John looked around the campfire and finally came to a decision.

He was really going to have to say no to his friends when they wanted to ask him for a favor.

At first he had started to tell her no and then she'd explained how her full figured friend would be coming along and well...he just couldn't say no to that. She was sitting beside him now and he was finding it extremely hard to concentrate on anything besides the way she looked in those tight gray pants.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question, Colonel?”

“Sure.” John bit into his power bar and tried to keep a straight face. He knew what she was up to. He'd seen the look on her face when the little blond had started coming on to him.

“When were you born?”

“1967.” He answered automatically. Damn it! Why did I tell her that?

“So that makes you what...41?”

“Yeah.” He glanced at her then. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why?”

“Oh, no reason.” She smirked. Looking across the fire she saw that the little blond was really giving Sheppard the eye this time. “Carrie, honey? How old are you?”

The petite little blond with the vapid smile and ample assets sitting across the fire from them, tossed her blond hair, looked at Sheppard and smirked. “I'm 23.”

“23.” Rae smiled and shook her head. The pretty little blond just giggled again.

Rae looked at Teyla. Teyla covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide the grin on her face.

Sheppard rolled his eyes. Rae stood up, leaned toward him and gently patted him on the arm. “Just make sure you burp her after dinner, Colonel.”

Sheppard just sat there, looking up at her as if she had completely lost her mind then he turned and looked at Teyla.

“Wait.” Teyla hurriedly got up and brushed off her pants. “I will go with you.”

Women! Sheppard watched Teyla and Rae as they walked back toward the puddle jumper. The woman was driving him crazy with the way she was constantly taunting him. Still he had to admit that he liked it and he definitely liked the way that she filled out her uniform.

“Colonel?”

He jumped when he felt a light caressing touch on his thigh. His head whipped around. Carrie was looking up at him, a hungry look in her bright blue eyes. John swallowed hard. He was the one that was used to doing the chasing but this girl was giving him a look that made him feel like a piece of beef in a butcher's window.

“Huh...I...ah, I gotta go.. Gotta check something at the Jumper.” Damn, that sounded lame but he felt the need to get away from this little blond shark and to get away fast.

He got to his feet, trying not to act like he was running away. She was giving him a pouty look and he suddenly thought that she looked more like a barracuda than a shark. He gave her a nervous smile and hurriedly back away. God, he hoped that she didn't follow him and he kept glancing back over his shoulder to make sure that she wasn't.

He really didn't feel comfortable until he saw the Jumper and heard voices coming from inside. He could hear the two women laughing as he came nearer and from the sound of it they were laughing about him. He felt like a little boy eaves dropping but he couldn't help it. He crept around the opening and scooted past before either one of them saw him. Quietly, he slipped inside the shelter and sat back to listen.

“Really, Rae. You should not tease him that way.”

“Why not?” Rae plopped down on one of the seats. “It's so easy, Teyla. He practically sets himself up for it.”

“True.” Teyla gave her a crooked smile. “But do you really think that making fun of Colonel Sheppard is the way to get his attention?”

“What?” Rae laughed. “You're kidding me right, Teyla? You don't really think-”

John smiled slightly to himself. He could tell from the tone of her voice that she knew Teyla was on to her. So, she did like him. That just made things a little more interesting.

“Rae...” Teyla crossed her arms over her chest. “Don't think that I have not seen how you look at him.”

“I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, I'm not his type.” Rae picked up her sleeping bag and headed for the make shift shelter they'd set up almost as soon as they'd stepped out of the Jumper.

“Liar.” Teyla laughed as she picked up her own sleeping bag and followed her. “And who do you think is his type? Your little friend Carrie?” Teyla laughed again and shook her head. “From the look on your face I can tell that you would not make much of a poker player, my friend.”

John heard them coming, hurriedly got to his feet and grabbed his sleeping bag.

“She's not my friend.” Rae growled. “And who said that I ever wanted to play poker?” She stopped short and Teyla bumped into her, nearly knocking her over. She stumbled slightly and Teyla caught her arm before she fell flat on her face.

“Rae, what is it?” Then Teyla smiled slightly. “Colonel...we did not expect you back so soon.”

John looked up from where he was setting up his own sleeping bag under the shelter. He tried not to make it too obvious that he'd heard them talking. “Hope you don't mind if I keep you company tonight.”

“Of course not, Colonel.” Teyla chirped and prodded her in the back. “We do not mind, do we, Rae?”

“No, we don't.” Rae tried not to grit her teeth when she turned and gave Teyla a dirty look.

Teyla just smirked and leaned close to whisper in her ear. “I hope you don't mind sleeping in the middle.” Then before Rae could say anything she brushed past her and started to unroll her sleeping bag on the other side of the shelter.

Rae could have killed Teyla but she forced herself to smile. She could feel her face getting hot and her hands were shaking so much that it took her a few minutes to undo the ties on the sleeping bag. She tried to keep focused on what she was doing and she didn't dare look at Teyla as they rolled out the sleeping bags under the shelter. Feeling like someone was watching her, she looked up and found herself staring into a pair of Make-Me-Melt green eyes.

John smiled slightly and gave a little nod of his head as he settled down, stretching out his long frame. If either one of them rolled over they would practically be on top of each other and she felt a little uncomfortable knowing that he was so close.

It was worth it though when Carrie and her dedicated Marine straggled back from the fire. The look on Carrie's face when she saw Sheppard stretched out next to Rae instead of waiting for her in the Jumper, was priceless. Rae suddenly wished she'd brought her camera with her because this was definitely a Kodak moment.

“Colonel,” Carrie said sweetly, batting her eyes at him. “You're not sleeping in the Jumper tonight?”

“Nope,” he yawned and stretched. “I'm fine right where I am.” He grinned at the young marine that was giving her a puppy dog grin. “Parker will keep an eye on you, won't you, Parker?”

“Be glad to, Colonel.”

His foot nudged Rae's and she didn't know if he'd done it intentionally or not. Carrie's face went red and the look that she turned on Rae was nothing short of murderous. With a flip of her blond head and a snort of disgust, she stomped off into the Jumper, Parker following close behind her.

Rae just pulled the edge of the sleeping bag over her head and tried to figure out what the hell had just happened. She was still trying to figure it out when she heard rustling and felt Sheppard's arm brush against her back as he rolled over on his side and settled down to sleep.

Rae sighed and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long night.

2.

Rae woke the next morning feeling warm and contented. She opened her eyes slowly, expecting to see the sun starting to peak over the horizon. Instead she found herself curled up against John Sheppard, her head on his chest, the curling dark hairs peeking out from under the collar of his shirt tickling her nose and his arm holding her comfortably against him.

Hoping that he was still asleep, she started to move away from him but his arm tightened. She looked up at him. He was looking down at her with a slight smile on his face. She glanced over at Teyla but the other woman was gone.

“She had third watch.” A husky voice whispered in her ear. “But don't worry.” He laughed. “She didn't see anything.”

She felt her face getting hot and she pushed his arm off of her and sat up.

John sat up next to her and was reaching out to brush a dark curl out of her eyes just as Carrie popped out of the Jumper. The girl's eyes went wide. John would have felt flattered but he didn't like the look the younger woman was giving Rae. He was definitely going to have to keep his eye on the little harpy.

The tension was so thick that he could have cut it with a knife and then Parker suddenly appeared from behind her and John breathed a sigh of relief. Carrie didn't look very happy when he told the two of them to go and build up the fire for breakfast but Parker was smiling so much that if he kept it up his face was going to crack.

When they were gone, John turned and looked at Rae. She was looking at him like she wanted to kill him and for some reason that look made his heart race. He was going to have to make her mad all the time if she was going to look at him like that.

“You didn't have to do that you know.” She slid out of the confines of the sleeping bag, giving him a glimpse of smooth tanned skin when the hem of her shirt rode up over her belly. Her face went beet red when she caught him looking and she quickly jerked the shirt down to cover herself.

“Do what?” He asked, trying to sound innocent and really trying to not let her see the bulge in his pants get a little bit bigger when she moved and the shirt pulled tight across her breasts. Her nipples were hard little points poking against the thin material and he resisted the urge to reach out and stroke them with his fingers.

She sat back on her heels, hands on her hips and glared at him. “For your information, Colonel, I am a big girl and I think I can handle myself, thank you very much.”

His eyes strayed to her breasts.“I know you are-I mean, I know you can.” John grimaced. Damn it! She was making him feel like a horny little school boy.

“Then quit trying to turn this into a pissing match between me and Miss Universe over there.”

His head snapped up and he stared at her. “What?” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Is that what you think I'm trying to do?”

“Aren't you?” She finished rolling up her bedroll, stood up and carried it back to the Jumper. “I know what you're doing, Colonel.”

“Oh, you do? Tell me then. What am I doing?” John followed her. She could feel his eyes on her back as she opened up a compartment and stuffed the bedroll inside. Picking up her kit, she turned around to face him.

“This is your way of paying me back for last night.”

“Really...” His lips quirked slightly. “I guess you think that my sleeping next to you last night was just a way to make her jealous.”

“Wasn't it?”

She gave him such an innocent look that he almost believed her. “Tell me something, Rae.” He moved toward her and she backed up until she was inside the Jumper's cockpit. John followed her inside, shut the door behind him and leaned back against it. “What are you afraid of?”

“I'm not afraid of anything.” She said defiantly.

“Bullshit.” He smiled. “I think you like taking your little jabs at me because what you really want is for me to make an even bigger jab at you.” He licked his lips and moved toward her until she was pressed back against the console.

“Okay, Colonel.” She laughed nervously. She sucked in a breath as he moved even closer. “You've made your point. I'll stop needling you if you stop needling me.”

“I haven't even started to make my point yet.” He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward him, he spun her around and pushed her down in the co-pilot's chair. “And if you think that I'm interested in that little girl, then you've got another think coming.”

John hovered over her, his hands gripping the sides of the chair so that she was trapped.

“What are you doing?” She leaned back when he dipped his head toward hers, making her eyes go wide.

“I'm just going to kiss you.” He leaned closer, so close that she could see the tiny laugh lines around his eyes. “You're not afraid of a little kiss are you?”

“No.”

“Then why are you shaking?” He brushed his lips across hers, tilting his head slightly. She felt a tingle in her belly. A delicious friction that caused her toes to curl and made every nerve in her body feel like it was on fire.

She parted her lips slightly and he deepened the kiss, his tongue darting into her mouth, tasting her.

Jesus, God and whatever Saints there were above! Since the day she'd first met him she'd dreamed about kissing John Sheppard but she'd never imagined it would be like this! If he could do this with just a kiss she could only imagine what would happen if he ever made love to her.

It felt like torture when he finally broke the kiss and stepped back. He took hold of her hand and pulled her to her feet. He held her against him, she was breathing hard and she knew that if he let go of her she was going to melt into a puddle on the floor.

John leaned in ready to kiss her again when a slight movement out the window caught his attention. Shit!

Rae turned her head to see what he was looking at.

Teyla was standing just outside, peering in at them, a huge smile on her face.

3.

Breakfast was a nervous affair for Rae. John was talking with Teyla like nothing had ever happened but every time Rae looked at her, Teyla would smile coyly and wink. Rae knew that she was just waiting for the chance to say something so she made sure that as soon as breakfast was over, she grabbed her kit and headed off into the woods.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to face Teyla and that I-Told-You-So grin. At least not until she was ready to admit what had really happened. Her mind was still reeling at the thought of the Colonel actually touching her much less kissing her. She could still feel the pressure of his mouth on hers and she got a nervous feeling in her stomach whenever she thought about it.

And God, was she thinking about it.

A twig snapped behind her making her jump. In the quiet it sounded as loud as a gunshot. “Who's there?”

No answer. But something was rustling in the leaves. She could hear it moving around and from the sound of it, whatever was lurking in the bushes was big.

She looked up at the sky. Damn it, it was getting toward lunch time and she should have headed back to the Jumper already. Leave it to her to get so interested in a bunch of plants that she'd loose all track of time. She fought back the urge to panic. It was probably just an animal that was going to be just as scared of her.

That didn't mean she shouldn't find something to whack the hell out of it with though.

She ran her hands over the ground, searching for something, anything that she could use for protection. Her hand ran over something rough and she closed her fingers around it. The stick wasn't that big but it was heavy enough to hurt when it hit it's target.

The leaves rustled again.

She pulled the stick toward her very carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible. Maybe if she threw it she could scare whatever was lurking in the bushes away. Or distract it long enough for her to haul ass back to the Jumper.

Slowly she stood up, ready to run if something rushed out at her. She pulled back her arm and threw the stick as hard as she could.

“Ow! God damn it!”

A dark head with very familiar messy hair came popping up from behind the bushes. “Watch where you're throwing that damn thing, will ya?” Sheppard staggered out, rubbing the side of his head.

“Oh, shit!” Her hand went to her chest. “Colonel! Are you okay?” She went to him. He grabbed her arm and she helped him to sit down on the ground. An ugly bump was already coming up on the side of his head and a little trickle of blood was running down the side of his face. “I'm so sorry.”

“Where did you learn to throw like that anyway?” He winced when her fingers touched a particularly sore spot.

“Played a lot of softball in school.” She shrugged. “Plus, I've got three brothers. Had to defend myself somehow.”

She made him lean over so that she could inspect the damage. Brushing her fingers through his thick dark hair she checked to make sure that he wasn't going to need stitches. Or at least that's what she told herself she was doing. This close she could smell the warm musky scent of his skin and she tried not to make it too obvious that she was sniffing him. Damn, but even after two days on the mainland, he still smelled good.

He leaned against her, obviously enjoying the attention. “You'll live.” She pushed him away and was rewarded with a disappointed look.

Then she punched him in the arm.

“Ow! What did you do that for?” He narrowed his eyes at her, rubbing at the spot where she'd hit him.

“Why didn't you say that it was you in the first place? You scared the hell out of me!”

“I was kind of busy at the moment.” He cocked his head slightly and looked up at her. “But if you really want to know, I was taking care of some business.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “You were taking a pee? You still could have said something.”

“Maybe I didn't want you to hear me. And besides how did I know that you were still out here? Or that you were going to crack me in the head?” He tilted his head gave her a look. “What are you doing out here anyway? I told everybody to head back to the Jumper.”

“I missed lunch.” She said over her shoulder as she went back to gather her things. “I wanted to get a few more soil samples before we headed back.”

He got to his feet, brushing the dirt and leaves off of his pants. She had her back to him and couldn't see the look on his face. He felt a tightness in his groin when she stretched to catch something that had rolled away from her. John liked all kinds of women but she had curves that his hands just itched to follow. He could just imagine what she would look like naked and just thinking of holding those full breasts in his hands was almost more than he could take.

He knew that she was as interested in him as he was in her. The way she'd kissed him back in the Jumper had been proof of that. He just needed time to get her to admit it. John was a patient man but he didn't know just how patient he could be with her. Not when what he really wanted to do was pin her against a tree and have her until she was clawing his back and moaning his name.

“Here.” He knelt down next to her, handing her the kit and helping her pack. He tried to keep himself from staring at her hands. She had beautiful hands and he jumped when he felt a slight tingle as their fingers brushed against each other.

She looked up at him with those blue green eyes and his breath caught in his throat. Her mouth was so enticing, her lips full and so delicious looking. The urge to taste her again was like an ache in his chest.

He leaned in to kiss her and then he saw Teyla, standing just at the edge of the trees. She hadn't seen them yet but if she turned her head just slightly she would.

“Damn it.” He muttered under his breath. “I'm gonna have to put a cow bell on that woman.”

Rae looked disappointed when he moved back but then she saw Teyla and John saw the blush creep over her cheeks.

“Come on.” John grabbed her hand and pulled her up, motioning for her to be quiet. He pulled her after him through the trees, making as little noise as possible until he was sure that they were at a place where Teyla couldn't hear or see them before he stopped and turned around.

He hooked a finger under her chin and made her look at him.

Rae's mind was whirling. What the hell was happening to her? Her legs felt like they were going to give out under her and it was only his touch that was keeping her on her feet. She shook her head. This was all just getting so crazy that she couldn't even think straight. This was all a dream and any minute now she was going to wake up cold and alone in her bedroom in Atlantis.

But the touch of his lips on hers was like an electric shock that she felt to her core. She put her hands on his chest and felt the pounding of his heart through his shirt.

“Don't look at me like that.”

“I can't help it.” He kissed her again, harder this time, one strong hand cupping the back of her head, the other resting lightly on her breast. Then he broke away and stepped back, letting out a growl of frustration. “When we get back to Atlantis...” he brushed the back of his hand across her breast making her tremble. “When we get back to Atlantis...I promise.”

A rustle of leaves and then a subtle cough sounded behind them.

A really BIG cowbell! John thought as he turned around and saw Teyla standing behind them. Damn, but the woman was sneakier than a cat after a mouse.

“Everyone is back at the Jumper and waiting, Colonel.”

Reluctantly, John dropped his hand and stepped back.

“Liar.” Teyla grinned, leaned toward Rae and nudged her in the ribs as they followed him back through the forest.

Rae just straightened her shoulders and smiled.

Carrie and Parker were standing by the hatchway when they neared.

“Okay, people. Shut it up, pack it up and get in the Jumper.” John barked as he neared them. Teyla and Rae were behind him and he heard Teyla snicker softly at the look on the younger scientist's face.

“Here,” Teyla shoved Rae past the younger woman and toward the co-pilot's chair as soon as John had taken his seat at the controls. “I believe that it is your turn to-” She looked at Sheppard and grinned. “What is it you say, Colonel? Ride shot gun?” She leaned over the back of the seat and whispered loud enough for both of them to hear. “And if you are nice enough, perhaps he will even let you take the stick.”

Rae could feel her face burning but Sheppard just grinned, gave her a sly look and turned his attention back to the controls as he got the craft air born and headed back to Atlantis.

4.

John felt nervous and he hated that feeling. He looked down at the flowers in his hand and wondered for the tenth time if she'd like them. They were tea roses. He'd done a little snooping around and had gotten Teyla to find out that little bit of information for him. He'd felt like a fool asking her but she had been more than willing to help him out, even going so far as to let him know when she was in her quarter's so that he could surprise her. And now here he was standing outside Rae's door feeling like he was picking up his high school sweet heart for a date.

Geeze...he shook his head. When was the last time he'd gone to this much trouble and felt this giddy about a woman? Then he remembered their kiss and his groin tightened at the thought of how her lips had felt pressed against his.

He raised his hand to knock but the door suddenly slid open on its own. He stuck his head inside thinking that maybe she'd heard him and opened the door.

“Hello?” There was no answer. He looked behind him but there was no one else in the hallway but him. Shrugging his shoulders he stepped inside and the door closed behind him.

He looked around, her quarters were about the same size as his, except that hers were a lot neater. His eyes strayed to the bed and he smiled slightly. Her bed was quite a bit bigger than his and he was tempted to lay down on it and see if his feet would dangle off the edge. Then a sudden sound caught his ears. He could hear someone humming and when he investigated, he found that the sound was coming from the bathroom. Setting the flowers down her bedside table he stepped toward the door and pushed it open slightly.

John stood in the door way and watched her as she bathed. So far, she hadn't seen him yet and the sound of the water running and the growing ache in his groin was beginning to give him a very good idea. Licking his lips in anticipation he quickly slipped out of his boots, red flannel shirt and jeans and tossed them on the floor. He hadn't even bothered with underwear for this date because he hadn't planned on wearing them for long. Now he was really glad that he'd decided not to wear them.

He put his hand on the shower door. It rattled slightly and the sound made her turn around. She wiped the water out of her eyes and stood there staring at him. Her eyes went wide and her mouth opened in perfect little O of surprise at the sight of him standing there naked and aroused. The heat of her stare and the thought of her hands on him made him stiffen even more and he almost winced from the exquisite pressure building up inside of him.

He let his eyes travel over her body, taking in every inch of her. He came close to her, his hands going to her shoulders, sliding down her smooth skin. He nuzzled her neck, drinking in the clean scent of her skin.

“God, you don't know how long I've wanted to do this.” He teased light kisses across her shoulders, his teeth nipping at the soft curve of her neck. His strong hands cupped her breasts and they felt full and heavy in his hands. His fingers gently caressed and teased her until he felt her nipples getting hard and smiling when she closed her eyes and whimpered softly. He pulled her to him, running his fingers through her wet hair as he brought his mouth down on hers.

Rae put her hands on his chest, her nails scraping through the dark curls and across his flat belly, her hands working between their bodies so that she could reach down and cup his hardness. He moaned against her mouth as her fingers gently stroked him. Her fingers were still slippery from the soap she'd been using and they slid across his hot skin like silk as she worked her magic on him.

But Sheppard had a little magic of his own. Turning her so that his back was to the rush of the water, he pushed her against the shower wall. He ran his hands over her, feeling her tremble under his touch.

Rae closed her eyes and leaned against the shower wall, biting her lip to keep from crying out as his fingers stroked over her. Slowly, he moved over her body until he was on his knees in front of her and she felt the tips of his calloused fingers pushing her legs apart.

She looked down, curling her fingers in his dark hair. His head was between her legs, nuzzling at first. His stubble was rough against her thighs and then she felt his lips and then the rasp of his tongue like liquid fire across her secret place.