As Owen drove her home, Cristina mused to herself that there were much worse things in life than having an incredibly hot guy stand really close to you, guide your arm, nuzzle your neck, and teach you how to throw a bowling ball so it actually made it to the end of the lane without bouncing into the gutter. And there were definitely worse things than scoring your first lucky strike and having that same hot guy smile his sexy smile at you, pick you up, and swing you around before planting a big one on you. Cristina was 100% sure that she had been the envy of every hot-blooded girl in that bowling alley. She had surprised herself, too. Once she got into it, she had laughed and jumped up and down tonight, really felt what it was like to consciously let go, and he had been right – AGAIN. It really was fun. And of course watching Owen bowl had been a treat unto itself, to be savored over and over in her mind's eye when she got a quiet moment. Now, as they neared her apartment, she nervously wondered how the rest of the evening would unfold.

They pulled up to the curb at a little before 11 and he killed the engine. "Do you want to come in?" she asked.

"Yes, very badly, but I'm not going to. I'll walk you up, though."

Cristina shot him a look but didn't say anything. She had felt pretty sure tonight's events were going to lead into her bed, but had been a little apprehensive about that prospect at the same time. Now that he was the one putting on the brakes instead of her, she started feeling pissy about it. We'll see about that, she thought. No way I shaved my legs tonight for nothing.

On the landing outside her apartment door, he leaned over to kiss her goodnight, but Cristina was learning that a kiss was never just a kiss with Owen Hunt, and things quickly became very heated. She was so worked up she was ready to jump him right there in the hallway. Her back was to the wall and he was practically crushing her into it, all the while running his hands through her hair and down her body. She was kissing him back for all she was worth, hoping he would change his mind and come in. Though they had been pretty discreet at work, at this moment she didn't give even half a shit if Callie or anyone else heard them or walked in on them.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?" she managed to whisper.

"No. Yes. Yeah, I am." He was breathing hard and trying to contain himself.

"Why NOT?" she hissed. They had stopped kissing at this point and his hands were buried in her hair while hers were pulling his T out of the waistband of his jeans. They were both breathing heavily. He released her hair and grabbed her hands; pulling them down to her sides and not letting her go any further with her attempts at disrobing him.

"Two more seconds and you would have had me," he quirked a little smile. "But I don't think we should do this tonight. Not yet." She struggled a little but he held on tightly, so she rolled her eyes at him and gave him a look. One more second and he's getting my knee in his balls, she fumed internally. Does he have any idea how long it's been for me? No, of course he doesn't. He kissed her again, hard. "Not that I'm not really tempted. If you had any idea what 's been going through my head since I got back you'd probably run screaming into your apartment, because I definitely have some elaborate plans for you." Sounds good to me, asshole, she fumed, but said nothing.

"But I think we've covered enough ground for one evening…"

Shut UP! was all Cristina could think. Just come inside and SHUT UP! He was almost as bad as Mer when he got going. She tried to wrench her hands free again but he tightened his grip and looked her right in the eye. "I know what you're thinking of doing right now and I'd advise against it, Dr. Yang. As we both know from our years of intensive medical training, a move like that could prove counterproductive to any future intentions we might have for that particular piece of equipment." His delivery was so deadpan that it took a minute for Cristina to process what he'd said, but when it finally hit she couldn't help but burst out laughing. And he started laughing too, loud and hard. They were both heading toward hysterics and Cristina hissed, "Shhhh! Shhhh! Omigod, the neighbors!" She slid down the wall, still laughing, feeling like she might pee her pants, until she was sitting sideways on the landing in front of her door. Owen sat down beside her with his feet on the stairs, silently shaking with a few residual chuckles.

It took them both a couple of minutes to settle down, but when they did a new level of intimacy had formed between them. Owen took one of her hands and started in again, "Listen, I … I 'm being serious here. I don't know what it is, but I don't talk to anyone the way I talk to you. Nobody gets what you got from me tonight. I had some guys I could talk to... before... but… they're gone now. And I'm not the kind of guy who just spills his guts to people. I tend to be pretty private overall." He paused and looked away for a moment, seemingly deciding how much more to reveal before proceeding. This was clearly hard for him to say. "There's something here that feels really real to me and I don't want to fuck it up. And right now I'm too fucked up NOT to fuck it up if we go too fast. So let's not rush anything, ok? Trust me on this, Cristina. The minute I know I've got things straightened out, you're going to have to throw me out of here."

He stared into her brown eyes with his blue ones until she nodded, and then he stood up and pulled her to her feet. "I'll see you tomorrow. And try to get some sleep," he teased.

She replied with a sarcastic smile and a middle finger salute.

"Another time, Dr. Yang" he laughed and headed down the stairs.