Stargate Aschen: Chapter 34 – Red Sky At Morning (Unabridged)

Stargate Aschen Unabridged

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Stargate Aschen Unabridged

What a beautiful day. Sam stretched under the warming beams of the midday sun. The previous evening’s thunderstorm had cooled the air to a point where sun tanning was enjoyable. The calm waves of the lake lapped at the wooden planks in a soothing rhythm.

Through half-closed lids, she looked out across the lake at the line of her fishing pole dancing softly over the water’s surface. Who’d have thought fishing would be this relaxing?

She yawned lazily. “This is great.”

Next to her, Jack smirked. “Told ya. Really gets you back down to earth from all the missions when you do this for an hour early in the morning.”

She reached out and trailed her hand over his forearm. Through the clear water, the bottom of the lake gleamed with its fine-grained sand.

If only they had a lake like this close to camp… Despite Antarctica’s mild temperatures, the air and water never warmed enough for an actual summer day. What she wouldn’t give to dive into the clear waves of this lake and float around for a while.

Well, why didn’t she?

Pulse racing with excitement, she put her fishing rod aside and got up from her chair.

Jack raised his eyebrows at her. “Whatcha doing?”

“I’m going for a swim.”

“Hey.” He straightened. “You’re gonna scare away the fish.”

“I thought the concept of fishing was—well, fishing. Not catching.” She pulled her shirt over her head.

“On second thought…” Eyes glued to her, he leaned back, grinning. “No objections.”

Chuckling, she threw her shirt at him. When it landed on his face, he struggled to clear his view again. She stifled a giggle and opened the button of her pants. Sometimes he could be such a man. Not that she was complaining. She adored the more playful, lighter side she’d seen from him in the past two days.

She dropped her pants and shivered against the breeze. When she dove headfirst into the water, the sudden coolness made her heart pound. Gasping, she resurfaced and brushed her wet hair out of her face.

Leaning back, she made a few lazy paddling strokes while staring up into the cloudless sky. Her skin tingled with the cold of the water.

“You know, that’s really not fair.” Jack’s voice drifted over from the dock.

Sam cocked her head. “What?”

“You start this little undressing show and then you just stop? Have you never heard of skinny dipping, Carter?”

She laughed. “Come in here with me if you want to see more.”

On the dock, Jack stared at her for a few seconds, then a dark smile pulled at his lips. “Tease. You better prove you’re serious.” He put his fishing rod next to hers and got up.

She giggled and then fumbled underwater to pull off her panties. Her tank top was easier. She aimed, then flung both pieces of clothing towards him. He caught them.

Her skin buzzed with awareness. Damn, this felt almost scandalous…and exhilarating. She allowed herself to sink underwater, enjoyed the soft grazing caress of the currants on her bared skin. Weightless… She opened her eyes. Beams of light broke in the water.

When her feet touched the fine sand on the bottom, she turned on her back to look at the rippling surface. The blue sky distorted, floated. Like the event horizon of the Stargate.

Her lungs burned for oxygen, but she held out a little longer, before she pushed herself off the ground. Gasping, she broke through the surface into the clear air.

“Was getting concerned there for a moment.” His voice sounded closer. She turned. A charming smile on his face, he swam towards her.

“If you want to touch, you have to catch,” she said.

His eyes twinkled with a predatory glint. Oh, maybe she should know better by now than to challenge him in such things.

“I’m a pretty good swimmer, you know?”

She paddled backwards, away from him, in slow, lazy movements. “All I’ve heard up to now is talk. You gonna back it up with action… Sir?”

His eyes blazed. “I’ll give you action all right.” He broke into a fast stroke, and her breath hitched. Damn, he was fast. She should’ve known. He never accepted a challenge if he wasn’t damn sure he would win it. Not that it was about winning or losing now, but she didn’t want to make it easy on him.

She turned and started crawling through the water, changing direction randomly. Diving would be futile in the clear water, because he’d be able to see her movements, so her only chance was out-swimming him.

After all, she’d trained for speed and endurance every morning in the lake. Her gaze fixated on a group of rocks near the lakeshore. If she got out of the water there… She grinned. Kinda cheating, but who cared.

The instant her fingertips made contact with the coarse surface of the first rock, Jack’s fingers closed around her ankle. She yelped, then laughed as she tried to jerk her foot free. He grabbed her other ankle as well, then forced her to turn on her back.

“Not fair.” She paddled with her hands to keep her head above water.

“I disagree.” He moved between her legs and steadied her with his arms. “You wanted to cheat.”

She tried to put on an innocent expression. “What?”

He smirked. “You’re still a bad liar, you know.”

Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, then shuddered as he leaned in to her ear.

“Caught you, fair and square.”

“What if I let you win?” A thrill coursed through her when she felt the rock face against her back. Trapped. Between the rock and Jack. God, that fact probably shouldn’t turn her on so much.

“You let me win?” His voice rumbled against her throat in a dangerous challenge. His chest grazed her bare nipples, then he pressed his hot skin against hers, pinning her between him and the rock.

She drew a shaky breath. Arousal pooled between her legs. The stone behind her felt so cold, and yet his body seemed to sear her front.

Jack laced their fingers, then pinned her hands to the rock above her head. “Wanna think about that statement again?”

“Or else?” She gave his lower lip a challenging nip.

His hips thrust against hers and suddenly he was inside her, stretching so deliciously. Her heart pounded, the world around her spinning with surprise. Her lips parted. “Oh…” She fought to keep her eyes open, unwilling to lose his gaze.

Damn, how could he be so good at this? She panted.

“Not so cocky anymore now, are you?” A rasp as his breath washed hot down her neck. He released her hands and traced her curves under the water.

Sam lowered her gaze to his tanned neck and shoulders. The ripples formed intriguing patterns of light on his skin. She nipped at his collarbone, then clasped his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him to draw him deeper.

He seduced her into a quick kiss. “I caught you. You’re mine now, and I can use you as I please.”

Use her… His words shot warm jolts through her and liquefied her insides. Her fingers dug into his shoulders.

“Oh, please…”

“Begging already?” He kept her still, trapped between his body and the cold wall of the boulder.

If only he’d start moving inside her. She hissed in frustration. “Jack, please.”

“Please, yes, or please, no?” His lips latched onto the sensitive spot under her ear.

“Please, yes, dammit.”

His body shook softly with laughter. Bastard. He was enjoying this. She gritted her teeth against an outcry and gripped his upper arms.

—

Jack moved his hips only minimally, giving her the vague idea of a thrust. For a moment he considered keeping this game up a little longer. She was so addictive when she begged. God, and the way she squirmed against him.

He buried his face against her cool skin, and gave her a gentle first thrust. Her breath hitched, her fingers digging deeper. Sweet. He leaned in and kissed her, hot, hard, as he thrust in a slow rhythm.

“That night at O’Malley’s…” A nip at her lower lip, then he trapped her gaze with his.

“Y-yes?” Her pupils dilated and her blue eyes darkened.

“This is how I would’ve made love to you then. Your legs wrapped around my hips. Your hands pinned against a hard wall as I thrust into you. Tell me, Sam, what would it have been like? Soft, or rough?”

She shuddered against him. Her breath hitched again. “Rough.”

He stilled and stared at her. That was unexpected. Then a smirk pulled at his lips. If she wanted rough for a change, he could do that. He placed his hands on her back to shield her—after all the rock wasn’t made of cotton—and then gave her a hard thrust.

She yelped, her eyes falling closed.

“You’re mine.” He nipped at her chin, her throat, her collarbone, never easing up as he pounded into her sweet, warm body.

God, how had he ever lived without her? Need exploded through him, as he fueled her lust with hot whispers and obscene promises. When her muscles began to clench around him, he groaned. “Yes, Sam…yes.”

Damn, she felt good. She gave a breathless scream as she came, then buried her face against his shoulder, panting. Her quivering body and tensing muscles quickly drew him into his own release. He hid his face in her neck, his teeth marking her as a tsunami of pleasure crashed over him.

Damn, that was fast. Panting, Jack lifted his head, scanning her face. Her eyes fluttered open, and her warm, shaky breath washed over his chin.

“That was exciting.” She giggled against his mouth, and her trembling hand touched his cheek.

Exciting? God, that woman. He took her mouth hard and growled into the kiss. He’d always been so careful not to lose his self-control with women, but she seemed to crave just that.

“You know…” He leaned his forehead against hers with a smirk. “You got quite a kinky side.”

“You weren’t complaining a moment ago.” Her lips planted a brief kiss on his cheek.

“Oh, no. I consider myself very lucky.” His fingers grazed along her waist and the soft mounds of her behind. She captured his lower lip between her teeth, her fingers outlining his face. Then they lingered against his temple.

After another loving kiss, Jack released her, making sure she was standing as firmly as possible in the water on the sandy ground. He flinched in sympathy. “You’re gonna be sore as hell later.”

Damn, he’d never had rough sex with a woman he lo— He swallowed. The world spun around him.

She beamed at him. “Worth it. Race you back to the dock?”

“Um… sure… Last one to get there’ll get beer from the cabin.”

Laughing, she pushed herself away from the rocks and vanished under water, diving back towards the dock. Jack stared after her, then took a deep breath and leaned against the rocks. Like he’d make her go get beer after she’d just let him fuck her against the rocks like that.

I love her. How the hell had that happened? He’d never expected to fall in love. After Sara. After Charlie’s death. After all the women he’d had casual fun with. As a gifted man, he’d known he couldn’t hope for more than getting along with his partner. He’d made his peace with that.

But Carter… Surely, there wasn’t such a thing as a perfect fit when it came to relationships. But damn, she came pretty close.

The question was, did she love him? Or rather, would they ever get to a point where she could?

—

A smile pulled at Sam’s lips as she looked through the books on the small bookshelf in the corner of the room. Classics, mostly. Some books about astronomy. Some of the ‘bestsellers’ propagated by the Aschen.

She pulled one out. No marks or scratches. “You don’t read much, do you?”

“Depends on the book.” Jack’s voice drifted from the porch.

Right. After all his experiences with the Aschen, he probably wouldn’t read the bestsellers they advised.

“Most of the Aschen stuff were free gifts while I was working in the Ministry. Did you find the astronomy ones?”

“Yeah.” She pulled a larger book out. Worn and definitely well-used. Look at a person’s bookshelf and you know what kind of person they are. Her father had always told her that. In Jack’s case it was definitely true.

When she looked up, a small case next to the astronomy books caught her gaze.

She pulled it out. Old. The wood worn off at the edges. Her fingers outlined the fine markings on the wood, then she opened the box. It was a folded board with black and white squares on it. Her heart pounded as she stepped outside, book under one arm and the box in her hands. “You have a chess game.”

Jack turned his head from the telescope he had been looking into. “Oh…yeah. Haven’t used it for ages, though.”

“You play?” She stared at him.

He straightened. “Do you?”

“Yeah… My dad taught me. After my brothers taught me pool and bowling, he insisted I learn something I needed brains for.” She beamed at him. “I didn’t think there was anybody else on Earth who knew the game. Dad bought ours at an antics market.”

“That’s where I got mine too. Shame they don’t produce these anymore. You know, I used to play with your dad all the time.”

She placed the box on the bench and handed him the book. “If you want we could play a game sometime.”

“We could play one now.” He opened the astronomy book. “Once we figure out where that damn star fits in.”

“I’d love that.” She stepped close to the telescope and looked through.

After Jack had gotten his telescope out of the wardrobe earlier, they’d spent most of the evening mapping out the sky together. She’d barely been able to contain her excitement, and from the smirk on his face, she was reasonably sure that had been his intention.

The familiar constellations of the Northern hemisphere proved more challenging than she’d expected. Especially with a telescope a lot better than the one she’d always used when she had still live with her dad. Suddenly she saw even distant stars clear and bright. And there were even a few more. How she’d missed this sky…

“Found it.” He held the book out to her and pointed at a star constellation. Brows scrunched, Sam studied the page, then looked at the sky again.

“That’s it. You were right.” She smiled when he placed a ticklish kiss under her ear and wrapped his arms around her. Swaying slightly they both looked up into the starry sky. “I’m gonna miss these constellations.”

Okay, that was only half-true. What she’d miss was this lightness of being, this playfulness throughout their days… Tomorrow they’d have to return to Antarctica and start their daily routine again. Different part of the world, different sky, different way of living. Lots of work, and very little time to be close to Jack. To hold him. Sleep with him.

It was their last day together, alone up here in this secluded Aschen-free paradise.

“This will sound selfish and very cliché, but I wish we didn’t have to go back tomorrow.” Her voice came out barely a whisper.

“Not cliché.” His grip around her tightened. “We’ll come back during polar night if you want. We can even make it a coupla weeks then. That is, if you don’t decline my invitation again.”

She nudged him, laughing. “I won’t if you don’t pretend to have another wife again.”

“I wasn’t pretending.d s And besides, another wife? Technically, that was you.”

“Right.” Some of the stars above her blinked. A shadow settled on her heart. “This’ll change once we’re back at camp, won’t it?”

“What will?”

“This. Us.” She closed her eyes and squeezed his arms.

“Why would it?”

“Well, you know, work… Neither of us will have time anymore. Usually at camp, we don’t even see each other—unless we have a mission scheduled.”

“I guess it’s gonna be a little different.” He leaned in to nip at her ear. “I certainly won’t get to have sex with you during the day. Or three times a day.”

She laughed and relaxed against him. “We can always sneak into the forest. I have inside knowledge of the gate travel schedule. So I know when the area around the gate will be deserted.”

“Now there’s a plan.” He rested his chin on her shoulder. “It won’t change.”

“Jack, we can’t really sneak away to—”

“Wasn’t referring to that.” Then a short moment of silence. “Why not?”

His voice reflected such boyish disappointment that she had to laugh as she turned in his arms. One glance into his eyes told her, he wasn’t serious. Of course, he wouldn’t be. He was too professional when it came to resistance matters. Besides, neither of them was keen on rumors. Another thing they agreed upon.

“Here’s an idea.” His warm finger brushed her cheek. “Let’s make a promise. Every day at eight, we’ll meet at the food tent, have dinner and spend a coupla hours together. No ranks, no resistance talk, no doohickeys. Just us. Maybe some chess. Some sky-mapping. We’ll take the game and the telescope back to camp with us.”

“That sounds good.” She buried her face in his neck and inhaled.

If only they didn’t have to return to fighting the Aschen. How different their lives would be, were it not for them. Someday… Some distant future… Maybe. And then they’d start a normal life together. Well, somewhat normal.

“Shall we make use of what little time we’ve left?” Jack’s breath warmed her ear.

Need flooded through her veins. She gave his neck a teasing lick. “Definitely.”

“So… Chess then?”

She stared at him. Definitely not what she’d had in mind.

He smirked and a wicked sparkle gleamed in his eyes. “Come on, Carter. We’ll spice it up. You drop a piece of clothing for every piece you lose.”

“Every piece I lose? What about you?”

“Oh, I fully intend on winning against you.”

“Empty words again?” She cocked her head, then sat down on the blanket Jack had covered the floor with earlier that evening.

He grinned. “Wanna run inside and grab some more clothing so you have a chance?”

“I’ll checkmate you—with a pawn.” She folded her arms and held his gaze.

“Ouch. Just for that, I’ll draw my victory out. You know…enjoy the view for a while.” He trailed his gaze down her chest.

Laughing, she took out the black pieces. “You can take the white ones. Maybe then you’ll have a chance at catching a glimpse.”

—

Oh boy. If only she didn’t always have such a big mouth. Shivering, Sam pulled the blanket around her bare skin and stared at the board as if it would produce a solution. Somehow she just couldn’t focus on the game.

“What’s the matter, Carter?” Bare-chested, Jack took a sip of his beer. Way too smug. Well, she kinda deserved it after gloating prematurely.

She narrowed her eyes at the board again. Damn, there had to be a way out. If she lost her queen, too… She had one pawn left, but there was no way to promote that one to a queen. Not before Jack’s knight got to it, anyway.

“You know, I distinctly remember somebody taunting me earlier.”

She frowned at him.

“No, no. Somebody said, take the white ones, so you’ll stand a chance.”

He was enjoying this way too much. She shouldn’t have underestimated him, and instead focused on the game early on. Who’d have thought he’d be this good? “Fine, I apologize.”

He chuckled. “An apology, huh? Not gonna cut it. You’re in a corner there. I’m gonna get that queen.”

She scoffed and concentrated on the board again.

“Now if that queen persuaded me to let her go…”

“Really?” She raised her eyes.

“You know, if she made amended and were real convincing.” He gave her a heated stare.

Her insides fluttered. Flirtations like this were exactly why she had trouble focusing. God, she wanted him. “I didn’t think coercing a queen was your style.”

“It usually isn’t.” He smirked. “But that one was particularly snarky.”

“Well.” She dropped her blanket and crawled over to him, making sure to wipe the chessboard clear with her calf as she did. “Whoops.”

“Hey.” His warm palms ran down along her sides and over her upper thighs, sending goose bumps across her skin. “Cheater.”

Giggling, she cupped his cheek with her hand and leaned in for a lingering kiss. Her breath caught when he pulled her to straddle him. His arousal pressed against her thigh. Good, so she wasn’t the only one eager to use what little time they had left.

Hands splayed on his chest, she pushed him on his back and steadied herself on top of him.

“How’s this for convincing?” She leaned down to give his lower lip a nip.

“Getting there.”

Getting there? Her lips pulled into an impish smile. “Beg me.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Payback for when you did it to me yesterday.”

“Oh, no. You lost that one. Fair and square.” He grinned.

Yeah, fair wasn’t exactly the word she’d chose. “I’m returning the favor.” She stretched over him, her nipples grazing his chest. His hands on her hips tightened. “Beg me.” Barely a rasp.

His eyes blazed. “You really wanna play this game?”

“Oh, yes.”

Hands on her waist, he flipped them around, then pinned her arms above her head.

“You were saying?” His words rumbled deep against her pulse point.

Heat crashed over her, made her heart speed up. How the hell was she supposed to live without this once they were back at camp? When his fingers slipped through her folds, she groaned. So easy… so delightful… “Not fair.”

“Apparently, your body disagrees.” He nipped her lower lip.

“Jack…” Damn, if only she didn’t sound so needy.

—

Jack stilled the moment he slipped into her heat. Her muscles clenched around him, welcoming him, the sensual pressure sending his nerves into immediate overload. He groaned into her neck.

Her fingers dug into his shoulders, then her arms wrapped around him. God, he’d never get enough of her, of the way she squirmed under him. Of how sweet her voice sounded when she begged for more.

He wasn’t new to sex, but with her… Never before had his experiences with a woman been this intense. It had always just been physical. With her, his entire being was drawn into the act, allowing him to lose himself.

“Jack…”

He smirked against her neck and pressed a kiss to one of her cute freckles. “Problem?” Oh, he was asking for trouble, he knew it. He gave her a teasing first thrust, and she arched under him. “You wanna be on top?”

She nodded, breathless. Arms wrapped around her, he rolled them over, steadying her as she straddled him. The new position allowed him to slip even deeper. They both groaned.

She captured his lips with hers and writhed against him. Slow. Sensual. Creating a friction so painfully delicious, he had to grit his teeth against a groan. God, she was getting good at this. Really, really good.

Her teeth marked his neck. “I’ll make you scream my name.”

Wait, wasn’t that supposed to be his line?

All questions vanished into oblivion when she picked up the pace. Her lips caressed, her words teased until she trailed off on a moan. The sweetest desperate whimpers rose from her as she drove them both to cataclysmic ecstasy.

Much later, when Jack was able to form conscious thoughts again, he wasn’t sure if he’d screamed, but he damn well knew she had. Twice. Satisfaction surged though him, as she lay above him, chest heaving.

He blinked towards the sky. The black started turning to a deep ocean-blue, announcing the coming dawn. Morning already?

“You know what’s funny?” He tangled his hand in her blonde hair.

“Mmhmm?” She stirred, her warm breath still fanning his neck.

“With as comfortable a bed as we have here, you’d think we’d make more use of it.”

Her body shook softly as she stifled her laughter into his neck. As she steadied herself on her arms to look down at him, her eyes sparkled. “Beds are overrated.”

“Do tell.”

She didn’t move, so he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He buried his face in her neck, enjoyed her warmth on top of him. Her damp heat still surrounded him. So intimate.

He could definitely get used to this. For the first time in forever, his insides tingled with anticipation for the new day. And the one after that. Maybe even the lifetime ahead of them.

He released a deep breath. Was she even aware of her effect on him?

The crisp morning air cooled his skin. Maybe they should move inside. Or at least grab a blanket. He stirred, but a soft protest from her made him abandon the plan. Moving meant he’d lose her warmth, their contact.

If only he could spend the rest of his life up here in his cabin, keep her safe from the Aschen and their reign. Yeah, right. Like that was possible. He’d never be able to settle knowing the Aschen were still on Earth. And she’d go nuts without her doohickeys. The resistance was their life. Neither of them would be willing to give up fighting and do nothing for the rest of their lives.

Maybe someday, when the Aschen were gone. Until then, their little paradise up here had to remain a dream in which they could occasionally indulge.

He trailed his fingers through her hair, grazed his palm along her arms, over her freckled skin. One of these days, he’d map out every one of them.

Six more hours before reality would catch up with them again. Well, he’d be damned if he wouldn’t make every single minute worthwhile.

When he turned them around to drop a trail of kisses along her slender neck, she released a squealing giggle. He grinned.

Every. Single. Minute.

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