Twice As Lethal (Lethal Weapon)

You're not my partner, Riggs.

Twenty minutes later they were outside of the bar and ready to part ways, Riggs back to LAPD and Lexie to meet her regular john to sell him the drugs, before she was headed off to the Kings homebase for the remainder of the night.

The drug sample was tucked safely inside Riggs' jacket pocket. Tugging the trucker cap from his head he ran a hand through his hair. "Okay then, guess I'll get - "

He was cut off by Lexie tugging at the sleeve of his jacket. "Riggs."

He followed her gaze to a gangbanger who had just rounded the corner and was headed in their direction. Lexie instantly recognised him as Gabriel Fernandez, a bottom feeder with a permanent sour expression. The guy had a massive chip on his shoulder, and it was no secret that after Lopez was murdered he hoped to climb the ranks. But Darius was keeping him down, making him prove his loyalty first. When he had made another banger his second in command, Gabriel hadn't been shy in vocalizing his anger. Which was why he was now a person of interest in Lexie's investigation.

The banger's sharp, beady eyes immediately locked onto her, before shifting to the unkempt looking guy she was with and Lexie knew she needed to think on her feet.

"You're gonna have to kiss me," she said, keeping her eye on Gabriel.

Both Riggs' eyebrows shot up. "I'm sorry, what now?" His head tilted, ears cocked. He reminded her of her Uncle Lou's Cocker Spaniel. But there was no time for that because Fernandez was getting closer and she tugged on his sleeve once more.

"Kiss me."

"I mean, y'know, it's a very tempting offer and everything, even if it is a little forward, but maybe we should get to know one another first - "

"Oh my God, would you shut up and kiss me?"

She moved into him and he had no choice other than to follow her lead as her hands came down upon his shoulders. When she stared up into his face for a moment he felt off balance.

"Uh. Okay." He gave his moustache a nervous scratch with one finger. "You sure about th - "

She grabbed his jacket collar and hauled him into a kiss, and Riggs sucked in a breath at the full-on imprint of her body and her mouth. Her arms came fully around his neck, hands in his sandy brown curls, as they continued to put on their show.

Because that's all it was. He got that.

But the taste of her and the feel of her fingers sliding through his hair, over his scalp, the shock of it went bone deep for him.

Lexie had her eyes closed, so she had no idea if the banger had passed them by or gone inside the bar. She kept it going a little while longer just to be safe. Not that she minded. Because kissing Detective Martin Riggs...

Well, that was something else.

Riggs wasn't sure what to do with the hand that wasn't holding his cap, but eventually his free one sprang to life and came up to cradle her head. He'd backed them up, or maybe she'd pulled him, against the wall of the dive bar. Being sandwiched between the cold solid brick and warm Riggs, with his strong thigh game, was one of the most intoxicating feelings Lexie had experienced in a long time. As a rule she didn't like facial hair of any kind on a guy - it was dirty, riddled with bacteria - but his...well, it felt kind of nice tickling at her upper lip.

Too nice.

Her eyes jerked open, and she looked off to the side. Gabriel Fernandez was nowhere to be seen. He must have gone inside the bar. She broke the kiss and gave Riggs a gentle push back, away from her, before touching her fingertips to her lips. Her wet and tingling lips.

Riggs was an adorable, fidgeting mess, scratching at his neck and shoving his curls from his face. They refused to stay back and kept falling forward into his eyes, and Lexie wanted to kiss him all over again.

Oh my God.

"This is not happening," she said.

"Oh, no, it is," he replied. "It did. It happened."

"What?" She gave him a confused look. "Oh God, did I say that out loud?"

"Wait, was that a rhetorical question?" His eyes scrunched up a little as he peered at her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She seemed affronted he'd asked. "How about you? Are you okay?"

"Peachy keen."

Her eyes narrowed. Peachy? What kind of reply was that?

"Okay then. I'm fine, you're peachy. Now that's cleared up, I don't think he saw us and even if he did he wouldn't have suspected anything. So yeah. Sorry about..." She gestured to his mouth. His amazing mouth. Oh, boy.  "All in the line of duty," she finished.

"Not entirely sure I'd agree with calling it that, but yeah. Always happy to help a fellow member of the LAPD." He showered her with that catlike grin. "I mean, the ladies, clearly, not, y'know, the guys. Obviously."

She looked confused by his ramblings. "Thanks, though." She flinched. Thanks? Really?

"Anytime." He flinched. Anytime? Really?

They stared at one another, heads tilting, brows wrinkled, each trying to gauge the other's emotions without giving away too many of their own.

"Okay, well, before this gets any more awkward, I'm gonna go." She pointed to his jacket pocket where the sample was. "You'll get that to the Lab?"

"Soon as I leave here." He shoved his hair back again and Lexie watched his strong fingers plough through his curls.

Time to leave.

"Okay then. Later." She turned and headed off to meet her regular, with her lips - and a few other places - still tingling, while muttering "stupid, stupid, stupid" to herself.

"You be safe out there." Riggs pulled his cap back on and threw out one arm and half waved, as he watched her go. "We make a good team, partner!"

"You're not my partner, Riggs." She tossed the words over her shoulder as she carried on walking.

"Naw, why you gotta do me like that? C'mon now, don't be mean, Sexy Lexie."

"Don't call me that."

"But we already made it past first base, Sugarbear!"

He was over his initial shock of the 'staged kiss' and was back to his usual overly theatrical, comedic self. She didn't turn around or issue a comeback and he sort of liked that she didn't. Knowing her temperament, it must have been hard for her to resist.

He stood like a complete fool watching until she was out of sight before his body jumped into gear again. The drive back to LAPD seemed longer than usual, though. He had a lot on his mind. Mostly a dark blonde with wide green eyes and lips of morphine.

* * *

Later that night, after a late meal of leftover pizza and a half bottle of whiskey, Riggs had a dream that involved a woman and for the first time it wasn't his wife, but the green-eyed temptress with morphine lips. He bolted awake, just as things started to get serious between them, his body drenched in a cold sweat.

Swiping a hand over his face he looked at the photograph of Miranda on the unit beside the couch, trying to picture her in his head, what she would think of him kissing another woman; but all he saw was her smiling at him with those warm and gentle eyes.

I'm sorry.

But she just continued to smile.

What did it mean? Was he beginning to move on? Was that what this was?

He settled back onto the couch, feeling exhausted, rubbed at his eyes and fell back to sleep.

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LETHAL WEAPON / TWICE AS LETHAL.

COPYRIGHT. Rixie. 2018.

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