Riley smiled softly, a purr beginning as David kissed her.? Her hands slowly roamed over the muscled planes of David's back, nails tracing abstract designs.? She curled her legs so that her ankles rested on his calves.

Whoever came up with the idea of purring was a damn genius, he decided. The rumbling vibration traveled through his whole body, simultaneously soothing and exciting him. He lowered himself slowly, pressing the length of his body against hers, but held still for the moment. His mouth left hers, barely, lips brushing together when he spoke. "You're relaxed tonight."

"Hunting does that.? The Cat lingers after I change back to Human and She's always relaxed."? She jutted her head forward a bit and captured his lower lip between her teeth, sucking it into her mouth.? Her left leg slid upwards, coming to rest against his right flank, heel pressed into the muscle. His hand slid under her head, cradling the back of it, and he deepened that kiss, tongue playing gently over hers, while other hand supported his weight so only their mouths and hips touched.

She pulled away and raised her other leg up, locking her ankles together.? Her arms twined around his back and she grinned...before rolling them over so they were laying on their sides facing each other.? "Wanna know something kinda funny?" she asked in a soft, bedroomy kind of voice.

"What?" he asked, running his hand along her flank. They had time. There was no need to be impatient, no matter how badly he wanted her.

She slid closer to him, sliding down a bit so she could snuggle her head underneath his chin.? "I can't decide what I want more."? She closed her eyes and kissed the hollow of his throat, right in that little depression where the wings of his collar bones met.

He tilted his head up a bit, giving her easier access, a shuddering breath escaping. His fingers dug involuntarily into the side of her hip. "What do you mean?"

"Well, there are currently two very pressing needs I have."? Her hand roamed down his side, over his hip to wrap firmly around pressing need number one.? She gave him a little squeeze and her hand moved away again, curling over his hip to rest against his backside.? "That would be pressing need number one, in case I haven't made that obvious enough yet."

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak for a moment, his whole body tensing up briefly when she touched him like that. She slid back up so that they were at eye level.? Her hand traveled up from his butt, up his back, up the side of his neck, to brush through his hair before she tapped a finger against the center of his forehead.? "This is the other pressing need I have.? To be inside here.? To...know you."

He glanced up at the tapping finger, and nodded again. It was understandable. They'd barely done any talking in the few weeks he'd been here. He couldn't deny feeling curiosity towards a great many things about her, as well. "Want to talk, then?" he asked.

?Yes."? And to prove that she was ever so good at multi-tasking - she leaned in and kissed him softly, though still passionately, while her hands moved over his body, nails scoring his flesh lightly, leaving little red streaks on his skin, which was so close in color to her own.

After a long moment of kissing, his fingers slid into her hair and tugged gently, pulling her mouth reluctantly from his. "What do you want to know?" he asked. He left his fingers where they were, caressing her hair and scalp softly.

"Everything.? Ever play quid pro quo, Clarice?"? She grinned, her teeth white in the moonlight streaming in through the uncovered windows.

"Going to eat me if I haven't?" he asked, grinning a bit. He was joking, of course, though there was the tiniest hint of seriousness lurking in there somewhere. After all, she had been a bloody-muzzled, huge jaguar tonight when he'd returned home from his shift. What had she been hunting anyway? "I'm no Feeb, anyway."

"Ah, yes.? The ever-lasting war of wills between the Feebs and the cops.? Is it because they ride in with their expensive toys and steal your cases and then refuse to give you credit for all the work?"?

"Pretty much."

She chuckled and rolled onto her back, stretching her arms up, tucking her hands beneath her head.? "I'll go first, shall I?"

"Go for it. I'm enjoying the view." And he was, running his eyes along her long, slender limbs and torso. His gaze slid once more over the myriad scars visible, and he knew that would be one of the first things he asked about.

He turned her hand over and kissed her palm before answering, breath warm against her skin. "A comment from my baguazhang teacher, really. He told me that we were here to help other people, and our daily actions should reflect that. After that, the police seemed like a good choice."

"He was a Buddhist, wasn't he?"? Her fingers curled inwards, gently sliding along his cheek.?

"Mmm," he agreed, closing his eyes briefly. "Probably. He never said. Have you always been?" He drew her hand in again, kissing her wrist.

"Yes.? Mama-san converted Daddy before I was born."? She chuckled.? "I don't think Grannie O'Rourke ever forgave her for that.? You're not, are you?? Buddhist, I mean."

"I've answered that before," he said with a soft chuckle. "Am I distracting you that much?" So saying, he learned forward and kissed the side of her neck, teeth indenting her skin briefly.

Her breath hissed through clenched teeth and she involuntarily tensed, clutching at his shoulder with her free hand.? "You're not.? You're far too mean to be a Buddhist."

"Mean, am I?" His lips found the tendon in her neck, and he bit down a little harder, sucking on the flesh before letting go. "No, I'm not," he said, answering her. "My parents came from Communist China and never picked up a religion."

When he bit her neck, her hand curled into a fist and she gently punched him in the ball of his shoulder.? "Quit distracting me," she said.

"Turnabout's fair," he said. "You distract me every time I see you."

"Yeah, but that's not on purpose.? This is."? She pushed him over onto his back and then slid closer, draping her torso over his.? "I have no idea who's turn it is...so I'm nominating you to go next."

He fell back, watching as she moved over him. He reached up to run his fingers across her cheek and into her hair. "How did you meet Daniel?" he asked. He didn't really know why he'd brought the other man up. It had just sort of popped out.

"It's kind of a funny story.? I was in the Inn, having a beer, sitting by myself and reading a book.? I smelled him before he came in.? He was the first Cat I'd seen in the City.? He was cute, too, you know?"? Well, he probably didn't know.? Anyway...? "We talked for a while.? He'd just gotten there and I paid for a room in the Inn for him until he could get on his feet."

"Nice of you," he commented, listening.

She nodded and then rested her chin on his chest.? "Anyway, I was...away...for about three weeks, and when I came back, he was still around.? He was nice, sweet, kind...and I needed that desperately."

"He's a nice guy," he replied, and it didn't even bother him to say so. Hell, he owed his amazing present situation to the guy, when you got down to it.

"He's a wonderful guy.? And so are you."? She smiled and then cocked her head to the side.? "Are you really okay with this?? You and me and him, I mean."

"Can't argue that," he said, fingers closing around hers. "What's your favorite movie?"

"Oh, man.? That's a toughie.? There's too many to choose just one.? I think I'm gonna go with A Few Good Men."

"I haven't seen it," he said. "Maybe you can show it to me sometime."

She nodded.? "Sure.? Danny and I try to do movie night once a week.? We can do a screening of that one of these times."? She laid on her back again and stretched.? "Why me?" She looked at him, meeting his gaze levelly.? "And don't give me any crap about it being because I'm so hot, either.? I want...substance."

He snorted softly. "Well. For one thing, your passion for your job. You care about justice just as much as I do. And even though you're in charge, you don't mind getting your hands dirty. Also, you really impressed that me that night when we had the screaming argument. Standing right up and getting in my face, daring me to haul off and deck you. And yeah, you're totally hot. Like, bonfire hot.

She laughed.? "You like opinionated women, huh?"? She folded her hands over her stomach and looked up at the ceiling.? "I dated a cop before, you know.? When I was a DA.? He was a homicide detective.? He said nearly the same thing, only he called me a ball-busting, cast-iron b*tch."

He grinned. "Well, you know. Cops like one of two kinds of women. The meek, stay-at home wife, or the cast-iron b*tch.? She chuckled. "Why didn't you shove my a** onto the floor when I kissed you that night in the office?" he asked. It was pretty much the same question she'd asked him, even if the words were different.

"Because I think I wanted to kiss you the very first time I saw you. When you walked into the Red Dragon, and you looked so very lost and confused, you remember?"

"Yeah, couldn't forget. I was lost and confused."

"You were still so...confident and strong and unafraid."? She shrugged a little and turned to look at him.? "Confidence is one of my biggest turn-ons."

"So I was hot," he said, one side of his mouth lifting into a smirk.

"No.? Well, yeah.? But more than that.? You'd just been dropped into this freak-a** new place, with f*cking dragons and stuff and you just...rolled with it.? That's sexy as hell."

"Cool."

"What about you?? What's your biggest turn-on?" she asked.

"Someone who shares my passions."

"Bah-gwah-jong?"? Still being careful about that name; the Chinese felt foreign on her tongue.

"Definitely one of them," he answered, once again pleased by the care she took with the unfamiliar word. He ran one hand over her stomach, fingertips digging into the springy muscles there. He liked the power he could feel in her. Strong women turned him on big time.

She shivered again and reached for him, curling her hands around his upper arms, and dragged him closer, above her.? She contracted those springy muscles in her stomach and raised her shoulders off the bed, capturing his mouth and thoroughly plundering it.? Questions were forgotten as she allowed her desire to take over.

She padded down the stairs and slipped inside 2A.? It was dark inside, cool...like a den.? She moved silently inside, leaving David standing at the door.? Daniel was in bed; she could see the smile on his lip and the light in his grey eyes.? She smiled back and then flipped on the lamp in the living area.? "We got hungry and there's nothing to eat up there."

Daniel sat up, then slid out of bed. He gave a long, feline stretch, then padded towards the kitchen area, wearing as little as they were. "Relax, you two. I'll fix something. Any requests?"

She plopped down on the couch and curled up, crooking her finger for David to join her.? "Midnight Omelets."

Daniel chuckled. Midnight Omelets were a very specific sort of omelet the two of them had been developing to satisfy the kind of high-energy craving they often had around this time. It would be David's first experience with them. Hopefully he liked them. Daniel opened the fridge and started pulling out ingredients. Eggs, shredded beef, shredded chicken, shredded pork, shredded cheddar cheese, green olives, and milk all went onto the counter. He got out a big bowl, set the frying pan on the stove and turned on the heat, then cracked the entire dozen eggs into it. He started to whisk the eggs, adding a bit of milk for fluffiness, then dumped in generous handfuls of the meats, cheese and olives, whisking it all together with practiced strokes.? He poured a third of the mixture into the pan, and let it cook, then flipped it with a deft flick of the pan. When it was done, he sprinkled a little extra cheese onto one half, then slid the omelet out of pan and onto a plate, folding it in half over the cheese. He repeated the process two more times, then carried all three out to the living room. "Three Midnight Omelets," he said, handing a plate to each of them and keeping one for himself.

David, who had dropped onto the couch next to Riley, one hand stroking her thigh and calf slowly, sat up when the food was brought out, inhaling deeply. "Man, that smells good," he said. His stomach agreed, even more loudly than before.

She grinned when Danny handed her the plate and folded her legs into the lotus position while she ate.? Her forehead creased lightly as she chewed, a sure sign she was thinking.

"Thought of something else to add, sundari?" Daniel asked after taking a few bites of the omelet.

She nodded.? "It needs something...herby.? Like marjoram or basil?? Parsley maybe?"? She looked at David.? "What do you think?"

David grunted, mouth full of the tasty omelet. He shrugged a bit, indicating his assent, or possibly his lack of concern.

She grinned and looked at Daniel.? "I'm gonna interpret that as a 'I am thoroughly enjoying this delicious omelet.'? What do you think about herbs?"

Daniel chuckled, then took another bite, chewing thoughtfully. He swallowed, then nodded. "I think all three would do pretty well. I'll try them next time," he finished, smiling.

She laughed and gathered up plates, taking them to the kitchen to clear up. "Guys, I have to be up on the roof in like...four hours.? I'm going to bed.? To sleep," she said and fixed them both with a gimlet eye.? "Who's joining me?"

Daniel stood immediately. "I'm all for going back to bed. I was having a delightful dream," he finished, giving her a little wink.

She arched a brow and went to him, sliding her arms around him and kissing him.? "Tell me about it?"?

He wrapped his arms around her shoulder and happily returned the kiss. "Mm...well, there was a forest, and a starlit night, and a pair of Cats..." he trailed off, grinning.

She laughed and then backed up to the bed, drawing him along with her.? Once there, she sat down and pulled him close, kissing his stomach, nipping gently at the muscles.? Then she growled softly and laid back.? "I have to get some sleep.? Quit being yummy and distracting me, damn it."

Daniel's stomach muscles clenched, and he let out a little growl involuntarily. Then he laughed, lying down beside her. "I will endeavor to be less...yummy. Just for the night, of course," he added.

David watched them hold each other and talk, and was faintly surprised to find himself smiling slightly. Maybe he really was getting used to their...arrangement.

She snuggled against him, her face pressed into his chest, arms wrapping around his back.? She took a deep breath and slowly relaxed, closing her eyes and listening to his heart beat. Without moving, without opening her eyes, she called out to David, "Get your ass over here, Constable."

David stood, undecided for a moment, then muttered, "What the hell." He went over to the bed, and slid onto it on her opposite side. "Aye aye, Chief," he said. There was even a brief salute, though she wasn't looking.

"You and I have a date with a yoga mat at dawn," she said and reached back with one hand, pulling him closer to her, pressing the length of her body against the length of his.? She relaxed once more between them, listening to their hearts slow and eventually beat at the same pace.? She smiled and said softly, "Good-night, David.? Good-night, Danny."

?Good-night, John-Boy,? David quipped.