Here is where we come to the NSFW portion (well, one of them anyway). Ye have been forewarned! ^_^

Obi-Wan stood when the former assassin snapped her gaze to him. She was startled for a moment…just a moment. Then she smiled. She took extra care in making sure her hips swayed in a most tantalizing way as she stepped towards him with a throaty laugh. "My dear Obi-Wan, thank you for noticing." She raised her hands to his shoulders, noting how he didn't flinch at her touch. She took that as a good sign and decided to see just how far he would allow this game to go. "But you're all talk. I doubt you would even know what to do with me if you had the opportunity." She smirked to herself as one hand slid down to his chest, the steady rise and fall hitching just once.

"And what is that supposed to mean, my sweet?" he said in that damnably even tone of his. His heartbeat was steady, but his breaths were slow and deep. Too slow and deep. He was trying to control himself. How cute…but futile. He was momentarily confused and unsure how to respond, whereas she was completely in her element now; no hesitation, no guilt, no thought for anything but the game they'd been playing for so long now.

Asajj shrugged nonchalantly as if they were merely discussing the chance of rain. "I mean that your precious Jedi code prohibits attachment, and you're not one to do anything in half measures. I wonder how long it's been since you've last touched a woman that didn't involve trying to save her life…or end it. Whichever." She paused for a beat as if in deep thought. "Or haveyou ever been with anyone at all, I wonder." Before he could utter a single word, she smoothly slid the length of her body against his so that there was no doubt whatsoever what she meant.

"I assure you, dearest: I may be a Jedi, but I'm also a man," he growled after remembering how to breathe. His voice sent a shiver down her spine that she relished, but she still didn't dare look up. She didn't need to, though. She could feel his gaze on her as heavily and heatedly as a blow from a lightsaber. During their banter she hadn't met his eyes once, partially out of fear that he would end the game in disgust, but mostly because she wanted to maintain an air of aloof disinterest. Nothing got under his skin more than being ignored. Well, this certainly escalated quickly… "And I was being serious. You truly are stunning."

Let's push it just a little more…

"I don't think I quite believe you," she teased brutally, ignoring his second breathy statement. She whispered her next words directly into his ear. "Shall we put your theory to the test?" The Jedi froze the instant her tongue traced the shell of his ear, her breath chilling the wet flesh as she chuckled.

Her laugh died in a gasp when his fingers suddenly dug into her waist and a sharp pain bloomed on her shoulder. He'd bitten her. He'd clamped his mouth down into her flesh to stifle the groan that her teasing had wrenched from him. She jumped back, one hand over the mark that was sure to be there, her eyes wide in complete and utter shock. He looked just as surprised as she was. His face turned a bright shade of red as he quickly looked away and released his hold on her. "I-I'm sorry-"

"Don't," she said abruptly. "Don't you dare apologize." She silenced anything else he might have said by burying her hands in his hair and sealing her lips over his.

All thought flew from Obi-Wan's mind in that moment. His arms remained locked at his sides and his breath abandoned his lungs. By the Force, her kiss was intoxicating! Not even Hondo Ohnaka's spiked liquor had had such a profound effect on the Jedi. The moment her body pressed against his and her tongue slipped past his lips he was lost. The heat that had blossomed in his chest, as it usually did in her presence, had erupted into a wave that rivaled a volcano's eruption. She was demanding, aggressive, and desperate, as if she were trying to express something she couldn't put into words. If not for the need to breathe he might have been swept away by their shared passion and lost forever. He idly wondered why she didn't back away as they tried to regain their breath. Then he took note of his left hand gripping her hip so hard the tendons on his forearm strained against his skin, and his right now on the back of her neck. He didn't recall moving his arms, but neither did he much care at the moment.

With the full realization of what had just happened sinking in, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. "I've wanted to do that for a long time," he admitted between gasps for air.

He felt her smile through the Force before she chuckled again. "I probably would have decapitated you if you'd tried before."

"Probably?"

"If you'd been a terrible kisser, definitely."

"And your verdict?"

She tugged on his hair until his eyes met hers, a low growl rumbling through his chest. She made a quick mental note of his reaction for later use. "You still have your head, don't you?"

"Glad to know I measure up to your standards, my darling." He was quite enjoying this game of theirs, as he secretly had for the majority of their relationship. They had danced around the heart of their mutual obsession (her for his death, him in his quest to bring her out of the Darkness) without admitting what it truly was, at least in part: a primal, all-encompassing attraction that masqueraded as shared contempt for each other. But now, though he was still a devout Jedi, she was no longer on the opposing side of the war, no longer a sworn enemy. His saccharine endearments that had begun as genuine condescension had become, well, genuine. Although he certainly would struggle with the Code regarding attachment, he no longer felt as guilty about his feelings as he once had.

Asajj's answering smile was a beautifully dangerous sight to behold. Her half-lidded eyes swirled with desire and anticipation as she looked at him through her lashes. "Perhaps I shouldn't be so hasty in my judgment, Kenobi. I'm sure you'll disappoint me somewhere down the road and I'll have no choice but to spare the females of the universe from your abysmal seduction techniques."

"Well, if it's for the good of the universe…" His left hand slid from her hip over the swell of her backside, pressing her intimately against his body. A brief moan escaped her lips before she clamped her mouth shut. "Who am I to terminate such a noble quest?"

A small part of his brain told Obi-Wan that he needed to stop this, that this was just Asajj using her sexuality to mask her emotional turmoil, that she thought this was nothing but a joke. His feelings for her were certainly no joke. But the warmth of her hands on his face, her tongue on his, and her body against his pitilessly shoved that small internal voice aside. Surely no harm could befall either of them for just a few moments…

Asajj took the lead as her kisses continued without end or mercy. The scratch of his beard against her face only incited her more, along with his strong hands trying to decide exactly where to settle on her body; he wanted to touch every inch of her, she knew. She'd reduced previous lovers to such indecisiveness and knew how to read and exploit a man's arousal. But this was the first time she'd derived any pleasure from such hesitancy. The great Obi-Wan Kenobi, celebrated Jedi Knight, now fumbling over where to touch her. She would have laughed if she wasn't so intent on breaking that damnable Jedi control of his.

A sudden idea sprang to life in her mind. She pulled her torso away from him, her mouth still trying to coax his to yield completely, for the briefest of seconds to pull the zip on her top and throw it to the floor. A mewling sound of blatant need escaped her lips when her bare flesh met with his rough woolen tunic and his callused hands pressed into her naked back.

The sudden shock of his hands against her bare skin brought Obi-Wan out of his haze and back to himself, his Jedi sensibilities resurfacing just as quickly. "Asajj, wait." He pushed her back so he could meet her eyes. "I…we shouldn't do this." They were the right words to say, the words he should have said many moments before. So why did they ring hollow even to his ears?

She took a step back, steeling herself for yet another rejection. "Why not?"

He wasn't looking at her. "It's just-"

"Don't you want to?"

He turned his head at the note of fear in her voice. His gaze was soon drawn down to her breasts, rising and falling with each heavy breath she took, and the inward curve of her waist before flaring out into black-clad hips. The faint scars that littered her flesh did little to detract from her unconventional beauty. "By the Force, yes," he whispered as his fingers trailed over her skin.

"Then there is no problem."

She made to kiss him again, but he stopped her. "The Code-"

"Hang the kriffing Code!" His head snapped up in surprise at the sudden anger in her voice. He'd never heard her use such language before. Well, not in Basic at least. "Have you ever once felt attraction to anyone that was less than polite? Truly?"

His thoughts immediately went to Cerasi, Siri, and Satine. If he had been less devoted to the Jedi Order he very well could have had a life with any of them, a potentially happy one; he almost did with Cerasi, but her sudden death saw him trudging back to the Temple and the Order with a heavy heart. He'd always chosen his duty to the Order over personal feelings. And now all three of them were dead. He'd be lying if he said he didn't regret walking away from love so many times in his life. "Yes," he admitted quietly. He couldn't bear to go into detail, especially with Satine's death still so fresh in his mind.

"And did you do anything about it?" His silence was all the answer she needed. Her fingers caressed his face as if she could take his pain away; she knew she was a poor substitute for whomever he had in mind, but she could at least try to be something other than an emotional burden. She didn't want to play the patient to his therapist anymore, the sinner to his monk. She just wanted to be a woman for once; not a murderer, not a bounty hunter, not a tool of the Sith. "Then just this once let yourself have something you want. Will the universe grind to a halt if you allow yourself just one thing you want instead of what others allow you to have?" His silence gave her the opening she needed for one last plea. "I'm not asking you to leave your precious Order, Obi-Wan. Just for now, just for a moment, forget the war. Forget your duty, the Jedi, the Sith. Just let there be whatever this is between us. Please."

It was the 'please' that broke him. She wasn't begging for sex; Asajj Ventress would never lower herself to the level of a common whore; if she chose to lie with someone she would NEVER have to resort to begging. She was pleading for a chance at normalcy, a moment where there were no Jedi or Sith, no Republic or Confederacy. Just two people who felt the same attraction and decided to act on it without first forming a special committee to weigh the pros and cons. She was asking simply for some sign that someone wanted to be close to her without expecting or demanding anything in return for her company. Someone who wouldn't use her for their own purposes then discard her like her former master had done. Someone she could trust. Someone she could possibly come to love.

He knew she was treading in painful territory by opening herself to him so much. If he rejected her now, based on the Order's admittedly archaic Code rather than by his own volition, he may never get her back again. She'd been broken one too many times, abandoned more than anyone he'd ever known or heard tale of, and robbed of everyone she'd ever dared to love. She would turn her back on everything they'd spent the last two weeks building together and fall back under the power of the Dark Side.

And with her standing here now, physically and emotionally bared before him, he couldn't say he'd never fantasized about what a night with her might be like. He'd probably barely survive and still crave more. He could live with that if it turned out to be true…

Obi-Wan looked down as his hand found hers and laced their fingers together. "The Code does indeed forbid attachment…" He felt her try to pull away, already bracing herself for the final blow to her heart, but his grip on her hand stilled her. "…but it says nothing about connections." His eyes met hers with his characteristic smile, tinted with amusement and just a small amount of smugness. He was testing the limits of the Code he had sworn to uphold all his life, but at this moment he couldn't have cared less if Yoda and Windu both expelled him from the Order for it. Others had pushed their loyalty to the Order far further and gotten only a slap on the wrist; surely he could indulge himself just this once. "You and I have had a very unorthodox connection since we first met. I see no reason why we can't…strengthen it."

It was then that she smiled. The sight nearly took his breath away. For the first time she looked truly, wholly happy. Relieved, too, but happiness was what shone on her face and reflected in her eyes. As quickly as it came her joy was replaced by an anxious heat that poured over him like a fire. She moved first, taking his lips between hers once more, this time savoring the kiss as one would a fine champagne. Obi-Wan couldn't help but wonder if his skin would spontaneously ignite if she kept kissing him like that.

Not to be outdone, he let his hands slide between her flesh and the black fabric at her hips. He tugged the leggings down as he knelt before her and tried not to stare as more and more skin was exposed. Her hands stayed on his head, fingers lightly gripping his hair, while he removed her soft boots almost reverently then stripped off the fabric entirely. Keeping his gaze level, he ran a hand over her thin calf, silently admiring the taut muscle that lay beneath. He slowly lifted one foot from the floor and pressed his lips into her ankle. In the silence her soft gasp seemed as loud as a starfighter powering up. The sound sent a ripple of electricity down his spine; he wanted to hear it again.

Obi-Wan steadily kissed his way up her leg, occasionally nuzzling her knee or thigh. He paused for a moment when he reached her hip, debating whether or not to turn his attention to the center of her arousal. He decided against it (he had more pressing needs, as had she) and continued up her waist, over one breast, which drew a gasp from her, and back to her waiting lips.

Asajj wasn't sure if she was more disappointed or relieved that he had avoided the ache between her legs on his journey up her body. But when his hand cupped her jaw and his fingertips tenderly tilted her head to a better angle, she became engrossed in his kiss once again. He was being so gentle with her, so careful. Well, that wouldn't do.

She pushed him back towards his bed until he was forced to sit. She prevented him from standing by quickly lifting one knee to the mattress beside him. She released his lips from hers and looked down at him with a sultry smile. "You're overdressed, my darling," she whispered, her voice low with desire. She was expecting a witty reply, but he seemed tongue-tied. So much for the oratory skills of the great Negotiator. "I believe I can remedy that…"

Dexterous fingers made short work of his belt, then his tunic. She allowed herself a moment to caress his arms as she pushed the material from his shoulders. Like her, his body bore the scars of a lifetime of battle, though his were not nearly as numerous as her own. She traced one of the more prominent ones across his ribcage, idly wondering how he had gotten it and what had become of the one who had given it to him, before his fingers closed around hers. He lifted the hand to his mouth and pressed his lips into her palm. She couldn't help but wonder why he was insisting on such gentility; none of her previous bedfellows had ever shown such care.

Rather than dwell on the subject and run the risk of ruining the moment, Asajj shoved him back onto the bed and lay her body flush over his. She purred when his hands instinctively went to her hips as she covered his mouth with hers again. She removed one of his hands from her hip and pinned it above his head, her fingers locking around his wrist. A burst of heat sizzled in her abdomen when a growl, deep and primal, vibrated through his chest and against her lips. Her free hand slid down his chest, nails lightly raking through the fine layer of hair, and lower to the waist of his pants. The fabric barrier didn't stop her, though.

Obi-Wan drew in a sharp breath and tore his mouth away when he realized what she was about to do. He wanted to tell her to stop, that she should be the one to receive such intimate pleasure first, but she sensed his apprehension and struck quickly. His head fell back to expose the long line of his throat, his hand on her hip shot up to her back, fingertips biting into her skin, and a helpless groan wrenched itself from deep within his chest when her fingers closed around him.

Asajj watched his face closely as she moved her hand. Every wince, every twitch of his mouth, every ripple of his throat as he swallowed was committed to memory. She leaned down to press her lips into his neck while he squirmed beneath her. The salty tang of his sweat on her tongue seemed a delicacy to her in the heat of the moment. His rattled sighs and throaty moans were a symphony. Strange that she should feel this way with a man who had once been her mortal enemy.

Between incoherent sounds of pleasure, Obi-Wan managed to salvage some of his vocabulary: "Asajj…please…" It was a struggle for him just to get those two words out. Asajj, on the other hand, froze in shock. Not at the words themselves, but at the tone with which they were uttered, and her reaction to it: his submission, so willing and so complete, was so unexpected, as was the shiver it sent down her spine.

She quickly came back to herself, not wanting to turn reflective when she (finally) had the great Obi-Wan Kenobi at her mercy. Not in the way she'd always imagined, of course, but not entirely unwanted. The corners of her lips turned up in a sly smile, her thumb brushing over the top of his erection. Granting him a moment of clemency, she removed her hand and brought it to her lips. Making sure his eyes were locked on her, she slowly licked the thumb clean, as much a show of sensuality as an unspoken promise of what she could and would do if she so chose. "'Please' what, my dear Obi-Wan?" She wasn't playing fair and they both knew it.

A spark ignited in Obi-Wan's eyes then; he could only take so much. He grabbed her wrist with his free hand and stared hard at her with a fire so similar yet so different to the look he would give her when they fought. "Don't make me beg, darling."

Oh, she was most certainly enjoying this! "Now, why would I eeeever-" she rocked her hips against his as she stressed the word, leaning down to whisper the rest into his ear "-do a thing like that?" The tip of her tongue darted out and touched his earlobe, her lips following closely to close around it.

Obi-Wan had finally had enough. Faster than she could blink, he rolled her onto her back and pressed his weight onto her. The surprise in her eyes lasted only a moment, but he had seen it. "You know what…"

He leaned in to nip at her neck, but she was faster, especially with a little help from the Force. He almost groaned in exasperation when he found himself once more on his back. But this time she sat astride him, her knees on either side of his waist and her body perfectly displayed above him. Her smile was a dangerously erotic sight, not that he was complaining. "Since you asked so very nicely, I suppose I can acquiesce." Another bit of aid from the Force had him nude beneath her, and a tight lock on her restraint had her slowly, achingly, taking him into her body.

Obi-Wan's hands closed on the sharp points of her hips to steady her descent, but more to keep his mind from flying apart at the sensations she woke in him. He tried focusing on a small part of the Force to keep his sanity in check, but each tilt of her hips and every tiny sound of pleasure that escaped her dark lips shattered any semblance of control. The long line of her body, her nails digging into his abdomen, the faint light from the window glinting off her pale flesh and the thin strand of jewels dangling from one ear. He couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling of awe as he looked at her.

Asajj didn't stop him when he raised himself into a sitting position, didn't even break stride. She simply met his eyes for a brief moment, then wrapped her arms around his neck to draw him into another searing kiss. She shivered at the feel of his fingers tracing over the scars on her back before they journeyed up to her neck. The combined sensations were too much for her to handle. She wrenched her mouth away from his to gasp out her pleasure, which allowed him access to the sensitive skin of her throat. One hand clutched at his shoulder while the other tightened in his hair, earning her another low growl of approval. Her body was now moving of its own accord; she felt as if she were being controlled by some preternatural force, her hips moving faster against his and incoherent sounds of pure elation spilling from her lips.

Although he was trying very hard to focus on the intoxicating taste of his former enemy, Obi-Wan soon found himself half-lost in the Force. As that familiar ache began to take on a near-physical form, starting at the base of his spine and moving lower with each passing second, he began to see things in his mind's eye. Bright coils of blue light undulated with every breath, streaks of violet darting through and around them in a rhythm that seemed at once very near and so far away. It took him a moment to realize that they came and went in time with Asajj's heartbeat.

No…it can't…that's not possible…

The sudden understanding of what was happening within the Force had him reeling, staring openly at the goddess astride him for a brief moment before his body uncoiled with a violent snap, hers not far behind. The lights in his mind exploded like a supernova as their shared orgasm ripped through them for what seemed an eternity. When it finally passed and calm settled over them once more, the lights had also dimmed. But now they were entwined, meeting and parting like a tightly woven strand of DNA.

Obi-Wan watched as Asajj came back to herself, their harsh breath cutting pointedly through the silence. The moment she opened her eyes he knew: she had seen the same thing he had. Maybe she could explain how it had happened…

"What the hell was that?" she gasped in shock.

"I…" He struggled to find words to describe it. "I think…we've just become…bonded…through the Force."

A flicker of fear passed through her eyes. He instinctively cupped her cheek in his palm in an effort to soothe her. The fear was quickly replaced with mild apprehension. "How…what exactly does that mean?"

He shook his head. He'd only heard vague tales of Force bonds. They were incredibly rare, almost unheard of outside of Master/Padawan relationships, and developed slowly over many years. They could also be dangerous if used improperly or if either party allowed the other's emotions and thoughts to overwhelm them. "I'm…not sure." It wasn't often he found himself at a loss for words, but this was definitely an appropriate occasion to be tongue-tied. Careful not to push too far, he sent a simple thought across the glowing lines of their link, fascinated with how they rippled as if alive. Can you hear me, Asajj?

Her startled expression gave him his answer. There was a heavy pause before she replied: Yes.

Obi-Wan let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and drew her down for a gentle kiss. Despite his concerns about the route their relationship had taken, he couldn't help but feel as if he were more…complete. He couldn't deny that what he felt for her had grown to something beyond mere compassion and tentative friendship, and she most certainly felt the same; the Force wouldn't have joined them together if she had been resistant. Under the initial wariness at such a big development he could feel a serenity emanating from her, a peace that she had perhaps never known until now.

There was still one question that had to be asked before he would allow himself to completely relax, however. "Will you stay?" he whispered against her lips. Another question, this one cloaked in disbelief, hung in the air between them, reflected in her silver eyes: what?

Obi-Wan carefully gathered her in his arms and pressed his forehead to hers. Will you stay with me tonight?

Asajj let her mind go blank lest he hear her turbulent thoughts. The request itself was innocent enough, but the consequences… If she stayed it would mean allowing herself to get attached. She couldn't risk that, not with their respective professions, not with her history of having those she-dare she think it?-cared for ripped away in one form or another. And what if she was discovered in the Temple, in his private quarters? She was certain Skywalker would make an appearance sooner or later, and though that could make for some amusing entertainment she would much rather keep her head firmly on her shoulders.

She was about to turn him down with her customary slyness, but stopped when she saw what lay in those hopeful blue eyes. Not only was there genuine affection, but also a promise of security and sanctuary.

The words were out of her mouth and rippling along their newly-formed link before she could stop herself: "Of course, darling." Her heart swelled at the sight of his smile. A soft press of her lips to his sealed the affirmation.