A/N: I don't know how I ever thought this one was gonna be a one shot—silly me! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you to everyone for their very kind reviews—you really rock!

Attraction-part 3

Eleven long days. No new case to bring them together. No last minute phone calls or meetings to wrap up the last case. But that didn't mean she hadn't thought of him. In fact, she'd thought of him more over the past eleven days than she probably would have if they DID have a case. Their last conversation kept popping into her head at the oddest times, prodding her to--what? Call him? On what pretense? Go see him? Same problem.

She immersed herself in her work. She worked on three skeletons from WWI and two bodies from limbo, answered countless emails from colleagues and students and studied forensics articles. She even got four chapters of her new book written. All in all, a very productive eleven days, but the work, usually satisfying and fascinating, left her with a strange feeling of emptiness.

She missed Booth. There, she had admitted it to herself, even though she wouldn't admit it to anyone else. Now it was Saturday night and she was curled up on her couch, a forensics journal open on her lap, a cup of herbal tea at her elbow and soft jazz playing on the sound system. She was trying to relax, but her mind couldn't seem to focus on the article. After reading the same paragraph for the third time, she gave up and tossed the periodical onto the coffee table. She wondered if Booth had Parker this weekend, wondered what he was doing, wondered if he was thinking about her.

"This is silly," she scolded herself aloud. "He's my partner. I can call him just to see how he's doing." Picking up her cell, she hit the speed dial for his home. No answer. Clicking the phone off, she debated calling his cell. Winning the debate, she hit the speed dial before her courage deserted her. He picked up right away.

"Booth."

For a second her mind seized and she couldn't think of a thing to say. Then she started babbling. "Hi! Booth, it's Brennan...h-h-how are you?"

"Open your front door and see for yourself," he replied with a chuckle that caused a thrill to race down her spine. Bouncing up from the couch, she went to answer the door. He was standing there in jeans and a snug black T-shirt, leaning on the doorjamb, his mouth cocked in that half smile she loved.

"What are you doing here?" she asked stupidly, forgetting for the moment that she had just been wishing he was here.

Straightening, he gave her a mock hurt look. "What? Not happy to see me? No 'come on in, its good to see you'?"

She laughed, almost giddy as an enormous surge of happiness swept through her. "Sorry, come on in," she said, opening the door wider. He came in, stopping just inside the living room. He turned to face her. "I-I thought you might have Parker this weekend--" she said.

"Nope. Rebecca took him to see her parents." He was watching her, a faintly puzzled look on his face. "Why were you calling me?"

"Oh, well, uh..." she began, trying to remember what she had planned to say to him. "I was just wondering how you were. I mean, we haven't talked in over a week, and I--"

"Missed me?" he finished hopefully. The cocked grin was back again.

She rolled her eyes, but didn't answer. His ego didn't need the boost. "Can I get you something to drink?" she asked, turning toward the kitchen.

"A beer, if you have it." He strolled over to look over her CD collection.

Returning with his beer, she stopped beside him as he selected a CD. "Hey, look at this...I didn't know you liked Stevie Wonder."

She flushed a little. "He was my mother's favorite...I grew up listening to him. His songs have a strong beat, they're easy to dance to."

Booth popped the disc in and took the beer, turning toward her with a grin as 'Superstition' started playing. At her gesture, they sat on the couch, side by side but not too close. She took a sip of her tea as she gathered her thoughts. Now that he was here, she wasn't quite sure how to broach the subject that had been on her mind constantly since the last time she'd seen him.

Setting his beer down, he leaned back and put his arm along the back of the couch behind her shoulders. All she had to do was lean back too and she'd be in his arms. Instead she turned slightly to look at him. He was watching her with a serious look in his eyes.

"I've been thinking about what you said, about how you know if you've found 'the one'," she began softly, searching his eyes for some indication of what he was thinking. He nodded, never breaking eye contact. "In all the relationships I've been in, I've never experienced that with anyone...until now," she finished on a whisper. His eyes widened and his jaw went slack. She went on. "Up until that night, I hadn't realized...I mean, you always kept a certain...distance, so I never even considered..." she said softly, haltingly.

Booth blinked and swallowed thickly. "What are you saying?" he asked with a catch in his voice.

"I've never felt this way about anyone before," she confessed, leaning closer to him. He didn't move and she was encouraged to continue. "I-I wasn't sure what to DO about it...but when you told me that, and then all but told me how you feel..." She trailed off, suddenly struck speechless by the warmth in his eyes. Her mouth went dry and her palms started to sweat as she thought of kissing him. There would be no turning back if she did that.

Booth's pulse kicked up as his mind processed what she was saying. His eyes dropped to her lips, which were parted and moist and looked incredibly kissable. Before he could form a coherent thought, she leaned in and kissed him, sending his senses spinning. Groaning, his hand came up to touch her cheek, curving around her jaw to urge her closer. Her tongue probed the seam of his lips and he opened up, matching her stroke for stroke, pushing them both to the edge of self control. They both pulled back at the same time, breathing heavily, eyes heavy-lidded with desire.

"Oh, my," she said in that sexy husky voice of hers.

"Yeah," he said breathlessly. "At least." She leaned in to resume but he held her off. "Wait, gimme a minute," he said, fighting to rein in his raging hormones. No way was he going to rush this, she was too important to him.

She frowned at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Not a damn thing. I just...need a minute," he said. He closed his eyes, thinking it would be easier if he couldn't see her, but that just allowed messages from all his other senses to come flooding in, overwhelming him with their intensity. The smell of her hair. The pressure of her hand on his chest. The sound of her breathing. The taste of her. He opened his eyes to find her studying him.

"Booth?" she asked softly. "Are you sorry?" The fear in her voice brought a lump to his throat.

"No. Hell no. I just want to take it slow, Temperance. Give us time to adjust to the change in our relationship. Go on a few dates," he said with a chuckle.

"Dates? It's not like we just met, Booth. We've known each other for nearly three years--"

"As partners and friends. I don't know about you, but I'm gonna need some time for the paradigm to shift. This is just...wow." He ran his knuckles along her jawline, stopping at the soft dent in her chin.

Smiling, she leaned forward to kiss him again, briefly. She pulled back and his eyes opened and she was mesmerized by the way he was looking at her. "I bow to your expertise. After all, you're the heart person. You'll let me know when your paradigm has caught up with us?" she teased with a half smile.

He smiled softly. "You'll be the first to know," he assured her, and the deep timbre of his voice sent goosebumps up her arms. Dropping a quick kiss on her lips, he got to his feet. "Gotta go."

She sat up, blinking up at him, a little dazed by how fast he had moved. He grinned down at her. "Gotta get busy planning our first date," he said with a sly smile. She got up and followed him to the door.

"When will that be?" she asked a little wistfully.

He turned at the door. She looked a little lost and he couldn't resist pulling her into his arms for a hug. "Tomorrow night," he said, and then, unable to resist, he leaned down to kiss her again. She wound her arms around his neck, pressing close and deepening the kiss. Part of her hoped to change his mind. He broke the kiss reluctantly, resting his forehead against her as his libido called him every foul name in the book. "Seven o'clock?" he whispered huskily. She nodded and stepped back, opening the door. She watched him walk toward his car, then closed and locked the door. 'Wait 'til I tell Angela,' she thought with a smile. She was going to go nuts.

A/N: I was originally going to end it there, but everyone on the Boneyard and the Anti-Boneyard begged for a chapter on the first date, so there is one more chappie which I will post tomorrow. Please review—you know how much musie loves reviews!