Okay, seriously, they should have Kissed during "In Country"...Let's fix that. ;-)
"We need to stop, Mac." Harm said on a huff as he leaned against a rock. He shifted the rifle, using the sling to push it to the side as he pulled out his canteen and took a long drink. "I can't keep this pace."
"Too old for this, pappy?" Mac quipped and got an annoyed grin as a response.
"It's my knee, the one I hurt that night." He didn't have to elaborate, Mac knew very well that he was referring to the night of her rehearsal dinner.
"Understood… I'm sorry."
"Not your fault." He pushed himself off the rock and stared up at the ridge they were climbing. "Let's try to get over this hill and find a place to sleep. How many hours til sunrise?"
Mac thought for a second before rattling off, "Five hours and twenty minutes."
Fifteen minutes later they were situated on the ground, Harm wrapped around Mac using body heat to stay warm as they had hours ago. "I think we're okay here."
"So long as we don't share a bed with scorpions." She stared at his face noticing the scratches that he had all over. Carefully, she traced under one of the cuts and frowned. "Do they hurt?"
"Do yours?" He took her hand and studied the bandage that he'd wrapped around her hand hours earlier after an impromptu bomb strike nearly killed them. There were blood stains on the bandage but, it wasn't seeping through.
"Hurts like a bitch." She said with a shrug and then snuggled close to him. For several minutes they held each other in silence, Mac's head began churning about the night Harm almost died in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It was the catalyst that ended any hopes of a marriage with Mic. Now, nearly a year later, Mac knew she was at peace over it. "We never talked about that night."
No, they hadn't. It was just too easy to ignore it all and pretend it didn't happen. "I'm sorry I wrecked your marriage."
"No you're not… You never liked Mic." Mac said on a chuckle.
"He was fine until he was on your scent like a dog. After that, no, I couldn't stomach him." Harm wanted to like him, he did, just not when he started pining after Mac like a lovesick puppy. They had no history together, no depth.
"Harm?"
"Mmm."
"Do you still see me as a desirable woman?" She bit her lower lip after she asked wondering if the past year had cause an irrevocable damage to a possible relationship with him. They had gone back to the beginning and things were better. She'd gotten her friend back but, selfishly wanted more.
"Always…" He murmured sleepily.
"Because I think you're pretty desirable yourself."
That had him waking up. He shifted in her arms and tilted her head up to look at her. "You what?"
"I think you're desirable." She was grinning like a Cheshire cat, heart beating a rough staccato as she laid her feelings out for him. "No matter what I try, I can't stop wondering about us." On a sigh, she leaned forward and kissed him. It was a soft, barely there kiss and she shyly pulled away. "Sorry… I just, don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering… And I don't wanna live without you."
"I don't either, Mac… I thought you needed more time." Although, how much time did she need? They were both single and lately, things seemed to fall into place. Harm was just never sure when to make a move or if it would destroy their friendship if he did.
"Not anymore. I'm okay now… And I just...I want to be with you."
"Thank God." Harm's lips took Mac's in a long, soul searching kiss that left her breathless.
Mac's head was spinning and the electricity that sizzled between them for years burned white hot. He pulled her onto him, hands pressing her roughly against him. She stopped him abruptly before things got too out of control. "Woah sailor. As much as it pains me, I'm not interested in doing the horizontal mambo out in the middle of the desert."
Harm's lust filled brain reminded him where they were and with a groan, he released his hold on her. "Our timing…"
"Is just right…" She cut him off and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I just want our first time to be in a big, comfy bed."
That comment had Harm grinning like an idiot. "Mine or yours?"
"We'll flip for it."
