Don't worry anonymous reviewer, the M will come into play soon enough!

...Not in this chapter, but soon... :P

The next day felt like it might last forever, but Friday night finally arrived, and James managed to escape the shackles of work in time to get ready for his date with Juliet. It was early summer, still cool enough for comfort but warm enough after sundown so the women didn't need to wear their jackets or sweaters. James was glad he lived in a climate that made that possible, but never more than when he spotted Juliet outside the restaurant. Her long, wavy blonde hair, normally tied back in a ponytail or with a barrette, had been straightened and was loose over her shoulders, shoulders that were bare thanks to the strapless black dress she was wearing. The tiny gem hanging from her necklace sparkled in the city lights, calling attention to the pale skin on her chest, drawing his eye downward as he took in the sight of her. Her dress fit her waist and hips perfectly, hugging her curves until the fabric ended abruptly at mid-thigh. Her legs went on for days after that, shaped and elevated by a pair of black heels that made James feel like he had to catch his breath. His eyes traveled back up slowly. He took his time, knowing the view would be even better once he got close enough to see her eyes. She turned to look for him. When her eyes found him she gave him the same shy wave and smile she'd given him in the morgue, and he wondered if he wasn't in love with her already.

"Doctor." he greeted her with mock politeness as he reached her.

"Detective." she said, matching his smile. Yummy was the word of the night, Juliet decided. She went weak for the t-shirt and holster look, but the casual suit also did wonders for him. His hair had only gotten longer since she'd known him, and she always wondered what it would look like if he didn't keep it slicked back. They turned to enter the restaurant, and though Juliet went for the door before James could open it for her, he still came in close beside her, holding the heavy door at a spot just above her head. He leaned in as she passed, and lowered his voice.

"So that's what you wear under that lab coat." he murmured right into her ear. She felt flushed, and was grateful the restaurant lighting was dim. She felt the goosebumps all over her body.

* * *

The waiter took their drink orders, leaving James and Juliet to pore over the gigantic menus. After a few seconds, James peeked over the top of his menu and watched Juliet scan the words with her bright blue eyes. She had eyeliner on, and it made her eyes pop even more than they did naturally. Suddenly those eyes were looking back at James. Catching him looking at her put a big smile on her face, and they both looked back at their menus.

"Thanks for comin' out tonight." said James, using his voice before he lost it completely.

"Thanks for finally asking me to." said Juliet, fighting to keep her coy smile from turning into a goofy grin.

"'Finally', huh?" said James, a pleasant realization settling in as he set his menu down on the table. "You mean we could have been doin' this all along?"

Juliet made the mistake of looking up from her menu. She found James staring at her, gracing her with that sexy smirk of his. She opened her mouth to say something clever, but she found herself at a loss. They'd basically admitted they'd been interested each other since they'd met, and it was becoming clear that interest could easily be translated to lust. Juliet had no idea what she did to him, what thoughts the mere sight of her sitting across from him, lips parted with no words to push from them, put in his mind. She was saved only by the return of the waiter with their drinks. By the time they told him what they wanted to eat, the subject was politely forgotten. They took their first sips of wine, and James got the conversation going again.

"Now, I know you didn't get all dolled up just to come here and talk about work, but I gotta ask: what made you decide to leave the ME's office?"

"Um, actually...I'm trying to get back into research. So I'm sort of going back to school." Juliet replied sheepishly, as if she might be revealing herself as too much of a nerd. "I guess eight years just wasn't enough." she cracked.

"Hot damn, woman." said James, impressed. "I didn't even make it through four years of high school." Juliet was taking another sip of wine when he said it, and she was already so close to having the giggles that she almost choked when she laughed at his jokey confession. "Careful, now." he said playfully. Juliet rolled her eyes, mostly at herself, as she set down her wine glass and lifted her napkin to her lips. "Well," James continued. "I'm probably not the first to say it, and I know I won't be the last, but I'm sure gonna miss seein' you in The Dungeon."

Setting her napkin down, Juliet smiled with a mixture of gratitude and sadness. She hadn't realized the impact she had on the office until she'd announced her departure a few weeks before. Ever since then she'd been showered with well wishes and people begging her to stay.

"I'm going to miss it too." she said. "I'll miss the people, at least. The live ones."

"Finally had enough of the corpses?"

"Yeah." Juliet said slowly, really thinking about it. "I always thought it would be rewarding to go into forensic pathology. You know, justice for the victims, speaking for those who can no longer speak for themselves and all that." she added, almost cynical in her self-deprecation. "I guess I realized that I don't want to be around death all the time. Or I'm just a big wuss that can't handle the reality of a tough job." Juliet shrugged and flashed a wry smile. "Whichever."

"No, I getcha." said James. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table so he could be closer to her. "Our jobs ain't easy." he admitted. He watched her lips curve into a smile as he looked into her eyes. Her gaze flicked away from his for a moment, and her hand went to her necklace, repositioning it absent-mindedly, as if his sudden closeness made her uncomfortable. James found it incredibly sexy that a woman who cleaned up as well as she did could still be shy about it. He wondered what she was thinking about.

"So..." said Juliet. She picked up her glass of wine so she could hide behind it while she took a sip. "What made you want to be a cop?" she asked him.

At this, James hesitated. He never gave the real answer to anyone that asked, especially not to the women he dated. For the first time however, he thought it would feel like lying to tell anything other than the truth.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Juliet said suddenly, putting down her glass and waving her hand dismissively. "I bet you get asked that question a lot. Like you said, we didn't come here to discuss work."

James, temporarily distracted by the arrival of the busboy, leaned back in his chair so the young man could put their appetizer on the table between them. "I'll tell you about it sometime." James said to Juliet, and he truly hoped he could keep that promise.

* * *

Hours later, after a luxuriously long meal and conversation, they decided to call it a night. There was only so much one could do to stall after the bill was paid.

"I'll walk you to your car." James offered as they stood. He caught a flash of her thighs over the table - her dress came up that high on her long legs - and he nearly growled at the sight of it. "I almost forgot how short that skirt was." he said without thinking. Juliet turned her head to look at him, shocked in a most pleasant way to hear it. He sounded hungry. After seeing her reaction he seemed to realize what he'd said, but his embarrassment very quickly gave way to a What did you expect? tilt of the head, complete with an eyebrow raise. Juliet pressed her lips together but she couldn't fight the grin that took over after that.

They got to her car, and Juliet lingered outside of it, wishing she had it in her to go further than this on the first date. It would have been so easy to invite him home, or invite herself over to his place. She knew he wouldn't refuse her, no matter where she wanted to go or what she wanted to do. She could tell by the way he looked at her, even while he tried to hide the fact that he was looking. It was that reserve that made her want him even more.

"I had fun tonight." she said softly, turning to face James. She stood in front of the driver side door, and she found him standing very close behind her.

"Me too." he said, his voice low enough to make her blood pump a little harder.

"We should do this again sometime." Juliet suggested. He smiled.

"I was hopin' you'd say that." he replied. Adrenaline kicked in again when Juliet saw his hand reaching for the strand of hair that rested against her cheek. He tucked it behind her ear, moving slowly, giving her every chance to stop him. Juliet didn't say a word. She had her hands in front of her, clutching her pocketbook like a life preserver. She stared at his mouth, and her bottom lip parted just barely from the top, a tiny signal for him to keep going. He leaned in, kissing her very softly, as if he just needed a taste of her lips. The hand that had so tenderly placed her hair behind her ear now rested gently behind her head, not pushing, just holding. Juliet pushed herself upward on her toes, pressing her lips harder against his. I'll blame it on the wine, she thought, as she let go of her purse with one hand so she could wrap both arms around his neck and squeeze. They both instinctively opened their mouths to let each other in, and Juliet's tongue lapped at his before he had the chance to do the same to her. Juliet felt like she was melting as James shifted his weight, using his arm to hold her to him tightly. His other hand curved around her neck, his tongue was in her mouth, and then hers was in his, she was getting dizzy and she didn't want to stop and think about it. It had been so long since it felt right to make out with a hot guy in public.

It was all James could do not to grab her ass, lift her up and put her legs around him right there in the parking lot. This is Juliet, he thought. She might not be ready for that. Don't ruin it before it even starts... He concentrated on her mouth, but there came a point where he couldn't take it anymore, not when he heard the soft little moan escape her throat. Their lips smacked as he pulled his head back, and he stared down at her mouth, still barely inches from his.

"I meant to say good night." he murmured. Juliet let out a shaky laugh, bowing her head. She knew why he'd broken off their kiss. She may not have been on a proper date in years, but she knew she shouldn't tease if she wasn't going to put out. She was happy that he had respect enough for her to stop now, before she dragged him into the backseat of her car. Little did he know how badly she wanted to do that. But he'd been right; she wasn't ready for that, and she knew it. There was too much at stake now - they really liked each other.

"You free tomorrow night?" James murmured, lowering his head to plant a cooler, sweeter kiss on her lips. The words of a man that was free and not afraid to show he was interested; Juliet melted again.

"Yeah." Juliet whispered against his lips. They kissed one last time, and then James used all of his mental strength to release her and take a slow step backward. The smile on his face looked so relaxed and happy.

"Lady's choice." he said, walking backwards toward his own car.

"Dinner at your place?" she asked him.

"If that's what you want, that's what we'll do." James said matter-of-factly. "What do you want to eat?"

"I'll bring the pizza if you supply the beer?" she said. The offer nearly brought him to his knees, and the little twinkle in her eye told him she'd known that it would.

"Pick a movie and it's a date." he said.

Juliet smiled, glad for one last look at his dimples before they went their separate ways. "I'll surprise you." she said.

You already have, Blondie.

"G'night, Juliet." he called out from ten paces away.

"Good night, James." Juliet answered him.