Date Posted: 18:51:09 03/09/08 Sun
Author: lisa-
Subject: HBX March Challenge - Paradise Found

HBX Challenge - March 2008

Disclaimer: The characters don’t belong to me. I only borrowed them to give them a little fun.

A/N: I had to make a couple of minor changes to the challenge lines to make them work. Also, I shamelessly borrowed the line “When the whole world fits inside of your arms” from the Jack Johnson song, “Banana Pancakes”. I just love that line and the song was somewhat of an inspiration for this little bit of fluff.


Paradise Found


Stepping out from the shade of the lanai, I take in the incredible view before my eyes.

And then there’s the vista of crystal clear turquoise waters, framed by an equally pristine blue sky and the golden sand of a deserted beach. The picture is only completed by the soothing sway of palm fronds as a whisper of a breeze brings refreshment from the tropical sun. Yet this breathtaking image of paradise only rates a passing glance as my gaze is immediately drawn to a sight that truly steals my breath – Mac, my wife of eight months, the love of my life, sunbathing on a poolside chaise.

She’s yet to notice my presence, so I pause just to watch. Not that I’m prohibited from looking all I want now. But old habits die hard. For more than eight years I only allowed myself the surreptitious study of my gorgeous partner. Furtive glances. A covert longing for what I denied myself. And now, amazingly, Mac is my partner in the truest sense of the word. It’s probably a good thing we no longer work together, though. She was enough of a distraction when I could only imagine the delights hidden under her uniform. Now that I’m on a first name basis with said delights, I’m sure I’d spend most of the workday pulling her into the supply closet, violating the UCMJ in at least a half dozen ways.

I drink my fill and inwardly groan as she arches her back, lifting her arms to lithely stretch the full length of her body before flipping to her stomach. And with that I’m once again flooded with desire for this woman. Heat courses through my veins that the glass of ice tea in my grasp cannot cool. Only loving her can temporarily slake this perpetual thirst.

Silently I approach, appreciating her curves, toned muscles, the sun-gilded glow of her skin. My palm is moist, either from the arousing vision before me or the condensation on the glass, I can’t tell. I lean over the lounge, lightly running the glass down the length of her back, grinning at her startled gasp and the little shiver that trills down her spine.

"Harm!" she chastises as she turns over to face me. "That’s cold!"

I quirk an eyebrow and suggest, “I can think of a way to warm you up, Mac.”

“I was comfortably warm until my darling husband started pestering me.”

Lowering myself to an adjacent chair, I offer her the glass of ice tea as a peace offering while I rebut. “Pestering? I seem to recall you were the one pestering me this morning - darling wife. Woke me up from a perfectly sound sleep just to have me service you.”

She laughs. I take delight in the sound. Pleased by the fact that she’s done that quite a bit in the last eight months. She’s had more than her fair share of sadness in her life, and when I became her husband, I promised myself I’d do everything in my power to bring her the happiness she so deserves.

“I don’t recall hearing you complain, Flyboy.”

Heaving a dramatic sigh, I reply, “Just doing my duty, Colonel, like a good sailor.”

“Oh, your - ‘sailor’ - was very good, Harm.”

I reach over to run a hand along the inside of her thigh and a current flows between us at the touch. “Well then, how about a repeat performance, Mac? Why don’t we get out of this hot sun? The bedroom is so much more comfortable.”

“Harm, we’ve been in Hawaii for five days and we’ve hardly been outside – other than that helicopter tour you insisted on taking.”

“We should have stayed in bed then, too. What a waste of money!”

“You’re just sore because the pilot wouldn’t let you fly.”

I protest, “Am not! Although, as a naval aviator, I think I could’ve been trusted with the controls of his precious helicopter. It was a waste because it was just so touristy and boring. I could have made the tour much more interesting.”

There’s the laugh again that I love so much. “Well, at least this time I didn’t have to pull you up from the helo skids.”

Grinning at the memory, I roll off my lounge chair and onto Mac’s, straddling her legs between my knees as I hover over her. “Permission to come aboard?”

Grinning back, she pushes me off her. “Permission denied. You’re blocking my sun, Flyboy.”

“Maaac …”

“Harm, your mom and Frank were kind enough to arrange for us to use this incredible villa, don’t you think we should take advantage of it? Besides, how would it look if we spend ten days in Hawaii and come back as lily white as when we left?”

“Why don’t we compromise? We haven’t made love poolside, yet.”

“Harm, you’re incorrigible!”

I give her my best puppy dog look and her expression softens. Reaching over to twine her fingers through mine, she offers, "Tell, you what, give me an hour to lay in the sun – then I’ll come play with you. I might even feel the need for ‘servicing’ again."

She flips back to her stomach as I moan, "An hour? What am I supposed to do ‘til then?" Okay, I know I sound like a petulant child, but I can’t help it.

"Take a swim or go hit a golf ball. Whatever you do, though, will you wake me up in half an hour?"

"Half an hour? I thought you said you wanted to tan for an hour?"

"I need to turn over in half an hour to tan my front, Harm. But if you’re a good boy and let me enjoy the sun for a little while, maybe I’ll give you a reward and tan topless for you."

Groaning with frustration, I rise and dive into the pool. A couple dozen laps should help me pass the time.

It’s not just the sex that I want – I simply want Mac. Maybe I am being petulant, but I want Mac’s attention, dammit. And I really don’t care about taking advantage of all the amazing experiences a tropical vacation offers. Eight months ago I quickly discovered that when the whole world fits inside of your arms, nothing else can compare. I don’t need any other thrill.

For so many years the Navy was my whole world. It was hard to imagine anything or anyone comparing to the fulfillment – the thrill - I received from my career. I was afraid that letting go of what held me back from Mac might mean one of us would have to give up our careers. And I just didn’t know if she or I could do that without causing resentment. The ironic thing is, we both still have our military careers, but we both would also agree that our careers don’t hold the importance in our lives they once did. Now we find that simply by being together. If my career ends tomorrow, I’ll be okay as long as Mac is in my arms every morning and every night.

Lost in thought I lose the pace of my steady crawl stroke. Stopping, I stand up in the pool just feet away from where Mac is dozing in the sun. I’m afraid I’m reverting to adolescence, but I can’t help myself as I swing my arm back to splash her with a shower of droplets. She jerks at the sensation, but otherwise ignores me, so I send a few more drops her way.

"You’re not going to get your reward if you don’t give me a little time to relax here, Flyboy."

"Maaac, come play with me. The water feels great! How about a race? You can pick the stroke and I’ll even give you a three second head start."

"Harm, you’re pestering me again. You know, it didn’t work for Jimmy Davis and it’s not going to work for you."

Now I’m curious. I’ve cataloged all the men from her past, but it seems there’s one I haven’t heard of yet. Maybe I should be concerned that she’s kept quiet about him ‘til now and I feel an automatic spark of jealousy. "Who’s Jimmy Davis?"

"Jimmy had a crush on me when we were ten. He used to pester me like you’re doing now."

I smile with relief. "What kinds of things did little Jimmy do, Mac? Maybe I can get some pointers."

Without turning over she continues, "Oh, he’d lock his bike to mine at school so I couldn’t leave without him following me. He’d spray me with a garden hose - kind of like you’re doing. At recess he’d steal my hair ribbon and make me chase him for it."

"You want me to track him down and beat him up for you, Mac?"

"Naw, I already took care of that."

"What’d you do?"

"He kissed me and I socked him in the gut. Never bothered me again."

I pull myself out of the pool, sitting with my legs dangling in the water. "So you going to hit me if I try to kiss you?"

"I just might if you don’t leave me alone."

Now there’s a challenge! She can’t just throw down a gauntlet like that and expect me to do nothing about it. Rising silently, I move to her side, careful to keep from throwing a shadow over her. What Jimmy needed was the element of surprise. Without warning I lean over, blowing a raspberry on her neck. Before she can react I scoop her up and over my shoulder, jumping into the pool, Marine and all.

We surface and I grin at her as water sluices down her face. Feeling all of twelve, I’m quite proud of the fact that I got the upper hand. But of course she has a comeback, as always.

“You know this changes things, Captain.”

Uh oh, she called me by my rank. That’s never good, unless she does it in bed.

She glares at me and uses her commanding officer tone of voice. “Deal’s off. You’ve just lost your reward, mister. And you can forget about other ‘services’.

It’s now time to placate. Maybe even grovel. Soothingly, I say, “Now Mac, I know you’re mad, but it doesn't mean that we can't mend fences.”

She crosses her arms and looks very determined. “Yes it does.”

Okay, now it’s time to bribe her with something I know she can’t resist and I remind her, “You know how much fun make up sex is.”

I pull her into my arms and she comes willingly. I’m loving the feel of a soft, slippery Sarah MacKenzie. As she molds her body to mine, I know she’s not really mad.

“Well,” she concedes, “Maybe one day I’ll forgive you.”

I wheedle, “How about today?”

I nuzzle her neck, tasting chlorine, sunscreen, and Mac. Her legs circle my waist and I moan at the intimate contact.

She purrs in return as I find a spot behind her ear that always drives her crazy. Breathlessly she says, “You know what they say, never go to bed angry.”

“Well then, why don’t I take you to bed and you won’t be angry any more.”

I climb the steps of the pool with Mac wrapped around me. The view of paradise surrounds us, but my dream vacation doesn’t include sun or sand or surf. To me, paradise is in my arms.

“Mac,” I murmur, “Tomorrow remind me to run to the pharmacy.”

“Why? What do you need?”

“I need to stock up on sunless tanning lotion.”


The End