A/N: sorry it's taken so long for an update. Thanks for the faves/follows, etc. :) Hope y'all enjoy!
"So, what – besides me – do you want to do tonight?" Katie stifled a giggle as her whispered question in the midst of the crowded shuttle caused Zaeed to inhale sharply and have a coughing fit. She countered his eventual glare with a less-than-innocent grin. "What?"
"You haven't said a goddamn word since before we left Vancouver and that's how you chose to break the silence?" he grumbled, though there was no bite to his words.
"Sorry."
He snorted a laugh. "No, you're not."
She shrugged. "You started it."
"So I did." He wrapped an arm around her and leaned in until his lips brushed against her hair. He pressed a kiss just behind her ear, his voice pitched low and rough when he asked, "What do you want, kitten?"
She shifted in her seat, pressing closer to him as a shiver of pleasure shot down her spine. She'd started the conversation with no serious thought to their plans for the rest of the night, but now…
Katie swore under her breath as her omni-tool went off, a series of text messages from her father, Jason, and one from Sarah, as dictated by Emma. Thankfully, her 'tool was only vibrating against her wrist, not chirping to annoy everyone in the shuttle.
"Ignore it."
She glanced at Zaeed. "I feel like we've had this conversation before."
"That was different."
"Only in that before it was vid-chat and this is text."
He shrugged. "Do what you want. But you answer that, everyone will know you're done with your evaluations and you won't get another goddamn moment's peace."
"You may have a point." She was getting really sick of everybody being so logical. "But they're still gonna start bugging you if I don't answer."
"Let them try." He pulled up the settings screen on his 'tool and held it for her to see. "Already on silent. I'm not answering a damn thing for at least the next 18 hours."
"Sure, that'll work, for now. 'Til we get back to Solana Beach, then everybody's gonna come running."
"Well that just won't work for me… for us," he added in that same low voice.
Katie squirmed in her seat, trying to form coherent words to keep the conversation going. "I… uh… San Diego!"
It was all she could manage. Her brain had turned to mush. She couldn't think straight with all his little touches here and there, that voice that had never been sexier, and she feared she'd lose her sense entirely if she actually looked at him again.
The thumb that had been rubbing absent circles on her shoulder stopped and she could feel his eyes on her. "What about San Diego?"
What was it? What the hell had been her point? Oh, right. "Just tell them we decided to go to a group meeting. Or we could actually go to a group meeting, and dinner, and then…"
"Sound like a plan to me," Zaeed said softly. He gently gripped her chin, turning her to face him. "Is something wrong, kitten?"
She shook her head as much as was possible in her current position. "Just hadn't actually put much thought into anything past getting through the evaluations."
He didn't quite look like he believed her, but he said nothing, merely pressed his lips against hers for a moment and pulled her into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting the hum and vibrations of the shuttle's engines calm her frayed nerves.
From: Katie
To: Dad, Jason, Sarah
Subj: I'm Fine
I'm okay, okay? Just thought it might be good to actually go to a meeting for once, before I can't anymore. Y'know?
Same deal as the other times. We'll be back in the morning. And yes, Dad, I promise I won't be either drunk or hungover the next time I talk to you.
And Sarah, please give Emma a hug from me, and tell her I'll be by to see her tomorrow.
-K
The meeting went far better than Katie had expected; she seemed to be one of the more confident ones for once, which surprised the hell out of her, especially given how she'd been feeling for most of the afternoon and evening. Dinner at a local cafe afterward seemed to fly by, in direct opposition to the previous three weeks, and before long, she and Zaeed were making their way to the hotel room they'd gotten for the night.
As soon as the door closed behind them, she pressed herself against the wall beside it and pulled him toward her, anticipating the glorious feel of his lips on hers once more.
Instead, he stopped inches away, a concerned look on his face. "You sure there's nothing wrong?"
She tried to nod her head, that yes she was sure and would he hurry the fuck up and kiss her already, but she shook her head slightly.
"It's fine if you're nervous, kitten." He ran a calloused thumb along her jaw but made no other move toward her. "Hell, it's fine if you changed your mind entirely. I'm not going to push you."
Katie shook her head again. "I didn't change my mind. But nervous? Yeah, I guess you could say that."
Zaeed didn't say anything as he took her hand and led her over toward the couch. He still made no move to crowd her, only left the space beside him open if she wanted it.
It was infuriatingly endearing.
For the moment, Katie decided standing would be best. Pacing, even better. She huffed in annoyance, at herself and her hesitation about everything related to Zaeed.
Fucking hell, woman. Pull yourself together. This is the only thing you've thought about for the last three weeks. Don't back out now.
"It's not you." Liar. "It's not entirely you, and it's not your fault. It's partly because it's been awhile since I've been with anyone. And partly because it's you."
Zaeed raised an eyebrow but remained ever silent.
More pacing. "No, actually, it's not you, despite what my brain keeps trying to tell me. It's anyone I've been with before, or even flirted with before." Katie flopped inelegantly on the opposite side of the couch. "Nothing kills trying to get laid like being Admiral Hackett's daughter."
"Not really what I was expecting," Zaeed said, "but understandable. Nothing he's done though, right?"
"Oh gods, no. One sick fuck in this family is more than enough." Katie shuddered involuntarily and inched towards Zaeed. "It's them, the lonely Alliance soldier hanging out in a bar on a Saturday night. To them, I'm either intimidating by association or made out to be some grand prize." She sighed. "And every so often, if I manage to get one who isn't like that, or I settle for one anyway because I'm desperate…"
"Something happens, even something small, and you get a flashback."
The minute fluctuations in his voice told her that he was speaking from experience.
Katie nodded and laid her head on Zaeed's hand, his fingers just in reach with his arm stretched out along the back of the couch. "It's terrifying. I get enough of it, reliving it in my nightmares; it's too much when it happens any other time, especially during sex." She impatiently swiped the back of her hand across her face as tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. "And I don't want it to happen with you."
"I wish I could say it wouldn't," he murmured. "But I can bloody guarantee I won't react the way I'm imagining those other idiots did."
"I know." She gave him a small smile as she slowly closed the space between them until she could reach her hand out and trace the scar running along the right side of his face. "I'm glad I'm here with you and not out somewhere, looking for some random hookup."
He put a hand over hers and turned her wrist to press a kiss to the pulse point. "Me too, kitten."
She tried to put more thoughts into words, but when nothing came out, she decided maybe the time for talking was over. She felt heat rising on her cheeks and neck and further down something tightened in the pit of her stomach as she shifted around and straddled his lap.
He raised an eyebrow, not questioning necessarily, but confirming. "You sure?"
Katie let out a deep breath, ripped her hoodie and t-shirt off in one sharp movement, and smiled. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
One of Zaeed's hands came up to cup her face, the other hot against the bare skin at her waist. "Even joining the Alliance?"
Her smile widened to a grin. "Even that." She carded her fingers through his hair and rested her forehead against his. "I'm not gonna break, Z, and I'm not going to let fear from the past stand in the way of what I want anymore. And right now," she punctuated her last words with kisses between them, "I want you."
He deepened the last kiss for a moment until she wriggled from his grasp and stood up, toeing her boots off as she walked backwards toward the bed. When the backs of her thighs hit the side of the mattress, she sat down and crawled backwards until she could sprawl in what she prayed was a sexy pose in the middle of the bed.
"Care to join me?" She hardly recognized her own voice, now sounding as though she spent her nights drinking Zaeed's whiskey and smoking his cigars. "Or," she slowly slid one hand across her bra-covered breasts and down her stomach to toy with the button on her jeans, "should I continue alone?"
"Don't you bloody dare."
She grinned at the strain in his voice and the noticeable bulge in his pants, at the knowledge that he wasn't unaffected by her actions. "Well if you intend to stop me…" Her hand slid back up her torso to cup a breast; she locked eyes with Zaeed and gasped as she lightly pinched a nipple.
He shot to his feet and crossed the space between them in two strides. "No more games," he growled, the mattress dipping under his weight as he finally joined her on the bed, "no more goddamn teasing!"
All she could do was nod, her voice caught in her throat at the intensity of his gaze.
For several moments, they simply lay together, neither of them moving, content just to be together.
Finally, Katie broke the silence, unable to resist more teasing. She plucked at the collar of Zaeed's button-down shirt and grinned. "I think you're just a bit overdressed for the occasion."
One eyebrow rose. "That so?"
She nodded and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "But I think I can fix the problem."
He sat up and pulled her along with him. "Then I'm all yours, kitten."
Her heart thundered as she smoothed her hands across his chest and down his stomach to pull the shirt free from his jeans. She straddled his legs and leaned in to kiss him, swiftly moving from his lips to his jaw and throat, continuing to his chest as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt.
She warred with herself as she undressed him. On the one hand, she wanted to take her time, explore every scar and tattoo, every single inch of him. On the other, she wanted to get him naked as quickly as possible because she was getting more turned on with every passing second. She needed this, needed him.
Pushing the shirt off of his shoulders, she decided taking her time was best, for now. She skimmed her hands over his chest and abdomen, her tongue following to trace every tattoo, her lips kissing every scar.
She glanced up when he flinched at the touch of her fingers on his left side, only an inch or two above the waistband of his jeans.
"Tickles," he hissed.
She repeated the motion and he growled.
"What'd I say about teasing, kitten?"
She grinned unapologetically. "You've been teasing me all day, Z. 'S only fair."
"Sure about that, are you?"
She leaned up and lightly nipped his ear. "Abso–"
The rest of the word was lost in a squeal as he picked her up and flipped her onto the mattress, pinning her with his body. One hand tangled in her hair as he brushed his lips over hers, pulling away whenever she attempted to deepen the kiss. His other hand mirrored her own movements from moments before, skimming along her bare skin, looking for any ticklish spots.
When he got no reaction from her–he'd run over several spots, but she refused to give in–he moved on, replacing his hand with his lips and tongue, just as she'd done. She moaned and arched into his touch, wanting to feel more of him, but he refused to give her what she wanted. Instead, he took his sweet time, thoroughly exploring every inch of her from her shoulders to her breasts and down her abdomen to toy with but not undo the button on her jeans.
Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and resorted to begging. "Zaeed, please!" She tugged on his hair when he didn't respond. "I need you!"
She felt more than heard his responding chuckle against her stomach and yelped when he nipped a path back up her body.
"No more teasing?" he said once they were face to face again, his lips hovering just above hers.
She shook her head. "No more." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a searing kiss that left her a little lightheaded and giddy. She nipped at his bottom lip and wiggled her hips. "Pants off. Now."
Neither of them were exactly sure what happened next, only that it definitely wasn't what they'd intended. One moment, he was pulling her closer to the edge of the bed and the next, they were in a heap on the floor, Zaeed swearing so loudly, Katie was surprised no one was banging on the wall.
"Are you okay, Z?" she asked as she rolled off to lay next to him on the floor.
"Next time, no boots," he grumbled, pulling one of hers out from under his head.
"Fair enough." She shifted down to help him untangle himself from his jeans boots, and giggled when she discovered her other boot in the mix. "Definitely no more boots." She settled back against the side of the bed and pulled her own jeans off to add to the growing pile of clothes. "You sure you're ok?"
"I'm just fine, kitten." His voice was low and rough, and the look he gave her as he sat up and moved toward her sent a jolt of lust straight to her core. "Now, where were we?"
