A Perfectly Good Experiment
She arched her back, digging her knees into the mattress. It was futile, but her hands grabbed blindly at the sheets, seeking semblance of support. Failing, he nails scraped into the wood of the headboard and she bit back a groan. Focus. She had to focus her efforts, even as she felt her resolution slip, second by tension-filled second. It was important, for both her and Harry, to get this right, she reminded herself as she clenched her jaw and closed her eyes. The angle was just right, just�
�Come on, already!� she bit out, her knees shaking in protest. Looking over her shoulder, she wondered what exactly he saw that she couldn�t.
�Almost� right,� he muttered and she rolled her eyes. Almost? It was perfect. It had to be. There was no way to get anything any better, he had to see that.
His right hand was on the small of her back, pressing her down, resisting the motion. It was hard to push against it � him � at least instinctually, even as part of her wanted to roll over and pin him down. She thought she could already feel sweat pouring from her and the thought of giving him a taste of his own medicine didn�t sound too bad.
�Harry, I swear�� she took a deep breath, burying her face in the pillow.
�Might not be the best time for declarations,� he chuckled, pressing even harder. It was a vigorous push, but having held up against it for so long, her body had become used to it. He�d taken his time, just as he should have, letting her appreciate every second for what it was: part of a bigger picture.
When his fingers gave her back a gentle stroke, she wondered if he was feeling a little guilty for having wound her up for so long. She�d thought she could take his teasing, but her patience was waning. She felt like she needed to bite into something or else she might scream in frustration. From the pillow and sheets, her teeth sunk into her bottom lip, the slight pain reminding her of all the aches taking hold of her simultaneously, underlining the satisfaction she felt him exude.
�You�re enjoying yourself,� she managed to get out between two gasps, �aren�t you?�
But when he answered, there was more than witty banter in his tone: �Harder, Nik�� he ground out, leaning over her so she could feel the tension in his arms. She found she was not the only one shaking with effort.
�I can�t,� she panted. It was too much; all too much.
�Yes, you can,� he whispered and she felt a surge of pride. At least she was tiring him out as well. There was some justice in the world if she wasn�t the only one struggling to hold on.
�I can�t!� she cried.
A futile attempt at reaching for him elicited the closest thing to a groan she had yet to hear from him, and just to see if she could make that infuriating composure slip twice, she did it again, hand leaving the headboard and tangling in the sheets just as they met his body. Instead of groaning, he let out a harsh breath and she realised the angle had suddenly given her more leverage.
�Harry�� she whispered, feeling him concentrate his efforts. They were so close, so close; she could feel her joints throbbing and her heart ache with the sudden insight. Euphoria overtook her as she sensed, rather than heard, the momentum rise inside him.
�Yes� Yes!� he ground out, before collapsing half, onto her, half, onto the bed she had messed up.
Her own body gave way to the well-known heaviness and she found herself unable to resist or move away from his grasp. Limbs askew, she barely managed to turn her head in his direction. Hair fell in her eyes, but she couldn�t be bothered to brush it away. And, judging by his satisfied smirk, he didn�t mind particularly, either.
�You enjoyed that, didn�t you?� she asked, watching the grin spread on his features. She was sure her own expression mirrored it, but she made an effort in keeping her tone low and serious.
�You can pretend you didn�t.� He winked, blowing out a long breath and looking across from her at the clock on the table. �But at least I was right. Unless something distracted me, it�s impossible for someone of your weight and body build to throw me off.�
Yes, he was right and she was wrong. She should have known better than to challenge him. Luck didn�t always hold and he had been more involved in the case than she had. Her part in this little experiment had taken its toll on her and she almost wanted to roll over and go to bed, if she hadn�t been sure he would tease her later for such an utterly manly response.
�So it wasn�t the hooker,� she answered, trying to focus her mind on the job. �Someone pulled him off or he let her off� and we know he had no interest of doing that since he was trying to have her stab herself�� She closed her eyes only to find him staring at her intently when she opened them. �Don�t be smug,� she warned.
Languidly, he threw an arm over her stomach. �You said you didn�t believe me,� he reminded and she wished she had the strength to punch him or kiss him, or do anything that might wipe that look off his face. She really had to face it. She was not a good loser.
�I�ll probably get bruises from that. I�ll be your very own �woman who walked into doors�.� She was in earnest. Her back truly had hurt, but the likelihood of localised marks was unlikely. The pressure had been regular, and generalized. The pathologist inside her never slept, it seemed. She would have nothing to show for her efforts in detection. Nothing to guilt-trip him with.
Seeing his face fall, she swallowed her words.
�Sorry,� he apologised, his hand inching its way up the front of her shirt. �We could have stopped if��
�It was a perfectly good experiment,� she interrupted, shifting a little to give him better access. �And I had to help you prove what couldn�t have happened in the given time, didn�t I?� She smiled, watching him watch her. �Just let me know when you plan on explaining how you figured this out to Leo� I shall want to be around.�
Predictably, he swatted her arm, laughing at the not-so-comfortable scenario. Now that was something neither wanted to live through. It was already bad enough that Leo had taken it upon himself to throw meaningful glances whenever he felt the air between the two of them wasn�t exactly clear. They didn�t need him becoming their counsellor and, above all, they didn�t want him worrying about a relationship that was running smoothly, provided no cases were involved. The odd disagreement and/or bet could get them in a bind, but it all usually ended quite well, between the sheets.
That was the only reason Nikki hadn�t complained when five minutes had become twelve in an attempt to account for all the time the prostitute in Harry�s case had had with her murderous client. Looking at her own �client� now, she couldn�t help but wonder why she didn�t resent him for winning. Glancing down, she decided it surely had something to do with the hand he had placed so meticulously on her thigh.
�More experiments, Doctor?� she asked, feigning innocence even as she parted her legs ever so slightly.
Harry grinned and she decided there had to be more to her guilt-tripping him than being a bad loser.
The End.