The Emerald Price Chapter 32
By Ash Darklighter
Disclaimer:- The characters and situations used in this story are the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. I am only using them for some entertainment and will not even make one Republican credit from this endeavour. This is set around eight to ten years after Luke and Mara met each other for the first time. This one is for all the girls on the AA list and of course for Mona – what would I do without you? My thanks also to Niqella and Rhea for their encouragement and invaluable suggestions.
Luke Skywalker's Quarters - Yavin IV
Luke palmed open the door of his quarters and stared inside. Mara was not there; he had left her on Elrood with the others. There had still been so many things to tidy up - most notably, the resignation of the disgraced Prime Minister and the swearing in of the new. It was amazing how scandal could be leaked so easily to the holo-press making the resignations inevitable. Count Doffrio was a good man and had the overwhelming support of the people. Feenus and Altra Adremetis had scarcely had time to themselves as they were whisked into setting up the monitoring system in conjunction with the Elrooden security force.
A couple of days later he had met them all in the back room of the Merry Pirate. "You've done well," he'd said to his team of Jedi knights, his gaze lingering warmly on Mara's creamy complexion.
"There are still things to complete," Kirana Ti said quietly.
"The treaty will take many months to finalize. It will take years to eradicate slaving in this sector – if you ever do at all. It is a lifetime task, Feenus."
"We will do what we have to," Feenus said. "We now have enough power to make a difference."
"I have agreed to stay and oversee any areas where there might be a need for a Jedi," Ix Io said, his deep voice slow. "Lady Winter will remain for another lunar month."
"Good," said Feenus. "These Jedi types can be useful to have around after all."
"And Mara?" Luke had asked.
"I will stay with the rest of delegation and will go back with Kirana Ti when the shuttle returns to Yavin IV." She'd given him a steady look and he wondered what she'd been thinking but her shields were tight. "Several slaving warehouses have been found. I will aid Beridor in trying to reunite some of these beings with their own kind."
He assumed Mara would return at some point as all her belongings were scattered around his home as if she belonged there – as if it were actually her home too. She did belong there. Every part of his heart wanted her with him in his home and, if he were honest, in his bed. Everywhere he looked he could see traces of her presence even down to the cushions placed on his sofas at a jaunty angle. But she was finally free – she had become a Jedi Knight. There was nothing to keep her on Yavin now – no reason why she should want to remain with him. Luke's smile was sweet with warmth and longing as he remembered the surge in the Force at the moment of her knighting and her acceptance of its power within her.
She was gone now and he was alone again. He gave a shiver and pulled his robe around his body. Despite the warmth of the Yavin evening he felt chilled.
He had clasped her hand unable to say what he really felt as he had conferred the rank of Jedi Knight upon her. The expression in her jade green eyes had been almost more than he could bear. It wouldn't do for the Jedi Master to break down and cry in front of so many people that he knew. Tears were often regarded as a weakness and the way he felt was anything but weak. So he had tightened his fingers across hers and said nothing but she had known how proud he was.
Mara had watched him prepare to go, her heart in her eyes; she felt his mixture of pain and gladness and wondered at it. "Are you returning to Yavin?"
"Not immediately but I'll see you all soon," he said to the assembled company even though his eyes again sought out Mara. "I'm heading back to Coruscant before I return to Yavin. Winter will finish things here along with Kirana Ti while I must report back to the New Republic inner council." He turned towards Feenus and Altra Adremetis. "Be proud of what you have achieved," he commended, clasping the other man's hand. "It's not going to be easy. There will still be troubled times ahead but you have each other and a loyal band of friends." He grinned at Beridor who was almost jumping up and down with pleasure.
"Thanks, Luke," the formal imperial said warmly. "We may manage that visit to Coruscant soon. I would like to take Altra back to see her family."
"Feenus is my family," she said, her voice warm. "And wherever he is I'll be happy but it would be wonderful to see the jewel of the Core Worlds once more. Luke…" Altra had glanced in Mara's direction. "She loves you," she whispered for his ears alone. "You deserve someone like her and she needs you."
The Jedi Master's blue eyes widened and he stared at Mara.
"Take a chance," she urged.
Luke sighed. "A chance? It seems so straightforward. We'll see." He gave her a warm hug and stepped back, watching with an indulgent smile as Altra moved to her husband, her arm curving around his waist with the confidence of one who knew that she was loved. She knew how lucky she was.
There was a general excited murmur as the celebratory mood caught on. Kirana Ti and the new Jedi Knights had been invited by the new Prime Minister to see some of Elrood's most famous sights. Luke thought it would be diplomatic to agree to the tour. He was eager for the official signing of the treaty but he knew that it would take several more meetings before things were thrashed out to all parties' satisfaction. Luke had no doubt that the treaty would become final in just a matter of weeks. He turned and slipped from the room believing that he had left unnoticed. But a pair of brilliant green eyes had watched him go.
'This is not finished, Skywalker,' she told herself. 'This will never be finished.'
Coruscant
Luke had been met at the spaceport by his sister and Han, then almost immediately was whisked away into a round of meetings and hastily scheduled public appearances which he suffered with an almost ill-concealed grace. The New Republic liked to show off their hero from time to time however reluctant he felt about such parading about. Luke had no reservations about sharing his displeasure with both his sister and Han in no uncertain terms.
For three days Han and Leia knew that Luke was in their apartment to sleep but little else – no time to meet and relax with the family he hadn't seen for months. They barely saw him. On the final evening of his stay they were all bidden to appear at an official state dinner. Luke had flatly refused to go but Leia had prevailed and, as usual, he had eventually given in. They would make an appearance and that would be all. Han wondered how much longer Luke would agree to cater to the whims of the New Republic elite.
Once the speeches had finished, Leia nodded pointedly at Han. It was their signal to go. The Jedi Master was ready to either drop or turn to the dark side. They made their farewells and escaped early.
"How is Mara, Kid?" Han asked once they'd returned to the Solo's apartment and settled into the comfortable lounge with a welcome drink. He slouched back in his favourite armchair and kicked off his stiff pair of boots. Now this was pleasant - his own chair and a glass of Corellian whisky at his elbow.
"A fully-fledged Jedi Knight now." Luke couldn't help his smile of pride. "It's what she should have been a long time ago."
"Good and…"
"I left her back on Elrood with the other Jedi. They're finishing up stage one of the proceedings."
"What!" Han almost exploded. "You left her where?"
"Back on Elrood. The government were showing them some of the sights."
"You left Mara on Elrood."
"She's with the other Jedi. She's working, Han. There were some loose ends to tie up with the discussions."
"Luke, you left Mara on Elrood."
"She didn't complain. Besides, there wasn't room for her in my x-wing. This was Jedi business, not a pleasure jaunt."
"I don't believe you at times, Kid. You left Mara on Elrood when she could have been with you."
"So you keep saying." Luke began to get exasperated. This shouldn't even be being discussed. "I did not abandon her. I flew out there in a one-man ship. She went with the others in the shuttle and she will return to Yavin with the others. What is your problem with that?"
"Luke, you're an intelligent man but sometimes I wonder if there's nothing more than rocks and sand between your ears. You're in love with her but you just left her and flew away."
"So!" Luke was deliberately uncomprehending. "I had business on Coruscant before I return to Yavin. What else could I do? My personal life comes second place to the Jedi. Mara is my apprentice and this was part of her final trials."
"She's not your Jedi apprentice any more. You could do something about the way you both feel and…you should have a personal life. It's not forbidden by that damned Jedi Code." Han got out of his chair and strode about the room, the anger rolling off him. Eventually, with a final sound of disgust, he left the Jedi alone.
Luke's fingers tightened around his glass of Savareen brandy as he felt the waves of the other man's rage hit him. Luke's face was a picture of total astonishment. He couldn't remember the last time Han had gotten this angry with him. "But…" His own irritation began to grow. What was he supposed to do? Just say to the most dangerous woman in the galaxy, 'You're a Jedi Knight now, let's start an affair.' The idea would have almost made him smile if he hadn't been trying to hold on to his own temper.
Leia had entered the room and had been equally blunt. "You're a Jedi, Luke, not a B'Omarr monk. I never thought you were a coward before but you are starting to behave like one." As soon as the words had left her mouth, Leia knew that she had gone too far but it was too late to take them back.
Attacked from all sides, Luke's face closed off stubbornly. "Back off, Leia," he snapped, as his usually banked temper surfaced. "I do not want to discuss it."
"Don't want to discuss!!!!!!!!!!" Leia's voice rose alarmingly. "Luke!" She could see her brother reigning in his temper with difficulty but he managed to do it. She wished he would just let go but he rarely raised his voice to her. Anger was said to be of the dark side but sometimes it could cleanse. Sometimes she hated his vaunted Jedi control. She was going to have to speak to Mara about this. It was going to be much harder than they thought.
"This is rather unfair of you. This is my life and what I do with it is my decision."
"But you want this. I know you do," Leia exclaimed.
"It's none of your business." Luke stood up and with a last implacable stare at his sister; he drained his glass of brandy in one gulp and placed the glass back on the table. "Have you finished the lecture?" he asked coldly. "I must go and get some sleep. I have an early departure slot scheduled for tomorrow morning."
"What are you so scared of, Luke? That she won't be there on Yavin when you get back. That once you left her on Elrood, you wouldn't see her leave you? That the pain would be less because you left before you became more in love with her than you are already – if that's even possible?"
A sudden fire blazed in Luke's blue eyes making Leia take a step back but he said nothing, reigning in his temper as he always managed to do. "Goodnight, Leia," he intoned solemnly, once more in control. "I'll contact you to let you know that I've arrived back on Yavin."
"You do that," she said curtly, almost wishing that he had lost his famous Jedi calm. But he hadn't. When she rose in the morning, he had gone.
Yavin IV
Luke gave a shiver and pulled his robe around his body as he dragged his mind away from what had happened on Coruscant and into the present. He hated things not being well between him and Leia.
Despite the warmth of the Yavin evening, he felt chilled. He was alone again, he thought sadly - and it was for the best. But then as he walked into his homely apartment, the unmistakeable sense of warmth in the Force hit him. He stepped further into the room and gazed around. He hadn't left the doors out onto his small balcony open before he left. He would have every insect on Yavin making a nest inside his bed otherwise.
And then her presence surrounded him. There was only one person who could do that to him – who could make him feel as if he'd really come home.
"So," Mara drawled. "You're finally back?"
The unexpectedness of actually hearing her voice made him jump. She stood on the balcony framed in the open doorway, the dark foliage of the Yavin jungle as her backdrop. Mara walked forward, closing the doors behind her. "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show."
Luke took in her appearance and marvelled at her beauty. She was dressed in a simple cream tunic and pants, her hair in a single braid falling over her shoulder and her green eyes sparkling with…
"Knight Jade," he said formally, dipping his head in a bow.
"Jedi Master Skywalker," she returned solemnly. They stood staring at one another for a moment and then Mara grinned. "Welcome home, farmboy."
He responded to her smile, his heart lightening. How could he not? It lit up the whole room. "Glad to be home, Mara," he said simply, suppressing the urge to take her in his arms and never let her go.
Mara stifled the irrational desire to throw herself at him. "Go and unpack and I'll have something prepared for you to eat."
"Domesticated, Jade. I am impressed," he said lightly. "The Force does move in mysterious ways."
"Nerf," she said, managing a glare.
He smiled, too happy to do anything else.
Mara stared at the emerald crystal still sitting on the shelf beside her narrow bed. It was time to return it. But if returning it meant that she had to leave him…Mara would have kept it forever. Buying back her freedom meant that she could choose her own destiny and she wanted it to be with Luke. Yes, that's what she would do. She would return the jewel in a manner that was suggestive and then wait to see what happened. It was her destiny to be by the side of the man she loved. She picked up the jewel and marvelled at the way it came to sparkling life when it was in her hand.
It was very late. Their quarters were dark and silent. Luke was so exhausted, he had hardly been able to keep his eyes open and she'd thought that he was about to fall asleep in the middle of his dinner. Her smooth brow furrowed. "What did they have you doing on Coruscant?"
"Meetings…usual stuff."
"With no breaks or any time for yourself?" she asked accusingly. "They shouldn't do that to you and you," she said with another defiant stare, "…shouldn't let them. Go to bed, Farmboy," Mara murmured, gazing into his heavy blue eyes. "You're practically asleep on your feet. I'll see you in the morning."
"But I wanted to discuss what happened on Elrood with you. I got some of the reports from Winter. I wanted to know what you and the other Jedi thought about the way things were progressing after I left."
"Tomorrow," she said firmly. "And don't argue."
"I'm not," he retorted, but his reply lacked strength. He was exhausted; he had barely slept during his journey to Yavin, his anxiety at what he might find keeping his mind restless. But she was still here.
Her gaze followed him as he got wearily onto his feet and trailed his way into the bedroom. As he vanished from her sight, her head drooped a little. She'd been able to gauge nothing from him apart from the fact that he'd been glad to see her. She supposed that was better than nothing. But now that she knew that she loved the stubborn, bone-headed nerf, friendship was a pale blossom compared to the passionate rose of love and desire. With a sigh, Mara began clearing away their dishes.
After about half an hour she pushed open his bedroom door and stared at his figure in the bed. Luke lay face down, almost comatose in his exhausted sleep, dressed in nothing but his tight fitting black undershorts. He'd been too tired to do more than pull off his clothes and fall into the bed. Mara swallowed and reigned in her instinctive need to touch and caress. She knew how firm those buttocks were – how strong the muscles on his thighs were. She could see the effect of his steady breathing as his rib cage expanded and contracted. There was too much smooth, golden flesh for her poor eyes to appreciate all at once and as she crept closer, her heart began thundering in her chest. Force, he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
Her heartbeat increased. She loved him for his gentle kindness but her increasing sexual desire for his perfect body never ceased to amaze her. She loved all of him.
He hadn't even drawn the curtains, he was so tired, and a faint reddish glow from the gas giant Yavin gave everything a subtle hint of colour.
Carefully she drew a light cover over his body and leant over to kiss his cheek. As she made contact with his skin, the emerald crystal, clutched in her hand, suddenly shone brighter than the green blade of Luke's saber. This wasn't just the polished facets of a jewel reflecting the light. This stone was imbued with the Force. When Luke had constructed his fist lightsaber on Tatooine, baking the stone using materials from his home world, he had instilled part of his own life-essence within its sparkling depths. Mara almost dropped it in shock. The Force was giving her a message. She just had to listen. She focused on the crystal for a moment and saw with perfect clarity what it was trying to impart. Mara's life was now firmly connected to Luke Skywalker. She and the stubborn Jedi Master were meant to be together.
Suddenly she had a thought and darted from the room, opening the balcony doors and slipping outside. Luke had trained one of the native jungle flowers to grow around the balcony, its heady smell seductively enticing. Igniting her saber, she carefully cut at a dark red blossom. Mara brushed the perfection of the velvety petals gently with her fingertip as she returned to his bedchamber.
Mara placed the emerald gem and the flower on the pillow beside his head. He would see it when he woke; whether he got the message was another story.
Luke could smell the exotic scent of flowers as he opened his eyes. Force, he'd been tired last night. He couldn't even remember getting into bed. He admitted to himself that he'd broken all records getting back to Yavin in the faint hope Mara might have returned. To find her waiting for him had been more than wonderful. He shifted a little on his comfortable mattress and pulled the cover further over his naked chest and then he caught a flash of something out of the corner of his eye. Luke turned his head and stared. Beside him, on his other pillow, lay his emerald lightsaber crystal and a dark red jungle rose. She'd said that she would return the price he had paid for her once she had become a Jedi Knight. She'd returned his crystal as they'd arranged but it was the manner of her doing that made the fire moths start spinning in his stomach. The debt had been repaid but there was far more to it than that. He couldn't get over the feeling that he was being hunted. Why the rose? His hand reached out and picked up the bloom and as he did so, a streak of scarlet began to shine in the centre of the jewel.
Luke gasped. This was the same jewel that he'd cooked in the makeshift furnace on Tatooine all those years ago? He was out of his depth here. What did this all mean? Altra had said that Mara loved him – was this true? Leia and Han were convinced that Mara loved him. The only one who wasn't certain about Mara's feelings for Luke was Luke himself.
If it were true and she did have some sort of real affection for him, what was he going to do about it? He'd convinced himself that no woman could ever really love him as deeply as he needed them to. Mara was different from other women. Could he take that final chance? Because it would be his final chance. He would never love another – could never love another. Had the Force given its approval or was it testing him once more?
Several weeks later
Dusk drew hot and sultry daylight into night. Luke gazed out of his window into the Yavin jungle, his hands clutching something he'd no business even seeing. She was driving him mad without even realising it - or were her actions deliberate?
It wasn't that Luke was unused to living with another person – he was. Sure, most of the galaxy had this image of him as a lonely hermit-type figure but he'd been brought up on Tatooine by his aunt and uncle and from there had moved straight into the company of Han, Chewie and Leia. After that dramatic change to his life, he'd been part of the rebellion and, of course, Rogue squadron. Communal living amongst a bunch of people on the run was the norm for him. He'd spent less time on his own than many people had – yet he was lonely. But hadn't someone said that loneliness was a state of mind?
Now he shared his quarters with Mara Jade. They were living together like man and wife but without the sex. There was no other way to describe it. He was trying not to think about the sex part but at night he dreamed hot and passionate. He saw his body entwined with Mara's, writhing together in the ageless dance of love. He rubbed his hand over his forehead.
During his relationship with Callista, they had lived together on Coruscant and on Yavin IV for several months. She had shared his bed as well as his living space but, now on reflection, something had been missing between them. Nothing had prepared him for cohabiting with Mara - albeit in a totally platonic sense. Force, it wasn't easy. The last thing he wanted to be with Mara was platonic.
It had been a straightforward affair at first – their living arrangement. Even though he knew that he was deeply in love with the fiery redhead, he had almost managed to distance himself emotionally from her potent presence. When she'd left for Elrood, he had tried to think of her as another student, as a sexless friend…as…oh, hell. Luke gave a mirthless chuckle. He was just trying to fool himself completely. He could not think of her as anything other than the woman he was in love with. Mara Jade was the one woman in the entire galaxy he could not ignore and it was getting harder and harder to do so. Mara's presence in his quarters had complicated everything. The mission was over and she'd acquitted herself well. She wasn't a student now. She was a knight. She had removed the ethical dilemma barring them from taking their relationship a step further.
A life alone dedicated to the Force and the Jedi was the only barrier left. Luke was trying to do it. He was failing miserably.
Their first few weeks together at the beginning of her training had been awkward. The secret of how far he'd gone and what he had done to save her life had hung between them. Mara seemed to be watching him, gauging his moods as she began to fit into the small, close-knit Jedi community. There were bound to be problems as she settled in among their number but Mara had become one of them with surprising ease.
As he watched her learn and interact, growing in confidence and strength, he marvelled at his good fortune at knowing this remarkable woman and being able to call her his friend. They'd had a chequered existence, their friendship suffering many ups and downs over the years. But apart from his family, she was the one person he trusted the most in the entire galaxy. Lately she'd appeared to relax in his presence in a way she never had before and Luke revelled in the way she reserved her special smile for him alone.
Her life had been hard and she wasn't given much to laughter or even warmth but deep inside Mara Jade was a warm, caring individual. Luke knew that he was the only person who saw the true Mara Jade and what he saw, he loved. While she was on her mission with Kirana Ti, he had missed her more than he'd ever thought possible. They had spent time apart throughout their long years of friendship. Indeed, they had been more often apart than together. But now, when she wasn't near him, he missed her.
She'd returned from Elrood and had taken up residence in his tiny spare bedchamber again and showed no sign of moving out. Why hadn't she moved out? Luke didn't want to think about the day that she did. He refrained from mentioning how cramped her bedchamber was just in case she decided that living in such a small space as that wasn't comfortable or practical.
Obviously he hadn't lived with Mara Jade before but he thought he was used to women and the embarrassing things they left lying around. He'd had female colleagues during the rebellion and he had a sister. Leia was a woman – although some of her political enemies begged to differ.
Luke glanced down at the piece of insubstantial fabric he held between his fingers and dropped it as if it had scalded him. He'd had no idea that Mara Jade wore panties this… Luke took another look at the scrap of pink fabric. The only word he could think of was 'sexy.' He was unsure if Jedi Masters should even think about sex. He had been thinking about it quite frequently of late - since Mara had moved into his quarters to be truthful. With a guilty expression on his face Luke's fingers reached for the item, smoothing the fabric between his fingers, imagining what Mara would look like wearing it. Involuntarily he groaned. A Jedi's trials could never be as difficult as this.
The occasional appearance of Leia's chaste white undergarments hung over a portable drier in the various rebel bases they'd frequented over the years were nothing compared to the delicate lacy trifles of nothing that Mara wore beneath tunics, robes and her infamous black leather jumpsuit.
They had started to appear in amongst his own clean laundry. How, he had no idea. It wasn't the first time in the past month that he had lifted a wisp of coloured lace before he'd known what it was. It had taken a moment to register that this was not the Jedi Master's plain utilitarian black shorts and then his face had changed colour. He hadn't been able to get the images of Mara dressed in these almost pieces of frivolity out of his head for the rest of the day and his imagination had been quite vivid. He'd also had the uncomfortable feeling that Kam and Tionne Solusar had known exactly what was plaguing him and were amused by it.
He'd then arrived from a late class to find her dressed in one of his shirts attempting to iron her clothes. His shirt! Was she wearing anything under that shirt? Maybe one of the articles of lingerie designed to have his temperature rocketing skywards. It had the desired effect. Luke's temperature rose.
"We have droids to do that," Luke said trying not to glance at the expanse of bare, smooth, shapely leg.
"I know, but you were the one that said they had enough to do," Mara said raising an eyebrow. "I'm only trying to be helpful."
"You're that alright," he muttered under his breath ignoring the sharp look she sent in his direction.
"That's my shirt," he grumbled lightly. It looked better on her.
"My clothes were crumpled," Mara countered. "I can hardly iron in the nude, can I?" With that image she'd managed to ruin his concentration during three of the last four Academy staff meetings.
He could hear her now singing faintly in the shower and, closing his eyes, he put his head in his hands, groaning softly to himself. Immediately a picture of Mara sprang before him naked and wet, the bubbles of her cleaning solution running over her shoulders, down her round, generous breasts and…
He could even smell the fresh fragrance she favoured. He let out a husky moan. The cleaning droid had mixed up their respective cleaning solutions only last week and he'd lathered himself liberally with what he associated as hers before he'd realised what he'd done. He'd had an almost constant reminder of her for the rest of the day. A Jedi knows no passion. Luke remembered Mara's teasing gaze fixed on him as they'd debated the Jedi code. She was certainly putting his feeble skills to the test and Luke suspected he was no match for her. What was worse, she didn't even realise she was doing it. How could she even guess at what she was putting him through? Altra had said that Mara loved him. He kept returning to that idea over and over again. Did she? Could she?
Was he wrong to devote his life to the Jedi? Was it a form of cowardice that made him shy away from a relationship? If he attempted to win Mara would it ruin their friendship? Suppose it didn't work out? Luke caught his dreams as they tumbled from the box he kept them in. He loved her and he would always love her but he had to be resolute. She had been his student and it had been unethical for him to pursue a relationship. Why should things change now she was a knight? The barriers to such a relationship had gone but he still couldn't just let go of all his own fears. He had to let her have her freedom. He would always be there for her. Why should she choose him – she could have anyone. What had been the exact meaning of his lightsaber crystal and the scarlet rose left on his pillow as he slept? It was almost as if she were marking her territory. He had carefully pressed the bloom between the pages of a large book. She would laugh at him if she knew.
Yes, he had made the right decision - or had he? Force, this was difficult, Mara was making things very hard for him.
No, he had to be honest. He was making things hard for himself.
Inside the shower stall, Mara smiled to herself. Her barriers were down as much as she dared without alerting the rest of Yavin IV and she was broadcasting with all her might to the man that she could sense waiting in the next room. She had caught one shocked flash of heat as he'd sorted through the washing returned by the laundry droid. So he'd found the lace panties she'd planted. Mara had made sure some of her more feminine articles of clothing had been regularly entangled with Luke's more sober pieces. She had even bought Luke some more racy pieces of male underwear and had found it amusing as he had refused to wear them. The strengthening link between them made her aware when his emotions were roused. She delighted in the fact that his discoveries had shaken him. 'You've been too long without a woman, Skywalker,' Mara thought determinedly. 'I'm going to change all that.'
Grabbing her bottle of cleanser, Mara emptied a generous amount into her hand and began to slowly lather it over her body. Her lips curved as she imagined Luke's hands doing the honours. His hands would be…oh so gentle, the calluses from many hours of manual work and lightsaber drill adding a certain something as he smoothed the gel across her soft skin, finding the places that made her gasp; his strong hands finding the tips of her breasts and massaging them into aching fullness. It wasn't enough - she wanted more. Imagining this sweet torture wasn't enough. She wanted this feeling to be real.
She subsided against the tiled wall of the shower, her breathing coming in quick gasps. She could see Luke clearly as he ducked his head under the shower spray, his eyes closing as the running water darkened his hair, plastering it against his forehead.
When she least expected it, Luke's eyes would open, the brightness of their colour startling her into full arousal.
"Kiss me…" Mara moaned, caught up in her fantasy. "Luke…Kiss me. I want to feel your body against mine."
Luke moved towards her, his lips parting, his own breath beginning to quicken…
"Luke…Kiss me." With a dull thud, Luke tumbled off the sofa and onto the floor and back into reality. He could hear her voice; it was warm, sensuous and breathy with desire. She was begging for his touch – his kiss. She was calling his name.
"Luke…Kiss me. I want to feel your body against mine. "
"Wha-a-t!" he exclaimed as he banged his knees hard. "Ow!" Had he been dreaming of taking liberties with Mara's glorious body? Or had he heard her innermost desires?
The noise from outside jerked Mara back out of her erotic dream. "Luke!" She shut off the water and exited the stall, grabbing a large white towel, which she wrapped around herself. "Luke…" Mara ran into the living area to see Luke climbing stiffly off the floor. "I heard… I felt…pain," she said slowly, taking in the scene.
"I leaned too far forward and slipped off the couch," he muttered, his attention focused on the knees of his black pants that looked slightly the worse for wear. "Don't laugh," he said ruefully. "I feel like an idiot and probably look like one, too."
"It wouldn't be the first time," Mara remarked dryly.
"Not fair, Jade. Hit a man when he's down." Luke turned his head to look at her and went still, his face whitening, the smile fading. "You're wearing a towel."
"And?" Mara said lightly moving towards him.
"It's a towel."
"It's quite decent, I can assure you," she said. "I was in the shower when I heard you…slip off the sofa. I didn't think you would be too happy if I came running out here without anything on at all."
"I…" Luke's mind shut down at the mere thought as she came closer still. He could see the beads of water glistening on her bare shoulders. "Anything at all," he managed to say. All he had to do was reach out and tug at the material hiding her unclothed beauty from his gaze.
"Naked," Mara breathed the word out huskily. "I don't normally wear anything when I shower."
There was a strained silence. Luke felt as if his face matched the colour of Mara's hair and he felt his body harden at her words. But she seemed unaffected by the whole situation. "These are yours," he mumbled thrusting a small pile of clothing into her hands. She seemed determined to nudge his mind into thinking of her unclothed. To give his hands something useful to do instead of what they wanted to do – like reach out and pull the towel from Mara's glorious body – he picked up the scattered articles of clothing at his feet.
"I thought I was getting short," Mara said. She extracted the lace knickers that had caused Luke so much embarrassment from around his fingers, watching with interest as he blushed vividly. She grinned artlessly at him. "I'll just go and get dressed since you object so much to my towel."
"There's nothing wrong with your towel," Luke snapped, his mind beginning to wake up. A certain portion of his anatomy was certainly alive and wanting to kick. Was she really doing this deliberately? "It's just…"
"Of course, the celibate Jedi Master cannot be sullied by the sight of a woman's body. I'll go and get dressed. I'm sorry if the sight of me without my clothes offends you," Mara said mockingly.
"I'm not celibate," Luke snapped.
"You're not? Not what I'd seen and heard" Mara grinned and leant closer, her mouth mere millimetres from the tip of his ear. "That's good to know," she taunted sexily. "I have no use for you being…celibate."
"That's not what I meant, Jade. Stop trying to twist my words into something else. Your body is spectacular. I am a poor farmboy, remember, and unused to such beauty." Luke willed his own body to behave as the half-mocking words fell from his lips.
Mara stared at him, a half-smile playing about her lips. "A compliment, Skywalker?" she murmured, the lace underwear dangling tantalisingly from her fingers. "Well done. It's a start." And she vanished into her bedchamber leaving the Jedi Master alone. He had a good idea what she was going to be wearing under her clothes this time. How was he going to get through lightsaber class knowing that underneath her workout clothes was…? He put his head in his hands and groaned again.
After that evening it seemed to Luke as if Mara was going out of her way to tease him with her femininity. In public she was the dutiful and hard working Jedi Knight taking her place in the learning and teaching on Yavin IV but when they were alone their encounters were spiked with sexual awareness and the confrontation between a man and a woman that only came from their interest in one another at the most primitive of levels.
Luke's resolve to do nothing about his feelings for Mara Jade were faltering in the heat of her unspoken challenge. Surely she was unaware of the messages her green eyes were sending him – what she was doing to him - and that made it doubly hard. He couldn't believe that she would be so spiteful as to toy with his affections knowing that he could never be more than a friend. She wouldn't go so far as to try and make him fall in love with her? Mara wasn't like that and he was already deeply in love with her, so the exercise was pointless. She was too beautiful to be interested in him for very long. He may be the Jedi Master but ordinary Luke Skywalker of Tatooine lay just beneath the surface.
But Altra was sure that she loves you. Leia and Han think that she loves you.
He had saved her life. There was bound to be gratitude mixed up with her awareness of him as her Jedi Master. That was all it could be but… When Mara looked at him he could almost hope that there was a different sort of future for him – that his destiny wasn't to be alone.
Tionne had spoken again of a spare suite of rooms available in the main accommodation block should Mara want to quit her cramped bedchamber in Luke's quarters. "It was a temporary measure, Master Skywalker."
"She's fine where she is," Luke had replied gruffly. "Isn't she? Is it bothering any of the other Jedi that Mara stays with me? Has she complained?"
But Mara was no longer his apprentice but a Jedi Knight. She could eventually think about taking her own students. Kam and Tionne had already inserted her into the Academy's timetable teaching a number of classes to all levels. Luke's heart sank; he did not want her to leave him.
"Has she expressed a desire to have her own quarters?"
"Oh, no," Tionne had answered, her pearly eyes widening at the strange note in the Jedi Master's voice. "There have been no complaints." Mara Jade had almost won over the serious Jedi Academy administrator. Tionne had watched Mara go out of her way to become part of the Academy. She had seen her devotion and application to her studies and she'd also witnessed the look on Mara's face every time Master Skywalker had been with her – an expression she didn't try to hide any more. Tionne recognised that look. She'd seen it on her own face when she'd first fallen in love with Kam Solusar. So that was the way the moons were circling. It was about time.
What was even more surprising, Tionne found that she didn't mind how Mara felt about Luke. In fact she wished that the oblivious Jedi Master, who was so obviously in love with Mara in return, would wake up and act on his feelings before it was too late. How he could remain in ignorance of Mara's feelings for him was quite beyond Tionne's comprehension. Tionne was quite certain that there wasn't one Jedi on Yavin IV that was unaware of how Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade felt about one another.
Perhaps it was better that Mara Jade remained in such close proximity to her former master. Perhaps fate would take a hand. Tionne was almost tempted to interfere herself.
Luke pushed the coverlet away from his overheated body and tugged at his loose sleeping shorts. It was far too hot to sleep. He stared up at the ceiling - willing himself to feel drowsiness overtake him but he was unsuccessful. He quickly checked on Mara – she was sleeping, as was every other sentient being on Yavin IV. Luke wriggled underneath the smooth sheets and cursed as they twisted their way around his legs and bunched into an uncomfortable knot.
"Force," he muttered quietly. "I need a drink. Anything to help me sleep would be nice."
He extricated himself from his treacherous bedding and padded quietly through to the small kitchen, his bare feet making no noise on the floor. With a grin he crouched down and began to search through the cupboards. When the supply ship had docked three days ago, Luke had found that Mara had ordered him a whole year's worth of hot chocolate. His torment and delight appeared to be looking after his interests.
"Luke!"
The sleepy voice made him jump a little. He swivelled on his knees and almost lost the grip he had on the packet of chocolate mix and his favourite mug.
Mara leaned against the door to the galley-style kitchen, her green eyes dark and heavy with sleep giving her a sultry air, her hair tumbling about her shoulders and down to her waist in a waterfall of red-gold curls. Luke swallowed. She was getting to him far too easily and his meagre defences had no chance against her powerful seductive assault.
His eyes zeroed in on her bare feet, her toenails painted a delicate pink – a colour that a child might have favoured. But Mara Jade was no child. Luke's eyes travelled up her shapely calves to her knees and higher until they reached the edge of her very short sleeping shift inadequately covered by an open, transparent robe. It left very little to his fevered imagination. Shouldn't she be dressed in something that enveloped her from her ankles to her neck? But then, it didn't matter what she wore. She could bring him to swift and almost instant arousal dressed in a sack with a Jawa's cowl over her head. He would know and sense the sweetness of her essence anywhere. He didn't even think that a set of white stormtrooper armour and accompanying helmet would make a difference.
Mara waited until he had finished his perusal of her person. "It was hot," she murmured, her eyes beginning to sharpen as the sleep fled. "And you were thinking far too loudly."
"I was what!"
"Thinking too loudly. I woke from an extremely pleasant dream and could sense your mind turning wheels inside that sandy head of yours. It stopped me from going back to sleep."
"Oh." Luke forced his eyes away from the tempting picture she made and stared in bewilderment at the articles he still clutched in his hands.
"And then I was too hot to sleep."
"The climate is temperate."
"Hot," Mara said.
"Temperate," he maintained firmly. "Tatooine is hot."
"It has two suns, of course it is hot," Mara griped tiredly. "But tonight is not temperate." She looked pointedly at Luke's own state of undress. "It's hot. You were brought up on Tatooine and can often feel the cold. If it's warm enough here for you to be wandering around in just your shorts…" She ran her gaze over his naked, muscular chest, something primitive and proprietorial flashing deep in her green eyes. "Then it's hot."
Luke got slowly to his feet and began filling the water boiler. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Are you having chocolate?"
"Of course – I thought it might help me to sleep."
"Is there enough for two?"
Luke grinned. "You are the one that stocked my cupboards full, Jade. I think I could spare you a cup."
"So, farmboy. You couldn't sleep either?" Mara watched as he began to mix up their drinks. "Why not? I hope there's no dark side reason."
"So do I," Luke quipped lightly. "But, no. I have things on my mind and as you said, it was too hot and I couldn't sleep."
"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Mara queried shrewdly. "What kind of things?"
Luke paused. She was too sharp and she knew him better than anyone else did. "Oh…Uh…Yeah," he said lamely. "Just things."
"Mmm," Mara said unconvinced.
"Where's your mug?" he asked changing the subject.
Mara pushed one towards him watching carefully as Luke filled the mugs with the hot liquid and pushed Mara's towards her. Emblazoned on the side were the words: 'Red Hot Jedi Babe!'
"Where did…" Luke stuttered.
Mara assessed the slogan and grinned. "It was a present from the crew of the Wild Karrde. Just a bit of fun. They picked it up at one of the markets in Coruscant's entertainment district. There's a whole series of them. I nearly got you the one that said, 'Jedi Masters do it with their lightsabers…'"
"I think I'll stick to this one." He lifted 'I'm with the Wookiee' to his mouth and took a long draught of his chocolate. "There's a whole series of them?"
"Mm-hmm." Mara took in his tousled, slightly too long hair, his bare, muscular chest, the sleeping shorts dipping low on his hips and her mouth watered. The desire she was keeping so firmly under control threatened to get out of hand. He would not welcome it even though he was in love with her. Or would he? "The bruising has finally gone," she commented softly, staring at the place on his chest where he'd sported the evidence of the surprise attack.
"Yes," he murmured. "I can't believe that happened so long ago. When you saw it first it was quite spectacular – the whole colour spectrum. I would be concerned if I was still multi-hued."
"You were lucky, farmboy, that it was only bruising and not broken ribs."
Luke gave the little farmboy shrug of his shoulders that Mara found so endearing. "Aw, Mara…"
She stepped closer and ran her hands over his skin, checking for any lingering pain. "I just need to make sure for myself."
"It's fine and it was weeks and weeks ago." Luke wondered why his heart hadn't burst out of his chest as her fingers had lightly traced over his skin.
"It seems to be," Mara whispered, gazing deep into his eyes, her fingers tracing circles. This simple touch was affecting her deeply.
Luke shivered and placed his hand over Mara's, stopping the movement.
"Luke…" she said.
He shook his head, his hands coming up to rest on her shoulders, his eyes staring into her jade-green depths. Blue eyes darkened and green answered the call. Desire slammed dizzyingly into their souls and Luke swallowed nervously, shaken at what he saw between them. This was so primitive – so raw – so real.
"Luke…" Mara tried again.
He shook his head. No, this wasn't real – it couldn't be. His hands tightened on her shoulders drawing her towards him. This wasn't right but his hands were independent of his brain and pulled her flush against his naked chest. His dreams came to mind and for a moment he was tempted to just give in and experience the rapture.
'Let go, Luke. Trust your feelings.' He could almost hear Obi-Wan's words once more.
Mara could feel his touch burning into her shoulders through her thin sleeping shift and robe. Was it finally working? Had she managed to crack that damned Jedi composure of his? The vision of them both naked and writhing passionately against one another escaped from the part of her mind she had imprisoned it in. She wanted him so badly; she could feel the anticipation twisting inside her gut. Mara's breathing quickened as she pulled back a little, allowing her hands to slide tormentingly slowly up Luke's muscular torso. The problem was that as she tried to make Luke more aware of her as a woman, Mara found that she was equally as susceptible to the Jedi Master as a man.
He was all the man she would ever want.
Once again she swayed closer; her cloth covered breasts brushing lightly against Luke's chest and heard his breath catch in his throat. "Please…"
"Mara!"
"I need you to…" Mara could see the wariness in his eyes but not the confusion. Luke was becoming aware of her motives – he had to be by now. She hadn't been exactly subtle. It wasn't time to start now. Taking her courage in both hands, Mara slid her hands the remaining short distance and encircled his neck, pulling his head down to meet hers. With a deep breath, Mara parted her lips and kissed him and, with a little sigh of surrender, Luke closed his eyes and let himself be drawn into the sensual warmth of the woman he loved.
This kiss was completely different from any of their previous encounters. Like the kiss she gave him before she had left for Elrood, Mara was the one who initiated the kiss, her lips parting under his, her hands tangling in his thick hair. Luke couldn't help but respond, his tongue darting inside her mouth, mimicking the action Mara wanted him to perform with her. It was the natural thing to do. But then something changed and Luke became the one who was driving their passion on. His arms wrapped tighter around her svelte frame, gathering her close, imprinting the feel of her body onto his own.
The other kisses they'd given one another had been nothing to compare with this one. Luke briefly recalled the first kiss on Elrood but it didn't count. He'd been dressed as the prince and Mara had been ill. Yes, she'd reacted to his touch; her lips had softened sweetly under his but this was different. This was genuine and…hot. Their hands began to move, grasping each other fiercely, caressing and stroking their senses to heightened desperation. He had to stop before things spiralled out of his control. He had to stop before he was totally unable to.
Luke took a deep breath and reluctantly pulled away from the woman his arms had wrapped themselves around as if he never wanted to let her go. He'd been clinging onto her for dear life.
"Luke…" Mara whispered, opening her eyes, her hands clutching desperately at his powerful shoulders.
"Force, Jade," he said, stepping away from her. "I'm sorry. We should never…"
"Of course not," Mara muttered scornfully, from swollen kiss-stung lips. "You're the Jedi Master with a code that stops you from living."
"That's one reason," Luke replied, his voice flat, his eyes dark and watchful. "But I'm living."
"Half a life. But beware; this will not go away…"
"If I do nothing about it – it will."
"The code and all that 'Jedi shouldn't' rubbish," Mara dismissed. "We are meant to be, Skywalker. Our bond is far more than one between Jedi. It's a…"
"That's your opinion."
"It is my opinion. This isn't over, farmboy." Mara nearly spat out the word 'Jedi' in disgust. But she was a Jedi Knight too and something in her now refrained from using the word as an insult. Perhaps by using the word 'farmboy', she could appeal to Luke on another level. But she could sense him withdrawing from her, could sense him pulling his frayed emotions and knitting them tightly together.
She pulled her robe back up over her shoulders. Luke's hands had dislodged the fine fabric. "This isn't over, Luke," she repeated. "Not by a long way." She gave him a level stare. "Don't even think about retreating to the furthest, most inaccessible place on this planet because I will hunt you down."
"But Mara…"
"Oh, no, Skywalker," she said warningly. "This isn't about revenge. I'm a Jedi and we don't 'do' that. I'm going back to my bed to continue the sleep your overly active brain woke me up from. Think about what we just did and why you are running away from it. This will never go away." She scowled. "I will see you in the morning for our usual lightsaber practice. You had better be there."
"But Jade..."
"No, Luke. Your thoughts betray you and we're too closely bonded for me not to know how you are feeling."
"You think you know what's in my mind?" Luke asked, his voice suddenly sensuous without him realising.
"If it's anything like the images I've seen in mine," she murmured, her voice deepening to match his, "…then yes, I do. We will make love, Skywalker, and it will be like nothing you have ever experienced in your entire life. That is a promise." She gave him a last fulminating glance and stalked from the kitchen.
Luke watched her go, bewilderment in his eyes. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. She wasn't supposed to kiss him and he wasn't supposed to kiss her back. The desire he'd seen written all over her face wasn't meant to be for him. She wasn't supposed to tell him that they would make love.
He was intended to be alone with the Force and his Jedi code, saving the galaxy. His martyrdom to his cause was designed to make up for the lack of a loving, sexual relationship and a family. He had fallen in love with Mara Jade, the one woman in the entire universe who could match him, but had intended to do nothing about it. He had thought that he was better than everyone else because he could live with his love and enjoy his own suffering.
Luke found he didn't enjoy it after all. "We will make love, Skywalker." Could she have made her intent any clearer than that? Luke didn't think so. How did he feel about her declaration? Part of him was thrilled and the other part scared. If he made love to Mara Jade there would be no going back. Luke would have set himself on a course which could lead to his own destruction. He stared down at the lower half of his own body, noting the bulge in his sleeping shorts. No wonder Mara was so certain of his celibacy. He had leapt upon her like a man starved.
With a sound of disgust Luke headed for the shower. His…predicament wasn't going to go away and he had to take care of it in the usual way by the steadiness of his saber hand. But he knew when his seed spilled from his guilty body it would be Mara's name on his lips.
The door to Mara's bedchamber slid home behind her with a satisfying thud. 'Damned son of a sith.' The realisation that she had made her move a little too early gnawed at her temper. But she wanted him so much – how could she resist him? Answer – she could not. Perhaps in a twisted kind of way the Force had intended that this be a continuing part of her trials.
"I'm not finished with you, Skywalker," she vowed, her voice gritty with determination. "I made my move too early but I can hold onto my patience. And I will win this fight - I have to. We are equals now. You can't keep shutting me out."