"You've GOT to be kidding me," Stella exclaimed as the car popped, hissed, and rolled to a stop.
"This is why I hate coming upstate," Flack muttered.
Despite the situation, Stella couldn't help but smirk at him. "Have a lot cars break down on you up here?"
He glared at her. "Nothing goes right up here. We might as well be in Siberia."
"It's not that bad, Flack. We'll just call Mac and tell him what happened." Pulling out her phone, she dialed his number. "Mac? Yeah, look, Flack and I are stranded upstate. The storm is getting nasty, and our car just died…Are you serious? Yeah, I just…yeah, we'll be fine. Just call when you're on the way, okay?" When she hung up, she gave Flack a wary look. "We're stuck here for a little bit."
"What exactly is a 'little bit'?" he asked.
"The storm is hitting Manhattan, too. They can't get through until it passes."
Flack sighed. "So we're supposed to just sit here an' freeze?"
Stella rolled her eyes. "We just passed a motel, Don. We'll go there, get a room."
He sighed again, but didn't say anything this time. The two detectives got out of the car and started to walk back the way they had come. The storm was blowing in from behind them now, and though it was painfully cold, it was better than walking with the snow blowing right in their faces.
Finally, they reached the motel. The sign was obscured by the swirling snow, but Stella didn't particularly care what the name of the place was. At the moment, all she wanted was a hot shower and a soft bed – she would settle for running water and a cot if she had to.
"Nasty out there, huh?"
They looked up to see a little old man standing behind the counter. He was regarding them with something dangerously close to amusement, and Stella could only imagine how they looked. It was then that she noticed how dark the office was, and a slightly sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.
"Please tell me you have power."
Flack closed his eyes in frustration as the manager chuckled. "Sorry, ma'am. It went out about an hour ago." He paused. "I can still rent you a room, though. Anything's got to be better than trudging through all that snow."
She glanced over at Don. "What choice do we have?" she asked resignedly. Stepping up to the counter, she pulled out her wallet. "How much for a room?"
He noticed her badge and his eyebrows went up. "For two cops? Nothing." He waved Stella off when she opened her mouth to protest. "Do you want one room or two?"
She smiled at him. "One is fine. We'll just be here until the storm passes."
He nodded and handed her a key. "Number 3 is free, if that's alright."
"That's great, thank you."
"That guy was flirting with you," Flack said as they walked into their room and shut the door against the storm.
Stella stared at him in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"
"Please, if it had been just me, or me and one of the guys, that guy would have charged us full price."
"You're just jealous that you're not as pretty as I am."
Flack grinned. "Well, you are pretty." His smile faded as he realized that she was shivering. "You're freezing, Stell."
"Too bad we didn't have extra clothes in the SUV, huh?"
He paused, staring at her for a moment. "Look, I need you to promise that you're not gonna kill me for this."
She frowned. "For what?"
"You're freezing. I'm cold, too, and there's no heat. But you gotta get warm, Stell."
"Just spit it out, Flack."
"We need to get into bed, Stell. And you need to get out of those wet clothes."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're asking me to climb into bed naked with you?"
He shook his head, taking deep breaths as he knew that he was on shaky ground. "Not naked. But we gotta get the wet clothes off."
"So mostly naked."
Flack sighed. "It's either that or freeze, Stella."
She averted her eyes while she thought about it. Her body was more than willing to climb into bed with Don Flack, but her mind had all sorts of protests. But the simple truth was that she was freezing, and the best thing they could do was to share body heat. Finally she sighed.
"Fine. But you keep your hands in safe places, Detective."
"Trust me, Stell. That is more than understood."
They stood there awkwardly for a moment, and finally Flack made the first move. He took off everything except his boxers, shivering in the cold air. Risking a quick glance at Stella, he moved toward the bed, climbing in and burying himself in the covers.
She sighed. "I swear, Donald Flack, if you tell anyone about this…"
"I promise. My lips are sealed."
Fighting the nervous tangle of butterflies in her stomach, Stella began to undress. She knew that Flack was trying to keep his eyes away from her, but she could feel his gaze wandering back to her. When she was down to just her bra and panties, she made her way to the bed, hesitating slightly before climbing in beside him. They laid there for a long time, not speaking and not touching.
"Stell?" he finally asked.
"Yeah?"
"I hate to point this out, but…you're still shakin'."
"I'm still cold," she admitted quietly.
He reached out, tentatively laying his hand on her arm. "Come over here," he murmured. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
She gave him a small nervous smile. "I know that, Don."
Slowly, she moved closer. Flack guided her into his arms, letting her rest her head on his chest. Tucking the blankets around them tightly, he kissed the top of her head, begging his heart to stay steady.
"See?" he asked. "You're safe. And maybe now you'll be warm, too."
"I always feel safe with you," she whispered.
Those words warmed Flack from the inside out. "Good," he murmured. "I'll always take care of you, Stell. Always."
She lifted her head so that her eyes met his. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you take care of me?"
He gave her a nervous smile, letting his fingers trail through her curls. "I thought that was pretty obvious," he said quietly.
Stella regarded him for a minute, her eyes searching his. What she saw surprised her, and she wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. Pushing herself up slightly, she reached forward, brushing her lips against his. Flack didn't hesitate in responding, his mouth soft against hers as they kissed softly.
Don wasn't cold anymore. As he tilted his head and took the kiss deeper, Stella moved until she was almost on top of him and his skin was on fire. He tightened his hold on her, his hands sliding over her bare skin as he groaned. Pulling back slightly, Stella smiled and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Don't think you're getting in my pants in some cheap motel, Detective."
Flack smirked. "I already got your pants off." She smacked him, and he laughed aloud. "Don't worry, Stell. I imagined a much nicer place than a motel for our first time."
She smiled. "You've thought about our first time?"
Blushing, Flack burrowed deeper into the covers, pulling her back down until she was laying against him again. "Yes."
Stella leaned forward and kissed his chin before resting her head on his chest. "Good. You'll have to tell me about that when we get home."
Flack smiled, closing his eyes. "Will do."