"You need some help, Shepard?"
Kaidan's voice startled Avory and she jumped in spite of herself. Annoyance prickled at the back of her mind, brought on by both his presence and the satisfied chuckle he made at having scared her. He was not supposed to be awake yet.
Shepard looked at him from over her shoulder and her irritation was immediately chased away by the sight of him; his muscular arms crossed over his bare chest and Alliance sweats hanging dangerously low on his hips, his hair still a disheveled mess atop his head. Amusement danced across his chestnut eyes, still heavy with sleep, and his lips pulled into a devilish grin.
Damn him for being so fucking good looking.
"Nope! I got this."
Shepard turned back to her task. She had climbed onto the counter in order to reach a frying pan, which, for some reason, was the only one she could find in the rental, and was stored on the top freaking shelf. She half wondered if Kaidan had put it there to mess with her.
She heard him laugh at her again, followed by the soft padding of his bare feet on the tile floor.
"At least let me spot you, then."
Hands gripped her waist, then slid down her sides, following the curve of her body down to her thighs. His hands slid behind her then and cupped her ass, giving it an appreciative squeeze.
Avory breathed a laugh. "You're a dork."
"I can't help it. It's right here in front of my face." Kaidan chuckled and slipped his hands back around to rest on the sides of her thighs.
Even on her knees, her fingertips fumbled to grasp the handle of the pan, but she managed to pull it from the shelf and climb back down from the countertop. Kaidan's hands slid to her hips as she landed, sandwiched between him and the counter.
"What are you even doing up this early?" Kaidan spun her in his arms so that she was facing him.
"I wanted to have breakfast ready when you woke up."
Kaidan's head fell back slightly and he laughed, his chest rumbling against her with the throaty sound. Avory tried to knot her brow at him for laughing at her expense, but it was a fruitless endeavor. He had every reason to laugh.
Kaidan always woke up before her. Unless there was a job to do, Shepard preferred to stay in bed as long as possible. On leave, it had become Kaidan's unofficial job to coax her out of bed each morning. He had quickly learned that the secret to getting her out of bed in a timely fashion involved the promise of food or the threat of tickling her feet. She was infamously cantankerous in the mornings.
Even more laughable was the idea of her cooking. Boiling water was as far as her culinary skills went.
"Shut up, Alenko." She snaked her hands between them and slapped his chest playfully. She tried desperately to hide her flustered smile from him, her lips pursed into a stubborn pout that turned up at the edges.
Kaidan laughed an apology. "Sorry, Shepard." His eyes found hers and she was no longer able to stop the smile that spread across her lips. "It was sweet of you to think of doing that for me."
There was an intensity in Kaidan's eyes that made her heart flutter with excitement. The way he looked at her, his eyes brimming with devotion as if she was the only other person in the galaxy, made her dizzy with emotion.
She knew he loved her. It was written plainly on his face every time she looked at him. She could taste it on his lips every time they kissed. She could feel it radiating off of him every time he held her.
Shepard had never felt anything like it.
"It would have been sweet if you hadn't come in here and ruined it." Shepard's eyes fell to his chest, where her fingers crawled over the muscled expanse of bare skin.
"It's the thought that counts."
She rolled her eyes at the platitude, but accepted defeat.
Avory knew that Kaidan would return the sentiment if she could only work up the courage to hell him she loved him. She had planned to over and over again. She had imagined how delighted he would be when she told him, how he would immediately sweep her into his arms and how they would likely wind up spending the rest of the day in bed, tangled together and whispering I love you.
Every time the words bubbled to the surface, her throat closed around them, choking them back down.
Turn her loose on a battlefield, put her up against hoards of husks and creepers and geth, she didn't feel a modicum of fear.
Just to think about professing her love and her heart jumped into her throat.
"One day, I'll do it." Her voice was quiet, wistful, as she traced the contours of his chest.
Kaidan dropped his head and placed a tender kiss on the top of hers. His arms enveloped her, pulling her firmly against him and holding her there.
Shepard sighed and let herself melt into him, her eyes closing as her head found comfort against his chest. His heart beat steadily against her ear, the same steady rhythm that always relaxed her.
"I know, Shepard. I don't mind waiting."