"Ugh."

Ryan raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at Natalia.

"Ugh? Shouldn't you be happy that shift is over and we get to go home?"

"Have you been out there lately? Do you have any idea how hot it is?"

"Yeah. News said something about a heat wave."

"Exactly."

"So…what? You're going to sit in the lab all night to avoid going outside?"

"My air conditioner is broken. I called the tech, and he said he couldn't get out to my apartment until at least tomorrow. I don't know about you, but I really hate trying to sleep when I'm drenched in sweat."

Ryan looked around for a moment, trying to think of a way that would allow them to stay cool without hiding in the lab. When it finally struck him, he turned and looked at her with a big grin.

"Come see a movie with me."

"Excuse me?"

"There's air conditioning in the theater. That'll give us two hours where we won't have to suffer in the heat."

Natalia frowned, seeing the logic in his suggestion.

"Is anything good out?"

"Does it really matter?"

She looked outside again, and then shook her head.

"Not at all. Let's go."

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Ryan and Natalia practically jogged up to the ticket booth, hoping they could get from the cool of the car to the cool of the theater without too much time spent outside. When they reached the booth, Ryan skimmed the listed movies and saw that all except one were at least halfway through their showings. The last one had started ten minutes ago, and he figured that that was going to be their best bet.

"Two for 'Music & Lyrics,'" he told the attendant.

He paid for their tickets, completely missing the amused look on cashier's face. Taking the tickets and his change, he and Natalia rushed inside, both sighing in relief when they felt the cool air rush over their bodies.

"Let's sit in the back," Natalia suggested as they headed towards their theater. "We're late and I don't want everyone looking at us."

Ryan rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Whatever you want."

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Ryan tried to stifle another sigh as they watched the movie. If he had realized what a mundane chick flick it was going to be, he might have tried to come up with another way for him to spend two hours with Natalia outside of work. But they were already there, and he wasn't about to suggest that they leave. Trying to keep himself from falling asleep, he ran through ways he could ask her out to dinner after the movie was over.

A strange sound cut across the theater, interrupting Ryan's thoughts. Frowning, he looked around the theater, his eyes finally landing on a couple sitting near the middle of the theater. The girl's head was just disappearing behind the seats as the man let out a strangled groan.

"Oh my God," Natalia breathed. "Are they…?"

"Yeah," Ryan said, swallowing hard. "They are."

"Oh my God."

They both sat there, completely still, trying to block the sounds coming from the rows ahead of them. But the noises simply grew louder, making it nearly impossible for them to focus on what was happening on the screen.

"Ryan," she hissed.

"What?"

"I can't sit here like this. There is no way to block them out."

"We could make our own noise," he suggested, the words tumbling out before he had a chance to think them through.

"Excuse me?"

Ryan could feel the blush creeping up his neck.

"I'm sorry, Natalia. I didn't mean –"

He stopped when he felt her lips brush against his. At first he stayed still, his mind still in shock from the ridiculous situation they were in. But as her lips continued to move against his, he found his body responding, fingers tangling in her long brown hair as he pulled her closer. She moaned softly, and Ryan tilted his head, sliding his tongue into her mouth and drinking her in.

Their kisses quickly became hungrier and more passionate. Ryan found himself inwardly cursing the armrest that separated them, his body screaming at him to get closer to her. Both of his hands were in her hair now, holding her head steady as he continued to explore her mouth, reveling in the soft sighs that were escaping her.

Then Natalia pulled back suddenly, her eyes wide and her breathing heavy. Looking around the theater, she saw that no one was looking at them – the couple in front of them were so caught up in each other that she doubted they would have noticed an earthquake. Swallowing nervously, she stood up.

"Natalia," Ryan whispered.

She moved until she was standing in front of him, blocking his view of the screen. Then she placed her knees carefully on either side of his hips and sank down until she was straddling him. For a minute she held his gaze, neither able to look away. With a small smile, she wrapped her arms around his neck and crashed her lips back into his.

Ryan thought that he was going to go insane. All of his senses were on overload as Natalia squirmed on top of his lap, her body writhing against his. His hands were slowly inching up under her shirt as she moved her lips down the side of his face and onto his neck, pausing at the sensitive skin just behind his ear.

"Oh God, 'Talia," he breathed, closing his eyes.

Her only response was to let one hand drift down to the buttons of his shirt, slowly undoing them one by one. Ryan groaned and leaned his head back, rolling his hips as Natalia trailed her kisses down his neck and onto his chest.

A particularly loud moan erupted from the other couple's row, and Ryan suddenly remembered where they were. Fighting against his own hormones, he cupped her face and lifted her eyes until they met his.

"We need to get out here," he said quietly.

She looked around as though she too had completely forgotten where they were. Then her blush returned, and Ryan felt himself struggling to keep himself from kissing her again. Nodding, Natalia stood up slowly and extended a hand to help him out of the chair. Both kept their eyes focused ahead as they moved out of the dark theater, neither daring to look back toward the other couple.

Once they were back outside, the heat hit them like a brick wall. But they continued moving, their hands still entwined, neither able to think of a single coherent thing to say. When they reached the car, Ryan regretfully let go of her hand and headed for the driver's side. As he opened the door, however, he felt himself being spun around and pushed back against the vehicle. Before he could say anything, Natalia was pressed against him, her lips once again attacking his. She moved to slide her tongue into his mouth, but Ryan grabbed her shoulders and pushed them apart firmly.

"Natalia," he said breathlessly.

She stared at him for a moment before stepping back, a pained expression on her face.

"Oh God," she said quietly. "You don't…you're not interested. I'm sorry, I –"

Before she could finish her sentence, Ryan had stepped forward and kissed her soundly, his arms snaking around her waist and pulling her flush against him. Without hesitation, he deepened the kiss, one hand moving up to hold her head steady. She relaxed against him, her own arms wrapping around his neck as she sighed into his mouth.

When they finally pulled back, Ryan rested his forehead against hers, his fingers locked in her hair so that she couldn't back away.

"I want this," he assured. "I want…you." Natalia smiled at the blush that tinged his cheeks. "I just don't…I don't want a one-night stand."

"Who said anything about a one-night stand?" she asked, frowning. "You really think I'm that type of girl?"

"No. But I didn't think it was safe to assume in the other direction, either."

"Point taken," she laughed.

"So…what now?" he asked.

Natalia played with his top button, keeping her eyes fixed on his throat.

"Well…I hear that one way to cool down is to take a hot shower."

"Oh yeah? How exactly does that work?"

"The water is so hot, that when you get out, the air feels that much cooler."

"Hmmm. Sounds like something worth trying. Is your shower big enough for two?"

She looked up at him and smiled.

"Absolutely."