Amanda knows the kind of reputation that Nick has around the squad room: a little paranoid, a little quick to anger, quiet a lot of the time, doesn’t say a lot.

They don’t hear the things he whispers sotto voce in her ear when no-one is looking, the snarky comments, the acerbic asides, the downright filthy words that make her stomach twist and her heart speed up, that make her bite her lip so her smile won’t escape and give them away.

She’s had her fair share of secrets in her life, some that have made her feel ashamed, some that have made her feel powerful but this one is different - this one makes her happy.