Raucous laughter filled the room again and again as the group drank and caught up. It had been longer than Anakin realised since his friends had all been in the same room together, maybe just a little over a year altogether. This catch-up had been Rex's idea, a reunion of friends and comrades in a rare moment when their lives were calm and their schedules quiet enough to fit each other in.
With Cody's recent retirement from the military, the last of the group to leave, they knew they had to make this work. To celebrate their past and their futures. Everything had changed since they had all started out together, fresh-faced young Privates ready to change the world. After just about surviving their basic training, multiple tours and more dangers than he cared to recount, the men they were today were unrecognisable from the boys they once were.
In more ways than one, Anakin thought, glancing down to the space where his right arm had once been. They all bore scars, sacrifices and marks of their bravery and service, some physical and others more emotional, but he wouldn't change his choices. If anything, he would have liked to serve longer but the injury to his arm was irreparable.
Another round of laughter filled his ears and brought Anakin back to the present as Kit poured the remainder of his beer down his throat. It felt so good to be around his friends again, his brothers. He'd been so caught up with work and opening his new garage, putting his engineering skills and tenacity to fix everything he came across to the test. He'd only been open two years and with the help of Ahsoka and his family, the shop was already getting popular.
"I really must insist this game is a bad idea," Obi-wan choked at the smell of the hideous shot Rex had ordered for him. "You know I struggle to hold down more than a whisky or two…"
They had fallen into a very, very bad habit. An old game they often played while in the military. Dares.
This stupid game had gotten them in more trouble than he liked to remember. The rules were stone and unchangeable. Do the dare or face a severe punishment – and worse, the humiliation of being a coward. Just now, Obi-wan had refused wholeheartedly to perform a lap dance for the group of older women sharing a bottle of wine in the corner booth across from theirs. Not even his new marriage had spared him Cody's deviousness.
Now, as punishment, a heinous shot made up of hot sauce, several kinds of alcohol and ketchup sat waiting in front of the old man. Anakin wasn't sure even he would be able to keep that mess down.
"You know the rules!" Kit howled, pounding his fists on the table, "Do the dare or face the punishment!"
"The sooner you do it, the sooner it's over," Anakin laughed, wincing as a hint of the shot's smell caught his nostrils. Personally, he would prefer the lap dance, even if he might get chased out of the building by furious old women afterwards. At least he wouldn't throw whatever that was up all over the table.
"Don't look so smug," Obi-wan glowered, "it's your turn next…"
A flicker of nervousness felt like lead in his stomach. Nothing had felt too stupid or dangerous or humiliating when they were younger… but somewhere since entering his late twenties, Anakin had developed a sense of decorum. Or just plain fear. Whatever it was had him wincing all over again as Kit winked across the table. It was his turn to craft a dare and the knowing glint in the man's dark eyes meant it was something terrible.
After a few more minutes of prodding, Obi-wan lifted the shot, braced himself and swallowed the lot, earning himself a thunderous cheer and disgusted sidelong glances from tables around them. Anakin couldn't remember the last time he laughed this hard! Tears stung at the corner of his eyes as his belly ached from the strain of it. He felt like a newly enlisted nineteen-year-old again!
"Alright, Skywalker!" Kit smacked his hands together as Obi-wan choked and gagged around the aftertaste of his shot. Cody kindly clapped the old man on the back once or twice in congratulations. "Let me think… it's been a while since I got to mess around with you…"
That didn't bode well.
"Go easy on me," he held up his arm with a nervous chuckle, "I'm fragile."
Something sly curved into Kit's smile. "Oh, I know… I know exactly what you're gonna do…" The men began to oooh like delighted children as Anakin braced himself for whatever humiliation was to come. Even Obi-Wan managed to recover enough to join in. "Anakin, I dare you to… send a special picture to your very good 'friend', Padmé…"
At once his friends roared with laughter, banging on the table as Anakin felt himself slump a little in his seat. "The lawyer?" Rex wiped at the tears in his eyes, "She'll sue his sorry ass to bankruptcy for the audacity!"
There was no way…
His face paled. There was no way Kit just said that. Of all the people he could have said… God damn it.
"I…" his throat seemed to swell closed, swallowing whatever weak denial he was trying to think of. "I can't…" As his voice gave an embarrassing crack, Anakin wished the ground would swallow him whole. He couldn't do that, not to Padmé. She was his friend! His best friend! They had known each other since he was a kid and she was a teenager he liked to stare at whenever possible.
Padmé had been his biggest supporter when he left the military, feeling hopelessly lost and confused about his life and future with only one arm. She had eagerly comforted him and helped him adjust to the changes he had to face. Not to mention she was the kindest, warmest person he had ever met before. And certainly the most beautiful, but he'd thought that since he was ten years old.
She was going to change the world one day, Anakin wholeheartedly believed that. She worked her ass off in college to graduate top of her class from law school and was climbing the ladder in her practice faster than he could believe. When she told him her ambitions to move into politics one day, he'd never been prouder. She would have his vote any day of the week.
"Oh come on, Skywalker! Don't tell me she hasn't seen it already!" Cody laughed, "There's no way you two haven't slept together at least once!"
"Please, as if someone who looks like that would look at him twice!" Rex sniggered, "Nothing personal, mate," he added, "but that's a damn goddess on this Earth."
Rolling his eyes, Anakin reached for his beer, beginning to wish he had ordered something far stronger. He was going to need it to get through this. "She's my friend!" He forced himself to laugh, "And she'll kill me if I did that. Come on, there has to be something else?"
Finishing the drink in his hand, he immediately flagged the waitress down for another.
Something told him if he did this, he would find something large and heavy thrown at his head the next time they saw each other. If she ever let him see her again, that was. She was far too mature to understand the rules of this stupid game or let him escape the consequences.
Sadly, all of that meant nothing to the guys who one by one began imitating chickens, making Anakin groan and sink further into his seat. "Come on! Even you, Obi-Wan?" He pleaded, surely the old man couldn't think this was a good idea!
The auburn-haired man only laughed and took a shallow sip of his whisky. "Normally, I wouldn't condone such a thing," he swirled the amber liquid around his glass for a moment, "but rules are rules… and I do not believe for one moment that you will actually go through with it."
The guys' laughter tugged at something inside Anakin, something deeply male and flawed and highly immature. Something that made his shoulders stiffen and his hand reach for his cellphone. Even if the last shred of logic left in his brain screamed and roared against it, he unlocked the device and tapped on his photo gallery.
"Don't look so nervous, Skywalker!" Cody laughed, "This girl's your friend right? She'll not want you losing your dare completion streak and suffering the consequences!"
"She might if she has to see what little he's hiding down there!" Rex spluttered, earning an ice cube to the face right out of Kit's drink, much to both his friends' chagrin.
"You're an asshole," he rolled his eyes, opening the secret little album he had to scroll to find. If anyone were to go through his phone and find out about this, Anakin would die of embarrassment, but he was a young man! A single young man! And online dating meant it was just easier to have certain things primed and ready…
Of around ten options, taken from different angles in a range of lighting and backgrounds, Anakin finally picked one he had taken somewhat recently. Snapped from an upward angle, his hard cock rested against the taut muscles of his lower abdomen, showing off his length and girth quite well, in his opinion. It was definitely one of his best ones and had taken an embarrassing amount of effort considering he only had one hand…
Leaning across the table, Cody glanced at his screen and cried out, lifting a hand to cover his scrunched eyes. "What – oh, Jesus bloody Christ! The hell is wrong with you?"
"Don't tell me that you already have… pictures of… yourself?" Obi-wan groaned, leaning his head heavily in his palm. "Actually, I can't say that I'm surprised, though I truly wish that I could…"
Kit just sniggered as Anakin huffed. What? He wasn't the only man in the world with a few options put aside should such an occasion arise, surely? If anything, he thought it was abnormal not to have a picture or two of yourself! "Hey, it's not my fault women actually want to see me with my clothes off… How many dates have you two been on lately?"
A tell-tale flush painted Rex's tanned cheeks as Cody held up his hands in defeat. Anakin savoured the small win with another sip of his fresh beer before picking up his phone again. Truthfully, there hadn't been any dates for him in a long time either, he was just too busy with the garage, but these morons didn't need to know that.
"Enough drawing it out, Skywalker," Kit smirked, drumming his palms on the table excitedly. "Send the picture or accept your punishment…"
As Padmé's contact appeared on his screen, Anakin sucked a breath through his teeth. This was going to be bad. Really, really bad… Maybe he could lie and say it had been an accident – that the picture was meant for someone else. But the thought of Padmé thinking he was speaking to someone else like that turned his stomach.
The only person he wanted to talk to like that, to flirt with and date and enjoy was her. Anakin had known it ever since he was ten years old and her family had moved next door to his. Back then, she had thought of him as a little kid, a child to smile at and indulge, and while their friendship had grown and deepened and matured over the years, sometimes he swore she still saw him as that little boy from next door.
He couldn't blame her. Why would she want someone like him when there were smarter, more successful men all around her. Men on her level, who understood the ins and outs of her career better than Anakin ever could. Men who could afford her lifestyle and could afford to spoil her and whisk her across the world without a thought.
So he settled for her friendship because having Padmé as his best friend was better than not having her in his life at all.
Not that he anticipated she would be around for a while after this.
Sober Anakin was going to kill him tomorrow.
As soon as the picture was sent, Anakin slammed his phone face down on the table and chugged the remainder of his beer. Not that it could wash away the shame or embarrassment. The thought that Padmé, the most perfect woman alive, was about to see his cock completely uninvited? His fingers itched to unsend the message now that the guys were distracted with ordering another round.
How was he going to look her in the eye ever again? This kind of thing ruined friendships! Could they survive this awkwardness? Anakin felt like he might die here and now in the middle of the bar. Maybe he would just turn off his phone and try to forget about it for tonight –
Buzz.
His heart leapt.
There was no way…? Right? Padmé was never without her phone, though usually for professional reasons, but surely she had better things to be doing than answering his messages as soon as they came through? His hand began to tremble. Sweat beaded on his neck. He was dying to know what was waiting on his phone screen but a large, cowardly part of him also never wanted to find out.
Could he throw the phone away and tell everyone it had been stolen and hacked? Would anyone believe him?
No, it couldn't be her. It was Thursday night! She was probably working from home, perfecting some pitch or summation or opening speech with a glass of wine in hand. Or maybe she was out with some of her own friends? Undoubtedly having a better time than he was having right now… Padmé was a busy woman! She had better things to be doing than opening his messages right away.
Buzz.
Damn.
His heart was racing. Now his palm felt sweaty too. If he looked and she was furious with him, it would ruin his night with his idiot friends, but the longer he waited the worse it was going to be, right? Besides it was probably just Ahsoka or his mom reaching out at an inconvenient moment. He was getting worked up about nothing, really, it was –
Buzz.
Oh hell no.
He couldn't wait any longer. Anakin picked up and flipped around his phone, barely daring to breathe as the screen came to life. His heart leapt up into his throat to see three text notifications from Padmé lining up his screen. Unlocking it, he felt his eyes widen at the content inside.
Padmé Naberrie: Well, good evening to you too, Ani!
Padmé Naberrie: Also… Meh.
Padmé Naberrie: As far as these kinds of pictures go, it's nothing special.
Anakin read the messages three times and then twice more for good measure and scoffed. Meh? Nothing special? His jaw slackened. He couldn't believe what he was seeing… Not that he was obnoxiously vain, but he knew he was a good-looking man. Years of hard military training had sculpted lines of muscle across his body along with a nicely positioned scar or two. Of course, he knew his arm – or lack thereof – would be a turnoff for some people but everything else was in damn good shape!
More to the point, Anakin knew he was well above average size-wise! He had never had any complaints from girlfriends or casual flings before
!
So what exactly did Padmé find lacking?
If he had known this would be her reaction, he would have expected to be crushed and desolate, but Anakin was surprisingly irritated. Hell, he was furious! She obviously had no idea what she was talking about… right? And even if she really did think those things, how damn rude to say them? Didn't she know how important a man's ego was?
"Skywalker? Hello? Skywalker?" Rex waved a hand before Anakin's face for a moment before his irritated thoughts cleared enough to register that the waitress was waiting to take his drink order. Damn. How was he supposed to sit here and pretend nothing just happened? Like his pride wasn't bruised, like he hadn't just received the worst insult any man could ever be slapped with?
"Nothing for me," he shook his head, switching from his texts to Uber as quickly as his thumb could move. "Something, uh, something's come up with the garage… I need to go check it out." It was a weak excuse, but his mind was already preoccupied getting a cab. Maybe it was the red-hot rage he felt or the alcohol, but Anakin needed to give Padmé a piece of his mind and he needed to do it right now.
Who did she think she was insulting him like that anyway?
The guys started to protest and complain, but Anakin waved them off with promises to make it up to them as he rushed around the table heading for the bar's front door. His friend's shouts and cries of confusion followed him out, but his Uber was already pulling up outside and he had other more important things on his mind right now.
Thankfully, the drive to Padmé's ginormous, almost all-glass apartment building was only a short ten-minute endurance. Anakin could hardly sit still, shifting in his seat and huffing at every stop sign and red light. She had to be messing around with him. This was all one big joke meant to bruise his ego, it had to be! He knew she had boyfriends before, even if he didn't like thinking about it very much.
Anakin had seen those guys, lean, academic men… there was no way they were in better shape or size than him. He just refused to believe it. Especially not her most recent ex from a few months ago, Rush, the high and mighty banker. He was an ass Anakin had barely managed to refrain from punching in the smug mouth several times. It was impossible that snide asshole was better than him.
When the car pulled up outside 500 Republica Drive, he was five stars richer and twelve dollars poorer, but as he craned his neck to look at the tall sprawl of the tower before him, all Anakin could think about was Padmé up there, laughing at him.
Well, not for long.
From countless visits here across the three years Padmé had lived here, he had developed somewhat of a friendly relationship with the doorman who guarded the hallowed halls of the building. An older, slightly cranky man who glowered at passersby and tourists attempting to steal a look inside. As it turned out, he was a Yankees man too. From the day Anakin had shown up in one of his old jerseys he had gained the man's respect.
Or at least, he wasn't glared at and questioned upon arrival anymore.
Stepping inside the lift, Anakin smacked the 23rd-floor button and set his shoulders. The smooth, modern mechanics of the building meant the elevator moved swiftly and went up and up until he reached Padmé's floor with a light dinging sound as the doors spread open. He knew the way without thinking about it, turning into a long hallway of identical doors until he reached hers.
Lifting his fist, he banged on the door twice and waited. After just over a minute, light footsteps could be heard from the hallway inside and Anakin felt his breathing grow heavier as his bad mood worsened. What the hell was she thinking? He would never say something so factually untrue and downright cruel if she ever decided to send him a private picture on some dare!
The door pulled open and Padmé appeared before him. His breath caught and his stomach tightened. And then Anakin couldn't help but bark a surprised laugh, it slipped through his pressed lips before he could stop it. "Anakin?" Padmé's eyes narrowed, "What are you – ah, oh no!" Her hands flew up to the drying green mask painted across her face and she whirled around so he was looking at her back instead. "What the hell are you doing here? You couldn't have called first?"
"What are you talking about? You look great…" He drawled, despite the embers of his anger still burning in his stomach. It was the damn truth anyway. Anakin allowed himself a moment to let his eyes wander. No sign of her structured, well-put-together outfits, Padmé was dressed more comfortably in a large, black, way oversized t-shirt which slipped low on her shoulder, revealing her skin to his hungry eyes.
And her shorts… he almost groaned out loud at the tiny, navy, satin shorts she was hiding beneath that t-shirt. It was as if she knew how much he loved her in darker colours and had done this on purpose just to make this worse than it already was.
"Oh, just get inside and close the door before someone else sees!" Padmé scoffed and stepped inside, making room for him to follow as she pulled her bushy curls free of the pink scrunchie they'd been bound to her head inside. His fingers twitched to run through them, to feel their softness against his skin as he –
No. He was angry with her. Very, very angry.
As soon as the door was closed behind him, Anakin steeled himself against her beauty as she stepped inside the bathroom to wash away the facemask if the running facet was anything to go on. "So what are you doing here?" Her voice carried into the hall. "Didn't you say you were seeing your friends tonight?"
"Meh?" He sneered at the wall, "That's all you had to say? 'Meh'? Oh, and that it's nothing special?"
"Excuse me?" Her laugh danced through the wall, "What are you talking about?"
"I mean, I'm sorry, Padmé, but I've seen the guys you've dated before and there is no way in hell they're bigger than I am! I refuse to believe it!"
Quick, light footsteps marched back into the hallway a moment before she appeared, fresh-faced and free of any cosmetics. A damp washcloth was balled up in her fist as the wide-eyed surprise painted across her expression melted into something far more frightening. Anger. Fury. Suddenly, Anakin began to feel like he was the one in for a hell of a time…
"Are you trying to tell me that was you in that picture?" Padmé seethed, "I thought you were out with your friends and they were being immature! Maybe they'd stolen your phone? Maybe you'd lost some ridiculous male bet and were forced to hand it over. I thought it was some – some random picture they found somewhere online! I didn't believe for one moment that you would be so crude and childish as to send a picture of yourself!" All of his military training was nothing on the speed of a furious woman as she tossed the wet cloth at his head so fast Anakin didn't see it coming until its moist weight collided with his face.
"Ow! That wasn't very – "
"Oh, I am not finished!" Padmé stormed further into her apartment and despite her anger, Anakin forced himself to follow. How had this turned into him getting a scolding? It was no wonder she was such a damn good lawyer. "What were you thinking sending something like that uninvited? Is that what you guys do when you're alone together? I mean of all the immature, childish things to do, Anakin! Not to mention, you shouldn't put pictures of yourself out into the world if you're unprepared to take criticism!"
Shame swelled from the pit of his stomach, staining his neck and cheeks in a horribly embarrassing flush that had him feeling like a reprimanded schoolboy. He knew the picture was a bad idea. A very, very bad idea… but not facing the failure punishment had truly felt like the better option at the time…
God, he was an idiot.
"Padmé," he began, and then stopped, frowning as her words truly registered. "Wait, 'criticism'? You stand by what you said?" His jaw clenched, the anger from before returning as those texts flashed before his mind again.
"Are you serious right now, Anakin?" She shook her head, "I mean, are all men really this delicate where their ego is concerned?"
He stalked toward her, not stopping even when Padmé retreated backwards until her back met with the white wall behind her, trapping her between it and him. Anakin prowled closer, a predator with only one thing on his mind now. "Admit you were lying," he seethed, placing his palm on the wall by her head. God, she was so much shorter than him, so small and dainty and he felt his blood beginning to heat.
Something mischievous glinted in her eyes and Padmé held her chin high. "I wasn't lying. You should go lick your wounds somewhere else."
His breathing grew shallow. Anakin couldn't tear his eyes away from hers, he was rooted to the spot as something… something bold and stupid and absolutely reckless burst past his lips. "I'd prefer it if you licked them for me…" he whispered.
They flirted all the time, that was nothing new, Anakin often thought they toed the line between friends and something else but neither ever made a move to push past that boundary. He knew she deserved better than he could give her, better than he ever could be and hadn't dared cross that sacred line… until now. Until that sweet, floral perfume she wore filled his nostrils. Until those damn little shorts were barely there on her thighs, revealing inches and inches of delectable skin that had his mouth watering.
Until he wanted to make her eat her words.
Padmé's eyes widened for just a moment before some well-practised mask of indifference steeled her face but her eyes defiant as they held his burning gaze. She even lifted her chin. Her warm brown eyes traced a path from Anakin's eyes, to his lips and then back again before her own soft, full lips parted and the world melted to nothing around him.
"Make me."
Those two words… those two damn words had his ears ringing. Every drop of blood in his body rushed south so quickly, it was a wonder Anakin was able to keep standing at all. Not that it mattered. Not that anything mattered as his mouth crashed into Padmé's and his body pressed her further into the wall. She tasted amazing, like wine and chocolate and he groaned into her mouth.
He wanted this for years and had spent longer imagining what it might be like than anyone who could rightfully consider himself her friend. He was overcome. Overwhelmed.
And so damned turned on.
A deep, rumbling groan tore from Anakin's lips as Padmé's sharp nails raked through his hair and any innocence left in the kiss melted into pure, blazing heat. All teeth and tongue, they devoured each other. If he could go back and tell his past self how this would happen, Anakin would never believe it in a million years! This was Padmé, smart, kind, mature, Padmé… but it was happening! It was really happening.
Any coherent thought was absolutely lost as Anakin pressed his body against hers, savouring every soft curve and smooth inch of skin his wandering hand could find. The world turned red as one slim leg lifted and snaked around his waist, pulling him even closer. He could hardly breathe. Every single sense was utterly overwhelmed by her. Her touch, her scent, her soft little gasps… All Padmé, Padmé, Padmé… and nothing had ever felt so good.
"Ani…" she moaned softly, the sound of his name on his lips was everything. He needed to hear it again and again and never stop hearing it. He was overcome, but that didn't mean he could turn down a chance to tease her just a little more…
"Does this," he pressed his throbbing erection against her, "Feel like something 'meh' to you?"
"That's not very funny, Anakin," she panted through a glare so he thrust against her again. "Ah – that's not…"
He could barely think through the thick cloud of pure want fogging his brain and the overpowering sensation of Padmé draped all over him, still, Anakin forced himself to clench his teeth and hold back a groan as she canted her hips against his. "I wasn't joking," he hissed.
Padmé, normally so coherent, so articulate and damn argumentative, didn't deign to answer before their lips crashed together once more.
Those tiny satin shorts she wore did nothing to protect her from him and Anakin moaned when he realised he could feel her as if she were bare against him. His every fantasy was alive and real and his mind was reeling. Padmé was so beautiful and so kind and so smart, he had loved her for years, but she was also sensual, proactive and more sexy than he could ever put into words. She inspired every dream and fantasy he ever had. Maintaining a respectable distance between them all these years was the biggest challenge of his life, one Anakin was thrilled to finally fail as his hand roamed every inch of her.
Padmé hopped up to wrap her other leg around his waist and he took the hint, catching her thigh and holding her slight weight against him. They were moving… he was moving, through the wide, high-ceiling rooms of her apartment blindly. He knew exactly where her bedroom was but the journey felt torturous as her soft, full lips kissed and sucked madness against his neck.
Finally – finally – they made it inside and Anakin dropped Padmé onto her gigantic bed with a gentle bounce, kicking off his shoes. Whenever he let himself think about this, which really was a lot, he imagined she might be flirtatious but shy in bed. Knowing exactly what she wanted but too demure and coy to ask for it outright. He had fantasised about teasing her slowly, winding her up and making her blush and moan until she was begging for what came next…
In reality, Anakin's cock throbbed as she peeled off that t-shirt, revealing inch after inch of creamy, perfect skin. His ravenous eyes feasted on her, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and swore to burn this memory into his mind forever. He could die a happy man right now…
"Are you just going to stand there all night?" Padmé smirked, shuffling toward the end of the bed and reached for him. Anakin could hardly stand to tear his eyes away from her pert, pretty breasts, but the sensual expression on her face threatened to end him before this even began.
Come on, Skywalker! Get it together!
Those soft hands of hers set fire to his skin, sliding under his shirt and up, up, all over his chest and stomach. Blazing a scorching trail he was never going to recover from. Anakin focused on his breathing as one of those hands freed itself and grabbed his chin. He only had a moment to admire Padmé's beautiful eyes darkening with desire for him before she pulled his lips to hers in a searing kiss.
Yeah… he was fucked.
And he had been ever since… well since they met. Anakin moaned, deepening the kiss and pulling her closer, feeling the heat of her through his soft t-shirt. Everything about her, her scent, her taste, ignited something deep inside him, something primal and unstoppable. He'd wanted her for so long, needed her from the very moment they were introduced years ago. He had thought about this, about her every night whether he was tucked away in his bed or deployed in the heart of danger, he thought about her every single night. Anakin needed her and it was terrifying. It was thrilling as hell.
His shaking hand travelled along the soft curve of Padmé's side, gripping her hip to steady himself as his tongue explored the warm depths of her mouth… this damn mouth he'd been dreaming of for so long.
His control was slipping… the kiss grew deeper and Padmé responded eagerly. Anakin felt her hands on his shoulders, in his hair… He shuddered and prayed she never stopped, not for one second. After a few more minutes, she pulled away and he moaned his disappointment out loud, pathetic and pining and hell if he cared so long as she kissed him like that all over again once she caught her breath.
The bright, smug smirk stretching across her pretty lips told him she knew exactly how done for he was.
Padmé shuffled a few inches backwards on the bed, sliding those little shorts off her body as she moved, and made some room for him to follow but as he reached for her, one sharp nail pressed into the very centre of his chest, right above his hammering heart. She shook her head and he stilled, lifting a curious eyebrow. Had she changed her mind? Was this going too far too fast? He swallowed and tried to grasp some measure of self-control. He was happy to go at her pace. So long as she kept him around, Anakin would do anything she wanted.
"Before this goes any further," Padmé said, her voice somehow calm and measured. How did she do that? He was ten seconds away from absolute insanity. "I've recently created a… rule for myself in these situations."
Rules? Of course, she did. This was Padmé, after all.
"What's that?" He was listening, he really was… but Anakin couldn't help his eyes wandering just a little bit. Her breasts were right there! So full and perfect, her pretty little nipples already standing up to attention and he hadn't even gotten his hand on them yet. He felt his mouth watering. He was dying to taste them – to taste her. His heated gaze slipped lower, between her thighs and he nearly groaned out loud. Her panties were slick. Wet with arousal for him. His cock strained painfully against his jeans, begging for release.
Suddenly, he found his chin pinched between Padmé's thumb and index finger, dragging his face back up so their eyes met again. "Anakin. Pay. Attention." She demanded, voice full of confident authority and Anakin's cock twitched and throbbed dangerously in response.
That was… interesting…
"I've wasted a lot of time on guys who didn't care about me or my needs," Padmé continued, releasing his chin to softly stroke her fingertips along his chest, tracing down his abdomen through his shirt. "And I've been left unsatisfied more often than not." Well, that was just tragic. Anakin thought about her prior boyfriends and felt himself start to smirk. He knew there was nothing to them. All their smug attitudes and showboating and they weren't even men enough to please her. That was about to change right now. "So," she continued, "I've decided not to put myself through that anymore. Here's what's going to happen."
He was throbbing. Waiting. Desperate to prove just how much this wasn't a waste of her time. "Tell me," he panted.
"I want you to touch me, any way you like," her eyes shone mischievously, "but if you don't do it properly… if I don't enjoy myself, this doesn't go any further after I take care of you, no matter how much we might have wanted it. You only get one chance, Ani."
One shot at this? Anakin swallowed and nodded. That was all he was going to need. He felt a powerful surge of pure determination rush through his body. His pride was on the line and his shot with the woman of his dreams. He'd be damned if he messed this up.
"You don't have to worry about me," he murmured, voice full of dark promise. "I didn't come all the way here to hear anything but my name moaning out of your mouth…"
Intrigue lit up inside her gorgeous eyes. "So confident…"
Delighted, Anakin slid further up the bed, pushing her on her back and grabbing her calves to tug her closer. They were never boring, their friendship was always a challenge, a give and a take – why was she expecting their sex to be any different? Where was her faith in him? Well, he was going to show her… Whatever losers she wasted her time on before were about to be wiped out of her mind altogether by the time he was finished.
Grinning down at her, Anakin reached behind his neck and grasped the collar of his t-shirt, ripping it over his head and tossing it across the room. It landed somewhere behind him, forgotten. Padmé leaned up on her elbows, keen eyes roaming over his naked chest and then sat up properly so her lips could map the same path. A shudder of pure pleasure rushed through him. This was happening… Her tongue dragged between the hard planes of his stomach and he threw back his head. Fuck, yes… this was happening.
As incredible as this was – and if he could tell his past self he was about to stop Padmé charting a map of his chest with lips, teeth and tongue, he would have fainted and then punched himself upon waking up – his self-control was slipping perilously through his fingers. If he only had one chance at this, he had to keep his wits about him.
His shaking fingers grabbed a fistful of her wild curls and tugged her back to claim her mouth all over again. Anakin couldn't help himself. He devoured her. He claimed her in a way that felt necessary for his mental and physical health. But Padmé gave as good as she got, their kiss was more passionate than he'd ever had before, their tongues mating and duelling and teasing each other in ways that made him groan.
When he couldn't stand another second without breathing, Anakin ripped his mouth away and immediately attached it to her neck instead. He sucked air in through his nose and feasted on her, nipping and suckling at her soft, sensitive skin. She was incredible. He didn't even care about the angry red marks he was leaving in his wake. She probably would though… later, he decided, that was a later problem.
He shuddered as her hand slid into his hair, long, manicured nails scraping against his scalp so pleasurably, he almost purred. His mouth moved lower, tasting her collarbones and then lower again, worshipping every inch of her. She laid back again and Anakin gave chase, manoeuvring carefully to maintain his balance – he only had one arm, after all. And he used that hand well, cupping her pert breast as he flicked his tongue over her other nipple.
Okay, he was wrong before. Now he could die a happy man, right here with his face buried in Padmé's breasts. What a way to go…
No. Not yet. Not until he proved exactly how good he could make this for her.
Padmé gasped, arching to encourage him and Anakin took his time. They had nowhere else to be and he was in no hurry. He'd been waiting for this moment and he was going to enjoy himself. He lavished attention on her breasts, so pretty and round and firm and just so perfect he wanted to die. Sucking one into his mouth, he teased her nipple, flicking it with his tongue until she was writhing beneath him.
"Ani… Oh, Anakin…" she gasped and then groaned lowly when his tongue swirled around her other nipple.
Smiling wickedly, he re-shifted, balancing on his knees so his hand could wander lower and lower, across her quivering stomach until he reached the damp seam of panties between her legs. Anakin groaned as he felt the heat of her arousal – he was doing this to her. She wanted him. Was this a dream? Had he accepted another stupid dare back at the bar and gotten himself knocked out? Well, he hoped he never woke up.
Suicidal tendencies aside for now, he pushed those panties down her legs, smiling as she moved to help, revealing her to his ravenous eyes.
His mouth watered.
Perfect wasn't enough of a word to describe her.
An angel. A goddess. Just… everything.
Focus, Skywalker, he chided himself, back to work.
He leaned down again, trailing the wet tip of his tongue along her belly, tasting her smooth skin. Lower and lower, he kissed and licked and paused to nip here and there, until the scent of her reached his nose… Oh fuck. Oh fuck. His cock throbbed painfully – had he ever been this hard? He had to grasp himself through his jeans and squeeze to keep from exploding all over himself.
He was going to give her the pleasure she deserved. Hell, he was going to give her everything.
"This okay?" He muttered into her skin.
"Yes," she mewled, arching invitingly. Well, who was he to deny her what she obviously wanted?
Mostly for his own sanity, Anakin started slowly, tasting her, teasing her, taking note of all the ways she responded to his touch. When she moaned, he licked more forcefully, when she squirmed, he eased up. Shifted. Followed where she tugged his hair. He licked and sucked, savouring the taste of her. He could never get enough. It was everything he'd ever dreamed of and so much more. No fantasy could ever live up to the reality of her. Padmé. Padmé. He really was done for.
The soft sounds she made were driving him mad so he slid a finger inside her, cursing at the tight, wet heat he found. His cock pulsed enviously and he ground himself into the bed for some sort of relief. Her moans grew louder, more needy, so he added another finger, curling in a way that made Padmé gasp and buck against him.
"Yes, yes, yes!" She cried and her hand tightened in his hair, her hips rising and falling in time with his rhythm. Practically riding his hand, desperate for the pleasure he was giving her. He lost himself in her, in pleasing her, in his own haze of lust. Anakin focused on what he was doing, on maintaining his rhythm and speed – he couldn't slow down, not even for a second. He focused on his tongue on her clit, on his fingers stroking that spot inside her on every thrust. His jaw was beginning to ache but didn't relent. He couldn't stop, giving her everything he had.
She was going to cum, he could tell, and it would be because of him. Because he brought her to a powerful orgasm when the others she was with couldn't. Anakin wasn't lacking and he was going to make her climax harder than she ever had before.
He felt her thighs beginning to shake on either side of his head so he doubled his efforts and Padmé wailed. Her whole body convulsed, her delicious little moans becoming raw cries of pure ecstasy. He vaguely heard his name on her lips. But Anakin didn't stop. Didn't stop pleasuring her, working her, drawing out her orgasm until she finally pushed him away, panting raggedly.
He felt his lower face glistening with her arousal as he sat up and looked at her. She was ruined. Flushed, breathless and the most beautiful woman who ever existed. Anakin felt his chest heave – and not just because of the sudden free access to air. Padmé threw her forearm over her eyes but he could see her sated smile, the pure satisfaction carding through her limbs. "Oh my god," she panted breathlessly. "That was…"
Would it ruin the moment to say 'I told you so'? Probably. He still wanted to but resisted. Just barely.
"Tell me," he began instead, still smirking because his male pride was bursting at the seams right now. Who could blame a man after that? "Did I pass your audition?"
"Audition," she laughed, shaking her head under her arm. Anakin couldn't stand not seeing her face and gently dragged the offending forearm away. "You passed with flying colours."
Holding her gaze, he slowly slipped off the bed to stand. His cock was so hard it hurt. "So what's my prize?" She said nothing for a moment, but Anakin caught her pink little tongue slip out to wet her lips as he opened his jeans and shoved them down his legs. His cock sprang free, hard and aching and relieved to be free at last. Her hungry gaze emboldened him – and so did the mouth-watering sight of her legs spreading to make room for him. He wrapped his fist around his cock and let his eyes roam. Her breasts… he began to stroke. Her pink pussy. He squeezed the tip. "Still 'nothing special' to you?" He raised an eyebrow.
The tension sizzling between them was unbearable. Padmé's smirk was ferocious. "Come here and prove me wrong," she teased, widening those thighs of hers further and he wasn't mad enough to back down from a challenge like that. Anakin crawled up the bed and settled between her legs, mind still reeling that this was happening… and all because of Kit's stupid dare. He was going to have to send him the best bottle of whiskey he could get his hand on. And Lakers tickets. Courtside.
Practically trembling with need, Anakin teased her with his tip… mostly in one last-minute delay to gather himself. He wasn't going to be the guy who came the second he pushed inside her. He refused.
"Ani, please…" she sighed, "I need you…"
Oh.
Oh fuck.
Gritting his teeth, he readjusted, slowly easing inside her. It was all he could do to bite his lip and groan at the tight wetness of her clenching all around him. He moved painstakingly slow for both their sakes, letting her adjust to his size as he got control of himself again. Grunting, he pulled out and pushed back in, a few inches deeper this time. He made it about halfway inside her and she arched, forcing him just a little more in.
She was trying to kill him. That was the only explanation.
"Ani, yes!" Padmé moaned, the sound going straight to his cock. He shook his head, unable to stand one more second of this. Pulling out again was torture, but he was back inside her, fully inside her, within seconds. Anakin started to move slowly, for now, letting her feel every hard inch of him sliding in and out.
To his ecstasy, she lifted her hips to meet his every time, building a rhythm with him, her body responding to his every move and touch. Anakin nearly roared when her lean legs wrapped around his waist, urging him on faster. It was too much. It was everything he'd ever wanted. He still wasn't fully convinced this wasn't some drunken, unconscious fantasy.
They moved faster, meeting each other's hips with a furious smack on every thrust. Padmé moaned and writhed beneath him, her breathy moans becoming full-on cries of pleasure. She was incredible. His mind emptied of everything except her. How she felt. How she moved. Sounded.
Anakin grabbed the headboard for balance, fucking her harder and faster as his white-hot pleasure rushed through his body. "Please don't stop!" Padmé begged in his ear, "Just… just don't stop!"
Sharp nails raked down his back and he hissed, biting at her neck in lustful retaliation. They were both going to be marked up as hell when this was over and he would wear it proudly. He'd let her autograph them later if she wanted. He was claimed. Utterly hers body and soul for all time.
"You feel so good…" he groaned into her ear, "so tight and perfect…" he began to drive into her with everything he had, hips snapping desperately into hers. She clenched all around him again, squeezing his throbbing cock so temptingly – he had to start imagining Obi-Wan in a dress to calm down again. But Padmé didn't seem to care about his control, arching at the neck to tug his earlobe between her teeth.
"You feel… oh god, there! You feel so good inside me, Anakin…" she moaned, "So… so big… Oooh, I'm so close… god, oh god, yes…"
His control was inches from snapping. He growled, taking her that much harder for her teasing. His pace grew relentless. Sweat dripped from his body onto hers and Anakin wasn't sure where he began and she ended anymore. At last, Padmé began to tense and tighten beneath him, clenching and squeezing his cock in a vice-grip he could barely stand to pull out of anymore. Her smart mouth never stopped driving him mad. Begging him to take her, to fuck her, pleading with him to make her cum all over him.
And she did. Her body arched up and writhed against his, her voice going from soft, pleading moans to all-out cries of pure, uncontrollable pleasure. And his name. Anakin nearly died as she climaxed all around him and moaned his name in the heat of it. He really had gone to heaven.
Unable to stand it anymore, Anakin felt the pressure inside him build, the tension coiling inside his stomach. He thrust as deep as he could, again and again, the pleasure rising. "Padmé…" he rasped… They probably should have discussed this before. "Oh fuck… feels so good… so good… I'm… I'm gonna…"
"Cum inside me," she whispered in his ear, pulling him down and winding her arms and legs all around him again in one full-body embrace. "Give it to me, Anakin. I want to feel you… please… please cum inside me…"
Anakin's mind emptied. The world around him faded to white. There was only Padmé. Padmé. Padmé.
Burying himself to the hilt inside her, he exploded, coming hard and spilling everything he had inside her. Padmé moaned and rocked beneath him, fucking herself on his cock to prolong his pleasure and he was mindless with it. After a few minutes, he collapsed above her, their bodies twisted in a heap and hearts pounding in unison. This was… he had no words. Nothing could have prepared him.
After a moment, he eased out of her, hissing, and forced his heavy weight off of her before he smothered her to death beneath him. Thankfully, Padmé didn't let him get far, shifting to lay her head on his panting chest and tangling their legs together as their flushed bodies began to cool.
He looked down at her, his own breath still ragged with no sign of easing and there was no stopping his grin. What man wouldn't be smiling like an idiot if they just went to bed with the woman of his dreams? Padmé was just as beautiful undone as she was all put together. No. She was more beautiful this way. Her busy curls were tousled and wild, utterly untameable right now, her stunning eyes glazed over and distant as her body came back down from their high and her skin… well her neck wouldn't be in need of any necklaces in the near future. He'd given her one all by himself.
She was going to kill him. He couldn't wait.
"Mmm," Padmé signed, cosying in further against his body. "That wasn't bad at all…"
His heart stilled. She couldn't be serious.
"Are you going to make a habit of saying these things just to drive me mad?"
Anakin felt her giggle against his chest. "If it gets you all riled up like that again then absolutely I am."
Two could play at this game. "We should get married," he said.
He was only half-joking. Alright, maybe a quarter. If she wanted to say yes, then he wasn't joking at all. But when Padmé's pillow smacked him in the face, Anakin couldn't help the wild laughter tumbling from his lips.
Okay, joking it was.
He was still going to buy a ring though.
Just in case.
