Disclaimer in chapter 1

11

Sam rolled over, encountering Jack's warm body. The futon wasn't roomy to begin with, and the extra body made it positively cramped. She didn't mind. She didn't even mind the less-than-romantic setting, feeling like they'd essentially made love on a mattress in her kitchen.

She looked up to find Jack smiling down at her. "Good morning," he said, running his fingers through her tousled hair.

"Mmmmm," she replied. "It is that." Jack leaned over to kiss her and she met him half-way. Suddenly he pulled back.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I took the day off. Last week."

"Last week? Just how long have you been planning this, Miss No-Strings?" his tone was teasing, so she didn't take offense.

Sam ran her hand over his chest, toying with the sparse hair. "A few days now, I guess."

"You couldn't let me in on this new revelation?"

Sam leaned up to kiss him once more. "I thought I just did." Jack rolled onto his back, taking her with him and settling her on his shoulder.

"That you did," he sighed, closing his eyes once more. "And then some."

"Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder," she smiled into his chest.

"And my heart is extremely fond," he confirmed, kissing her temple. They lay together in silence for a moment and Sam was sure Jack had fallen back asleep when she felt as well as heard him speak. "Seriously, Sam, last night was amazing. Maybe it was the whole abstinence thing like you say, but it was more than that. I'm not very good with words," he fumbled. "But do you know what I mean?"

Sam indeed knew what he was trying to say, and had no better words herself for what he was trying to express. She'd always felt they'd be good together, but she had no idea how good. It seemed hokey, but the term completing someone had always seemed to be the realm of fiction to her. Maybe it was the result of too many romance novels, but she really had felt a connection to Jack, and it suffused her being. She couldn't remember feeling this content with another person.

Sam draped her arm across Jack's stomach, gently squeezing his waist. "I do know what you mean." They lay quietly for a few moments when Sam felt a hand creeping between her thighs.

Jack was leaning over her, smiling wolfishly. "Miss me?"

XXXXXX

As it turned out, Sam did remember how he liked his eggs, and was greeted upon waking with a plate of steaming over-medium. Sitting up on the futon, Jack winced at the pain in his lower back.

"Much as this reminds me of my care-free college days," he said, balancing his plate to keep eggs off the sheets, "we have to do something about getting you a real bed."

"There's nothing wrong with that bed, if you're in it by yourself," Sam said, munching on a piece of toast.

"I was kind of hoping it wasn't going to be a single sleeper," he said, sampling his breakfast. Jack knew the furniture had come with the efficiency, due to the transient status of the usual occupants. It was a strange way to judge Sam's seriousness about putting down some roots, but Jack felt if she was willing to own furniture, it would signify her intention to stay. When she didn't answer, he asked if there was any extra toast.

"What do I do with the futon?" she asked at length.

"Put it in storage?"

"That seems like a lot of trouble for a cheap daybed."

"Give it back to the landlord?" She was still playing with her toast in the remainder of her egg yolk when he tried again. "Or, you could give up this place." Sam looked up then, and he knew she understood the underlying implication, but he stated it anyway. "You could move in with me. I have a bed."

"What about Charlie?"

"What about him?"

Sam was doing her best not to look at him. "Well, don't you think you should talk to him about it?"

"He's my kid. He'll do what I tell him."

"Jack, come on."

"Okay, you're right," he said, running a hand through his hair. "It does affect him so you're right. He does have a say in the matter. But I know what his answer is going to be. He loves you, Sam! As much as. . . well, he loves you!" Jack wasn't sure why he couldn't tell her he loved her. Maybe it was because it was too soon. He didn't want to confess his feelings after one night. It seemed trite, somehow, and what he felt was anything but common.

"Don't you think we should talk about it? Doesn't this seem like things are moving too fast to you?" He wanted to tell her it had felt agonizingly slow on his end. That if he'd had his way she'd have been living with them for weeks now. But she was right. He'd never had any patience and this situation only served to prove that. He couldn't explain it, but he almost felt an urgency at getting her under his roof. That until she was there, she was vulnerable. It was ridiculous and he knew it. Besides, who was more capable of taking care of herself than the woman who'd obviously had some kind of self-defense training in her past?

"I guess by conventional terms it's fast. That doesn't change the way I feel." Jack climbed off the bed, placing his dish on the table. He pulled Sam up off her chair and made her face him, tipping her chin up so she was gazing into his eyes. "Promise me you'll at least think about it."

He watched her swallow, licking her lips and staring at his mouth. "I'll think about it," she whispered, and then kissed him, edging him back towards the bed.

A/N-Okay, I know chapter 10 raised a lot of questions, so I'm going to post chapter 12 today as well. Thank you all for your continued interest!