KATE

Coherent thought was hard to come by with his mouth on hers and his fingers teasing the skin of her waist, but she was certain of two things; he was very attracted to her, and she'd definitely been right to be jealous of the few women she'd seen pique his interest. She could feel him smiling, laughing into the kiss, as if he was as surprised and delighted by this turn of events as she was.

He pulled himself a little further up her body, and despite herself it felt so good to be covered, overwhelmed, blanketed by his frame. He shifted, and she gasped as the movement between her legs brought his pelvis into intimate contact with hers and his attraction was solidified in the unambiguous evidence of his arousal. Her hands tightened on his shoulders as she moaned into his mouth and wriggled against him.

He chuckled again, pulled away just far enough to look at her, his eyes intense even with his smile, and she swallowed hard.

"So, believe I'm attracted to you yet?"

She made a show of thinking about it. "Getting there."

He growled and pressed himself against her, bending over her to brush his lips along her jaw, and she felt her eyes flutter closed and her legs part shamelessly in invitation. Yeah, he was, ooh, really attracted to her. Unnnnhhh.

"How 'bout you?" he whispered roughly in her ear.

God, why was he trying to make her think? "How about me...?"

"You attracted to me, Katie?"

When she opened her mouth to answer, the first thing that popped out was a whimper. Well, I will never live that down... "I, uh..." She swallowed. "I seem to remember I was the one who kissed you first..."

He shrugged a shoulder, spoke into her skin, his voice low and rumbling. "'Cause you thought I'd know what I was doin', sure. That the only reason?" He sounded so serious all of a sudden, like he was asking so much more than whether she'd ever looked at him and harboured a lustful thought.

His lips were doing wicked, wonderful things to her neck, his body was rocking deliciously between her thighs, and she wondered what the right answer was, the answer that would make him not stop. She had no idea.

Before today, if he'd asked her this question - in the wildly improbable circumstance he'd ever ask her such a thing - she would've felt quite confident assuming he was hoping for a denial and a quick, meaningless fuck.

Then he'd held her and comforted her while she cried, wrapped his arms around her and made her feel safe, kissed her with such tenderness, been so much sweeter and gentler than she would ever have expected, and suddenly she didn't know anymore.

"Kate." He stopped, damn him, and she wanted to scream at him for it. Damn him and his wretched self-control. He lifted himself up to look her in the eye. "Answer me."

His expression had grown even more intense, and she gulped at the mixture of excitement and uncertainty and desire he was eliciting.

She studied his face, even as he studied hers, and suddenly she gave in. She didn't know what the 'right' answer was, could no longer make herself care. He'd get the unvarnished truth and if he didn't like it, well, it was too damn bad. "Yes, Gibbs. I like you, okay? I'm- I'm attracted to you, and I like you, and I care about you, you annoying, frustrating bastard, I-"

She didn't get the chance to tell him anything else because suddenly he was kissing her again and one of his hands was touching her face and the other was finding hers to intertwine their fingers and oh wow, he'd been holding back up till now.

When he drew back this time he didn't open his eyes, but rested his forehead against hers, his breathing laboured and a grin- no, not a grin, a smile, a wide, unrestrained smile on his face. "Good."

"Good?" She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice.

He slowly opened his eyes, and they were brighter and happier and more startlingly blue than she'd ever known them. "Yeah. Good."

She could feel her own smile widening to match his as surprise gave way to surprising joy, and a laugh bubbled up from her toes. "Okay then. Good."

"So," he murmured, his voice now full of mischief and warmth and - well, if she was going to be frank about it - sex. "Tell me Katie, what was it you wanted me to show you so bad?"

She laughed as she let her free hand hook into the top of his shirt and pop a button open, then another, watching his eyes widen and his smile stretch into a very pleased and very knowing smirk. "Show me..." She laughed again in anticipation and pleasure as his body pressed down into hers once more. "You can show me everything."

~ fin ~