*******Author's Note*******

Your comments feed my soul. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading.

I wrestle with myself over messaging Shepard for all of thirty seconds after leaving the Comm Room, and then I send the message anyway.

I hated watching her get hurt today, hated how scared it made me feel. I considered Shepard important and a friend before joining her crew; back then, I had no choice but to let her go and hope she'd make it back so I could see her again. Now she's on the same ship, and I have no excuse to hide.

I'm no good at putting myself out there, but Shepard looked totally drained after joining with our Asari rescue during the debrief earlier. It's a look I've seen on others before. It's a look that said she's starting to feel the weight of the burden she's bearing.

Everyone deserves to be reminded that they have friends to hold some of that burden.

**I'm not just coming onto you...but I thought you'd want to know I have all the Blasto movies on my Tool.**

Shepard's quick response makes me laugh.

**Not JUST coming on to me...so you're coming onto me at least a little, right? My quarters, half an hour.**

**Please.**

The invitation to her quarters unnerves me a little. We've spent enough time around each other in the last few weeks that at least some of the crew is talking about it. She even waited to have dinner the other day until I was available to join her, long after the rest of the crew had finished. Of course, Kaidan crashed the meal and ended up taking over the conversation by whining about his biotic implant and headaches.

Shepard hasn't made it a secret she likes my company, but going to her quarters alone with her feels...different. Public.

I'm not about to deny her, so I leave the diagnostics system to run on the Mako and gather what I need to take a shower upstairs. On a Turian ship, I wouldn't bother with bringing clothes or a towel with me, but I learned in C-Sec how prudish humans are about nudity. With what I need, I head for the elevators and meet Ashley Williams at the doors.

She's carrying a small bag as well, and her hair is down. I note that her hair is dark brown and straight, almost thin in appearance, and very different from Shepard's thick red waves. Turian men have different lengths to our fringes, but it's all basically the same idea. Humans vary so much.

"Oh. Are you heading up to the showers?"

"I am," I respond, noting her discomfort immediately.

It's a ship, and she's definitely served on them before. Communal showers are a pretty common thing, and I know I've seen her in there with at least Alenko after missions...but maybe just Alenko and the other humans on the crew, now that I think about it. I quickly rack my brain for an instance when Ashley has ever showered with the alien crew after a mission or at the end of the day. I come up empty.

"Williams. You do realize that there are walls; I can't see anything. And...don't take this the wrong way, but I don't want to."

She narrows her eyes at me. "Not interested in humans, Vakarian?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just not interested in people who are so disgusted by alien bodies that they can't maintain normal ship operations." Her mouth snaps shut at the same moment that the elevator doors open, and I step on ahead of her, pretty sure that she's not going to be following me.

"Hold the door," Wrex's gravelly voice calls. I do, and he joins me a second later, also aiming for the showers by the looks of him. Ashley's face pales now, and I know why; Wrex doesn't care whether it makes the humans nervous. The Krogan will come back down here naked and proud.

Ashley has to respond to what she knows damn well was a challenge or run like a coward...and I have to admit my surprise when she jumps onto the elevator with us just before the doors close.

The human is entirely silent in the showers and finishes so quickly I'm surprised she even managed to get wet before casting me a cocky look and practically running from the room. "Humans are so strange," I muse out loud to Wrex.

Shepard is clearly attracted to me and invited me to her quarters while Ashley can barely stand to be in the same space. Turians may have cultural reservations about sleeping with humans, but all of the Turian men I know generally agree on what makes a mate attractive, regardless of species. I've seen the way Turian men on the Citadel look at Shepard.

Which reminds me to keep Shepard the hell away from all of them if we ever go back to Palaven or to the Citadel.

"The Asari had eyes for you in the debriefing," Wrex informs me. I frown and glance over at him, skeptical and a little weirded out. "You would have noticed if you could see anything but Shepard."

That makes me laugh. "Watch it, Wrex. People might start to suspect that you're jealous."

Wrex barks out his laughter, and it's immediately contagious. I appreciate the relaxation before having to walk into Shepard's quarters when other people might see me. The last thing I want is to appear nervous when I show up, not in front of her.

I change into the civvies I brought with me and use a temporary locker to store my things for now so that I can head right for Shepard's quarters. It's just my luck that almost the whole crew is in Mess Hall...or it's dinner time, and I'd totally forgotten that with my thoughts focused around the gorgeous redhead now smiling at me.

"I like that you're early, Vakarian," she teases me.

"Now there's a compliment I don't hear often." She chuckles but rolls her eyes at me, and I hope I look casual when I walk across Mess Hall to her.

"Early? Early for what?" It takes all of my self-control not to roll my eyes at Alenko. The guy acts like a lost varren pup, fawning all over Shepard like he'd do anything for a pat on the head or a treat.

I don't answer him, mostly because I want to see if Shepard does. I didn't miss how red her face got earlier when we were caught talking after I fixed her shoulder. It's a big contrast from that to inviting me to her quarters in front of the crew, so I'm half expecting her to lie.

Once again, Shepard doesn't disappoint. "Garrus and I are marathoning quality cinema tonight," she informs them like hanging out with a Turian is perfectly natural for a human commanding officer.

"She finally roped you into watching Blasto with her, huh?" Joker quips.

"I'll have you know that movie choice was all him!" Shepard protests, holding a knife out to threaten the pilot with.

I notice then that she has two trays in front of her loaded with various snack foods - both dextro and levo-friendly. At my raised brow plate, Shepard explains, "It's not all for me. I thought we'd eat dinner in my quarters...and by eat dinner, I mean binge on snacks, and you can try peanut butter."

Ashley Williams clears her throat awkwardly, almost painfully, like she might be choking on her water. "You're, uh...watching movies in your quarters? Like a...date?"

My hands flex instinctively, and I have to hold my breath to try and quell the blush I can feel rising in my throat.

This is exactly what Shepard didn't want. It was ground rule number one; we're supposed to keep this between us. I don't want her to reject me now.

Instead of getting flustered, Shepard just laughs and shrugs it off. "Garrus and I have been friends for a while, and I had a shit day. We're hanging out. You can do with that what you will, Ash." Holding one tray in each hand, Shepard turns toward me. "Ready, big guy?"

I take one of the trays from her and nod, giving the rest of the crew a brief wave before following Shepard down the hall to her quarters. It feels odd having so many suspicious eyes at my back, but the sight of Shepard's ass in form-fitting civilian pants is an excellent distraction. I force my eyes away from that because an erection is going to be impossible to hide without armor, and my intention for reaching out tonight was because I thought she needed a friend.

I want her to know I can be that person.

So I need to control the urge to fuck her.

"Pretty surprised you suggested your quarters, Shepard," I tell her honestly when we're out of earshot. "You know that this is going to start talk around the ship, right?"

Shepard just shrugs her shoulders and enters the code to open her doors as she tells me, "You're my friend, and I need that now. Frankly, you've been a pretty great friend. So...let them talk about that."

"Just about that?" I step through the doors behind her and pause, taking in the space when I realize this is my first time inside. It would have been Captain Anderson's before it was Shepard's and seems much more his style, very utilitarian. Almost Turian, except we have bigger beds...though this one is still big enough for two.

I force my eyes from the bed and note the two chairs and table that make up the seating area as well as the desk, which is the only messy space in the entire room. She has a model ship sitting on the table, which she moves to replace with her tray and then motions for me to take the other chair.

"Just about that. Anything else is more than they need to know." She gives me an impish wink and settles down into the chair opposite me. With the agreement made that we're allowed to be good friends in public and the understanding that the rest is just for us, I fire up the movies on her screen.

Shepard is so damn easy to spend time with. She's funny and easy-going, even if her taste in moves is shit, and she matches me on every single level. That's something I've never found in a woman before, something I didn't even know I was looking for. She seems to delight in the fact that I find peanut butter delicious, and I'm pretty thrilled myself when she admits the Palaven Ale she brought me is better than human beer.

It's like hanging out with one of my friends, simple and fun, with no pleasure. Except that we're accidentally-on-purpose brushing hands, and every time she looks at me, the air sparks to life between us.

"OK, that's enough," Shepard snaps when her terminal dings with an email for what feels like the hundredth time in the last couple of hours. She passes in front of me to reach the desk and trails that intoxicating scent of hers as she goes.

"Enough?" I repeat, deciding to test the waters before getting rejected. "I thought we hadn't even gotten started."

Shepard laughs softly and glances back at me with a smile before reaching her desk. When she leans onto the desk - which is totally unnecessary for reaching the terminal or the keyboard - I know that her purpose is giving me a view of her ass. And it's a damn good view.

I'm on my feet, answering the siren call of her body before I realize I'd decided to move.

She gasps when my hands slide over her hips from behind, and when she doesn't pull away, I step closer so that her ass meets the cradle of my hips. Heat floods me instantly at the sight of her bent in front of me, even fully clothed. Just the memory of her body is enough to make me feel crazed.

"Is this you getting started?" she asks, trying to sound casual even though her voice is already husky with lust. It's a heady feeling to know that I can bring the same response in her that she has on me.

I guide her to straighten when the terminal clicks off so that her back is flush against me and slide my hands slowly around her waist, dragging my talons gently along the inch of separation between her shirt and pants. It's not nearly enough contact with her soft, warm skin, and I know Shepard feels the same when she slumps heavily back into me.

"This is me...reacquainting us. I've missed you. One week since the Mako - " She giggles at my mention of our last time together, " - and I'm losing my mind. And now you're teasing me."

"What? I am not!"

"Really? So you didn't walk over here and lean down in front of me to make me drool over your ass?" I lick slowly up her neck, savoring the sweet taste of her skin. I can't wait to make her sweat and taste the way her skin changes.

I want to taste every inch of this woman, I have desperately from the first time I touched her. And tonight I intend to do just that.

Shepard giggles softly, the sound so unlike the woman who was destroying Geth on an alien planet earlier today that it makes me feel honored that I get to hear it.

"Yeah, well. Maybe I missed you, too."

I hate the way her confession makes my hands shake.

She turns her head and catches my mandibles in her mouth, licking over the end. I capture her mouth with mine, and Shepard returns all the heat I give her in the kiss, her hand slipping under my fringe to massage a spot she knows drives me wild.

"Mmm. I like the taste of peanut butter even more this way."

Shepard whimpers against my mouth, and I have to tense my arm to keep her knees from buckling. I slip one hand between us and undo her bra deftly, getting that damn thing keeping me from her breasts out of my way. When they're free, I shove both hands up her shirt and grope her chest just as roughly as I'm kissing her mouth. Shepard arches into the touch, rewarding me with even more of her.

I tease her nipples with one hand and drag the talons of the other down her stomach, feeling the muscles under her soft skin tense and bunch under the touch. She shudders and whispers my name at the same time her hand tugs on my fringe, and I go from very aroused to extremely hard, all in a rush. My cock surges from behind my plates with desperation.

Shepard notices, feeling it suddenly pressed against her ass, and tortures me by rolling her hips back into me. That incredible ass rounding on my hard-on makes it throb almost painfully.

I nip gently at the skin on her neck and bask in the sound of her soft moan. The button on her pants pops open easily, and she thrusts her hips forward into my hand before I even touch her. "Eager, are we? You really did miss me."

"Don't get cocky when I can feel just how badly you missed me." It would be more forceful if her head wasn't lolling back on my shoulder while I kiss over her neck and play with her breasts.

"Oh, Shepard. I can't wait to feel how badly you missed me." I punctuate the promise by pushing my hand further into the front of her pants, and she grips the back of my head harder when my fingers graze her heat. Fuck. "Ah you're so wet, so ready for me. Tell me what you want."

"Garrus…" I can hear and smell her arousal, but she tenses just enough for me to feel it, to get a sense that talking isn't something she's used to.

"It's OK," I breathe into her ear, nuzzling her face with mine and dragging my mouth along hers. "Just relax, listen to me. I've got you."

She makes a sound almost like a whimper and nods. "Christ, Garrus. You could get me off with just your voice, I swear."

I laugh and nip her ear softly. "We'll give that a try someday. I have something else new in mind tonight, though." I slide my hand lower so that I can press the tip of my finger gently against her clit, and Shepard's legs shake. "I'm gonna need you to tell me that I'm doing it right, though."

"I think it's pretty clear you know what you're doing," she pants, actually growling a little when I start to pull my hand away. I think the only reason she doesn't bite me is that I guide her to turn around. I wanted to kiss her, but I'm caught off guard by the sight of her, eyes bright and cheeks flushed.

I've never met a woman so beautiful.

"Is staring at me the new thing?" she asks, cocking her head a little and giving me a playful scowl.

"No," I laugh. "I'm just counting my blessings for a moment. Stop ruining it by talking."

Shepard's laugh is cut off when I yank her up onto her toes so that I can kiss her properly, her lips parting eagerly for me. She runs her tongue along the bottom of my mouth plate, and I feel my talons dig into her arms when I fight for control.

"You're holding back on me tonight, Vakarian," she murmurs between kisses, hand still playing behind my fringe.

"I want to slam you down on the desk and make you scream so loud that the whole damn crew hears you say my fucking name, so you should be grateful I'm holding back."

Shepard balks a little at that, and I try not to panic since I didn't really mean to say it. For a second, I think she's going to scold me, give me a lecture about keeping us private, but then she throws her arms around my neck and kisses me even harder.

I didn't realize I was nervous until she said it. I have been holding back - and I haven't been scared of something sexual since I was twelve. Shepard, however, has no reserve tonight, and it's driving me nuts.

It makes me so much more intent on making her fall apart for me, making sure she never forgets tonight or how I make her feel.

"Elle. Do you trust me?" Shepard pulls back just a little, looking up at me with apprehension now. I laugh and kiss her quickly. "Don't think about it, just answer. Do you trust me?"

"With my life."

When she's not overthinking, the answer comes fast and sure. So much that it surprises me...for about a second and then I shake it off, grow the hell up, and yank her up against me.

Shepard comes willingly, moaning against my mouth when I lift her by the thighs to pull her legs around my hips. She seems surprised when I put her back down on the desk instead of carrying her to the bed. That'll come later. For now, I step between her legs and tug her hips to the very edge of the desk where she can feel my arousal.

The damned little human goes right for my pants and tries again after I push her hands away. "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be really mean and tease me?"

"Is this the great Commander Shepard whining?" I pin her hands to the desk at either side of her hips and lean forward, running my tongue slowly over her throat. "It's kind of making me wanna hear you beg for me."

"That makes me wanna kick you in the quad."

"That would sound a lot more threatening if you weren't panting, baby." I'm grateful her skin is within reach of my mouth so that I have something to bite down on instead of cursing myself for the pet name that slips me when I'm with her. I feel Shepard's hands tense under mine on the desk, and I release them because if she wants to shove me away, I won't stop her.

Instead of moving me away because I'm an idiot and I say stupid things when she's got me going, Shepard tears off her shirt and tosses it aside before grabbing my shoulders and tilting her head to give me more access. That small sign of submission drives me wild, especially from such a strong woman...but I need more.

"Put your hands on the desk shelf behind you." Shepard tenses a little but doesn't move immediately, and I push her hands away to step back.

"What are you - "

"Put your hands on the desk shelf behind you." I enunciate every word clearly when I repeat it, making it clear that this is an order. "Now." I add the last part because I'm dying to see how she responds to a real challenge.

Shepard watches me for a moment, trying to figure out if I'm serious or not. I'm trying to figure out if she'll do it.

Green eyes narrow at me so quickly I almost miss it, and then I swear I can feel the whole galaxy click into place for me when the Commander Shepard follows my command and extends her arms behind her. With her ass on the edge of the desk, where I put her, the position creates a magnificent curve to her spine.

"Spirits, you're unbelievable."

"Please just don't leave me like this now."

I manage to drag my eyes up from the perfectly smooth skin on her waist and the swell of her breasts, only to find something that looks like fear on Shepard's face. It occurs to me that I put her into the vulnerable position intentionally and didn't realize it would, in fact, make her feel...vulnerable.

I step close to her again and capture her face between my hands before kissing her. "I'm right here," I promise. I bump her nose with mine. "I've got you."

Shepard flashes a gorgeous smile and meets my next kiss, then her head falls back on a moan when I move my hands and mouth to her breasts. I'm not actually sure she realizes I'm taking her pants off until they're gone, and she has to rest her ass back down on the cold desk.

"Don't move." I give the command while speaking into her skin, dragging my mouth over her stomach and then down to her hips while I kneel in front of her. I hear her gasp, but my heart has started pounding in my throat, and I realize I'm nervous at the worst possible moment...the very moment when I have to take action.

I might back out, do something I know I'm good at instead of trying something new, but then the scent of her arousal reaches me. Fuck. She smells incredible, and every bit of me knows for certain at that moment that she's going to taste even better. I lick and nip over her leg, my best imitation of a kiss, starting at her knee and slowly moving toward the center of her thighs.

"Garrus, oh God," she gasps out when I let my mouth plates brush her core before moving to her other leg and kissing in reverse. Her breathing is getting even faster, and her hips are starting to churn even though I can tell she's trying hard to obey me and not move.

"Don't move...and don't be afraid to tell me if it feels good."

My voice has gone to some deep place I don't even recognize, my subtones are flanging wildly, and my pants are going to rip if my cock gets any harder, but I force myself to move slowly back up her leg. It's just too much fun to play with her.

And maybe Shepard isn't the only one feeling vulnerable.

The way Shepard keeps moaning and gasping my name is one hell of an ego boost, so I go for it and run my tongue up her slit slowly. I don't really know what I was expecting, but the taste of this woman is unlike anything I've ever had before.

Fear and vulnerability leave me in a flood, replaced by an intense need to devour her.

Garrus Vakarian does a lot of things really well.

He's a hell of a shot, a born strategist in battle. He's a kick-ass engineer and mechanic - he'd have to be to repair the shit I do to the Mako. He can throw down with a Krogan without batting an eye and come out on the other side, smiling. God knows he's ridiculously good in bed.

Garrus has many talents, but it's impossible that Garrus is better at anything than he is at this.

The man seemed nervous when he first knelt between my legs, so much it scared me a little, and I'm not sure what changed but...holy crap. The Turian sniper eats me like a man starved, his tongue long and flexible and so...fucking...perfect. I feel like I've totally lost my mind when he starts to fuck me on his tongue, that rough texture massaging exactly where I need him.

I'm desperate to stay still just because he told me to, even though normally an order is nothing more than a challenge for me, but I can't help grinding my hips against his mouth plates. His growls vibrate through me, his hunger evident in every sound, and it only turns me on more. The first orgasm crashes down on me almost violently, everything inside me exploding with a glorious heat with Garrus on his knees in front of me, lapping it all up.

I expect him to stop, but he doesn't seem to have any interest in that. One hand slides up to grope my breast while he dips a finger from his free hand inside me.

His strong and flexible tongue swirls and flicks my clit while his hand pumps slowly inside me, and it'll be a miracle if the entire ship doesn't hear me. My world narrows to Garrus and how he's making me feel, which is probably for the best because God knows what I'm saying, what I'm begging him for when I'd let this man do literally anything to me right now.

The second orgasm is even more intense, and I beg him to stop when I'm certain that another one will kill me. When he doesn't stop, I try pushing him away weakly. "I can't - I can't, Garrus, please."

"Oh, you can, baby," he growls without pulling his mouth away from my body. "Give me one more, Elle, let me taste one more. And then I'll fuck you all night."

Actual, real-life tears escape me when the third orgasm builds, soft but somehow no less intense, and Garrus guides me over the edge with his tongue swiping slowly back and forth. I find my hands fisted around the spikes of his fringe when I start to come back down, and I don't even remember moving them off the shelf behind me.

I can feel Garrus smiling against my thigh, where he's softly nipping the sensitive skin. "Don't be smug," I manage to gasp out.

"I'm not smug," he argues, now kissing back up my body over my hips and stomach. "I think I might literally be high on you." His mouth brushes over mine, and I seek him eagerly, not caring that I can taste myself on him. "Also, just so we're clear...next time you move when I tell you not to, I will punish you for it."

"P-punish?" I stammer. My heart has leaped very suddenly into my throat and is making it hard to breathe. It's either that or the sudden death force clench that my core is practicing.

"Mmhmm," he breathes, running his nose softly along my jaw. "And I promise you'll enjoy it." My whole body shudders when he rocks his erection into me.

I kind of love that he's still completely dressed and intensely turned on while I'm in front of him, naked and nearly melted. It means all of his focus was on me. Everything about what just happened was about my pleasure, my enjoyment. It was all about Garrus lifting the entire burden of today and even the mission as a whole from my shoulders, letting me focus on nothing but feeling amazing.

"Garrus, I…" I have no idea what I started to say, what I even want to say.

What do you say to someone this amazing?

When I pause, Garrus lifts his head and raises blue eyes to meet mine. Anything that I have decided to say seems irrelevant, so I kiss him instead. He doesn't resist, his hands sliding around my back and pulling me up against him. I want to feel the warmth of his body, the unique texture of his plates against my hypersensitive skin. I think I'll have to start giving him orders if Garrus keeps me from stripping him this time, but he doesn't resist.

I tear through his clothing with a fervor that surprises even me, and he helps, raising his arms so that I can yank his shirt off and toss it aside. When I get his pants down, still kissing him because I can't stand the thought of not kissing him right now, Garrus helps me shove them down. I manage to get them caught on his leg spurs because fucking leg spurs and can't help laughing when I feel him smile against my mouth before he has to lean down to untangle.

"What the hell do you even have those for?" I demand.

"Same reasons Turians have everything, Shepard," he returns, yanking his pants off and tossing them aside haphazardly. "Fucking and fighting."

I blink but don't have time for anything else before he's back at my mouth, kissing me hard. The entire body of the man in my arms, this man who is wrapped up in me and so fantastically proved his devotion to me, is built for bringing me to my knees.

Instead of doing just that, Garrus suddenly lifts me from the desk and pulls my legs around his waist. I think he's going for the bed, and my stomach flops at the intimacy of that right now, but he moves to the wall. With my back pressed into it, Garrus rolls his hips into mine and his erection throbs.

"God. That really turned you on, didn't it?"

"Watching you fall apart for me? Spirits, yes." He kisses me again, hard, and I hold tight while sliding my hands around his head to the spot under his fringe that makes his whole body heat up.

"Come apart with me this time," I whisper into his ear, my legs shaking with anticipation and need to have him inside me.

Garrus moans but then shifts, pressing me harder into the wall and moving his left arm under my leg. I have to hold onto his neck tighter when he does the same with the right arm, holding my knees over his elbows with my ass resting on his hands.

He steps away from the wall, now holding all of my weight and me in a very precarious position, and my stomach flops for a whole new reason.

"Garrus! What are you doing?"

"Hush," he murmurs, brushing over my lips and using that deeper register of his voice that he knows I like so much. "I've got you."

Using only his arms, Garrus pulls my body forward - toward his - until I can feel the head of his cock against me. He doesn't stop, bringing our bodies together slowly. The angle is intense, and the pressure inside me is exquisite, nearly bent in half and stretched wide around Garrus' cock deep inside me. I feel my head fall back when the room spins a little with the sensation. I think I might be screaming, but I can't really tell.

Garrus takes a moment, growling and panting hard. "Ready?" he asks.

"Ready...for what?" I gasp out, eyeing him.

The smile full of promise and danger that Garrus flashes is my only warning.

Instead of answering, he pulls my hips back up the length of his shaft and then yanks me back down until our hips meet with a loud smack. Smart man that he is, Garrus kisses me just in time to swallow my scream - one I'm certain escapes me this time as his cock impales me. He doesn't quit, doesn't slow, fucking me right there in the air while I'm totally helpless.

Garrus thrusts his hips forward every time he pulls me down and drills into the perfect spot, exactly where I need him...where I didn't know I needed to be touched and now where I so desperately need this man all the time.

"Fuck, Shepard, I can feel you starting to cum. Oh, Spirits, you squeeze me so tight."

He buries his face in my throat, not stopping or slowing, but I can feel that he's trying his best not to let go just yet. It amazes me to share pleasure this way with someone, that it feels so much like his body was meant for mine. That thought scares me, so I drown it and focus on nothing but the sensation, the orgasm building inside me, begging him to give it to me with his name on my lips.

"I'm gonna cum so hard for you, Elle," he whispers against my neck, his body shaking slightly. "Come on, baby, cum with me. Now."

I have no way to explain why my body has become so attuned to his demands of it, but I don't care, a blissful and intense release washing over me. Garrus shudders violently and snarls before holding himself inside me, our bodies flush and his cock pulsing his release deep inside me.

When I start to come down from the high, I can feel the evidence of what we've done dripping down my thighs, and something about that makes me feel absolutely ravished in the best possible way.

Now that he's spent, Garrus' strength seems to fade quickly, and he makes rapid strides to my bed before falling onto it with me in his arms so that we're both resting on our sides. I refuse to be empty during the aftershocks or miss out on his, so I keep a hold on his neck and rest one leg over his hips so that we can stay completely connected.

I couldn't possibly let go of him right now. I'm not sure I ever want to.

"Yeah, once a week is not going to work for me anymore," Shepard mutters, eyes closed, and her face still glowing in post-orgasm bliss.

I laugh and push the hair back from her forehead. I could touch my forehead to hers easily from his angle...I shake the thought off quickly. Inappropriate and ridiculous. It's not like that between us. And Shepard wouldn't even know what it meant, that's unfair.

I'm only thinking this way because of the incredible sex because she makes me feel...everything. It's just sex, Vakarian.

I slowly pull out of her and then roll onto my back, where I can catch my breath and clear my head. Shepard stretches out beside me, making me smile with her happy moan. "God, I needed that."

"Oh, you're welcome. Leave the money on the table and go."

She laughs, that hard and free laugh I like so much, but elbows my side as punishment. I'm always amazed that the laughter, our friendship, is just easy after. I've never been able to maintain a friendship with a woman I'm sleeping with - I've never actually wanted to.

I'm not sure what so different about or...or if it's good for me.

"I mean it, though," Shepard says, taking me from my thoughts. She rests her hand on top of mine and then tangles our fingers together, turning her head to meet my gaze. "It was a tough day, and the Council really didn't make it any better. I was getting really stressed out, and now I just…"

She trails off in a shrug, and I don't make her say any more about it.

"You couldn't do this without me, Elle, I know." Another laugh, and she rolls pretty green eyes before leaning forward to kiss me again. I follow her to sit up after a moment, enjoying that loose feeling only fantastic sex can give me. "Can I use your bathroom?"

"Of course. Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," I call back over my shoulder on the way to clean myself up.

"Hilarious. Is there a purpose to being designed that way. With it hidden behind plates until you're...ready?" I chuckle to myself at her inability to actually use the words. I've learned that humans aren't nearly as comfortable discussing sex and sexuality as Turians.

"There are lots of purposes. What happens when you kick a human guy between the legs, Shepard? Turians don't get taken down that easily." She laughs from the other room. "We spar almost constantly, we basically use it to determine our relationship with each other. So, we don't want it hanging out near claws and teeth."

"Those are actually excellent reasons," she muses.

"Honestly, they might be more benefit than anything else; evolution took care of most of the work. Palaven has some of the highest radiation levels anywhere in the galaxy. Exposure to such a sensitive part of us could cause a lot of problems."

She laughs again as I head back out of the bedroom, now safely tucked away and teases, "Explains all the impotence." I laugh with her but get distracted quickly by her body. She's standing at the foot of the bed now, just wearing panties and stretching her arms over her head.

Her body is...damn. When she's in armor, and when she's naked, I get to truly appreciate just how strong she is. For a tiny thing, Shepard is nothing but lean muscle, long lines, and sweeping curves. I don't know what I want to bite more, her shoulders or her ass.

I slide up behind her and wrap an arm around her waist, taking the opportunity to soothe a wound from my talons on her shoulder. She moans softly like it feels good and then leans back into me, so I have to stop. "I'm fine. The places that I'm going to be sore have nothing to do with your teeth or talons."

That makes me laugh, easing some of the pressure, and I shift to press a kiss to her hair instead.

Shepard glances toward the clock beside her bed, and I follow her gaze, shocked to find out that it's well into the overnight cycle. I wonder how long the crew waiting in Mess to see if I came back out; it wouldn't surprise me if Alenko was still out there.

When I tell Shepard that she just shrugs, "I told them that we were marathoning."

"Ah, thinking ahead. Smart move, Commander."

She laughs and tugs on a t-shirt. I'm a little sad that she's covered now but find something intimate about watching her dress, too. I find my own shirt and then redress before she comes back in front of me, throws her arms around my neck, and kisses me deeply.

"Stop that. I need to get out of here if we're going to be able to keep this between us."

"I know," she murmurs. I try not to acknowledge that I think she sounds kind of sad about me going. "I'm just trying to make up for lost time when I can't kiss you."

"I have absolutely no problem with that." I make the point by kissing her again, our lips lingering for a long moment before we part. "Get some rest. You were hurt today...because you took a needless risk."

She barks out a laugh and shoves me away playfully. "Says the guy who went after a Krogan!"

"I believe that guy also came out alive so...doesn't count." I wink at her this time and note that she seems to absolutely delight in the very human move. Shepard helps me gather our trays to take back to Mess Hall and then walks me to the door. "Usually I sneak out in the middle of the night while the other person is still sleeping," I confess. "This is kind of nice."

"Oh, no! Is Garrus Vakarian settling down from his wicked, naughty, playboys ways?" She fakes a pout. "Women the galaxy over are mourning."

"That is...not fair." She just laughs and takes that intensely sexy stance when she crosses her arms over her chest and sinks back into one hip. "Besides, are you really complaining if all my wicked and naughty ways are focused on finding new and exciting ways to make you cum now?"

The flush that comes instantly to her face is enough to make me want to drag her right back to bed. "Well. When you put it that way."

I laugh and reach out to tuck a curl behind her ear, catching the lobe as my hand falls away. Her green eyes are bright and clear, none of the stress I saw on them earlier. It's a heady feeling, knowing that I brought her this relief - and that was even before the sex.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I'll be here. The Mako is going to need a ton of work to fix all your damage to it." She laughs as I step close enough to the door to open it. "Night, Kid."

I hear her murmur goodnight and count my blessings that Mess is empty. I'm in enough trouble with how that woman is making me feel. I don't need other people knowing about it, too.