Author's note: Chapter three for your reading pleasure. Hope you are enjoying so far! Sorry it's so short but it's a natural breaking point. Happy Reading. Dark Rolling Sea.

CHAPTER THREE

"Damn it," Rachel mumbled, under her breath as she tried to reach what she needed. "Who the hell put that up so bloody high?" She was stretched up on her tip toes reaching as far as she could, but her fingertips were just shy of the mark. She jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder, then someone was pressed ever so softly against her back reaching over her hand. She shivered when she felt warm breath skirt over her ear as his gravelly baritone whispered.

"Need some help?" Rachel couldn't answer. She couldn't move. She was frozen in the thralls of emotion. The captain was pressed against her, his hand closed around the object she was trying to reach, but he didn't move.

Her hips were pinned lightly against the counter, as his pressed slightly into her, his left hand gripping her left shoulder loosely, his chest pressed against her back, his lips still sitting just barely touching her ear. He held them like that for a moment longer, and she could swear he was inhaling her scent before he breathed out into her ear. Each breath caused a ripple to flutter through her center, and she was sure her core temperature had risen at least two degrees. Then slowly he began to retreat his body, the friction of the movement sending shockwaves through her system and pulled what she needed down setting it on the counter and stepping away from her.

She leaned her hands on the counter and held herself there for a moment, attempting to slow her heart rate and gain control over the emotional rampage crashing through her senses. Damn it. She took a deep breath with her eyes closed and exhaled slowly, before turning slowly and leaning back against the counter. Rachel glanced to her left and picked up the beaker that he had pulled down, just so her hands had something to do. She looked up at him, sitting halfway on the lab table, with one leg up and one leg still supporting him. Neither spoke, Rachel wasn't sure she could trust her voice at this point. She studied his eyes, the Nordic blue brought out by his uniform shirt.

"Thank you," she half whispered, her voice cracking halfway through the you. Tom nodded. She cleared her throat and smiled at him. She looked at the beaker and racked her brain to figure out why she had needed it just a few minutes ago. She was going to run another test on the new cure, the make sure production is going smoothly.

"How is the testing and production going?" Tom asked. Rachel took a moment to compose her head before answering, setting the beaker down on the counter.

"As good as can be expected with all the setbacks. I was just about to run another test on the latest batch, but so far everything has tested good, and we should be ready when we are in port."

"That's good to hear," he answered. His eyes were probing her, and she leaned back and let him. He seemed to want to say something to her but was struggling with what or maybe how to say it.

It had been almost a week since their awkward dinner and both had been consumed with work, or maybe they had just been avoiding each other. Rachel thought maybe a bit of both, at least for her. She had missed having him around. Her brain slid back to the moment he was pinning her to the counter, her temperature rose again. Damn it, control yourself, woman, Rachel yelled internally. Tom's eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch and a smile crossed his lips, the left side tipping up a little more than the right. She loved his smile. Stop. The silence between them was stretching and Rachel picked up the beaker again, just so she had something to focus on besides him. He still hadn't said anything, and she wasn't sure if he was going to at this point.

"Well, um, thank you again. I really need to get back to work," she said softly. He stood from the table and walked towards her, stopping when he was in front of her. His right hand snaked out and he pushed her hair back behind her ear, so it was no longer hiding part of her face. She looked up at him expecting him to say something. There was a hesitance in his eyes, his body language suggested an internal battle. He opened his mouth to say something, but before the words came out, he abruptly turned and left her lab. Her eyes followed him out until she couldn't see him anymore, then they stared at the empty hatchway for another few moments.

Slowly she pushed up from the counter and moved back to her lab table, her mind rushing with thoughts and emotion. She didn't know how much longer she could stand being toyed with, even if that wasn't the captain's intentions.

To Be Continued…