Happy Friday Everyone! I don't usually post on a Friday, but I had a pretty crappy day at work so I edited this chapter to take my mind off things and once I was done, I figured I may as well just post it ASAP! As always you might need to re-read the previous chapter as a refresher.

I don't own The Brave or any of it's characters... But I wish I did!

Chapter 41

On their last day in Washington DC, Dalton and Jaz had breakfast with Amir a bit earlier than usual. To say they were keen to start their road trip back to Dalton's cabin was an understatement. Amir picked up on that excitement and didn't dwell over breakfast.

He had his own small piece of excitement to look forward to. As of today he was moving in with Hannah for the remainder of their leave and much like Dalton and Jaz, he wanted to make the most of it.

Following breakfast, Amir had borrowed Hannah's car to drop off Dalton and Jaz at the car rental place that Dalton had organised.

Unloading their luggage while Dalton took care of the paperwork, Jaz couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

"Someone's smug." Amir observed.

"Oh, like you aren't feeling so smug yourself?" Jaz accused.

"Ok, guilty."

So both of them stood there and smiled at each other—smugly, both enormously happy with their personal lives at the moment.

"Don't fuck it up with Hannah, we need her watching our asses in a few months' time." Jaz warned him.

"Well I could say the same to you about Top…"

"But you won't." Jaz finished for him.

"Exactly." And they both laughed.

Although super happy to be spending time with Dalton alone, Jaz still had some things weighing on her.

There was still that elusive question that Xander had asked her, which she just couldn't seem to find the answer to.

Why did it make you break?

In that last session, Xander had pushed her to still seek an answer and she was determined to do just that. She knew she wouldn't stop thinking about it until it was resolved. Maybe being with Dalton—just the two of them alone—would help her find what she was looking for. She certainly hoped so, she didn't want this hanging over her for much longer, it grated on her.

There was still also the matter of their sleeping arrangements. While she would spend every single night by Adam's side if she could, she knew that they had to spend some nights apart to keep up the strategies Xander had given to them both on how to work through their nightmares. They had spent a few nights apart here in DC, but those few nights weren't going to solve all their problems.

She still felt very much like a work in progress, but at the same time she was proud of herself for being able to cope with the last two weeks. It had challenged her and it had been an emotional rollercoaster, but Xander had been amazing and she couldn't have asked for a better group of people around her to help her through it.

And then there was Adam. Her journey with him over the last month had been one hell of a ride.

From starting as team mates to exploring their growing feelings for each other.

From finally being intimate with each other at the cabin, to Jaz fleeing to Elijah's parents place early, with no goodbye to Adam.

From Jaz deciding to forego the long weekend at Preach's house to Adam arriving at Elijah's parents unexpectedly to tell her that he wanted to be with her.

From telling the rest of the team about their new situation to having to again stay under wraps in DC.

From the difficult conversations in their appointments with Xander, to the elation of discovering they had adjoining rooms at the hotel.

And from the confusion of first hearing Adam's professed feelings to her, to the comfort and contentment of accepting and embracing his feelings towards her.

They had been through the wringer. So the urge to spend quality time, even mundane time together, had an enormous appeal.

Shaking her from her reverie, Dalton exited the car rental office with the keys in hand, ready to go.

They knew this wouldn't be the last they would see of Amir during this leave since the plan was still to rendezvous in Montana at some stage, so the goodbye wasn't too long or drawn out.

With a big hug for Jaz and a handshake and hug for Dalton, Amir left them with a simple, "Have fun you two," before waving them off. He was heading straight to Hannah's to unload his own luggage there, and he couldn't wait.

Pulling away and finally getting on their way, Jaz and Dalton sat in silence for a while. This feeling was magical. Knowing that they had the next—however long—to be together, alone, was incredible. They had been so careful in DC with their actions, their looks and their body language, that hiding away almost felt normal.

While neither of them had any idea what the future held, they were both excited at the freedom that the Blue Ridge Mountains offered.

Knowing that they were thinking the exact same thing, Adam reached his right hand over to Jaz and clasped her own in his. When she squeezed his hand in response he looked over at her and just smiled. That smile of his that went all the way up to the crinkles beside his eyes and she beamed back at him.

She felt giddy. And that was a new feeling in itself for her, never mind the notion that she was actually about to spend a few months living with someone—living with someone. She felt like a completely different person to who she was just a couple of months ago. So much had happened and changed in such a short period of time and she certainly wasn't complaining about it.

They continued to just soak up the moment, not exchanging many words as Adam traversed the DC traffic. Once they were out of the city, Jaz snapped a quick picture out of the front windscreen and sent it to the SOG7 WhatsApp group.

In no time at all, the responses flooded in.

Safe travels you two – Preach

Hope you've got some snacks for the trip – McG

Keep us updated – Amir

Amir, you at Hannah's now? – McG

Just unpacking my belongings – Amir

At least you won't take up much wardrobe space with your short man clothes – McG

At least I don't have my Mom unpack for me – Amir

Jaz giggled along with the conversation, filling Adam in since he was driving. He just shook his head at the antics of his team.

Jaz & Top – let us know when you're there. Amir – enjoy every moment with Hannah. McG – look after your Mom. You all enjoy spending time with your loved ones. Make every moment matter; make every moment count – Preach.

Will do – Jaz

You too Preach – Amir

Boom! Spiritual jujitsu! You've been missed big guy – McG

Smiling in appreciation of these guys, her guys, Jaz put her phone away, looked over at Adam and asked, "Are we there yet?"

Adam looked at her sideways, "Oh geez, you're not one of those people are you?"

"Maybe. Guess you're about to find out."

"I can't wait." He looked over at her with a glint in his eyes.

And just like that, Jaz was blushing again. She seemed to spend a lot of time doing that around this man. She couldn't remember anything or anyone else ever having this effect on her. But with three short words, she was like a tomato.

They stopped for some lunch at a road side café along the way and they got caught up playing with a dog that reminded them greatly of Patton. The family he was with asked if they had a dog, given their easy manner and nature with the dog.

"I miss Patton," Jaz mused, after they were back in the car and on their way.

He nodded in response, "Me too."

"Did you ever have any pet's growing up?"

"Not of my own, but I took care of my Uncle's dog and a shitload of sheep every summer."

Jaz looked at him questioningly, "Sheep?"

"Yeah, I spent every summer working at my Uncle's farm in Podunk, Pennsylvania. I loved it."

"Right, I remember now." Jaz recalled the story of how his knowledge of sheep noises was the catalyst that ultimately lead to Jaz's rescue in Tehran.

"What about you, any pets?"

"I had a goldfish once. I won it at a school fair. Target practice."

Adam nodded in response, not even surprised.

"What did you name it?"

"I only had it for a few hours, didn't get a chance to name it. My Dad came home from work and said he didn't work all day and night to provide food for a fish. He flushed it down the toilet before I could even show him that I already had enough fish food to last for six months."

Adam just listened with a clenched jaw. This wasn't the first time he had heard a small snippet about Jaz's Dad that made him feel this way. She had never offered too much information. He knew more about it than the rest of the team, because some of it was in her file, but he hoped she might open up to him some more over the next few weeks. He also knew that some of it would be hard to hear.

"Did you get a chance to talk to Xander about… your family at all?" Dalton asked quietly.

"About my Dad you mean? Not very much. He suggested we leave that until next time. He was probably right. That would have been way too much on top of everything else."

"He actually said a very similar thing about my own Dad."

Jaz huffed a laugh, "This is like fucked up families anonymous, huh?"

Smiling wryly, he agreed with her. His home certainly hadn't been ideal. And he knew that when Jaz, or if Jaz ever opened up about hers, it wasn't going to be pretty.

Jaz stared out the window, lost in thought. Her home life wasn't something that she had ever really discussed with anyone. She knew that some higher ups and Adam knew a little more than most, but that had still only been what Jaz had revealed, which wasn't a lot. She had enough stories to last months. For the most part she kept them buried deep within, but the last couple of weeks had made her see that she needed to talk about some of them and she needed to deal with some of them. She just wasn't sure what the best way to do that was yet.

One thought always lingered in her mind and she wanted to share it with Adam.

"You know; I often wonder what I would do if I bumped into my Dad. Just on the street in New York. Or even more, what he would do?"

"Does he know you're military?"

"As far as I know he does. But that's if I ever go back to New York anyway. I'm certainly in no rush."

Dalton understood that. It was the whole reason she had turned up at his cabin in the first place, less than two weeks into their leave. And although it pained him to think of why her memories of New York were so terrible, it had been the catalyst to where they are now.

"Well, if we ever end up going, and if we ever see him, we'll tackle it from whatever angle you like."

Jaz looked at him, not sure she had heard him correctly.

"We?" She questioned him quietly.

He kept his eyes on the road when he answered but shrugged as if it was the simplest answer in the world, "Yeah. No way you're going without me."

Jaz kept her eyes on him as she felt her pulse quicken. It felt like a kaleidoscope of butterflies sweeping their way throughout her entire body, attacking all of her senses, and sparking an outpouring of awareness.

And it was at that very moment that her heart nearly jumped out of her chest and—she knew.

She knew.

Watching his handsome face; his strong forearms resting on the steering wheel, his dark blonde hair glistening in the sunlight and the twinkling of his blue eyes—she knew.

That was it—her moment of clarity.

She blinked her eyes away to look out the passenger side window as she tried to process the emotions running through her.

Every heightened emotion that she had experienced these last few weeks—suddenly made sense.

All the unexplained feelings and thoughts that she had experienced—suddenly made sense.

The feeling that she was the happiest she had ever been—suddenly made sense.

The fear of losing Adam or being without him—suddenly made sense.

Everything—suddenly made sense.

And finally, Xander's question that had plagued her for days—suddenly made sense. She can't believe she hadn't realised it sooner.

Why did it make you break?

Because she was in love with him.

She was completely and deeply in love with Adam Dalton.

It was like a gigantic weight had been lifted from her shoulders, like it was suddenly so much easier to breathe and she couldn't help but start laughing softly to herself.

Looking over at her, hearing her laugh, he asked her, "What's funny?"

"Pull over." She said to him.

"Huh? Why?" He looked at her quickly in confusion.

"Please… just pull over."

Having no idea why, but knowing there was clearly a reason behind it, Adam eased the car off the highway, pulled into a truck stop and turned to look at her expectantly.

Jaz took one look at him and got out of the car, knowing he would do the same. Before she knew it he had walked around to the passenger side to stand next to her as she looked off into the distance. She just stood breathing in the fresh air, taking big gulps to try and gather her thoughts.

"Jaz, what's going on?"

When she didn't answer him, he reached for her elbow to turn her towards him.

"Hey, talk to me."

Those very words of his; the words that she had heard more than once, had her locking eyes with him. The concern in his voice and the worry on his face, were all reflected there in those beautiful blue eyes and the need to reassure him that nothing was wrong was so strong.

She held his gaze and with a small shrug of her shoulders and with a wobbly voice she managed to whisper, "I'm in love with you."

The look of surprise that crossed his face had him open his mouth as if to respond, but then quickly close it, not quite sure what to say. Staring back into her eyes, he saw that they looked scared, nervous, but sure at the same time.

"Wha—what?" He eventually managed to stutter out.

"I'm in love with you, Adam." She managed to say with more conviction.

This time he managed to speak, "Jaz, you don't have to say it just because…"

Before he could finish, Jaz stepped closer to him, lay her hands on his chest and kissed him to stop whatever he had been about to say. She kissed him to convince him that she meant it and she kissed him because it was easier than trying to explain herself at the moment.

She felt Adam's hands come up to cup her cheeks and she wound her arms around him, pulling him close. The need to be as close to him as possible was as strong as ever.

Pulling away from each other slightly, they locked gazes. Adam's ocean blue eyes searching her wide chocolate orbs, hers desperately trying to convey what she was feeling.

Jaz wished she had more control over her motor skills right then. Her body was trembling with this sudden onslaught of awareness, and her skin was covered in goose bumps. She had never felt so unhinged, and yet so sure about anything in her entire life and despite her quivering frame, she stared right back into his eyes, hoping that he could see that sentiment mirrored in them.

Adam could see nothing but the truth in her eyes, and he ran his thumbs over her cheeks in an effort to soothe the plethora of emotion he knew was running through her body. Running through both their bodies.

Looking down into her eyes as he softly caressed her face, he began to smile at her. In awe. In amazement. In appreciation.

In love.

Watching his face break into that gorgeous smile of his, she couldn't help but smile back. His smile was infectious. This feeling was infectious. He was infectious.

Standing on her tiptoes to capture his lips with hers again, she poured every feeling going through her body into their union. They clutched each other as her arms moved higher to wind their way around his neck, and he cradled the back of her head with one hand while wrapping the other around her waist, holding her tightly against him.

Their lips moved with each other, desperately and urgently, and their need for closeness had Adam leaning against the car, pulling Jaz as near as he decently could.

Eventually having to come up for air, they rested their foreheads together, both gasping for breath and just breathing each other in.

When their breathing steadied, and their trembling along with it, Jaz managed to whisper, "I meant it." She didn't want to leave any doubt in Adam's mind.

Capturing her lips in a quick kiss, Adam managed to whisper back, "I know you did."

Jaz was so thankful that he believed her. She didn't think she had it in her at the moment to have to explain herself. And even though she knew she would later on, for now she was happy that he was accepting her declaration as true.

Knowing that this had been difficult for Jaz, he tried to lighten the moment slightly by lifting his head, looking around either side of them and joking, "I mean, this had to happen right here? In the middle of nowhere?"

Laughing softly, she stared up at him, "I'll try to pick a better spot next time."

"No, it was perfect," He smiled down at her, not caring at all where they were. They could have been in the middle of an Afghani prison riot or in a Mongolian kill box for all he cared. Just somewhere with a little more privacy would have been ideal. But they were soldiers. They were special forces. They knew that ideal didn't come around very often.

"Come on, let's get out of here. I want to get to the cabin as quickly as possible."

Looking longingly into her eyes, he saw the fire lit in hers.

"Let's go," she said quickly, standing on her tiptoes to give him one last lingering kiss before they hit the road again.

Jaz sat in the passenger seat, lost in thought but feeling happier than she had felt in… well she couldn't even remember when. She had never felt this way before, and she knew that was probably why she had struggled to come to this conclusion.

She already knew that she liked him—a lot. She had already respected him—a lot. And she already knew that she cared about him—a lot. But this was… everything.

She knew that she couldn't imagine or fathom her life without him. Not just her CO. Not just her friend. Just him, in every facet.

All of her confusion had disappeared. All the lingering questions about Xander's questioning of her and that elusive question had disappeared. But in their place was a whole slew of other questions.

How long had she felt like this? When did this actually happen? Did the others know?

Did Xander know? Probably.

Did Preach know? Of course he knew.

She couldn't fight down the nerves, but she felt content at the same time. She finally knew why he had been a confidante over the years, despite sometimes butting heads. She finally knew why they worked so seamlessly together on missions. She finally knew why the sight of him hitting the ground suddenly in a kill box in Mongolia had scared the life out of her. She finally knew why the look they exchanged in the carpark in Tehran, when she was being driven away had hurt so much. And she now knew the answer to Xander's question. Finally.

Why did it make you break?

Because she was in love with him.

She glanced across at this beautiful man, still in awe of her realisation, and wondered when he had managed to slip through her defences and break his way through her walls? When had he become the most important person in her life?

She hoped she would eventually be able to answer these questions, but for now, she was just happy that she had finally figured this out.

For the rest of the trip back to the cabin, Adam alternated between holding her hand or resting his hand on her thigh. He needed to be close to her. He needed to touch her. And if not for him being a responsible and upstanding citizen, he would be doing a whole lot more with her in the car right now.

To say he had been surprised by Jaz's declaration was an understatement. He had hoped of course, that this day would come, but he hadn't been expecting it today—on their road trip.

He knew that the last two weeks had been tumultuous emotionally for Jaz. For both of them really. He hadn't wanted to make it any more difficult for her and he meant what he said when he told her he had no expectations.

Having said that, he was struggling to wipe the smile off his face; this was the best fucking feeling in the world.

He looked over at her, and when he saw her smiling too, he gripped her hand even harder. They needed to get out of this car ASAP.

When they finally arrived at the cabin and Adam parked the car, they both looked at each other, no words needing to be exchanged.

The glint in their eyes was identical and leaving everything in the car, they almost sprinted to the front door of the cabin.

Once inside, Adam wasted no time in pushing her up against the closed front door and leaning down to devour her lips with his. He kissed her like he had been waiting a lifetime to do so, tasting her sweet lips over and over again, hungrily and passionately.

Jaz kissed him back just as breathlessly, letting his tongue enter her mouth to caress her own and enjoying the feel of his body and its heat pressed up against hers.

Pulling back from each other, they both stripped away all of their clothing, the need to be joined together right now, so strong and so intense.

With their lips quickly re-joined, his hands slid down her body, cupping her ass and pulling her tightly against him. He was hard. So hard. Grasping her thigh, he pulled her leg up and around his hip pressing against her core, feeling the desire right through to both of their cores.

"Jaz, you feel so good," Adam groaned against her mouth.

"Don't stop," she moaned. "Please don't stop."

"Not a fucking chance."

Jaz's nipples were hard points and her skin burned, as if a candle flame was too close.

Adam's fingers strayed over her hip, down the curve of her ass and then between her legs, causing Jaz to gasp into his mouth as his fingers stroked back and forth over her heat.

Gripping his shoulders as tightly as she could, she didn't even flinch as he lifted her other leg, so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Her mouth crushed down on his with her heart pounding in her chest as she felt his cock glide along her seam.

She was dripping wet with desire and he looked her right in the eyes. His gaze was full of intent and his own desire, as he slipped easily between her folds in one smooth move and entered her fully.

Jaz moaned deeply in her throat as he flexed his hips and pushed in even deeper, holding her hard against the door. The grip on her ass as tight as ever.

They moved slowly at first, not taking their eyes off each other, but it didn't take long for Adam to move faster. His thrusts hard and sure, their mouths fusing back together as their breaths came out in pants and grunts.

Jaz held his jaw in her hands while she kissed him with all the passion and pain she had been holding in for so long. This was bliss. This was heaven.

His fingers dug deep into her ass and in response she tightened his legs around him, shifting her hips so that her clit rode against the base of his cock. Fire tore through her body, through her blood and bones, reaffirming her physical connection with him.

She had to tear her mouth from his as the pleasure spiralled out of control. He moved even faster, sensing how close they both were to reaching their intended destination.

He brought his lips up to her ear, sucked the lobe into his hot mouth, before whispering, "You're amazing, Jaz. So beautiful."

With those words she plunged over the edge, letting out a sharp cry as her body splintered apart with wave after wave of tingling pleasure.

Adam started to breath even harder and he pumped into her, his own pleasure reaching its hilt as he watched her face contort in ecstasy. He spilled inside of her with long, deep thrusts; his body curving around her still trembling softness. Their lips found each other again and together they rode out the last waves of passion.

Still breathless and still panting, they stayed in that position with their foreheads resting against each other's, trying to get their breathing under control.

With legs like jelly, Adam set her down and she slid her legs to the ground, their foreheads still in contact and their bodies still tingling from their incredible orgasms.

She slid her hands up to his neck and in a shaky but sure voice she whispered those words that had incited all of this.

"I love you, Adam."

Feeling the muscles of his face lift into a smile, she smiled herself when he responded, "I love you too, Jaz. So fucking much."

So this is what this felt like.

Making love.

Nothing had ever felt better. Not in their whole lives.

They couldn't wait to do it all over again.

Well it only took her 41 chapters, but Jaz got there... FINALLY! Slowest burn ever right?!

What did you think?

I had juggled a few different ways for her to figure it all out and when it should happen, but this seemed kind of natural so I hope it reads ok. There's still lots more to come, so I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for reading. And to those who also comment - much love as always! XXX