Thirty minutes later, Steve was sitting in the family room watching tv and trying to get images of Shauni's naked body out of his mind when she came walking back in. Her face was free of make-up, her wet hair was hanging in curly ringlets, and she was wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top bearing the Victoria's Secret logo. They may have qualified as "pajamas", but Steve thought they made her look sexy as hell. She looked relaxed as she made her way to him and sat down beside him on the couch.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Completely." She answered. Then thinking better of her answer, she looked at him with a coy smile, "Well, not really completely better. I know something that would make me feel even better."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Steve asked.

Shauni was feeling braver than ever. She had even surprised herself earlier by asking him to help her get undressed. There had been no disguising the hunger in his eyes when he'd seen her. The desire to have him had taken her by surprise and was quickly pulling her under. Steve McGarrett was the epitome of an "alpha male" which she had never considered to be her type. But God help her, she loved the trait in him. He may be opinionated and bossy, but he also made her feel safer that she'd ever felt in her life. It was a rare thing to meet anyone in Hollywood who had integrity, honor, and a self-confidence who wasn't also egotistical. Steve had those traits in spades. There was no pretense about him. He was confident in himself and carried himself with a calm assurance that was like an aphrodisiac to Shauni.

The afternoon spent at his house before the attack was still fresh on her mind. With all of the events that had happened over the last couple of days, they hadn't been able to have any moments alone. As a result, it seemed as if the sexual tension between them was growing and needed to find a release before one of them spontaneously combusted.

So, what did she have to lose in trying to move things along? She moved closer to him and sat up on her knees beside him on the couch. She took his face in her hands before leaning down to kiss him. Seconds later, she felt Steve's hands come up to her waist so he could pull her on to his lap. Then, Shauni maneuvered herself so that she was straddling him as they continued to explore. Mouths. Tongues. Hands. Everywhere.

Shauni wanted to see, feel, and touch all of him. The brief glimpse she had been treated to a few days ago wasn't enough and now she was greedy for more. She moved her hands to the bottom of his t-shirt to lift it over his head when something on the television caught her attention. Breaking their kiss, she looked over her shoulder at the tv.

The reporter looked to be standing outside of the security gate where a number of fans were still holding vigil and hoping for a glimpse of her. Several other camera crews could also be seen in the background. "We have confirmed that Shauni Steele is recuperating at this location, and while her remaining concerts in Oahu have been cancelled, sources say she will remain in Hawaii at least until her visit with the Kapi'olani Children's Hospital is over. Assault and attempted murder charges have been filed on Carl Matthews who is currently being held without bail by the HPD. We'll have more on this story at 11."

They broke to another story as Shauni turned back to look at Steve. The muscle in his jaw twitched before he voiced his frustration, "Well, at least they didn't put the damn address on the screen so the entire island can know where you're staying. I guess we should be thankful for that, huh?"

Noticing that Shauni had also tensed up, Steve felt guilty for his outburst and ran a hand up and down her back trying to put her at ease.

"Sorry," Steve sighed as he leaned forward to kiss her again. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere and he wished he could free her from the uncertainty filling her face. "What are you thinking?" Steve prodded.

Shauni looked at him tentatively as Steve continued to rub his hands on her back in a soothing motion as he waited for her to answer him. "I'm scared," she finally admitted.

"Of what?"

"I don't want him to get out again, you know?"

"He won't be getting out this time." Steve said matter of factly.

"How do you know that? I mean, he got out before and came after me again and nearly killed me. Who's to say he won't do that again?"

"Hey, listen to me. Last time was different. He was arrested for stalking and sent to a mental institution. This time he broke probation, stalked you again, violated a restraining order, and…attacked you. No judge is going to overlook all of that and let him go without doing some time in prison. Especially because of who you are. Okay?"

Shauni suddenly got defensive, "What do you mean by 'who I am'? Do I act like I'm 'entitled' or something?"

Steve was surprised at her sudden change in mood and the anger he heard in her voice, but tried not to take her outburst personally. Especially since it was likely the "anger" he was hearing in her voice was actually fear.

Shauni pushed herself off of Steve's lap to start pacing. He walked up behind her and kept his voice calm, "That's not what I said…..or what I meant. I think you know me better than that by now. I just meant the authorities are likely to take this very seriously because he came after you before. The fact that you are a celebrity gives the case a higher priority because of the likelihood of him continuing this behavior if something isn't done."

When Shauni kept her back to him and said nothing in response, Steve put his hand on her shoulder to gently turn her around. He pulled her to him and held her close. "He won't get to you again. I promise."

Shauni nodded her head as it rested against his chest. Wanting to distract her and get her to relax again, Steve changed the subject. "What do you say we go back to my house tomorrow for a while? I can grill some steaks…..We can hang out on the beach….and see what else comes to mind."

Shauni felt her pulse increase as she looked up at his smile. She would love nothing better than to spend another afternoon at his house. Especially for the "something else" he mentioned. But she shook her head regretfully. "We'd never make it out of here without being followed. Then, you'd have the media circus camped out at your house as well."

Steve used his finger to tip her chin up to him, "Yes, but I have a plan." He wiggled his eyebrows at her causing her to giggle. It was a welcome sound and just what he'd been aiming for.

"Oh, yeah? What is your plan?"

Steve took her hand and started leading her back to the couch where he sat and pulled her down beside him. "I'm not telling…..It's a surprise. Just trust me. I've got it covered."

"Oh come on! Tell me. Please?" she pleaded.

Steve only grinned as he stretched out on the couch so she could lay down beside him. He picked up the television remote to find something for them to watch, "Shhh. Just sit back and relax. You'll find out tomorrow."

Shauni took the remote from him with a wicked gleam in her eyes, "Fine. If you aren't going to tell me what your big plans are, then I get to pick what we watch tonight." She settled on a classic movie station that was playing a Doris Day/Rock Hudson marathon. "Pillow Talk" was playing as Shauni let out a squeal of delight.

"Oh, I looooove this movie. Doris Day and Rock Hudson were amazing together." She said as she snuggled closer to Steve. Even though he would rather have a root canal than watch an old movie…."classic" or not…..feeling Shauni in his arms was too good to give up.

*******h50*******h50*****h50

A couple of hours later….

Derek and Olivia Steel entered the residence to find Steve and Shauni asleep on the couch with the tv still on. Shauni's head rested on Steve's chest as his arm circled her protectively. Olivia looked up at her husband half expecting him to be furious at finding their daughter like this. But she was pleasantly surprised to see a small smile playing on Derek's lips. He turned to her and saw the twinkle in her eyes,

"I like this boy, honey." Olivia whispered.

"So do I," he answered before putting a finger to his mouth to signal that they be quiet. They were making their way down the hall towards the bedroom before Olivia's motherly instincts took over and she turned to retrieve a blanket from the back of the couch and drape it over the Steve and Shauni.

As she watched the two of them sleeping so peacefully, Olivia couldn't help but wish for this to become something more permanent in her daughter's life. Everything about Steve told her he would be good for Shauni. She wanted Steve McGarrett to stick around.

Olivia gently removed the remote from Steve's fingers to turn off the tv before making her way to where her husband was waiting down the hall.

*******h50*********h50**********h50

The next morning…..

Shauni began to awaken and realized she was still curled up with Steve on the couch. Her face flushed as she realized it was morning and her family had surely come in the night before and found them together. Even though it was perfectly innocent, there was a certain message to be interpreted when two people were sleeping together…..even if it was on a couch. She started to sit up, but Steve's hold on her tightened and held her close.

"We slept here all night," Shauni whispered.

"Mmhmm," Steve answered sleepily.

"But what if they find us?"

"I think it's a little late for that," Steve chuckled, "I heard them all come in last night."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because, from what I could hear, they didn't mind finding us like this. Call me selfish, but I wasn't going to give you up. It felt too good to have you beside me."

Suddenly feeling shy, Shauni sat up and gave him a quick kiss before excusing herself to the bathroom. After a quick shower, she returned to find her mother making breakfast, her father watching the morning news, and Steve on the phone. He smiled as she walked in before hanging up the phone and turning his attention to Derek, "We're all set, sir. Kamekona will be here to pick us up in an hour."

"Good. Sounds like a great plan for the day." Derek replied, "And you really need to stop calling me 'sir'."

Steve looked apologetic, "Sorry. I guess old habits die hard."

"So are you going to tell me what we're doing?" Shauni entered the conversation.

"I told you, we're going to my house for the day. We'll get you away from the circus outside and enjoy the day on the beach. Sound good?"

"Sounds heavenly. But how are you going to get us there without everyone following us?"

Steve turned to point towards the back yard, "One of the reasons we rented this house was because of the heli-pad outside. If there was an emergency, I knew I could fly all of you out of here and there was no way we could be followed."

Steve saw the look of shock mixed with pleasure as realization hit her face of what he was proposing, "This isn't exactly an emergency, but I still called in a favor." Steve continued, " Kamekona is going to fly us to his place where I'll borrow a vehicle and drive us to my house. Then, he'll fly us back later."

The grin on Shauni's face widened. This was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her. She felt giddy as she realized she was going to spend the whole day….alone….with Steve.