Title: A Kiss is Just a Kiss
Author: manette
Feedback to: manetjt@aol.com
Category: Harm/Mac romance
Rating: PG13
Disclaimers: These characters belong to DPB and Paramount…..
Author's note-As usual my stories don't have much plot. They usually 
arise 
out of some emotion I want to see the two of them explore and in this 
case it 
was pretty much all about desire--More specifically the magic that can 
be 
found in a kiss. This story stands independent of my other stories-I 
don't 
try to follow where I left off-so if you read Nothing Stays the Same 
this is 
not a sequel. Thanks for reading and any feedback is appreciated.



A Kiss Is Just A Kiss


She couldn't stop thinking about his mouth.  

She closed her eyes and imagined his lips just inches from hers. A 
trembling 
hesitation-a desire drenched pause. That agonizing moment before he'd 
kissed 
her. 

Last night, right before he'd gone home, Harm had kissed her. 

"Good night, Mac," he'd said, pulling her close.

It had been soft and gentle and sweet and entirely too short and it 
claimed 
her heart in an unexpected way.  His mouth hinted at pledges and his 
eyes 
were shining with promises and before she could recover he'd been gone, 
leaving her breathless and alone.

Mac had spent the night caught somewhere between sleep and dreams that 
were 
full of whispered words, longed for embraces and Harm. The weeks they'd 
spent 
working together in Afghanistan had only reaffirmed the bond they 
shared.  
Their need for each other had always been real even in those times when 
it 
was undefined and unmeasured. They had been on the verge of coming to 
terms 
with that need when Bud had been injured. All of their attention had 
shifted 
to his recovery, but now Bud was going to be okay and they were back 
where 
they started, face-to-face, yet still alone.

She'd started the next day feeling achy and out of sorts and it had 
less to 
do with her restless night in bed and more to do with the man who 
hadn't been 
in it with her. By the time she stumbled into the break room desperate 
for 
coffee a cheerful Harmon Rabb leaning against the counter was the last 
thing, 
or maybe the only thing, she wanted to see.

"Morning, Mac." He greeted her like it was an ordinary day.

"Hi, Harm." She felt unaccountably shy as she scooted past him to grab 
her 
mug. 

"I've been waiting for you to get here," he scolded her teasingly.  "We 
need 
to talk about finishing the Cochran case."

"That shouldn't take long," Mac answered finally turning to look at 
him. "We 
went over most of it last night."

He leaned toward her slightly and in a soft bedroom voice said, "There 
were a 
few things we didn't finish."

Caught in his spell she licked her lips and asked, "Do you think we 
should 
work on it again tonight?"

He moved a little closer. "I thought you'd never ask." 

The gaze they shared was completely inappropriate.

"Don't you two look cozy?" 

Mac jumped and sloshed coffee everywhere.

"Sturgis!" Harm grabbed some paper towels and started wiping the coffee 
off 
Mac's hands. "You shouldn't sneak up on people."

"A marching band could have snuck up on you two just now." Sturgis 
tried to 
get to the coffee machine but Harm blocked his way.

"Go away, Sturgis." Harm crossed his arms over his chest.

"But, just let me…" Sturgis made a half-hearted attempt to get past 
him.

"Go away," Harm repeated more adamantly.

"Okay, okay.  I can take a hint. Do you want me to hang out a 'Do Not 
Disturb' sign?" Sturgis was smirking as he turned to go.

"You do that, buddy." Harm put an arm around his shoulder and hurried 
him to 
the door. 

Turning back to Mac he asked,  "Now where were we?"

Mac was still wiping coffee off her skirt but stopped long enough to 
look up 
at Harm with a grin. "You can't just throw people out of the break 
room, 
Harm."

"I just did," he declared without remorse. He grabbed her hand and 
looked at 
it. "Did you burn yourself?"

"No, I'm fine." But she didn't try to pull her hand away from him.

"About tonight," he said. "Your place again?  I'll pick up some food, 
okay?"

"Okay," she'd said, feeling quite certain that she had just agreed to 
more 
than a review of the Cochran case.
. 
Getting through the day had been a chore. All she could think about was 
that 
kiss from the night before and everything it implied.

She watched him as he walked around the bullpen, openly staring at him 
like 
some groupie. She felt sluggish one minute and giddy the next. There 
was no 
getting around it-she was lovesick. 

Loving Harm was nothing new, but she had learned to tuck those emotions 
away 
out of sight. Now one tiny kiss had made her feel raw and exposed. 
There had 
been other kisses in the past, but they had always been steeped in 
complications and ambiguity. Something or someone had always made it 
possible 
to ignore the desire that smoldered between them. Those obstacles were 
gone 
now and last night's kiss had been devastating in it's simplicity. It 
had 
been a declaration of his intent. The dance was over and the chase was 
on. 

So now they had eaten dinner and she sat on her couch trying to 
concentrate 
on the case they were dutifully reviewing.  Harm sat next to her 
reading 
something from the report in his hand. She watched him mesmerized, the 
meaning of his words lost to her. She hadn't pretended to be interested 
in 
the case.  From the moment she opened her door to find him standing 
there in 
a loose black shirt and tight blue jeans it had been pointless to even 
try. 

He'd come in with his briefcase in one hand and a grocery bag in the 
other. 
"Hey, Mac," he said as he looked her up and down. "Are you hungry?"  He 
grinned wolfishly, intentionally teasing her with his double meaning.

"I'm starving, Harm." She grabbed for the bag, but he swatted her hand 
away.

"Not so fast. I'm going to cook," he said proudly. He put his briefcase 
down 
and headed toward the kitchen. "Someone needs to make you eat something 
besides take out and junk food." 

Following him, she tried to see into the bag again. "Oh really. And do 
you 
think you're man enough to do it?"

"I think I'm just the man to do it," he said as he set the bag down 
then 
trapped her between his arms and the counter. 

"We'll see about that," she said with a challenging grin.

His only answer was that very nice knowing smile that would have had a 
lesser 
woman launching herself into his arms, but she'd had years of practice 
resisting this man's charms. She was made of sterner stuff.

Pushing herself away from the counter, she deliberately let her body 
brush 
against his. "It looks like you're all talk and no action, mister." She 
watched with satisfaction as his eyes darkened with desire. "The pots 
and 
pans are in the cabinet by the stove so get busy and feed me."

He laughed as she moved away and began getting out plates and 
silverware. 
"Yes, ma'am."

Her knees felt a little wobbly as she got two glasses off the shelf.  
He was 
such a flirt and she had long ago learned to take it in stride. But 
this was 
different. Harm wasn't just flirting.  He was trying to seduce her. The 
very 
thought made her breathless.  

They had eaten dinner sitting side by side on the couch.  She had been 
aware 
of every inch that separated her body from his as she oohed and aahed 
over 
his clam linguini. He had been inordinately pleased that she liked the 
food. 
He had beamed like a proud papa when she asked for seconds then watched 
as 
she ate every bite. Finally when she was finished he leaned over and 
took her 
empty plate from her hand and set it on the coffee table in front of 
them.

"You know what we have to do now, Mac?" he asked with a gleam in his 
eye.

"No."  She had a few ideas.

"We have to review the Cochran case."

That hadn't been one of them but she made a quick recovery. "Good idea, 
Harm." 

He grabbed his brief case and pulled out the file. It was fortunate 
that they 
had done most of the work on this case the night before because Mac was 
completely useless.  She couldn't decide if Harm's overly developed 
sense of 
honor made him feel the need to go over the case since that had been 
his 
excuse for coming over tonight. More likely, he knew exactly what he 
was 
doing to her by making her wait. They both knew where this night was 
heading 
and the anticipation was killing her.  

"Well, Mac, I think that wraps it up, don't you?" Harm glanced up from 
the 
file only to find her staring at him.  

"I think so, Harm," she said looking away quickly. 

Gathering up the plates from their dinner and carrying them into the 
kitchen 
she allowed herself a moment to compose herself. Things would be 
different 
after tonight.  Of that she was certain. For better or worse what they 
were 
to each other would never be the same. Once again they found themselves 
about 
to cross that proverbial bridge and for the first time they seemed to 
be 
ready to cross it together. She took a deep breath and walked back out 
to 
face her future. 

When she returned he was putting the files into his briefcase. 

"Are you leaving?" she asked as she sat back down beside him on the 
sofa.

"Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?" He asked with a smile.

"Yes," she said then at his surprised expression continued teasingly, 
"No.  I 
mean I'm just trying to get to the part where you say goodnight." 

His smile got wider as he put his briefcase down and leaned closer. His 
eyes 
searched hers as he asked softly, "So you don't want me to leave, but 
you 
want me to say goodnight?" 

She could easily lose herself in his smile and find herself in his 
eyes. 

"Uh huh," she murmured as his mouth descended onto hers. 

After the barest hint of contact he pulled back and whispered, "Good 
night, 
Mac." 

"It is now," she sighed.

The kiss that followed was neither gentle nor sweet. While last night's 
kiss 
had wooed her with it's promise of devotion, this kiss offered nothing 
safe 
and everything dangerous. Kissing him felt like a sin. He kissed her 
with 
such ferocity, such hunger that her answer was simple surrender.

He leaned back against the cushions, dragging her with him-arranging 
her for 
his pleasure. His fingers burrowed through her hair, holding her still 
for 
his assault.  Each time his lips settled on hers another long-standing 
barrier fell. Ancient borders were renegotiated as he wrapped her in 
his 
arms. 

She was into uncharted territory as she fumbled with the buttons on his 
shirt. 
The need to touch him tore at her as she ran her fingers across his 
bare 
chest.  Passion robbed her of clear thought as she opened herself up to 
this 
man who had been everything to her except a lover.  

Reaching the limits of her control she whispered his name. "Harm, I 
want--" 

He grew still at the sound of his name on her lips. With his eyes 
closed he 
asked with heartbreaking need, "What do you want, Mac?"

She answered plainly, "I want you, Harm."

He opened his eyes and whispered fiercely, "You have me forever, Mac."

Then he paused with his mouth just inches from hers. A trembling 
hesitation--a desire drenched pause. That agonizing moment before he 
kissed 
her--that unforgettable moment where love and desire mingle and two 
become 
one. 


The End