Kaidan tossed back the tiniest glass of beer he'd ever seen. He supposed the meager bar needed to be stocked for all sorts of alien diets, dextro- and levo-friendly alike, but beer was a pretty standard staple, even at stuffed-shirt political events like this one. Hell, Tali barely needed any filters for a Molson Light.
He sighed into the empty glass and sat it back on the bar, dipping his head in thanks at the eager Volus tending the other patrons. After transferring a few credits from his omni-tool, Kaidan returned to the now-empty table where Shepard had left her purse. He shook his head slowly, a bemused grin spreading across his face.
Shepard hated purses. Traynor had shoved it into her hands as she disembarked the Normandy, babbling something about needing to accessorize. Shepard had rolled her eyes and marched on, shaking her head to Kaidan to commiserate about all the parts she had to play tonight. War Hero. War Hero Who Couldn't Smugly Say "I Told You So." War Hero Who Could Walk in Heels. War Hero Comfortable Getting Awards From Diplomats Whose Brushes With Intergalactic War Were Limited To Alliance News Network Documentaries.
Stomping down the gangway, she searched Kaidan's eyes for sympathy, but he had simply shrugged back at her. She wanted him to join her in chastising the whole pomp and circumstance of the day, but he just couldn't speak ill of an event basically thrown in her honor, a distinction she had deserved for so long. And she looked damn good in that dress.
Feeling a bit out of place at the empty table, Kaidan scanned the room until he found her. Shepard looked like she had been poured into that tight black dress, her thigh muscles ripping and undulating as she shifted her weight uncomfortably. She turned to nod reverently at a high-ranking turian, and in the dim light, Kaidan could just make out the dimple in her ass.
He pulled her purse to his lap for safe-keeping, half expecting a clanking weight inside to reveal the Shuriken she'd brought against his recommendation. Instead, he heard a strange crinkle within. The purse had been empty when Traynor handed it over.
He pressed his lips and looked around the room to see if anyone was looking at him. Or distinctly not looking at him. He didn't want to be caught rooting around in the personal belongings of the Guest of Honor, but if an assassin had used the evening to slip something in intended for his Commander, he intended to jump on that grenade for her.
Slipping his fingers inside the silky-lined clutch, he indeed found a note inside…and something else. He would have recognized them by touch alone, but he slipped an edge out ever so slightly just to make sure in the dusky light. Shepard had described slipping into the panties he now rolled over in his hand; purred their lacy detail into his ear at the bar before she was whisked off into a whirlwind of handshakes and commendations. The piece of paper within was scrawled in her distinct military handwriting: "Presidium Embassy Bathrooms, Level 1, 22:30."
Kaidan jerked his head up, thankful to be scooted into the table, and noticed Shepard was no longer speaking with the turian ambassador. The crowd had broken off into smaller groups, none of them containing a bob of strawberry-red hair and a leather cocktail dress. He tapped his omni-tool, feeling a flush course through his entire body.
22:20.
He nearly swabbed his forehead with the silky black panties he had crumpled in his fist. Scooting his chair back, he jammed them into Traynor's purse, and made a beeline for the entrance.
The Embassy was a little over a 10-minute walk away, so the Major broke into a light jog, which did not help calm his already fluttering heart.
Shepard had been neck-deep in red tape and duty reports since the last mission. They'd barely had a chance to meet in the Normandy's mess hall for the same meals, much less share some alone time. This event was actually to be the one stretch of a few hours Kaidan would get to see Shepard at all before she was off on some Diplomacy tour for weeks. It was going to have to be enough for him, but this… This was unexpected. Kaidan picked up the pace.
When he reached the Level 1 bathrooms, he pushed the Women's door open hesitantly, a mix of still being distantly wary of a trap and the unending Canadian politeness he just couldn't turn off.
Shepard was sitting on the metallic sink bay, swinging her feet back and forth, her high-heeled shoes dangling lazily off the tips of her toes.
"I see you got my note, Major," she said, her voice set in a register reserved for the most intimate of occasions. Kaidan spun around to click the lock on the bathroom door.
He cocked an eyebrow at her, willing his body not to close the gap between them in an instant to pounce on her right then and there.
"A night of adulation and political flattery got to be too much for you, Commander?"
A flash of her crooked smile sent his blood rushing southward. His heart began to hammer against his chest, biotics thrumming in anticipation.
"You're the only one who knows what kind of adulation I need," she purred. That was all he could take.
Willing the prickling biotics within against a complete loss of control, Kaidan tried to remember that his Commander did like it a little rough. He raised a palm as he approached the cool metallic countertop, lifting her into the air with a gentle jolt. When their lips met, he crushed Shepard against the mirror, heart fluttering when he heard a breath hitch in her throat. The knowledge that no one ever saw this vulnerable, tame side of her set his manhood throbbing in his knit Mess Dress trousers.
He pressed both hands against the mirror, drinking in Shepard's taste, massaging his tongue gently over hers. In here, with him, Shepard didn't need to be the one in command. Still floating a bit off the counter, Shepard ran her fingernails through Kaidan's hair, pulling him closer. Suddenly, she raked them downwards, fumbling urgently at buttons and zippers. Kaidan had the sudden urge to envelop her, skin on skin, to wrap his hardened body around her supple softness, protecting her. For one night, only he could give her the gift of complete distraction before she returned to the crushing world outside these walls.
He breathed in her aroma. An elegant perfume with a hint of her musky arousal intoxicated his senses. Clumsily snaking one hand to unzip her leather confines, Kaidan couldn't help sliding the other up those muscular thighs, inching tantalizingly closer to her center. Sure enough, Shepard had somehow slithered out of her panties as he sat right next to her during the opening remarks.
A part of him considered taking his time, making love to her slowly and perfectly, every move building up maddeningly to a grand finale some hours later, but they both knew that wasn't their lot. His thick fingers found her slick and ready, wanting him just as badly. Kaidan rubbed his hardness along her leg, and she purred in approval, freeing it from the strained confines of his briefs.
Kaidan allowed himself to linger over her core, rubbing the rough pad of his thumb in hypnotic circles around her sensitive nub, slipping one, then two fingers into her wanting folds. He added pressure against her mound with the palm of his hand, curling his fingers inward, beckoning her to come closer from the inside. The motion made Shepard throw her head back and gasp. As thanks, she squeezed the base of his cock and spiraled outwards slowly, brushing a pinky across a bead of moisture forming at the tip and slowly swirling it around his broadening head.
The shuddering pang of ecstasy drove Kaidan's fingers deeper inside Shepard, hitting a squishy wall within that caused her to hook her legs around the small of his back. Her strapped leather heels fell to the floor.
"Major — Kaidan, I…" Her voice shook almost imperceptibly. "I need you inside me."
They locked eyes, and a wolfish smile spread across Kaidan's face. Shepard melted under his gaze.
"As you wish, Commander."
Kaidan shifted his biotics to pull her gently towards him, away from the metal ledge, then turned to crush her against a tiled wall. Hooking his hands under the hem of her dress, he lifted one of Shepard's legs and guided himself into her, driving his stiffness into her silky warmth.
He pumped a steady rhythm of longing, of craving her touch for so long, ravenous for her very essence. She moaned his name, already beginning to quiver at his motions. Kaidan slowed to an erratic, syncopated pace, drawing out the orgasm he so wanted to grant her, building its intensity.
Shepard balled her hands into fists, pinned to the wall by her lover as she writhed eagerly against him. When they locked gazes again, the mix of rapture and devotion in her eyes said everything they needed to say. Kaidan dipped his head against her neck, nipping roughly as he swelled to capacity inside her, plunging with no less wanting and intensity as their first night together.
Kaidan held Shepard's shoulders between calloused palms as she shuddered around him, allowing herself to languish in the brief moment of euphoria as the orgasm rode through her. It was only when her shaking slowed that Kaidan allowed himself to release his hold of control and spent himself inside her with one last deep thrust.
As they slowly uncoupled, Kaidan tucked a lock of tousled strawberry hair behind his commander's ear. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, keeping a hold on her boneless frame. Shepard closed her eyes, breathing deeply to hold onto the moment as long as it was possible.
Neither of them put to words the fear and frustration of when they would see each other next, when Kaidan might get to fall asleep with Shepard's head on his chest, running his hand slowly up and down the softness of her scarred, perfect back. They both knew longing was part of the job. But being here, alone with his commander the night the Council had bestowed their highest commendation upon her, this was all he needed. He knew she felt the same. And despite the yearning, the loss, and the pain of their time apart, right now, Kaidan felt like the luckiest man in the galaxy.