| Subject: Temporay Assigned Duty 8/26 |
Author:
Fananicfan
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 19:17:07 01/19/07 Fri
In reply to:
Fananicfan
's message, "Temporay Assigned Duty" on 20:24:02 01/15/07 Mon
Hello all. This chapter was orginally chapters 8 and 9, but my proofreader said the chapter break from 8 to 9 was dumb so with her suggestion the two chapters have been merged making a longer chapter, but without a 'dumb' chapter break. For those who count unless my proofer decides a chapter needs to be spilit or something we now only have 25 chapters.
Well what errands did Mac run before her nap? You'll know in this chapter. You'll also find out if Mac knows what's going on with her.
CHAPTER EIGHT – A Bath and a Cold Shower
Harm requested a different restaurant, but Mac insisted on meeting him there. Dressed in a dark gray suit with light blue shirt and dark blue tie he arrived before her. In a dark blue dress just a shade or two away from the color of his tie, she arrived a few minutes after he’d been seated. He stood to greet her, kissing her cheek in greeting like last night before reaching to pluck a wrapped bundle of baby’s breath with a single red rose from its place of rest on the table. Rendered temporarily speechless by the gesture, she took the bundle carefully. This was a romantic side of him she hadn’t seen before and didn’t know existed. He heard a soft “thank you” as she sat down.
He managed not to talk about apartments or rings and somehow they managed to avoid work conversation during dinner too. They talked about Mattie’s last email, which was an update on school and she’d asked if he’d heard from Mac. Mac talked about possibly joining her secretary for tea during the coming week to sample some of the culture while she was here and they talked about the weather. Between eating and the conversation, dinner seemed to be over too soon.
Harm hadn’t brought the car and after exiting the restaurant she inquired as to its location. “The car is so small that it’s hard for me to get in and out of so I prefer to walk or use public transportation to most places, but the car comes in handy sometimes.” He slipped his arm around her waist and they made a few strides toward the Embassy, then concerned she might be tired he asked. “Did you want to get a taxi?”
“No, but I would like to know if you have any plans for the rest of the evening, Captain?”
Ok, Captain could turn out to be like sailor when she said it crossed his mind as he gave her a curious look. “No ma’am. Why?”
“Then may I suggest we turn and go the other way; that is if you’d be interested in staying with me tonight.” She understood the raise of his eyebrow to be a question and answered. “I ran some errands earlier. The hotel room I booked for the weekend is in the other direction.” A devilish grin appeared on his face and he spun them around. She let out a chuckle. “I take it that means you’d like to join me.”
His grin got bigger. “I would.”
“You do realize this doesn’t let you out of taking me shopping tomorrow.” She teased.
Mac had left an overnight bag with the guard at the Embassy before going to meet Harm for lunch. When Harm returned her to the Embassy, she retrieved the bag and got into a taxi. Mac carried her overnight bag with her while picking up some bubble bath and bath oil before going to check into a hotel. After checking in, she went to the room to leave her overnight and shopping bag. She stayed long enough to consider taking a nap there instead of returning to the Embassy, but she was afraid if the bed was too comfortable she’d fall asleep and wouldn’t wake in time for her date with Harm.
As soon the door shut behind them, her bag sitting on a shelf near the bathroom came into view. “I thought you might have a travel bag in your car, but since there is no car; you don’t have any clothes for the weekend. I didn’t plan this operation very well, now did I?”
“I think getting the room was the tactical part of the plan and you know what they say…Marines need to improvise and overcome obstacles that arise during an operation.” His big smile let her know he was teasing her. “I’ll go to my quarters and get a few things in the morning and bring the car back for shopping.” He shrugged his shoulders as he said, “See no problem with your plan,” before opening his arms to her.
Mac went into his arms resting her head against him as his arms enveloped her. She knew she needed to tell him about the uneasiness she felt every time he tried to move them forward being caused by her doubts. The reasons for her doubts weren’t clear to her and she wanted this contact with him. Along with her doubt came the fear that whatever was keeping her from committing completely to him would cause him to change his mind about the future. She no longer feared him leaving her as a friend, but losing his love would be worse than any rift they ever had between them as friends. When she looked up at him to speak, her lips instead sought his. The kiss she delivered was one of need, the need to be supported and cared for. When she eased the kiss, he pulled her into another kiss. His kiss was one of caring and desire and ended due to the need for oxygen. His embrace loosened causing her to look up. He looked into her eyes. “I’ve wanted to kiss you like that for days.”
She slipped her arms around his waist and gave him a gentle squeeze. She found his lips with hers and eased her tongue to his lips asking for entrance, which he granted. After the tongue-tangling kiss, she started to pull from his embrace, but he held onto her.
He wasn’t sure what he should do, but recognized the need to do something. He needed a few minutes to work this problem out in his head, but how could he get away from her to think without making it seem like he was backing away. He stepped back from her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Does this place have a bathtub?” Mac nodded in the affirmative. “A warm bath might help you relax.”
“On my errands, I did buy some bubble bath and bath oil and left it here with my bag; my room at the Embassy has a bathtub, too.” She added the latter in an effort to make light of her current mood.
“Then why don’t you go take a bath while I settle in.”
She retrieved the bottle of bath oil from the shopping bag and a nightgown from her bag. She slipped off her shoes and disappeared into the bathroom. Once the door was closed, Harm let out the breath he didn’t even know he’d been holding in. Harm loosened his tie and removed his jacket placing it over the back of a chair before sitting in the chair to toe off his shoes and remove his socks. The tie came off and he unbuttoned his shirt, removing it and placing it over his jacket before standing to pace the room in bare feet trying to form his questions, surmising along the way that this would be the hardest part of their relationship, their marriage; opening up to each other. He was as guilty as she was about keeping things in until they would boil over into snide comments or other rude behavior. The strange thing about this lack of communication between them; it was a problem they had only when it involved them on a personal level, not with cases or investigations.
Harm was wondering if he should check on Mac. She’d been in the bathroom a long time. He was poised to knock on the door when the door opened and she emerged wearing the nightgown she’d worn in Russia or one very similar to it in color and style.
She noticed he must have been close to the door and she smiled at him. “Did you want something?”
“I was going to ask if you were ok in there. Did the bath help?” She walked passed him and the smell of her bath oil wafted into his nostrils.
She was placing items back into her overnight bag. “A bath always helps.” Her items put away she walked to him and slipped her arms around him. She tightened her grip forcing him to be close to her and she tried to bury her head in his chest mumbling “This feels better.”
He was able to understand her mumbled words and his lips threatened to part in a smile and he tightened his hold on her just a little. Maybe the weeks apart were the only problem and he needed to relax. After a few minutes, they released each other and Mac walked toward the bed.
Harm watched, hypnotized by her movements as she turned down the bed and climbed in. She was in bed with the covers drawn up over her before he had time to remove his slacks. He placed his slacks with the rest of his suit on the back of the chair before making his way to the bed in his underwear.
By the time he slid into bed on the side she’d left open, she was on her side facing away from him. He slipped into bed and eased his way up against her and draped his arm over her. She didn’t respond in any manner and they lay together in silence until Mac’s even breathing let him know she was asleep.
Harm couldn’t sleep until he figured out what to do. The need for a cold shower was not the reunion outcome he’d envisioned at any point in these weeks of separation and certainly not when she asked if he wanted to spend the night with her. He wanted more than the pleasure of holding her, but she needed rest, her needs had to outweigh his. She needed something from him; he could tell that from her kiss and the way she’d held onto him, but what was it and why hadn’t she just asked; well maybe she had by asking him to stay with her, maybe she just needed him to be there.
He was awake still trying to figure out what she needed when he felt her stirring. She wasn’t stirring like she was waking, but like she was having a nightmare. He rubbed his hand from the top of her arm down then back up again in an attempt to soothe her and found his efforts to soothe her seemed to help him as well. Her movements calmed and she seemed to be back to a more restful sleep.
He needed to feel close to her and moved with her as she slept. He was now on his back, one arm under and one arm over her with her snuggled into his side and her head and one palm resting on his chest.
The clouded mind that comes with just waking up passed in a few seconds. A quick check of her internal clock said it was 0145, which meant she’d slept longer than she had in a long time; however, she felt only slightly rested for as long as she’d slept. She lifted her head to look into the eyes she felt on her. “I’m sorry that I woke you.”
“You didn’t wake me. I wasn’t sure you’d wake me if you needed me so I’ve been awake.”
She found herself a little teary-eyed over his concern, but covered her emotion. “I don’t know about this guy I’ve been seeing here. A rose last night and sweet words in the morning. He better watch it, a girl could get use to it.”
“I hope she gets very use to having me around. I want to spend the rest of my life with her.” He felt her body tense. He kissed her softly on the lips before she pulled her lips away.
She didn’t respond to his words instead opting for, “You better get some sleep so you can take me shopping.”
He faked a yawn. “I suppose a little nap wouldn’t hurt.” With his reply she settled back into position, she lay there feeling the raise and fall of his chest from breathing and listened to his heartbeat until she drifted back to sleep.
He laid there, his arms around her unable to sleep. Up until now he’d been willing to think he was overreacting, but not now; something was going on. The thought of losing her tugged at his heart. He didn’t want to sleep; he wanted answers.
She hadn’t been back asleep long when she stirred, like she’d done before. He rubbed her arm to soothe her as he’d done before. She’d been through a lot and he couldn’t begin to image what might be replaying in her head. He knew from personal experience that once in a while something or someone would trigger a time in your life you wanted to forget and in your dreams or nightmares it would replay. For him, reliving his ramp strike was the worst nightmare to be triggered. If Mac said the word ‘never,’ (say when consulting on a case, the defendant ‘never’ has been in trouble with the law), it could invoke a dream; a dream where he’d relive a part of his life involving that word and Paraguay and the combination never resulted in a good night’s sleep.
He needed her to talk to him. His plan of action narrowed until he settled on proceeding like everything was fine. His theory was that if he were overreacting everything would work itself out; if he weren’t, she’d come clean under the pressure of trying to pretend nothing was wrong. He snuggled down into the bed a little further and held her a little tighter until the closeness of her body to his forced his need for a cold shower.
She would toss and turn for several hours, her body sleeping, but not resting. She would awake to find she was alone in bed.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
