Wow, I think I'm the worst updater in the world. I just want to thank all of you who have been reading and reviewing. They've made me very happy :)
This update is a bit longer than my previous ones so I hope you enjoy :D

Soft pink lips that made him yearn with desire to taste with his own. He calculated that he would only need to lean down a couple inches in order to satisfy that desire.
Just as he began to close the distance, Lexie's pager began to vibrate.

Lexie, mildly flustered at what was about to happen, looked at her pager with something that looked suspiciously like disappointment. Mark felt ridiculously happy that she seemed to want the kiss as much as he did.

"It's Dr. Yang. I have to go."

Mark nodded and reluctantly let go of her wrist.

"Have a good evening Dr. Sloan."

Lexie quickly went to the door but stopped when Mark called her name.

"I'll see you tomorrow Lexie," Mark said.

Lexie smiled that special smile of hers and then she was gone.

------

The Next Day

------

Derek watched in amusement as he took a sip of his coffee. He would never have believe the sight in front of him if he wasn't seeing it with his own two eyes.
He turned to his right and smiled at the person that came to a stop next to him; surprise apparent on their face.

"I think the entire cafeteria is suffering from shock." Derek said with a laugh.

"Who wouldn't be? I know I am." Callie raised an eyebrow at him before turning her gaze back to the two people in the center of the room.

"Not only is Mark Sloan sitting and eating lunch with an intern. Mark Sloan seems to be enjoying sitting and eating lunch with an intern" she commented.

Callie shivered and took a sip of her own coffee "I think hell just froze over."

Derek smiled and tossed his empty cup into the garbage.

"You have no idea." He then nodded to Callie and left the room.

Callie watched the scene in front of her for five more minutes before deciding she was sufficiently weirded out. As she left the cafeteria, her heart fluttered as she caught a glimpse of Arizona walking down the hall. Callie smiled to herself and tried to suppress the giggle in her throat. She checked her pager and decided she had a few minutes to spare. It was time to stalk the new PEDS surgeon again.

----

Lexie's gaze nervously darted around the room.

"Do I have food on my face?"

Mark inspected her face and frowned, "No. Why?"

She leaned in and whispered, "Everyone is staring at us."

Mark casually looked around the room and shrugged, "They are? I've gotten used to being stared at."

"How can you be used to being stared at?"

"I've been stared at all my life. I'm McSteamy."

Lexie smiled and Mark couldn't help but smile back. Her happiness was contagious.

"You know they call you McSteamy?"

"Yes. And compared to other things I've been called, McSteamy is the nicest."

Lexie frowned and scrunched her nose, "That's the nicest they can come up with?"

Mark shrugged "The nurses hate me. I'm the hospital's resident manwhore."

Lexie hated when he put himself down like that but seeing as they were in the middle of the cafeteria with what seemed like millions of eyes trained on them, she decided to leave that mine field of a conversation for another time.

She took a bite of her sandwich and quickly glanced around the cafeteria again.

"It's like they're waiting for us to burst into song or something."

Mark placed his hand on hers "Lexie, relax. This is between you and me. Nothing else matters. So stop worrying and eat your lunch."

His meaningful words and the soft touch of his hand simultaneously calmed and excited her. When she looked into his eyes, she could tell that he was having the same reaction. It was getting harder each moment to keep their friendship just a friendship; platonic with no messy romantic entanglements. But looking into his eyes and feeling the warmth of his hand made her want to jump him right there.

Lexie smiled softly, "Since when did you get so bossy?"

Mark winked and removed his hand, thankful for the subtle change in atmosphere.

"I've always been bossy. You've just always chosen to ignore it."

Lexie giggled and Mark felt himself become hypnotized with the sound. He watched as she pushed her hair back behind her ears while taking a sip of her juice box.

"Do you really have to drink those?" he asked.

"Yes. I really do."

"Why? They make you look like a child."

"Compared to you, I am a child" Lexie said with a teasing smile.

"Lexie" he growled but she was enjoying this too much to be deterred.

"Don't worry Mark," she shivered at the small chill saying his name produced, "I like the gray hair and the wrinkles around your eyes."

Lexie watched as his hands flew to his face and hair and laughed. There was just something addicting about teasing him. She could never imagine there being a playful side to Mark Sloan and she relished every chance she got to see it.

Mark looked up at the sound of her laughter. There was something about Lexie Grey that unhinged him. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't scared of him or that she was able to look at him as something other than a sex object. But somewhere along the line, Lexie Grey managed to burrow herself under his skin. But even with this newfound affection for her, he wasn't about to let her get away with messing with him. He looked over her shoulder and found a great opportunity.

"I think your boyfriend is jealous."

Lexie looked over her shoulder to find George staring back at them with obvious disgust.

"He's not my boyfriend and he needs to mind his own business."

Mark brought his drink to his lips and raised an eyebrow "Did you two have a fight?"

Lexie sighed and began to rip up her napkin "He's just being really difficult and really childish right now."

She then placed all the pieces in a pile on her tray and smiled at Mark. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. He doesn't matter. It's just you and me here right?"

Her smile widened when he smiled back at her "So, you have any interesting surgeries today?"

Mark noticed the way she tensed up when he mentioned George. He decided to leave that topic alone since it obviously upset her and he didn't want to do anything that upset her.

"Why? Just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm always going to let you in on my surgeries."

Lexie giggled as she put a carrot in her mouth, unknowingly causing Mark's heart to beat faster. How could one seemingly innocent gesture cause such a reaction? And why did he suddenly feel embarrassed staring at her mouth? For years, he never cared how he acted with a member of the opposite sex. But with Lexie it was different. She was nice and pure and he never wanted to do anything that made her feel uncomfortable. Lexie made him feel like his past didn't matter. That all the bad things he's done didn't matter.

She was like a clean slate and he thanked whoever was up there for giving him Little Lexie Grey.

Please review and thanks again for reading! =)