[There is a moment that he just sits there staring at her, and it becomes entirely clear that it's possible he can't get over his discomfort, that maybe even though the desire is there, the almost compulsive need for self-restraint and the awkwardness are too much for him to overcome. There is definitely a nasty little conflict going on in his head as his eyes rove over her body.]
[It feels like a challenge, though, like she's just issued a challenge, like it's a game--and that doesn't diminish its significance because the games they play with each other mean something to the two of them. She's challenging him and she's always challenged him, and that's what he draws on to figure out how to deal with this.]
[She fooled him. Twice. Twice. When he was in her house and she got away with the camera phone and when she tricked him into deciphering the email. She got under his skin, she said she'd have him on a leash, and sure enough in the end she had--it was a strong enough leash that it had dragged him all the way to Karachi. And him having to save her did nothing at all to diminish his respect for her--she had wanted protection, after all. She'd wanted to slip through the cracks--and in the end, she'd gotten it. In the end, he'd repaid his debt by saving her life, when a well-placed phone call of hers had saved his. Knowing that she used him in so many ways to get so many things she wanted is far from a mood-killer--it impresses him.]
[But is that enough?]
[Sherlock stands up slowly, robe still wrapped around himself--and walks past her, like he's leaving the room, like this is too much for him to handle--but when he gets to the door, he shuts it, and locks it, and looks over at her.]
[John might come home early and Sherlock's not exactly keen on him walking in right in the middle.]
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[It feels like a challenge, though, like she's just issued a challenge, like it's a game--and that doesn't diminish its significance because the games they play with each other mean something to the two of them. She's challenging him and she's always challenged him, and that's what he draws on to figure out how to deal with this.]
[She fooled him. Twice. Twice. When he was in her house and she got away with the camera phone and when she tricked him into deciphering the email. She got under his skin, she said she'd have him on a leash, and sure enough in the end she had--it was a strong enough leash that it had dragged him all the way to Karachi. And him having to save her did nothing at all to diminish his respect for her--she had wanted protection, after all. She'd wanted to slip through the cracks--and in the end, she'd gotten it. In the end, he'd repaid his debt by saving her life, when a well-placed phone call of hers had saved his. Knowing that she used him in so many ways to get so many things she wanted is far from a mood-killer--it impresses him.]
[But is that enough?]
[Sherlock stands up slowly, robe still wrapped around himself--and walks past her, like he's leaving the room, like this is too much for him to handle--but when he gets to the door, he shuts it, and locks it, and looks over at her.]
[John might come home early and Sherlock's not exactly keen on him walking in right in the middle.]