Title: Dancing in the Sheets
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Aaron Hotchner/Zeke Barnes
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Spencer Reid or Ethan Delacroix, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Zeke glanced around him as Aaron led the way to the front door of his house, feeling a little out of place. The two of them had been largely silent during the drive to Aaron's home; he hadn't really known what to say, and he'd felt more tongue-tied than he had expected to be.

Somehow, this didn't feel like a one-night stand; he was sure that there was something more than just simple desire lurking under the surface of his attraction to Aaron. He could only hope that the other man felt the same way about him, but at this point, he couldn't tell.

He wouldn't think any less of Aaron if all the other man wanted was a one-time encounter; he'd had a few of those himself, even though they always left him feeling empty and depressed. He didn't want to feel that way this time if that was all Aaron was looking for.

That wasn't fair to Aaron, Zeke told himself firmly. He hadn't said that he was only looking for a one-night stand; there was no reason to believe that of him. He had to let this flow forward one step at a time, with no expectations. If things were meant to work out, then they would.

Still, he didn't want this to be nothing more than a night of dancing in the sheets, followed by an awkward morning of regrets and embarrassment, then a final farewell. He wanted more than that with this man -- if he was honest, he wanted a long-term relationship.

Maybe an FBI agent wasn't the kind of person he should think about being involved with, but he couldn't deny that he wanted more than one night with Aaron. He didn't think that he could possibly get enough of this man in no more than brief few hours.

Aaron was unlocking the front door and swinging it wide; he held it open for Zeke to enter the house before him. Zeke hesitated for only a moment before walking into the front hallway; from what he could tell in the dim light, it was nice house, perfectly suited to Aaron.

He couldn't really say that, though, could he? He didn't know Aaron very well yet; they'd just met, and he didn't have enough knowledge about what this man was like to be able to know if this was the kind of place he would be expected to live. For all he knew, it didn't suit Aaron at all.

What he did know was that Aaron Hotchner was one of the sexiest men he'd ever met -- and that, for some reason, he'd trusted this man enough to come home with him for the night. That was a big step for him; he usually didn't do things like that.

Aaron closed and locked the door behind him, scowling as he turned back to Zeke. "She's out there, but I should have expected that," he said, shaking his head. "She's sitting across the street in her car. We'd better be sure we close the curtains, so she can't see inside."

"Isn't it really creepy to have somebody following you around all the time?" Zeke asked, suppressing a shudder. He didn't want to think about what that must be like -- or of what that woman could do if she had some kind of a psychotic break.

"She's not going to attack me -- at least, I don't think so," Aaron said tersely as he pulled the curtains on the sliding glass doors in the living room closed. "But I am going to have the people who look after my son when I'm away watching him a lot more closely."

"Is this the first time she's followed you home?" Zeke had to resist the urge to peek through the curtains, to make sure that she was actually out there. The thought that some crazy woman was watching them, that she might know what they were doing, was making him very uncomfortable.

Aaron shook his head, sighing as he turned back to Zeke. "No, but I hope it'll be the last, now that she knows I'm with someone," he said softly, reaching out a hand to stroke gentle fingertips down Zeke's cheek. "I'm sorry you had to deal with all this on our first night together."

Their first night? Zeke's heart seemed to soar for just a few seconds; that sounded as though Aaron intended for them to have many more nights with each other. He hoped that was the case; he was already falling for this man, and he didn't want that feeling to stop.

"I can deal with it if you can," he said, his voice very soft and husky. "If me being here makes her get the hell away from you, then I'm glad to help. I just hope that once she's gone, I'll still be here -- if that's what you want," he added, his tone tentative.

"Of course it's what I want," Aaron told him, sliding his arms around Zeke and pulling him close. "If it wasn't what I wanted, then I wouldn't have brought you home with me tonight." He regarded Zeke with a slight frown, his voice quiet and steady when he spoke again.

"Zeke, this isn't just a one-night stand for me," he said, his voice very soft. "I don't do things like that. It may have been a little impulsive, but I've never felt this strongly for anyone I've just met before. I think you're going to change a lot of my attitudes about relationships."

"I hope I'll change them for the better," Zeke murmured, wondering if Aaron could feel how his heart was pounding. He raised his arms to wind them around Aaron's neck, but he didn't try to pull the other man closer to him. He was waiting for some kind of sign.

"I want you to meet my son," Aaron said softly, his gaze not leaving Zeke's face. "I want you to be a part of our lives. It may seem sudden, but I've learned to go with my instincts, Zeke. And they tell me that you and I have a future together. I just hope that you want to step into that future with me."

"I do," Zeke whispered, unable to raise his voice to speak any louder. So this wasn't going to be just one night of dancing in the sheets; this was going to turn into a relationship, one that he very much wanted. It seemed as though Aaron wanted that, too.

He could hardly believe that he'd gotten this lucky, that the man he was so attracted to appeared to feel the same way about him. After the debacle of his feelings for Anton, he'd felt so emotionally bruised that he hadn't thought he would ever be able to care for anyone again.

And this was caring, Zeke told himself. It wasn't just attraction. Desire would burn itself out quickly, but an emotional attachment would grow stronger over time. And as far as he could tell, he and Aaron had all the time in the world to let their feelings strengthen.

He rested his head against Aaron's shoulder, suddenly feeling weak at the knees. This man aroused all kinds of emotions within him -- not the least of which was good old-fashioned lust. He wanted Aaron to take him to the bedroom, undress him, and make love to him all night.

"My son is at a sleepover tonight," Aaron said softly, whispering into Zeke's ear, the other man's breath warm against his skin. "So we have the house to ourselves. We can do whatever we want to -- wherever we want to. We don't have to hold anything back, Zeke."

"All I can think about is how much I want you," Zeke answered, his own voice barely a whisper of sound. It was hard to get the words out; it was as though desire was making his tongue too thick to speak. "But it's not just desire, Aaron. It's more. A lot more."

"I don't just want a tumble between the sheets with you, Zeke," Aaron murmured, drawing away slightly to gaze into Zeke's eyes. "I want this to be something that lasts. I can't help feeling that we can have a great life together, starting here and now, tonight."

Zeke nodded, unable to speak around the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. So this wasn't just going to be a night of dancing in the sheets, and then a hurried goodbye. This was only their first night together -- the first of many nights that they would spend discovering each other.

He knew how this night would end. They would make love, and awake in the morning to make love again. After that, anything was possible -- and there were still hurdles to get over before they would be able to say that they were in a committed relationship.

He still had to meet Aaron's son, for one thing. But he had always liked children, and he didn't see that as a problem. So that wouldn't be a tough hurdle to jump over. What would be difficult would be synching their lives to each other, making their lifestyles fit.

They would be able to do that, even if it took a little time to get used to, Zeke thought, feeling optimistic. He would make this relationship work, no matter what he had to do. He might not have been looking for it, but now that it had fallen into his lap, he wouldn't give it up easily.

This would be no single night of dancing in the sheets. This would only be their first night, a night of magic and discovery for them both. It would turn into many more nights -- and, if they were lucky, those nights would become a lifetime of shared experiences.

Aaron's lips brushed against Zeke's, pulling him out of his thoughts of the future and back into the present. "Let's go to bed," the other man said, his voice soft and husky in Zeke's ear. "Tonight is ours. Let's lock the rest of the world away and just enjoy each other."

Zeke swallowed hard, unable to say a word. All he could do was nod as Aaron took his hand and led him into the back of the house, down the hallway to the master bedroom. Zeke's heart began to pound even harder, his breath catching in his throat.

This would indeed be a night of dancing in the sheets -- but it was only the first night of many more to come, he reminded himself. This night heralded a change in his life, as well as in Aaron's. They were both heading for a future that could be the best thing that had ever happened to either of them.

It was a future that he was ready to embrace wholeheartedly -- just as he was more than ready to give himself up to Aaron's embrace. When the other man turned to Zeke and pulled him into those strong arms, he closed his eyes, giving himself up to whatever the night would bring.

***