AN: Hope you like this chapter guys =]
Disclaimer: Not mine!

I was getting my high heels on, when the doorbell rang. Damn, he's either too early or I'm too late, I thought. I almost ran to open the door when I realised I needed to calm down. Taking a deep breath, I opened the last barrier between me and my date.

"Hey, come on in. I just need to get my purse"

I left to my bedroom, not noticing the man who currently had his jaw in the floor.
I picked up my purse and looked at him, his mouth hanging open.

"What?"
"Uh…It's just…"
"That good?", I teased him. I must say that the black sleeveless dress showed every curve I had and I pulled out all the stops just to look great for tonight, but apparently, he had done the same too.

He was in the finest tuxedo I'd ever laid my eyes on, and yes, including the ones my dad used. I smelled his cologne, not a cheap one, but it was its musky scent that caught my senses' attention in the first place.

"Karen, you look, really beautiful"

And that statement made me do one thing I had not done in ages… I blushed.

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself"
"I'm going to take that as a compliment"
"I think that would be the best thing for you to do"

He laughs and for the first time, I actually felt butterflies in my stomach. His blue eyes shone at me and my heart skipped a beat.
Maybe, dad was right. Maybe Jason Bosco was the one that would challenge me and keep me on my toes, maybe he was the one who made me feel safe, warm and loved… And maybe, I was falling in love with him.

We drove off and went to a restaurant he knew. When we got to the restaurant, Jason was always a gentleman…his hand touching my back, guiding me to our table, putting on a show when I sat down and ordering for both of us. I wasn't paying attention to the restaurant or to the food, but my eyes were locked on him and the detective in me was observing our surroundings.

"Karen, you ok?"
"Uh…Yeah, sorry, I spaced out a little bit. You were saying?"

We talked a little about everything…our job, the team, the cases, our hobbies and likes/dislikes. We mentioned neither Striker nor Mick and I was actually glad.

"So, Karen, you still got to tell me how your childhood was"

I looked up at him and he wore a small smile. Yep, he was really interested in me and the feeling was mutual.

"Well, my parents got married and had three kids…my brothers Tom and David, and me, of course. I grew up being daddy's little girl and you may have noticed when he called me Princess."

Jason chuckled and I rolled my eyes.

"As I was saying, I grew up in a large and loving family and because of that, not only I inherited some things from my mom and from my dad but I inherited the stoicism from my uncle Cho, the love for food from my uncle Wayne and the romantic vein from my aunt Grace. She's the family Cupid. My dad taught me his art and I found out that maybe I could make a difference in this world, so I decided to follow my parents' footsteps becoming an agent. I went to high school but I wasn't the Prom Queen, if that's what you're going to ask, after that, I went to college, graduated and basically that's it. I loved growing up surrounded by the boys in my family. It made me learn a few tricks and how to fight. We had lots of fun. Dad usually took me to the beach, just me and him, and we would build huge sandcastles. My brothers were in the soccer team and Mom and I, even when dad couldn't make it, would watch every single game. Mom was never one of those who keep their children on a leash, and maybe that's why they're the best parents in the world, and that's why I love them"
"So, no boyfriends in high school?"
"Ha, if someone tried to get to know me I had two brothers and two close friends, so dating someone was actually kind of difficult. I was one of those girls that everybody loved and everybody cared for, so a wise boy wouldn't come near me"
"That's good to know"
"What about your childhood?"
"There's nothing much to talk about. I was raised by my mother. 2 years after dad passed away she met my stepfather, Steve. He actually loves my mom and did and still does everything he can for me. I know him as my father and I adore him. He was the one who taught me how to get girls and how to be a responsible young man"
"Then he did an excellent job"
"Thanks"

The waiter arrived with our coffees but the silence that fell in between us was a comfortable one. We were immersed in our thoughts. I was trying to know exactly what I felt for Jason. I remembered the conversation I had with dad about the one and compared everything dad said with Jason…and surprise, surprise…

We got out of the restaurant, after bickering and bantering about who got to pay the bill… Of course I won, but Jason insisted to pay and we ended up splitting the damn thing.
We walked silently to his SUV and buckled up, ready to leave, but not eager to call it an end. Jason surprised me when he drove us to the beach my dad and I used to go to.

"What are we doing here?"
"You didn't think the night was over, did you? Because I'm planning on walking around a little bit. You okay with that?"
"Yeah, sure. It's just that it's been a while since I've been here"
"To the beach?"
"Especially, this beach. My dad used to take me here, I've told you that in the restaurant"
"Well, what a coincidence…"

I turned to him and saw the mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"But I guess you knew that, maybe because you spoke to my father before taking me out on a date"
"Maybe…"

I gave him a brilliant smile.
We got out of the car and I took of my heels, glad to have what I liked to call it, feet-freedom. I saw him taking off his shoes and socks and we walked together to the beach. I enjoyed the feeling of the sand in my feet and sighed.
He held out his hand and I took it, relinquishing in his warmth. We walked for a little, taking in the new feelings and the scene around us. The waves crashing softly on the warm sands, the stars shining brightly in the dark sky, our intertwined fingers…

"You know, when I retire from the CBI, I want to have a house by the beach"
"Why?"
"I like to have a thing that brings me all the tranquillity I need. What do you do when you're pissed, Karen?"
"Meh…I like to come to the beach or to go out with my parents. It doesn't take the feeling, but makes me forget about it for a while"
"That's why I want to live by the beach. I think that the waves take my problems away, and bring me new feelings. And also, because I love to surf"

I must say I never took Jason for the beach kind of guy, but finding out he was, made me feel more attracted to him, if that was even possible. Before I met him, I used to think that a guy bringing a woman to the beach was too much of a cliché, but standing right there, with Jason and nobody around us, just felt…damn right!

I was alone with my thoughts, when he turned to me and slowly closed the distance between us, his eyes were never taken from mine and our lips met.
There were fireworks, somewhere in the darkest recesses of my mind, as I slowly responded to the kiss. My heart was doing back flips and my thoughts ceased to exist. I didn't even know which day we were on as his fingers caressing my skin left me shivering. We broke it off slowly wishing the need for oxygen to disappear and to relinquish in each other.

"Karen, I…"
"I love you"