"Well, isn't it a small world?" Roman said in a huskily voice, as he closed the distance and embraced Jami in a tight embrace.

Just the feel of his body pressed up against hers was almost too much for her to take. The smell of his cologne filled her senses and that alone almost sent her over the edge. She rested her cheek gently against his chest, allowing herself to enjoy the moment before quickly coming to her senses. Distance. That's what she needed.

And perhaps no more alcohol.

"Um, Joe, it's good to see you out." she replied quickly, pulling herself from his bear-like grasp and providing a safe distance between them.

"Same to you." he mused, giving her a smirk. "I didn't think the uptight nurse could loosen up and have a little fun, though."

"Uptight?" she scoffed, repeating his statement. "I am not!"

"Relax!" Joe chuckled, his eyes shining with playfulness. "I'm just kidding. Besides, I'm sure you know how to let loose and have fun. Maybe you even got a little freak in ya."

Jami felt the flushing happen in her cheeks and was almost rendered speechless. But she had a little bit of liquid courage tonight, so instead of letting him get the best of her, she decided to play back tonight. Clearly, she was letting the alcohol make the decisions for her tonight, but she didn't care.

"I've been told that before." she mused with a seductive look. "It has gotten really interesting once I'm off the clock."

"Oh, so she knows how to play back." Joe replied, clearly taken by surprise. "So, what are you drinking?"

Jami milled that question over in her head. She knew it was probably a loaded question, especially coming from his lips. But there was no way she was backing down. The gauntlet had been thrown down; at least, in her eyes it had. And, even if it was for only one night, she was going to have fun and enjoy it.

"Whatever you order me, stud." she replied, gazing at him intently, waiting for him to take the bait.

"Oh, so we have our big girl panties on, too." he joked, pursing his lips and shaking his head. "Ok, well in that case, I'll have a shot before I meet up with AJ and have dinner."

Joe waved for a waiter to come over to the table and quickly met her gaze once more. This was not her usual self, or at least the Jami he was familiar with at the hospital. She was usually very professional, always on top of things and didn't cave to his flirting. Sure, she was attractive. Anyone walking God's green Earth could attest to that. But there was something about her that peaked his interest, kept his attention and had him coming back for more. He had thrown subtle advances her way, sometimes crossing a line or two, but she handled it with ease, grace and poise.

"So how do you know April and AJ anyway?" he asked, after ordering a shot of whiskey each for them.

"I've known April for years. We both are oncology nurses, but she works in the pediatric wing at the hospital." Jami answered. "I understand you know AJ through work."

"Yeah, he's a good, solid dude. I like April, too. She's a ballbuster, but she'll keep ya on your toes." he answered. "I guess you already know that though."

"You described her to a tee, love." Jami replied.

"Ok, so what has gotten into you tonight? 'Love.' 'Stud.'" he laughed.

"Nothing, just being myself." she replied, grateful that their shots had arrived and praying that was the end of the questioning.

Joe took his and slammed the shot backwards, the warm liquid hitting his tongue and burning the back of his throat. He was relieved he had other plans for the evening or he, whiskey and Jami could become a deadly combination.

Jami grabbed her glass and slammed it back with as much gusto as he just displayed. She wasn't sure if that was the greatest of ideas, but the liquid hit her almost immediately as it rolled down. Maybe not the greatest of ideas, but she was off tomorrow and really wasn't thinking about much else.

"I need a little bit of air. You wanna go outside with me for a few before you and AJ grab dinner?" Jami asked, standing from the table a little shaky on her feet.

"Um, yeah, sure. You ok?" he asked, grabbing her elbow to help her steady herself.

"Yeah, honey. I'm fine. Just stood too quickly." she giggled.

He wasn't sure what had gotten into her this evening. Perhaps she was more laid back and less uptight after hours. Perhaps it was the liquor and whatever else she had been drinking previously. He kind of enjoyed seeing her let loose and have some fun.

As soon as the cool, night air hit her face, she was instantly feeling better. Truth was, she was beginning to feel all the wine and cocktails she and April had been drinking already. Add a shot of liquor to the mix with someone who rarely drank to begin with, and it could have been a little more embarrassing than what she already felt.

"So…." she said, trailing off as she turned around, coming mere inches from Joe.

"So…." he repeated. "You feeling ok?" he asked again.

"Yeah, the air is actually helping." she replied, looking up at the stars. "It's a nice night."

"Yeah, it is." he replied, his eyes still transfixed on her.

She caught his gaze then and with as much confidence as she could muster, she leaned into him, her hands resting on his upper arm. She felt the goosebumps developing on his arms under her hands, and she grinned. Before she could second guess her next move, her hands trailed slowly upwards, her fingers coming to rest at the back of his neck, bringing his lips closer to her own.

She slowly parted her lips and allowed her to meet his, softly and slowly. He wrapped his hands gently around her waist, bringing her even closer to him as a growl came from the back of throat. He bit her bottom lip gently and deepened the kiss. A small moan escaped her lips before he pulled back and stared at her.

"That was…. a…." Joe began, trying to formulate a sentence, and a thought.

Jami was having just as much trouble coming up with something…. anything to say.

"What the hell?" came April's voice from behind them. "I leave you two for 5 minutes and…. what did we miss?"