"I have, indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its absolute effect - in terror."

~Edgar Allan Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher"

~.~.~.~

Chapter 7: Afterglow

Ben's POV

The sound of laughter woke me from my peaceful slumber that next morning. I opened my eyes, smiling at the beautiful sound I knew to be Rey's infectious laugh. I rubbed away the sleep from under my eyes and realized I hadn't slept quite that well in over two decades.

Last night had been amazing. Making love to Rey had been the single most exhilarating thing I'd ever done in my thirty-eight years on this Earth. The way she called out my name as she came, the way her lips caressed mine in the throes of passion, the way her hips rocked against me as I thrust into her; everything about her was so… intoxicating.

A thousand nights with Kaydel could have never amounted to one night with Rey.

I would never forget the look in Rey's eyes as she comforted me in my father's kitchen. The emotions that had been building over the past twenty-four hours came crashing down upon me like a two-ton boulder. The mass of guilt and shame for taking another man's life began to literally eat me alive. If Rey hadn't been there to hold me in her arms and tell me how brave I'd been, I would have surely contemplated ending my life.

Now, I had a reason to live… Rey. One single glance into her gorgeous hazel eyes had been enough to save me. I now knew why fate had made me fall in love with her mother those many years ago. Fate knew I'd meet Qi'ra's daughter one day. My heart that had turned so cold for over two decades finally had begun to warm after Rey entered my life. She had awakened the Ben Solo I'd once thought to be lost forever.

There was only one problem - that asshat of a boyfriend she'd left back at her grandfather's house. Technically, she was still his; Rey had said last night that she and Poe had been dating for almost a year. I gritted my teeth in frustration at the thought. I knew he wouldn't be too happy when he found out I'd slept with his girlfriend, though part of me delighted in the fact that she'd willingly given herself to me. I just hoped Rey felt the same way about me as I felt about her. I was terrified by the possibility that she might realize what she'd done and go running back to Poe. The thought of him even touching her made my insides burn with jealous rage.

I rolled over in my bed and felt the covers beside me, hoping to pull Rey back into my arms and never let her go. Instead, my hand was greeted with nothingness, the bare cotton sheets tickling my palms. My eyes widened, disappointment shooting through me like a lightning bolt. The laughter I'd heard earlier had only been wishful thinking; Rey had already left me and gone back to that Rico Suave wannabe.

Panicking, I immediately shot up in bed, tossing the covers back, and grabbed my boxer briefs and jeans that I'd worn last night from the floor. I quickly dressed, throwing on my wife-beater tank before heading down the hallway to the kitchen. I'd already lost her mother once; I wasn't about to lose Rey as well.

I stopped abruptly as Rey's laughter filtered into the hallway, the sound of my father's gruff voice traveling with it. I sighed in relief, my shoulders relaxing. My hands, which had curved into angry fists, loosened as I neared the kitchen.

"Your mother and Ben were inseparable when they were kids," my father spoke, his speech slurred by the paralysis in his face, which had been triggered by several strokes. "We used to call them the Wonder Twins."

Smiling, I tiptoed forward and paused on the threshold of the kitchen doorway. My senses were instantly assaulted by the fragrance of bacon, eggs, and coffee. Leaning my bare shoulder against the door frame, I crossed my arms over my chest and took in the sight before me. My father was seated in his wheelchair, sipping a cup of coffee, a broad smile decorating his face. I'd never seen him so jovial this early in the morning. Hell, he'd barely even cracked a smile since my mother left those many years ago.

"Can I have a couple more slices of bacon, Rey?" my father suddenly asked, looking toward his right.

It was then that I noticed her. She stood with her back to my father, busily hovering over the kitchen stove. She had a red-and-white checkered apron, which had once belonged to my mother, cinched around her waist, covering the lemon-yellow shirt and blue skirt she'd worn last night. Her shoulder-length, brown hair danced about her shoulders as she worked over the bacon and eggs simmering on the skillet in front of her. I didn't even need to see her face; she was radiant to me. And the fact that she was cooking breakfast for my invalid father made my dick harden beneath the fabric of my jeans.

"Sure, Han," Rey's sweet voice called as she grabbed the skillet in one hand and a spatula with the other. She turned and merrily plopped several additional slices of bacon into my father's plate. The sight of her beautiful face nearly took my breath away. "There you go."

"Thanks, Rey," my father said, chomping on his bacon. "Hey, did you know Ben wet his bed until he was ten?"

"Morning!" I rolled my eyes and made my presence known, walking into the kitchen.

"Ben, how nice of you to join us, son!" my father exaggeratedly announced as I brushed past Rey and grabbed a mug from the cabinet over the sink. "We thought you were gonna sleep all day."

"Good thing I did join you before you completely humiliated me behind my back," I jokingly remarked, pouring myself a cup of coffee and taking a hefty sip from my mug.

Rey bashfully looked up at me and smiled, returning the skillet to the stove. Her arm made brief contact with mine, igniting goosebumps along my skin. My heart did a backflip as I smiled stupidly back at her.

"Just keeping it real, Ben. Just keeping it real." My father heartily laughed and downed more bacon and eggs. "Why didn't you tell me we had company last night?"

"Because it's none of your business, old man," I replied, setting down my mug on the counter.

Rey turned around and leaned against the edge of the counter, wiping her brow with the bottom of the apron. Scooting closer to her, I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she immediately molded her body to mine. I kissed the side of her head, marveling in the fact that she was still here. Maybe she did feel the same way about me as I felt about her.

"Thank you," I whispered against her ear.

"For what?" She looked at me with a confused expression.

"For everything. You're an amazing woman," I told her, taking in the glorious scent that saturated her hair, roses mixed with honeysuckle.

"No problem." Rey smiled, a flush of heat rushing to her cheeks. She had to be the most goddamn beautiful woman on Earth. "You're not so bad yourself."

Mirroring her grin, I leaned in to brush my lips back and forth against hers, but my father's voice interrupted us.

"Ben, what's Kaydel going to think of this new development?" my father annoyingly interjected. I could have throttled him for bringing up my ex in front of Rey.

"Kaydel?" Rey gave me an upturned eyebrow, pulling away from me slightly, a hint of heartbreak in her tone. "Who's Kaydel?"

I pursed my lips together, not wanting my father's comment to ruin the post-coital bliss I currently felt. The muscles of my neck tensed as I tried to think of way to avoid this conversation for now. However, I knew I'd have to explain my complicated relationship with Kaydel to Rey soon enough.

"I-I-" I stuttered, trying to find just the right words to say when a knock on the side door broke my concentration.

"Anybody home?" a familiar voice called from behind the screen door. Fuck, it was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I hadn't seen Obi-Wan since the incident two nights ago. Being around an officer of the law after the heinous crime I'd committed and consequently involved his granddaughter in made my heart nervously thud in my chest. The man who had supposedly murdered Qi'ra and Dryden now rotted in the waters somewhere off the James River shore. It would devastate him to learn that Armitage Hux had been alive all these years, not dead and buried in the ground as he once thought.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Obi-Wan Kenobi!" my father exclaimed, wheeling his chair around to face the door. "Come on in, stranger."

Obi-Wan opened the screen door, letting himself into the house. "Hey, Han. I was looking for R-"

He froze when he saw my hands around Rey's waist, his hand still supporting the screen door. It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn that I saw him reach for his gun. I went to push Rey away, but she clung to me as if I were her only lifeline.

Obi-Wan uncomfortably cleared his throat and closed the door behind him.

"Jesus, Rey, you had me worried sick," he began, putting his hands on his hips. "I come home and find your Jeep gone, no trace of you or Poe in sight. I thought he'd kidnapped you against your will and taken you back to Florida."

Rey giggled beside me, and my heart warmed at the sound of her laughter. She pulled away from me and wrapped her arms lovingly around her grandfather.

"Oh, Obi-Wan, I love you," she said.

Obi-Wan's arms responded by gripping her tiny frame tightly to his chest. I heard him release a sigh of relief, and I could tell from the expression on his face that he loved Rey more than the morning sun.

After a few seconds, Obi-Wan let Rey go, his eyes focusing solely on me.

"Ben, do you mind if I have a word with you outside?"

"Yeah, sure," I said, bracing myself for Obi-Wan's wrath, and slipped my feet into my work boots by the door. Before following him out the screen door, I glanced back at Rey briefly, and she gave me a wry smile. I heard the sound of my father grunting as the screen door slammed shut behind me. I was positive that he was getting a kick out of this whole situation.

Obi-Wan continued walking until he reached his police cruiser, which was parked near the shed where I kept my bike. I followed closely behind him, dodging several puddles of rainwater that had collected from last night's storm. I hoped with all my heart and soul that this wasn't about what had happened at the ice cream store the other night. My heart began to pound even faster in my chest when I considered the possibility that maybe a witness had come forward.

Rey's grandfather unexpectedly halted his steps, facing his cruiser for several seconds before turning around to face me.

"Ben, I'm going to be honest with you." He paused, taking a deep breath, and stuffed his hands into his trousers' pockets. "I have a pretty good idea as to what happened between you and my granddaughter last night. I can't say I'm thrilled, but Rey seems so much happier now that she's met you. She's been rather despondent these past few years since her parents died. That's all I care about, Ben - her happiness. You get me?"

"That's all I care about, too, Obi-Wan," I sincerely answered him. "I want nothing more than to make her happy."

"Good, I'm glad we can agree on that at least," Obi-Wan said, pressing his lips into a hard line, and smoothed his mustache with his fingers. "I made a promise to Qi'ra long ago that I would take care of Rey if anything happened to her. Please help me keep that promise."

I felt a lump rise in my throat at the mention of keeping Rey safe. My actions two nights ago had been less than honorable. The compulsion to confess everything suddenly rushed over me, but I couldn't find the words to speak.

"I know that you once were in love with Qi'ra, and I also know about your relationship with Kaydel Connix," Obi-Wan continued, looking warily at me. "I don't want my granddaughter to be just another notch on your belt."

"She's not another notch on my belt, Obi-Wan. Far from it," I insisted, placing a hand on his shoulder so I could look him in the eye. "She means so much more than that to me."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Ben." He quickly brushed off my gesture and opened the door to his cruiser, wedging himself between the door and cab. "Because if you break my granddaughter's heart, I'll break your legs. You got that?"

"Loud and clear, sir," I replied, trying to quell the urge to laugh.

Obi-Wan didn't look any more menacing than a housefly. However, I revered him and admired his unabashed attempt to intimidate me in defense of Rey. I'd be a little defensive too if a thirty-eight-year-old man was hitting on my much younger granddaughter. Actually, I was surprised at how well he was taking the whole situation, considering he'd given Dryden a hard time when he first started dating Qi'ra. Something in Obi-Wan's demeanor over the years had always led me to believe he wished I'd been the one to win Qi'ra's heart, instead of Dryden Vos.

"Obi-Wan, please!" an exasperated Rey yelled behind me as she hurried to meet us in the driveway.

"See you kids later," Obi-Wan smirked, obviously proud with himself. He then licked his lips, cranked his police car, and headed out of the driveway.

As I watched him drive away, Rey wrapped her arms around my waist from behind.

"Hey," I whispered, looking down at her beautiful face.

"Hey, yourself." Rey beamed up at me, biting her lower lip. She looked so damned sexy in my mother's apron. I wanted nothing more than to throw her over my shoulder, take her back to my bedroom, and show her just how sexy she was.

However, all desire suddenly ripped away from my body when she asked, giving me the glare of death, "Now, who's this Kaydel I keep hearing about?"

Rey's POV

"Kaydel's my ex," Ben blurted out as we walked along the shoreline of the James River.

After taking me for a ride on his bike to the one-mile stretch of shoreline, Ben had finally answered my question. His father, Han, had been the first to bring up this "Kaydel" character over breakfast that morning, and I had a pretty good feeling that Ben had been keeping a secret about his love life from me as well. Even Obi-Wan had mentioned her in his conversation with Ben outside of Han's house. How come he hadn't told me about her?

Ignoring my question after Obi-Wan humiliatingly had warned him not to break my heart, Ben had suggested we take a stroll down the river's edge and spend the day together. He had phoned his business partner, Finn, and asked if he could cover for Ben at the garage. I was ecstatic to waste the day away with Ben; it would be a chance to get to know him better, including his relation to this "Kaydel" person.

"Your ex as in wife, girlfriend… lover?" I questioned him, trying hard to mask my anxiousness as I awaited his answer. I dangled my ballet flats in my hands as a distraction, glancing down at my bare feet as they made imprints in the cold, wet sand.

"Well, not so much a girlfriend. She was more of a convenience, you could say." Ben sighed and looked off toward the cliffs ahead of us. Hunching his shoulders, he tucked his hands into his jean pockets. A pained expression etched across his face, and I knew it was a difficult topic of conversation for him.

"Convenience?" I watched him cautiously after pulling several windswept strands of my hair back from my face. "You mean you used her."

"Well, it was mutual," Ben sharply admitted, not meeting my eyes. "Kaydel used me as much as I used her."

"Okay," I said, and decided to press the issue further. "So how did you two, um… meet?"

"We were friends in high school." Ben reached down and picked up a shiny, black stone. He held it in his palms for several seconds, running his fingers along the contours before tossing it into the brown water. "I started seeing her after your moth-"

He shot me a worried glance, placing his hands behind his head, almost as if he wasn't sure of what he should say next. He forcefully blew all the air out of his mouth and looked jadedly toward an island just off shore.

"What's wrong, Ben?" I asked when he didn't continue. I walked over to him and circled my arms about his waist, pulling him to me.

"Nothing," he said, instantly coiling his arms about my shoulders. He sighed and pressed my head to his shoulder, hugging me close. "Well, I started seeing Kaydel when I found out your mother was pregnant with you."

"Oh," I whispered, my heart racing in my chest. I didn't know what to think. He'd told me a few nights ago that he used to be in love with my mom. Finding out that she was carrying another man's child must have torn him irrevocably in two.

After an awkward silence, I said, "I'm sorry, Ben."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago. Kaydel just helped to lessen the sting of not having your mother in my life." He patted my shoulder reassuringly.

"Did you love Kaydel, Ben?" I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. I hated knowing that he'd been in pain over my mother choosing my father instead of him. My mind then shifted to thoughts of Poe, how I was ultimately choosing Ben over him. My heart instantly broke for the both of them. Maybe Ben was right; I was just like my mother.

"We were together off and on for over twenty years, Rey. Part of me did love her, yes." Ben pulled me taut against his chest, gently kissing the top of my head. The warmth of his body and the power of his strong arms overwhelmed me. "But I never could picture the two of us spending the rest of our lives together. It just wasn't meant to be."

"Wow… twenty years," I murmured, my eyes closing against his shoulder, listening to the rhythm of his heart as it beat in time with the current crashing to the shore. "She must've really loved you to stay with you that long."

Ben laughed, and I relished in the vibrations of his laughter as it traveled down his shoulders and against my cheek.

"Yeah, she practically begged me to marry her several times," he confessed, unwrapping his arms from around my back. He looked me straight in the eyes, his hands steadying on my shoulders. "I almost asked her once after your mother died, but something… something in my gut kept telling me that I shouldn't."

"And what was that, you think?" I coyly grinned.

Ben's eyes smoldered as I peered into them, two depthless pools of warm chocolate. Pulling my arms up, he wrapped them tenderly around his neck and placed both of his hands on my hips. I ran my fingers down the back of his neck, fingering the layers of his hair at the base.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," he spoke softly, just inches from my lips. I felt his words ripple all the way down to my waist.

"Ben." My lips broke apart with the word, my breath coming in gasps. I forced myself to break his gaze. "Last night..."

"Last night was the most amazing night of my life, Rey," Ben said without hesitation, pulling my face back to meet his. "Making love to you was..."

He closed his eyes at the memory.

"I felt the same way, Ben," I told him honestly, feeling a sudden desire to replay the events of the previous night. I closed my eyes as well and remembered the feeling of him inside me, the sensation of him gently thrusting into me.

"Was it better than with that asshat?" My eyes fluttered open, only to see Ben's expression harden. He'd asked me a similar question last night before we made love; I wondered momentarily if he was beginning to doubt my affections for him.

"Yes, Ben." I lifted onto my tiptoes, kissing him squarely on the mouth. He tried to deepen the kiss, clasping the back of my head, but I pulled back. "The best I've ever had."

"You don't know how happy that makes me, Rey." He reached up and cradled my chin with his hands, resting his forehead against mine. "I was so terrified that you were going to realize you'd made a mistake and go running back to him. I still am terrified. I keep thinking you're gonna disappear."

"Ben, I'm here," I said, kissing the tips of his fingers as they brushed over my lips. I took the end of his forefinger into my mouth and sucked on it gently.

Ben's eyes flared with longing at my gesture, his breath becoming uneven.

I whispered against his fingers, "Poe found out about our date and went back to Florida… I'm all yours."

"Fuck," Ben's lips mouthed the word.

Before I could register what was happening, Ben had me pinned against a nearby tree, my legs bound around his waist. His lips devoured mine as I raked my nails down his muscular back beneath his shirt.

"I want you, Rey," Ben growled, breaking apart from my swollen lips. He pulled down the neckline of my yellow shirt and bra, hungrily taking my right nipple into his mouth. His wet tongue lapped around my nipple several times before he sucked on it roughly.

"Oh, God, Ben, I want you, too," I moaned loudly, feeling the wetness growing between my legs. I hastily unfastened his jeans and reached under the elastic band of his underwear, freeing his glorious erection. "Please..."

My hand ran up and down the length of his shaft, and I felt him grow harder in my grasp with the motion. With one swift movement, Ben reached under my skirt and ripped away the cotton barrier of my panties, immersing himself deeply inside me. Our bodies lingered in that position for several excruciating seconds, my core throbbing at the sensation of him buried within me.

"Rey," Ben breathlessly spoke, looking at me with such tenderness. "I know this might sound crazy, but I think I might be… falling for you."

His thrilling words left me completely speechless.

Was I falling in love with Ben? Definitely. I had never been more sure of anything in my life. I wanted Ben with all my heart and soul.

But what would that mean for us?

I frowned as a flash of Hux's murder came rushing back into my memory - Ben pummeling my attacker's body to death amidst the backdrop of pouring-down rain. What would happen to us? My future and Ben's future were still unknown. I decided to push away those terrifying thoughts for now and focus on the present.

I smiled wider than I thought my face could allow and replied, "Me, too, Ben."

"I've never felt this way about anyone before," Ben said between heaving breaths as he began to pull in and out of me, plastering me against the rough surface of the tree.

"Not even my mother?" I asked him without thinking, still plagued by the fact that he'd once been in love with my mom. I mentally slapped myself for letting the words slip from my tongue.

Ben abruptly stopped mid-thrust, grabbing both sides of my face.

"I've forgotten all about her, Rey. She's nothing more than a faded memory," Ben assured me, sincerity permeating his eyes. "You're all I want."

I responded by greedily wrapping my lips around his, darting my tongue searchingly into his hot mouth. The hesitant part of me just needed to hear him say the words. I could easily imagine myself shrouded in Ben's warm, loving arms for the rest of my life.

Slowly pressing himself back into me, Ben resumed making love to me. My eyes whipped around to the back of my head as my hips rose up to meet him. It felt amazing, so much better than when Poe and I had made love. Poe had always seemed to rush things and never take the time to fully savor the moment. With Ben, the way he held me and touched me, I felt so treasured, as if I were the most beautiful woman on the face of the Earth.

I clutched Ben's waist to me with my right leg, rubbing my clit rapidly against his body. Soon, I felt my release building, and I could sense that he was almost there, too.

"Come with me, Ben," I whimpered, latching my hands onto his shoulders.

Ben's warm brown eyes locked into mine, and he began to move more urgently against me.

"Fuck," Ben lustily grunted as he came hard inside me, his teeth gently nibbling my shoulder.

I soon followed him in satisfaction, riding out the surges of my orgasm as they swept over me. I screamed out his name at the top of my lungs, gritting my teeth together.

"Mmm," Ben hummed, taking my mouth with his lips as my orgasm subsided. "Good?"

"Oh, God, yes!" I giggled and ran my hands through my hair, my eyes rolling to the back of my head. "You have no idea."

Ben laughed, setting me down and began buttoning his jeans. "Sorry about your panties. They were in my way."

He nodded his head toward the shards of white fabric lying on the sand at his feet. I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Well, it was a small price to pay. Definitely worth it, though," I said and reached down to pick up my destroyed panties. My head swirled, and I almost felt lightheaded from our lovemaking session. I quickly gathered my composure. "It might be better this way… you know, if we decide to go another round later."

"Don't tempt me." Ben suddenly took me into him arms. "I might just have to take you again right now."

"You might, huh?" I placed a soft, desirous kiss in the hollow of his neck.

"Yeah, but unfortunately, we need to head back," Ben said disappointedly. "My dad..."

"Say no more," I told him, giving him a small peck on the lips. "Hey, why don't I stay and fix you two dinner tonight?"

Ben's eyes narrowed, brushing his nose back and forth against mine. "You are the perfect woman."

"Of course, I am," I blatantly replied with a smug grin, taking his hand. "Let's go. We wouldn't want to keep Han waiting."

~.~

"I hope Obi-Wan's not too mad that you stayed the whole day here," Ben said thoughtfully as he walked me to my Jeep after dinner. "I know he misses you when you're away at school."

I answered frankly, "I know he does, but Obi-Wan's Obi-Wan. He'd never ask me to stay home when I could be out friends."

"Friends, huh?" Ben joked, placing his palms on either side of me, imprisoning me against the driver's side door.

"You know what I meant." I shook my head in protest of what he'd said, pressing my back to the door.

"So... will I see you again?" Ben asked almost nervously, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Ben Solo, didn't you hear anything I told you earlier today?" I wrapped my arms around his waist comfortingly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Ben frowned dejectedly. "But you'll be heading back to school in a few days."

"I'm trying very hard not to think about that right now."

"Come see me tomorrow," Ben whispered, kissing me forcefully on the forehead. He pulled back, a look of desperation scattering across his moonlit face. "Please."

"I will, Ben. I promise," I assured him.

Ben pulled me in and pressed his lips to mine. This kiss was different, almost as if it was our last. A nervous knot rolled over in my stomach as I broke our kiss, angling my head downward. I turned and opened the driver's side door to my Jeep, not wanting to say goodbye, even if it was only for one night.

"Miss you," Ben said as I slid into the cab of the automobile.

I smiled back at him, cranking the engine. "Miss you, too."

As Ben leaned in to shut the door, I caught the sight of something in the passenger seat beside me. I pivoted my head slightly, and in the light from the crescent moon above, the large object vividly came into view. I froze, chills of terror undulating down my spine.

There, staring back at me, was Ben's murder weapon, the same jagged piece of plywood he had hammered into Hux's body outside the ice cream shop that night. I would have recognized it anywhere.

Then, something else caught my eye; etched along the flat edge of the board, three words in blood-red ink angrily screamed back at me:

I SEE YOU.

I brought a shaky hand to my mouth, panic beginning to overtake me.

Someone had seen us that night. Someone who knew our secret.

"Ben!" I shrieked into the stillness of the spring night, and the world dimly faded to black.

Attn: DUN DUN DUN! LOL, sorry for the cliffhanger this time. Who do you think "saw" Ben and Rey? As always, thanks for reading and please let me know what you thought of this chapter. :)