Happy Wednesday! Or Happy Hump Day - and that's basically what this entire chapter is about - pure fluff. Hope you enjoy!

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

Chapter 43

Dalton felt that something was wrong as soon as he woke. He was alone.

He instinctively reached out for Jaz, so used to having her in his arms, but when his arms grabbed nothing but air, he frowned wondering where she was.

She could be in the bathroom, but he was pretty much always the first awake, so this seemed strange.

As he was about to go in search of her, the bedroom opened and she came in with a big grin on her face. She looked a lot brighter than she usually did first thing in the morning; she would admit herself that she was far from a morning person.

"Morning." She greeted him glowingly as she lifted the covers and slid back under them and curled up alongside of him.

"Morning." He returned warily, still uncertain of her happiness—until, wait… "Cassiopeia?"

"Is still alive and doing laps of her own swimming pool." She confirmed, her eyes bright with excitement.

"I'm gonna regret buying that damn fish aren't I?"

"You're not jealous of a goldfish are you?"

"I think maybe I am." He replied solemnly. "I'm going to take it back to the store."

Responding quickly by climbing on top of him and straddling his torso, Jaz quipped, "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh yeah? Dare me."

A slow, mischievous smile spread across Jaz's face. Holding his gaze, she slowly moved her hips against his, knowing the effect she had on him. Her smile grew even wider upon hearing his low groan, it was like music to her hears. She ground herself against him, feeling him instantly become hard as his hands shot out to grab her waist, his fingers pressing tightly into her hips.

She slowly lifted her tank top over her head to discard it and leaned down to deliberately press her naked torso against his. His skin instantly turned to goose bumps.

She grazed her full breasts all over his chest, her rock hard nipples brushing against his own rock hard nipples. Feeling him grow even larger beneath her, she put her tantalising lips on his neck and sucked hard, stopping just short of giving him a hickey.

As he groaned even louder, she scraped her teeth up and down his neck, and followed them with her tongue, ensuring that every sensitive spot along his strong neck was lavished and assaulted.

Her hips continued to rock against his, her own core now just as affected as his own and when she felt his own hips lift up off the mattress to seek more of the pleasure her own were providing, she placed her lips next to his ear and whispered in a low, seductive voice, "I dare you."

She enjoyed watching him squirm beneath her and his body shook with need.

He was trying so hard to resist her, but he should have known it was futile.

"Ok, I give." He gave in a gruff and resigned whisper.

"What was that?" She checked, teasing him further, watching every hair on his body stand on end as she kissed her way across his chest and her tongue swirled around his nipples.

His hands on her hips were like a vice, clamping her down as he started to feel her own dampness rubbing against his erection, even though their underwear was still intact.

He couldn't take much more.

"I said ok. You can keep the damn fish."

A knowing smile worked its way across her face, "That's what I thought."

She quickly manoeuvred the removal of her underwear before tackling his, and sitting back on top of him, she lined him up with her entrance and slid herself down. They didn't hold back their mutual moans as the throbbing in their cores was fulfilled. Jaz gasped and arched her back as she rode him hard and fast until she climaxed in waves, the orgasm rolling through her body, over and over until she collapsed on top of him. Adam matched her thrust for thrust, clutching her hips hard until he groaned his release; a flood of heat filled her core as he spilled himself inside of her.

Laying on top of him, she kissed him lingeringly and slowly. His strong hand tangled in her hair to hold her close to him and he kissed her back just as longingly.

Pulling away, she giggled slightly and he just smirked at her.

"I suppose you're pretty happy with yourself, you got your own way?"

Leaning down to join their lips together again, she whispered against them, "Never in doubt," before pushing her tongue into his mouth, not quite done with him yet.

Her hips began to move again, his cock still buried deep inside of her. They began to move in time with her tongue and she felt his own tongue push back, while his grip once again tightened on her.

She gasped as he flipped them over so she was underneath him, "So cocky," he teased her before he began to pound into her. Their movements strong and forceful, taking them once again to a level of pleasure they were both amazed by.

This just got better and better.

Afterwards when they were once again breathless, but this time definitely satiated, Jaz snuggled into Adam's side and just smiled as she said, "I think I'll get a friend for Cassiopeia."

Adam just looked at her with a resigned face, "Great, I've created a monster."

"You love it."

A gigantic smile lit up his face, mirroring her own.

"Yeah, I do."

Despite their extended morning in bed, they decided to hike to the waterfall later that morning.

It was a warm day, and Dalton knew that by the end of the following week when the last of the summer camps finished up, the crowd there would become slightly larger and it would lose some of its appeal.

After a much needed breakfast, they packed up some of the goodies they had bought the day before as snacks, and they set out for the long walk there.

As usual, Jaz took a load of photos along the way of the flora and fauna, causing Adam to tease her, "Aren't they just going to be exactly the same as the photos you took last time?"

"It's been three weeks, stuff changes. And this time it feels different."

His face softened as he realised that this was the first time they would be going to what now seemed like their waterfall as a couple. Not just as friends or an undefined entity, as a fully-fledged couple. He reached out for her hand as this dawned on him and her responding smile had him pulling her close. They remained like that for the rest of their walk, and he didn't even groan when she insisted on taking some selfies.

Upon arriving at their destination, they were relieved to find not too many other people around.

While they were no means unsociable, they just wanted to be mostly alone. They had waited so long to be alone together; every moment was precious.

After their long walk, the soft ripples of water beckoned to them with the promise of cooling the heat from their skin.

Finding a spot to put down their bags, Jaz was momentarily nervous at stripping down to her bikini.

Yes. Of course she had worn that bikini. She knew that Adam loved it and that it had been something he was looking forward to seeing her in again. She had nearly worn the new bikini that she had purchased the day before in town, as she knew he would love that one too. But for now she thought she would give him what he wanted, and save the other one up for another day.

Still, nervousness washed over her. She wasn't the kind of woman that usually cared what someone thought of her. In fact, that was something she actually liked about herself. She'd never been one to try and please people, she had learnt that that was usually impossible, from a very early age. Since then she hadn't really given a fuck what people thought of her, which had rubbed some people the wrong way, and had earnt respect from others.

But now, being here with Adam, and being in love with Adam, the self-consciousness that she had rarely felt was a strange feeling. Her scars were visible, yes. But that wasn't it. She's still getting used to someone looking at her the way Adam looks at her. Like she's the only person on the planet. The only person that matters. It was simultaneously unnerving and heart-stopping.

Telling herself she was being silly, it wasn't like it was the first time he had ever seen her in this bikini—and he had seen her in a lot less—she started to strip away her clothes until the bikini was the only item of clothing left.

When Adam took his t-shirt off and turned to throw it over their bags, he swallowed deeply at the sight of this beautiful woman in that swimsuit.

Seeing his eyes almost glaze over, her self-consciousness started to abate. Despite her modesty, she couldn't deny that when Adam Dalton looked at her like that, it was as if the world stopped. Like no one other than the two of them existed.

Adam froze with a look of wonderment on his face. He had seen Jaz in this bikini a few times already, but she just looked better and better every time.

It's not like he had ever been averse to the female body. He appreciated the female form greatly and was in awe of what it was capable of. It wasn't like Jaz was the first female he had ever seen in a bikini either, it was just that no one, no one, had ever had this effect on him.

She was the only one who had ever made him feel this way. In awe. And like he just couldn't get enough.

Without saying anything to him, Jaz just started to walk toward the water. Her skin was on fire from the way Adam was looking at her and without something to cool it down, she might self-combust.

Catching up with her as quickly as he could, he fought to keep his hands to himself as they passed a few other people already finding relief from the heat in the refreshing water.

Instead they both just plunged straight in, the water immediately alleviating the warmth of the day and when they surfaced they were already in the centre of the lake at the bottom of the falls with Jaz having to tread water as the bottom was out of her depth.

Adam was thankful to be in the water and that his lower body was out of sight. That damn bikini did it to him every time and even though the coolness of the water was respite for the heat in his skin, it didn't do anything to assuage the heat running through his blood.

Struggling to resist and giving in to the inevitability, he took two steps closer to her and pulled her into his arms. She no longer had a need to tread water so as she wrapped her arms around his neck and entwined her legs around his waist.

She could barely hold back her gasp when she felt how hard he was and his hands clenched her ass and pulled her even closer.

"Adam we can't. There's other people here."

"Don't I know it." He bit out through clenched teeth.

She couldn't help but laugh as she watched him clearly struggling. It still amazed her that this was Adam Dalton; the most in control person she had ever met—struggling to stay in control.

"You think this is funny?" He asked her, her laughter only getting louder as she witnessed the strain on his face.

"I do, actually."

"Well we'll see about that."

He started to walk them backwards toward the actual waterfall, his mind suddenly full of determination.

She felt his hand slip beneath her bikini bottom as they were still making their way and she buried her face in his neck to disguise the moan in her throat as his skilled fingers found her clit immediately. She rocked her hips against his hand, needing him urgently.

He stroked her eagerly, feeling her engorge in his hand. As soon as they were behind the fall of water, hidden from view, Adam wasted no time in moving her bikini bottoms aside, freeing his cock from his boxers and thrusting straight up inside of her.

"Fuck," She couldn't help but cry out, thankful of the noise of the water masking her.

She clung to him even tighter with a kind of desperation that matched his powerful and fast thrusts. She felt him everywhere. Beneath her heels, his ass cheeks clenched with every thrust. The muscles in his shoulders rippled as his whole body worked both against and with hers. This wasn't going to last long for either of them

His mouth took hers possessively, demanding surrender. She gave it to him. She gave herself to him. She kissed him back with an equal amount of ferociousness until the pleasure became so intense she knew she was just moments away from coming.

He slammed up into her with an urgency he couldn't describe and she responded by thrusting her tongue into his mouth, mimicking the movement of him inside of her. She rode him hard, equally as desperate as he was and he kissed her like he'd stop breathing if her mouth wasn't glued to his.

She wrapped herself even closer around him and her body caught fire as she tumbled over the edge with a sharp cry, pulling back from his lips to throw her head back in ecstasy.

He came immediately after she did; burying his face in her neck as he shuddered, the throbbing ache that he had needed to satisfy, swelling inside of him and exploding inside of Jaz.

Their breath was ragged and forceful as they continued to rock together. Their hearts thundered against each other, every part of their bodies on fire, regardless of the water surrounding them.

Resting her head in the crook of his neck, sudden exhaustion taking over her, he moved his lips to whisper in her ear, "Still think it's funny?"

Jaz didn't even have the energy to respond. She just shook her head, not bothering to lift her head.

He chuckled in response and slowly slid out of her. He thread his fingers through her hair to move her face from his neck and lifted it to face his own, his eyes gluing themselves to hers.

"You and that bikini drive me fucking insane. I don't think I'll ever get enough of you."

Her eyes still held a slightly glassy look, still coming down from what they had just shared, "I know for a fact I can't get enough of you."

They still held each other, trying to get their breathing back under control.

It was pretty clear that they couldn't get enough of each other.

While they ate some lunch, once again needing the sustenance, they enjoyed the sunshine, but were missing Patton's company. That dog had become like family and it definitely felt like someone was missing while they were there without him.

Jaz made a mental note to text Preach when they were back at the cabin to check on him.

They debated whether to go for another swim or not, but after they had finished eating, more people had appeared to enjoy the day's weather and they thought in the interests of the general public, it was best for them to stay on land.

Neither of them were into voyeurism, and their control was, well… out of control.

Instead they set back off at a leisurely pace and as soon as they came into some reception, about a half an hour away from the cabin, Adam's phone began to beep with some incoming messages.

Noticing him looking long and hard at his phone before shoving it back in his pocket, Jaz asked, "Everything ok?"

"Yeah," he glanced over at her, "Just my sisters."

"Are they ok?"

"They're fine. They just want to know if I'm back and when they can come up here."

"I thought they didn't like it up here."

"Oh they love to visit, especially when the kids are with them. They love to swim in the lake and go on adventures. They just don't want to live up here." He explained.

He'd only seen his sisters a couple of times since the end of their last deployment. Once when he had first gotten back and the second time when Jaz had fled to Elijah's parents. He knew he should see more of them; he just didn't want to make Jaz uncomfortable.

"So when are they coming up?" Jaz asked.

Maybe it wasn't going to be an issue after all.

"You uh—you wouldn't mind them coming up here."

Jaz frowned, "Adam, they're your family. Your sisters. You should definitely see them while you're home; as much as you can. Why would I mind?"

He reached out for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

"I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Hey," She stopped walking abruptly and turned to face him, "I'm a big girl. Besides I want to meet them."

By the tone of her voice he knew that she was genuine, but also nervous. And he understood where that was coming from. Her version of family held no happy memories, and while he had his own family history that he had been reticent to discuss openly in the past, he did try to watch out for his sisters and protect them. And he wanted to see how big his nieces and nephews were getting.

"Ok, if you're sure, I'll see when they are free."

Of course Jaz was sure. The job they did showed her every day the importance of seeing family and friends whenever you could, and the last two weeks with Xander had opened up her eyes to that even more. While she didn't have that relationship with her own family—that was well beyond repair—she definitely wanted Adam, and all her team mates for that matter, to spend as much time with their loved ones as they could.

Would she be nervous to meet them? Yes. But that didn't mean she didn't want to. She wanted to know everything she could about Adam Dalton, and a big factor in that was his family.

Jaz just squeezed his hand in response, but didn't let go of it. They walked back the rest of the way like that, not saying much, but joined together nonetheless.

As soon as they got back, Jaz urged Adam to call his sisters and set something up with them, which he did so immediately. He wandered out onto the back veranda to chat to each of them.

Sitting on the kitchen bench watching Cassiopeia swim laps, Jaz called Preach to ask after Patton and sent a few different pictures from their day to their group chat.

When Adam came back inside and leaned against the kitchen bench beside her, Jaz looked at him expectantly, "So what's the plan?"

"How do you feel about lunch with them tomorrow? The older kids are still at camp until the end of the week and the younger ones are in day care and kindergarten. It'll just be the two of them."

"Let's do it."

"Alright. I said we would meet them in town. Let me just text them back."

"Ok, I'm going in the shower."

Despite the noise of the running water filling the bathroom, and the apple scented shampoo suds filling her ears and streaming down her body, Jaz was instinctively aware the moment that Adam stepped foot in the bathroom. Truth be told, she had been expecting him. Waiting for him.

She turned to face him as he opened the shower door and stepped in, marvelling at the vision that was Adam Dalton. He was exquisite and her gaze ate him up. She's not sure she will ever stop being effected by the sight of him.

"Couldn't stay away, huh?" She smirked at him.

"Well, McG would be disappointed if we didn't put this double shower to good use, right?"

"Right." Jaz agreed, remembering McG's comments about this double shower when he had visited the cabin.

Adam walked directly under the stream of water and helped wash the suds out of Jaz's hair.

His gaze locked with hers before he reached behind her for the shower gel. Jaz didn't say a word as he lathered up his hands, but when his large, strong palms touched her skin, she couldn't disguise the spark of desire that slipped out of her mouth.

He ran his soapy hands all over her, kneading and massaging her tingling flesh as he washed off the day's dirt and grime. His touch was methodical and he left no part untouched.

It was Jaz's turn next and after spreading the soap all over the toned muscles of his back, and his great taut butt, she turned him around to continue across his chest. His chest was broad, and powerful and she continued down his well-defined abdominals to his raw arousal, jutting proudly from his groin.

He was hard and aching and as Jaz reached out her hand to wrap around his cock, he jerked as if he'd been struck. His gaze lowered to watch her small hand handle his length and he hissed as she began to stroke his shaft.

The soap still clinging to his skin made it easy to glide her fist up and down his cock and she smiled when he tried to thrust faster and harder into her hand.

His blue eyes were alight with desire and his lips parted as he continued to stare at her. She grasped him tighter and pumped harder and his continued moans mingled with the sound of water rushing from the shower head.

Adam's face creased as if he were in pain and his hips started to move as he thrust his cock into her fist. He placed his hands on the tiles behind her to steady his trembling body. Knowing he would come in her hand in about five more seconds, he quickly spun her around to face the tiles, gripped her hands in his and held them against the tiles in front of her.

In this position she felt his whole engorged length flush against her back and she heard him moan once more as he ground himself into her back.

Releasing her hands, he ran his own up the front of her lithe figure to palm her full breasts, hearing her groan once he found and fondled her nipples. Squeezing them, they puckered in response and she arched into his hands as desire sizzled from her breasts to her clit.

With her hands still bracing herself on the tiles in front of her, she felt his cock brush against her back before she felt the head of his erection nudging her opening.

He reached down and around her to press his finger against her clit and at the same time he drove inside of her, so hard and so deep that she gasped out loud.

He needed to brace himself against the tiles, and once he found some traction he slammed into her in frenzied thrusts, hitting a spot deep inside of her that made her throb.

It felt good. So fucking good. Jaz's body stretched to accommodate his thick length and clamped him tight in return to trap him inside of her. Her entire body sizzled as if she could burst into flames at any moment.

Adam didn't let up his hard, relentless tempo. His deep thrusts brought moan after moan to both their lips, and he put his mouth right next to her ear as he whispered in a voice laden with desire, "You're so fucking beautiful Jaz."

She briefly reached a hand up to his cheek, needing to touch him, but as his pace quickened even more, she quickly returned it to the tiles to brace herself even further.

"Oh god, don't stop." She begged, and Adam lowered a hand to once again finger her swollen clit, inciting even more pleasure into her nerve endings.

His fingers worked their magic on her until she could no longer think clearly. Her vision became a blur of white dots as the simultaneous pressure on her clit and his length pumping her hard, had her body tightening with tension.

Her small body, pulsating with arousal couldn't hold out much longer and when he whispered in her ear, "Come for me, Jaz," her surroundings faded away, the pressure broke apart and a blinding rush of ecstasy swept through her body.

She would have collapsed if Adam didn't have a firm grip on her hips. Behind her, his thrusts got faster, deeper and harder until he buried himself to the hilt and she felt him go still apart from his chest trembling against her back as he climaxed. He virtually growled with his release and his fingers gripped her even more tightly.

They were both ragged and panting, completely out of breath, and if not for Adam's arms now tightly wrapped around her, they would have found themselves on the floor.

He let his head fall into the curve of her shoulder and neck and she leaned into him, still getting pleasure from every touch of his body.

It took them quite a while for their breathing to return to normal and it was only then that Adam withdrew from her and turned her around to face him.

"You ok?" He asked as he brushed her hair back from over her shoulder.

"I'm more than ok. It's been quite a day."

He just smiled at her. It sure had been quite a day. He knew they wouldn't all be like this, but he wasn't complaining.

"I love you." He said softly, never wanting her to forget that.

The heat in Jaz's cheeks could be from their vigorous work out or from the heat of the shower. But more than likely it was from the immense happiness that this man invoked in her.

"I love you too."

They pressed their lips together knowing that neither of them would ever tire of hearing those precious words.

Sitting on the couch together after dinner with a bottle of wine open, Jaz couldn't help but reflect on the last few days. They had been huge for her. Finally coming to the realisation of how she felt about Adam had been not only a relief, but a mind fuck. An absolute mind fuck.

She hadn't known she was even capable of these feelings. She had always just assumed that love wasn't destined for her or suitable for her, and yet here she was, in love with Adam Dalton. And he was in love with her too.

"Hey, what're you thinking about?"

Adam's question broke her out of her reverie and she realised she had just been staring into space.

Remembering their promise to communicate, she was truthful, "The last few days actually, and what a mind fuck they have been."

"You're telling me," Adam laughed, agreeing wholeheartedly with her. He still had to shake himself to fully grasp their situation and the depth of his feelings for her.

"I know I explained last night when it was that I realised how I feel about you. But there's more…" Jaz broached tentatively.

"Talk to me."

Jaz lowered her eyes, wanting to share this with Adam, but still feeling a little embarrassed to talk about this stuff.

"I, umm—I didn't just realise how I felt about you. I realised how important you are to me. Not just as my Captain or CO, not just as a friend, but so much more. I realised how much of my life is now wrapped up in yours, and how thankful I am for that. I thought being a part of this team was the best thing that ever happened to me. But it led me to you. And you are the best thing by far. I thought at first that it was just professionally, but it's personally as well. Just the thought of being without you is something I can't fathom, and that's why that picture of you with the bullet wound to your head made me break. I've never felt like this before and it scares me. The way I feel about you scares me. More than I want to admit. But I can't imagine not having you in my life. You know I have trust issues. But not with you. I trust you with my life, and I trust you with my heart."

Adam was speechless. Those words meant so much to him, and all the more because it came from Jaz. He knew she had trust issues and that the concept of love was as foreign to her as it had been to him.

He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss her knuckles and whispered against them, "Thank you. It scares me too, Jaz. I've never felt like this before either."

Her eyes were wide, searching his for any glimpse of fear, confusion or rejection. But all she saw was warmth and love, making her heart thud against her chest.

"We'll figure this out together, Jaz. It's new for both of us. But just knowing how we feel about each other, already makes it easier. I'm glad it's you I'm doing this with."

"Me too."

Adam framed her face with his large hands, cupping her cheeks and looking into her eyes. He kissed her, trying to convey every emotion he was feeling right then; every new feeling that was making his heart beat faster than usual, and Jaz did exactly the same thing.

Their kiss became more passionate and heated, and once again their need for each other took over any other thought, as they lay down together on the couch and loved each other—in every facet of the word.

So this chapter was just umm - well I think it was needed. There are still quite a few chapters left of them at the cabin and in the next chapter you will meet Dalton's sisters.

Thank you so much for continuing to read and I hope you all still enjoy it. Special thanks as always to those of you who comment. You keep me motivated and I love reading your thoughts. Much love XXX