AN: Thank you all for the wonderful feedback and kind words… I'm glad you enjoy this story and I hope you like this installment too :-)
An extra note about this part and the special one 5.5 you'll find at the end…
A Snowy Date In Belleville – Part 5
Disclaimer - See part one for all important information
The Rabb Farm
Outside Belleville, PA
10:43 PM
The sounds of soft, sultry jazz music accompanied by the intermittent howl of the raging wind outside filled the living room as the amber glow from the crackling fireplace illuminated the otherwise dark room. The firelight flickered and danced, casting muted shadows on the wall.
Harm was sitting on the fleecy rug in front of the couch facing the blazing fire that had them wrapped in cosy, comfortable warmth. Fully relaxed he was leaning back against the couch, his legs outstretched and his bare feet crossed while Mac had closed her heavy eyelids as she lay totally at ease next to him using his lap for a pillow.
Both in good spirits, they had let the stress that had accumulated over the past two weeks be washed away as they unwound together obviously tired after their long, exciting day. Shortly after his grandmother had called it a night, Mac dozed off. Between the excitement of the day and her jet lag from her short trip to Italy she was absolutely exhausted.
Harm's right hand was entangled in Mac's hair, gently massaging and scratching her head. She would often utter a sated sigh, but he was sure that she was sound asleep. Harm had to admit that he was tired too and a part of him knew he should wake her or at least bring her up to their room so they could get some decent sleep, but the other part of him was simply enjoying the moment. Harm just wanted to sit there in the cosy warmth of the room for a while longer.
He looked down at the sleeping beauty that was now his fiancée and began to reminisce about all that had happened that day. He let his gaze wander down to Mac's stomach where their joined hands were resting. As her chest rose and fell contentedly with every breath, he admired the ring she was now wearing. He could hardly suppress his glee when he remembered his grandmother's reaction earlier when he announced their engagement. The look on her face had been priceless, and Harm couldn't remember her ever being speechless as she was then.
The moment Mac showed her the engagement ring, and Harm told his grandmother the meaning behind the design, happy tears ran down her cheeks. When his grandmother proceeded to wrap Mac in a bear hug, Harm realized just how important it was to him that his two Sarah's liked each other and how easy the word 'Grandma' was coming from Mac's lips.
Oh… how well they had hit it off. At times, they enjoyed ganging up on him and he couldn't be any happier than he was right then. It delighted him to listen to his grandmother tell her 'Harm'-tales while watching an enchanted Mac get caught up in the pure rapture of each story becoming captivated by every word and detail.
A few of those stories had made them laugh hysterically, while others subdued them and even made them a little sad, some even put a blush on Harm's handsome face. However, it didn't take his grandmother long to come up with one of her all time favorite tales about the youngster Harm, and any sadness had vanished and only to be replaced by even greater laughter. Harm smiled and shook his head as he longingly gazed into the burning fire while the glow from the crackling embers was reflected in his eyes. Though the storm was unleashing its fury outside, inside the radiating flames danced wildly in the fireplace and kept the room bathed in warmth.
A sudden move and another soft sigh from Mac yanked him out of his thoughts. Harm took his eyes from the dancing flames in front of him to look down at her. She had just moved her head a little and was now nuzzling his shirt with her nose while she was still asleep. She had a sweet little smile on her lips and somehow Harm knew a pleasant dream was the reason for it.
Harm slowly let his fingertips caress her hairline, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear while watching her, fascinated as the light from the fire flickered over her face, casting a golden glow over her warm skin.
Right now, she looked like a sleeping angel to him, like a child that was sheltered and protected from everything evil that could hurt her; totally satisfied and relaxed. Harm silently promised her and himself to do everything in his power to make her always feel safe.
He breathed a long sigh as he closed his eyes feeling for the second time today the little pang of hurt around his heart as if it was being crushed by a higher power a sort of evil claw.
Harm couldn't help but wonder how Mac had truly felt when his grandmother recounted a particular story about the 'baby' Harmon Rabb. Though telling the story was meant to be an amusing tale, it was certainly a difficult topic for Harm and Mac and could have had an emotional affect on them.
"Oh I should warn you, Sarah. If your babies turn out to be anything like my Harm was, you'll have a handful, I can promise you that." These joking words of his grandmother's at the end of the story sent up another ripple of laughter.
Without intending to, the remark had made him gasp quietly and his body tensed a bit right after the words had left his grandmother's mouth. However, before he could say or do anything, he felt Mac's smaller hand slipping into his bigger one followed by the gentle squeeze she had given him.
His eyes searched and found Mac's just to get a graceful smile from her before she had turned her face back to look at his grandmother again. 'Oh I know, Grandma. Believe me, I know,' Mac had answered with broad laughter, before she once again looked at Harm giving him a smirk and a little wink.
"You know what's even scarier?" she said without breaking their eye contact as Harm shook his head. "If they are in any way like me, they will be just as much of a handful… if not even worse. And God only knows what will happen if they are the perfect mix of the both of us," she'd jokingly completed her statement. This made the three of them laugh before she moved forward to give Harm a sweet little kiss on his lips with a whispered "I love you" afterwards.
"Hey," Mac whispered with a sleepy voice and brought Harm out of his deep thoughts. "Where were you just now? You seemed a million miles away."
He quickly looked down at her smiling face and could only smile himself. "Hey, welcome to the land of the living, sleepyhead. I was just thinking about you and how much I love you."
"I love you too." Mac scooped forward a little and let go of Harm's left hand to place hers on his shirt, slowly opening the lowest button to let her hand slide underneath it and the t-shirt he wore underneath. "I'm sorry for falling asleep on you. I guess the pleasant warmth of the fireplace lulled me to sleep."
Harm chuckled. "Well, as long as it wasn't me who lulled you to sleep, I'm very okay with it," he replied jokingly with one of his flyboy grins she loved so much. "It has been a very long day and after your trip to Italy I'm not surprised the jet lag caught up on you."
Mac pushed the fabric of Harm's shirt, where she had opened the lowest button earlier, and the hem of the long sleeve t-shirt aside, smiled up at him and leaned in, planting a gentle kiss on his belly button. "You should have woken me. You look pretty tired too, Harm," she softly said and sat up, placing her left hand next to his right hip to prop herself up on it.
Harm smiled at her and took her face into his hands. He placed a kiss on her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a few seconds before kissing her eyelids and then her nose and cheeks. "Nah, I enjoyed watching you sleep too much to wake you, and I could never ever be too tired to look at my beautiful fiancée and soon to be wife," he said in a whisper, bending his head to kiss the corners of her mouth, before brushing his lips softly against hers.
Mac sighed against his lips and her right arm went around his neck to pull him closer as he kissed her tenderly. "You know what I really would like to do now," she mumbled against his mouth and moaned when Harm once more let his lips wander over her face before he pressed them against the side of her neck, placing a soft kiss on a certain spot right below her ear.
Harm chuckled and his hot breath tickled her sensitive skin there, sending her into a fit of giggles. "I'm not sure but I do have a few ideas of my own," he said huskily before letting his tongue follow the line of her pulse.
Mac gently pulled away and looked seductively into his eyes as a smile crossed her lips. Then, without saying anything, she pulled out of his embrace and stood up.
Harm looked questioningly at her and was about to ask if something was wrong when Mac suddenly held her hand out for him to take. "I'm sure I will love each and every idea of yours, Harm. But right now, I really would like to dance with my fiancé and my soon to be husband," Mac explained in a whisper and Harm placed his hand into her outstretched one and slowly stood up.
Harm wrapped his arms around her and Mac held him even tighter as they slowly swayed to the music, a duet in Italian and English called 'I belong to you (Il Ritmo Della Passione)', sung by the Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti and the American singer Anastacia.
"A few days ago while in Italy, I heard this song for the first time. I was lying in bed alone in a dark hotel room thinking about you and missing you so much. This song portrays everything that I feel for you and want to tell you," Mac told him in a murmur before Harm placed his lips on her sinuous ones, giving her a kiss filled with love and affection while listening carefully to the song and taking in every word that came out of the radio.
insert lyrics (deleted for the ffnet version)
During their dance, they started to express their feelings for each other with their eyes, hands, and lips while no more words between them were needed. They were still swaying to the last notes of the song when Mac's mouth found a sensitive spot on Harm's neck. She moved to the hollow of his throat and slowly started to unbutton his shirt. As soon as his shirt was undone, she let her fingertips graze over his chest and then down to his abdomen, making his muscles quiver underneath them.
Before she got the chance to slide her hands underneath his long sleeve t-shirt, Harm picked her up into his arms and slowly started to carry her up the stairs which would lead them to their room where they would express their feelings in many more ways; where they would celebrate their engagement and make love all night 'till dawn.
TBC
AN: The full part 5 (including the lyrics) can be found at my website. Oh... and I know the song didn't even exist in the year 2004 :-) However, while writing this part I heard the song in the radio and simply had to use it even though I'm normally not a fan of song fics…
Also, the extra part 5.5 (Adult Only) is now available at my website. I hope you like it since it's the first smut part I wrote all alonelol If you feel like it, let me know what you think. Thank you :-) ... see personal profile for the link to my website...