#thatesqcrushvdaychallenge

Now he was standing in your doorway and you knew what it was. His eyes locked to yours left you in no doubt what he wanted, and the mutual hunger in that first, bruising kiss told him you felt the same. He’d paused for long enough to check, to stroke your face and ask, to make you vocalise your consent. And then he’d pushed you back, hard, against the wall, grabbing your chin in his strong fingers and moving in for another kiss.

Clothes were discarded across the floor, in a flurry of hands snatching and tearing. The condom wrapper joined the garments in a hurry. It was as though, now you’d started, if you stopped for too long, one of you might lose courage. And in that moment, you felt like you’d never wanted, needed, something so much.

You heard the feral sound from your own throat as he shoved you back onto the bed. His lips were curled into something that was almost a snarl. There was no one else you’d trust with this wild edge to your desire, no one else who you’d be turned on by when they looked so fierce. Your trust in each other was unshakeable. So you enjoyed the spark of sardonic amusement in his eyes when you glared up at him from the pillow and smirked. “Come on then, show me your worst.”

A dark chuckle. “You sure?”

“Oh yes.” You breathed hard and looked seriously into his gaze. “Break me, Nick, if you can.” A sensual whisper, half a challenge, half begging. Nick just nodded, his face filled with lust.

He grabbed your wrists, pinning them in one hand, easily restraining you, while his other hand stroked your face. You felt the pressure of his knee pushing between your legs. “Spread your legs,” he said, his tone lascivious. You smirked, and the hand stroking your face flattened and landed a sharp little slap on your cheek, warm rather than painful. He leaned closer to you, until your breath was mingling. “Spread your legs so I can fuck you,” he growled, a command this time. You caught your breath and obeyed it.

Nick’s hand reached for your thigh, grabbing your flesh and shoving your legs wider, pushing your knee back as he entered you. No time for adjustments or teasing, just one hard thrust and he filled you completely, pushing you into the mattress. You cried out with the stretch, the suddenness with which he’d filled you. But he was already pulling back, before slamming his hips forward again. You moaned, pain replaced by a delicious feeling of satisfaction, of your need being fed and sated. Again, he pulled back and thrust into you, his fingers bruising your wrists and the soft flesh above your knee. His cock nudged the deepest parts of you, an ache that was balanced perfectly between pain and pleasure. You heard the throaty, mewling sound you made now. The urge to fight replaced by the need. “Oh god, Nick, yes, faster, harder, please…” you breathed. He obliged, his toned body undulating over yours, starting to glisten with a sheen of sweat, as each thrust was matched with a grunt, and his hand left your wrists and found your throat.

He fucked you like he really meant to break you, but also like he knew he wouldn’t, couldn’t. So hard and so fast you weren’t even sure you could come, but you didn’t care. You cared about the adrenalin, the points of pain, the sheer exhilaration and release of his physicality colliding with yours. Two people and a raw need that pushed everything else aside. He’d take care of you later.

You let out a little sigh as you put your phone back down, thanking the server for the very large glass of wine when they dropped it off. At the very least you could enjoy a drink at the end of a long week, if you didn’t hear from Sonny soon, you’d pick up a pizza on the way back to your apartment. At least then you could change into sweatpants instead of your dress, which was getting more uncomfortable as the evening wore on.

Sipping on your wine you swapped between people watching and playing with your phone. The restaurant was on the fancier side, and you had to admit, the food smelled absolutely delicious. You were starting to rethink not ordering anything as the time passed. The dining room was relatively full, a couple of families with older kids scattered through the room, most looked like they were celebrating someone’s birthday. Aside from that, it was mainly couples, dressed up nice and feeding each other little bites of food, sharing pricey bottles of wine. You rolled your eyes when the man two tables away from you playfully swiped his finger through the whipped cream on their dessert, smearing it over the tip of his date’s nose. You let out a semi audible groan at the high pitched shriek of a giggle she let out at the gesture.

Taking a hefty sip of wine, you checked your phone again. The text had been delivered, but aside from that you couldn’t tell what was going on, and there definitely wasn’t a reply yet. Checking the time, you decided it had been long enough since the first text, shooting off another one to Sonny, this one a little more assertive in case he did happen to be ignoring you. There’d been a bit of a weird vibe coming from him over the past couple of weeks, and you were at that point in your relationship where things were either make it or break it. The stage where sometimes you realized it would just be easier to go your separate ways, that things earlier on had been simply out of convenience rather than actual emotions and attachment.

You checked the time again, then drained your wine, it had been another forty five minutes, Sonny was more than late by now. Letting out a little sigh, you pulled out your wallet, slipping back into your coat to signify that you weren’t sticking around. You had to admit, you were disappointed, the time you had spent with Sonny had been more than good, you’d just let yourself admit it the other week that you were falling in love with him quicker than you’d expected. And you could have sworn you’d heard him say it while you were drifting off to sleep.

Both Sonny and you weren’t exactly words people when it came to love, quality time and little yet significant gifts were how you expressed your emotions, another reason you hadn’t been too worried about the lack of three stupid little words. Sonny would drop off homemade meals at least once a week to make sure you had something to heat up after a long day at work, a flower would pop up on your desk randomly at work. There were pictures of little things around the city that reminded you of each other, memes that were so specific only you would get them, sent back and fourth constantly. As many hours of cuddling as your little heart desired, tangled up in his lanky limbs on the couch while you watched old black and white movie. And the sex? Well, the sex had been incredible, you were definitely bummed to be losing out on that. But, oh well, you told yourself, another lesson learnt.

Finally the server circled back over to the table, and you apologized profusely about taking up their time, making sure that you left a substantial tip.

*

Across town Sonny spent the entire afternoon in a courtroom sitting through witness after witness that Calhoun had called. He took his time on his crosses, making sure to suck out every drop of insight they had, doing his best to sneak under their skin, read between their words to get them to admit something about the perp that would play more to his hand. He thought he’d been doing a pretty good job at it, managing to get one of them to crack at the very least.

He thought his day was finally over with a bang of the Judge’s gavel signalling the end of session for the day, but Rita always had something else up her sleeve. He’d been swatted with a pile of motions and a piece of evidence defence was going to be bringing in the next day. So instead of getting to leave the courthouse, they were in the Judges chambers, battling through one legal tactic after the next. He pinched at the bridge of his nose, if he didn’t admire Rita for how good she was at her job, he would have killed her by now. Every case he had against her got dragged out three times longer than any other attorney would make it, and she always managed to slip something in to give her a leg up. Finally, they managed to come to an understanding that the Judge accepted and they were able to head to the elevator.

Rita let out a sigh, leaning against the back wall as the doors slid shut, Carisi tossed her a glance as he pulled on his coat, pressing the button for the main floor.

“What?” She half laughed.

“I’m beginnin’ ta realize why Barba always called ya the biggest thorn in his side.”

“I’m just giving my client the best defence they can afford.”

“Right.” He laughed, genuinely at least, “well your client’s a piece of work.”

“Don’t I know it.” She sighed again, “I need a fucking drink. Forlini’s? My treat?” She offered as the elevator dinged and they stepped out of it.

“Maybe.” He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his phone to check the time, not noticing what was yanked from the pocket at the same time. It was only out of luck that Rita heard it clink as it hit the ground, scooping it up without even missing a beat.

“You know, this is a rather effeminate key chain, even for you?” She teased holding up the solo key. Sonny turned, his brow furrowed at her comment until his eyes settled on the key and the colour drained from his face.

“Shit!”

“What?” She asked, handing him the key back as he swiped at it.

“I knew I was forgetting something!”

“I’m guessing this has something to do with that teacher you’ve been seeing?”

“Yes!” He struggled suddenly with his phone, racing against the clock to turn it on to call you. He found it a terrible distraction in a courtroom and usually turned it completely off while in trial. If the detectives needed him, they knew where to find him. “What time is it?”

“Nearly seven.” Rita replied, glancing at her watch.

“Fuck. I’m over an hour late!” He ran a hand through his hair as they stepped out the front doors, a groan escaping his lips at the dark clouds surrounding Manhattan, heavy rain falling from the sky, “god she’s never gonna say yes now.”

“Is that why you’ve been weird all week?”

“I haven’t been weird this week!” He shot back and she laughed again.

“Kid, you’ve been acting weird, and she could probably sense that. And now it looks like you’ve stood her up…you want a woman’s perspective on this?”

“I can already see where you’re goin’, so no. I just need a cab now.”

“Fat chance.” She muttered, more so to herself, but Sonny knew she was right, he was screwed, the subway would be a mess and take way too long. His phone finally buzzed when it turned on, showing the slew of missed texts, calls and notifications he was distracted, missing Rita flagging down a car. Her hand closed around his elbow and he was jerked out of his panic,

“Wha”-

“Take my car. He’ll drop you off wherever you need to go.”

“What about you?”

“I’m going across the street. I think I’ll be fine. Go get your girl, put on the puppy dog eyes and blame the big bad defence attorney for keeping you here so late.”

She nudged him toward the car and before he could even think about saying thank you, she was darting across the street towards Forlini’s. He clambered into the car, quickly rattling off the name of the restaurant, praying that you were still there, otherwise he’d have a few stops to make on the way to your apartment.

*

You cursed yourself for not bringing an umbrella, hiding under the restaurant’s awning while you tried to figure out your next step, you’d checked the weather while you were getting ready and knew that rain was going to be a high chance. Then again, the rain was due to stop by eight and you figured you would be partaking in a three course meal, which takes a decent amount of time. Glancing at your phone, you opened the uber app, grumbling when you saw how high the surcharged prices currently were. A few feet away you heard a car pull up, a mumbling of conversation followed by a door slamming shut.

“Oh thank god!” Sonny’s voice rang crystal clear through the air and your head snapped up, your brow furrowing at the sight of him half jogging up to you.

“Are you extremely late? Or did I write the time down wrong?”

“I’m late.” He panted lightly as he stepped under the awning, “I’m so sorry doll.”

“You didn’t have to bother coming all the way down here, a text would’ve been fine.”

“Nah, I wanted to talk to ya…”

“Yeah…I got that much.” You huffed, “Sonny, just rip the bandaid off already, I’m hungry and cold. At this point I would’ve just rather you ghosted me.”

“Wha-? Ghosted..doll no.”

“You said you wanted to talk? And you’ve been weird all week! Somethings up….and you basically stood me up tonight.”

“And there aren’t enough apologies in tha world ta make up for that.” His hand cupped under your chin, turning your face back to his, tilting it upwards so he could catch your gaze. “I turned my phone off for court, and Calhoun had about a hundred extra things she wanted to go through with the judge. I’m so sorry. I should’ve kept a better eye on the time.”

“Okay, so that answers one question.” You tugged your lip into your mouth, daring to look up at him, “what about the other ones? Did I do something? Are you backpedaling?”

“No! Not at all sweetheart.” His hands shifted to grip at your shoulders, giving a little squeeze, “I guess when I said I wanted to talk, I shoulda said that I have something to give you.”

“Oh..Kay?” You raised a brow at his antics, completely unaware what direction this was going now. He shot you a bashful grin and you swore you could see the tips of his ears turn pink as he reached inside his coat, digging around in his pocket for a moment before he presented you with a key flat in his palm. “A key?”

You plucked it out of his hand, a small grin sneaking onto your cheeks as you examined it, your eyes flicking back up to Sonny’s bright blue ones. That adorable stupid grin splayed across his face, the one that made you utterly weak no matter how terrible of a day you’d had.

“I know we don’t say it a lot, but I love you doll. More than anything. I had this whole big thing planned, a speech and everythin’, but…it’s kinda late for that now, so I guess I’ll just ask. Will you move in with me? Or, we can find a different place, a place that’ll be all ours and”—

“Yes!”

You cut him off of his ramblings with a kiss. It took him by surprise, nearly stumbling back into the rain at the sudden impact of your body against his. Then he melted into the embrace, a smile on his lips as they danced with grace against yours, warm and comforting on a chilly night. When you broke the kiss you both had wild grins on your faces, eyes sparkling with the excitement of taking the next step in your relationship.

“I can’t believe I thought you were gonna break up with me.” You laughed, nuzzling deeper into his arms. He dropped a kiss to the top of your head.

“Not in a million years doll.”

“Can I ask you one more question?”

“Yeah.” He shifted so he could see your face again, keeping his arms wrapped around you.

“What’s with the town car?” You nodded toward it, still parked at the curb where Sonny had practically jumped out of it.

“Oh!” He laughed, “Calhoun felt bad that it was technically her fault that I was late, knew I’d never be able to find a cab in this weather.”

“Is it yours for at least the next hour? Cause I’m freezing and starving…and I’m not walking in this rain.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” He smiled, pausing to press a tender kiss to your lips before he ushered you into the back of the car.

That night, over Chinese take out and a few beers you and Sonny started going through the big furniture things that you both had, laying out reasonable arguments and voting over which ones were more comfy, and which ones you’d be donating. By the end of the week you had both began dwindling down on your belongings to make sure they’d fit in Sonny’s apartment. By the end of the month you had successfully moved in, boxes still littered around the space as you got fully settled and unpacked. That evening while waiting for take out, came a very lavish housewarming basket, the card signed by Rita Calhoun, an apology for causing so much panic those weeks ago. Sonny appreciated the sentiment immensely…until he saw a motions paper tucked in behind a bottle of wine. You simply laughed, reminding him to thank her next time he saw her in the courthouse halls, pecking him on the cheek as you swiped the wine from his hands, saying you were going to pour out a couple of glasses so you could enjoy your first dinner together in your apartment.

The question made him cease his notetaking and look at you skeptically over his reading glasses: “...Maybe…”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Rafae!” You now sat up, fully awake. “We said we wouldn’t go up against each other anymore!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault the state wants their best man in this case, Miss Y/N,” he used your formal name to signify he was being “Work Rafael”.

“Too bad their ‘best man’ still can’t beat me, Mr. Barba” You smirked.

“Oh, we’ll see,” He smugly smiled back.

“Come on Raffi,” You whined. “Put it away, cuddle me. I have a hard day tomorrow,”

“As do I,” He shook his head with a smile while going back to his work.

“Five minutes?” You batted your eyes.

“You can spoon me if you don’t knock over my laptop,” He conceded while continuing to write.

You did so, snuggling your head close against his thigh. After a few moments, Rafael stopped writing and looked down at you with annoyance.

“Wait a second,” His tone was skeptical. “Are you cuddling me so you can see my notes about tomorrow?”

“...Well, you broke the ‘no bringing work to bed’ rule first,” you smirked. “I was just following suit,”

“That’s it,” He tossed his laptop and legal pad onto the side of his nightstand and began to tickle you. “You’re getting punished for this,”

“Ah!! Raffi!! Stop!!” You squealed and giggled.

It had been a long time since Rita had held this pen, the familiar scratch of ink hitting parchment soothing her against the pounding rain on the window in front of her. The scent of the candle to her right filled her senses, almost putting her in a trancelike state as the words she felt so deeply in her heart easily flowed from her fingertips.

It had been a long time since she had placed her favorite record on the phonograph, taking a moment to let the dulcet tones sink into her bones while she swayed on the spot. She closed her eyes as the music overtook her, briefly getting caught up in the familiar tune before moving back over to her desk and picking up the pen once more.

It had been a long time since she had poured her heart out in such a vulnerable, romantic way. Only a special few were privy to recieve a hand-written love letter from Rita Calhoun, and even fewer deemed worthy for more than one. This being the third you would recieve meant you were the first, and only, to have such a deep, intense look into the love that Rita was capable of holding for those that managed to break down every wall she had so carefully constructed.

It had been a long time since Rita even allowed someone to do so.

It had been a long time since Rita had been so desperately in love.

It had been a long time...

And then you.

--

The looks that you were getting from your fellow detectives made your face turn a beet red as you read the immaculately written card, then by the end of your shift, you returned home to find a package waiting at your front door.

Once you brought the parcel indoors and placed it on the coffee table, you proceeded to unwrap the contents, only to find a beautiful red cocktail dress with a pair of black stiletto heels. There was also a note attached with directions to the most romantic restaurant in all of Manhattan and the time in which to be there, you placed a palm over your heart at this extravagant display of affection.

It felt like Rafael was making up for lost time, first the roses and now the new wardrobe and dinner reservations. Within a few hours, you were decked out to the nines, hair cascading elegantly down your back, makeup done to the level of a supermodel. You gave yourself a quick once over in the mirror, admiring how the dress hugged your curves so beautifully.

You grabbed your purse and headed out the door, when you reached outside the building you found a car waiting for you to take you to the restaurant. You could feel your heart pounding as you passed by various buildings en route, when you finally arrived, the driver exited the vehicle and opened the passenger side door and motioned for you to depart.

As soon as you left, your gaze shifted to the gentleman that stood in your wake. Rafael, who was dressed in a white dress shirt and black slacks with matching shoes and blazer, held out his hand and beckoned for you. You smiled brightly as you made your way towards him, the two of you proceeded inside and were ultimately led to your table by the hostess.

The restaurant wasn’t decorated with pink balloons and a confetti of streamers thankfully, however, there was a gentleman playing soft music on a piano not too far from your table.

You and Rafael placed your drink orders and sat idly, taking in the serene surroundings. There were various couples displaying their own forms of PDA, from holding hands to sweet kisses, you couldn’t help but smile and feel as though you were the luckiest woman in Manhattan to be amongst them.

As you were well into your meal, you spotted Rafael acting a little distracted, he seemed to be chugging down his third helping of scotch and fidgeting with the tablecloth.

“Rafael”

“Hmm”

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah…I’m fine, why do you ask?”

“You seem a little nervous”

Suddenly, he rose up from his seat and reached into his pocket where he pulled out a small black velvet box, then he got down on one knee right in front and you couldn’t but gasp. Rafael took your hand into his and gazed into your green eyes that began to fill with tears.

“You Y/N are the part of me that I didn’t know that was missing. You are a creature of beauty and power. You are my sadness and my hope, but mostly you are my love. Will you marry me?”

Tears began flowing freely as he opened the box and presented a white gold diamond ring, your mind was so overwhelmingly shocked that you became mute.

“Uh Y/N this is the part where you say something”

“Yes…yes…a thousand times yes”

You lunged into Rafael’s arms and pressed a hard kiss upon his lips as a symphony of claps and cheers from the other patrons echoed throughout the restaurant, as you slowly released him from your embrace he slid the ring on to your finger.

You wiped your tears and looked down at the ring, it was almost like a scene from some cheesy rom-com but in that moment, you felt like you had reached the peak of Everest or ran the Boston marathon. Life had thrown its fair share of curveballs but now things were finally looking up for the better, your gaze returned to Rafael and once again you placed a soft kiss upon his lips.

“Do you think we can continue this at home?”

“You read my mind”

Your hands gripped his pecs as you rode him, you and Rafael were practically ripping each other's clothes off as you made your way through the front door, it was a miracle that you even made it to the bedroom. Your combined moans and heavy breathing bounced along the walls of your bedroom, the sound of skin slapping skin permeating as well.

Rafael gripped your hips as you and him were chasing your respective orgasms, with every thrust you could feel it getting closer.

“Oh Rafi, I’m almost there”

He reached in between your sweat covered bodies and began rubbing your clit, “Come for me Y/N”

There was a sound as you finished your drink and cautiously put it down. You began to walk towards the sound, going against better judgment (horror movies taught you that you should run away not towards shit like this). Curiosity was stronger than worry. You walked back towards the hall and you spotted light coming from Bryan’s room. And then you heard it - a woman’s voice. “Yes! Harder!”

Dread settled as you followed the voice. You noticed that the door to his bedroom was slightly ajar. You peeked in and swallowed the bile that threatened to escape. Constance was on her hands and knees, while Bryan fucked her from behind. His hands were gripping Constance’s hips tightly as he pounded away, ramming her. His eyes were closed as his fingers dug into her hips. Constance let out a deep moan, before turning her head to meet your eyes.

“I told you that you’re nothing more than the hired help,” Constance panted as Bryan continued to fuck her. “He’s mine.”

Bryan’s eyes opened and they met yours. He pushed Constance down on the bed, so her ass was in the air. Tears streamed down your cheeks, your face hot. You felt so humiliated. “Stupid girl.”

You gasped as you sat up in bed as you woke up. You were drenched in sweat. You kicked your legs out from the sheets you were tangled in. Your heart was pounding and your breath was heavy.

You looked around - Bryan beside you sound asleep is the startling realization that it was all a dream.

“A fucking dream,” you mumbled to yourself, rubbing your hands over your face.

Bryan shifted in his sleep, rolling onto his back. You turned towards him and placed your hand on his covered leg, as if to reassure yourself.

You took a deep breath and laid back down, moving to lay your head on his chest. In his sleep, Bryan moved his arm so it was around you. You closed your arms and tried to focus on happier thoughts.

**

“Are you alright?” Bryan asked when you got back from dropping the kids off. “You seemed distracted earlier.”

You were surprised to see Bryan as you thought he was going into the office. You nodded. “Of course I am.”

Bryan looked at you quizzically, as if he didn’t believe you.

“Just tired. Didn’t sleep well,” you rushed. You headed into the kitchen, with Bryan close on your heels. “I need more coffee.”

You stood on the tips of your toes to grab a coffee mug when Bryan’s arm blocked you.

Your eyes narrowed. “Uh, told you I needed coffee.”

Bryan pulled you close to him. “Something’s wrong. Talk to me.”

You let out an irritated sigh and crossed your arms. “I’m fine.”

Bryan furrowed his brows together, his lips pressed thin. Finally he relented, not in the mood to get into anything.

“Valentine’s is tomorrow. I have a lot planned for us. Connie has the kids overnight.”

Hearing her name out of Bryan’s mouth made your stomach churn. The image of Bryan fucking her flashed through your mind.

“Great,” you muttered.

Bryan was less than wild with your unenthused response. He opened his mouth to reply, when the clock behind you caught his attention.

“I have a Zoom meeting in ten,” he groused. He reached for a mug and slammed it a little more roughly than he intended to on the counter.

“Noted,” you replied, just as curtly. You snatched the mug and made your way over to the coffee maker. As you poured the coffee, the dream replayed itself. ‘Just a dream’ you told yourself. ‘Overreacting over nothing.’ You decided to tell Bryan, but when you turned around, he was already gone.

The rest of the day, Bryan was busy non-stop and you barely had a chance to speak with him at all. As you ushered the children to bed, you peered into his office where he was angrily on the phone with someone - you could only assume opposing counsel. When Bryan finally came to bed, it was well into the night, near 2am. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

**

The following day, when you woke up, Bryan and the children were already gone. You stretched in bed, letting out a big yawn. You looked over to the nightstand and felt your heart pang. On the nightstand was a vase filled with stunning red roses along with an envelope.

You felt guilty for snapping at Bryan. It wasn’t his fault your unconscious was hyperactive. You opened the envelope and in it, was a letter.

I remember the first time I saw you. I couldn’t stop looking at you, your eyes, your smile – you stole my heart the first moment you spoke. I think about the time before you were a part of my life. I remember being aimlessly drifting from one place to another, for I was bereft of a cause in my life. Along came you and from that day forth everything changed. There’s no other woman in this world who can love me the way you do. And most of the time, you don’t even have to try. You’re everything I want as a partner and you’re mine. Don’t think for a minute that I don’t appreciate everything you do for us. I love you. -Bryan

PS - I booked an entire day for you at the spa. I’ll be waiting for you at home for dinner… and dessert.

By the time you finished reading, tears were flowing freely. You had to tell Bryan about everything and apologize for being such a bitch. You called, but because he didn’t answer, you left him a message. You decided to lean into the pampering activities that were planned. After all, what better way to unwind and then be able to enjoy whatever else Bryan had planned.

You spent hours at the spa, where Bryan had booked near every treatment possible. In between treatments, you spent time in the lounge area where you read and napped one of the many single person beds that were nestled in draped enclaves. Every once in a while someone came by to refill your tea. Nearby, a fire flickered in the fireplace. By the end of the day, you were a pile of blissful goo. A car came by to take you back home.

When you entered the house, it was quiet. The lights were dimmed and more bouquets of red roses decorated the house. There was another note with instructions to get ready and to meet Bryan in the dining room.

Shortly after, you finished applying your makeup and took a step back to look at yourself in the mirror. You wore a little black dress with the fuck me heels you knew Bryan loved. Underneath was a lace lingerie set you had purchased weeks prior. Black garters held up the thigh highs you wore. You gave yourself a second once over, fluffed your hair and headed out.

**

Your heels clacked down the hallway, echoing loudly. When you entered the dining room, Bryan had dinner all set up.

“What’s all this?” You asked as you scanned the dining room. There were more roses and candles of different lengths lit up. It was extremely romantic.

“I hired a chef for tonight,” Bryan explained. He was decked in a charcoal suit and black tie. His beard was perfectly trimmed. You felt heat shoot through to your core.

Bryan gave you a shit eating grin and walked over to you, pulling you close. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” His cologne, a mix of vetiver, bergamot, and cedar gave off an undeniably masculine scent.

“Holy shit,” you whispered. “I forgot how fucking sexy you are.”

He dipped his head to kiss you and you leaned up and into the kiss. Your arms were wrapped around his neck as his tongue tangled yours.

You pulled away, breathless. “Bryan, I’m sorry for yesterday. I had a bad dream and I took it out on you and—“

“We all have our days,” Bryan murmured as he kissed you once more. His tongue licked hotly into the roof of your mouth. “Let’s not focus on that now and enjoy dinner.”

You toyed with his tie before wrapping it up in your fist. “Actually… is there any way we can have dinner later and have dessert first?”

Bryan smirked. His large hands moved downwards to your ass and squeezed. A large hand went under the hem of your dress and felt the edge of the lace panties you wore.

“I think we can arrange that.”

Fin.

—

It was quick to get showered and dressed, putting on her favourite necklace. It was a rare day not in court so she could relax and just deal with motions and books. As she shimmied her pantyhose on the alarm sounded, drive time morning djs to convince her to get out of bed quickly.

“And it’s Valentines Day folks, so for all of you in relationships I hope you’ve got a plan for tonight. Too late for reservations now. And for you single folks tomorrow is half price candy day.”

She half snorted a laugh, wondering where she fit in. That night would be either at her apartment or Jack’s, some form of takeout and probably doing legal research while making jokes before he convinced her to drop her research with soft kisses and smiles. So they did have their plan for tonight.

When she went into the kitchen living room of her apartment there was coffee already brewed. Jack was gone, a note left on the counter in front of the pot.

Realised I have a brief due at nine, gone to the office. Get in safe and we’ll leave early tonight. Love J

She sipped from her mug with a grin on her face, feeling like a teenager in love for the first time. They’d been together for over a year and things were good. It was secret, but they’d started having the discussion about telling Adam. Jack was nearly convinced that Adam knew anyway, and apparently the man was a bigger romantic than he was given credit for. But the scars from Thayer were still there even though this was so different. This felt safe, for the first time in so long. She trusted Jack McCoy with her heart, and he’d proven worthy of it.

The train in wasn’t too busy, the one advantage of being on it by seven fifteen. It was straight into the office, an elevator to the fourth floor and sliding into her chair as she put her bag down. A pink card was sitting on her desk with blocky handwriting, C Kincaid on the envelope. Inside was a cheesy valentines card, the poem about love in so many forms. But it was the inscription that made her smile.

Every day I consider myself so incredibly lucky to have you in my life. Your knowledge and abilities are first rate, and your care and compassion knows no bounds. I love you.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The smile on her face grew as she put it down, not wanting to make it obvious. Jack came out of his office a few moments later.

“Did you get the case law for Heller’s brief on the suppression motion?” He paused for a moment, eyes flicking to the card. “You have a valentine, Claire?”

“What can I say, someone appreciates me for more than my research skills. And yeah, if we take the standard set in D’Onofrio we could use that here to quash the motion to suppress.”

It was a busy day despite not being in court, and she barely had time to drink water, let alone eat. When she arrived back from the bathroom there was a roast beef sandwich and a cup of soup on her desk, Jack looking approvingly from his office as she sat down.

When she finally got the brief written she walked into Jack’s office and sat on the couch to go over it all with him. They barely noticed the sun beginning to set outside until a knock at the door jerked them out of their conversation.

Adam walked in with his hat and coat on, ready to leave. He stared at the very deliberate space left between the two of them before meeting each of their eyes.

“Do neither of you have anywhere to be tonight? It’s the most romantic night of the year, I’d assume you’d each have a date.” It was the closest he’d ever come to talking about their personal relationship.

“Valentine’s is a Hallmark holiday. I’d rather show how I care about someone every day of the year rather than on one specific day,” Jack retorted, pushing glasses up his nose and running a hand through his already messed hair.

“I pity the next Mrs. McCoy. See you both tomorrow.” He closed the door gently beside them, his steps echoing on the tile floor as he left.

“He completely knows and that was his tacit approval. You do know that, right?” Jack asked, Claire blushing slightly.

“We can have this conversation later. Have we got anything else to look at?”

“It’ll wait. Here, go change into these and meet me in the parking lot.” She took the denim jeans he handed over, clearly pilfered from her wardrobe that morning. But true to his word she went to the bathroom and put them on, pulling her blazer off and shrugging on a coat instead. When she made it downstairs Jack had her helmet waiting for her with a smirk that she just wanted to kiss off his face. But she put it on and straddled the Yamaha behind him, settling in with her arms around his waist as he kicked off.

It was always a thrill being on the bike with him, their bags in the saddlebags as he drove them carefully through the Manhattan streets. She watched out of her visor as he drove them across the Manhattan Bridge, going straight through Brooklyn. Finally they pulled up at Coney Island, the lights vibrant in the night sky and the sound of the Long Island Sound in the distance. She got off the bike with Jack’s help, pulling off her helmet and shaking her hair out.

“You look beautiful.” Jack’s voice was sincere, looking down at her with his brown eyes shining in the neon light.

“I look a mess.” Claire opened the saddlebag for her purse, taking the red envelope from it. “I got you one too.”

“A what?”

“Don’t play dumb, McCoy, it doesn’t look good on you. I know you left the card on my desk this morning.” He had the grace to smile and look down as he took the card, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She watched him open the envelope and took a breath, so worried for his reaction as the silver key dropped into his hand as he read out loud.

“Jack. This last eighteen months has meant more than I can say, and I love you. You let me realise I deserve to love someone and be loved. I was scared to admit this, but this relationship is the most important thing to me. So once we hit working together for two years in June, I think we should tell Adam and reveal it. I’m pretty sure everyone already knows and I want to make it real. Here’s the spare key to my apartment so you can come around whenever you want. All my love, Claire.”

He stared at her, the nerves Claire had felt disappearing as she saw the love on his face for her.

“I love you. And I want to tell the world. You’re not some dirty secret and I never want you to feel that way.”

“I love you too.”

He took her hand as they walked down to the beach, buying a burger and fries for each of them as they sat on the bench and stared at the water. Lazy kisses were traded until they were too cold and got back on the bike to get to Manhattan again, Jack pulling up outside his building and helping her off the bike. Instead of their usual careful check for anyone they knew he took her hand and interlaced their fingers while they walked inside.

Rafael was enjoying the view. You were wearing the black lace panties, with matching sheer babydoll, that he’d bought you especially for this Valentine’s weekend away. You heard his footsteps, his intake of breath, as he approached your bent over form. Positioned just as he’d told you, tantalising him with your legs parted and your ass pushed back towards him. He stepped closer.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, and you could hear the catch in his voice. “I’m so lucky you’re mine.” You smiled to yourself, flushing with pleasure.

“Thank you,” you murmured.

He took another step closer. Now his hand slid softly over the thin lace stretched taut across your skin as you bent over the chair. The heat and pressure of his hand sent a wave of pleasure through you. His fingers traced the edge of the black lace, tickling slightly along your skin. He stepped closer again and now you felt the fabric of his pants brush your leg, the bulge of his cock pressing against your body. “You feel what you do to me?” he demanded.

“Yes, I do,” you replied softly. Even now, you were sometimes surprised at just how attracted to you Rafael was. No one had ever made you feel this sexy, this empowered.

His fingers stroked lightly, over the pattern of the lace, slipping down to the valley between your thighs. Over the lace at first, he pressed against your folds, and then he peeled the lace to the side and his fingers found your slick flesh unimpeded. You gasped. “So wet for me, kitten?” He slipped a finger inside you. “We haven’t done anything yet.” His touch moved to your clit, circling, and your knees felt weak.

“You’re hard for me,” you retorted. Rafael chuckled, and his fingers moved, pinching your clit instead of pleasuring it. You moaned, and he laughed again.

“You don’t have to be a brat, my love. You’re going to get what you want.”

Suddenly, you felt something cool, smooth, sliding up the inside of your thigh. Your core throbbed with desire, because you knew what it was. Your Valentine’s gift to Rafael. He slid the leather spanking paddle higher, the edge brushing the lace of your panties, sending a new sensation through your body, and then he was running the flat surface over your ass cheeks. You felt the leather warming against your body, and shifted your weight slightly, already imagining what it was going to feel like.

“Quite the gift you gave me, kitten.” He paused. “Not the paddle, although it’s exquisite craftsmanship. But the chance to remind you whose ass this is, whose sweet little pussy this is.” His free hand cupped your pussy through the panties briefly. You breathed harder. “Tell me, what’s our word?”

“Strawberries,” you said. He always checked, just before he unleased the pain-pleasure he was so expert in delivering.

“Good girl.” His hand was caressing your skin now, as if he was warming it up. Then his touch was replaced by the paddle. “Now, you’re going to count. I haven’t decided how many yet. Just count.” He ran his finger tips the length of your spine, up and down, making you shiver. When he reached the waist of your panties, he peeled the lace down over your ass, leaving you entirely exposed. Your skin tingled, and arousal pulsed through you. Anticipating, craving the edge of pain, the rush of dopamine, the intimacy of this kind of trust, that you’d only ever found with Rafael.