Garrus could feel her tremble with anticipation, a fact that both bemused and strangely aroused him. This he had not expected. She was Commander Shepard, heroine of Eden Prime, savior of the Galactic Council, bane of Sovereign – a woman whom Garrus had seen walk without blinking an eye through scores, if not hundreds, of deadly battles. But now, as he leaned in, he could see and feel the tremor of nervousness in the hands resting on his shoulders, in the sharp intake of her breath, in the widening of her hazel-green eyes.
For a moment, he thought that she might actually push him away, but then, with an almost visible effort, Shepard's expression firmed. Her fingers, now as strong as he remembered, closed and pulled Garrus closer. And then, the moment that he had been hoping for—but never really expecting—arrived. Their lips met.
Shepard's lips were warm and faintly wet. And surprisingly soft, considering how often Garrus had seen them bruised or bloodied in the aftermath of battle. They pressed against his lips, or, more precisely, against the hard chitinous covering where his lips would have been if he were human instead of Turian. For a second, Garrus could feel Shepard's momentary surprise and, again, thought she might pull away.
But she did not, only pressing her lips—and body—closer against his. Garrus' mind was racing, though with no coherent thoughts, as he felt her breath mingle with his, her cheek press against his left mandible, her breasts push against his thorax, her left thigh rub against the higher of the two knees on his right leg. He reacted instinctively, a hand sliding down to Shepard's waist to pull her even more tightly against him, his lips opening and his tongue sliding hurriedly into her mouth. He felt her tongue—so thick, fleshy and moist in comparison to his own dry, thin, and forked appendage—flick against and then away from his own in a teasing motion. It flickered back, above and then below, and then away again, inveigling his to follow it. Oh!
The sensation—all of the sensations—were incredible. Garrus shuddered and felt the same excited tremors run through Shepard's body. As he drew a quick breath and further probed her mouth, the Commander gasped in ecstasy, her leg twitching reflexively up against his, causing him to step backward to keep his balance.
The movement caused their lips to part for a moment and, an instant later, the intercom rang. Damn! Joker's voice, its tone strongly apologetic, said, "Umm, Commander – there's an urgent message coming through!"
"Ye…," Commander Shepard began, her voice hoarse and shaking with emotion, and then stopped. She raised a hand to her mouth to wipe it and cough, throwing Garrus an apologetic glance. Despite his frustration at the interruption, he couldn't help thinking that there was something endearing about seeing her so awkwardly vulnerable.
Clearing her throat, Shepard said, "I'll take the message, Joker. One moment!" The tone was more the one Garrus recognized, one of practiced control, as was the one in which she then said to him, though much more softly, "I'm sorry, but I think you should go now."
"I could wait, or come back a few minutes lat…," Garrus began hurriedly, but Shepard shook her head decisively.
"I don't know how long it'll take, Garrus. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow."
Garrus had enough experience to know that tone brooked no argument, not that he wanted to. "Very well, Comma… Shepard," he said, stepping towards the door. Then, as he neared it, he said, "I never knew you were that good a kisser."
Shepard's expression didn't change for a moment and then she smiled, eyes sparkling. "You're not bad yourself, soldier."
Garrus grinned back and then stepped out the door. The last thing he saw as it closed, sealing off the Commander's quarters, was Shepard watching him.
* * *
Shepard watched intently as the door closed, holding her position until she heard the distinctive 'click' of the locks engaging. Then she threw herself at the nightstand, reaching frantically for the glass of water there. Taking a deep gulp, she gargled vigorously before spitting it back into the glass, not caring that she spilled liquid all around it.
Only then did she drop into the nearby chair at her desk. Leaning closer to the microphone beneath the intercom speaker, she growled, "Joker, you piece of shit! I beeped you to make that call five minutes ago!"
Ignoring the excuses which flowed through the intercom—Joker saying something about EDI having distracted him—she continued quickly, rubbing at her lips as she did so, "Garrus kissed me! Just because I'm too damn nice to say how creepy it was. It was like making out with an insect! An insect with a forked tongue! I almost kneed him in those damn Turian balls to make him let me go."
Shepard drew a ragged breath and said, her tone now pleading, "So help me gods, Joker, you have to get us through the Omega Four Relay tomorrow! It's not only humanity's only hope – it's also mine!"