Chapter 19

Jun wasn't entirely sure how long the kiss lasted. At first, she had been surprised by the contact, but the delicious warmth that was spreading through her body told her that this was what she craved… this was what had been missing from her life. She had waited so long for Ken to kiss her, to make the first move…

But this wasn't Ken. Even as the thought flitted across her mind, Jun pushed it away. She needed this… she wanted this. She wanted to feel desirable… like a woman, and not just another 'guy' on the team.

But was Joe the right person?

Again, the physical side of Jun's nature pushed the errant thought aside, and the Swan sighed as she pulled herself closer to her partner.

Joe slid one hand through Jun's hair, running his fingers lightly through the silky strands, while the other cupped her cheek. He was overwhelmed by his desire for this woman, and the realization that perhaps… she desired him too.

But the Condor was not entirely without doubts. He knew that Jun was hurt and vulnerable, due to her recent discoveries about her past, and Ken's callous reaction. Still, that didn't stop his body from crying out for her.

They pulled apart simultaneously, excited and breathless. Joe saw his desire reflected in Jun's eyes as they stared at each other, silently questioning what had just happened between them.

Words hung, unspoken, in the air. Neither of them was willing to shatter the moment by uttering something that could ruin it. Silently, Jun took Joe's hand, and placed it on the back of her wheelchair.

Nodding, Joe stood up and pushed her out of the room, and into the empty corridor. In moments, they were back at Jun's quarters.

Gently, Joe picked the Swan up in his arms, laying her down on her bed, as he had done the night before.

But this was nothing like the night before.

Joe knelt down on the floor, his face close to Jun's, but neither of them touched the other. They took long, slow breaths in unison, devouring each other with hungry eyes.

Tentatively, Joe reached out toward Jun, slowly letting his hand move toward her skin, inch by inch, as if savoring the anticipation that the contact of her flesh against his would bring.

When his fingers grazed by her arm, Jun shivered with excitement. It had been so long since anyone had touched her in this way, and she was just now realizing how much she had missed it. Unconsciously, she shifted her body ever so slightly, increasing the pressure of his touch by the smallest degree.

Joe slowly trailed his fingers up Jun's arm, gently moving up and around her shoulder. She sighed as he reached her neck, sliding upward and underneath her earlobe, toward her temple, and around her forehead.

Jun felt as if a deep heat was soaking into her body, through Joe's simple caress. As his fingers passed over her skin, the pleasant sensation intensified, following the path of his touch. She closed her eyes, immersing herself in the incredible response the Condor was awakening within her.

Joe's fingertips brushed lightly down Jun's jaw, past her chin, and to her collarbone. Hesitating for a brief moment, he continued his caress straight down, between her breasts, barely making contact with the soft, rounded flesh beneath her shirt. Joe was spellbound at Jun's response to his touch. Her ingenuous reactions were arousing him faster than he had even thought possible. Joe wondered when Jun had last been shown any physical affection. It was obvious that she had a passionate nature that had been denied for far too long. Certainly, it had been longer for her than it had been for him, although his experience was not nearly as vast as his reputation implied.

Jun's breathing had become harsh and ragged as her desire enveloped her. She wanted more. She was past thinking about right and wrong; Jun only knew that she craved Joe's touch. She needed to be fulfilled. She arched her back, bringing her body upward to meet his hand as it slid down her torso, until his entire palm rested on her stomach.

A wave of disappointment crashed over Jun, as Joe's hand slid over her waist and away from her body. Her eyes snapped open, and a soft cry escaped her lips.

There had been no words between them, but Joe saw the hungry, pleading look in Jun's eyes, and knew that he felt the same. He moved closer, opening his mouth to speak, when Jun raised her head, capturing his lips with her own. Overwhelmed, Joe surrendered to his own desires, returning her kiss and shifting himself to lie down next to her on the bed.

The Swan's form seemed to soften and flow, conforming to the Condor's lean, hard shape, until Joe barely knew where his body ended and Jun's began. The roughness of their clothing seemed insignificant compared to the shared pressure and heat of their entwined bodies. Arms and legs wound around each other, touching and exploring their shape and feel in a delicious tangle.

Jun could hardly believe the incredible sensations coursing through her. She felt as if she were on fire, but rather than wanting to put out the flames, she only wanted Joe to fuel the blaze within her. She couldn't recall ever feeling so out of control, yet so immeasurably pleasured.

Joe found that his hand was underneath Jun's shirt, and she gave a throaty murmur of pleasure as he touched her breast, slipping his fingers inside her bra. He savored the feel of her soft, pliant skin against his calloused palm.

Jun was trembling with the feelings Joe was evoking in her. Only two men had ever touched her there before… One was a Galactor soldier who had grabbed her briefly before having his neck broken by the Swan a mere three seconds later. The other was Koji… come to think of it; Koji had died by her hand as well. Maybe she and Joe had more in common than they realized.

But Koji had never made her feel like this. The lukewarm reactions Jun had had to his touch were completely forgotten as her body melted under the onslaught of Joe's caresses.

Joe tried to consider the implications of what was happening, but his thoughts were being washed away in the rising tide of his passion. He had never had a woman respond so fully to his touch, and it was resulting in the most intense arousal he had ever experienced. It was only his disciplined nature that allowed him to hold back and enjoy the moment, rather than rushing toward a fuller intimacy.

But if Joe were truthful with himself, he knew that there was something else holding him back. He was afraid of how this would change things between him and Jun. Certainly Joe had no problems with a change in the nature of their relationship, but what if Jun regretted these actions later on?

This was all happening too fast… Joe had to halt it, before it went too far. But he didn't want to. Yet he knew that if they were to proceed any further, there would be no stopping the tide of their passion.

"Jun…" he whispered.

"Shhhhh…." Jun placed her finger over his mouth, her own lips bruised with his kisses. "Just be with me, Joe."

"I want to…" Joe groaned, "God, how I want to… but…"

"No buts…" Jun murmured, her tongue flicking at his ear, "just now…"

Joe captured her finger in his teeth, briefly sucking on it before releasing it back into her possession.

"Now can't last forever, Jun." he replied, his tone indicating significantly more restraint than he actually possessed at this moment.

"Silly man…" Jun sighed, "There's no forever for us. We may not live to see another sunset."

She had a point. It was the very attitude by which Joe lived his life. Still… Jun had not always embraced that concept in the past.

Jun sensed the Condor's resolve crumbling and made a final plea.

"Just touch me, Joe." she whispered, breathing softly on his neck.

He responded with a low growl, crushing her mouth with his. Jun giggled in the back of her throat, returning the kiss aggressively, letting herself be swept away by the Condor's passionate embrace.

Before long, however, his embrace was not enough. Jun needed to feel his touch on her skin. She laced her fingers through his, and brought his hand to rest on her bare stomach. But to her surprise, it wasn't his hand that touched her. Joe's mouth descended on her breast, his teeth and tongue caressing her, even through her shirt and bra.

Her mind awhirl with lust, she welcomed the touch of his fingers again, when they slipped into her jeans, and below the waistband of her underwear.

Jun nearly screamed as his hard fingertips found her most sensitive place, pleasure crashing over her again and again as she clutched at his hair.

"Oh, Joe…" she groaned, lost in the sensations he was evoking in her.

Joe nearly exploded when Jun said his name with such lust in her voice. He had never felt so desired. He gently placed two fingers inside of her, desperately wishing that it could be that other part of him experiencing her intimate embrace.

As the Swan, Jun knew the full exhilaration of soaring, gliding on the air, flying with the wind. It was the only thing that could compare to the exhilaration she was feeling now. Her heart flew, as Joe kissed her and she completed her passion.

The pair lay unmoving, lips still touching, taking in the intimate experience they had both shared. It felt right, lying together, taking comfort and pleasure in each other's presence, and the memory of their encounter.

After a few minutes, Jun moved slightly, stretching her mouth into a radiant smile.

"Joe…" she whispered, searching for words, "That was… incredible. I never knew I…"

"How long has it been for you, Jun?" Joe asked tenderly.

"Since… a long time." Jun replied, blushing. She wasn't sure she should be bringing up her past lover, in bed with another man. What was the etiquette for this kind of thing anyhow?

"But, he never made me feel like you just did." Jun said shyly.

Joe's heart leapt at her innocent admission. Inwardly, he thrilled to the knowledge that he had been the one to awaken Jun to the passionate nature inside of her. But that led him into a new dilemma. What was Jun feeling for him?

Was it simple lust? Or was it something more?

It had been an emotional and heart-wrenching evening for both of them, and neither Joe nor Jun were in the shape to be making any kind of serious decisions.

Jun slid her hand from Joe's chest, down past his stomach, and onto his hips. She leaned up to kiss the Condor, moving her fingers downward to caress that most male part of him.

"No, Jun." Joe interrupted her, breaking off the kiss and gently catching her hand in his. "I think we need to stop."

"But, you didn't…"

"That's not important." Joe replied, suddenly realizing that it was growing more and more important as he spoke. He tried to phrase his thoughts again.

"I think… before anything else happens, we need to sort things out." Joe said, mentally kicking himself for feeling the need to be so damned honorable.

"I know…" Jun sighed. "You're right, of course… but I was… I am… enjoying the moment so much…"

"I have no regrets, Joe." she said, staring the Condor straight in the eye. "If you don't want… strings… I understand."

"And here, I thought you might be the one who didn't want any 'strings'." Joe chuckled.

"You have a point there." Jun smiled. "My evening did start out moving in a totally different direction." She grew serious again. "But it was the wrong direction, Joe. I know that now."

"You don't know that." Joe replied. "And I think you need to figure it out, before we… continue… this… whatever this is."

"I hate that you're always right." Jun grinned.

"And with that, I think I should be going." Joe said quietly.

Jun opened her mouth to protest, but then bowed her head in acquiescence. Hadn't she just promised him that there would be no strings attached?

"No matter what happens, I'll never forget this, Jun." Joe smiled at her.

Jun reached over, giving him a long, slow kiss.

"Neither will I."

88888

Ken lay on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out just what had happened that evening.

The evening had started out so well, but then he had thought about Katse, and everything had fallen apart. He knew it hadn't been Jun's fault, but he hadn't been able to concentrate after that. Running out of the room… getting away from Jun… that had been the only way to make these terrible visions stop.

Ken didn't know what he was going to do. He wanted to recapture the closeness that he and Jun had shared… was it only a week ago? But he couldn't do that if visions of Katse kept popping into his head every time he looked at her.

Still, he had owed Jun an explanation. So after he had cleared his head, he had gone back to the conference room to talk to her.

Only to find her kissing Joe.

It was now this image that was seared into his brain, refusing to leave, no matter how much he tried to think of something else.

Ken wanted to be angry, to blame Jun for her behavior. But he couldn't. In all honesty, he knew he had treated Jun terribly ever since the debriefing. Ken was sure that Jun must think he despised her. In fact, the Eagle had given her every indication that there was absolutely nothing between them.

No, Ken was the one at fault here. So the question remained: was he going to do anything about this?

Jun was still the same incredible woman he had known for years. He was the one who had changed. It bothered Ken that he was the one who was so shallow… that he couldn't get beyond his hatred for Katse to reach for something wonderful with Jun.

If there was any chance at all of resolving this, Ken needed to talk to Jun, to explain everything to her, and work this out.

But now, there was the added wrinkle of Jun's feelings for Joe. At first, Ken had tried to convince himself that what he had seen wasn't serious. Joe and Jun were just friends…

Only, they hadn't looked like friends.

They had looked like lovers. Joe: holding Jun's cheek in his palm. Jun: her arms entwined around Joe's neck. Ken had dreamt of holding Jun… kissing Jun… in that way. He had only watched them for a few seconds, but Ken could not forget what he had seen.

How many years had he wasted, never acting on his feelings? Meticulously burying them whenever they might crop up, only to have them burst forth in the last couple of months? If he had just acted on his emotions back then, perhaps now, things would be different.

But there was no point thinking about what could have been. Ken grimaced. Despite what he had seen, despite Jun's relationship to Berg Katse, Ken realized that he still wanted the Swan. It was a cruel irony to be realizing the depth of his feelings for her now, when it might be too late.

Yet, if Jun had truly become involved with Joe, Ken couldn't get between them. Not when he, himself, was still sorting the events of the last few days out in his mind. But what if Ken truly had misinterpreted what he had seen? He was pretty sure that Jun wasn't the kind of girl to go out on a date if she were already involved with someone else.

There might still be a chance for the two of them. If only Ken could get her alone to talk… really talk… and sort out his unresolved issues.

More than anything, Ken still wanted to share his sunsets with Jun.