Match Point

He smirked bringing the beer bottle to his lips for the briefest of moments.

"So, want to make a start on that screaming orgasm?" he asked as the bottle thudded on to the table.

"Greg!" she cried incredulously, "We are in a public place!"

"Ooh, voyeurism." he said watching her grin, "Kinky."

"And here I was thinking that spanking would be kinky enough." she said lifting the large glass toward her and sipping the cocktail through the brightly colored straw.

"Oh, just you wait until I get you h..."

He grimaced and emitted a slight grunt before bringing his hand to his right thigh.

Cameron lowered her glass to the table, concern gracing her features before her eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Is this some sort of test?"

Despite the stab of pain and the worry that course through his mind at the return of it, a small smile twitched at the corners of his mouth at her suspicion.

Everybody lies.

He had taught her well.

"To find out if I want to 'fix' you? To find out if I care a little too much for your liking? Well, newsflash House. I don't hate you. I couldn't, even when I wanted to. I care. About you. I don't know why but I do."

Her gaze dropped to her glass as she began to twist it slightly on the slick polished surface. She felt House shift beside her, his arm resting on the edge of the seat behind her, the warmth radiating from him to the goose bumps on the back of her neck.

She had more to say, he knew it and so stayed uncharacteristically silent.

"What I do know," she continued, "is that I'll care about you whither your leg is fucked up or not. I'll care about you if you're always going to be the insensitive sarcastic bastard that compared me to a piece of lobby art that I fell... I don't care that you're twice my age, that you're mean, that you aren't even nice. I just care about you."

She turned to him.

"I don't know why, I just do."

His gaze was soft and a hint of a smirk tugged at his lips, it was both unnerving and calming at the same time.

"Good." he murmured, leaning ever so slightly closer.

"Good?" she asked a trace of hope in her voice.

Her heart beat faster as she watched him move closer and tilt his head ever so slightly. She parted her lips and took in a breath almost able to taste him as he was so close.

"Hmm." he said drawing closer still, "Fantastic, even."

"Really?" she asked smiling.

"Really." he voice rumbled before he close the distance between them and brought his lips to hers.