This chapter is explicit...Eros is the god of love, after all.
Rey pushed back the flap of the tent to find it filled with flowers. The smell was amazing and the sight was beautiful. Flowers of all sorts were in vases on the ground and on pedestals all along the sides, most of which Rey had never seen before. Petals in shades of blues, pinks and purples covered the sides of the tent. In the middle was a sitting area lined with pillows and cushions of all shapes and sizes made of the most luxurious fabrics; some of them were covered in elaborate embroidery, some with thick fringe on the edges with fluffy tassels on the corners, all softer than anything Rey had ever experienced. Venij stood waiting for her. "It was the best I could do on short notice," he said.
"It's amazing. Where did you get all of these?" she asked.
"My contacts in town," he replied.
"The expense." Rey shook her head.
"Will you sit with me? I know it's not the most comfortable arrangement, but I couldn't exactly get furniture out here."
Rey smiled. "It's fine. In fact, it's perfect. I love it." She sat down on the mat, finding it soft and comfortable. She tucked her legs under her, making herself comfortable. "So what does a mercenary do on days when he's not on a contract?"
"He fills tents with flowers." Rey laughed so hard she doubled over as Venij laughed with her. "So did you have a pleasant dinner with your friends?"
"Yes," she replied. "Though dinner itself was awful. Some open faced sandwich thing with gravy. You have spoiled me, that is for sure. Two dinners and I'm ruined for cafeteria rations."
"Good. You deserve better. You should be in a palace with servants, at the very least."
Rey laughed. "Hardly. I can certainly take care of myself."
He took her hand in his. "But you shouldn't have to. You had to work so hard for too long. No one took care of you when they should have, so now you deserve to be taken care of." He took his other hand and ran it along the outline of her chin. "My desert flower, so beautiful."
Rey felt her breath catch in her throat. "You're so kind to me; I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything." He traced her lips with his thumb and she felt herself kiss it, almost automatically.
He had a dazzling effect on her, with his warm voice and soft touch. If she could only see his face. She hoped that would happen soon, but she didn't want to press him. She knew she had to fully earn his trust, but she had to wonder just how long that would take. He couldn't look that horrible, could he? And even if he did, it really didn't matter. She wasn't beginning to care for him because of his looks, but rather for the person he was, in spite of his questionable occupation.
"I know what you're thinking," he said. "Soon."
"What?" she said.
"Soon. You'll see my face soon enough."
Rey nodded. "How did you know?"
He shrugged. "Just a feeling. And I know you. I feel like I've known you my whole life."
"You do seem familiar, but I can't explain how. It is like I know you, like we have a bond, but clearly that's not possible."
"Obviously not," he said as he cleared his throat. He reached back behind him and brought out a bottle of wine and two glasses. "Would you like a glass?" he said with a smile.
"Do I have a choice?" she said.
"Of course you do! You can have some with me or you can watch me drink. One is fun, the other not as much I feel," said Venij, laughing. "It's emerald wine from Naboo. Very light and sweet. I think you'll like it." He poured her a glass and handed it to her.
She took a drink of the wine. "This is good! The only other wine I've had before is Corellian wine."
"Not my favorite," he replied tartly. He poured himself a glass and took a drink. "This happens to be one of my favorites. Not the most expensive or most rare, but a good one."
Rey took another drink. "This is really good. I'm glad you brought this, though I might question your motives."
"Really now?" Venij sounded offended, but maybe mockingly so. "What motives would you be questioning?" He took her hand in his again and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.
She started laughing. "Oh I don't know, with the hand holding and last night."
"What about last night?" His voice took on a husky tone.
"I think you know," Rey replied, moving closer to him.
He took another drink of his wine. "Do you think I have ill intentions?"
Rey shook her head. "No, I think you intend to seduce me," she said as she finished her glass of wine.
"Would you like another glass of wine?" he asked.
"Yes, I would, and you avoided my statement."
He poured her another glass. "Perhaps you intend to seduce me, Rey."
Rey softly laughed. "I'm not sure I even know how to seduce someone, Venij."
"Oh, I think you do. That smile, your laugh, your beauty, those eyes that look into a man's soul. You can seduce a man without even trying, Rey. That is part of what makes you so special." He took his hand from her and softly ran it up her arm over her sleeve, then moved upward, hitting the bare part of her arm, making her shiver.
"I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm fairly sure you do," she whispered.
"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.
"No," she replied, taking another sip of her wine.
Venij finished his glass of wine and poured himself another, sitting the wine bottle back behind him again. With a wave of his hand, the candles in the tent extinguished except for one in the far corner, which gave just enough light for them to see the outline of their wine glasses and each other. He reached up and unclasped his hood, then removed it. Rey sighed as she took another drink of her wine, starting to feel the effects.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No, not at all," she replied.
"You were hoping to see more, I know. I'm sorry. I'm just not ready. I don't want you to see a monster."
Rey felt for his hand and held it. "I'm sure I wouldn't see a monster."
"Don't be so sure," he replied. He leaned over and kissed her. He tasted sweet and she leaned into him, feeling warm from the wine. "All I ask is that you don't touch my face."
Rey nodded as she took another drink from her glass. "You know how unusual this is, right?"
"Perhaps," he replied. He was partially reclined with one knee bent and the other leg stretched out in front of him, with his arm draped over his knee. His shoulders were broad and his shirt stretched perfectly over his chest, while the sleeves showed off the muscles of his arms just so. Rey had never seen a man look more delicious in her life. The fabric of his pants clung to his thighs and were tucked into his boots, showing off his calves. The faint light from the candle was enough to show the details of his physique and her memory of what she had seen before combined to make an outstanding picture. "You're staring, Rey."
Her breath caught in her throat for a moment. "I like what I see." She moved over to him and put herself in his lap. She waved her hand and extinguished the last candle. "I don't think we need that any longer," she whispered. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laced her hands in his hair, kissing him passionately. He met her with equal passion, his tongue finding hers, dancing in and out of her mouth. He groaned as she softly bit his bottom lip, then flicked her tongue across it. Her hands moved from his hair to his shoulders and down his back, touching him everywhere she could reach.
His mouth moved from hers to trail kisses along her jaw up to her ear where he nibbled on her earlobe as he moaned her name, "Oh, Rey."
She felt the wetness between her legs grow, and her hands returned to his hair as his mouth started to make its way down her neck. She felt his hand on her thigh and she spread her legs so his hand could move upward. He only lightly rubbed her thigh at first, giving her goosebumps. She grabbed at his hair, pressing his face into her neck. His hair was long and thick, giving her plenty to hold onto.
After he removed her leggings, his hand found her center, tickling her. "I'm ready whenever you are," he said into her ear, his breath hot against her skin. "But that doesn't mean I don't have so many things I want to do to you first."
"Yes," Rey moaned, as he found the sensitive bundle of nerves waiting for him and began to make circles with his fingers. His mouth covered hers as he moved faster and faster, making her writhe in his arms. Her hands dug into his shoulders as she reached the edge of her climax, his deft fingers swirling around her sensitive clit. The sensation was overwhelming; she crashed into her orgasm and cried out. Rey felt his smile against her lips, but was breathless and couldn't say anything. She simply responded with a kiss and a smile of her own.
Rey reached down and untucked his shirt from his pants. She began to pull the shirt up, and Venij continued to take the shirt off. Rey ran her hands over his chest, feeling many scars. "Now do you understand?" he said. She nodded.
She leaned back a bit and ran her hands along his stomach, again feeling a multitude of scars. "What happened?"
"War," he replied. "Battles. Things that are better not spoken of."
Rey put her hands on his shoulders and kissed along his chest. "If I could heal you, I would."
He shuddered at her kisses. "If you only knew." He reached down and undid the belt holding her lightsaber and blaster. "Shall I keep these close at hand?"
"I wouldn't put them too far away, either," Rey said with a laugh.
He set them to the side and pulled her close to his chest for a kiss. "No one will ever hurt you if you're with me."
"I can protect myself," she murmured. "But I appreciate your chivalry."
"I would kill anyone that tried to hurt you, Rey."
Rey tilted her head. "Would you kill for me?"
"Absolutely."
"That's a little scary."
He pulled her shirt up over her head. "Haven't you figured out that I'm scary?"
She shivered at the cool air against her breasts. "I suppose that is true, but you don't frighten me."
"I hope not," he said, as he took one of her nipples into his mouth. She gasped as his tongue worked circles around it and his teeth nibbled. Rey felt desire build in her core as he suckled on her breast and his fingers rolled her other nipple between them. His other hand cupped her ass cheek. She turned her body and straddled him, giving him better access to her breasts. She moaned as he moved his mouth to her other nipple. She buried her face in the top of his head as he swirled his tongue around it, alternately sucking to give her varied sensations. She pressed his face into her breast as her hips ground into his stomach, and he moaned as he felt her do so.
Venij brought his mouth back to hers and put his hands on her back and leaned her back onto the mat, bringing his body on top of hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her. She felt him hard and hot against her and brought her hips up to meet him. She felt his lips against her ear and a soft laugh. "Oh, not yet, my desert flower. I'm not nearly done with you."
Taking one hand in his, he gently trailed kisses down one arm while the other hand lightly caressed the rest of her body, teasing over her breasts, tickling down her sides, leaving goosebumps wherever his fingertips touched. His touch was so light and silky, Rey shivered whenever he made contact with her skin. His kisses found the inside of her elbow and her forearm, down to the top of her hand and then her palm. He moved on to each finger, then fingertips, stopping to lightly suck on each one. Rey's head was spinning by the time he reached her little finger. He hadn't stopped touching her body the whole time.
He next moved to gently rubbing her foot and running his hands up and down her leg before moving to the other leg and doing the same thing. Rey shuddered in anticipation of his hands against the bare skin of her legs, and more. His fingers now trailed up to her stomach, ghosting over it. She couldn't help but giggle a little bit, it just tickled too much. Venij laughed under his breath, a husky noise that made Rey's stomach flutter. He leaned over and kissed her, causing Rey to make a pathetic mewling noise involuntarily. She was almost embarrassed by it, and she shivered from the cool night air in the tent.
"I have blankets if you're cold," he said.
She smiled, "I think you can warm me up."
He kicked off his boots. "I'm positive I can, my dear." He ran his hand along the length of her body, caressing her breasts, moving across her smooth stomach then finally slipping his hand between her legs, finding her wet and ready for him. He leaned down and kissed her as he slipped one finger inside of her, and she moaned against his lips. He pushed his finger in and out of her fully, slowly at first, teasing, making Rey frustrated while pushing circles against her nub with his thumb. As he sped up, her hips raised up from the mat and he slipped a second finger in her, making her cry out. As her orgasm started to crest, he quickly moved his fingers in and out of her while she bucked her hips against his hand, calling out his name as she came. Her breath came in pants as she started to come down, her own hand slowly rubbing her nub as the last waves of her orgasm came over her. Venij took her hand and licked her fingertips, savoring the taste of her. He leaned down and kissed her. She tasted herself on his lips, musky and foreign, but not unpleasant.
Rey put her hand on his shoulder and pulled him down on top of her, kissing him hard. She wrapped both arms around him, pulling him tight against her body. "I want you, now," she whispered in his ear. He growled, low and guttural, as he pulled his pants off, his cock already hard. He took his knee and spread her legs, guiding his cock to her wet center. She lifted her hips to give him a better angle and he entered her, making her moan. He groaned as he filled her, her sex tight around him. He slowly began to pump in and out of her, savoring every inch as he moved. He almost fell over her as he lowered himself down to kiss her, the sensations taking over his mind as he worked his cock in and out of her. While he worked his tongue into her mouth, her fingers dug into his back and her legs wrapped around his waist so he could drive deeper into her.
She cried out every time he went into her, making him growl low and deep, bringing out something animalistic in him. "Aw, fuck, Rey," he groaned. Rey could only moan in reply as he continued to drive in and out of her, until they both were calling out the other's name in between cries of lust and ecstasy. They hit their orgasms simultaneously, Venij filling her with his seed as she cried out with the last wave of her own. He shuddered as he gave a few last thrusts into her and laid next to her, taking her in his arms.
Rey snuggled against his chest, getting as close to him as she could. "That blanket would be a great idea now," she said.
He propped himself up on one arm and looked behind the pillows, "Ah, here we are." He spread a luxurious black velvet throw with intricate embroidery over Rey and himself.
"Why do I think you had this all planned out?" she asked.
"You can't blame a man for being hopeful, can you?" he said, laughing. "And if it did happen, I wanted to be fully prepared and have a nice warm blanket for you. If it didn't happen, then a nice warm blanket for me when I'm all by myself."
"Where have you been sleeping anyhow?" she asked.
"A hotel in town. You don't think I've been sleeping here? How uncivilized. I avoid sleeping outside at all costs."
Rey laughed. "I can't say that I blame you, now that I know what it's like to sleep indoors."
He stroked her cheek. "I hope that you never sleep outdoors again."
"So what happens now?"
"What do you mean?" he replied.
"Where do we go from here?" Rey asked.
"I think we take things one day at a time and see where they lead us. With the way our lives are, I don't think we can plan ahead. " he said quietly. "We see each other when we can and we go from there."
Rey nodded. "I think that sounds reasonable." She stopped for a moment.. "You know I can't stay."
"I know. Can't you get out of that damn base for one night?"
"I will tomorrow night. I'll sneak out after lights out."
Venij laughed. "So much for the ideals of freedom."
"Well, it is a military installation. There has to be rules and regulations. You were the one talking about order." She gave him a small push on his shoulder.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her close. "Sometimes, breaking rules is acceptable." He kissed her passionately, wrapping his arm around her. She slid her arms around his neck, her tongue seeking his. "Please stay with me tonight."
"I can't," she whispered. "Gods, I want to, but I can't. If I get caught I won't be able to get back out at all."
Venij held onto her tight. "I know." He waved his hand to illuminate enough candles to be able to get dressed.
Rey pulled on her socks and leggings, then her shirt. Venij was in no hurry as he pulled on his pants and started to put on his boots. Rey looked up at the top of the tent. "Did you hear that?" she asked.
"Hear what?" Venij asked.
Rey scrambled to put on her boots and then her belt with her lightsaber and blaster. The distinct sound of TIE-fighters was now audible. "The First Order!" she cried, waving her hand and bringing the candles to full brightness.
"NO!" Venij said, but before he could dim them, Rey saw his face fully for the first time.