serendipity at its best (mac and cheese)

[Harper Colby]

Harper couldn't remember the last time she had felt so at ease with a man. At the club, it was all about sex, and she rarely found anyone looking above her tits, and with any other guy, he was either thinking she was a dumb slut or she was intimidatingly beautiful. No one ever just... tried to talk to her like Mac did. And that, to Harper, felt even more intimate than being scantily clad or sleeping together. So there she was, trying to figure out what to do with the flutteries in her belly that were even worse than they had been while he was married, when he leaned down and kissed her. Harper's eyes went wide with shock, and she had to take a moment to process what happened, one hand coming up to touch her lips. Was that... did he just... Looking up at him, she saw the nervousness in his eyes and realized that it had to be what she thought it was. Harper smiled softly and rested one hand on his chest, feeling the rapid tap of his heartbeat under her palm. "You know, if you're trying to kiss me, that was a lousy try," she teased before leaning in, pressing her mouth to Mac's much more decisively, still rather innocent but definitely a kiss with interest behind it.

[MacGreggor Avery]

Mac swallowed anxiously as she looked back at him, thinking that he was the biggest idiot in the entire world. She was probably plotting some nice excuse about why that was so inappropriate and that she didn't want him to do it again... He watched her finger trace over her lips, the anticipation nearly killing him before she spoke. Wait, what? "Well, I mean, I was just... well, you know... kinda testing... warming uh-" he started, though her mouth cut him off, thankfully, his hand lifting to hold onto the one against his chest, keeping it nice and safe over his heart. This was nice... possibly the best kiss of his life, too... definitely something to write home about.

[Harper Colby]

Harper wanted to giggle with how worried he looked. How could she not want him to kiss her? She'd liked him for years now, since Carmen introduced him to her. She had been disappointed to learn that he was engaged to her best friend, but she'd just watched him from afar. And now it seemed... it was her turn to be in his arms. So she just smiled and kissed him again, firmer but still soft, lips moving slowly against his. Reluctantly, Harper leaned back, looking up into Mac's familiar eyes, her mouth curved in a smile. "I've been waiting to do that for four years," she admitted, sheepish but honest.

[MacGreggor Avery]

Mac's bright blues stayed closed for a few seconds after she'd pulled back, still trying to fully grasp what had just happened. Kissed. He and Harper. They'd just kissed. And it had made his heart swell in his chest, sent a wonderful warm feeling flooding through him and made him want to do it over and over and over again. His eyes fluttered open in slight shock as she whispered to him, his thumb stroking her cheek. "Really?" he asked, eyes slightly wider than normal. "I... honestly had no idea... I was just kind of... hoping you'd be okay with it. That's all I've been thinking about doing all night."

[Harper Colby]

She almost purred with the feeling of his thumb on her cheek, unable to really believe that had just happened. She kissed Mac. Mac kissed her and it felt just as good as she'd imagined... better, actually. The ice cream on her lap was all but forgotten in favor of the warm, sweet lips above her. Harper giggled and slid her hand up to his neck, stroking her long fingers over his skin. "Well... I can't way I blame you. Most guys in the club want to do more than that when they get a lap dance," she teased, pressing closer to him, nudging her nose against his jaw.

[MacGreggor Avery]

Mac chuckled softly as he reached for the carton of melting ice cream in her lap and relocated it to the tiny second hand coffee table littered in crayon peelings and newspapers, his hand sliding down to the nape of her neck. "Well, it's not because you gave me a lap dance," he admitted, hand cupping her cheek. "I mean, that was certainly appreciated and you're like, wicked hot and good at it and all... but I've wanted to do that for longer than just tonight."

[Harper Colby]

She barely noticed him moving the ice cream from her lap, way too focused on the feeling of his hand moving over her neck. Harper leaned into Mac with a soft sigh falling from her lips, eyes shut in delight. Though, they snapped open in surprise when she heard Mac admit that. "Really? I... I don't know, I never got the vibe that you liked me as more than just Carmen's crazy blond sports-obsessed friend," she laughed, running one hand through his short hair.

[MacGreggor Avery]

"Well, I mean... I was married," he shrugged, his blue eyes meeting hers as she leaned in to him. "You were Carmen's best friend. I couldn't be lusting after you... even though I was. I mean, not that it's lust... or, well... I don't know what it is... I just really like you," he rambled, never having been terribly good with this whole thinking before speaking deal. He just kind of said what came to his mind and sometimes it worked... and sometimes it didn't. "I never wanted to get divorced... but I think now, more than ever, it was the right thing to do. She and I... don't go together, as much as I wanted us to. For Leah's sake. I never felt this comfortable with her..."

[Harper Colby]

Harper watched as he rambled on, enchanted by his babbling. She thought he was just about the cutest thing ever the way he was stumbling over what he was trying to say and all. A giggle spilled from her lips and she stroked his cheek again, wiggling closer to him. "I really like you too, Mac," she confirmed, leaning up to kiss the corner of his mouth. Her gaze grew more serious though as he spoke about his divorce. "It was probably... better. This way Leah can grow up having two parents focused on taking care of her and not fighting all the time," Harper pointed out sweetly, the corners of her mouth quirked up in a smile.

[Harper Colby]

Harper watched as he rambled on, enchanted by his babbling. She thought he was just about the cutest thing ever the way he was stumbling over what he was trying to say and all. A giggle spilled from her lips and she stroked his cheek again, wiggling closer to him. "I really like you too, Mac," she confirmed, leaning up to kiss the corner of his mouth. Her gaze grew more serious though as he spoke about his divorce. "It was probably... better. This way Leah can grow up having two parents focused on taking care of her and not fighting all the time," Harper pointed out sweetly, the corners of her mouth quirked up in a smile.

[MacGreggor Avery]

Mac's cheeks flushed a dull red color as she told him she felt the same, his heart skipping a beat in his chest. Yeah, he was a big ball of romantic mush, sue him. Girls liked that kind of stuff anyway. And who was sitting on the couch with the gorgeous smart blonde? That's right, Mac was. "Yeah, I think so, too," he smiled, running his fingers back through her hair again. "And now Carmen and I have a chance to really be happy again, too."

[Harper Colby]

"You do. You guys might have been right in the moment but... just not meant to be." Harper wouldn't ever begrudge him his marriage though. He had a beautiful daughter, and really, she was more of a live in the moment kind of person. Snuggling up to him, she rubbed her hand over his flat belly, nuzzling against his chest. "I always wondered why the giraffes were pink in this song," Harper mused, watching the animated animals dance around.

[MacGreggor Avery]

"Are they pink?" he asked, eyes meeting the television screen for the first time the whole movie. The conversation shifted hugely, but the pair moved into it as if the second thought were as relevant as the first. Mac wasn't bothered and hardly noticed at all as he rubbed his hand over her shoulders, concentrating on the movie for a few moments as the song played. "Man, Elton John is really good at writing songs... isn't he?"

[Harper Colby]

She shivered and pressed closer to him, cheek pressed to his chest. "Kind of. They're orange and pink. But giraffes aren't that color... this movie isn't very accurate," Harper giggled. Settling down from her amusement, she just listened, charmed as always by the sweet voice of the singing baby lion. "He is. He's brilliant. And he wears those fun purple glasses."

[MacGreggor Avery]

"Definitely," he nodded, stroking her hair as she snuggled closer. If he was being honest, Mac didn't really care about the movie playing on the tv screen. No, his thoughts were elsewhere, like with the gorgeous blonde cuddling with him on the couch. And that lap dance she'd attempted to give him at the club. Which was really friggen' hot. And of course the kiss they'd shared, soft and warm and sweet... yeah, kind of hard to concentrate on anything G rated.

[Harper Colby]

Harper just watched the movie play for a few minutes, wondering how long it would tae for them to get distracted by each other. She knew it was only a matter of time before it happened... but then she just looked up at him, and he seemed absorbed in the affairs of a lion, a warthog, and a meerkat, so Harper decided to take things into her own hands. Shifting up, she pressed her mouth to his, just as sweet as before, but a little more aggressive now.

[MacGreggor Avery]

A soft appreciative hum left his lips as Mac found Harper's mouth pressed against his own once more. Much more entertaining than the Disney movie, nothing personal, Walt. His toned arms wound around her thin body, tugging her even closer as they kissed, lips familiarizing themselves with the other thicker, softer pair. If Mac was being honest, he wanted to do much more than just kiss her, but he'd settled for this in a heart beat. The ex-baseball player was almost certain he could kiss her forever and be happy. Definitely happy. More than happy. It was perfect.

[Harper Colby]

Harper wiggled happily, those strong arms around her making shivers crawl down her spine. Kissing someone had never felt this good before. She pressed closer to him and slid one hand over his jaw, tilting his head down slightly to kiss him deeper. It was frustrating that she couldn't be closer to him... and then she realized she could. Smirking into his mouth, she slid onto his lap, bringing back her earlier position, one leg on either side of his. Harper cupped his face in her hands as she kissed him, arching her back and encouraging those hands on her waist to touch wherever they wanted.

[MacGreggor Avery]

Mac sucked in a deep breath through his nose as he felt her slip into his lap, her warm weight comforting in his arms. He loved being this close to her, and would love to get closer, but he wasn't going to push anything on the young woman. It was all up to her, how far this went and if anything else would come of it. Maybe she didn't want a boyfriend. She just liked kissing him? Mac wasn't going to focus on naming this right now, because it was distracting him from the gorgeous woman in his arms, kissing him... was that her tongue? Mac's hands slid down her sides and onto her bum, pulling her even closer before they slid back to her hips, keeping her nice and close.

[Harper Colby]

A small moan hummed in her throat. Shit. She was on Mac's lap, making out with him... and she was fairly sure it wasn't a dream. At least, singing jungle animals had never been playing in the background while she was making out with him. Harper smiled and easily slid closer, pushing out her bum into his hands but they were gone, replaced more politely on her hips. While she didn't think she should sleep with him right away, even though she wanted to, she was more than okay with some wandering hands... and maybe a little less clothing. With a soft giggle, she reluctantly leaned back, looking into his eyes before stripping off her tank top, a soft white bra covering her chest. "Don't worry about me. I'll tell you if I want to stop," she murmured, reaching for his hands and urging them onto her bare skin, a whimper of pleasure escaping at his touch.