Author's Note: I have not written this story in order. I had a beginning and ending point, and have written chapters as I was thinking about them. This chapter wasn't in the plan, but I was writing the last chapter posted and realized that the hinted at scene could be one of the scenes I was looking to write to show Starr and Brody getting closer.

Starr walked towards the small kitchenette in the south wing of the house. She had never seen a house the size of this estate. The wings were set up so that while there was a main dining room and living quarters, each wing could be used as individual apartments. Kevin used the second floor of the north wing with Kelly and Joey below him on the first floor. Gigi and Rex had the east wing, and Shane was trying to convince them to let him move upstairs from them. The west wing was actually divided up into more private apartments for the staff. The south wing was considered the guest wing with Starr and Hope currently on the second floor and Brody on the first. A couple days ago, Starr had been getting a snack for Hope when they ran into Brody getting a drink on his way in from work. It had only taken one "please" from Hope to convince Brody to join them. The next day, Hope had asked for a snack at the same time. Starr had agreed and hoped she didn't look as transparent as her daughter, or if she did, that it was half as cute. After that day it had become a habit. A smile crossed Starr's face. She couldn't think of anything she enjoyed more lately than spending time with Hope and Brody. The smile turned into a smirk, okay, spending time alone with Brody had been very enjoyable as well.

As she reached the door, she hesitated to watch the two together. Hope dunked a cookie in the milk and fed it to Brody. He ate the cookie and pretended to nibble on her fingers making the toddler giggle. Starr pressed her lips together that giggle had been missing while they were in Ireland. Taking a deep breath, she entered the room. "Did you save any cookies for me?"

"Mommy!" Hope squealed.

"There's one left." Brody waved it around.

It was so tempting to turn the tables on him. Starr circled her fingers around his wrist as she bent down to eat the cookie from his hand and to tease his fingers with her teeth. She looked straight into his eyes as she licked the last crumb off his thumb.

Brody's mouth dropped open as every cell in his body jumped. What was she trying to do, besides driving him nuts? Did she have any idea how long it had been since he had been around someone as sweet and pretty as Starr? He reached up to brush the icing off the corner of her mouth and licked the icing off his finger. He wasn't sure what he would have said if Hope's giggle hadn't brought his attention back.

"I missed that giggle," Starr reached out to tickle Hope's cheek. She looked back at Brody, "I am so glad to be out of Ireland and here."

"So how was your day here?" Brody managed to focus on her last comment rather than the vision of laying Starr across the table and finding more out about how she tasted.

"We checked out the stables."

"Horsey!"

Starr smiled at Hope, "That's right! We pet the horses. I went shopping again. I feel like such a flake, but it feels good to be outside, and it's amazing the things you forget that you need."

"Why would you feel like a flake? You're recovering. You don't owe anyone an explanation."

"Thanks. How was your day?"

Brody shrugged, "Good, Rex and I met with a woman who has been submitting fake expense reports. She confessed and agreed to pay back the money. I know it's not tracking down murders, but I feel like I'm making a difference."

"You're still stopping dishonest people. Besides, now I don't have to worry about you standing between me and a bullet."

"You worried about that?"

"Well yeah, usually you were being my bodyguard. I wouldn't have wanted something to happen to you because of me."

"It wouldn't have been your fault."

"No, I realized the other day that most times it was after Cole had done something stupid."

Brody wasn't sure how to respond. He knew at some point she was going to move pass her anger against Cole, and he didn't want to make himself a target. At the same time, so few people had ever told him that they cared and worried about him that it encouraged the warm feeling in his chest. "Well, there is a drawback. Now I spend all day behind a desk. I think I'm going to go get a quick workout in before dinner so that have some movement in my day."

It was the coward's way out, but Brody had to find a way to get rid of some excess energy before he did or said something stupid.

Starr watched him walk out of the room. It was an interesting view, if she did say so. Maybe tomorrow she would go buy some exercise clothes. Starr wasn't really sure what had come over her, but suddenly she realized how great of a person Brody was – and how good he looked. She couldn't help herself from trying to get a reaction out of him.