Chapter fourteen

They went to her house in the taxi, but when they got there Sam remembered she had no money to pay the driver.

The taxi driver looked at her suspiciously as he repeated the amount they owed him. And when she wasn't forthcoming with the fare, and Jack didn't move a muscle, he began berating them in a foreign language.

So Sam hurriedly began searching Jack's pockets for his wallet. He had fallen asleep during the drive, but as she shoved her hand down into his right pants pocket, he woke up. Then he grabbed her hand through the fabric and grinned at her like the Cheshire Cat.

"All you had to do is ask," he slurred drunkenly, while giving her a salacious look.

"No, Jack, I need some money to pay the cab driver. Let me have your wallet!" She jerked her hand out and the wallet came with it. After paying the taxi driver, she slipped the wallet into her evening bag so she wouldn't lose it, and also so she wouldn't cause Jack to jump to anymore wrong conclusions.

Sam somehow managed to pull Jack out of the back seat. And with him leaning heavily on her, they slowly made it to her front door where she fumbled in her fancy purse for her key. Finally she found it and unlocked the door.

Since Jack couldn't even hold a coffee cup, Sam decided sleep was what Jack needed the most. So she led him into the bedroom, where he stumbled into the bed and fell forward, flopping down on his belly.

"Jack, you can't go to sleep like this! You should get undressed first." She was thankful that DJ wasn't there, and while she knew this wasn't he best place for Jack to be right now, she had no idea what else to do with him. She didn't know where he was staying, and though she figured Daniel might know, right now she was too busy trying to take care of Jack to try and find out.

He was what mattered right now. He was obviously very upset about her marrying Mike. No matter how cold and uncaring he had seemed that day when she'd gone to see him, he obviously did care about her….a lot, if his drunken proposal was any indication.

Besides, she figured this was her mess, and she should clean it up. Daniel couldn't help her and neither could anyone else. She knew now that she had tried to do a very foolish thing. There was no way she could ever be happy married to someone other than Jack. But how was she supposed to deal with a man who wouldn't even admit how he truly felt about her?!

"We'll talk when you're sober. But right now I need to get you undressed," she said aloud as she removed her jacket and high-heeled shoes. She hung the jacket in the closet. Then she got to work, removing Jack's suit coat before turning him over onto his back. His shoes came next, followed by his tie. Then she unbuttoned his shirt and unbuckled his belt, while kneeling next to him on the bed. Her actions brought back memories of the time they'd spent together as lovers, but she didn't let the titillating thoughts distract her from her mission.

The next part would be the most difficult, because more than anything it made her recall other times when she'd done this for him. But this time her goal was not to get him aroused, but to get him comfortable. Never the less, by the time she had removed his suit pants, his boxers were tented and he was clearly aroused. Clearly being drunk did not impede Jack's ability to have sex! She could have ridden him right then, without him even knowing about it, but she would have known and felt terrible about it.

Even though his cock seemed to be calling out to her, Sam tried not to look at it, concentrating her attention on his prosthetic leg and foot instead. Carefully, so as not to awaken him, she removed his left sock and then his right one. And then she just sat there staring. She had seen artificial limbs before, but never this closely. And she had never touched one before either….until now.

Gently she stroked the cold, hard limb. Then her desire to touch his flesh got the better of her, and she put her hand on his thigh. His skin felt warm and the muscle firm and strong, just like she remembered. Obviously Jack was not out of shape, just because he'd lost a limb. In fact, he seemed to be in top physical form.

Jack stirred in his sleep and mumbled something unintelligible, startling Sam from her lust-filled thoughts. She quickly removed her hand from his leg and leaned over him, pulling him up by one arm. And while she held him in a seated position, she pulled his shirt down off his shoulders. Then she worked it down one arm and then the other. Now all he had on was a white undershirt and a pair of white boxer shorts, the things she knew he usually slept in.

Next Sam coaxed, tugged and shoved, until Jack was lying with his head on a pillow and most of his body was under the covers. Satisfied that at least he was comfortable and peaceful for now, she went into the living room to begin dealing with the mess she had made of her life.

She checked her messages, and then she phoned Janet, who had phoned her several times and who was obviously still at the hotel.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at home. What happened after I left?"

"Mike was very vocal about what he thinks has been going on between you and Jack behind his back. Of course both Daniel and I told him he was wrong about you….General Hammond did too, but Mike wasn't in any mood to listen. You should have seen Teal'c's face when he called you a slut!"

"Oh, my God, was anyone hurt?"

"No, it didn't actually come to blows. Daniel was able to talk them out of it, but Mike went storming out of here about fifteen minutes after you left. Sam, you really messed up."

"I know." She knew how angry Mike must be, and therefore she was surprised that he hadn't phoned her. And so far, he hadn't shown up at her door either. "I wonder if he went home." Mike had an apartment on base. They had talked about him moving in with her, but so far nothing had been settled. It was almost like they'd never thought about what would happen after they were married, which made her wonder if either of them had been living in reality.

"Sam, you shouldn't try to talk to Mike tonight. Let him cool down first."

"I guess I should give him a little time." She knew Janet was right. Besides, she really didn't want to leave Jack just now. He could still be sick, and he might need her.

"Where's Jack?" Janet asked, although she suspected he was with Sam.

"He's here, asleep in my bed. He passed out in the cab."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm not sure, Janet," Sam replied sorrowfully. "Janet, I never meant to hurt anyone."

"I know you didn't."

Very early the next morning Sam woke up to the sounds of someone banging around in the other room. So she threw the covers off and stood up from the sofa, wiping the sleep out of her eyes as she stumbled to the kitchen.

"What are you doing, Sir?" she asked as she watched Jack moving around the kitchen in his undershirt and suit pants. He was opening and closing cabinet doors as he went.

"Where the hell do you keep the coffee?" he asked testily, frowning at her.

"I'll make it. Why don't you go take a shower?" she suggested.

"Why, do I smell bad?" he asked with a small grin, even though he still felt like crap. He was also feeling a bit embarrassed that she'd seen his left leg, but his uneasy feelings didn't keep him from noticing how hot she looked, with her pajama bottoms hanging low on her hips, and her thin tank top clinging to her perky breasts.

So he slowly looked her up and down, recalling a time when he would have gone to her and fondled her breasts right about now. And they probably would have ended up making love, maybe even here in the kitchen. But that was then, and this was now. Things had changed….that is he had changed.

"No, you don't smell bad, but a shower will make you feel better."

Jack considered this for a minute, wondering if he could cope without help in a strange bathroom. But then he agreed, not wanting her to know that doing something as simple as showering could be so difficult for a one-legged man.

He left the room then, but not before giving Sam another look filled with longing and doubt. God, how he loved her! Was there really any chance that she still wanted him?! Was that why she had left the dinner so readily? Jack felt very confused, so he left the room quietly, his mind filled with questions.

When he looked at her like that, Sam felt positively weak in the knees! Nothing had changed; she knew that now. She was still crazy about the man! Thinking back on what she'd done to him, she shook her head in consternation.

How could I break up with Jack? How could I convince myself that my career was more important than the man I love? I must have been out of mind! Maybe I'm still out of my mind? For crying out loud I'm engaged to another man, and yet here I am playing house with Jack. And what about Mike? Will he ever be able to forgive me?

Sam didn't have all the answers, but she did know one thing; she was finished pretending that she could be satisfied with anyone but Jack.

Making the coffee took only a few minutes, and when it was ready she poured some into a large mug, which she carried to the bathroom. There, driven by a need to finally make things right between them, and afraid that she would lose her courage if she put off telling Jack how she truly felt, she opened the door and stepped inside.

When she opened the door, Jack was looking at himself in the mirror. He thought he really should shave, but he didn't have his shaving kit with him, or anything else for that matter. In fact, without his crutch to balance in the shower, he had almost fallen. But fortunately he had gotten along okay. Plus he had managed to put his artificial limb back on before she came in.

"Here," she said as she handed him the coffee mug. Jack took it from her and stood there sipping it, while Sam tried not to look at his bare chest and arms. She also tried not to think about the fact that all he was wearing was a towel, which was barely clinging to his lean hips.

"I need to shave," he said, grasping for something to say. He was still suffering from the effects of the alcohol, as well as the reality of where he was. Waking up in Sam's bed had been like a dream come true, but then reality had kicked him in the ass, and he'd remembered what had happened the night before. He'd made a fool of himself in front of their friends.

Just now he had taken a shower in her bathroom, just like old times. But he knew things weren't really the same between them. She was engaged to marry someone else, and he was not even a whole man anymore.

"Oh, I have shaving foam and a razor!" Sam responded excitedly. Actually they were Mike's, but she wasn't about to mention his name at a time like this. She gave Jack a little shove with her hip, and when he moved over a bit, she opened the cabinet under the sink and took out the razor and the can.

"Here!" she said, setting them down on the countertop. Then she stood next to Jack, watching while he applied the foam to his face. He worked quickly and confidently, but when he began shaving, he nicked himself.

"Shit!" He had cut himself. Sam was making him nervous, but of course he didn't want to admit it. He was much too macho to admit it. "Must be a dull blade," he said, as he ripped off a section of toilet paper. Trying to keep his hand from shaking, Jack dabbed at the bloody spot on his chin. But the small cut kept bleeding.

Seeing the blood, Sam grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter. Then she touched it to her tongue, before reaching for his face.

"Let me do it," she told him, her blue eyes staring into his dark brown ones.

"Just hold still," she said softly. Her left hand held his chin, while her right hand cleaned up the tiny cut. She had noticed his hand shaking as he shaved, and she suspected she was making him nervous. But she didn't care. She had his undivided attention now, and she wasn't leaving until they sorted things out!

TBC