for a kiss, smirking at her. "I'd hardly call that stuck. More like a bonus."
While she sent Gibbs into her kitchen to pack any perishables from her fridge and cupboards that she'd forgotten before her trip to LA, she headed into her bedroom to pack a case. As she grabbed some clothes, she selected a few items from the more interesting end of her underwear drawer, her thoughts straying to the two nights she'd spent in Gibbs' arms… sleeping.
On the many, many occasions she'd imagined them together in bed, sleeping was very far down the list of things they did. And yet sleeping was all they'd done so far… that and kissing and cuddling, which she was hardly likely to object to but she wanted more… much, much more.
Of course it was all her fault… okay, strictly speaking, it was the Phantom's fault but that was just semantics.
Abby knew why Gibbs was holding back. He was such a gentleman and she loved him for it but oh god, it was frustrating.
She knew what he tasted like.
She knew what his skin felt like.
She knew what it was like to be held by his strong hands and cradled by his arms.
Now she desperately wanted to know what he felt like inside her.
She wanted those rough hands and long fingers running over her skin, exploring her and driving her crazy. She wanted that mouth, those lips and tongue running over her skin. She wanted that deep voice growling in her ear.
Oh god, will you stop it Scuito.
She was wound up enough already without her imagination running wild.
She loved tender caring Gibbs but also wanted to know the powerful, dominant Gibbs… especially in bed. She wanted the heated promise behind those arrogant words whispered into her ear at the airport.
She had a feeling there was enough passion sizzling under that gorgeous surface to set fire to the mattress.
If he didn't make a move soon, she'd have to take matters into her own hands… or take something into her hands at least.
Mentally head slapping herself as her mind supplied the pictures to go with that thought, she shook herself out of her fantasy and left the room. She dumped her case in the hall alongside the bags he'd packed and joined him in the living room.
"Ready, Gibbs?"
"Yup," he moved towards her. "Been thinking, Abbs. We could ask Tony and McGee to move your TV and DVD player over to my house while you're staying?"
He laughed as she looked at him, incredulous. "You're actually volunteering to have a huge, super-duper, modern bit of TV kit in your house? Are you feeling okay, Gibbs?"
He shrugged, chuckling, "Thought it might help you pass the time… when I let you out of the bedroom of course."
She grinned at his comment and moved to go past him. "Wow, it must be love."
Before she could react, he'd caught her arm and crowded her against the wall, hands cupping her face gently, staring at her intently. "It is, Abbs."
Oh….
She searched his eyes, heart soaring at the emotions she could see there. "It is?"
"Yeah." He nodded, brushing his thumbs across her cheeks. "Just realized I hadn't told you that yet."
Abby rubbed her cheek into his touch and slid her arms round his waist, relishing the solid feel of him against her. "You know I don't need grand declarations, Gibbs. It's you I want… it's you I love, just as you are. You don't need to be something you're not with me, you know that."
She felt her pulse rate hike at the slow smile that spread across his face. "How did I get so lucky, Abbs? You could have any man you want."
Did he really not know what effect he had on her, even now? Did he really doubt how she felt about him? "Don't want anyone else… just you."
He took a deep breath and leaned his forehead against hers, sliding his hands over her hips. "You know how crap I am at this, Abbs, at tryin' to find the right words."
"Well, from where I'm standing, you're doing just fine." She cupped his cheeks, searching his blue eyes, trying to reassure him. "Show me how you feel if that's easier?"
Gibbs smiled. Oh yeah, that he could do.
He lowered his head and brushed his lips gently across hers, tracing their outline with his tongue. Abby responded immediately and opened her mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss. She groaned into his mouth at the feeling of his tongue sliding inside. She raised her hands to thread her fingers through his silver hair, scraping her nails over the short hairs on the nape of his neck, feeling him moan.
Pressed up close, she could feel his reaction and she felt a surge of longing go through her. Arching her back and pushing her hips against his growing hardness, she felt his hands slide round her back and pull her even closer.
Gibbs left nipping kisses along the line of her jaw to the skin under her ear, suckling on her neck, hearing her breathing hitch.
She grabbed his head and brought it back up so she could kiss him again, pouring everything she felt into her kiss. Her heart pounded as he finally kissed her back as she'd imagined he would… completely dominating her mouth in an intense hungry kiss that made her head spin.
At last… was the only thought her brain could manage.
And just then Gibbs' cell started to ring…
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