A/N: Ok so since the request for reviews was um, an issue… let me explain. I'm not holding it HOSTAGE. In fact, I have the entire story written in one LARGE document and just strategically divide it up; BUT the request was issued because I would like to get some feedback. SOME is better than NONE. I apologize GREATLY if anyone got offended, but I do appreciate feedback and I have seen other authors request feedback in that way as well.

To the people who reviewed, THANK YOU and I hope you continue to enjoy this. I'm going to dedicate this chapter to one reviewer in particular who made my day. Stardust585, this is for you. Thank you for the understanding in your review and PM. It means a lot.

Disclaimer: I own nothing… not even a BETA, although I give big kudos to ASERENE for the feedback on the paragraph adjustments made. Thanks a lot doll.

Previously:

He gets that damn smug smile on his face and I can't help but to smirk and raise an eyebrow, "I contemplated that but you were preoccupied with your evidence." If it's possible that grin gets smugger and I almost want to go over and smack it off the bastard's face, until he speaks, "I'm not preoccupied now." And then I felt the earth stop spinning.

She's staring at me now, and quite frankly I don't know whether to be nervous or excited. Her tongue peeks out from between her full lips and trails over them before she takes a deep breath and nods. I can't remember the last time I felt my hands shake while a woman stared me down, but I'll readily admit to the fact that I'm shaking now. She tucks a tendril of hair behind her ear and moves closer to me, her body near enough that I can feel the heat radiating from her warm skin and smell the scent that will forever be unique to this woman. She leans her head in and my breath catches as my eyes close, expecting a pressure to be pressed against my mouth.

She surprises me though, as her breath dances across my temple and her words whisper into my ear, "You wish Taylor."

My eyes open as she pulls back with that playful grin and I smirk back at her as I catch her waist in my hands, "More than you know Bonasera."

My hands slide further around to her lower back as I give her a small but sharp tug and feel her body impact into mine. Her eyes are wide in shock and amusement and I can only imagine mine harboring that same excitement as I stare down at her and trace small, teasing circles along her lumbar, occasionally catching the skin that's peeking out from the hem of her shirt. Her lips open as she breaths out a soft gasp at feeling my hands trace her skin and I can't help but to smile at that reaction; at knowing that I was the one to elicit that from her. The silence drags on as her hands sneak up to my chest and rest there, not moving, just resting as she looks up at me looking down at her, completely unsure of what to do next.

I feel like a damn teenager again. Should I make the move? Shouldn't I make the move? Should I wait for him to pull his head out of his ass? Or should I do it for him? His fingers brush the skin of my lower back again and this time I feel myself shiver with some mixture of lust, anxiousness, and excitement. I rub my palms over his chest once, then twice and smile at him; hopeful that that will serve as assurance enough for him to make the next move because this impasse is getting ridiculous. After another minute of useless staring, I can't wait another moment and lean in to brush my lips over the corner of his before pressing a soft kiss to the same location and pulling back. All things considered this could either be great or it could be really awkward if he was only kidding about this. As my eyes connect with his though, I know I made the right move. He leans in as I'm leaning back in and…

Bang.

I chuckle as I pull back slightly; rubbing my forehead with 3 fingers and watching him touch his. "You know, I always said you were hard headed, but I wasn't expecting it to be literal."

His mock glare and raised eyebrow are the silent response to my tease before he tilts my head down and leans in to brush his lips over my forehead; effectively kissing it to make it better. I smile up at him and trap his chin between my thumb and index finger, to hold his head in place as I lean up and press my lips to his solidly; feeling him respond immediately. His arms tighten around me minutely and I know that this is where I should've found comfort in the first place. I know that he's the one I should've sought out when I felt that necessary need. I breathe out against his lips as my world spins, leaving me with my back pressed into the cool metal of my fridge and his hands gripping my hips gently. His lips leave mine and ghost kisses over my cheeks, forehead and eyes, then down my neck as my arms slide around his torso and my back arches off the hard surface behind it.

I always thought she'd be beautiful this way, flushed with swollen lips and eyes shut, begging for more attention from me; but now as I look at her and watch her eyes open to reveal those green eyes, I realize that I completely underestimated her beauty. I have to swallow the nervousness I feel and in an instant, my lips are back on hers and my tongue is teasing her lower lip, hoping to gain access to the cavern of her mouth. As I'm granted admission and our tongue begin dueling I pull her body tighter to mine and let my other hand snake up her back, gliding over her spine and up to tangle into the mass of curls; letting my fingers grip and weigh the cascade of spirals as they've wanted to for years now. I give a gentle tug and feel the moan that escapes her throat at the action. I do it again as I pull back and rest my forehead to hers.

I never thought we'd make it here. I dreamed of this place, him and me crossing that line and throwing the rule book out the window, but I never actually thought it'd happen. Yet, here I am, pinned to my refrigerator by him, with his hands in my hair and mine wrapped securely around him. I know that this is dangerous territory for us. That solid foundation we've built as friends can be easily destroyed by this but a part of me needs to know if the possibility exists for more. I don't want to lose his friendship, but I have so much more I can gain from him as a man that I know I need to risk it. I slide my hands up and down over the solid, muscular back of my partner and I silently vow to not let this come between us, whether or not anything more develops, I will not let our partnership fail. I lean in and kiss him again, slowly and sweetly, needing assurance that he's right there with me on that, hoping that he understands how much he really means to me.

My voice is raspy as I speak to her while tracing the skin at her hip, "Stella… I…"

Her fingers silence me, a move I used on her earlier and she meets my eyes with hers, "No. No more talking. We wasted enough time these last few years with that."

Her lips begin to brush my neck as she speaks, "The ball is in your court Mac. When you say stop, this stops."

She presses a kiss to the spot just below my ear and I groan her name and whisper softly to her, "Don't stop."

I feel, rather than see, her grin and lean my head away as she continues her trail of gentle kisses down my neck again and to the hollow of my throat. Her fingers begin to make quick work of my dress shirt and her lips follow their path down my chest and abdomen. Nothing will ever be as hypnotic as the way her body moves, and no better example exists in my head as I watch her body slide down the refrigerator while feeling her lips on my skin. Hypnotizing. Erotic. Arousing. Seductive. All words that I've secretly associated with her for years, are now suddenly being enacted upon in front of me and I can't stop the grin on my face as she moves back up the front of the appliance and leans into me, while dragging my shirt down my arms.

Her hand rests over my heart for a moment and I put mine over hers, answering the silent unasked question I see in her eyes with a delicate whisper, "Yours."

I press my lips to her, and in an instant everything that's been weighing on my mind is gone; and then I felt peace.