Okie dokie my friends! Long wait, I know, I know. I'm busy, V's busy! (My beta reader.) It's the holidays, you know? Gotta work to buy pressies. And resist getting something for me in the process. Well, I DID buy some bakeware…anyhoo…
Love the comments on this one, you guys crack me up, really.
One thing though, I keep hearing that Harm is different and weak… Yes, he is. Purposely so. On the show he has hinted to weakness in his life (Like Keeter bringing him back to Annapolis when he went awol.) and the ramp strike was one of those. I think it would be understandable for a strong person to act differently when everything you have was taken away and your faults were being put on display.
As for him sleeping with Diane, I know it sucks. But, it wouldn't be the first person in a destructive relationship. Besides, she sucks in this story. LOL!!
Okay… sooooo… moving right along…. I hope to have Chappie 9 soon, but we'll see. There are also a few things I am working on while V gets betaing. ;)
There's the Vampire story (I am enamored with it) which I add to whenever I get a whim. The sex scene on that story... woah... woah... woah... ahem
And... let's see. . .a very short, one-shot fic called "After The Landing" which is based on "Full Engagement." And then, of course "The Fine Art Of Marriage" which I am stuck presently with Mac's POV. I need to get un-stuck because I have Harm's POV already written. Grrrrrrrr. So, if someone can toss me a muse on that one, I would be obliged. ;)
Enjoy!
Jackie
Chapter 8 – Just A Kiss.
Two Days Later
1259 Local
Harm's Apartment
North of Union Station.
"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives." The words came out through his TV as they had every day around one in the afternoon. Harm, like most red blooded males, 'despised' soap operas, however, he had a soft spot for this one. It reminded him of his childhood and the summers that he would watch that particular one with either his grandmother or his mother.
He was tired of waiting for clearance to fly, something that his old friend, Captain Boone, had suggested would take time. The investigation needed to be completed and his physical therapist still hadn't signed off on his injuries. All and all, Harm was bored out of his mind and exhausted with his new, mundane existence. Life sucked.
A firm knock on the door interrupted the latest trials of the Brady family. With a groan, he raised himself off of the sofa. The pillow he was using under his knees fell to the floor and he nearly tripped over it. "Shit." The knocking came again and it caused a surge of irritation through him. "I'm coming goddamnit!" He didn't want company.
He spent the day before nursing a nasty hangover and trying to get out of a certain Crypo Officer's apartment. Each time he insisted on leaving, Diane forced him into staying. All in all, it was nearly midnight before he was able to get back home with his car which had remained at the café. "Where's the fire?" He figured Diane would venture to his home at some point, but the reality was much more pleasant.
Harm stood at a loss for words, his mind trying to wrap around the person who was standing in front of him. It wasn't Diane and the reality was much more pleasant. He was starting to see more differences between them, the subtleties that made him enjoy Mac's company more than Diane's. "Hi." Harm's tone of voice changed completely, his eyes that were once threatening to lose their light sparked to life. The flyboy smile came to life and any straight woman would be hard-pressed to admit that it didn't have an affect.
Mac was no exception, though she masked her attraction damned well. Alright, so she'd faltered here and there, but she was only human and Harm was very easy on the eyes. Her distaste for pilots was wavering, teetering on a fine edge. "Hello Commander." She returned his smile with one of her own and detected the moment he caught his breath. Trying not to smirk, she opted to take a peek inside his place. "May I come in or do you have company?"
"Ah. . ." Harm turned back, suddenly self conscious at the slight mess of his home. It wasn't in complete disarray, but not nearly as snappy as it would have looked if he'd consciously invited a woman over. "Just entertaining myself. . .Come on in."
Mac was in uniform, hoping that it would disperse any sense of impropriety between them. What she didn't notice was the hungry look in his eyes as she walked past. She masked her own hunger and ignored how well he was filling the jeans he wore. 'Ugh!' She thought, utterly disgusted with herself. The man was turning her into a hormonal teenager.
"Have a seat." With his thumb Harm motioned towards the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Water is fine." She glanced around at the unfamiliar space. It was tidy, save for a few magazines and books that were thrown on the coffee table. Besides pictures of nature and F-14s, on the table next to the sofa Mac found one inside of a wooden frame. It was of a small boy in the cockpit of a plane and a man who looked just like Harm except for a well grown mustache. It was his father, she knew the man from the family records that the Navy kept on file. The boy in the cockpit was surely Harm himself, the thought made her smile. Jet fuel was certainly in his blood.
Next to that, she spotted a picture that, according to the uniforms, was taken during his academy days. Harm stood along side of three people, Jack Keeter, a handsome African American man and Diane Schonke. The four of them were smiling brightly and Diane's arms were wrapped possessively around Harm's middle. They looked good together and though she had little reason to be jealous, that damned green monster reared its ugly head again.
History was hard to replace and even harder to deny, so was the sensitive information she currently carried. She couldn't even begin to solve whatever she felt for him. "I'm surprised Lieutenant Schonke isn't here." The events from two days earlier replayed like an old, grainy, black and white movie. Everything had gone so well until they landed and she was thrust in the middle of whatever Harm and Diane were involved in. As was her modus operandi, she ran – or rather – rode away without looking back.
It hurt to head back home with such confusion in her heart and mind. Feeling this out of control was never a good thing, but she wasn't a dumb kid anymore. She knew how to control herself or, at the very least, how to pretend. With Harm, there was a lot of pretending to do. She began with pretending that the interlude at the airfield hadn't hurt and continued on with pretending that she hadn't cried out of frustration. Yes, pretending was better.
Harm emerged from the kitchen with two glasses of water, each with a lemon wedge floating amongst the ice. "Look, we're not as involved as she led you to believe, Mac." And yet, he had slept with her recently. Twice he'd indulged and felt a horrible sense of guilt. The first time he could have chalked up to the alcohol poisoning his mind. The second, he was willing, able and maybe a little desperate. The guilt settled in the moment he stopped seeing Diane in his arms and considered what it would be like to make love to Mac.
His reassurance wasn't enough for Mac who opted to move on instead of probing further and delving into more intimate issues. Work always seemed to be the only thing in her life with a semblance of control. "Thanks." She took the water and drank deeply before placing it on a coaster Harm had on the coffee table. "I'm not sure you'll want to hear what I have to tell you. Next week we start your article 32 hearing."
"That's not good is it?" He didn't know much about the law, save a few things here and there when he'd had to testify on behalf of a pilot a few years back.
Mac shook her head. "It's not the worst thing in the world. I mean, Senator Mace was trying to find a loop hole to force this to go straight to a general court-martial. Thank God the Navy has some sense." But she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it would head towards the court-martial anyway. The case had become too high profile for it not to. Harm was being made an example of.
"Damn." He'd asked Mac to keep him up to date with the investigation and now it seemed everything was slipping through his fingers like sand. "So what now? I won't get to fly until it's all over?"
"I'm afraid not, Harm." There was a slight bit of light at the end of the tunnel. At the very least, she wouldn't have to worry about the case and who was defending him. "I do have a little bit of good news – I was appointed as your defense counsel." She smiled.
Harm glanced up at her and that smile she sported. It oozed with a confidence of someone seasoned and ready to tackle any obstacle. Her strength warmed him and the craving of wanting to know more about the soft woman inside the strong Marine threatened to leave him breathless. "I hear you're the best."
"Not the best, but I do pretty well."
"Don't be modest, Mac. . .I've read a couple of the articles that the Times wrote about you. . .I'm a lucky man." He meant to say 'sailor', that he was a lucky 'sailor', but wound up giving himself away, enough that he hoped she couldn't see just how badly he was aching to touch her. And then, the words spilled out, in a low, husky tone that decisively made her heart stop. "I really want to kiss you."
Mac swallowed hard, the admission costing her so much in a moment that she had so little to give. Still, her tongue involuntarily snuck out, moistening her lips. She found him staring at the simple act and found her own eyes mesmerized by his lips. Was it possible to self combust out of want and desire? If so, this man was put on this Earth as a means to her undoing. She'd managed until then to keep her own desires at bay but with that simple phrase all of her walls crumbled and Mac felt herself wanting to be kissed by him and more. So much more. "What's stopping you?" She said, inching forward enough so that they were a breath away.
"I thought you wouldn't want me to." His eyes trained on her lips, slightly parted and moist, preparing for his touch. He was losing it, drowning, and he had no sense to stop it.
"What ever gave you that idea?" Mac's mouth fused onto his in one long solitary kiss which served to leave her breathless and with a tingling in her tummy. They didn't break apart, merely remained still while their lips began a slow and sultry exploration. He was a damned good kisser, tender, caring, knowing how much pressure to add. When his tongue ran along the seam of her lips, Mac was unglued.
Harm's tongue slipped inside her mouth, finding her tongue, caressing it in an act that was almost like making love. The hammering of his heart against his chest was so hard that Mac could feel it as she pressed her hand there. He was so alive, so warm and so damned sexy that it was difficult to stop when her head was telling her to. Instead, Mac ran her fingers along the hem of his shirt and reached underneath to touch his skin.
A barely there contact and Harm shivered, pressed his body against hers and eased Mac down into the sofa. He slid his hand up her stocking clad leg and under her skirt to find that the stockings she was wearing only went to mid-thigh. The revelation made him groan as he pushed her skirt higher, allowing Harm to settle more comfortably between Mac's thighs.
Mac grabbed his shirt pushing it upwards until Harm stripped it off and tossed it towards the entertainment center that housed his television set. He sat back and pulled Mac up; together they worked on her clothing which dropped into a green pool on the floor. Mac's fingers nimbly undid the buttons to her blouse which she pushed aside as she leaned back exposing the white lace underneath.
Harm looked into her eyes and then allowed his gaze to settle downward, curious as to what the scraps of lace partially covered. He lowered himself down, his lips coming in contact with her neck. Mac's soft sound of pleasure was almost like a reward and he continued a path down her neck and towards the valley of her breasts.
Mac arched against him, urging him to continue the exploration. She wanted to be touched and touch him in return. "I haven't felt like this about anyone." He said, punctuating the statement with a kiss.
"Neither have I." She whispered into his ear and then took his earlobe into her mouth, nipping lightly. They shouldn't have kissed or indulged in something that was crashing over them like a tidal wave, but at that moment, she couldn't find any reason to why any of it was wrong.
His hand caressed around the lace, teasing the skin underneath which he felt hardening against his palm. He wanted more; needed more, but a knock at his door wanted otherwise.
Harm cast a jaundiced eye towards the offending noise. "Ignore it." Whoever it was would just have to go away. He kissed her desperately, making her chuckle when he groaned in frustration. The knocking came harder, threatening to tear the door down. The moment was shattered and it was all Harm could do to not scream. He rested his forehead against hers and sighed. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright." Mac bit her lower lip, missing the contact even before he pulled away from her.
He helped Mac sit up and then began handing her the clothing on the floor. "Bathroom is towards the left." Frowning, he couldn't help but feel disappointed as she disappeared around the corner.
It was almost painful to let go of the moment and as Harm slipped his shirt back on, he didn't have to wonder who was at the door. He'd hoped that if she hadn't shown up in the morning, she wouldn't show up at all. No such luck. "Hey there, sailor." Diane's smile was deceptively charming. When she tried to kiss him, Harm pulled away, something that felt more like a slap in the face than anything else. "Not happy to see me?"
"I would be happy if you called before you came." Without invitation, she stepped past him, pushing past the partially opened door. "Come on in." Harm said sarcastically, mentally praying that Mac would stay in the bathroom until Diane left. He didn't want another awkward situation or for Diane to give away what had happened the night previous.
After giving the living room a once over, Diane situated herself on the sofa, legs crossed in a fashion that forced him to look at her thighs. "So, how you feeling? I didn't wear you out did I?" She was going to make another comment, a slight bit dirty and seductive, but a noise in the bathroom peaked her curiosity. "Oh, someone is here." Grinning evilly, she stood and attempted to head towards the noise until Harm blocked her path. "Who is she?" Diane whispered, a gleam of mischief glowing in her brown eyes as she peaked over his shoulder.
Harm stood his ground, realizing that he was making the situation worse by being cryptic. Still, he hoped that Mac would take longer and the two would not meet ever again. "Why do you assume it's a she?"
"You seem flustered."
Flustered was right, it took a bit of effort to make a coherent sentence. How could he when the most intriguing woman he'd ever met was making out with him no more than one minute earlier? He could still feel her hands on his body, lips caressing his own. They should have never stopped and just moved things into the bedroom where he couldn't hear neither a knock on the door or the ringing of the doorbell. "Well, yeah. . .I didn't receive the greatest news."
"Oh?"
He would have elaborated, but Mac's voice cut him off. She was fully dressed in her uniform, cap dangling from her fingers. Walking out of the bathroom she'd already turned on her 'Marine Mode' in the hopes of grasping to the shreds of control that were left. "Thank you for the use of your restroom Commander." But, she hadn't expected Diane Schonke, not after Harm's believable "not as involved" statement. "Lieutenant Schonke, how are you this afternoon?"
Diane had never been the type to bite her tongue, especially when senior officers were concerned. "Ma'am, your uniform is a little off." She pointed at the buttons to Mac's jacket and smirked as if she knew something that she had no business knowing.
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Mac sorted the buttons and made a beeline for her briefcase. "I think we're all set, Commander. Again, I am very sorry about the news."
She was leaving? The thought pained Harm who gave a brief, fleeting thought as to how to keep Mac in his home and kick Diane out. He turned to Diane, giving her a surly expression before offering Mac to walk her out. "Mac, I'm so sorry." The front door had been closed behind him, but that didn't mean that Diane couldn't hear the conversation.
"It's alright . . .Kinda put things back into perspective." Sadly, the perspective wasn't something that Mac wanted to think about and yet, her position in the matter dictated her actions. She and Harm couldn't get involved, not now, probably not ever. Now, if she could only communicate that point to her traitorous body. "Better go back in, the Lieutenant is waiting for you." It was easier to push him into Diane's arms. Maybe if she saw him with someone else, it would break these new feelings she had inside.
"There's nothing going on between us, believe me . .I don't want her." A shadow in his eyes said something different. He may not have wanted Diane, but he did indulge and take part in something that was making him feel so dirty now. Damnit, what had he done?
Mac caught the look and for the first time considered all of the rumors that had been uttered about a certain Lieutenant Commander. Playboy, seemed to be the overused term and though she didn't want to believe it, it was difficult not to. "Who do you want?"
"I thought that was obvious." He motioned back towards the living room, cracking a devastatingly sexy smile.
Despite herself, Mac couldn't help a little smirk. He had seemed sincere enough. "A little obvious, yeah"
The need to touch her was so physically overwhelming that Harm gave in, taking her hand in his. "Mac, I know that we've just complicated things but. . .."
"I have to get going." She cut him off knowing that this was a conversation that should never be had. "This was supposed to be my lunch break and . . .I'm well overdo." Her hand was still held in his and Mac had made no effort to pull away.
Catching every word, Diane stood, sheltered by the partially opened door that led to Harm's living room. She could hear the conversation from the small foyer and cringed at the implication that she'd received upon entering his home. Harm was hers. She'd staked claim to him and had the history to prove it. Despite her reluctance to pursue something more, now she was ready for it and Mac couldn't and wouldn't stand a chance.
Harm wanted to kiss her, but didn't. "Drive safe." An almost Herculean effort helped him let her go.
"So, the Major makes deliveries?" Diane's voice from just inside of the house had made him jump. "How cute." He'd forgotten her presence but was fully aware when her hands wrapped around his middle.
Pulling her fingers apart, he stepped out of her arms and backed into his apartment, closing the front door. "It's SOP, Di. . A lawyer has to get in touch with her client."
Standard operating procedures did not require the male client of a female lawyer to wear lipstick. The shade just wasn't Harm's color. "Ah, bet there was a whole lot of lip service involved." She waved off the argument that he was sure to present and dabbed at his lip. "You have lipstick on your lips. From what I know, and I think I know your sexual appetites better than most, you don't have a fetish for wearing women's lipsticks."
Caught. Red handed and with such a tell tale sign that Harm couldn't talk his way out of this one. "We kissed." He admitted. "And I liked it."
"Hmmm." Diane took her place on the top of the coffee table as Harm sat across from her. This wasn't ideal when all she was trying to do was get him back into her life. She realized the mistake that she made the moment he'd shown a slight interest in Mac. Harm was a good man, desired and needed. Things were just not going to get any better on the boyfriend front, so she'd decide to settle on him. Settling wasn't always the smartest of ideas, but she'd run out of options and suitors. "What about us?"
Is that where all of the flirting and sex was headed? To another discussion about a relationship that he no longer wanted? True, he shouldn't have slept with her, shouldn't have egged her on, so to speak. But it happened and Diane needed to understand that the night prior was no different to any of their other intimate interludes. "What about us, Di? You're the one that tossed us overboard. . .You said 'no' and I took that to heart."
"Well, maybe I didn't mean it. Maybe I needed a little more time."
"I gave you time. . .I've given you time over and over. . .Let's face it, we don't belong together."
Now he was the one putting the nail into the coffin and making sure it was hammered shut for all time. There was only one sliver of hope left and it was a pathetic one at best. "Last night. . .You said that you loved me."
"Diane, I was drunk." Though the excuse was a lame one, it was also the truth. "I was drunk and. . .look, you and I have a history together. Some of it was good, some of it bad, and, in a way, I do love you.. . .But, it isn't enough. Not anymore."
Diane was shocked to find tears running down her cheeks. When the hell had she become so damned sentimental? "What would have happened if I'd said yes and decided to try and have that family life with you?"
Harm shrugged. He had considered Diane the perfect woman, despite their petty arguments and differences. For a time, after the ramp strike, he'd thought about her constantly, wishing that she'd come to him and mend the broken man. But she hadn't, not until a worthy adversary had threatened to steal him entirely from her. "We would have broken up anyway. It's what we do. . .we break up and make up and it isn't going to change."
She knew it was true. From the beginning they had set the pattern and learned to live with it until he threw that curveball that had scared her to death. The type of commitment that Harm wanted Diane hadn't been ready for and still wasn't ready for. Yet, she was willing to try if it meant keeping him away from Mac. "So, just like that, I am out of your life?"
"Diane, no." Harm chuckled at the implication. She was one of his closest friends and confidants. Perhaps it was foolish of him to even suggest it, but Harm wasn't quite ready to terminate all connections so indefinitely. "We started as friends and I think we can stay friends."
"Friends?" At his nod, she bit back a cringe. After the amazing sex that they'd shared the night previous, all he wanted was friendship? Alright, fine, so she had been the first to throw in the towel and back peddling certainly wasn't a smart idea given the unkind words she'd uttered, but to be 'just friends' was almost like the kiss of death. "I think we can do that, yeah." And still, she didn't want to lose him completely. At least, in the 'friend zone' there were possibilities, however remote they may currently seem.
Diane leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips before straightening. "I'd better get going before I decide to ravage you."
Considering that his nerves were already frazzled over Mac, he replied "Yeah, that may be a good idea. . . Just close the door on the way out." He wouldn't dare walk Diane to the door, chances were things wouldn't just end there. They never did with her.
Sighing deeply, he slid down on the sofa, laying his head on an armrest. Feeling Mac's skin was one of the most heavenly experiences of his life. With that thought in mind, he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
