Chapter Three

Steve woke to the aromas of bacon and fresh coffee, and he found Jaime in the kitchen, humming to herself as she flipped a stack of pancakes onto a platter. They'd both slept straight through until morning, and it (and their talk the night before) had made a world of difference. Jaime and Steve both found themselves completely relaxed with each other; any traces of hesitance or awkwardness had been replaced by an easy sense of comfort.

"They even gave us real maple syrup!" Jaime chirped happily, setting a plate in front of Steve.

"Looks good," he told her, admiring how she seemed to glow in the early morning light.

"You aren't even looking at the pancakes!"

Steve grinned. "I know."

"And they're masterpieces," she said, joining him at the table.

"You sure are..." Steve took a bite of his pancakes and felt as warm and content as a canary-fed tabby. "Beautiful, sexy...and a master chef...so how come some lucky guy hasn't claimed you yet?"

Jaime laughed. "First of all, Colonel, I am not something to be claimed..." Her eyes met his, and the spark was both instantaneous and electrifying, wiping the rest of her sentence clean out of her mind.

"And the second?" Steve prompted. He shared Jaime's predicament: looking into her eyes suddenly stupefied him.

"Huh...:? Oh, right," she stammered. "Second...with the right man, I just might stake a claim of my own!"

"Is that a fact?"

"You'll find out – after breakfast!"

- - - - - -

The sun seemed warmer, colors were brighter and the breeze through the open windows seemed even more refreshing when Steve held Jaime in his arms. No other woman fit so perfectly against his chest or gave him the same wonderful 'alive' feeling. Even Lisa (as pseudo-Jaime) couldn't compare, now that he was holding the genuine article so close, gazing into eyes that turned him into jelly.

"You've got bubbles on your nose," he chuckled, gently brushing them away. They'd started washing the breakfast dishes together and ended up in a playful suds-tossing match, chasing each other around the kitchen and lobbing handfuls of soapy ammo, until they were laughing too hard to do anything but fall into each other's arms. After removing the offending suds, Steve's hand lingered, his fingertips luxuriating in Jaime's hair before coming to rest at the back of her neck, to gently but firmly pull her face close enough to kiss.

Steve's eyes delved into Jaime's, all the way down to their souls, causing Jaime to shiver with excitement. Steve postponed the kiss until they were both breathless with anticipation. When he finally claimed her mouth, it wasn't with the gentle, soft kisses of the night before. All of the love and desire he'd forced himself to keep inside for so long came rushing out into one long, deep and very passionate kiss. Jaime moaned softly, going limp in Steve's arms as his tongue teasingly darted in and out of her mouth, playing with hers as it probed just a little deeper with each motion. He swept her up into his arms in one easy movement, their lips still pressed tightly together, stealing their collective breath away as he carried her into the first bedroom they passed – his.

Steve gently put Jaime on top of the smooth, silk sheets, grinning at the fact that she had somehow unbuttoned his shirt on the short trip down the hall; when he stretched out beside her, he was already bare-chested and Jaime was eagerly drinking in the sight of him. He began unbuttoning her blouse very slowly, one button at a time and brushing his lips across the newly exposed skin before moving on to the next button. By the time he removed it, Jaime was squirming happily with desire. Steve kissed her neck and shoulders, gradually working his way down as he finished undressing her, then his lips found hers again and devoured them as Jaime worked his belt buckle loose and threw the rest of his clothes to the floor.

They were both more than ready, and Steve's eyes locked into Jaime's as he moved over her and they began a sweet dance of passion that lasted through lunchtime and well past sunset; their only hunger was for each other.

When it was over they stretched out together, satiated and blissfully entwined in each other's arms, too entranced with what they'd rediscovered to even think of moving.

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