I looked off to the horizon as Danny drove along. The colors that had been painted in the sky by the sunset were fading to the darkness. Clouds were moving in.

There was something that my mind couldn't quite grasp. Something had seemed familiar about those purple eyes in the photograph. Something that filled my stomach with dread.

"You look like you could use a drink," Danny said.

I sighed. "I've got a lot to worry about."

"Relax, Nora! We found your sister. Mission accomplished," he said happily.

"It's more complicated than that," the irritation was seeping through. "I've still got the Yao to deal with, and Emily really isn't safe..."

"Let me buy you a drink. It's not you could resolve any of those problems tonight anyway." Danny pulled off the road into a parking lot. He put the car in park and looked at me. "Come on. Get a drink with me. I'll buy."

I shook my head and cracked a smile. "You have no idea what you're getting into," I huffed and opened the door.

Danny trailed after me like he couldn't believe his luck.

"Should you even be drinking, Mr. Detective?" I reminded Danny of his profession.

"I..." He rushed ahead of me to hold the door open. "Am off duty. I can spend my free time however I please."

Technically, Danny's police work had ended when he found Emily, or so he thought in his mind. "No wonder you're so happy." I sat down at a table only big enough for two people.

"I am happy for many reasons," he said as he looked at me. "We'll have a beer and a..." He told the bartender. Danny pointed at me for my drink choice.

"Martini," I said.

"Martini...very classy," Danny said as he sat down with me. "Classy drink for a classy princess."

I scoffed. "Whatever gave you the idea that I'm classy? I'm stuck up, not classy."

"Ha! So you admit it!" he laughed.

I shrugged. "Why not? That's what most people think about me anyway. The way I walk around with my 'better than thou' attitude. It gives people the impression that I don't want to associate with any of them."

"But, it's all a charade, right? You secretly really like people, don't you," Danny concluded.

I frowned. "Don't take it that far." My drink came, and I drank half of it in one swallow. "I'm mostly indifferent towards people. It's better to have no associations with people than to accidentally connect. Connections can be hard to break."

"But don't you need those connection thingies to be all psychic. Wouldn't more connections be better?" Danny asked.

I nodded. "For some aspects yes, but when you get in the habit of making connections, you're more prone to be connected with 'thingies' that no one should ever be connected with. My standoffish attitude usually works to keep most people away. With a few exceptions."

"Really? Like who?" Danny was ignorant enough to ask.

I made a dramatic show of waving my finger around and pointing to him. "You. Your aura is still trying to connect with me no matter how hard I try to shake you off."

He seemed to find that amusing. "So now what? You're giving up? Did I wear you down?"

"It's just not worth it at the moment." I chugged down the rest of my drink. I lifted the empty glass to him. "You're buying tonight, right?"

Danny chuckled and signaled for the bartender to bring us another round. "I honestly thought that you hated me."

"I find you annoying but I don't hate you," I said.

"So, if you don't hate me, and you're not pretending to be indifferent anymore...does that mean you like me?" Danny asked. There was that desperate hopefulness again.

"Despite how annoying you are," I confirmed. "You can't tell anybody, of course. It's a secret."

Danny's mind brimmed with happiness. A tiny part of my mind knew this was a bad idea, but I enjoyed soaking in the emotion for once.

"You know, I think I like it when you're drunk," Danny said as another round of beer and martinis was placed before us.

I picked the glass up by the stem and smirk. "It's cute that you think I'm drunk."

We had a few more rounds. Not enough to make us us stupid, but enough to comfortably numb my mind. I lost track of time, and honestly, the alcohol wasn't the only thing that was intoxicating.

Danny was...he was just everywhere. Schmoozing me up like it was nobody's business. On the outside, it probably looked like just a pleasant conversation. But his mind...I could hardly believe how much he liked me. It was almost embarrassing. He was like a puppy or something.

"I can't stop thinking about something your sister said earlier," he said loudly. The bar had gotten more crowded as the evening went on.

I shook my head. "I wouldn't think too hard on what my sister said if I were you."

"In the dark room. Your sister said something about how you avoid everything resembling love or relationships," Danny said. "Let's talk about that."

"I thought I already explained this to you. Connections equal bad," I practically shouted back.

"Yeah, but people have relationships all the time without them really meaning anything. I would know. I'm just wondering, you know, if you ever tried," Danny said.

"Of course I've never tried. That's generally just a bad idea all around," I said.

"But how would you know that it's bad unless you try it. You might actually really like it."

"This isn't about whether I'd like it or not. You're trying to convince me that I could be with someone, i.e. you, without making any connections. You want to trick me into kiss..."

I was wrong. He wasn't trying to trick me into kissing him. That was what he was planning to do. Before I could finish my accusation, his hand reached for my cheek and closed the distance between us at that tiny table.

It seemed like the loudness of our surroundings stopped. I could tell it was still there; it just felt like I was experiencing everything through a swimming pool. Danny kissed me slowly, savoring every millisecond he could get his hands on. He was more than happy. He was serene. I was serene. Though it seemed like an eternity floating in that bliss, I knew my reaction was nearly instantaneous.

My chair screeched loudly as it dragged closer to him with my movement. I gripped the back of his head firmly in an attempt to cement his lips to mine.

In response, Danny threw more of himself into me. His hand traced hungrily down my side. His mouth parted, probing and tasting my lips.

I kept pulling him closer and closer, but closer wasn't enough. Thunder rolled through my head like frustration. Why wasn't this enough?

Shit...

The single word shot through my mind, but the thought was not my own. Thunder rolled again.

Shit...shit...

His mind was heavy with confliction. He kissed me deeper, tightening his grip on me.

That's when the rain hit the glass. It came all at one like someone was dumping a bucket from the heavens. The water as only a little quieter than the pounding music. That was when Danny let me go.

"My car," he practically cried. Choosing between me and his car was torture for him. His hands were shaking as he reached for his wallet. He slammed a couple of bills on the table and ran out of the bar like a streak of lightning.

"Is he okay, miss?" the bartender asked.

"He'll be fine," I sighed. "He just left the roof open on his car."

I looked at the money on the table as I got up. "Keep the change," I said.

I was seething. I was mad at mad at myself for letting that happen. I was mad at Danny for leaving me like that. He was still struggling with the roof when I got outside.

I ran out to the car. The raindrops were cold, wet, and heavy. I was damp by the time I let myself in the passenger's seat. Danny followed soon after after he got the roof in place. He stuck the key in the ignition to roll the windows up.

He was panting and couldn't say anything. Even if he could, nothing good was forming in his mind. He had fragments of apologies and compliments and bad jokes and awe, but he couldn't put anything together.

"Nora..." he started.

"Oh, shut up," I muttered. I pushed and spun my way over to the driver's seat. I straddled Danny. I could feel him breathing beneath me. I grabbed his rain soaked jacket and pulled him back to my kiss.

He wasted no time getting back to where we left off. His hands smoothed against my now skin tight shirt.

Closer...closer... I pushed down the edges of the jacket, trying to get it off. Danny wiggled his arms free and shrugged off his gun holster. It jangled down to the seat along with his jacket.

My hands went to his head. I ran my fingers through his hair. There was something very satisfying about clenching his hair in my hands, crinkling his hair gel. It better than the crunch of leaves in the fall and more addicting than bubble wrap.

His hands were cold as they went up my shirt. It left goosebumps on my skin as he reverently caressed me. The further he went up, the quicker my breaths became. He lifted my shirt. I raised my arms so he could pull it away.

I took his breath away. He stared at me for a good three seconds thinking nothing except how beautiful I was.

Danny crossed his arms between us and started to pull off his shirt. I ran my fingers down his abs, waiting to see the rest of him. I was prepared for the muscles, but the freckles were a surprise. His shoulders were perfectly covered with them. A few sprayed out to the top of his chest and arms.

He threw his shirt over to the passenger seat and came back to me. His arms circled easily around my lower back. He showered my neck with wet kisses moving down to my clavicle.

I pressed closer...closer. The skin to skin contact was almost unbearable. I could feel him. I could feel wave after wave of pleasure and need. But I needed more. I rocked my hips down on his. I could feel his sharp inhale on my skin. It relaxed into a smooth exhale and further kisses on my chest.

With half of my wet clothes gone, I was starting to get warm. Our body heat melded together to become one. I continued to rock my hips and stoke the flame. Danny reached up my back and undid the clasp of my bra.

"More..." I breathed. The word broke me from my reverie. What the hell was I doing?

The word sent Danny into a frenzie of excitement. He reached over to the side compartment. He propped open the top and pulled out a strip of condoms.

My mind was in a full blown panic. "Danny, I can'..."

"Don't worry, princess. I'll take care of you," he said sensually. He sucked at my neck and started on the button of my jeans.

I pushed back against his shoulders. "No, Danny." I was scared. I could feel him taking over. His mind wanted nothing but me. I could feel him wanting to work his way inside. He was trying to possess me. "Stop it. I don't want you."

His mind backlashed. "Are you kidding me? I think it's clear you're practically dripping for me."

"You kissed me," I hissed at him. "You kissed me, and I never wanted you to."

"And you kissed me back!" he retorted angrily. "Am I the one riding you? No one's keeping you here, princess."

I fumbled back to the passenger seat. I was so embarrassed, I thought I might cry. I couldn't show that. I couldn't show anything to him. This was far worse than I expected. I was such an idiot. How could I let it get this far?

"Look, Nora..."

"Don't talk to me," I snapped. I refastened my bra and found my shirt.

"We need to talk about this."

"No. We don't. I want nothing to do with you. I can't stay here another minute. Just as you said. Our job is done. I have no reason to stay with you," I said.

He grabbed my wrist, forcing me to look at him. "Please, Nora, I don't understand..."

I wrenched my hand free and reached for the keys in the ignition. I pressed the button on the bob to open the trunk.

"Are you really going to run away? Is it really that bad to be with me?" he snapped again with questions he really didn't want answered.

"Yes," I said and slammed the door.

I retieved the bag from the trunk. There was a bus at a stop about a block away. If I was lucky, I could flag it down before Danny realized I had no way to get back. Then again, I really had no intention of going back.

The bus did wait for me once they saw my waving let the doors crank open.

"Are you okay, miss?" the driver asked. He was suspicious of what may have happened to a girl like me at a bar.

"I'm fine," I lied cooly and climbed the steps.

"You're crying," he said. "Do you want me to call someone for you?"

"It's just the rain," I lied again, not letting any emotion break through. I paid the bus driver what he was due. "There's no one to call."

I sat down in the very back of the bus. I tried to disconnect. I wasn't in love with him. I shouldn't be in love with him. But why did leaving him hurt so much?