A/N: Here is chapter 8! I don't have much to say right now other than thanks for all the reviews, follows, faves and such. Unfortunately, I think I ate some bad Chinese, so you can imagine what's going on around here…

Lost and Found

Chapter 8: Temptation

2320 Local

Mac's Apartment

Georgetown

"Here, you sit down, we'll get you covered up, and I'll get the fire going." Harm pulled a blanket down from the back of her couch and tucked it in around her.

"Harm, I'm fine," she protested. "I wasn't out there that long."

"You're shivering."

"I am not!" She was.

"Your teeth are chattering."

"They are not." They were.

Harm raised an eyebrow. "Just humor me then, Mac."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She supposed it couldn't hurt to indulge him. She pulled the blanket more tightly around herself as she watched him working at the fireplace. How long does it take to get a fire going? I'm freez—uh, a fire would be so romantic.

Finally, the fire sprang to life and he sat back, admiring his work.

"Thanks, Harm," Mac said, rather meekly. Okay, she really was cold. The fire was nice, but she could use some body heat in the form of one Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. too.

Harm stood. "You're welcome. Now, hot chocolate or tea?"

Neither. "I'm good, Harm. Come on over here." I'm sure you can warm me up.

"Mac, you need something warm in you."

Mac raised both her eyebrows and looked pointedly at him. She let her eyes drift downward and then slowly raised them up again, giving Harm a little smile when she met his eyes. Her smile widened when she saw the blush creeping up his cheeks. "Uh, red light, Colonel." She giggled and he finally offered a good-natured chuckle. "I'll just get us some hot chocolate, okay?"

"Sure, Flyboy." Then get back in here. While Harm puttered in the kitchen, Mac mused over the last twenty or so minutes…

Twenty minutes ago…

"Stay, Harm."

"You want that, you want us? You won't go away again?"

"Never! And this time, I mean it."

Once again, Harm pulled her in for a kiss, nudging her lips open so his tongue could enter mouth. Their tongues tangled together as Harm lifted her off the ground. Heedless of the world around them, Mac wrapped her legs around his waist, and he turned them around so her back was against the door of his Lexus. She gasped as the cold metal met her skin, and it was then that she remembered she was clad only in sweatpants and a t-shirt. But then Harm's lips moved to a point behind her ear and she forgot all about it again.

Mac had never been kissed like this before and she never wanted it to stop. One of Harm's hands moved down to her six, pressing her into him. She didn't even notice that she was shivering as Harm captured her lips again. A dog barked in the distance, the only other presence in the small bubble of passion they'd created. Harm's body molded perfectly to hers, and in his arms, she'd found a home.

Gradually they came up for air, Harm still holding her tightly against him. He nuzzled her cheek, then rested his forehead against hers. The dog barked again, closer this time.

A few beats passed, and Mac heard the crunch of snow under a boot nearby. She drew her head away from Harm's and looked over his shoulder. Crap. "Hello, Mrs. Bevins."

"Hello, Sarah. Enjoying the cold, I see." Her dog continued to bark at her feet. Just her luck that Princess Lillibet had to pee at this time of night. "Sarah, why aren't you wearing your coat?"

"Uhhh, I forgot?" Harm looked at her sharply and allowed her legs to drop back down to the ground.

"Mac, you're not wearing a coat?!" He shrugged out of his and wrapped it around her shivering body. They forgot about Mrs. Bevins, who eventually walked off with her dog, mumbling about the lack of sense in today's young people.

"Mac, seriously…why aren't you wearing a coat?" He rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

She shrugged. "No time. I had to c-catch y-you." Her teeth were chattering.

"You could have just called me, you know."

"And miss a kiss like that? Not a chance, Flyboy." I couldn't let you run away. A phone call wouldn't have done it.

"Okay, then, let's get inside and get you warmed up. Me too; suddenly I find myself quite without a coat."

Harm wrapped an arm around her shoulders and together they walked back into her building.

"Here you go, Mac." He handed her a steaming mug of hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows and whipped cream. She took a sip.

"Mmmm, just the way I like it. Thanks, Harm." She took another drink then set it on the table. "Now, come here and keep me warm."

He grinned and she gave a yelp as he picked her up and sat her on his lap, blanket and all. He wrapped his long arms around her and she snuggled into him. "I could stay here forever, Harm."

"That'd be okay with me." He kissed her on the forehead and squeezed her tightly. They sat there in comfortable silence, Mac's fingers making tiny circles on his chest.

Mac was starting to feel drowsy as Harm's hands roamed her back. It felt so good to be held like this, held by him. She sighed contentedly.

"Penny for your thoughts, honey?" Mac smiled at the endearment.

"This just feels good, Harm. Makes me wonder why we haven't been doing this for years now." She leaned over and grabbed her mug of hot chocolate and took another sip before settling back into Harm's embrace.

"You and me both, sweet thing," he said, nuzzling her cheek with his now. He dropped a kiss behind her ear and she shivered.

"Still cold?" he whispered.

She smiled. "The opposite, actually." She reached up and pulled his face down to hers, starting another round of frenzied kissing. Lips met, tongues clashed, and by the time they came up for air, Mac found herself straddling Harm's lap. His hands had found their way under her shirt and the feel of them on her skin caused her to press into Harm further, feeling her hardened nipples against the broadness of his chest. His growing arousal pressed up toward her center and she nearly came unglued.

But it was too soon.

"Harm," she gasped, even as she rained moist kisses down his throat. "We need to slow down."

He nipped at her lips before he rested his forehead against hers. "I know, baby." He sighed. "I don't want to."

"I don't either, but I…I think we'd better." He nodded against her, then drew back. She slipped off his lap and curled into his side instead. His arm went around her shoulders as she tried to regain her equilibrium, thinking that she must be insane. Here was Harm, warm and willing…no, they had a few things they needed to work through—eight years of miscommunications and misunderstandings for a start. Plus, they should probably go on an actual date…

"Take me out, Harm," she blurted, surprising herself.

"What, now? It's a bit late…"

She chuckled. "No, Harm, I meant take me out on a date. Dinner, dancing, something…um, I've always wondered what going on a date with you would be like," she admitted shyly.

It surprised her when a blush crept up his cheeks. "Harm?"

"I've always wondered what going on a date with you would be like." His lips curved up in a gentle smile. "I've imagined it a million times since I met you, but I have a feeling those fantasies will pale in comparison to the real thing."

She reached up and kissed his cheek. "Me too." She sat there a moment, just content to finally be close to Harm. Then a thought ran through her head and she had to laugh. "You know, Harm. With so many years of fantasizing about each other, about our first date, we may be setting ourselves up for a big disappointment."

Harm chuckled. "Not possible, sweet thing." He kissed her on the temple.

Mac did have one question, though. "Harm? What's with the 'sweet thing'?"

"You don't like it?" Mac had the feeling he was stalling—that he didn't really want to tell her.

"I don't know…why don't you tell me why you came up with that particular 'endearment' and then I'll decide." Truthfully, pretty much anything coming out of his mouth sounded pretty good to her tonight, but she sensed a story behind this one. She patted him on his stomach. "Come on, tell me."

"It's a bit embarrassing…"

"I don't care."

Harm snorted. "Of course, you don't. You're not the one who's going to be embarrassed."

"Haaarm," she wheedled.

Harm rolled his eyes, but she could tell he wasn't really upset, and she knew she was going to get what she wanted eventually. "You really want to know?"

Mac nodded. "More than ever, Flyboy."

Harm let out a long-suffering sigh but then grinned. He pulled her back onto his lap. "Fine, Ninja Girl, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Fair enough, Harm. Now talk."

"Okay…it all started when I was acting JAG and fell out of the admiral's chair…"

1859 Local

Mac's Apartment

Georgetown

Mac was nervous. Excited. Giddy. All of those things. Harm was coming to pick her up for their first date. He told her to wear something nice; she hoped he liked what she put on. She'd gone shopping one evening after work, feeling that a first date with Harm merited a new dress. New shoes. New makeup. She'd spent more at the mall in one evening than she had during the whole of last year, but as she looked at herself one more time in the mirror, she thought maybe it was worth it. She'd found a wine-red dress that was simple but hugged her curves in a way that highlighted her assets without being trashy or too revealing. The shoes were an indulgence; in truth, she had shoes that would work well with this dress, but when she saw this pair, she knew she had to have them. They were probably the most expensive shoes she'd ever bought but when she put them on and held the newly purchased dress up to her to see how they would look, she fell in love.

She jumped at the sound of a knock at her door. He was here! Fighting the urge to run to her door and fling it open, she left her bedroom and walked across her living room, taking a few deep breaths before she gently opened the door.

"Hello, Harm. Come on in."

2311 Local

Mac's Apartment

Georgetown

"I had a great time, Harm. Thank you." She smiled up at her date, wondering for the thousandth time how one man could look so good. She'd always thought he'd filled out his uniform better than anyone she'd ever known. Dress whites made her heart flutter, but it was really his dress blues that made her crazy. He was of course out of uniform tonight, but what he did for the grey suit he was wearing currently turned her insides into jelly too. The blue on blue shirt and tie brought out the blue in his eyes, and Mac found herself just staring at him several times during their date. Yes, blue really was his color.

The elevator dinged indicating they'd reached her floor, and Harm offered her his arm to escort her down the hall. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Sarah." They'd done the dinner/dancing thing, but it was so much more than the average date. It probably had everything to do with the company, but Mac had never enjoyed a date more. They'd talked, laughed, stole kisses from each other, and it was shame that it was now coming to an end. They stopped at her door and Mac unlocked it.

"Would you like to come in, Harm?"

"I'd love to, but I'm trying to be a gentleman here."

She rolled her eyes. "Harm, you could never be anything but."

Harm leaned down for a light kiss. "Oh, you think so?"

She countered with a kiss of her own. "Yes, I do, Harm."

"Well, I'm not sure a gentleman would do this." His arms shot around her, one at her back, the other on her six, and yanked her to him. Their kiss this time was raw and demanding, their tongues sweeping into each other's mouth, Harm's hands wandering up and down her back only to drift down to her six again. He pressed her body against his and she felt the beginnings of his arousal against her belly.

"No, Harm," she said in a purr. "A gentleman would not do that…but thank god I was so wrong about you." She pulled him down for another kiss, reaching back and pushing the door open so Harm could back her into her apartment. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Harm turned her around, using one hand to slam the door shut, and then she was up against it. His hand then moved over her hip and down her leg, drawing it up around him.

Mac's hands weren't exactly idle either; they slid across his back, down to his perfectly muscled six and back up again. She moved them around to his chest and she let one drift down in between them, cupping over the erection that strained against his zipper. Harm was in the middle of fondling one of her breasts, squeezing harder and hissing when she stroked him through his pants.

"Oh, fuck, Mac." Mac gave a low, sultry laugh as she teased his lips again with hers. Harm had never sworn in front of her before, and the fact that he was doing it now told her she had finally made him lose control.

Control…

As if he read her thoughts, Harm suddenly stepped away from her and turned around. What now, dammit?!

"Mac, I—we shouldn't…yet," he said in a strangled tone. "I mean, I want to…but…we shouldn't."

Mac didn't know whether to scream in frustration or just punch him. Or maybe cry. Maybe this was just his way of saying he didn't want her that way. Maybe he regretted "starting" things with her. Maybe—

"Why not, Harm?"

"You have that rule…"

Rule? What rule?

"What rule?"

"You know…"

Mac shook her head. She was bewildered.

"Your rule."

"Dammit, Harm—I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!"

"The three-date rule."

"That doesn't help me, Harm."

He looked embarrassed. "Three dates before…before…"

Oh, for fu—uh, goodness sake. "Harm! Just spit it out!"

"Before sex!" He was blushing furiously.

Mac just blinked at him. Then she burst out laughing.

Harm scowled at her. "It's not that funny, Mac."

She did her best to get herself back under control. The poor guy. He really was honorable to a fault. She stepped forward…only to have the top of her dress slide off her arms. "What—" She reached a hand behind her and realized her dress was unzipped. "When did you do that, Harm?" She looked down and realized he'd unhooked her bra as well. "Jeez, Harm, you really do have the fastest fingers in the navy."

Harm was really blushing now, his face red to the tips of his ears. "I've always been good with my hands," he mumbled, looking down at the floor and rubbing his hand nervously over the back of his neck.

"I'll say." She managed to reach around and rehook her bra, but after she pulled the dress back up over her shoulders, she found the zipper was stuck. "Um, Harm…you'll have to help me here."

Looking like a man being led to the slaughter, Harm shuffled toward her.

"Good lord, Harm. I'm not going to jump you. Get over here and zip this up so we can talk about it!"

He murmured something under his breath that Mac didn't catch. "Say that again, Harm?"

"Nothing, Mac. Turn around." She complied and he worked at her zipper. After he succeeded in his efforts, she felt his breath dance across the nap of her neck before she felt his lips there as well. "I'm just afraid I'm going to jump you." His hand snaked around her waist to rest on her belly, pulling her closer to him as nibbled on her earlobe. "But you were pretty adamant about the three-date thing." He gave her one last kiss behind her ear before letting go of her. "Mac, I really don't want to mess this up, so yes, let's talk about this."

They sat down at opposite ends of the couch, not looking at each other, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Mac spoke. "You're right, Harm. I did have that 'rule'. I haven't thought about it in a long time…I, uh, haven't dated anyone since Mic and I haven't, um, been with anyone since then either." It had been over two years since the disaster of her engagement to Brumby, and to her chagrin she was embarrassed that she hadn't had sex since then either. She chanced a look at Harm, who was staring at her thoughtfully.

"You don't need to be embarrassed, Mac," he said gently. "It's been since Renee for me." Mac's eyes widened in surprise. Sure, she hadn't heard that he'd gone out with anyone, but she just assumed a man like Harm would never be free of companionship for long.

It struck her that that assumption was disingenuous. Harm wasn't one for casual sex, no matter the amount of jet jock arrogance he demonstrated. "Okay, Harm. Let's work this out. First off, I want to…" Mac felt the blush spread over her cheeks. "I want us to…I want you, Harm. But I don't want to mess this up either. So…I think we have a few options."

Harm studied her a minute before nodding. "I'm listening."

"Option one," she continued. "We throw caution to the wind and I let you ravish me, right here and right now." Harm's eyes widened and he gulped.

"Option two: We go with my original rule…at least three dates before we, uh…you know…"

It was Harm's turn to razz her a bit. "You mean, 'have sex', Mac?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her. She smirked at him.

"Yes, that, Harm."

"So, what's option three?" Harm asked after a moment of silence.

"Option three is we give it a certain time period, say a month, before we give the okay."

Looking a bit forlorn, Harm rested his elbow on his knee, chin in his hand. "Well, I suppose we're both in agreement that option one is out, right?"

Mac felt a twinge of regret, but she had to agree. "Yeah, no to option one…dammit." She smiled ruefully at him.

Harm turned thoughtful. "You know, though…we have been on more than one date…"

"Oh, and when was that?"

"When we were at the Sudanese Embassy."

"That was work, Harm."

He turned and leaned toward her, his best "convince the jury" look on his face. "Hey, there was dinner, dancing…and let's not forget that you went home with me that night."

Mac gave a short bark of laughter. "Because I fell asleep in the car and you forgot to take me home!"

Harm scooted toward her on the couch and laid his hand on her arm. "We shared a bed that night…"

Mac looked down at his hand. "We did, didn't we," she whispered, remembering how she'd woken in his arms, wondering for a moment how she had gotten there, pretending to still be asleep as he started to stir. They were fresh from their trip to Russia, his emotions still raw, and her just coming to terms with the fact that she loved him as more than just a friend. As he eased away from her that morning, it had been so difficult not to reach out and stop him, not to pull him back and wrap herself around him. But she managed to keep herself in check, and the moment passed by like so many others had over the years.

"Okay, Harm. Say we consider that as a date. That's two then…"

"I got it! The time we went to that concert that never was."

He was really reaching now. "Harm! I came with Mic and you came with Renee. That hardly counts."

"Yeah, true enough, but honestly that night…Mac, watching you and Brumby together…jealous doesn't even begin to describe what I felt that night. I couldn't take my eyes off of you. Renee saw that…I know she did. She left for a video shoot after that and I didn't hear from her for a good week. I should have let her go then. I treated her so unfairly…but in the end I couldn't stand the thought of being alone while you had Brumby. God, I was such an ass. To both of you." He hung his head.

"Harm…we were both asses then. By then, though I did love Mic, I had had so many dreams and fantasies about you. I almost said your name once when we…well, you know."

Mac wasn't expecting Harm to burst out laughing. This was a serious discussion they were having! She glared at him and opened her mouth to speak but he held up his hand to stop her.

"Mac, I'm sorry, it's just…well, we're quite a pair, aren't we? Supposedly two smart people, but so blind. I say we go with option three. We'll give it a good month, and if it feels right to both of us, we can…"

"Have sex?" She winked at him, but his face turned serious and he took both of her hands in his.

"No…make love."

End Chapter 8