Doc opened her door, her hand going to the light switch, but before she could flip it, she sensed a presence. Doc froze, her whole body poised to spring, every cell abruptly, lethally online.

"I was hoping you'd come back before I had to leave," Hel said.

Her heart pounded with adrenaline that had no place to be expended. She'd have bet money that her workout with Briggs had left her with nothing but a butt load of tired. And she'd have lost.

"I'm sorry. I was working out." Her voice was thin with the strain of keeping herself in check.

"I startled you."

Startled? "A bit." She uncurled her fingers and flexed them. The fading adrenaline left a series of tremors in the wake of its retreat. She needed to do something or she'd explode. And then he was so close she could feel his body heat, could see the glint of his eyes in the dark.

"I am sorry."

Was he sorry? He didn't sound sorry. He sounded, well, not sorry. She wasn't sorry either. In the dark she wasn't Doc or Delilah or the Major's creature. She was a girl wanting to kiss a guy, if she could figure out how to make it happen. The Major hadn't covered kissing in her training. Doc didn't know if he sensed her thoughts or just heard her breathing pick up. Maybe he was just a guy doing what guys did with a girl. His hand, warm and strong and big, slid along the side of her neck, cupping her nape. This cause had the effect of tilting her head to the side just enough to be encouraging. That it was also the right angle for kissing was an added benefit and one he took advantage of, though he didn't rush it.

His lips brushed across one eyelid, then the other, found the tip of her nose and stroked across each cheek. Part of her wanted him to hurry, but most of her was lost in mind-reeling sensation. She thought she knew chemistry, understood biology, the mechanics of attraction, but this wasn't mechanical or scientific.

She didn't understand it, didn't want to study it. It was enough to feel.

His mouth finding hers was a shock and a shocking pleasure. No amount of study had prepared her for this, her first kiss. His mouth was warm, his lips firm and gentle, confident and inviting. There was taste and texture and magic. Lots and lots of magic for a girl who didn't believe in magic.

The smell of him so close made her head spin. She found his shoulders, gripped with her hands and that helped anchor her in a moment that felt a bit like slow dancing. His other hand found its way to her waist. They flowed together, as if to music, her hands sliding up his shoulders and into his hair, as his mouth stopped teasing and settled onto hers with confident authority.

So this was hugging.

So this was kissing.