AN: Finally! The first part of the sex scene! You had no idea how intently I was counting the chapters to get to this part. xD Romance novel structure always bores me after a while, it takes too long to get to the smut. I prefer adapting the structure to include more porn. You won't have to wait this long in any of the sequels, I promise. And I've officially hit 50,000 words, so I completed NaNo! Don't worry, I'm still going to take a couple of extra days in December to finish the story before shifting gears back to oneshots for a bit. Expect the sequel to come out in early January, and two published novels with my name on them to appear on amazon sometime between January and March.
. . .
Chapter Twenty Six:
Liara took a deep breath as she lingered outside of Shepard's cabin, trying to gather the courage to reach out and touch the glowing green pressure pad at the side of the door. She lifted her hand, but lowered it again a few seconds later when it continued to tremble before her. Biting her lower lip, Liara tried to tap into the confidence that had surged through her at Flux, but now, faced with the realization of her desires, nervousness and doubt began to creep up on her again. What if Shepard rejected her? What if she had no idea what to do? What if…
"Shepard will not say no," Liara whispered to herself, hoping that by speaking aloud, she could banish the last of her fears. "And she said that she would teach me…" Still, the thought of simply walking into Shepard's cabin and offering herself made Liara's stomach twist. The sensation was not unpleasant, but it left her feeling slightly dizzy. She rested her hand against the wall, a few inches away from the pressure pad, and sighed. If she did walk in, she was not entirely convinced she would be able to keep standing long enough to ask Shepard to make love to her.
Eventually, the dizziness began to fade, replaced with the rapid, unnaturally loud thumping of her heartbeat as it jumped just above the dip in her collarbone and pounded in her head. Even if Shepard did say yes and agree to spend their last few hours together before they reached Ilos, Liara had no idea what they would do. She knew very little about how humans had sex, and hoped that Shepard's body would be at least passably similar to hers. A soft tingling began to rise beneath Liara's skin, and she shivered at the thought of finally uncovering the sleek muscles that were surely hiding beneath Shepard's clothes.
That thought was nearly enough motivation for her to open the door, but Liara hesitated for a moment longer. Although she knew that Shepard would never pressure her or force her, Liara was fully aware that if she entered Shepard's cabin, there would be no going back. This was their last chance, perhaps their only chance. "And I will not waste any more time," Liara murmured, giving the pressure pad a determined push. She had already lost so much. No matter what happened, she wanted to claim this experience for herself, and to share it with Shepard. Her feelings were too powerful to deny any longer, even when the galaxy was on the verge of destruction.
The doors hissed open, and Liara stepped inside, a little of her nervousness fading when she saw that Shepard was sitting at her terminal. It was an almost charming reverse of their usual dynamic. The only light came from the soft blue glow of the terminal's screen, and it illuminated Shepard's face as she turned around to see who had entered her cabin. Her smile banished the last of Liara's doubts and gave her enough courage to find her voice. "Shepard, may I speak with you?"
Shepard turned and stood up from her chair, but did not brace herself against the desk. Instead, she stepped forward, closing a little of the distance between them. "I was just thinking about you," she said neutrally, obviously realizing that Liara wanted to ask her something. She folded her arms across her chest, and although her posture was relaxed, Liara could not help but notice the firm shape of her upper arms, especially since her sleeves were rolled up past her elbows.
"I have been thinking about you, too… and what we are about to face." Liara took a deep breath, and when she noticed that her hands were twisting together in front of her, she pulled them apart and forced herself to relax. She supposed it was natural to be nervous, but she did not want to appear as if she was afraid. "I do not know what is going to happen on Ilos. I hope we will stop Saren, of course, but part of me fears that we are already too late. There is something I must tell you, in case we fail."
Shepard stepped even closer, unfolding her arms and reaching out to put a firm, reassuring hand on her shoulder. The touch burned even through the fabric of Liara's jumpsuit, and she felt her legs threaten to buckle beneath her again. "We're not going to fail. I promise."
"Please," Liara said, shaking her head, "I am not looking for comfort. Saren might already have the conduit. It is time to be completely honest with each other. These could be our last moments together, our last chance to show each other how we feel. I want this to be special."
Liara saw the realization dawn on Shepard's face - surprise, followed by a glowing excitement tinged with worry at the edges. "We don't have to do this," Shepard said, although she did not remove her hand from Liara's shoulder. "Not unless you're sure. If you want to be with me, be with me because you feel something. Not because you're afraid we'll both be dead by tomorrow."
This time, it was Liara's turn to smile. She placed her fingers overtop of Shepard's, giving them a soft squeeze as she stared up into her new lover's eyes. When she spoke, it was with absolute certainty. "I have never been more sure of anything in my life. Will you join with me, Shepard? Let our bodies and minds unite. Let me show you just how much I feel for you."
Shepard withdrew her hand from beneath Liara's, letting it stroke down the side of her arm. "Just... tell me what to do."
Liara was a little surprised by Shepard's willingness to let her lead, especially since she had no experience to speak of. Still, what she lacked in knowledge, she would be sure to make up for in enthusiasm. She looped her arms around Shepard's neck, closing the short distance left between their bodies. She pressed herself tight against Shepard's warm, solid chest, her gaze lingering on the soft shape of her lips. It would only take a brief moment to close the distance and…
Their second kiss was just as electrifying as the first. It sent warmth radiating out from the center of Liara's chest all the way to her fingers and toes before it finally settled somewhere low in her abdomen. This time, when their mouths brushed, she did not freeze up. Instead, she let her hand wrap around the back of Shepard's neck, automatically tilting her head and parting her lips. Just as she had hoped, Shepard flicked at them with a warm, probing tongue.
Fingers slid down her back, brushing the length of her spine through the fabric of her clothes, and Liara let out a soft groan against Shepard's mouth, unwilling to break their kiss, but unable to stifle her response. When Shepard finally pulled back just enough for both of them to steal a quick breath, Liara felt the loss pierce her stomach with a blissful sort of ache. "God, I've waited so long to kiss you…" Shepard murmured, tracing the outline of Liara's lips with soft pecks.
"You just kissed me a few hours ago," Liara whispered back, and the words caused their mouths to brush again.
"Still too long."
Silently, Liara agreed, but she was too preoccupied with kissing Shepard again to bother speaking anymore. This, she decided, was her new favorite activity, even though she had only experienced it for the first time today. Kissing Shepard made her feel drunk, unhinged, desired in a way she had never known. Her hands wandered to the hem of Shepard's shirt, afraid that she was being too forward, but desperate to feel warm, naked skin beneath her hands. "Please," she murmured, kissing a careful trail from the corner of Shepard's mouth to the firm line of her jaw, nuzzling into a surprisingly soft and tender place behind the Commander's ear. "May I…?"
Shepard pulled back, lifting her arms and giving a soft nod of approval. "Go ahead. I want you to touch me."
Even though she already knew that Shepard wanted her, simply hearing the words made Liara's heart soar. With a fresh burst of confidence, she began tugging Shepard's outer shirt up along her stomach, past the narrowest part of her waist and over the perfect swells of her breasts. Their outline became clearer as she began stripping Shepard's compression shirt over her head as well, and Liara's hands itched to cup them, to test their weight, to find out how firm they were.
Shepard seemed to read her mind, and after she had tossed her shirt aside, she took Liara's hands in hers, drawing them close to her chest. Her pale, freckled skin radiated warmth, and Liara felt the throb between her legs grow even more insistent. She glanced down, biting nervously at her lower lip as she took in the sight of the tight brown nipples that capped Shepard's breasts. The tips had already pulled into hard little points. "Go ahead," Shepard repeated, guiding Liara's hands into the proper place.
Liara let out a soft sigh as she finally cupped Shepard's breasts, feeling the nipples press into the center of her palms. At first, she was not quite sure what to do, but when a slow caress brought out an encouraging noise, she tried it again. Eventually, her hands began to wander, exploring all of Shepard's naked torso. She teased the tips of Shepard's breasts, trapping them between her fingers and pulling lightly before stroking the hard pectoral muscles just above, the ones that brought out the strong line of Shepard's shoulders. She traced down along Shepard's bare arms, feeling the power coiled there, and even wrapped around to explore her back, enjoying the broad expanse of warm, smooth flesh that was all for her. Her lips began blazing a trail down Shepard's neck, pausing to nibble briefly at her collarbone before finally drawing lower.
When she finally gave in to temptation and folded her mouth around the hard point of Shepard's nipple, running her tongue around it, Shepard clutched the back of her head, pulling her close. It was a little awkward bending down to reach while Shepard was still standing at her full height, but Liara could not bring herself to care. She wanted to learn every inch of her new lover's body with her hands and mouth, and was surprised that Shepard was allowing her so much time to explore. "God, that feels good," Shepard groaned just above her, stroking the folds at the back of her neck. Liara felt the tips of her own breasts tighten at the intimate touch, and her jumpsuit suddenly felt constricting. "I don't think you're going to need a lot of lessons from me after all…"
Liara released the tip of Shepard's breast with a soft pop. "But I want them," she said, a plea edging into her voice. "If - when this is over, I want to spend all the time I can learning how to please you." Her hands wandered down along the tight sheets of muscle that covered Shepard's stomach, enjoying the way they twitched beneath her fingers. She let the edges of her teeth graze the side of Shepard's other breast, kissing a large freckle there that she knew she would be returning to often.
"Liara…" Shepard's hand slid beneath her chin, gently pulling her away and lifting her head so that their eyes could meet again. "Let's get out of these clothes." She tugged at Liara's sleeve briefly as she straightened up, making her meaning clear.
Reluctantly, Liara took a step back, reaching to the side of her neck and finding the tab of her zipper. Her nervous fingers fumbled for a moment when she noticed how intently Shepard was looking at her, but she finally managed to pull it open, and even began to enjoy her new lover's wide-eyed fascination as she tugged it sideways and down. A low growl rumbled in Shepard's throat, and Liara saw her arms tense ever so slightly as the muscles of her abdomen tightened even further. Even though Shepard was being incredibly patient with her, she could sense the raw power just beneath the surface, and someday, Liara resolved to push Shepard past her breaking point. She wanted to feel all of that animalistic strength once it had been unleashed.
It took a few moments, but finally, Liara had pulled the zipper over her breasts and down along her side, peeling open the edges of her uniform and shrugging her arms out of the sleeves. Shepard's hands were on her in an instant, gentle and firm all at once as they stroked her bare shoulders, drinking in her nakedness. For the first time, Liara understood the power of her own body. She had the ability to test Shepard's resolve just by taking off her clothes, and while she was being looked at with such naked desire, she could not bring herself to feel self-conscious.
When the last of her clothes dropped to the floor, Liara inhaled slowly, allowing Shepard a moment to take her in. The moment did not last long. Shepard hurried to undo her own pants, shoving them down over her narrow hips and taking her underwear with them. For a moment, Liara felt the nervous fluttering return to her stomach, but it was quickly replaced by a low, heavy throb of desire as she finally got her first look at Shepard's naked body.
She was perfect. Absolutely magnificent. Even her flaws - the scars, the small imperfections and uneven places - were perfect because she was made up of them. "Goddess," Liara breathed, her face heating up as she struggled to find the words she wanted. "You are… I cannot even…"
Shepard smiled at her. "It's okay. You're so beautiful that I 'can't even', either." She reached out, obviously wanting to touch, but they were still standing a short distance apart. "Come here," she asked, opening her arms and inviting Liara into them.