Dinner was better than she expected it to be. The food was amazing and Declan was a surprisingly good conversationalist. They finished around 9 and Lindsey was flushed and tipsy from the wine. Declan was regarding her through lowered lashes wickedly. "Would you like to go dancing?"

"You think I can?"

They ended up at a nearby club and it turned out that she could dance, and was a good dancer, even drunk. He was surprised by the fact that she was a good dancer, a sexy dancer at that. Lindsey Ferris had moves. He almost laughed. He did laugh.

"What's so funny?" she yelled.

"You dance sexy!"

She stopped dancing. "What?"

He pulled her close and bent to be heard over the music. "I figured you'd have some nerdy dance or at very least goofy…"

Her eyes flashed and she pulled away. "Because I'm a nerd."

"Well, I always thought so, yeah," he replied bluntly. "Why are you upset? You've corrected a terrible prejudice with every surprisingly sexy thing you've done tonight…"

"Well, I'm glad I could surprise you…" she replied huffily.

"You should be. It takes a lot to surprise me. Now come on. Let's not let my superiority complex ruin the evening…" He grinned at her. "C'mon, Lins. Give us a smile."

She shook her head in wonder but couldn't keep a smile from slowly creeping onto her face. "I hate you Declan."

"Yeah, yeah, take a number. Now dance with me. Or-" he smiled wickedly. "-would you like me to kiss it better?"

She eyed him for a moment contemplating how far she could push it. "Would you?" she asked defiantly. When he didn't move, she flashed him a wicked grin of her own and disappeared into the crowd.

He smiled wryly, shaking his head. He was one who enjoyed the hunt but this time it was different. She was dangerously close to the line, flirting with it. Did he want to throw them over? Once past, they could probably never come back, given Lindsey's personality. He shook his head again. This wasn't for fun anymore; he couldn't just get on a plane and forget about her. They'd always be around each other, dealing with each other. Was he ready for that? Catching sight of Lindsey's lithe form, he decided.

Ω Ω Ω

"That was some kiss…" she said softly.

"Wasn't it though?" he replied just as softly.

Ω Ω Ω

She'd been dancing with a blond, blue-eyed European poster boy when she felt him behind her. Since they'd started missions together, she cold always sense him when he was nearby. It made things easier. Easier and slightly frustrating.

He grabbed her by the wrist, spun her around and his lips crashed down on hers. It was a rough kiss, a searching kiss, a possessive kiss. He pulled her close and half-whispered, half-yelled into her ear. "You want to get out of here?"

She looked up into his eyes and shook her head. She didn't want to be just another one of his girls. She wasn't a trophy.

"It's not like that!" he yelled.

"Oh yeah? How's it like then?"

"Can we go somewhere quieter to talk?"

She snorted unlady-like. "You? Talk?"

"Hey I talk," he said defensively.

"Yeah, to the mirror."

He took her hand and led her out of the club and back to the car. They got in but he didn't turn the engine on.

"I'm not going to be one of your girls, Declan," she said firmly before he could say anything. "I'm not like that. It's not my idea of fun."

"I know you're not like that and that's not how this is. I'd never treat you like that." He looked surprisingly scandalized.

"So what? What now? What do we do?"

"I don't know," he said tiredly, rubbing his face with his hands. "I've never had to deal with this sort of thing…I'm used to…simple…"

They sat in silence, both thinking.

"Well, I…"

"You see..."

They both stopped and stared.

"You first," he said first.

"No, go ahead."

"Ladies first…" he swept the air with a hand.

"Age before beauty…" she countered.

He narrowed his eyes. "You are so…"

She smiled and challenged, "What? I'm what?"

"Annoying. Frustrating. Infuriating. Take your pick."

"Frustrating."

He stared. "What?"

"Well, Annoying is bad and infuriating is bad and neither is attractive but frustrating…well, frustrating is good. Sexually frustrating is even better…" She lowered her eyelashes and looked up at him through them.

Ω Ω Ω

"You were frustrating."

"You loved it…" She attempted a half-smirk, which changed to a grimace of pain.

Ω Ω Ω

They went straight back to the hotel without a word. They walked through the lobby, hands brushing. The tension between them amped up with every passing second. When the elevator doors slid shut, he couldn't take it anymore. He turned and practically slammed her up against the wall, his lips crashing into hers. His hands were all over her, her hips, her back, her hair, her arms.

She pushed back, walking him back until his back hit the wall. "I'm not going to be one of your girls," she repeated fiercely. She kissed him hard and fast, then the elevator doors opened and she was gone, leaving Declan stunned in the elevator. Lindsay Ferris had surprised him again.

Ω Ω Ω

"I wanted you."

She sighed. "I know… so did I but…"

"But you still didn't trust me…"

Something like that. I didn't trust me around you…"

"But then there was Egypt…"

Ω Ω Ω

Reviews welcome!