Chapter XV

The afternoon flew by with this and that, but at 1700 hours, Shepard was out the door with her grocery list in hand. When she arrived at her apartment, Kaidan was already there. His boots were neatly placed on the shoe rack at the entrance. She liked that; sharing her space with Kaidan-it felt right, like coming home.

Kaidan's things were almost all arranged in the bedroom when he heard Shepard. He finished setting up and went to the kitchen to greet Shepard.

"Hi, gorgeous," said Kaidan, kissing Shepard.

"Hi, you! Settling in alright?"

"Yes, I got a few things, I hope you don't mind."

"No, of course not," replied Shepard. "This is your home now."

Kaidan looked at her with a lopsided smile.

"What!?" said Shepard, smiling back at him.

"I could look at you all day."

"Really?" She put the groceries on the counter and turned toward Kaidan. "I could kiss you all day." She gave him a long, hot kiss.

Kaidan placed a hand on her cheek, caressing her delicately. Shepard leaned into his palm, kissing it and grabbing his ass to pull him closer to her. As Kaidan continued to kiss her, he moaned into her ear, and bit her earlobe which made Shepard moan in return. She slid her hands up Kaidan's back and across his chiseled torso. Shepard was now burning with desire for him. Instinctively, they headed for the bedroom slowly undressing each other. The first item to get tossed was Kaidan's t-shirt, exposing his perfectly defined abs. Every uncovered body part was met with kisses, licks and soft touches. They savoured every inch of each other's bare skin.

Once they got under the bed sheets, an intense urge swept over them. Heat and sweat made them break free from the covers. Stripping the remainder of their clothes, they faced and held each other, sitting upright as Kaidan inserted his hardened member into her. As they sighed in ecstasy, their tongues swiveled in each other's mouths. They were so consumed with their entwining that they almost had to remember to breathe.

Suddenly, a blueish glow gleamed around Kaidan. It soon wrapped Shepard's entire body. Her skin tingled everywhere, even between her legs. The sensation was unbelievable. His biotics were allowing him to sway her back and forth as he pleased. Their movements, slow at first, were gaining in speed and force. Shepard, determined to have him deeper inside of her, managed to push Kaidan on his back and straddled him. Kaidan nuzzled at her breasts, then rubbed her nipples between his fingers. She tightened her grip on his erection, moving her hips in circular motions. His biotics had dissipated, but she still felt the subtle prickle on her nipples and her sensitive knob. Shepard was wild with anticipation. Her motions claiming all their senses. She was panting and moaning, screaming out his name, asking him, begging him to take her over the edge. Kaidan reveled in her euphoria, thrusting harder and faster into her. Shepard's climax came with a quiver, a quiver that made Kaidan whimper blissfully as he released himself inside of her. After a few seconds of pure relaxation, Shepard detached herself from him and laid on her back beside him.

"I'm glad I didn't scare you with my biotics," said Kaidan once he could, tilting his head to look at Shepard's naked body.

"I didn't know you could do that," replied Shepard. "How many more wonderful surprises do you have like that?"

Kaidan grinned and said, "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."

"You tease!" exclaimed Shepard with a smile as she kissed Kaidan lightly on his lips.

"I guess I can show you after supper."

"I better get cooking then," said Shepard as she hastily stood up.

Kaidan chuckled lovingly.

Shepard went to the bathroom to freshen up, and when she came out she was wearing a tank top and short shorts. Her hair was wet from the quick shower she took. Kaidan couldn't help gawking at her.

"You want help with supper," said Kaidan as he snapped out of his reverie.

"If you want to eat tonight, maybe you should stay away from the kitchen."

"I promise I'll behave."

"It's not you I'm worried about," responded Shepard as she left the room grinning back at Kaidan.

As Kaidan lay in bed, his thoughts wandered to a more preoccupying subject. They had to eventually talk about the promotions Hackett offered them. He knew that it would be a hard sell for Shepard to accept the Council position. Even though she was an excellent negotiator, she hated the constant arguing and bureaucracy that the Council had demonstrated countless times. He had to convince her somehow that until the Citadel was taken back to the Widow system, she could actually make a difference.

He loved that she took no guff from anybody, and that she could charm anyone as much as she could kick ass in combat. What he loved most about her was that she was a problem solver. No problem was too small or too big for her. Even when something seemed impossible to everyone, she always found a way to resolve it. Shepard could always see the big picture. Kaidan had been such an idiot about the whole Cerberus thing. He still cringed at the thought of their confrontation on Horizon, but Shepard kept going, knowing that reason was on her side. He ultimately saw the wisdom of her actions and loved her even more for it.

As he showered, Kaidan outlined in his head a list of reasons why she had to take the promotion. By the time he got dressed, he was ready to convince her into accepting the promotion.

"It smells delicious," said Kaidan, walking into the kitchen.

"It does, doesn't it?" replied Shepard. "It's my mom's recipe. It's almost ready. Wine or beer?"

"Beer."

Shepard opened a bottle and passed it to Kaidan.

"Have you thought about the Admiral's proposal?" asked Kaidan.

"I have."

"It will be a piece of cake after all you've accomplished. You might be the only one to keep the Council in check and make sure they never forget that Earth is in it for the long haul."

"I know, Kaidan."

"Before you know it, you'll be off on missions again," continued Kaidan without realizing that Shepard was agreeing with him, "and, you know, I'll never be too far away once the Mass Relays are functioning again."

"I'm going to take the promotion."

"You are?!" exclaimed Kaidan in disbelief.

"Yes, I am," affirmed Shepard with a confident smile. "It's time to move on. I can't be Commander Shepard forever, nor do I want to."

"This was easier than I imagined," joked Kaidan, telling Shepard about the whole speech he had prepared to try to persuade her.