Jack let the underlying anger ooze over the despair of seeing her with another man as he stood there, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides, welcoming the ache of his bruised knuckles as he thought about going up there and using them again.

Feeling his control slipping, he closed his eyes and exhaled a slow shaky breath.

He hadn't seen this coming. It was obvious she was hurting, mad…but this…

Opening his eyes, he glanced up in time to see the guy order her another drink, and that's when he saw it.

Watched as she reached her hand around to her lower back and formed her fingers into a tight fist.

The conditioned response of his increased heartrate as he scanned the car for a threat would have made Pavlov proud. But when the search turned up empty, he looked back at her confused. Had he imagined it?

Not wanting to draw attention, he took a seat at the half booth against the wall next to him and looked back at her intently. There hadn't been any indication that she had even seen him walk in. She certainly hadn't turned around; he was sure of it. That's when he noticed the mirror in front of her, it was thin but wide, supporting two rows of liquor bottles. His eyes strained as he stared into it and waited. Sure enough, when the bartender slid over her new drink, Sam picked it up and peeked over her tumbler, making a subtle toast to him in the reflection before averting her eyes back to the guy.

What the hell was going on?

A server came over to take his drink order, momentarily blocking his view. He stretched around her and waved his hand impatiently. "Uh, yeah sure…Guinness if you have it, thanks." Once she left, he kept his eyes glued to them, waiting for another sign.

Several tense minutes passed, and just as he was beginning to think he'd imagined the whole thing, he saw the guy say something else to Sam. Then watched as she doubled over in laughter, this time slapping the guy on the shoulder. Jack's hackles went up as her hand slid down his arm, and as he started to stand…he froze. It was quick, and so inconspicuous that he'd almost missed it. But there it was, a slight of hand. She had taken something out of his jacket pocket and palmed it smoothly.

As the guy leaned his shoulder into hers, Sam pulled back and said something to him with a smile as she slipped the item into her back pocket. And the next thing Jack knew, she was heading his way. He kept his eyes downward until she was just about to pass him and looked up in time to see her lift a finger in front of her without glancing his way.

Jack gave a slight nod. Wait one minute, then follow. Got it.

Time had slowed down to a nauseating crawl, and by the time a minute had passed he was taking long strides to get to her. As soon as he walked through the doorway of the next car, she yanked his arm, pulling him sideways into the tiny bathroom with her.

"Carter, what the hell's going on?" His frustration obvious as she closed the door behind him hurriedly.

The words were barely out of his mouth before she was throwing herself at him, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and kissing him hard, swallowing his muffled grunt of surprise as her breasts pressed against his chest enticingly.

An intoxicating blend of whiskey and lust and pure unadulterated Carter immediately clouded his senses as her tongue slid roughly along his; her low needy moan pulling hard at his groin as it vibrated through him.

His body surged to life; his hand cushioning her head as he forced her back against the door; the impact jarring their lips apart as she moaned his name breathlessly and rocked her heat against him.

He grunted, his eyes slamming shut as he grabbed her hip to stop her movement; trying desperately to fend off the thought of pushing her jeans down and fucking her sideways. "Christ Sam," his raspy voice hot against her ear, "are you trying to kill me here?"

Sam groaned as she let her forehead fall forward onto his shoulder. "Sorry, I just… missed you. What took you so long?"

He could barely think straight, feeling his arousal straining painfully against his jeans as he leaned back to look at her. "Wait what? But you told me…"

Meeting his eyes, she shook her head with a smirk. "I know, but it's been like…"

"Three hours and…" he looked at his watch, "twenty-two minutes…give or take. Believe me I know."

"You missed me too?" Her face brightened.

He thrusted against her as proof, a smug smile on his lips. "What do you think?".

She raked her teeth over her bottom lip as her eyes shuttered closed, groaning. "I wish you could take me right here, right now."

She gasped as his hands found the hem of her shirt quickly and slid underneath, his voice muffled as his mouth eagerly burrowed into her neck, sucking at the long tendon. "It's a little tight, but I think we can manage."

"God yes…" She moaned, her fingers digging into his shoulders before coming to her senses. "Wait, no…I mean, damn you're distracting…"

He pulled back again; his hands cupping her breasts. "Huh?"

"The guy I'm sitting next to…."

He cocked an eyebrow. "You mean the guy you were flirting with…."

"Um, not flirting…acting…" She said pointedly.

"Acting like you were flirting?"

She shook her head, confused. "What? No…well maybe, same thing isn't it?"

"Is it?"

"Jack." She tilted her head with a small smile, slapping his chest teasingly as he chuckled.

"So, what about this guy now?"

She perked up and beamed at him. "He's an IRS agent." When he stared at her blankly, she cupped his face excitedly, "Do you know what that means?"

"Uh, if we piss him off, he'll have us audited? Kinda the least of our worries dontcha think?" He smirked.

Sam snorted. "No Jack, it means he should have access to offshore accounts. Knight's offshore accounts." She wagged her eyebrows.

Sensing a plot, his forehead dropped onto her shoulder as he groaned, realizing he was still fondling her breasts. "This means no sex doesn't it?"

She whispered in his ear playfully, "After, I promise."

His head popped up eagerly as his hands came out from underneath her shirt and clapped together. He flashed a big smile, rubbing his hands together with vigor. "Alright! Now we're talking. What do you need me to do? You want me to take him out? Just say the word…"

She rolled her eyes, pulling the guy's room key out of her back pocket and handing it to him. "Stand down killer. All you need to do is find his laptop in his room and bring it back here with our flash drive while I keep him busy."

He frowned at the key. "Maybe you should go while I keep him busy?"

Sam gave him a lop-sided smile, "No offense Jack, but I don't think you're his type."

He pursed his lips, doing his best to look debonaire as he deepened his voice. "I don't know…I can be pretty charming when I wanna be."

When she shook her head with a laugh, he shrugged, "It was worth a shot. Okay, so once I get the stuff and bring it back here, then what?"

"When you get back, I'll excuse myself again and you can keep a look out while I do the hacking. Once I'm done, you return the stuff, bring me the key and I'll slip it back into his pocket. Easy peasy." She was glowing now. Absolutely glowing.

Jack shook his head in disbelief, giving her a look of adoration and a gentle kiss. "You are something else."

There was a moment of silence between them as he sighed and looked down between them, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest. "I really thought you were flirting with that guy to get back at me."

Sam's smile faded, and she palmed his cheek until he met her eyes. "I would never do that to you Jack. Mad is one thing, vindictive is another."

She paused and he could see the hurt in her eyes as he held her gaze. "I know you thought you were saving me somehow by not telling me about Pete. But you need to realize that as painful as it may be to hear the truth, I'd rather face it head on than be kept in the dark." She rested her forehead against his. "You can't protect me from everything Jack."

He lifted his head and nodded, swallowing hard to chase the guilt away as he traced her jaw with his thumb. "I should've known better. I'm sorry Sam, it won't happen again."

Thoughtfully, she combed her fingers through his soft greying hair and then eyed him with a smile. "Besides, you've pretty much ruined me for other men anyway."

An eyebrow rose and the smug smile appeared on cue. "Oh yeah?"

She rolled her eyes and laughed, "I guess it's too late to say don't let it go to your head…"

He flashed a big dimply grin and pulled her into a hug, rocking them gently, "Come on, let me revel in the moment will ya…a guy doesn't hear something like that every day."

She smirked. "Well revel quickly handsome. I need to get back in there before Paul thinks I left for good and heads back to his room.

He sighed and let her go reluctantly, watching as she turned toward the mirror and raked her fingers through her blond waves quickly. He cleared his throat. "Just so you know, I don't care if this is a set up or not, if Paul touches you, his ass is mine."

She raised her eyebrows. "Am I detecting a bit of jealousy Colonel?"

His eyes darkened. "You're goddamn right."

Sam's stomach fluttered as she gave him another hard kiss. "Well he knows I'm married so hopefully he sticks to verbal flirting only and doesn't try anything. I'd hate to have to break his face."

He grinned and hummed, leaning in for a chaste kiss. "Mmm, I love it when you talk dirty."

She chuckled and patted his chest. "Just try to hurry."

"Yes ma'am." He rumbled as he took a step back, his eyes glinting as they roamed over her body suggestively.

She smiled and blushed as she turned, pulling the door open and walking through quickly.

Jack gave it a minute before he headed out to hunt down Paul's room.

All in all, it took fifteen minutes to get back to the bathroom with everything.

Once he stepped into the entrance of the lounge car, she spotted him in the mirror, and excused herself again.

Jack sat back down at his table and took a sip of his warm Guinness, cringing as she passed by.

As five minutes turned into ten, Jack began to worry. After fifteen, he noticed Paul glancing back to the door frequently, looking concerned, and did his best to stay calm. When she finally walked back in, Jack exhaled a sigh of relief before downing the remainder of his beer, trapping some cash under the glass, and heading out to return the laptop.

Now that he knew where to go, he was able to make it back in half the time. But when he opened the door to the lounge car, Jack froze as Paul's hand landed firmly on Sam's upper thigh.

His teeth clenched as he saw her shove it away immediately, saying something to him as she stood up. Then he watched as Paul said something back, looking angry and smug as he took another sip of his drink. Whatever he said had Sam balling her fists, and as her eyes narrowed, Jack closed the distance quickly.

"Hey sweetheart, there you are." Jack did his best to sound nonchalant as he slid in between them, blocking her path and slipping a supportive arm around her waist.

Jack could feel the anger as her body tensed against him and he gave her a squeeze, his eyes conveying a nonverbal request to let him handle it. When he felt her relax, Jack turned his head to take a closer look at the guy. The hooded eyes and cocky smirk made it obvious that Paul was three sheets to the wind.

There's nothing he would've loved more than to watch Sam wipe that stupid smirk off the guy's face, but her repertoire of skilled combat moves consisted only of brute force. And the last thing they needed right now was to have the authorities waiting for them at their next stop when she left him broken and bleeding.

This needed a softer approach.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend here?"

Before she could answer, Paul slurred. "Oh, so you're the husband huh? You should keep your girl on a leash."

Sam gritted her teeth and Jack cinched his arm tighter as he muttered under his breath, "At ease."

Jack let her go and turned, stepping into the guy, his lips pressed into a tight smile.

Paul looked back at him arrogantly and didn't notice the hand coming until it was too late, gripping the back of his neck hard. When his mouth opened in protest, Jack sunk his fingertips into the pressure points behind his ears. As expected, Paul's body tensed involuntarily, his eyes slamming shut as his face pinched with pain.

Jack leaned his mouth next to his ear slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, his voice low and menacing. "If you say another word about my wife or lay a hand on her again, I will beat you within an inch of your life and throw you off of this fucking train, you got me?"

He pulled back and waited for the guy to meet his eyes and nod before letting go and straightening. Jack could see the fear in Paul's eyes as he looked away and took advantage of the distraction to slip the key back into his jacket pocket before smacking him hard on the back. "Good! Great! Hey, nice chat."

Jack turned back towards Sam who had schooled her features. He placed his hand on the small of her back and gestured towards the door. "Shall we?"

As soon as they got back to the room, Sam turned towards Jack, folding her arms across her chest as he closed the door. "I really wish you would've let me take care of him."

He stepped to her and wrapped his hands gently around her arms, giving her an apologetic smile. "And I would've loved to watch you break his jaw…but you know we can't afford any extra attention right now."

Sam huffed her disappointment. Damn, he was right. She'd been seconds away from elbowing Paul in the face after he'd called her a slew of names before Jack appeared by her side. And even though she knew there was no sense dwelling on it now, it was hard to shake the anger.

His voice was soft as his palms trailed their way up and across her shoulders comfortingly. "Did you get what you were looking for?"

She shrugged and looked down. "He has numerous accounts I'll have to comb through. It'll take some time." The last thing she felt like doing was sitting still in front of a computer. If she were home, she would've been on the way to the gym or going for a run to purge herself of the pent-up energy.

He cupped her cheek, caressing it gently, before tilting her head up to meet his gaze. "It can wait awhile yes?"

She nodded and exhaled a deep frustrated breath as he stepped into her, pressing his chest into hers, and leaning his face next to her ear. His warm breath tickled the tiny hairs there as his hands swept up the back of her neck, his fingers kneading at the tension. Time slowed, her body reacting immediately to his touch.

"Relax."

Sam's eyes fluttered closed at his soft command, amazed at how he could be so dangerous and threatening one minute, and so gentle and erotic the next, as his talented fingers worked their magic, massaging her forehead and temples as she became putty in his hands.

She groaned as his thumbs slid behind her ears and stroked the same pressure points he had used to inflict pain only moments ago. The tender caress erasing the last ounce of lingering tension as she felt the slick heat forming between her thighs.

The train swayed over some rough tracks, and she felt his body tighten around her, holding her steady as she melted into his wall of protection.

Pressing her lips against the crook of his neck, she breathed in the fusion of soap and his natural musky scent like an addiction, feeling her heart beat faster at the mere thought of him being inside of her. Thrusting hard and fast or gliding slow and steady, it didn't matter. Either way he had the ability to pull orgasms out of her at will, and that fact alone was enough to force a small needy groan through her parted lips as she surrendered to him completely.

He grunted, and she felt him twitch low against her belly as his lips and tongue blazed a slow trail down the gentle curve of her neck. Her hand snuck between them and rubbed his hard length languidly, squeezing her thighs together in anticipation as he groaned her name against her collarbone.

When his hands slid down her sides and grabbed the hem of her shirt, it struck her suddenly that he was clean and she wasn't. As he pulled it over her head, she mumbled, more to herself than to him. "I need a shower."

"After." He whispered gruffly as he tossed it aside before reaching around with a hand and unclasping her bra. "I'll wash you myself."

She moaned as he sucked her lobe into his mouth, tugging on it with his teeth while his hands slid the bra down and off, tossing it next to the shirt.

"Tell me what you want Sam, hard or gentle?"

Her body shuddered at the impossible question. She was already so worked up, her painfully hard nipples and swollen clit ached for him…for all of him. She felt the pressure building as she thought of her options. Watching him teeter on the verge of control as he claimed her hard or watching him lose himself, pleasuring her slowly like it was his lifelong mission.

She could feel herself soaking through, her walls clenching at nothing just thinking about it as he waited patiently for her response, his strong rough hands gliding up her stomach slowly. When his thumbs snagged her aching nipples, her breath hitched, and she whispered the only thing that made sense. "Both, I want both."

She heard an low approving growl in the back of his throat as he cupped her breasts and squeezed them hard; the flash of pleasure and touch of pain making her moan as she opened her eyes, finding him watching her intently. His gaze piercing and expression hard, she watched as his jaw tightened and felt her stomach flip as he spun her around.

He palmed her heat fast, pulling her tight against him while the other hand clutched her throat firmly and tilted her head back against his shoulder. Her Colonel's low voice rumbled in her ear. "Both is good." He pressed his fingers into her and lifted, the crease of her jeans pushing into her throbbing clit so hard, she felt a rush of heat ripple through her. She gasped as her heels came off the ground, her back arching…oh god she was so close.

When the grip on her neck tightened and he jerked his hand hard, her sharp ragged cry cut through the soft rumble of the train as she came apart…his tight hold restricting the bucking of her release to mere trembling as he pumped his fingers against her, working her through it. His low chuckle in her ear made her shiver as she let out a gasped moan, the dancing spots in her vision starting to clear as his hand loosened around her neck.

"Yes." he hissed. "Both is good. Really…fucking…good."