"We're missing something," Stella muttered.
"Way to state the obvious."
She glared at Flack as he sat next to her behind her desk. "You're not exactly helping, Detective."
He sighed, folding his arms on the desk and then resting his head on them. "This sucks," he said, his voice muffled.
"Aw," Stella said mockingly. Leaning forward, she ran her fingers through his short hair, her nails scratching lightly across his scalp. "Too many late shifts for you, Donnie?"
His only answer was a satisfied moan as her fingers continued to work through his hair. She let them move in lazy circles, massaging his scalp, surprised how much he seemed to be enjoying the contact. His eyes were closed, a gentle expression on his face as he breathed deeply. Stella found herself transfixed by his reaction to her touch.
Then his eyes were opening and he sat up straight, his gaze locked on hers. Stella's fingers stopped moving, but they stayed in his hair, suddenly unwilling to break contact. They stared at each other for a long time, the rest of the world dropping away.
Slowly, Don leaned in closer, an intense look in his eyes. Stella watched him come, a part of her telling her that it would be better for both of them if she turned her head. But her body refused to move, and she felt her heart accelerate as she realized that he was going to kiss her.
It was gentle at first, his nervousness clear. Stella let herself respond to him, her lips moving against his slowly as her fingers resumed their movements in his hair. Flack sighed against her mouth, bringing one hand up to cup her face before tilting his head and deepening the kiss.
Neither was sure how long they stayed like that, taking their time and drinking each other in. Their kisses were deep and slow, agonizingly wonderful as their bodies longed to move closer. But before it went any further, they pulled back just a breath's length, their eyes once again locking.
"I…"
Flack cut her off. "Don't, Stell. Don't run from this. It's been a long time comin'."
She was so tired of fighting it, of telling herself that she didn't feel anything for the man sitting in front of her, that Stella just nodded. Searching his eyes for what she knew was already there, she leaned in and kissed him again.
"Hey guys –"
They jerked away from each other at the words, turning to see Danny standing in the doorway, a shocked expression on his face. Everything he had been going to say fled his mind, and he just stared at them.
"Did you want something, Messer?" Flack growled.
Danny shook his head, as if to clear it. "Right. Uh…Mac wanted me to tell you guys that you could go home. We'll come back to the case in the morning." He turned to leave the office, but stopped and looked back at them, an amused grin on his face. "I can't wait to tell Montana about what I just caught you two doin'." Before they could respond, he was gone.
Taking a deep breath, Flack turned back to Stella. "He's right…we should go home. It's been a long day."
She nodded slowly. "I…"
"It's okay, Stell. You don't need to say anything."
"Let me get this out, Don." When he nodded, she continued. "I'm not…I'm not ready, for anything more yet. But…I would really like to wake up next to you tomorrow morning."
Swallowing hard, Flack reached out and stroked her cheek, a smile on his face. "We can just sleep, Stella. I wanna feel you in my arms."
Standing up, she pulled him to his feet as well. "Then let's go home," she whispered.
Flack smiled as he took her hand in his, entwining their fingers. Shutting the lights off as they left the room, they made their way out into the night.