A/N: You have no idea how hard it is to write convincing, steamy sex scenes while listening to the theme from Sesame Street – which, with twin toddlers around, is fairly omnipresent in my home. Still, even with the dulcet voice of Big Bird ringing in my ears, I managed to turn the heat up in this chapter. I'm totally baffled by this endless geyser of lust that has possessed me, but I'm feeling absolutely compelled to put it down on paper. Again, apologies if I've overdone it.

For those of you waiting on my next chapter for Path from Yesterday, rest assured, I'm working on it as well. It's been slightly slower going because I've needed to do some research, but it's on its way, and actually pretty meaty this time.

And now, back to UST central…

Chapter 4

"Wow, you look like hell." Daniel's frank assessment was issued in surprisingly cheerful tones as he slowly sipped the morning's second cup of coffee.

Glaring darkly at his friend, Jack replied with his trademark brand of sarcasm. "Thanks, but flattery will get you nowhere." Blinking the grit of insomnia from his uncharacteristically bleary eyes, he sighed heavily. Sam would be up and about anytime now, and he had no idea how he was going to handle seeing the object of his unfulfilled longings.

Taking in Jack's rumpled clothing, bloodshot eyes, and surly disposition, Daniel wordlessly poured his friend a cup of the steaming brew he'd just finished making. Handing it over, he noted with some concern that Jack barely even looked in his direction. "Everything okay?" he asked gently.

Daniel's words sank into Jack's clouded brain, making him look up in vague surprise. "Huh?" Then, processing the question, he blinked and nodded faintly. "Oh yeah. I'm peachy."

Standing a few feet away, Teal'c had obviously been monitoring the exchange. Raising an eyebrow, he looked meaningfully at Daniel, who returned the expression with a worried frown. "Did you not sleep well, O'Neill?" The Jaffa's words had an almost soothing quality to them, as though he already sensed the answer to his question.

Exhaling sharply, Jack's eyes flashed with annoyance. "I said I'm fine," he snapped. Then, hearing the prickly tone in his own voice, he closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, T." Looking at the concerned warrior, he shook his head. "No. I didn't sleep well. I was too damned worried about that stupid golden circle." Well, that was almost true. Just substitute 'stopping myself from molesting Carter in her sleep' with 'that stupid golden circle,' and it would be perfectly accurate.

Teal'c absorbed Jack's words with a silent nod. "Major Carter was similarly afflicted. She spent much of the night shifting restlessly in her bedroll."

Jack's jaws clenched reflexively. Oh lord, he thought dismally. Please don't talk about Sam and blankets in the same sentence. Clearing his throat, he fought for a normal tone. "Sorry to hear that," he mumbled.

As if summoned by their conversation, Sam suddenly emerged from the tent she was sharing with Teal'c. Jack immediately noticed the dark circles under her eyes and felt a flash of concern.

Sam had huddled in her tent that morning for as long as she could without eliciting questions from her teammates. Butterflies the size of C-5 Galaxy cargo planes had slammed into her belly as she'd pushed aside the tent flap and stepped into the pleasantly cool morning air. Naturally, the first person she'd locked gazes with had been Jack.

Initially, she'd felt an overwhelming wave of heat and hunger, which was just as quickly replaced by a mountain of embarrassment. However, after staring into his unusually groggy gaze for a moment, she began to realize all was not well with her CO. "Wow. You look like-"

Jack held up his hand. "If you're going to say 'like hell,' save it. Danny already took care of sweet talking me this morning."

In spite of her other preoccupations, Sam had to smile at his familiar dry wit. "Actually, I was going to say 'like you didn't sleep very well,' sir." Then, thinking about Jack tossing and turning in his bedroll all night, Sam felt the moisture in her mouth evaporate instantly.

Oblivious to her sudden discomfort, Jack laughed humorlessly. "We've actually already had that conversation, too." His eyes swept over her as impersonally as he could manage – which wasn't terribly impersonal, but at least managed to circumvent being lewd. "You're not looking very rested yourself, Major."

Sam felt her cheeks redden. Inwardly cursing her fair complexion, she broke away from his assessing look and lunged toward the coffee pot. Sensing three curious stares directed at her back, Sam suppressed a wince. "Just worried about that device in the temple," she replied as evenly as possible.

Once again, Teal'c and Daniel exchanged wordless glances, this time appearing vaguely skeptical. Jack was just glad that the conversation's focus had shifted away from his own sorry condition. However, by the time Sam turned back around with her cup of coffee, all four of them had apparently decided to drop the entire line of conversation and move forward.

After everyone had eaten breakfast and the camp was put into order, Daniel ushered the team into the spacious temple. With careful instructions, he began to teach the others how to remove the square marble slabs from the back wall without damaging the mosaic tiles which lay beneath. It was excruciatingly slow-going, delicate work, but mind-numbingly dull enough to keep Jack and Sam's sleep-deprived state from being a problem.

By lunch time, Sam's shoulders were screaming from being hunched over the marble squares all morning. Groaning uncomfortably, she stood up and stretched her neck in an effort to loosen her cramped muscles. "That's it," she announced to anyone who might be listening. "I'm taking a break before my head falls off."

Smiling at her use of his joke, Jack watched her move stiffly across the marble floor to the majestic double doors which led outside. Noticing that Daniel was still totally engrossed in his translation of the pillars, and that Teal'c looked ready to tear down all the marble from the back wall single-handedly, Jack decided that a break was actually a pretty good idea. After all, he'd managed to get through the last four hours without pinning Sam to the smooth, polished floor tiles and having his wicked way with her – which was no small feat, considering the number of times their arms and hands had brushed up against each other during the tedious excavation. Standing up slowly, he winced visibly as his battered knees protested the abuse he'd put them through that morning. On the bright side, the pain gave him something besides Sam's sweetly rounded derriere to think about.

Wordlessly, he followed his gorgeous second-in-command out into the glorious afternoon sunshine. He spotted her immediately, resting on a tree stump beside the pond she'd tumbled into on their first day at the site. He took two steps in her direction before stopping abruptly.

She was putting on sunblock again.

He supposed that after having spent an entire morning locked in a musty, ancient building, applying sunscreen when going outdoors was a good idea, especially on an alien planet where UV radiation could be more intense than on earth. Still, the rational part of his consciousness was quickly bound and gagged in a corner of his brain as he once again witnessed her unintentionally sensual movements. Watching her hands trail down her long, graceful arms, he had the nearly uncontainable urge to replace her delicate fingers with his own, work-roughened hands.

As if she could sense his presence, Sam's eyes suddenly flew open, clashing with his heated stare in an expression of shock and mild panic. For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, they stayed perfectly motionless, locked in a torrent of electrical longing that was as undeniable as it was obvious.

Sucking in a ragged breath, Sam felt her heart slamming uncontrollably against the inside of her ribcage. Somewhere deep in her mind, his voice resonated a single, wicked sentence. "The sunscreen just about drove me over the edge." Seeing the blind hunger in his current expression, Sam almost fell off her seat. It suddenly seemed as if he'd been present in her dreams for the last two nights.

Flushing wildly, Sam fought back the panic that such a thought elicited. That was simply ridiculous. If he was now looking at her like she'd make a nice substitute for his lunchtime MRE, it was simply because he'd picked up on her own lust-filled thoughts. Forcing herself to breathe, she smiled a bit unsteadily into his warm, chocolate-colored gaze. "Hi," she said softly.

Feeling the floor drop out from under him, Jack suddenly understood what skydiving without a parachute must be like. Much to his complete astonishment, Samantha Carter had just returned the naked hunger in his stare with a look of startlingly equal intensity. Topped off with that tremulous smile and breathless greeting, Jack knew he was a total goner. "Hi yourself," he replied automatically, then nearly groaned aloud as he remembered where that particular line had originated. He so did not need to go there right now.

Sam's eyes widened fractionally as she processed his words. Good lord, was the man psychic? First the sunscreen fetish, and now a quote from her erotic dream about him. She silently cursed whatever sick Fate was tormenting her so deviously. Her own fevered brain coupled with the longing in his eyes was enough to drive her more than a little crazy – she certainly didn't need help falling into another sensual daydream about him. "I had to get up and about for a little while," she said hoarsely, gesturing toward the temple. "My shoulders have just about had it."

Fascinated by the glittering emotions in her eyes, Jack found himself walking toward her, as though drawn by an irresistible, magnetic attraction. "I know what you mean," he replied quietly, chagrined by the husky quality that had crept into his voice. "My knees are pretty much done for."

Sam watched him approach with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. Jack O'Neill was a threat to her sanity at fifty paces. Up close and personal, he was downright dangerous. "Do you want to sit down? I can move if you want."

Smiling, Jack shook his head. That was Sam all right – always thinking of others first. "Nah. I'm actually better off standing." He was directly in front of her now, looking down into her eyes with an unreadable expression. "How about you? Need a backrub?" The offer fell from his lips before he had a chance to stop it.

Had he really just offered to place his hands on her body for an extended period of time in order to bestow physical pleasure? What the hell was he thinking?

Sam absorbed the suggestion with something akin to utter shock. She would have to be totally out of her mind to even consider such an offer. Smiling gratefully, she decided to turn him down without a second thought.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

Wait. Who'd said that? Sam blinked as her brain processed the reply which had just flown out of her mouth. Holy Hannah. She'd actually agreed to let him touch her. In her present condition, she had no idea what the results of such an experience might be, but she assumed it would probably be messy.

Jack's heart kicked into high gear as her words sank in. Not trusting himself to speak, he silently took the few steps which brought him directly behind her and then took a deep, uneven breath to steady his frayed nerves. Placing his tanned, calloused hands on her delicate shoulders, he bit back a desperate oath. Touching her, even through the warm fabric of her t-shirt, was incredibly arousing. Closing his eyes, he slowly began to flex his fingers, biting firmly into the tense muscles of her shoulders.

From the moment his hands made contact with her body, Sam was utterly lost. Her eyes drifted shut and images from the last two nights danced before her enticingly. As his strong hands began to work their magic, she couldn't quite stop a helpless noise of surrender from slipping past her lips.

That little sound – part gasp and part moan – hit Jack like a two-by-four to his solar plexus. It was exactly the same noise she'd made in his dreams last night, right when his fingers had brushed the softest, most intimate part of her. Feeling like control of his body had somehow been relegated to someone other than himself, he watched the soft skin at the nape of Sam's neck grow closer as his lips were drawn to the particularly sensitive spot.

Adrift in remnants of her nighttime fantasy, Sam first thought she was dreaming again when she felt the warm brush of his mouth on her neck. Then, as a strangled rumble echoed from his throat, she suddenly realized he was really kissing her.

Eyes flying open, she inhaled sharply, only to be overwhelmed by the enticing, familiar scent of him. Vaguely, she registered the velvet-soft stroke of his fingers as they strayed from her shoulders to the bare skin of her arm. Slowly, maddeningly, his mouth skated across the fevered skin of her neck, coming to rest at the sensitive spot where her earlobe met her jawline. Instinctively, she dropped her head to one side, allowing him better access to the erogenous zone he'd just discovered. When his tongue softly danced over her overheated flesh, she whimpered softly and brought one hand up to cradle the back of his head.

As Sam's fingers tangled in his hair, Jack felt his last vestiges of sanity escape. This wasn't a one-sided fantasy encounter. Finally, after seven long years of repressed yearning, he was holding onto his dream woman in the flesh, and she was holding right back onto him with equal fervor. Pulling away slightly, he gently moved his hands back to her shoulders and slowly but firmly turned her to face him.

Blue eyes flashing with lightning intensity, Sam stared into his gaze boldly and without shame. She was, at that moment, a warrior staking her claim on all that she'd conquered. Jack felt wholly unworthy to be the recipient of such passion, but relished the feeling all the same. Bending forward, he let his eyes drift shut as his mouth zeroed in on hers.

Slow as honey dripping from the comb, Jack's face descended towards hers in a maddeningly erotic expression of desire. Sam could feel the whisper of his breath on her mouth and smell the spicy scent of his aftershave as his lips closed the last, sweltering millimeters that separated his mouth from hers.

Suddenly, a loud cry of pain echoed through the clearing, causing Sam and Jack to freeze in their tracks.

Eyes flying open, Jack cast a last, regretful look at her perfectly formed mouth before pulling away. It was only his well-honed instincts as a soldier which allowed him to instantly target the source of the unwelcome noise. After one, muddled moment, his brain processed the sound and decided it must have come from inside the temple.

Sam watched in utter paralysis as Jack's face changed from passionate, dream lover to intense black-ops colonel at a speed she was barely able to process, much less mimic. She was still sitting as motionless as a statue when he turned his head toward the marble building with a look of fierce concentration.

"That was Daniel," he murmured quietly. Turning back to Sam, he smiled at the frozen look of shock on her features. "I should probably go check it out."

Nodding woodenly, Sam decided she hadn't come anywhere close to recovering yet. "Yes, sir," she replied automatically.

Jack's smile broadened into a grin at her response. "Might be a little late to start with the whole military protocol thing."

Blushing, Sam lowered her eyes. "Right," she mumbled.

Then, before his better judgment had a chance to intercede, Jack dropped a swift, firm kiss directly on Sam's unsuspecting mouth. As he pulled away, he met her flabbergasted stare with a mischievous wink. Then, without a word, he turned and left.

Nine hours later, Sam still felt a bit like she was walking through molasses. By the time she'd caught up with Jack and the rest of the team in the building, he'd been wrapping a nasty gash on Daniel's forearm with a strip of gauze from his vest pocket. Apparently, the archaeologist had been helping Teal'c pry a particularly stubborn tile loose from the wall when the small crowbar had slipped, cutting him pretty badly. However, apart from Daniel's complaints about the adhesive pulling the hairs on his arms when Sam changed the dressing, he didn't seem to show any signs of lasting damage.

Now, as the team settled into their nightly lights-out routine, Sam found herself dreading the long night ahead. Somehow, she and Jack had made it through the rest of the day without eliciting any odd comments or stares from their teammates – no small feat, considering the enormity of what had happened in the clearing earlier. Every time she and Jack stumbled into eye contact with each other, one of them would jerk away after a single, fevered moment of unmitigated yearning had passed. Sam had no doubt that her dreams tonight were going to be completely X-rated, a prospect which might not be so depressing if she thought her subconscious mind might actually finish what it started.

In his own tent, Jack was experiencing a similar sense of dread. He still couldn't quite process what had almost occurred in front of that pond today. He could be court-martialed and disciplined for such a breach of conduct. And yet, in spite of that fact, he was having a very hard time regretting his actions. Worse, he was fairly certain that the night ahead would confirm his suspicions about the alien device. It was just too coincidental that he would have a series of blisteringly hot dreams about his favorite obsession immediately following his tumble into the gold circle. He suspected that the technology somehow managed to intensify and disrupt dreams, causing a sleep disturbance of some sort. The exhaustion on Sam's face had backed his hypothesis earlier today. If he experienced another rude awakening tonight, he'd be fairly certain of his findings.

After all, when he'd had hot-and-heavy dreams starring the Major in the past, at least his brain had had the decency to see things through to their natural conclusion. This, he decided, was far too cruel to have originated in his own mind.

As to what he might do with that information once he was sure of it, he had absolutely no idea yet. But, since he still had a long night of delicious torment to get through, he decided he'd better get to sleep sooner than later.

Jack's warm, wet tongue traced the gentle contour of Sam's shapely calf. Stopping at the crook of her knee, he nibbled softly at her warm flesh, delighted by the gasping moans of pleasure resonating from her throat. Suddenly, her moan was transformed into a throaty chuckle.

Lifting his head from his deliciously sensual task, Jack swept a scorching look over her naked body before coming to rest in her twinkling blue gaze. "What's so funny?" he asked curiously, enchanted by the mix of desire and amusement in her eyes.

Melting under his searing intensity, she tried to reign in her laughter. "It's nothing," she gasped, noticing that while his mouth had temporarily discontinued its pursuit, his hands had not.

"Carter," he commanded enticingly, "Fess up." Enjoying the noises she was making, he continued to tease her with soft caresses to the back of her knee. "What's so funny?" he repeated again, this time more forcefully.

Unable to contain a chuckle at the ridiculousness of her next statement, Sam shook her head, blushing slightly. "I was just thinking that it's a good thing this is a dream. In real life, I didn't have time to shave my legs before leaving on this mission."

Momentarily surprised by her candor, Jack quickly found himself overcome with laughter. She was an absolute treasure, honest and artless to her sweet core. Once he'd managed to contain his amusement, he looked back into her eyes and smiled humorously. "Oh, I don't know. I'm sure if you asked Teal'c, he'd lend you a razor."

Puzzled by his suggestion, Sam tilted her head. "Teal'c?" Given their present situation, she wondered why he didn't offer his own.

Jack grinned. "C'mon, he's gotta have one with him at all times. How else could he keep his head so perfectly shiny all the time?"

Bursting into another round of laughter, Sam's heart swelled with the joy of this moment. No other man in the universe could drive her to distraction in one second and then completely tickle her funny bone in the next. Exchanging a warm smile with him, she shook her head. "You never know," she said teasingly, "maybe he's secretly been sneaking off base for electrolysis treatments."

Completely charmed by her playful manner, Jack's eyes danced with lively animation. Then, as if he'd momentarily forgotten why he was in his present location, he suddenly became fixated on the soft pulse-point behind her knee. Casting one, last, roguish grin at her face, he swooped down and resumed his gentle torment.

Sam's laughter quickly turned to gasps of pleasure as his mouth painstakingly crept up the inside of one, satin-smooth thigh. One of his hands continued to caress the back of her knee, gently bending her leg upward and outward. Instantly, Sam realized what his intentions were and struggled to draw oxygen into her lungs. Before she could issue a protest, his mouth was there, waiting at the threshold of the very center of her. With an inarticulate cry of satisfaction, Sam threw her head back as his mouth descended–

Sam yanked the pillow out from behind her head, muffling a quiet moan of sheer, absolute, unadulterated frustration. In her current state of fevered lust, she was half tempted to ignore the presence of teammates and frat regs alike and go throw herself on top of the man who slept no more than two dozen feet away. Clutching the pillow tightly, it took several, long minutes before Sam completely abandoned the idea and tried to return to sleep.