Hey guys. Thanks for all the great feedback!! I know I'm really slow
about getting new chapters up and this one's pretty short, but I am trying.
I seem to be experiencing terrible writer's block. I hope you all like it
and your comments are always appreciated! ~A
Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
Georgetown
1858
Mac slipped the back on her diamond earring and took a last look in her mirror. Out of habit, she checked her internal clock. 'Harm has exactly one minute and 34 seconds before he's officially late. And if he is, I'll certainly have to tease him about it.' A smile flitted across Mac's face as she thought about teasing Harm all night. The smile faded, however, as she remembered how odd Harm had been acting all day. First he was talking to himself in the elevator, and then he had snapped at Bud, and then there was his sudden eagerness to attend this charity ball with her. Normally, both she and Harm avoided these affairs like the plague. There was nothing worse than watching a bunch of rich stiffs dance and talk about their stock portfolios. Not to mention the amount of alcohol usually served at such functions. 'Of course, I'm not gonna complain if Harm's volunteering to spend time with me.' Mac could hardly remember the last time she and Harm had ordered a pizza and just watched a movie together.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. '1900. He's right on time.' Mac smoothed the front of her dress one more time and pulled her apartment door open. At the sight of Harm, Mac had to remind herself to breath. Now she understood the secretive smile he'd had when he'd told her not to worry about him finding something to wear. He'd worn his mess dress. Mac couldn't believe it. He'd worn the one thing that could possibly make him more appealing than the dress whites and gold wings. She felt herself leaning against the edge of the door as she admired the view.
Harm was having similar troubles at the sight of Mac. She stood before him in an emerald green dress that complimented her skin tone perfectly. It had tiny spaghetti straps and was perilously low-cut. It also fit her like a dream. The light material clung to her body in all the right ways, and Harm was finding it difficult to keep the blood in his brain and out of certain nether regions. As his partner leaned against her door, Harm caught a flash of skin and realized there was virtually no back to her dress at all. Harm couldn't keep the smile off his face as he gazed at the vision before him.
Finally regaining some sense of composure, Harm broke the silence. "You look wonderful Mac."
Mac gave a shy smile at the compliment and motioned for him to enter. "You look pretty good yourself, Sailor. I guess you do clean up pretty nice."
"Now don't get too carried away," Harm replied, grateful that the mood had begun to lighten. It was a little early in the evening to let his thoughts stray in that direction. He took a few steps past Mac and waited for her to turn around. When she did, she found Harm holding out a bouquet of roses, six red and six white. Mac realized that she had been too busy staring at Harm to notice the flowers when she'd first answered the door. Before she could stop herself she took a quick step forward and put her hand on his shoulder. Using this handhold to balance, she stood on tiptoe and brushed a light kiss against his cheek. "Thanks Flyboy," she said as she took the flowers from him. "It's been a while since anyone brought me roses." Mac took the bouquet into the kitchen to find a vase.
Harm brought his hand up to the spot on his cheek where Mac's lips had been a few moments before. 'If I'd know she'd do that, I would have started bringing flowers a long time ago," Harm mused. Mac brought the flowers and vase out to set on her mantle and noticed Harm still standing with his hand on his cheek.
"Here, let me do that for you. You'll just end up with lipstick on those nice white gloves of yours and trust me lipstick does not come out." Mac reached up to wipe the remnants of her kiss from Harm's face. The cheek underneath her fingers was smooth, and Mac knew Harm had shaved again after work. Usually by this time, Harm had a nice five o'clock shadow that gave him a rather rugged look. Mac had always thought the facial hair made him look more like a fighter jock, especially when he was wearing his leather bomber jacket.
Mac was quickly getting lost in her debate about whether Harm looked better clean-shaven or with a little stubble when she realized she still had her hand against Harm's cheek. She could feel the heat rising in her face as she automatically looked into Harm's eyes to see if he had noticed. There eyes locked, and Harm raised his hand to cover the one Mac was still holding against his cheek. He gently pressed the small hand against his lips, never breaking eye contact with Mac. In that look, he tried to convey everything he'd ever felt for this beautiful woman standing before him. He needed her to know just how important she was to him. Without giving himself a chance to think, Harm opened his mouth to speak the words that he'd been aching to say ever since a certain ferry ride in Australia……when Mac's phone rang.
The pair stared at each other in disbelief, each wondering if the other would simply ignore the interruption and continue the moment they had unexpectedly stumbled into. But it had already been broken. The phone continued to ring, and Harm took a small step back to let Mac answer. He didn't even realize he was still holding her hand until he felt it slide from his grasp as she moved across the room.
Frustrated, Mac answered the phone in a rather irritated voice, "Yes?" A slight pause as she listened to whoever was at the other end of the line. "Yes, Bobbi I left a message on your cell phone for you. I wanted to let you know that I had decided to come to the party tonight after all." Again a pause. Harm noticed Mac shoot a furtive glance in his direction before turning away and replying in a low voice, "Yes, I found one. I know what good timing, huh? Ok, Bobbi I'll see you there. Bye."
Mac hung up the phone and walked back over to where Harm held her coat out for her. "What was that about?" Harm asked innocently.
"I'd left a message with Bobbi to tell her I was coming tonight after all and she just wanted to double check." Mac took a last look around her apartment, grabbed her keys and motioned Harm out the door. The last thing she needed was for her ever perceptive partner to realize she'd just told Bobbi that he was her date, and she figured getting him moving would be the best distraction.
Unfortunately for the marine, Harm's cross-examining skills had kicked in and he wasn't about to let the matter drop. "Yeah, I got that part. But it seemed like she also asked you if you'd found something. Remember, you said 'Yes, I found one.'" Harm quirked an eyebrow and put on his 'I'm your best friend face' that she'd often see him use in an effort to trip up unsuspecting defendants in court.
Trying to avoid his eyes, Mac turned back towards her door to lock it. "Oh, that was nothing. Just something we had talked about earlier. I had lost my…" The sentence trailed off as Mac frantically racked her brain to come up with something she could have lost that wasn't important to have told Harm about, yet had been important enough to warrant mentioning it to Bobbi in idle conversation. She came up with a complete blank. 'I should have quit while I was ahead,' she thought to herself.
Harm decided to let her off the hook. "Well, I'm sure whatever it was it couldn't have been that important if you've forgotten about it already." Harm placed his hand at the small of her back and began leading her down the hall.
Knowing he'd let it drop, Mac flashed Harm a grateful smile. At the same time, she couldn't stop herself from musing about just how important this date was.
Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
Georgetown
1858
Mac slipped the back on her diamond earring and took a last look in her mirror. Out of habit, she checked her internal clock. 'Harm has exactly one minute and 34 seconds before he's officially late. And if he is, I'll certainly have to tease him about it.' A smile flitted across Mac's face as she thought about teasing Harm all night. The smile faded, however, as she remembered how odd Harm had been acting all day. First he was talking to himself in the elevator, and then he had snapped at Bud, and then there was his sudden eagerness to attend this charity ball with her. Normally, both she and Harm avoided these affairs like the plague. There was nothing worse than watching a bunch of rich stiffs dance and talk about their stock portfolios. Not to mention the amount of alcohol usually served at such functions. 'Of course, I'm not gonna complain if Harm's volunteering to spend time with me.' Mac could hardly remember the last time she and Harm had ordered a pizza and just watched a movie together.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. '1900. He's right on time.' Mac smoothed the front of her dress one more time and pulled her apartment door open. At the sight of Harm, Mac had to remind herself to breath. Now she understood the secretive smile he'd had when he'd told her not to worry about him finding something to wear. He'd worn his mess dress. Mac couldn't believe it. He'd worn the one thing that could possibly make him more appealing than the dress whites and gold wings. She felt herself leaning against the edge of the door as she admired the view.
Harm was having similar troubles at the sight of Mac. She stood before him in an emerald green dress that complimented her skin tone perfectly. It had tiny spaghetti straps and was perilously low-cut. It also fit her like a dream. The light material clung to her body in all the right ways, and Harm was finding it difficult to keep the blood in his brain and out of certain nether regions. As his partner leaned against her door, Harm caught a flash of skin and realized there was virtually no back to her dress at all. Harm couldn't keep the smile off his face as he gazed at the vision before him.
Finally regaining some sense of composure, Harm broke the silence. "You look wonderful Mac."
Mac gave a shy smile at the compliment and motioned for him to enter. "You look pretty good yourself, Sailor. I guess you do clean up pretty nice."
"Now don't get too carried away," Harm replied, grateful that the mood had begun to lighten. It was a little early in the evening to let his thoughts stray in that direction. He took a few steps past Mac and waited for her to turn around. When she did, she found Harm holding out a bouquet of roses, six red and six white. Mac realized that she had been too busy staring at Harm to notice the flowers when she'd first answered the door. Before she could stop herself she took a quick step forward and put her hand on his shoulder. Using this handhold to balance, she stood on tiptoe and brushed a light kiss against his cheek. "Thanks Flyboy," she said as she took the flowers from him. "It's been a while since anyone brought me roses." Mac took the bouquet into the kitchen to find a vase.
Harm brought his hand up to the spot on his cheek where Mac's lips had been a few moments before. 'If I'd know she'd do that, I would have started bringing flowers a long time ago," Harm mused. Mac brought the flowers and vase out to set on her mantle and noticed Harm still standing with his hand on his cheek.
"Here, let me do that for you. You'll just end up with lipstick on those nice white gloves of yours and trust me lipstick does not come out." Mac reached up to wipe the remnants of her kiss from Harm's face. The cheek underneath her fingers was smooth, and Mac knew Harm had shaved again after work. Usually by this time, Harm had a nice five o'clock shadow that gave him a rather rugged look. Mac had always thought the facial hair made him look more like a fighter jock, especially when he was wearing his leather bomber jacket.
Mac was quickly getting lost in her debate about whether Harm looked better clean-shaven or with a little stubble when she realized she still had her hand against Harm's cheek. She could feel the heat rising in her face as she automatically looked into Harm's eyes to see if he had noticed. There eyes locked, and Harm raised his hand to cover the one Mac was still holding against his cheek. He gently pressed the small hand against his lips, never breaking eye contact with Mac. In that look, he tried to convey everything he'd ever felt for this beautiful woman standing before him. He needed her to know just how important she was to him. Without giving himself a chance to think, Harm opened his mouth to speak the words that he'd been aching to say ever since a certain ferry ride in Australia……when Mac's phone rang.
The pair stared at each other in disbelief, each wondering if the other would simply ignore the interruption and continue the moment they had unexpectedly stumbled into. But it had already been broken. The phone continued to ring, and Harm took a small step back to let Mac answer. He didn't even realize he was still holding her hand until he felt it slide from his grasp as she moved across the room.
Frustrated, Mac answered the phone in a rather irritated voice, "Yes?" A slight pause as she listened to whoever was at the other end of the line. "Yes, Bobbi I left a message on your cell phone for you. I wanted to let you know that I had decided to come to the party tonight after all." Again a pause. Harm noticed Mac shoot a furtive glance in his direction before turning away and replying in a low voice, "Yes, I found one. I know what good timing, huh? Ok, Bobbi I'll see you there. Bye."
Mac hung up the phone and walked back over to where Harm held her coat out for her. "What was that about?" Harm asked innocently.
"I'd left a message with Bobbi to tell her I was coming tonight after all and she just wanted to double check." Mac took a last look around her apartment, grabbed her keys and motioned Harm out the door. The last thing she needed was for her ever perceptive partner to realize she'd just told Bobbi that he was her date, and she figured getting him moving would be the best distraction.
Unfortunately for the marine, Harm's cross-examining skills had kicked in and he wasn't about to let the matter drop. "Yeah, I got that part. But it seemed like she also asked you if you'd found something. Remember, you said 'Yes, I found one.'" Harm quirked an eyebrow and put on his 'I'm your best friend face' that she'd often see him use in an effort to trip up unsuspecting defendants in court.
Trying to avoid his eyes, Mac turned back towards her door to lock it. "Oh, that was nothing. Just something we had talked about earlier. I had lost my…" The sentence trailed off as Mac frantically racked her brain to come up with something she could have lost that wasn't important to have told Harm about, yet had been important enough to warrant mentioning it to Bobbi in idle conversation. She came up with a complete blank. 'I should have quit while I was ahead,' she thought to herself.
Harm decided to let her off the hook. "Well, I'm sure whatever it was it couldn't have been that important if you've forgotten about it already." Harm placed his hand at the small of her back and began leading her down the hall.
Knowing he'd let it drop, Mac flashed Harm a grateful smile. At the same time, she couldn't stop herself from musing about just how important this date was.