Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars, other than Aurora. It all belongs to the bearded genius in flannel. As this is based on the book, some of the dialogue is taken verbatim from Shadows of the Empire. That belongs to Steve Perry and George Lucas. I do not intend any copyright violation and am not making any profit from this.

A/N: I couldn't wait any longer for the next update, because I'm really anxious to get your feedback on this latest chapter.

By the way, I'm upping the rating on this, just to be careful, and you all know that means….

Luke sat up on the couch with a gasp, his heart pounding and sweat dampening the hair at his temples. As he slowly became aware of his surroundings, he collapsed back against the pillow with a groan. Another dream and this one had been particularly erotic. He passed his tongue over his lips. He swore he could actually taste her on his lips and that the smell of her clung to his skin.

Resigned to the inevitable, he rose from the couch and crossed the dark room to the kitchen area, pouring himself a glass of cold water. He'd finish it then head outside to sit in the chill of the desert night and attempt to gain some control over his own body. It was quickly becoming a routine.

However, tonight was destined to end somewhat differently.

He had no sooner taken a long swallow then he heard her voice coming out of the dark shadows of the living area.

"How long are you going to keep doing this?"

He sputtered, coughing as water went down his windpipe. "Force, make some noise when you move! You scared the hell out of me."

He swiped one hand over his bare chest, brushing away the water that he had spilled in his surprise, hoping that she couldn't see the way his hands were shaking. His body still hadn't calmed down from the effect of that dream and he really didn't want her anywhere near him right now; he didn't trust his control.

Aurora moved closer, a pale shape in the dimness of the room. "How long are you going to keep denying it?" She asked, ignoring his previous remark.

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked, subtly trying to move away from her. Unfortunately, he had been standing at the counter when she came in, and there wasn't really anywhere for him to go.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Aurora responded. She was only feet away from him now and Luke got his first clear glimpse of her. He felt his mouth go dry. Her hair was down, spilling in loose waves around her shoulders and down her back, and she was wearing only a thin shirt that barely covered the essentials, leaving those lovely long legs bare. He couldn't have kept his eyes off them to save his life. It was with a ridiculous amount of effort that he forced himself to tune in to what she was saying.

"- night after night. Neither one of us is getting any sleep; we're both cranky and jumpy during the day and it's getting to the point where it's just driving me crazy."

"What?" Luke asked confused.

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest in irritation. "Are you even listening to me?"

As her action had caused the top of her shirt to gape open and reveal a tantalizing glimpse of the curves below, Luke's answer was honest, if not well thought out.

"No." He replied somewhat dazedly, eyes still fixed on her cleavage.

Aurora followed his gaze and allowed a brief smirk to cross her lips.

"Sex." She said bluntly.

Luke's eyes snapped up to hers in shock. "What?"

"I said sex. We should have sex."

"What –no! No, we most definitely should not." Luke declared, pushing past her into the living area and trying his damndest to pretend that her words hadn't caused a bolt of pure lust to shoot through him and his mind to go places he was trying really hard not go to right now.

Aurora turned in place to follow him. "Why not?"

"Because." Luke dropped down on the couch amidst his tumbled bedclothes, desperately searching for a response that would dissuade her from what was a really, really bad idea, despite what his body thought of it. "Because we're friends and friends don't do that." He finished lamely.

Aurora raised one eyebrow. "Friends also don't generally have incredibly hot erotic dreams about one another."

Luke flushed. He'd been afraid she was picking up on those. "Those are subconscious. I don't have any control over those. But this, this would be a conscious choice; one that I do have control of."

She crossed the room to curl up next to him, the hem of her shirt riding up even higher on her legs in the process. "Do you? Have control, I mean?"

He closed his eyes and swallowed painfully. He damn well knew that she didn't have much on under that shirt and it was killing him. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered hoarsely.

She leaned towards him, one hand trailing down his arm. "Because I'm tired of this stalemate between us. You refuse to go forward, and we don't seem to be able to go back, so we just sit here; stuck in this awful, awkward state, and I'm sick of it."

Her fingers were leaving trails of fire on his skin. He'd never thought of the arm as a particularly erogenous zone, but from the way he was reacting to just her light touch, he'd apparently been wrong.

"You wanted this, before Bespin." She continued.

Luke felt the familiar surge of confused anger at the mention of Bespin. It allowed him just enough willpower to pull away from her, jerking to his feet and turning to face her.

"A lot of things changed after Bespin." He said, his voice harsh with repressed desire and that lingering anger.

Aurora remained where she was, staring up at him. "Not my feelings for you."

"Well, they should have." He replied. "Mine did."

"Did they?"

"Yes." Luke answered, lying through his teeth. "What happened on Bespin just reminded me that I need to focus on being a Jedi. I don't have time for relationships right now."

A smile was beginning to tug at the corners of Aurora's mouth; a sensual, somewhat naughty smile that was doing really bad things to Luke's control.

"I don't believe you." She rose from the couch in one smooth movement and began to walk towards him. Or perhaps stalk was the better word to describe the way she was moving, as it seemed to involve a lot more swaying of the hips then her usual smooth gait. "I think your feelings are exactly the same, if not stronger. I think, no," She corrected herself, "I know you still want me. I can feel it, in the way you get all tense when I touch you. And I can see it, in the way you watch me all the time when you think I'm not looking. And I can certainly sense it; those dreams have been rather potent."

Luke watched the movements of her mouth, entranced despite himself. He fought to hang on to the anger he'd felt earlier; it seemed to be his only defense against the web of desire she was weaving around him, so effortlessly. And why shouldn't it be effortless? A small voice in his head asked. She doesn't have the same struggle you do. After all, she knows who her father is. She doesn't have to feel guilty about touching you with hands that might have been dirtied by her father's acts. She doesn't have to worry that you'll regret sleeping with the son of her father's killer in the morning.

Luke knew it was unfair, but he encouraged that seed of resentment. If he didn't, he knew he'd give in to her. He was so close to the edge now, his body begging for relief; to just sink into her and let pleasure wash away everything for a short while. But he couldn't, and the struggle was killing him.

Aurora didn't have the same problem. She'd made up her mind and she was damned if she was going to stop this time, despite whatever resistance he put up.

She reached out to rest her hand gently on his shoulder, but Luke shifted away.

"Don't." He said, a warning in his voice.

"Why not?" She asked taking a step closer to him.

"It's not -."

"A good idea." She finished for him, taking another tantalizing step. She was close enough to him now that he could feel the warmth of her body against his skin. It felt unbelievably good.

"I recall saying that to you once. Do you remember?" She continued.

Luke had to close his eyes at the swarm of emotions that rushed over him. He remembered alright; remembered just a little too well. He also remembered exactly what had happened after he whispered those words against her lips. That particular recurring memory was responsible for a lot of sleepless nights and a newfound appreciation for the cold showers that were often found onboard Alliance ships.

As if sensing his emotions, Aurora shifted even closer until the fabric of her shirt brushed against his bare chest.

Reaching for the last shreds of control he possessed, Luke opened his eyes and grabbed her arms, holding her in place.

"Stop."

But she was already too close; close enough that he could see her eyes in the dim starlight that filtered into the room.

"Make me." She whispered, the warmth of her breath ghosting over his lips.

"Don't do this." Frustrated desire made his voice hoarse, and he knew by the sudden gleam of triumph in her eyes that Aurora heard it. She smiled and let the tip of her tongue moisten her lips as if in anticipation of a treat.

At the sight, Luke bit down on a groan and his fingers tightened painfully on her arms, but she didn't protest; just smiled a little wider and pressed her body against his.

It was too much. The feel of those slender curves pressed intimately against him broke the last shreds of his control and he let go of it with a feeling of indescribable relief. His hand suddenly came up to fist in her loose hair, dragging her mouth up to his while the other locked around her waist, holding her pressed against him.

Aurora let out a purring sound that was undeniably triumphant even as her mouth met his, but he didn't care. All he cared about was the taste of her on his tongue and the feel of her under his hands. Reality was even better than the dreams had been and he was greedy for more, reveling in her response. The hand in her hair tightened, forcing her head back so that he could deepen the kiss. The hand at her waist began exploring, sliding up her back and then around to her rib cage and upwards.

Another noise sounded from the back of her throat when his hand found the swell of her breast and she pressed even closer to him, her own hands doing some exploring of their own.

He was being rougher than he would have liked, but he couldn't seem to help it; he was riding the edge between anger and arousal. Not that Aurora was objecting. Her mouth was just as avid as his and she was practically vibrating against him. He hissed out a breath as her teeth closed over the skin at the junction of his neck and shoulder, the sharp nip very nearly painful in the intensity of pleasure. But it only served to drive him further into this madness. He got a hand under each thigh and lifted, using the wall at her back to drag her up his body until her legs were wrapped around his waist. Aurora threw her head back on a gasp as his hips forced her legs apart and he settled intimately against her. Luke took advantage of the movement to run a line of open-mouthed kisses down her exposed throat. She shuddered against him and he had to take a moment, drawing in a deep breath to try to gain back some control. Unfortunately, that breath was saturated with the scent of her and did little to help his self-restraint.

She was clutching his shoulders and her nails were digging into his skin. Each little prick of pain only served to spur him on as he sought her mouth again, teeth scraping and nipping, tongues tangling.

They were both moving against each other now, and his thin sleep pants did little to conceal his hardness. Aurora was making little noises, small gasps of choked out breaths. It was driving him crazy.

He thrust against her. Hard.

She froze for a moment and her eyes went wide and blind at the sensation. A moan sounded low in her throat and she arched her back almost involuntarily, forcing their lower bodies even closer together.

Luke's control snapped again and suddenly he was spinning away from the wall, moving towards the bedroom, Aurora still wrapped around him. The sensations caused by his walking were almost too much, and they were both gasping for breath when he cleared the doorway and dropped on the bed, Aurora underneath him.

He paused for one moment, seeing her spread out beneath him, her hair stark against the white pillow.

"I'm not going to be gentle." He said, his voice rough and strained. It was the only warning he was going to give; her last chance to end this before they crossed that last line, because the Force knew he couldn't.

But Aurora only smiled up at him, her eyes dark with arousal. "Good."