Chapter 9

Mac's POV

It's been a little over a week since we arrived. One beautiful, amazing and sultry week. Chrisrmas was the icing on the cake and although we've yet to discuss logistics about home, I'm a little more confident that everything will be alright.

I check my dress for the third time, making sure the strings at the back are in place. The garment has been hanging in the closet after spending a day on the floor of my bedroom. Since I didn't exactly get to wear it for Christmas, it's what I chose for a New Year celebration in town.

"Don't you have anything else to wear?" Harm steps into the room in a suit he bought in town. It's all black, perfectly tailored with a dark red tie. God, if he isn't the picture of the most sexiest man alive.

I shake my head. "I barely wore this. Someone peeled it off me last week."

Harm frowns, "Every man will want to take you home tonight."

With a dress like this, that's kinda the point. I don't tell him that and stare at him while mirror while I apply my makeup. "That's their problem. I'll be going home with a really hot and sexy sailor. No one else stands a chance."

That doesn't appease him. Instead Harm sighs and looks absolutely miserable. He steps into my room and sits on the edge of the bed. "Mac-"

"I don't want you to be jealous of every guy who looks at me. I love you. I want you and I'm pretty good at making sure that when I say 'no' it's 'no.'"

"Yeah, I know." But he still dones look convinced. In fact, Harm looks even more miserable.

"I've been a jealous prick of every man in your life. John, Dalton and even though I never knew him, Chris."

I wince at his name and am briefly reminded of my article 32 and the cluster I'm still in. "Harm, I'm not interested in anyone else."

"I know but," He reaches for me and pulls gently until I'm standing between his knees. "I've been jealous for a while and that's a thing isn't it? A sign or something?"

"What sort of sign?"

Harm swallows and I get that this is one of those moments where he's finding the words to make the thoughts in his head make sense. It's a little cute and a little concerning. "Everyone I dated…all the women on my life, I was never jealous of another man…Annie came close but that was when we were in flight school and she was different…fun."

He told me once about that part of his life and how Luke Pendry had taken the sweet girl he wanted. Harm also told me that she was different in the past and that Luke's death changed her, but a person that neurotic likely didn't happen overnight. "I've been jealous over you."

Harm's POV

She has no business wearing that dress out. I'm going to want to take it off of her each time we touch. So will every other man in th8e place. I'm a jealous bastard in regards to her and always have been. I should have taken that as some sort of sign. "When did you know you had feelings for me?

Mac sits next to me and I can hear the wheels turning in her mind. She shrugs, "Early on, I guess…When we played hooky and you took me flying."

"Really?

She smirks and her cheeks tint a pretty shade of pink. "I was jealous of the woman you named your plane after."

"My grandmother?"

"I didnt know that at first…I thought, I thought it was my twin, you know?" Mac pauses and fiddles with the bracelet I gave her. My memories flash to Diane for a brief moment, the woman in white with a bullet wound to the chest. We never stood a chance but if I'm honest with myself, it had nothing to do with her death and everything to do with both our lack of commitment. "When we drove out to Red Rock Mesa you kept looking and smiling at me like we knew each other."

"You thought I named my plane after Diane? Why?"

"I didn't know it was Diane. I didn't know who Diane was until that night I showed up at your apartment and-" She stops herself and I know exactly what night Mac's speaking of. We never talked about it, whether or not I would have killed Holbarth. We never talked about that kiss either even when Mac drove me home and stayed the night to ensure I was safe.

"I knew there was a woman you cared for. In my mind it was a bad break up, I figured she broke your heart. When you mentioned 'Sarah' I thought there was someone else with my name. It nagged me the whole time we were in the woods hiding from poachers."

Mac's annoyed but, I have to laugh. The situation was dire and I was terrified that she'd bleed out in the middle of the night. The pallor of her skin was concerning and I never, ever want to go through something like that again. "You were shot and your biggest concern was the woman in my life named Sarah?"

"Yep. It bugged shit out of me. I was so damned relieved to find it was your grandmother." She takes my hand and threads her elegant fingers through mine. "You came to visit me at the hospital with flowers and I knew then. My stomach bottomed out and my heart raced so badly. But, you were my partner and after John-"

"You didn't want to get involved with a coworker, I get it." I'Ve been there and funny that in my list of women I could have called, I bipassed Kate Pike completely. "I had my own affair, I guess you could say. One wild weekend and I couldn't work with her after that."

She pulls her hand out of mine and stands giving herself a once over. Mac stares at my reflection in the mirror. She doesn't seem mad in fact, I think she's a little amused if not relieved. "One wild weekend, huh?"

"Oh yeah."

"I hate her."

I laugh and come up behind her. My arms wrap around her waist and drop a kiss on her shoulder. We look good together, if our reflection is anything to go by. "That no jealousy policy works both ways, Mac."

"I'll try to behave as long as you promise the same."

"Deal." We'd shake on it a moment later.