Carly laid her cards out on the table and cheered for herself.
"Read 'em and weep baby," she said to Craig. "Full house!"
"Shit!" He slid the rest of his pot over to her. "I'm out."
Marissa wrapped her arms around his neck. "Poor baby. Now come spend some time with me."
"I can't believe you went all in with a pair of Queens," Jack said.
"I thought I had her." He pushed away from the table, following Marissa.
"You thought wrong buddy," Carly teased, pulling the pot from the middle as well as his remaining chips towards her.
Steve sat on the coffee table in the living room, drinking a beer and sharing a bag of chips with Jules. Carly looked over at him from the dinning room and pointed to her chips excitedly. She had knocked him out of the game earlier and it was just she and Jack left. He lifted his beer to her, giving her a smile and head toss, acknowledging her accomplishment.
He watched her as she dealt the next hand not quite able to turn away just yet. She glanced over at him as she picked up her cards, feeling the same attraction. That's exactly how the day had gone. If they weren't next to each other touching, they were doing it with steady glances that were just as satisfying.
Jules sat on the couch and looked at him and then over at Carly and then back to him. "You two should run upstairs really quick and get it taken care of, and then you'll be good for at least an hour or so."
Steve looked over at her, feeling slightly embarrassed. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Craig had heard her.
"Don't worry, you're in the clear," she assured him, "He went in the other room."
He shook his head, knowing he probably looked ridiculous but he just couldn't keep his eyes off of her.
Jules scooted to the end of the couch, so they were closer. "Don't be embarrassed Steve. Geez! Doesn't it feel good?"
He looked back over at Carly as she did the same until she was pulled away to play her hand.
He carefully looked around again for Craig, seeing the coast was clear. He leaned forward so his elbows were resting on his knees, whispering to her. "I don't know what's wrong with me Jules. I can't stop looking at her. She must think I'm crazy." He leaned in, "Has she said anything to you? Is it annoying her?" It had begun to worry him and knew Jules was the only one in the house he could talk about it with. The guys would have probably thrown him in the lake for being such a pussy. Not that he would have said anything to them anyway. He'd rather be burned alive than ask them that question.
"Oh my God. You're so cute," Jules gushed. "You are so in love and so new to it that you don't even know the signs."
He looked at her queerly, "What?"
She rolled her eyes, "You're such a guy!" She looked back over at Carly who helped her get her point across by staring at him as if right on cue. "Do you notice her looking at you a lot too?"
His eyes moved in that direction as she smiled at him before turning away. "Yes, but that's different. I like it" He felt that un-nerving feeling and looked around again making sure he was still out of earshot. "I swear if I'm next to her, I have to touch her. If I'm in the same room I can't stop looking. If we're in separate rooms…" he sighed as if he felt completely helpless, "I miss her." He leaned in, "That's not normal Jules. That's borderline obsession. I don't want her to think I'm keeping tabs on her," he shook his head adamantly, "because I'm not, but I feel like that's how I'm coming across."
She started to laugh. She couldn't help it. He probably had an IQ that was off the charts but when it came to women and love he was clearly naïve.
He started to get a little irked by her. "Come on, I'm serious. I need help and you're the only one I can talk to about this. So give me a break will ya?"
She put her hand over her mouth, hiding her smile and trying to be more serious because he was clearly struggling with this. "Steve," she bent her head, trying not to laugh again over his innocence. She got control and looked back up at him, "Honey, there is nothing wrong with you. Believe me when I say," she grabbed his wrist, making her point, "she likes it too. She really, really likes it."
He was a little surprised by her answer. "Are you sure, or are you just jerking my chain? Don't mess around Jules. I don't want to screw this up."
She started to laugh again and stood up, putting her arms around him. "You are so awesome!" she kissed his cheek. "You aren't going to screw anything up." She leaned back pointing at him, shaking her finger. "And don't change anything you are doing either. You keep looking, you keep touching and you keep following." She took her finger and made a cross over her chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die. You are doing everything right."
He felt a little better but wanted to laugh in turn at her advice to keep it up, because he felt that even if he tried not to do it, he wouldn't be able to stop anyway. He looked back over at Carly as she gathered her hands around a pile of chips and pulled them toward her. She smiled brightly and then laughed at something Jack said. He glanced over Jules and smiled, "It does feel good."
She stood up and patted his back meaningfully before she walked over to the table feeling a little nostalgic over their talk and put her arms around Jack from behind and kissed him.
He watched the display between the two and how Jack responded by reaching back and acknowledging her with another kiss. He looked across the table to Carly and met her gaze that wasn't just a quick glance like they had been playing with all day. It spoke volumes. He felt the hair on his arms stand up as every nerve in his body reacted. What she could do to him with just a look, it was crippling. She had the ability to level him where he sat. He knew at that second he was done for. If everything Jules said was true then he also knew he was golden in this relationship because all he wanted at that second was to look, touch and follow her wherever she went.
Carly picked Steve's cell phone up off the picnic table, "Hey, your phone is ringing?"
He looked up from his chokehold on Craig and his knee in Jack's back as they each laid face down in the grass. The two of them had challenged him, stating he couldn't get them both down at the same time before they could get him. It took about ten seconds and now he was holding them in place just for the fun of it.
"Who is it?" he asked.
Carly looked at the name, "Chin?"
He motioned to her. "Answer it. Tell him I'll be right there." He looked down at Jack and Craig, "Had enough yet?"
They both growled and squirmed, not able to move.
Carly answered, "Hello."
Chin pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure he had pushed the right number. "Is this Steve McGarrett's phone?"
"Yes," she stood up walking to the edge of the deck, "he's a little occupied right now and asked me to answer. He'll be here in a minute. This is Carly. Are you the Chin he works with?"
Chin smiled at the pleasant voice on the other end, "Yes I am."
"Oh," she replied, becoming even more interested, "He's told me all about you and Kono and Danny."
"I've heard about you too," he replied. "I understand you are going to become a Kama' aina soon."
She tilted her head, "I beg your pardon?"
"It means native in Hawaiian."
"I like that. Kama' aina. Yes, I guess I will be. I'm so excited to meet you and everyone else."
"We're anxious to meet you too. We're hoping you have some good stories to tell us about the boss when he was young." He didn't understand what Danny's apprehension was about this girl. She seemed nice enough.
Carly laughed, "Yes I do! He really hasn't changed all that much."
"Was he as tough and serious back then as he is now?"
Carly smiled over at him as he released Jack and Craig. She knew all those qualities in him existed but the only time she saw the serious and tough side was when he was searching the house and when he removed Allan from it. She couldn't imagine him being that way all the time. "No. He was very sweet."
Chin laughed over her description of him. "Sweet? Steve McGarrett, sweet?"
"There was one time when he and I were walking home from his football practice and we came upon a bird's nest that had fallen out of a tree. One of the baby bird's had died, and there was one that was just lying there but had survived. We left him, knowing we couldn't touch it." Steve came up on the deck and reached for the phone.
"Don't tell him that story."
Carly moved away from him. "Steve felt so bad about that little bird lying there that he went back that night and got it. He took care of it for about a week, but it eventually died." She smiled at him as he stood there with his arms crossed, knowing she had just opened up the door to harassment that was going to haunt him for a long time.
Chin was on the other end enjoying every second of that story. "What did he do with the little birdy after it was dead? Funeral maybe?" He couldn't wait to relay it on to Kono and Danny.
"I don't remember." She looked at him, "What did you do with that little bird after he died?"
Steve shook his head, hearing Chin laugh on the other end. "I fed it to a cat."
"Steve!" Jules and Carly both yelled.
"That's horrible!" Carly scolded, half laughing at his attempt to save his manhood. "You did not!"
He reached for the phone, "Say goodbye to Chin."
"Goodbye Chin. I looked forward to meeting you in person."
"It was a pleasure speaking with you Carly and I'm also looking forward to meeting you. Aloha." He liked her already.
She smiled brightly handing Steve the phone. "Here you go."
She yelped as he smacked her on the butt as she walked by him.
"Hey," he said into the phone, "you repeat that story and you'll pay for it."
"It'll be worth it," Chin laughed. "I like her! She's got your number that's for sure."
He didn't agree with him vocally but knew he was 100% right about that.
"I got that profile you asked for. I wanted to let you know that I emailed it to your Five 0 account, just incase it had some security issues attached to it. "
He was glad to hear from Chin, but it was a little unnerving that Danny hadn't called himself. "Thanks Chin. I appreciate that. What did you find out?"
Chin relayed a synopsis of the report, informing him of the charges that were filed over Carly's pregnancy issue but were later dismissed. There was also a DUI from three years earlier and an arrest when he was in college over a bar fight. Other than that he was pretty clean. Steve wasn't sure what he was looking for anyway, but after the incident in the house the night before last, he wanted to know if he had a violent criminal past that maybe Carly didn't know about. Much to his relief he didn't. It made him feel less concerned, but he still kept his guard up, knowing the threat could still be lingering, especially after the late night visit. His gut told him to stay alert, and he always followed his instincts.
"So Carly?" Chin asked curiously, "she's seems like she knows you pretty well."
"We go way back." He looked at her as she leaned against the deck railing, smiling at him.
"So I gather. I'm looking forward to meeting her and getting some more stories out of her."
He returned his attention to the phone. "I'm going to have a conversation with her about that, so don't expect my biography of adolescents."
Chin quietly laughed, "To tell you the truth Steve, she didn't seem to be the least bit intimidated by you."
Steve couldn't help but chuckle over his initial description of Carly. "Jesus Chin, you are good at your job, because you just nailed her right on the head."
He couldn't get past the sound of his voice that just seemed, relaxed. "Let me know if you need anything else."
"Thanks again. Is Danny around today?"
"Yes. He's in his office. Do you want me to transfer you?"
"No," he replied, "I'll catch him later." After he hung up he stared at his phone hoping things would cool off with Danny before he returned home. Carly was going to be apart of his life. It didn't matter to him the circumstances of how it happened, it was what it was and if Danny couldn't see it that way then to hell with him.
He went over to her, bracing a hand on the railing behind her so they were face to face, trying to look intimidating with a smile on his face, but knowing she didn't feel any of it.
She smiled sheepishly, "Don't be mad. It was a cute story," she defended herself, "besides; I could have told him the one about the time you got in the fist fight over that cat." She smiled as if she had done him a favor.
He raised an eyebrow; "You are very beautiful when you're trying to dig yourself out of a hole. You're lucky you've got that going for ya."
She knew he wasn't mad and put her arms around him, whispering in his ear. "I'm sorry. Why don't we disappear for a while and I'll make it up to you."
That got his attention as well as his forgiveness.
Chin leaned into Danny's office; "I just got of the phone with Steve. I sent over that profile he asked for."
He nodded his acknowledgment.
"I talked to the girl too. Carly."
"Really?" he asked a little taken back by that. "Why did you talk to her?"
"She answered his phone. Nice girl. Funny."
Danny sat back in his chair. He was beginning to feel guilty over his argument with Steve, especially after seeing the report Chin had put together and the profile he had done on Carly as well, and now after hearing Chin's analogy of her, he felt he might have jumped the gun a bit. It wasn't so much that he felt bad about what he had said; it was the fact that he was wrong and he stepped over the line, even after Steve had warned him.
He blew a breath out between closed lips, "You know," he said to Chin, "I think sometimes I can be over critical of people."
"What? You?" Chin pretended as if he were surprised by that confession, "Nah…you never jump to conclusions and always give people the benefit of the doubt," he said sarcastically.
Danny sighed, knowing he deserved that. "So you had a pretty good first impression of her huh? What's she like?"
"She's got a good sense of humor and seems to have a good rapport with Steve. I don't know what your misgivings are but I don't see it and her ex sounds like a piece of work. She's lucky to be out of that. It's a good thing Steve was there with her when all that went down. It might have been a lot worse. From what you told me, I think this relationship he's got going might be more serious than we think."
Chin didn't know it, but he nailed it right on the head and Danny felt the blow from the hammer. "Yea, I think you're right."
Steve reached up taking Carly's hand as she climbed down the ladder to the Jet Ski.
"Are you sure you feel ok doing this? We don't have to go?"
She sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm not afraid with you." She squeezed him, "let's go."
He smiled, pushing away from the dock with his hand and started the engine. He didn't floor it like he had before, but took off at slower speed so as not to scare her incase she was still a little frightened from her earlier crash.
They headed out toward the open water and he turned his head, speaking to her. "Where too?"
"Our waterfall," she replied as if it was obvious.
He turned in that direction.
She set her chin down on his shoulder with her arms clasped together around his waist. She got a whiff of his cologne, which was like an aphrodisiac. She'd already decided that he wasn't allowed to wear any other brand. She was considering stocking up on it. Her lips brushed the side of his neck, making their way up behind his ear as her hands came up clasping over his biceps. She slid them down his arms and then back up again as he drove the Jet Ski.
Having her that close behind him was bad enough but once the flirting started he had no choice but to reciprocate. He let go of the throttle slowing it down to a stop in the middle of the lake. He shifted in his seat to the side so he could get an arm around her and kissed her. She obliged him willingly shifting as well so he had better access. Her only regret was that there was nowhere to lie down.
He released her but gave her two more quick kisses on the lips, "If you keep playing with me like that, we're never going to get there."
She almost fell backward in the water; thankful he was still holding her. "If you don't stop looking so fricking sexy then I'll be forced to keep playing like that." She wasn't sure but she swore she saw him turn red before he kissed her once more and then turned back around.
Steve glided into the cove as Carly slid off the back and pushed it up on shore. She quickly undid her jacket and ran to the pool as he pulled the boat up.
"Hey!" he warned her, "You're not supposed to over exert yourself too much, remember. For at least a couple more days."
She stopped and looked back at him with her hands on her hips, "Really? It's been over a week and you wouldn't call what you and I have been doing, 'over exerting' myself?"
He caught up with her and leaned over, scooping her up in his arms easily, carrying her over to the water.
She laughed at his surprise attack, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He set her down on the shore of the pool below the waterfall. "What you and I do is an exception. At least we're laying down."
She kept her arms around him and grinned mischievously. "Not always."
He slid his hand down her ponytail admiring her as she looked up at him. "No, not always," he agreed. He had lost count how many times they had made love already. Every night was like a blur. He would be sound asleep and wake up with the feel of her hands on him or vise versa. This would go on all night, sometimes three or four times, not including right before they went to bed and then again in the morning and throughout the day. Their limit was endless. He moved his hands under her shirt, wanting to feel her skin. "I'm so glad you're coming home with me."
"Me too. I can't bare the thought of being separated from you, even for a little while."
He understood that feeling all too well, bringing his hands around to the front over her breasts and then down to her stomach and back around. They already knew each others bodies almost as well as their own, enjoying the foreplay and exploring sometimes just as much as the actual event itself. But neither of them could deny that once they joined together it was like they became one person, feeding off the other as if it were life or death, needing that nourishment just to survive.
The others in the house just accepted it as if it had been the norm all along. It seemed just as natural to them that they were together as it was to Steve and Carly. As the week went on they tried to keep their need for each other at bay in front of the others and would sneak off in the middle of the afternoon just to relieve the tension. But it seldom went un-noticed and got to be a running joke between Jack and Craig. They kept a timeline, placing money on the disappearances and whoever was in the fifteen minute window won the bet and the cash that was in the pot.
Carly reached up and kissed him. "I want to make love behind the waterfall."
He smiled at the idea, but shook his head. "There's not enough room. " He looked up, "plus it might be slippery in there now because of the rains."
She sighed her disappointment. "That's why I wanted to come here. That was the day when I knew for the first time that I was falling in love with you."
He squeezed her, "Nostalgic are you?"
"A little, yes," she agreed.
He slid a strand of her hair behind her ear, "Two things I will never deny you. One is sex. The other is anything else," he grinned.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the rocks that led to the path up to the entrance.
He reluctantly followed her, knowing he couldn't resist, but still looking around the area for a secret place they could sneak off to outside instead. But she was determined to fulfill her mission. Once they got to the top he halted her and went in first, the same as before. He looked back before going on.
"I'm serious that if it doesn't look ok you're not going in."
She nodded her agreement.
He let go of her hand and reached up for the branch that he knew was there, stepping inside. It was wetter than before but not bad like he had thought. He went in further to find the spot where they had sat down and remembered telling her about his scars and how he had tried to find her years ago. That day was a turning point for him as well. It was a little over a week before but it seemed like years now compared to how far they had come together.
She saw him come out hoping it was possible. She smiled excitedly when he reached his hand out for her.
"Be careful."
She took it as he slowly led her inside.
They moved to the back and ducked down under the protruding rocks and sat in their spot. He put his arm around her. "See, no room."
She put an arm around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. "This is nice too."
The water raged over the cliff in front them, sending a gentle mist back toward them. It was cool but not cold, it was comfortable.
"When we were here before, I wanted you to kiss me so bad, but I knew you wouldn't."
He squeezed her, "I wanted to kiss you, and I almost did. It took everything I had not too."
She lifted her head, looking at him. "I'm so happy when I'm with you. I just feel…" She didn't know how to put it into words. It made her emotional just trying to find a description of what he meant to her. "I love you so much, and it just amazes me because I know that I haven't even scratched the surface of how deep this is going to go." She swallowed the lump in her throat, "and I can't wait to find out."
His life was always so hectic, moving at the speed of light it seemed sometimes, but being with her, he didn't want that chaos anymore. She made him realize he was living that way to make up for what was missing. It was this right here. He reached up with the back of his hand and wiped off some of the mist on her cheek, allowing himself the opportunity he didn't even know he wanted so badly until it was staring right at him. His voice was confident and without any hesitation or uncertainty.
"I'm going to marry you someday, Carly."
She nodded, blinded by tears that filled her eyes. "I'm counting on it."
The kissed they sealed it with was more meaningful than any liaison they'd experienced over the last week together. It was as if they were committing to the vow right then and there.