"Breaking Command" Part 6 (final part)
Jan. 14th, 2007 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
veronica_richKathryn paused in the doorway of Palaso, spotting the lone diner at a table near the middle of the room. It wasn’t a large restaurant, and he was only about thirty feet away. She didn’t know whether to stay or leave — and if she stayed, would it be bad to get a table to herself as she had intended this evening, with Reg sitting at one already?
They hadn’t spoken in several days, and despite her resolve to hash things out with him, she had yet to genuinely take steps to do so. As she stood there and considered, he looked up and around as lone people are wont to do in public places, and happened to cast his eyes in her direction. She saw them widen briefly in surprise, then drop back to his menu. Clearly he had given her leave to do as she wished ... which rather annoyed her. Why didn’t he initiate a conversation? If he’d been as good with speech as with his kissing, this stalemate would’ve ended long ago.
Before she could make up her mind, she felt a hand on her arm. “Kathryn?” She turned to see her former first officer grinning in recognition, his other arm around a familiar woman’s shoulders. “We thought that was you from the back, though out of uniform it’s hard to tell sometimes,” he joked, gesturing at her outfit.
Kathryn glanced down at the straight beige raw silk skirt — she was wearing an awful damn lot of skirts lately for some strange reason — she’d donned and the ocher long-sleeved blouse with matching flat sandals. It was okay, but nothing compared to the lovely low-cut black form-fitting pantsuit Seven was wearing. Her hair was left loose tonight, but pulled back away from her face. She felt twice the girl’s age — which she almost was. “How are you two?” she smiled, trying to ignore the tiny flare of jealousy that sparked up anytime she thought of the two of them together.
“Just stepped out for a bite to eat.” Chakotay wasn’t looking bad himself, in tan slacks and a light green shirt. “I remembered you talking about this place so much that I told Seven we had to try it.”
Kathryn looked back at the younger woman, who seemed uncomfortable and was doing her best to hang back. She’d seemed a bit lost at times since having her Borg emotion inhibitor taken out, as if she no longer knew just how to react to things around her. But she was fairly certain she was the cause of Seven’s current unease; the woman hadn’t been entirely blind to her captain’s interest in Chakotay and had not exactly jumped in with both feet when he first started wooing her, uncertain how to handle such a thing without breaking a friendship with the woman who had rescued her from a dismal fate with the Borg.
The captain took pity and reached over to briefly squeeze Seven’s free hand. “How’re you doing?” she asked with genuine friendliness.
Her effect was immediate. Seven relaxed a bit and nodded. “Well,” she answered, still somewhat formal in her speech. “And you, Captain?”
She toyed with the idea of telling Seven to just call her by her name now, but she’d realized long ago some of the crew were only comfortable thinking of her in a position of authority. She’d save it for another time. “Pretty good. Catching up on my back history, as usual. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever manage it.”
Chakotay motioned toward the seating area. “Why don’t you join us, Kathryn? We’ve never been here before and you could undoubtedly recommend the best selections.”
She didn’t want to do this. She really, really didn’t want to be put in this position, of being the third wheel of a couple when she’d once been strongly attracted to half of it. Once? Opening her mouth and hoping that whatever came out would be the right thing, she was interrupted by a voice behind her. “There you are; guess I didn’t see you when you came in.”
Kathryn turned, surprised, to find Reg standing there, smiling pleasantly at her. He looked up at the other couple and feigned surprise. “Chakotay! Seven — how are you? What a coincidence!” he welcomed them, as if the restaurant were deeded in his name.
The Native American smiled wider and the blonde tilted her head in a friendly greeting. “Hey, Reg, imagine seeing you here! Didn’t know you two were dining together; we were just about to steal your date, here.”
“Well, come on, you may as well join us. I think it’s fate we eat together, since we’re all here at the same time.” He hung back and let Kathryn walk in front of him toward the table, then reached out and pulled her chair as she went for it herself. She glanced back at him, then smoothed down her skirt and sat, letting him scoot her in as Chakotay did the same for Seven to Kathryn’s right.
Reg took his seat and began asking questions, wanting to know what the happy couple had been doing with their accumulated shore leave. He glanced at Kathryn sideways at one point, and she mouthed a silent “thank you” at him. He nodded imperceptibly and shifted his eyes back to what Chakotay was saying.
While they talked, Kathryn noted little things about Reg, such as the long-sleeved dark blue tunic he wore, buttoned over subtly on the side, the sleeves pushed up. From the three-inch V at his neck and his forearms, she cataloged the light smattering of hair against his slightly-tanned skin. This surprised her; where had he been to tan? Or was he naturally a light olive color?
When the waiter came, they paused their conversation to listen to the specials, then took turns figuring out which they would each order. “So, is this a date for you two?” Chakotay asked when he’d walked away to get their drinks.
“She helps me with the ship,” Reg answered for Kathryn. “We’ve been working on repairing it. We just figure we can use a night off every so often.”
The other man nodded in understanding. Then, Seven turned to Kathryn. “I’ve seen several of your interviews, Captain. You seem to have an affinity for the camera.”
She only shrugged and smiled. “They say it adds ten pounds, and that holovision packs on another fifteen.”
Seven thought this over. “I have not noticed such a phenomenon. Who says that?”
And so their dinner went on like this for a little over an hour, at which time Reg glanced at his chronometer. “Oh, I have to get going,” he apologized to the couple. “Need to be up bright and early tomorrow for the life-support systems; a technician is coming by to make a recommendation.”
Kathryn glanced and him and feigned mild alarm. “I guess that means me, too, since I have to be there to, ah, give the access codes.”
“I thought those were disabled after docking,” Seven piped up.
“Not for life support.” Kathryn got to her feet and picked up her handbag. “Too important.” She bid them farewell and strode out of the restaurant behind Reg, who’d paused briefly to thumb the payment pad before leaving.
Outside, she waited until they were a little ways from the front door before she turned to him. “A technician? That’s bullshit. No way would you let anyone else fiddle with that ship at this point.”
He shrugged. “Got us out of there. What’re you complaining about?”
They walked a bit further, and Kathryn took a breath. “Thank you for what you did back there. It was rather noble, and kept me from having to make excuses that wouldn’t have felt right, anyway.”
“That’s what friends do for each other.”
They weren’t too far from Kathryn’s house. “Reg? Why don’t you stop by for a few minutes? The house isn’t far from here, and ... well, we have something we need to talk about.”
He looked doubtful, but said nothing as he followed along. They spent the rest of the ten-minute journey in silence, until she palmed the back door and let them in through the kitchen. “Would you like some tea?” she asked.
“I thought you didn’t keep tea.” He arched a brow at her.
“I’ve stocked a little. Leaves,” she added, knowing his fondness for them. Striding to a cabinet, she pulled it open and stood aside. “Take your pick,” she declared, gesturing at the selection like a game-show hostess.
He looked over the selection at a glance. “Fix me your favorite.”
She gave him The Look. “This is me, and this is tea,” she pronounced with exaggerated slowness. “I don’t have a favorite.”
“Then why did you buy it?”
“I was hoping to have visitors.”
“An entire cabinet’s worth?”
She clasped her hands behind her back and let them drape at the base of her spine. “I’d hoped so, yes.” She cleared her throat. “Reg, I’m terrible with apologies, especially when they’re deserved. But I’m sorry I kicked you out of my home.”
He slid his hands in his pockets, clearly at a loss what to do with the apology. “I ... it’s okay, Kathryn. I understand; I do.”
She took a few steps closer, until she was scant feet from him. “But I think we still need to talk about that kiss.”
He nodded and swallowed before speaking. “Wh-What precisely about it?”
“Why did you stop?”
Surprised, he pulled his hands out of his pockets and and gestured in an I-don’t-know, while answering, “It was — it was odd. Not bad, odd; just strange. I ... sensed the direction it was heading and felt it wise to pull back and let you consider it instead.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “And I have. Considered it.”
He could tell she had something up her sleeve. “And?”
“I think it’s my turn.”
*****
Ten minutes later, Kathryn was leaning into his caress as he threaded his fingers through her hair, curling them against the curve of her scalp. His mouth was making a slow journey around her face, lightly touching everything else before finally landing on hers. She parted her lips and melted, glad she was on the sofa and not on her feet. She hadn’t expected Reg to be this thorough, but now supposed since he was so detail-oriented in his work, it made sense that it would carry over to other areas of his life. Not that she was complaining; oh, dear lord, no.
He was kissing her again, just as he’d begun to a few days ago before backing off, and she returned each one with equal fervor. “You ever think you’d end up back here tonight?” she murmured breathlessly between them.
“No.” He lowered his arms around her torso. “Figured I’d eat alone ... and go home alone ... and sleep alone.” He pulled back enough to look into her eyes. “Am I going to be sleeping alone tonight, Kathryn?”
His voice was lulling, and husky with need; his eyes, dark, almost black, deep wells of mystery and desire. She thought of him in her bed, holding her from behind, or his chest providing her a pillow as she slumbered, his skin warming hers until morning.” Not if I have anything to say about it.”
His hands — those hands, that were so skilled with mechanical repairs, that were genius with circuitry — lowered along her torso and slid up between her blouse and her skin, sending a shiver through her. “You’re so warm, Kat,” he whispered against her lips. “And soft.” A moan escaped her; he’d hit upon what had been bothering her for so long. She was afraid she no longer appealed to men because of her rank and her accomplishments.
Reg taking the initiative to kiss her the other day had been a breaking point for all her inner desires and fears to coalesce into a tangible need — the mere fact he’d done it gave her hope, because she knew he wondered at his own worth, his own appeal to women. That she had somehow broken through that barrier without even trying and he had been that overcome with passion buoyed her feminine esteem greatly.
She felt shifting and he broke the kiss, and she realized he was pulling her clingy blouse over her head. Stretching her arms upward, she helped him rid her of it, then gracefully lowered those arms to cradle his face as she leaned in for more kisses. His skin tasted wonderful, his mouth even better, and she gently stroked the slightly-stubbled texture of his chin with her thumbs.
Reg eased Kathryn back onto the two throw pillows angled against the arm of the sofa, surprised at her unwillingness to break off his kisses. She seemed to be soaking them up, inhaling each as he gave it, demanding more. He pulled back, up, and she whimpered a little. “Easy, honey, I just wanna look at you.” He took in her warm peach skin, the lacy cream-colored bra sculpted to her breasts, the delicate straps resting at the edges of her shoulders, the vulnerable depression of her clavicle. Lowering his head toward that, he lapped and nibbled gently into the shallow cup of skin. “God, you’re beautiful, Kathryn,” he mumbled.
She tilted her head back so he could reach the spot more easily, which led him to tracing kisses up along the column of her throat as first one hand, then the other, gingerly lowered her bra straps along her arms. “Wish I’d known you’d be here tonight,” she sighed, licking her lips as embers grew and began to flicker throughout her body at his touch. “Would’ve planned .... something a little more romantic. Maybe some wine, or nicer lighting ...”
Stopping, he raised himself up and looked at her. “Should we start all over again?”
“No!” She reached for him, but he pushed himself to his knees. Kathryn got her arms under her and propped herself up. “Get back down here,” she ordered.
“I have an idea. Be right back.” She watched in disbelief as he went back into the kitchen, her mouth hanging open. Well I’ll be damned, she thought. Every other male in the quadrant has a one-track mind, and I get the one who doesn’t!
He came back presently, carrying a small bowl of something or other. “I remembered seeing these the other day when I was in there,” he announced, setting it aside on the low table. Leaning down low over her, his eyes lingered on her lips, then her breasts, and back to her eyes. “Where did we leave off?”
“Slow down, Rocketman. What’s that, anyway?” She lifted her chin toward the bowl.
“All in good time,” he promised vaguely. Soon enough, he was at her again, and she relegated the mystery to a part of her brain not currently having fun beneath Reg on the sofa. She arched her back as he eased a hand beneath her torso, feeling him fumble at the hooks of her bra. They eventually unfastened and she felt the material go slack, lowering her body as his hand came around and lifted the scrap of satin from her chest and arms.
When he leaned over to kiss her again, she lowered her hands around his body and reached for the buttons of his tunic, loosening each and feeling the soft, worn material brush the tips of her breasts as the shirt fell open. Eagerly she parted the front and pushed it back along his arms, curious to see what he looked like beneath it; all he ever wore were long-sleeved and high-collared uniform jackets. The tunic finally fell to the floor, and she ran her palms over his chest and stomach, feeling more of the same soft hair she’d seen peeking out of the top of his shirt. She was surprised, too, at the hardness of muscle there; she’d assumed since he was middle-aged, he would be softer than that, but apparently running all over Command and climbing around her old ship kept him in shape.
He eased down against her, and she sighed pleasurably as their skin made contact, sliding her palms around to his back and marveling at the slender muscles there, too. She kissed into his shoulder. “Reg, you are absolutely gorgeous,” she mumbled into it.
He was kissing her temple when she said that, and closed his eyes in a wave of tenderness. No woman had ever told him that; in fact, nobody had ever made him feel as special, as wanted, as Kathryn was right now. When he didn’t do anything for a few seconds, just savoring her comment, she stilled her hands. “Are you okay?” He nodded, and she kissed his jawline. “You sure?”
Pulling back, he only smiled mysteriously and reached for the inside of the bowl, withdrawing a medium-sized strawberry. He placed the large end between his teeth, then lowered his mouth to hers, prodding entry. She parted her lips and he slipped the berry inside, just enough so she could taste it with the tip of her tongue. Shrewdly, he withdrew it after a few seconds, then lowered it again, waiting until she was nibbling at the very tip this time. He fed her several minuscule bites this way, before she was eating into his share of it. At that point, he bit it in half and let her take one to chew and swallow. Then, he shared the remaining bit with her, both of them nibbling at the fruit — and each other’s lips — until it was gone.
“Tasty,” she pronounced, her eyes flashing with desire. “Got any more?” They disposed of a couple more this way. The fourth one, he let her bite off half, then plucked the rest of it from his mouth with his hand. Gingerly he lowered it to a nipple, swirling around it and letting a little of the red juice trickle out before lowering his mouth to lap it up.
Kathryn gasped and arched her back into his mouth. “Ohhh ... oh God, baby ...” She couldn’t find the words to describe her pleasure, since she’d never had an experience like this before. It was as though the lack of numerous bed partners in her lover’s past had drawn his imagination into sex out of necessity and she was reaping the benefits of so many other women passing him up.
He finished his ministrations with that berry and popped the remainder into his mouth, then reached up to kiss her with juice coating his tongue. Kathryn seized his head in her hands and sucked at his lips and tongue like a woman possessed, wanting to taste him through the berry’s sweetness, her fingers plunging into his silky hair and clamping him close. “I think you like that,” he murmured, looking a bit dazed, when she released him.
She swirled her tongue around the circumference of her parted lips, seductively, for him in response. He arched a brow and grinned triumphantly. “Oh, I know you like that.”
“More?” She regarded him through heavy-lidded eyes, making maximum use of her long lashes.
He accommodated her with three more berries, by the end of which she was writhing in heat. She wanted him now, and for the first time since this had started, she paid heed to the moisture between her thighs. Lifting her knees to either side of him as he nuzzled her throat, she ran her hands down his back and cupped his high, round ass, pushing it not too subtly downward. “Now,” she panted, kneading her fingers into his flesh through the slacks.
Lowering a hand to her side, he ran it back along her hip and thigh, sliding his fingers beneath the hem of the skirt and up along her leg. It was muscular, yet smooth as velvet to the touch, and he lifted himself enough to ease the hand under her skirt and between her legs. Stroking tentatively at the juncture of her thighs, he felt damp material, silky and hot. Easing a finger inside, he slid it down along her clitoris and the swollen folds of flesh surrounding the bud, surprised by how slick she was. “Do ... I really make you this hot?” he asked in wonder.
She nodded hastily, her nerve ends screaming for release as he played with her idly, mulling that over. “I do,” he repeated as if surprised, and Kathryn blinked, finally coming to the conclusion there was more at stake here than getting laid, for him.
And for her, too. The thought made her reel.
She swallowed, then rasped, “Reg?” He focused on her as if he’d been in a trance. “Please finish undressing me, okay? I want you, now.” She hoped her eyes conveyed her urgency.
“Oh ... right.” His fingers skated over her underwear to the waist and worked them down as she lifted her hips, then he gave a gentle tug to get them down along her thighs. He sat back on his knees and worked them off one leg, then the other, and dropped them to the floor with the rest of their clothing.
Kathryn pushed herself to a sitting position to face him. She was messy and unkempt, he noted, but God, was she hot! He watched as she reached for his waistband and unbuttoned the top catch, then unfastened the fly. He swallowed nervously as she eased her fingers inside and curled her hand around his erection through his shorts, kneading gingerly, making him close his eyes. A small groan left his lips, and he pushed her back suddenly, wanting what he’d never had in all his life — the feel of a woman curled around him who wanted him as opposed to a warm body or an accommodating date willing to pay for everything.
She gasped into his mouth, hot and gently bruising, as he did something with his own pants, then hiked her skirt up, bunching it around her waist and easing his hands beneath her hips to tilt them at the proper angle. Within a few seconds, she felt the first brush of his penis at the entrance to her body, and gasped as the shock wave ran through her. “Reg,” she whispered, weak with wanting.
He took a little time even though his body screamed at him to hurry, and was finally rewarded with Kathryn, hot and wet and tight, sheathing him as he eased in partway, then forded the remaining few inches to the hilt. “Kat ... sweet Jesus ... oh, hell, you feel so good,” he groaned between her lips.
She swallowed, her mouth dry, unable to formulate words at the moment. He’d taken her by surprise, filling her more than she’d expected. Maybe it had just been so long that she’d forgotten how it felt, how truly uncomfortable the invasion was at first with someone new. But when he withdrew a bit and started moving, she closed her eyes and a large smile spread across her, giddily. She hadn’t been wrong; the boy was well-blessed. Hmm, this is going to be interesting, she mused.
Soon the initial discomfort passed, and she hooked her legs around his hips, moving with him at a comfortable pace, her arms curled around his torso. She ran her palms over his back, feeling the muscles shifting and sliding in the manner of well-oiled gears, and down to the small of his back. Even lower, her fingers encountered the high thrust of the curve of his ass. “Mmm, Reg,” she purred in her gravelly voice, “do you know how well-made you are? Too bad you can’t advertise; you’d have women crawling all over you in no time flat.”
He lifted his head to look at her through black, half-lidded eyes, his hair mussed adorably all over his head, and he grinned. “Are you sure you want that much competition?” he challenged.
Kathryn blinked, momentarily spellbound by the picture he presented right then, with the combination of him still moving inside her. He wasn’t just gorgeous; he was perfect like this. Nobody would ever know by looking at the shy engineer that he could offer so much between the sheets. And then she remembered there was much more to him — the way he’d talked her through several rough spots of late, his willingness to listen and sympathize, the intuition and thoughtfulness he’d displayed when he’d made it look to Chakotay and Seven that she wasn’t really out alone, by herself, on a Friday night. “Competition ... is healthy,” she whispered, finally, unable to look away from him. And oh, the way his chest hair curled up so perfectly when it was sweaty!
He leaned in closer again, pausing briefly. “You don’t sound convinced,” he murmured, playfully, in a husky voice.
“I’m not,” she answered truthfully. “I don’t know that I can share you, Reg. I’m a pretty possessive woman.”
His eyes widened, and he blinked. “You’d like to do this again, with me?”
Is he kidding? she wondered. “Look at me, Reginald; do you think I want you to run off and hide after this? Is that your opinion of me?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t mean anything bad by it, it’s just-”
Kathryn decided there was a time and a place to deal with his insecurities, but now was not it. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, shut up and fuck me. That’s an order.”
His eyes flashed excitement, and she was briefly panicked; she hoped he wasn’t into that dominitrix stuff. Then again, he could just be excited that he’d found a woman willing to sleep with him on a regular basis. Kathryn decided that whatever else she could say about Reg, he was definitely still a guy in some essential ways.
He’d recaptured her interest in the proceedings in record time, and she felt her own climax imminent as he changed angle and increased the speed and force of his thrusts. She nibbled gently at his earlobe at first, then began to suck on it, noticing it threw off his rhythm and distracted him a little as she concentrated on her own pleasure first. He would come first next time, she promised herself. “Ohhh, baby,” she moaned, clutching at him with short fingernails, undulating beneath him. “God, make me come ... that’s it, oh, you’re good ...”
And she did, finally, seizing up under his body and shuddering with each additional thrust it took for him to complete his part of the act, during which he called her name, grinding it out between his teeth as he grunted in satisfaction.
“Oh, damn.” He rested in her arms, breath still coming raggedly, shallowly. “Oh, Kathryn ... should’ve had more practice. You’ll wear me out.”
She planted a kiss on his forehead and smiled devilishly to herself. “Now, I’m kinder than that, Reg,” she admonished. “But not much.” To herself, she added, I am going to enjoy this, and him, for as long as it lasts. She had no idea how long that would be ... and part of her was afraid to find out when it might end.
Part 5
They hadn’t spoken in several days, and despite her resolve to hash things out with him, she had yet to genuinely take steps to do so. As she stood there and considered, he looked up and around as lone people are wont to do in public places, and happened to cast his eyes in her direction. She saw them widen briefly in surprise, then drop back to his menu. Clearly he had given her leave to do as she wished ... which rather annoyed her. Why didn’t he initiate a conversation? If he’d been as good with speech as with his kissing, this stalemate would’ve ended long ago.
Before she could make up her mind, she felt a hand on her arm. “Kathryn?” She turned to see her former first officer grinning in recognition, his other arm around a familiar woman’s shoulders. “We thought that was you from the back, though out of uniform it’s hard to tell sometimes,” he joked, gesturing at her outfit.
Kathryn glanced down at the straight beige raw silk skirt — she was wearing an awful damn lot of skirts lately for some strange reason — she’d donned and the ocher long-sleeved blouse with matching flat sandals. It was okay, but nothing compared to the lovely low-cut black form-fitting pantsuit Seven was wearing. Her hair was left loose tonight, but pulled back away from her face. She felt twice the girl’s age — which she almost was. “How are you two?” she smiled, trying to ignore the tiny flare of jealousy that sparked up anytime she thought of the two of them together.
“Just stepped out for a bite to eat.” Chakotay wasn’t looking bad himself, in tan slacks and a light green shirt. “I remembered you talking about this place so much that I told Seven we had to try it.”
Kathryn looked back at the younger woman, who seemed uncomfortable and was doing her best to hang back. She’d seemed a bit lost at times since having her Borg emotion inhibitor taken out, as if she no longer knew just how to react to things around her. But she was fairly certain she was the cause of Seven’s current unease; the woman hadn’t been entirely blind to her captain’s interest in Chakotay and had not exactly jumped in with both feet when he first started wooing her, uncertain how to handle such a thing without breaking a friendship with the woman who had rescued her from a dismal fate with the Borg.
The captain took pity and reached over to briefly squeeze Seven’s free hand. “How’re you doing?” she asked with genuine friendliness.
Her effect was immediate. Seven relaxed a bit and nodded. “Well,” she answered, still somewhat formal in her speech. “And you, Captain?”
She toyed with the idea of telling Seven to just call her by her name now, but she’d realized long ago some of the crew were only comfortable thinking of her in a position of authority. She’d save it for another time. “Pretty good. Catching up on my back history, as usual. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever manage it.”
Chakotay motioned toward the seating area. “Why don’t you join us, Kathryn? We’ve never been here before and you could undoubtedly recommend the best selections.”
She didn’t want to do this. She really, really didn’t want to be put in this position, of being the third wheel of a couple when she’d once been strongly attracted to half of it. Once? Opening her mouth and hoping that whatever came out would be the right thing, she was interrupted by a voice behind her. “There you are; guess I didn’t see you when you came in.”
Kathryn turned, surprised, to find Reg standing there, smiling pleasantly at her. He looked up at the other couple and feigned surprise. “Chakotay! Seven — how are you? What a coincidence!” he welcomed them, as if the restaurant were deeded in his name.
The Native American smiled wider and the blonde tilted her head in a friendly greeting. “Hey, Reg, imagine seeing you here! Didn’t know you two were dining together; we were just about to steal your date, here.”
“Well, come on, you may as well join us. I think it’s fate we eat together, since we’re all here at the same time.” He hung back and let Kathryn walk in front of him toward the table, then reached out and pulled her chair as she went for it herself. She glanced back at him, then smoothed down her skirt and sat, letting him scoot her in as Chakotay did the same for Seven to Kathryn’s right.
Reg took his seat and began asking questions, wanting to know what the happy couple had been doing with their accumulated shore leave. He glanced at Kathryn sideways at one point, and she mouthed a silent “thank you” at him. He nodded imperceptibly and shifted his eyes back to what Chakotay was saying.
While they talked, Kathryn noted little things about Reg, such as the long-sleeved dark blue tunic he wore, buttoned over subtly on the side, the sleeves pushed up. From the three-inch V at his neck and his forearms, she cataloged the light smattering of hair against his slightly-tanned skin. This surprised her; where had he been to tan? Or was he naturally a light olive color?
When the waiter came, they paused their conversation to listen to the specials, then took turns figuring out which they would each order. “So, is this a date for you two?” Chakotay asked when he’d walked away to get their drinks.
“She helps me with the ship,” Reg answered for Kathryn. “We’ve been working on repairing it. We just figure we can use a night off every so often.”
The other man nodded in understanding. Then, Seven turned to Kathryn. “I’ve seen several of your interviews, Captain. You seem to have an affinity for the camera.”
She only shrugged and smiled. “They say it adds ten pounds, and that holovision packs on another fifteen.”
Seven thought this over. “I have not noticed such a phenomenon. Who says that?”
And so their dinner went on like this for a little over an hour, at which time Reg glanced at his chronometer. “Oh, I have to get going,” he apologized to the couple. “Need to be up bright and early tomorrow for the life-support systems; a technician is coming by to make a recommendation.”
Kathryn glanced and him and feigned mild alarm. “I guess that means me, too, since I have to be there to, ah, give the access codes.”
“I thought those were disabled after docking,” Seven piped up.
“Not for life support.” Kathryn got to her feet and picked up her handbag. “Too important.” She bid them farewell and strode out of the restaurant behind Reg, who’d paused briefly to thumb the payment pad before leaving.
Outside, she waited until they were a little ways from the front door before she turned to him. “A technician? That’s bullshit. No way would you let anyone else fiddle with that ship at this point.”
He shrugged. “Got us out of there. What’re you complaining about?”
They walked a bit further, and Kathryn took a breath. “Thank you for what you did back there. It was rather noble, and kept me from having to make excuses that wouldn’t have felt right, anyway.”
“That’s what friends do for each other.”
They weren’t too far from Kathryn’s house. “Reg? Why don’t you stop by for a few minutes? The house isn’t far from here, and ... well, we have something we need to talk about.”
He looked doubtful, but said nothing as he followed along. They spent the rest of the ten-minute journey in silence, until she palmed the back door and let them in through the kitchen. “Would you like some tea?” she asked.
“I thought you didn’t keep tea.” He arched a brow at her.
“I’ve stocked a little. Leaves,” she added, knowing his fondness for them. Striding to a cabinet, she pulled it open and stood aside. “Take your pick,” she declared, gesturing at the selection like a game-show hostess.
He looked over the selection at a glance. “Fix me your favorite.”
She gave him The Look. “This is me, and this is tea,” she pronounced with exaggerated slowness. “I don’t have a favorite.”
“Then why did you buy it?”
“I was hoping to have visitors.”
“An entire cabinet’s worth?”
She clasped her hands behind her back and let them drape at the base of her spine. “I’d hoped so, yes.” She cleared her throat. “Reg, I’m terrible with apologies, especially when they’re deserved. But I’m sorry I kicked you out of my home.”
He slid his hands in his pockets, clearly at a loss what to do with the apology. “I ... it’s okay, Kathryn. I understand; I do.”
She took a few steps closer, until she was scant feet from him. “But I think we still need to talk about that kiss.”
He nodded and swallowed before speaking. “Wh-What precisely about it?”
“Why did you stop?”
Surprised, he pulled his hands out of his pockets and and gestured in an I-don’t-know, while answering, “It was — it was odd. Not bad, odd; just strange. I ... sensed the direction it was heading and felt it wise to pull back and let you consider it instead.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “And I have. Considered it.”
He could tell she had something up her sleeve. “And?”
“I think it’s my turn.”
*****
Ten minutes later, Kathryn was leaning into his caress as he threaded his fingers through her hair, curling them against the curve of her scalp. His mouth was making a slow journey around her face, lightly touching everything else before finally landing on hers. She parted her lips and melted, glad she was on the sofa and not on her feet. She hadn’t expected Reg to be this thorough, but now supposed since he was so detail-oriented in his work, it made sense that it would carry over to other areas of his life. Not that she was complaining; oh, dear lord, no.
He was kissing her again, just as he’d begun to a few days ago before backing off, and she returned each one with equal fervor. “You ever think you’d end up back here tonight?” she murmured breathlessly between them.
“No.” He lowered his arms around her torso. “Figured I’d eat alone ... and go home alone ... and sleep alone.” He pulled back enough to look into her eyes. “Am I going to be sleeping alone tonight, Kathryn?”
His voice was lulling, and husky with need; his eyes, dark, almost black, deep wells of mystery and desire. She thought of him in her bed, holding her from behind, or his chest providing her a pillow as she slumbered, his skin warming hers until morning.” Not if I have anything to say about it.”
His hands — those hands, that were so skilled with mechanical repairs, that were genius with circuitry — lowered along her torso and slid up between her blouse and her skin, sending a shiver through her. “You’re so warm, Kat,” he whispered against her lips. “And soft.” A moan escaped her; he’d hit upon what had been bothering her for so long. She was afraid she no longer appealed to men because of her rank and her accomplishments.
Reg taking the initiative to kiss her the other day had been a breaking point for all her inner desires and fears to coalesce into a tangible need — the mere fact he’d done it gave her hope, because she knew he wondered at his own worth, his own appeal to women. That she had somehow broken through that barrier without even trying and he had been that overcome with passion buoyed her feminine esteem greatly.
She felt shifting and he broke the kiss, and she realized he was pulling her clingy blouse over her head. Stretching her arms upward, she helped him rid her of it, then gracefully lowered those arms to cradle his face as she leaned in for more kisses. His skin tasted wonderful, his mouth even better, and she gently stroked the slightly-stubbled texture of his chin with her thumbs.
Reg eased Kathryn back onto the two throw pillows angled against the arm of the sofa, surprised at her unwillingness to break off his kisses. She seemed to be soaking them up, inhaling each as he gave it, demanding more. He pulled back, up, and she whimpered a little. “Easy, honey, I just wanna look at you.” He took in her warm peach skin, the lacy cream-colored bra sculpted to her breasts, the delicate straps resting at the edges of her shoulders, the vulnerable depression of her clavicle. Lowering his head toward that, he lapped and nibbled gently into the shallow cup of skin. “God, you’re beautiful, Kathryn,” he mumbled.
She tilted her head back so he could reach the spot more easily, which led him to tracing kisses up along the column of her throat as first one hand, then the other, gingerly lowered her bra straps along her arms. “Wish I’d known you’d be here tonight,” she sighed, licking her lips as embers grew and began to flicker throughout her body at his touch. “Would’ve planned .... something a little more romantic. Maybe some wine, or nicer lighting ...”
Stopping, he raised himself up and looked at her. “Should we start all over again?”
“No!” She reached for him, but he pushed himself to his knees. Kathryn got her arms under her and propped herself up. “Get back down here,” she ordered.
“I have an idea. Be right back.” She watched in disbelief as he went back into the kitchen, her mouth hanging open. Well I’ll be damned, she thought. Every other male in the quadrant has a one-track mind, and I get the one who doesn’t!
He came back presently, carrying a small bowl of something or other. “I remembered seeing these the other day when I was in there,” he announced, setting it aside on the low table. Leaning down low over her, his eyes lingered on her lips, then her breasts, and back to her eyes. “Where did we leave off?”
“Slow down, Rocketman. What’s that, anyway?” She lifted her chin toward the bowl.
“All in good time,” he promised vaguely. Soon enough, he was at her again, and she relegated the mystery to a part of her brain not currently having fun beneath Reg on the sofa. She arched her back as he eased a hand beneath her torso, feeling him fumble at the hooks of her bra. They eventually unfastened and she felt the material go slack, lowering her body as his hand came around and lifted the scrap of satin from her chest and arms.
When he leaned over to kiss her again, she lowered her hands around his body and reached for the buttons of his tunic, loosening each and feeling the soft, worn material brush the tips of her breasts as the shirt fell open. Eagerly she parted the front and pushed it back along his arms, curious to see what he looked like beneath it; all he ever wore were long-sleeved and high-collared uniform jackets. The tunic finally fell to the floor, and she ran her palms over his chest and stomach, feeling more of the same soft hair she’d seen peeking out of the top of his shirt. She was surprised, too, at the hardness of muscle there; she’d assumed since he was middle-aged, he would be softer than that, but apparently running all over Command and climbing around her old ship kept him in shape.
He eased down against her, and she sighed pleasurably as their skin made contact, sliding her palms around to his back and marveling at the slender muscles there, too. She kissed into his shoulder. “Reg, you are absolutely gorgeous,” she mumbled into it.
He was kissing her temple when she said that, and closed his eyes in a wave of tenderness. No woman had ever told him that; in fact, nobody had ever made him feel as special, as wanted, as Kathryn was right now. When he didn’t do anything for a few seconds, just savoring her comment, she stilled her hands. “Are you okay?” He nodded, and she kissed his jawline. “You sure?”
Pulling back, he only smiled mysteriously and reached for the inside of the bowl, withdrawing a medium-sized strawberry. He placed the large end between his teeth, then lowered his mouth to hers, prodding entry. She parted her lips and he slipped the berry inside, just enough so she could taste it with the tip of her tongue. Shrewdly, he withdrew it after a few seconds, then lowered it again, waiting until she was nibbling at the very tip this time. He fed her several minuscule bites this way, before she was eating into his share of it. At that point, he bit it in half and let her take one to chew and swallow. Then, he shared the remaining bit with her, both of them nibbling at the fruit — and each other’s lips — until it was gone.
“Tasty,” she pronounced, her eyes flashing with desire. “Got any more?” They disposed of a couple more this way. The fourth one, he let her bite off half, then plucked the rest of it from his mouth with his hand. Gingerly he lowered it to a nipple, swirling around it and letting a little of the red juice trickle out before lowering his mouth to lap it up.
Kathryn gasped and arched her back into his mouth. “Ohhh ... oh God, baby ...” She couldn’t find the words to describe her pleasure, since she’d never had an experience like this before. It was as though the lack of numerous bed partners in her lover’s past had drawn his imagination into sex out of necessity and she was reaping the benefits of so many other women passing him up.
He finished his ministrations with that berry and popped the remainder into his mouth, then reached up to kiss her with juice coating his tongue. Kathryn seized his head in her hands and sucked at his lips and tongue like a woman possessed, wanting to taste him through the berry’s sweetness, her fingers plunging into his silky hair and clamping him close. “I think you like that,” he murmured, looking a bit dazed, when she released him.
She swirled her tongue around the circumference of her parted lips, seductively, for him in response. He arched a brow and grinned triumphantly. “Oh, I know you like that.”
“More?” She regarded him through heavy-lidded eyes, making maximum use of her long lashes.
He accommodated her with three more berries, by the end of which she was writhing in heat. She wanted him now, and for the first time since this had started, she paid heed to the moisture between her thighs. Lifting her knees to either side of him as he nuzzled her throat, she ran her hands down his back and cupped his high, round ass, pushing it not too subtly downward. “Now,” she panted, kneading her fingers into his flesh through the slacks.
Lowering a hand to her side, he ran it back along her hip and thigh, sliding his fingers beneath the hem of the skirt and up along her leg. It was muscular, yet smooth as velvet to the touch, and he lifted himself enough to ease the hand under her skirt and between her legs. Stroking tentatively at the juncture of her thighs, he felt damp material, silky and hot. Easing a finger inside, he slid it down along her clitoris and the swollen folds of flesh surrounding the bud, surprised by how slick she was. “Do ... I really make you this hot?” he asked in wonder.
She nodded hastily, her nerve ends screaming for release as he played with her idly, mulling that over. “I do,” he repeated as if surprised, and Kathryn blinked, finally coming to the conclusion there was more at stake here than getting laid, for him.
And for her, too. The thought made her reel.
She swallowed, then rasped, “Reg?” He focused on her as if he’d been in a trance. “Please finish undressing me, okay? I want you, now.” She hoped her eyes conveyed her urgency.
“Oh ... right.” His fingers skated over her underwear to the waist and worked them down as she lifted her hips, then he gave a gentle tug to get them down along her thighs. He sat back on his knees and worked them off one leg, then the other, and dropped them to the floor with the rest of their clothing.
Kathryn pushed herself to a sitting position to face him. She was messy and unkempt, he noted, but God, was she hot! He watched as she reached for his waistband and unbuttoned the top catch, then unfastened the fly. He swallowed nervously as she eased her fingers inside and curled her hand around his erection through his shorts, kneading gingerly, making him close his eyes. A small groan left his lips, and he pushed her back suddenly, wanting what he’d never had in all his life — the feel of a woman curled around him who wanted him as opposed to a warm body or an accommodating date willing to pay for everything.
She gasped into his mouth, hot and gently bruising, as he did something with his own pants, then hiked her skirt up, bunching it around her waist and easing his hands beneath her hips to tilt them at the proper angle. Within a few seconds, she felt the first brush of his penis at the entrance to her body, and gasped as the shock wave ran through her. “Reg,” she whispered, weak with wanting.
He took a little time even though his body screamed at him to hurry, and was finally rewarded with Kathryn, hot and wet and tight, sheathing him as he eased in partway, then forded the remaining few inches to the hilt. “Kat ... sweet Jesus ... oh, hell, you feel so good,” he groaned between her lips.
She swallowed, her mouth dry, unable to formulate words at the moment. He’d taken her by surprise, filling her more than she’d expected. Maybe it had just been so long that she’d forgotten how it felt, how truly uncomfortable the invasion was at first with someone new. But when he withdrew a bit and started moving, she closed her eyes and a large smile spread across her, giddily. She hadn’t been wrong; the boy was well-blessed. Hmm, this is going to be interesting, she mused.
Soon the initial discomfort passed, and she hooked her legs around his hips, moving with him at a comfortable pace, her arms curled around his torso. She ran her palms over his back, feeling the muscles shifting and sliding in the manner of well-oiled gears, and down to the small of his back. Even lower, her fingers encountered the high thrust of the curve of his ass. “Mmm, Reg,” she purred in her gravelly voice, “do you know how well-made you are? Too bad you can’t advertise; you’d have women crawling all over you in no time flat.”
He lifted his head to look at her through black, half-lidded eyes, his hair mussed adorably all over his head, and he grinned. “Are you sure you want that much competition?” he challenged.
Kathryn blinked, momentarily spellbound by the picture he presented right then, with the combination of him still moving inside her. He wasn’t just gorgeous; he was perfect like this. Nobody would ever know by looking at the shy engineer that he could offer so much between the sheets. And then she remembered there was much more to him — the way he’d talked her through several rough spots of late, his willingness to listen and sympathize, the intuition and thoughtfulness he’d displayed when he’d made it look to Chakotay and Seven that she wasn’t really out alone, by herself, on a Friday night. “Competition ... is healthy,” she whispered, finally, unable to look away from him. And oh, the way his chest hair curled up so perfectly when it was sweaty!
He leaned in closer again, pausing briefly. “You don’t sound convinced,” he murmured, playfully, in a husky voice.
“I’m not,” she answered truthfully. “I don’t know that I can share you, Reg. I’m a pretty possessive woman.”
His eyes widened, and he blinked. “You’d like to do this again, with me?”
Is he kidding? she wondered. “Look at me, Reginald; do you think I want you to run off and hide after this? Is that your opinion of me?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t mean anything bad by it, it’s just-”
Kathryn decided there was a time and a place to deal with his insecurities, but now was not it. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, shut up and fuck me. That’s an order.”
His eyes flashed excitement, and she was briefly panicked; she hoped he wasn’t into that dominitrix stuff. Then again, he could just be excited that he’d found a woman willing to sleep with him on a regular basis. Kathryn decided that whatever else she could say about Reg, he was definitely still a guy in some essential ways.
He’d recaptured her interest in the proceedings in record time, and she felt her own climax imminent as he changed angle and increased the speed and force of his thrusts. She nibbled gently at his earlobe at first, then began to suck on it, noticing it threw off his rhythm and distracted him a little as she concentrated on her own pleasure first. He would come first next time, she promised herself. “Ohhh, baby,” she moaned, clutching at him with short fingernails, undulating beneath him. “God, make me come ... that’s it, oh, you’re good ...”
And she did, finally, seizing up under his body and shuddering with each additional thrust it took for him to complete his part of the act, during which he called her name, grinding it out between his teeth as he grunted in satisfaction.
“Oh, damn.” He rested in her arms, breath still coming raggedly, shallowly. “Oh, Kathryn ... should’ve had more practice. You’ll wear me out.”
She planted a kiss on his forehead and smiled devilishly to herself. “Now, I’m kinder than that, Reg,” she admonished. “But not much.” To herself, she added, I am going to enjoy this, and him, for as long as it lasts. She had no idea how long that would be ... and part of her was afraid to find out when it might end.
Part 5
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Date: 2007-01-15 05:10 am (UTC)I loved the “I think it’s my turn.” Absolutely perfect!
You have more, right? You said you had more. I want more!
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Date: 2007-01-15 11:51 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading all of it!
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Date: 2007-01-17 06:45 am (UTC)It's little things like this that make me giddy about fandom. (Maybe I'll finish this series after all. I just wish I could find more than one person to read it - no offense! *G*)
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Date: 2007-01-16 12:50 am (UTC)- SR
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Date: 2007-01-16 06:31 am (UTC)