A/N: Sorry for the delay. Computer went up in flames and lost my work.
By the way, I can't thank you all enough for sticking with the story and for the encouraging comments. They warm my heart.
Explicit warnings for the end of this chapter and the next.
Proceed with caution.
They were several hours into the drive when Jack pulled into a full-service gas station for a pit stop. The guys were done first and headed back to the car while Sam tasked herself with grabbing snacks on her way out.
As Jack refueled, the details from the last few days flowed through his mind like wet cement. There were a ton of unanswered questions. They assumed that Pete had found out something tangible about Knight. Something that would cost him money or his freedom or both; hence the reason why Pete had been tortured and why he was still coming after them. There were a couple of things that popped into his head, and he was hoping Harry could provide some answers as he slid back inside the car.
"Hey, did your contact say anything else about Pete's involvement? What undercover part he was actually playing?"
Harry shrugged, "I know he was part of the protection detail at the residence."
Jack frowned, "Protection detail? That doesn't seem like it would provide him much access unless he was assigned as a driver or to someone in the family."
"Um yeah, he was assigned to a family member. Didn't I mention that?" Harry's voice faded out as he looked out the window towards the door of the gas station.
Jack's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "No Harry, you didn't. What are you hiding?"
"Huh?" He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "I mean, nothing…it's no big deal. He was assigned to Knight's wife; Patricia I think her name is."
Jack's mouth dropped, "And you didn't think that would be important to mention?"
Harry didn't answer at first, dipping his head and swiping at some invisible lint on his shirt before looking back at the door. "I didn't think it was something she would want to hear about, if you catch my drift."
Eyes widened, Jack turned his body towards him, "Are you kidding me? He was cheating on her with some mark?"
"Well, it was implied…we don't know for sure."
Jack shook his head in disbelief, anger creeping to the surface, "What a fucking idiot."
Harry shrugged in agreeance, "Yeah well, it's not something she needs to know."
Facing forward again, Jack gripped the steering wheel and twisted his hands around it. "No, she does. She deserves the truth."
Harry turned his head to him, eyebrows raised, "Well I'm not telling her." He glanced back at the door and sighed. "Just leave it alone Jack. The guy's dead and we don't even know for sure if it's true or not."
Jack stared at the dash in front of him, thinking out loud. "Well if it is true, it changes things. We're assuming Pete found out something to use against Knight. But maybe Knight just found out his wife was cheating on him with an undercover cop and him going after Sam is just revenge." He exhaled forcefully, "Or maybe it's both…shit, I don't know."
"She's coming."
"I'll tell her later."
When Sam got back in the car, she divvied out the drinks and snacks to the guys before opening her Diet Coke to take a swig. As she tilted her head back, she caught Jack looking at her through the mirror. There was something in his eyes that had her canting her head questionably as she swallowed. He shook his head and did his best to abate her concern with a small smile as he headed back onto the road. As hard as it would be, he would have to tell her about Pete, but he wasn't about to do it in front of Harry.
As Sam looked out the window, she felt herself zoning out as the hypnotic blur of traffic and landscape put her into a trance. Even though she was tired, she couldn't stop the random thoughts and emotions from whirling around aimlessly. Her first focused thought fell on the catalyst of it all…Pete.
The first memory was how his face had paled when she broke up with him at the station, and how he had bumbled with excuses first about the deception before asking for forgiveness. Only to find out that it was just the tip of the iceberg. He had been working undercover, right under her nose. Harry's words to her whispered through the air around her like a ghost, 'Wow, you really didn't know him at all did you?'
A wave of embarrassment and bitterness flowed through her. How did she not see this part of Pete? The part that could lie and deceive so easily. Never mind the background check…how many times had he lied to her to keep his undercover story hidden? Saying he was at one place when he was really at another. What else had he lied about? She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. How had she missed it?
Sam took some deep breaths and did her best to push the anger aside. She needed to concentrate on getting them out of this mess. There had to be something on Knight they could use against him; some kind of bargaining chip they could exchange to get their lives back. She put her hand on the computer case. As soon as they got to someplace with an internet connection, she could get to work.
She closed her eyes and sighed; letting herself feel the lingering soreness and exhaustion in her body. Leaning her head against the door jamb, she folded her arms around herself and it wasn't long before she felt herself starting to drift off.
Flashes of light and a spattering of sounds erupted in her mind. The loud cracks of the rounds discharging. Harry yelling. Gravel digging into her hands. Blood seeping. Jack's eyes. His grip on her. Running. Her heat pounding in her ears as another shot rang out behind her. Panic. Jack.
Sam's eyes opened wide as she sat up, yelling the ending of a word she couldn't remember. Her hands reached out in front of her instinctively as her eyes darted around the car. She felt the car pull over and stop, suddenly remembering where she was. Heart still racing, her arms dropped as she slumped back against the seat, relieved and tired. She startled as her door swung open fast and Jack bent down to her level, his hand squeezing her thigh as his forehead creased in concern. "You okay?"
She managed a small smile, "Yeah, just nodded off…I'm fine."
He nodded, his mouth set in a hard line, "Want to take a second, get some air?"
"Sure."
He backed up and she stepped out, taking a look around. He had pulled over on a wide gravel shoulder along a stretch of highway. Two lanes rode each way and there was farmland stretching out on either side. Jack's hand rested on her lower back as they walked to the edge of the gravel a distance away, where a wire fence separated the shoulder from the rows of crops that lie ahead. When they stopped side by side, she sighed, wrapping her arm around his waist and leaning her head into the crook of his shoulder. He draped his arm around her and tucked her in a little closer as they watched the last flickers of light get swallowed by the horizon. She could hear the thud of his heart, realizing it was beating fast. Too fast. She glanced up at him.
He seemed fine, his face expressionless in his typical fashion. She faced him and put her hands against his chest, meeting his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
She stared at him and tilted her head as she waited patiently for the real answer. He looked over her head and exhaled, his face pinching with his next words. "You called out to me."
"I did?"
He nodded slowly. But she hadn't just called out to him, she had screamed his name as though it had been her final breath, and it scared the hell out of him. His jaw clenched as his eyes wandered back down to her face; fighting through the words, "It took everything not to pull you out of the car and into my arms."
She flashed him a gentle smile, "It would have been okay if you had."
Sam felt his chest vibrate under her hands, an obvious tell that he was still shaken up by it. "I didn't mean to scare you." She slid one of her hands up his neck to his cheek, "And you don't have to hold back with me you know."
He closed his eyes and leaned into her palm; his voice rough and unsteady. "I don't want..." The words stalled and he swallowed. How could explain that he ached for her so much, there were times when he found it hard to breathe? That the thought of her being in this constant danger had pulled a part of him he normally kept in the shadows, so close to the surface that it scared him. That when she had cried out his name, he didn't just want to pull her out of the car and comfort her, he wanted to press her up against the door and sink into her until she came apart in his arms.
She watched his eyes close and felt him lean into her touch, so tender…and yet, her other hand felt something thundering within. What was he afraid of? Then, she realized. She had seen and felt this intensity before. Whether it was in a rage on the battlefield or kissing her on Independence Pass, there was a part of him that he could barely contain. A part of him that scared her and excited her at the same time. That had protected her and saved her life more times than she could count. Her stomach fluttered nervously just thinking about feeling that unrestrained power in between her thighs.
Her adrenaline was pumping hard as she leaned in…her breath warm on his lips, as he opened his hooded eyes and met her gaze. "You won't scare me, I promise." Then her lips were on his, her tongue coaxing its way through, encouraging him to give in. She wanted to feel it, just a taste. And under the cusp of darkness, he quickly took the bait.
Immediately his hands were in her hair, gripping handfuls of her soft curls and pulling her even tighter against him as a deep feral moan tore from his throat and vibrated through her chest. She felt his firm body quivering as his tongue devoured hers, hot and demanding, swallowing her whimpering moan. Her hands wrapped around his flexed biceps for support as the onslaught continued, making her dizzy and weak in the knees.
When he finally pulled away, they were both panting. His eyes opened slowly. The look was dark and smoldering, and she could sense a touch of concern pushing through as he came around. His eyebrows pulled together, and his hands cradled the sides of her neck firmly. She knew he could feel her trembling. His voice was thick and strained. "You okay?"
She almost huffed a laugh but didn't dare. Instead, she palmed the back of one of his hands and slid them down the tight space between them until they were between her thighs. His eyes narrowed as she pressed his fingers against her, so he could feel exactly how 'okay' she was. "God Sam," he exhaled, his body shuddered as he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers.
Reluctantly, he pulled his hand away from her heat and hugged her to him, burying his face in her neck and breathing her in.
She slid her hands down his back, trying to regain some kind of control and failing miserably. "How much further before we can stop for the night?"
He let out a pent-up breath, obviously in the same state she was in judging from how she could still feel him pressed up against her, hard and ready. "Few more hours."
She groaned and he stiffened.
"That's not helping…"
She giggled, "Sorry."
"Still….so not helping."
Jack was more than grateful when they found Harry asleep in the car. As he started it up and pulled back out onto the road, he glanced in the mirror at her. How had he gotten so lucky? Seeing her smile as she glanced out the window eased the pressure in his chest just enough. But the ache was back, and he already couldn't wait to get her alone again.
Three hours later, they cruised into the outskirts of Salt Lake City. Jack opted for the low budget hotel instead of the high-end name across the street, hoping for minimal staffing and less than adequate security cameras. They got connecting rooms, making sure to use their new aliases when signing in. Sam snuck Harry through the side door that opened to the parking lot, knowing his current injury was sure to stand out to the hotel staff should anyone come asking. Meanwhile, Jack retrieved the bags from the car and headed upstairs.
Jack changed Harry's bandages and made sure he was good for the night before coming back to their room. Sam was already on the laptop at the corner desk, her fingers flying over the keyboard. His body was still buzzing from earlier, but he gave her space to do her thing, taking his shower and watching her carefully from the bed in his boxers.
But when one hour turned into two, he came up from behind and slid his hands over her shoulders. "Anything?"
She shook her head, "Nothing on Knight we didn't already know. I'm trying to get into his financials now but whoever set up his firewalls on his overseas accounts knew what they were doing." She muttered.
Jack probed his fingers into the soft tissue of her shoulder blades and the back of her neck, massaging the area where he felt most of the tension residing. "It's late. How about you try again tomorrow after some rest?" He leaned his head down and kissed her neck.
She closed her eyes and moaned as he claimed the spot behind her ear, his intentions obvious.
"Wait."
He stopped suddenly and tilted his head to look at her.
She smiled, "Shower. I need a shower…trust me."
"Need help?" He wagged his brows.
She laughed, stood up and turned into him, "I think I can figure it out Sir." The sir rolled off her tongue like a purr and when she saw his smile fade, she knew she had found a switch. The transformation made her shiver.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides and his chest flexed as the dark molten eyes roamed her body. She watched his tongue roll out slowly and slide along his bottom lip as he met her gaze. "You should hurry...Major." he rumbled.
If there was a way to make her instantly wet, he had found it. She skirted around him and into the bathroom, taking the one of the fastest showers she can remember. She toweled off quickly, her body thrumming with excitement as she thought about earlier. He hadn't even touched her yet and her heart was already pounding through her chest as she wrapped the small thin towel around her body and tucked in the edge.
Opening the door, she stepped out and rounded the corner, her eyes landing on an empty bed.
She cried out in surprise as his arm wrapped around her tight from behind. Cinching her against his hard, naked body as he turned them and pressed her against the wall beside her so fast, her head was spinning. His other hand above their heads had been the only thing that stopped them from colliding hard, and her hands braced herself instinctively on either side of her head as her cheek rested against the hard surface. His breath was hot and uneven against her ear as his hard length thrusted against the swell of her ass. "If it's too much, tell me to stop."
She could barely trust herself to speak. Words eluded her as the ache for more engulfed her every thought. She closed her eyes to concentrate, her response huffed out with the little air she managed to inhale through her parted lips. "Don't stop…sir."
There was a growl in her ear as his hands grabbed her wrists and pulled them up over her head. A gruff whisper followed, raising the hair on the back of her neck. "Do you have any idea what you do to me Carter?" He held her wrists with one hand while the other gripped the edge of her towel and yanked it off. She gasped and moaned as his hand moved over her body with purpose. Touching, squeezing and pinching possessively until it was sliding down, finding its way between her thighs. He groaned through clenched teeth when he cupped her, his fingers already wet with her arousal. "Tell me what you want Major."
Exhaling a shaky breath, her body trembled as he pressed down and trapped her clit between the length of his two middle fingers. When he squeezed, she gasped with pleasure and jerked against his hand as he waited for her answer. He growled. "Tell me."
"I want you to take me sir."