Summary: Let’s just say, nothing’s better than a hot bubble bath…and one character of our favorite couple is about to discover that.

The novel “A Glimpse of Stocking” was written by the American bestseller author Elizabeth Gage in 1988. And the poem mentioned in this part doesn’t have a title but was written by Cole Porter. It’s printed on page 6 of the novel.

Author’s notes:

March 20^th 2004, Saturday

1920 Zulu (14:20 hrs EST)

Georgetown Library

3260 R Street NW

Washington, D.C.

Harm walked slowly along the high bookshelves and studied the book titles attentively. After a while, he found what he was looking for and strolled along the rows to the reading room, a stack of books in his arms.

He had to admit that this room looked very inviting: the quietness of the room relaxed the mind, bright sunshine illuminated the room through the big windows and soft armchairs offered a relaxed reading place. Or you could study without being disturbed at the large wooden tables with comfortable chairs. Either way, the surrounding built a pleasant atmosphere as if you were reading at home lying on your couch with a blanket over your legs.

Harm searched the room to find a place where he could read a bit in the books to decide which of them he would check out for closer study.

When his gaze fell on the window reading section, he suddenly stopped. There she was, sitting in one of the armchairs with a small table in front of it. Several strands of her silky, brown hair had loosened from behind her ears and from time to time she tried to put them back again with her fingers. She seemed to be deeply absorbed in her book, because she never glanced up from her book as she quickly turned the pages.

*What is she doing here? I thought she had other plans…* Harm thought, unsure whether he should be angry, because she had lied to him, or happy that he had found her at probably the most unlikely place for a Saturday afternoon. *What did she tell me she would be doing today?*

~~~~~~ Flashback ~~~~~~~~

March 19th 2004, Friday

2215 Zulu (17:15 hrs EST)

JAG HQ

Mac’s office

Falls Church, Virginia

Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie looked up when she heard a light knock on her slightly open office door. She smiled as Harm stepped into her office and took a seat in front of her. Things had been good lately between them. Well…not as good as they used to be before Paraguay and Harm’s trial, but at least since Harm had officially become the guardian of Mattie Grace Johnson they had gotten along and didn’t fight about every little thing. They no longer avoided each other.

*We make tiny steps, but at least we are moving forward…or back…to becoming friends again.* Mac thought to herself.

“Hey, Harm, what’s up?”

“Well, I’m heading home and I wanted to say ‘bye’ before I’m out of here.”

Mac checked her internal clock quickly and realized in slight surprise that it was already past five o’clock.

“You’re right, it’s already late,” she sighed, “I’d better leave the paperwork and go home, too. It’s been a long week.”

“Yeah it has…” he trailed off. Suddenly he shifted uncomfortably in his chair and couldn’t bring himself to look at her.

*How am I going to ask her? When did this become so damned difficult?*

But Mac knew him well enough to know that something was bothering him. They may not be as close as they had been in the past and for sure this time it would require both of them to make an enormous effort to eventually overcome their hurt feelings, forgive each other and start fresh. Nevertheless, being as close to ‘one’ man as she had been with Harm for nearly eight years now, she couldn’t just stop being able to ‘read’ him even though much had happened that had caused them to drift apart from each other. Yet she still could sense when something was going on in her partner’s mind.

Mac silently watched him, attempting to give him time to open up.

After a while of nearly touchable silence, she lost her patience and asked, “What’s on your mind, Squid? C’mon, Harm, you’re talking with good ol’ Mac here.” She tried to lighten the mood, but she failed.

He just looked at her and spoke quietly, “You haven’t called me that in a long time, Mac.”

“I haven’t?”

“No…and well, it’s different, you know. If you were ‘good ol’ Mac’ I wouldn’t be so hesitant to ask you what I want to ask. I would probably know your answer to my question. But things have changed – ‘we’ have changed.”

Now it was her turn to shift nervously in her chair.

She sighed, “Give it a shot, Harm, and then you’ll know my answer.”

And after a while, he gave in. *Oh c’mon, Rabb. Get a grip. She won’t bite you! … What if she does?*

“Okay…you know Mattie’s going to stay at a friend’s house over the weekend and so, how about we go for a run Saturday morning and meet later at my apartment for dinner and a movie?” He held his breath while waiting for her answer.

“To be honest I didn’t know that…” He winced at that comment. “…And I really, really would love to spend some time with you as we once did…”

“I hear a but coming.” Harm let out the breath he was holding.

“Yeah, well, there is.” It broke Mac’s heart to turn him down again, but…she sighed in frustration. They really had lousy timing, she realized. “As much as I would love to, I can’t…you know, Webb…”

Webb! Again this name. Harm had had to know it. Their becoming closer had been too good to be true. He didn’t want to hear how this spy was again able to torpedo Harm’s efforts to stay in contact with Mac outside of the office. But Mac told him anyway.

“Webb has invited me to do a little sailing over the weekend. He asked weeks ago and well, I can’t cancel it.”

*How I wish, you could!*

*How I wish, I could!* thought both simultaneously.

“Well,” Harm stood up and started to walk out of her office, desperately hiding his disappointment, “no problem. Enjoy the weekend and stay safe aboard the ship. I’ve heard of some possible storm warnings.”

“I will…thank you. Have a nice weekend yourself.”

Harm had nearly reached the elevator, when Mac stepped out of her office and called after him. He turned and walked back a few steps to meet her.

“Harm, can I have a rain check? Please!” she asked hopefully.

A glimpse of hope shone in his eyes and he graced her with a tiny version of his striking grin.

“Sure, anytime, Mac. Just call.”

“Thank you and I will. Good night, Harm, and tell Mattie I said ‘hi’.”

“Will do. Bye, Mac. See you on Monday.” With that, he turned again, but took the stairs instead of the elevator…his steps a bit lighter than before.

~~~~~~ End of Flashback ~~~~~~~~

*Well, apparently she’s not with Webb on a goofy yacht. And the seat next to her isn’t occupied yet.*

Harm breathed in deeply and steadied himself for whatever might come. He walked over to her and cleared his throat in an attempt to get her attention.

“May I?” he asked, pointing at the chair next to her.

She didn’t look up, just nodded her head and said, “Sure…”

Well, that didn’t turn out the way he had planned it, but hey, when ‘did’ things ever turn out the way he wanted them to?

So, Harm changed his tactics.

“Well, Colonel, I thought you were out on a luxury yacht, enjoying the comfort while the clear, cold January breeze whirled around your face? What happened?”

As soon as she heard his soft baritone voice she snapped out of the fantasy world the book in her hands had created.

“Harm, what are you doing here?” Mac asked confused, staring at her partner now sitting in the armchair next to her.

“Uh, maybe I should ask you that question. Wasn’t it you, who were supposed to be on a fancy sailing yacht at the moment? Besides that, what do you think I’m doing here in a public library? For sure not cooking.” he said in return, not hiding his sarcasm.

“Funny, Commander, really funny!” Mac retorted, but continued more seriously, “Well, yeah, I was supposed be on that ‘boat’, but you know how it is with spies. They frequently cancel shortly before you’re supposed to meet them. With all my weekend plans cancelled, I’d thought I’d rather pay this wonderful library a visit instead of sitting alone in my apartment and staring at the living room ceiling. I had nothing better to do…” Just as those words came out of her mouth, she regretted them and wanted to take them back. She hoped he hadn’t had heard them, but wasn’t that lucky.

“Oh, so you had nothing better to do? You could have called me, Mac. You knew that I would be home. We still could have met for a run this morning. You just had to call or is it too hard for you to do that?”

Mac looked down at her fingers playing with the pages of her book. In a very low voice, barely audible to Harm, she answered, “I probably could have and for sure at one time, it would have been the most normal thing to do, but I wasn’t sure if your offer was still open after what I told you yesterday. I didn’t want you to think that spending time with you was only plan B for me in case Webb wasn’t available. Anyway, I almost called you, had the phone in my hand, but I thought better…you know, I didn’t want to complicate the fragile friendship we have regained recently.”

When she finished her reasons behind her actions, Mac slowly looked up and saw softness reflected in his aquamarine eyes, not anger or hurt as she had expected.

“You have a point there, Counselor. And I can understand where you’re coming from, but next time just remember that I would never turn you down when I’ve offered you something. You should know that I stand by my word.”

He paused, which caused her to look into his eyes. “Mac, even though the last month, hell probably the last year, wasn’t the best for us and, of course, many things have changed in the process, we’ve changed and in a way have moved on. Still, some things never change and I haven’t changed all that much. That means, even though I’m Mattie’s guardian, the code I have lived by all my life and which I was taught by my mother and father and the Navy, is the same and keeping your word is one of the things I want to teach Mattie, too. Ok? So, the next time you wonder if I meant what I said, stop wondering and just ask me. Deal?” Harm flashed her a trademark smile and Mac couldn’t help but return it with a shy smile of her own.

“Deal, Harm. Maybe, we can still watch a movie tonight?” she asked hopefully.

“Bring some Chinese and a movie, and consider yourself on a date, Marine.”

“A date, huh?” she teased and Harm rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean…”

“Do I?”

“Maaaac…” he sighed in frustration.

Glad to see that they were teasing each other like in the old days, she gave him a break, “Chinese, so be it. When shall I come over?”

“How about 1900?”

“Sounds fine.” She was about to lean back in her chair again when she caught a look at the books he had brought with him.

“’How to Raise a Teenager?’ ‘In 100 Steps Safely Through the Teenage Years.’ ‘Questions to Which You Should Have the Answers – The Guide for Parents’, Harm, what is that all about?”

Harm blushed slightly, “Well…um…I thought I’d better be prepared for whatever comes. You know this situation is new to me and I want to give Mattie the feeling that she can always come to me with her questions and troubles – that I’m going to understand her. But truth be told, I’m not sure I’m up to it and I’m not sure if I have all the answers to her questions. So, I thought these books might be a little help. You know, Mac, I want to do things right.”

“I know that, but I’m not sure you need all those books. And I know that because I’ve seen how you relate to children. I have no doubt that you’ll be a wonderful father for Mattie because you already give her something which you can’t learn from books: You give her you unconditional love and support. That’s all she’ll need.”

He looked at her intensely, then spoke, “Thank you, Mac. That means a lot to me.”

“I meant it and you’re welcome.”

She again settled back in her chair and buried her nose in her book. He followed her example and grabbed one of his ‘How to become a good father for a teenage girl’ books, really trying to focus on the topic. But that wouldn’t work, so he watched Mac reading her…in fact, what was she reading? He bent his upper body slightly forward to read the title.

When he read the title, he had to blink twice and then read the title again – this time out loud.

“’Scents – And How They Influence Our Soul, Heart, and Mind’. Mac, what are you reading there? You’ve got to be kidding! You don’t seriously believe in that stuff, do you?” He shook his head.

“Of course, I do. Why not?”

“Oh, c’mon, Mac, I don’t believe that.”

“What’s not to believe here? It’s a medically proven fact that different scents have different impacts on our physical and mental state. Furthermore, many ethereal aromas have a healing effect and are used in homeopathic medicine and home remedies. Think about eucalyptus, which you use for a sore throat, flu or bronchitis; or spruce and pine needles for the same illnesses and it’s extremely relaxing and phlegm loosening when you use it in a sauna. Or look here, lemongrass increases concentration and has an optimistic effect on your mood. And it’s good for combating oily skin. Not to forget lavender: it’s wound healing and has either a relaxing and balancing or a stimulating effect depending on the concentration of the aroma…oh, and not to mention…”

Harm simply grabbed Mac’s book and studied the listing of the different scents and their effect and use. He read for a while until a playful grin appeared on his face.

“Well, that’s interesting!” he confessed.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you left something out. If you had told me ‘that’ earlier, I probably would have been more interested,” he stated mischievously.

“What do you mean, Harm?”

Harm leaned over to her, coming extremely close, and let her look at the page he had just opened. Then he read out loud, “Cloves and Cajeput – sexually stimulating, patchouli – has an erotic effect…or here cinnamon – sensually-harmonizing or ilang-ilang, it causes sensuality and eroticism. Look, even pepper is stimulating…” he grinned – his male ego right in place.

“And? What’s your point?”

“Uh, Mac…if I had known that in high school…well, then…” he trailed off and arched his brow seductively. His eyes sparkled when he looked her up and down.

Mac shifted uncomfortably and nervously and a soft pink flush crept along her neck and cheeks. His intense gaze and closeness caused warmth in a place deep inside her. She never thought she would feel it there again. To hide his obvious impact on her – that would only increase his enormous male ego and self-confidence – she slapped him on his arm and answered, “Men! How could I have thought you would take that seriously?”

“Ouch!” he rubbed his sore arm.

“You really should try it, Harm. Believe me, nothing is as relaxing as a hot bubble bath with the right aromas. Some perfumed candles and joss sticks placed in the bathroom, soft music is playing and you just can close your eyes and dream while the ethereal oils work wonders on your sore and taut muscles. And afterwards your mind, soul and body is refreshed up and you feel like a new person.”

“Well, Colonel, that all sounds wonderful, but…you’ve forgotten a very important point…”

Mac arched her brow in question.

“I don’t have a tub!! So, even if I would be willing to try what you suggest, I couldn’t do it.”

Harm thought he had everything figured out, so that they could leave the topic. But he hadn’t thought about a special marine he used to know.

“Harm, if that’s the only problem, I have a solution for you. Just use my tub.”

“What?”

“You heard me. You already have your own key to my apartment and the next time I have to leave town alone for an investigation, you can let yourself in and enjoy the fantastic experience of a wonderful scented bath. What do you think?”

“O – kay…thank you for the offer and we’ll see. So, did you say which movie you wanted to watch tonight?”

Mac had to laugh at his unsuccessful attempt to change the topic. So she gave him a break, but kept her suggestion in mind, vowing herself to remember it on a later occasion.

“Uh, I thought about this fantastic movie with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. It’s called ‘Chocolat’. Do you know it? It fits our current discussion perfectly.” She smiled at him sweetly, then grabbed her book again and snuggled back in the armchair to read more about scents and their impact on the human being.

Harm groaned in frustration about her movie suggestion, but said nothing. He was happier to watch a kitschy female and over-romantic movie with her than being alone in his apartment tonight. Following her example, he leaned back and once again buried himself in his literature.

Half and an hour later, they decided to call it a day and left the library – Mac with the ‘scent book’ and Harm with two examples of his ‘education lecture’.

Both looked forward to the evening. While driving to their separate homes, they were more relaxed and at ease with themselves and their momentary relationship than they had been in weeks.

March 20th 2004, Saturday

0250 Zulu (21:50 hrs EST)

Harm’s apartment

North of Union Station

Washington D.C.

The last scene of the movie appeared on the screen. And again, ‘Chocolat’ had that effect on her: She almost started to drown in the atmosphere the movie created…an atmosphere very fantasy like – nearly a fairy tale. The way one single woman could change all the citizens’ lives of that small, romantic, sleepy French village with the power of chocolate and the strong will to make a difference amazed her every time. How brave and stubborn and self-confident this woman was, but at the same time so helpless, vulnerable and in need of a lifesaver. In need of forgiveness for not following the whispers of her past, her heritage. A reason not to listen to the North wind and leave yet another town for good, even though her daughter, Anouk, didn’t want to go.

And oh how Mac loved it that in the end, Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche’s character) got that forgiveness, got that reason. How she loved it, that she and Anouk didn’t have to leave the people who had become friends and family to both of them.

And oh how badly she needed to see Johnny Depp’s character, Roux, come back to Vianne in the end, making the happily-ever-after a reality – at least in the movie.

The way Roux looked lovingly at Vianne, the way they danced under the stars and the moon, the way he gave Vianne exactly what she had been missing her whole lifetime, what made her complete in his arms. It was the way Mac dreamed it would be in her life.

In her dreams, Mac had all that and so much more with the man who had been a part of her life for the last eight years, who had followed her to hell and back, who had stood by her and respected her and who had become her friend so easily. And it had been easy to imagine something more than friendship, easy but near impossible for it to become reality.

Friendship with him was what had helped her through her worst times and cheered her up when she had been down. Friendship with him had been the light shining on the horizon when the rest of her world had been dark. And friendship it was now that she was so grateful for being able to rebuild, for having it today, and hopefully for the rest of her life. Nevertheless, she couldn’t stop herself from dreaming about him, from wondering if he had ever felt something similar to her feelings for him.

A smile curled around her lips. She truly was happy to have spent the evening with him – with Harm – with her best friend.

A waving male hand in front of her eyes brought Mac back from her daydreams and she nearly jumped when he spoke, “Hey, Mac, wake up, the movie’s over. Where were you? Drooling over Johnny Depp or what?”

He grinned, knowing full well what she was about to answer to his teasing.

“Smart ass, Squid,” and she threw a pillow at him.

Harm loved that they were again so at ease around each other. For a long time they hadn’t been able to stay in the same room and not spit at each other. Fortunately that wasn’t the case tonight.

In fact, tonight was so much more than he had dared to hope for. Sharply at 1900, she had knocked on his apartment door with Chinese and a movie in her hands. He had made a salad and fresh orange juice to go with the take-out dinner she had bought at their favorite Chinese Restaurant close to her apartment. During dinner they talked about nothing and everything, just about what had popped into one’s mind. Afterwards, they had taken the cups filled with hot chocolate – she had suggested making some because it would fit perfectly with the movie they were going to watch – to the living room area and had watched the movie. And of course, they had watched ‘Chocolat’ – this ‘kitschy female and over-romantic movie’ as he had called it earlier. But he didn’t mind it, he was just happy to have had a good time with her.

But Harm knew it was going to be over too soon. And as if she knew what he was thinking, Harm heard Mac sigh, “Well, it’s getting late. I’d better get going before it’s too late to drive home and I have to stay at your place and sleep on that uncomfortable couch you own.” She smiled, teasing him.

“Well, I didn’t hear you complain when you once stayed overnight while Webb was missing,” he shot back, smiling, too.

“Yeah, but I didn’t sleep much that night, if you remember correctly.”

“Uh, yeah, instead you asked me if you could ‘strip it down’.”

“Oh, c’mon, Harm, you knew I meant your gun…” Mac replied, getting slightly heated because she knew in fact that she hadn’t meant that then.

“To be honest, Mac, at first I didn’t know what you meant…” he said, feeling the same heat rising in him when thinking about what she could have meant with this comment.

He looked at Mac intently and she looked right back at him…seconds slid into minutes and minutes seemed to become endless moments…

Probably they would have kissed then if it weren’t for the sound of pealing bells coming through the open window as they leaned towards each other.

The spell was broken. Harm cleared his throat a little embarrassed and Mac stood up to grab her coat and purse. He walked her out and when she was about to slide into the driver’s seat, Harm stopped her.

She looked at him confused and he spoke, “Mac, I just wanted to thank you for this wonderful evening with you. I had so much fun and it felt good to be friends again. I missed that and I’m not sorry that I met you in the library earlier today.” He ended the sentence with a wall-crumbling smile.

And wall-crumbling it was: just for a moment she forgot about her past and future, their past together and their possible future together. Just for a moment her walls were down and she allowed herself a moment of closeness when she leaned in and gave him a tight embrace, just a bit too tight for it to be called an embrace between long time friends.

“You’re welcome, Harm,” she whispered back, “and I enjoyed the night as much as you did. It’s good to have my friend back and spend time with him.”

Then she let go of him, slid behind the steering wheel of her red Corvette, closed the door and drove away, but not before she smiled at him one last time.

Harm stood there, waving goodbye to her, just as if she were going on a long journey, not knowing when they would see each other again, nevertheless smiling about how wonderful and relaxed the time with Mac had made him feel.

*Yes, we definitely made some progress tonight!* he thought to himself when he made his way back to the warmth of his apartment.

March 29th 2004, Monday

2130 Zulu (16:30 hrs EST)

JAG HQ

Falls Church, Virginia

Nine days later Harm and Mac still hadn’t let that ease and lightness between each other – that had found its way back into their friendship – slip away from them. Nine days after that wonderful movie night at Harm’s apartment, life for each of them had become lighter and easier just because they didn’t fight with each other every time they were in the same room, just because they could laugh at and with each other again, just because they could be themselves again.

A light knock on his doorframe made him look up from the files he was working on, into soft brown eyes, the eyes of his partner and friend. Those eyes he would probably drown in every time he looked at her if he didn’t have the discipline that had been the first thing they’d taught him at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis over twenty years ago.

“Hey, what’s up?“ he asked her to distract himself from his daydreams.

She shifted her position slightly and walked slowly into his office, closing the door after her.

After a moment of just looking at him she said, “Uh, listen I’m going away…”

*Uh oh* – This line wasn’t something he wanted to hear again. This was the line she’d used once before when she’d paid him a visit just before she went off with Webb on that ‘suicide mission’, just before he had asked her not to go. That visit had been the so-called beginning of the end of their friendship then, and he really didn’t want to go to that place again – a place without her in his life.

So his muscles automatically tensed and he prepared himself for the worst.

Mac sensed the change in his body language and mentally slapped herself when she realized which words she had used.

“Oh no, Harm, no. Everything’s all right. I mean I’m still going away, but not on a CIA mission and it will be only a week, I think.” She had to smile when she saw him relax immediately at her words. Just hearing the word CIA would always cause a sore spot in his heart to ache.

“Where are you going?” he asked nevertheless.

“To Pearl – there’s been an incident in which a former client of mine was involved and he asked the JAG’s in Hawaii if he could have me as his attorney again. And miraculously someone listened to his wish. The Admiral just informed me. He’s a good kid, Harm, and I don’t believe that he’s guilty. And I’ll do anything to prove that. Bud is going with me, though his first reaction was that he’d rather stay with Harriet, AJ and Jimmy when the Admiral told him that he has to spend a week without his family. Can’t say that I blame him, but when he was told where we were going, I saw a hint of that old Bud. You know, the one he was before he learned how to beat us in court, before he became a husband and father – the childlike Bud.” Mac smiled when she said that.

Harm had to smile at that image, too, and agreed, “Yeah, I know what you mean. He’s gone down a long road to become what he is now. And though it amazes me how well he’s handled all the challenges in his life, I sometimes miss that old Bud. But only sometimes and not that much…”

They smiled, both lost in memories of their early days there at JAG Headquarters.

“Anyway, our flight leaves in an hour and a half and I still have to get back home and pack, so I’m about to leave. I just wanted to say goodbye and give you this…” Mac placed a small envelope on his desk and continued, “Open it when I’m gone and you have to promise me that you’ll do what the letter says, ok? Believe me, Harm, it’s nothing awful, ugly or hurtful – it’s just something nice for you. That I ‘promise’ you!” She emphasized each word of the last sentence.

Harm looked at her intently then nodded slowly before he answered her, “Ok, Mac, I trust you. That’s why I promise I’ll do whatever you said in this letter.”

It surprised him when she literally glowed when she heard his words, a beaming smile, a sign of happiness and gratefulness. Happiness because he gave her a promise and gratefulness because he trusted her enough again to give her said promise.

“Thank you. You won’t regret it!“ With that she turned around and was about to leave his office when he called her back, “Mac, wait.”

She once again faced him, still a smile on her face, and sparkling joy in her eyes.

“Good luck, Marine, and be careful.”

Mac’s smile grew wider. *Oh man, that smile is going to be the death of me one day.* Harm thought, yet happy to learn that something he had said had caused that smile.

“I will, thank you.” She walked to the elevators, leaving his office door open, so he could watch her disappear around the corner.

With a sigh, he looked back at the files in front of him and went back to work.

It wasn’t until he entered his apartment that evening that he remembered Mac’s letter.

March 29th 2004, Monday

0000 Zulu (19:00 hrs EST)

Harm’s apartment

North of Union Station

Washington D.C.

He made himself a vegetarian sandwich and poured some juice into a glass and placed both on the kitchen bar. The letter lay next to his plate and when he took a seat on the barstool, he grabbed it and toyed with it in his hands, still a bit hesitant to open it.

“It’s just something nice for you…that I promise you…” Harm heard her say in his mind.

*Oh, c’mon, Rabb, you aren’t afraid of the contents of a letter, are you?*

With that, he ripped the envelope open and fished out a card.

Harm took a long gulp of juice before he opened the card and read:

“Dear Harm,

Remember that we once – nine days ago to be exact – had a discussion about scents and their effects? And how I told you that one day you should try a scented bath and learn that I was right when I told you how good that would make you feel?

You then replied, that you couldn’t have such an experience because you don’t own a tub. That day I offered you the use of mine when I was out of town.

Well, Harm, I’ll be out of town for at least seven days, so use the key to my apartment I once gave you and do yourself a favor by enjoying a wonderful, relaxing bath in my tub.

Everything you need for such a bath is in my bathroom and you’ll find some instructions on the coffee table. So, don’t chicken out, Commander. You promised me.

And when I’m back from Pearl, we will have that discussion again. ;-)

Hugs, Mac.”

Harm lowered his hands and sat silently for a while, unable to think clearly. Then he straightened again, placed the card back on the bar and walked to his bedroom to grab his guitar.

The sandwich and juice forgotten, he sat down on his couch with the guitar in his lap. His fingers moved softly along the strings, awakening the guitar to life, creating a soft dreamy melody. He needed to think and he always could think better when he played his guitar.

April 2nd 2004, Friday

2245 Zulu (17:45 hrs EST)

Harm’s apartment

North of Union Station

Washington D.C.

He was so tired. *Man, it had been a long week…* Harm thought as he went to the kitchen to pull a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. With Mac and Bud being away, making huge progress on getting to the bottom of the incident at Pearl, they were extremely short-handed at JAG Headquarters. And Harm, as well as the rest of the JAG staff were putting in extra hours to avoid being swamped by all the work and new cases coming in. The Admiral seemed very pleased by the enormous amount of hard work from all his people because he had ordered them all to get an early start on the weekend.

Even though Harm’s muscles ached, he still had tried to evade the Admiral’s order. AJ nearly shooed him out at 1715. At that time, everyone else had gone home already, and Harm, again, was the last of the staff besides the Admiral to leave. To be honest, Harm really didn’t want to go home. He just felt restless, not knowing what to do with himself after work. The reason for his uneasiness at home was that he missed a certain marine. Harm knew that. Of course, they had spoken over the phone a few times during the week, but he had to admit it: he missed her terribly. At work he still could pretend that Mac was close – her office was at least within easy reach, and he could kind of pretend she was there, but his apartment was cold, and besides some framed pictures of her, nothing of Mac was there with him. So he had spent long hours at work the whole week. But now a whole weekend lay ahead of him – a weekend alone.

He leaned heavily on the kitchen bar and took a deep gulp of the cold refreshing water. Suddenly, his gaze settled on Mac’s card, which he had received and read on Monday. Harm didn’t remember leaving it there, but apparently he had. He picked it up and stared at her words again. Then it hit him. He knew exactly what he would do tonight. And he had promised her – and he never broke a promise. And the best thing about it was, Harm would be closer to Mac, closer than he had realistically thought he would be considering their recent rough road to friendship again, even though it had improved a lot after their joint movie night. *That’s it. Why didn’t I think of that sooner?* With a satisfied grin on his face, he went to his bedroom to pack some things he would need for his plan. Indeed, he had a plan – a really good one – he would follow Mac’s suggestion and go over to her apartment to take a relaxing scented bath.

Little did he know exactly ‘how’ relaxing it would be for him…

April 2nd 2004, Friday

2330 Zulu (18:30 hrs EST)

Apartment "The Washington 2812"

Georgetown, Washington D.C.

It took Harm quite a while to finally reach Mac’s apartment. The Friday evening traffic had been hell and had even increased his need for that bath. Hopefully, Mac had told him the truth about the positive effects of it.

He was so glad to finally step into Mac’s apartment, and even though a deep silence filled the rooms, it wasn’t unpleasant, because everything in that apartment was her – brought her closer to him. He had to smile when he realized – really realized for the first time – that Mac had as many pictures of them, their friends and family as he had. Once – just a short time after their first case together – it hadn’t been that way…besides a photograph of her Uncle Matt and one of her and Chloe, the apartment had been impersonal, as if it hadn’t been Mac’s home. But that was a long time ago and many things had happened since then – good and bad things. He wandered around the apartment, taking in every tiny detail, but always trying to respect Mac’s privacy. Nevertheless, he would have belied himself if he denied that it wasn’t interesting, exciting and just fun to ‘check out’ the place where Mac lived, what she called her own little kingdom and where she was truly herself – not Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, the lawyer, marine and colleague, but Sarah ‘Mac’ MacKenzie – the private person, the woman.

Harm settled on the couch and finally saw the note that Mac had left for him to read before starting the ‘bath mission’.

He grabbed the sheet of paper and leaned back to read what Mac’s unmistakable and elegant handwriting would tell him.

“Dear Harm, …” *Uh, again ‘dear’ instead of just ‘hello’ or ‘hi’. I really like that…*

“Dear Harm,

Reading this means you’re here – really following the suggestion I made. That’s the first part – I knew you wouldn’t let me down. Go Navy!

I’m serious, I’m really happy you’re open-minded enough to try something new, even though you don’t believe in the ‘power of scents’…yet. But you will, after going through with it – I’m sure.

Anyway, below you’ll find some hints and advice from me. Please, follow them step by step. Remember, I still outrank you, so consider yourself as ordered to do so, Commander.

That wasn’t much, was it? The rest is up to you! Make yourself as comfortable as possible.

Enjoy,

Mac.“

*Wow, she really had planned the whole thing well. The least I can do is to try it.*

He grabbed the bottle with the bath oil and was about to walk to the bathroom when he recognized the book about scents and their effects that Mac had checked out from the library weeks ago.

Harm looked at the bottle in his hand, then to the book in front of him and back to the bottle.

“Let’s see what kind of effects nutmeg, rose oil and cassia have besides being relaxing and refreshing,” he said to no one in particular.

Finding the index of the book at the end of it, he searched through the alphabetical list and found cassia first.

When he opened the book to said page, a list of dozens of scents and aromas with their effects was listed on it and it said about cassia:

“Cassia – stimulates fantasy and increases your sensuality…”

Harm searched with his index finger farther down the list and he continued reading, “Nutmeg – has an erotic and stimulating effect…and…”

His eyes wandered down, slowed down at the letter ‘R’ and stopped at the last word, he was looking for, “Rose oil – sexually stimulating and it aids/ improves your blood circulation.” He took a breath, “Well, she made a good choice…if she wanted to seduce me.” Harm had to grin at that thought.

*Ok, let’s get it done.* He walked to Mac’s bathroom, taking only his towel and scented bath oil with him, while leaving the bag with his clean clothes in Mac’s bedroom. After following Mac’s instructions, he moved to her stereo and found an interesting music collection and chose a double CD of slow rock songs and put both CDs in Mac’s double CD player. After that, he searched Mac’s bookshelves for something interesting to read and stopped abruptly when one title caught his attention: ‘A Glimpse of Stocking’ it said. It was a novel by the best selling author Elizabeth Gage, and on the back of the book’s jacket was written: “Annie Havilland, very young, talented and extremely ambitious, has only one dream: She wants to try for a Hollywood career, wants to become rich and famous. Tirelessly and tenaciously she works her way up – though the unscrupulous movie tsar, Harmon Kurth, trying by every means to destroy her, creates obstacles over and over again. Annie Havilland – a dream creature. All men desire her enormously.”

Flipping through the pages, the poem written on the first page made him stop. Harm read it – first silently then a second time out loud:

“In olden days a glimpse of stocking

Was looked on as something shocking.

Now, Heaven knows,

Anything goes.

The world has gone mad today,

And good’s bad today,

And black’s white today,

And day’s night today…

By Cole Porter”

Harm simply stared at the words for a while then blinked a few times and shrugged his shoulders. *Well, definitely not my usual taste in reading, but lately I seem to go for new horizons…let’s give it a shot…* he thought to himself.

He took the book and placed it together with a cool bottle of water on the small table next to the tub.

Again, he checked Mac’s list in his mind: the heater was on, the candles were lit, soft rock music sounded from the stereo, a towel lay within reach and the big tub was filled with very hot scented water…a bit too hot. That’s why Harm had decided to let it cool off a while. Meanwhile, Harm stripped down until he was only in his black knit boxers that fit him like a second skin. He placed his clothes on a chair in Mac’s bedroom and went back to the bathroom, using the time for a shave.

The music, the aroma of the bath oil mixture, the warmth – all together helped to lift his spirits and he blissfully sang along with the current song that was softly emanating from the speaker.

Minutes later, Harm finished shaving and again tested the water for its temperature and this time, it was perfect. He tossed his boxers carelessly through the slightly ajar bathroom door and they landed somewhere on the carpet of the bedroom. Slowly, he placed first one, then the other foot into the warm water and then glided smoothly down until the water covered his body completely. Immediately, he was surrounded by rose fragrance and he felt how his mind began to calm down, how his tired muscles relaxed. Harm closed his eyes, opening his other senses. The water tingled his already sensitive skin. He breathed in deeply and listened to the soft melody. Harm couldn’t deny it any longer – Mac had been right: a scented bath did wonders for his stressed body and soul.

For a while he just lay in the water without the slightest movement, but then his mouth, which had become dry, begged for a drink. He reached for the bottle and took a long refreshing gulp. After he put away the bottle, he grabbed the book and leaned back against the porcelain tub wall.

Slash text whited out below - highlight to read

He started at the beginning, but after only two pages, he leafed forward and reopened the book, then his gaze was drawn towards the lines. Harm started to read and knew in a heartbeat he was caught in the middle of an erotic and very intimate all female scenario. He knew he’d better stop, but he couldn’t. The way the author described the setting, the atmosphere and the two female characters were breathtaking and magical. He was lost in the words and was under the story’s spell. He felt like a silent voyeur, pleased and fascinated by the way the two women touched and caressed each other. When one of them covered the other with soft but demanding kisses, he wanted to take her place and kiss the sensitive female skin. When one female hand lingered in long, silky, female hair while the other hand stroked the most intimate spot of womanhood, he wished it could be his male fingers sliding in and out of her core fanatically. And when in response, the other woman kneaded her partner’s well-formed, tanned breasts, making her nipples hard, Harm would have given anything if he could replace the woman’s hand with his hot mouth around the erect peaks.

The atmosphere in the bathroom changed – it became hotter, more intense and an erotic scent lingered in the air. Indeed his blood pressure and heartbeat increased. If it was because of the rose oil or because of the book, he didn’t know and for sure, he didn’t care.

Too soon the chapter was over and he didn’t feel the need to continue reading. His eyes drifted shut again and he let his head fall back against the wall and placed his left arm with the book in his hand nonchalantly over the sidewall of the tub. Slowly his grip loosened and the book slipped through his fingers and landed on the bathroom floor with a plop. But Harm didn’t notice. He also was unaware that his right hand had wandered magically to his shaft, bringing it to life with slow circles. Harm just gave into the sensations his hand was creating while the scenario in the book mixed in with his own fantasies.

Instead of two women, he dreamed of only one, but to him she was the object of his desire. She was the one he’d always wanted; she was the one he’d always wondered what it would be like to be sexually intimate with her.

In his dreams, one very beautiful Marine Lt. Colonel leaned against the bathroom doorframe and watched him while he was making himself hot and ready. She caressed his lean, strong body with an intense gaze, first sliding along his body frame, then lingering where Harm’s hand was stroking his already throbbing penis.

Soft moans turned into deep groans when his right hand increased the strokes while the other hand cupped his balls and kneaded them. Harm felt his blood pumping in his veins, felt himself getting closer and closer to his climax – the awareness of being watched by Mac only increased the sensation and sped up his erotic trip to heaven.

But all too soon, Harm felt his orgasm rush through his whole body. His breath became labored and culminated in a loud shout of her name.

His face was covered with sweat and his hands were slightly shaking, but his features relaxed automatically when his body and soul returned from their roller coaster ride to earth.

For a while, Harm felt nothing, just enjoyed the aftermath of his sexual high. Unfortunately, the emptiness in his soul and heart remained, while the feeling of joy disappeared slowly, but steadily. An emptiness that normally would have been filled by the warmth of a female body lying in his arms if this sexual intermezzo hadn’t been only a one-man-show…but it was exactly that…and nothing more. Harm felt lost…and alone.

It seemed that his subconscious wanted to sooth his emotional pain, because behind his still closed eyes, he could see Mac coming over to him – seductively swinging her hips – and sitting down at the on the edge of the tub. In slow motion, she stretched out her left arm and her long fingers dipped into the warm water, gliding slowly downwards to his body. Her nails left a trail of hot flames, stimulating his still sensitive skin. Harm took in a deep breath through his half-opened mouth; his fingers tightly gripping the porcelain sidewalls of the tub. He didn’t know he had held his breath until he heard her soft voice filled with longing, sexual arousal and deep lust.

“Harm…”

*Oh god, only she can make my name sound so sexy… Ahhh, I’ve gone to heaven and I never want to go back, if it means I’d never hear somebody say my name that way…*

The voice didn’t stop and the emotions it caused by only saying his name didn’t subside. In fact it only increased them and Harm felt his manhood coming to life again – just by the sound of a very husky and sexy, female voice.

“Harm…that wasn’t enough, was it? Pleasuring yourself didn’t satisfy you half the way an erotic encounter with a woman would have, right?” his Fantasy-Mac asked.

An unsteady and breathed “Noooo…” was all Harm could answer, but he simultaneously thought, *Man, cassia indeed stimulates your ability to fantasize – Mac’s voice sounds nearly too real for a dream. But please don’t stop…*

A smile, Harm couldn’t see it, though he felt it, curled around her lips, knowing full well how much she affected him, how much power she had over him only with her voice.

“Maybe I can do something about it…maybe I can assist you…”

While those last words left Mac’s mouth, her hand slid lower and lower and lower…

And when her fingers wrapped around his now hard and pulsating shaft, a jolt of pure electricity and fire rushed through his whole body. Surprised by her unexpected action, his upper body raised, causing water to splash over the tub walls. His eyes opened wide in utter astonishment and a gasp that came deep from his throat left his mouth.

When his eyes focused, his surprise only increased. Merely a few inches away sat a very real Sarah MacKenzie, still holding his manhood, and the shock he felt inside was mirrored in her deep, chocolate brown eyes. Though besides pure shock, he also saw more: yearning, lust, passion…and a slight hint of fear.

“Oh my god, Maaaaac…”

Quickly letting go of his member, she struggled to find her voice.

“Uh, Harm, well…”

“Mac, what are you doing here?” he asked in confusion.

Amused to find him so surprised and embarrassed she answered, “Well, the last time I checked, this was my apartment…”

Mac regained her self-confidence and let her eyes wander again down his body, stopping where her hand had been only a moment before.

Harm followed her gaze and immediately blushed when he realized where her eyes were looking. Like a shy little boy, he placed his hands over his erotic center, trying to cover his erection that didn’t want to subside. In fact, Mac’s attention only swelled it.

He slowly raised his head when he heard Mac giggle sexily.

“Oh c’mon, don’t be such a prude… There’s nothing there I didn’t see just a few minutes ago, and it seems that your little sailor enjoyed my earlier treatment.”

“Uh…yeah…but still…” Harm still couldn’t formulate one whole logical sentence. He sighed deeply and tried again, “Why are you home already, Mac? You said you wouldn’t be home ‘till next Monday.”

Mac grinned again. *It was simply too amusing to see him struggle for composure.* she thought.

“Nice change of topic, Commander. Well, Bud and I were a good team and we found out that one of my client’s fellow marines wanted to get rid of him because he suspected that my client had witnessed some of his illegal games of gambling. To make a long story short, we revealed the truth, caught the bad guy and saved the day and my client’s career.”

Harm loved to listen to Mac when she talked about her work, loved to see the twinkle in her eyes, reflecting the joy and pride she felt through her duty. His eyes locked with hers and he saw the change in them when again the longing for more swelled up in her eyes.

“Mac…please…”

“What, Harm? C’mon, I know what happened in here, and you know it, too. I heard you shout out my name in ecstasy, I saw the reaction my fingers caused in you… You can’t deny it and I won’t let you. Please, Harm, don’t push me away…not again, not this time…”

She sounded so sincere and her eyes begged him to let her in…and then he saw what he’d always hoped to see reflected in his dream woman’s eyes: love. Just love – pure and simple.

The walls he had built up over the years of their partnership to protect his fragile heart, crumbled just by her looking at him. When Harm realized what she had just asked him to do, when he finally admitted to himself that he couldn’t hide or deny his feelings – his love – for her any longer, he opened himself again to the situation they were in. A situation, in which he was completely naked and aroused, but she was still dressed in her marine green uniform. He couldn’t let her stay that way – paybacks were hell, or so they said.

“Uh, Mac, don’t you think you’re a bit overdressed?”

Now it was Mac’s turn to be confused. She looked down at herself, still not understanding what he meant.

Harm chuckled, “Well, Mac, I think it’s only fair that you lose some of your clothes. And considering that you watched one of my most intimate moments, I’d like you to do it slowly and in front of me.”

Mac gasped, “What…?”

“Strip for me, Sarah, slowly…I want to admire the incredible body, you hide unsuccessfully under your uniform. I want to see you, Sarah, ‘really’ see you!” he whispered huskily.

The seconds ticked away slowly until Mac found the strength to look at him again.

So, he’d challenged her? Well, marines never back away from a challenge.

*Ok, Sailor, here we go…* Mac thought, shoring up her inner self for the task that lay ahead of her.

She took a deep breath and stood up. While taking two steps backwards, she tilted her head to the left and said with half-open eyes and in her best bedroom-voice, “Well, Harm, make yourself comfortable and enjoy the show…”

And Harm did exactly that.

Mac closed her eyes and softly traced her face with her right hand, along her forehead, right temple and cheek to her upper lip. She opened her mouth slightly and her tongue slipped out and licked her index finger, before she took it into her mouth to suck deeply on it.

Then the moistened finger trailed further down her neck, along her collarbone to the valley between her covered breasts.

Now the other hand cupped her left breast and squeezed it hard. She then loosened her uniform tie and swayed her hips sexily to the rhythm of the soft rock ballad coming from the speaker while she slowly opened her uniform blouse button by button.

*Oh, man, that woman can drive me nuts just by swaying her hips the way she is right now…God, I want her so much…* Harm thought, shifting uncomfortably in the tub. Suddenly the big tub didn’t seem to have enough space to hold him and his arousal anymore.

“Sarah…” he addressed her with a low husky voice, “Open your eyes, Sarah. I want you to look at me while I’m looking at you. Please, Sarah…”

In a way, she was embarrassed by the thought that he was watching her so openly, but when she slowly opened her eyes, his intense gaze held her eyes and she couldn’t look away. In fact, knowing that he admired her so much turned her on.

Finally her blouse was open and she removed it first from one shoulder, then the other. But before Mac got rid of it completely, she turned her back to Harm and lowered the material bit by bit, always moving her sexy luscious butt with the rhythm of the music.

Harm only heard the blouse when it fell to the floor because his eyes were fixed on Mac’s ass.

*That woman needs a warning label for that ass of hers! Can’t wait to see it without any clothes around it…* He smiled in mischief and expectation.

Mac lazily kicked off her pumps and danced back to the tub. When she reached it, she placed one foot on the tub’s wall and pushed up the hem of her khaki green skirt until the top of her thigh-high stockings were clearly visible to Harm.

Mac touched her well-formed, long legs and started to slowly pull down the sheer material when she stopped in mid-action. She thought of a better way to get those things off her legs.

“Well, Sailor, are you up for assistance? I could use your help with these damn things…” she tried to sound like a little girl, who could really use a strong hand – or two – for help.

Harm was all too eager to assist her, and he carefully pulled the material down her long leg –massaging her muscles along the way. When he had finished removing the first stocking, Mac wriggled with her toes and placed the other leg on the top of the tub wall. Again, Harm, took his time freeing Mac from her stocking. He enjoyed the feeling of her soft skin way too much to rush things. Like a thirsty man, he took in every detail of her legs – even the small scar that was a reminder of their first flying trip in his Stearman “Sarah” so many years ago.

Again, when he had finished his task, Mac wriggled her toes, but this time, Harm caught her foot and placed a soft kiss on it before she could take it away.

For the blink of a moment she was stunned. Just this simple touch made her knees get weak.

*Deep breaths, Sarah, take deep breaths…* she told herself.

The more time that went by without really touching him, the more aroused she got. She already felt the heat and dampness in her panties. She wanted him so badly…wanted him to touch her where she wanted to feel him most.

But she knew she had to be patient and let him make the first move, though she hoped it wouldn’t take him too long, because just the thought of his mouth on her center got her closer to the edge than really wanted to be right now.

Mac again put some distance between Harm and her before she, little by little, slid the zipper of her skirt down. The music, the aroma that filled the air and the tingling feeling in her core forced her to close her eyes again, despite what Harm had asked her to do. The sensation was too much and she gave in completely to the feeling, throwing her head back.

When her skirt was finally out of the way, and Harm saw Mac touching herself – one hand kneading her breast through the material of her bra, pinching her already erect peaks, while the other slipped under the waistband of her panties, pleasuring her core the way she wanted Harm to do it – he couldn’t hold back the desire and the need to touch her any longer. Mac had driven him wild and crazy – consciously or not. Either way, he wanted her; he wanted her badly. And by god, he was a man and he would just take her here and now.

So he quickly stepped out of the tub, silently thanking Mac for reminding him to turn on the heater, and knelt in front of her womanhood.

Mac was taken by surprise when she felt his strong, male hands tug on her panties while his hot mouth on the bare skin of her stomach sent shivers through her body. If it wasn’t for Harm steadying her, her knees would have given in and let her sink to the floor. But his hands supported her and she thrust her sex closer to his seeking mouth when her panties were finally out of his way.

Her head still thrown backwards, her hands tangled in his wet black hair, she pushed his head lower and closer to her core.

She cried out his name, when his tongue darted out and circled around her clitoris. Quickly his whole mouth sucked on her bundle, teasing it with soft bites.

Harm spread her legs slightly to get better access before one hand played with her folds while the other roamed over her left thigh and ass, squeezing it at exactly the same moment that his index finger darted into her center.

Mac jumped at the double sensation and let out a long deep moan, not exactly knowing where it had come from. Her hands had left his scalp and were now touching her breasts again. With a click, the front clip of her silk bra was open and her breasts were freed to her touch.

Harm had been watching her all this time, still stroking her core with his finger. The beauty of Mac’s breasts got him curious, the hard dark nipples begged for his touch, and who was he not to obey that order.

In slow motion he stood up and let go of her womanhood. At Mac’s cry of disappointment and disapproval at the loss of his touch, he had to chuckle.

*Good, Mac is as badly addicted to my touch as I am to hers.* he thought with satisfaction.

When Harm dipped his head to her breast and his mouth took in one of her erect peaks, the sounds of protest from Mac were quickly replaced by sounds of full pleasure.

“Oh god, Harm…yeah…suck harder…please…oh heavens…”

Harm gave both of her breasts the same attention and treatment, sucking and kneading the sensitive flesh until Mac forced him to stop by taking his member firmly in her hand and massaging it to return the favor. Now it was Harm’s turn to groan deeply and he pulled Mac even closer to him to let her feel how ready he was for her.

Harm kissed and sucked his way upwards towards Mac’s right ear, taking extra time to leave a mark on her neck as if he wanted to claim her and let everyone see that she belonged to him.

When he reached her earlobe, he bit it softly and whispered, “Sarah…I want you…I can’t wait any longer. You are so hot and sexy and your body is driving me wild. Please, Sarah…I need to be inside you now…”

“Oh god, Harm, do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that?”

Mac took Harm’s hand and placed it at her entrance. “Don’t you feel how ready I am…how wet I am for you…Don’t make me wait any longer, Harm…”

If it was even possible, her seductive words turned him on even more. So he grabbed her below her ass, lifting her and pulling her close and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Her arms encircled his neck and she gazed lovingly into his eyes while he walked to the bathroom door and pressed her against it. In the process, the door was closed with a loud thud.

Harm knew now this wasn’t about slow gentle lovemaking. Now was only about fulfilling a desire, a longing that had been hidden too long under the surface of their professional working relationship. Now was all about passionate and animalistic sex, but he hoped that he could show her later how gentle, attentive, soft and loving he could be. Mac needed to know what he felt for her and he swore to himself that he would show her in the near future.

Still holding his gaze, Mac had to moisten her suddenly dry lips. This little movement caught Harm’s gaze and he realized that he hadn’t kissed her yet. How could he forget about that? Her full, red lips positively begged him to kiss them, and that he intended to do. He lowered his head, closed his eyes and fused their lips in a deep, searing kiss, showing Mac exactly what he needed from her.

Breathlessly they parted and Harm lovingly touched her face and said in amazement, “Sarah, you are so beautiful, you taste so good – you are so intoxicating. I’m already addicted to you and you know that…”

Again a sexy giggle left her mouth and she replied, “Well, you’re not so bad either, Sailor. But stop talking now, just take me – NOW!”

“Your wish is my command, M’lady.”

Harm and Mac came together for another hungry kiss, not even stopping while he took his shaft in one hand to tease her hypersensitive center with it.

Mac bit his upper lip in reaction and lifted her hips closer to him.

They were busy touching, kissing and stroking each other, but when Harm was ready to enter her core, it hit him and he stopped abruptly.

Not knowing what was going on, Mac searched for his lips and intended to kiss him again, but Harm placed a finger on her lips stopping her. Confused, she hesitated to look him in the eyes, afraid that he might be regretting what they were about to do; that he would run away from her again.

Of course, that thought hadn’t occurred to Harm for a millisecond. He saw the confusion clearly visible on her features, so he said in explanation, “Wait, Mac…Sarah, I want us to be safe when we do this…God, don’t ever think I don’t want you…Heavens, Mac, I want you more than anything, but I mean…do you have any protection…I mean I don’t have one with me, ‘cause I hadn’t even dreamed that something like this would happen…I mean…”

Mac chuckled…he was so cute when he was trying to explain his feelings to her, and trying not to make her think he was a gigolo, who always carried a XXL-box of condoms with the intention of getting as many women laid as possible.

“Shhh, Baby, I know what you’re trying to say me…over there in the left cabinet is a fresh box…”

“Baby, huh…?” he arched one brow in amusement, but released her to go get a condom.

Mac shrugged and replied, “Well, you have to admit, you sucked on my breasts like a baby…”

He walked back to her after covering his member with the rubber, a wide grin on his lips.

“Well, they do taste incredibly good and I know exactly what I’ll do now…”

With one swift motion, he grabbed her butt and lifted her again. While her legs curled around his waist automatically, he lowered his head and sucked forcefully first on one and then on the other breast. He couldn’t get enough of her, and Mac for sure wasn’t complaining.

Quickly the heat, passion and desire between them grew unbearable and Harm couldn’t hold back any longer.

Mac sensed his tension, took his shaft softly in one hand and positioned it directly at the entrance to her wet center. Encouraged by her actions, he slammed his manhood deep into her in one precise motion. Mac herself met him with a mirrored movement when she thrust her hips forward.

The sudden and deep contact drew a groan of pleasure from both of them. Harm let Mac adjust around him for a moment before he slowly started to move in her, steadily increasing his pace. He pulled out until only his tip was covered by her folds and then slammed even harder back into her.

Mac’s nails dug deeply into his shoulder blades and she lowered her head to bite, then suck, his neck. Harm winced for a second, but the pain was quickly replaced by the feeling of her swollen lips on his own.

Harm felt that it wouldn’t take long for him to reach his climax, but he wanted to give Mac release as well. That’s why his right hand wandered down from her breast to the point of their joining. A well-taught hand found Mac’s bundle of nerves and stroked it, first slowly and gently, then in circles and more demandingly.

“Harrrm…god, stop…no…more…please don’t stop…oh lord…”

Mac felt her blood heat up, felt the tension in her center grow and grow…

*God, he’s so good and he feels so wonderful inside of me…* Aloud she said, “Whatever you’re doing with your hand, don’t you ever dare stop…that’s…oh…so wonderful…”

“Whatever you want, Baby…you’re so hot and tight for me, Mac…oh sweet thing, you’re so sexy when you cry my name, that turns me on…”

Mac never saw herself as a dirty-talk-lover, but his words, along with his hand stroking and playing with her clitoris, increased her arousal even more. He felt her inner muscles clench around his shaft, squeezing it hard. She lost all sense of timing, just gave into the emotions that flooded through her body. Soon her body started shaking and she crossed her ankles even tighter around Harm’s waist to bring him closer and closer and closer. The sensation of her climaxing around him was all he could take. Harm felt all his blood and semen rush into his manhood and when he watched Mac throwing her head in wild excitement from one side to the other, he knew he was lost. One last time he thrust into her as deeply as he could and then tumbled over the edge while shouting out Mac’s name.

Both their breaths were labored, and with the last power left in him, he carefully slid down to the floor, never losing contact with her.

He buried his head into her shoulder and let the orgasm subside.

It took a while before they were recovered enough to speak again. Mac took Harm’s face in both hands and lifted it until she could reach his lips and grace them with a soul-searing kiss.

“Wow…”

“Yeah, wow…” whispered Harm back, and after a while, he spoke again, “Look, Sarah…I lost it completely…I know I was a bit rough…and well, I hope…I didn’t mean to hurt…”

Mac shook her head, “No, Harm, though it wasn’t the sweet lovemaking I pictured our first time would be like…I don’t regret nor mind what we just did…Harm, that was…uh…just incredible, mind-blowing…and we’ll have enough time to do it the sweet, gentle and slow way. That is, if you ever want to do it again…?” she trailed off – again wondering if their encounter was more than a one-night-stand.

“If I ever want to do it again? God, Mac…of course…I’d love to do it with you 24/7…I told you I’m already addicted to you, and although I know we have a lot to discuss, there’s one thing you should know.” Harm took a final self-encouraging breath before he said, “There’s one thing I’ve been sure of deep in my heart, though it took me far too long to admit it even to myself. I love you, Sarah MacKenzie!”

Instead of answering, she locked their lips to a long kiss, willing him to see how happy Harm had made her by saying those words.

The need for air forced them to break the kiss and Mac finally answered, “Harm, you just made me the

happiest woman on earth…”

His smile lit up the room. How on earth did he win this woman? He didn’t know, but he for sure wouldn’t question the turns his life had taken.

Who could have guessed where a bubble bath and hidden fantasies would lead?

*Maybe the whole ‘scents-and-their-effects-on-the-human-body-thing’ held some truths in it.*

Harm broke their kissing and cuddling on the bathroom floor when one question occurred to him.

“Uh, Mac, why exactly did you choose that kind of scented bath oil mixture? Surely you knew about the effects that rose oil and cassia have. So why that and not a different one? Did you want to seduce me?” He didn’t mean that seriously, he only wanted to tease her, but when he saw the mischief in her eyes, Harm knew there was a story behind all that. He raised his brows in question, but Mac only giggled and moved her hips seductively. The mixture of her sexy new giggle and her movement aroused him beyond imagination and Mac felt it.

“Uh, I’d say let’s talk later…I think your little sailor is begging for attention again…and I’ll be the last to complain…”

With that, she pulled him down to her to kiss him until he forgot about whatever he’d been thinking just a second ago…

Kissing Mac was so much better than thinking…and with that, he was lost in the arms of the woman he loved.

The End