She was soft and pliant underneath him, leisurely, relaxed in her warm, soft kisses and occasional breathy sighs. He hadn't known what to expect, but this was better than he could have ever hoped. Finally, he forced himself to drag his lips away from her mouth and pressed his entire face against the humid warmth of her neck, attempting not to push, to demand. And when she looked up at him and laughed at his offhand remark about the tension, the chemistry between them? Her joy made him complete. Full and utterly complete.
"This has to be a dream, Beverly - you realize that I've wanted to be close to you like this for longer than I care to admit." Her eyes crinkled in happiness at his words, and a blossom of warmth kept spreading in his chest as he looked down at her. Merde, I'm looking down at Beverly, and she looks like a vision, red hair around her like a halo, lips soft and swollen...
She laughed softly. "I know. I mean, I always let you lean against me in the conference room, in full view of everyone. I always wondered what they thought but refused to think about it, because I enjoyed the closeness. And now? Well, it's nice to have some privacy."
He blinked, sobering a bit. Yes, it was nice to have privacy. "And when we don't have privacy any longer?" And then he closed his mouth, pressed his lips together. He had assumed that of course, this...thing between them was permanent, or at the very least long term, but what if she had come to the cabin for a bit of shore leave, a diversion? Her ship was waiting for her-
"Jean-Luc, calm down. I can see it all over your face - you're jumping to conclusions. We'll figure it out. We have time." She moved her hand from his back to his face, cupping his cheek.
"How much time do we have until you return to the Pasteur?" His tone sounded pressed, desperate, even to his own ears, and her face softened.
"Oh, Jean-Luc...I left the Pasteur. I'm going to Medical after this."
He stilled, searching her face. "Beverly, I planned on leaving the Enterprise within the year and going to France," he blurted, squeezing her ribs. "Stay with me."
She tilted her chin up slightly, an amused smile on her swollen lips. "You already have a Chief Medical Officer, and no ship needs two captains. And besides, I'd have nothing to do there. Let me get situated at Medical, and then you can come to Earth. And we'll be together."
He froze, then slowly sat up, helping her upright as well. There was no graceful way to do so, and she ended up nearly in his lap, legs entangled together, which was actually all right with him, and she seemed comfortable as well. Her felt her palms against his chest, warm through his shirt, and she slowly slid them up until she was cupping his face, and she leaned forward and kissed him sweetly.
"We'll figure it out," she murmured. "And I'm not leaving this cabin for a while. So we have time." She leaned forward and kissed him again, and this time it was deeper, longer. She pulled back with a gentle sigh and whispered to him. "Now, I think that you should go make me some dinner."
His amused snort set her off into a peal of laughter.
They were back in the kitchen, and she had retrieved the bottle of wine from the front room and was pouring another glass for them both as he pulled more food out of the cooling unit. Between the wine and the slightly drugging quality of his earlier kisses, she felt pretty good. She was torn, however - she wanted more of him, but she also really needed to eat something.
"What's wrong?" He continued to prepare the food, not looking at her.
She arched a brow. "What do you mean?"
"I can tell when you're thinking about something. What's wrong?"
"Ah...I can't decide if I want dinner or something else." At that, she watched him turn sharply and look at her intensely. Then he put down the plates he was holding, wiped his hands off on a cloth, and begin to walk towards her. His energy was intense, and she actually found herself stepping backwards until she was pressed against the wall beside the replicator, of all places. This was fun. And a touch unnerving, as well. He placed his hands on either side of her, against the wall, and very deliberately pressed his body against hers and moved his mouth towards her ear, his voice a husky, slow whisper.
"We can take this to the bedroom, or we can continue right here, or we could have a nice dinner together. It's up to you. But please do not tease me, Beverly, because I've wanted you for a very, very long time."
While he murmured into her ear, his hand had begun sliding up and down the curve of her hip, and suddenly she felt him nuzzle her neck, and he unexpectedly nipped and a quiet sound emerged from her throat. Distantly she realized she had simply responded to his nonverbal commands, and now here she was, pressed very firmly against the wall by the length of his body.
And her stomach growled and she burst into giggles at the sound, and felt as he grinned against her neck.
She was so happy. In that moment, she was beyond happy. She was content. She turned her head and kissed him on the cheek. "Well, my dear, I guess we have the answer to your question. Let's eat."