Summary: He had a plan, he'd done this before, but when everything conspires against you, you need to get creative.
Warnings: Smut - over 18-year-olds only!
Episode: Season 7 - Episode 7 & 8
Music: High - The Strumbellas, Love is war - American Young, Nothing in this world will ever break my heart again - Nashville Cast

Hello, lovelies,
Happy Easter weekend!
I'm sorry I'm a bit late with this chapter - I hope you still enjoy it though! We deserve a bit more light heartened fun after the last 6 heavy chapters. Special thanks to feliwendy412 for her inspiration to write one special scene between Steve and Catherine. I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and comments!
Enjoy xx

—xx—xx—

Romy hadn't turned the key in the lock yet when the house door opened for her. "Wha-" her mouth fell open. In front of her stood Steve, dressed to the nines in the dark blue suit she loved and a light blue shirt.

"I think I have got the wrong house." She pointed out completely shocked, the keys still dangling from her fingers.

"Well, I don't know." Steve leaned against the door "Are you up for an experience in fine dining prepared by a handsome gentleman?"

Romy reciprocated his grin "I could do with both of those." She sauntered into the house, eyeing Steve up and down "cause I'm starving."

He watched her drop her bag and laptop in its usual spot, watched how the silky plum skirt danced around her calves and the way the mauve 3/4 arm light sweater dipped low revealing a bit more of her breasts, it made him lick his lips. How did she manage to look that great after a day in the office? He stepped behind her, his lips skimming over the back of Romy's neck, making goosebumps appear in their wake. He settled his hands on her waist and directed Romy towards the dining room. There in the middle of the room stood a small table, completely decked out with table cloths, the good china and candles. Candles were everywhere.

"Are you planning to seduce me, Commander McGarrett?" Romy turned her head to him "Cause you know, I'm a sure bet, right?" She squeezed his hand still settled on her waist.

"Doesn't mean I can't pull out all of the stops once in a while." Steve walked her over to the table and pulled the chair out for her.

"What have you planned for me?" She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him. "All your favourites and then dessert." He kissed Romy's forehead. "I'll be right back with the starters." She watched him disappear into the kitchen, shaking her head and smiling at the same time. He went all out, she admired the table and the candles dotted all over the room, dousing the room in a beautiful play of light and shadows.

Steve returned with the starters and Romy was blown away once more, he had made all of her favourites.

"My brain is telling me to stop but my stomach says keep going." Romy groaned as she ate another piece of the main course. "This is so delicious."

"You should listen to your stomach, cause we've got dessert coming up." Steve declared, loved seeing her eat with an appetite.

Romy bit her lip at the thought of dessert. "Yeah, what've you got?"

"Passion fruit Pavlova." He grinned at her, knowing that he hit the jackpot when her eyes glazed over and then lit up with delight.

"I love you." Romy sighed. Taking another sip of her wine, she couldn't wait to dig into dessert. "I better pace me now."

"Don't you dare?" He squeezed her hand on the table, their fingers holding onto each other.

"Didn't we used to have a kid?" Romy asked, checking her watch, it was close to Nahele's normal curfew.

Steve traced her knuckles lovingly "He's at Joel's for the night."

"Does that mean we have the house to ourselves?"

"Hell yeah, I cannot wait to spread you over the kitchen counter for my dessert."

The look in Steve's eyes ignited a fire within her, she rubbed her legs together trying to ease the pressure a bit, her teeth gnawing at her bottom lip. She could not wait either.

"I'll drink to that." She lifted her glass. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Steve clinked his glass with hers, eyes never leaving Romy's, the tension in the room growing. "I'll go get some more wine." He said as he refilled both their glasses.

"No. No. No." Romy got up. "You just relax. You've done enough?" She grabbed the empty bottle of wine.

She leaned down and kissed Steve on her way past him, their tongues teasing and tasting each other, not too passionate but a promise of things to come later. "I'll be back." She whispered against his lips and straightened back up.

"I'll be here." Steve retorted, giving her butt a gentle squeeze. The silk of her skirt running through his hand.

Romy could hear his phone ring from the kitchen, that better wasn't going to be a work call, she grabbed the bottle Steve left open to breathe on the counter. He had gotten off the phone by the time she got back.

"You ok?" She asked.

The headlights of a car turning into their driveway illuminated his face. "Yeah...Uhm.." Steve took a step towards her, taking the bottle "Something's going on and I'm not quite sure what it is." They shared a look, and before he could say anything more a knock at the door made their heads whip around.

"You expecting someone?" This was not adding up with their evening so far.

"No. I wasn't uh...she just decided to drop in." Steve scratched his head turning back to Romy, who uttered "She?"

This better not be Alicia Brown, she was not able to deal with Alicia Brown tonight.

"Catherine."

"Catherine." She repeated. Catherine was fine, Romy took a breath, she could deal with Catherine. "Then let's let her in before she breaks that door down." The next knock had been more insistent.

Romy moved to the front door when Steve held her back. "Are you ok, with her being here?"

She smiled at that, concern written all over his face. "I'm fine and Catherine wouldn't come by for nothing." Romy moved back into Steve's space, stretching onto her toes she cupped his cheek and pressed a soft kiss onto his lips. "Go open that door. We can handle whatever comes out of this visit."

Steve chased after her lips for another kiss. "Ok."

He opened the door with trepidation, unsure what kind of emergency and drama he would let into his house, into his life once more.

"Hey." He let out a breath.

"Hi." Catherine greeted him back.

"Come on in." He stepped aside, revealing the romantic setting and Romy behind him.

"Oh. Sorry!" Catherine stuttered out, completely taken by surprise. She'd thought Romy had left, went back to London.

"Good to see you again, Catherine." Romy's lips curled into a tight smile.

"Yeah. Same here." Catherine stuttered out and turned back to Steve. "Sorry to barge in like this, but it couldn't wait."

"Okay." Steve walked over to Romy, his hand settling on her lower back, as he leaned against the table. "What's going on?"

"It's about your mother."

Romy could feel Steve stiffen next to her, his eyebrows rose almost into his hairline "My mother?"

"She's in trouble."

Steve sank in the chair behind him, of course, Doris was in trouble. When was that ever not the case?

"What kind of trouble?" Romy asked when Steve was too stunned to form a sentence.

"Uhm...I..." Catherine stuttered again, especially as she met Romy's own raised eyebrow and pointed look.

"Give us a second would you, Cath?" Steve looked up at his ex-girlfriend and nodded out to the lanai.

"Sure."

She couldn't make out what Romy and Steve were saying to each other, the murmurings reaching through the closed doors were too low. She watched as Steve pulled Romy astray onto his lap, burying his hands in her hair and his face in her neck.

—xx—xx—

It took them about 10 minutes before they joined Catherine out on the lanai. Romy leaned back against the door, watching the interaction between Steve and Catherine unimpassioned.

"Okay. Look, I know I have a lot to explain with the CIA, and knowing about your mother...And... and that is a conversation that I want to have with you, but we're really pressed for time here, so…" Catherine wrung her hands, she looked nervous to Romy, almost unsure on how to behave.

"Yeah. All right." Steve shrugged, he didn't really care either way. "What's going on?"

Catherine took a deep breath, it all had sounded so simple in her head a minute ago, but now it was way more complicated, especially as it seemed that a civilian was listening in. "All right." She shot a glance to Romy. "So last night Doris tried to break Wo Fat's father out of a CIA black site, and the op went sideways. Word is, is that they're holding her until they decide what they're going to do with her. I'm trying to get more information. No one's talking. I don't even know what country the site is in." There she laid it all out.

"Morocco," Romy mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Catherine turned around sharply.

"It's in Morocco," she repeated.

"How would you know that?" How would Romy know that? She was part of the CIA and had no luck at all getting any kind of information.

Steve sighed "Because I've been there" redirecting Catherine's attention back to him "Couple of months ago I had a... a sit down with Yao Fat. And now I'm realising that Doris must have orchestrated that meeting so she could follow me out there and learn the location of the site. She used me."

Romy's heart broke for him at his last statement, how could a mother do that to her son?

"We gotta do something. We got to figure out a way to get her out of there." It seemed Catherine was ready to charge in and rescue Doris.

Steve's empathic "No way." ground her enthusiasm to a halt.

"Steve." Romy had stepped towards him, her hand finding him, their eyes met and for a second anything around them vanished.

"I know she has hurt you, okay?" Catherine pulled them right back into reality. "But whatever she's done, Steve, she is still your mother. Are you really gonna let her spend the rest of her life in a box? Okay. 'Cause... 'cause that's what she's looking at right now. Steve, I know you. You don't help her now, you will regret it."

Steve didn't know what to do, he was torn, Catherine's plea and Romy's not so subtle side-eye were at war with the hurt his mother kept inflicting on him since he was 16 years old. In the end, his better angels won out.

"Give me a moment to pack."

He stalked back into the house, leaving the two women alone outside.

"Thank you." Catherine looked over to Romy.

"For what?"

"For convincing him to come. I didn't realise that Doris used him to figure out where they are holding Fat."

"He would have hated himself." Romy shrugged "I'll be right back."

Steve stood half-dressed in front of their bed, duffle bag laid open before him, but it was still empty. He startled when he felt a hand rub down the expanse of his naked back.

"Need some help, Schnuffi?"

Romy - the tension left his shoulders. He pulled her into his arms, loved feeling her soft body melt against his. How they managed to fit like two puzzle pieces. His fingers carded through her hair. "I don't want to go," he mumbled.

"If you don't want to go. Nobody can force you, but the question is if you can live with yourself if you don't help your mother now."

"She doesn't deserve my help." his voice tight with anger.

Romy's hands wound together behind his head, her forearms resting against his shoulders, caging him in, keeping him close. "It's not about her, it's about you."

Steve shook his head "I thought I had put this behind me."

Romy pushed herself up on her toes, her face level with Steve's, she held his head making sure he met her eyes "You have paid your dues to your mother, Steve. She took so much away from you. You don't owe her this, but if you don't go…"

"You think I'd regret it in the future." he sighed and closed his eyes when Romy nodded. His forehead coming to rest against hers. "You're right. I need to do this. And then that's it. I'm done being pulled into her life when it fits her and gets nothing in return." He leaned down and pressed his lips against Romy's desperately. She was his light at the end of the tunnel, guiding him once more through the mess that was his life. His tongue opened her mouth insistantly tangling with her tongue, tasting her, marking her as his.

His hands moved to her butt, squeezing the round flesh, eliciting a moan from Romy that went straight down to his cock. Her hips started to move on their account against his, the silk rubbing tantalising against his cargo pants. The soft fabric against the harsh fabric of his trousers, creating delicious friction for both of them. He knew they didn't have much time, but god he wanted her, he needed her. Steve lifted Romy, guiding her legs around his waist, groaning when her core came into contact with his hardening cock. His hands underneath her butt, keeping her upright, making his way over to their bureau. This was going to be harsh and quick, but the way Romy clawed at his shoulders and nipped her way down his throat told him she was on the same page as he was.

"Fuck!" Romy groaned when Steve sat her down on the flat surface, she watched as he pulled down the zipper on his trousers and hastily removed her jumper. She was about to get jump down to get her skirt off when Steve attached himself to her neck. Her head fell back against the wall, his tongue lapping over the marks his teeth left not a second before. Her hips moved, trying to get some friction. "Please, Steve." she mewled, as his hand snaked up under her skirt, tracing the outline of her soaked panties. "Fuck me, please. I want you!" Her hands grasped his face, making their way down to his shoulders, pulling him closer, right between her legs. "I want to feel yo..ahhh" she let out a moan when his thumb connected with her clit.

"You want everyone to hear you, don't you?" he asked, while his thumb kept its brutal and delicious pace, wounding her tight.

"I don't care." she looked at him, her eyes heavy with want. "Please don't make me beg." Their lips met again in a desperate kiss, Romy drew him close her ankles crossing behind his waist trapping him against her.

"Never," Steve whispered against her lips. "Fuck, Romy." he groaned out, as he slid into her. "Oh god. You feel so good, so tight."

"Yes!" Her arms wrapped around Steve's neck, her lips ghosting his jaw up to his ear. Her teeth sinking into his earlobe when he hit that spot inside her.

"Romy!" his hips rutted against her, the silk of her skirt brushing against his legs, obstructing the view where they were joined together, he reached under the skirt, his fingers once more connecting with her clit, making Romy keen. Her head falling forward against his shoulder. "Steve, please….please…make me cum."

"Cum for me, Romy. Come on." he rubbed up and down right next to her clit making her vibrate around him.

"I…I…I'm …please cum in me." hearing her words filled his mind with images, he'd never thought would arouse him that much. The pressure on her clit and Steve's shuddering out her name when he came, pushed Romy over the edge harshly, as if she tethered too long on a cliff contemplating if she should jump and then someone pushes her over. She slumped into Steve completely spent.

"This was awesome," she murmured against his shoulder.

"This" Steve squeezed her to him, shuddering when her inner muscles squeezed around him once more "is always amazing." He let out a breath, trying to slow down his heart before he pulled out of her. He reached behind Romy grabbing some paper tissues to clean them both up. He helped her down from the bureau, brushing her sweaty hair out of her eyes, he was not ready yet to let her go. Romy leaned into him, allowing herself a couple of moments of quiet. "We should get you packed." she said reluctantly.

"Yeah." Steve sighed and let her out of his arms. He moved back to the closet, grabbing some T-shirts.

"Steve."

He turned around again, Romy had his suit pants in her one hand and a black box in the other. His eyes flittered between her confused expression and the little box.

"What is this?"

"Listen," he crossed the room to stand in front of her, "You know I love you deeply. I mean, you are my rock. You are the one thing that makes sense when the world is upside down." He was bumbling this up so badly - how could he mess this up, when he'd done it before?

"I mean, you will always leave your shoes right at the door for me to trip over them, and I'll probably never learn to pee sitting down but nobody's perfect. What matters is how we make each other feel, how you are…"

"Steve...what is this?" Romy shook her head, she was so confused, from his speech, by this box in her hand. "Are you planning to get killed?" She asked worriedly.

Fuck, he was really messing this up, he took the box out of Romy's hand. Snapping it open, he presented her the open box, a hopeful expression on his face.

"Wait! Are you proposing to me now?" One of her hands grasping her hair, as she shook her head. "I mean right now? While your ex-girlfriend is waiting downstairs to take you on a secret mission to free your Mom out of a CIA prison."

"Well, yes?" he shrugged. "Why do you think there were candles downstairs and all your favourite food and I wore my wedding suit?"

Romy covered her mouth with her hand, a laugh escaped her anyway. He did pull out all the stops.

"I mean I didn't plan for Catherine to turn up and my mother being in trouble, but on our wedding day you said you wouldn't be opposed to getting proposed to in the future. So, gorgeous… what do you say? Marry me again?"

Romy stared at him and at the ring in his hand, it was beautiful, completely different to anything she'd seen before. Her man had the best taste in jewellery.

"Yes!"

"Really?"

"Yes." Romy jumped up to him, and he caught her to him. This did not go how he'd planned it, but when did they do anything the normal way.

"You are sure, right?" he asked her between kisses.

"There's no one else I would endure months long wedding planning and constant phone calls from my mother for." Romy teased him.

Steve laughed and slipped the ring on her finger "You do love me."

"I love you the mostest"

Their lips found each other again, unable to resist the other they depended the kiss. He could feel the cool metal of her wedding band and engagement ring against his skin. She had said yes - yes to him again.

"Steve!" Catherine's voice interrupted their moment. They separated with a sigh "Come on, Schnuffi" Romy patted his chest "time to hit the road."

Steve slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and the two made their way back downstairs. He slid his hand into Romy's hair, kissing her goodbye. "I'll be back soon."

Romy nodded. "Just be back in one piece and without new bullet holes, please."

Steve let out a laugh "I'll try my best." He closed his eyes for a second "I won't be able to be in touch much."

"I know."

"You know what to do when…"

"Steve." Romy did not want to entertain that idea at all.

"Romy." he squeezed her neck. "In the case of…"

"I know." she rescinded "I promise."

"Good." They stared at each other. "I'll call Nahele when I'm on the plane."

"Thanks." One final kiss and he was out of the door. Romy stood in the doorway watching the tail lights of the black SUV dissappear out of their driveway. She turned around and surveyed the scene in the dining room, most of the candles were still burning. Their dishes abandoned on the small table, the wonderful atmosphere had evaporated and replaced with one of fear. Slowly she started to clean up, stacking the dishes, righting the furniture. She blew out the candles one by one, the room getting darker with every single blow, until the only thing glittering in the dark room was her engagement ring.

—xx—xx—

Kono had called the next morning, apparently, Steve had left a mysterious message with Danny in New Jersey. Laying out what happened the night before, how Catherine had turned up, Doris being in trouble in Morocco.

"You just let him go?" Kono asked.

"Should I have chained him to the chair?" Romy sat in the sunroom folding laundry.

"No, of course not." Kono said quickly "It's just…weird timing is all."

"I'll let Steve fill you in on the ins and outs with his mother once you're down there." Romy perched the phone between her shoulder and ear when she got up to put the laundry away.

"What do you…"

"Please Kono, I've been around a couple of years by now. You guys are already packing up the office, aren't you?"

"We might" Kono sat down the rifle she checked ready for boxing it up.

"Be careful and call me if you need anything. I love you."

"Love you too."

—xx—xx—

Romy had her laptop open on the kitchen counter, a tea steeping next to her, typing out an email while keeping half an eye on her phone for an update from Steve or any of the others. It was already dark outside, even Hawaii couldn't escape the shorter days in November. She looked up when Nahele shuffled in. "Hey, kiddo. Can't sleep?"

He shook his head and hopped onto the counter next to her. Frowning he lifted her cup and sniffed. "That's Peppermint tea," he looked over at his Mom. "You never drink tea. Are you ok, Mom?"

The corner of Romy's mouth lifted, as she liberated her cup from Nahele "I'm not feeling that great, hence the tea." She deliberately took a sip.

"Your eye still hurting?"

Romy swatted Nahele's fingers away that wanted to prod her cheekbone "Just a bit queasy that's all."

"You're not pregnant, are you Mom?"

Romy almost spat the tea all over the freshly cleaned kitchen. What? She patted his cheek "Don't worry we're not making you a big brother anytime soon."

"I would be alright with that, you know." Nahele shrugged. "Being a big brother and all. I think it could be fun."

"That's very good to know." Romy smiled at her son "and will be taken into consideration. I always feel a bit queasy when your Dad is off god knows where doing something dangerous."

"If you say so." Nahele looked at her sceptically and pushed himself off the counter. "I'm going to bed. Good night, Mama." he pressed a kiss to Romy's cheek and ambled out of the kitchen.

—xx—xx—

Steve could not believe they made it out of a CIA black-site unscathed, but here they were standing on an airfield a couple of miles outside of Rabat.

"You, uh, you sure this is gonna work?" He wasn't sure if his mother's plan was all that solid.

"There are a lot of secrets in that man's head. A lot of people at the CIA who still consider him a threat. That's why they've kept him locked up all this time. So, as long as he's out there, they can't touch me, or any of you guys for that matter." Doris gripped his arm.

"So, uh, what happens after that? Then what?" Steve wanted to know, needed to know what her plans were.

"Then I'll be able to come home."

"Oh, okay." He raised his eyebrows.

"Seriously, I might even get a place just down the street from you. Oh, trust me, you are never gonna be able to get rid of me. I want to meet the woman who captured your heart and the kid."

"Romy and Nahele." Steve filled in "I'd love for you to meet them. They're my…they're everything."

Doris swallowed at Steve's declaration, her son had created a family on his own and she was no part of it. "I bet. Come here." She pulled him into a hug. "I want you to know that... everything I did, every decision...I made them for the right reasons."

"Ma…" Steve tried to release himself out of her arms, he was a parent too, and a husband and he'd never think he could hurt Nahele and Romy the way she'd hurt him.

"No, no, listen, at least I thought so at the time, you know?" Doris must have realised her mistake. "But if you ever want to know more about me, about who I was before, the answers are waiting for you at home."

"What do you mean?" Was this going to be another riddle?

"Ten paces from the far wall in the study, there's a loose floorboard. Under that, there's a lock-box. The combination is 90268.

Inside... you'll find all the answers." She let go of his arm and stepped away.

"Ma" Steve said once more.

"What?"

"Being a spy wasn't the only thing you were ever good at, Mom." it was time to let this go, let go of the hurt and the anger. It didn't mean he'd forgive her or wanted a stronger relationship with her, but he was tired of holding a grudge.

"I love you." Doris smiled at him and then she moved over to Yao Fat, helping him onto the plane.

He turned and saw Catherine approach him "Hey."

"So, uh, I'm gonna be hitching a ride with them," she announced. "I got a new assignment and Doris is gonna drop me off on the way."

"Do me a favour. Tell me something." Steve started.

"What's that?"

"You happy doing what you're doing?" He just wanted to make sure she was happy, that she finally found her little spot she had always been looking for.

"Yeah. I am." Catherine returned his smile.

"All right. Good. That's good."

"I should go." she nodded towards the small plane and ascended the stairs. "Goodbye, Steve!"

"Bye Cath." he lifted his hand.

Catherine pulled the door to the plane halfway close as she shouted "I'm glad she said yes."

"What?" Steve was confused.

"You asked her to marry you, didn't you? While I was waiting downstairs," her tone made the hairs on his neck stand up. How dare she? Like he needed her approval? Like she could just drop into his life as if she still had a part in it. "Steve, you didn't propose to her while I was waiting downstairs, did you?" She asked again. He thought Catherine was going to go for outrage, but it sounded much more pleased to him like she wanted to be involved once more.

The notion to tell her what they did upstairs while they were supposed to be packing was huge, he swallowed it down, decided to be a grown-up.

"No" Catherine looked confused, she'd thought she spied an engagement ring on Romy's finger that hadn't been there earlier on the evening. "I married her, at the first opportunity I got." he lifted his right hand showcasing his wedding band, before closing the latch in Catherine's face.

—xx—xx—

"Romy?" Steve called into the house "Nahele?" No one answered. He looked at his watch, it was only 15:00. The time change had thrown him a little bit. Tiredness settled deep in his bones, while the last three days caught up with him. He dropped his duffle bag next to the front door and settled down on the swing chair on the lanai. The waves and the motion of the swing soothing him into a deep sleep.

He startled awake when he felt a hand caressing his cheek.

"You're Home!" Romy smiled softly at him.

"Yes!" Steve pulled her on his lap. "So glad to be back." he buried his face in her hair, taking a deep breath.

"How was your mum?"

"Stubborn and idiotic as ever." he sighed. "Can we not move for a while?"

"For as long as you want." Romy leaned her head against his shoulder, drawing figures on his skin.

He couldn't say for how long they sat in silence, before the story of his last couple of days tumbled out of his mouth "I mean, I only learned years later about her relationship with Wo Fat, everything that went down, that it started to make sense and I started to get it, put the pieces together. I mean, the things my mother has done, the way she betrayed Yao, the operation that killed his wife, she can't get past the guilt. The guilt of all of that just haunts her and no matter how much time goes by, no matter how much her life changes...she can't shake the burden. I think that burden made her pull away from me, from Mary, from my father." He looked onto the garden, where he spent so many hours playing as a child, where he wanted his children to play too. "But I can't let her burden dictate my feelings and my relationship with her anymore."

—xx—xx—

They announced their engagement once Danny was back from New Jersey, evoking a screech from Renee and a little happy dance from Kono as they pushed Danny out of the way to get their hands on Romy for a look at the ring and a group hug. Steve smiled over Danny's head at Romy, shaking his head, at their friends' antics. Romy's shoulders shook in mirth and she threw him a conspiratorial wink. They could deal with anything.

They hadn't even full detangled themselves from their friends, and Renee and Lou were already deep in planning an engagement celebration. A poker night for the guys and a night out on town for the ladies.

"You know, I don't know how well this bodes for our actual wedding celebration." Romy leaned against the S.W.A.T. car, still in her heels and tight jeans.

"What do you mean?" Steve pushed his rifle out of the way, so it hung down his back, he kissed her in greeting.

"Our engagement celebration got hijacked by terrorists putting two of the kids, plus Danny into harm's way." she nodded to Renee and Lou in a hug with Will and Danny hadn't let go of Grace yet either.

"Ah" Steve waved her off "No one got hurt, everyone is accounted for and you look amazing. I'd count that as a win." He smiled at her.

Romy chuckled "Since when are you Mr Positive?" she bumped her shoulder in his chest.

Steve slung his arm around her shoulder, guiding her over to the others "Ever since you came back, we got a kid, we got married, and now we got engaged. What's not positive about that?"

"I love you."

"So, can we go back now to McGarrett's?" Chin rubbed his hands "We almost had Steve down to betting Nahele's college fund."

"Steve!" Romy jabbed her elbow into his side "You promised."

"My hand was really good." he defended himself, earning him snorts and shaken heads from the guys around him.

She looked up at him, he was such a bad poker player.

"Ok, let's head back!" Kono clapped her hands "I'm up for some poker, but only if you stop making heart eyes at each other." she poked Romy's shoulder to get her back to the here and now.

"You're on, Kalakaua," Romy said, without breaking eye contact with Steve. "I'm playing your hand now, babe." she pressed her lips to Steve's cheek.

Steve's hand settled on her lower back, guiding her to his truck "You've been playing my hand for a long while, gorgeous." he whispered as he helped her into the car.