Staking a Claim Part 9
See Part 1 for disclaimer and other information
If you choose to, you can read an Adult Only version of this chapter on my Fic with Fins website, which you can access via my bio page on this site. You will find a link to the Adult Only version in the What's New section on the front page of my site.
Previously:
It hurt that she seemed to doubt his integrity because Jack knew he was more honorable than that and thought she should know it too. He did not have many illusions about himself, didn't believe he was god's gift to womankind or anything. In fact, under his often brash exterior, he was more inclined to be self-effacing. Sometimes he might be a bit of an ass but Jack knew treating a woman he loved with such disrespect was not one of his many faults.
Hoping Sam knew better too, he waited for some kind of reaction. Anything, preferably positive - one of the longest few seconds he'd ever had in his life.
The story continues:
It seemed an age before Sam looked up at him but it was probably just a fleeting moment. When she met his eyes, she smiled and took hold of his hand. Now, in place of doubt and disillusionment Jack saw belief, trust and love in her expression. Reassured, he let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.
Sam trusted this man absolutely. If he said he hadn't slept with another woman the previous night then it was true. She realized she should have known better, that her doubts were irrational given what she understood about Jack and his personal code of honor. Jealousy, however, is not a rational emotion. She didn't need to reply in words as her eyes said it all, but she spoke anyway, contrite about her short-lived doubts.
"I know you aren't really that type of man Jack. Y-you probably wouldn't be here if you'd done that. You wouldn't have expected…" She paused hesitantly for a moment to frame her response but still felt lacking. "Well… you know… this, us. I guess maybe I am a bit jealous of the idea you might have been with someone else last night. Insecure."
"Insecure?" Jack queried looking surprised and reaching to stroke her lightly on the cheek with the backs of his fingers. "What happened to my super confident go-getting Sam?"
Slightly self-conscious and appearing more than a little gawky, her face reddened and Jack thought she looked even more adorable than usual. "Not as super confident and go-getting as I appear I suppose," she responded tittering nervously. "Disappointed?"
Smiling crookedly, he stared at her tenderly for a moment before bending closer to brush her forehead with his lips. "Never. You can trust me."
"Hell, Jack, I do trust you." She sighed, letting his hand go and fretting with her hair instead. Knowing her initial reaction to the condoms had ruined their moment of passion, Sam felt the need to explain. "You have to admit your reaction made you appear guilty of something." She indicated quotes with her fingers on uttering the word guilty.
"I felt guilty even though nothing happened. Felt bad about being tempted when you were on my mind." Sam opened her mouth to say something but he hushed her by pressing a finger softly to her lips. "You shouldn't ever feel insecure about us because I'll always be here. You're stuck with me babe, or did I imagine that commitment thing we agreed to earlier?" With a solemnly loving expression on his face, Jack rested his palm on her cheek and she grinned, pushing her face into his hand.
"A small twinge of insecurity every now and again isn't so ridiculous is it?" she asked and he shook his head, completely understanding where she was coming from. He'd been there and probably would be again. "Look, whatever did or didn't happen last night or at any time before you came here isn't really any of my business is it? We weren't even together. Besides, I'm not in the greatest position to be either insecure or jealous am I? Not after, well…"
She shrugged her shoulders in a helpless kind of way and, realizing she was thinking about the cop and betrayal, Jack stroked her cheek again in a reassuring manner.
"Shhh. Don't go there," he muttered placing the palm of her hand against his lips and kissing it. "I thought we'd agreed not to pick over those old bones."
Of course he'd been hurt by her engagement but none of that mattered now. They were where they were and he was happy to be there.
"You're the only woman I'm really interested in, Carter. No need for that green-eyed monster. I get being jealous, believe me, but the last person on Earth I want to talk about is the cop. As for what did or didn't happen last night, sure it's your business. I was lonely. Hurting. Thinking about you leaving the SGC, about the seemingly unattainable."
He sighed, apparently thinking before continuing. "I don't know... all of that. More. I'm a guy. We think with our dicks for crying out loud." Sam let loose an amused snort at those words, smirking. "I had a chance and nearly took it, but I didn't because of you. I never set out to come here or have any expectations about making love to you or any of this. I came because deep down I wanted to. Because I needed you, Sam. Because I wanted more from you, wanted you in my life. Still do. Always will."
It was a long and revealing speech for Jack, although Sam already realized how he felt about her after their earlier conversation. Nonetheless, he'd acknowledged his need for her in words even if he still hadn't told her he loved her, or not specifically. She wanted to hear him confess those words of love but knew he felt it. He would tell her in time, she thought.
Sam reached for his neck, smoothing her fingers over it while craning hers to kiss him tenderly. Simultaneously, she pulled him toward her on the bed so they ended up lying down together.
"You've got me in your life from here on in, Jack," she whispered.
"I'm a lucky son of a bitch," he replied with a boyishly shy and utterly cute expression on his face.
"Not lucky. You earned these feelings I have for you. Luck has nothing to do with it."
Wrapping his arms around her, Jack hugged her gently then kissed her with way more passion than her tender peck. He was thinking she was wrong, that he was indeed very lucky, but didn't argue. Acute desire surged through him again and his body responded accordingly. Maybe he'd merely regained control but, whatever the cause, all his anxiety vanished.
Toes curling with a thrill of delight, Sam groaned in his mouth when Jack's lips bruised hers and he drove his tongue inside. She sucked on it, making him grunt, and the vibrations from his lustful response caused a minor shockwave to rage through her. She let his tongue escape to explore her mouth further, shivering as it brushed over her teeth gums and down her throat.
Relishing the taste of her, Jack wanted to savor every moment of the kiss, and when she forced her tongue into his mouth, he thought he'd died and gone to heaven. No longer trembling with trepidation but with yearning, his fingers began to explore her body skillfully.
Wanting to familiarize himself with the previously uncharted territory of Sam Carter, he reluctantly pulled back from the kiss and traced his hand's movements with his eyes. Saying nothing, he soaked up the detail of her appearance and her reactions to his gentle touch, thinking about how beautiful she was; how luscious and edible.
Sam softly scrubbed his back with her fingers, watching him drink her in, allowing him free reign with no interference for now and enjoying the rapt attention and admiration revealed clearly in his expression. She was thinking maybe he was right about luck because she certainly felt lucky to have him here with her. Loving her and making love to her. Honored and blessed.
At first, Jack was sweet and gentle, watching enthralled as he denied self-gratification to satisfy her with deftly erotic foreplay. Her ardent pleasure and the avid response of her touch gave him a huge kick, an absolute high. Thus, as he made love to her fully for the first time, he became rapacious, primitively animalistic, almost utterly possessed by need as fervor reduced him to that base condition.
Sam was ecstatic, taken aback by his apparent prowess, surprised at becoming deliciously aroused so quickly again. She'd never experienced anything quite like it before.
Some people might consider her a slightly virginal ice maiden but this was far from the truth. Sam was a woman that appeared over obsessed with her work, but she was a truly passionate person. She wasn't inexperienced, perhaps not as skilful as Jack, but she'd had her moments.
She had suspected Jack was a sensual and giving man and she had been right, but Sam had never anticipated anything quite as enjoyable as this experience. She thought he was amazing, commanding and beautiful. His fiery intensity made her gasp.
Sam whispered his name and Jack prized his eyes open to look at her apologetically. Her rapturous expression became a plea for him to maintain control, but he couldn't hold back any longer.
Perhaps it was desperate need or he had wanted this for far too long, fantasized about it too much, desired her too much. She blew him away. It might even have been the previous night's booze continuing to blight him.
Whatever the reason, he shattered too quickly, his head sinking down onto her breast and then briefly becoming utterly motionless.
Pulling his sweat dampened hair with frustration, Sam cursed aloud and Jack met her eyes. He had wanted perfection but had failed. Enjoyable though their lovemaking had been, wonderful even, he wanted to kick his own ass.
"I'm so sorry," he murmured breathlessly. Jack seldom used the S word and she knew the apology was heartfelt, although this did not help satisfy her urgent longing for fulfillment.
Without even waiting for any kind of response, Jack bit her shoulder softly, resting his chin on the valley between her two breasts and capturing her gaze, his eyes watchful once more, his skilful petting gratifying her once again.
The sight of her was spellbinding. Emotions engulfed him that he hadn't felt for such a long time he had almost forgotten they existed. His love for Sam intensified beyond anything he recalled, even with Sara who had been the great love of his life. Or so he had believed.
Whatever, he was overcome and Jack swiftly wrapped his arms around Sam and held her as close as he could. She responded by brushing her fingers through his hair and over his neck.
"I wished… I wanted…" he started, thinking how much he regretted that their first time making love had not been the perfection he had sought. Good, sure, great even, but not as great as he had wanted. "I wanted you too much Sam. I couldn't control myself. I'm sorry."
Sam was surprised to hear that S word from his lips again so quickly. "You don't have anything to be sorry about Jack. That was…"
"Not what I wanted. Not perfect."
She chuckled, unable to help herself. "Pretty darned close. Sorry, I shouldn't laugh." She gave him a gentle hug, concerned he might be fretting about it. "I know what you men and your egos can be like. You don't have to prove anything to me."
"My ego is fine. I'm not hung up on it. I know I can do better than that. Way better. Next time," he promised.
"I have a feeling that the next time will be fairly soon, Mr Cocky." Following his clearly cheerful lead, she used a gently mocking tone. He grunted a laugh, continuing to hold her but loosening his grip slightly and pulling away to gaze into her eyes with a grin on his face.
"Cocky, huh? Maybe I've got good reason to be." His smirk held a hint of self-mockery.
"Egotistical, self-assured…" she muttered jokily.
"Handsome, charming…" he retorted humorously.
She laughed. If any other man had said that Sam might have thought they were seriously bigheaded, which probably would have been a turn off. Jack, however, was not the sort of person who would look in the mirror and say to himself 'You're a hot, handsome fella O'Neill!' Or not without an ironic twinkle in his eye.
Those who knew no better might think him an arrogant man, and he could be. One of his loveable traits, however, was his humility. Hell, Sam thought, knowing Jack he probably believed she could do way better than hooking up with General Jonathan O'Neill. He simply wasn't the kind of man to believe he was god's gift to women. So, she realized he was only kidding around. Jack-like humor, another endearing characteristic. Something else she loved about the man.
Kissing his cheek she said, "Funny thing is I think you might well have good reason to be cocky."
He shrugged looking slightly self-conscious. "Well, people have said… woman have said… I'm just sayin'. You'll find out soon enough, I guess."
Snuggling up close to him and feeling at peace, Sam quietly pondered how much she was looking forward to that. It was almost as if they had always been this way, lying in each other's arms. She liked that a lot. Nevertheless, no matter how comfortable Sam felt with him or how well she might think she knew him, evidently she still had a lot to learn about Jack O'Neill. The prospect was exciting.
"You were right about sex being a hangover cure," he mumbled.
"I'll look you up next time I get drunk," she joked with a grin and he glanced at her doubtfully.
"You, get drunk? Now that is something I have to see!" Having just witnessed one version of an out of control Carter, the sensual lovemaking variant, the idea of seeing her lose control in a different way appealed. He had a hard time picturing Sam drunk. She didn't drink that much alcohol as far as he'd ever been able to determine. "Have you ever actually been intoxicated?"
Sam laughed heartily. "Only by you, my love," she retorted with tongue firmly in cheek and Jack chuckled, giving her an appreciative squeeze at the humorous rejoinder. "Are you suggesting you've never seen me lose control, Jack?"
"I think I just did."
"You ain't seen nothin' yet," she replied with a passable impersonation of Al Jolson whose catchphrase this had been and Jack spluttered a laugh in response.
"You are something else, you know that Carter?"
"You too, sir."
After grinning inanely at each other for a while, Jack affectionately kissed the tip of Sam's nose before nuzzling into her neck. Lapsing into silence, they remained tranquilly quiet for a long time after that, sated and happy to lie there simply holding each other. Neither of them had felt this content in what seemed like forever. It was like coming home, very natural.
"I love you Jack," she whispered eventually and he didn't respond with words, instead acknowledging them by squeezing her arm, stroking her with the tips of his fingers and kissing her lightly on the neck.
She was slightly disappointed when he didn't say he loved her too, still longing to hear the words from his lips. It was silly, she realized, because she knew he did, but that wasn't the point. Knowing and being told are two different things, she thought.
Then she heard Jack whimper softly and regarded him with surprise at that sweet sound coming from his mouth, quickly realizing he'd actually dozed off contentedly. She smiled, kissing the top of his head lovingly and closing her eyes thinking about how much she adored him and how happy she was they were finally a couple.
It felt real good, like a dream come true. Snuggling up to him, she soon joined him in that world of sleeping and unreal dreams. Frankly, the reality was better.
TBC in Part 10