Tuesday, October 7, 2014 – 7:55 PM
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Kara smoothed a hand down her dark maroon skirt, twirling before the mirror to make sure that her blouse lay flat before stepping into her nude heels. The outfit was more feminine than she would normally wear but, after four months of less-than-flattering uniforms and grungy gym clothes, Kara wanted Danny to see her as a woman rather than a fellow officer. Cheeks heating, Kara recalled Danny's words when he cornered her that morning just after they made port. Sneaking in a kiss despite Kara's protest – it would be just her luck to get caught breaking the frat rules hours before they were finally free to see each other – he grinned down at her.
"I'll pick you up at 8. And save your appetite. I have something special planned."
They parted then, Danny to supervise the removal of his team's equipment from the ship, and Kara to meet the port inspection team who would clear them to disembark. She hadn't run into Danny again, although she caught a glimpse of Frankie and Halsey jogging across the parking lot while she was stuffing her duffel into the already over-packed trunk of her mother's car.
Debbie had been surprisingly emotional to see Kara, insisting that they go out for brunch to catch up on the last four months. Upon reaching the restaurant, Kara made the mistake of running to the bathroom before they ordered, allowing Debbie take advantage of her absence to select the champagne brunch for both of them. Kara refused to have a drink out of principle, her usual stance around her mother, but Debbie wasn't deterred. Fortunately, the mimosas appeared to be weak and, given Debbie's tolerance, she was only slightly tipsy by the time they left. Unfortunately, that led to a fight over the car keys and, though Kara won the argument, it put a damper on the rest of her afternoon.
To Kara's disappointment, rather than job hunting or going to AA as she promised to do when moving to Norfolk, Debbie spent most of the four months that Kara was away acquainting herself with the local bars. At least Debbie had managed to find her own apartment, moving out of Kara's place the week before. Having her mother staying at her place would certainly have put a glitch in Kara's plans with Danny. While Danny's apartment was technically an option, it wasn't one that Kara wanted to use. Not only did Danny live with three other men, but Frankie wasn't known for his discretion. He was just as likely to announce to someone that Danny and Kara were in the bedroom having sex as he was to acknowledge that the sky was blue.
The doorbell rang, and Kara noticed that her hands were sweaty, taking a moment to take several deep breaths. It was ridiculous, really. She and Danny had seen each other every day for the last four months. They talked about every topic under the sun. She had told him things that she had never told anybody else in her life. There was no reason why tonight should be any different from the hundreds of meals that they had shared on the Nathan James.
Except that this was their first date. The first time that they were free to be together, unhampered by rules and duties and expectations. And Kara wasn't sure what to expect.
Shaking off her nerves, Kara moved towards the door, her heels clicking on the floor. Straightening her shoulders, she planted a smile on her face and swung the door open.
If Kara had thought that Danny was gorgeous in his uniform or his sweats, that was nothing compared to the sight before her right now. Black slacks sports jacket, white collared shirt, and dress slacks, holding a damp umbrella in one hand and a bouquet of lilies in the other. "Hi."
"Hi, yourself." His eyes widened at the sight of her, and Kara felt a rush of heat when his eyes dropped her toes and skimmed all the way up, glad that she had made the effort to dress up. "You look gorgeous."
"Would you like to come in?
Danny stepped over the threshold, waiting while Kara closed the door behind him and gestured to set the umbrella down by the door where hers sat waiting. "These are for you."
"The flowers are beautiful." Kara fought the urge to giggle when she noticed that Danny was attempting to hide something in his pants pocket. "What's that?"
"I wasn't sure if you'd have an umbrella so I brought two," Danny admitted, a faint red line appearing on his cheekbones. Kara paused, no ready answer, the thoughtfulness of the gesture catching her completely off-guard.
"Nice place." Danny followed her down the hall to the kitchen, where she pulled a vase out of the cabinet. Setting it down on the table, she began unwrapping the flowers.
"Thanks. I decided after college that I was done with roommates. I like having my own space when I'm home," Kara explained. She filled the vase, setting the flowers on the center the table. "What are the plans for tonight?"
Danny checked his watch. "We have reservations for Maestros at nine o'clock."
Now Kara was doubly glad that she dressed up. "That's only a ten-minute walk from here, if you want to leave the car and not worry about parking."
"That sounds good. Sorry it's so late. I couldn't get a reservation earlier," Danny replied, again with the funny note in his voice. As though he, like Kara, was feeling uncomfortable, their easily camaraderie on the ship disappearing now that they were on land. "They have dancing there if you're interested."
"Do you dance?" Kara asked, tilting her head to the side and nibbling on her lip as she stared at him, trying to breach the wall that had fallen.
Danny took a step closer, but still leaving a good distance between their bodies, one hand coming up to twirl a strand of her hair. "I took ballroom dancing as my gym extracurricular in college. It comes in surprisingly useful at military shindigs."
"I can't even manage a waltz." She sounded breathless, the feel of his fingers brushing her cheek and neck as he played with her hair intoxicating.
"Let me show you," Danny murmured, his left hand and sliding to her waist while his right hand cupped hers. "You ready?"
Kara nodded, and then they were dancing, bodies moving together in perfect sync as Danny led her through the movements. Unfortunately, Kara's minuscule kitchen was not the best place for a lesson, and on their second turn around the kitchen table, Kara's heel caught on the leg of a chair, almost resulting in disaster before Danny caught her, holding her steady until she managed to catch her balance.
Kara stared up at his laughing face, the first moment tonight when he seemed like her Danny rather than some land-side impostor. Stretching up on her tiptoes, Kara took advantage of their position to brush a light kiss against his lip, one that Danny immediately returned, hand sliding around her neck to hold her as the embrace continued. It was the first time that Kara was able to let lose, to kiss him without fear of being caught and punished.
A moan slipped out when Danny nipped at her bottom lip. One of her hands wrapped around his shoulder, pulling him closer until their bodies were mashed together, leaving her aching for more.
With a reluctance sigh, Danny lifted his head, breaking the kiss. "We should probably get going."
Kara considered her hand where it was resting against his bicep. "Was the reservation hard to get?"
"Bercham's ex-wife works there, so I called in a favor," Danny explained, brows furrowing in confusion over her question. "It's a Tuesday so they aren't as busy. Why?"
"Because it turns out I'm not all that hungry," Kara said lightly, fighting to keep the corner of her mouth from curling. "And these heels are a little uncomfortable. I was thinking that it might be nice to kick them off and have a quiet night in."
A familiar grin spread across Danny's face. "You know, I think that you might be on to something here. As much I like the outfit, I bet you'll be more comfortable without it."
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TBC...