I considered her carefully, her request taking me back to that mountain top on StarKiller Base.

To the first thing I'd offered her that she'd refused.

'You need a teacher.' I'd yelled over the buzz of our blue-red lightsabers reflecting in her eyes. Her hair was plastered to her head and face with sweat and melted snow. 'I can show you the ways of The Force.' I'd nearly begged.

She'd looked up at me with her teeth bared, and then she'd cleaved me nearly in two.

"I'm not a master." I murmured, "I'm not even a Jedi."

"I know." She said. "But if I don't learn how to control this, it's going to control me."

I couldn't argue with that."Fine." I said. "Meet me on the balcony in ten minutes."

"Why in ten minutes?" She wanted to know. "Why can't we start now?"

I raised an eyebrow. "In that?" I asked, looking pointedly at the delicate nightgown she wore.

She looked down. "Oh." As it she'd forgotten she was wearing it.

She stood, and my mouth fell open.

The thin straps connected to triangles of silk and lace that hugged her breasts, and a geometric skirt that came to a point in the front and the back, and rose to angles on her hips, barely covering her thighs.

My mouth went dry, and my pants tightened, as my cock strained against them.

She disappeared into her bedroom, and I leaned back in my chair, covering my face with my hands.

I groaned into them, trying to ignore the heat rising in my stomach, and the throbbing in my groin.

A service droid whizzed passed me, and I looked up, to watch it also disappear into Rey's room.

I hauled myself to my feet, and, after adjusting my pants, walked over.

Her bedroom door was open, and I saw a dress fly across the room, with the service droid chasing after to retrieve it.

The hell?

"Rey?" I called.

Another dress went sailing, and the service droid went after it.

"Is everything alright?" I called, louder.

Rey appeared in the doorway, still in that scrap of pink silk.

My heart stuttered, then started pounding.

She pointed to the service droid. "She took my clothes." She huffed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, she took my clothes too." I told her, and leaned against the door frame. "To be washed."

"She keeps bringing me things to wear, and I don't even know how to get into most of them." Her frustration had colored her cheeks a bright pink.

I nodded once, then dared a glance over her. "Is that where you got…" I trailed off, pointing to what she was wearing.

"Yes." She snapped. "She kept bringing me other things but some were nothing but straps and the others were see-through."

I felt my eyebrows rise, and my shoulder slid off of the door frame.

I stumbled, but caught myself, and stood up, crossing my arms across my chest. "Oh." I said, trying to sound uninterested.

It just came out sounding awkward.

Rey rolled her eyes.. "And, now it's gowns, and these day dresses, as if I know the difference, and I have to wear these ridiculous things under them."

When I'd spoken to Ciir'sae, I'd told her I was bringing a woman, and that we both would need clothes.I'd stupidly neglected to mention that Rey would be more comfortable in tunics and leggings, instead of standard noblewoman attire.

I'd need to find something more her style.

"Alright." I sighed, and nodded toward her room. "May I?"

She straightened. "May you what?"

"May I come into your bedroom?" I clarified.

Her face contorted as she moved to the side. "Why would you ask that?"

I stepped inside.

"As if my room is some forbidden fortress that you've never been in." She scoffed.

"I've never been in this one." I threw over my shoulder, walking to her closet.

"You didn't ask before you went into my room on the Falcon. " She pointed out.

I stuck my head out to look at her. "It was my room first."

She growled in irritation and flopped onto the bed.

I stood in her closet, staring at the collection of white garment bags, and took several steadying breaths, my hands balling into tight fists at my sides.

I wanted her.

Holy kriffing hell, I'd never wanted anything more.

I needed to seal this Bond that called out for her. Resisting its pull was painful. And, it was exhausting. My body, my soul, my entire being yearned for that Bond to be sealed.

I started unzipping garment bags, ignoring it, gritting my teeth together so hard that my jaw ached.

One dress caught my eye and I yanked it off the rack. I walked out, and barked a dismissal to the service droid.

It scurried off.

"Here." I said, holding it out to Rey.The gown was forest green, velvet, off the shoulder, with long sleeves that were capped at the wrists, and it was floor length.

Simple. But, still elegant.

And, it would cover her arms, which I knew were an insecurity for her.

She took it, thanking me, and I immediately walked out of her room, closing the door behind me.

Get it together, Solo. I rubbed my face with my hands. Friend. She told me she needed a friend. And, here I was thinking of every way I could take off those strappy, see-through unmentionables.

With my teeth.

"Ben?" Rey called softly on the other side of her door.

I froze.

"Could you help me?" She asked.

No. Call the service droid. If I went back into that room….

"Please?"

How did one little word completely crumble my resolve?

I swallowed, and turned the door handle, then pushed it open slowly.

She was standing next to her bed, in the dress I'd given her, holding a string in both hands.

"It has this on the back, I don't know what it's for." She explained. "Could you-?"

I nodded before she finished, and stepped toward her, stopping an arms length from where she stood.

I allowed myself one lingering look, memorizing the way that the dress became her, complimenting her complexion, and bringing out the hazel in her eyes.

She looked lovely.

She stepped closer, to hand me the string hanging from the back of her dress, and stopped mere inches from me. She looked up, her eyes searching, and her lips parted.

She wet her lips with her tongue and held up the string, which I took, my thumb brushing against hers.

She was so close. I'd just have to lean in…

Her gaze went to my lips."Turn around." I said, my voice rough.

She swallowed, looking back up to meet my gaze, and turned, her eyes not leaving mine until her back was to me. She reached up, and moved her hair to one shoulder.

The string was a tightly woven lace to the corseted back I hadn't noticed the dress had.

I took a long breath, and reached for her with trembling fingers.I looped the lace through the eyelets on either side of her back, then took an end in both hands. "I'm going to tighten the waist." I told her.

"What does that mean-" She gasped as I tugged the laces."Is it too tight?" I asked.

She put a hand on her waist and shook her head, so I tied the laces into a neat bow.

She looked over her shoulder at me, looking at my lips once more before meeting my gaze. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I said, and turned toward the door. "I'll meet you on the balcony."

Or in the garden, or on the lake dock, or hell, it didn't matter to me, as long as I got out of this kriffing room.

"Meet you there " She said behind me as I walked out.