Bioware owns all. I'm just playing with their toys.

Chapter 17

He Said

We were finally back aboard the Concord. Shepard walked in front of me, her silver heels making her legs flex distractingly. I reminded myself I was angry with her. Vakarian and Tali pushed past me, Tali ignored me, Vakarian glared at me. I shook my head. I was technically off duty, still, as much as a commander of a ship ever is. So I followed Shepard to the mess. We were both starving after not having had dinner and I knew she was even hungrier than I was having used her powers. Before she could get her food, however, I stepped up behind her. How the hell did she still manage to smell so good after fighting all night? "Commander, I need to speak with you in my office." I was proud of my voice not betraying either my anger at her or the fact that I really just wanted to push her up against the nearest wall.

She glanced at me over her shoulder and tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear. "Fine. Lead the way, Commander." She followed me to my office, which also happened to be my quarters, but was possibly the only place on my crowded ship we could talk without being overheard. I opened the door and gestured for her to precede me. I walked in behind her and locked the door. This was not going to be a nice discussion.

She spun, hearing the lock engage, her blue eyes widened then narrowed at me. "All right, Commander, let's get this discussion over with."

I stepped closer to her, my teeth clenched, "You need to stop ordering me around, Lieutenant Commander." I hoped the way I stated her rank would get my point across.

"I'm a Spectre, first, Staff Commander," she snarled my title. "As such, it's my prerogative to give orders as I see fit. I answer only to the Council."

I clenched my fists, "And you're on my ship, Lieutenant Commander."

"That's Spectre Shepard, to you, Staff Commander." Her voice was cold. I stood staring at her, breathing heavily. My heart was pounding; I was shaking with the need to punch something. My god, what perfume was she wearing? I ran my hands through my hair, needing to do something with them. Anything. She stared back at me, also breathing deeply. How was her dress staying up? What would it look like on the floor? I couldn't think, I couldn't focus. Before I could regain control, Shepard was on me, her arms wrapped around me, her slender fingers in my hair and her mouth on mine and I staggered back against the door.

I didn't question it, I didn't think. I wrapped my arms around her as tightly as I could, one hand in the small of her back, pushing her hips against mine, the other wound through her hair. Her lips against mine sent a fire straight to my groin and I pressed her harder against me, instinctively. Her tongue pushed past my teeth and stroked mine. My hands, without my telling them to, snaked down and cupped her ass through the tight dress. That beautiful, firm round ass. I pulled her skirt up and discovered she was wearing only the tiniest of thongs, her ass bare under the silk of her dress. The feel of her bare skin made me moan against her mouth and sent a pulse of heat directly to my groin. I pulled on her until she angled her hips and wrapped one leg around mine, her mouth still on mine, kissing me as if she wanted to crawl inside me. Since that's precisely what I wanted to do to her, I didn't object.

She pulled her mouth away and started kissing my neck, her mouth searing hot over my skin, alternating between licking and gentle biting. She pulled at my jacket and I let her tug it off, one arm at a time, reluctant to release her even that much. I gasped as her slender, clever fingers entwined themselves in my chest hair, making what little blood I had left in my brain leave permanently for parts south. I twisted my head around and returned the favor against her neck, overwhelmed by her perfume. Some Earth flower mixed with apples and it was something I'd missed so much in the last two years. I reached one had up and pulled back on her hair, exposing more of her neck to me and causing her to arch her back and push her hips even harder against me. She cried out and I moaned against the pulse in her neck, my mouth pressed to it. She managed to get my shirt unbuttoned and I let it fall to the floor behind me.

Shepard started to pull away, but I yanked her back to me, unwilling to let her go yet. She finally extricated herself from me and stood in front of me, her hair disheveled and her lips bruised from the force of our mouths. I leaned against the door, weakly, my pants uncomfortably tight. "You're wearing too many clothes, Shepard."

She grinned, impishly, "Is that an order, Staff," her eyes flicked to my crotch where I'm certain my arousal was obvious, "Commander?"

She was such a fucking tease! "Does it need to be?" I growled.

She put her hands on her hips, sliding her dress back to down to cover her ass, "Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to make me." Before she could move away, I yanked her to me and spun, pinning her chest first against the wall. I yanked her zipper down and let the dress fall to the floor, taking a moment to look at her. Everything was as I remembered it on my loneliest nights after her death. Her muscular shoulders, her strong back, the two little triangular dimples just above her ass that were a perfect place to put my thumbs when I grabbed her hips. She also wasn't wearing a bra. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to steady myself.

Done being gentle, I kicked her legs apart, her feet still balanced in those insanely sexy silver heels. She flung up her hands to balance herself against the wall. I yanked my belt off and threw it somewhere and kicked my shoes off before pressing myself up against her, my erection pushing against her ass. She made a sound that I'd never heard her make before and arched her back, shoving her ass against me. I almost lost my balance and grabbed her around the waist to steady myself, my hand splayed against her flat stomach. She tilted her head back and caught my mouth with hers, her tongue invading immediately. I slid my other hand up to cup her breast. My hand felt rough and calloused against her smooth skin. She moaned, pushing against me again. I slid my other hand down to the waistband of her thong and over it, wanting to torment her as she was torturing me. The thong was satin and already damp from her. I yanked my mouth away from her and buried my face against her neck. I was still so angry with her and she with me, apparently. But I didn't want to take her like this, up against the wall. Part of me wanted to just shuck my pants and rip that tiny pink satin thong off her hips and fuck her till she screamed, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself in the morning.

And she'd probably kick my ass.

I staggered backward, my bare feet growing cold from the tiles. Shepard slumped against the wall. "That it? Are you walking away from me again?" My heart broke at the pain in her voice.

I'm never walking away again, Avery, I told her in my head. "No, Shepard. Do you really want me to do this? Treat you like this?"

She turned around, crossing her arms over her breasts and shivered. She looked up at me from under her bangs, "I just want you to touch me." Within two strides I was pulling her into my arms and holding her tightly while she trembled against me. Her arms snaked around my back and she clung to me, her fingertips digging into my skin.

After that, I was gentle. I kissed her, softly until I ached in my heart for her. I cradled her face in my hands, and barely touched my tongue to hers. Slowly, I pulled her toward my bed. Her hands went to my waist to steady herself, resting in the hollows of my hipbones. I sat her on the bed and carefully pulled off those silver heels. When I was done, I let her scoot back up on to the bed and she watched me.

I pulled off my pants and boxers and I heard her breath catch. It was nice to know my frustrated hard work paid off somehow. Time in the gym had lessened the pain of her loss, even if I'd worked on my weight lifting to the detriment of my aerobic fitness. I looked at her, realizing just how much of a miracle it was she was here. She had a few new scars, but she was still perfect. I looked at her, one eyebrow raised. Realization crossed her face and she grinned quickly shucking off the thong and throwing it somewhere.

I approached her, slowly, her pale skin almost glowing in the dim light from the wall illumination and in contrast to the coal gray sheets on the bed. She moved to sit up and I shook my head at her, she subsided, watching me. I climbed up on the bed slowly, on my hands and knees, and crawled up her body, not touching her, no matter how much I wanted to, my eyes holding hers intently. I reached her head and lowered myself onto her by inches, our eyes still locked together. She wrapped her arms around me and I rolled her over on top of me.

I grinned up at her, "Joker had better not be waiting for you on the bridge this time."