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“Sometimes, I think I married a child” she mumbles, leaning just out of his reach as she moved to the other side of the kitchen. He had the terrible habit of sitting on the counter top, and it was that much worse when he held her coffee hostage. She leaned against the refrigerator, raising her eyebrow as he sent her a gleeful look.
“But you love me,” he remarks fondly, a smile stretching over his mouth as he takes a sip from his own coffee mug, holding hers on his thigh. He enjoyed the mornings when he could rile her up, if only because he’s always loved the quick wit she had about her. She always had a comeback, and it was the verbal sparring they’d done for years that reminded him of their evolving history. She’d never been shy about putting him in his place, and he was more than happy to get her out of her comfort zone. They fit; it wasn’t always easy or harmonious, but it was definitely something he’d never had with anyone else.
“May I please have my coffee?” Leanne asks, coming closer to him as she reaches out, expecting him to hand her the hot liquid. Instead, he pulls the cup behind him as she steps in close, and leans down to press a kiss to her lips. Leanne smiles against his lips as her right hand comes up to cup his neck, her waist in between his knees as he leans over her. She may hate when he refuses to give her the liquid that makes her a more agreeable person, or gets scuff marks on the cabinets from the heels of his shoes, but she’s never gotten tired of languidly kissing him because he can’t help himself. It’s endearing, and it never fails to make her remember why she’s been with him for so long. As he slowly pulls away from her, he silently hands her the coffee mug she'd been after as she smirks in his direction. He was still gently holding her hostage, and she leaned into his thigh as they stared at one another. He was holding his mug in his hands in front of his chest, looking over the rim at her lovingly as he sipped at his coffee again.
“What?” She asked softly, taking a drink as Neal shrugged, placing his cup in the sink to his left. He sat back and laced his fingers in his lap, twisting his wedding ring absently as he gave Leanne an almost shy look. She put her coffee down beside his thigh, putting her hands over his as she cocked her head to the side.
“What do you think about marrying me again?” He wondered, his fingers untangling to interlock with hers, bringing their hands between their bodies. He slowly pulled their hands up to his neck, and she caught the hint to lace her fingers behind his neck, bringing her up on her toes closer to him. He settled his hands around her waist, gently pushing her top up to rest his hands against the soft skin of her back. Neal distractedly rubbed his thumbs back and forth, watching her face as she stared back at him calmly.
“Well, considering the fact that I did it the first time…”
“Be serious,” he chided, poking a thumb into her skin quickly at the mocking tone. He'd realized that ten years had gone by fast for them, and despite all of the things they'd been through, he knew Leanne sometimes worried they'd change as time went on. He wasn't afraid of falling out of love with her because he'd never known this kind of love before; she'd brought it out in him. She'd taught him, mentored him, and once he stood on his own two feet, he'd walked through fire at her side. They managed to fall into a partnership that started with saving lives, and was continued by them sharing their lives with one another. He remembered how they decided to keep their relationship private, and how much it killed her when she couldn't confide in Jesse until almost a year in.
"I'm so tired of lying to him,” she sighed, her back to Neal as he closed the door silently. He leaned back against it, looking at her defeated body language as she stared at the ground. She had motioned for him to follow her into the on-call room, and he wasn't aware that this was eating at her the way it seemed to be now.
“Then don't lie,” he replied quietly, and the humorless laugh he got made his stomach flip uncomfortably. It wasn't the same feeling he got when she smiled uninhibitedly at him, and it made him nervous that she was looking for a way out.
“It's not that easy,” she insisted, and Neal shook his head, knowing she couldn't see him and verbally responding.
“It is,” he persisted, and Leanne placed her hands on her hips as she turned to face him. He could see the disbelief on her face, and he had to say something to keep her from bolting.
“If you're sure about this,” he asked delicately, licking his lips apprehensively as he pushed forward, “it is that easy. You tell Jesse that I love you, and that this isn't some…”
“Fling?” She uttered amusingly, and he made a face at the smirk that appeared on her face. It wasn't the first time he'd told her he loved her, but he knew she got the same thrill from hearing the words as he did from saying them. He watched as her hands moved from her hips to her pockets, and he could tell his words had the effect he was hoping for.
“I know you love me. I know we fell for each other-”
“We didn't,” he interrupted, and the almost hurt look that she was showing had him almost tripping over himself to put her fears to rest.
“We didn't fall in love I mean. I didn't just happen to fall for you,” he explained, and Leanne still looked skeptical as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“I walked into this with my eyes wide open; knowing what I know, I chose you, and I'd choose you every time,” he promised, his voice deep with emotions he was trying to convey. Her eyes were glassy, nose tinged pink with the beginning of tears as he watched her bite her lip.
“I guess you're right,” she conceded, and the slight shrug she gave him made him smile tenderly at her, “we worked hard to get here. I know I didn't make it easy-”
“You made it worth it,” he vowed, and she took a few steps closer to him, her crossed arm an inch from his chest as she stood between his spread feet. He was leaned against the door, so they were almost at eye level when Leanne was so close, “you keep making it worth it. I'm all in this, just so you know,” he admits, and she reaches out to grab the bottom of his scrub shirt, pulling him in closer so she could brush her lips lightly against his. He smiled against her skin, and her lips twitched with mirth, turning her head as she rested cheek to cheek with him in the dimly lit room.
“I'm in this too,” she whispered, her lips brushing his stubble as he placed a hand on her side. She uncrossed her arms and hooked her thumbs in his scrub pockets, keeping them connected as they let this moment really sink in.
“I think it's a great idea,” she murmurs, arms still around one another as Neal is brought back to the present. He can see the laugh lines and crow's feet that have appeared on her face in recent years, spotting a few silver strands as he brings a hand up to brush the hair that was falling into her eyes. He knew he had more grey sprinkled throughout his hair now, his stubble showing some aging, but he still secretly hoped it never ended. He wanted to grow old with the love of his life, and there was nothing that was going to change his mind. His thumb went from her bangs, lightly running over the skin of her cheek as she leaned into his touch, shutting her eyes briefly.
“That one,” he murmured, and the small smile on her face made him grin in response. It has always been his way of getting her to tell him the exact thought that crossed her mind, and it never failed to remind her how much she meant to him.
“I'm hungry,” she said, preoccupied as she ran her nails lightly against the sensitive skin on the back of his neck. It made goosebumps rise on his skin, but he wasn't sure she meant to start this particular path of thoughts.
“For food,” she clarified, and he gave her a cocky grin as she unclasped her hands and ran them down his shoulders to rest on the counter. She moved to the side as he slipped down onto the floor, his sock clad feet barely making a sound on the wood floor as he leaned back against the counter. He pulled her gently by her belt loops, her body resting flush against his as he wound his arms low around her back as she gripped his biceps.
“Any chance you can go in late…” He enticed, leaning in to whisper in her ear, nipping at the skin teasingly as he felt her breath hitch. It thrilled him to know that after all this time, she was still so responsive to him. His warm breath ghosted over the skin of her ear and neck, and she instinctively tilted her head in the opposite direction to give him more access.
“If I don't make something now, I'm not eating until lunch,” she exhaled, her nails digging into his skin as he started to trail his lips under her ear and down her throat.
“I promise I'll make you something…” He offered, but she knew that would come much later if he had his way. He was alternating dragging his lips across her delicate skin, and unhurriedly tugging her skin between his teeth, just shy of leaving a mark. She loved when he was feeling playful; it let her know that yeah, sometimes he was still content to just enjoy the hell out of her in any way he could.
“I can't be late,” she protested weakly, letting out a low hum when he sucked on an exceptionally sensitive patch of skin low on her throat. He loved that particular spot; she always became more pliant under his hands.
“Just once,” he asked into her skin, licking it deliberately as she moaned into his ear. That was definitely in his top 3 favorite sounds he could get her to make. He began to pull away, but her hand had come up to latch onto his neck, pulling him in as he watched her pupils dilate, the skin on her neck already turning a lovely shade of pink from his efforts.
“Just once,” she agreed before bringing their mouths back together, and he mentally congratulated himself on his accomplishment. It was the third time in two months he's gotten her to rearranged her schedule to be with him, and he swore that next time, he'd make sure he was the one going in late. He couldn't keep making the boss late; people were going to talk.