Chapter 14: Changing Tides

Rey woke up to her alarm going off for the second time that day. The chimes echoed through her apartment and she yawned before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Though it had only been a couple of hours, she felt she had gotten more rest in one nap than she had the entire week prior.

As she rose from the couch, she almost knocked into Ben's head. She hid a giggle behind her hand at the state of him. He was propped up against the front of her sofa, his head bent forward in an uncomfortable looking position. He had obviously not meant to fall asleep.

She ran her hand over his scalp, carding her fingers through his raven locks. The hair was silky smooth, as if he had conditioned it this morning when he had showered. A mental projection of Ben naked, covered in water and surrounded by steam popped into her head. Rey automatically blushed. She retracted her hand instantly for fear of being caught touching him without his permission, while daydreaming about him in an inappropriate way.

Is there a way to daydream appropriately?

Ben hadn't stirred at all throughout the exchange. He remained sitting, slanted against the couch with his head hanging down, chin resting against his chest. Rey shook her head. Carefully swinging her legs to the far side of the sofa, she moved around the side of him. She knelt there, one of the throw pillows in her hand, and the other hand gently gripping his hand. She gave it a squeeze, but he remained unresponsive. She tried again, this time also calling his name. The reaction was the same.

From the angle of his head, she was sure he'd come to with a stiff neck, but there was no waking him. Rey placed the pillow on the floor. She nudged him over, until he slumped down the side, where her arms were waiting to catch him and guide him down. Lowering him gently, she brought his head to rest on the pillow. Then, she plucked up the afghan from the top of the couch, before draping it over his body.

Rey admired her work for a minute. In sleep, Ben appeared peaceful and youthful. The harsher frown lines on his face had softened until they nearly disappeared. His hair was hanging in front of his eyes. This time, she couldn't stop herself from kneeling down aside of him and brushing the tresses out of his face.

She slipped away, quietly, not wanting to wake him. Light on her feet, she crept upstairs to her bathroom. A shower was in order and she had given herself enough time to condition her hair and shave her legs.

While the hot water rained down on her bare skin, she considered the shift in Ben. There was something there, still holding him back, but she could see the difference. She could see how he had already begun to trust her, opening himself up little by little to her. Jyn's advice was working.

Rey contemplated the words for what seemed to be the thousandth time since her boss had shared them with her. She hadn't considered the ramifications of having Ben in her apartment. For as much time as they had spent in one another's presence the day prior, she found herself suddenly nervous at the thought of him sleeping on her living room. No one else had slept over in her apartment before, not even Finn or Poe, who she considered her closest friends.

What did that mean about how she felt towards Ben?

If she was being honest with herself, There was something oddly comforting and domestic about him resting in her home, as if he had done it before. She doubted he had closed his eyes once yesterday. He had kept a constant vigil around her after her black out, always there when she woke.

The first time she had come to, she had searched for him, immediately assuming she had dreamed of his tender care and his insistence she lie down. She believed it was an illusion brought on by her lack of nutrients and sleep deprivation. When she has locked eyes with him, she realized it was real.

Each time she woke, she found him. Each time, he was there, seated in the same position on her red chair, as if he was part of the piece of furniture, a gargoyle guarding its fortress. In his black garb, no comparison could be more fitting, but it also reminded her of Finn's warning.

Ren. He's bad news.

Rey hadn't asked Ben about why he had been suspended from the league. Aware of his temper, she wasn't sure how he would react, but she figured it wouldn't be well. Plus, she didn't believe it was her place to question his motives. After how he had taken care of her yesterday, she had to believe there was more to the story than him simply attacking the man.

Turning the water off, she stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself up in a towel. She wiped away the steam from her bathroom mirror, before digging around for her hair dryer and make up bag.

Cosmetics had never been something she was interested in, but both Jyn and Jess had shared with her the importance of looking alluring, especially if she was going to work at the club each night. Though Rey still didn't love the idea of applying multiple products to her face — it seemed a waste to her — she had to admit her tips had increased a bit and any extra money was a blessing.

Plus, she was interested to see how Ben would react when he got to see her in something other than her typical work out gear.

For the evening, she chose a white criss-cross blouse, black shorts, and a black sleeveless jacket. It was an outfit Jess had lent her with the intention she would wear it when they had their first official girl's night out. The fabric was smooth against her skin as she got dressed and after taking in her appearance in the mirror, Rey had to admit she actually found herself pretty.

She pulled her hair back, out the finishing touches on her makeup, and then grabbed a pair of black ankle boots to complete the ensemble. Cassian had advised her against wearing any open-toed shoes at the bar in case of broken glass. Rey didn't have any choices, and what she did have was meant to last through all seasons, so it wasn't a concern. The only open-toed option she had was a pair of flip flops.

When she returned to the living room, Ben had rolled onto his side, breathing deeply. She hesitated to wake him, knowing he had had less rest than her due to his commute, but she wasn't about to ride her motorcycle with bare limbs to New Jedha. Besides, he wouldn't be happy if she went alone.

Kneeling down next to him, she rubbed his shoulder blade. "Ben?"

"Hmm?" He didn't open his eyes.

"I have to go to work."

At her statement, his eyes flipped open. It took a moment for them to adjust, then he was reaching out to her face. "Rey?" Before his fingers could skim across her chin, he was pulling back, his normal demeanor returning.

"Sorry." She apologized quickly. "I didn't want to wake you, but-."

"No, no." He hurriedly hushed her. "I should be the one saying sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on your floor."

"It's fine." She smiled, watching him rush about collecting his wallet and keys from where he had left them on the coffee table, before settling into the red chair to put his shoes on.

"You really do need a mattress." He remarked, straightening up. She nodded, following him to the door. He paused for a second, as he opened the door. She noticed his face was red. "I mean...I meant for you. So you can rest. It will be better for your muscles and your back. I didn't mean to insinuate for me or for us or-."

"Ben." She put her hand on his arm, keeping her eyes on his. "I know what you meant." If she thought her words would help, she was wrong. The blush deepened on his face and his gaze flicked to where her hand was on his arm.

"Right." He exited, heading down to his car while she locked up her apartment.

How could a man who was so thoroughly embarrassed by the idea of sharing a bed be as bad as everyone labeled him to be? He hadn't been crude or even suggestive when he had made the comment. She almost laughed at his abashed nature.

Almost.

His concern was sincere and all for her. It was nothing to be laughed at. If she had been confused by the change between them before, now she was even more disoriented.

Attraction was there, certainly, but so was the need to know him, truly know and understand the complex man before her. It went beyond physical attraction in a way Rey was unfamiliar with. She had had crushes before. There were several guys in her high school and her college she had been attracted to.

This was different.

This was something else.

The entire Rogue One crew converged around her as soon as she arrived, with the exception of Kaytoo. She wasn't surprised the surly blonde stayed away, but Ben seemed to take it as a personal offense, moving to a stool at the end of the counter near the bartender. Rey wanted to know what he would say, but she was too busy explaining the situation to Baze and Chirrut.

"Sunshine, you need to be more careful," Baze was telling her, when she returned her attention to her little ragtag family.

"I know."

"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." Chirrut quoted. "Self care is essential to manifesting all things in life."

Rey giggled. "I'll try to remember that."

"Make sure you do." Cassian appeared at her left, enveloping her in a hug, which Jyn joined on her right side.

"Not that I don't appreciate you bringing a celebrity to our door, but I was worried."

"He's not a celebrity," Cassian grumbled, as they both released Rey.

Jyn rolled her eyes. "You're jealous."

"You wish."

"You can't talk your way around this one," she jeered, shoving him lightly on the shoulder. "It's written all over your face."

"There's nothing to be jealous of."

"No, of course not." Jyn didn't try to hide her laughter. "He has five titles under his belt, numerous endorsements, a penthouse in every major city, a luxury car, a great body, and now some arm candy." She winked at Rey.

Baze and Chirrut joined in laughing, no one noticing the crimson flush on Rey's face. Was she that transparent? Could her friends see how she felt about him? She hadn't come to terms with it yet, unable to define what it was she was feeling. Despite that, her co-workers all seemed to be aware.

"I'm going to start setting up," she announced over the roar of their teasing. Cassian gave her a nod of acknowledgement, before attempting to calm the crew down long enough to start working.

Rey strolled to the storage room in the back. She scanned the contents of the chamber, before grabbing a box of cocktail napkins and a container of straws. Turning to leave, she noticed another box on the top shelf. They did need some new free flow pourers. She set down the other canisters to reach for the box.

Her fingers ran across the cardboard, inching along to grasp it. The corners were an inch out of her reach. She struggled to push herself higher on her tip toes, leaning against the shelving unit towards her target.

"Allow me."

Ben's voice came from behind her, before she saw his hands wrap around the box. He brought it down in front of her, subconsciously trapping her between his chest and his limbs.

She glanced up and over her shoulder at him. "Thanks."

His hands dropped to his sides, as he regarded her with amusement. "You don't know when to quit, do you?"

"I don't like quitters." She smiled.

"Me either." He smiled back.

Rey became aware of two facts simultaneously. First, they were alone in the back of a dimly lit club. Second, Ben no longer wore any hints of embarrassment from his earlier misstep. In fact, he looked completely at ease with their position and solitude.

She felt heat rising through her starting in her lower abdomen and soaring up through her chest. It burned through her, red-hot and lightning fast. Her mouth felt dry and her skin rippled against her internal warmth meeting the cool breeze of the A/C vent.

Slowly, she stepped closer, eliminating the few inches of pace between them. Her free hand met his firm chest, before gliding up towards his face. She watched her own motions, unsure where her forwardness had come from and unaware of how Ben was watching her.

When her fingers traced the line of his jaw, he let out a sharp gasp, ending in her name. His hands gripped her waist, startling her. She dropped the box of pourers. Lifting her eyes to his, she realized she didn't know how to proceed. She'd never kissed anyone before and though the idea of feeling his lips on her own was enticing, she had no clue how to go about it.

Ben must have sensed her dilemma. He ducked his head down, his breath puffing against her and causing the tendrils of hair to sway along her face. It wasn't meant to be arousing, but Rey found herself dizzy and weak in the knees from the sensation.

"Can I?"

His voice was a whisper into her flesh, a desperate plea for permission and acceptance. She knew if she gave it, things between them would change again, but it didn't frighten her anymore.

"Rey! Come out here. I want to introduce you to someone." Jyn hollered from somewhere in the club.

Ben backed away instantly, his hands returning to his side. Rey's hands fell away as a result and she was torn between putting them back on him and listening to her boss. Ben's expression had her choosing the latter. He looked like a deer caught in headlights.

As she gathered up all the forgotten boxes, she was at war with herself. She had thought he wanted to kiss her. Hadn't he asked? His gaze had been intense and seductive. Or had it all been in her head? Were her inappropriate day dreams becoming too realistic she wasn't able to discern reality from fantasy?

God, what was Ben Solo doing to her?

He said nothing as they left the storage room, furthering her doubt. His face was unreadable. Rey felt almost like crying. After everything that had happened over the last forty-eight hours, she wasn't feeling like the strong survivor she had always been. She was feeling like her old self, the tiny child who had been abandoned in the unforgiving desert, far from home and far from love.

She scarcely heard Jyn, as her manager helped her organize the boxes in their rightful spots behind the bar.

"Sorry, what?"

"I want you to meet an old friend of ours."

Jyn lead her out from behind the bar to where a bohemian looking guy sat next to Cassian, flanked by Baze and Chirrut. Kaytoo was cleaning glasses, uninterested in the guest.

"Ah! My replacement." He turned towards Rey, his face brightening into a wide smile. He extended a hand to her. "I'm Bodhi Rook. Nice to meet you."

"Rey." She shook his hand, still struggling to focus on anything other than Ben's dismissal.

"No wonder they are happy I left," Bodhi chuckled, as her hand dropped away. "You are much nicer to look at."

He winked at her and Rey stared at him, wondering if this was all a joke orchestrated at her expense. Did this guy know she had very recently been turned down by the only person she had ever had a romantic attachment to?

"Thanks." She managed to reply, crossing her arms over herself. The urge to cry was creeping up on her again.

"Andor tells me you are an engineer."

Rey nodded, resisting the urge to wipe at her eyes.

"I used to work at Empire," he told her. "As a pilot and mechanic, but I took some time off."

"Yeah, to find himself," Cassian muttered, while making air quotes.

She felt her unease begin to slip away. Maybe their guest hadn't been joking. Maybe no one knew what happened in the storage room between her and Ben.

Or what almost happened, she thought, dolefully.

"It was the right thing to do." Bodhi insisted. "Gave me time to surf and work here," he added, pointedly.

"Where are you working now?" Rey asked, appreciating the conversation for keeping her busy. She was aware of Ben lingering at the end of the bar, in the same place as earlier, but she dared not look at him.

"Raddus."

"Do you know Poe Dameron?"

Bodhi's face brightened once more. "Of course. We were in flight school together. Wait, how do you know him?"

"I went to Cal Poly with him."

"No way! Small world." He was still grinning at her, completely ignoring his other friends. "You were in their mechanical engineering program, then?"

"Yes."

It had been a while since Rey had had someone to talk shop with. Jyn and Cassian were both handy, to a certain extent, but they weren't used to the finer details — the nitty gritty — where Rey thrived.

"Were you part of Project Stardust?"

Before she was able to stop herself, she had launched into a debate with the him about engineering advancements being used in the creation of weaponry. Empire was a well-known weapons manufacturing company. Several of their inventions had been funded by the DoD, despite being morally ambiguous. Rey was interested to hear what Bodhi would think of her opinion, based on his involvement with the organization.

"In the beginning," he confessed. "That was about the time I realized what I had signed up for — what was really going on."

"You made it right by delivering that message," Jyn stated, drawing Bodhi's attention away from Rey. He gave her a small, sad smile.

"You!" Rey cried, with astonished recognition. "You're the defector who reported the illegal arms dealings?"

"Guilty."

She had heard all about it on the news. It had been the largest upset a corporation of Empire's size had ever seen. Their stock had plummeted overnight. They lost contracts and development partners until they were forced to file for bankruptcy. In the end, despite all the churn in the media, they had maintainers operations on a limited front and were working to expand once more.

Still, to those with a conscience, it was a huge win. It had given hope to other employees to come forward about immoral practices and shady dealings, sparking a movement which led to several other corporations falling. For suburban communities it had caused a resurgence of supporting local businesses and had revived the local economies. Of course, Jakku had been excluded from the resurgence, but Rey had still been inspired.

"Wow. That's amazing. I'd love to hear how-."

"Rey."

She was interrupted by Ben's voice behind her. In her excitement discovering Bodhi's background and their common interests, she had forgotten he was still at Rogue One. She pivoted around. He was still wearing the unreadable expression.

"I'm going to head out."

"Alright." She tried to keep the disappointment from her response.

"I can pick you up in the morning to go to Maz's, if you want."

"Holy shit!" Bodhi exclaimed. "You're Kylo Ren, like the Kylo Ren. Man," he smacked Casssian on the back. "I leave for a couple weeks and you guys go and get a hot new bartender and a celebrity. When did you all get so cool?"

"Right around the time you left," Kaytoo sneered.

"I miss you too, you snarky bastard," Bodhi replied, grinning at Kaytoo.

"I did not miss you. You were constantly late for work and have terrible taste in music."

"I like your mash-ups." Rey offered.

"Yeah?" Bodhi returned his attention to her, wide smile and all.

"Yeah. They are good for when I go running." Something tugged at the back of her mind and she glanced over at Ben, who looked like he wished he was anywhere but here. "Do you want me to walk you out?" She asked, keeping her voice down, so only he could hear her.

"Are you worried about me?" He asked, his face somewhere between annoyed and amused.

She shrugged. "Seems only fair. You had your fair share of worrying about me yesterday." She leaned into him, pushing him lightly with her shoulder blade.

"I still worry about you."

The sincerity caught her off-guard. She hadn't expected him to say anything like that in front of her co-workers, especially after he had showed no interest in trying to finish their almost kiss from the storage room. She was considering trying again, figuring a walk to his car would be the perfect opportunity, when Bodhi spoke to Ben.

"Hey man, are you hanging out tonight?"

"I was actually on my way back to the city."

"Bummer." Bodhi went back to focusing on Rey. "Well, Gorgeous, I guess you're going to keep me company all night."

"Lay off, Rook," Jyn teased, signaling the group to disband and get back to work.

"What?" Bodhi feigned indignation. "I need to make sure she can handle being a bartender here. She's my replacement after all."

"She's far superior to you," Kaytoo shot out, earning him a surprised glance from Rey. He had not once uttered a kind word to her. Apparently he disliked Bodhi enough to acknowledge her beyond his normal snide remarks.

"Awww," Bodhi cooed. "You say the nicest things, Kay. Can't imagine why you don't have a girlfriend."

"I'm asexual," the blonde countered.

"I've got to get back there," Rey told Ben, moving away from the counter. "See you tomorrow morning?"

"Actually," he replied, his eyes fixed on Bodhi's form over top Rey's head. "I've changed my mind. I will hang out."

Kylo drummed his fingers on the bar counter top, as he watched the agonizing scene play out in front of him. The surfer-wannabe was shamelessly flirting with Rey.

And he couldn't do a thing about it.

Rey chooses for Rey.

If she wanted to pursue something with the scruffy looking man, who kept flashing smiles at her and eyeing her up and down, it was her right. She didn't belong to him or Plutt or anyone. But even as he reminded himself of that fact, it made his insides churn. His fingers stopped tapping and his hands clenched into fists.

I should have kissed her.

The chance had been there, after what seemed like a thousand failed attempts, he had finally reached the perfect moment. They had been alone, low-lightning, close enough all he could breathe in was her scent. Everything had been urging him to do it, including Rey, who had drug her hands up his chest. It had made his heart beat increase and his palms sweaty, but he didn't want her to stop.

Then Jyn had called and immediately he had jumped back, as if he had been burned. It was the worst reaction he could have had. Instead of maintaining an ounce of control, he let his nerves get the best of him.

To make it worse, he had been so busy chiding himself for his reaction, he hadn't even offered to help her carry her supplies back out. She wasn't going to want to kiss him after his disastrous behavior.

When he heard the man, Rook, mention his connections to Rey's friend and his interest in mechanics, he could no longer stand idly by watching how fascinated Rey was by him. He needed to go. It was a small consolation he would be conducting his own classes this evening. It would be a good distraction to keep his thoughts off his unsuccessful attempt.

As he approached Rey to say goodbye, he heard the surfer-wannabe mention he was a defector from Empire. Kylo cringed, inwardly, as he watched Rey's face brighten at the admission.

If he was going to lose her to this guy, it was with the knowledge at least he was a good man. He had done the moral thing, the right thing, in the face of losing his job and perhaps his career as a whole. Kylo had never taken such a risk. His standing within the First Order was everything to him.

Or at least, it had been, before he had gotten himself tangled up with the sunshine beauty across the room.

Kylo had been prepared to say goodbye, go back to Ahch-To, and then drown his sorrows in whiskey when he got back to his penthouse. Then Rook had to recognize him and make a big deal out of the fact he was a famous fighter. It was annoying, but not nearly as annoying as when he had referred to Rey as 'Gorgeous' right in front of Kylo, as if he wasn't standing right there with her.

Good man or not, Kylo had never backed down from a fight. It was still Rey's choice. It would always be her choice, but he wasn't ready to throw his towel in the ring yet. His decision to stay, had him calling his uncle.

"Ben?"

"I need you to cover my classes tonight."

"Why?" Even over the phone, his uncle's voice was suspicious.

"There is a guy here. He is watching Rey and I don't like the looks of it." It wasn't a total lie. Kylo kept his true concern from his uncle to ensure he'd cover his classes.

"Until I can talk to Rey and my mother about building a case against Plutt, I don't want to take any chances."

"You think he could be scouting her schedule for him?"

No. He's scouting something else.

"Possibly," Kylo replied. "Plutt has evaded the authorities before. He may be a slimy cretin, but he's smart. He'd be careful about being seen in public around Rey again."

"Agreed. I'll take your shift tonight. You stay with Rey."

"Thank you."

It had been years since they had had a civilized conversation and Kylo quickly disconnected the call before any lingering sentiments came through. He hadn't forgiven Luke for his mistreatment. He wasn't sure if he ever would. For now, though, his uncle had given him the night off and the freedom to stay near Rey. It was a start.

He returned to the same seat, at the end of the bar. The club would be opening soon and everyone was getting things ready. Cassian was talking to the night's DJ, while Jyn and Rey put up new cocktail lists. Kaytoo was avoiding Rook, as he finished stacking clean glasses. The bouncers were by the entrance, preparing to check IDs.

It left Kylo to himself on the corner. He realized this was the first time in years he had ever been out without Hux dragging him or Phasma dictating his presence due to a work related event. He preferred to remain on his own, not out in a crowd where they served over priced liquor. He briefly considered calling his manager to see if Hux would make the drive out to New Jedha, but the urge passed.

He was already contending against Bodhi Rook. He did not need to throw Armitage Hux, pick-up-line-extraordinaire into the mix.

The club was busy, even though it was a weeknight. As soon as the doors opened, people came steaming in, to drink, to dance, or both. Kylo didn't see a single empty seat in the house. It kept all four bartenders busy, especially Rey, who seemed to know several of the patrons by their first names. For them, she had memorized their preferred drinks and was well compensated for the efforts.

The defector tried to start up a conversation with him, when he noticed Rey was too occupied to flirt with. He asked the typical questions: What's it like to be famous? Did you really put Tarkin's prized fighter out of commission? What was the First Order like? What was his favorite fight?

After laying twenty questions with Rook, who was not deterred by Kylo's one word answers, he ordered a whiskey from Kaytoo.

"Still here, freeloader?" The blonde bartender asked Rook.

"Only so we can have these moments together, buddy."

Kylo kept his face schooled so his grimace didn't show. Kaytoo was salty, but he poured him a double without being asked. "It's on the house," he informed Kylo once Rook had moved on to a group of females at the edge of the dance floor. "For taking care of Rey."

"You don't even like Rey."

"I don't like anybody."

Kylo chuckled. "Me either. I guess we have that in common."

"You like Rey," Kaytoo observed, voice void of any emotion.

He considered denying it. It would have been in vain. Apparently everyone knew he cared about Rey, except (he hoped), Rey herself.

"She's unique," Kaytoo remarked in the same emotionless tone. "Like Jyn. I don't like her either, but both of them are more agreeable than Bodhi."

"I'm not a fan."

"Clearly."

"There's just something about him I don't like."

"His lack of fashion sense, his regard for personal maintenance, or the fact he's after your girl?"

Kylo chuckled again. This man didn't hold back anything. He had no filter. "A bit of all three, I suppose."

Kaytoo nodded, running a disinfecting cloth over the counter top before another wave of customers came by.

"Enjoy the whiskey."

He went back to filling orders and Kylo went back to being a quite observer.

As the hours passed, the club continued to maintain a steady business. He scanned the crowd often, but he never catch a glimpse of Plutt. He hadn't expected the man to show. He had been honest with his uncle when he said the scum was smart. If he had been intelligent, he would have never touched Rey, but even men who covered their tracks as well as Plutt were bound to make mistakes. Kylo need only wait until he made another one before he locked onto whatever rock the cretin was hiding under.

Around 1:30am, he spotted Rey making her way over to his corner.

"Hey." Rey greeted him, a sincere smile on her face, as she leaned onto the counter, facing him.

"Hey yourself."

"I didn't realize you could stay up this late."

"Old men like to have fun too, you know." He went along with her favorite joke smirking at her over the lip of his whiskey.

"I'm afraid you aren't having much fun being around me," she sighed. "What with playing chauffeur and now body guard."

"I don't mind."

He desperately wanted to put his hand over hers, return the gentle squeeze she had given him earlier at the dojo. He wanted to reassure her he was glad to be here, circumstances withstanding, he would have still been happy to have the night off to sit with her.

"Listen," she started, all the humor leaving her face. "About earlier..."

Kylo's brain felt as if it was about to short-circuit. He had wanted to be the one to broach the subject with her. He had planned on bringing it up on their morning drive, once they had both had the night to sleep on it and return refreshed.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry." Rey admitted. "If I misinterpreted what you were doing and made you uncomfortable-."

"Rey." He stopped her before she could go further. Kylo couldn't bare to hear her doubt the connection between them. He had hoped she felt it, as he did, and now that he knew she did, he wouldn't let her discount it.

"Can we-," he paused, glancing around. The club was in full swing, but the bar wasn't overrun as it had been after opening. "Is there somewhere we could talk? Alone?"

The nervous little smile she gave him was breath-taking. "Sure. I think I need to get more limes from the walk-in." She turned to Jyn to tell her where she was going. Kylo didn't miss the red tint on her cheeks or how the manager shot him a wicked grin from behind Rey's back.

He followed her through the throng of club goers, past the storage closet to a large metal door, which had an electronic entry code. Patiently, he waited for her to key in the number, before she was ushering him inside.

"You wanted to talk." She wasted no time in getting to the point, bare arms wrapped around her. While her outfit was appealing, it wasn't meant for the cold chill of the walk-in. Already her flesh was pimpled and he could see her breath in the air.

"About earlier-." He stumbled over the words, suddenly forgetting the entire English language as he was confronted by the very real fact he was about to do this. He had a second chance and now he was going to be straight with Rey. He was going to tell her how he felt.

"Yeah?"

Kylo had never been good with his words. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Gently, he reached for her hands, guiding them to his chest, until they sat in the same position on his chest as before. Carefully, he put his own hands on her hips, feeling the bump of her hip bones under each of his thumbs. Rey eyes didn't break contact with his own, as he leaned down to meet her.

The instant his lips slotted against hers, he felt a jolt of heated pleasure course through him. It spanned his entire body, head to toe, causing him to feel light-headed and intoxicated. He felt as if he was drowning in the sensation.

She gasped, backing up so she was flush against the door. He wasn't the only one who had experienced it.

"Don't be afraid. I feel it too."

It sounded better in his head, not quite as creepy as it had when he said it aloud, but Rey didn't seem to care. Her fingers raked along his scalp, carding through his hair before she was tugging him down for another kiss. His hands slid across her back, moving to hold her against him. He could feel her rise to her tip-toes, trying to remain on his level. Bending slightly, he slid his hands down to her bare thighs and picked her up.

She let out a little cry of surprise, which had him grinning against her lips. Her shock let way to a smile of her own, as she wrapped her toned legs around him. Her hands slipped free of his hair, instead winding around his neck to keep herself balanced, never once breaking their lip-lock.

Kylo nibbled delicately at her lower lip, until she gave him entrance. He deepened the kiss, stepping forward to use the door as leverage so he could use his hands to run down her lithe body. Rey moaned against him. He felt it more than he heard it and it had him growling in response.

"Ben."

Hearing her pant his name had the precious hot lightening sensation focused on one particular area of his anatomy. He wanted her and finally having her in his arms in this position was making it grown more apparent.

But he wouldn't have their first time be here.

"We should stop," he told her, out of breath. He touched his forehead to hers, before she was nodding in agreement.

Tenderly, he set her down, unable to resist brushing his lips across hers one last time before he backed away. Her mouth was slightly red and a bit swollen. She had never looked more beautiful to him then in that moment. He ran his fingers down the seam of her black jacket.

"You said we needed to stop." Rey reminded him, clasping her hand over his. There was a warning in her tone, but mischief in her eyes.

"I know."

"So earlier..." Her special smile was gleaming back at him.

"There was no misinterpretation," he returned. "Do I need to clarify again?"

She hummed, slipping past him to grab a bucket of limes. "I should get back out there. Maybe later?"

"Then I'll wait all night," he promised.

What he really meant to say was, 'You're worth waiting for.'

But Kylo Ren had never been good with words.

A/N:Thank you to my wonderful beta, AbyssalSpark. This chapter is dedicated to her. Not only is this girl constantly giving me feedback and helping me perfect my chapters, but she's an all-around bad-ass and a genuinely beautiful person IRL. Go out to her tumblr and give this gal some love!

The response is still overwhelming. Thank you EVERYONE for your constant support of this story. As a special treat, when we hit 1,000 kudos, I have a special surprise for you all. *hint* PandaCappucino *hint* The countdown is ON...