Taylor pulled his notebook from his backpack and produced a small piece of paper. "I got her number, remember? You bet me lunch that I wouldn't get it…and I'm starving."

Reese sighed. "I did and you did. Don't spoil your dinner or your Mom will kill me."

**** XXX ****

Chapter 4

Reese had spoken to Carter on the phone several times in the last week, but nothing had been said about the flowers or the reason behind them. Surprisingly, he was fine with that. They'd get a chance eventually. He didn't want to rush whatever it was that was going on between them, it was too important to him.

Towards the end of the week, he needed her help getting some information about a number he'd been tracking. Instead of calling, he texted her, asked if she'd be willing to meet him for dinner in exchange for the file. He didn't have to wait long for her response:

(Srsly? Want me to go to Jersey instead? It's about as far…)

He grinned at his phone. Always with the snippy comebacks. He thumbed out a quick reply:

You have to eat. Might as well eat something decent on finch's dime

(food at home you know…5 star restaurant w/in walking dist of precinct…pizza delivers)

Avoiding me?

(of course not. tired. bitchy. long week.)

I'm making it longer. Sorry.

(don't be. buy me a tall drink and i'll bring the file. You take care of the cab fare, buster)

Done. I owe you

(Might take you up on that one day)

Reese paused with his thumb over the send button of his response. He closed his eyes and pressed down.

Anything, it's yours

Her answer made his eyebrows shoot up.

(anything?)

He was tempted to be smart, but wanted to see where this would go.

yes anything. I always pay my debts

He really wished he could see her face. It took a few minutes before her response popped on the screen.

(what if it's not that simple?)

Reese swallowed hard. She really couldn't mean what was running through his head at that moment. Could she?

just ask. you might be surprised.

(that easy, huh?)

yes

There was another delay and Reese was afraid he'd stepped over that invisible line they seemed to keep between them. Then he reminded himself that was the point of the whole thing; he wanted that line gone. Her response made him smile again. Leave it to her to deflect.

(good to know. i'll keep that in mind…for the future.)

I hope you do.

(I'll let you know when I get there.)

**** XXX ****

He knew he'd have a little time before she called him back and decided a shower and a shave were in order. He doubted that she considered this anything more than meeting him to exchange some information, but he wanted to…impress her. He felt incredibly stupid for even admitting it, but it had been so long since he'd even wanted to impress a woman.

The restaurant where they were meeting was a little higher end than casual. It had a great bar and the food was delicious. The atmosphere lent itself to business meetings or evenings out, which is why Reese had chosen it. He'd let her decide which it would be.

He pulled out a suit, but decided against it. She saw him in that every day. Jeans. Jeans were the order of the day. He picked out a nicely faded pair and looked through his shirts. He found a soft v-neck sweater in a dark forest green and decided on that instead of his regular dress shirt. He wanted less business, more casual.

She probably wouldn't recognize him like this since she was so used to seeing him in a suit. He smiled at the thought of surprising her and headed to the bathroom.

**** XXX ****

Reese stood at the bar and watched her. She wasn't alone, which surprised and irritated him. He ordered a beer from the bartender at the other side of the U-shaped bar and watched her in the mirror. The man sitting next to her was exactly who he expected her to find attractive: tall and lean, impeccably dressed, and was probably Ivy League if the briefcase at his feet was any indication of his education. He was leaning into her space and trying to get her attention. Reese smiled when he realized that she was ignoring him just enough to not seem rude.

He took a drink from his beer and kept his eyes on her. She was dressed for work. Black pants, low-heeled boots, blazer and a violet shirt; her hair was pulled back away from her face into a tight ponytail. He knew that she hadn't had time to go home first, but she still looked great. Always did.

He felt her gaze on him he could swear it. He watched in the mirror as her eyes followed the line of his legs up to his back and across his shoulders. The lighting in the bar area was low enough to cast a shadow over his face; he ducked his head so she couldn't see his eyes right away and smiled, watching her as best as he could as her eyes continued to slide over him. She didn't recognize him; his choice of attire was working out well.

After a couple of minutes of watching her, he lifted his head into the light and caught her eyes with his. She passed over him again and then her eyes grew wide as she realized who she'd been ogling. He swore he saw the blush rise on her cheeks even with the low light and raised his bottle in salute, winking at her. She tried not to smile, but her lips turned up just enough for him to notice. She cut her eyes at the man sitting next to her and jerked her head towards him, looking back at Reese pleadingly.

Her companion turned to see where her attention was diverted and Reese saw her say something to him, bringing his attention back to her.

While they were turned, Reese ordered another beer and picked up both, walking over towards them. He slid onto the stool on the other side of Carter, placing the beer in front of her. "Hey honey, got you a beer. Who's your friend?"

Carter slipped her arm through his and smiled up at him. "John, this is Ken. He was nice enough to keep me company while I waited for you." She picked up the beer and took a long drink.

Reese reached out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Ken."

Reese could only describe Ken's expression as first stunned then resigned. He shook Reese's hand, a firm shake meant to impress. It didn't. "Same here, John."

Reese placed his hand on the back of Carter's neck and pressed a kiss to her temple. He figured he was pushing his luck, but when she leaned into him and he heard her sigh, he wondered if maybe he was wrong about that.

He leaned down so his forehead rested softly where his lips had been. "Sorry I'm late; work was a little crazy today."

She brushed her hand down his arm, entwining their fingers. "It's OK, babe, I know how that goes. How many times have I had to cancel on you?"

Reese pulled her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles and winking at her. "But you're out keeping the city safe; I think I can let it go." He couldn't help but note how her eyes dilated just the slightest bit. It did amazing things for his ego.

Next to them, Ken cleared his throat and produced a business card. "Jocelyn, it was a pleasure meeting you. If you're ever in the market for some investment advice, give me a call."

He pressed the card into her hand when she turned to him and then nodded at Reese. "John, same goes. Take care of this pretty lady."

Reese nodded and smiled. "Always."

Carter barely waited until Ken was out the door before she burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh my God, John, that was fun. You were great."

He loved seeing her smile like she was at that very minute. He'd give anything to make it happen all the time. "You weren't very subtle in your need to be saved from Mr. GQ, Carter. You looked like you were about to pull your gun on him."

She threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, if only I'd had my gun. Left it in the car. He was just this side of annoying. I appreciate the help."

Reese tilted his head at her and grinned. "So, Mr. Ivy League, $3000 suit wasn't your type, huh?" He drained his beer and signaled the bartender for another. "Can I get you another one?"

"Not yet. You're buying dinner, remember?" Reese noted that she had shifted closer and turned towards him. "And no, he's definitely not my type. Anyone who pays more a month for his wardrobe than I spend in six on my mortgage? Too high maintenance. Besides, I like my men with more of an edge. You know, like my boyfriend…he's a badass." She nudged his shoulder with hers and grinned at him.

"Glad I could be of service. If I'd known I was meeting my date, I would have brought flowers or something." He loved the banter, the flirting. He wondered if she realized that's what it was or if she was just going along with the game.

"You already did, remember?" She cut her eyes at him. "They were beautiful, but you'd already sent me a thank you."

He could tell by the way she was looking at him that she expected an explanation. He leaned against the bar, his stomach clenching just slightly. He hadn't even been sure if she knew he had sent them.

"I saw them and thought of you…thought you might like them."

"I did like them." She paused and took a sip of her beer. He could tell she was choosing her words carefully. A line always formed between her eyebrows when she was concentrating. "I wasn't sure what they were at first; I'd never seen anything like them before."

Reese kept his eyes focused on her in the mirror behind the bar, and fiddled with the label on his bottle. "Really? What were they?"

He smiled when she let out a very un-ladylike snort. "You know exactly what they are since you didn't just see them in a window and 'think of me'."

Reese shifted on the stool and turned towards her, his knee brushing her thigh. "I didn't?"

She was trying not to smile, he could see it in her eyes and, again, he enjoyed the banter. She knew why he'd sent them. And she knew what this whole thing was about: foreplay. They could never do anything like two normal people because they weren't two normal people. He'd thought he was testing her feelings, but he realized she was doing the same to him. They were both so out of practice, but if they let it, this could be a lot of fun. Slow, agonizingly so, but fun and so worth the effort and the cold showers this game was going to force him to take.

Reese bit the inside of his lip and nearly groaned at the thought. This was going to be a slow burn of epic proportions.

"No, you didn't. I had to look them up. They're Peruvian Lilies, not exactly native to New York, and it's not the right season for them to even be found here. What did you do, fly to Peru and pick them up on a whim?"

She wasn't irritated, but Reese could tell that she wouldn't be surprised if he said he had. She might even be impressed, but he wasn't going to lie to her to do that.

"No, I didn't fly to Peru. Although Peru is beautiful this time of year."

She didn't say anything, just waited for him to continue with a barely-there smirk on her face.

"I called in a favor. I've seen them before once or twice. I liked them. Thought you might."

She nodded and took another sip of her beer. "You were right."

"Of course I was."

There was a momentary silence while she watched him, waiting for him to say something else. He turned his head away from her trying to control the laughter threatening to bubble up. She was a detective; she wasn't just going to let it go. Her natural curiosity was either going to pull them together or drive both of them insane.

"You know, while doing my search to find out what they were, I found a lot of useful information. I didn't realize that all flowers have meanings attached to them. I thought it was just roses. All of them. Including Freesia and Peruvian Lilies."

Reese cleared his throat and brought the bottle to his mouth. "You don't say?"

She punched him lightly on the shoulder and laughed. "My God, John, is every conversation with you going to be like this?" She set the bottle on the bar and fiddled with the label.

He reached out and ran his thumb over hers. He could see her watching his movements.

"No, I promise, I was just having a little fun with you. Yes, I know they have meaning and no, it wasn't done on a whim. I did think you'd like them, so I decided to get them."

She seemed satisfied with this answer when she nodded. "The thing is, the lilies have several meanings. I was just wondering which-"

"Detective Carter?"

The bartender startled them both and she turned to him. "That's me."

He smiled and looked between them. "Sorry to interrupt, but they just let me know that your table is ready."

As they walked to the dining area, Carter turned to look at him and slipped her arm through his. "You put the table under my name?"

He covered her hand with his. "Did you want me to put it under mine? Which one?" He looked down and winked.

"Right. Shut up, John."

He chuckled and bumped her hip with his.

TBC