Bioware Owns All.

Chapter 19

She Said

I really missed my own bed on the Normandy. I'd forgotten how incredibly rough Alliance issue linens were. I wanted my 800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and fluffy, over-sized pillows back, dammit. However, I would gladly put up with sleeping on sandpaper to keep the man currently wrapped around my naked body with me. Even if he snored in his sleep. He stirred and somehow managed to clutch me tighter.

I was lying on my back with him pretzeled around me. His head was on my chest, one arm was up under my neck, pinning my right arm under him. His other arm was wrapped around me and wedged under my hips. Somehow, he'd gotten one of my legs between his and my other leg was on top of both of his creating a sort of stack of legs. He shifted again, rubbing his morning status against my thigh. I felt an answering throb in response, but honestly wondered if I was up to it. I'd lost count of the number of orgasms he'd given me last night, knowing only that my muscles were completely gelatinous. With my free hand, I stroked my fingers through his sleep and sex mussed hair, wondering how the hell we'd fallen asleep like this.

At the touch of my fingers, he started awake. He blinked blearily up at me and smiled, "It wasn't a dream."

I shook my head, "No, it wasn't a dream."

He lay back down and squeezed me tightly, "Thank god." His hand slid up to idly stroke the breast he wasn't laying on, teasing my nipple and sending tiny shocks to my groin. The feeling magnified the ache from muscles I'd apparently not used enough of since waking up. Was being a virgin a state of mind, or of body? I was definitely feeling newly broken in. He looked up, searching for his clock. "Oh, good, we've got time before I have to go back to work." He turned to me, grinning and playing with my now-standing-at-attention nipple.

Despite my own growing arousal, and another shift of his hips against my leg proved his was growing also, I told him, "I really don't know if I'm up for more. We need to talk."

He twisted so that he was now between my legs and on top of me, holding himself just right there, teasing me. His brown eyes were narrowed in a smile, "You're assuming I'm going to let you out of here today, Shepard."

I shifted to pull myself away, but he held me still and my movement only brought him closer to my opening. I moaned softly, trying very hard to clear my head from the need to pull him closer. We really did need to talk, "You do not play fair, Alenko."

He pushed himself inside me and I cried out at the sudden electric shocks shooting through my body. I briefly lost control of my biotics and flared up, causing him to do the same. The merged fields magnified everything between us. I trembled in the sensory overload. He pushed himself up on me, bringing me flush against his hips again, and told me, "Who said I was playing?" He lowered his mouth to mine in a kiss.

A boneless interlude later, we both collapsed on the bed, panting. "You wanted to talk?" he asked. I hit him with one of his brick-like pillows. He raised his arms in defense and laughed, "Ok, ok, I surrender!" He pushed himself up on his elbows and regarded me. "What did you want to talk about?"

I flopped back onto the bed weakly, "I was going to say… at least we're not fraternizing anymore."

He stared up at his ceiling for a moment, "Does that mean we don't have to sneak around?"

I turned my head to look at him, "I don't think it would help either of our authority to hump like teenagers in the comm. room again."

He laughed, humorlessly, and captured my hand with his. He turned on his side to meet my eyes, "I'm sorry for what happened there. I behaved like a jackass."

"Well… yes, you did," I held my hands up to catch the pillow he was already throwing at me. I turned over to look at him, "Please don't regret that. I was terrified until then, that you didn't want me. That you really were over me."

An agonized look washed over his face, his brow knotting and his mouth drawing down into a frown, "If I lived as long as an asari, I still wouldn't be over you, Shepard." He pulled me to him and crushed me against his chest.

I hitched one leg over his hips and pulled him closer to me with one arm. "Nor I you."

We lay there, simply holding on to each other, our heads tucked against the other's shoulder until his alarm clock went off. I reached over and hit the silencing button.

"It's probably just as well," he sighed, "Or I was going to jump you again."

I groaned, "You realize this is my first time since my resurrection, right?"

He leaned back and blinked at me, "What does that mean? You're what, a born-again virgin?" He laughed.

I had to laugh, too. "It means I'm sore."

He grinned, smugly, "I'd apologize, but do I need to?"

"Hell, no," I hugged him tightly then pulled away to get out of bed. I sat unsteadily on the edge and looked back at him over my shoulder. He was lying stretched out on his side, his head propped by his hand, the sheet only covering his legs. One arm draped over his stomach, drawing my attention to the trail of hair that led to . . . I closed my eyes, "I'd borrow your shower, but something tells me I'd just come out of there more sore."

I opened my eyes again to see him turning red and pulling the sheets back up over himself, "If you want to use my shower, I promise to behave."

I laughed, "No, you don't."

He grinned, "You're right, I don't." He rolled over on his stomach and groaned, tucking a pillow under his head, "Just go use it. I'll think of Relay Math or something." He saw me pick up his shirt and whimpered, "Oh, god, don't put that back on. That's just cruel."

I threw it across his desk chair we'd tested the structural integrity of last night, "Fine. Find my underwear then." I laughed and scampered into the bathroom, shutting the door as a pillow flew at my back.

I walked back to my quarters, wearing my dress from last night and carrying my heels, hoping most of his crew and my team were still sleeping. I was sore, and tired and starving. I knew Kaidan felt the same. Probably the only reason I'd been able to shower alone despite his physical reactions. We'd agreed to meet for breakfast as soon as I changed. And it would be in the mess so we wouldn't be tempted by copious amounts of maple syrup. We both had work to do and both needed to recover.

He still hadn't found my underwear.

In my haste to sneak back to the small cabin Kaidan had given me, I forgot about the lack of need for sleep of the entire salarian species. Professor Mordin Solus came around the corner headed for the mess.

"Shepard!" His Omni-Tool flared to life, "Fatigued. Dehydrated. Hormone levels ebbing. Unusual for humans in the morning." He squinted at me, "Use of biotics in recreational sexual activity apparent. Won't be needing pamphlet." He walked around me muttering to himself. I stood frozen in shock for a moment, my face burning in embarrassment. How the hell could he tell we'd flared up on each other?

Now, all I needed was Joker or Garrus.

The elevator door opened and, of course, Joker stood in the cab. He stepped out and lifted his hat, scratching his head in mock puzzlement, "I coulda sworn you wore that last night, Commander."

I rolled my eyes and got into the elevator, "Laugh it up, Joker." He tossed my Omni-Tool at me and I wrapped EDI around my wrist.

In a sing-song voice he said, as the doors closed, "The commander's doing the walk of shaaammeee!" I dropped my face into my palm. This day had started well.

I arrived back up on the mess deck to eat breakfast with Kaidan, only to find Joker sitting and glaring at the Commander. Mordin had disappeared. I froze, and backed around the corner. Eavesdropping was never a good thing, but they needed to talk without my interference.

Joker's voice, petulant. "You're an asshole."

Kaidan's voice, calm, panty melting (OK, MY panties melted plenty), "Am I now?"

"Yeah. Two, three days and you and the commander have already kissed and made up?"

I heard Kaidan shift on those hard, bench-like chairs, "I don't know if we've made up, but we're talking."

Joker snorted, "Yeah, I'll bet there was a lot of talking. You left a hicky on her neck!" Mortified, my hand flew to my bare neck, wondering how the hell to hide it now that I'd burned all of my high-collared Cerberus uniforms.

Kaidan snorted, "I did not. Don't exaggerate."

I didn't relax until Joker said, his tone defeated, "Fine, but you might as well have. And you made her do the walk!"

"What walk?"

Joker's tone regained its aggression, "The shame one!"

I imagined Kaidan's eyebrows going up, "I didn't make her do anything," Except scream a lot last night, I added silently, grinning to myself. "Look, Joker, this isn't about the Commander and you know it." Kaidan cleared his throat, "I'm sorry for what I said after the funeral. I was out of line."

I leaned against the wall and pinched the bridge of my nose. Tali came around the corner and I stopped her with my hand out, shaking my head. When she heard the two men's voices, she nodded her head and joined me against the wall. I thought I'd talked Joker out of this blaming himself bullshit. Apparently I'd failed. I didn't realize Kaidan also blamed himself. I really wanted to yell at both of them that I make my own damned decisions and it wasn't anyone's fault but my own. But I didn't. Tali put her arm around me and I leaned my head on her shoulder. One word, under her breath where only I could hear it, summed up both our feelings, "Men."

I pulled away and peeked around the corner. Joker was slumped in his seat, his arms crossed, his chin pressed against his chest, "You weren't. Out of line, I mean. It was my fault."

"I should have disobeyed her order. So, it wasn't all your fault, either."

I nodded against her shoulder and we trooped in to interrupt their little tête-a-tête and get breakfast.