He answered her by taking her by the shoulders and shifting her over to the left a few steps so there wasn't a plant between them anymore.  Then he bent down and kissed her.  It was a soft, chaste kiss that only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to make her shiver.  When he pulled away, it took all the strength she had not to stand on her tiptoes and follow him.

"I was angry because you're not a Nietzschean," he said suddenly, interrupted her reverie.

"What?" she asked, not quite registering what he'd said.

"I was angry because I couldn't stop thinking about you, about how much I liked holding you.  But this can't happen.  I'm a Nietzschean, and you're a…"

"Why did you kiss me then?" she asked, not sure whether to be hurt or relieved, but feeling more hurt than anything.

"I don't know.  I just-"  He stopped and brought a hand up to caress the side of her face.  Now that he'd finally allowed himself to touch her again, he couldn't stop. 

Trance wanted to pull away from him, to tell him that if it couldn't happen, then he should stop what he was doing, but she wasn't used to being shown so much affection, especially from a man.  Before she knew it his other arm was around her waste and he was pulling her to him, pressing his lips against hers and kissing her deeply.  She'd never been kissed like that before, but she found herself leaning against him and returning it. 

Rhade broke the kiss, bringing his lips to her ear.  "Come to my quarters," he said in a low voice. 

Every nerve ending in her body was screaming 'Yes!' but her brain couldn't rationalize accepting his proposition.

"Do you want me, Rhade?" she asked.

"Now more than ever," he answered, kissing the place on her neck where her pulse beat.

She gasped, almost unable to think.  "That's what I mean," she finally managed.  "Do you really want me, or do you just want me right now?"

"I…" he began.  He didn't know.  All he wanted to do was take her to his bed and ravage her, but was that all he wanted?

When he didn't answer, Trance reluctantly pulled away.  "Don't do something you'll regret," she said with a disappointed sigh.

Rhade watched her leave hydroponics.  He was going to blast holes through his punching bag tonight.