Even with all his good intentions, Harm was finding it impossible to think, let alone react, with Mac’s hands on his body. Before he even had time to register that she was unbuttoning his shirt, she had pulled his undershirt out of his pants, her hands making their way under and up the broad expanse of his chest. The sensation of her fingernails raking over his chest elicited an almost desperate groan from his throat.
His earlier thoughts began to fade with the bombardment of new sensations, and his mind still tried to fight a useless battle. ‘Time...need to take our time...need...to talk...oh, Christ that feels good...no wait, slow...must go slow...oh, her mouth on my chest...damn...slow...’
With more strength than he ever knew he possessed, Harm gently grasped her wrists to stop her while pushing back slightly to look at her face. Softly he spoke. “We need to slow down. Mac...Sarah, not that I’m complaining, but I don’t understand this. Why the rush? Not that I don’t want you, but we really haven’t talked about anything and we have all evening for...this. What’s going on?” He was pleading, trying to make her understand that it was for the best that they take their time and do this right.
Watching his face, void of any recognizable emotion, Mac felt like she had been doused with cold water. ‘I should have known he wouldn’t even take me up on this. I practically throw myself at him, offer it up on a silver platter, and he still backs away. Damn it.’
Breaking his hold on her, Mac immediately began straightening her uniform while never quite looking at his face. “Nothing is going on. I just knew that if I gave you too much time to think about it, that THIS would happen. You’d start coming up with all kinds of excuses why it couldn’t happen and I didn’t want to go through that again because I’m too damn tired of being hurt. Well, I guess I did wait too long though. I should have just taken my 20 minutes on the Cooper.” By the end of her angry tirade Mac had finished buttoning her blouse and was reaching for her cover on the counter where she had dropped it.
Harm was stunned. She thought he was rejecting her. ‘That’s not what I said at all.’ She had misunderstood him, again, and now he didn’t know what to say to make it right. Then it registered. ‘Well, you need to say or do something. She’s leaving!’
She had just reached for the knob when she felt his arms wrap around her from behind. Bringing her hard against his body, his ragged whisper echoed in her ear. “No, Sarah. Don’t go. Please don’t go.”
That voice, God that amazing voice...“Why, Harm? Give me a reason.”
“You know the reason.”
Unable to see his face, she heard rather than saw the raw emotion coming out of him in that one simple phrase. Clamping her eyes shut, Mac let herself remember that night so long ago, how close they had come then to finding each other only to be separated by circumstance and more confusing words and double talk. That’s why she was so hesitant to talk now, because they never seemed to hear each other. The actions always spoke so much louder between them. Action was a language they both understood.
Mac reached for the arms encircling her waist, taking his hands and placing them directly over her breasts. She’d made the first move now it was his turn. “Refresh my memory, Flyboy. Show me.”
Short and to the point, the ball was back in his court. This was it; do or die. It was time to let go and just feel.
There was plenty of time later for words. Flexing his fingers, Harm squeezed lightly, rubbing his palms over both of her breasts at the same time. Her nipples were so hard he could feel them straining to get out through the heavy material of her shirt and lacy bra.
Mac gave herself over to the magic spell he was casting over her. His fingers began the task of unbuttoning her blouse, one by one, before slowly easing it off her shoulders completely. With blinding speed he relieved her of her bra as well, pausing only to savor the feel of her hardened nipples grazing the palms of his hands.
Mistaking his halt for reluctance, Mac thrust her hips back in encouragement, rubbing her bottom against the throbbing bulge in his pants. As her hips rocked back, meeting his in the most intimate way, her chest was pushed forward, filling his hands completely. Instinctively, Harm began pinching her hardened buds, rolling them between his fingers. “Oh, Jesus, Mac...” Harm growled. “I need you...so much...”
“Harm...now.” By now Mac was whimpering, needing the feel of him inside her more than her next breath. “Please. Now.”
Spinning her around, Harm backed her against the door, hitting it with a loud thud. His mind had ceased functioning and now his body was being consumed, controlled by pure, animal need. His hands flew to the zipper on her pants, opening them and pushing both them and her cream colored panties to the floor in one movement. Kicking them aside, along with her shoes, Mac stood before him in nothing but her thigh high stockings. Taking a moment to drink it all in, Harm stood back and just stared in rapt wonder at the vision before him. He had never seen anything more exquisite, more perfect, in his whole life.
Mac, on the other hand, was anxious to see him as well. Pushing his shirt the rest of the way off his shoulders she let it fall soundlessly to the floor and went to work on getting him out of his undershirt. With that gone too, Mac made her way down to his belt buckle, grazing her nails down the soft trail of hair leading down and disappearing into his waistband.
Reaching for the button and flipping it open, she then headed straight for the zipper of his fly. Being careful to maneuver around his straining erection, Mac barely got his pants open before reaching in, grasping him firmly in the palm of her hand, her thumb circling around the tip. When she tightened her grip on him he thrust forward, letting himself glide through her fingers, his moans filling the almost silence in the apartment.
Letting go of him, Mac let her hands wander to his ass, gently nudging the material of his pants out of the way to firmly grasp his cheeks. When the pants had made their way down to pool at his feet, Harm kicked them aside as well, toeing off his shoes and socks in the process. Both parties were now naked and ready.
Mac only had a moment to admire him before he lifted her slightly, her back still against the door, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist. Reaching between them, Harm delved into her heat, his fingers sliding easily through her slick folds. At her soft gasp, Harm felt himself harden even more. It was a primitive reaction to her heat, her scent, her need for him. But in that moment there was no force in the universe that could have kept them apart any longer.
He entered her with an almost savage thrust, and echoing cries of pleasure rang out, filling the charged air surrounding them. It was more pleasure than either had ever experienced before and both were caught up in the overwhelming need to be one with the other completely. Her hips met his, thrust for thrust, as Harm moved harder and faster within her. It was a driving need inside of him, a need that could only be satisfied by her. Never before had sex felt this way for him. He was a man possessed, bewitched by the woman in his arms that had always held his soul.
Feeling her body’s every reaction, Harm knew she was as close as he was. Her head was thrown back, her eyes closed, but Harm could see her pleasure etched in every line on her face, her soft pants coming in rhythm with each lunge of his hips against hers. “Look at me, Mac.”
At his low rumble, her eyes opened and met his. His beautiful eyes almost glowed with the power of his emotions, and Mac hoped he saw the same thing mirrored in hers. With a few more powerful thrusts she was flying, soaring over the edge, screaming out his name as her climax seared through every cell of her body.
The force of her release triggered his own. “Mac,” Harm cried out, virtually collapsing on top of her, crushing her between himself and the door while gasping for his every breath. His weight was welcome; she needed him to steady her, emotionally and physically. It felt like the whole world was spinning at an accelerated rate. They stayed like that for a long while before things began to slow. He was holding her so close, hugging her to him tightly and she was clinging to him, neither saying a word.
Then she felt it; the shudders wracking his body. He was trembling, clutching her body in a crushing embrace.
“Harm?” When he stayed buried, hidden in the crook of her neck, Mac began to get worried. Gently she pleaded, “Harm, look at me. Please.”
Her small, uncertain voice caught his attention. Meeting her eyes, Mac was stunned to see tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. “Harm? What is it?”
“I’m so sorry, Mac.” Harm uttered, his voice ragged with barely controlled emotion.
The haunted look in his eyes scared her; he seemed so broken. Mac was almost afraid to ask. “Sorry for what, Harm?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this...our first time. It was supposed to be slow and gentle and...in a bed with me taking care of you. Not up against the damn door,” he replied, looking away from her so she wouldn’t see the disgust he felt for himself at his lack of self control.
So that’s what this was all about. Taking his cheek in her hand, she brought his face back to hers. “This was exactly how it was supposed to happen, Harm. It was everything I had always dreamed it would be. Fire, passion, need, want, lust...all of those things.”
“But...” he tried to protest.
“But,” she interrupted, placing a finger to his lips. “It was also beautiful and sweet and caring. Just because it wasn’t slow and achingly sweet doesn’t take away from the miracle of what just happened. I have never felt more cherished and...taken care of, in my entire life. Please don’t apologize for that, Harm. Not for something so wonderful.”
With her words another wall around his heart was torn down. She had seen a side of him he had never allowed to surface and she wasn’t repulsed. Instead she had relished in it, allowing him to be free with her, and her with him. Love and pride swelled within him. Leaning in, he closed the short distance between their lips.
The smoldering embers of passion were stoked again with that slight contact and soon the fire was once again raging. Breaking away, Harm smiled down at her, resting his forehead against hers. “You’re an amazing woman, Sarah Mackenzie. Thank you.”
Heat infused her body at his words. “And you are an incredible man, Harmon Rabb. And, you’re welcome.” Bringing her hands to rest on his chest, Mac idly began playing in the soft spattering of hair there. “So, are you hungry now or would you like to move this party to the bedroom?” she asked coyly.
Harm was relieved to be able to fall back on their easy, comfortable banter. “Hungry, huh? Isn’t that usually my line?”
“Oh, I know I’m hungry all right,” the heated look in her eyes telling him exactly what she was hungry for.
With a suggestive lift of one eyebrow, Harm inquired, “Ah. So, do you think you’re ready for round two then, Marine?”
“I told you once, Navy. I can take whatever you can dish out,” was her sassy reply.
With that arrogant smirk firmly in place he countered. “We’ll see, Marine. We’ll just see.”
With a knowing smile, Mac tightened both her arms and legs around him, rubbing suggestively against him in silent surrender. “Oh, bring it on, Navy. Bring it on.”
The feel of her silk thigh highs gliding over his skin threw him into high gear instantly, making it difficult to focus on anything but wanting to be inside of her again. This time, however, he managed to control the urge. “You asked for it...”
Then their lips fused together again and tongues met in a heated duel once more. With her legs still wrapped around him, Harm proceeded to carry her the short distance to his bedroom, ever so gently laying her back on his bed once they arrived. Rising up and standing, for a moment he just looked. Damn, if she wasn’t the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He stood unmoving, drinking in the sight of her lying there, her dark olive skin a stark contrast against the pale blue linen sheets. The dim light from the living room barely reached the lovers, casting the bedroom area in shadow.
All through his perusal, Mac was quiet, letting him set the pace of their next encounter. Somehow she knew that this time Harm was in charge and that when they were finished, both would be branded, tied together forever. After a few more intense minutes, Harm lowered himself down next to her on the bed, his piercing blue eyes never leaving hers. The primal look in his eyes was more sexy, more erotic, than anything else she had ever seen. He still had yet to touch her, but oh, the fire in his eyes. That white hot heat was licking up her entire body, everywhere his eyes touched she was burned. And like the moth, Mac was trapped, mesmerized by the flames she saw dancing in those bottomless blue depths.
Then he touched her. Heat transferred out of his fingertips as he traced along the curve of her hip, each caress barely grazing her sensitive skin. His eyes still never left hers but his hands were memorizing her, learning her, committing every detail of her body to memory.
No other lover had ever made her feel anything like this and Mac wanted to soak it all in, absorb every sensation. His hands roamed everywhere, caressing her, touching every inch of her bare flesh he could reach. With every stroke her pulse raced and her breathing quickened. Never had Sarah Mackenzie felt so alive, every nerve inside her jumping to life with every touch of his hands.
“Harm...”
The breathy moan had barely made it’s way to the surface when Harm, bringing a fingertip up to her lips, silenced her. “Shhh...No words, Sarah. Just...let me. Let me show you how it’s supposed to be.”
Mac was held spellbound, still lost in his captive gaze, as his mouth met and molded to hers. Their tongues mated, engaging in an erotic dance that spoke so much about the love that was between them but hadn’t been voiced...
The loud knock at the door startled her out of her conflicted thoughts, her guilt at being caught daydreaming causing her to fidget in her hard office chair. Looking up, Mac noticed Harm staring at her with enough heat in his eyes to light the whole office on fire, and Mac tried her best not to let her body react to him.
Tried but failed miserably.
“Harm..?” she managed to stammer.
“Hey,” he replied softly. “Can I come in?”
Nervously, Mac thought about refusing but didn’t want to make him suspicious, or hurt him. “Um sure, come on in.”
Her eyes flicked down and happened to catch site of the black and white photo now laying on the floor. As casually as she could, her foot dragged the picture under her desk before Harm could see it.
When Harm sat down in front of her, staring at her intently, Mac did her best to meet his gaze.
He could tell she was struggling with something, whether it was about them or something else he wasn’t sure. The only thing he was sure of was he wanted to help her with whatever it was that was troubling her. “You okay, Mac?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be,” she answered a little defensively.
“No reason,” he hurried on before she could jump in, “you just seemed a little...” he searched for the right word, but couldn’t come up with anything.
Sighing, Mac gave him the only answer she could. “I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed again.” She tried to smile, tried to reassure him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s not you, Harm. I...it’s...” Mac cursed under her breath as her eyes suddenly filled with tears.
“Hey,” Harm reached across her desk for her hand. “What’s going on, Mac? Talk to me.”
Mac wavered on indecision, before relenting. “I can’t. Not here anyway.”
Deciding to cut her a break while not showing her any mercy, he gave her that bone melting smile. “Well, that works out well because that’s the reason I’m here.”
Unable to resist his charms she asked with a small smile of her own. “By all means, Commander, enlighten me.”
“What would you say to a quiet dinner tonight? Just the two of us. A little talking, a little dancing...a lot of romantic atmosphere. What do you say?”
His voice was so seductive and he was rubbing the sensitive skin of her palm with the pad of his thumb so softly, making it extremely difficult to breath, let alone think.
“I...can’t think with you doing that.”
“Then don’t think. Just say yes, Mac.”
His voice was a seductive whisper in her ear. How could she argue with that?
She couldn’t. “Yes.”
Harm let out a breath he didn’t even know he’d been holding. “Great,” he gave her hand one final squeeze before standing and making his way to the door of her office, walking backwards. “My place again, 1900. Don’t be late,” he said with a mock glare, pointing at her.
“When have I ever,” she replied.
With one final sexy grin, Harm left. As soon as he was gone the playful expression melted from her face. Looking down again at the manilla envelope on her desk Mac fingered it cautiously, half expecting something to jump out at her. Reaching in carefully, she pulled out several other glossy photos, photos of her and Harm in her bed the morning after her accident. There was absolutely no way to mistake what was taking place between them.
Quickly placing the photos back in the envelope, Mac reached down to pick up the last photo from under her desk. She turned it over, starting at it in muted horror while once more reading the chilling words in a scratchy scrawl...
A
Tisket, A Tasket
Your Flyboy in a casket?
He was in your bed,
But soon he’ll be dead...
THEN YOU’LL BE ALL ALONE, SARAH
Damn it, it wasn’t just about her anymore. The sick bastard was now threatening Harm.
She couldn’t let anything happen to him, she’d never survive it. She had to protect him.
She had to leave him.
TBC...