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 Karma

Chapter 4

Work the next day was fairly uneventful. The Tok’ra did check in, but the only thing they delivered was a data crystal with additional information on Tanoa and the Kootenay. Instead of a quick mission, this was starting to look more like a drawn out affair.

Sam and Casey made a point of stopping by and checking in on Jessie, and both were smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

"So, how’d last night go?" Sam asked after they had closed the door.

"It was fine."

Casey crossed her arms, glancing at Sam. "Fine, she says. Girlfriend, we want details, now!"

Jessie grinned. She knew if the positions were reversed, she would be doing the same thing. "He took me home, and we sat on the porch and talked."

Sam sat down on the edge of the desk, and Casey pulled up a chair. "About?"

Jessie laughed out loud then. "Y’all aren’t going to leave me alone until you know everything, are you?"

"Nope, so spill your guts!"

Jessie smiled. They were her best and closest friends, and she knew whatever she said would stay between them. "He told me he had been wanting to ask me out, but he didn’t want me to think it was because of what had happened on Nanda."

Sam nodded her head. "Understandable."

"And to prove that, he told me I could ask Daniel. Apparently he had said something to him about asking me out, before we went to Nanda."

Casey grinned. "And that’s true. The day SG-7 went to Nanda was the day we went to meet up with Jacob. The evening before that Daniel told me Cam was going to ask you out." Casey also remembered the rest of that conversation, but decided to leave that part out.

"We’re going out this evening, probably will get something to eat."

"Yes!" Both of her friends came over and gave her a hug, laughing. "See, we were right!"

"Right?"

"Remember the night we met up at my place, and Casey was teaching us how to belly dance the first time? We were going down a list of guys for you, and when we mentioned Cam, you damned near choked on your wine. Casey and I both thought he would be a good match for you."

"Well, we’ll see. I’ll probably end up boring him to death."

Sam grinned. "Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be a possibility."

Jessie spent most of the day going through the data crystal, entering her own personal observations in the notation area of the database. She hadn’t seen Cam during the day, but he knew how to get in contact with her if something had come up. At the end of the day, she put her supplies up, logged off the computer, and said goodnight to the few people she passed on her way to the surface. She didn’t notice the one person who stood just inside a doorway, watching her walk past, the narrowed gaze cold and calculating.

Arriving home, she went through her usual routine, mail, messages, a quick stroll through the backyard checking on her flowerbeds. Going back in the house, she made her way to her bedroom, turning the light on in the closet. Hmmmm. Cam had said something along the lines of ‘grabbing’ a bite to eat. Good. That meant she could go casual. She selected a pair of black jeans, and her eyes flickered along the contents hanging in front of her, looking for a top to go with it. Her gaze stopped on one shirt. It was sleeveless, the neckline straight across in line with the shoulders. The fabric was crinkled, with a slight shimmer, stretchy and soft; form fitting, but tastefully so. She bit her lip in thought. It was a burnt orange; almost the same color of that skirt she had worn on Nanda. She only hesitated a moment before pulling it from its hanger. Nanda had happened. Nothing she could do to change that. She wasn’t going to let it influence her choices any more than it had to.

She took a shower, but didn’t linger. She wasn’t sure if Cam was the type of person to show up on time for a date, or early. Jessie brushed her teeth then dressed quickly, ran a brush through her hair and secured it in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck with a jeweled clasp. With the high neckline of the top, she decided to forego any jewelry. A sweep of mascara highlighted her green eyes; powder and a bit of lip-gloss completed her makeup. She had learned long ago it only took a little makeup to polish one’s look. Many women either put on way too much, or none at all, which ended up making them look like they were trying too hard, or didn’t give a damn. Looking at her image in the mirror, she gave a wry grin. That she was getting ready for a date was surprising enough. The fact that it was with Cameron Mitchell was just damned surreal. She slipped her ID and some cash into her jeans pocket, since she didn’t really feel like lugging a purse around with her that evening.

Turns out, Cam was right on time. She heard the low rumble of the Mustang as he pulled into the drive. Well, heard wasn’t exactly an accurate description; she felt it. That twinge caused her breath to catch in her throat. What the hell was wrong with her? How did the sound of an engine elicit what could only be described as a sexual response? Stepping to the front window, she looked over at the driveway just as Cam stepped from the car. ‘That’s how,’ she thought to herself as her eyes raked over him; the form fitting jeans, snug shirt doing nothing to hide the muscles in his shoulders, sunglasses. If anything, the car was an extension of the man, not the other way around. ‘He wants to take it slow; hell, he’ll be lucky if I don’t end up jumping him.’

By this time he had made his way onto the porch, ringing the doorbell. Jessie picked up his jacket and her keys and opened the door.

"Hey there," he said with a smile, his eyes sweeping over her appreciatively.

"Hey yourself," Jessie smiled as she stepped onto the porch, just the slightest bit of surprise showing as he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

"You ready to go?"

"Sure."

They ended up down at the Old Colorado City historical shopping district, which was about ten minutes away from Quinn’s, depending on traffic. Stopping in one of the cafes, they ordered a couple of sandwiches, then took a seat by the window to watch the people walking by. This was definitely one of those ‘get to know you’ kind of dates; general conversation, about everything, and nothing. They laughed and talked with an ease like they had known each other forever. There was also that underlying current between them, the ‘I know you better than I should, but I’m behaving myself’. Finishing their meal, Cam left a tip on the table and they stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"You wanna walk for a while?" Cam asked.

"That sounds good." She glanced up at him, smiling, and she felt him thread his fingers through hers, holding her hand as they slowly passed the boutiques, antique shops and galleries. A few blocks down, Cam stopped at the Starbucks and ordered a couple of lattes to go, surprising Jessie when he had them add cinnamon to hers. Apparently he had been paying closer attention to her than she had realized, thinking of the times she drank her cinnamon-laced coffee while at work.

Jessie was thoroughly enjoying herself, and was completely relaxed, not nervous or skittish like she thought she was going to be. It felt as natural as breathing holding his hand, walking, and enjoying the evening together. The only let down to it was how quickly the time passed. All too soon it seemed they made it back to his car, and they were headed to her house.

"I have a hard time believing you didn’t have guys lined up waiting to take you out," he said as he turned into her driveway. They had been talking about their adventures in high school and college.

Jessie shrugged. "I was too much of a ‘brain’, I guess. It seemed to intimidate most guys."

Cam cut the engine, taking off his seat belt. Instead of getting out of the car, though, he turned and looked at Jessie. "It wouldn’t have intimidated me at all," he said as he reached out and ran his hand over her hair. His fingers came to rest on her cheek as he closed the distance between them. He kissed her softly, teasing her lips until they parted, then slid his tongue inside to taste her. So sweet, warm, that touch of cinnamon tantalizing him. It was so familiar, almost like coming home. His brow furrowed for just a moment at that thought, before his attention was pulled back as Jessie leaned closer to him, her tongue returning the tease, slipping into his mouth for a touch, a shy stroke, then retreating. Damn. Threading his fingers into her hair, he deepened the kiss, stirring memories of more intimate touches, how she had looked when she lay beneath him. A sound, part moan, part growl came from deep within his chest. That little voice of reason tried to remind him ‘nice and slow’. The animal side of him replied ‘fuck that’ as he brought his right leg up and over to her side of the floorboard, scooting over as he pulled her to him, turning her until she was half sitting, half laying in his arms. He proceeded to kiss her very thoroughly, his tongue leisurely exploring her mouth. He had been wanting to do this again ever since he woke up next to her on Nanda. If nothing else, he was going to completely indulge this one guilty pleasure.

Jessie couldn’t have stopped him if she had wanted to, and the fact of the matter was, she didn’t want to. She reached up and threaded her fingers through his hair, gently massaging his scalp as she kissed him, her lips learning the curve of his mouth, coaxing his lips open, stroking his tongue with her own.

Somewhere along the way, his fingers found the jeweled clasp in her hair and released it, enjoying the feel of the strands running in between his fingers. The weight of her body resting against his, the sensuousness of the kisses had him remembering how she felt before, the softness of her skin, how responsive she had been. Cradling her head with his left hand, he stroked his right one down her arm, coming to rest at her waist, his fingertips toying with the edge of her shirt. Even as he was thinking he needed to slow down, he edged the fabric up slightly, sliding his fingers along the bare skin at the curve of her waist. Damn, it was like touching silk.

He managed to pull his mouth away, leaning his forehead against hers instead, his breath coming in short pants as he tried to regain a measure of control. Intense blue eyes met green ones, which were equally clouded with desire.

"I will be a gentleman, even if it kills me," he muttered beneath his breath.

Jessie couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her. "Is it really that hard? Being a gentleman, that is." The imp in her was more than aware of what was pressing against the side of her hip.

His growl had her giggling even more. "When I’ve got you in my arms, it is." Her giggles turned into a squeal when he dipped his head and bit her neck. "My grandma always warned me about the carnal desires of the flesh," he murmured as his tongue soothed the skin he had just nipped.

Jessie glanced out the window, her expression turning into a frown. "What the…"

"What?" Cam asked, raising his head.

"When did it get so damned foggy?" She couldn’t see anything past the glass of the window.

She felt the rumble in Cam’s chest before she actually heard his laughter.

"What?" she asked, looking at him strangely.

"Jessie, honey, it’s not foggy outside." Cam reached out and brushed his hand against the window. "It’s from the heat inside."

Looking at the clear strip his hand had made, it took her a second to realize what he was saying. Even in the dim light he could see the blush on her face.

"Oh good lord."

Cam wouldn’t let her hide her face against him, instead tilting her chin up with his fingers until she was looking directly at him. "You telling me you never steamed up car windows before?"

Jessie shook her head to the negative, still embarrassed by her naivety.

His eyes narrowed speculatively. "The guys you knew before must have been idiots."

She made a sound in her throat, but didn’t say anything.

Tapping his finger underneath her chin, he made sure he had her attention before saying, "However, I am not an idiot." The smile he gave her was one of the sexiest ones she had ever seen. "There are a lot of things I’m going to enjoy sharing with you." He kissed her lips softly. "But not tonight." Another kiss, this one lingering longer. "Soon, though."

Reaching over, he pulled the keys from the ignition. Grinning, he opened her door. "Normally I’d walk around and open the door for you from the outside, but since I’m straddling the console…"

Jessie moved off his lap and stepped out of the car, watching as Cam maneuvered the rest of the way over the console, and out of the Mustang. He rolled the window down before closing the door, giving the excess heat a way to escape. Slipping his arm around her, he walked her to the front door. Pulling her close, he looked down at her. "So, you think you’d like to go out with me sometime?"

Jessie laughed. "I thought that was what we just did."

"Ummm." He brushed his lips against hers. "You’re right." Another kiss, this time to her temple. He brought his lips to her ear before whispering, "Would you like to do it again?"

There was so much innuendo to that it caused a shiver to run up her spine. Looking up at him, she saw it in his eyes; he wasn’t just talking about another date. She brought her hands up and laid them on his chest, feeling the heat of his skin through his shirt. She might burn for it later, but at this point in time she didn’t care. "Yes, I would."

The kiss he gave her definitely left her weak in the knees. She couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that she was in for much more than she bargained for. Jessie felt Cam slip his fingers into her front pocket and he pulled out her keys. Her breath caught in her throat as he spread the keys open in his hand, easily finding her house key. He unlocked the lock, pulled the key free and opened the door. ‘Was he coming inside’?

A mischievous grin played across his face. He knew what she was thinking. Handing the keys to her, he took a small step back.

"See you tomorrow, Jessie."

She felt more than a little off balance as she stepped over the threshold. He waited until she was inside before he turned, smiling as he made his way to the car. Cam backed the Mustang out of the driveway, pausing in front of the house until Jessie had closed the door. ‘So many possibilities,’ he thought to himself, grinning as he drove back to his apartment.

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