Three Weeks Later
1735 EST
Bud and Harriet's Reception

Since Annie dumped him a few weeks prior, Harm kept catching himself staring at Mac. This time he caught himself watching her from across the room, in conversation with Carolyn Imes, while he himself lost all interest in what AJ Chegwidden was saying to him. He much rather stare at his partner and take in her ethereal beauty. It then dawned on him, throughout the whole day, he had never once said she looked beautiful. Which indeed she was. More beautiful than any other woman in the room. Harm felt a tug at his heart when a smile lit up Mac's face at something Carolyn said. It not only lit up her face, but also lit up the whole room.

He knew what he had to do. Harm quickly excused himself from AJ and made a detour to the DJ before heading over to where Mac and Carolyn were sitting. His only fear was that she would not like his gesture or even worse, would not want to dance with him. Ever since he denied her the night after he rescued her from Coster, Mac had been civil with him, but it was different between them. He wanted what they had before, yet, they could not go back to that time. It ended the night they slept together. They had crossed a line and it would never be the same between them, no matter how hard they tried.

Harm quietly strolled up behind Mac, stopped and leaned down until his mouth was against her ear. His voice was a husky tone and it sent shivers down her spine, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

"I never pictured you as a Shakespeare man, Harm." A smile tugged at her lips.
"Sonnet 18 is one of my favorites, I'll have you know. Any way, I was wondering if you like to dance with me." Such a gentleman, he held out his hand to her.

Mac flashed him a small smile before placing her hand in his. He helped her to her feet and together, they went out onto the dance floor. The first strains of the song wafted from the speakers placed around the area. The soft voice of the singer hypnotized everyone as well as the couple in the center of the dance floor.

Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help
Falling in love with you
Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin?
If I can't help
Falling in love with you

Mac rested her cheek on his shoulder and draped her arms around his neck. Beneath her cheek, she could feel the hard muscle, but knew deep down, tenderness resided in his body. "I love this song, Harm. How did you know?" She spoke softly.

"Just lucky, I guess." He framed her face with his hands, brushing her cheeks with his thumbs. "I'm sorry that I haven't said that you look beautiful today."

"You just said it now."

Harm chuckled at what she said. "I meant wholeheartedly. You really look beautiful, Sarah. Would you like to grab a cup of coffee after the reception?"

She leaned up on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "That is for the compliment and yes, I would love to have a cup of coffee with you."
Harm smiled in response and they finished dancing to the song.
~*~*~*~*~*~*

2315 EST
Mac's Apartment
Georgetown

Harm walked Mac to her door, just like the gentleman he perceived himself to be that day. Once she opened the door, Mac invited him inside and he could not deny her, no matter how hard he tried. He closed the door behind him and stood in the middle of the living room. Mac tossed her purse and keys onto the coffee table then turned around to face him. His face marred few emotions but she noticed the lustful look in his eyes. The same one she saw when he loved her so long ago. What she would give for another night with him. Yet, she could not handle being rejected once more by him. It would destroy her.

"Would you like to stay for a nightcap?"

"Mac__." Her name was a low groan from his lips. It sent shivers straight to her core and she longed to have him buried there.

"I meant, would you like to stay for coffee?" She tried to divert his attention by changing her sentence.

He took two steps and that brought him within inches of her. He could feel the heat radiating from both of their bodies. He could hear her breaths coming out in short gasps. His voice was a low, throaty whisper, "No, you didn't, Mac. Why do you want me to stay?"

"Because I'm depressed." She stated firmly.

"Why? Today was a joyous occasion." One more step and he felt her breasts brushing against his chest with each breath she took.

Her hands pressed against his chest, not knowing whether to grab it in her fist and pull him to her, or push him away. "I just saw two of my friends get married and I have yet to have a wonderful guy to spend the rest of my life with."

"What if that man was standing in front of you?" He looked down at her hands, fiddling with the buttons on his dress whites, then raised his eyes to meet hers.

His eyes were hypnotizing and she found herself being drawn into his question. "If he was, I couldn't have him. I wouldn't want to ruin his career or my own."
The answer was not what he expected. Harm brushed his fingers through her hair,

"Sarah..."

"Love me, Harm. Give me one more night with you." Mac cut him off because she was afraid of what he was going to say. She distracted him more by unbuttoning his jacket swiftly before pushing it off his shoulders and onto the floor. They would worry about it later.

Harm reached behind her and pulled down the zipper on her dress. He pushed the dress off her shoulders, watched it slide down her body and pool at her feet. He sucked in a shaky breath at the sight before him.

She was wearing black lace. A bra that barely held her bountiful breasts captive and thongs that made his heart beat wildly in his chest. Harm caressed her rounded cheeks as he hauled her to him. Mac felt his erection poking her stomach and rubbed seductively against it, causing a low groan to come from Harm.

He cupped her cheeks in his large hands, picked her up and instructed her to wrap her legs around his waist. Their mouths met in a heated kiss, tongues lashing, trying to overpower each other, but neither winning. He strolled into the bedroom and kicked the door shut with his foot.
~*~*~*~*~*~*

0530 EST
Mac's Apartment

Quietly, he disengaged himself from her arms and rolled out of bed. He pulled on his boxers and pants. Once they were fastened, he pulled on his t-shirt and looked for his shoes. He only wondered why they were thrown last night. Sex between them last night was needy. They couldn't get enough of each other and used the whole supply of condoms that Mac kept in her nightstand drawer. At least it was only half a box and not a whole one, or they would have been reaching for each other more often.

He spotted his shoes over by the closet door. He picked them up and took one last look at the sleeping beauty. She was now curled up on his side of the bed, hugging the pillow that he used, to her face. Harm reached out a tentative hand and brushed his fingers through her tousled hair. Mac sighed in sleep, but did not wake up.

Harm exited the room and closed the door behind him. He picked up his jacket where it was left on the living room floor. He slung it over his arm as he went over to her desk. After searching for a few minutes, he managed to find a have sheet of paper and a pen. He wrote a short note to Mac and then something special. He folded it in half and wrote her name of the front. With such stealth, he went back into the bedroom and placed the note on the pillow beside her. Then, he left the apartment, wondering what they both gotten themselves into.
~*~*~*~*~*~*

0700 EST

Her internal clock woke her up and she blindly reached out a hand beside her to find the space empty. What made her think that he had stayed? What made her think that last night was different from the first time? She buried her face in her pillow and groaned in disgust for herself. Disgusted that she fell hard for Harmon Rabb. Disgusted that she thought that she could handle just sleeping with Harm and not expecting anything in return. No words of love or some sort of commitment.

Mac turned her head and saw the note lying on the pillow that harbored his scent. His scent that she could still smell on her own body. She unfolded it and started the familiar scrawl. She only got a few sentences in before she crumbled up the letter and threw it in the trash. How dare he? How dare he say 'thank you' for a wonderful night? She was not some prostitute that he got off the street. Granted, what transpired between the two of them both times was sex, but she would not treated like some whore.

She got up from the bed and headed for the bathroom. She would not give into his charms a third time around like she did the first time. She was a Marine. She could handle Harmon Rabb. She was strong enough to withstand his ways of charming women into bed. He obviously couldn't resist her, but Mac could resist him. It was possible.

As she passed the trash can, she saw the last part of the letter still visible.
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

Something about that tugged at her heart, but Mac would not let it affect her. If Harm said it to her again, she wouldn't break.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*