A/N: Wow! All your amazing reviews really inspired me to get to work quickly on the second chapter. Thank you all so much! This chapter is rated a soft "M", but I try to be tasteful, so hopefully it comes across as more romantic than dirty.

Enjoy ;)

Chapter 2

Lisbon felt like she was drowning. Her senses were overwhelmed with the scent of him, the taste, the touch of his warm hands on her arms, her face, in her hair. It was surreal. Jane's lips were on hers, and they were as sensual and talented as she'd imagined. His hands—those beautifully expressive hands—were caressing her everywhere he could reach with her clothes on, making her gasp with need. Jane's hair was just as soft and amazing as she'd predicted, curling around her fingers at his nape. She could feel the heat of his chest against hers, and lower, he was hard and throbbing against her stomach. The longer he kissed her, the weaker with desire she became.

"Oh…God…Jane," she breathed. One clever hand cupped her breast, his thumb caressing her nipple through the fabric of her dress. His mouth moved to her neck, his breath loud and raspy near her ear, while she slipped off his suit jacket, letting it fall to the floor. By unspoken agreement, they moved toward the bed. Soon they were both lying down, facing one another.

Her trembling hands went to his tie, and she loosened the knot, listening to her own breathing as she strained to concentrate. He paused to watch her, his hand hovering over the bandeaux top of her dress. She met his eyes and he gave her a slow, sweet smile. He too was feeling the unreality of the moment. She slid the tie from around his neck, threw it on the floor behind her, and then her fingers began working at his shirt buttons. He lay there, reveling in her touch as each inch of his chest was revealed to her hungry gaze.

Jane felt a sudden wave of insecurity. He'd worked hard the last twelve years to present himself as almost asexual, to stay buttoned up like a Victorian spinster. He'd gotten so good at suppressing his sexuality that he had forgotten what it felt like to express this part of himself willingly. He was approaching middle age, and some days he felt every second of it. His physique hadn't exactly been priority one either. No doubt his spirit was willing—his body too, for that matter—but would he be pleasing to Lisbon? He was dreadfully out of practice, and she had been in a relationship for weeks now…

"Hey," she said suddenly. Some of his emotions must have shown on his face, and her expression had turned concerned. "You okay?"

Her hand was resting flat on his chest now, and he knew she could feel how hard his heart was pounding. His brain was racing just as fast, too fast to find the calm he longed for, the focus.

"Yeah," he said, taking a deep breath. "You?"

"We don't have to do this," she said. "If you're not ready."

The thought of not being with her now, after all he'd put them both through, suddenly made all his insecurities completely unimportant. He leaned forward to kiss her. "Oh, I'm ready," he whispered against her lips.

From then on, Jane threw out all his inhibitions and went with his heart, went with what his body wanted. And both wanted Lisbon very badly. He nuzzled at her scented cleavage (ignoring the pain from his sore nose), while his hands cupped her breasts, his tongue darting out to trace the tops of the perfectly rounded flesh. Her hands found his hair and her breath caught as he gently pulled down her dress. He'd just reached beneath her back to release the clasp of her strapless bra when, with the ping of a cell phone, reality set in.

Her fingers stilled in his hair.

"Jane," she said, with a hitch in her voice. "We-we have to stop."

He lifted his head to look at her. He'd recognized that particular tone. Only Pike could have put the brakes on this now.

He rolled to his back, looking up at the ceiling fan while she sat up, pulling up her dress over those beautiful breasts he'd almost gotten to see. She went to the phone she'd left on the nightstand and looked at her new text message.

Hey, babe. How's the case going?

She sat heavily on the bed.

"I'll give you some privacy," Jane said, and got up to head back to his own room.

"Jane. I'm sorry. I—I got lost in the moment. It wouldn't be fair to him if we—"

He held up his hand. "It's okay."

She was an honorable woman. It had been wrong of him to get carried away when she'd only regret it the next morning. Teresa Lisbon was no cheater.

"What will you say to him?" he asked, fear gripping his heart.

"I don't know."

It was like she'd hit him again. With both fists.

"Oh."

"Jane—"

"You know where to find me," he said, and he left her to call her boyfriend.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

It was too much of a temptation to stay in his suite where the walls were thin enough that he could hear her conversation with Pike, especially if he pressed his ear against the door. So he went out to the balcony and stared blindly into the darkness. The sound of the waves should have been soothing, but it was slowly driving him crazy. He stood at the rail, gripping it tightly, feeling like screaming at the top of his lungs. He was still unbelievably turned on, and that frustration was warring with his fear that Lisbon had come to her senses, that she woken up from their sensual daze and realized she couldn't be with him after all.

Thirty minutes later, he heard her call his name from inside his suite.

"I'm out here," he said hoarsely, his voice breaking.

If she was going to end it with him, he'd much prefer the cover of darkness, where he could perhaps hide some of his utter devastation from her pitying gaze.

She joined him at the railing, and he knew at once she'd been crying. He couldn't ask her what had happened; he wasn't physically capable of it.

"It's over," she said, and he felt his legs grow weak beneath him. He couldn't speak, but held on to the railing for dear life.

She touched his arm. "Did you hear me? I told Marcus I couldn't go with him to DC."

He was so surprised that for a moment her words didn't completely register.

"Oh God, Jane. That was the most difficult conversation I've ever had."

She wiped her face with the tissue already balled in her hand. "He's such a good man. He loves me, wants to make a life with me. He was so hurt. I hated doing that over the phone, but I couldn't see going all the way out there just to break his heart. I feel like a worthless piece of crap."

Jane felt the relief warm him like a hot cup of tea. He pushed it down, however, as he focused on Lisbon's pain.

"I'm sorry, Lisbon," he said finally, and pulled her into his arms. He let her cry on his shoulder a minute.

"Was he angry?" he asked, for he felt at least fifty-percent responsible for this mess. Maybe even sixty. He hoped Pike hadn't taken it out on her.

"No," she said, sniffling. "He understood. And he didn't seem too surprised, really."

"Hmm," was his noncommittal reply.

This certainly supported Jane's opinion that Pike had been deluding himself where Lisbon was concerned. He had to know that her heart wasn't completely in it. After all, Lisbon was a terrible actress, and wasn't Pike an FBI agent? They were supposed to be trained in reading people.

She pulled away from him to blot her eyes again. "You don't have to be diplomatic, Jane. You didn't really want me to be with him."

He nodded. "True. But I thought he might be what you needed, Lisbon. He was good for you—a little pushy perhaps, but good, generally speaking. Letting him have you was my valiant attempt at being selfless."

She laughed without humor. "Oh, now you choose to be selfless. Hell of a time to start that, when it was the lives of three people at stake." She blew her nose loudly, and he grinned.

"Well," he said tentatively. "At the risk of getting punched again, I have to say, Lisbon, you weren't exactly forthcoming with your true feelings either. Why was I ultimately the one to have to prove myself?"

She was quiet a moment, and Jane tensed, fearing the worst. When would he learn to keep his mouth shut? Or know when not to? This was one of the reasons he'd remained celibate for over a decade, he thought wryly. Personal relationships were too damn confusing.

"You're right," she said at last. "I did sort of make things worse by getting more deeply involved with Marcus when I knew I was in love with you. But I wasn't sure-"

Had his ears deceived him?

"Wait—" he interrupted. "What did you say?"

"I made things worse—"

"Not that. The other thing."

Even in the darkness of the balcony, he knew she was blushing.

"You heard me," she said shyly.

"Say it again," he whispered.

"Say what again?" Her lips quirked in amusement.

"I suppose I deserve that," he told her sheepishly. He'd once outright lied to her about that very thing.

She turned into his embrace again, her arms going around his neck. Instead of answering him, she tiptoed up to kiss his mouth in passionate reply.

They started all over on his bed, and this time there was no hesitation. With Pike out of the picture, there were no more emotional barriers between them. Soon, there were no physical barriers either, as he made quick work of disrobing her, stepping away from the bed to stare at his newly uncovered treasure while he dispensed with the rest of his own clothing.

By the way she was devouring him with her eyes, he needn't have felt insecure, he realized, and he grinned before joining her on the bed again, covering her body with his own. It was nearly overwhelming, the feeling of her bare skin beneath him. He adjusted himself so that he hovered at her slick entrance and her eyes flew open in surprise. It would just take one push and he would be home.

"Don't worry," he whispered in her ear. "I'm not that out of practice."

After a quick nip of her earlobe, he kissed his way down to her glorious breasts. He took each rosy tip between his lips, suckling, licking, teasing until she cried out with passion and frustration. But he continued his assault while his hand snaked down between their bodies, touching her intimately with deft fingers. He wanted to laugh with glee at how ready she was, but he smiled instead against her breasts. His former prowess in the bedroom had returned with a vengeance, having been neatly stowed behind a locked door inside his memory palace. Slowly, he aroused her to the brink of insanity, her hands wild in his hair, guiding him away from her aching breasts to go lower still. Her desire couldn't have been more clear, and he was happy to oblige.

It took exactly two targeted licks before she came undone, and he reveled in the glory of it. She was beautiful in her ecstasy, more incredible than he had imagined. He'd rightly predicted that while she appeared staid and cool on the job, she would be wildly responsive in bed. Before she could come down completely, however, he slid atop her body again, reverently kissing her flushed cheeks, whispering his love for her in her ear. Her arms wound around him, holding him close until her heart had slowed to a tolerable level.

"My turn," she said, and found his full lips.

Still kissing him, she rolled him to his back, and he shivered involuntarily when he saw the erotic intentions in her eyes. He hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself before she was completely through with him. She began by administering her own sensual torture upon his flat nipples, licking and biting until he thought he might die from the pleasure of it. She worshiped his body from head to toe with her mouth and hands, avoiding the hardened part of him that yearned for her touch the most.

Even if he had his wits about him enough to employ biofeedback, there was no way he could control his reaction when she finally gripped him with her small hands and took him inside her hot, wet mouth.

"Son of a bitch," he hissed, and the hum of her laughter nearly ended things right there.

Lisbon looked up at his face, supreme mischief in her eyes at the almost painful expression she found there. God, but she was enjoying this. Patrick Jane out of control at her hands was a dream come true for her. She went to work, employing every trick she knew to take him to the edge, then pull him back again, while he said a few choice words she'd never heard come out of his mouth before.

"Teresa," he finally panted. "I don't know what you're punishing me for, but I surrender. I give up. Just make it stop, I'm begging you."

She chuckled at his uncharacteristic melodrama, and before he could protest in his weakened state, straddled him and guided him slowly inside her body. They both moaned when he filled her completely. His shaking hands moved to either side of her hips, holding her still while he tried both mentally and physically to adapt to the indescribable pleasure.

But Lisbon was too impatient, and before he was quite ready for it, she began to move. He bit down on his lower lip, sweat gathering on his brow and chest as he tried to make it last for her. She leaned forward as she felt him thrust with as much restraint as he could muster.

"Just let go," she told him, looking deeply into his crazed eyes, her hands resting on his damp cheeks. He managed to focus on her, comprehension dawning, and she smiled.

Apparently, that was all the permission he needed, for she yelped in surprise when she found herself on her back once more, Jane pounding into her with such force the bed shook. She laughed and groaned breathlessly, delighting as he finally allowed himself to give her everything he had ever held back.

Nothing prepared her for the emotion she felt when, with one last thrust, he said her name and emptied himself inside of her, whereupon she found her own release once more. His body jerked several times as she convulsed around him, and he trembled uncontrollably for some minutes afterwards, having collapsed upon her in replete exhaustion.

She caressed his clammy back, tears filling her eyes at the beauty of what they'd found together.

"I love you," she said softly. "Since the day we met, I've loved you."

He found the strength to raise his head and look at her, his own eyes suspiciously moist. He wiped one of her tears with the pad of his thumb, pressing his lips sweetly to hers.

"And I will love you until the day I die," he told her, meaning it with every fiber of he being. And then he smiled. "See what a great team we make?"

THE END

A/N: Thanks for reading this! If you haven't read any of my stories before, there are lots to choose from, just click on my name. I hope you check them out, and, even better, let me know what you think. Reviews are better than chocolate (okay, I exaggerate, but you know what I mean ;)