Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to Fameanon and gkell for reviewing.
Judith was silent all the way back to civilization. She wondered privately if Meral would revert to his usual self once among people, and although he was quieter than he had been, he seemed much more relaxed, at home with himself, comfortable even. It made her smile, and she leaned against him as the autopilot let them soar through Kingston.
He caressed her hip as they neared their destination, returning her physical affection without complaint or comment. She closed her eyes, a part of her wishing this shuttle ride would go on forever. But the loud thunder that rumbled in the atmosphere was making her jittery, along with the frequent bursts of lightning. The streets were emptier than usual, as most of the residents of the city were taking refuge inside.
They parked underneath the bamboo awning of the hotel and hurried to the door, and she hastily locked the vehicle as they got under cover. Another rumble of thunder made her draw closer to Meral, but he almost looked amused with her as he opened the door and led her past the fountain.
In the back of the lobby was a restaurant, and she glanced down at her growling stomach.
"You are hungry?" Meral asked lightly, something like mischief gleaming in his eyes. She nodded.
"Ai. I be starvin, love."
He looked as if he were about to smile, then led her to the establishment. The place was slightly crowded, though not nearly as noisy as she thought it might be. It was dark, lit by hanging lanterns and candles, and they were led to a table in a secluded niche, behind a tropical potted plant.
"What would you like to drink?" he asked her, his voice calm and collected as he pondered the menu.
"Water be fine, Mister Meral."
Thus commenced one of the most enjoyable evenings she had ever had, and that was saying something. She considered herself a cheerful person, but Meral was hiding dry wit and mischief that she found enthralling. Too soon dessert was on the table, and she held up a spoonful of the vanilla bean ice cream for him to try. He obliged her.
"I can smell cinnamon," he murmured, examining the white creamy concoction.
"Ai, dat be de flavoring," she replied with a grin. She leaned forward. "Does dat cinnamon entrance you, Mister Meral?"
"Indeed," he said, his voice deepening, making her shiver. She paused, contemplating the sharp lines of his face, the blue of his eyes. He had made her forget the raging storm outside (which appeared to be worsening), and she sighed, taking a bite of the ice cream. She would have complimented the chef for the intense flavor of the stuff, but she was silent, and for the first time in ages, she wasn't looking forward to sleeping alone tonight.
"Something is troubling you."
She glanced up at him. "De storm..."
"It cannot harm you, not in here. As an engineer, I have researched your infrastructure, and it is sound. Even if this were a hurricane, we would be safe. The windows and walls are too strong to be shattered by debris, or leak from rising waters. We are safe."
She offered him a wan smile. "Still..."
The bill came, and he paid for the meal, leaving the half-eaten ice cream behind. "Come, Judith."
He led her back up to his room, and he locked the door behind him, taking her hand and leading her to the window. Down below, she could see several branches down on the street, the gutters like raging rivers, and even an umbrella, tugged along relentlessly by the strong gale.
A crack of thunder, like a cannon, echoed through the sky with a resounding boom, shaking the window ever so slightly. She squealed and (acting on instinct) clung to him, burying her head in his chest.
He reached up and unbuttoned his shirt, and she moved her cheek so he could take it off. Then she laid her head back down on his bare flesh, comforted by the warmth.
"Judith," he cooed, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I am here...there is no cause for your fear."
She mumbled something unintelligible, slowly forgetting the storm again, and she lightly kissed his chest, on his pectoral, halfway between his shoulder and his nipple. He groaned.
"Ashaya," he whispered, his hand knotting into her hair. She raised her head and looked him in the eye, and noted they were dark, black wells of some unreadable emotion, haloed thinly in blue.
"Ya gettin hot for me, love?" she teased, massaging his chest. He growled.
"I find myself wishing to engage in sexual relations with you, Judith," he answered, his gaze hardening, darkening still. "Will you deny me?"
"Neva, sweet!" she said in reply, standing on tiptoe so she could kiss his lips. Their kiss was full and lustful, their unspoken passions flaring back to life. Several minutes of heaven passed in a hazy blur, her senses clouded by pleasure and his heat and the amazement that she was kissing Meral, and he was kissing her, almost as if this was their last day together on Earth and he would never see her again.
"My Judith," he purred, drawing her even closer to his warm, muscled body. She giggled, pressing herself eagerly to him.
"I have been a gentleman thus far," he said, pressing back. "I could easily forget my manners and all my logic, and take you as a mate. Do you wish this, Judith?"
"I wan' dis Vulcan man to love on his girl."
"Very well," he whispered into her neck, clamping his lips over her dark flesh. "I will see to it that you are satisfied, ashal-veh."
He pushed her up against the wall and worked at her neck, kissing and caressing her, his warm hands brushing up and down her body. A shiver ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the storm, and she sighed, rearing her head back. He took the opportunity to plant a chaste kiss on her throat, and then he nipped savagely at her collarbone, his fingers deftly undoing the clasps of her shirt.
"Do you wish to turn back? I will mark you soon, if we continue..."
"Mark?" she repeated, too lost in the sensations to really think about what he was saying.
"I will mark you as mine, and mine alone," he purred, and as if to prove his point, his teeth clamped down so hard on her neck hard enough to break flesh, but he counteracted the pain with some sort of magic with his fingers, which were currently tracing a circle around her navel. That act alone made her feel hot and ready, and the bite made her feel even hotter. She gasped, then groaned.
"Dat be voodoo magic, Meral?" she teased, her voice barely more than a whisper, her knees becoming weak. "I be lost in de sea a' love and ya comin' wit me, Mister Vulcan man..."
"No, Judith, not voodoo magic," he murmured, and she thought she heard him chuckle. He sucked at the mark he had made on her shoulder, and she watched, helpless to his whims, longing for even more intimate touch on his part. He swept her up into his arms and tossed her easily onto the bed, and he relieved her of her pants and underwear. It seemed she was going to get her wish.
"Meral," she murmured, sitting up. She placed a hand on his shoulder, caressing his flesh, and he paused, looking up at her with dark eyes. She was taken aback at the passion and hunger within his gaze, but she leaned forward with a wicked smile, her nails digging into his skin.
"Der be more dan one way to do dis, ai? Let me show you..."
He looked surprised when she laid him down with his head near her lap, but she moved so she was kneeling and crawled down his body. He growled, his fingers flexing as he gripped her hips.
"Keep dem hips on dat bed, love," she instructed, looking between her legs at him, her gaze still lascivious and lustful. "We ride dem waves together...now..."
She dipped her head, tearing away the cloth that stood in her way, and she gave him a thorough education in alternate human intimacy.
…
"I would have never thought to do something like that before," he murmured, stroking his fingers lazily down her back. Her eyes were drooping, as it was late, and the severe storm had blown itself out. It was still raining, but it was no worse than the usual rains in San Francisco. "That was...invigorating."
She murmured something, apparently agreeing with him, and she burrowed deeper into the blankets, nuzzling his chest with her nose as she did so. He glanced down at her again, amazed at the fact that she was in his arms at all. He had never experienced such carnal satisfaction, such connection to another being before.
He hadn't even noted the tension plaguing his body until he felt it rushing out of him in a burst of sweet release and warmth. Her taste still lingered on his lips, saccharine, decadent; he licked his lips to taste it again and closed his eyes. Her breath was ghosting across his flesh again, and he thought privately to himself that he would never tire of that sensation, nor of the pleasure in giving her pleasure. She had been quite vocal (as vocal as she could be, considering the circumstances) about her pleasure, and it pleased him greatly. His katra was humming in satisfaction, sated for the moment, but still intent on winning her fully.
But that would have to wait until morning. Intimacy with her was strangely soothing to the point of making sleep come swiftly, gently and lovingly wrapping itself around his synapses. He sighed into it, holding her a little closer, and then he gave himself over to the darkness.
…
His PADD woke him, and he quickly blinked away sleep, glancing at the time. It was 0300 in this time zone, meaning it was earlier in San Francisco. He frowned in confusion, his gaze skimming over the message.
Osu Soval required his presence immediately in San Francisco, and Meral knew he was obligated to go as soon as possible. He would be there by dawn, since the ambassador was sending a shuttle to retrieve him.
He looked back at Judith, disagreeable to cutting their time together short, and just when they were coming to a mutual understanding. He slipped back under the covers and held her close, knowing he would see her again soon in San Francisco. Perhaps they could revisit that park they went to a few weeks ago...perhaps she could show him the beauty of that city, and teach him how she always looked on the bright side of life.
He sighed and kissed her gently on the temple. "Until we meet again, k'diwa," he whispered to her, then slipped out of bed and got dressed.
…
Dawn was cold and gray as he walked up the steps to the Consulate, feeling the chill more keenly now that Judith was not with him. But the thought of reuniting with her later warmed him, and he relaxed his expression and his posture as he strolled through the halls up to Soval's office.
The wooden double doors were closed, and Sorak was waiting outside, glancing over a report as he sipped tea. The man glanced up, then frowned slightly in confusion.
"Good morning, Meral. Osu has good news for you."
He raised an eyebrow. "Of what nature?"
"Your employment here on Earth. Osu will explain the details. He's waiting for you."
Meral walked into the office, even more confused than before. Soval was standing at the window, watching the dismal gray light spread over the city and the Bay. He was sipping tea, his free hand folded casually behind his back.
"Osu," Meral greeted, and Soval bid him take a seat across from him as he sat at his desk. He picked up a PADD and scanned it, and the engineer took a seat as instructed.
"I have news I'm sure you'll find agreeable," the ambassador said, handing him the PADD. "You've been recalled to Vulcan. I recommended you to the engineering advisory board at the Institute of Engineering in Shi'Kahr. I'm sure you'll find the assignment more to your tastes."
His eyes widened. "Osu?"
"You're being recalled, Meral. You leave by noon today, if you pack your things in a timely manner. Your work has already been filed away with L'Vek so he may view it when he returns. Everything is in order for you to leave today. Simply sign the form and I will do the rest."
Meral shook his head. "Osu, I do not wish to leave."
The ambassador raised an eyebrow. "You continually expressed disdain for this planet and its people. L'Vek reported that you were...displeased with your assignment here. I took the appropriate actions."
"Osu, it is true that before I left for Jamaica, I would have gladly taken your offer to leave this planet. But I do not wish that now. I have come to see them and this place in a new light. I assure you, it would displease me to leave."
Soval looked taken aback. "I never knew you to be so...capricious."
Meral frowned deeply. "I am not. I have simply come to view things from a...different perspective."
"Your different perspective aside, I have already signed the paperwork. I was under the impression that you would have taken any excuse to get away from your human guide and return to Vulcan. You have to go, because in my...haste to see you expedited to Vulcan, I did not stop to consider that you might change your views on humanity."
Meral stepped forward. "Ambassador, I have always respected you, as a Vulcan, as a diplomat, as a man. I am grateful that you would go to such lengths to see me swiftly away to what you believe would be my contentment. But I beg of you...renounce this recall and keep me here on Earth. I wish to stay."
Soval shook his head. "As I have stated, your paperwork has been signed and sent to the High Command. You leave for Vulcan at noon. I suggest you pack."
He could feel his gaze darkening and hardening. "You do not believe I wish to stay," he realized. "Our people do not lie, Osu, it is not logical." He took a breath. "She is everything to me, ambassador. more than I could have ever dreamed. I will do whatever it takes to come back for her, or to bring her to me. If you will not aid me, perhaps others will. I take my leave of you now. Good day."
He strode out of the room without so much as the respectful raising of the ta'al, and he silently asked Judith to forgive his foolishness.