Catherine told Maria where there were going, and then she kissed her daughter's forehead. "You be good tonight."
"I'm always good," Lindsey reminded her with a cheeky grin.
Catherine looked at Gil and then back at Lindsey, before laughing. "Right. Okay. Well..."
"Go to work!" Lindsey exclaimed.
Gil closed his hand around Catherine's arm, and directed her to the front door. "C'mon. It's time to go to work," he said with a little teasing tone and playful blue eyes.
She glared at him and followed him outside, waving to Lindsey as the girl closed the front door.
Then, she whirled around and looked at Gil. "I lied to my daughter," she hissed. "See what you made me do?"
"Go back in there, then," he teased. "Tell her you're coming to my place for a little---"
"Shush," she cut him off, before getting in the SUV. Gil laughed and got into the driver's side.
Soon, they were leaving Catherine's neighbourhood and driving towards Gil's. Catherine smiled and leaned back in the seat; she was looking forward to a couple of hours alone with her lover.
She closed her eyes, but opened them quickly when she felt Gil's hand on her thigh.
"Stop," she whispered hoarsely. She could already feel her pulse quickening and her body heating up.
"Mmm... no."
"Gil!"
He chuckled. "Relax, Cath."
"Can't when you do that," she said on a sigh.
She spent the next ten minutes trying to ignore the effect Gil was having on her body. By the time he pulled into the driveway of his townhouse, she was seriously considering jumping him in the car.
"Catherine?"
She inhaled slowly and deeply and then got out of the car. When she caught up to Gil, she grabbed his sleeve and tugged him up to the front door. He watched her with amused eyes and then laughed as she used her own key to open his door.
When she pushed him against the other side of the door, once closed, he gasped. "What's gotten into you?"
"You are such a tease!" she growled. "I haven't seen you much at all in weeks, we haven't worked together in ages, and you ask what's gotten into me?!"
His eyebrows jumped up. "Cath. Take a deep breath," he advised on a shaky voice.
She shook her head and then lowered her lips to his. She didn't give him a moment to adjust, before licking his lips and pushing him into a deeper kiss. Gil groaned and held onto her hips.
When she finally let him breathe---mostly because she needed to breathe---he croaked, "Bedroom."
Catherine smiled and unfastened his belt, loving how his hips tensed under her hands. He groaned and forced her dark, fitted jacket off of her shoulders, and once she shrugged out of it, he tried to throw it on the coat rack.
She laughed when he missed and then turned in to kiss him again.
Gil grunted and nibbled on her lower lip, as if he was trying to regain some of his control in their coupling. Catherine refused to budge an inch---until she felt his hands traveling underneath her white t-shirt.
She leaned back, pressing her hips against his, as he roamed the covered skin. His fingers danced over her stomach, forcing her to suck in a sharp breath, and then they traveled higher, over the smooth fabric of her bra.
"I thought I told you to stop wearing these," he said teasingly.
"You need the practice unsnapping them," she breathed, realising that she was becoming putty in his hands.
He snorted and helped her take the shirt off. When he threw the ball of white fabric, it landed on a table in the hall.
"He shoots, he scores," she joked, lifting her arms above her head to clap.
Gil looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Not yet."
She laughed, the sound fading into breathlessness as he leaned in and kissed over her collarbone, nibbling and sucking as he traveled across her torso.
He lifted his head and smiled slowly. "Bedroom time yet?"
She inhaled sharply and nodded.
Gil grinned and as he stepped, he hoisted her up over her shoulder and playfully slapped her perfectly curved ass. Catherine squealed and slapped him back as he walked down the hall to the bedroom.
He dropped her on the bed and laughed as she glared up at him with flushed cheeks and curly, unruly hair.
"You look incredible," he commented softly.
"I'm a mess," she corrected.
"Hardly," he murmured as he tried to sit down, only to be stopped by Catherine who was unfastening his pants and pulling them down. She started on the bottom of his shirt, but since she was on the bed, Gil had to finish and remove the garment.
"Gil..."
"Incredible," he amended in a firm voice.
Catherine blushed and looked away, moving her fingers down to unfasten her dark slacks. Gil moved down, onto the bed, and he helped her by tugging them down her legs. She shivered and pulled her legs up, resting her chin on them as she watched Gil watch her.
He ran his fingers up her lower legs, to her knees, and then he let his fingers travel along her face. Catherine closed her eyes and shivered again.
"Gil..."
The word was whisper soft; the only reason he knew she said anything was because his eyes were focused on her lips. He spent a lot of time watching her lips.
Of course, staring at her lips got them into trouble more than he liked to admit. When she caught him, she'd get worked up, and then he'd get worked up, and before they knew it---
Needless to say, staring at her lips caused many reactions.
She moved, letting her legs stretch out so they were on either side of him, so she could ease herself into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed over his temple and then his jaw. He turned his head and caught her lips, easing her into a deep kiss that made her stomach tighten.
"More," she pleaded against his lips, watching his blue eyes darken.
His eyelids fluttered for a moment, and then he smirked, before kissing her again.
Catherine moaned and rubbed against him, making him growl against her lips. She smiled and laughed a little; they didn't have many conversations when they were in bed, but their sex life hadn't suffered. Since giving their relationship another chance, Catherine realised that the sex had gotten better, hotter, more intense. Gil was much more expressive and vocal. She loved seeing that side of him.
She squealed when he tugged her bra off, making quick work of the hooks and loops, and then buried his face in her chest. Catherine leaned up, putting her hands on his shoulders. He rocked her up as he feasted on her skin.
Trembling fingers dug into his shoulders. She could barely think straight; all she knew was that she wanted more.
Eventually, the last pieces of clothing were pulled away with greedy hands, and Catherine lifted herself up---only to slowly ease herself down to take him inside of her.
Gil groaned as she covered him and rocked her hips. Catherine smiled and leaned back. He followed her as best as he could, begging for an openmouthed kiss; their breaths mingled as their lips barely touched.
Catherine moved faster as her need increased. Gil could barely keep up. He kissed and nibbled on her shoulder and neck when he could.
She smiled and watched his eyes as she tightened her muscles around him. Gil groaned and struggled to keep his eyes in hers. Seeing him like that made her laugh softly; her laugh fueled his hands' movements, down between them and up to her breasts.
The strawberry blonde crashed down into her climax. She yelped his name and dug her hands into her shoulders as her legs gave out and left her resting in his lap.
Gil gasped and sighed, whispering her name over and over into her wild hair.
When it was over, Catherine wrapped her arms around him and held onto him, breathing deeply. "Love you," she whispered.
Gil sighed and rubbed her back. "Mmmm..."
She sighed, too, and let him adjust them. She cuddled up to him, letting her legs tangle with his.
"So... can I work with you tonight?" she asked softly.
"Hmm?"
She lifted her head and looked at him. "Can I work with you tonight?"
"Yeah," he said, as his lips stretched into a smile.
She smiled back at him. "Good."
"It was a very convincing argument."
Catherine laughed softly and kissed him again.
It wasn't until they were in the kitchen, eating a little snack, before their phones started ringing.
She sighed. "An hour before shift. What timing," she muttered before putting her phone to her ear.
"Willows."
"Grissom."
They listened to their callers and then hung up the phones.
"Porn film?" Catherine said, looking at Gil. He nodded and put the phone on the table.
She frowned and left the room. Gil followed after a minute, and saw her getting dressed. The way the pants clung to her curves made him want to lock the house down and keep her there all night.
"If we're lucky," she said over her shoulder. "It'll be a false alarm and we can hang out in your office."
He smiled and started getting dressed.
~*~
In the dank film developing warehouse, Gil put his gloves on and started examining the film.
"Has this pornographer sent you film to be developed in the past?"
The African-American woman replied, "I'm sure he has. We get raw film from hundreds of adult film companies. No names, just those private boxes. You can film porn, develop it, sell it, buy it but you can't send it through the U.S. Mail."
"I've got several envelopes here from various private shipping companies," Catherine said as her eyes raked over the surfaces in the room.
Gil added, "We'll be taking those with us as well."
"Whatever," was the film developer's reply.
When Gil heard his phone ring, he answered it. "Grissom."
"It's Brass. I got a D.B., out on Henderson Road."
"I'm already on a case," Gil replied, not wanting to leave Catherine. He had been looking forward to working with her again.
"Yeah, well, reconsider. I mean, these ants came flying out of the body. They're taking chunks out of the coroner. The CSI day guy says he's not going near the body again!"
Gil replied as calmly as he could: "They're fire ants, Brass. Keep everyone away from the colony. They're evidence."
"Reconsider," Brass said, almost shouting. "Bring bug spray."
"No bug spray!"
Gil hung up the phone and put it in his pocket. Catherine looked at him. "Another case?"
"Yeah... bugs."
"Your favourite," she said, trying to sound happy for him.
"Yeah."
"Go on... before Brass kills the evidence," she murmured.
Gil looked at the other woman. "Excuse us for just a second."
"Sure."
He walked her out into the hallway. "I'm sorry, Catherine," he said softly. "I wanted to work with you tonight."
"Yeah... me, too. But, there's always next time," she reminded him.
"It's a date," he promised.
She tapped a finger on her cheek. Gil smiled and kissed her cheek, and then he leaned closer and kissed her lips. Catherine moaned softly. "Go... I should not be thinking about sex right now."
"Good point," he whispered, before kissing her forehead. "See you later?"
"Yep," she agreed, smiling at him before he turned and walked away. "Send someone out to help me."
"Take Warrick and Sara when you bring the film back to the lab."
She nodded. "Okay... see you."
He waved at her and then left the building.
~*~
Catherine had split up from the other two to go make a couple of dentist appointments for Lindsey and herself, and then, on her way past the front desk, she saw a familiar blonde woman standing there, waiting for the receptionist.
Her heart dropped as she pasted on a smile. "Teri?"
"Catherine, hi. I'm here---"
"For Gil's case?"
"Yeah," she said with a smile. "Do you know where he is? He was preparing a skull."
Catherine noticed the wedding ring on her finger and then relaxed a bit. "Sure... c'mon. I'll take you to the room."
~*~
After leaving Sara at the end of the shift, she went to Gil's office, expecting to catch up with him. When she found the office empty, she frowned and went to the break room.
Warrick looked up from his cup of coffee. "Hey, Cath. What's up?"
"Have you seen Gil?"
"Yeah... he said he had some sort of appointment. I think it was a doctor thing."
Catherine frowned. "Oh. Okay. Thanks---"
"He wanted me to give you this," Warrick added, pulling a message paper out of his back pocket.
Her smile returned slightly. "Thanks, Warrick... good work on the case."
"See you tomorrow."
"Today you mean," she corrected with a laugh as she headed to the door.
"Time flies when you're having fun."
She laughed more and headed out into the hall as she opened the piece of paper.
'Been putting check up off for a while... had to go. I'll see you after. Love, Gil.'
She sighed and shook her head. After pocketing the note, she went to the locker room and grabbed her coat. On her way home, she decided to stop in at Gil's to see if he was back yet.
The drive was relatively short. She saw his vehicle as she parked on the street and her face lit up. Seeing him would be the perfect ending to a long shift.
As she got closer, she could hear loud music playing. Loud, classical music playing.
She opened the door quietly and stepped inside. Gil was lying on the sofa, his eyes closed. She crept closer and saw that his cheeks were wet.
Frowning, Catherine watched the scene in front of her for a few minutes, using her investigative skills to try to figure out what was wrong.
She couldn't see the small pill bottle that he'd have out if he was suffering from a migraine. There wasn't even a glass of water on the coffee table.
He sniffled in his sleep and muttered something she couldn't quite make out.
She walked a little closer, hoping to catch what he was saying.
He rolled onto his side, and new tears rolled in the new direction of gravity.
Catherine frowned more. She didn't want to intrude on him. He was clearly upset; but, he never let on to her that he was upset.
She backed away and then turned and left the house. She checked her watch and realised that she could pick up Lindsey from school if she hurried.
~*~
Minutes later, Gil's eyes popped open. He gasped for breath and looked around. The music, he knew, was still playing. He could hear a little of it, and feel the vibrations through the sofa.
But, there was a scent in the air.
"Catherine?" he said softly, looking around.
He picked up the remote and paused the disc.
"Catherine?"
When there was no response, he sighed and rubbed his eyes. The dream he had been having was so vivid---most likely an aftereffect of his doctor's appointment after shift, a way to process the news of his hearing loss.
Catherine had been in his dream... she had come in suddenly, asking questions, demanding to know what was going on.
