Hope you guys enjoy. Let me know what you think! Reviews are appreciated and give me motivation to keep writing. -Ecorley

My plan for hiding in the back office of the bank to nurse my hangover did not get to happen on this busy Friday. Chaos! From the moment I walked in the door, it was nothing but chaos. Two tellers called in sick….the vault wouldn't open…lines of customers nearly out the door. 3 hours into the day and I had not even sat down yet, much less made it back there to hide. I had managed to pop a couple of Tylenol before I jumped in to tackle the list of problems that needed dealing with.

I knew Don had said it would be this afternoon before he would make it by the branch so for the first few hours of the day, I didn't bother watching the clock. As soon as 1:00pm hit, I couldn't keep my eyes off of it, or the front door for that matter. I had been stuck working the teller line, which was definitely not on my list of duties but couldn't be avoided since we were so short-handed. Rebecca was at the station next to me, both of us working as fast as we could to keep the line down and allow the other two tellers to take lunch breaks before sending the bankers.

Luckily the pounding headache from this morning had dulled over the course of the morning after I guzzled bottle after bottle of cold water. By the time the line of customers had faded away, I felt almost back to normal but decided to skip lunch anyway. After making sure each employee got their break, I finally made my way to an empty glass office near the front door so I could keep an eye on everything while I had a conference call and attempted to finish a load of paperwork. Or at least I told myself I just wanted to keep an eye on everything…deep down I knew that I was actually keeping an eye out for that fine-looking detective coming to take my statement.

As I sat in the office listening to a conference call of our regional director droning on about sales and acquisition targets, my mind began wandering back to Don Flack. I couldn't help remembering how he had looked like he was blushing at what Danny had said about it being Don's pleasure to meet me. I assumed he had been embarrassed for me but maybe he really had been blushing. I went over the entire interaction in my head again and again, wondering if it was possible that a man like him could be the slightest bit interested in a plain, Southern girl like me. The more I thought about it, the less likely it seemed to be true. Besides, I was only in New York on a temporary basis so even if it was a possibility, it didn't seem like a smart decision to pursue any kind of relationship with the man, no matter how hot he was.

But he's tall….

And his eyes are so blue…

He smelled good too…

Oh for fucks sake Rowan, snap out of it! That boy is too hot for you girl and you said you were done with relationships for now, remember?!

The time continued to tick by and I looked at the clock and let out a sigh. It was 4:00 and still no sign of Don. I glanced out the window of the office hoping to spot him in the crowd of people rushing by but no such luck. My stomach suddenly let out an angry growl and my attention was drawn away from the blue eyes of Don Flack to the much more important problem of what I would be having for my first and only meal of the day. After the morning I'd had, I figured I deserved to leave a little early to pick up dinner and start my weekend. I would give the detective until 4:45 to show up and then I was out of here for the day.

I got a little miffed as I watched the minutes tick by and he still hadn't shown up yet. I suppose I was more upset with myself because of how anxious I was to see him again. I tried to rationalize that I was just wanting to put the whole incident from this morning behind me and giving my statement finalized that but deep down I knew the truth. I hadn't been attracted to a man since my last relationship went south….around the same time I swore them off completely…that was until he popped onto the scene this morning. The more I thought about Don Flack, the more I fantasized about what a steamy relationship with him would be like.

It didn't matter how attractive I found him because I knew that I could be sent to a new city any time in the next few weeks. I enjoyed the job I was in currently but it really was a bit lonely, especially not having friends close by to vent on those really hard days. My best and oldest friend was hundreds of miles away in Louisiana and was dealing with her own problems right now. I missed Bethany but since I had taken on this new role, we had begun to grow apart and didn't talk on the phone or text nearly as much as we use to. Before starting this job, Bethany would have been the first person I called or texted after meeting a hot guy like Don. I may have even been brave or sly enough to snap a photo to show her just how great looking he was….and knowing her, she would have assured me that he had indeed been blushing (because obviously he was in love with me) and that I needed to snatch him up quick. Bethany always had a way of making me feel less ridiculous and embarrassed about my inability to deal with men. I knew she would understand my feelings about not wanting to get involved with a man that I surely wouldn't be able to have a long distance relationship with (she'd briefly tried to date a man who lived in California and it didn't work because of the distance) but she would have still tried to convince me that a hot fling or casual sex was definitely still worth it. That just wasn't the person I was so I knew fantasizing about Don Flack any longer was absolutely pointless.

I glanced at the clock one last time and saw that it was nearly 4:45 pm. I let out a disappointed sigh and began gathering my paperwork. I grabbed my cellphone charger and threw it back in my purse before heading to Rebecca's office to let her know I was cutting out early. She was surprised but gave me a big smile and told me to enjoy my weekend off. I gave everyone a quick wave before exiting the bank and heading in the direction of my apartment. I had put my earphones in and turned on some music as I navigated the loud, busy sidewalks of the city. I found that it made my walks home much more enjoyable and helped keep my temper in check as I got pushed and shoved around.

I had decided to stop at the pizza place not far from home to pick up dinner. I figured after everything that had occurred this morning, I deserved to splurge on something delicious and Maurice's had been my go to place since arriving in New York city. I had easily eaten there at least 2-3 times a week in the 3 weeks I had been there. I quickly dialed the number on my cell phone and smiled when I heard the voice of Moe, the owner. I had immediately liked the older man the first time I had met him. Each time I had gone in to pick up food, he was there behind the counter making pizzas and chatting up the customers. I continued my walk to the restaurant, attempting to not get man handled on the crowded streets.

After having a quick chat with Moe, during which he made sure to remind me that I was too pretty to be spending my Friday night alone, I paid for my pizza, put my earphones back in, and began walking the last block home. It wasn't easy maneuvering around people while carrying the large box but I managed and arrived at the entrance to my apartment shortly after 5:15.

I was softly singing Magic Carpet Ride as I struggled to unlock the front door of the apartment building while attempting not to drop my dinner on the ground. I had finally gotten the door unlocked and was trying to get my shoulder wedged in enough to push it the rest of the way open when I felt a hand grab the arm that held my purse. Startled and assuming someone was trying to rob me, I whipped around quickly, unintentionally ramming my pizza box into their stomach and forcing the person to let out a grunt at the surprisingly sturdy cardboard. I had already had one brush with danger today…I certainly wasn't ready for another incident. Hungry and pissed off, I stood there ready to face the person.

My heart sank when I saw it was Don Flack standing behind me, rubbing the spot on his stomach where I had hit him with my pizza. I quickly dropped the purse to my feet and balanced the pizza box on top before ripping out the ear buds.

"Shit, I'm so sorry" I said, stepping forward to reach out to him.

There had been pizza flour on the side of the box and I quickly brushed it from his crisp, white button up shirt as I continued to apologize over and over again. My heart was still racing, not only from being startled into thinking I was being robbed, but also from the sheer embarrassment of the situation.

"Rowan…" I heard Don say, "…it's okay"

I stopped brushing my hand over his shirt but didn't move it from his stomach and looked up at him. I was once again reminded of how tall he was as he looked down at me and just how close we were standing to each other.

"I'm sorry" I said softly as I looked straight in his eyes. I felt him take a deep breath and realized my fingers were still resting on the side of his stomach, in much too intimate a way for two people who had just met. Horrified, I pulled them away quickly and stepped back, breaking eye contact with him and taking a deep breath to calm myself down.

I pressed one hand to my chest and felt my heart pounding wildly while the other fanned my face. I finally gathered my wits enough to look up and see Don Flack still standing there, a silly grin on his face as he watched me compose myself.

Embarrassed and seeing how much the whole situation was amusing him, my temper flared, "You scared the shit out of me Detective Flack", I said, purposely not using his first name to show my irritation. If we were better acquainted, I might have slapped his arm in frustration like I would have done to any other friend who had just scared the bejeezus out of me.

"I told you to call me…" Don stopped when he saw me place my hand on my hip and then smiled wider, "…hey, I said your name several times to get your attention" he shrugged his shoulder and then raised his hands defensively as he grinned, "…but apparently you were too busy singing to hear me" he said, reaching out to touch the ear buds hanging around my neck.

I felt like an idiot and my anger immediately faded away. He let out a snicker as I once again started apologizing profusely and began picking my purse and pizza box off of the ground.

"It's me that should be apologizing Ms. Stills. I should have come to get your statement earlier today but I got caught up on a case I'm working on. When I got to the bank, one of your coworkers said you had just left…I figured I'd take a chance and see if you were home" he explained.

His apology seemed sincere and I had to admit, I was glad to see him again.

He's just here to get your statement Rowan….he's only here because he has to be here, it's his job.

But he could have waited until Monday…maybe he wanted to see me again too.

That's true…naw, probably not but you might as well enjoy your last time seeing him girl….you might as well suck it up and attempt some conversation.

I shook the pizza box at him and smiled at him playfully, "Well I made a little detour first…but here I am"

He looked down at the pizza box in my hand and his smile grew wider, "Is that a pizza from Maurice's?" he asked.

"Yep…" I said, lifting the lid to the box a little to let the divine smell flood into the air between us, "…ham and mushroom, double cheese"

Don looked shocked for a moment and then let out a hearty laugh.

"What?" I asked, enjoying the sound of his laughter and the way his blue eyes shined with amusement. I was proud of myself for managing to get two words out without seeming like a fool.

"That is my favorite kind of pizza…" he replied.

"Mine too" I laughed out.

He stared at me with a look in his eyes that I couldn't quite figure out, "Must be fate"

"Must be" I replied softly, holding his gaze.

I don't know what it was about this man but everything about him drew me in. It made no sense because I barely knew him. The only thing I did know was that he was hot and those kinds of men had always rubbed me the wrong way. In my past experiences, 9 times out of 10, men that looked like Don Flack were almost always self-absorbed, condescending, cocky, sonsabitches who thought they were God's gift to women.

Maybe he's that 1 Rowan…that exception to the rule.

It was true that in the short interaction I'd had with Don Flack today, he'd never once given me that asshole vibe…in fact, he had been nothing but kind. The more I thought about it, the more I felt foolish for my inability to interact with him like a normal human being.

It's time to suck it up girl and act like a grown up.

I took a deep breath and flashed the detective a true, genuine Rowan Stills smile, "I guess if it's your favorite then it would certainly be rude of me to not offer you a slice, right?"

"That's right…and I get the impression that you aren't usually rude" he joked back.

I shrugged my shoulders, "My momma always taught me to kill 'em with kindness" I said, letting my country accent shine through as I quoted my mother.

Don smiled and nodded his head, "Even when it's a guy waving a gun around and taking you hostage?"

"Hey…" I said defensively, "…he started it! I think he had that coming. Besides, I wasn't rude, I was stern. Big difference…and he kinda deserved it. I'm sure you weren't chasing him down for no good reason"

His smile faded and a more harsh look appeared on his face, "Oh no, we had very good reason, trust me"

I nodded my head, "I'll believe you"

We stood in silence for a moment before I chimed in again, "You know, I wasn't kidding about offering you a slice. Would you like to come up?"

Don's smile reappeared, "Do you always invite strange men you barely know up to your apartment for pizza?" he asked.

"Are you a strange man?" I joked.

He shrugged his shoulders and gave me a devilish grin, "Maybe"

I stared at him long and hard, up and down, before shrugging my own shoulders and responded, "Ehhh, you look harmless enough to me….come on up"

"Glad I pass your inspection…" he said, reaching out and offering to take the pizza off my hands.

I passed it over and gave him an appreciative smile before turning around and opening the door to the apartment building once again.