Now, about that kiss...

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When Poe's lips touched Rey's, he almost felt like he was in a dream. How many times had he fantasized about kissing this woman? How many times had he found himself staring at her lips, wondering if they were as soft as they looked? Never had he allowed himself to go so far as to believe he would ever actually find out the answer to that question. But here he was, in the front seat of his beat-up old pickup, quickly determining that not only were they as soft as they looked, but that Rey seemed just as eager as he was to learn more.

Despite her apparent willingness, he moved slow. He had no clue how experienced she was, either in kissing or more. She was young, but she could have had a serious boyfriend in High School. She could have had one or more flings in the years before he met her, though he doubted that; as serious as she was about her riding, and as introverted as she had been even before her accident, he couldn't see her having a physical relationship with someone she wasn't emotionally attached to. Virgin or not, he wasn't going to push her; this could be the beginning of something amazing, and he wasn't going to blow it.

Rey pulled back slightly, and Poe dropped his hand from her cheek, watching her carefully. She gave him a soft smile, then leaned back into him. Feeling relief flow through him, he met her lips once more, this time adding a bit more pressure to the kiss. She responded by tentatively parting her lips. Her action spurred him on. He cupped the back of her head, opening his own mouth and letting his tongue tease her, testing the waters. Her soft breathy moan was all the encouragement he needed to push farther, letting his tongue sweep into her mouth, gently stroking her bottom lip. When her tongue met his, he couldn't stop the growl that emanated from his throat, and he began to taste her in earnest.

She slid forward, closer to him, bringing her arms up and placing her hands on his shoulders, her fingers gripping his shirt slightly. He pulled his mouth back, sucking in air and watching as she did the same, but when she immediately moved toward him again, he met her once more, sinking into another kiss even more sensual than the previous one. Though his brain felt like it was turning to mush, he couldn't help but recognize that not only was she becoming more sure of herself, but that she was following his lead and learning from him. This indicated that she wasn't very experienced, but was a quick learner.

He pulled back, letting his hand drop down to cup her neck. He was getting far too aroused; he hadn't made out in a vehicle since he was a freaking teenager! He brought his forehead in and rested it against hers, watching as her sightless eyes opened, her gaze dazed and her pupils blown wide; he had learned very early on that because it was her brain that was damaged and not her eyes, they still responded to stimuli the way seeing eyes would. She was just as turned on as him.

"Let me take you out," he said suddenly. This could not go any further. Not yet. He needed to do this right. "Let me take you out to dinner tomorrow night."

She pulled back, looking surprised, and licked her lips. Was it his imagination, or did they look more swollen than usual? "Like a date?" she asked, her voice husky.

He chuckled. "Yeah, a date," he confirmed. "What's your favorite restaurant?"

She huffed a bit of a laugh of her own. "In Jakku?" Jakku wasn't large, and non-fast food restaurants were few and far between.

He shook his head. "In Savannah," he clarified.

"I love Pearle's," she said wistfully, speaking of a popular seafood restaurant located on the river. It wasn't too far from Amilyn's farm, where Poe knew Rey used to ride before she moved BeeBee to Yavin Stables. "I haven't been there since…"

'Before the accident,' he finished in his head. "Let me take you there tomorrow night," he told her out loud. "Please?"

Still looking a bit stunned, she whispered, "Okay," and nodded. She frowned, and Poe had the sudden urge to bring his finger up and rub the crease between her eyebrows away. "Is this really happening?" she asked.

"Do you want this to happen?" Poe countered, feeling a bit of panic creeping in.

She nodded again, this time much more vigorously. "Oh, yes!" she said emphatically.

Poe grinned, then glanced up at the house visible outside the window behind her. Luke Skywalker was standing at the door, arms crossed, a stern silhouette. He was too far away for Poe to read the older man's expression, but Poe could imagine. "Uh-oh," he muttered.

"What?" Rey asked, her voice ragged, as if she was still trying to get her breath back. Poe understood the feeling.

"Your dad is watching us."

A soft smile played on Rey's lips. "Well, he's gonna find out sooner or later. Might as well be now."

Poe looked at her, her eyes bright and shining in the dim light from the dash. Even after the long hot day behind her, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Damn, he must have been bewitched by her. "I'll pick you up at six tomorrow night, okay?"

She nodded again. "Okay."

Refusing to wonder what Luke might be thinking, reminding himself that before her accident Rey had been living on her own and answered to no one, Poe leaned in to kiss her once more. She responded with enthusiasm, chasing his tongue with her own and reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. He shivered, her eagerness only exciting him further. He forced himself to pull back, breathing hard. "Go, before your father kills me."

Rey laughed and bit her lower lip. She felt on the seat between them for her cane, which she had dropped at some point, and then reached for the door behind her. "Tomorrow?" she sighed.

"Tomorrow."

Poe slid back over to the driver's side and watched carefully as Rey walked confidently along the walk toward the house, her cane tapping along merrily in front of her. He saw Luke say something to her, his gruff expression easily visible now that he had stepped onto the porch, and she responded with a huge smile on her face, totally not disturbed by his surly attitude. She turned briefly in his direction and waved, then turned back and stepped into the house. Luke didn't even look at him as he followed his daughter inside.

Yeah, I know, Poe thought. I'm too old for her. I'm supposed to be her trainer, nothing more. She's far too good for me. Yada, yada, yada. But as he put the truck in gear and started his drive back home, he couldn't erase the smile from his lips, or the memory of her kiss.

He didn't care what anyone else said. Not Zorii. Not Luke. Not anyone else in the close-knit dressage world that might start gossiping about them. Nobody but Rey mattered.

Poe Dameron was in love.

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