Disclaimer: They are not mine.

Exploring Options

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Here are Challenge 2009 lines for July.
Harm: Do I give you nightmares?
Mac: Just be safe up there Harm.
In Thin Air

This wasn't their first argument nor would it be their last and while there was an intrinsic intimacy in their battles over the years, this one was not destined to bring them any closer.

It was the same old thing; just when things looked like they were turning for the better, that they were ready take the next step in their relationship, the other seemed to sabotage it by a seemingly senseless act.

Not that Harm flying for his quals was a senseless act, in itself, it just frustrated the hell out of Mac that of all the weekends he could have selected, he chose this weekend. The one she had planned to ... well, for want of a better description, seduce him. Having thought about it for several weeks, Mac's plan was simple; invite Harm for dinner on Friday night, lock the door behind him and not let him out until Sunday – she would even cuff him to the headboard if necessary with the fluffy pink handcuffs she'd purchased on a recent shopping expedition.

That expedition had also yielded three different negligees, an assortment of lingerie, a few products of a more intimate nature and a jar of chocolate body paint.

Stocked and ready, Mac was more than annoyed when Harm called by her office more than pleased with himself and the airborne weekend he'd planned for himself.
"You know I have to do this," he said in his own defence.
"Not this weekend, you didn't?" she retorted, slamming her mug on her desk.
"What's special about this weekend?" he asked and was on the receiving end of a withering marine glare. "I mean, we didn't have any plans, did we?" he quickly asked.
"Not anymore," Mac spat, storming out of her office and into the restroom, while Harm was left to ponder the scene which had just played out.

When she was calm enough, Mac realised that it wasn't really Harm's fault – while she had done all the planning, she hadn't actually mentioned anything to Harm, not even the dinner invitation for the following night. Knowing he wasn't a mind reader, she knew he couldn't have anticipated what she had on the agenda for this weekend. Still, she wasn't impressed.

Making her way back to her office quickly, Mac kept her head down which resulted in her walking straight into the very person she was trying to avoid.
"Whoa!" he said, grabbing her elbow to steady her.
"Sorry," she mumbled moving around him and into her office, closing the door behind her.
Harm was about to follow when he was called into Cresswell's office.

Out on investigation, Harm didn't seen Mac until lunch the next day, by which time she seemed to be in a much better mood. Chancing his luck, he rapped on her office door and entered.
"Hey, Mac," he said, standing in front of her desk.
"Hi, Harm, how'd it go?" she asked, gesturing to the chair.
"Pretty easy in the end," he reported. "Caught up with the Petty Officer, left him in the brig overnight and he was more than willing to share his story this morning."
"Great," she replied, genuinely happy for him.
"About yesterday, Mac..." he began and she shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Harm, I over reacted. You're right, we had no plans," she said, waving her hand.
"So, what was the problem?" he asked, knowing he was moving into dangerous territory.
"I'd rather not..." she began but Harm interrupted.
"I think you owe me some sort of explanation," he said firmly. "Does my flying give you nightmares?"
"No, it's just I had planned on a surprise and you flying quals this weekend threw a spanner in the works," she said as she stood and rounded her desk.
"And what sort of surprise would that have been?" Harm asked curiously, not moving from his chair.
"A very good one," she replied quirking her eyebrow.
"That good, hey?" he chided, looking at her smile.
"Shame you have to go flying," she said, with a deep sigh.
"Can we reschedule the surprise for next weekend?" he asked, standing up in front of her, hopeful she was thinking along the same lines as he was.
"Ahhhh, I guess so," she said, with a shake of the head. "You just be careful up there, Harm."
"Always," he said adding his famous grin. "After all, I have next weekend to look forward to."

Mac's surprise didn't eventuate the next weekend or the one after that due to various work commitments. However, when the opportunity did arise, Mac wasn't sure whether she could go through with it. Over the intervening weeks she'd found her thoughts drifting to Harm; Harm and her, Harm and her naked, Harm and her horizontal, Harm and her naked and horizontal.
"So, dinner still on for tonight?" Harm asked, poking his head around her office door. "Mac, everything alright?" he asked, quickly padding over to her desk when he caught the strange look on her face.
"Yeah, ah, yeah, it's, ah, um, it's good. What did you ask?" she stammered, trying to get her daydream of Harm's naked body smothered in chocolate sauce and not a thing in sight to clean him with... well, except her mouth...
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, now very concerned.
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied quickly, shaking her head. "What did you ask?"
"I asked if dinner was still on tonight," he repeated. "But if you have things on your mind and want to cancel..."
"No!" she stated firmly, jumping up from behind her desk. "Dinner's definitely still on. Make sure you bring your appetite."
"Oh, I will," he said with a grin. "I'm already starving. I could eat a horse – if I wasn't a vegetarian."
"Well, horse is definitely not on the menu," she said.
"What is on the menu?" he asked quietly, before Coates knocked on the door.
"Excuse me, ma'am, sir. Colonel, the General wants to see you immediately," she reported. Mac instantly moved to follow the petty officer.
"Didn't answer my question," Harm whispered, tugging her elbow. "What's on the menu?"
"Me, if you're lucky," she whispered. "1900 and not a minute late."

.
Long after Mac had disappeared into Cresswell's office, Harm stayed standing in Mac's office – not quite believing their last exchange. Had she really said she was on the menu? As in, her, herself, her body? Shaking his head, Harm tried to find clarity but nothing changed, she had definitely said it.

For several minutes Harm paced nervously in the hallway outside Mac's apartment. It was 1845 and he was fifteen minutes early – something unheard of for him. Not wanting to appear desperate to sample the delights apparently being dished up tonight, he hadn't wanted to run the risk of being late and the kitchen being closed. Checking his watch for the third time in four minutes, he tried to reason how long he had to wait before knocking.

Another time check.

1848. Harm stalked to the end of the hallway and back, thrice.

Another time check.

1851 Harm dried his hands on his jeans.

Another time check.

1851"Damn it," he muttered, time seemingly standing still.

Not caring anymore, Harm rapped quickly on her door before drying his hands again.

The few moments it took Mac to open the door felt like an eternity to him. Leaning down, he picked up the bouquet of wildflowers he had brought with him and drew a deep, deep breath.
"These are for you," he said while exhaling, thrusting the flowers at Mac as soon as the door opened.
"Thank you," she said slowly, looking from him to the flowers and back. "Hello there, Harm."
"Oh, yeah, hi Mac," he said, padding into the apartment when she stepped aside for him to enter.
As Harm removed his jacket, Mac turned secured the top lock on her door and grinned to herself.

It took a few minutes for Harm's senses to kick in and when they did he realised the only scent wafting by was that from the flowers, there was no indication dinner was being prepared at all. Although starving, this excited him greatly...if there was no food on the menu, it only meant one thing – Mac.
"Can I get you a drink?" she asked and he nodded, his eyes following her form clad in blue jeans riding low on her hips, a pale pink tight tee which showed off an expanse of skin which mesmerised Harm and bare feet.

Only a moment later she returned, handing him a large bottle of water.
"You should always be well hydrated," Mac commented as he checked out the bottle.
"Yes, I know," he agreed, nodding. "Hydration's one thing, what about sustenance?"
"Sustenance as in dinner?" she asked and he nodded. "Well, I thought about it long and hard ..." she started, and Harm's mind being elsewhere instantly thought of something else and a blush crept over his cheeks. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, ah, what were you thinking about?" he asked quickly, trying to drag his mind from the gutter.
"I thought we could order in. There are menus on the coffee table for Greek, Chinese, Thai, Italian and that burger place around the corner. It means we can spend less time in the kitchen and more time on other things," she said suggestively as she quirked an eyebrow.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," he said, walking to the coffee table. "What do you feel like?" he asked, surprised to turn and find her right behind him.
"You," she said simply. No more innuendo or 'it's complicated' or just being friends. The question was simple and the answer was simpler – she wanted him.
"Me?" he said, a nervous lump materialising in his throat.
"I .want. you.," she enunciated slowly and deliberately. "What do you want?"
"You, Mac. I want you," he replied softly.

For the next few moments their eyes remained locked while their hearts pounded rapidly in sync. Realising this wasn't going to get them anywhere, and that this whole little encounter was her planning, Mac decided she was just going to go for it and everything else be damned.

Taking the one step needed, Mac placed one hand on his cheek while curling the other around his neck. Drawing him to her, Mac let her lips dance across his, placing light kisses before coming to settle on his. Once she was felt his arms surround her, Mac deepened the kiss and it wasn't long before her tongue was invading his mouth and exploring every inch of it.

It was a tangle of arms and hands as each tried to claim as much of the other as possible.
"Sofa," Mac groaned as her knees went weak and she slumped into him.

Shuffling across, Harm fell backwards into the sofa, bringing Mac with him. In one swift movement, she'd straddled his lap and her fingers were splayed through his hair controlling the kiss as she pressed harder and harder into him. Feeling his arousal, Mac pulled back and studied his face looking for any sign Harm wasn't sure about this – she didn't find one.
"Can you give me two minutes?" she asked and he nodded.
"Promise you are coming back?" he asked breathlessly.
"Oh, I'm definitely coming back," she said, climbing off him.

As promised, Mac reappeared from her bedroom in two minutes, wearing a floor length red negligee which accentuated every curve and highlighted the cleavage Harm had been longing to see in the flesh. With a slit way up to her thigh, Mac's shapely leg poked through as she leant back on the door jamb and waited for Harm to notice – which he did, instantly.
"I'm back," she purred.
Harm was on his feet and standing in front of her immediately.
"So I can see," he replied hoarsely. "You look ... wow, I mean, Mac, you ...ah, look amazing."
"This old thing?" she sassed, cocking her head.
"Yeah, it's ... um... beautiful," he said, finding it difficult to find the correct adjective to describe the beauty in front of him.
"Well, I was thinking it was a little tight," she observed, running her hand across her stomach. "Don't you think?"
"N-no," he stuttered. "It...ah...it looks perfect to me." Slowly his hand traced the path Mac's had before sliding around to her back and pulling her towards him.
"Shame," she said with an overly dramatic sigh.
"Why's that?" he asked, trailing kisses from her temple all the way to her shoulder, his tongue brushing across the spaghetti strap before looking up at her.
"Because if you thought it was too tight, I'd have taken it off..." she said.
"Tight...too tight...definitely," he replied so quickly he stumbled over the words. "Need any help?"
"Oh, I'm sure you could give me a hand," she said, fisting his shirt and tugging him into the bedroom.

For a moment Harm stood still, trying to get his head around the fact this was actually happening.
Scooping up the hem of the negligee, Mac bunched it up. "If you put one hand here," she instructed, placing the fabric in his hand... "And the other one here," she said, doing the same on the other side. "And lift..."
Very familiar with following orders, Harm did as ordered and Mac was soon revealed in all her glory.
"Beautiful, just beautiful," he muttered, leaning in and kissing her cheek.
"Gotta problem," she whispered, tugging on his tee.
"What's that?" he whispered in reply.
"You're still dressed... think you can change that?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, ma'am," he said, shedding his clothes at a speed Mac wouldn't have believed possible if she hadn't seen it herself.
"I hope all your moves aren't that fast," she said with a smirk as she took his hand and walked over to the bed.
"I go all speeds," he boasted, running his fingers across her shoulder.
"Well, let's start slow and see where we go to from there," she said, pulling back the covers and sliding across the bed.
"What if we start fast and then see where we go?" Harm countered, as he slid in after her.
"Are you plea bargaining, counsellor?" she asked, rolling onto her side and running her hand across his chest.
"Just exploring my options," he countered.

Mac pushed Harm back before climbing on him and kissing him deeply.
"And what are you doing?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and keeping her in place.
"Just exploring my options," she mimicked, leaning in to kiss him once more.
"Explore away, Mac, explore away!"

Thanks for reading!