Chapter 17

The arms that encased her did nothing to soothe her anger. She hadn't been held like this for years, not since before Eden Prime, and the memories that flooded back to her at that thought alienated her even further from the turian who was currently restraining her. By now, she had completely forgotten about her discarded shirt, consumed by the anger she felt toward Garrus for patronizing her. She squeezed her eyes closed and inhaled deeply, trying not to shake. Who the hell was he to try to comfort her? He had no claim on her.

"Get off," she growled.

He looked down at her with a frown, but didn't loosen his grip on her. Was he stupid? He knew who she was, what she was capable of, and she wasn't about to let him think he had some sort of control over her. Just because she felt bad about being an asshole to him didn't mean she cared about him. There was something unnerving about the way he was looking at her, and she didn't like it one bit. Her hands curled into fists at her sides.

"Bird, I believe I just told you to get the fuck off." She was biting back the rage, trying to maintain control, but she still sounded murderous.

Abruptly his gaze went cold. "Don't."

"Don't what, Bird?" She was still angry, but she knew she was getting to him.

He looked disgusted, but to her surprise, he released her with a step back. She stumbled, caught off-balance, and he didn't offer her support. Instead, he stared at her.

"Are you drunk?"

"None of your business."

He exhaled steadily, closing his eyes, as if to calm himself. "You know, I shouldn't even be surprised. Nothing you do should surprise me anymore. You are a deplorable, self-absorbed person, so of course I should have known something wasn't right when you apologized. Do you even realize that the one redeeming thing you ever said to me only happened because you were drunk? You'd think that someone as obsessed with herself as you are would know herself well enough to recognize that she's a fucking tool."

Reflexively, she snapped into Commander-mode at his insolent words. "Listen, you son of a bitch, I am not going to stand here and be judged by a goddamn bird."

Before she knew what had happened, he had lifted her and thrown her carelessly onto the control panel. He parted her legs roughly, sharp nails leaving welts along her inner thighs through the light material of her pants.

"I said don't. I have a name, bitch. Now say it."

She struggled, alarmed at the sudden violence, and tried to push him off. This was not the same Garrus she'd seduced on the first Normandy, not the same officer she'd easily bent to her will. He held her in place, kissing down her stomach. She aimed a kick at his chest and that sent him back a few steps. Before he could recover, she snarled, throwing herself onto him.

Normally she wouldn't have been able to take the turian off his feet so easily, but as he was still recovering from the kick, the impact of her full body weight against him sent them both toppling to the floor. She pinned him, slamming his wrists into the ground, her hands glowing with biotics. She hadn't exactly intended to mount him; that was just an added bonus to emphasize her dominance. He obviously didn't know what he was asking for by making such an aggressive advance on her, but she was going to give it to him anyway.

"Well then," she murmured, leaning over him as he glared at her. "We're going to do this my way. Don't think for a second that I'm going to take pity on you because of some pathetic crush. Remember that I went easy on you the first time. Today, however, I'm not feeling so generous. Now," she bit his lower lip for emphasis, "tell me: do you want it to hurt?"

"Shepard, I advise against incapacitating a member of your squad at this time. Perhaps it could wait until after our attack on the Collector homeworld."

"EDI, shut the fuck up!" Shepard snapped, but Garrus had used the distraction to his advantage.

He broke her hold on his wrists and shoved off the ground, causing her to fall backward. The air rushed out of her lungs as her back hit the ground, and Garrus looked down at her triumphantly. The combination of slight oxygen-withdrawal and an elevated blood alcohol level was making her feel light-headed. Her legs were still wrapped around his waist.

"You know there are cameras in here."

"Yeah, and the door is unlocked. Does it look like I care?" She was too busy launching an assault on the clasps of his armor. His chest piece fell away, and her hands traveled his upper body greedily.

"Watch your mouth, human. It wouldn't be difficult to break you."

"I'd like to see you try."

He growled, nipping at her ear, and she trembled with anticipation. He unbuttoned her pants and pulled them down roughly around her ankles, pausing to remove his own lower armor. The wait irritated Shepard, and she raised up to bite his neck, hard. His hand wove into her hair, tightening. She whimpered, but not from the pain.

"Say it," he growled, pulling her underwear halfway down her thighs.

"Say what?"

"Say my name."

"Bird," she smirked.

He pushed inside her roughly. The pain brought tears to her eyes, and she cried out softly, grinding her hips against his in search of more friction. He refused to move.

"I told you to say my name."

"Vakarian."

He leered at her, slipping a hand into her bra and lightly teasing her nipple.

"You're almost there."

"Garrus," she sighed in aberrant resignation, uninhibited by sobriety, and he thrust into her again.

"Always so stubborn," he scolded, but continued.

"As if you aren't," she panted.

She used his momentum to roll them over, and grinned down at him, kicking off her pants and underwear.

"Now we can get to the good part."

She rocked against him and he stared at her body as it met his. The expression was difficult to gauge, perhaps caught somewhere between interest and repulsion. Nonetheless, his hands wound behind her back and unclasped her bra, and she shrugged it off. One hand traveled down her back to rest on her ass, and the other cupped her breast as she rode him.

How did he know his way around her body so well? She could tell he hadn't been with any other humans since their last encounter. He was giving her a look like he couldn't decide if he really wanted to fuck her, but she was already holding back, trying to delay her building ecstasy. Luckily, she had a few moves of her own. He groaned as she reached behind his head, gently stroking the leathery plates beneath his fringe. The weird look on his face vanished, replaced by desire.

Suddenly, he was standing, lifting her, and the cold metal wall was like ice against her hot back. She crossed her legs behind his back, and he picked up where she left off, ramming into her without mercy.

She dug her nails into his back and closed her eyes, letting the sensation wash over her.

When she finished, she screamed his name.

(A/N): Huge thanks to LaughingTiger. You rock. Without your help, I might have spent the next few days huddling under a blanket in indecision.