Kathryn rolled over and reached for Chakotay, but his side of the bed was empty. She cracked one eye open and confirmed he wasn't there, then opened both eyes and looked around. In the faint light, she found him in the lounging chair, lying back wearing only boxers. The angle of his head and his lax hands indicated he was asleep.

They had gone to bed shortly after returning to her quarters. He had held her close and recounted again what happened on the planet's surface. She had finally worked out that she had never regained consciousness from the moment the shuttle impacted until the Doctor revived her. Chakotay actually had carried her from the shuttle to a cave and had administered CPR until help arrived, as she remembered. She had decided the alien must have shown her that part to ease her away from reality into the delusion of Chakotay's grief over her death.

Turning back over in bed to face his sleeping form in the lounger, she thought of the night they had first made love. Passion had overwhelmed them to the point that he'd ended up taking her from behind in that chair. Not that she had minded. In fact, she clamped her thighs around the creeping heat at the memory of leaning over the cushion with her arms pinned beside her head, her dress hiked up around her waist, and his grunts sounding in her ear as he drove into her.

Slipping quietly from under the covers, she pulled off her nightgown and went to him, running her fingers through his hair until his eyes opened. When she knew he was aware of her, she lowered herself to straddle his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hi," he said as his hands rested on her bare back.

"Hi. I missed you."

"I must have dozed off."

"Why didn't you come to bed?"

"I didn't want to wake you, so I sat here. I was watching you sleep."

"That boring, am I?"

His dark eyes danced in the faint light. "Never, my love. I guess I was more tired than I thought." His hands began to slide over the silky skin of her back and hips, then slowly upward to her shoulders. He pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers, and the peaks of her nipples to his chest. Bending his knees slightly to push her forward, he lengthened and hardened to full erection between them. "How do you feel?"

She guided his hand to her wet heat. "You tell me."

"You feel amazing." He slipped a finger through her folds and inside of her, gently sliding in and out.

Kathryn rose up on her knees until one breast lay against his lips. He latched onto her nipple, licking and sucking, drawing a moan from her as his fingertip found her clit. He gazed up as he tongued her nipple against his teeth, and the intensity on her face radiated through him. Gone was the harrowing nightmare of the day, replaced by the fires of love and life that shone from her blue eyes.

Kathryn's arms trembled as she held onto his shoulders and arched her back. She pulled her nipple away from him, and her husky voice said, "Make me yours again, Chakotay."

"I never let you go." He pushed against her knees until she lay out on top of him, and held her hips while grinding his erection against her. His boxers slid over her swollen button as he thrust, and she gasped at the material's rough contact. Reaching between them, she freed his shaft and circled her hand around the smooth, hot skin. His moan grew louder until she drove her tongue between his lips.

Chakotay sensed a change in her, in the way she gripped his hard shaft, raked the nails of her other hand down his neck, and sucked on the tip of his tongue. He had only seen her like this once before. Aggressive, demanding, she'd taken control of him one night, and he had loved every minute of it. That time, he'd had one of the most powerful orgasms of his life, and the remembrance of it made him twitch in her palm, and his body tingled. Sliding one hand up and one down, he pinched her nipple while he played through the moisture between her legs.

Kathryn braced both hands beside his head and pushed herself up. She saw his eyes darkened to black, and a flush of heat prickled her skin. "I want to feel alive," she said as she rocked over him.

He understood. Her control had been taken from her down on the planet. She'd been forced into a diabolical mind game, only regaining herself in the last moments. She needed that control back, to assert dominance over her own mind and body. Chakotay's voice was deep, as smooth as dark caramel. "Take everything you need."

She tilted her pelvis, and his finger slid inside of her, soon joined by a second. Rolling her hips, she forced herself down in his hand, but it wasn't enough. She needed to be filled, to be loved, to take him deeply within and watch him writhe beneath her. Bending her knees under her again, she reared up over him, positioned his erection, and slid down until he was sheathed inside her.

Chakotay grabbed her hips and held her down, savoring the delicious torture of that first entry. He knew she wanted it rough when she clenched her inner muscles and squeezed until he grimaced. When she released, his neck arched and he bucked upward.

Kathryn remembered that it was harder for him to come with her on top. Taking advantage of that, she slowly rotated her hips, teasing and toying with him in a way she couldn't do when he had control. Most of the time, she didn't mind him leading when they made love. A generous and skilled lover, he usually had her begging to be taken, her sex slick and tight from her orgasms, before he entered her. By that time, toying with him was far from her mind, wanting only to wrap her limbs around his broad body while he drove into her with forceful strokes.

This time, the power was hers, and she intended to torture him with pleasure. She leaned forward and raked her teeth over his neck, then suckled his ear lobe in the way that made chills race down his arms. When he hissed through his teeth and his hands tightened, she licked him and blew cool air across his neck and ear. He pushed his shaft farther into her, but she didn't give him what he wanted. Not yet.

Instead, she sat up again and held onto his shoulder with one hand while the other snaked its way down her breast and stomach to where they were joined. She circled her clit with a fingertip, and his black eyes glittered as he watched.

"Ah, God. You know that drives me crazy, Kathryn." He tried using his hold to move her up and down, but she clamped her knees tightly around him.

"I know," she husked.

His groan sounded more like a plea, even as he tilted his head to better see her touching herself. Her thighs twitched, and as her climax built, she started to ride him. Slow at first, she raised and lowered herself over his length, her eyes closing as she increased the tempo. Her fingers dug into his shoulder, and she leaned back slightly until the thick steel of his manhood pressed against her g-spot. Opening her eyes again, she saw him watching where they were joined, his shaft glistening with her oils as she rode him, driving herself toward release with her own hand.

Chakotay anchored his feet on the chair and thrust into her, waiting for that moment when she would still with muscles tightened. Her head tilted forward and her spine curved with the clenching of her stomach. The rigor grabbed hold except for her fingertips working the bundle of nerves to drive her over the edge. He pinched and rolled her nipples, and the pleasure ripped through her senses.

Her wet heat spasmed around him and she came hard, her juices trickling between his legs. He gritted his teeth and held still in her tight sheath. Finally, her inner walls loosened and Kathryn fell forward onto her elbows against his chest.

Gripping her hips again, he plunged into her, his feet on the chair giving him purchase. His powerful legs flexed with each thrust, and the strength of his arms pushed her down onto him. With her teeth and tongue scraping over his neck, collar bone, and chest, he was quickly losing control of his own orgasm.

Kathryn felt him swell inside her and spread her knees, taking him deeper. His thumbs bruised the hollows of her hips, but to her, the feeling was delicious. She loved making him lose control, and reveled in his male strength.

Kathryn matched his erratic bucking, knowing his signs as well as he knew hers, and recognizing that instant when he reached his peak. His body rose up off the chair, and he pushed her down and back on his straining length. A single, whispered "yes" from her triggered a primal yell of release. He pumped his seed into her, writhing and jerking, his hands sliding up her sides to hold on. With a groan and one last push, he collapsed onto the cushion.

Kathryn trailed her fingernails down his arms and over his chest, raking his hard nipples before retracing the lines on his skin. He shuddered once, and again, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. They rested together in their embrace, comfortable in the silence, certain that no words could express their feelings. After several minutes, Chakotay gently pushed on her shoulders for her to sit up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She smiled and laid a hand on his cheek. "I'm fine, love."

***V*V***

Chakotay awoke midmorning while Kathryn was still sleeping. She needed the rest after their night together. Round one of their lovemaking had been intense, and round two was slow and sensual. Round three had been a surprise, and he grinned at the memory.

Deciding to let her sleep, he quietly gathered his uniform and boots and carried them to the sitting area. B'Elanna's report on the shuttle accident was due, and he was anxious to learn her findings. He dressed quickly, but wanted one more look at Kathryn before he left.

Leaning in the bedroom doorway, he watched the slight rise and fall of the sheet as she breathed. Her long auburn spilled over the pillow, and one slender hand rested by her cheek. "I'll never let you go, my love," he whispered. He turned and exited her quarters, not seeing the smile that lit her face.