Mountain Climbing: a Mass Effect fanfic 3/3

[xenzen]

Back in the starboard observation deck on the Normandy, Kaidan let out his breath in a long, slow exhalation, and tried to think of anything he'd missed - he didn't want Shepard finding any pretext to get out of their conversation. The data he and Garrus had found in the Cerberus base had been turned over to Alliance analysts, Shepard was probably giving her verbal report to Hackett right now, and he had just finished writing up his own. He'd even checked with EDI to make sure there were no crises waiting for Shepard's attention.

He jerked in his seat when there was a decisive double rap on the doors; he recognized the knock as Shepard's. "Come in," he called.

The commander strode in, now back in her BDUs, though she looked no less intimidating, out of her armor. Her voice was brisk when she spoke, as if this were any other debriefing - strictly business between two officers, nothing to see here, move along. "You wanted to see me?"

Kaidan stood up and glanced at the cameras he knew were in the ceiling. "EDI, privacy lock, please."

"Yes, Major." EDI was as good as her word; the lights on the door panel changed from green to red, and the AI should hold all but the most urgent calls for both of them.

Shepard frowned. "Kaidan, people might want to talk to me -"

"And if it's urgent, EDI will let you know."

He reached up and rested his hands on her shoulders; the muscles there were so tense it was like touching steel bars. She was so tall that he had to stand up on his tiptoes to kiss her stiff, unresponsive lips.

"Hey, relax," Kaidan murmured against her mouth. "It's just us here. It's just me."

Did her stiff mouth yield ever so slightly? He didn't try to force his way through, knowing a frontal assault would just make her resist him all the more, but went in an oblique approach; first he nibbled on the corner of her lips, savoring the fragrant coffee flavor still lingering there, and the soft, silky texture, so at odds with the hard muscle he could feel under his hands. Her mouth remained obstinately closed, though, so he ran the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lips in an attempt to pry them gently apart.

Victory was assured the moment Shepard finally responded - a good thing, too, because his calves were aching a little from standing on tiptoe for so long. Her thick, strong arms came up to fold him hard against her, supporting him, and her head ducked down to better meet him; her lips softened even further, then parted at last, and allowed his tongue to touch hers. As he lost himself in her hot mouth, her body relaxed as she bent towards him, instead of being stiff as a board, though there was still tension in her shoulders.

It was so warm and comfortable in her embrace that he almost didn't want to leave it, but his calves were really starting to protest. Without speaking, he broke off their kiss and sat down, coaxing her to take a seat next to him on the couch. They sat close enough for their shoulders and thighs to touch, but then he took her hand and refused to let go when she tried to pull away.

"So, why don't you tell me what's been bothering you since yesterday," Kaidan said, and felt her hand tense in his. She looked away, her face growing stiff again. He reached up and took her chin in a firm grip, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Come on, Shepard - you know I'm just going to keep bugging you until you tell me."

Her lips quirked, and she bumped her shoulder against his. "You were always stubborn," she said, then she frowned down at her boots and let out a frustrated exhalation. "It's stupid."

Slipping his arm around her waist, he said, "You didn't think a thirty-two-year-old man still obsessing over a teen crush was stupid, and you didn't laugh at me."

Shepard turned the frown on him. "That's hardly the same."

"C'mon, how bad could it be?"

"You'll laugh." She sounded very sure of that.

"I promise not to laugh at you," Kaidan assured her. I wouldn't dare, he thought, not wanting to end up flat as a pancake like James. He hesitated as a thought struck him. "Was it because I - if you don't want to have dinner with me, you can just say so."

She snorted. "Not everything is about you, you know." Then she sighed and continued in a quieter voice, "Though it... does have something to do with our date. Sort of."

"If you're too busy to go -" he began, but she shook her head. "Then what is it? Afraid someone will report us for fraternization or something? You... don't want to be seen in public with me?"

"No, of course not," Shepard said in a very firm tone, and he relaxed, not knowing when he'd tensed up. Her lips took on a cynical twist. "Who else is Hackett going to get to run this circus?"

"If that's not what's been bothering you, then what is?" Kaidan asked, as he rubbed soothing circles into the back of her hand.

She gave him an unreadable look before looking back down at her boots again, and mumbled something that he couldn't make out.

"What?"

Shepard sighed, and said in a clearer voice, "I wanted to wear something nice for our date. Something that wasn't, you know, a uniform."

He gave her a blank look. "Well, I'll admit it'd be nice to see you in something" that showed a little more skin "er, casual, but -"

"I couldn't find anything that could fit," she muttered to her boots. "None of the stores on the Citadel had anything in my size. And there are a lot of clothing stores on the station."

Kaidan had the distinct feeling he was missing something here. "I... don't understand. Why would that bother you?"

Shepard turned and gave him a frustrated glare. "Don't you get it? I couldn't even find anything off the rack in their big and tall sections. Everyone said I'd have to get something custom made, and that takes credits - and time."

He stared at her with dawning surmise. "So that's why you were so upset when James called you a big girl yesterday."

"Yeah," she said with a rueful grimace. "And I should apologize to him for losing my temper like that and taking it out on him."

Kaidan shook his head. "I don't think that's necessary - maybe now he'll learn to watch his mouth and be more respectful to his superior officers." He squeezed her hand. "But are you telling me you've never bought clothes for yourself before?"

She shrugged. "Well, Mom always bought clothes for me, and I've been wearing uniforms of one sort or another since the day I enlisted. Even when the Illusive Man... had me brought back, they had clothes already made for me, though I ripped the Cerberus logos off them first."

"But... but what about shore leave?" Now that he thought on it, it was true; he'd never seen Shepard in anything but a uniform, or armor. And she'd wear her dress blues for any formal functions.

"I always wore BDUs," Shepard said. "Saves time and effort if I don't have to think about what to wear. And I learned to travel light when I was a kid, what with both of my parents already being in the military, and having to move around from one posting to another."

"Hard to imagine that the stores on the Citadel didn't have what you need," Kaidan said. "I thought you could find anything there."

"Well, I couldn't," she said, frowning again. "I should've known better, but, it's just... I haven't worn anything but uniforms for so long, I didn't even notice. It didn't feel right, having something custom made, with the war and the Reapers and Cerberus and everything going on."

"There's nothing wrong with indulging yourself, in moderation. Especially now." He smiled up at her. "Spoil yourself, once in a while - better yet, let me do it."

Shepard huffed a quiet laugh, shaking her head, then leaned down and pressed an entirely too quick kiss on his lips. "You spoil me already. Don't you... you don't mind having a girlfriend who's taller and bigger than you?"

Girlfriend, huh? Kaidan thought he could get used to the sound of that. It had a nice ring to it. "Hell, no!"

She looked at him askance. "A lot of guys have been intimidated." With a self-deprecating laugh, she added, "I gave up on blind dates after a while." Her tone was half joking, half... not.

"I'm not like a lot of guys," he retorted. Idiots, the lot of them. Still, it had cut down on his rivals. "I love how big and strong you are." He unwound his arm from around her waist and reached up to cup the side of her face. "I love you."

Shepard leaned into his touch, but she still looked a little skeptical of his claims - which, he didn't know. "That's sweet of you to say -"

"I'm not just saying it - it's true." He stroked her cheek with his fingers. "When I was watching you spar with James yesterday, all I could think about was how sexy you looked, so strong and fierce, with the sweat on your skin making you glow."

Her eyelids drooped as she listened, but he thought he saw a glitter of desire there. Without his realizing it, he had pressed himself against her warm body, and she had wrapped her arm around his waist, pulling him even closer, nearly onto her lap. He moved his hand from her face to the back of her thick neck, though she didn't need any coaxing at all to bend her head down to press her full lips against his, and this time it was a proper kiss; he growled in the back of his throat as she sucked his tongue into her hot mouth, then she released him, only to bite down on his bottom lip before she soothed the pain away with another kiss.

Kaidan was a little breathless when they finally came up for air, and he felt very warm. "If you hadn't gone rushing off after kicking James's ass, I would've demonstrated just how much I appreciate a large woman - at length."

She raised her brow. "And just how many women that're my size have you been with?"

"Well, just you," he admitted. "But you've totally spoiled me for other women." And men.

Her dark brown eyes blazed for a heart-stopping moment before a sweep of her eyelashes hid them. "Then why don't we go back up to my cabin, and you can show me?" she purred.

Now that was the Shepard he knew: a woman who knew her own mind and what she wanted.

He moved their still intertwined hands to his groin. "I don't think I can wait that long," he murmured, his words ending on a gasp as she fondled him through the fabric; the hand he had put on the back of her neck spasmed.

"I suppose you can't," Shepard said. Her lips stretched in a slow smile that transformed the elegant planes of her face, and he fell in love all over again. "We'll have to be quiet - the door isn't that thick."

Kaidan snorted. "As if the crew doesn't already know what we're doing - or what we're going to be doing," he said, and whimpered as her hand moved to cup his balls.

"There's such a thing as discretion," she retorted, smiling to take the sting out of it, and reached for the fastener on his shirt.

For someone who could crush a man's neck with her bare hands without even breaking a sweat, Shepard was gentle and patient - she always was when they made love. Now he wondered if that was because she was afraid of her own strength, and feared she might hurt him. It was hard to hold on to any coherent thought when she pressed soft kisses on his skin as his shirt was parted, little by little. His groans were stolen right out of his mouth and sucked into hers as her callused fingers tweaked his nipples and trailed down his stomach before she pulled his shirt off.

He hung on to her shoulders when she pulled his leg up into her lap; somehow she managed to undo and take off his boot and sock as she met his demanding mouth with her own need, allowing him to lose himself in the softness of her full, sensual lips and the taste of spice and coffee on her tongue. She divested him of his other boot and sock just as quickly, leaving him in just his trousers - which were already past the point of uncomfortable and verging on painful.

Shepard was more than happy to help him with that, and coaxed him into standing in front of her while she remained sitting on the couch, but his lips parted from hers only reluctantly. He hissed as his bare feet encountered the cold metal floor, but forgot all about it when she undid his belt, then the fastener, and opened his fly; his trousers fell to his ankles, then he cried out when she grabbed his ass and mouthed his erection through the fabric of his boxer shorts. His knees buckled as her hot mouth suckled him, and he would've fallen over if it weren't for the support of her arms. His hands scrabbled through her kinky, close-shaven hair as if he could somehow catch hold of his self-control.

When he felt her fingers insinuating themselves into his shorts, Kaidan wrenched himself away from her talented mouth and stepped back on shaky legs before she could strip them off.

Kicking away his trousers, and aware that she could see the shameless bulge tenting the front of his shorts, he said in a hoarse voice, "I want to see you."

In case that was too subtle, he reached out and tugged open her collar. She smiled and got up, and seemed to keep going up, until she towered over him. Her size might intimidate others, especially people who got on her nerves, like obnoxious fans, Councilors, and mouthy reporters, but he'd always preferred to look on the bright side: his eyes were at the perfect height to admire her impressive chest.

Between Shepard's willing cooperation and his impatient hands, he got her shirt off in record time, revealing the toned, well-defined muscles of her broad shoulders, arms and torso, tapering to a slim waist. He was reminded of ancient Greek and Roman nude statues, sculpted to celebrate the beauty and majesty of the human body. Those were made of unfeeling marble and stone, though, nothing compared to the living, breathing, flesh-and-blood woman before him. She reached back to unclasp her black sports bra, but he was quick to do it for her; pillowing his head between her breasts, he inhaled her scent as he stretched his arms around her and unhooked the ends.

The undergarment fell from his limp fingers, forgotten, as Kaidan drank in the sight of her. Without thinking, he reached up and cupped her large breasts, thumbs flicking over her plump, dark brown nipples, and heard her indrawn breath. The simple chain she wore her dogtags on shone like silver against her dusky skin. He traced the stark lines delineating her abdomen, then he undid her belt and the fastener holding her trousers closed. With a gentle push, he had her sit down on the couch, and he crouched to deal with her boots and socks.

Lit only by the dim overhead lights and the illumination of the stars through the observation window, she looked like a warrior queen from out of humanity's ancient and oftentimes bloody past, regal and proud, confident and secure in her own power. His cock, already half-hard, ached as it swelled, thick and heavy, trapped in his shorts.

"Beautiful," he breathed, and saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes. Well, he'd be happy enough to provide proofs - and lots of it.

With her boots off, Shepard lifted herself so that he could pull her trousers off, leaving her in her practical underwear. Not for long, though, as he hooked his fingers into the waistband and peeled the tight shorts down, leaving her gloriously naked. The cold of the floor barely registered as he knelt between her legs, feeling the hard muscles jump when he rested his hands on her thick thighs, drawn in by the musky scent of her sex.

The skin there was paler, framing pink folds that were wet with her arousal when Kaidan couldn't resist tracing the curve of one delicate, yielding ridge with his tongue - the only part of her body that was soft. Well, other than her heart, though she took care to hide it. She sighed, her big, warm hands resting on his head, long fingers brushing through his hair as his lips closed around her clit. Her long legs cradled his sides, and her ankles, pressed against his tailbone, urged him to be bolder - or maybe more forceful.

When his fingers followed the path his tongue had taken earlier, he found she was just as soft inside, but scalding hot. But he was familiar with the strength hidden there, too, from all the precious moments they'd been able to steal for themselves, time that stretched into a small eternity, where they were free of Reapers and Cerberus and soul-crushing responsibilities. Like this moment, in fact.

Shepard's quiet moans caressed his ears as he sped up the pace of his thrusting fingers and his busy tongue; he was tempted to linger over the sweet flavor of her essence, she tasted so good, but she needed the release after being wound up so tight. Even now he could feel the strain tightening her body - no, wait, it wasn't that kind of tension, he realized. Too caught up in the erotic sight and delicious scent and wet feel of her, he'd almost missed the telltale signs of her impending orgasm. He smiled against her hot skin and happily applied himself with more vigor.

It wouldn't take long for her to succumb, especially since he was going to cheat; he curled his fingers, rubbing at that special spot inside that always drove her wild. Well, all was fair in love and war, right? She was close, he could recognize by the signs, and he fancied himself an expert by now in reading them; he helped her along with a scrape of his teeth on her clit, and that was enough to send her over the edge. Her inner walls clamped down on his hand with the same immense strength as her legs on his ribs, her fingers clutched at his hair, and her moans changed to more-or-less coherent mutterings of his name. God, he loved it when she called him like that, when her voice deepened and took on this growly little hoarse rasp, full of need.

Kaidan looked up at her, past the fascinating topography of her stomach and the foreshortened mounds of her breasts, to her face, which was covered in sweat and slack from her orgasm, lips parted as she panted; he knew full well she could see the essence painted in wet swathes across his mouth and chin.

"You're beautiful, Shepard. Don't let anyone tell you different."

This time, when he said it, she looked like she really believed him.

Well, all right, maybe she didn't meet the current standards of beauty, when everyone seemed to favor the slim, soft and exotic asari ideal these days; she was too tall, too muscular, too hard, too - it had to be said - everything, to ever be conventional. She was an elite soldier in top condition, after all, her body and mind shaped by hard battles and even harder commands.

Her large hands came up to cup his face, and she bent down to kiss him, tasting herself on his lips. "C'mere," she murmured, and pulled him with easy, unconscious strength into her lap.

He sighed with contentment as he wrapped his arms around her waist and settled himself into her embrace. There was no place he would rather be than here, with his limbs tangled in hers, her nipples stabbing into his chest, surrounded by hard, supple muscle and warm, smooth skin, his nose full of the pleasant scents of sweat and sex.

Shepard nuzzled his neck and pressed soft kisses along his jaw. "Kaidan. You're so sweet."

He licked his lips. "You're the one who's sweet. I hope I've convinced you that I find you pretty damn sexy and hot just the way you are, even if you're economy sized. Especially because you're economy sized. Hell, I'd worship your body, kneel at the temple every day -" He paused and smirked. "Oh, wait, I already do that."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Wipe that insufferable smile off your face, Alenko."

His smile transmuted into a challenging grin. "Make me."

Shepard wasn't about to let him get too complacent after a boastful statement like that; her big hand trailed down his chest to cup his groin. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, muffling a groan, and felt her smile against his forehead as she fondled him through his shorts. He might have intimate knowledge of what pleased her, but the reverse was true as well. His cock, which he had ignored in favor of seeing to her needs first, leapt with joy as she toyed roughly with it, and he squirmed uncontrollably when she rolled his heavy balls in her palm.

"You're generous as always, Kaidan," she murmured into his ear as he thrust without shame - or self-control - into her hand. "But marines take care of each other."

Kaidan whimpered when she let him down - it seemed cruel to make him leave the warm, yielding comfort of her embrace, and made the cold floor seem as frigid as Noveria when his bare soles encountered it. Then he swallowed in a suddenly dry throat when she rose to her own feet, her large body moving with the grace of a lioness, and propped herself up on the edge of the couch; his eyes roamed down the expansive curve of her back to her slim waist, drawn to the firm, round ass she thrust up and out towards him, her sex open and wet and inviting. She looked over her shoulder, her smoldering glance searing him to his soul.

It would take a stronger man than him to be able to resist touching those glorious ebony curves, offered up with such trust, and he didn't even try. Shepard purred like the big cat he'd mentally compared her to when he pressed himself against her warm back and kissed those moles he could reach, faint shadows on her dark skin, his hands sliding up from her hips to the ridges of her stomach to cup her breasts. The heat radiating from her sex was exquisite torture on his groin, trapped as he still was in his shorts.

He reached down to pull his damnable underwear off, but then his eyes lit upon the lounge chair in the corner. "I have a better idea," he murmured into her back.

It took a real effort of will to wrench himself from her tempting body, but he managed to step away. When he tugged on her hand, she straightened, giving him a puzzled look as he pulled her over to the chair.

Shepard glanced at the chair, then gave him an uncertain look. "I'll squash you."

Kaidan snorted, making sure he looked only at her face, otherwise he wouldn't be able to manage anything with more than one syllable - if that. "I'm not that easy to squash. I can take a brute to the face and live to tell the tale - I think I can handle you. Squash me all you like."

She frowned, and it was obvious she was remembering that particular incident, or maybe she was remembering James's comments about her size; he sighed, since it hadn't been his intention to remind her of either. "That was reckless of you."

"I couldn't let it charge you when you had your back turned. We need you." Her face grew stiff at the reminder of that burden on her shoulders - one surely too heavy for anyone to bear. He stepped close, pressing his erection against her thigh, deepened his voice and added, "I need you. I want you. And you've done it before."

Still Shepard hesitated. "When Cerberus rebuilt me," she said, making this confession with obvious reluctance, "they made me... heavier. All those extra bits and pieces... add up to, well, something. And I wasn't exactly light before that."

"Is... is that why you've been wanting me to top?" Now that Kaidan thought about it, she'd always been on the bottom after they'd reconciled. Why hadn't he realized sooner? But in his own defense, sex - amazing, mind-melting, exhausting sex - had a way of wiping out all his higher thought processes.

She said nothing, but her silence was answer enough. He let go of her hand, tucked his thumbs into the waistband of his shorts, and kept eye contact with her as he tugged them down. It was a profound relief to finally free his erection from the tight and uncomfortable confines of his underwear; he smiled when her eyes flicked down to his groin.

After kicking his shorts aside, he sat down on the chair, and tugged her forward so that she straddled him. Despite her reticence, Shepard had to want this, too, or he wouldn't have been able to move her with a crowbar - unless he wanted to bring his biotics into play. Oh, he'd bring them into play, all right - but definitely not in that manner.

Kaidan finally permitted himself to admire the play of muscles under her dark skin as she lowered herself with care onto him, one hand bracing herself on one of the chair's arms, the other reached down to take hold of him. Sweat beaded on his brow, rolling down his temples, and a quiet whine trickled out of his mouth as her callused fingers closed around his long-neglected cock; God, if he didn't get some relief soon, he was going to pop. Shepard's caution was killing him.

His frustration wasn't lost on her, unfortunately, judging by the glint in her eyes; her thighs flexed as she dipped down far enough to engulf the crown, but no further, and not, in the next moment, even that as he bucked upwards, seeking more of that elusive, tantalizing heat, and she rose, leaving him bereft. His hands had found their way back on her hips, and he had no memory of when he'd put them there. He might as well have tried to move the Normandy, as his attempts to shift her failed.

"Shepard," he protested, his voice rough with need.

Her only response was a slow smile, startling in its whiteness - and wickedness. The part of him not begging Oh, God, more please had to admire her discipline; there was no hint of the strain as she held her position, thighs flexing against his, then moved back down, just a little further than before. Well, where a direct assault failed, maybe an ambush would succeed.

His hands traced the little dips and ridges as they traveled up her flat stomach, until they cupped her warm, heavy breasts, and he took his time considering their weight, their circumference, the dark brown areolae, and the hard, plump nipples. Shepard leaned forward, lips parted, eyelids drooping as he kneaded the firm flesh, and slipped down maybe a little faster and farther than she intended; he gulped, fingers convulsing, as her inner walls clenched on him like hot, wet silk.

Her eyes popped open and a choked screech escaped her, hastily cut off, when Kaidan surprised her with static shocks applied directly to those sensitive nipples. Then it was his turn to choke when his plan backfired, or at least expedited matters, and she fell down the rest of the way and swallowed him in an uncontrolled slide. There was a click, an electric connection more sensed than felt, transmitting all along his bones, as his cock penetrated the entrance of her womb.

They clutched at each other, two lovers drowning equally in the mind-melting pleasure, until they recovered enough rational thought. Shepard had wrapped her arms around him with all the strength and tenacity of an anaconda, but now she leaned back to give him an accusing look, though her dilated pupils rendered it less intimidating than it could've been.

"That was cheating," she growled into his ear.

His mouth worked, but nothing came out, his thoughts derailed as she rippled around him. God, she was tight, and so molten hot. "It worked, didn't it?" Spectacularly. He could manage words of one syllable, at least, and smirked. "I told you I didn't squash easily."

Shepard's eyes widened as the realization that she was resting her full - and considerable - weight on him caught up to her, and she would've stood up if he hadn't been quick enough to lock his hands behind her broad back.

"Oh no you don't - you're not getting away that easy," Kaidan said, his voice wavering as she squeezed him again, an involuntary reaction rather than deliberate, but it garnered the same result.

She relaxed back into his embrace, though there was still an undercurrent of concern in her gaze. "Are you -"

"I'm okay. But not if you don't move. And soon," he begged.

Her answer was to kiss him, hard and sloppy, and stole the groan out of his mouth as she rolled her hips up, then they snapped down and forward. He scrabbled at her back as she repeated the motions, and this time he thrust up to meet her; she tightened around him as she withdrew, then opened back up as she engulfed him to the hilt again. The crown of his cock dragged over the entrance to her womb again and again, scraping the sensitive underside, just the way he liked it. She was relentless, driving him mad with every precise - and it was precise - iteration, over and over.

Tearing his mouth from hers, he kissed his way down her neck, licking at the salty-sweet sweat beading like jewels in the hollows of her collarbones, in a desperate attempt to both ground himself and muffle his cries into her skin, otherwise the entire crew deck would know what they were doing. Well, they probably already knew, but speculation wasn't the same as certainty. His lips closed on her nipple, more than good enough to keep him quiet, and his hand groped for the other; the grip he had on his self-control was growing increasingly slippery, but he'd at least have a grip on her, a very nice handful of firm flesh.

All this attention Kaidan was happily lavishing upon her was affecting her, as much as she was affecting him; the rising and falling of Shepard's hips grew more erratic, less controlled, deviating from the pattern for the first time. He moved the hand he had clutching on her breast down between their legs to play with her clit, and a judicious amount of sparks elicited a very satisfying moan out of her, muffled into the top of his head.

She went rigid, body stuttering to stillness, and he let go of her nipple to watch as the orgasm ambushed her, avid eyes drinking in the pleasure suffusing her sweaty features; it was a sight he'd never tire of, nor fail to take joy in, knowing he was the one who'd put it there. Her mouth opened, prelude to her screaming his name if this ran true to form, and he hurried to cover her mouth with his own; while he took immense and gratified satisfaction in hearing her do that, just like he'd imagined in his early fantasies, he really didn't want the crew to know what they were up to in the starboard observation deck.

Liar. You'd love everyone to know just who can make Shepard scream like that.

A powerful ripple of her inner walls wrung another groan out of him as she began to move again, and he was quick to bury his face back into her chest, sucking on her other nipple before another one escaped; with his mouth full of her breast, it only emerged as a wavering hum. He gasped as she clenched around him again, and he was suddenly glad he was sitting down, because his legs would've buckled, right then and there, though the prudent course of action when caught in an earthquake measuring Shepard on the Richter Scale was to get horizontal at the earliest opportunity. Good thing he already was, being pounded flat as a pancake under those hips, grounding against him with all the strength in that large frame, except he wasn't just some passive pastry; he met her every downward swoop with a thrust of his own, hard enough to make even her bounce, in perfect rhythm.

No, wait, wait, slow down...! Kaidan's eyes popped open - he didn't know when he'd closed them - when he felt that familiar tightening in his groin, but when he glanced up from her breast, he saw the glint of determination in her eye, a petal floating on a still, dark pool of lust. Despite his resolve to hold out until she came again, she battered it down, as unsubtle - but effective - as a charging krogan, though his control was already frayed to a thread by now.

It snapped when she leaned down and bit his ear hard enough for him to cry out; the sharp and unexpected pain pushed him over the edge, and everything unwound, all at once, and he had to bury his face into her chest to muffle his own shouts. He held on tight to Shepard as his orgasm filled his eyes with blue fire, and threatened to shatter him to pieces.

He emerged from that inward and intense experience to find himself flat on his back on the lounge chair, breathing fast and still trembling a little as his cock softened inside her, and with no ambition to ever move again. Shepard made for a heavy but warm living blanket, but he couldn't determine whether she really was heavier than before; his memories had focused on other things entirely, and anyway, it had been three years ago. He didn't feel too flattened, at any rate.

Shepard turned her head, mouth seeking his, and they exchanged a long, leisurely kiss that held an unspoken promise, even if the need that turned their earlier ones so scorching had subsided to a simmer. When she made to withdraw, his hands tightened on her hips.

"Don't go," Kaidan murmured, giving her a longing look for good measure.

She weakened visibly. "Not yet, anyway. But it can't be comfortable for you, taking my full weight."

"I'm fine, really -"

Shepard didn't give him a chance to finish the sentence; she switched their positions by the simple of expedient of picking him up and sitting herself down, then putting him back in her lap. She'd moved so fast and smoothly that he didn't have time to hiss at the cool air blowing from the cyclers on his groin until she was done. He couldn't find it in his heart to complain too much, when her big hand moved to cup his cock, still wet from their mingled come. Raising her hand, she licked her fingers, then offered them to him with a small smile.

He wrapped one arm around her waist and sucked her fingers into his mouth instead of just licking them, tasting both her and himself; then he let them go, and kissed her, preferring to sample from her lips.

"Shepard, have you noticed there aren't any height differences when we're both horizontal?" he said, leaning back to admire the lovebites decorating her breasts; her skin shivered as he traced them with a finger.

Her lips quirked. "It wasn't just my height that bothered me. Not quite so much anymore, though," she said, a wry expression on her face.

Kaidan smiled back up at her; her dark eyes did seem less troubled. "I'm glad."

"Thanks," she said as she kissed him again. "I... needed that. I needed you. I still do."

He huffed a laugh. "You don't have to thank me, I was more than happy to oblige - and I wouldn't mind obliging you again, if you know what I mean," he said, his voice heavy with suggestion.

"Tempting thought," Shepard murmured with a secret smile, tracing his cheekbone with her free hand; the other had a proprietary hold on his hip. "I love you," she whispered into his ear.

Kaidan swallowed the lump that'd formed in his throat. "I love you, too. I know these are terrible days, but... I've never felt so happy," he said, reaching down and plucking her hand from his hip to twine his fingers with hers. "Just... promise me you won't shut me out anymore."

Her lips crimped; he fought off the urge to kiss them. "Sorry. I... didn't want to face you." Her hand tightened on his, and she raised her head to look him in the eye. "It won't happen again."

"Good." With that out of the way, he stretched himself out, settling himself; Shepard made for a warm blanket, but she was an even better bed - a firm one, with all that hard muscle, but still quite springy in places.

He was savoring the scent of sex and sweat clinging to her skin when EDI broke in, startling them both. "Commander, I'm sorry to disturb you, but Admiral Hackett is on the line - there is an urgent situation he needs to bring to your attention."

Kaidan muttered a dire swearword under his breath. This little slice of privacy he'd stolen for them was, by its very nature, of finite length, but he'd hoped, greedily, for more.

"I'll be in the comm room in ten, EDI," the commander said, the intangible burden of responsibility settling back on her shoulders; he could feel the tension in her body, like an electric current.

"Logging you out, Shepard," the AI said, and signed off.

Shepard sighed. "And here I was hoping for... dessert." Her eyes raked down his naked body.

"There's always tonight," he said as he clambered off her, not without a great deal of reluctance, and held out his hand.

She brightened at that. "Yes... there is," she said, in a tone of mild wonder. Taking his hand, she let him pull her to her feet.

Rising up on tiptoes, Kaidan brushed his lips against hers, quick and light, before he let go of her. Mindful of the admiral waiting for her, they dressed quickly, with none of the teasing words and sensual caresses they normally indulged in, though she smirked when she caught him watching her. He walked with her to the door, as if he were the host of a party, escorting a guest out of his home, and he suppressed a self-deprecating snort at the thought.

At the door, Shepard turned and bent to kiss him, soft lips teasing his own. He rose on his tiptoes, following her up, reluctant to end the contact. "See you 'round," she said, and paused. "I couldn't find any clothes that fit, but I did find a nice bottle of wine. It's not Canadian lager or whiskey, but... want to share it with me, later?"

He grinned. "You don't have to bribe me to come up to your cabin, but, yeah, I'd love to."

She smiled, then the doors closed, hiding her from his view. With a sigh, Kaidan turned back to his data pads, and wondered how the hell he was supposed to get any work done now.