Title: Chance Meetings

Author: Razorbackgal0225

Rating: PG-13-A little language, but that's all.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, laws or situations from Suits, but I sure wish I did. Anything you don't recognize is mine.

Author's Note: Okay, I just thought I was nervous about the last installment. If you're still with me, just trust me, I have no intention of letting you down. Let me know what you think; I love reviews!

The Twelfth Time

I woke the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee brewing and sun streaming through the windows. My body knew it was extremely comfortable cocooned in the warmth of higher than normal thread-count sheets, but my mind was protesting that none of this was familiar. Then I remembered what happened the previous day; the car, the dinner and Harvey. I buried my face in the nearest pillow, which smelled heavenly I might add, as I blushed thinking of our activities after leaving the balcony the night before. While I would admit that Harvey was arrogant and cocky, I could now vouch that he had reason to be. Heat crept under my skin as I remembered where my hands had been and where his mouth had been and just how absolutely satisfied I had been and still was.

Since the man in question wasn't in bed with me, I guessed he was responsible for the coffee I could smell. I took one last luxurious stretch and got up. I was still wearing the Harvard t-shirt that Harvey had given me last night when we had finally decided to sleep. I walked into the living room and was greeted with a magnificent sight, an even better view than the one from the windows. Harvey was standing at the bar, sipping from a mug as he flipped through the paper, clad only in a pair of low slung-pajama bottoms. I took a moment to stare, possibly adoringly, at him. His normal attire hid a well-built upper body that was a crime to cover up on a daily basis and I wanted to drink my fill. His hair was still a little messy, probably from a set of enthusiastic hands that clutched at him several times during the night. He looked deliciously rumpled and somewhere in the distance I heard another nail go into my proverbial coffin. I hoped I wasn't in too terrible of a state as he glanced up when I entered the room further.

"Morning," he greeted me smiling. His eyes ran up and down my body lazily leaving heat in the wake of his gaze. "Nice shirt," he commented, still smirking.

"Thanks," I answered, suddenly nervous. I heard it in my voice and wondered if he could too. It was weird that I felt uncomfortable after what we had finished doing a few hours earlier, but I was. Maybe it was because I was in his shirt and in his house that I felt a little off-balance, plus, I was unsure as to what would happen next. I really wanted to follow my initial impulse, to wrap my arms and possibly other body parts around his gorgeous half-nakedness and claim a morning kiss. But I didn't know how that would be received. So instead I said, "Coffee smells good." My tone still sounded off, stiff and uneasy.

I thought I saw confusion flash across his face, but that only lasted a second as he gestured with his head towards the kitchen and said, "Help yourself. It just finished brewing."

In the kitchen, my uncertainty only increased. For some reason, I was less comfortable with this relaxed, half-dressed Harvey than I was with the custom suit and smirk wearing Harvey. Granted we had engaged in truly terrific sex, but that was no excuse for me to revert back to junior high when I was scared to talk to anyone of the male gender. I poured a cup and headed back to him, determined to not be as awkward as I had before. After all, he liked me enough to ask me to spend the night. I was literally in the process of opening my mouth to make a comment about how comfortable his bed was when he said,

"Whenever you need to go, I can call Ray to take you to your place." My teeth clicked shut, almost audibly and I swallowed hard to keep my stomach out of my throat. How could I have been so stupid? It hadn't been confusion on his face before, it had been frustration. He was obviously used to women who knew to perform these morning-afters with minimal fuss. And here I was loafing around wasting his time.

"Oh sure," I answered, a little too quickly and a little too high-pitched for my liking. I willed myself to calm down and continued. "That would be great, I'll just get dressed and be out of here in a few minutes. Thanks." I knew my words came out in a jumble as I turned back to his bedroom and began blindly collecting my clothes. As I rushed into the bathroom, I thought I heard Harvey say something, possibly even utter a curse, but I was too busy trying to hide to listen. Besides, I probably didn't want to hear whatever it was he said.

After I threw on my clothes from the day before, I stood in his fancy bathroom staring at my reflection in the mirror. This very situation was why I had decided in my early twenties that I wasn't wired for one-night stands. I didn't and had never owned the proper mindset to share something as intimate as sex with someone and then be prepared to not speak to them again. Or act like nothing had happened. I breathed in and out deeply and slowly, hoping to hold off any tears that might need to make an appearance until I had at least made it home. Not that I would have much time to be upset, I did have to be at work at the normal time.

I was lost in thought and in the pity party I was throwing when Harvey knocked softly on the door. "Ray's here, if you're ready to go."

I took one last deep breath and opened the door. He was leaning against the door frame, still looking better than he had any right to. He had an unreadable expression on his face; he didn't seem upset, but he didn't look happy either. I concentrated on the fact that he was practically kicking me out of his bed and not that he was the hottest guy I'd ever been with as I answered, "I'm ready." He kept his gaze focused on me for a long moment then moved and walked back into the living room. I followed quietly and headed to the elevator we had used the night before. I pushed the button, really ready to get out of his apartment so that I could fall apart in private. "Thanks again for the car," I said as the doors opened and I started to enter the elevator.

He stopped me, taking my hand and moving me towards him. I was stunned when he placed his hand on my neck and pulled me into a kiss. This kiss was different than the heated and passionate ones we had shared prior. This was soft, sweet and slow, and not at all what I expected from someone who was asking me to leave. When he parted, he brushed his thumb across my cheek before saying, "Thanks for staying, Maddy." I smiled shyly in response as I re-entered the elevator and headed to the street, completely confused as to what had happened.

The ride to my apartment was quiet. I was close to tears the whole way and the driver sensed this and didn't engage in small talk. I thanked him when we arrived and raced inside my building, determined to not cry in public. That did not end well.

The Thirteenth Time

Four whole days. That's how long it was before I saw him again. One long, sulky weekend and an even longer Monday separated the night at his place until I was called to Pearson Hardman to work on a case the next Tuesday. Dishearteningly enough, it wasn't Harvey who phoned, it was Mike asking me to come to their offices to help with an IPO project. I didn't have a reason to refuse, so I dragged myself out of my office and into a cab, half dreading and half anticipating seeing him again. After the kiss he gave me the morning after, I thought maybe I had overreacted to his offer of the car. But when an entire weekend passed and he didn't make any effort to contact me, I decided the kiss might have been one of farewell. I had spent most of the day Sunday drowning my sorrows in ice cream and deciding that one night stands were now off-limits completely. I was trying to convincing my heart what my mind already knew; that Harvey wasn't interested in a relationship and since he had never implied anything else, I didn't have a right to be angry or hurt. It wasn't working.

I was in the lobby outside of Harvey's office much too soon for my liking. I saw Mike sitting hunched over a file as I approached Donna's desk. She smiled and gestured into his office. "Go on in. Mike's in there and he's been whining about the hundred files Harvey dumped on him this morning." I nodded and entered the room behind her.

"Hey, Walker," Mike said, barely glancing up from the paper he was reading. "Harvey's in a meeting with this client right now, she wants to take her company public soon and we need the standard financial analysis on it. I really hope you know what that means, because I have no idea. Which is probably why he told me to call you."

My heart soared slightly with the fact that Harvey still thought enough of me to call, but I was disappointed that Mike had been the one of the phone. I smiled at Mike, wanting to give the appearance of being normal. "Sure, I think I can handle that. Let me check out what information you have and I'll see if we have everything I need." If my voice sounded a little off, Mike was nice enough to only give me a strange look, but not point it out. I sat down next to him and started flipping through the files available, jotting down notes as I read. We worked in silence for about 20 minutes, handing each other reports back and forth when finally Mike asked,

"Is everything okay?" I jerked my head up at his question, surprised that he had asked. My feelings must have shown on my face as he added, "You just seem a little down today. No joking or talking or anything."

I swallowed hard, keeping all the unwanted feelings from bubbling out. "I'm fine, just a little distracted, I guess. A lot on my mind," I finished, hopefully giving him some reassurance.

"If you're sure." When I nodded in response, he continued. "I mean, I know we don't know each other that well, but if you need to talk…"

"I really hope you're not sitting in here discussing feelings instead of working on the assignment I gave you three hours ago. I'd hate to separate you two," Harvey interrupted us. We both reacted like guilty children caught with our hands in the cookie jar, jumping like we were scared. Mike recovered much quicker than I did.

"We're making good progress, Captain. Walker's checking to see if we have everything," he explained.

"Then stop distracting her and let her work." I looked up and saw Harvey standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets, as if he owned the world. I worked hard to compose my expression and I smiled. For a split second, he smirked, just like he had all the times before, but it didn't last long. "Mike, can I speak to you alone for a minute?"

I'm not sure what it was about that one sentence, but my last strand of endurance broke. I don't know what I was expecting from him the next time we met, but it certainly hadn't been that he didn't care to be in the same room as me. We were both professionals after all, and I assumed he had some experience with this kind of situation. It was obvious I didn't, because I wasn't prepared at all. I knew I was being a huge chicken, but I couldn't stay there any longer, especially in a place that practically screamed Harvey Specter. I gathered the reports that I would need, they were all there anyway, and walked out of the office. Neither Harvey nor Mike was anywhere to be seen, so I spoke to Donna.

"Hi, Donna?" I waited until she acknowledged me before I continued, "Do you mind telling Mike that I have all the reports I need for the analysis and that I'm going to head back to the office and get started on it? The program I need is there anyway, so it wouldn't do much good for me to stay here." I knew I was babbling, but I really wanted to get out of there.

"Sure, Madison," I was a little taken back by her use of my first name. "I'll tell him. And Harvey." Her tone of voice and the addition of her boss's name forced me to bite my tongue to keep from asking what she knew. I didn't know if she felt sorry for me because I was just another notch in his bedpost or because she knew I had never stood a chance with him. Either way, I figured I didn't want to know the answer.

"Thank you," I answered and headed for the elevators. As I waited for it to arrive, I made the mistake of glancing back in the direction of his office. He was back, talking to Donna, who had an extremely stern expression on her face. I saw he was about to turn to look at me, so I swiftly boarded the elevator and made a point to keep my focus on my cell phone, as I swiftly texted Becca that I needed an emergency drink or seven that night. Whether it was going to be anger, disappointment or relief, I didn't want to see how he felt about my leaving.

Thirteen was definitely an unlucky number.

TBC