Sam stood on the outside terrace that was adjacent to the palace's main sitting area. The moons circling the planet were already high in the sky. The sun of this solar system was slightly closer to the planet than that of the Milky Way sun compared to Earth. While this difference wasn't great, it made these moons appear much brighter by comparison. Their brilliance was breathtaking, casting a moonlit glow across the gardens and ocean below.
"Absolutely exquisite," Jack's voice said from the doorway.
"They are," Sam replied, not quite brave enough to face him yet.
"The moons are beautiful, too," Jack agreed as he joined her at the railing.
His words made Sam's head snap to look at him, but he simply continued staring out into the night. Had he just called her exquisite? The device should no longer be affecting his brain-to-mouth filter. Sam's mind raced at the implications.
His face, however, was once again unreadable. Ever since they had been interrupted and she had retreated to his bathroom, Jack had kept his thoughts guarded. Even their innate ability to talk without uttering a word had proven useless as he stubbornly refused to give her any hint to what he was feeling. She had no clue what he thought about her attempt to seduce him, but with every minute that passed the knot in the pit of her stomach grew. While he had clearly been open to her advances, he provided no indication that he was ready to pick up where they left off.
Even when Daniel had challenged her to a chess game, she had looked to Jack, hoping he would say something or at least provide some indication of how he wanted to proceed. Instead, he'd merely smiled his patented O'Neill half-smile and waited for her to answer.
Not wanting to give Daniel any more cause for concern, Sam had accepted the challenge, but her heart wasn't in it. She lost to him for the first time, ending up in checkmate within record time because of stupid, distracted mistakes. When Daniel had offered her a rematch, she'd politely declined before excusing herself to the terrace.
"We should talk," Jack finally said, turning his head and capturing her gaze. "Walk with me?"
Sam nodded mutely, not trusting her voice. Forcing her feet to move, she descended the steps into the garden, feeling him follow close behind.
They walked in silence as the light from the palace faded to a pale glow. The moons were bright enough to illuminate their way, with the night still dark to keep everything cast in moonlit shadow. If she had to rank the most romantic places she'd ever visited, this would top the list. She felt her chest tighten at the realization that her heart was about to get broken in a place like this.
"We came pretty close to crossing a big line tonight," Jack said, finally breaking the silence.
Sam nodded, but chose to remain quiet.
"Crossing that line seemed to be your intention," Jack added, pulling her to a stop.
Sam stared up into his eyes not knowing what he wanted her to say. She had gone to his room this evening to seduce him and had done just that.
"Am I wrong?" Jack asked pointedly.
"Does it really matter?" Sam replied with a resigned sigh. She had obviously missed her chance. Jack seemed uneasy around her now, likely because he didn't know how to let her down without hurting her feelings or damaging their working relationship.
"It matters," Jack pushed.
"Nothing that happened between us has to leave that room," she gave him an easy out. "Alien influence," she shrugged, feeling her eyes sting with unshed tears. The only saving grace being it was too dark for him to see her weakness.
"Sam," he bent his knees slightly so they were eye to eye. "Is that what you really want?"
"No," she breathed out as a single tear escaped the corner of her eyes.
"Thank god," Jack said, closing the distance between them. His lips were on hers before she realized what was happening.
Jack could feel Sam's shock as she stiffened against him before throwing her arms around his neck and sinking into his embrace. Wrapping his arms around her torso, he yanked her off her feet and against him before pulling them both further into the garden.
Using the cover of darkness, he guided her backwards until they bumped into a thick tree trunk. Pinning her between it and his body, he cupped one breast in his palm and ran a thumb across the pebbled tip. Sam arched her back and let out a low moan, so he did it again.
Dragging his hand downward, he slipped his fingers to the hem of her sundress, gently teasing the fabric between his fingers. When she made no move to stop him, Jack traced a line up her thigh until his fingertips found the lacy edge of her underwear. Definitely not standard issue he realized and grinned against her mouth.
With a feather-like touch, he followed the seam of the lacy fabric until he reached the band at the top. Easing his hand inside, he pulled back to watch her face for any signs of hesitation.
During their last encounter, when he had demanded to know what she wanted, she had very clearly hesitated. In the heat of the moment, he'd overlooked the gravity of that hesitation. But since they had been interrupted, it had monopolized his thoughts.
As his fingers brushed the soft curls hidden by her underwear, he was pleased to see no signs of uncertainty. Sam's eyes were closed, her head thrown back in wanton abandon, as her hips pushed into his touch.
She was already damp, the scent of her arousal reaching his senses the moment he eased her folds apart to caress the small spot he knew would bring her pleasure.
Sam's eyes snapped open as she bit back a sob of ecstasy. Her deep blue gaze locked onto his dark brown one.
Jack circled his finger, lightly increasing the pressure with each revolution, watching the emotions play across her face. Shifting his other hand, he cupped the back of her neck to bing her mouth to his in another searing kiss. As he pulled back, he noticed a streak of lightning across the sky, followed by a loud peal of thunder. Sam's eyes widened at the sound, shattering the erotic haze surrounding them.
The first raindrop hit Jack squarely on the cheek, further breaking into their moment as Sam reached with shaking fingers to wipe it away. Without preamble, the sky opened up; big fat raindrops drenching them in seconds.
"Oh for cryin' out loud," Jack growled to the sky as Sam let out a frustrated laugh. He extracted his hand from between her legs and smoothed the sodden fabric of her sundress back into place the best he could. "Come on," he grasped her hand and pulled her along, retracing their steps until the palace came into view.
Racing up the terrace stairs, Sam pulled him to a stop right before they entered the palace. She glanced through the window to ensure no one was there before urging his head down to meet hers.
"I'll be waiting," she whispered into his ear. "Don't make me wait long."