Chapter Seven - Inherited Traits

Jett stared up at the ceiling. It had been the most memorable four hours of his life. The effects of the transporter had barely faded before she'd thrown herself into his arms.

Their lovemaking had varied from slow and sensuous to extremely physical. She'd proven to him time and again that the rumors he'd heard were true...even part-Romulan women were almost insatiable in bed. For his part, he'd brought her to the edge time and again, but kept the release she so craved just out of reach. When he'd finally driven her to release, she'd let loose with a string of Romulan phrases that surprised both of them.

When the situation was reversed, she'd driven him crazy, eventually forcing him to remind her that making the Captain half out of his mind before an important mission wasn't very wise. When she stopped to consider this, he used the brief pause to take control of the situation, driving them on until they found simultaneous release. That time, she'd screamed loud enough that he was sure they'd heard it down in Engineering.

Now, after an incredible six times in four hours, he lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The bedding had been annihilated, the sheets were clammy with sweat, and he was sure half the ship knew what they'd been doing...not that he really cared at the moment.

Beside him, his insatiable lover stirred and ran her hand over his chest. He looked down and found a pair of beautiful dark brown eyes staring back at him. He smiled and kissed her, then wrapped his arms around her. She sighed and snuggled into his embrace as he planted a kiss in her hair and inhaled its heavenly scent. 'Odd,' he thought to himself. 'Doesn't smell like the Starfleet-issue shampoo. Smells like...like strawberries. I like it.' He let silence reign for a few more minutes, then spoke.

"Tell me about your family."

The tone of her voice seemed surprised, yet pleased, when she replied.

"My mother is a pediatrician. She is one of the top beings in her field of work. I have two younger sisters, Adriana and Marissa. Adriana is fifteen and hopes to follow in Mother's footsteps. Marissa is thirteen and hopes to follow my father and myself into Starfleet. My paternal grandmother lives with them, but unfortunately she has not been well the past few months." She paused before continuing nervously. "My father is Fleet Admiral William Price, Director of the Tactical Development Bureau for Starfleet Command."

"And would he approve of this? You getting involved in a passionate love affair with your Commanding Officer?"

She considered it a moment.

"I do not believe he would. But then again, I have never been one to seek his approval."

He listened as she told him of sneaking into Starfleet Academy at age fifteen. When she finished, she looked into his eyes for his reaction.

"My apologies. You probably think I am overzealous...wanting to give up the few remaining years of my childhood for an advance start on adult life."

He smiled at her with a tenderness that made her want to give up Starfleet just to be with him.

"On the contrary. I think you missed your father not being there when you were younger, so you rationalized that if he couldn't be close to you when you were growing up, then you'd be close to him now that you were older."

That statement melted her heart, and he was surprised to see tears well up in her chocolate orbs. When she spoke, her voice was slightly unsteady.

"I think it is best to change the subject. What about you, Captain? Do you have any hobbies?"

He rolled over and pinned her beneath him, using his arms as leverage to hold himself off her. She couldn't help the tears that spilled over onto her cheeks; he was looking at her like she was the most precious object in the galaxy.

"Yes," Jett smiled. "I do have one fascinating hobby, besides my love for naval history."

She arched her eyebrow.

"And that is?"

He smiled down at her.

"I take pleasure in great beauty."

She lost the battle to control her emotions and smiled at him. It was the most beautiful sight Jett had ever seen. The smile lit up her whole face and made her eyes sparkle.

For the second time since he'd known her, Jett forgot to breathe.

He was jarred back to reality by Kalinara reaching up and pulling his lips down to hers, and for a long time after that, he didn't think at all.

Alpha Shift was over by the time Jett and Kalinara's shore leave was up. Leaving Kalinara asleep with a kiss to her forehead, Jett used a site-to-site transport to return to his quarters, where he showered, brushed his teeth, and crawled into his own bed, exhausted but incredibly happy.

However, as he tossed and turned in the big bed, he found himself unable to sleep, despite how tired he was. Physically, he'd shut down for the night long ago, but emotionally his brain was going at Warp Five and then some, reliving the past few hours with precision detail over and over again. 'Ten times in one night,' he thought to himself. 'That's got to be some kind of record.'

Jett was about to get up and order a glass of hot cocoa to help himself sleep, when Kalinara beamed into his quarters. She turned toward his bed when the transporter effects had vanished.

She looked like an angel. Her hair was down and fell just past her shoulders in a dark silken curtain. The coral satin nightgown she wore complimented her tanned skin perfectly.

Jett was having the forgetting-to-breathe problem again.

She rose an eyebrow.

"You left without saying goodbye. When I woke up and realized you were gone, I found myself unable to sleep."

Jett lifted the blankets and patted the mattress.

"Come to bed, Angel."

He was rewarded with her heartstopping smile. She slipped in next to him and curled up in his arms.

"Think you'll be able to sleep now?" he asked her. Her response was a murmur of content.

"Good night, Kali."

Upon hearing his nickname for her, she turned to face him.

"What did you refer to me as?"

"'Kali'. I shortened your name as a term of endearment. However, 'Kalinara' is such a beautiful name, I'll find it difficult to stop using it altogether."

She smiled tenderly at him.

"No...please. I find the nickname 'Kali' pleasing. Use whichever you prefer."

He smiled back.

"I'll probably only use 'Kali' when we're alone. Be my luck I'd slip up and use it on the bridge when Nechayev's making a surprise inspection in a bad mood."

At that, Kalinara giggled. "When is she not in a bad mood?"

He looked at her in surprise.

"Why, Commander Price, did I just hear you giggle?"

Kalinara smiled coyly at him.

"No..."

"Yes, I believe I did. Wonder what I could do to make you do it again?"

Kalinara immediately tried to cover it up.

"Nothing, Captain. It just slipped out."

He ignored her attempts to placate him.

"Are you ticklish, Kali?"

"No." She answered too quickly for Jett to believe her.

"I don't believe you, Angel. Now, where might you be ticklish?"

Kalinara tried to keep the mischievous smile off her face, but failed miserably. He tickled her ribs, and she squealed...she actually squealed, dissolving into giggles. Jett burst out laughing right along with her.

"Well, Commander, looks like I found out you are ticklish, after all...extremely ticklish."

She stopped giggling and cast heavy-lidded eyes at him.

"I can make you forget that information, Captain."

As much as Jett wanted to take her up on that generous offer, his body refused to rise to the challenge. He stroked her cheek tenderly and kissed the tip of her nose, making her giggle.

"As much as I'd love to do that, I'm too tired. I think we wore each other out earlier. Let's build some strength for tomorrow."

She apparently realized how tired she herself was, and nodded sleepily. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back in a circling motion.

"Sleep now, Angel. And I'll store the information about you being ticklish away for another time."

She giggled sleepily, and purred in response to the circular rubbing on her back.

"Good night, Jett."

"Sleep sweet, Kali."

With that, the Zuikaku's Captain and Second Officer fell asleep in each other's arms.