So, about that massage...

Rey kept hold of Poe's arm as they made their way from the barn to his little house. Once on the porch, she let him go and moved ahead of him; she was as comfortable on this porch as she was in her bedroom, now. She moved to one of the chairs she knew sat around the small glass table and pulled it up to the chaise. "Lay down," she told him firmly. "On your belly." She paused as she sat in the chair. "Maybe take your shirt off?"

"That sounds a little dangerous, Rey," he responded, his voice deeper than normal.

"Human touch is very healing," she told him primly. "I can work your muscles better if there is no barrier between us." There was a long pause, and Rey could tell he was not moving. "Are you scared of me, Dameron?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, actually," he said. "I am."

Rey felt her heart race, but then she heard him take a deep breath and the sound of him pulling off his t-shirt registered. She felt him move closer and sit on the chase, then situate himself, she assumed the way she had asked. She scooted the chair closer and reached out tentatively. Warm skin met her fingertips. Trying not to think too much, she felt carefully along his back, mapping it. She felt the dip of his spine, the edges of the lower part of his shoulder blades, the points at the top, and the dimples on his lower back that sat just above the waistband of his jeans.

The smile she knew was on her face faded when her fingers met the scars. They were small, subtle, probably not even easily visible to the naked eye, but her heightened sense of touch allowed her to feel them. Her mind raced as she tried to determine what his back must have looked like after his accident, but logic told her the scars were not from the car hitting him, that most likely he had not had any external injuries other than bruising and road rash. These scars were from the surgery that had repaired, or attempted to repair, the damage done internally. Taking a deep breath, she continued with her explorations.

Once she felt comfortable with the terrain, she began to work her fingers gently into his tense muscles, gradually putting more pressure into her kneading. She stayed silent, listening carefully to his breathing, able to tell by his unconscious sounds where it felt good or where it hurt. Slowly, he began to relax underneath her ministrations, and she relaxed into it as well.

"You're good at this," he mumbled, startling her.

"I wish I could see you," she whispered back, her voice catching.

"You see me better than anybody ever has, Rey."

Her breath caught at his words, and she paused, blinking back the sudden moisture in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she continued with the massage, working along his lower back, where she knew most of his pain was situated. She hesitated for a moment when she hit his beltline, but then carefully slid underneath the waistband just a bit with her thumbs, hitting the pressure points she knew were used during acupuncture, and working her way up along his spine. He groaned, but she could tell it wasn't in pain.

"Where did you learn that?" he asked, his voice muffled.

"I took an acupressure class my first year out of High School," she told him. "Easy A. Made my dad think I might go into nursing or massage therapy or something." She paused as she continued working along his spine. "All I really wanted to do was ride." After manipulating all along his lower back, she continued to massage the muscles, noting how malleable they now were after the gentle prodding. She herself felt as if her own muscles had become lax.

Her thoughts drifted back to Poe's question the other night. The question she had dodged. The question about sex.

"When I was sixteen, I fell in love," she started. She felt him become more alert underneath her hands. "Or thought it was love," she amended. "He was a year older than I was. We were both riding with Amilyn." Knowing she had his attention, she continued. "We didn't really date. Between school and riding, we really didn't have time to date. But we would watch movies on his laptop in the tack room after lessons, and sneak out by the slough to make out after dark. He informed me more than once that he was 'experienced.' But, I guess 'experienced' doesn't necessarily mean 'good'."

She heard movement and knew Poe had turned his head to face her. She continued with the massage as she talked. "He had no clue about foreplay," she said, letting some snark into her voice. "I was far from ready when he…" she cleared her throat. "It hurt. A lot. I started crying and he panicked and pulled out, sure that he had damaged Amilyn's best student. That I would never ride again." She laughed, remembering the horror on his face when he saw the blood. "Needless to say, we broke up. He never could look me in the eye again after that."

Rey stopped with her massage and leaned back in the chair. She could hear Poe move and knew he was sitting up, swinging his legs around so he could face her.

She licked her lips and shrugged. "I've never trusted anyone enough to get that close again," she said softly. "It didn't bother me. I was so focused on riding that I didn't have much time for social activities, and as there aren't a lot of men in dressage, I never had to worry about being distracted. Until you." She snorted a laugh. "You distracted me like no one ever has. But I knew any romance was a pipe dream, so I let myself fantasize, but nothing more. Not only did I know you would never allow yourself to look at me as more than a student, but you would never look at me like that even if I wasn't."

She felt his hand come up to cup her cheek, a gesture that was becoming more and more familiar to her. "But, I do," he whispered. His thumb began to brush gently along her lower lip, and without thought she opened her mouth, catching the tip between her teeth. The action caused the subtle pulsing that had begun between her legs the moment she had touched his bare back to become not so subtle, and his soft moan only added fuel to the fire.

After a soft suck, she released his thumb. "Make love to me, Poe," she told him, her voice sounding more confident than she felt. But she was determined. They had waited long enough.

"We don't need to rush this, Rey," was his response.

Giving him a soft smile, she answered, "Oh, I know you won't rush."

He laughed, then moved his hand to the back of her head, leaning forward to kiss her. She responded without any hesitation, already loving his kisses and knowing exactly what he liked in return. Suddenly, he leaned back and stood, grasping her elbows and pulling her up with him. "I think a shower is in order, first," he said, his voice husky.

"Separate or together?" Rey asked, a bit breathless.

"Well, we've gotta save water," he replied, tucking her hand under his arm as had become habit when he guided her. "So, together, of course."

"Of course," Rey smiled, and he led her into the house.

XXXXX

Next week we'll be earning the 'M' rating!