========================================================================= Date: Thu, 21 Mar 1996 21:05:25 -0800 Reply-To: CF Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: CF Subject: Side Effects 6of6 WARNING: NC-17 rating (for strong, heterosexuality) Comments, suggestions, and/or flames (but please don't flame me for the above-stated content...you were warned) to cfc@goldrush.com SIDE EFFECTS Part 6 His features brightened into a charming smile that made him look boyish. "In what magic place did Benton find you?" he asked before he lazily leaned over and took her mouth in his. What started as a leisurely tour quickly transformed into something different when he took advantage of her gasp of surprise and plunged his tongue past her teeth to the sweet warmth inside. He tasted like Jack Daniel's and soap and something wonderful she couldn't identify. Wrapping her arms around his waist for support, she answered his quest with explorations of her own. Tongues and lips met, danced, then retreated, only to come back together and meet again. It was a mind-dizzying exchange and soon Kate's entire body was humming. Duncan pulled back for a moment and regarded her intently, looking for a sign that he should stop, but there wasn't one. The expression that gazed back at him showed no trepidation, only desire mixed with something else he couldn't put a name to, and his heart lurched in his chest at the gift she was offering. He accepted graciously and reverently lifted a hand to her breast. Lightly trailing his finger down the upper slope, he watched her eyes flutter closed in anticipation as he neared her already taut nipple. A shudder past through her when he made contact. Kate wrapped her arms around his head when he bent over and flickered his tongue over her breast. The rush of pleasure washing through her settled low in her belly. His hand, callused along the palms, grasped her sides to knead her flesh and his ministrations, combined with the warm water pulsating over them, brought her whole body alive with sensation. She was quickly losing the ability to think clearly, to remember to take a breath, to maintain control of her muscles. Her legs began to betray her. No longer able to provide support, she was losing the battle with gravity but the hands at her waist, sensing her need, transformed into arms of assistance. With no effort at all, he lifted her, pivoted around and backed her up against the shower wall. "Better?" he inquired with a whisper. She couldn't find the breath to answer. Instead, she arched her back toward him and sighed her contentment when he started to suckle her. More. She wanted more. As if in answer to her silent plea, his fingers delved into that part of her that wept for him. Involuntarily, she lunged toward his touch, bringing her leg up to open herself up more completely to him. One finger. Two fingers but they weren't enough and, in her craze for fulfillment, her movements became frenzied. Still, he held back from her. She blindly reached for him, knowing that only he, Duncan MacLeod, could save her. Benton had told her so. She'd been promised so why wasn't he saving her now? Why wasn't he giving her what she ached for. She wanted him. She needed him. Where was he? Her moan of anguish was smothered by his lips as his tongue invaded her mouth at the same instant of penetration. She simultaneously imploded. Giant waves of ecstasy undulated through her body and he rode them. Plunge and withdrawal, plunge and withdrawal. His thrusts were sure, strong and deep, never allowing her to recover from one climax before carrying her to the next. Then suddenly his movements became frantic. He changed into that rutting animal he had warned her about but she was ready for him. Pressed against the shower wall like she was provided enough support from behind so, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders, she shamelessly offered what he sought. She became what he had alluded to, a mere vessel for him to use as he succumbed to the effects of the Quickening. He exploded into a series of pulsations that wracked through him with the same violence as a Quickening. Crying out from the extreme combination of equal parts pleasure and despair, his body rammed into hers with such force that the breath was ejected from her lungs. And then there was calm. The sound of the water still pouring from the showerhead and his panting were the only things audible as he slowly backed away from the wall and let her down. His entire bearing conveyed remorse, from the way he avoided eye contact to the action of turning away and stepping under the now-cold stream of water alone. Kate felt more shaken by his abandonment than by the chaos preceding it. She'd given herself willingly and he'd had the good sense to take what was offered. Although what had happened between them had its roots in violence, the intensity had been something shared and she wasn't likely to experience anything that torrid again. Just thinking about it brought a blush to her face. If she didn't know any better she would have asked him if they could do it again. That thought and the way he was acting set her off in a fit of giggles. Benton had been right. Duncan MacLeod took himself way too seriously. The man needed a little frivolity in his life and she was just the woman to give it to him. Punching him in that gorgeous backside, she met his glare, when he finally turned around, with a beatific smile and said, "Hey, MacLeod, chill out. The world didn't come to an end while you were finally taking care of your more basic needs." He didn't answer her. He just turned back toward the faucets and turned them off. The quiet that followed was overpowering, sending Kate into a panic while she tried to think of something witty to add. Duncan stepped out of the shower then scanned the bathroom looking for a towel with which to dry off. Not seeing one, he just stood there dripping onto the bathroom floor for several moments then picked up his clothes, stared at them disgustedly and dropped them again. "I have towels," Kate announced from inside the shower. "But you'll have to look at me before I'll give you one." Standing there naked, she knew she must look and sound ridiculous, threatening him with nothing more than having to put his soiled clothes back on while still wet, but she was getting desperate. This strong, silent act was getting a little ridiculous. She exited the shower, opened a cabinet door and retrieved two large bath sheets. She started to offer one to his outstretched hand but snatched it back when he still wouldn't make eye contact. "No way, buddy," she warned. "A deal's a deal." "I don't remember agreeing to your deal." His first words were delivered in a flat monotone. "Oh, grow up, Duncan." She shoved the towel into his hand then, realizing she was getting cold, began drying herself off. "Or are you just waiting for a critique on your performance? Trust me, it was great and you didn't break me." "Maybe not, " he said with dread in his tone. "But I had to have hurt you." She couldn't argue with that. She was definitely feeling a little sore in certain places. "I won't lie to you," she replied, remembering how that last thrust had literally taken her breath away but then she sighed and her insides clenched at the memory of what had come prior to that. "Oh, but let me tell you, the pleasure before was well worth it. You are truly a master." She grabbed the terry-cloth robe hanging from a hook on the back of the door and, while putting it on, another amusing thought entered her head. "You know, hanging around with a guy like you is clearly going to have its advantages. Four hundred years worth of experience has probably taught you things about a woman's body that your average mortal man never learns." She turned back toward him and caught his scowl peeking out from under the towel he was drying his hair with. "Lighten up, Duncan," she laughed. "That was a compliment." Bending over, she scooped up their dirty clothes. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go throw these into the wash." As she made the move to leave, it suddenly occurred to her that he was still standing there stark naked but for the towel dangling from his right hand. His hair, still dripping and appearing darker because it was wet, fell past his shoulders in waves and clung to the sharp outline of his collarbones. As her eyes lowered and those well-defined pectorals came into view, her heart rate doubled and her blood pressure rose a few points. "You really are magnificent," she declared on a whisper, mesmerized by the vision. Then she shook her head, completed her aborted turn and left without another word. Duncan asked himself. He felt relieved that she'd taken his clothes because now he had a legitimate excuse for staying awhile longer. Staying would force him to resolve a few things in his mind, especially Kate's directive to lighten up. She was right. Ever since being pulled back into the Game, he'd been wading his way through one crisis only to find another waiting in the wings. He'd become pre-occupied with death and, in the process, had forgotten how to live, especially after losing Tessa. Eons had passed since the last time he'd questioned the purpose of immortality. There had to be a purpose. Otherwise, he would have died permanently that first time. He'd been allowed to remain walking the face of this planet for a reason and it couldn't be just to engage in one bloody battle after another. Immortality meant endless life or existence but what was the point if he just kept plodding along as he had been for the past few years? Life was not worth living if he had to spend it alone. But *the danger* kept needling at the back of his mind as he left the bathroom and looked longingly at the bed. Anybody he became involved with would be exposed to danger. He'd made too many enemies over the past four centuries and, too many Immortals, both young and old, lived by the slogan, "There can be only one." Benton's revelations and analogy to Kate might have been correct but he'd probably omitted the fact that innocent bystanders could and had been hurt or killed in the melee. Did she honestly understand all of the ramifications and was he, Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, willing to sacrifice her, Kate Bartholomew, like he had Tessa Noel and all the others that had preceded her for a few blissful days, months, years? Did he have the right to bring them into the Game just so he could experience happiness and love? "What're you thinking about?" Kate asked as she returned to the bedroom and found him staring off into space. Coming up behind him and placing her hands on his bare back, she could feel the tension in every muscle. He turned around to face her and smiled as he gently cradled her cheek in his big hand. "You are an incredible woman, Kate." He hadn't even left yet but already he missed her and knew he would for a very long time. "But..." she prompted. "No 'but'. You are." He rubbed away a drop of water that had fallen from her hair onto her eyebrow. "Don't lie to me," she threatened. "I can recognize a leading statement as well as the next guy. There's a 'but' here so spit it out." He heaved a heavy sigh and resigned himself to the fact that he'd never get away with half-truths and innuendoes with this woman. "As soon as my clothes are dry I have to go and we probably shouldn't see each other again." "What're you talking about?" "It isn't safe." "What isn't safe? You? Me? This relationship we're trying to start?" "There's no relationship, Kate," he said sadly. "There can't be." "Well then, what was that little scene in the shower? A thank you fuck?" Pulling away, she folded her arms under her breast and glowered at him. She began trembling with fury. "Hey, buddy," she mocked. "Thanks for offing my brother and now, for your big reward..." "Stop it, Kate. You know I don't think that." "How would I know?" Her tone was icy. "Like you said earlier, we don't know each other." She moved over to the foot of the bed and started fingering a piece of torn lace at one edge of the comforter. The rip became a little longer. "Well, let me enlighten you to something. I don't *do* one night stands." She turned back toward him but her expression was unreadable. "That's not what this was and you know it," he tried to explain. "My point exactly." Her entire demeanor change. The anger was suddenly gone and was replace by yearning. "I've been waiting my whole life for you, ever since I was a kid and I imagined what the perfect man would be like. If you believe I'm going to let you walk out my door just like that," she snapped her fingers, "then you have another think coming." She paused for a moment and looked at him imploringly. "I know this is going to sound trite, but I love you, Duncan. I really do." "Ah, Katie," he moaned as he walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "I can't be your fantasy. I'm just a man. A man with real flaws and real problems." She snuggled her face against his chest hairs and let out a weary sigh. "I know. Believe me, I know. Benton told me all about you. But, Duncan, one person cannot save the world all by himself. And one Immortal cannot protect all the mortals who inhabit this planet from evil. You do what you can do, but do you have to sacrifice your own happiness for strangers?" Duncan pressed his lips against the top of her head. "What right do I have to put your life in jeopardy because that's what will happen if we continue what we started here. You, of all people, should know that." He gripped her arms and held her away from him in order to regard at her squarely before he continued. "Look at what happened to Benton. Or what about Henry? If he'd been a little faster or just a tad bit better, I'd be dead right now." "All the more reason for you to grab what you can, when you can." She searched his face trying to find a way to convince him that a relationship between them could work, but then she suddenly wondered, was he really not interested and was she reading way too much into what had happened? "I'm sorry. Maybe I'm being presumptuous about this. I just thought..." For some unknown reason, just by the changing expression on her face, Duncan knew exactly where she was headed. "Don't say it, Kate. It isn't true. I am attracted to you. And I know we only just met but already, I have very strong feelings where you're concerned. Don't denigrate yourself." She smiled up at him exhaustedly. "Good. So we've established that you like me and I love you." She tossed a glance toward the bed and back again. "On that happy note, it's been a long day. Can we continue this discussion in the morning? I'm bushed." Those strong, wonderful arms enfolded her in another hug. "Yes." They slept. And when Duncan awoke nine hours later with her warm, soft body snuggled up against his, he wondered if he would have the strength to leave her. The End