Disclaimer: Voltron and its characters are owned by WEP. I make no claim to them. Other characters and the story belong to me.

This chapter is bordering on M for some sexual stuff. Be warned.

Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Awareness

Keith was so pumped up, he couldn't think straight. His first thought was to immediately go find Allura, but he didn't have any idea what he would even say to her. He had to clear his head. He had to release some of the stress and pent up emotion that was stirring through his body. The gym, he thought. I will go and spend a few hours working out. That'll give me time to think through exactly what I am going to say to Allura. With a firm, set jaw, he headed to his room to change into his workout clothes.

Thud, thud, thud, thud. The sound of her feet hitting the treadmill in a steady beat helped Allura to calm her nerves. She had already been running for 45 minutes. Five miles had gone by and she hadn't even realized it. She sighed as she thought about seeing Keith later. They had so much to talk about. She was excited, yet nervous. What if he didn't feel the same? And even if he did, would he be open to the possibility? She couldn't worry about it. She let her mind wander to his black eyes and breathtaking smile. I wonder what it would be like to kiss him, she thought to herself as she let the rhythm of her running settle her into a satisfying daydream. She didn't hear the door to the gym slide open behind her, or the sudden gasp that accompanied it.

Clad only in a pair of red nylon running shorts and his running shoes, Keith whistled as he swung his towel back and forth. He walked toward the gym with an uncharacteristic spring in his step. He entered the code and walked through the door as it slid open. He took two steps and stopped dead. In front of him was an unexpected sight. Dressed only in a sports bra and gray shorts, Allura was running on one of the treadmills. She was staring straight ahead and had a pair of headphones in her ears. She didn't seem to notice that Keith had entered the gym. Not sure of what to do, Keith just stood and watched her for several minutes.

He let out a long, slow breath as his eyes raked over her beautiful form. Her golden hair glistened and ringlets formed around her face from sweat. Her flushed red face and her clenched jaw showed her determination as she worked to keep the quick pace set on the treadmill. Her full breasts bounced and her taut stomach muscles rippled with each stride. Her long, toned legs moved with a dancer's grace. Keith ran his tongue over his suddenly dry lips and couldn't help but stand and stare. How had he never before noticed how amazing her body was? He groaned and felt his body react in a new and surprising way toward the breath-taking creature across the room who, until a few hours ago, he thought only of as a friend.

Allura continued to run, unaware of her audience. Keith glanced at the monitor of the treadmill. Five miles! He was amazed. He couldn't get her to run 3 miles without complaining during their team training sessions. Chuckling to himself, he decided to have a little fun with her. He wanted to see how she would react to a little flirtation. How would she react to the Keith charm? Keith threw the towel over his shoulder and walked toward the empty treadmill to the right of Allura.

Thud, thud, thud, thud. Allura was lost in her run and in her little daydream. She felt a tap on her shoulder. Jumping almost out of her skin, Allura fell forward as she hit the emergency stop button on her treadmill. Grasping the security bar, she felt her legs slow as the rotation of the conveyor belt came to a stop. Ready to spit anger, Allura turned to see who had almost caused her to fall flat on her face. She came face to face with a wall of muscular chest.

Her eyes became as big as saucers as she took in the view in front of her. Keith had the body of a mythological God. He had a perfectly sculpted chest that tapered into a narrow waist. Rock hard abs showed off not a six pack, but a 12 pack. Allura had a sudden intake of breath as she noticed the indentions at his hips that disappeared into his red running shorts. Long powerful legs disappeared into white socks and sneakers. The sound of Keith clearing his throat and the motion of him crossing his arms across his chest hurtled Allura back to the present.

Blushing profusely, Allura raised her blue eyes to look up into eyes the color of coal. Allura just stood and stared at Keith's face as he regarded her with a look of smug amusement. He raised an eyebrow at her and the corners of his lips quirked as he tried to keep his smile in check. He said nothing as he looked at her. Turning scarlet, Allura lowered her eyes again as she felt a mixture of anger and desire wash over her. She turned back to her treadmill.

"Well, hello there, Allura," Keith said quietly. "I never expected to find you down here. I didn't think running was something you considered a hobby."

"It isn't," she growled angrily. "I just needed to blow off some steam. Thanks a lot for trying to kill me."

Keith chuckled to himself. Allura was miffed. He was going to play along with this. "Oh come on, Allura. You didn't fall," Keith replied. "And if you had, I would have been right here to catch you." He added dropping his voice to a husky whisper.

Allura's hearth thudded in her chest. She looked up at Keith's face. His soft black eyes held a wordless invitation and his lips held a secret smile. Allura's head was spinning. She blushed a bright pink and turned back to her treadmill. Gathering up her towel and music player, she stepped off of the treadmill. Putting a few feet between her and Keith allowed her to regain her composure. "I think I am going to go and lift some weights," she muttered to no one in particular.

"That sounds good," Keith said. "I think I will join you. I can always run on the treadmill a little later." He stepped toward her, narrowing the distance once again.

"Um …ok," Allura uttered as she looked at him once again. He walked past her towards the weight room, brushing past her arm with his chest as he did do. Allura gave a start at the jolt that she felt as his skin brushed hers. Grabbing her arm, her eyes rolled lazily up and down Keith as he walked past her. She watched as he pulled out a dumbbell.

Glancing back at her, he asked, "Want to start with some squats?" When she nodded, he turned away and bent over purposefully to allow her to see his assets.

Allura gasped at the sight of his perfect behind, and then she pursed her lips as realization dawned on her. She may have had the reputation of being innocent and naïve, but she was far from it. Thanks to watching Lance, she was well aware of the games played between men and women. She had her Terran novels and the movies she watched with the guys to thank for the knowledge that she had gained on the game of flirtation. She was also aware of her own effect on men and had used it on more than one occasion to get what she wanted. Keith was playing with her, teasing her, flirting with her. She cocked her head and raised her eyebrows as she realized his game. Well, Commander, two can play at this game, she thought to herself.

Standing up and glancing back at the princess to gauge her reaction, Keith smiled to himself as he caught the look on her face. He had her flustered. Dropping his eyes as he added weight to the dumbbell, he heard a soft noise behind him and felt a soft hand running up and down the small of his back. Turning around, he saw that the princess was now standing directly behind him, touching him lightly. His skin smoldered with each pass of her hand.

Looking at her face, her beautiful features were set in a determined expression. She smiled at him and licked her lips sensuously. "Ok, Commander," she breathed. "Are you ready?" Allura bent over to pick up her dumbbell and lay it across her shoulders, but not before she brushed past him with her breasts. She proceeded to begin a set of squats.

Keith stood flabbergasted at how the situation had changed. One minute, he had her eating out of the palm of his hand, and with one quick lick of her lips, the tides had changed. He looked at her slack jawed, watching her rise up and down as she counted her reps. The little minx, he thought. He had to regain control of the situation.

"Princess," he said. "Your form is a little off. You need to make sure you have perfect form to reap the max benefits of the squat." He walked over to stand behind her as she rose from her last rep. She became aware of his hard body against her back, from the top of his sculpted chest, to the powerful thighs that grazed the back of her legs. "Here, let me help you with your form. We will do a few reps together." His eyes caught her gaze in the mirror. She allowed him to move with her as she squatted down and then moved back up.

"Oh, I see what you mean, Commander," she replied breathily. "Do a few more with me to make sure I have it?" She pushed her body into him as they lowered and rose together.

Keith stifled a groan as he felt her grinding her behind into him. He instantly reacted. The sudden feeling of hardness behind her surprised Allura and she lost her balance. Falling backward into Keith, the momentum caused them both to topple over. He instantly put his arms around her to protect her and used his body to soften the fall. Allura turned around to face him and make sure he was ok. The dumbbell rolled away forgotten as her blue eyes met his black ones.

Keith lay on his back on the workout mat. Allura was fully on top of him, wrapped in the commander's arms. Her face was inches from his face, and they both stared at each other as they became painfully aware of the sensation of their bodies touching. Her breasts ground into his chest, their stomachs laid flat against each other, and the awareness of the closeness of their nether regions was almost too much for either of them to bear. Keith groaned as Allura had a sharp, sudden intake of breath. She stared at his lips as he stared at hers. Only a few inches separated them….

"Allura, stop," Keith whispered. She was jolted from her reverie. "We are both sweaty and gross. Neither one of us smell that great right now. I don't want our first intimate moment to be like this." He moved from under her and sat up. She had no choice but to sit up as well.

Allura put a look of haughty disdain on her face as she regarded Keith with a scowl. "What on earth are you talking about Commander? I was simply making sure you were ok." She glanced at him innocently.

"Enough with the games, Allura," Keith responded pointedly. "I think we are both painfully aware of what is going on here." He moved closer to her and put his hand on her cheek. She sat up straight at the contact. She looked up into his eyes again. She saw a quiet promise in the depths of the black pools.

"We are not finished," he continued. "We have an appointment to talk later after dinner. We will have that conversation…" he stood up and walked over to grab his towel. As he flung the towel over his shoulder, he turned back to the awestruck princess still sitting on the mat. "We will have that conversation…and more." He gave an official salute and a playful wink before he turned and walked toward the door.

"I thought you were going to run on the treadmill," Allura called after him just before he reached the door.

"I think I have had more than enough cardio for one afternoon. See you later, my beautiful princess," Keith replied.

After the door swished closed, Allura lay back on the mat. She stared up at the ceiling trying to calm her racing heart. Her body was doing new and unexpected things in reaction to Keith. She groaned as she rolled over and sat up. Returning to the treadmill to gather her things, her body trembled from the contact she had just had with Keith. Shaking her head, she knew she needed to calm down. Maybe a nice cool bath will do the trick, she thought to herself.

After dinner, she thought. Her heart began racing again. She would see Keith after dinner. They would talk and …. Her mind raced, her heart thumped, and a deliciously warm feeling spread in her lower abdomen. She shook her head as she walked out of the gym to get ready for dinner and whatever else lay ahead that night.