AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for taking the time to read Who Dares Wins today. I appreciate it. For a better reading experience, I suggest starting with the last chapter before reading this one. I'm grateful for the feedback from the previous chapter so far, yet I'm eager to hear more thoughts about the chapter. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to do so and please share your thoughts with me because reviews are drying up again in WDW. Thank you in advance!
Who Dares Wins
Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Next Step
Hereford
Friday, 30 November, 2007
Sarah awoke to the sweet melody of birds chirping outside as the morning sun rose.
She kept her eyes closed for a moment, taking the time to orient herself as she took in her first breaths of the day.
As she inhaled, she felt the firm, protective grip of her lover behind her and spooning her.
Sarah let out a contented sigh, savouring the warmth of Chuck's touch and the softness of the covers against her naked skin.
The gentle rhythm of Chuck's breathing on the back of her neck made her feel safe and at peace.
In search of intimacy, she backed herself into him, yearning for a closer connection and craving the sensation of his body against hers.
As she moved her naked body into his, he tightened his grip around her, holding her more securely.
She smiled at his touch. "Good morning," she said, her voice soft and filled with warmth for him.
He didn't reply.
"Are you awake, Chuck?"
The bed remained silent.
She smirked, now knowing beyond all doubt that he was still asleep because he would never ignore her.
"I want us to become official," she said after a few seconds, feeling daring and confident to speak about how she felt knowing her lover was asleep.
He didn't reply again.
Sarah bit her lip, trying to contain her laughter as she backed her hips suggestively into his groin.
"Now I just need to tell you for real," she whispered.
He didn't reply.
With a longing to see her lover's face, she arched her back and peered behind her.
Her gaze met his face.
He appeared so relaxed in his slumber that she couldn't help but feel a sense of calm wash over her.
Chuck's serene demeanour as he slept with her stirred up a mix of intense emotions inside her, all directed towards her lover.
After a pause, she turned back to face the window, but couldn't resist snuggling back into her sleeping boyfriend's warm embrace, refusing to start the day just yet, wanting to stay in his warm, protective arms.
His protective grip on her—even in his unconscious state—made her feel safe and cared for.
Nobody had ever looked after and cared for her in the way Chuck had in the two full months they'd now known each other.
Before she'd met him, the absence of anyone to share her life with was a daily reality, devoid of companionship until the day they crossed paths.
In the two months since, they'd done everything together, both professionally and personally.
Before Chuck, she'd come through every challenge she'd faced in life alone, accustomed to getting through the most complex challenges that faced her in life, including the most difficult training and selection imaginable.
The grit that had led her to where she was today, a serving 22 SAS member, served as proof she could do things alone.
However, knowing she had somebody now to watch over her and look after her, caring for her needs, making her feel good, happy, and fulfilled.
It comforted her she was no longer alone.
For she had somebody now.
Sometime after they'd made love again last night, she'd realised it was time for them to stop hiding their feelings for each other around their friends.
Because Sarah was a private person by nature, it was a foreign dynamic to share her personal life with her team.
However, despite that, she also knew that until they went public and official, the constant grief they were now being subjected to daily by their teammates wouldn't stop and they wouldn't be able to move forward until they did.
The lockdown had tested their ability to remain professional despite their growing intimate feelings for each other, and they passed with flying colours.
Even Chris had said so.
Therefore, knowing they were two of the most professional on the team, Sarah believed that as long as they maintained their personal and professional boundaries while on the job, no one had the right to interfere in their decision to share a bed.
Nevertheless, they still had lots of problems to work through.
But she felt secure because they were a strong item with intense connection and chemistry, capable of overcoming any obstacle together.
Sarah couldn't stop thinking this morning about the second time they had sex last night.
It was stuck in her head and lingered.
The first time they'd had sex last night was breathtakingly passionate. However, the second time was better, infinitely better, because it was sex revolving around intense emotion.
During the second time they'd made love last night, Sarah had felt nothing quite like it before, but she knew she needed to feel it more.
The intensity of their feelings toward each other at that moment was like a dopamine rush.
And she needed more.
A lot more.
The chemistry they shared was just a completely different level than anything she'd experienced before.
She didn't know what their future held.
But she knew she wanted them to see that future together.
Even though it had only been a month since they became intimately involved, she had felt drawn to him from the moment she laid eyes on him two months ago.
She also knew that the way he looked at her, with a lingering gaze and a soft smile, revealed his true feelings, despite his former relationship, and that their attraction was mutual.
In the first weeks of knowing each other, she'd realised that she could see herself sharing a bed with him.
Now that she was, she couldn't get off her mind what was next for them. It consumed her.
She knew they needed to take the next step, which she also knew the next step was going official with the team.
The reason she knew that was simple:
They couldn't continue in denial, pretending what they had with each other didn't exist.
How they made each other feel was too powerful to pretend it didn't exist.
The only other option was to stop seeing each other.
Which wasn't an option.
It was a non-starter.
Sarah was far too compromised, in way too deep to even consider separation.
For Sarah, there was only one thing she wanted in her future.
The man she was now sharing a bed with.
She also knew her feelings were beyond initial attraction and that she was falling for him.
What she didn't know was:
How hard would she fall?
What Chuck had said about Cole and Sophie being free to live and blossom their romance had hit Sarah hard last night and made her feel immensely shitty, knowing she and Chuck were missing out, while other lovers were not.
Sarah knew little about Cole and Sophie's relationship. However, she'd argue black and blue with anyone in saying that she was sure they didn't make each other feel as good as she and Chuck made each other feel. But because they had to hide each other, while Cole and Sophie did not, their date sucked last night, which to Sarah was unfair and why she knew things needed to change. She'd slept on the decision to want to take the next step, but the time between had only reaffirmed her belief that it was time for them to proceed with their relationship to the next level.
Drawing out one last sigh, Sarah decided that the few extra minutes in her boyfriend's warm, comforting embrace was enough and she felt prepared to start the day.
She carefully climbed away from his grasp, savouring the warmth of the bed and developing a hesitancy to face the wintry morning air on her bare body.
With a deliberate movement, she slipped out of his grasp, leaving behind the tangled sheets that still held the scent of their lovemaking.
She padded across the cool floor, feeling the chill on her bare feet as she made her way to the bathroom for a refreshing shower.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Sarah stepped out of the bathroom in just a towel, the scent of lavender from her body wash trailing behind her.
Her eyes flickered towards the bed to check if her boyfriend had woken up.
He had.
"Hi," he said with a smile that reached his eyes, conveying a deep affection.
Sarah met his glance and smiled back. "Hey."
She took a moment to draw open the curtains.
The sudden light made Chuck groan and turn away from the window to protect his sight.
A smile played at the corner of her lips as she turned back to look at her boyfriend. "I'm sorry."
He remained with his face hidden from the morning light, much less awake than she was.
She turned and moved to the wardrobe they'd assembled together five weeks ago, her fingers trailing over the smooth wood for a moment.
Opening the wardrobe, Sarah took out a crisp, new underwear set from the wardrobe, as well as a comfortable outfit, feeling the smooth fabric beneath her fingertips.
As she turned around, she caught her boyfriend's gaze and saw him slowly sitting up.
She smiled at him in passing, her attention drawn to getting dressed as she let the towel around her fall to the ground.
Her actions of removing the towel bolted him up to a sitting position, his focus solely on her.
Chuck's throat emitted a surprised croak, followed by a sound of hunger.
Sarah met his glance again, snorting as she climbed into her underwear set.
His glance was locked on her, taking in her naked figure. "I feel awkward for looking at you right now."
She smiled. "Don't be. We're dating. I'm not embarrassed to have your eyes on me while I get dressed."
"But, um…It's kind of a big deal when my supermodel girlfriend goes nude," he said, continuing to take in her perfect naked form.
"I don't see it," she looked at him with a blank expression while still putting on her clothes. "All the guys and you see me naked when we shower on base."
"That's beside the point, beautiful. And anyway, if any of them had their eye on you, I'd ensure they looked elsewhere."
Sarah snorted as she climbed into her pants, detecting the immense conviction behind his words. "So you weren't eyeing me up at any point when we showered together on the base?" she flirted, glancing at him.
He shook his head. "Not at all. I found you extremely beautiful, but I respected you way too much as my teammate to ever do that."
Sarah found Chuck's sincerity endearing, and it only made her like him more, which was some feat, because she was head over heels for him already.
"Well, Chuck, I will not dress in another room. I'm comfortable with you seeing me naked at any point. Consider it the perks of us dating," she said with a loving gaze.
Chuck's gaze met her chest as she put on her bra. "Those perks seem to get better every day," he mumbled, his eyes still locked on her.
Sarah's joyful giggles over his words echoed through the bedroom as she slipped on her top.
Dressed and ready, she moved closer to him and planted a soft kiss on his lips.
Once she pulled away, she said, "Take a shower if you want. There's another towel in there for you. I need to go do some washing or I won't have any clothes."
"Is that your way of saying I smell?" he teased.
She stood blankly, staring into his eyes, not catching the joke. "I love your scent. I just thought you would want to as part of a routine."
He suppressed laughter. "I was just joking."
Sarah shook her head, holding a belittling glance at him for a brief second before she departed the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen space of her apartment.
She arrived at the fridge, opening it to find out its contents.
To her dismay, the fridge was empty, save for a bottle of Grey Goose vodka and some cordial juice.
Sarah took out the juice, poured herself some into a glass, and then turned on the tap.
She took a few mouthfuls before heading off to her bedroom, where she grabbed her jacket to collect her car keys.
Chuck had already moved into the shower.
With the keys in hand, she was about to depart when she got a sudden thought as her glance locked on Chuck's pants on the floor by the bed.
She took an extended moment in thought, soon conceding to her thoughts, moving to take out Chuck's car keys and her own.
Sarah returned Chuck's jeans to the floor of her bedroom, then departed the room and left her apartment with both keys in hand.
She walked until she left her apartment building, moving to the boot of her car first.
She opened the boot, took out her bergen (rucksack) containing her dirty clothes, and placed it onto one shoulder.
Closing the boot after her, she walked over to Chuck's car, experimenting with the keys until she figured out how to open the boot.
Once open, she moved to take out his bergen before closing the boot after her.
She took a moment to ensure she'd securely locked his vehicle after her experiment with the keys, then picked up his backpack and carried it awkwardly back inside her apartment building.
The weight of both of their bergens was heavy as she ascended the stairs until she arrived with difficulty outside her apartment.
Sarah put Chuck's backpack down, opened her apartment, collected his backpack again, and entered inside, kicking the door shut behind her.
In motion again, she made for her washing machine as she sought to clean her used clothes while wanting to do her boyfriend a favour and help him out with his to save him a later task once he returned home.
Arriving at the cleaning utility, she spent a few minutes checking pockets as she emptied her clothes into the washing machine first.
By the time she'd finished, there was ample space remaining to wash his clothes in the same cycle.
She repeated her actions of checking that all of his pockets were empty before putting his clothes into the machine.
Now ready to start the wash, she added detergents and set a less intense heat cycle, and the machine kicked to life.
With her actions complete, she put their bergens next to each other and returned to finish her juice, her stomach grumbling in hunger as she did so.
Chuck emerged from her bedroom after a few minutes in just a towel.
Her gaze lingered on his impressive physique for the briefest of moments, ogling his military special forces physique in the form of his huge thighs and broadly-built torso, just as he'd done her beauty before she met his glance.
"I've got no clean clothes," he suppressed a laugh.
Joy lit up Sarah's face. "Maybe you can lend one of my dresses?" she eyed up his figure again. "It might suit you."
He narrowed his eyes before he moved towards her.
Sarah laughed as he paced with purpose towards her, detecting he was seeking to grab hold of her for her teasing comment.
On arrival, he did precisely that as they tussled with little severity as she fought him off.
After a moment, he'd turned her, which she'd allowed.
She tilted her head to the side as he leaned in for a sensual kiss on her neck.
Her body shuddered with sexual arousal as he touched her, and she let out a sexy laugh. "I'm not sure if we should have sex again. We just showered."
Chuck kissed the same spot again, causing her to feel immediate arousal for him. "Is that your way of saying you've had enough of me and you're kicking me out?" he whispered, kissing her neck again.
Sarah swallowed away lumps caused by their intimacy. "No," she said, her breath shaky as her skin clammed up again. "I haven't even got started with you yet," she turned to face him. "I'm just starving, and there's nothing in."
"In that case," he took hold of her waist as he kissed her lips. "I'll get dressed in my clothes, then we'll head out."
Sarah couldn't contain her happiness, her face lighting up with joy as she wrapped her arms around him and leaned in for a kiss. "You can show me around," she said as their lips parted. "And besides, you kinda have to come back, anyway. I collected your dirty clothes and they're in the same wash as mine. I hope you won't mind."
His eyes lit up with a fond smile that spread across his face. "I don't mind one bit, beautiful. But you didn't have to do that for me."
"I wanted to," she said, staring into his eyes.
He held his joy, nodding at her in appreciation for her actions. "Thank you. I'll just get dressed, then we'll go."
She nodded.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Chuck and Sarah walked hand-in-hand into a bustling cafe in Hereford city centre, their mouths watering from the aroma of fresh pastries and coffee.
The warmth of the cafe was a welcome respite from the chilly air outside.
They exchanged a warm smile, comforted to be together, their hands still firmly clasped as they perused the menu.
Chuck's stomach growled as he pondered the menu. "I'm famished, so I think I'll go with a bacon and egg sandwich and maybe a chocolate muffin on the side."
Sarah paused her actions, turning to look at Chuck again. "That sounds nice," she said, her smile reaching her eyes.
"Can I pay for us to get the same?" he asked, his eyes pleading into hers.
She took a moment in thought, then nodded.
He suppressed laughter straight from the heart, grinning at her.
She smiled back.
He nodded over at a space in the cafe. "Why don't you take a seat? I'll join you once I've ordered for us and don't worry, baby, I know how you like your coffee."
She smiled at his declaration of how she liked her coffee, and because he called her baby, then followed his gaze.
Looking back at him, she nodded but felt a twinge of regret as she reluctantly let go of his hand, not wanting to lose the contact between them.
Turning away from him, she moved to take a seat.
Her mind entered a daydream as she waited for him to return, replaying every moment she'd shared with her lover this morning, as well as the night before after they got back to her apartment.
He kept checking on her.
She held his glance every time he did.
Their eye contact unwavering.
After a few minutes, he returned to her, moving to take a seat facing her.
Now seated, they shared an intimate glance.
"You look absolutely gorgeous today," he said with genuine admiration.
Her skin felt clammy as she struggled to maintain eye contact with him, her body betraying her with a flush of embarrassment, feeling exactly as he'd told her because he'd said so. "Thank you," she said shyly. "So do you."
He grinned.
Once she overcame her shyness, she smiled back.
Their toasted bacon and egg sandwiches, chocolate muffins and coffee arrived after a few minutes, which caused additional grumbles in complaint from their stomachs.
They suppressed laughter at the actions of their guts, then got started on their food, sneaking additional glances at each other, savouring each bite as they ate in relaxed silence.
For both lovers, being in each other's presence was already way more relaxed and intimate than their date last night.
"I love this feeling of calm," Chuck said, swaying his shoulders, enjoying the absence of stress in his body.
Sarah paused her food to smile. "Yeah," she said, nodding. "It is calm. No mission, no grief from the team. Just us, together."
Chuck muted the faintest of brief chuckles. "I wish it could be just us all weekend. We have a lot to catch up on and get to know each other more."
"That's what I want us to do tonight," she said.
Chuck narrowed his eyes. "What about tonight with the team?"
Sarah summoned all her courage, breaking their gaze. She looked back at him after a moment. "I want us to head out together tonight. To that steakhouse you told me about last night. I want it to be romantic, for us to get lost in our passion, and to talk about our future together. I can't wait until next week to do it, Chuck. Our plans with the team have us busy all weekend. Tonight it's the warm-down, tomorrow afternoon the water park, in the night it's revenge on Blue Team, Sunday it's the barbecue."
Chuck took a moment in thought. "Uh, as I told you in your room yesterday, I'll always try to put you first, beautiful," he said, taking hold of her hand.
She smiled at him as they played with each other's hands for a moment.
"But I have to caution you that if we back out of the team tonight and we do what sounds so amazing," he said, pausing as they stared into each other's eyes, the intensity of the moment rising by the second. "We'll never hear the end of it and you can bet they will bring up what we were doing constantly, regardless of whatever excuse we make."
"Let them talk," she said, pausing to gain the courage to say what she wanted to say. "I don't want to hide us anymore, Chuck," she softly stroked his hand holding hers, her eyes glossing slightly as she smiled at him. "The way you make me feel…I can't hide it anymore. I'm ready for us to take the next step together."
Sarah's announcement that she no longer wanted to keep their relationship a secret filled him with immense joy. "I don't want to hide us either, baby. You can trust me, Sarah. I won't let any of them use it against you. I'll never let anyone treat you badly or harass you."
"I do trust you," she said, playing with his hand. "Because you're my future."
Chuck struggled to contain his euphoria as he leaned towards her.
She met him halfway, the soft brushing of their lips sending shivers down their spines as the world around them faded into the background.
They took an extended moment, expressing their building commitment to each other as they kissed.
When they stopped kissing, Sarah released a loud moan, her toes squirming.
The intensity of their moment overcame her.
How she felt towards him was too much for her to control.
She bore a deep, lingering stare into his eyes, softly caressing her boyfriend's cheek before they continued their morning together.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Next chapter, Charah takes a walk through the city centre together, visiting a few places, including the Cathedral, which is romantic. They also do some shopping together, bump into a few familiar faces, and then get ready for their date.
FOOTNOTES: Please review if you can! I would love to hear from you.