Sorry it has taken so long to update this story. Life has been hectic lately. I will make more of an effort to update more regularly. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 4

Noelle was lost in a euphoric daze as she drove to work the next day. If she could only use one word to describe last night, it would be…magical. The date had gone so well, she wondered why she had been apprehensive about the evolution of her relationship with Frank. Their great rapport as long time friends had made for a natural and easy transition into something more, something special. As she drove into the parking lot of the 15th division, the mental replay of her date reached its final moments.

"Don't worry, there will be more opportunities" said Noelle as she looked up at him. "A lot more".

"Is that right"?

"Yeah, it is".

The desire Frank saw in Noelle's eyes rivaled his own. They were supposed to be taking this slow, feeling each other out. But as a police officer, Frank was trained not only to think logically, but also to always trust his gut instinct. Looking at Noelle, his gut was telling him to throw caution to the wind and follow his heart. She'd seemingly given an open invitation and he was taking it. Lightly touching her face, he slowly leaned in taking her enticing scent in. Noelle's chest slightly heaved up and down, her lips parted in anticipation. Their mouths crept slowly toward each other, coming so close their breaths mingled. Just as Frank was about to go in for the kill, the waiter, Peter, came up to their table.

"Alright guys, I have your check right here". Peter was so busy looking down at the time, he didn't realize the intimate moment he ruined until he reached the table and looked up. Immediately realizing his catastrophic mistake, his boyish face turned beet red in utter embarrassment. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry! I'll leave right now, I'm so sorry! I'm leaving…just signal if you need anything…again, I'm so sorry" the waiter pleaded, walking quickly away.

Noelle sighed in frustration, sat back in the booth and closed her eyes. "Talk about a buzz kill. I would be furious if he didn't look so terrified". Noelle rubbed her hands up and down the top of her thighs as she spoke. She might not be furious, but she was irritated. A millisecond had existed before their lips almost met, a small fraction of time before she was going to feel fireworks explode through her body. And now it was ruined.

Frank had a hard time forming his thoughts. All the blood had temporarily drained from his head. As the blood rushed painfully back, Frank shook his head in anger. "He's a freaking waiter! It's in his job description to pay attention. How could he be so oblivious to the moment we were sharing"? His fists clenched in fury.

Softly touching his arm, Noelle rubbed up and down his arm until she felt his tense muscles relax. "Like I said before, there will be a lot more opportunities" she said quietly.

Taking a deep breath, Frank gave up a hesitant smile. "You're right. I was just really looking forward to that kiss now".

"So was I. Which means it will be hat much greater when it does happen" Noelle reasoned.

"Very true" Frank sighed. "Let me just take care of this check and we'll be on our way". Grabbing his wallet out of his back pocket, he pulled out cash. "For the record, I'm only leaving a tip because you felt sorry for him" Frank teased Noelle. "That and he really did look petrified".

"Aw, come on. He did a good job in general. One little mistake shouldn't negate his whole performance".

"You're such an softie," Frank said, as he stood up from his booth and reached for Noelle's hand. "That's just one more thing I like about you. Underneath your tough exterior, you really care about people.

Noelle took his hand and stood up. "You're a teddy bear yourself even if you refuse to admit it. It's one thing I like about you too," she said, returning the compliment.

Hand in hand, they walked out of the restaurant, saying "thank you" as they passed the waiter and hostess. They didn't need words as they walked back towards the station. Noelle thought everything she was feeling or could possibly say was expressed in the body contact, the feel of her hand in his. The stars in the sky shone brighter than ever before as they strolled down the street. It was such a beautiful night that both wished it would never end. Frank walked Noelle all the way to her car and waited patiently as she unlocked her door and opened it.

Turning around, Noelle looked wistfully up at Frank. "Thank you for dinner tonight. I had a really wonderful time". A little bit of awkwardness was creeping back into the atmosphere. Exactly how was this evening going to end? Was he going to try and kiss her again?

Frank desperately wanted to press his lips against hers, but not in the parking lot of a police station. It seemed sleazy somehow and Noelle was worth way more than that. He wanted their first kiss to be special, even more special than it would have been in the bistro. However, instead of vocalizing his thoughts, he grabbed Noelle's hands and bent down, softly kissing her on the forehead. "Thank you for having dinner with me, for taking a chance. Please drive safe and call me when you get home".

Noelle nodded; she understood what he was thinking. As much as she wanted Frank to kiss her, she agreed that tonight's moment had passed. The fact that he was willing to be patient made her heart swell. And the kiss he had given her on the forehead was the sweetest, most perfect thing he could have done. It made her feel desired, safe, and loved at the same time. "I will. You get home safely too" she said, embracing him in a brief hug before she got into her car and left.

As Noelle parked her car, she smiled at the memory. The ending to their first date hadn't gone as expected, but it was still perfect in its own way. A swift knock against her car door window pulled her back into present day. Alarmed by the unexpected noise, she grabbed her chest and looked over to someone smiling hard at her. Grabbing her bag and purse and getting out of the car, she yelled "What the hell Traci?! You scared the hell out of me"!

"Sorry" Traci grinned. "So…who's the guy"?

"Excuse me" questioned Noelle, feigning confusion. "What are you talking about? What guy" she asked as they walked through the parking lot.

"The guy that had you in such a lovesick daze that you didn't even see me approach your car. I'll have you know that I stood there for at least thirty seconds before I banged on your window".

"No you didn't".

"Okay maybe not, but definitely fifteen seconds. And don't try to change the subject. Who's the guy" Traci pleaded, determined to get an answer.

Noelle sighed and rolled her eyes. "There is no guy Traci. I swear the things you come up with are so far left sometimes". She hadn't told a complete lie, not really. Frank wasn't just a guy. He was a man, a strong, tall, handsome, charismatic man who in a short period of time had gone from being one of her closest friends to someone who made her knees go weak.

"…Ms. I'm-as-tough-as-nails-and-all-about-business sitting in a car cheesing like a little school girl?! Classic"!

"Huh? What the hell are you taking about" Noelle asked in real confusion this time as she entered the precinct with Traci. She'd completely missed the beginning of what Traci said.

"Damn! You got it bad girl. Too busy daydreaming to pay attention to what I'm even saying".

Noelle was becoming a little flustered. Even though all cops were trained to pay attention, Traci was naturally intuitive. That ability paired with her training gave her an extra edge over her colleagues. She could pick up on things and read people accurately where countless others failed. Traci was gong to make a great detective some day. But today, her special talent was a major disadvantage for Noelle; not to mention a pain in the ass. But it did highlight one fact for Noelle; she needed to put last night's date out of her head and focus. Putting on her tough shell, Noelle quipped back "No, I wasn't paying attention because you were getting on my damn nerves. Are you done with your conspiracy theories yet? I'd really like to be on time for parade".

Traci kept grinning as they walked into the women's locker room. "Nice try, but you already exposed too much to cover it up with that famous attitude of yours. But I'll let you off the hook for now. See you at parade" she said as she walked towards the bathroom.

It took every ounce of self-control for Frank to prevent his facial muscles from smiling when she entered the room for parade. That's all he wanted to do when he saw her, thought about her. But they were at work now and he was the staff sergeant. It was time to get focused. Making a concerted effort to not gaze in her direction too often, he went over the highlights for the day's agenda; from what cases the detectives were working on to what the street officers needed to pay closer attention to. "Alright, assignments are on the board. And remember, don't try to be a hero" Frank exclaimed at the end of his speech.

He took a chance and glanced out the side of his eye as Noelle rose from her seat in unison with the other officers. He knew he should just let her get to work, that he had no legitimate reason to speak to her. But Frank simply could not let Noelle walk past him without getting her attention. Clearing his throat, he used the most professional voice he could muster; "Noelle, could I speak to you for a moment"?

Nodding her head in consent, Noelle slowly walked over to him as the parade room emptied. She was hoping he would find an excuse to talk to her; it had been so hard to act normal in the parade. "Yes" she asked, keeping her voice business like. "Is there something you need"?

Frank looked quickly around before he dropped his façade and let a sneaky grin spread across his face. "Yeah, you could tell me what you're doing this Friday". Being very careful not to be seen, he lightly grazed her hand with his fingertips. "I would've asked you sooner but it's been hard to get you alone this morning".

Noelle looked up mildly surprised but pleased at the same time. "Have you been watching me"?

"All morning. Well, if I'm completely honest, for weeks now; just looking for an opening to get next to you. And now that I've found my opening, I refuse to let it close".

Her cheeks turned red underneath her chocolate skin as her heartbeat raced. Did this man naturally know how and when to say the right things or did he keep a manual for seducing women in his desk drawer? Either way, he was pressing all the right buttons; and his feelings apparently mirrored her own. Noelle decided to make a little confession of her own. "Well, I can't honestly say I noticed you this morning". She bit back a smile as she saw his grin sag before she put him out of his misery. "But that's because I couldn't stop thinking about you all last night or this morning. I didn't notice anything this morning because you have completely invaded my thoughts".

It was so hard not to pull her into a close embrace at that very moment; to tilt her face up and touch her lips with his. Coughing to clear the huskiness from his voice, Frank responded "glad to see we're on the same page. So, how about Friday night? Dinner? Me? You? Alone? Again"?

"It's a date" Noelle smiled as she turned flirtatiously on her heels and left the parade room, leaving Frank gaping at her, clear yearning in his eyes.