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"Kathryn."
She heard Chakotay's voice clearly through the foliage, though she hadn't known he was there and was surprised he'd heard her approach. She'd been moving silently through the undergrowth trying to sneak up on the monkey; the large, hollow tree by the water seemed to be one of its hiding places, and she was determined to catch it there at least for long enough to see if she could figure out what it ate. That might tell her whether it could share the same pathogen which had infected them.
Damn, she thought when she heard her name. So much for the element of surprise. In annoyance she considered walking away, but that would be rude; Chakotay hadn't known what she was planning when she took off early in the morning with her specimen jars and tricorder, it wasn't as if he'd deliberately sabotaged her efforts. She barely spoke to him on the days she got moving early, though she felt twinges of guilt as she wolfed down the breakfasts he made for her, leaving him alone to do whatever it was he did when she was off working. Since he'd finished the bathtub, he'd had several other projects -- high-backed chairs, some cooking utensils -- but she really didn't know how he spent his time alone in the woods so often.
"Kathryn," he said again, a little frantic-sounding, so she moved quietly around the tree to where he would be able to see her. She could tell he was working on something, sawing or sanding a piece of wood, his arm was moving in a hard steady rhythm which made the hollow tree sway. He wasn't looking in her direction; he appeared to be staring at the sky, his head back, though his eyes were closed. She opened her mouth to speak just as she got a clear glimpse of what he was doing.
She almost shrieked. She was desperately grateful that she managed not to, not only because she would have embarrassed the hell out of him, but because it would be so humiliating to scream like a frightened virgin...she did gasp a little too loudly, but absorbed as he was in the task at hand, he didn't notice. She stepped back quickly, not so far back that she couldn't see. If he noticed her there, she wanted to make sure she knew about it. She couldn't have him thinking that she watched him, certainly she wouldn't watch him, as soon as she was sure it was safe to retreat she would stop watching...
His ass was resting on a small outcropping where a branch had broken away, old splintered wood that would have been a menace had his pants not been protecting him. They were open only in front, shoved down partway, both of his hands inside -- one in his underwear, the other pumping quickly and evenly up and down the shaft. Feet spread, material straining around the knees. The hand she couldn't see might have been stroking his testicles or probing his anus. He was big -- not the biggest she'd ever seen, but thick and firm like the things he built and the fruits he brought for her to eat while she worked, a welcome distraction. She felt her mouth water, and was ashamed.
And he was calling her. She studied his face -- eyes closed, lips parted and round. What was she doing to him in his fantasy? She wasn't sure whether she wanted to know, nor whether to be appalled or flattered. Mostly appalled, but if he was fantasizing about her even though she was after all the only woman he was ever likely to see in his life, let alone get lucky with, the attraction must be very strong.
She found that she had stumbled against a tree, and leaned on it for support. There was a knot in the wood just at the level of her pelvis. Barely conscious of her actions, she pressed herself against the bump, wrapping her legs slightly around the tree trunk. She knew she should go, but she was terrified of making noise leaving. And also terrified of staying. He had stopped uttering her name, was groaning inarticulate syllables now, bending forward a bit at the waist. He had to be close to release -- the swollen head was purple and shiny, his mouth wide open. Her knees went weak at the thought that within moments, he would spray his seed over the ground. She knew then she would not leave before she watched him finish.
She raised one arm against the tree and locked her mouth in the bend of her elbow so she wouldn't cry out herself. Rolling her hips, rubbing into the tree, she felt a quick spasm deep within her, then a slow, wet ache spreading through her loins. Chakotay was gasping, eyes clenched shut, practically doubled over before his knees locked and he straightened abruptly. He spurted into the air with a roar, both hands holding his cock, she was surprised at how far he shot and how many separate spasms there seemed to be, and how thick the fluid was that dripped down over his fingers. Oooooooggghhhhhhh...
She pushed back from the tree, trying to look behind her for obstacles and keep her eyes on him all at once. As soon as he was out of her line of vision, she turned and fled. He might have been able to hear her at that point, but he wouldn't know she'd gotten close enough to see him. She didn't stop until she'd gotten to the toilet and locked herself in.
It had been a long time since she'd deliberately touched herself anywhere but in bed, with the covers pulled up to her chin -- even on the ship she'd had a vague fear of being watched. She sat on the floor, back against the door to the sonic shower, legs spread wide, using both hands. The lock on the door could be overriden with a single voice command. If he decided he wanted to come in, maybe in haste to wash his hands, or if he knew she was inside, he'd be right in front of her before she had time to stop or even cover herself. In her imagination the door opened and she looked up into his eyes going wide, taking her in...
She came harder than she had in months, possibly because of the position she was in but she knew better. Her head banged into the shower door as her bottom jolted off the floor. It went on for a long time, and when she finished she had to rest her head on her arms until the room steadied. She could smell her hands and thought they were making her slightly nauseous, but she couldn't stop from studying her fingers, stretching the viscous fluid thin between them. Finally she got up and washed them over and over, splashing water on her burning face.
She went out to the bug traps and began to work, digging ferociously in the soil. She deliberately got dirt everywhere--all over her hands, her face, in dark smears on her dress. When they'd decided to forego uniforms, she realized that most of the civilian clothes she'd brought on this mission were dresses, except for really ugly exercise outfits. It had not escaped her attention that he liked to look at her in dresses. Of course it had not escaped her attention that he had liked to look at her in uniform, also. Going back to that wasn't likely to increase formality between them; he might even think she was playing a game.
Damn. What had she expected, left alone with him, a man she already suspected was attracted to her? In some ways it was a relief to be stranded with him. Unlikely as he had been to make a pass at her on her ship, he was even less likely to pressure her now, when she was the only friend he would ever have. He was hers, forever, in whatever way she chose...
A loud screech made her jump, and she nearly screamed for the second time that day. It was the monkey, leaning against a nearby tree. Its back was arched in a way that comically resembled Chakotay. Like an idiot, she felt herself turning scarlet. The monkey opened its mouth and bobbed its head as if it were laughing at her, then screeched again and scampered up the tree.
"Damn. Sorry," a voice from behind her said. making her whirl. "I didn't mean to scare him." Chakotay grinned at her. "Catch anything this morning?"
"I...no! I didn't!" she stammered, still blushing as he looked at her quizzically. Leaping to her feet, she backed up a few paces while he walked toward her. "I caught just the usual monkeys, I mean bugs..."
"Kathryn, are you all right?" His voice was concerned, but he also looked a little amused. "You sound lightheaded. Let me make you lunch." He reached out a hand for her. She started to take it, wondered whether he'd washed...she jerked her hand back. He raised an eyebrow.
"I'm filthy," she explained lamely. That, at least, was true. He ran his eyes over her soil-streaked face and clothes.
"So am I." He took her hand without waiting for permission this time, and her stomach fluttered. She was tempted to take his hand and put it on herself, enjoy the look of shock on his face, then the jolt when she grabbed him with her own freed fingers...they clenched convulsively around his palm. He raised an eyebrow again as he led her back to the shelter, staying close enough to catch her if she stumbled. She made sure that she didn't, because she knew that if he got his arms around her, she wouldn't be able to keep her hands off him.
At lunchtime, she had trouble swallowing her food. Chakotay kept tilting his head, studying her face, but she couldn't make herself meet his eyes, which crinkled with warmth whenever she looked in his direction. Several times he asked her whether she felt all right, and she nodded and changed the subject. When they finished eating, he announced that he was going to do laundry, so she surreptitiously watched as he scrubbed his underwear. They had decided it made sense to wash things by hand, rather than wasting replicator and recycling energy. Still, the enthusiasm with which he rubbed his clothing up and down a washboard, the vigor with which he wrung out the damp material...she felt jittery again, and hid from his gaze.
She followed him for two days. Down to the river where he stripped and went swimming, into the woods where he hummed while dragging logs, over by the waterfall where he washed with his hands all over his body -- he didn't stroke himself to orgasm, but he did relieve his bladder on the rocks, hand on his penis, and she was horrified at how arousing she found it to watch. What kind of pervert was she turning into?
On the second evening when she sat in tepid water in the bathtub, hoping the soap would dry out her seemingly endless moisture, he stuck his head outside and told her he was going to go for a walk. She practically shrieked for him to wait for her, said she'd come with him, and when she did join him -- hastily dried and dressed -- she was sure his face was tinged with suspicion. That night she locked herself in the bathroom again, but couldn't quite get over the edge. After half an hour of frustration, with both her hands soaking wet and her rear end getting sore from pressing into the floor, a knock on the door scared her out of her wits. She banged her head hard into the door of the sonic shower...an unmistakable sound.
"Uh...Kathryn? I'm sorry to bother you, but there's something out here you really should see," Chakotay's amused voice traveled in to her.
God, he knew. Well, she was going to have to come up with some appropriate revenge...don't give him the satisfaction, she told herself. "Coming," she called, and wanted to die when her voice cracked. Just walk out with your head up. She hadn't worn any underwear beneath her robe, she didn't even bother to wash her hands...she opened the door and walked out, stopping in astonishment at the sight before her.
The monkey was sitting in the open doorway of the shelter, holding its tail in one hand. It bobbed its head up and down and screeched, bouncing on the balls of its feet. "What do you think it's trying to tell us?" Chakotay asked seriously, though his eyes twinkled at her. She was paying more attention to the little primate than to him. It was practically inside their home! She reached to grab some fruit from a bowl on the table, reaching it out to the animal. It made a jabbering noise and then leapt, grabbing the sweet from her. The fruits were long and purple, slightly sticky where the skin had parted to let the pulpy insides burst through -- the monkey squeezed it in its palms, juice running over the floor, then it squealed and leapt away into the night.
"That little...!" Chakotay started to go after it, but the little animal was too fast for him. Kathryn couldn't reply. While the monkey had never shown any inclination to imitate her gestures of greeting, she suspected she had just seen it imitate Chakotay -- indeed, if that dead tree was its home, it apparently watched what went on over there. She giggled uncontrollably while he shook his head and reached for a towel to clean up the mess in the doorway. He wiped the floor and stared at her and finally came over, taking her hands in the towel to wipe them, too. Belatedly her self-consciousness returned and she pulled away.
"I have to wash them."
"If you're planning to lock yourself in the bathroom for another half an hour, then let me go first," he said mildly. She forced herself to meet his eyes, despite the heat rising in her cheeks. He was smiling, but his expression held a hint of challenge. "Unless you want to go in together."
"I'll just be a minute," she said hastily and raced away, scrubbing her hands and face, then retreating to her bed behind the wall while he was in the bathroom. "Goodnight, Kathryn," he called when he came out, extinguishing the lights. She lay listening to the insects, wishing he would start snoring so that she would know she was safe to finish what she'd started earlier. But the shelter stayed too quiet as she rested impatiently on her back, until finally she heard him get up and walk stealthily out the door.
She rose almost immediately, pulling on her robe. It probably wasn't safe to track him in the dark, but then he might not go far...probably just behind the shelter, or beyond the first trees. Maybe he was doing something innocent like tracking the monkey, but then why had he pretended to be going to bed? She walked out the door several steps, took a quick look around in the bright moonlight which was so much like Earth's, then screamed aloud when a pair of arms caught her from behind.
"Going somewhere?" Chakotay breathed in her ear.
"I was going to ask you the same question," she managed.
"I'm not the one who's been following you for the past couple of days." His arms relaxed their hold, so that if she had wanted to flee she could have, but not enough that she could pretend he couldn't feel her heart pounding and her rapid, shallow breathing. "I won't pretend that I'm not happy to have gotten your attention, but do you want to tell me what suddenly made me so interesting?"
"I wasn't...I didn't..." she began lamely, and realized her mistake. He was probably trained in tracking, plus he was an expert in Starfleet and Maquis surveillance, he hadn't survived this long in his life without those skills. What possible, plausible reason could she have for following him? "I wanted to know...what you were building," she tried again.
"In the river?" His tone was kind, but it still sounded scornful. She jerked away from him. "Are you lonely, Kathryn?" he asked more seriously, worry creeping into his voice.
"Of course not. Why would you ask me that?" she snapped.
"Of course not?!" He took a step toward her again, out of the shadows of the shelter. "We're the only two people on the planet. We're never going to see any of our loved ones again. Even with that monkey for a pet, how could you not be lonely?" She didn't have an answer. Indeed, it was the first time she'd seriously thought about the question. She wasn't lonely, not even at moments when she acutely missed Tuvok or her sister or Starfleet Command. In fact, she was less lonely on New Earth than she had been on Voyager since they'd been lost. "Be honest with me," he was demanding, and she had to swallow hard before she could speak.
"I'm not lonely with you here, Chakotay."
A long pause. "But you wish I were someone else."
"No. What gave you that idea?"
He didn't reply, though the answer hung between them. Because you won't let me touch you, she almost heard him say. Because you're content not to make any real connection. Because you don't love...
"It's not that. You're the only friend I'm going to have for the rest of my life, and I don't want to mess that up with..." She let her arm rise and fall, not wanting to say the word "sex." Once it was spoken aloud, she knew it would happen -- like a conjuring, saying it would cause it to manifest. Before she had come up with an appropriate alternative, he interrupted her.
"You don't want me." His voice was flat, not bitter but resigned, which was somehow worse. "It's all right, that's not something you can force."
"It's not that, either." The night felt colder; she wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head so he wouldn't see her eyes filling with tears. "I just...can't."
"I'm going for a walk, Kathryn, I need some space to think." Chakotay didn't sound as upset as she'd thought he might, but he did sound confused. "Don't follow me, OK?" He flashed a grin at her, then headed behind the shelter towards the trees.
She went back inside, dropping her robe on the floor near her tiny bed. The tears still threatened, but she fought them back. She wanted to follow him -- she wanted to apologize, and grab him, though she also panicked at the thought of doing those things. What was she so afraid of? It wasn't like she'd never been in love, or never made love, though she'd never had this terrified flutter in her gut -- she'd known perfectly well she wasn't in love the first time, and when she'd thought she was in love, it had never come with this sharp burning lust that made her want to possess her lover every moment. Why was it so much worse alone with him...a man who could never abandon her, would never betray her, who fantasized about her even though he had her all to himself in every meaningful way? Well, every meaningful way but one.
It hit her that he'd never even said that was important to him. Never touched her inappropriately, never made suggestions, and apart from some harmless glances at her in a towel and in her clothes, never given her any indication that sex really mattered. If she hadn't stumbled across him, an event she was far more obsessed with than he was, she might never have known that she was the one in his thoughts. He was just going about his business, taking care of his needs in the most convenient manner, not even complaining when she moved in on his private territory. She was behaving monstrously...well, that was going to stop, right now.
She knew she was too jittery to sleep. It occurred to her to lock herself in the bathroom again, but she didn't really need to do that...he wasn't in the shelter, nobody was going to see her. She pulled her nightgown off and dropped it on the floor on top of the robe. If he didn't feel guilty about imagining doing it with her, then she could take the same privileges...she conjured her first sight of him with his hand on himself, and the terrific jolt that had shaken her body. She'd been so afraid he would discover her watching...really she would have been more embarrassed than he would, he would have laughed at her mortification, he didn't take it so seriouslly. How hard it must have been to give her time to work through things when he knew she was following him. Probably he was mystified by how seriously she took a normal physical activity. Her body started to relax as she gave herself up to the humor of the situation...
WHAM! Something landed on top of her, right on her belly. She screamed at the top of her lungs, shoving back with all her strength. That bastard! Except of course it wasn't Chakotay. He would never sneak in and attack her...and whoever was on top of her didn't weigh nearly enough...she scrambled off the bed, still screaming, tripping over her robe. Around the partition, she crashed into a table and sent something spilling over the floor, making a terrible clatter. A high-pitched shriek assaulted her ears and she grabbed the nearest object, threw it in the general direction of her attacker. Vidiians who'd found them? Animals they hadn't yet discovered on this planet? She screamed once more, and the lights came on suddenly as Chakotay bounded through the doorway, his expression utter panic until he saw the culprit.
It was the monkey. It leaped off her bed onto the top of the partition, screeched again, and flew past them out the door. It must have gotten inside, looking for more handouts, while they were out there talking. Chakotay's expression wavered between outrage and amusement, then he looked over and saw what she wasn't wearing. That did it. Hysteria won out, he sank to the floor laughing out loud.
She threw one arm across her breasts and used her other hand to cover her pelvis, but she knew he wasn't laughing at her. Her heart was pounding, breath in gasps, her throat hurt from the screams. She sat down in a ball a few feet away from him, reflecting that it couldn't get any worse than this. Chakotay shoved himself to his feet, marched behind the partition which separated her bed from the rest of the shelter, and came out with her robe, dropping it over her. She shrugged into it, more self-conscious getting dressed in front of him than she had felt stark naked a moment before.
"Well," he said when he had finally stopped laughing. "What do you suppose that was all about?"
"The next time I see that monkey, I'm going to spank it," she threatened. They stared at each other for a moment, then both doubled over laughing. He caught her hand in his as she belatedly realized that her fingers were still damp. Well, too late to do anything about that now. His expression grew serious as he pulled her toward him, then gave her a long, tight hug that crushed her against his chest.
Her groin quaked as it came into contact with his thigh. He was already starting to release her, but her arms locked around him of their own accord. She felt him hesitate, then return his hands to her back, stroking hesitantly upward until her hair fell over his fingers. For some reason the adrenaline rush hadn't blocked the hungry ache which had been coursing through her since the moment before the animal barged in. Her breathing quickened, she swayed against him. Pounding against her ear, his heartbeat seemed to grow louder.
"Did you ever think maybe we could just do it together instead of both doing it alone?" he asked hoarsely.
"You mean...spanking the monkey?" They dissolved into quiet laughter again, not looking at one another. "I don't know if I can. I think that if you and I, you know, it would not be just fooling around..."
"Why is that a problem?" He was trying to meet her eyes now, and she couldn't turn her head up because she knew that if she did, she would kiss him and it would all be over, no going back. "We're here together for the rest of our lives. I can't figure out if your objections are personal or moral or just pride. Kathryn, I thought for awhile that all you wanted was to get back to Voyager, but you never even talk about Voyager anymore. I know you're defensive, but I'm not sure what you're defending against."
She knew he was right: she was overreacting, but it had been so long, so long since anyone had held her like this...if she was this close to the edge just touching him, just watching him, and if he could see through her this easily without any more intimacy than they shared now... "You scare me," she managed to tell him. He laughed aloud.
"I scare you. Do you want to tell me what I've done that could possibly scare you? I've kept my distance as much as I'm able, I haven't pushed anything except maybe to get you to enjoy life here. Do you think I'm going to start taking advantage of you if we get any closer?" He took a deep breath and stepped back. "You never had a chance to define your parameters. What are they?"
She felt her face warm and tried to gather her thoughts. "Chakotay...we're friends, aren't we?" She glanced at him briefly.
"I'd say we're pretty good friends."
"I think I can be happy here with a friend to share it."
"Go on." He waited.
"I would have felt as though I were abandoning Voyager if I hadn't concentrated all of my efforts on finding a way for us to continue with the ship and crew. I couldn't even think about staying here permanently, it was like a physical pain to think of them on their way home without us. That changed." She cleared her throat and stepped back to look at him, thinking fast. "I care about you, Chakotay. You enrich my life, you offer support even when I won't admit I need it - not to mention the fact that you feed me." She smiled briefly before continuing. "I value your friendship and I don't want...I'm concerned that if our relationship became...intimate, it could spoil this." She held her breath, waiting for his reaction, moving her palm restlessly against her hip.
"Well. That sounded...rehearsed." He grimaced at her discomfort.
"It wasn't. It was honest. It wasn't everything, but I'm not like you, I can't just blurt out whatever I'm feeling."
"Especially if you won't even admit it to yourself. Kathryn, do you really think that if you give in to physical desire, suddenly you can't be friends with someone? Do you think that if we ignore what we feel, those feelings will just go away?"
He was right, of course. She'd trusted him with her ship and crew, for God's sake; why did she have so much trouble trusting him with her feelings? On the ship, with duty and the crew in the way, she'd been comfortable with the tension between then; her sense of his feelings for her had gotten her through some lonely, painful nights. Here, where they were alone, solely dependent on each other, where they could explore and enjoy learning about each other, the possibilities overwhelmed her.
She lifted her face to look directly into his eyes. "I don't know, Chakotay. I do know that a lifetime without a friend would be intolerable." She looked away for a moment, then felt a slight grin lift one corner of her mouth. "Of course, a lifetime without sex could be...awfully tense."
Chakotay's eyes widened as he choked, then threw his head back and laughed. "Kathryn Janeway, you frustrate the hell out of me, but I know life with you is never going to be boring." She felt heat rise in her cheeks, watched Chakotay watch her. "You're blushing," he informed her.
"Captains don't blush."
"Oh?" Chakotay's mouth quirked and he brought one finger gently to her cheek and traced it down her jaw and the side of her neck. He continued the caress across her collarbone and down the edge of her robe. "Do you blush all the way down, Kathryn?"
"Chakotay!" He dropped the hand, grinning mischievously at her. "Thank you," she said pointedly. "...for making me laugh, among other things." She used her sternest Captain's look, one eyebrow raised, looked directly into his laughing eyes and brought her mouth up to his. She'd intended just to kiss him goodnight and vanish behind her partition, leave the rest to settle for a day, but when she felt his lips part eagerly, her hands moved to grip his shoulders and pull him down to her.
She proceeded to examine every contour of those lips she'd caught herself staring at so often, tasting, exploring the sensitive palate and stroking the velvet inner corners. He tasted like fruit and smoke. She pulled back to look again into his dark eyes, open in amazement, the pupils huge and black. Then he dropped his gaze, and she heard his breath catch in his throat as he swallowed.
So it overwhelmed him too. Good. He reached out to grasp her hips and pulled her to him, sliding to his knees on the floor, pushing his face against her stomach. She felt him rub his cheek against her, opening his mouth to press kisses on her belly through the robe. His hands moved around to clutch at her hips, caressing and reveling in the silky material, then he rose slowly, kissing the skin covering her collarbone. His tongue flicked out for a taste behind her ear and she let her hands clasp his head as she raised her chin to allow him access to her throat. He kissed and nibbled his way up until he was standing over her.
Chakotay moved his hands up her back to loosen her hair and combed his fingers gently through the soft strands. He held her head with both hands, gently caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. "Kathryn..." She opened her eyes to look up into his. "Kathryn, are you sure?"
She wasn't, really, at least not at this moment when she was acutely aware that she was sweating and her pubic hair was wet and matted against her skin, her cheeks were mottled, hair snarling about her shoulders. But she doubted he noticed; his eyes were only partially focused, dreamy. She stroked her hands down the sides of his face and neck to feel the carefully restrained power in his shoulders. Eyes fastened on his mouth as she spoke, "I'm sure, Chakotay."
He lowered his head to her, kissing lightly over and over until she held him tighter to keep him still. She let her tongue trace the shape of his mouth and felt a shudder go through him as she parted his lips to renew her exploration. Her pulse leapt as she felt him press one leg between hers, rubbing her against him as she ran her hands down his back. He broke the kiss to gasp for breath and nuzzled his face into her neck, moving his hands down her sides to raise the hem of her robe as he caressed back up her body. She slid her own hands around to his chest, teasing his nipples with her thumbs.
"Kathryn..." he gasped. "It's too fast..."
His eyes were squeezed shut in concentration, she had never seen him look so vulnerable. It was endearing. She slipped her hands inside his waistband and opened his pants. "We don't have to wait anymore, Chakotay." His mouth opened and he groaned into her neck as he felt her cup and stroke him. His grasping hands had managed to bunch her robe up around her hips. He ran his fingers down to her bottom, kneading as he pulled her closer to him. His right hand caressed over her hip, around her belly and lower. When he stroked further down, seeking confirmation of her words, she gasped his name and clutched his hand to her between their bodies as she wriggled against the pressure of his fingers.
He gently disengaged while she gave a small whimper of frustration, but let him lift and sweep her onto the table. He jerked his shirt over his head and flung it from him, then smoothed his hands up her body, lifting her robe off her shoulders and letting it fall back from her arms. She raised her hands out of the puddle of material to put one on the back of his neck, the other on his bare hip, pulling Chakotay's mouth down to hers while she caressed over the muscles of his backside to maneuver him between her legs. She began to move her hips, sliding her wetness along the length of him as she kissed and nibbled her way down his neck and across his shoulders, tasting his body with her own.
Chakotay dropped his hands to the table on either side of her as he leaned over, forcing her back at an angle. He nudged her legs apart with his own as he drew back his hips, bending his knees and prodding gently up. His face was flushed darkly, lips parted as he panted. She sank onto him with a groan, leaning her arms back onto the table for support as she felt his controlled thrusts pushing further and further into her, the weight of his body spreading her legs. The lights on, she had a clear view of their bodies joined, his hair dark against her pale skin. Whimpering into her neck, he surged and met her own rhythmic thrusts. She arched her back, her hair brushing the table behind her, and twined her ankles behind Chakotay's back.
"More, Chakotay..." she gasped.
At her words he clutched her hips and slammed into her, letting out a howl. She felt a rush of tenderness, nothing like the uncontrolled desire which had possessed her for the past several days, and was surprised at her sentimentality as she watched ecstasy wash over his face. That, more than the pulsing heat inside her, made her cry out and clutch him to her as she shook with the release which had been building for hours.
"Sorry," he said several moments later, when he'd collapsed against her with his nose and mouth crushed against her throat and she was wondering whether he could breathe. "That was awfully fast..."
"Two days of foreplay are enough for me." She let her legs slide down his back and groaned as the skin over her tailbone made contact with the table. "Two years, I mean. Ow."
He straightened, sliding out of her, leaving a wet mess between them which dripped onto the floor. His arms lifted from the table to encircle her. "I love you. Are we still friends?"
"We better be." She hugged him hard. Then, amused, "Was it as good as you fantasized?"
"God, yes." He stayed still for a minute, holding her against his damp chest. "Stay right here. I want to move the beds together, OK?"
"Can I go to the bathroom while you do that? I promise not to lock myself in." He returned her grin as he helped her down from the tabletop. She was back before he'd finished rearranging the furniture, so she wiped off the table and floor and opened the door to let the night breeze in. As the room filled with the sweet scent of the trees and the river, she felt deeply content.
A low whine made her turn back towards the door. It was the monkey, staring at her with an expression akin to betrayal. She began to laugh, "Chakotay, come here." He stepped around the partition, saw what she was looking at, and rolled his eyes.
"You are lucky," he announced to the primate, "that I am too happy to spank any monkeys." The animal chittered and squealed at her laughter. Chakotay moved beside her and put an arm around her waist. "Get out of here already so we can get some sleep."
She closed the door and followed him behind the partition, where he had the two tiny cots pushed together. "I'm going to have to build a bigger one," he said apologetically. "That is, assuming you want to sleep together regularly...I don't mean to be taking over your space..."
"I want to." She smiled. "Better you than the monkey, right?" He grinned irrepressibly as he held out a hand for her to join him. Lying across the two beds, with her hair spilling over both pillows, she wondered what had taken her so long.