2030 Local Saturday Bistro Bis Washington DC, Capital Hill

Harm and Mattie were laughing as they ate their GÂTEAU DE CHÈVRE, which was just a fancy way of saying cheese cake. He had decided to treat Mattie to a DC dinner at one of the nicer eating establishments this weekend. So far they had had a great time when Harm looked up and saw a familiar face walk through the door. Mattie, noticing his distraction asked what was up.

"A friend of mine just came in."

Webb spotted Harm almost immediately and started his way.

"Hello, Harm. How are you?" Webb asked in his usual polite, yet annoying way.

"I can't complain Webb. What brings you out of your cave this evening?"

Mattie watched the exchange with silent fascination. These two didn’t seem like friends; they both appeared to be on guard with each other.

"I'm meeting Mother for dinner. The agency's been keeping me busy and I haven't spent enough time with her recently." Webb said eyeing Mattie with curiosity.

'Mother?? Geez was this guy a momma's boy,' though Mattie.

"Ahh, you sure it's just the agency keeping you busy, Clay?" Harm asked sarcastically.

Webb gave Harm a curious look. "Yes, what else would it be?"

"I just figured your new girlfriend would be monopolizing all of your spare time. By the way, how does Mac feel about competing with your mother?" Harm was trying to come off nonchalant but couldn’t quite keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Girlfriend....Mac…? Rabb, what the hell are you talking about?!"

"Don't patronize me Webb; I know you're seeing Mac."

Mattie noticed that Harm looked very not okay with that idea. She'd never heard him talk about a 'Mac' before. It was obvious that Mac was a woman; a woman he had feelings for apparently.

"Seeing Mac? The last time I saw Sarah was last week for dinner and the time before that was almost 2 months ago. She won't have anything to do with me beyond friendship."

Harm had a look of shock and confusion on his face. "But Mac said...."

"Mac said what Harm?" Webb was starting to enjoy this. He knew how Harm tended to jump to conclusions when it came to Sarah. Most of them wrong.

Now that Harm thought about it Mac hadn't said anything about her and Webb's relationship since Paraguay and even then she said, ‘I do not have a thing for Webb’......in fact she had tried to tell him something and he had blown her off.

'You can have him.' That's what he had said when Mac told him she wanted Harm to state his intentions. Well at least he knew why she never corrected him about all the 'remarks' he had made about herself and Webb. Even so, he couldn't help the wave of relief that flowed through him at the knowledge that she was not with him; had never been with him in fact.

"Rabb, you trust Sarah with your life, I think it's time you trusted her with your heart." Clay wasn't stupid, he knew his chances where slim to none when it came to Sarah but at least he could say he tried and now he could move on.

"You could say the same thing to her you know!" Harm was beginning to get agitated with this whole conversation.

"I have but, unfortunately, she’s as stubborn as you are." With that Webb started toward his table, effectively ending the conversation.

"Care to tell me what that was all about?" Mattie had been silent until now. She was afraid they would quit talking if they realized that a kid was present.

Harm looked up startled, having forgotten that Mattie was there. “Sorry Mattie, I should have introduced you. That was Clayton Webb; he works for the state department.” Harm asked for the check as their waiter walked by leaving it at that.

“Who’s Mac and why haven’t you mentioned her?” She wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily.

Harm was about to brush off her question when he stopped and looked at her. For some strange reason he found himself wanting to tell Mattie about her. Maybe it was because Mattie had never met Mac and she could offer an unbiased opinion. He also knew, with him back at JAG, it was only a matter of time before the two met. Better prepare her now so she knows what to expect.

“It’s a long story, Mattie.” He signed the credit card receipt for their dinner and placed it in the leather booklet.

“Well, since you said it wouldn’t look appropriate for me to crash on your couch tonight we have a long drive ahead of us back to my place. Although, I still don’t understand why it’s okay for you to stay with me, but I can’t stay with you.” Mattie stood up from the table and put her coat on as they prepared to leave.

“I don’t really understand it either; I just know until we’re legal it looks better.” Harm said as he too put his coat on and they walked towards the exit.

Once they were in his car Mattie looked over at him waiting for him to tell her about this mysterious woman. Harm took a deep breath and started his life history with Mac. “We meet in a rose garden….”

Harm was shocked at how easy everything was coming out. As he drove, he told Mattie about their first case, their first real fight, their first kiss, about their exes, everything. In the process he included Mac’s past, Diane, Russia, Sydney, Afghanistan, all the times they had saved each other’s life, all of the times they were there to support each other. Harm was pulling into Mattie’s driveway by the time he got to Singer’s murder and Paraguay.

They both got out of the car and headed inside. It was already 11pm, but they mutually went into the living room where Harm continued his story. For the most part Mattie had been silent taking it all in. She got the impression he had never talked about this before and didn’t want to break his stride. He needed to get it all out before she gave her opinion. The picture he was painting of their relationship was beautiful and tragic at the same time. She found it interesting whenever Harm told her of the mistake’s Mac had made; he immediately followed it with defending her and explaining why she did what she did. It was obvious he didn’t want anyone to have a bad impression of her or maybe it was just Mattie that Harm was worried about.

Harm had glossed over all of the classified aspects of their cases but finally finished with, “….so I now know that she’s not involved with Webb, but she still said ‘never’ and I have no idea where to go from here.” He was worn out, having talked for two hours straight. Mattie was staring at him not sure where to begin.

“Wow, that’s some story Harm.”

“Tell me about it. And the fact that I’m willing to take advice from a 14 year old should tell you how desperate I am.” They both laughed at this easing the tension a little bit.

“Well, first off you know Mac the Marine really well; it’s when you try to deal with Mac the woman that you get into trouble. Believe it or not I can be a big help to you in this area.”

Harm sat up curious, but a little apprehensive about the kind of advice a teenager would give.

“From your description of Mac’s past I kind of know where she’s coming from. Because of our fathers, we lost our mothers. I think she had it worse though. My dad neglected us, if my mom told him he was drinking too much, he would just leave. A couple of days later he would be back. He was never abusive, he just ignored us. I was still left with the feeling that he didn’t love us….love me but at least I knew my mom loved me unconditionally. With Mac, not only did she think her father didn’t love her, but he hammered it into her head that no one would ever love her. Probably told her it was her fault that her mom left. I can’t imagine what that would do to a teenager. I mean, we tend to depress ourselves enough without it being reinforced.”

Harm smiled at this knowing how true it was.

“I had the business to keep me grounded after my mom died, but I was really scared of being alone for the rest of my life. I tried to convince myself that I didn’t need anyone, that I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I thought no one cared what happened to me. I’m not going to tell you how often I cried myself to sleep. I would have survived but I’m not sure how much I would have liked the person I became. Then you came and offered me a place in your life; I can’t tell you how much that meant to me, Harm.”

He brought her over to him for a hug at her admission.

“I had no idea you were so scared, you seemed so confident and spunky.” He said as he kissed the top of her head and held her.

“I didn’t want anyone to know so I just built up walls and acted like everything was okay.” She pulled out of his embrace and moved back to her side of the couch. “But we’re getting sidetracked. My point is even though Mac over came her past and is a now a strong independent woman there is still a very small part of her that believes no one will ever truly love her. So even though you’re uncomfortable sharing your feelings; that’s what she needs from you.”

“My track record with women is not that good, Mattie. They all leave me because I can’t commit like they want me too. The last thing I want to do is hurt Mac in the same way. What Webb said tonight was wrong, I already trust her with my heart; I just don’t trust myself with hers.”

“Well news flash Harm, whether you trust yourself or not, it sounds like you’ve had it for a long time and you’re both just too stubborn to admit it. You hurt her more when you hide, just like she hurts you when she hides; it’s a two way street you know. Show her that you’re attracted to her and you want more than friendship.”

“She knows I’m attracted to her, I’m not dead you know.” Harm still couldn’t believe he was having his conversation with a teenage girl.

“Oh really, have you ever asked her out on a date?” At his blank stare she continued, “Have you ever kissed her for no reason other than you wanted too? When’s the last time you gave her a hug, or told her she was beautiful?” At that Harm looked up.

“I told her she was beautiful in Paraguay.” He said matter-of-factly.

Mattie let out a sigh in frustration. “Harm, that was like 7 months ago! And before you say you two haven’t been that close lately, when did you give her a complement before that?” Mattie asked.

Harm tried to think back and to his dismay he couldn’t say for sure. “I’m not sure.”

“Geez Harm, I can’t imagine why she didn’t realize you wanted a relationship with her,” Mattie said sarcastically.

Harm looked at her annoyed, “I thought you were suppose to be on my side here.”

“I’m sorry Harm; I am on your side. I’m not saying Mac doesn’t share equal blame, but she’s not here so what good will it do to focus on her mistakes?” Mattie reasoned.

“Alright, I see your point. So now that we’ve established that I’m a clueless idiot when it comes to treating Mac like a woman, what do I do now?”

“Well, my advice is to start off simple.” Mattie looked hard at Harm before adding, “Notice I said simple, not slow.”

Harm got the feeling she was teasing him with that last remark and with his pointed look she added in her defense, “You’ve been best-friends for over 8 years, you know each other better than anyone else, you’ve seen each other at your best and worst, so there’s no reason to go through all the ‘get to know you stuff’.”

Harm silently agreed and was trying to come up with a plan of action when Mattie continued.

“So, start off with giving her at least 3 VERBAL compliments a day, take her to lunch, maybe send her some flowers, ask her out on a real date and then seduce her,” Mattie said simply.

“What!!” Harm couldn’t believe what she just said. “You shouldn’t even know what that word means Mattie!” He was going into father protective mode.

“God Harm, I may be young and inexperienced but I’m not naïve. I doubt either you or Mac are blushing virgins.” She said exasperated.

He chose to ignore the ‘blushing virgin’ comment, he wasn’t about to have a conversation about his sex life with her. “You just make sure you stay inexperienced young lady.”

Mattie rolled her eyes and Harm had another thought. He wrinkled his brow and asked, “Mattie, you’re mother gave you…..you know……’The Talk’, right?” Harm was getting more uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going.

Mattie was amused at Harm’s discomfort. “Yes, she told me all about sex, condoms, pregnancy, STD’s, and how to break a guys nose if he doesn’t take no for an answer,” she answered with a grin.

“Good, but you know if you have any questions you can……I mean……you can ask me….”

“No offense Harm but if I have any questions about sex I’ll ask Mac not you.”

“You don’t even know Mac and she’s barely in my life right now. I don’t know how much you’ll actually see her when you come to live with me.”

“Well if you would just hurry up and seduce her, I’m sure I would see her quite often.” Mattie was trying to get a reaction out of him and she didn ’t have to wait long.

“Matilda Grace, go to your room!” Harm said and pointed his hand in the direction of her bedroom.

Mattie couldn’t keep the grin off her face as she stood up to go crash in her bed. “Relax Harm, I was just messing with you,” she said as she started to walk towards her bedroom.

Once she left Harm sighed in relief, raising a teenage girl was going to be a lot tougher than he originally thought.

0745 Local Monday Morning JAG Headquarters Falls Church, VA

Harm got through the weekend with Mattie and was now working up the courage to carry out his plan. He arrived at work early so he could catch Mac at the start of her day. He saw her come out of the elevator and head towards her office. He knew once she dropped off her briefcase she would go for her morning coffee so he headed towards the break room. He was filling his cup when she entered.

“Good morning, Harm. How was your weekend?” Mac asked as she waited for him to finish with the coffee pot.

“It was great. I went out to Blacksburg to do some maintenance on Sarah.” It wasn’t a complete lie; he actually did do some work on his Bi-plane with Mattie’s help. “What about you, do anything exciting?” He moved out of the way so she could fill up her cup while he added creamer to his own.

“Not unless you think grocery shopping, paying bills, washing my car, and cleaning my apartment is exciting,” Mac said plainly. When she got no reply she looked up to find him staring at her with an intensity she hadn’ t seen in his eyes for quite some time. “What?” She asked as she put creamer in her own coffee trying to ignore the way his stare awakened feelings she tried to bury.

“You look beautiful this morning.” Harm stated, enjoying the small blush that graced her cheeks.

Mac couldn’t stop from blushing and looked down at her coffee hoping he wouldn’t notice. This was a hell of a way to start off the week, she thought. When she looked back up she noticed he was enjoying her reaction and decided to take control of the situation.

“As opposed to most mornings when I don’t look beautiful?” She questioned and enjoyed watching his amusement being replaced by panic.

Harm said the first thing he could thing of. “Geez Mac, can’t you take a complement?” He immediately winched knowing that wasn’t the best thing to say.

“I guess I’m not used to receiving complements from you, Harm.” She wasn’ t upset with him; after all she did goat him a little. She discovered it was actually entertaining to poke fun at him and see what popped out of his mouth as a result.

Harm noticed she hadn’t taken offence to what he said so he tried to recover a little. “Well, we’ll just have to work on that won’t we?” He said as he exited the break room not seeing her shocked expression.

“Harmon Rabb, what are you up too?” She said to no one in particular.

Over the course of the week Harm continued to lavish Mac with complements and small touches. He would take her out to lunch and they would talk like old times. It didn’t take long at all to regain the closeness and ease they had lost over the past year. He even confided in her about Mattie and his plans to be her guardian. Mac was surprised, but very supportive and insisted on meeting her as soon as possible. Harm couldn’t wait for them to meet each other even though he knew they would gang up on him.

He tried to throw her off balance as much as possible without being too forward in the office. One day she was reading a file over his shoulder when he suddenly turned his head sniffing her neck. Mac tensed up immediately at the intimate gesture but didn’t pull away.

“You smell really good, what perfume are you wearing?” Harm asked in a husky voice best reserved for the bedroom.

“Uhhh…Passion.” She replied nervously.

“It suits you.”

Mac wasn’t sure if he meant the name or the smell, but either way she made a hasty retreat claiming she had an appointment in 30 minutes. Harm let her go enjoying the affect he seemed to have on her.

On Thursday morning, Harm stepped up to the plate. He entered Mac’s office and shut the door behind him.

“What’s up Harm?” Mac was curious as to why he would shut her door; he only did that when they talked about something personal.

He brought out the two roses he had behind his back. “These are for you, Mac.”

Mac was surprised and touched as she stood up and came around her desk. She took the roses, one white and the other red, and brought them to her nose to smell.

“Thank you, Harm.” She was flattered but couldn’t help being suspicious.

“What do you want?” She asked with a grin and met his eyes. Mac knew him too well to think he would just bring her flowers without a reason.

Harm tried to keep up the act, “Can’t a guy bring flowers to a woman he thinks is smart, sexy and fun without wanting something?” He was hoping to distract her with that comment.

“Uh Huh…..nice try, out with it.” She had no idea what had gotten into him this week, but she hoped it stayed whatever it was.

“Okay, I do want something. I want to have an honest-to-god date with you tonight.”

Whatever Mac was expecting him to say, that wasn’t it. She stood in front of him with her mouth hanging open in shock. Trying to recover she asked, “What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking of a nice Italian dinner in Georgetown, followed by going back to your place and putting the longest movie you own in the DVD player while we make-out like teenagers on your couch.” Harm wanted Mac to know what she was getting herself into by agreeing to go out with him tonight.

Mac flushed slightly as a glimpse of them on her couch flashed across her mind. She regained her bearings quickly though and said, “I hate to disappoint you Sailor but I was always taught never to kiss a boy on the first date.” She was being coy and teasing him.

Harm stepped closer to her, invading her personal space when he replied, “I guess I’ll just have to take you out to lunch later and we can consider that our first date. Tell me Colonel, how far do you usually go on second dates?”

He was entirely too close but she refused to be affected by his overpowering presence. “I guess you’ll find out tonight.” She held his gaze for a few more seconds before moving back behind her desk. Mac had a half full water bottle in her desk so she pulled it out and placed her two roses in it as decoration. “Thanks again for the roses, Harm.”

“It’s something I should have done a long time ago.” They both knew he was talking about more than the flowers, but they just smiled at each other. “I’d better get back to work. Come to my office when you’re ready for lunch.” She nodded and watched him leave. Mac couldn’t remember the last time she felt this excited.

Later That Night

Harm put a lot of thought into their date and although he would never admit it to Mattie he was going to do his best to seduce her tonight. Mac already trusted him and knew how much he respected her. What she didn’t know was how attracted he was to her and how much he desired her as a woman. He wanted to erase any thought she might have that he thought of her only as a sister. The only problem was he had no idea how she was going to react to his advances. He didn’t know if she would put a stop to things if he came on too strong or welcome anything he did. He finally decided to go in for the sneak attack. He would be as innocent as possible with his advances with no pressure. If she said stop he would quit immediately, so the plan was to go so slow that passion overrode any desire to stop. Harm was going to do his best to make her feel like a desirable, loved woman tonight.

He picked her up at 1830 and they went to a small intimate Italian restaurant. It was casual but it wasn’t uncommon to see people dressed up either. Mac chose to wear a simple black dress that didn’t quite reach her knees and showed her cleavage without being tasteless. When she bought it she had it tailored so it fit perfectly. Harm showed up wearing black kakis and a black button down shirt. He left the top two buttons undone and had his hair spiked up a little, giving him a mildly dangerous look. They made quite the couple entering the restaurant. The place was softly lit creating a romantic atmosphere.

Conversation stayed light as they teased each other and made plans to visit Mattie that weekend. Work was avoided as well as there resent problems. Both were so relieved at having regained their close friendship that they were content to ignore why they lost it in the first place…..at least for right now. Mac herself wondered what had brought about the change in Harm, but didn’t want to rock the boat just yet. She decided to just enjoy herself and see what happened.

So far the date had gone perfectly. There were no awkward moments, no nervousness in showing mild affection, and Mac had even found herself laughing at Harm’s lame jokes. Both couldn’t remember a time when they felt happier. However, that all changed when they got back to Mac’s apartment. Suddenly raw tension filled the air. Harm was working up the nerve to approach Mac while she was trying to decide if he had been serious about them making out on her couch for the rest of the night. The thought made her very nervous and excited at the same time. She distracted herself by escaping to her bedroom to change into something more comfortable.

She took off her dress and panty hose and pulled out a pair of comfortable workout shorts and a green t-shirt that said MARINES in big bold print. She debated whether or not to ditch the bra. It wasn’t uncommon for her to forgo the bra when Harm was around in favor of comfort. In truth it always made her feel a little bit naughty, especially when she wore a tight shirt around him; she wondered if he ever noticed. A small grin graced her lips as she pealed it off and threw on her t-shirt and shorts.

She came out of her bedroom and admired Harm six as he bent over to put in a DVD. She noticed that he had also made himself comfortable by taking off his shoes and socks and rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.

“What did pick out?” Mac asked as she sat down on the sofa.

“’Far And Away’, hope that’s alright,” he answered as he sat down and put his arm around her.

Mac snuggled closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Harm was pleasantly surprised and tightened his hold on her. They passively watched the beginning of the movie too lost in their own thoughts to really pay attention. The tension was thick as Harm worked up the courage to make his move and Mac wondered exactly where tonight would lead them.

‘Not very far if he doesn’t make good on his promise for the second part of our date,’ Mac thought as she quickly glanced over at him. She was struck with another thought, ‘Why am I waiting for him to make the first move? He did take a big risk asking me out, especially since we haven’t been on good terms lately. It’s not fair for all of the pressure to be on him.’

Mac looked over at him with new determination, “Harm?”

He turned his head to face her, “Yeah.”

She took a big breath and slowly licked her lips with a little grin, “Can I kiss you?”

Harm raised one eyebrow at the unexpected question; he didn’t think a woman had ever asked him that before. He was almost embarrassed at how much it turned him on.

“You can do anything you want to me, Sarah.” He said in a gravely voice.

Mac’s grin increased and her heart rate picked up when he called her ‘Sarah’. “That’s nice to know but right now all I want is to feel your lips on mine.”

She moved closer to him as she said this and captured his mouth with hers. The kiss was perfect as they went back and forth slowly nibbling on each others lips. Soon Harm got impatient and brought his hand up to cup her face and threaded his fingers through her hair at the nape of her neck. He increased the pressure of the kiss and Mac shifted her body to get closer to him. Shivers went down her body at the feel of his fingers in her hair as the kisses became firmer. Mac had one hand on his thigh and the other resting on his chest. She could feel his hard muscles and heartbeat through his shirt.

It occurred to her just then that Harm was a man. She had obviously always known this but it hit her full force when she acknowledged what that meant. Her best friend, who she was in love with, was a vibrant, strong, sexy, willing man. She realized that she had never let herself fully indulge in the more primal attributes that Harm possessed. One particular attribute her hand was itching to explore more intimately. But this was only their first…okay second date and she had no intention of doing anything more than kissing him tonight. She knew from experience if you went exploring in a guys pants he would take that as a green light to move things further along. She knew if she told him to stop he would, but she didn’t want to tease him when she had every intention of sending him home later. That, however, was not going to stop her from take full advantage of his wonderful mouth at the moment.

Harm darted his tongue out, licking the inside of her upper lip. Mac immediately took the bait, chasing after his tongue with her own. They both groaned as the kiss deepened. Harm firmly griped her waist with his free hand to keep it from wondering prematurely. The kiss was explosive and he had to hold himself in check as her warm tongue invaded his mouth. He’d never wanted to touch someone so bad in his entire life but if he wanted this to last he had to move slow. Instead he concentrated fully on the task at hand, finding everyway to drive her crazy with his mouth.

Harm tailed kisses down Mac’s neck memorizing what she liked best. If he nibbled with his teeth, her whole body would shutter but if he sucked with his lips she completely melted in his arms. He discovered she was particularly sensitive on the patch of skin directly below her ear, which earned him a moan of pleasure every time he pasted over it. He kissed his way back up to her lips and found her eager to explore his mouth again.

Harm was in heaven, if they went no further he could still die happy. Kissing had always been a means to an end with him. Sure he enjoyed it, but he always had his eye on the big prize. He couldn’t remember the last time he allowed himself to fully enjoy something so simple. He felt like he was in high school again; making out just because it felt good and praying that the girl would let him feel her up.

Mac’s whole body was tingling with anticipation. She forgot how good this felt as her body betrayed her decision to keep things light tonight. Harm ’s hand on her waist was like a hot iron brand. She brought both her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck bring him closer to her body. The move made him twist his back and he felt a familiar dull pain start. He knew if he stayed like this it would only get worse so he took a chance and pushed Mac back on the couch covering her body with his.

‘This is much better,’ they both silently thought without breaking their kiss.

Harm shifted to the inside of the couch so he wasn’t crushing her, plus it allowed him to move his hand from her waist to her stomach where he made small circles with his thumb. Mac couldn’t hold back her moan. She craved to feel his touch on her skin.

‘Okay, so kissing and a little touching for tonight; after all we’re both adults. What could it hurt?’ she thought as she felt him slowly and expertly draw her shirt up with the small movements of his hand. He probably thought he was being slick making it appear accidental but she knew better. Fortunately for him she wanted to feel his touch as much as he wanted to give it.

As half his hand was on her bare skin she started to kiss down his neck and trailed one of her hands down his chest. Mac undid two more buttons on his shirt so she could feel his bare chest under her fingers. It was Harm’s turn to moan as he was slightly distracted by her move. He had just regained control when he felt the dull pain return to his back.

Harm tensed, ‘Oh god, not now, please not now,’ he silently begged as Mac was doing wonderful things to his ear with her mouth.

Mac noticed the change in him immediately. She took advantage of her position and whispered, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m fine,” he lied as he now had his entire hand on her bare stomach exploring her exposed skin.

“Liar,” she whispered as she kissed his ear one last time before pulling back to look him in the eye.

Harm was trapped. “My back is acting up a little bit, that’s all.” He kissed her on the lips again before continuing, “Kissing you is well worth any pain I experience tomorrow.”

“Harm, that’s not fair to you,” she said pulling away from his mouth.

He sighed and dropped his head beside her on the couch. He couldn’t believe that they had to stop because of back pains. In an attempt to hang on to the night he turned his head and started nibbling on her neck in all the right places.

‘God, he already knows all of my weak spots,’ she thought as her eyes fluttered shut and shivers ran down her body. Mac really didn’t want to stop just yet but she didn’t want him to be in pain either.

“Would it be better if we moved into the bedroom?” She asked before her brain could clear what she was about to say.

Harm stopped what he was doing, not believing his good luck at the way things were turning out.

Mac silently cursed herself at how forward that sounded. What the hell was she thinking suggesting they move to the bedroom….after all there was a bed in there…..a big comfortable bed… But she didn’t want to stop kissing him and after wanting him for 8 years who could blame her? But again she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about where tonight was headed.

“What I mean is, I know how unforgiving your back can be and this couch is kind of small for you…” She didn’t get to finish because Harm had captured her lips in another kiss to silence her.

He pulled back to look at her. “I know what you meant, Mac.”

And she realized that he really did know what she meant. He didn’t expect anything more than what she was willing to give. He may be hoping for more and plan on using this to his advantage, but he knew she would never suggest going in to the bedroom with a guy unless she had every intention of following through. The fact that she was inviting him when she was unsure about tonight’s destination spoke to him about how much she trusted him. He planned on making tonight as special for her as possible, whether they just kissed, touched or made love, it would be a night she would never forget.

They both smiled and got up from the couch. Mac turned off the TV and DVD player and followed Harm into the other room. He plopped down in the center of the bed and rolled over to face her.

“So now that you’ve dragged me in here against my better judgment, what do you plan on doing with me?” Harm teased when he saw how tense she was standing next to the bed. The comment had the desired affect and the tension left her body as she prepared to banter back. It wasn’t in her nature to let someone else have the upper hand.

“Well you did say I could do anything I wanted to you.” Mac replied with an evil grin as she moved onto the bed, crawling toward him on her hands and knees.

“Yes, I did.” Harm couldn’t help getting excited as she made her way towards him like a predator stalking her prey.

When she got to him, she straddled his waist and grabbed both his wrists, bring them up above his head pinning him down. “Well I was thinking I could start by stripping you down….”

“Uh Huh...” Harm had never seen Mac this aggressive before and felt his arousal grow at her behavior.

“Then I could pull out my handcuffs and secure you to the headboard…”

“You have handcuffs?” His voice squeaked slightly and his excitement grew.

Mac grinned but ignored his question. She could feel his erection and it turned her on to know she had that power over him. She bent down to his ear whispering, “Then starting at you feet I would smear shaving cream all up your legs…”

Harm wrinkled his brow, “Shaving cream?” He asked confused. He and Mac had never talked about sexual preferences, but this just seemed weird to him. “Why would you put shaving cream on my legs?” He asked getting a little worried.

“To shave them of course,” she said as she started nibbling on his ear.

“WHAT!” Harm’s eyes grew wide and he was really worried now.

Mac pulled back and looked at him seriously, “You said anything I wanted.”

Harm was going into full panic mode now, “I meant sexually not have you detach hair from my body that’s been there since puberty!”

It was then that he noticed she was shaking and he looked up at her face. Mac was doing her best to keep from laughing and he realized he’d been had.

“Oh, you’re going to pay for that Marine.” Before she could respond he flipped her over and started tickling her. She let out a girly scream when she realized his intent, fighting back in between bounds of laughter.

“That wasn’t very nice, Mac.” He was stronger than her but her constant wiggling kept him from zeroing in on any specific target.

“The look…..on…your face…was…priceless.” She struggled to get out between laughs.

It didn’t take long for their wrestling to turn half hearted and only served as an excuse to touch each other. Harm’s shirt came un-tucked and Mac used the opportunity to run her hands over his abdomen and lower back. Their laughter soon gave way to moans of pleasure as tickling turned to caressing.

Their lips met in their most passionate kiss yet. Both were on the verge of losing control as there tongues dueled side by side. Mac released the remaining buttons on his shirt and it parted like the Red Sea. She slowly ran her hands from his abdomen up his chest and back down again, marveling at finally being about to touch him like this.

Harm was trying to get himself back under control but she wasn’t making it easy for him. He brought his hand back underneath Mac’s shirt in an attempt to distract her. It worked, as soon as his hand was on her bare skin her movements halted as her body was assaulted with a new wave of warmth. He caressed her waist and stomach slowly moving his hand upward with each movement.

Her center ached as his hand moved upward. Mac’s breathing was increasing and she was forced to break the kiss to try and catch her breath. Harm immediately assaulted her neck not giving her a chance to recover. His fingers were dancing at the swell of her breast and he swore he heard her whimper. She moved her hands up his chest and over his shoulders underneath his opened shirt hugging him closer to her.

The shirt was coming off his shoulders and as a result was hindering the movement of the arm that was currently residing underneath her shirt. Frustrated he withdrew his hand and quickly removed his shirt throwing it blindly across the room. Somewhere in the back of Mac’s head warning bells were going off.

‘Taking off clothes was never part of the plan for tonight,’ she thought and was beginning to get concerned about what that might mean. Her concern was quickly diminished however when his hand returned to her body and fully cupped her breast.

Mac cried out and instinctively bucked her hips toward his, rubbing his erection with her thigh. It was hard as steel and another wave of wetness flooded between her legs at that revelation. She ran a hand behind his neck and into his hair; bring his head up to her lips where she claimed another kiss. She kissed him desperately, searching for a way to ease the ache in her body that was quickly becoming unbearable.

As Harm’s hand massaged her breast and his fingers pinched her nipple as he awkwardly pushed her shirt up with his forearm. He broke away from her lips to again kiss her neck, but made a direct path down to her chest. He moved past her shirt that was now pushed up enough to expose her breasts to his gaze.

Years later he would still remember the word ‘perfect’ going through his mind to describe her half naked state. Harm wasted no time in attacking a nipple with his mouth. He was like a starved man feasting at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Mac was making the most wonderful little noises he could ever remember hearing. He stole a peek at her face and saw that her eyes were closed and her head was thrown back in ecstasy. She was biting her lower lip in an attempt to keep from crying out. The sight was almost too much for him. He couldn’t help rotating his erection into her thigh. The fact that he couldn’t stop himself only seemed to turn her on more as she tightened the hand still in his hair as the other traveled over his back.

Harm moved his lips to kiss all around her breast but when he got to the upper portion her shirt kept getting in the way.

“Raise your arms up, Mac.”

It didn’t even cross her mind to question the purpose of this move though she quickly found out when her shirt joined his somewhere across the room.

‘Oh well, his shirt was already off, why should mine matter?’ Mac was trying to reason. She was however starting to question the turn of events of tonight. She had just planned on kissing Harm while pretending to watch a movie, ‘How in the hell did we end up in my bedroom half-naked?’ She wondered.

Harm’s mouth had returned to her breast and his hand was caressing the other. He was playing her body like he flew tomcats, with ease, grace, and a steel determination to be the best. ‘Well, as long as our pants stay the rest of our cloths shouldn't matter,’ she convinced herself.

He moved his hand from her breast and caressed down her waist, over her hip to her thigh. Harm lifted it slightly, bending her knee and moved his hand underneath her shorts running his fingertips along her panties’ seam. This brought another moan from Mac as her center fluttered and the throbbing increased.

She tugged Harm’s head up away from her breast and claimed his lips again. Her hands were moving all over his exposed skin, from his hair, to his chest, around his back, and down his arms. This caused Harm to moan into her mouth and he subconsciously made firmer strokes with his hips against her thigh.

Harm managed to get two fingers underneath Mac’s underwear and moved them around her ass closer to the apex between her thighs. She bent her knee more and rotated her hips closer to his own, giving him easier access to her dripping sex. Mac was aching to be touched. When he reached his target they both groaned at the contact, breaking their kiss.

He ran his fingers along her outer lips amazed at how wet she was. He couldn’t help but imagine what it would feel like to be buried in that wetness as he himself was aching to be touched. Harm nibbled on her ear and whispered, “Please touch me, Mac.” He brought one of her hands to rest over his erection and at the same time penetrated her core with one of his fingers. Their bodies shuttered together at the intimate contact.

Mac instinctively gripped his erection through his pants stimulating him, though she didn’t think it would be possible for him to get harder than he already was. Harm added another finger to her core marveling at how her walls seemed to clinch around him, bringing him deeper inside her. Moans and sighs of pleasure were coming continuously from both of them.

Harm felt a draft a split second before intense pleasure shot through his entire body. He realized that Mac had skillfully unbuttoned his pants and brought his zipper down without his knowing. She had quickly snaked her hand under his boxers and started rubbing small circles at the head of his dick in an attempt to smear his pre-cum around the full mushroom head and down his shaft.

Mac couldn’t help herself, she had to touch him. She came to the conclusion that, tonight would have to be completed one way or another. Truth be told, she was having trouble remembering why they couldn’t have sex tonight. But, she knew making decisions in the heat of the moment had gotten her into trouble in the past so she was going to trust herself and trust that she had good reasons for her decision. It was apparent to her though that they had gone too far not to give their bodies the release they both desperately craved.

Harm wanted nothing more than to thrust into her hand until his body uncoiled and released what had been denied to him since Renee left. Sure he had masturbated, but there was just something about a woman’s touch and it was ten times more powerful when that woman was Sarah MacKenzie. He had to stop her very talented hand and soon or tonight’s mission was going to go down the tubes. But he couldn’t very well beg her to touch him one minute and then turn around and beg her to stop. He had to be out of range….an idea was forming and the more he thought about it the more it appealed to him. He kissed his way down to her chest and captured a nipple, lightly nibbling.

“I bet you taste so good, Sarah.” Harm didn’t even recognize his own voice. He was slightly breathless and even he could detect the desperation in his tone. He continued working his fingers in and out of her drawing more moans of pleasure. He slowly started trailing kisses down her body and succeeded in pulling his erection out of her hands. He signed in relief and once again focused all of his attention on her.

Mac’s stomach did a little flip-flop at his words and before she knew it he was trailing kisses down her body. She had always fantasized about Harm going down on her and the reality of it actually happening was almost too much for her to bear. She didn’t even notice that his dick was no longer in her hand. Her body was hypersensitive and every touch of his lips sent an electric current of pleasure straight between her legs. Harm was tracing his tongue over her belly button when he withdrew his fingers from her center. This time he was certain that Mac whimpered in disappointment.

He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her face. When she looked down at him he brought his hand up to his mouth and licked his still wet fingers.

“Mmmm…..I was wrong, you taste amazing.”

Mac’s eyes glazed over with even more passion. She had to hand it too him, he was good. She had always suspected as much, but thinking it and experiencing it were two separate things. She didn’t have the ability to form a reply.

Luckily Harm didn’t need one; he simply grinned and resumed kissing her stomach at her waistline. He brought both his hands to her shorts and slowly started tugging them downward, kissing very new inch of exposed skin.

Mac’s hips lifted of their own accord and before she knew it her shorts and panties were given the same treatment as their shirts earlier. At his gentle nudging she spread her legs to give him access to her core. Her breath came in short gasps when she felt his lips tickle her inner thigh, moving upward at an intolerable pace. She arched her back and scooted her body down the bed trying to help him reach his goal faster.

Finally he took pity on her and ran his tongue between her outer lips from bottom to top.

“Oh God, Harm!” An electric current of pleasure shot through her entire body and she couldn’t help but tremble from it. Mac was squirming on the bed as she hooked one leg over his body, opening herself fully to him. She took one hand and threaded her fingers through his hair, silently urging him to continue. If she had forgotten how great kissing felt, it was nothing compared to the explosion of pleasure she was now experiencing.

Harm was intoxicated by her taste and smell. He was certain he could live off nothing but Sarah Mackenzie for the rest of his life. He continued to make love to her with his mouth but purposely stayed away from her clit. His goal wasn’t to make her come but to drive her crazy with want and desire. He alternated between full mouth kisses, penetrating her with his tongue, and gentle nipping.

Mac was to the point of thrashing around on the bed with desire. Her fingers were wrapped tightly in his hair as she tried to pull him closer for firmer contact. His gentle foreplay was driving her crazy, she needed some serious friction. Her skin was damp with sweat and she was breathing heavier than a marathon runner. Her body was drawn so tight with passion she was even willing to beg for release.

“Harm….please….” Mac said wantonly.

Harm wasn’t sure if he had ever heard anything as wonderful as Mac’s plea. He had never heard her voice sound so sexy. Everything in him was screaming at him to make her come, to give her what she so desperately wanted but he couldn’t, not yet. It wasn’t even a question of his own release, he just knew it was imperative that they break through all their barriers tonight. He had to finish what he started even if it killed him, which it just might if she kept on making all those little noises in between “God” and “Yes”.

They were both reaching the breaking point so Harm decided it was time to bring out his secret weapon. He pulled his face away from her and said breathlessly, “God Mac, I want you so much!”

Mac whimpered, not only from him stopping but from his words as well. God help her she wanted him too and she was so close to giving in to him. But even through her fog of passion there was still something holding her back.

Not getting a response from her right away, Harm continued kissing her. He slowly made his way up her body again whispering words of encouragement in between kisses.

“You are the sexiest……..…most gorgeous…….…tough as nails…….….woman……...I have ever…….…met….……You drive me crazy……...you challenge me……….you’re the best-friend…..…..I’ve ever had……” By this time he had paid homage to both her breasts again and had made his way up past her neck to her ear where he whispered, “I love you so much it hurts, Mac. I want to spend the rest of my life discovering what makes you happy, what makes you laugh, and most of all what will make you scream my name…..”

His words were intoxicating, weaving her in his spell. Mac pulled his head back and claimed his mouth in a kiss of total abandonment. She swept her tongue past his lips, drinking him in. She couldn’t stop, she didn’t want to stop, her resolve had finally snapped. He loved her and right now that’s all that mattered, the rest would come later. She hastily tried to pull his pants and boxers down his legs without breaking the kiss but it was proving to be a difficult task. Harm, becoming impatient tried to help as well and Mac was finally able to hook her foot around his leg and slide them the rest of the way off.

Both finally naked, Harm positioned the head of his painfully erect dick at her slick entrance, gently rubbing but not penetrating. They were forced to break their kiss for some much needed oxygen. Harm rested his forehead on hers and their eyes locked onto each other as they tried to catch their breath. Both sets of eyes mirrored passion, lust, and love as they prepared to break through this final barrier.

Harm claimed her lips and sank into her depth at the same time. Their mouths muffled each others moans at finally becoming one. Savoring the moment, they both remained still except for their mouths that were engaged in a slow deep kiss. Harm broke out into a sweat as he let Mac’s body adjust to his intrusion.

But Harm wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold back. He broke their kiss, “Mac, I’ve got to warn you, it’s been a really long time for me….”

She smiled up at him, still in awe at finally having him inside her. She had never felt this full, this complete before. “That’s okay; I hear it’s like riding a bicycle.” She arched her hips, encouraging him to start moving.

His retort was replaced by a groan at her move. He instinctively started to thrust into her, trying to go slow but with each thrust Mac would match it with one more powerful. She knew he was holding back and she was too far gone for slow love making.

Mac pulled his head down so she could whisper in his ear, “Don’t be gentle, be good.”

Harm’s control snapped at her words and his thrusts became stronger with each passing second. Mac moaned her approval especially when he applied additional pressure with his pelvis, his pubic hair creating the perfect amount of friction against her clit. She was completely lost in his embrace, her body a slave to the sensations he was creating in her. She wrapped both legs around his waist, allowing him deeper access to her body.

Harm was nibbling on her neck but they quickly became savage kisses when she wrapped her legs around him. In the back of his mind were warnings not to leave any visible marks. Mac didn’t seem to mind as she ran one hand through his hair, encouraging him. In fact the rougher he got, the louder her moans became.

He wasn’t sure how long he could keep up this fast pace without coming so he propped his upper body up on one of his elbows. This allowed him to move his free hand between them and caress her breast. As he pinched her nipple between his fingers her whole body shuddered and he knew she was close.

“Oh God…..Harder Harm,” she barely got out in between breaths.

Harm was pounding into her with everything he had and she was gladly accepting it. Not having sex for so long, he was surprised at his own stamina, especially at the pace they were going at.

“…..Aahhh….don’t stop Harm….I’m so close….” Harm had no idea Mac was a talker during sex but it didn’t really surprise him; whenever she got worked up over something she tended to be very vocal about it.

Mac could feel her body start to uncoil and she knew her orgasm was eminent. Her hands clenched in his hair and back as she felt the beginning tremors of her release. She couldn’t help the unintelligent able words that escaped her lips as ripples of intense pleasure were shed over her entire body, even causing her toes to curl.

Harm never let up, drawing out her orgasm for as long as possible. He was intent on lasting just a little bit longer when Mac whispered in his ear, “Come for me, Harm.” His control shattered and his movements became jerky and erratic as his body emptied itself into her. He kept thrusting until it became painful and he finally collapsed on top of her, both breathing heavily.

Mac’s arms tightened around Harm, enjoying his weight on top of her. Not sure exactly what to say, she said the first thing that popped in her head, “That was nice.”

Harm started laughing and Mac soon joined, “Oh yeah, that was very nice.” He pulled back from her neck and gave her a slow, sensual kiss. Both were extremely relaxed and Harm rolled off of her to lie on his back. Mac didn ’t feel like crawling underneath the covers so she grabbed her extra quilt that she kept at the foot of the bed to cover them. She curled her body against his side, laying her head on his shoulder.

“We’re going to have to get up early so you can go home and change for work.” Mac mentioned as they both started to drift off to sleep.

“No, I have my uniform and overnight bag in my car.” Harm was almost asleep and didn’t realize the implications of what he just said.

Mac sat up enough to look at his face and was about to make a sarcastic comment about him being overly sure about himself when realization hit her; the whole night flashing before her eyes, one slide after another. “You seduced me,” she said almost in disbelief.

Harm opened his eyes to try and gauge her reaction. He didn’t think she was mad but felt the need to defend himself anyway. “Well, it wasn’t that hard.”

One of these days he was going to learn to think before he spoke. Harm’s eyes grew big along with Mac’s as he realized he just told her she was easy.

“Ahh….I mean…..” Harm stammered.

Mac playfully hit his chest and saved him from his explanation, “Harmon Rabb Jr., you’re lucky I love you or I would be well within my rights to cause you bodily pain!”

Harm breathed a sigh of relief when it hit him exactly what she had said.

“You love me?” He asked with a silly grin on his face.

Mac smiled down at him and said, “Duh,” before kissing him, pushing her tongue past his lips to duel with his own. She pulled back and was pleased to see Harm’s eyes had glazed over in pleasure. She nestled down on his shoulder again, completely content for the first time in her life. “Now go to sleep, some of us have court tomorrow morning.”

“Yes Ma’am,” was his sleepy reply. Both soon fell into a deep sleep as they started their new journey together.

The End.