Hello, a fluffier than fluff part. (I think), I hope and appreciate that you are still around. One day I will manage to reply to all the reviews without feeling extraordinarily self-conscious, or so I hope!. xD Anyhow, as per usual enjoy!
M.
Breakfast
Sometimes, the best thing about being at the same hotel than whoever is stuck on the same business trip than one is the fact that you decide if you want to meet for breakfast, lunch or dinner. However, when you are trying to avoid people, it can quickly become a pain. Sam sighed as she finished dressing contemplating the idea of ordering breakfast in; but then again, her two daughters were waiting for her outside her room.
"Come on, mom! You are taking too long!" One shouted, and Sam squared herself up.
"Let's go," she said finally getting out and standing in front of scrutinizing eyes. "What?"
"Are you sure you are going out with that?" Sami asked with a frown.
"What's wrong with it?" Sam looked down at herself. "Pants, sleeveless turtleneck, heels."
"Are you sure, it's all black?" Sam frowned, and Jac sighed. "What? It's summer!"
"There's nothing wrong with your outfit, mom," Jac said rolling her eyes. "She's not used to your dressing code, I guess. And weren't you starving like five seconds ago?"
"I am!" Sami grinned. "Well, if you feel good with black in summer and heels for breakfast, I'll guess we should go. I'm starving."
"We all got that, Sami," Jac muttered rolling her eyes as they walked outside. In the second that took Sam grab her purse and walk to the door, the girls rushed to Jack's room a few doors away and knocked on it.
"Come on, dad! I'm hungry!" Sami shouted.
"Geez, Sami. Other people are trying to sleep around here, you know?" He said getting out of his room.
"Yeah, that's what I told Jac when she woke me up. But now," Sami huffed
"You are starving, I know. You always are!" He chuckled and hugged her.
"Good morning, Jac. Are you famished too?" Jack asked embracing Jac and not noticing that Sam had stopped dead in her tracks a few steps away until his gut told him he was being observed. He searched around and found her. "Good morning, Sam." He said giving her one of those smiles she always knew were for her only.
"Good morning, Jack," she added with one smile of her own. "They got you up too, huh?"
"Yeah, so Jac's an early bird." Sam nodded as they walked towards the elevator. They entered the almost full cart. Once they reached the ground floor, the girls hurried between the other adults.
"Come on, dad!"
"Hurry up, mom!" Their parents shook their heads while chuckling.
"Hold your horses! There's still will be food out there." Jack pointed allowing Sam to get out first.
"You know, anyone will think we are not feeding you," Sam grinned as people passed beside them. "Did you wake your aunt and cousins too?" Sam asked as they lined up at the entrance.
"Nope, but Aunt Kate is probably down here already."
"Yeah, you are right. Can you check?" Jac nodded and rushed into the room returning after scanning all the tables in search of her aunt.
"She's not here."
"Table for four?" The man in the waiting area asked, and Jack and Sam exchanged a glance.
"Only Kate on my side," she told him.
"Janet and Jacob are early birds, but's too early for both," Jack added after checking his watch. "Yes, four it is."
"This way please." For being 7 AM the place was full of life, the waiter took them to an empty table hidden by the corner and winked at the girls. "You are lucky, enjoy," she said with a smile pointing them toward the view. The girls rushed to grab their cups and walked towards the buffet. "May I ask you if you are going to add it to the room?"
"Yes, please." Sam smiled, and the girl nodded walking back to the entrance once she got the number of Sam's room and a nice advanced tip.
After the exchange, Sam looked at the table and giggled shaking her head. Jack intrigued by her reaction, followed her gaze and found that the girls had managed to leave them seating them not only on the same side of the table but in the bench, which could barely fit two, picking oversized chairs for themselves.
By the time he decided they could move to the chairs and leave the smaller sized girls on the puffy bench, Sam was already sliding to the other side of their booth. The moment she thought he would fit on a comfortable distance she stopped and started searching for the girls. He noticed the exact moment when she found them and shook his head because she seemed far more intrigued by what they were doing than on getting her breakfast. So, instead of sliding by her side, he grabbed his mug and went to grab hers.
"What are you doing?" Sam asked placing her hand over his and managing to make them shiver by the small touch.
"Don't worry. I still remember how you like your coffee, Sammie," He whispered looking at her straight in the eyes and hoping that the way she affected him wasn't so obvious as it felt.
"Are you sure?" Sam asked breathily, mostly because she didn't quite know what to say. Jack nodded.
"Yes, stay. I'll get these, and after we've pumped some caffeine into your bloodstream, we can go pick some food." She nodded, a grateful smile on her face, but she didn't take her hand away from his. Jack inhaled deeply, and with a lot of willpower, he moved the cup away from her, trying not to moan with the way her hand had caressed his.
Truth to his word, he brought her coffee, and it was exactly how she liked it, and after her first cup was over, she moved closer to him, and he stood up to help her out before he joined her in search of something to eat. The girls exchanged a knowing look the moment they walked away, and Jack's hand found Sam's back in an instinctive act, and for once Sam didn't complain.
"He doesn't do that with Kerry," Jac told Sami.
"He doesn't do that with anybody," Sami grinned back. They observed their parents smile and add things to each other's plates before they finally returned to the table. Jack winked at the girls grabbing his and Sam's mug to go for a refill.
"I'll go with you," Sam said, and the girls again smiled as hand found back and they unknowingly invaded personal spaces while searching for coffee and juice.
"What?" Jack asked looking at the cat who ate the canary smile that covered both of the girls' faces when they finally sat.
"Nothing!" They said at once, too quickly for it to be the truth.
"Come on, spit it out," Jack squinted at them.
"We were talking about the time in camp," Jac started, and they started giggling. Jack shook his head and somehow between him and Sam managed to find out the whole story and all sorts of anecdotes about their time at camp, and even some of them while growing up, like the time Daniel found Jack on a pink tutu because Sami insisted on him helping her to learn the steps. Or the time that Sam entered half an hour late to a meeting with the top brass wearing a "my little pony" t-shirt after Jac had made a tantrum on both of them wearing it.
Kate heard Sam's voice and was surprised when she heard her laugh as she did rarely and how was laced up with a deep male voice and two childish ones. She reached the area where she listened to the half-familiar sounds and noticed them enjoying breakfast as every family should.
"They are cute, aren't they?" An old woman told her, and she only nodded. "There are not many families like that anymore," she shook her head and then disappeared. Kate grinned and walked towards them; they didn't notice her until she cleared her throat and made herself known.
They exchanged pleasantries', and Kate couldn't help but grin at the way Sam and Jack were sitting so close together that she could fit in there with them and have half of the seat for herself. Soon, she excused herself telling them that she had asked for a table because the kids were on their way.
Knowing that Kate and her cousins were awake meant that soon they would be closer to starting their morning. A family day, Jac smiled. Before she took all the attention to point to all the attractions she had found near as their options for the day, and Sami nodded eagerly to each option. By the corner of her eye, Sam saw Jack grimace after a while; she concentrated on trying to understand what was he was flinching at and not to whatever Jac was saying.
"Something's wrong?" She whispered, leaning even closer to him while trying not to get the girls attention.
"It's just…" he whispered back, making her shiver. "I never thought she was going to be so high maintenance."
"Huh?" she frowned and decided to pay attention to what Jac was saying and then understood Jack's comment. All her plans involved what added up would be a small fortune for a weekend getaway. Sam leaned against Jack again, "She's not."
"It does sound like she is," Jack answered only if it was to cover the shivers running through him.
"Jac? Honey, bring it back to Earth, will you?" Sam said, and Jac blushed; Jack also blushed with the naming similarities and the way she had so easily used the term of endearment that on the rare occasion she had slipped it to him. He shook himself and noticed that now all the plans revolved around outdoor activities, sightseeing and a trip to the surrounding parks.
"See," she smiled at him, patting his tight.
"Now she sounds like a mini you," he grinned, not commenting on the fact that he could still feel exactly where her hand had landed when patting him.
"She is," Sam pointed, opening and closing the still tingling hand that had touched him. "But she's only half me. There's half you in there too." She added with one of those grins he knew she reserved for him only. Before he could change his mind, he dared. Jack took her hand and placed it over his tight with his on top, lacing their fingers. Sam gasped, "That's something she picked up in school. Most of the kids are continuously moving around, and use their monetary situation as their wow factor," she managed to finish taking slow breaths in between.
"But's just her sister," he added, trying hard to keep himself controlled, his body was filled with currents going up and down, and he gulped when her thumb traced his hand and by extension caressed his tight.
"She's trying to impress Sami and you, without realizing you both are a lot like her," Sam said, just then she noticed as the girls were sitting closer and almost scheming their plans for the day.
"You think so?" Jack asked not quite believing it.
"I know so. I've raised her, remember?" She told him, tightening her fingers around him in some sort of reassuring grasp.
"Sami is a lot like you," he said, returned the light squeeze and turning towards her with a small smile. "She's obsessed with science." Sam snorted. The girls looked up hoping to find them closer together but failing to notice their joined hands.
"Everything in order?" Sam asked them to cover it up, and the girls nodded before getting back to planning. Sam faced Jack and squinted at him. "And here I thought you would say something nice."
"Hey! It's nothing but the truth," He grinned raising his other hand in surrender. They were so close, so comfortable, just like getting home after a storm and for that; there was nothing they could do to avoid getting lost in each other's eyes. The girls looked up to see them with locked glances, knowing smiles and a glint in their eyes and they couldn't help but giggle. Sadly, that managed to break the spell of their parents who blushed fiercely and awkwardly looked away. Both pressing hard on the hands that were still hiddenly tangled.
"Okay, if you are all done," Sam started when she managed to compose herself somewhat, "We should go get ready, for what I've heard we are all in for long hours in the sun and walking," she finished not looking at Jack and instead focusing on the girls.
"That's exactly the plan." The girls nodded. "Lots of walking."
"Yup, I hope you did bring sports shoes, mom," Sami said.
"It's mom; she never leaves home without them." Jac pointed. Jack chuckled.
"What?" The girls said.
"That's your mom, alright." He grinned, and Sam blushed.
"Come on, off we go," Sam said, and the girls rushed towards Jack's friend's table. As Sam jokingly pushed him to move out of the booth with her free hand, he used the joined ones to pull her up as soon as he was standing.
His action was a little too intense making her end with her free hand widely opened over his chest for support; their bodies barely an inch away. They gasped at the force of the contact, and Jack moved their joined hands behind her back encasing her in an extremely warm, and not surprisingly, exciting embrace.
"I forgot how tall you were in high heels," he whispered in her ear making her shudder. "And how well we always fitted together," he groaned.
She gulped inhaling profoundly and grazed his chest with her with that action. Her mouth was slightly opened, and her pupils completely dilated when she leaned her head away to watch him.
"We always did," She told him and their gazes searched eyes, and breathing under the weight of what they found became a problem. "We should…" she said.
"Yeah… we should…" he agreed. He looked at her once more, and she contained a moan under the fire of his gaze.
To the outsider, they were only a couple sharing an embrace, but they were almost burning just by standing so close like that. She rested her head on his shoulder for a second, getting a grip and remembering herself that this wasn't her anymore. That she wasn't the young girl that fell in love with the Air Force man with whom she shared more than just a getaway vacation. She tried to remember herself that she had outgrown him, that she didn't love him and she wasn't interested in him anymore.
"Jack…" her whisper betrayed all her thoughts almost mocking her for even trying to convince herself of such lies. He shivered and groaned.
"I'm here, Sammie." He answered trying to reign over his body, but so much contact was making it impossibly hard. "But we need to go now," he finished, and she nodded again. One last look at him told her precisely what he wasn't saying. He still wanted her, as much as she always wanted him.
She took a step back and used their joined hands to steer him towards the table where Daniel, Janet, Jacob, and Cassie sat, and Kate and the girls stood talking about the plans utterly oblivious of what had transpired between them. Sam stood closer to the table, and he remained behind her, she twisted her arm behind her back not willing to let him go, not with all those sensations still running rampant through her body.
'You didn't even do anything!' her mind chastised as she half listened to the conversation.
"If it's all set, we should go up, get a small backpack with your things, maybe a change of clothes just in case. And see each other in twenty minutes by the front desk?" Jack said. And she was happy that she had picked the turtleneck over the tank top she was going to wear. Otherwise, she would be moaning with the contact of his warm breath over naked skin.
"That sounds like a plan," she managed to say sounding casual. They all exchanged nods and grins, and soon Jac, Sami, Jack and she were back on their floor. They walked the girls to their rooms and then he walked Sam to hers. They stopped by the door, and they both smiled at the memories of being like this on a ship many years ago when things were far simpler.
"Sam," he whispered caressing her face with one hand, she closed her eyes.
"Please, Jack. I can't do this, not right now. Not when we must put up a front," she said not able to look at him.
"Sam, look at me, please?" He asked and waited until she did. Then he nodded. "I won't ever do something you don't want me to do."
"I know. I still trust you with my life, Jack." He gulped and nodded. He wanted to thank her, to kiss her senseless, to get back to a time where she was his as much as he was hers. But the only things he managed to do was take one step back, and lean over to plant a soft kiss in the corner of her mouth before he turned around and walked away.
"Hurry up! You got only 15 left!" he shouted at her with a big grin on his face. Her laugh was the last thing he head before the corridor was empty and he was back into his empty room.