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Jack sat on the railing of the back patio, the sun beating against his back, a cold beer in his hand. The smell of hickory barbeque sauce and roasting hamburger filled the air, making his stomach rumble. He'd be glad when the food was ready.
Sam stood several feet away, chatting animatedly to Jane – the woman he had met the night before – and another woman he had figured out was the Bride- To-Be. The sunlight made Sam's hair shine, and her skin glow. She wore a nice fitting pair of cream ed slacks and a yellow sweater that fit in all the right places. He found himself watching her every move, enjoying the carefree smile on her lips.
"So, you're the guy that Samantha has been hiding all these years?"
Jack looked sideways at the guy standing near him. "What's that?"
The guy motioned towards Sam with the hand holding his beer. "Samantha. We've all lost touch with her in the last few years... since she was stationed in ado Springs. The Cheyenne Mountain complex. We all figured she was her usual workaholic self, but now I'm thinking we may have been wrong."
Jack lowered one foot and stepped down off the railing. He took another drink of his beer. "Sam is very dedicated to her job."
"Yeah," the guy said slowly. "Deep space...something –"
"—telemetry—"
"Yeah. Sounds like a brainiac's dream. She enrolled in the Air Force right out of high school, gets her doctorate paid for by Uncle Sam, and gets a cushy job in beautiful ado looking at constellations through really big telescopes. Sounds pretty safe to me. What's your field of study?"
In two seconds flat, this guy had already royally pissed him off. When Jack thought about all the times Sam had probably indirectly saved this guy's ass... he squinted and looked back to her. She lifted her head and glanced at him, their gazes meeting. Sam smiled, and Jack's anger backed off.
Then her stare shifted from Jack to the idiot beside him. Her smile dropped away, taken over by an expression he couldn't quite name... not even after seven years of reading her like a book. It flashed across her expression, then disappeared, replaced by a deeply suppressed anger.
So he wasn't the only one this guy pissed off.
Sam excused herself from talking to Jane and Erin and walked towards them, her eyes hard on the other guy. Jack shifted his gaze from Sam to the guy and back to Sam. There was a silent war of wills going on between them, and he was curious as hell about what set them off.
"Samantha..." he said as she approached.
"What the hell do you want, Russ."
"I've just been chatting with Jack here. I think he was just about to tell me how the two of you met."
"No, I wasn't," Jack interjected.
She looked up at him, and he could read the spark in her eyes That would certainly be a story to tell over beer and ribs. He chuckled, and was gifted by her smile.
"No, he wasn't," Sam added, but she was looking at Jack.
At that moment, Jack didn't really give a damn what Russ had to say. Sam took the bottle of beer from Jack's hand, and holding his stare, lifted it to her lips and drank. If Jack didn't know better, he'd swear he saw seduction in Sam's eyes. His thoughts flashed back to that morning... holding her... kissing her neck... her curled into his chest.
"No offense to you, Jack, but I don't think any of us ever pictured Samantha with, well, a guy of your... advanced years."
Sam shot a heated glance at Russell, but Jack didn't bother look that way. He was too interested in the way Sam was holding the bottle of beer to her lips, and the way her blue eyes were locked on him. Something was going on behind her eyes, and even though Jack didn't know what it was, he couldn't complain about what it was did to her.
"No offense taken, Russ. After all, I'm the one that got the girl."
Sam smiled. Her palm slid across his, grasping his hand before she set her foot on the lower patio rail. Jack understood her moves and helped her hop up onto the top rail... where he had sat minutes before. She pulled him towards her so they faced each other, effectively turning Jack's back on Russ. It occurred to him that she was possibly using him for Russ's benefit, but it also occurred to him that he didn't really care.
Her hands slid up his arms to his shoulders, one palm curling around the back of his neck. Jack moved his hands up her thighs to set them at her waist. His blood hummed in his ears, and he looked into her face.
Her eyes asked the question... Is this okay?
Jack answered by stepping into the space between her thighs and wrapping his arms around her body. He moved to kiss her, touching her lips with the tip of his tongue before covering them with his mouth. The kiss was slow and deep and dizzying. Sam's fingers curled into the short hair on the back of his head, the other grasping his collar. Her hum reverberated against his lips, and he pulled her closer.
"Wooohooooo!" someone shouted. "Go, Samantha!"
Sam giggled, and Jack smiled, effectively ending the kiss. "No giggling," he whispered.
She shook her head and hugged him, resting her chin on his shoulder. Moments later, when he pulled away, Russ was gone.
Jack sat on the railing of the back patio, the sun beating against his back, a cold beer in his hand. The smell of hickory barbeque sauce and roasting hamburger filled the air, making his stomach rumble. He'd be glad when the food was ready.
Sam stood several feet away, chatting animatedly to Jane – the woman he had met the night before – and another woman he had figured out was the Bride- To-Be. The sunlight made Sam's hair shine, and her skin glow. She wore a nice fitting pair of cream ed slacks and a yellow sweater that fit in all the right places. He found himself watching her every move, enjoying the carefree smile on her lips.
"So, you're the guy that Samantha has been hiding all these years?"
Jack looked sideways at the guy standing near him. "What's that?"
The guy motioned towards Sam with the hand holding his beer. "Samantha. We've all lost touch with her in the last few years... since she was stationed in ado Springs. The Cheyenne Mountain complex. We all figured she was her usual workaholic self, but now I'm thinking we may have been wrong."
Jack lowered one foot and stepped down off the railing. He took another drink of his beer. "Sam is very dedicated to her job."
"Yeah," the guy said slowly. "Deep space...something –"
"—telemetry—"
"Yeah. Sounds like a brainiac's dream. She enrolled in the Air Force right out of high school, gets her doctorate paid for by Uncle Sam, and gets a cushy job in beautiful ado looking at constellations through really big telescopes. Sounds pretty safe to me. What's your field of study?"
In two seconds flat, this guy had already royally pissed him off. When Jack thought about all the times Sam had probably indirectly saved this guy's ass... he squinted and looked back to her. She lifted her head and glanced at him, their gazes meeting. Sam smiled, and Jack's anger backed off.
Then her stare shifted from Jack to the idiot beside him. Her smile dropped away, taken over by an expression he couldn't quite name... not even after seven years of reading her like a book. It flashed across her expression, then disappeared, replaced by a deeply suppressed anger.
So he wasn't the only one this guy pissed off.
Sam excused herself from talking to Jane and Erin and walked towards them, her eyes hard on the other guy. Jack shifted his gaze from Sam to the guy and back to Sam. There was a silent war of wills going on between them, and he was curious as hell about what set them off.
"Samantha..." he said as she approached.
"What the hell do you want, Russ."
"I've just been chatting with Jack here. I think he was just about to tell me how the two of you met."
"No, I wasn't," Jack interjected.
She looked up at him, and he could read the spark in her eyes That would certainly be a story to tell over beer and ribs. He chuckled, and was gifted by her smile.
"No, he wasn't," Sam added, but she was looking at Jack.
At that moment, Jack didn't really give a damn what Russ had to say. Sam took the bottle of beer from Jack's hand, and holding his stare, lifted it to her lips and drank. If Jack didn't know better, he'd swear he saw seduction in Sam's eyes. His thoughts flashed back to that morning... holding her... kissing her neck... her curled into his chest.
"No offense to you, Jack, but I don't think any of us ever pictured Samantha with, well, a guy of your... advanced years."
Sam shot a heated glance at Russell, but Jack didn't bother look that way. He was too interested in the way Sam was holding the bottle of beer to her lips, and the way her blue eyes were locked on him. Something was going on behind her eyes, and even though Jack didn't know what it was, he couldn't complain about what it was did to her.
"No offense taken, Russ. After all, I'm the one that got the girl."
Sam smiled. Her palm slid across his, grasping his hand before she set her foot on the lower patio rail. Jack understood her moves and helped her hop up onto the top rail... where he had sat minutes before. She pulled him towards her so they faced each other, effectively turning Jack's back on Russ. It occurred to him that she was possibly using him for Russ's benefit, but it also occurred to him that he didn't really care.
Her hands slid up his arms to his shoulders, one palm curling around the back of his neck. Jack moved his hands up her thighs to set them at her waist. His blood hummed in his ears, and he looked into her face.
Her eyes asked the question... Is this okay?
Jack answered by stepping into the space between her thighs and wrapping his arms around her body. He moved to kiss her, touching her lips with the tip of his tongue before covering them with his mouth. The kiss was slow and deep and dizzying. Sam's fingers curled into the short hair on the back of his head, the other grasping his collar. Her hum reverberated against his lips, and he pulled her closer.
"Wooohooooo!" someone shouted. "Go, Samantha!"
Sam giggled, and Jack smiled, effectively ending the kiss. "No giggling," he whispered.
She shook her head and hugged him, resting her chin on his shoulder. Moments later, when he pulled away, Russ was gone.