Summary: In answer to Shelia’s challenge. It’s all here, though the playing cards make no real sense I guess. Special thanks to Laurel for the Beta (both first and second).
Mac laid her head back against the cool porcelain of the claw-foot bathtub. The bubbles caressed her skin; the scent of lavender filled the room. Dawn was just lightening the sky. She was tired, but she couldn’t sleep. The night’s events filled her mind. Damn the man. He could have been killed. And if he would have been, there was no one to blame but herself.
"You’re beating yourself up, aren’t you?" his soft voice demanded from the doorway.
"Clay!" She sat up, then immediately sank below the bubbles in the tub. "How did you get in here? I thought you and Harm took Peters to the police station."
"Rabb rode with the state police."
"Officer French, no doubt," she snapped bitterly.
"Well I have to say, French is a looker, Rabb’s type." Webb walked into the bathroom and sat down on the closed toilet seat and looked around. "Really nice digs, MacKenzie. I’m glad to see that the FBI sprang for a decent room for you. Mine is…is small."
"Probably as small as mine was before I upgraded at my own expense. I’m surprised at you, Webb. Did being in Surinam really stunt your taste that much?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that."
"Well it’s true I guess. The hotels down in Paramaribo were nice enough, but my apartment would have fit inside this suite with some left over." He sighed, looked around, and then focused on her reclining in the tub. "That looks really nice, Mac. Rabb’s an idiot."
She studied him for a long time. The stirring in the pit of her stomach, the feeling that had been there throughout the entire mission was thrumming through her veins. He looked so lost ever since returning from his exile. He hadn’t been around JAG ops much, but each time she had seen him he had worn a frown, his cocky attitude seemed to have been beaten from him. "What?"
"I don’t care anymore. Why did you come and break into my hotel room?"
He held up a white paper bag. "Peace offering."
"Peace offering? I’m the one who nearly blew it tonight."
"Mac you didn’t blow it. Your cell phone battery died. We worked it out; Norris is in custody. Captain and Mrs. Stern have their child back. The Navy is happy. Hell, even the CIA is happy!"
"Will the CIA punish Helen Stern?"
"She’s a good operative. She took outdated documents and then doctored them further. Besides, you know who her father is."
"Well that didn’t help you any when you got sent to Paramaribo. I understand your mother has contacts."
He sighed and stood up. "I’ll put this in the bedroom."
"Clay! Don’t go." She reached out of the soapy bubbles and grabbed his wrist.
He looked down at her. "Helen Stern was saving her child. Should she have gone to her supervisor for help? I don’t know. But the Navy helped her. All is right in the world. As for the power my mother has or doesn’t have, I made my decisions to help those families. I served my time in hell and I’m back. I’m tired of thinking about Paramaribo." He studied the hand holding his wrist. "Now, either invite me into your tub, Sarah or let me go."
She gasped at the raw passion in his eyes. She had seen it there before; once late at night, in the prison camp in Afghanistan. Yes, she had seen it before but had always ignored it. She wasn’t going to ignore it now. "What’s the peace offering?".
He cocked one eyebrow at her tone. "Cheesecake."
"Cheesecake? What kind?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes.
"Chocolate chip. Eli’s; the kitchen is serving it for desert all week. They had other flavors, but I figured you for a chocolate chip fan."
"I love Eli’s anything, but chocolate chip is my favorite. How did you know that?" She still hadn’t let go of his hand and the cuff of his shirt was now soaking wet. "Don’t answer that, go put it down and then…" she released his hand and pushed up off the sides of the tub until bubbles and water cascaded down over her skin Tiny bubbles clung to her nipples, hid her mound. "Come back in here and join me."
"Are you sure this is what you want, Sarah?" His whisper seemed to fill the room. "Are you sure you want me?"
"Yes, Clay."
"Good." He quickly left the room and she heard him shed his clothes, his shoes thudded somewhere in the bedroom.
"So beautiful. I was so wrong," he said as his eyes met hers.
"Wrong? About what?"
"I was a fool when I thought you were only a 7.5 on the Richter Scale. There is no measure for how beautiful you are."
She felt the flush climb her body. "Well I have to say that I am really surprised, Clayton Webb. You’ve hidden a lot behind those three-piece suits. Come here and let’s make an earthquake."
"Is this too fast, Sarah?" He whispered even as he stepped into the tub with her.
"Probably, but I don’t care. I wanted you all week and I’m not ashamed to admit it. It was like we were connected somehow. Is that why you came to our rescue?"
He pulled her into a tight embrace. His cock, hard and thick, thumped against the apex of her legs. "I wish I could take the credit, but Chegwidden was worried that you hadn’t checked in. He sent me to find you. Rabb…" he stopped when her finger touched his lips.
"Harm is hereby officially banished from this room, this suite, this hotel, the entire damn state. It’s just you and me, got it?"
"Got it." He leaned back slightly, his hands on her hips, his cock still seeking her warmth. His eyes bore into hers and she knew he was mapping his plan of attack.
"Clay?" she whimpered just before his lips captured hers. His tongue danced over her lips until she invited him into her welcoming mouth. She got lost in the feel of their bodies rubbing together, slick from the suds of the bubble bath. His cock poked and pushed until he nestled it between her legs, rubbing against her folds, already slick with soap and her need. "Please," she begged as they parted to take in great gulps of air.
Instead of answering he lowered them back into the tub, the water sloshing over the sides, the suds floating away, and clinging to them. Pushing her against the side of the tub he attacked her neck, kissing and sucking on her pulse point even as she thrust up trying to regain the glorious contact with his cock, but he moved down until his mouth found her nipple. Flicking it briefly, he sat back and studied her for a moment. "You know this looks so sexy in art house films."
"It isn’t?" she demanded.
"It’s a little soapy and as much as I want you, I don’t think I can hold my breath long enough to pleasure you the way I wanted."
"Well we better do something about that, because I definitely want to see how you plan on pleasuring me. There’s a shower over there. Not very big but it will do."
He helped her to her feet. Instead of stepping out of the tub however, he pulled her into another long passionate kiss, letting his tongue mimic what he really wanted to be doing. She groaned and squeezed his ass cheeks, running her finger down between them until she could nudge his anus. "Oh God. Shower now." He helped her out of the tub. "Careful, I’ve waited too long to have to spend any time in the hospital because one of us slipped on the wet floor."
The shower was too small for anything but washing and quick kisses. "Nice, but not enough." She bit his earlobe tugging on it. "I want you in bed, Clay."
He pulled her from the shower and grabbing a towel, pulled her into the bedroom. Frantically they dried each other until they were satisfied and tumbled together into the bed, laughing and touching each other. "Sarah," Webb panted as he held her shoulders to the bed, staring into her eyes. "Please tell me you want this as much as I do?"
She saw the real question in his eyes and knew she had to answer before they went any further. Reaching up, she ran her hand over his chest then in a simple move, flipped them over until she straddled him, his rock hard cock pressed against her ass. He grinned and reached up to tease her breasts. "Stop it. You asked me a question."
"What? You’re a Marine. You can’t walk and chew gum at the same time?"
"Smart ass." He stopped touching her breasts but reached behind her to pull her down until her face was hovering over his. He made no move to close the distance though. Once again his look was so intense she thought she would drown in it. "Clay, I’m not going to tell you that this is true love. I will tell you that I want you. YOU. You’re not a substitute for anyone else. I don’t regret that you are here in my bed tonight." She grinned. "Play your cards right and I’ll see if I can get a few days…that is if you can."
"Sarah, if I have to, I’ll figure out a way to get the entire hotel quarantined for a month. Just so you are here with me. But not just for the sex. This isn’t a fling for me. I want to get to know you. I want to walk in the woods with you, shop with you, just read books together. I want to be part of your life."
"Are you up to it? Can you face Harmon Rabb?"
"You banished him, remember. I thought you said you didn’t care that he was with the latest love of his life. I thought you said he was out of your life?"
She took a deep breath, but still made no effort to move away from him. In fact, she ground her bottom against his cock. His cock had never lost any of its hardness, even at the intrusion of her partner. "Harm will never be out of my life. Harm is…Harm is Harm. I’ve moved on from wanting him like this." She bent a little and their lips fused for a moment, but when she pulled back, he didn’t stop her. "But he’s definitely going to give you grief. He’s never liked any of my boyfriends."
"So, you want me as a boyfriend?" Clay wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"No, I want you as my boy toy, Ass!" She slapped his chest.
"Oh. Boy toy," he huffed. "So does that make you my sex object?"
"You!" She started to climb off him, but he held her and now it was his turn to flip her over until he hovered over her body. "Get off," she hissed up at him, though the smile was tugging on her lips.
"Don’t think so." He lowered his lips to her jutting nipples. Taking one in between his teeth he gently worried it until she was groaning under his touch. Releasing it with a pop he gave her that patented smirk that she had missed. "Oh this is so much better without tasting soap."
"Clay. Damn you." She struggled, trying hard not to burst into laughter.
His smirk turned into a sexy grin and he worried first one then the other nipple until she was writhing under him, panting, cursing him. His lips trailed down to her belly button, pausing there, but he had to release her arms and now she had her hands on his head, gently pulling and pushing until he finally lowered his lips to her pulsing sex.
"Please, Clay." She whimpered as he traced her outer lips, parting them until he found her swollen bundle of nerves. "Oh just like that." She cried has he thrust two fingers deep inside her moist core, even as his tongue flicked and teased her clit. "Clay!" She screamed her release and still he didn’t stop. He kissed the inside of her thighs, biting gently on the skin. His thumb ran circles around her clit and his fingers still gently thrust into her. Soon she was arching up off the bed, chanting his name, climbing higher and higher toward release once again. When he felt her walls begin to contract again, he leaned back, pulled out his fingers and plunged his cock deep inside her, even as she screamed, "Don’t stop!"
Covering her body with his, he watched her. "Are you okay?"
Her mouth opened and closed and her eyes fluttered shut. Her breath was coming in short little pants and her nipples caressed his chest with the rise and fall of her chest. "Oh yeah."
"My God. No, not God, you are my goddess. You freed my soul, Sarah MacKenzie."
"You’re so big. You fill me right up, Clayton Webb. I don’t know if any man will ever live up to this. Please move in me. Please."
The sound of her begging him was almost too much to bear. Even without moving at all his cock pulsed deep inside her. He rocked back and forth, loath to loose any contact with her glorious body. But when her eyes fluttered shut, he whispered, "Look at me Sarah. Know that no matter what, no matter where you are or what you are doing, I love you."
He shuddered his release, enfolding her into his arms, holding their sweat-drenched bodies together. Reverently he kissed her neck and nuzzled her ear until he finally fell from her. Kissing her nose, he murmured softly, "Sleep. Tomorrow we’ll call in sick or something." He positioned himself on his side and pulled her back against his chest, nuzzling her long graceful neck now.
For a long time she lay awake, looking at the moon through the hotel window. It was too soon she knew. But she didn’t care. She was going to make this work.