The first time he had the urge to kiss her was completely inappropriate. Chin was introducing them to his cousin, a rookie who hadn't even graduated from the Academy yet. Steve watched her slice through the waves like they were home, her confidence and body equally attractive.

Of course, it wasn't until she decked the guy that cut in on her wave that he found himself wondering if she did everything with that kind of passion.

It was irrational and came completely out of left field. He shook it off as Chin made the introductions, smirking at the way Danny checked her out. He had no doubt that Kono Kalakaua could hold her own.

The urge to kiss her after she was kidnapped was just relief, not to mention pride. Kono may have been a rookie, but she was his rookie, and she had handled herself well. Better than well. She had kept her head and kicked ass.

Debris raining down on them and their ears still ringing from the explosion, she hadn't taken any time to collect herself. She had just gotten to her feet and gotten on with the job, arresting the bastards that had taken her and the little boy hostage in the first place.

For half of one crazy second, Steve saw himself walk right over and pull her into his arms. Running his fingers through his hair, he pressed a kiss to her temple and breathed her in, relieved that she was alright.

The moment passed quickly, though - almost too quickly to even notice. Kono was hauling her guy to his feet and over to the car, acting like the badass she was even without having graduated yet.

He shook his head and chuckled. He had the best damn rookie in the world.

As soon as the topic came up, Steve knew that it had to be Danny that headed out to the pool with Kono under the pretext of two young lovers. It wasn't that he didn't like undercover work, or that he was trying to torture his partner. As soon as Kono had shown up wearing that little red scrap of cloth that was supposed to pass for a dress, his eyes had been locked on her long legs. He was good enough at his job that he kept his focus where it needed to be, but his brain filed the information away for later.

And when Danny got to stumble outside with her, hands in her hair and tongue in her mouth, he tried to ignore the tiny flash of jealousy. His partner was going through a rough time and certainly wasn't getting any action anywhere else. It would have been unfair of Steve to take the one fun undercover task where he actually got to make out with a gorgeous woman.

He didn't linger on the thought that if he had gotten his mouth on Kono's, he never would have let her go.

He almost didn't stop himself the next time. He was so angry - at her, at himself, at that bastard that had forced her into this situation in the first place - that everything was just boiling over. He wanted to step forward and haul her to her feet, her arms warm and strong beneath his hands. He wanted to shake her until she understood just how crazy her actions had been. He wanted to crush his mouth to hers to make her see how worried he had been.

He almost did it. The muscles in his arms were shaking with the strain of keeping it all in and he was afraid that he might actually explode. It took everything in him to stand his ground, to keep his feet rooted to the cement floor.

Punching the bastard in the face was a poor substitute.

In the end, it was her laugh that undid him. She had gotten to his house early, beating the guys by a good twenty minutes, and they had fallen into conversation easily, just like they always did. He handed her a cold beer and she faced him across the counter, watching as he started to cook dinner.

It was a variation of a Danny story that he was sure he had told her a dozen times before, but it hadn't lost its humor and when it was finished, she threw her head back and laughed. It was full and rich and warm and Steve found himself staring at her. This rookie that had been such an asset to his team was sitting across from him a grown woman, molded and strengthened by the fires she had been through. She was beautiful and graceful and compassionate - all while being a badass that had no trouble keeping up with the guys.

She was amazing, and he choked on all the words he would never know how to say.

Instead, he simply leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. It was quick, but firm, and when he pulled away she was quiet, though the laughter was still in her eyes. She took a long sip from her beer and then returned the kiss, keeping it just as simple.

"'Bout time, Boss," she murmured.

Steve chuckled and shook his head. He should have known.