The glass walls of the sub-basement lab aren't really undulating with the thumping of Mila's music, but I swear the god-awful noise is so loud it makes my teeth rattle.
The woman responsible for said racket is leaning over a shiny metal worktable, a pile of bones in front of her and a pair of magnifying glasses hiding half of her beautiful face.
I knock on the door, hoping to catch her attention, but of course she doesn't hear me.
"Oh, that must have hurt," she tells the remains. "Sorry about that."
I barely hear her words as I search for the remote. It's fascinating that her workspace is a mixture of cleanliness and organization while her desk is a pile of stuff taken directly taken from my nightmares. I almost wish I could organize all of it for her. But Mila would have my ass for even trying that.
I spot the remote on the corner of the precarious pile of papers and hit Pause.
Mila jumps at the sound of silence and turns to face me.
"Hey, if it isn't my favorite crime-solving partner." I can't help but smile at her.
Her shirt reads Forensic Anthropologists - Will Date Anything with a large smiling skeleton under the writing. The tee is black, of course, as are her leather pants. They could be painted on, showcasing all of her curves.
I've missed her, and I want to hold her body close to mine and kiss her painted red lips. We haven't actually seen each other since Sveta was brought to the FUC prison. It's been a crazy two days, between filling reports and getting my superiors to agree that Sveta had her place in the shifter prison.
I was lucky to get Carlyle, the warden of the prison Sveta's escaped from, on my side. He was kind enough to state that he didn't feel his facility was equipped to deal with a person of Sveta's capabilities.
The last kiss Mila and shared was in the FUCNA parking lot when I dropped her off. She's been prancing in my mind since then.
Everything Mila does is either cute or sexy as hell. Even now, she looks adorable, with her magnifying glasses sliding on her nose as she looks at me. Her lab coat drops off her shoulders as she places the spectacles down.
"Please do not tell me you're here to ask my help with another case. My mother better be solidly behind bars."
She cocks an eyebrow with a smirk on her beautiful face.
I would say that I don't know how Mila ended up being so sweet and caring when she has Markov for a mother, but the truth is she came by those attributes all on her own. Sure, she had a good dad who was there to support her and help her navigate her new world when Sveta was arrested. Mila could have gone in a million other directions, but she chose forensic anthropology to seek answers, not just for herself but also for the families of all of Sveta’s victims.
"I got that promotion I was after. I wanted to thank you. Without your expertise, I never would have caught Markov." I purposefully distance her from the deranged serial killer.
"You know I was just doing what needed to be done. There's no need to thank me. Besides, if it weren't for the escape, I wouldn't have met this really cool guy."
I arch an eyebrow. "A cool guy?" I echo, but she doesn't bite.
"Wait, a promotion? Does this mean that you've finally achieved the ultimate Thrussell family goal of making superintendent?"
"Oh, no. I was offered something different. I realized I wasn’t ready to give up the field. Besides, I don't think that the titles are as important to me as they are to my father and grandfather.”
“What job were you offered?”
“Furry United Coalition agent,” I say with a sly smile.
Mila’s jaw drops, but only for a few seconds. The smile she flashes me is resplendent.
"Look at you, breaking from family tradition. You really are a rebel."
She laughs, and I join in. She's entirely too far from me. I take a few more steps toward her. Her smell, the sweet scent of orange blossoms, fills my head with all kinds of ideas.
"Does this new job have anything to do with why you're here?" she asks. Mila flips her hair back, but as she has the habit of doing, she flicks a section through her fingers, twirling the length nervously.
"No, I'm not actually here on business."
"Oh?" One of her eyebrows rises with interest. "Social call? This better be about the date you promised."
I take a few steps toward her, closing the distance between us. "I promised you a date?" I furrow my brow in mock concentration. "As I recall, you told me that if I were to ask you, you'd say yes."
"Yup, then you asked. Remember? Two days is a hell of a long time to keep me waiting. Not even a call."
Standing close to her, I place my hands on her hips, and her hands go up around my neck.
"That's true. Especially since I've been dying to do this."
I lean down and capture her mouth in a kiss. Her soft, full lips move against mine, a small moan escaping her as she melts into me. I dip my tongue into her mouth, running it along hers. Her fingers run up my neck, tangling into my hair as she angles herself for better access to my mouth.
"I want to do things with you, Mila. But the setting is a bit disconcerting to me."
"The things you say." Her mouth is upturned in a smirk. I kiss it. "So very romantic."
"Yeah, I know." I give her a wink. "Let's get out of here."
"I'm at work, T. I can't just leave." She lets go of me, but I reach out and keep one of her hands in mine.
"Sure you can. You're not on the clock right now. Stop being a workaholic for a night and let me take you out properly."
"Hmm. That's a nice suggestion." She closes her arms around my neck, rising up on the tips of her toes to be able to reach me. "I thought maybe we could stay in."
"Really, now."
Thank fuck. Though I do want to bring Mila out on a proper date, there are a bunch of very dirty things I've meant to do to her. With her.
"Your place or mine?" Her whisper sends of awareness across my body.
"Mine," I manage to say, because my house is about ten minutes from the academy. "But just so things are clear, Mila, this isn't just about sex for me. You're an amazing woman, and I'll take whatever time you give me. Tonight, we can stay in, but I want to take you out. Take you to the movies and hold your hand during the previews."
"Why, Agent Thrussell, you're positively blushing. That's very sweet."
"How long do you need to get out of here?"
"Maybe thirty minutes?" she ventures. "I have to put the bones back in their crypts."
"Okay, I can wait that long." Unable to stop myself, I kiss her again. "I'll order us some dinner. That way, at least I can still feel like a gentleman."
Mila giggles and slides her magnifying glasses back onto her head.
"If that makes you feel better, T."
And it does.
It's not like I have much experience in the hookup game. Oh, sure. I've had long-term girlfriends.
But not one single ex even compares to Mila and the way she has my insides all knotted up.
I all but skip to my car, feeling pretty good with myself for stopping by FUCNA to see Mila. She wasn't wrong that I should have called her earlier. But I'll make it up to her.
All night.