The evening continued in an ever-faster whirl of color, music, food, laughter, drinking and more dancing. Mac danced two more times, with Commander Mattoni and Admiral Chegwidden. Harm danced once, with Harriet, when a slow ballad was played, which thrilled Harriet to no end. As the night drew to a close, Santiago asked for Mac's permission to make a few comments. He moved to the center of the dance floor, and when he had everyone's attention, he began.

"It is always a great honor for us here at Loca to host members of our military community, and on behalf of Loca, I thank you all for your service, and for your lively participation in tonight's festivities."

Santiago turned towards Mac. "I would especially like to thank the beautiful Lt. Colonel MacKenzie and her team for planning this wonderful evening. The night is still young. But right now, I would like to request her hand one last time for another dance, and I trust that you will all join us on the dance floor."

As he pulled Mac into his arms, the room erupted in applause, and other couples joined them at the center of the room. Losing herself in the music, Mac let Santiago lead, closing her eyes and reveling in the heady, hypnotic rhythms. She was relieved that the night was almost over and that it had been a success.

Suddenly, Mac felt her hand being placed in another hand. Confused, she opened her eyes to find herself looking straight into Harm's eyes. He looked just as startled as she felt, and she turned towards Santiago, who had let go of her other hand and was dancing away from them, smiling. Panicked and angry, she took a step towards Santiago, but found herself restrained – Harm was still holding on to her hand.

She looked down at that hand, nestled in his warm, larger one, and then up at Harm's face. At that moment, his eyes seemed to be a hypnotic, glittering green, and she couldn't look away from them. She felt her mouth go dry and her heart start to beat heavily in her chest. Before she could say a word, he spoke, with a reassuring smile.

His words were simple. "It's okay, Mac. Let's just dance."

Completely flustered by the entire turn of events, Mac strove for casualness. "Alright then, why not? But try not to step on my toes," she joked, "I know this style of dancing isn't exactly your forte."

As Harm swung Mac into his strong arms, the beat changed, became even faster, more vibrant. Mac decided to ease Harm into the dance by keeping her steps simple and basic. To her astonishment, Harm spun her into an intricate set of figures with a finesse that stunned her, spinning her out and pulling her back to himself smoothly, swiftly. His footwork was nimble, smooth, confident, as was the ease with which he followed the rhythm of the music. She looked up at him, so disconcerted by the discovery of his secret Latin dance skills that she stumbled for a moment.

Harm smiled. "Now don't go stepping on my toes."

Mac smiled back, shaking her head. "You are full of surprises, Harmon Rabb."

He grinned, and continued to lead her in such complicated movements that it was a challenge for her to keep up with him. But she was loving every moment – she felt more alive than she'd felt in a long time, and she didn't want the night to end. Then the music changed to an Argentine tango, led Mac in the most seductive dance of her life. They circled and stalked each other to the mounting, pulsating rhythm of the tango, each unable to look away from the other. It was energetic, exhilarating, and they completely forgot that they were in a room full of people.

The next song was a slow ballad. As Harm pulled her close and her arms slid up his strong chest, Mac felt the sharp sting of tears behind her eyes. She didn't understand why she was feeling so emotional – it wasn't as though she was being held by him for the first time. All she knew was that there was an overwhelming sense of peace and well-being – of being at home – that filled her. Slowly, she let herself just relax and enjoy that irresistibly warm feeling.

The deeply romantic lyrics of the song they were dancing to slowly penetrated the pleasant fog in Mac's mind – they were about a man reaching out for a woman, adoring her, promising never to let her go. It was strange, but as she rested her cheek against Harm's chest, feeling it rise and fall and listening to his strong, steady heartbeat, the words didn't fill her with that old sense of yearning. She felt loved, she felt wanted, she felt adored – and even if there was a voice somewhere in the back of her mind trying to remind her that it was all a mirage, she knew she didn't want to fight her feelings. She ignored the voice, closed her eyes and let herself melt into the arms of the man she loved.

Suddenly, Mac felt a weird throbbing between them. What the – , she thought, her eyes flying open. They broke apart. As she tried to find her bearings, Mac realized it must have been Harm's cell phone, vibrating in his pocket. She also realized that it was late – it could be an emergency. Harm apologized to Mac as he quickly checked the phone. He grimaced.

Mac was concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know." His brow furrowed. "It's Mattie, and she normally wouldn't call this late. I'm sorry, I have to take this. I'll be right back."

"Of course," Mac nodded.

Feeling strangely bereft, she watched Harm leave the room.

Soon, Harriet appeared at her side. "Wow, did you have any idea the Commander could dance like that?"

Bemused, Mac shook her head slowly. She glanced at Harriet, whose eyes were wide with fascination.

"I have to say," Harriet continued, "I thought you and Santiago danced really well together, but you and the Commander – well, you just burned up the dance floor. No one could take their eyes off you, and the weird thing was, you didn't even seem to notice. It was like you were both wrapped up in your own little world."

Mac's cheeks burned. It dawned on her that she'd just made a spectacle of herself – surely anyone watching them would have seen her feelings for Harm reflected in her face as they danced. She saw Harm coming back into the room, and noted that his body language was relaxed – so Mattie was probably fine. Would he want to go on dancing?

Suddenly, Mac knew she couldn't take more dancing with Harm, or even being around him – the emotions he was evoking within her were too intense, and she had to steel herself for the inevitable – the harsh return to reality. There was nothing more than friendship between them, and all the sexy dancing in the world couldn't change that. She needed to get away. She desperately needed some air – preferably cold air – to help tamp down the heat she could feel stirring deep in her belly.

"Excuse me, Harriet," she said, "I'll be right back."