I realize there's been a long lapse from when I first posted this story. I had finished it a long time ago but had thought I had posted it all. I guess I hadn't. However, there's not that much left to go so please enjoy and again, I apologize for the delay!

CHAPTER 10

The next day had been hell for both of them but for very different reasons. Eileen, who didn't have to go out of town but couldn't talk to ONR… um… Doctor House (she still couldn't bring herself to admit the truth even to herself) before their meeting in Trenton, was a nervous wreck. She avoided the doctor like the plague, even when he tried to talk to her.

And House was now so curious about her confusion and avoidance he had planned a scouting mission. He needed to root around her office to find anything that could give him any insight into the woman who was always, if only reluctantly, fascinating to him.

House learned that Eileen had a surgery at ten that Friday morning. He snuck into her office and found it cluttered but, for the most part, rather neat. He wasn't surprised at how almost clinical the office was, with nothing of personal value to her, like pictures, mementos, souvenirs, found in that small space. She didn't seem like the type of person who lived at the hospital like he did but even those with a clear determination to keep the personal out of the professional would have SOMETHING important to them. Doctors spent a lot of time away from home.

House slowly sank into her chair and rooted around for a personal laptop. She didn't even have one of them around. After ten minutes of physically searching the office for, well, anything, he hadn't been any closer to unlocking the woman than he'd been ten minutes before. Fine. It was time to break into her work computer.

He picked up her mouse to start using it when someone cleared their throat. For a split second before he knew for sure House had the feeling it was Eileen but hoped it wasn't.

He should've listened to his gut.

"What the hell are you doing in my office?" Her voice rose with every syllable.

He opened his mouth to offer some lame excuse but thought better and closed it.

She nodded and stepped further into her office, stopping a few feet from him. "Smart. Don't want to stick that clodhopper…" she pointed to his grey and orange… sigh. Eileen should've known. He even wore those shoes to work! How often had he worn those without her putting ONR and House together? "…in too far; how can you snark back if you do?"

"Very cute." But House didn't get out of the seat.

"I will ask again, slowly this time. What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

"Yeah, that really helped. I completely understand now." He got up to hobble to her but she blocked his exit. He moved the other way, she followed. House smirked and lifted his cane. "Cute. But I don't dance."

"I'll save you the humiliation of trying if you tell me what…"

"You know, you can blame all of this on you."

Now she looked at House in confusion. "What? How?"

"If you'd just tell me why you kissed me, all of this would've been avoided."

"Why do you want to know? Are you kissed so little that you want to know what works on a girl?"

"Aren't you full of cute things to say?"

"Fine. I kissed you because you weren't expecting it." Eileen watched his face. "And I was right. Now that you know the reason…" she gave him a 'shooing' wave. "…you can leave now."

It was his turn to block her from leaving. "Oh but you know what they say…" House watched her eyes as he slowly moved his hands to her hips to hold her in place. He leaned forward, his warm breath caressing her lips. "…practice makes perfect." Before she even got the chance to protest he pulled her hips to his and placed his mouth on hers.

She did start to protest but involuntarily moaned as his hips gently ground against hers, and he took the opportunity to invade her parted lips with his tongue. They both gasped at the sensation, and her warm tongue involuntarily caressed his. His hands moved to her rear end and began kneading it, her hands squeezing his biceps in time to his caressing. They slowly broke apart and let out a low, deep sigh in unison.

"Looks like it was my turn to surprise," House rasped, his eyes greedily consuming her flushed cheeks, full, red lips and the red roughness of his prickly chin to her face.

Eileen gulped and took a step back. "We can't do this."

Her voice had been so low he had to lean forward. "What?"

She gulped again. "We can't do this."

"Do what? I thought you were just helping me…"

Eileen shook her head and put her hands on her cheeks, completely unable to look him in the eye. For the first time since she learned that House and ONR were one in the same, Eileen was actually glad they were the same person. That kiss, and his hands on her, would've made her that much more reluctant to choose between the two men. Now she wouldn't have to. But she needed to get him as far away from her as possible. Eileen finally looked at House in the eye. "I have a surgery soon and I forgot the patient's file. I have to go but if I ask you to leave will you?"

His hesitancy was all the information she needed and she sighed. "Fine. You stay here and try to find whatever it is you want to find. I'm going to work." She turned on her heel, grabbed what she came back for, and marched back to the door. She stopped and turned back to see House watching her, confusion on his face. "Oh and when you're done rifling through my possessions please lock the door. I allow only one intruder per day." Without another word or look back she closed the door behind her.