Chapter twelve

After their first night together, Jack had taken the two of them out to breakfast...something she hadn't done since her friends had surprised her with a baby shower/brunch when she was pregnant. Jack had gone home to shower and change first, getting up at his usual 5 am, while Sam fed Amy and got them both ready to go out. By seven he was back at Sam's house to pick them up. They'd had a wonderfully relaxed time at a local resort dining room, while Amy slept in her infant carrier.

The following day, which was Sunday, they had decided to sleep in. Or at least she had intended to sleep until it was time for Amy's morning feeding. However, Jack had other ideas entirely. When Sam felt an insistent prodding from behind, she opened one sleepy eye and looked at the clock. It was only 5:15!

"Jaaack," Sam whined, "I thought we were gonna sleep late."

"You sleep. I can handle this without you," he whispered, as a big hand encompassed her left breast, pulling her body back toward his. His knee nudged her outer leg up and out, and then she felt long fingers exploring her sex. She'd had a lot of wake up calls in her life, but none quite like this one! Sam groaned and pushed her ass backward, rubbing it against his hardness. Then suddenly she was on her stomach, her face pressed to the mattress, and Jack was entering her, one hand still holding her breast, while his other hand spanned her belly.

His breath puffed out into her ear, giving testament to how hard he was working to get off. For several minutes he huffed and puffed and ground into her, swiveling his hips every now and again, as he drove himself deeper and deeper. And then he was coming, grunting his relief, while Sam felt her mother's milk wetting the bed under her. This is what happens, she thought, when she didn't wear a nursing bra to bed. But what was the sense in putting in on, when a certain horny Colonel was just going to remove it! The soiled laundry was going to be piling up, but she really didn't mind; sleeping with Jack O'Neill was even better than she'd imagined it would be!

But no matter how close they were getting, even though she tried not to worry, Sam's mind would go back to the vow she had made to herself to set boundaries with him...at least until he made a commitment to her and Amy. How on earth could she establish guidelines and limits in their relationship now, when she wanted him to stay with her for always and forever?

After the early Sunday morning wake up call, Sam got up to take a shower, while Jack stayed in bed. When she came out wrapped in a towel, she sat on the edge of the bed combing her wet hair as she thought about how to broach the subject of commitment with him. She thought he was asleep until she noticed him staring at her with his chocolate eyes. Damn, but those eyes seemed to pierce her right to her soul!

"Okay, Carter, spill it," he said in a stern voice. He could tell she was thinking a lot about something, and it had her forehead furrowed with lines. He suspected that he was the subject of her current worries, and the idea disturbed him. Had he done something wrong? "I can tell you're thinking about something, and whatever it is, it's upsetting you. So tell me...what is it?"

"It's just that... Jack, don't take this the wrong way, but I made a promise to myself that I would be careful...set some boundaries...establish some guidelines." Jack raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. But he did look upset. Sam suspected she wasn't making much sense, so she tried again. "Eh... You have to realize that, even though I intend to put Amy's welfare first, I have to think about my future too, my needs."

"Oh. Sure. Right! I get the message loud and clear!" Jack figured she meant he had over-stayed his welcome...that she had tried him and found him somehow lacking, and that she wanted to see other men. And as far as he was concerned, if she wasn't interested in seeing him exclusively, then he didn't want to be here at all! He'd have to see that lawyer after all, because he would be damned before some other man raised his daughter!

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, wondering why he seemed to be in such a hurry.

"Getting dressed." Jack jumped out of bed and got dressed so fast, that Sam was startled into silence. She had never been good at personal relationships, and now this one seemed to be spiraling out of control too! She watched dumbly as he pulled on his leather jacket and grabbed his wallet and keys from the dresser. Then she literally ran after him as he strode down the hallway.

"Jack!" she cried, as he reached the front door. "Wait! Why are you leaving? I wasn't finished explaining."

"Don't bother. I get it, Sam. I may be dense sometimes, but I'm not stupid!"

"What? Jack!" But he was out the door, and she couldn't follow him because she was dressed in only a towel. Sam stood there with the door open, watching as he got into his truck and drove away. It was only when she saw her neighbor next door walking to his car that she thought to shut the door.

"Well, Sam, you certainly handled that well!" she said sarcastically.

Jack just began to drive, not even thinking about where he was going. Soon he found himself on the highway heading out of town toward the mountain, and up ahead on the right was a car parked along side the road, facing in the opposite direction. There was a woman standing next to the car. She appeared to be talking on a cell phone. Jack recognized Sandra Taylor right away. He turned his truck around, pulled up behind her car and got out. The second she saw Jack, she snapped her cell phone shut and walked up to him waving her hands.

"Oh, thank God, Jack! My engine died, and my damned cell phone won't work out here!" she cried, obviously upset. He could hear her little boy crying inside the car.

"I'll take a look," Jack offered, and he started to walk toward her car.

"Would you mind taking us home first? We've been out here for an hour now, and Tyler's really upset. If you take us home, I'll make you some breakfast before you take a look at the car," she suggested, smiling up into Jack's face.

"That sounds like too good a deal to pass up," Jack replied. "You work the night shift again?" he asked conversationally, as they walked to the back door of the car. She opened the door and reached in to get Tyler out of his car seat.

"Yeah, working Friday and Saturday nights sure puts a crimp in my social life," she said with a dry chuckle. The eighteen-month-old boy was still screaming as she carried him to Jack's truck. But as soon as the truck began to move, he quieted down. Fifteen minutes later they were at her apartment. And while Sandra cooked breakfast, Jack held Tyler and read a book to him until the boy fell asleep.

"He always has loved the sound of your voice, Jack. You should record children's books," she said with a smile. "Breakfast is ready. Would you mind putting him in bed? I'll put the food on the table."

Jack was no stranger to Sandra's apartment, so he took Tyler straight to his bedroom and put him into his bed, covering the little guy with a comforter stenciled with brightly colored zoo animals. Jack stood there for a minute just staring at the child's innocent face as he slept. He had missed little Tyler, or TT as the boy liked to call himself, since he and Sandra had broken up several months earlier, and it was good to be with him once again...good but not as good as being with his own daughter. As Jack walked quietly out of the room, he vowed he would always be a part of his daughter's life, whether Sam liked the idea or not.

After a breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs and pancakes, Jack went to take a look at Sandra's car. He was able to get it running, and then he returned to her apartment with a pair of gloves she had left in his truck.

"You fixed my car and you returned my gloves, and now you want to pick me up tomorrow morning and take me to get my car? What have I done to deserve all this attention, Jack O'Neill?"

"Except make me breakfast? Nothing yet," Jack said, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her into his arms. She leaned into him without question, and Jack buried his face in her neck. She was soft and smelled good, and at the moment Jack needed to be comforted, and Sandra didn't seem to mind that he'd chosen her to do the comforting. In fact, Sandra had never minded when Jack had shown up needing comfort. After Sam had left so suddenly the year before, he had spent many nights in Sandra's bed trying to forget. It wasn't just that he wanted to forget his failure with Sam, it was good to feel needed by someone, he thought. Obviously Sam had enjoyed having sex with him. But after she'd had her fill, it seemed she didn't want to be bothered with him anymore.

Sandra and he had always gotten along well. She had never made any demands on him for something he couldn't give her, and he thought she was fun in bed. And right now he was wondering why he'd ever stopped dating her. He knew the decision had been his, and he was beginning to regret it. That he might be trying to get back at Sam for rejecting him didn't occur to Jack, who was not at all good at examining his feelings. Feelings were something he didn't like to think about, because they often confused him. And so he went with his animal instincts instead. The alpha male in Jack was telling him to go after the female who was sending him the correct signals, and Sandra's signals were clearly positive!

"Come to my room, and I'll see what else I can do to repay you for your help, Jack," Sandra purred, taking his hand in hers. Jack stayed all day, and only went home that night because he needed to get some sleep before going back to work the next morning.

TBC