[Author's Note - In case you skipped over the steaminess of the last chapter, here's a bit from the end that's plot-relevant (and, okay, maybe a bit sweet and fluffy). Chapter 2 is PG-13 and PROBABLY work-safe... although, if you have a job at which you get to read fanfic, um, let me know where to send an application! ^.^]

Corso lifted his head and looked at her for a long moment. "I love you, Vacy. Don't – I'm not – I know maybe you don't feel the same way. Maybe you never will. But it's got to the point that pretendin' this is just some passin' fancy of mine feels an awful lot like a lie. I can't do it. If you need me to leave, I will. But I can't pretend anymore."

He wasn't sure whether she moved first or he did, but a moment later they were pressed together again, lips seeking each other in an embrace that was as awkwardly uncertain as it was passionate. She took a breath a moment later, looking at him silently, and then ever so gently leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

As he held her, she still didn't say anything. He tried to tell himself that was a good thing, that at least she didn't start apologizing, or worse, laugh.

But he couldn't ignore the heavy weight that was settling into the pit of his stomach.

Words Get in the Way, Chapter 2

The spray of the water was a little too warm against his skin to be comfortable, but it was still with a good deal of reluctance that Corso finally let go of Vacy and stepped out of the shower. He dried off quickly and walked through the archway into her cabin, hoping that some of his clothes were on her floor rather than everything being out in the hallway. He didn't think he'd been naked already when they got into the room, but then, he hadn't been paying too much attention at the time.

Fortunately he spotted his trousers easily enough, and that meant his drawers were around… somewhere… He found them all the way over behind the bed and vaguely remembered Vacy flinging them wildly with a giggle. It was kind of impressive how much distance she'd gotten. He had pulled them on and was stepping into his pants when he heard her clear her throat.

She was watching him through the doorway as she squeezed a towel around her ponytail. "Hey, uh, Corso?" Droplets of water streamed down her skin and he realized he was staring, but he didn't care. He did have enough presence of mind to close his mouth, though. "Ahm. There's… I have space in my trunk in here. I – I mean, if… if you wanted to, um, keep things… in here."

He grinned kind of wryly. "I don't think we're any kind of secret, Captain. Yeah, Risha smarts off a bit every now'n again, but overall, they seem all right with it. An' I really don't need a spare set of duds, plus I'm savin' up for a new barrel for Torchy. Druther spend the money on that. Thanks, though."

She shook her head, chewing on her lower lip. "Not what I meant. Um." Taking a slow breath, she began speaking faster. "See, um, usually if I'm… well… intimate with someone, sooner or later I get tired of them." She looked down, twisting the towel in her hands, frowning a bit. "Usually sooner, rather than later, actually. But, well, I haven't. I mean with you. So, you see, I wasn't talking about spare things." Vacy stood there, silent and still for a long moment before looking up at Corso again. "I meant your things. I – I mean – what I'm asking is if – if you'd l-like to stay here."

Hope swelled within him, but Corso kept it held back as much as he could. "You mean share your cabin?" He could feel a blush rising in his cheeks, despite the fact that there really wasn't anything left to blush about. "Are you sure?"

Vacy opened her mouth, then closed it again and just looked at him for several seconds. Finally she wordlessly shook her head.

And with that, his were dreams crushed so severely that it was like he'd been hit right in the gut. But his pride kept him from doing more than turning toward the door.

She took a step forward, blurting out, "No, that's not what I meant!" That stopped him, though he didn't turn around or even look back at her, and she continued, half-babbling. "I'm not sure about anything with you, Corso. I don't know what in blazes I'm doing. This isn't like anything I've ever been through before. If I let myself think about what's going on I get terrified I'm gonna say or do something that ruins it all."

When she paused for a breath, he just stood there silently. Vacy walked over and put her hand on his forearm, and to her relief, he didn't pull away. "I'm not like you, Corso," she said quietly. "I can't make promises – well – not honestly, anyhow. You always seem so certain about things, and I never am. My way is more to make my best guess an' then hope that things work out."

He reached up with his other hand, his fingers brushing her cheek. "Vacy… that's what most folks mean when they say they're sure."

Her brows pulled together as she looked up at him, blinking quickly. "But it's not true."

Somehow they were standing in a half-embrace, he realized as he smiled down at her. "We've been through a lot together. If it wasn't for you, maybe I'd have walked away from some of it. But you give me a choice between you and the rest of the galaxy an' I'll still be here at your side. Now, have you actually forced me to make that choice? Have I sat down and made a pros-and-cons list? No. But 'my best guess' is based on everything we've shared… and for me, that's enough to say I'm sure."

She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Well, I'm as close to sure about this as I have been about anything else in my life?" she ventured in a hopeful whisper.

And while he found himself captivated by her voice – not to mention her lips – it was the longing in her eyes that was impossible for him to resist. With a warm smile, he pulled her against him and lowered his mouth to hers. "I can handle that," he whispered back.

Her arms tightened around him as they kissed, and she shivered, prickles rising on her bare skin. She let out a soft whisper of a groan, her body tensing, hips rocking gently against his.

Corso lifted his head with a shuddery breath, clearing his throat. "Um. Sh-should I go get my things?"

Her fingers threaded into his locks and she pulled his head back down to her for another long, hungry kiss. "Later," she rumbled breathlessly against his mouth.

"Vee, you just had a shower…" Stars, she was still naked, and soft, and there was something he'd been thinking about a moment ago but thinking was kind of difficult at the moment.

Her knee gently rubbed up and down the lower part of his thigh, and with an impatient grumble she nipped at the side of his neck. "So I'll take another. We're docked an' hooked up. Got as much water as we want."

That got his attention. Corso stared at her in bewilderment. What was this – his credit-grubbing captain, frittering money away? Had the galaxy begun rotating backwards? "Yeah, but you PAY for it. This is Tatooine – it's gotta be costing a fortune!"

She cupped his jaw in both her hands, lips plump and soft and ready, and stared up at him with eyes heavy-lidded by desire and longing. "I don't. Care. Get your things later. Right now I want you – I need you – and it's worth every damned cred."

With a grin, he lowered his head, his lips slowly caressing hers. "You got it."

[Thanks for reading - as always, comments and reviews are welcome! I hope you enjoyed it.]