Love Lies

Some time ago, she was a woman who obsessed over the passage of time. She envied the others for the time they had left with their loved ones, and hated them all for the way they could sleep at night, never thinking, never worrying, as she always did.

"When you go, Siha, do not forget this moment," Thane had said to her as he held her close.

Impossible. His Siha had memories of her own to cherish. He hadn't slipped from her mind at all during the months they'd been apart. And she certainly wouldn't forget the way it felt to be with him now.

"I want to feel you, Thane, please," she begs.

His eyes only leave hers briefly as he pulls off her shirt and tosses it aside. His hands roam up and cover her breasts as he massages her, rolling her nipples between his fingers. She gasps, her chest heaving a bit, and with eyes half-lidded, she spirals out of control, sinking deeper, feeling quivers of desire from her head to her toes. Skilled fingertips dance to her waist and push down her pants and underwear at once, and Thane kicks them aside with a half-smile. The warmth of his touch, strong, familiar hands on her exposed skin, nearly melts her.

Gently, he threads his fingers through her hair, pushing just enough to move her head back. "I've missed this, Siha. I've missed you." He steps back, his eyes skimming along her figure from her neck down past her knees, drinking in the view. For a long moment, all he does is stare at her, admiring every swell and cleft, pausing at times, his gaze frozen on her chest, her waist, then her calves and back up again.

She eyes him inquisitively. She knows he remembers all the critical moments, the earth-shattering intimacy they'd shared, but she wonders if he has forgotten the little things, the things she deems irrelevant, like the curves of her shoulders or the way a flush would creep from her breasts to her cheeks when she'd thrown herself at him with wanton abandonment.

When he finally looks at her face, he immediately knows why she wears the curious look. "I haven't forgotten a thing about you, Siha. Every scar, every freckle, every goosebump when you trembled in my arms. Those are the memories I hold. I am simply admiring what I have missed."

She caresses his face, tracing his jaw, moving toward his mouth. "You have no idea how I've missed this too. How I've needed it," she whispers. "And I want to do the same thing."

She begins to undress him then, her hands sliding along his skin, and she anxiously removes his shirt to trail her fingers from his stomach up to his shoulders and down his arms. He is still as she remembers him, agile and graceful, muscled and hard. She smiles and shoves his pants down to the floor, her gaze roaming downward. Her eyes widen in anticipation.

"Are you finished tormenting me?" he murmurs.

"Yeah."

He lifts her quickly, so her legs encircle his waist, and he walks her toward the bed, cocooned in his arms.

"Tell me you need me as I need you," he whispers, lowering her onto the bed.

"I need you, Thane." Her eyes plead with him, her soft voice insistent as her hands reach up to draw him near.

His Siha is beautiful, her presence so much more than the memory.

"In my dreams were we this way again," he whispers as he tucks some stray hairs behind her ear.

He looks at her face, flushed with desire, and he forgets to breathe as pure need comes over him, the need to be inside her, to lose himself in the warmth of her, to feel pleasure—to feel alive.

She whimpers when his teeth graze over her neck and shoulder, her vocal restraint unusual. That would have to change. He captures her lips in a searing kiss. There is no tentative exploration, no gentle seeking. He takes control, plunging inside, his tongue hot as it tangles with hers.

Every sensation seems new to her, overloading her senses and thrilling her. He reaches his hand down to touch her, and he quickens his caresses, becoming more deliberate. He groans when she eagerly spreads her thighs. He pushes his fingers into her, and her eyes close in impending bliss. Wickedly, he withdraws as her hips buck against his hand, seeking contact. She tips her head back and bites down on her bottom lip as she stretches further, inviting him for more.

"You don't have to be so quiet, Siha. I want to hear you."

She moans for him then, a sweet, delicious sound of surrender. Their lips meet in a touch that instantly turns electric. He moves over her, his lips roaming from one breast to the next before slowly and deliberately driving into her. It is familiar, yet different, and he looks at her face as she smiles, trembling under him. He stills, completely buried in her, feeling the contractions of her skin on his. Beneath him, she is so vulnerable, and all he wants to do is protect her. He kisses her then, rough, hungry, and raw. Again and again, their lips meet as he thrusts inside her, enjoying the sensations that pulse through his body with every stroke.

With her eyes holding his, she is barely able to speak, her tears intermingling with his, neither one wanting to separate from the other, lost in each other's embrace. He kisses her tears away and presses his lips to her cheek tenderly and she buries her face in his neck, planting more kisses, relishing their closeness.

Her breathing is uneven now, breathy moans and sighs he knows so well. He withdraws, then thrusts again, slowly, fully.

"Siha, look at me."

Her eyes meet his, full of desire, and love.

Thane felt his own breath hitch. "I could never forget how this feels."

All she can do is nod, the tears streaming faster now. He kisses her tenderly, keeping his thrusts slow and rhythmic, trying not to rush their reunion.

When she reaches her peak, it is explosive, a shattering cry of release, his name the only intelligible word falling from her lips. She clenches around him, bringing him to the edge, and he follows her over, burying his cry in her neck.

With soft murmurs and kisses, they admit defeat. He rolls off to her side grinning, his arm draped across her, and she cuddles closer to him, wrapping her leg around his. Allowing their breathing to slow, they stay dreamily quiet, until she breaks the silence.

"I lied to you before they took me away." He turns his head, his eyes piercing, and he breathes a sigh. "I loved you all along, Thane. If you had only known that, maybe-"

"I did," he says. Then he keeps her quiet with his lips as his hands grip her sides. "But feel free to confirm it."

She laughs a little, embarrassed by her earlier mood of seriousness. No, she will not waste another moment being sad over things she cannot help or fix. Not one second more. No regrets of the past will cause her to frown, but the possibilities of the future, no matter where it leads, will guide her now, ready to wholly pledge herself and her life to him.

"I'm all yours, Thane Krios. I love you."

"And I you." He cups her face between his hands forcing her to look at him directly. What he sees in her eyes is love, and a hope for the future that surprises him. He draws her deeper into his embrace as his mouth covers hers. "I will love you forever, my Siha."

Shepard lets his words seep into her like raindrops after a long drought. A strange warmth swells in her heart; she feels lit from within, vibrant, and alive. A knowing smile curves her lips.

"And that's why I chose you all those months ago." Taking his hands, she gazes into his eyes, fearless and confident. "Marry me, Thane. Today."