Love Me Tender
(Home – Part II)

Hoshi's heart melted and ached at the same time, seeing him laugh and seemingly unable to stop. If only he knew what she was about to confess. She tried to save the image of his joy for her memory as she wasn't sure he would ever talk to her again after she had told him the truth. But he deserved to know it. She watched him while he wound down from his fit of laughter. If there was anything positive about this situation, it was the fact that she got the unexpected chance to talk to him alone.

"You are something else, honey," he said, eyes moist with mirth.

Do you have to make this so hard on me, love? she thought, when she heard his appellation. Get it over with, girl, she demanded of herself mentally.

"Why didn't you go to Vulcan with T'Pol?" she asked softly, out of the blue and she could see him go tense.

"I can't, Hoshi," he admitted, suddenly much more serious. "She doesn't even acknowledge any interest in a relationship. She wanted to introduce me as a 'colleague'. That's not how things work. She can't play this 'come here, go away, come here, go away' game for half a year and then just drop the 'meet my mom' bomb on me. Half a year ago she jumped my bones and ever since then I wasn't even worthy of a kiss."

"She's confused," Hoshi said, taking a deep breath. The moment of truth was approaching fast – frighteningly fast.

"You don't say," he said and she could hear his biting sarcasm. "I'd say she doesn't know what she wants."

"She does know what she wants, but she knows she probably can't have it."

"What do you mean?" he asked and the mixture of hope and despair in his eyes made her heart ache.

"Trip," she swallowed hard and took another deep breath. "You aren't the only one she has taken to her bed."

It was out! She could clearly see that he was struggling, hands balled into fists.

"Who?" she heard him ask barely containing his anger. "Malcolm? The Captain? You know who, don't you?"

"Me, Trip; she took me to her bed," she admitted. To her utter shock he started laughing. It was not a hearty belly laugh, like before. It sounded more like the nervous laugh after pulling through a frightful situation. She had expected him to blow up in a blinding rage, but there he was, laughing nervously. Her own heartbeat was just short of a painful palpitation.

"So she wanted to try a bit of woman-on-woman action," he said with a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "What's the problem. If anything I'm happy it was you and not one of the more gossipy women on the ship. Looks like that exploration blather wasn't so far fetched after all."

"You don't understand, Trip," she said barely above a whisper. "If you asked her about it, she would dismiss it as an experiment. But the truth is, she loves both of us and now she doesn't know what to do."

He showed no visible reaction to her revelation.

She couldn't quite make sense of the situation. She had just admitted to him that the woman he loved did love not only him but also someone else and he had gone silent. Some errant tears where running silently down his cheeks.

"Do you love her, too?" he asked with a sudden calm that frightened her. Was he short of blowing up?

"Yes, Trip, I love her." she admitted, looking down at the floor.

"And what about me?" he asked, still threateningly calm. "Could you live with the knowledge that T'Pol takes me to bed, too?"

Fuck it, may just as well get it all off my chest, she swore in her mind.

"Trip, we're sitting next to each other, stark naked. Every fiber in my body screams that I want to be with you when she takes you to bed," she said softly. "I love you just as much as I love T'Pol."

There it was out. The anxiety of how he would react threatened to render her unable to breathe. Her heart was pounding so hart she could feel a light pain in her ears with every beat. He didn't show any reaction. He just sat there, looking at his feet, saying nothing.

"How'd you guys feel about settling on Denobula?" he asked softly after what felt like an eternity.

Her whole body started to shake when she realized what his question was meant to say. She could barely hold on to the bench as a massive wave of joy hit her like a ton of bricks. With a screeching wail she threw herself in his arms and let loose.

=/\=

"Oh my god, Oh my god," Hoshi wailed in his arms. Heavy sobs rocked her fragile body. "Tell me you don't just say that!"

He gently stroked her hair. "Hoshi, darlin', I spent the better part of last night wading through the database, trying to find a place were people might accept a polyamorous inter-species relationship. I was wracking my brain how to let you and T'Pol know that I've fallen hard for both of you. Heck and here we are, all three having the same 'problem'. I was too afraid to tell anyone of you, because I was scared witless that I'd loose both of you."

He chuckled and shook his head at this turn of events.

"Hold me, love, please hold me," Hoshi pleaded and put her head in his lap.

He gently stroked her long tousled hair and soon the sobs subsided and she fell asleep in his lap.

=/\=

"Sssh," he hissed softly when Hoshi woke up with a start. The loud beep announced the end of the decontamination cycle. He gently caressed her shoulder and got lost in her dark eyes. She had turned onto to her back and looked up at him with that blindingly beautiful smile.

"Tell me this isn't just a dream," she whispered.

"If it is, it's the best one I've ever had," he said and gently cupped one of her breasts. "God, you're beautiful, darlin'."

"Don't stop," she pleaded as he gently caressed the little hill in his palm.

"Have to, sorry," he said and helped her sit up. "I promised Phlox to escort you home once the cycle is finished. He didn't say I couldn't stay with you after I've done 'at."

She giggled in delight.

"Anyways," he said, adopting a mock-official tone. "I seem to remember that one young, insolent and impossibly pretty Ensign dared me to get naked. Since she claims to like being naked, I dare her going home just as we are."

He laughed when he saw Hoshi's stunned look. He could tell she had to think about it, but then she flashed him that beautiful smile again. "What do I get in return if I do it?"

"You choose," he said.

He could tell she didn't need much time to think. "Make love to me, Trip. I want you to make slow, gentle love to me all night.."

His grin turned into a scowl.

"Hoshi, I'd love nothing more than that. But look at yourself. I'll have to be careful not to split you in half at your normal weight. At the moment I could whistle the Ave Maria through your rib cage. Don't know how long's it been for you, but I've gone for half a year now. A couple of days more until you're fully recovered shouldn't be so hard."

She sauntered up to him. "I don't want to wait anymore. I've been dreaming of having you in my bed for a long time. I know you'll be gentle, love. First you shave me and then you take me, gently and slowly. We have all the time in the world."

"Stop it," he whispered and kissed her. "If you keep sweet-talking me like that, the treacherous organ is going to knock down a bulk head. Deal, we'll try, but I'll stop at the first sign of pain, got me?"

"Come on," she said, shoving their clothes into his arms and they walked out of decon, stark naked.

=/\=

I could have throttled Maxwell, Jon thought as he hoisted up his climbing equipment. He just let that pointy-eared bastard accuse me of murdering a ship-load of Vulcans and blames me for blowing a gasket! 'You need a vacation' my ass. What I need is a commanding officer, who doesn't take the Vulcan's side and a place to stay where nobody is calling me a damn hero every five minutes. Hell three days in the mountains will do me some good. Nobody, who's going to fawn over me.

His anger drove him to walk faster.

He stopped and squinted his eyes, rubbing them. Then he shook his head a few times, just for good measure. Nope – still there. He shook his head again. Nope. It wasn't a hallucination. There in the corridor were really his communications officer and the chief engineer coming his way – hand in hand, naked as jaybirds and giggling like school children.

"Hi Captain."

"Cheers Cap'n"

When he could finally comprehend what he had just seen, they had already disappeared around the corner of the next T-junction.

He dropped his backpack and sunk to his knees, his mouth gaping open in disbelief.

And then he doubled over, unable to stop laughing.

=/\=

They reeled into Hoshi's quarters, laughing hysterically.

"We are so in trouble," Trip cackled holding his side.

"Technically we're off-duty," Hoshi added between laughs.

They kissed hungrily for several minutes, their hands roaming over each other's bodies. When they broke off their tongue-wrestling match, he sorted through their clothing to find the pocket with his communicator.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Hoshi eagerly collecting the necessary tools to have her private parts cleaned of any stubble. He flipped the communicator open.

"Tucker to Phlox."

"Phlox here," came the reply after a few moments.

"I've delivered your patient home safely and she looks quite lively, I might add."

"Excellent Commander, feel free to contact me if there are any problems."

"I doubt there will be," Trip said with a grin when he saw Hoshi lie down across the bunk with her legs spread wide. "Um,..., the Captain hasn't contacted you, has he?"

"No, Commander, why?"

"Just a thought Phlox, just a thought. Enjoy your evening."

"Likewise, Commander."

Trip couldn't see it, but he just knew that Phlox was wearing that shit-eating grin of his right now. He knew a suggestive undertone when he heard it.

"Right, darlin'," he said with a lusty grin, rubbing his palms together. "Now we're gonna make that sweet pussy o' yours really smooth."

After washing his hands he returned to her room, where Hoshi was still lying across the bunk on her back, her legs spread wide and hanging over the edge of it. She had a blindfold tied around her head."

"Something I need to know?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Doing it with a blindfold makes me horny like the neighbors cat," Hoshi admitted with a giggle.

"Ask me," he said and slapped his erect organ lightly on her left knee.

"Oooh," Hoshi cooed.

He grabbed the can and sprayed a little hill of cream onto the center of her love triangle. With gentle movements of his right hand he spread it over the stubble covered area. He dunked the lady shaver into the bowl of water and gently started scraping the hair off her sensitive parts.

"God, yes love, make me nice and clean again," she sighed.

"That's the plan, honey," he replied and cleaned the shaver in the water. More and more of her sensitive area was unearthed from beneath the foam and he realized he had entered a race. Hoshi was getting wet – really wet – and her gushing juices were washing the foam off.

"Hoshi, darlin'," he said in amazement. "You're gushing like a fire hose!"

"God I'm so horny," she begged. "Hurry up sweetie, I need you in me."

A few more scrapes and Hoshi's privates were as smooth as a baby's ass. He let his hand check the result of his handiwork while wiping off the remains of the foam. Hoshi meanwhile kept moaning and groaning. He slowly licked the length of her opening, eliciting a loud squeal when he flicked her pleasure knob with his tongue.

He stood up and put the shaving utensils on her desk. Looking back he saw a whimpering, blindfolded Hoshi laying down on her back, waiting to collect her prize for streaking the Captain. He grinned as he went back to the bed.

He gently rolled her on her side. Since she was still so fragile, yet determined to take him, he decided that a position that didn't require him to lie on top of her was the better option. He lay down behind her and ran the head of his tool along the length of her labia until he found the entrance and very slowly he started to push in.

"Oh my god, yes!" Hoshi whimpered and he reached around her body, cupping her left breast.

"You ok, sweetie?" he asked as he ventured ahead into her tight opening.

"You're so big," she groaned raising her leg as his tool spread her wide. "Push in more, sweetie, push, push."

He slung his arm around her raised leg to help her hold it up. A few more gentle pushes and he was completely buried inside her tight opening.

"You've taken it all, darlin'. You're amazing," he whispered.

"My womb says thanks," she groaned and giggled at the same time. "Make love to me sweetie. Take me gently."

Kissing her shoulder blades and kneading her breast, he started to move, slowly and steadily.