Downtime on the Citadel was rare, but perhaps sensing her squad's increasing anxiousness, Liara's Commander had granted the crew a few days' shore leave while she stocked up on supplies and, presumably, model spaceships.

Liara had been greatly looking forward to a few days outside her cramped cabin. Humming a popular Asari tune as she packed a small duffel bag, she noticed a note had been placed beneath it when she moved it from her table. The handwriting was unmistakable, but her admirer had signed it anyway.

"Siha,
Presidium Commons Suites, Room 742.
Come alone.
Thane"

A small square key accompanied the note.

Shivers ran up her spine. Brushed hands that lingered a moment too long in otherwise empty rooms. Flirtatious banter over morning meals that could have just been his polite nature. The way he touched the small of her back ever so slightly as they looked out the viewing bay windows. Had she been interpreting his signs correctly? The thought of giving herself to such a deadly assassin had filled her with an eagerness that felt like it should be wrong, but it was all she had been able to think about in the rare moments not assigned to a mission.

…

Outside the door marked 742, a lump formed in her throat. Liara normally took safe lovers, well-assured of their feelings. She was the instigator, seducing those she had marked and setting either the deliciously slow or frantic pace herself. She was quite good at it. But without knowing it was happening, Thane had given chase to her, and his subtle and dangerous art of seduction tantalized her imagination.

Unsure of what lay within the hotel suite, Liara squirmed, feeling far outside of her comfort zone. Still, she couldn't ignore the anticipation thrumming beneath her skin as if her blood were electrified. With a surge of eagerness, she waved the key in front of the sensor, barely able to take one more minute in wonder.

Illumination from the hallway where she stood sent a sliver of light into the darkened room before her.

"Siha," Thane's voice beckoned from within. "Please come in."

Liara slipped past the door and hesitantly closed it behind her, eyes refusing to adjust in the pitch blackness.

"Thane, I - I wasn't sure what to expect…" Her voice quivered with anticipation.

His unmistakable aroma of smoke and leather suddenly overtook her senses, and before she could process the sound of his approach, he was surrounding her, grasping her tightly in his strong arms, pressing her to the wall.

"Surely I'm not the only one who senses the gravitation between us. I've tried to keep things professional for the sake of our mission, but it's become too much to endure."

Liara could feel Thane's breath misting on her face. She yearned to lean forward and take his mouth in hers like she would any other lover she felt this aroused by, but something about quivering underneath his grip sent blood pulsing southward with an urgency unlike any prior experiences. She'd never taken a Drell lover before, and in her wariness to respect cultural differences, she was thrilled to let him lead the way.

Silence hung in the air for a moment, and Thane loosened his grip ever so slightly.

"I hope I haven't misread any-"

"No," Liara finally found her voice. "I… I was hoping you felt the same way, but I couldn't… We've been so busy, it didn't seem appropriate."

Thane slid a taut leg between her own and separated her legs slightly, leaning in to brush her ear with his lips.

"Will you permit me to make love to you, right here?" A gasp escaped her lips as he nibbled slightly on her lobe, now impatient for a response.

"Yes," Liara whispered, letting herself melt into his muscled arms.

With a flourish, the Drell swept her from the walls and laid her softly on a downy surface deeper into the darkened room. Her eyes slowly began to adjust, able to make out faint grey shapes in the shadows. She could barely perceive him grasping something from a nearby table soundlessly.

Thane traced a finger up Liara's neck and, reaching her head, gently tied a band of soft cotton around her eyes, darkening her vision once again.

"I pray to Kalihira to bring you peace in this darkness," he purred. Slowly, he began to unfasten Liara's uniform. The erratic pulsing of her heartbeat was surely perceptible even underneath his hard fingertips.

Thane worked to gently remove the rest of her clothing and swirled his hands leisurely up her legs and torso. Her naked body shivered underneath his touch, bucking slightly to meet it. Thane let out a low chuckle as he went, and he soon began to fasten something soft and secure around her ankles to the lower bedposts - leather? He lifted her arms above her head, and she let him manipulate her body. A familiar sensation begging for pent-up release coursed through her veins. She bit back the frustration, knowing this was just the beginning.

"I pray to Arashu to keep you comfortable in these confines."

Snaps unfastened, and Liara could sense Thane slipping out of his own clothing. The bed shifted under his weight, and he finally swung a leg over Liara's torso, straddling her as she sunk against the bed.

"And I thank Amonkira for delivering you safely to me on this day."

Liara arched her back, and the softness of her stomach rubbed up against the thickening hardness between Thane's legs, pert and ready. The arousal dampening between her own legs surprised her considering how little physical foreplay had occurred. She yearned to be taken, to be kissed too deeply, to feel his body surround her and complete her. His lingering pace began driving her mad with desire.

Thane lowered himself to his elbows, hovering above her on all fours, and took her face between his hands, remaining tantalizingly out of reach.

"Have you been with a Drell before?" he asked.

Liara shook her head softly.

"I'm told there can be… side effects to oral contact. Not entirely unpleasant, but it could be upsetting to some."

"I need to feel your lips on mine," she whispered, the heat of her center pulsating with desire. She could hear his lips crack into a smile, inches from her face.

"Very well."

Thane crashed into Liara's mouth. She eagerly parted her lips to grant him access, and his tongue was surprisingly soft as it danced within, dominating her with the simplest of motions. It was a few moments before she realized the side effects were taking hold. Bright bursts of color exploded behind her closed eyes, and she distantly felt a sensation of floating, though her wrists and ankles retained their anchors.

Liara gasped with pleasure and Thane pushed deeper against her mouth, lowering his hips towards her, pressing his steel into the side of her leg. Liara arched her back, now shaking breathlessly beneath him. She ached for him to fill her completely.

Thane lowered a hand to her center and growled with pleasure to find her warm and ready for him. He slipped a calloused finger ever so slightly between her slick folds, making a motion as if he were about to thrust into her but stopped himself with a teasing jerk.

"Do you want this, Siha? Have we waited long enough?"

"Yes," Liara gasped. "Thane, I need you inside me. Please."

She writhed beneath him, feeling as if silky undercurrents were shifting on the bed beneath her. The hallucinations were light, but in this moment, she felt as if they were designed to tantalize her to the very edge of consciousness. Her core itched for release, and she bucked her hips dutifully against his weight.

In an instant, Thane repositioned himself and thrust within her sex as deep as he could go. Liara moaned gratefully, and he slid out to the tip, letting her experience the whole length of his manhood before slamming back into her again. Liara struggled against her confines, wanting to rake her nails across the back of his neck, to wrap her legs tight around his waist. A bite of pain streaked through her forearm as the leather stretched too thin against her efforts, but the contending sensations all over her body at once made her head spin.

Thane grasped Liara behind her backside and lifted her off the bed, tipping her opening upward to allow him deeper entry. Now when Thane pushed furiously inside her, his tip brushed up against the sensitive zones within, and she began yelping hungrily. The sounds of her arousal seemed to spur on her lover, and his pace finally began to reach the frantic levels she yearned for so deeply.

Liara clenched herself around him, and the sensation must have sent Thane reeling. His groans matched hers, the low timbre of his voice energizing the air molecules between them, setting her entire body quivering. It wouldn't be long now.

The pressure within her bent like a dam threatening to burst, and suddenly, she could stand it no longer. As Thane smashed into her, she shuddered beneath him, waves of passion pulsing outward in all directions through her extremities. The bursts of light against her eyelids persisted, and Thane's undulating motion sapped every bit of built-up passion she had within her. With a last, guttural groan, Thane released himself into her, and the sensation of his seed filling her granted another surprise wave as warmth began to settle all around her.

Thane collapsed by her side and wrapped a soothing arm around her midsection, pulling her close. It seemed a gesture of reverent thanks, almost of worship, and Liara's head swam as she slowly descended from the tingling sensation. After a moment, Thane slipped softly away to release her arms and legs from their bindings, and slipping the mask from her face.

In the darkness, her eyes finally met his, and she was filled with a different kind of yearning. As he smiled down at her, Liara realized, for the first time in a very long time, she was truly at peace in his arms. Hopefully, when this was all over, her Commander would grant them both shore leave much more often.