Title: Cat & Mouse

Author: Ky (venom69)

Author’s Notes: According to Google, wikipedia and some random site, deuterium is flammable. Good enough for me. Thanks to Nancy Madore for sparking the idea with a wonderfully written piece, from which I stole the title. But she stole her story from a fairy tale, so I don't feel too bad. With thanks to Amanda, Vale & Kelly for the help.

Standard disclaimer applies. Song credit belongs to Wendy Matthews.

Date: 25/12/07 

***

I don't want to settle for a physical relation

I've just got this feeling

I could maybe get to heaven with you

If you wanted to

***

Kathryn found herself standing on opposite sides of her desk - and opposite sides of the 'law', technically - engaging in a battle of wills as she stared down the Maquis Captain before her.

They had been in the Ready Room for all of five minutes, but neither seemed inclined to sit, preferring to stand and maintain whatever advantage they could, and they were both trained to know that the perception of your stature could go a long way.

He was bigger than her, certainly, and she forced herself to remember size wasn't always everything, regardless of his attempt at using his bigger body against her, despite the desk between them. She was pretty damn certain that her will was as strong, if not stronger, than his.

She just had to prove it.

Chakotay stood at parade rest and Kathryn wondered if that was a habit he’d retained from his time in Starfleet.

She knew his file back to front, both his record from Starfleet and the file that intelligence had gathered before they’d sent her on the mission to the Badlands. She’d studied those files, and Tuvok’s weekly reports, for hours. She almost felt like she knew Chakotay already and she wondered if that was what had helped them develop a fast - if slightly rocky - rapport.

Though the words that spilled forth from their mouths - for the good of the crews, united front, survival, potentially the only humans in the Quadrant - were as diplomatic as could be expected given the circumstances, Kathryn was well aware that they were engaged in two separate conversations.

The first was the one that any outsider would have seen - two leaders in an unusual and desperate situation trying to figure out a way to keep their people alive. Two people trying to form a cohesive unit, comprised of 'enemies' that were unlikely to get along well... at least to start with. Two people with the knowledge that if they didn't make peace and leave the political preferences they held in the Alpha Quadrant to the people back home, they were, effectively, screwed.

But she knew all too well that what wasn't being said, the subtext, was the more important conversation of the two.

There was a spark of attraction between them, she knew, but they were both using that to their advantage. Kathryn wasn't entirely certain that she was using that attraction to her advantage for the sake of Voyager, or if she was just getting a thrill out of the chase, as they say. It had been a while since she'd been faced with an adversary on this level.

Perhaps, she considered, she was doing it simply in response to his actions.

He was, for all intents and purposes, strutting around like a black cat that knew he was bigger and stronger than her. The hint of a smirk that touched at his face told her that he knew he was attractive and he wasn't above using it. As though she should be flattered by the attention.

Hardly!

Likewise, though, Kathryn was the mouse in their silent little game. The smaller, deceptively so, of the contestants in the room; relying more on wits than brute strength to get her way.

She was the cunning one, the one that appeared dainty and feminine, but wasn't above trying to outsmart the big lug in front of her. She had an image of him pushing her to the desk and proving his sleek abilities and the thought made her cough half-way through a sentence as she fought against the flush that threatened to stain her cheeks.

He smirked. She ignored it.

Though, technically, she held the aces in this hand - after all, she might be short of crewmembers but she was the one with the ship, and that would get her home a lot faster than his forty odd people would with sheer will and determination - the subtle sparring was stimulating her mind in ways she'd almost forgotten were possible. She refused to think about what it did to any part of her anatomy south of her waistline.

It had been a long time since Kathryn had met a man that she was willing to consider an equal on all terms. And this man before her certainly seemed up to the challenge that she silently issued.

He wasn't backing down from the harsh glare that she had used on men and women alike. And he didn't seem fazed when her hands went to her hips and her chin jutted out a little further as she argued the semantics of a potential union between their crews.

Though, verbally, she was flat-out refusing a request he made - something about giving all of his non-trained personnel field commissions higher than they deserved as a gesture of good faith. He wasn't stupid; she thought he might have been testing her boundaries by making a request that he had to know she'd deny - Kathryn was under the distinct impression that her body might have been giving an affirmative answer to the questions he didn't voice.

Her breasts and hips were pushed out further than normal, partly from the tall posture she projected and partly as a way of enticing. Her voice didn’t sound quite like her own anymore, either; it was softer, delicate, feminine. Perhaps to play the ‘mouse’ role to the best of her ability. Perhaps not.

It was exhilarating to know that she could still 'play the game', as it were, though somewhat disconcerting at the same time. The fact the he was attractive - though she only admitted that to herself grudgingly - only seemed to help matters. Or hinder them, depending on the point of view.

If nothing else, it would be an interesting trip home.

***

In exactly eight hours, he was going to find himself under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway, leader of the - now - lost USS Voyager.

In eight hours, he was going to don the Starfleet uniform that he abandoned so long ago and he was going to conform to their principles and protocols and he was going to call her Captain and he was going to do his damndest to make the Maquis fall into line.

He would support her decisions, try to make her life a little easier and he planned to break the nose - or any other body part - of anyone that fucked that up for him. He would be the model of an XO on a Starfleet vessel. In eight hours.

Until then, however, he was free to do as he pleased.

At the time of their ‘negotiations’, Chakotay hadn’t known exactly why he had requested the night off, for want of a better term, before donning his new uniform. 

It would have been just as easy for him to make the transition from Maquis Rebel to Model - sort of - Starfleet Officer right away. But her cheeks had flushed - only briefly - when he had made the request, and that alone had given him several ideas as to how he could spend his free time.

The impromptu request that he’d made, coupled with her reaction, had also confirmed that he hadn’t imagined everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours.

But it wasn’t the Caretaker or the Ocampa or the Kazon or the change in Quadrants that had made his centre of balance wobble precariously, as one would have anticipated.

No, it was a 5”5’ redhead that had a tendency to put her hands on her hips while her blue eyes flashed with varying emotions.

The entire time they’d worked together to rescue B’Elanna and Kim had been a prelude to something. He hadn’t known what, at the time, but their meeting in her Ready Room and the subtext that had flown back and forth between them had told him more than enough.

They’d held two conversations in that room - verbal and silent. The verbal one had been securing the lives and futures of his crew, while the silent one had sealed his own, more personal, fate.

I will have her, a voice from within had whispered, and Chakotay hadn’t been inclined to feel displeasure at that thought, or the mental images that had accompanied it.

He was naturally attracted to tenacious women - his track record in relationships had taught him that - but he strongly suspected that Kathryn Janeway might just top the lot.

It had been a long time since he’d met a woman that could be considered a true equal.

Chakotay wasn’t conceited, not in the slightest, but over the years he had found that even the strongest of women had, eventually, bended to his will in one form or another. He didn’t want that, especially not from this fiery woman. He wanted a permanent equal. He wanted the challenge; he wanted the satisfaction of the chase without the disappointing long-term results that had become so frequent with his past lovers.

He wanted her.

And he had the distinct feeling that everything up until this point had been some form of unique foreplay between them. Interesting.

Yes, he was going to see where this could possibly lead... as long as one of the potential destinations wasn't the brig.

If nothing else, it would be an interesting trip home. 

***

Chakotay was fairly certain that this was a bad idea.

He wasn't doubting her attraction to him, or their mutual desire to see where their chemistry could lead, but if it all went south - in the bad way - then they were going to be stuck together for an extremely long time.

It was bad enough knowing that he already had an ex-lover on board, he wasn't sure he could handle having two. Much less his boss, for want of a better term. Or this woman at all, regardless of her position in the crew.

By the same token, standing in front of her door for fifteen minutes while he debated the merit of his plan probably wasn't that bright, either. It'd be just his luck for some green Ensign - Harry Kim? - to walk past and assume he was planning a mutiny against the Captain.

Well... in all fairness, he was, but it was a mutiny that he was fairly certain she would enjoy.

Rolling his eyes at his own indecisiveness, he took a step closer to her door and punched in the code he had watched her enter earlier.

He may have agreed to serve on a Starfleet ship and he may have agreed to wear the uniform and uphold their principles and protocol - and he may or may not have crossed his fingers behind his back when he agreed to that one - but he wasn't going to forget that he was Maquis any time soon.

A fact that she would soon be reminded of.

When Chakotay stepped into her Quarters and the doors closed behind him, he didn't pay all that much attention to the surroundings. He wasn't interested in her furniture. What he was interested in, however, was the woman in a silk nightgown that emerged from the bedroom, her head down as she read from a PADD, clearly oblivious to the man that stood just inside her doorway, just out of reach of the sensors.

It was also clear, not only from the late hour, but her attire as well, that she'd hadn't anticipated any visitors. Her hair was hanging free from the tight bun that he had seen earlier and, though he couldn't see where it ended, Chakotay guessed that the red tresses easily fell to her waist, if not the top of her high buttocks. 

He was certainly going to enjoy this.

She would too; she just didn’t realize it yet.

At the sound of someone clearing their throat, Kathryn looked up from the PADD containing a list of her 'new' crew and their potential postings. She didn't jump, didn't let out some kind of strangled noise or make any kind of indication that she was startled, but the sight of Chakotay in her Quarters at this hour did make her frown and blink twice before she found her voice.

"Commander?" He'd only received that field commission a few hours ago.

It wasn't, technically, his title until tomorrow, but Kathryn thought that the earlier they integrated the crews, the better. Why not start at the top of the Maquis food chain?

"Captain Chakotay." He corrected easily, before a sly smile slid across his face. "At least for another seven and a half hours."

And counting... "As you wish, Captain. Can I help you?"

The way he openly looked her up and down - something that he hadn't done once, regardless of their silent conversation in the Ready Room - pretty much answered that question. She knew damn well what he wanted.

Kathryn wondered if he knew that she wouldn't give it to him willingly.

Briefly, she wondered if that would mean anything to him, but dismissed the thought as quickly as it entered her mind. She didn’t know a lot about him as a person rather than a file, but she did know that he wouldn’t force himself on her - or any other woman, for that matter. She’d seen that in the way he’d spoken with B’Elanna when she’d been in Sickbay. She'd seen it in the way he spoke to Kes. She’d seen that just from knowing him for a little over a day.

It was somewhat ridiculous that she trusted him so much, standing before him in a nightgown, but she’d trusted him with a phaser in his hand, pointed at her and set to kill, so why would this be any different?

Either way, he didn't appear to be inclined to respond to her question.

“Your uniform doesn’t do you justice. Tell me, do your young ensigns know you look like this underneath the wrinkle-free clothes and the polished boots?” Chakotay cocked an eyebrow and wondered how much it would take to make her heckles rise. He had an inkling that she’d be one of those women that looked really, really good angry. “Or is it just the stuffy Admirals back in HQ? You are a little young to be Captaining such an advanced ship. Not that I’m complaining about the view, of course.”

He mightn’t physically harm her, but he could, apparently, make her blood boil with fairly little effort. “Look all you like,” she snarled, unable to stop herself, but still well aware that he was doing just that, “You will certainly not be allowed to touch.” Her chin went up a notch in defiance. “As for my captaincy, obviously you haven’t done your homework. I earned this position and I’ll thank you not to cheapen it with your childish remarks.”

Chakotay ignored her words - for now - and took two quick steps closer to her.

Before she’d had enough time to react, he reached out and pushed at the thick straps of her nightgown - careful not to touch her skin, as ordered - until the silk started to slide down her arms. She was quick enough to catch the material with her elbows and hoist it back up with a rather ungraceful move, but not quick enough to hide her breasts from his eager eyes.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She hissed.

He laughed and bent his knees a little, as though he would be able to see up under the gown to get the full view. “You did say I could look all I want.”

Kathryn knew that his remark had sparked something within her. She was nothing if not competitive and, though he hadn’t outright issues a challenged, she felt it in her bones and she was ready with a quick retort. “I’m saving you the trouble of being turned down. I suspect your ego wont take it.” She also suspected that he wasn’t used to hearing the word ‘no’ from women, but she didn’t need to stoop to his level with comments like that.

At least, not yet.

Chakotay merely shrugged. “You want me.”

“You think a lot of yourself, don’t you?” She wanted to be completely outraged by his cavalier attitude, but the man was right. She’d known since he’d materialized on the bridge that they would end up here.

Well, not here specifically, but she’d known that the spark between them would come to a head at some point.

She just hadn’t expected it to be only a day into their 70 year journey. If this was the way that they were going to spend the rest of their voyage - hell, the rest of their lives - then 'interesting' wouldn't even begin to cover it.

Kathryn didn’t have a lot of defenses for this. It certainly hadn’t been in the mission briefing. “I'm engaged."

He didn't even raise an eyebrow. "And?"

"I love my fiancé."

"That doesn't mean you don't desire me."

"I don't." Why, yes, she thought, I will keep saying it until I believe it.

"Your nipples are hard." Chakotay clearly had as much faith in her words as she did. "And I'm willing to take a gamble and say that you're wet."

Though Kathryn's mouth opened - indignation or heightened arousal? - no sound came out in response to his overconfident statement. It would have been much easier to retort had it not been true, she mused.

"And," he continued evenly, seemingly disinterested in her silent reaction to his words. "I'm prepared to prove it."

"How do you plan to do that?" Her voice didn't waiver, but Kathryn was surprised.

She had a couple of quick mental images about how, exactly, he planned to prove her desire for him, a few of them resembling the very same mental image she’d had when they were in her Ready Room earlier. None of them helped her current situation.

"One kiss."

"Pardon?"

"I will prove that you want me with one kiss. If I'm wrong, I'll leave and we will pretend this conversation didn't happen."

"And if you're right?" Kathryn wasn't quite sure that she wanted to know.

"Then we re-define the parameters of our future entanglement."

Oh dear... "I hardly think that one kiss could-"

He interrupted her easily. "Why are you so afraid of the result?"

"I'm not!"

He took a step closer, until they were almost touching. "You're trembling."

For a split second, Kathryn cursed her technologically enhanced starship; she couldn't even blame the temperature of the room.

"One kiss." He repeated.

She suspected that she would regret it later - especially if he was able to prove that he was right, even though she couldn't fathom a way for him to ascertain that without her willingly admitting it or letting him take a look up her gown - but Kathryn closed her eyes and gave one quick nod before she could properly talk herself out of it.

She was going to nip his cocky attitude in the bud and she was going to prove to him that he couldn’t get to her and then they were going to get down to the job at hand; getting home.

Though, before they tried to climb that mountain, she was going to privately enjoy what he was daring her to take.

One kiss.

Mentally steeling herself for the touch of his lips against hers, and silently telling her body to behave, Kathryn waited.

As the seconds ticked by on her internal body clock, she could actually feel her pulse speed up to match the racing of her heartbeat as it tried to hula its way out from behind her ribs.

Her eyes were closed, face slightly upturned, lips barely parted in breathless anticipation. Though she wanted this, wanted his kiss, she would not admit it. She would not let him know that he didn't need to kiss her in order to start a storm of desire within her - his words had done a good enough job of that on their own, damn him.

She would stay stock still, completely motionless except for the breaths that left her in quick succession, let him kiss her cold lips and then claim the victory when he failed to arouse a response. At least, she would as soon as he made the final move to bring their mouths together.

Kathryn waited... and waited... and waited some more.

Just as she felt her face flush in anger and her body began to tremble with barely controlled rage - how dare he play her like this! Trick her into looking foolish and desperate for his kiss! - and was about to open her eyes and shout her rage at him, she felt it.

Not on her pursed lips though, no.

He didn't kiss her mouth, didn't touch her in the one place she had been mentally preparing to ignore for the length of his kiss… At least until later when she was alone.

No, he went straight for her neck.

She gasped aloud in spite of her resolve. She hadn't expected this. Hadn't prepared for this. She hadn't had a chance to distance herself from the sensations that traveled from his lips to every nerve ending she owned, most notably the one between her legs that throbbed and ached and pulsed loudly in response to his touch.

But it wasn't just his lips that touched her skin. Oh, no. That she would have had half a chance at shielding her senses from. She would have been able to think of something else and not let desire overtake her completely - at least, that was what she told herself.

His lips on hers was something she could steel herself against, but his tongue certainly wasn't and nor was the hand that held the other side of her neck while questing fingertips tickled the hairs at her nape under the thick locks that fell down her back.

God save her, he was going to win this. And he damn well knew it too.

Kathryn wasn't disillusioned enough to believe that she could hide all of the obvious responses of her body from him. Though his touch to her neck - her much, much too sensitive neck - only lasted for the barest of minutes, she could feel the ghost of his caress as he pulled back to look down into her, no doubt, dilated pupils.

"Kathryn." He sighed, her name neither a question nor a beginning of a sentence, merely a seductive whisper from his mouth. “Now prove your words.”

She was only mildly dazed by the desire humming through her, but she blinked in confusion. “What?”

“Take your panties off. Prove it.”

“I beg your pardon?” Why, that son of a-

“You heard me." His voice held more steel now and his tone demanded that she comply. Gone was the gentle seducer of a second ago, back was the man that knew she wanted him and was out to prove it to the point where even she couldn't deny it. "Don’t get coy now, Kathryn.”

“I-“

“Unless, of course, you aren’t wearing any…” He looked down at the general area of her crotch. “But I suspect that you are. Good Starfleet girl that you are. Take them off.”

There was no way in hell she was going to… Oh, who was she kidding?

He’d issued the challenge, she had agreed and now she was too stubborn not to follow through.

Huffing, Kathryn reached a hand up under her nightgown and tugged at the waistband of her panties, pushing them down her thighs until she could wiggle out of them.

She wasn't quite sure how she managed to do it, but the plain black cotton pooled at her feet without giving the man in front of her a chance to glimpse anything more than her knees.

It was a small victory, but she'd take what she could get at this point.

Ha!

Bending, Chakotay tapped her ankles until she stepped out of the material. Picking the panties up, he ran his finger over the evident moisture in the gusset as he rose back to full height and raised an eyebrow at her. “Now, what were you saying earlier about being unaffected?”

There wasn't anything that she could say to that. Her panties answered him without any help from her voice box. That wasn't going to stop her from trying, though. "You have no way to prove you caused that."

He looked up from his study of her panties - which was rather disconcerting to watch - to grin at her, clearly amused by her mildly feeble denial. "And your explanation would be what, exactly?"

"None of your business!"

Chakotay nodded to the sofa by the viewpoint. "Sit."

Did he just order her to...? "Pardon?"

"Sit."

He didn't elaborate on the order and Kathryn didn't think to ask again.

"Clearly you wont admit that I caused this." He held her panties up for a brief moment before tucking them into the pocket on the inside of his vest. "So I think verification is in order."

Blinking twice in confusion, she turned and moved to the sofa, perching on the edge, her body tense, waiting for his next move. "That's not possible."

"Oh, but it is. It's possible and painless."

Chakotay had followed her to the sofa and, as soon as she had rested her weight on the cushion, he sat himself on the edge of her coffee table, facing her, and forced her knees apart.

Kathryn didn't try to stop the small squeak that escaped her. "No." She protested. Then, again, with more force, "No."

Ignoring her protests, he pried her legs apart. "Afraid I'll see the truth?"

"Do you even know what to look for?" She sneered.

He chuckled. Holding one of her legs with one hand, he used the other to push her nightgown up until he had a clear view of the apex of her thighs, and the abundant wetness there among the obviously trimmed curls. "I think you'll find I do."

Kathryn gasped, but she didn't actually fight him as he looked her over.

"Now I think we redefine those parameters."

She had to clear her throat twice before she was able to answer and she didn’t even bother to deny what he could see and, oh lord, no doubt smell. "What did you have in mind?"

"I think your idea of merging the two crews holds a lot of merit." His thumb traced the shape of her kneecap and his eyes darted from her face to her crotch and back again at random intervals. "But I think you'll find that plan much more successful if you merge the leaders correctly."

"You're going to be my First Officer."

"Yes," He agreed, "But I don't think that's enough."

Kathryn swallowed roughly. "What did you have in mind?"

"Something a little more... personal, for us."

God...

It was strangely erotic to have him looking at her so intently while they discussed this. How different their initial meeting could have been if he'd demanded that she be naked on top of her desk with her legs spread for it. "Starfleet has strict regulations on the relationship between-"

"Stop." He cut her off swiftly. "I remember the regulations very well, thank you. Besides, I don't think telling me about Starfleet protocols is really going to work when we're like this."

The hand that had been holding her nightgown from obstructing his view moved just a little, settling itself on her pubic mound without actually touching the one place that throbbed and ached to be touched.

Kathryn wondered if he knew that moving his hand down just a fraction would probably cause her to have some kind of coronary.

She suspected he did.

"I'm engaged."

He smiled. She could almost believe it was a tender smile of affection. "You mentioned that earlier."

"I'm not in a position to discuss the... merging of this command structure."

"Is your fiancé on the Ship? Part of the crew?"

He knew damn well that her fiancé wasn't part of the crew, if only from the fact that her Quarters didn't show the occupancy of anyone but her. "No."

"Then, since he's not here to stake any kind of claim over you, I think you're more than free to have this discussion."

Stake a claim? What did he think she was? Property? A shuttle? Something to be had? "Now you listen to me. I-"

He rolled his eyes. "Get off your high horse. We both know you need to be controlled, if only in the bedroom."

"Oh, right, and you're the perfect candidate for that job, are you?"

He nodded to the glistening wetness between her legs. "What I see here tells me I am, yes."

“Sorry, I’m not taking applications for that job.”

He shrugged. “Then you are now. I’m the only one here and I’m happy to win by default.”

Kathryn had almost managed to forget about her less than dignified position. "What do you want?"

"You."

"Excuse me?"

"Merge the command team and the crew will follow easily. If they see us at odds, you're in for a hell of a time controlling them."

"Personnel discipline will be your department, Commander." Kathryn arched an eyebrow. "Controlling the crew isn't going to be my problem." But controlling him was certainly shaping up to be an interesting task.

"But the Maquis, your 'problem children' as it were, already respect me. They don't need me to prove anything to earn their trust or their loyalty. I already have that. You, on the other hand…" He let the rest of the sentence hang in the air, but she could grasp his meaning. She had a long way to go before the forty new people on her Ship would serve her as unwaveringly as they did him.

Even so, Kathryn raised an eyebrow, unconvinced by his reasoning. "And you think that me sleeping with you is the way to do that?"

"What makes you think I don't get off from just looking?" His gaze dropped to make his point.

Her face flushed. She'd just assumed that when he said they should 'merge', he meant... One look into his eyes and Kathryn knew without doubt that he was deliberately trying to wind her up. And she was going to fall for it.

Oh, hell.

Apparently satisfied by her response - or lack thereof, as the case was - Chakotay treated her to a full-blown grin. "So. Back to the subject at hand."

"Merging the crew."

"Merging the command team." He corrected.

They were going in circles. "What are you asking, exactly?"

Chakotay opened his mouth and had to forcefully swallow in order to stop himself from making some kind of drastic demand - like a change of 'fiancé.' She wasn’t ready for that and he supposed that he shouldn’t really be, either. "I think we'll work better as a team."

Her brow knitted in confusion. "We will be a team."

"I mean in all senses of the word."

"Oh."

"I know you want me, Kathryn."

It was time to even the score a little. "You're the one that came to me."

"Your point?"

"I think you're projecting your own feelings on to me." Kathryn took a deep breath and tried to ignore the fact that, while his grip on her thigh had loosened, she hadn't actually attempted to close her legs and didn’t appear to be in a hurry to do so. "I think that you want me but you don't want to admit it and ruin your reputation with your former crew. Need to keep up appearances and bedding the new Captain is a good way to show that, even though you’ll be second to her, you’re still in control. You need me to want you."

"Now who thinks highly of themselves?"

She was going to let that one go. "Eight hours ago, we were enemies. Now you want to get into my pants?"

"You're not wearing pants, sweetheart." His thumb dipped down just a little and tapped her clit. It wasn't much, but they both felt her thighs tense.

"Semantics," She huffed, ignoring both the endearment and what it did to her insides. "Sleeping with me now would only make the rest of our journey awkward. We do have to start working together tomorrow."

"What makes you so sure I want a one time thing?" Chakotay raised an eyebrow. "I did say we need to merge the command team. I wasn't talking about doing it temporarily, unless you were planning on dropping the Maquis off on some backwater planet halfway home."

If she'd let it, Kathryn knew that her mouth would have fallen open and she would have gaped at him in shock. "Are you seriously asking me to make some kind of long-term commitment to you?"

"You take issue with that?" He looked genuinely surprised and he knew it. Mostly surprised that he’d issued the challenge this way. He wasn’t exactly certain of what his intention had been when he’d keyed in her code, but it hadn’t been to all but marry her.

At least, he didn’t think that had been it.

"Do I take...? Of course I do!" She frowned as a thought entered her mind. "Is your cooperation on this ship dependant on my submission? Is this your price for helping the Maquis settle in to a Starfleet life?" Had he not been completely honest and up front during their verbal conversation in the ready Room earlier? Had it all been an elaborate trick?

"Dependant?" He pretended to think about it for a moment. "No. But it would make your life easier."

Never mind that she'd only known him for all of a day and a half. Never mind that he was a wanted criminal. Never mind that she had a loving, caring, wonderful man waiting at home for her. Never mind that she knew she wanted the man across from her. And never mind that they could easily be in the Delta Quadrant until they were too old to stand.

She would not be blackmailed.

Gritting her teeth, Kathryn ignored the loose grip that he still held on her thigh, drew both legs up and firmly kicked out at him, her feet pushing against his chest, until he went backwards, landing across the coffee table, the wind knocked out of him.

Chakotay glanced up at the ceiling and grinned to himself. Finally, he was seeing what, exactly, was underneath her uniform.

Now things were getting really interesting.

Looking up at her from his prone position, he had to swallow that grin. He wanted her aroused, not antagonized, and he had to smother the grin as she jumped to her feet and looked down at him; clearly taking advantage of the height difference that was, for once, in her favor. "Is that how you like it, Captain?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Automatically, her hands when to her hips as the defiant words left her mouth.

Kathryn realized a fraction too late - his darting eyes being the big clue - that it pulled the material of her nightgown tight across her breasts.

Not like he hasn't seen them already.

Chakotay rocked back a little and used gravity in motion to help pull himself up until he was, once more, perched on the edge of the coffee table. Hands moving to rest just below hers on her hips, he tugged her forward until she was between his spread thighs.

He didn’t once consider that she would try to remove his ability to father children; he knew she wanted to play first. "Why yes, I would. I'm glad we understand each other."

"No, that's not what I-" She stopped talking when one of his hands moved to her breast, lazily playing with her nipple through the fabric.

He raised an eye brow. "Not what you... what?"

"...Meant." She finished weakly.

"Let me be very clear here, Kathryn," He started. "You were right, I do want you. I can admit it. But I also know that you want me too. Don't bother trying to deny it," He said in a rush, cutting off whatever she'd opened her mouth to retort with, "Or I'll lift your nightgown again, get a mirror and show you the proof I saw."

She wasn't going to respond to that, though she did swallow roughly before she was able to encourage him to finish his thought. "Keep going."

"I don't want to fuck you and leave. You don't want that either, I imagine. It would make working together harder than it needs to be, as you said. We've got a long journey ahead of us and, as they say, it's lonely at the top."

Even with a fiancé at home, Kathryn had always known that to be true, just from the way her crew interacted with her.

She couldn't imagine what the rest of her life out here was going to be like if she was surrounded by green ensigns that couldn't form a coherent sentence around the Captain without bursting a few brain cells and a bunch of rebels that weren’t really sure they wanted to work for her.

"So here's what I think," Chakotay continued, "You can tell the crew what you like about us. I don't care if you lie to them by omission or flat out mislead them, either works fine for me. By day, I will follow your order and I will help you keep this Ship running with a goal of getting back to Earth and I will ensure that you're not faced with a mutiny in the first week."

Kathryn felt the knot in her stomach and the tightness there was second only to the tightness in the nipple he continued to manipulate. "And by night?"

"By night you will be in my bed. Or I'll be in yours. Or, hell, your desk will do. I’m open to bulkheads as well. Either way, when shift is over, you will not be the Captain around me."

Did he honestly believe she could simply switch off half of her personality and become something else? A completely different person when it was ‘night’ on the Ship? "And what will I be then?"

"Mine."

The thought was more appealing than it should have been. But she wasn't going to tell him that.

She thought, briefly, of offering him the chance to be hers, but Kathryn wasn't much into ownership and, privately, she rather liked the idea of not having to control one aspect of her life.

Of course, entrusting her nightly well-being to this man made her feel more than a little foolish to begin with, especially given their extremely brief, but extremely colorful, history.

Not to mention what Mark, her friends, family, Starfleet, would say if they ever knew. If they ever got back.

It was a pretty big 'if'.

The sobering thought made her desire evaporate and tears sting at her eyes. The reality of their situation was still too new, the wound was still a gaping hole in her side and, every time she thought about it, the truth of the matter slammed into her as though she was being run over by a starship at maximum warp.

Desire counted for nothing when she was hit with the truth.

"You'll get them home," He said quietly, the hand that fondled her breast stopping its movements, resting gently against her so he could feel her racing heart beneath the skin and bone.

Chakotay said it with such conviction that she could almost believe it. Kathryn suspected that she should have been surprised by the kindness she could read on his face, but it was only there long enough for her to glimpse it before his eyes hardened again.

"But we're not here to talk about that." He continued, the awkward moment of almost-tenderness gone.

Blinking away her tears over their situation - and her surprise at his momentary change in demeanor - Kathryn took a deep steadying breath and met his gaze head on, waiting for whatever he decided to throw at her next.

Chakotay obviously understood that she wasn’t ready to think about home yet. "I want you to admit that you want me."

"Not going to happen."

"Then I'll make it happen." He was nonplussed by her refusal. "Take the nightgown off."

She'd certainly give him credit for being blunt, even if it would leave her exposed - literally and figuratively - to him.

Kathryn knew that this would be the only way to ensure his cooperation and, right now, Voyager needed that. There was no denying that they needed the Maquis, no matter what she wanted to believe.

It wasn't all one-sided, though.

Still, while the Maquis needed them, if it came down to both groups trying to get home alone, the rebels currently on her ship had a much better chance at an alliance with a group of aliens like the Kazon than she did.

At the end of the day, politics and personal preferences aside, she would rather stick with potentially the only other humans in the quadrant as opposed to taking her chances with a group of people that had more than questionable ethics.

The Maquis certainly had their moments of ethical questionability, but at least they hadn't tried to kill her.

Yet.

Swallowing roughly, Kathryn knew that she'd made her decision.

Hell, she'd probably made it earlier in the afternoon when they had been in her Ready Room having their double discussion; it was just that, now, she was having to follow through.

She knew she was not going to run from whatever challenge he presented and that included what he so obviously had planned for tonight. But, still, she didn't like thinking with her clit and she told herself that this was all about ensuring the best way home for her crew and her Ship.

With that thought in mind, she swallowed her pride and pushed the straps of her nightgown down and let it fall to puddle around her feet. She kept her eyes focused on the door to her Quarters, refusing to look down and risk seeing some kind of disapproval in his eyes, in fear of what that would mean for - and, more importantly to - her.

It had been a long time since a man other than Mark had seen her naked. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to be scrutinized by a new partner; wondering what they thought, if they were pleased, if they were looking at the things she often frowned over in the mirror.

Resisting the urge to cross her arms over herself and cover up the bits that she - like all woman - thought needed perfecting, Kathryn forced herself to breath slow and easy.

She was not going to let him see any kind of emotion as she stood before him - be it fear or arousal.

But the minutes stretched on and she wanted to fidget nervously and she wanted to move from side to side and she wanted him to just say something and stop the paranoia that was threatening to overwhelm and crush her. But he didn't. He did nothing.

It took almost six full minutes for her to give in. He was obviously playing some kind of power game by keeping his thoughts to himself and, though she was going to surrender for this part of it, she would not let him think that his opinion mattered to her. Because it didn't. Really.

When she finally convinced herself that she was going to have to look at him - which took another good forty-five seconds - Kathryn blinked in confusion.

He wasn't looking at her body, and he was certainly at the right height to get a really good eyeful, but rather, he was staring expectantly at her face.

She wondered if he'd been watching her face the whole time.

"I could have the Maquis come here." He said idly, his eyes never leaving her face, not even once. "One by one. They could each take a good look at the woman that they're being forced to serve for the next 70 years. Like that idea?"

Kathryn felt a sound - of alarm? Disgust? Arousal? - fight its way into her mouth. She wouldn't let him hear it, though. She could see the threat for what it was and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing whatever involuntary response automatically came to her. Swallowing roughly, she shook her head and inserted the crack of command into her voice. "No."

"Not into exhibitionism?" He smiled to himself; some internal joke that she wasn't sure she wanted to know. "I figured as much." Chakotay did look down then. A long, slow, sweeping gaze of her body from the roots of her hair to the tips of her feet. It made her skin flush when his gaze lingered anywhere. “That’s OK. I’m not entirely certain I’d want to share you, anyway.”

Kathryn had to grit her teeth to fight the urge to cover herself as he thoroughly looked her over now that he felt he had her attention. “Comforting.”

“It should be. Not all of the Maquis are as… nice… as I am.”

“Nice?” She repeated with a slight snort, her hand twitching as it ached to rest on her hips in defiance. Or slap his face. Either way. “You call blackmailing me into bed nice?”

“One, you aren’t in bed.” He raised an eyebrow, his twinkling eye daring her to argue the semantics. “And two, it’s not blackmail when you want me too.”

“If that’s what you need to tell yourself…” She shrugged and tried to pretend she couldn’t feel her breasts bounce with the movement.

At least he didn’t hide his interest. “You could just admit it, you know. I saw how wet you are.”

“Involuntary reaction.” She defended easily.

“I imagine you’ll be saying that when you’re screaming for me, too.” He rested his palm flat against the slight swell of her belly and felt the muscles flutter beneath his fingertips. Chakotay stared at the contrast of their skin. “It’s not hard to see how stubborn you are.”

Kathryn was going to ignore the warmth of his touch if it killed her. “You’ve only known me a day.”

“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but ten minutes was enough to gauge that one.” He finally looked up from his examination of her stomach. “I assume your bedroom is through there?” He nodded towards the door she’d exited through earlier. “Or would you prefer it if I fuck you here?”

“You’re giving me a choice?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Seems only fair.”

Kathryn rolled her eyes. “How chivalrous.”

“I have my moments.” He grinned and, damn him, it was slightly disarming. “Your answer?”

She was tempted to tell him to use his own hand, but Kathryn had a feeling that he was planning to use his hand, just not on himself. Keeping her eyes firmly on her feet, she responded quietly, "Bedroom."

Part of her wanted to say anywhere but her Quarters - he'd probably take it a little too literally and end up screwing her against the Warp Core or something ridiculous - but there was less chance of anyone else seeing them if she didn't leave her rooms with him.

She was having a hard enough time reconciling this decision - and part of her was certain that, despite his bravado, it was her decision - within herself, let alone letting anyone else know that she was going to spread her legs to help keep the Maquis in line. Whether or not her own desire played in to the equation didn't matter in the slightest.

Standing - and blessedly pulling her from her thoughts in the process - Chakotay looked down at her.

Kathryn was painfully aware of their height difference now that little more than a few centimeters separated them and she had to tilt her neck back to meet his eyes.  Her nudity only added to his advantage and the leather of his vest brushed her nipples every time she breathed in. The half-smirk on his face told Kathryn that he was aware of that fact too.

He tilted his head to the side. "After you."

Kathryn turned and managed three steps towards her bedroom door before his voice broke the silence in the room.

"Stop."

She complied, but didn't turn around, and wondered if he just wanted to look at her from the back for a bit or if there was a method to his madness. "What?"

"What do you think would happen if I tripped the door's sensors? Do you think a crewman would be passing by at the opportune time to catch a glimpse of the Captain naked and aroused?"

She didn't respond.

"Wouldn't the look on their face be interesting?" Chakotay huffed a little in laughter as he imagined that look. "They would know exactly what is happening between us, then."

"You said I could tell them what I wanted."

"Perhaps I've changed my mind."

"Are you enjoying this?" She snapped, spinning around with her hands on her hips before it really occurred to her that she was still naked and, thus, not particularly threatening. "Do you think playing some kind of mind game with me makes you a hero?"

"No, Kathryn." He replied seriously. "But I think it drives the point home as to who is really in charge."

"I wear the Captain's pips."

"Right now you don't." He looked down to her breasts pointedly. She expected some kind of childish remark about ‘other’ pips. "And, more than that, this whole thing turns you on."

"You son of a-"

Chakotay almost grinned.

He’d been worried for a moment that she would so meekly obey him after all of their heated sparring. She’d put up the expected token fight, but he had quietly wondered if that was to be it when she turned to move to the bedroom.

But now she was angry and feisty and, though willing to give him what he wanted - which was, namely, her - she was not prepared to do so without a fight. He would not be disappointed with this woman and he would be damned before she was disappointed with him.

He had to forcibly swallow the grin. "Now, now love; watch your temper."

His condescending tone was enough to make her heckles rise and send her vision into a haze of red and, without really thinking the move through, Kathryn rushed towards him, intent only on wiping the smug look from his face.

Kathryn wasn't quite sure if she'd planned to introduce him to her right hook, slap him, knee him squarely in the balls, or tap the comm. badge she had so recently pinned on his chest and call security. She didn't expect that he could anticipate her move, given that she herself wasn’t certain of what it was meant to be.

But Chakotay blocked her easily.

When she would have attempted to disable him, he pulled her flush against him and claimed her lips with startling accuracy.

It was a relatively short kiss, but it sent her mind reeling and Kathryn managed to forget what it was she'd intended to do in the first place, assuming some part of her had known at all.

His tongue found hers easily, coaxing her to duel with him. One hand held her head at just the right angle, curling into the tresses that fell down her back; the other kept her body still while he invaded her senses. His firm grip was unnecessary; she wasn’t moving for the world.

Another thing she wouldn’t be telling him.

When he finally released her, Kathryn was panting and slightly dazed, her eyes wide as they met his.

Had he really done that? Had she really reacted like that? Or was this one of those strange dreams that was going to leave her wondering what the hell she'd eaten before bed that would cause this kind of nightmare?

Chakotay, clearly unaware - or uncaring - of her tumultuous thoughts, kissed a line from the corner of her mouth to her ear.

He kissed the light freckles that adorned her cheek, wondering why she hid them with make-up. He tasted the skin that covered her high cheekbones and nipped his way to her ear. He noticed the indent in her lobe from a piercing that she obviously didn't wear on duty and it made him smile before he licked the mark.

"What were you planning there, exactly?" He asked, his breath hot against her ear, their bodies pressed close together, the leather doing far too many interesting things to her senses. "Or were you hoping for that result?"

She didn't reply.

Her hands were busy working at the fly of his pants and she was obviously frustrated with the lack of progress. Their bodies were too close together for her to have any room to move and his grip hadn’t lessened.

Chakotay laughed. "Shall I take that as a yes, then?"

"I want this over and done with." She hissed, still fighting against a zipper that, apparently, was from some kind of garment hell.

"It's OK, sweetheart. I know you want me." He kissed his way back to the corner of her mouth, desperately trying to hide his pleasure at her burst of anger. "You'll admit it soon enough."

He didn't let her respond this time - no doubt he was aware of what she would say - and his mouth crushed against hers again.

The juxtaposition of his kiss startled her. One second he was the angry Maquis Captain, the aggressor, taking her mouth as fiercely as she expected that he intended to take her body.

He took her mouth like he owned it and, she reflected with a fleeting thought, maybe he did.

But then he kissed her sweetly, with little nips and licks to her lips that made her ache for more. He kissed her as though she were the most precious thing in the universe and all he wanted to do was lay her down on a bed of roses and make slow, sweet love to her.

It was confusing and arousing all at the same time.

Kathryn abandoned the futile task or trying to unzip his pants and snaked her hands up to clutch at his lower back, holding her to him.

She wasn’t admitting that she wanted him, she reasoned, she was simply enjoying the kiss that she was to receive regardless of how she felt. There was no shame in that. She suspected Starfleet would have argued the point, but she’d moved past caring.

Chakotay pulled back and, though his lips didn’t move, his eyes smiled their pleasure at the sigh that left her throat before she was able to police it.

Obviously content with her response, he dipped his head to kiss her again. He kissed her exactly the same way, with the contrast that left her breathless.

When he pulled away again, the sigh had upgraded itself to a moan without her permission.

He smiled openly this time. “Patience, sweetheart.”

Patience, hell! Her body was not pleased with the slow pace that he took, even if it was horrifically wonderful.

All of the verbal sparring between them had turned her on - more so than any other man had ever been able to turn her on with just words before - and her body was aching with the fire of need that had been slowly burning in the pit of her belly since they'd met. His threats and innuendos had only added kindling. His kiss, however, was the equivalent of throwing deuterium onto the pyre that was her very, very flammable body. She was burning.

It took her several minutes to realize that, as he took possession of her mouth, Chakotay was slowly walking them backwards, using the hands that held her still to guide her body. The friction between them only added to her burning state and, as they held each other close, Kathryn could feel the hard bulge rubbing against her belly with every step.

When they reached the bed, Kathryn didn't know how he did it, but he managed to lower her to the mattress in a surprisingly graceful and controlled fall, without losing contact with her lips or crushing her under his weight. She might have been impressed if she weren't so damn distracted.

Chakotay was just as impressed with the move. He'd been unsure of the logistics but he would be damned if he was going to make an ass of himself by throwing her onto the bed like some over-eager adolescent. Not that the throwing part didn't have its own appeal.

He pulled away from her soft lips and rolled to the side, one supporting his head while the other was free to explore the flesh that he'd been admiring just a few moments ago.

And he certainly had reason to admire.

She was beautiful. Not just pretty or plain, but uniquely beautiful. Chakotay opened his mouth to tell her, to whisper into her skin all of the things he knew he shouldn't be thinking, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

She looked up at him through eyes that were half-closed, pupils dilated and her breath shallower than normal. She looked very much like a woman that knew what was coming - no pun intended - and wanted it now.

But there was something she had to say before she'd get her satisfaction.

With little more than the tips of his fingers, Chakotay stroked her sides, skimming past her breasts, despite how inviting they were, and taking only a minimal amount of joy in the slightly outraged expression on her face as he bypassed every area on her body that had the potential to make her scream.

And scream was exactly what she wanted to do. Right now, more so in frustration than desire.

Despite her own denial, her body had been bordering on arousal for the better part of the day and despite her resolve not to admit to wanting him, she was quickly approaching the point where she would say anything to get him to finish her off. Or, better yet, she could kick him out of her Quarters and take matters into her own hands.

It would certainly save her from engaging in this battle of wills, but Kathryn had the distinct impression that any orgasm she achieved through her own hand would pale in comparison to the potential she saw in his eyes.

But maybe that was what he was expecting of her. Maybe he was waiting for her to tell him to get out. Or maybe he was just enjoying tracing nonsensical patterns across her skin. She didn't know and she wasn't sure she had enough brain cells to spare between the throbbing in her clit and the racing of her pulse.

"Stop thinking, Kathryn. You're going in circles and you'll give yourself a headache." His thumb swiped across her clit in one quick movement. When had his hand moved there? "Just feel."

He was right, she realized with a start. The entire afternoon she'd been thinking in circles. Thinking that she didn't want him, but was prepared to do whatever she had to in order to get her ship back. Thinking that she did want him but she would never admit it, least of all to him.

And now she was enjoying the 'task' that'd she'd avoided so much. At least, she was enjoying it a hell of a lot more now that he appeared to be slightly more inclined to make her come.

All the wasted energy seemed like a loss to her, but she was only allowed a few seconds to contemplate it before his thumb went for another pass and the circular thought that had plagued her for hours didn't seem quite so important.

Chakotay watched her eyes widened as he called her on the racing of her mind. He wondered if she knew that her eyes were quite expressive; he could almost see her trying to decide what to do.

But he wasn't planning to give her very long to think about it.

Chakotay moved his hand until he cupped her soft thigh again. "Open your legs, Kathryn."

She didn't hesitate and he had to resist the urge to grin again, even though he knew that the action wouldn't win him any favors in her books.

Gently, his fingertips resumed their exploration of her inner thighs. Chakotay wondered if she could feel that he was tracing the pattern of his tattoo onto her skin as though ink ran from his hands. And then he wondered exactly why he was doing it.

Pushing the thought aside, his hand danced across the wetness between her thighs, catching a few drops of moisture. He brought that hand to his mouth and sucked her taste from them, his eyes slipping shut involuntarily.

When he opened them again, Kathryn was watching him with wide eyes.

Though she certainly didn’t need any help in being ready for him, that brief taste had made Chakotay desperate for more. Shuffling down the bed, he positioned himself between her spread thighs and touched his tongue to her wetness, careful to avoid the tight bud that jutted out from its hood.

At the touch of his tongue along the lips of her sex, Kathryn’s hips surged upwards and attempted to push as close to the sensation as she could, but, much like his kiss, Chakotay would not be rushed.

His tongue ticked her, kissing the flesh before him with little movements like butterfly wings. They fluttered against her, teased her, and the contact had her squirming quickly. Without warning, he spread her lips and circled his tongue around her delicate entrance, pushing it inside to curl into her.

God, he wanted to die like this, with some part of him inside of her.

“Eager?” He asked with a slight huff - and didn’t his warm breath do something interesting - as her hips thrust towards his mouth again.

Kathryn remained silent, refusing to answer his smug - and very much rhetorical - question.

“Don’t fret, sweetheart,” He soothed, licking over her clit, once, quickly, “You’ll get yours soon enough. You know what you need to say to make it happen.”

“Keep dreaming.”

“You’ll say it soon enough.” He dropped a chaste kiss to her clit before kissing his way up her body, stopping to lick and suck eagerly at her breasts, his big body cradled between her spread thighs.

Kathryn could feel him smile against her flesh when her hands moved to his head, curling through the thick black hair to hold him to her as he worked her nipple into a puckered tip.

Shards of pleasure screamed through her body, stabbing straight to her clitoris and adding to the wetness that pooled between her legs. It didn’t help that, as he migrated from her breast to her neck again, the head of his cock nudged at her folds.

Using one hand to steady himself so that he didn’t crush her, Chakotay slid a hand down between them to run the blunt head of his penis through her wetness, pushing against her clit as she tried to rock herself to satisfaction on him.

For as much as he wanted to take it slow and prolong their pleasure, her responsiveness against him was enough to make all of the blood rush to his brain - and not the one on his shoulders.

Using one hand to guide himself, Chakotay pushed into her slowly until he was balls deep and ready and willing to die right here and be a happy man.

He was only three second away from losing control and pounding into her softness and sweetness as she engulfed him and filled his senses, but at the last second he forced his hormones - and, he admitted, emotions - into check and held himself still.

He wanted it to be good for her; needed it to be good for her until she admitted that she wanted him. Only when she had admitted her desire would he be able to lose control and, until then, he had to force himself to concentrate on breathing and not the wonder of the woman that surrounded him.

Concentrating on her pleasure was the only thing that kept his own at bay and that was exactly what he did. With the hand that he had used to guide himself into her, Chakotay traced where they were joined, feeling her stretched around him, slick with submission.

Carefully, he pulled out, his pace as slow as he could manage. “You have something to say?”

Kathryn gasped, her senses reeling. “No.”

At her refusal, he thrust into her sharply, pulled out and thrust again, finding a steady rhythm as he ground out, “As you wish.”

Chakotay shuddered with delight when she groaned as he filled her with each stroke. Their bodies were damp with sweat and he could hear the sticky sounds of their flesh as they moved against each other. He wasn’t sure how long he would be able to last but that didn’t seem to matter when he looked down at the woman beneath him.

He could tell that she was close, too. Her face was flushed and she was desperately trying to fill her lungs with precious oxygen, but each breath left her just a little short.

Chakotay watched her face with interest, fighting for control himself as she approached the point of no return. He could see the vulnerability in her face, the look that symbolized that her entire world was about to shatter beneath him. "Come on, sweetheart."

Kathryn pushed back against him, her hips moving franticly, her thighs and belly tight with the impending release.

She felt herself tensing, felt her internal muscles gripping him as she took one step over the edge. But instead of feeling herself falling and crying out in orgasm, she felt him pull out of her, taking her pleasure with him as her body tensed and fought to hold on to the release that had been so tantalizingly close.

"Please!" She finally whimpered, unable to suppress it any longer when she couldn’t make herself orgasm via internal commands and he didn’t move again.

"Please, what?" He asked.

His lips were so close to hers that they brushed against her as he spoke. Kathryn felt his words as much as she heard them over the racing of her heart and she could feel the slight vibrations in his chest, pressed against hers and making her nipples ache whenever he moved.

"Tell me you want it." He said quietly, his voice laced with the deception of kindness and the restraint of an aroused man wanting nothing more than to take her and claim her and never let her body forget that it belonged to him. "That's all you have to do."

A hand moved to the place above where they were joined, stroking, tickling, teasing, tormenting. "Oh no."

He smiled in spite of his own agony as he fought against the white hot heat that threatened to engulf him. "Oh yes."

Keeping up a steady rhythm against her clit, he thrust into her again, finding a deliciously slow pace that would bring her to the edge slowly.

He wanted to build her up, watch her at the height of oblivion, watch her body prepare to lose control, only to have it cruelly ripped away seconds before it began. He wanted to see her on the precipice of something incredible, only to have to work to earn it.

It didn’t take long.

"That’s it," Chakotay thrust into her, taking her perilously close to the brink of everything and nothing all at the same time. But as she reached her crest once more, he stopped. "Tell me you want me, sweetheart."

"No!" The frustration in her body was evident in the pitch of her scream. But her response was referring more to the fact that he had stopped than his request.

Kathryn had lost the ability to process thought correctly and though she knew that he wanted something from her, she couldn't quite remember what.

Chakotay felt sorry for her, hovering so close to the edge like that. But he needed her to say it and he couldn't mince words.

As they joined, he'd quickly come to realize that his insistence that their arrangement be permanent hadn't just been something to make her heckles rise. He wanted her in his bed and he didn't want it to be a one time thing. He knew damn well that he was only a stone's throw away from being in love with her.

"Kathryn," He sighed against her mouth. "Say it."

"No, no, no," The word became her mantra. With the occasional 'please' thrown in for good measure.

“You have to say it before I’ll let you come, sweetheart.” He felt cruel and wicked, but at the same time, wonderfully tormented himself.

"I..."

"Go on," He urged.

"I..."

"Say it, sweetheart."

One solitary tear trickled from the corner of her eye and ran quickly down to the spread of hair beneath her. Her voice, when she finally found it, was little more than a breathless whisper, "I want you."

Chakotay wanted to comfort her, but that would have to wait. Both of them were tightly strung from suspended release and he physically wasn’t able to let either of them wait any longer at this point.

With enough time for a quick smile, he crushed his mouth down on to hers, resuming the harsh pace he’d found and rubbing at her clit while she clung to him desperately, legs curled around his sides, hips pushing against his.

She only lasted a few strokes before she was climaxing. Her body was wound tight and she let a small scream out into his mouth as she felt the pressure dissolve into a kaleidoscope of feelings.

Chakotay didn’t last much longer, roughly pushing himself into her body until his soul was being emptied into her and she was throbbing around him as he throbbed in her.

When she stopped shuddering and he felt like he might be able to move without collapsing, Chakotay rolled to the side, pulling her close to him and holding her tight. He wasn’t ready to let her go yet and, if her own attempts at pressing herself as close to him as possible were anything to go by, she wasn’t ready either.

As Kathryn regained her composure, a blush spread across her cheeks, replacing the sexual flush from just a moment ago, she tilted her head up to look at the man that lay entangled with her, both of them panting heavily.

She struggled to make her voice steady as she met Chakotay's eyes. "You caught me off guard."

He ran a hand across her stomach, damp from both of their sweat. "I got you to admit what you wanted."

"Maybe I just wanted release." She arched an eyebrow.

Chakotay grinned at her, glad - and relieved, he admitted - to see that her confession in the heat of the moment hadn't dampened her fiery sprit. She wasn't going to revert to the type of woman he was used to and, for that, he was more than thankful.

“In any case, we could argue about that for a while…” Kathryn ignored his grin. "So what do you say to a rematch tomorrow night?"

Oh yes, one or both of them thought, it is going to be an interesting ride home indeed.

***

End