I'm going to do something that is a personal pet peeve of mine and thank all of you at once for the reviews for the last chapter - THANK YOU! This past week has left me particularly overwhelmed in Darth Real Life. As many of you know, I like to drop you a note thanking you for your review. I didn't get to answer any reviews this past chapter as of yet and I'm very sorry. You know how grateful I am when you take the time to leave me a review. I think it's only right to take the time to thank you for it. So, forgive me for this last round and know I appreciated every one of them. I know I have the best readers around and I'm proud of that. :D

Onward and upward to the fun stuff...

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Chapter 15: What's It Gonna Be, Solo?

If anyone was in a dreamworld, it was Princess Leia Organa. She stretched luxuriously as she rolled contentedly away from an already snoring Solo. He did have a way of satisfying her every lustful itch. Allowing her eyes to wander languorously over his magnificent body, she wondered again how it ever came to this.

In her secret world, she was happy, but there was that nagging part of her that was stuck in despair. While Han had given her a strong connection to life after Alderaan, it was not going to last and she was well aware of it.

Maybe it was the reason she had searched him out this time. Let herself be taken and enjoyed how much he seemed to desire her the same way she desired him.

Publicly, she lobbied him more than ever for his official recruitment, hoping to seal the idea of him staying. Although true to his word on discretion regarding their private bet, Solo was so transparent to everyone in his willingness to do anything for the Alderaanian Princess that it was surprising this was the one thing he would not bend on. His overprotectiveness of her and his consistent willingness to risk his life for her and her Rebellion was strong and very clear. He was a part of it in every way except officially and permanently. She wondered if he was holding back to just irk her or if that debt he kept citing was worse than he was letting on.

The idea that something out of her control was going to take him away from her was more than she wanted to think about.

In fact, Solo had mentioned something to Chewie about not having to sweat on Hoth. The subject of Hoth hadn't really come up between them in private and he hadn't mentioned anything about following the Rebels there. She had hoped, of course, but maybe now with that positive hint, she would be brave enough to bring it up to him.

She would have to be careful how she broached it. They still hadn't developed much in the civil conversation department.

Solo's snoring abruptly ceased and his eyes popped open. He ran a hand along her still sweat-soaked naked form. "I thought you'd be in the fresher by now."

"Just catching my breath."

"Can't blame you."

"It is pretty humid. Even in here," she remarked casually trying to set up an opening.

"Yeah." He quieted again for a few long breaths before finding his voice again and sounding a little uncomfortable. "That was nice… what you did for Chewie."

"What I did for Chewie?" Her tone was incredulous. "What about me staying here with you?"

"Oh that?"

"Yes. That." He was beginning to irritate her.

He chuckled. "Whatever that was, it wasn't 'nice,' Sweetheart." He stroked down her body again and smiled wickedly. "Hot. Sexy. Exciting. But 'nice' is not the word."

Now was her chance. If she were going to bring it up, this was the time. She sat partially up onto her side, bending her elbow and resting her head on her hand. "Speaking of Chewie and humidity… did you mean what you said to him before?"

"About what?" Han bent his elbow and leaned his head onto his hand mimicking her stance.

"About him not having to sweat on Hoth."

Dawning fell across his features, but he kept his tone light. "Of course, you know Hoth is one big iceball. Not even a Wookiee can feel warm outside there."

Gorgeous or not, he was the most frustrating man she had ever known. He knew what she was getting at, so she didn't understand why he was being so stubborn. Unless… unless he was not actually intending to go to Hoth. There would be nothing holding him here, after all. Even their bet was coming to an end. It would be finished during their mission to Ord Mantell. Her heart sank. Suddenly, the idea of asking him became even more daunting.

Nevertheless, Leia pushed forward bravely. "So, you're planning on going there?"

"Don't see how I can avoid it, Sweetheart." He smirked. "The changeover is due to happen just after we leave for Ord Mantell, right? Unless you're planning on leading a bunch of trees here instead of Rebels, coming back here wouldn't make sense."

"That's not what I meant," she said quietly, crestfallen but hiding it. Those were already part of the mission parameters. His game playing was enough to tell her that he was evading the answer for a reason. She started wondering why she should care. She may care about him on a deep level, but certainly this isn't the kind of man she needed. Sure his ability to incite her ire had a way of inciting her desire, but this bad boy needed to be more of a nice man if she were to be able to consider any sort of real future between them. The private war between her and her feelings continued to wage on. She wanted him in her life and was beginning to take her deep emotions seriously, but she had nowhere reliable outside of herself to put them. Han couldn't even be counted on to stay, let alone give her the emotional commitment she had begun yearning for from him.

Han must've read her mood change even though nobody else would've been able to detect it. It was a fair guess that spending a lot of intimate time together made him very sensitive to her moods and feelings, expertly hidden or not.

He ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair and sighed. "Hey." He reached out and took her hand off of the hip where it had been resting. He stroked his thumb across her knuckles encouraging her to bring her eyes back to meet his. "I haven't talked to Chewie about it yet, so it's not a done deal, okay? But… I'm planning on sticking around. At some point, I'm going to have to go take care of my debt, but it can wait. Who knows? Maybe I can figure something out about that in the meantime, too."

Leia couldn't believe her ears. It was as close to any type of true allegiance that she had ever heard from him. It wasn't everything she had always said she wanted from him, but it did mean he was staying and that was her selfish private hope. Her heart began beating hard and she could barely contain her silly smile.

Han laced his fingers with the hand he had been holding and pushed her over onto her back. He nestled his hips between her legs and stretched both of her hands above her head. Their bodies responded instantly to feeling the length of each other.

Leveling his eyes with hers, he whispered in his deep intoxicating voice, "Happy?"

Her voice wasn't yet to be trusted, but she knew her eyes glittered for him.

His lips met hers. Gentle, but passionate. Wanting and needful. His hardness met her softness and he slipped inside of her with a gratified sigh.

"Yes," she whispered finally from the depths as she arched up to meet him, matching his heavy breaths. They continued like that. No games this time. He was making love to her. The energy between them was different, profoundly intimate and bonding. She found she wanted this, wanted him like never before. There was some untouchable piece of her melding with some untouchable piece of him.

"Leia…" He kissed her over and over, her mouth, neck, and ears. Still holding her hands above her head, he used one of his hands to caress down her body. Then he moved his hand down between them and fluttered it as he thrust into her.

She couldn't contain her excitement nor did she try. She pulsed up to him enjoying the friction of her breasts against his strong chest and the hair there. She was at the height of relishing the feel of their bodies and the way they fit together when her orgasm made her body buck into him spasmodically and her moans reached their most urgent.

Han's body responded to hers by driving harder for a few more thrusts and bucking into her as he rode through his release with one long deep guttural groan.

Finally letting go of her hands, he collapsed down on her, truly spent this time. She stroked his back trailing her fingers through the dewiness.

When he hadn't moved and she was struggling for breath from the dead weight, she patted his back. "Hey, Hotshot. I could use some air under here."

"Sorry, about that, Sweetheart." He extricated himself from her and fell off to his back. He lazily brought her palm to his mouth for a quick kiss.

"Now I'm definitely ready for a shower." Leia smirked as she rolled to the 'cooler' part of the mattress.

"Me, too. This humidity and demanding royalty is taking a lot outta me. It was a nice bonus though."

"That it was."

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