Disclaimer: Star Trek: Voyager and the characters are the property of Paramount. The events in this story and any errors are mine.

Chakotay arrived at Kathryn's quarters for their weekly dinner. It was always interesting when she cooked, and he wondered what was waiting for him this time. He pushed the chime and heard a muffled yell. "Yes, come!"

He entered the room and laughed. She was lying on the floor, her knees curled under her, her hand and head stuck in the replicator control panel, and parts lying all around. "What are you doing, Kathryn?" he asked with a grin.

Her voice echoed back from the metal, "I have been in a fight with this replicator for 30 minutes now. I'm still not sure which one of us going to win."

Chakotay set the bottle of wine he was carrying on the table and knelt down beside her. "Can I help?"

"No," she sighed. "There's no room for both of us." Her hair was flowing around her face and she brushed it over her shoulder. With the next turn of her head, the locks were right back in her face and in her way. She flung them back again with an exasperated grunt. "I wish I had noticed the problem before I took my hair down."

Chakotay scooted up next to her and reached out to grab her hair. "Here, I'll hold it," he said. He started gathering the strands from her cheeks and temples and pulled her long auburn hair into a sort of ponytail, smoothing it out with one hand. His fingers brushed against her neck and she jumped slightly.

"Commander, are you caressing my neck?" she asked with a chuckle.

"No, I'm trying to get it all together so I can hold it for you. When I caress a woman, she has no doubts." He saw a pink flush rise up her neck and over her cheeks. He realized he had probably just crossed the line and let out a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, Captain."

Kathryn was glad her red face was hidden in the replicator controls. "Somehow, Commander, I believe you," she said with a giggle. "Oh, my knees," she grunted. She stretched out her legs one by one, working them under Chakotay's arm where he was bracing himself over her with one hand while holding her hair with the other. She was now lying on her stomach and he was crouched over her. She turned slightly so she could find the control chip she suspected was causing the problem with the replicator. She used his side to prop her hip and reached above her head to adjust the processor.

Chakotay stole a look at her, her uniform stretched tight over breasts, her long, soft hair tickling his fingers, her hip resting lightly against his leg. Oh gods, how did he end up here again? His desire for her washed over him like a summer rain and he wriggled his legs slightly. For almost three years he had learned to keep his feelings for her buried deep, but occasionally she still caught him by surprise and he was pulled into her web before he knew what hit him. He felt her hip bump against him twice, her head still in the control panel as she playfully said, "I do hope that is your phaser, Commander."

"Ha! Yes, that is my phaser. How much have you had to drink, Kathryn?"

She giggled again. "Just one glass of wine. And part of a second on the table beside you."

Suddenly, she jerked her hand and head out of the console with a yelp and rolled onto her back. Chakotay was still holding her hair, and his hand was now pinned under her neck, pulling him down across her torso. "Damn!" she shouted, sucking her finger into her mouth. She looked up and realized his face was just above hers, his dark chocolate eyes wide, his muscular body lying across her breasts. She started laughing and said, "This never happened, Chakotay. Not a word about this in your personal logs, understood?"

He grinned at her. "Understood." The look in his eyes as he gazed at her sent a flush through her body. "Um, I can't move my hand," he said softly.

She rose up slightly, her pink lips just inches from his, and he fought the urge to cross that small space and kiss her. Instead, he gently released her hair and worked his fingers out from under her neck. He could feel her breasts crushed against him and longed to stay right where he was. Some distances, no matter how small, cannot be crossed, he reminded himself. He pushed himself into a sitting position and flashed her a half-smile, his cheek dimpled and a twinkle in his eyes.

She sat up with him and pulled her knees up, resting her arms on them. "Well, I think this round went to the replicator," she said with a frown. "Would you please hand me my wine?"

He knee-walked the couple of steps to the table, grabbed her glass and brought it back. She reached out for it but hesitated, a disgusted look on her face as she noticed her hands and wrists were dirty and dusty. He held the glass to her lips and she gratefully took a sip. "Thank you," she said, her voice deeper than normal.

Chakotay smiled at her, then raised the glass to own lips and took a long draught. He passed it back to her and was surprised when she finished off the rest. She looked into his eyes and he was locked to her for several seconds, neither one of them moving. Finally, she glanced away and pushed herself up off the floor. "I need to clean up and change. Why don't we go to your quarters and replicate soup and salad?"

He cleared his throat and said, "That sounds good." He watched as she walked to her bathroom, knowing he was going to have a hell of time keeping himself under control tonight. Kathryn seemed to be in one of her rare flirty moods, and it killed him every time to tiptoe that fine line he so desperately wanted to erase with her.

Chakotay gathered up the parts of the replicator into a pile and set them on the shelf. He poured another glass of wine and sat down at the table to wait for her, willing his breathing and heart beat back to a normal, calm rhythm. After several minutes, he seemed to be gaining control when he heard her approaching behind him. He turned and lost it all over again, his breath catching in his throat and his heart racing. She was wearing a light blue, silky, sleeveless dress, the flowing skirt barely touching the tops of her calves. Her hair was brushed out and the front locks twisted and secured at the back of her head with a barrette, framing her strong features in an aura of reds and golds. She had reapplied her pink lipstick and the soft sheen caught his gaze. He didn't realize he had taken a deep breath and was embarrassed when she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all," he said softly. "You look beautiful." She blushed and reached for the glass of wine he had been drinking. She took a long sip of it and said, "I think we should eat now. It looks like it is going to be your place tonight."

They walked to Chakotay's quarters with her a half-step in front of him. He locked his eyes straight ahead to keep from raking his gaze over the back of her and watching the dress swaying over her curves. Sweet heavens, help me get through this! They entered his quarters and he collected two wine glasses from the shelf and opened the bottle he had brought back from Kathryn's. He realized that they had been sharing the same glass earlier and it had seemed as natural as breathing. They had never shared drinks before, and somehow it only fueled his already raging fire. He handed her wine to her, remembering that she was now on glass number three. Had he ever seen her drink this much? She didn't seem to be drunk, but she was definitely looser than normal.

Chakotay turned to the replicator and used the opportunity to try to gather himself together once again. He ordered a salad, then vegetable soup number four for himself. "What kind of soup would you like?" he asked her, not daring to turn back to her just yet.

"I think potato sounds good." He could hear the smile in her voice and the slight pitch change that was her off-duty voice versus her command voice. The difference was not noticeable to most people, but he had spent almost three years studying her like a book he could not put down. He noticed every voice change, body language, gesture, and facial expression she had. He ordered the soup and carefully carried the hot bowls to the table. He sat across from her and served the salad, pouring himself another glass of wine as his seemed to be empty even though he could barely remember drinking it. Slow down, he scolded himself. You can't end up with both members of the command team drunk!

They settled into easy conversation as they ate and Chakotay slowly fell back into their normal rhythm of friendship. He was relaxed again and just enjoying the company. Then Kathryn crossed her legs under the table and her foot brushed against his leg. "Excuse me," she said with a smile.

That tiny touch was all it took to slam him with desire again. "You weren't playing footsie under the table?" he asked with a grin.

She laughed, took another sip of her wine, and said teasingly, "Chakotay, when I play with a man, there is no mistaking it."

This time, it was he who felt the flush rising to his face and across his cheeks.

"Are you blushing?" she asked with a laugh.

He turned even redder.

"You are blushing!"

He tossed his napkin on the table and leaned back in his chair with a silly grin across his face. "How did you do that?" he asked. "I haven't blushed since I was 13 and got caught holding Amarina's hand in math class." He rubbed his cheeks as if he could wipe away the color.

She was laughing even harder, her smile softening her face and her cobalt blue eyes shining. It was that look, the one that lit up a room like a solar flare and stopped his heart in his chest. He stared at her, still grinning and unable to stop. "I think I'm done eating," he said with a chuckle. He picked up the wine bottle and his glass and went to the sofa, sitting on one end and lounging back into the pillows. She turned in her chair to watch him and he gestured with his head for her to join him. She swept up her own glass off the table and sauntered to him, her hips swaying more than normal, the hem of her skirt swinging gently across her legs. She sat sideways on the other end of the couch and leaned back, bringing one knee up onto the cushion between them and hooking her foot under the other knee. Her dress flowed around her and her auburn hair fell over one shoulder, sliding against the blue silk. He couldn't help but stare, fixated by her as only she could make him. No other woman had ever caused the storm of raw emotions in him the way Kathryn did.

"Chakotay," she said softly.

His eyes were locked on her bare shoulders at that moment. "Hmm?"

"You are staring."

He forced himself out of it and looked her in the face, a half smile dimpling his cheek. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. I promise I will try to stop."

She raised one eyebrow and her voice was a bit more serious. "What do you mean, you can't help it?"

He lowered his gaze to her lips. "You don't really want to know the answer to that."

"Yes, I do," she insisted.

He took a deep breath. "Alright, since you asked. You, Kathryn, are the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Ha!" she laughed sharply. "You have had too much wine, Chakotay."

His voice deepened, softened. "No, I haven't. You have no idea of the effect you have on me. You try to hide yourself in your uniform, your command, and your duty as Captain Janeway. But I see the woman in you, always. You are Kathryn to me, and no other woman can compare to you." She was silent, studying him and really listening to his words. She seemed to be struggling with what to reply. He chuckled and said, "Well, now that I have made us both uncomfortable, how was your day?"

She laughed softly and answered, "The ship is running at peak efficiency, we have plenty of supplies for several weeks, and no one is currently trying to kill us. It has been a good day, a relaxing day."

She stood up and gestured toward his room. "I'll be right back." She took a step then turned back, grabbed her glass off the table and downed the rest of it before heading for the restroom. He watched her walking across his quarters, wondering what she thought of his answer to her question. Would she simply avoid commenting on it like she did so many things between them? He decided it was time to reign himself in and slip back into friends-only mode. More wine, a shake of his head and a straightening of his posture, and he steeled himself to control his reactions on her return.

She came back into the room, crossing it in a straight line but with a definitely more relaxed posture than he was used to seeing in her. She did teeter slightly as she stopped a few steps from the sofa. He raised his eyebrows as she kicked off the high heel pumps she had been wearing. She stretched her feet one at a time in front of her, pointing her toes and then pulling back and rolling her ankle. "Oh, that feels good," she groaned. She looked up at him. "Chakotay, you are staring again."

He sighed loudly for her benefit and grinned. "I forget how petite you are without your heels on. Did they teach you in command school how to appear six inches taller, or does it just come naturally to you?"

She flashed him her wicked half-smile and answered, "I'm afraid most of it is natural. I was already a spitfire by the time I got to the Academy. I had to calm down quite a bit to learn the discipline and calm hardness required for command."

"You, a spitfire?" he chuckled. "Now that, I would give anything to see. Although, I suppose there have been glimpses of that side of you on occasion when diplomacy failed to work."

She lowered her head and tilted it slightly to the side, then cut her twinkling dark blue eyes up to him and batted her eyelashes, her pink lips very slightly parted and the lightest of smiles softening the corners.

He may as well have been hit by phaser fire as that pixie look from her rocked his body and seared his nerves. "Damn, woman, where did you learn that?" he gasped.

She dissolved in a fit of giggles and collapsed on the sofa next to him. "That look served me very well at the academy with all those young men."

"I can imagine!"

She propped her perfectly shaped, narrow feet on the low table in front of them, pushed her head back into the cushion and raised her arms over her head in a stretch that arched her back. He followed the lines and curves of her from her fingertips to her toes, not even bothering any more to try to control his reactions to her. She was obviously in the mood to play, and he loved seeing her so relaxed and free from the crushing demands of her position. She lowered her arms again and let them fall to her sides, her hand resting not more than an inch from his thigh. He wondered if she could feel the heat that was consuming his body.

She turned her head against the cushion to him, her face tinted pink from the wine and her hair fallen over one eye. She reached up to brush it behind her ear and that was when he realized she had taken out the barrette while she was in the bathroom. Her long tresses were now completely free and it took every microgram of his control not to reach out and run his fingers through it. She was staring into his eyes and could see the passion, his attraction to her, playing across his face. On impulse, she whispered, "Kiss me, Chakotay."

His eyebrow below his tattoo rose with his surprise. "Are you sure?" he asked her shakily.

She nodded her head slightly and tilted her face toward him. He leaned over her, glided his fingertips over her bottom lip, then slid his hand to the side of her face and pressed his lips to hers. He couldn't believe she had asked him to do this, and he was determined it would be a kiss she would never forget. He slowly increased his pressure into her, his fingers wrapping around the nape of her neck to pull her to him. He lightly touched her lips with his tongue and, much to his surprise, they parted. He darted his tongue into her mouth, finding hers and circling it softly with the tip. He could feel her responding to him, her head tilting, her lips moving over his in time with his circling tongue, her hand running up his back. After an eternity, he slowly eased his pressure on her and broke away, ending with a soft kiss on her cheek. She lay against the cushion, her eyes glazed, her nails still lightly scratching along his shoulder.

"I want you, Chakotay," she said softly, her voice husky.

"Kathryn, I think the drinks are going to your head."

She shook her head. "No, Chakotay, I know exactly what I am doing. I'm tired of denying you, tired of denying myself. It has been almost three years since you appeared on my bridge, and I have been drawn to you since that moment." She laid her hand on his thigh and felt the muscles tighten at her touch.

Chakotay ran his fingers through her hair. Oh gods, he had wanted to do that for so long! Now, she was asking him to make love to her. His mind knew they should talk about it more, what it might mean for them, but his body was calling up every desire and dream he had of her. That desire won out as he pulled her into another long, passionate kiss that ignited both of them beyond reasoning. Her hands were roaming freely over his back and shoulders, his fingers entwined in her hair. He slid his other arm behind her back and pulled her torso to him, her breasts pressing into his chest, his hand stretching between her shoulder blades to hold her in his strong grip. She broke away, gasping for air, and her hands slid down the small of his back and across his hips.

She asked softly, "You do want me, don't you?"

He loosed his hand from her hair and slid the back of his fingers over her neck, down her chest and over her breast. He saw her nipple harden under the silk of her dress and he cupped his hand over it, gently squeezing. His voice rasped, "Kathryn, I have never wanted anyone like I do you."

She let him feel her a few more moments then moved away and stood up. She reached for his hand and pulled him behind her into the bedroom. Chakotay thought he might be in a particularly vivid dream, and if so he never wanted to wake up.

When they reached his bedroom, Kathryn turned and wrapped her arms around him, this time running her hands down to his buttocks and pulling him to her. She could feel his hardness against her and she offered her mouth for another kiss. He circled his arms around her back and drove his tongue between her lips, a deep moan escaping as he did. He felt her hips push ever so lightly into him, and as he worked his tongue in her mouth, her thrusting grew stronger. She pulled away from the kiss and leaned back slightly, holding herself up with her grip on his buttocks and circling her hips across his erection. "Kathryn," he groaned, "if you keep that up, it will be over before we start."

She circled against him once more, then straightened up and stepped back. She reached for the straps of her dress and slowly slid them down her arms and over her hands. She let the bodice fall around her waist and then pushed the silky material off her hips to the floor and kicked it away. She was standing before him in a sky blue, lace bra and a pair of matching lace panties that barely covered her, only an elastic string around the bottom of each hip holding them up.

Chakotay sucked in his breath as he eyed every curve and concave of her body, ending at the sight of the lace string bikini. He couldn't stop himself. He reached out and cupped her center, rubbing the heel of his hand over the top. He could feel the wetness in his hand as she moaned. She reached for his shirt and unbuttoned it, pulling it off until it was hanging on the arm locked to her core. He quickly let it drop to the floor and grabbed her again, this time running his fingertips along the damp line in the lace and up to her clit, feeling the swollen button through the material. She gasped and gripped his arms as her torso clenched. He continued to slide his fingers up and down the lace as she unhooked his pants and pulled them down to the floor. He had to reach down with one hand to pull off his boots and socks, then kicked his pants to the side, never letting go of her hot core.

She could see the head of his cock through the opening in his boxers and lightly slid her fingers over it, his hand gripping her harder as she did so. He pulled her to him and ran his teeth across her neck just under her earlobe. She whimpered and thrust against his hand as she worked her fingers around the base of his erection and squeezed him. She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned back again, pushing her hips toward him. She was taking quick, sharp breaths and he knew she was close to coming. He sucked and nipped his way down her neck and felt the vibrations of the tiny sounds she was making. She tugged his boxers down his legs and grabbed him again, stroking him slowly up and down. He felt her body tighten in his grasp, drawing closer and closer to climax. He slid his hand back up her center and worked his fingers under the lace, sliding back down over her clit and making her shudder.

He danced his fingers over her button faster, watching her face as her mouth opened and her eyes closed. He increased the pressure and felt another flood of her juices soak the lace. Her hips locked against him, her grip on his cock tightened, and she cried out as her orgasm raced through her body in a flash of white heat. She shivered and trembled in his arms, her nails digging into his back. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at him, the desire on her face almost enough to send him over the edge. She kissed him again, passionate, insistent. He gently pushed her back until she was on the bed and he pulled her up to the pillows, stretching his body out beside hers, his hand still cupping her wet heat.

When he felt her tremors stop, he glided his fingers down her slit and pushed into her, feeling her tight core and easing in and out of her. She moaned softly and turned glazed eyes to his. "You do know how to caress a woman, don't you?" she husked.

"I did warn you," he said with a smile. He slid his finger slowly out of her, pressing up as he did so and feeling her clench around him. He sat up on his knees and pulled her up, reaching behind her to unhook her bra. He slid it off her arms and dropped it on the floor, then took her breast in his mouth and teased her nipple with the tip of tongue. She reached out for his hard cock again and gently squeezed him as she slid from the base to the tip, using the drops of fluid that escaped to slick her hand over him. He reached for the strings of her panties and pulled them down and off, trailing his fingers back up the inside of her leg to flick across her sensitive clit. Her hips twitched and her legs spread open, revealing her sex to him. He stared at her naked body, burning the image of her into his mind. He felt his sex jump in her hand and fought to control the rising flood. He stilled her hand with his own and grunted, "Kathryn, wait."

She saw him struggling to hold back, his breathing quick and shallow, his eyes closed. She raised up and gripped his shoulders, pushing him back on the bed. She licked his neck, tasting the salty sheen of sweat on his heated skin. She kissed her way down his throat and across his strong chest, lightly biting each nipple into erection and licking along the underside of each muscle. She continued the trail of kisses down his belly and slid her tongue from his navel to base of his stomach. He groaned again and twined his fingers in her hair. He couldn't stop the buck of his hips when she licked the drop of his oils from the head of his penis. "I won't last, Kathryn. Please." He tried to tug her up, but she resisted his pull.

"Trust me," her alto voice purred. "I'll bring you back. We are far from finished." His hand fisted in her long locks as she licked him again, the ends of her hair tickling his thighs and adding to the layers of sensation already rocking his body. She wrapped her fingers around the base of his shaft and took him into her mouth, her tongue slipping along the underside as she sucked him.

"Great spirits," he growled, his voice cracking with his ragged breath. She hummed a reply against him as the tip of his straining cock hit the back of her throat. She slid her lips up and down him, her fingers following her mouth and adding pressure around his shaft. Chakotay felt her curl the tip of her tongue around the head and with a last thrust of his hips pushing him into the moist heat of her mouth, his climax rang through his body. The crescendo of his shout followed his spurting seed as his fingers twined in her hair held her to him, the contractions of her swallowing pushing her tongue around him over and over again. His toes curled back and his free hand balled the sheet as every muscle in his body rippled and spasmed. His hips made tiny jerking motions and the last of his semen pumped into her mouth, and he finally collapsed back into the mattress.

She slowly pulled her lips over him and released him, kissing the sensitive skin of his pelvis and back up his body until she was lying beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder and traced lazy circles through the hair on his chest. He turned on his side to face her and took her mouth with his in a soft, slow kiss that made her body tingle as his hand caressed her back and hip. She had never had anyone kiss her the way he did, and thought he could probably make her come with just his tongue in her mouth. She trailed her fingers across his brow and down his jawline then back up to play over his short-cropped hair. They finally broke free of each other, gasping for breath. She pulled back slightly so she could look into his eyes, the dark pools pulling her in to a level of desire she didn't know existed.

She saw his gaze travel down her body, then back up to her face. "Do you have any idea how sexy you are, Kathryn?" he asked softly.

She smiled shyly and said, "Somehow, with you, I feel sexy. It is not something I usually think about, though."

"I do," he said with a smirk. "I have always found you sexy. Your body, your mind, the way you dominate a room; you took command of my dreams a long time ago."

She giggled. "I have seen you giving me that look on occasion when you didn't think I noticed."

He pulled her body to him and turned his face into her. "You mean the one of pure lust?" he mumbled against her neck.

"Yes, that one," she replied softly, guiding his lips to the sensitive spot just under her ear.

He nipped and licked her, then blew gently across the spot until he saw tiny pinpricks rise across her skin. He pulled away from her again and rolled over to sit up on the side of the bed. "I'll be right back," he told her. She trailed her fingers down his back and buttocks as he stood to go to the bathroom. While she was waiting for him, she went to the replicator for a glass of water. When she returned, he was back on the bed, lying with one arm under his head, the sight of his thick, boxer's body and gold-brown skin lighting a tiny fire in her core. She walked over to him and handed him the glass then went into the bathroom. When she finished, she leaned against the doorway, her arms gripping each side of the frame just above her head, one knee bent and her hip cocked. She ran her eyes up and down his nude body, knowing he was doing the same to her.

She noted the scars along his skin, testament to his days fighting in the Maquis. Instead of detracting from him, they only added to his masculinity. "How do you do it?" she asked him. "The sight of a man's body has never had the effect on me that yours does."

He grinned that boyish, heart-melting grin at her and said, "The same way you do it to me, I guess."

She moved from the doorway to the foot of the bed and crawled up it, pausing half way to kiss his soft penis, smiling a little when she saw it swell slightly. She slithered her way up to his shoulder and kissed his neck, then sucked his earlobe into her mouth and gently between her teeth. His hand gripped her back while the other rose to her breast, tugging the nipple between his fingers. She ran her nails softly up and down his chest and belly then rolled on top of him. She sat up, her legs straddling his middle and her damp center against his softened penis.

He chuckled softly. "I think it is a little too soon," he said.

She smiled luridly. "I did promise I would bring you back, didn't I?"

He raised his eyebrow, his tribal tattoo wrinkling. "And how are you planning to do that?" he asked teasingly.

"Oh, I do have my ways," she crooned. Then she giggled, color rising across her chest and throat.

He laughed at the site of her laughing, which made things worse because his chuckles made her bounce where she was sitting on him. She fell to one side and her knees curled up as she collapsed in a fit. He rolled over and spooned her body with his, trying to muffle his guffaws in her neck. They were both struggling for breath by the time their spontaneous giggling subsided. "Why did you start laughing?" he asked with a grin and a sniffle.

"I'm sorry," she gasped. "It just sounded so ridiculous in my head."

"What did?"

"Chakotay, it has been many years since I tried to seduce a man. I'm not 22 anymore, you know," she answered.

He pulled her against him tighter. "You don't even have to try with me, Kathryn. You are seductive no matter what you do, far more so than any 22-year old."

She turned in his arms until she was lying on her back. "Look at me, Chakotay," she said, still smiling. I may not be old just yet, but I passed 40 a while back."

His eyes glazed as they traveled up and down her nude body. "Believe me, I am looking at you. I see every inch of you, and you over 40 is sexier to me than any other woman could ever be."

She tilted her head to look at him better. "You're serious, aren't you?" she asked with a note of surprise in her voice.

"Oh, yes, very. Your wisdom, your elegance, your strength, even your flaws; they pull me to you just as much as your physical body."

She smiled softly, her eyes darkening to deep blue seas, and leaned over to kiss him. It was tender, gentle, a slow buildup of passion that snuck tiny tingles from his lips to his fingertips and down to his toes. He pushed his body partway over hers, lying along her side, careful not to crush her but wanting to feel her under him. He was surprised at the sensation of his manhood swelling, responding to her. His hand slid over her breast, down her side and hip, then back up the inside of her thigh to her belly. She moaned a soft "mmm" into his mouth, the sound hardening him more against her leg.

He pulled up onto his hands and knees and used his powerful arm to slide her to the center of the bed. He opened her thighs with his knee and moved down between them. He took her nipple into his mouth and teased it into erection before moving to the other one. Her hands were massaging his shoulders and arms as she squirmed slightly under his ministrations. He licked all around the mounds of her flesh before journeying lower to her ribs, her abdomen and the bend of her thigh. The scent of her arousal drew him to her center where he lightly blew across her clit and down her folds. He saw her hand rise up and trail down the valley between her breasts to the top of her sex and up to tease her nipple. The sight of her touching herself set him on fire as he snaked his tongue out to taste her moisture. She gasped and her hips rose slightly. He slid his hands under her buttocks and positioned her so he could push his tongue inside her.

Kathryn moaned softly again as she rubbed her palm across her body, her fingers once again coming close to the top of her sex. He continued to tease her with his tongue as he watched her hand, knowing she was aching for him to touch her swollen clit. He ran his tongue inside her again, pushing against the tissue just inside, feeling her clench in his hands. She tried to reach down to his chin and pull him up where she wanted him, but he stayed where he was, instead using one hand to move hers until her own fingertips grazed her pearl. He slid his hand back under her and licked the moisture from her that escaped as she fingered her clit. Her back arched and he heard her making soft noises, her fingers becoming surer, quicker. Her hips started thrusting against him, her thighs tightening around him. He knew she was getting close as her moans grew louder and more erratic.

He licked the flat of his tongue up the folds of her sex and nudged her fingers out of the way, flicking against her clit. She grabbed his head and held him to her, her head pushing back into the pillow. He pulled a hand out from under her and gently plunged a finger inside her, slowly inserting it as far as could and feeling her hot core. "Oh, Chakotay!" she gasped. He moved in and out of her and sucked her clit, using the feel of her walls around his finger to guide his tongue to the right spot. She suddenly grew wetter and he knew she was on the edge. He quickened his tongue against her clit and stilled his hand inside her as she squeezed around it. Her head curled forward as her stomach clenched and her hands gripped his hair. Suddenly she cried out and collapsed backward, her hips lifting off the bed and her body shuddering. He kept tonguing her as she rode out the crest of her climax and then began to relax.

He kissed her clit as he slid his finger from her and crawled forward, bracing his hands on each side of her shoulders. She gazed into his eyes, and the aftermath of her orgasm reflected in hers sent his heart racing. He was hard and ready to take her, to join in the intimate act he had longed to share with her for years. He reached between their bodies and guided his erection to her, moving up and down between her swollen lips briefly to gather her wetness. He slid his fingers around his cock to lubricate himself, then gently pushed into her, allowing her time to stretch over him and get used to his size. He took up a slow but steady rhythm, each entry going a little deeper until he finally pulled his hand away and braced it back on the bed. A couple of more thrusts and he was all the way in, pausing to revel in the feeling of being buried in her hot, tight core. He lowered himself to his elbows and she pulled her knees back, spreading wider for him, and slid her hands down the back of his shoulders.

He took up his gentle rhythm again and felt her responding to him, the pressure of her hands strengthening and her hips beginning a slight rocking motion. He brushed his lips over her neck and ear, then raked his teeth across the skin just below her earlobe. She stretched her neck and he clamped his mouth over the spot, sucking and nipping it until her sex flooded with wetness around him. He felt her shift under him and his next slide into her went even deeper. He groaned in her ear, picking up his pace as the heat began to build in the center of his body. She started thrusting upward to meet him, her breathing louder and her hands roaming across his back and shoulders. She turned her face to his and pulled him into a kiss, teasing his bottom lip with her tongue.

Chakotay could feel his control weakening, tiny flames licking out from the heat in his belly. Kathryn moaned and her voice spread over him like plasma fire. His slide in and out of her core became quicker, harder, his knees digging into the bed. She matched his pump with her own, driving him into her yet farther. She raked her nails up his back and over his arms, biting the top of the tendon at the joining of his neck and shoulder. Her walls were clenching around him, pulling him closer and closer to the edge. He raised up on his hands again, altering his angle, and watched her mouth open with each thrust.

"Kathryn," he growled to her.

She turned her cobalt blue eyes to his. "Yes," she husked. "Take it like you want it."

He moved his arms one at a time behind her thighs, opening her further. He drove into her, pounding against her again and again until the gradual, tingling spread became electric jolts through his body. "Oh, gods," he panted. He could feel himself swelling inside her, filling her, his thrusts growing more erratic. He released her thighs, lowered himself fully on top of her and pushed his hands under the small of her back. She held her thighs open, feet in the air, and dug her fingers into his back.

"That's it, Chakotay," Kathryn purred in his ear.

He was grunting, crying out her name mixed with incoherent sounds. He jerked into her once, and again, and then he was carried over the edge by the wave that rolled through his very bones to his straining cock. She was sure his shout could be heard two decks down as the powerful orgasm rocked him, shooting his seed deep inside her heat. She gripped him to her and wrapped her legs around his hips, arching her back and pushing him deeper with her heels. Ever so slowly, his jerking and twitching eased and his body rested atop hers.

He tried to pull out so he could move off of her, but she held him there with her legs. "Stay," she whispered. He hugged her to him and softly kissed the top of her shoulder. He kept his hips where they were, but slid his arms out from under her and braced his upper body on his elbows, his hands framing her face. He stared into her eyes, hoping she could read in his what his words failed to say. He had no idea what this night would mean for their future, but he would have no regrets regardless of the outcome.

She smiled softly and lifted up to kiss him. She let her legs drop from his and groaned.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"I'm more than okay," she said. "My over-40 sexy hips, however, are a different matter.

He grinned and finally rolled off her onto his side. He massaged her hips and the tops of her legs before pulling her over to him, wrapping her in his arms. "Will you stay?" he asked.

She waited a couple of seconds before answering, "I would like to, if you want me to."

He ran his fingers over her tangles of hair. "I want you to. For as long as you wish."

She heard the slight catch in his voice and knew he was speaking of beyond this one night. What he did not realize was that she had given tonight a lot of thought over the last few weeks. Well, maybe not the replicator problem, but the rest of it. If he accepted her, she had no intentions of going anywhere.