He let her take a drink, then took the glass from her and put it on the table, far enough back that it wouldn't get knocked over. "So you lured me here under false pretences?" He wrapped one arm around Rey while he slowly ran his finger down her nose. She scrunched up her face, then kissed his finger as it touched her lips.

"I suppose I did." Leaning up, she kissed him gently. "Is that so wrong of me?"

He kissed her back, their lips joining and forming against each other as they found the right angle. He could feel her breathing matching his as he felt her skin, held her head as he gently formed himself onto her mouth. Her tongue stole tentatively across his lips, every touch a blaze of fire that left embers in the wake. She was nervous, untutored, but that only inflamed him more, and it was all he could do not to press forward, push her down on the sofa and begin what would not end until she was panting and screaming underneath him. She might only be eight years younger than him, but he knew how little experience she had from the hesitant touches and the way every contact made her gasp. He was free now, free to see her as more than just a client, but he would be doing her a disservice if he took advantage of her need to learn by teaching her too much too fast.

As if reading his mind, she pulled back a little. "Kylo … Ben … I don't know …"

"What to call me?"

"What I want." Her eyes were wide and her lips swollen as if he had bruised them, although he had tried so hard to be gentle. "I'm new at this, and it's a bit scary."

"I'm not, and it's scary for me too." He grinned, and she laughed. "I think we should probably take things very slowly. And if either of us feels uncomfortable ..."

"Say something. Consent." Rey ran her fingers around his lips, then cupped his cheek and pulled him down to her. He obliged, kissing her slowly as he learned her mouth, her sighs, the tightening of her back when he drifted off her mouth and kissed down to her ear, finishing just under it. That last left her melting in his arms as if his touch had dissolved every bone in her body. "Ben …"

This time he was the one to pull back. "That was playing dirty."

"And you knew it."

"Rey, tonight has been rough on both of us. We shouldn't take things too far too soon. I don't think either of us is in the right headspace to go all the way right now." He kissed her again, worried how she would take it, but she smiled and nodded.

"I feel as if I've been through the wringer. Being here feels so safe, but it would be too easy to go further. And to be honest, I think I've had too much to drink. Would you be terribly disappointed if we finished up soon?"

"Five minutes?"

"Five minutes of that amazing kissing, then yes." She pulled him down once more, this time confidently slipping her tongue into his mouth and running her fingers through his hair, sliding them down behind his ears and to that delicate triangle of skin below them that acted as an accelerant to the heat spreading through the rest of him. He refused to be embarrassed by the rising peak in his groin – she might be calling the shots, they might be taking things slow, but his body knew what it wanted and wasn't afraid to show it. He did try not to grind his erection too hard into her, but slipped her leg over his thigh, moving her so that she had contact over the entirety of his front. As he felt her press up against his length he heard her gasp, and she looked deep into his eyes.

"And after tonight?"

"After tonight, Kitten, we will take things one step at a time. After all, I didn't come prepared."

"I did."

"What?"

"I have a box of condoms in my toiletries bag."

"What in heaven's name for?"

"I wasn't sure if Unkar was searching my room, so I kept them in my underwear drawer. If he'd found them, he would have told Poppy and then I would have found out. Being yelled at by Poppy would have been worth it. Same with you. If you had been checking my stuff, you might not have told me, but you would have told Poppy and then I'd find out so very fast." Her grin was the one from the first day at the cabin, the grin of smug triumph that told him he was not up against the clueless child he'd assumed. But one thing didn't make sense. Well, many things, but one in particular stood out.

"Why didn't you tell your grandfather that Unkar was treating you badly?"

"You've obviously never been in foster care." She grimaced. "The place I was in before Maz's, Mrs Krennic's. Her husband was always checking out her kids. I was lucky. He liked them young, but not as young as me. He sneaked into Jyn's room a couple of times, started fooling with her – she was twelve. So she told Mrs Krennic. That earned her a beating. Then she told the council worker who came once a fortnight to check on us." Pausing, she shook her head. "He asked Mrs Krennic, who told her Jyn was a lying slut who had tried to steal from her and was making things up to shift the blame. I got moved on after that, heard she ended up in Borstal. But I couldn't tell Poppy early on – I was too scared he'd send me away, and I didn't want to end up in the American system. And later, I had Gwen to look after me."

She held him tight, and he had to listen hard to hear her last words. "And I didn't want to be called a lying slut."

He held her tight, smoothing her hair, then he kissed her one last time. "Names are important, Kitten. What would you prefer to call me?"

She thought for a moment, then rolled off him, sat up and put out her hand. "I am very pleased to meet you, Ben Solo."

"You prefer Ben?"

"Because Kylo Ren is the heavy, the Capo my grandfather trusts and who is privy to all the secrets of the Family. Ben Solo is someone who lives in this cabin, who writes stories about spaceships, who shows me sun dogs and gives me a snakeskin." She paused. "And someone I am rather fond of."

He had trouble dealing with the swelling of his heart, and turned away, grabbing the glasses off the table. "I'll bank the fire if you could take these through to the kitchen."

Rey bounced up and headed through, then dashed up the stairs while he carefully piled the wood over the fire, setting it so it would hopefully burn all night. Moving the sofa back, he pulled the clothes horse closer then made sure the fire screen was locked into position. With any luck, the clothes would be dry enough to wear on the morrow. Rey clattered back down the stairs and past him with her toiletries bag in hand, and he fought down a grin at the thought of the secret hidden within. He would no more have searched her belongings as he would have read her mail – his job was bodyguard, not prison warden.

The emotional toil of the last few hours caught up to him on the way up the stairs, and he was surprised how exhausted he was. It didn't take a moment for him grab his own toiletries bag and head back down to brush his teeth. Rey was still in the bathroom as he came in, and he handed her an empty glass.

"We both had a lot of that drink tonight. Water."

She took the glass from him, filled it and drank it, then turned and hugged him. "That's your goodnight hug. I missed it last night."

"So did I." He hugged her back, and kissed her quickly. Her lips were cold from the water, and he licked a drop off her top lip then kissed her again. "Goodnight, Kitten."

"Goodnight, Ben."

Sleep came quickly, but a scream in the middle of the night had him up and grabbing the gun as he rushed to Rey's room. Through the walls he could hear the coyotes. More than just howling, there were snarls and growls, and screams that echoed through the valley. Rey was sitting upright in bed, the bedclothes pulled to her chest and the fluffy pink onesie trembling.

"Are you all right?"

"Why are they so loud?"

"They must be close by. I don't think I've ever heard them so close, but then I've not been here at the end of the year before." He put his arm around her. "They can't get in."

She clung to him, shaking in a way he hadn't felt before. "Are you sure?"

He pushed the hair back from where it had fallen in her eyes. "The house is secure, Kitten. The doors are shut and I don't think coyotes have learned yet how to open them."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "I … I can't …" Then she looked away. "Could I sleep with you tonight?"

He lifted her up and carried her through to his bed, laying her gently down. "Just sleeping, though."

"I want to feel safe."

He nodded and climbed over her to settle in on the other side. Spooning her gently, he wrapped his arms around her the way he had just two nights before. Then, as now, it was for her comfort, but it felt different. Something they both wanted, and something they were both in control of. He wasn't calming a broken child. Despite her fear of the coyotes, he knew she was doing this not out of desperation but to feel secure. He pulled her closer, and she took his hand and kissed it before putting it back in place around her chest. Ben fell asleep before she did.

The morning was bright and clear, and bitterly cold. Rey was still in his arms, but somehow she had rolled over during the night and was snuggled into his chest. He lay for a few minutes watching her breathe, before he kissed her forehead and rolled away. She only murmured and spread out a little more as he eased himself out the other side of the bed and grabbed his towel and bath bag. Morning wood was more than a little uncomfortable when he really couldn't deal with it with her there. He headed down for a relaxing and evidence-removing shower before she woke.

Ten minutes and some excellent use of slippery soap later (and the sound of the shower which should have covered his muffled groan. He called her name softly when he came though, barely able to stand at the rush of feeling that was more than just an orgasm), Ben realised his error. He had no problem going back upstairs in just his towel, but he did not want to dress in front of Rey. The temptation to slip back into bed with her, to hold her and kiss her, and to take things to the next level, would be impossible to resist. For a minute he listened for any sounds from above, then he went to the lounge room where most of his clean clothes now hung anyway. He put on his briefs before he stoked up the fire. Some of the clothing was warm and dry and he donned it gratefully. The socks, alas, were still clammy, but he pulled them on anyway. Likewise, his new boots were still cold and damp, and he decided to forgo them for an hour or so. By then they should be almost dry. He padded to the kitchen and started to make breakfast, sighing at the snow-laden clouds above. They were due for a massive fall.

The stone flags on the kitchen floor had managed to conduct the cold straight through from outside. Undoubtedly the various pipes running under them had not helped. The thermometer on the back porch, old yet still reliable, showed thirteen degrees of frost, and the floor felt like it. Oatmeal ready, he called up the stairs then ducked out to quickly grab some more wood from the back door pile.

A moment later, he hissed in pain. The chill from the icy porch sent waves of pain through his feet. He managed to hold onto the logs and get back inside, but the noise brought Rey to the back door.

"What do you think you're doing? I don't need you to pretend to be all macho with me!" She grabbed the doorhandle to open the door wider, giving him room to bring the armful of logs in. Slamming the door behind him, she ducked under his arm to get the next door that led to the lounge room and the fireplace. He managed to get his load to the hearth, and put two logs on the embers, collapsing onto the sofa immediately afterwards.

"You'll get frostbite, and then what will I do?" Rey was at his feet, slowly peeling the socks off. "You don't need to prove anything to me. I know you too well already. Now stay here."

She slung the icy articles over the fireguard, then dashed to the kitchen. Ben realised he'd never seen her so competent. Everything she did, she did with an energy that made him feel old. His feet were hurting more than he thought possible – he must have frozen them on cold kitchen floor and the icy porch had just brought the sensation to the fore. That, and he'd always had an odd relationship with pain. He would know intellectually that he was feeling it for a long time before actually feeling pain – but when it did break through, it came with a fury.

The heat from the fire was making his toes itch, but his attention was drawn by Rey coming through the back door of the lounge. She had a towel draped over her shoulder, and a large steaming plastic tub in her hands. Walking very carefully, she put the tub down in front of Ben and patted on the backs of his ankles.

"Lift your feet up, dill." She folded the towel beside her, then when Ben lifted his feet up she slid the tub underneath them. She rolled the ends of his trousers up, then lowered his feet. He flinched when his skin touched the water, and she frowned and put her hand in.

"It's not that hot. It's just that your feet are so cold."

"Sure."

"It's the skin receptors. You stunned them with cold, and they're reactivating."

"Are you sure the water isn't boiling, and you're just used to it?" He lowered his feet gingerly into the water, feeling the burn creep up the sides yet dissipate from the soles.

"If I used a thermocouple, it would barely register. Now put them in and I'll make you a cup of coffee." She hauled herself up and headed to the kitchen, and Ben moved his feet back and forth in the tub, analysing the sensations of the waves of warmth moving up and down. She was back shortly afterwards, bearing a cup of coffee and the kettle. Both had steam wafting from them.

"Lift your feet out." He didn't feel he could protest. Not if he wanted to get that cup of coffee. She handed him the mug, then once his feet were clear, she topped up the tub. "Both red – that's good."

"Nicely parboiled?"

"Not frostbitten. If any part of them were, it'd still be white." She ducked back out to the kitchen then returned with her own cup. "Thanks for the oatmeal. Do you have any slippers?"

"Not for years."

"Spare socks?"

"In my bag – wait!" It was too late. She'd put down her cup and sprinted out of the room and up the stairs before he could stop her, and he wasn't going to leap out of the tub and slosh around with wet feet. There wasn't anything incriminating in his bag – she wouldn't even find the secret compartments unless she manoeuvred the handles just so – but he felt uneasy at her pawing through his underwear looking for socks. And he could hear her footsteps above him, hear if she went anywhere but the bag and then back. Especially if she headed for his wardrobe.

She was less than two minutes, her cheeks red from running up and down the stairs. "Here. I think they match." The pair she held out in front of him was thick and inviting.

Careful not to drip water on the rag rug, Ben lifted his feet out of the tub one at a time, and gently dried them before sliding on the dry socks. "They should be – I put them in tucked together."

"Well they weren't. None of your socks were."

A chill went down his spine, and he dropped his voice as low as he could. "I want you to do exactly what I tell you." Getting up quietly, he took out his revolver and checked the barrel. He'd checked it first thing that morning, but staying alive meant checking again. Holding the revolver in his right hand, he put his finger to his lips. Rey nodded, and he took her hand and led her to the old armchair at the back of the lounge. It was set against the corner of the room, which left a neat space at the back.

"Stay here. I'll come back and get you. If you hear me say Principessa, you know it's a trap – stay quiet, and try and escape."

She nodded, and folded herself into the small space, becoming invisible in the dim room. As silently as he could, Ben crept methodically around the house. From the bathroom and toilet, the back porch, the kitchen, the linen cupboard and the dining area, he moved like a panther, a shadow in the dim light. Creeping upstairs, being careful to miss the fifth step, he checked her room first. Nothing seemed out of place – her textbooks lay on the desk, her bed newly made up, and no monsters underneath. She had hung some of her clothes in the wardrobe, but they were the only new additions.

In his bedroom, the duffel bag lay where Rey had heaved it onto the bed and opened it. Ben looked carefully under the bed and inside the wardrobe before checking his possessions. The items were slightly out of place as they would be after a young woman went through looking for socks, but he could see immediately what she meant. Every sock, which he had carefully balled up in pairs, now lay loose in the bottom of the bag. The compartments at each end were unopened – his telltale was still in place – but his blood was running cold. He was certain the socks had been paired up when he'd pulled out the black ones the day before, and he hadn't changed them after their excursion to town. The high ceiling did not leave any space for a person to hide in, and the house was completely enclosed around the foundations. If someone had come here, and not left, they were probably in the laundry. He grabbed his trainers and slipped them on – if he had to go on the porch, he wanted foot protection.

Creeping back down the stairs, Ben walked through the lounge room, pleased to hear no other noises. "I'm going to check outside, Rey. So far so good."

There was a slight rustle from the armchair as he passed near it. Silently slipping again past the bathroom and toilet, he checked quickly to make sure no-one had snuck in while he had been upstairs, then he opened the back door and peered around. The porch held only the pile of logs he had left there, the snow shovel and the laundry door. The small laundry, barely large enough for a dilapidated machine and a tub, was likewise empty.

But someone had been there. At the end of the porch, there was a single footprint on the pile of snow he had thrown there the day before. Rey had not been out that way, and he had stood on the porch and shovelled.

And yet there was no sign of anyone, and he was loathe to leave Rey by herself in the cabin.

Stepping back inside, he made sure the back door was properly barred. A moment later, the front door was similarly bolted, with a large plank in the slots to stop anyone opening it.

"Rey? It's fine – come out." Ben carefully uncocked and holstered his gun. Rey appeared from behind the chair, holding something beside her.

"What happened?"

"I think someone went through here while we were out." He looked once more around the room. Paranoid was better than post-mortem. "What are you holding?"

"I took one of the pokers."

"That was probably sensible."

"Should we leave?"

"I've searched everywhere – I know this cabin and all its hiding places – I've locked us in securely. And I'm puzzled."

"Why?"

"Because if there's no contract out on you, who are they after, and why?"