Chapter Eight:

Luke felt the sweat roll down his bare back as he parried a blow from Mara's blue lightsaber. His green blade swept hers to the right, and Mara moved with the strike to keep her balance.

Mara ducked an overhead swing and thrust her blade into his midsection… or would have if Luke hadn't already dodged the strike. Luke came in on Mara's left, using his blade in a complicated series of maneuvers that forced his opponent to backtrack quickly in order to keep up.

Mara was a few steps from the wall when she gritted her teeth. Luke sensed the shift in her focus, and prepared himself for her counterattack. Mara came on fiercely, driving Luke backward with multiple hard strokes.

Luke ducked a low upper swing that would have taken his head off if this were live combat. He rolled back and out of the way when she drove her blade into the ground where his foot was moments earlier.

As Luke came out of his roll, Mara met him, driving her blade toward his right side. Luke deftly twisted the lightsaber hilt in his grasp and deflected Mara's attack, sending her wide right. She spun when Luke thrust with the blade to get under her defenses on the left, where she was overextended.

Luke leapt back to his feet, breathing heavy. Mara's chest heaved with the exertion as well, reminding Luke that they were on equal footing here. That was a fact that Luke appreciated immensely.

Having a competent and able-bodied sparring partner was a rare gift to Luke, and he reveled in any opportunity to pit his skills against Mara's.

Luke brought his blade in toward Mara's midsection, and she danced back a step, just out of reach of his blade's tip. While there, she touched the edge of her own blade to his in a playful kissing of lightsabers.

Luke grinned, nodding to her. "This was a great idea, Mara."

She smirked in response and came back at him, feinting left, only to drive her blade to the right at the last second. Luke managed to get his weapon up in time, but caught her blade at the base of his. Realizing that Mara had the upper hand here, and was about to disarm him, Luke abruptly dropped the weapon and grabbed her wrists.

Mara's eyes widened in complete surprise: Luke had never willingly dropped his weapon in the midst of a sparring match with her. When Luke's eyes glinted mischievously, and he pushed her backwards, Mara realized what he was doing.

Luke was switching from lightsabers to hand-to-hand sparring. Mara grinned happily: if Luke wanted to get his rear handed to him that was fine with her.

Hand-to-hand was her specialty, just as Luke's was lightsaber combat.

Mara dropped her own blade, and deftly twisted her right wrist from his grasp, and sent that fist at his midsection.

Luke zigged just out of reach and used her own momentum against her, pulling her to his side. Mara grabbed him and bent at the knees, heaving a great effort, but was successful in flipping him over her head.

Luke landed with a thud on the mat and blinked, astounded. He recovered quickly as Mara dove in for the kill. He brought his leg up and swiped it through her ankles.

Mara leapt over his limb and flipped away, giving Luke time to regain his footing. He came at her with a series of quick right hooks and left jabs with his fists. Mara blocked them with practiced ease, using her arms and palms.

She turned the tables by boxing him on the right ear, then thrusting her left fist into his ribs. Luke finally blocked her next attack, successfully parrying a series of fists aimed at his chest and face.

Mara ducked a swing to her head and jammed her shoulder into his torso, forcing him backward to keep his balance. Luke caught her elbow before it could connect with his ribs, and laughed in surprise when she compensated by stomping on his foot instead.

"Ow!" he chuckled.

"Come on, Farmboy, is that all you've got?" Mara jested playfully.

Luke grinned, and snaked an arm about her waist, which Mara simply used to flip herself over and back to where she began. Mara then came at him with another round of fists, and Luke caught her right hand in his left. Tugging her, he spun her round and stepped close, pinning her against him.

"How was that?" he asked into her ear.

Mara snorted and drove an elbow into his side, which Luke wasn't fast enough to dodge at point-black range.

He stumbled back, clutching his side, and Mara used the distraction to run at him. She jumped upon him, and wrestled Luke to the floor. Luke landed again on his back, and shook his head to clear it as Mara sat atop him, bringing her face close to his.

"Ha! You're getting better, Skywalker." Mara allowed. "But you should probably save the fist fights for me."

Luke's chest heaved as he half-laughed, half-coughed while Mara grinned at him, her eyes meeting his.

Luke's world slowed as the moment caught up with him, and he was suddenly taken away by the marvelous beauty of this woman. His breath caught in his chest as he gazed at the victor sitting over him… her lips tantalizingly close.

He gazed openly into her emerald eyes, captivated by their keen intelligence. And she stared right back at him; openly admiring him for what he thought was the first time.

Something zinged between Mara and Luke, and she seemed to be trying to read him.

"Luke, I…" Mara began to whisper.

Luke lifted his head and gently placed a kiss on her lips. He felt Mara stiffen as she sat atop him, the two of them still locked in the ending position of their tussle.

When she didn't return the kiss, he pulled back, his sense of self-preservation returning. Mara's eyes were wide with shock, and Luke looked back at her fearfully.

That's it Skywalker. You took the risk, and it blew up in your face... way to go. He chided himself, watching as Mara touched a finger to her lips.

"Mara, please don…" Luke started to say, but was cut off as she lowered her head and planted her mouth gingerly against his.

It was Luke's turn to be taken aback, but he soon regained his wits and returned the gesture. His heart swelled, and his mind burst at the sensation of Mara's lips against his. She tasted like the sweetest bunch of zingleberries Luke had ever sampled.

Oh how soft and full Mara's lips were! And oh how right it felt to touch them against his own!

Luke brought a hand to the back of her head, and he drew her closer, deepening the kiss. But just then Mara pulled away and flushed.

They were both breathless, but Mara looked like her practical side was kicking back in. She stood, brushing off her pants, and called her lightsaber back to her hand.

Luke lay still for a moment longer before he too retrieved his weapon and got to his feet.

"Um, that was my mistake, I'm sorry." Mara muttered, not meeting his gaze. "I'll see you in the morning, okay? I'm really tired, and want to take a long shower."

Mara turned and walked to the door before Luke could stop her.

Luke, however, was still entranced by her kiss. His lips tingled delightfully from the electric sensation of Mara Jade's mouth on his.

Mara kissed me! Luke thought ecstatically.

He would sleep well tonight, and Luke knew his heart would be singing all night long. But a sliver of doubt and confusion threatened to ruin the moment for him.

Mara had kissed him back, so why did she say it was a mistake? And why did she run off again?

Idiot, you should have gone after her! Luke scolded his immobile legs.

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Mara splashed her face with cold water once she was in her apartment. She looked at her reflection, trying to see what Luke obviously saw in her.

Surely Luke had a thing for brunettes? Callista and Gaeriel had both been brunettes, and they had been his most serious attractions.

Mara's red-gold hair was about as polar-opposite as one could get from that. She noticed her pale, freckled complexion and frowned. Surely she was too pale, due to the fact that she spent most of her days inside her ship?

She wasn't a woman who possessed a personality that knew how to deal with such emotions. She was too cynical, too harsh to love.

Wouldn't Luke be better off with a woman who would woo him? Mara wasn't love material, nor did she know anything about the subject. She kept herself secluded for just that reason: it was better not to try and never get hurt.

Or hurt someone else... like Luke.

But then, why had he kissed her so lovingly? Why had he gazed at her like she was the center of his universe?

Mara breathed heavily for a moment, and then felt her resolve harden.

No. She would not allow Luke to love her. She would continue their classes because she was a woman of honor, but that was it.

Never mind how complete she always felt in his presence… or how secure his embrace made her feel. His warm, strong, perfectly toned body pressed against hers…

Mara blinked as she recalled Luke's bare torso and arms during their sparring match. He was definitely a great-looking man! She would have to be blind to miss that.

She shook her head. Just then she remembered the upcoming dinner with the Solos.

Mara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She recalled telling Luke that she wanted to step out of her comfort zone. Well, she would do just that.

Mara went to her computer and pulled up a recipe for a dessert. She scrolled through until one caught her eye: strizzleberry cheesecake with chocolate curls.

Oooh yummy! Mara licked her lips simply from looking at the holo that went with the recipe.

Mara read through the instructions once and grimaced, but determined to not fail, Mara set to work. She wanted to impress a certain blond haired, blue eyed man, show him that she was learning.

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A new thought popped into his mind, and Luke picked up his pace as he made his way home. Mara's words from a few days ago were ringing through his head, and Luke decided he wanted to act upon them. He wanted to do something special for his best friend.

And if she didn't kill him for it, he hoped it would make her see just how much he loved her.

I do love Mara, very much. Luke told himself. And I want to do this for her, if it's the last thing I do.

Luke entered his apartment, Artoo rolling in behind the Jedi. Luke sat his things down and promptly went to his computer terminal. He needed to do some homework before he could fulfill Mara's wish.

Luke opened the HoloNet and typed 'Corellian Rumba' into the search box. He was rewarded with photos, the history of the Rumba, and other links claiming to be able to teach the dance.

Luke opened a link from an official site, and watched as a man and a woman moved across the floor in what he could only describe as barely restrained love-making. Luke was shocked, not having realized just how intimate the dance really was.

It's a very slow and sensual dance. And it is usually performed by couples who are… really close. Mara had told him.

Luke swallowed hard. He now knew the extent of the risk he was taking in wanting to perform such a dance with Mara. He was intending to dance with her at the Coruscant Grand Ball, but with this intimate a dance, was it better to do so privately?

Luke shook his head. I will determine that then. Right now I need to learn the dance steps.

Luke spent the next hour watching various holovideos and intently reading multiple articles on how to perform the dance. Next he cleared a space in his office and followed a how-to holovideo, playing it over and over again until he was confident he could dance it without qualms.

A few times Artoo came in and warbled a question at him. But Luke was too focused to answer, so the little droid settled for bringing him a bottle of water.

When Luke finally settled into his bed, dead tired and sore, he only then noticed that it was two hours to sunrise. He groaned, realizing that he was supposed to be at Mara's dance class in three.

"Artoo?" he called.

The droid answered at once, rolling into the bedchamber.

"Wake me in two hours, and make sure I get out of bed, okay?" Luke instructed. "Whatever it takes, please."

Artoo warbled an affirmative, and the next thing Luke knew he was dreaming of kissing Mara again.