James entered the mess to a combination of aromas that immediately set his stomach grumbling loudly. For the past few days, ever since the Arrae mission, it seemed like they were eating like kings, but it had nothing to do with the quality of their provisions. For the first time since they'd left Earth, they actually had someone on board the Normandy who could cook.
He'd met the pretty scientist who was the current favorite - although unfortunately only temporary - crew member, Brynn Cole. They'd chatted a few times in the intervening days since she and her colleagues had boarded the Normandy, and he'd learned that she'd received no less than six marriage proposals from the Normandy's crew - human and alien alike - over her cooking, much to the chagrin of the man who was the obvious recipient of her affections: one Jacob Taylor.
James had recently learned of the history between his own Commander Shepard and the former Alliance soldier/former Cerberus operative, but he'd only learned it through idle chatter and rumors so had taken it with a grain of salt. The man was clearly devoted to Brynn and there didn't seem to be any overtly strong feelings whatsoever between him and Shepard. On the contrary, they had greeted each other like old friends and Shepard had hugged Brynn like she was a long-lost sister when the woman had finally stepped foot on the Normandy.
When he grabbed his tray, he wasn't sure what he was being served. All he knew was that it smelled fantastic, but as he moved away from the kitchen area to a table a more distracting aroma hit his nose and made him stop and look around the mess for a moment. His nostrils flared and he felt his groin twitch in response to the delicious, warm almondy scent of Shepard fresh out of a shower. He couldn't see her anywhere and felt a stab of disappointment at the realization that she'd probably taken her dinner back to her quarters so she could work.
The scent of her seemed to cling to his nostrils as he made his way in a daze to a nearby table to sit down. He immediately started shoveling his food into his mouth, forgetting completely how much he'd planned to savor his dinner when he'd first smelled it.
"Hungry, James?" he heard Kaidan's familiar voice say with a soft laugh from across the table.
He'd been so distracted he hadn't even realized who he'd sat down with. He took a swallow of his beverage and paused in his eating to greet the others. Aside from Kaidan, he noticed Steve sitting next to him and Jacob directly across from him and gave them a terse greeting before returning his attention to his food.
"As I was saying," Jacob said, continuing a previous conversation that James had apparently interrupted, "She hasn't changed. Christ, she still uses the same
soap."
"So you were close, when you were on the Collector mission," Kaidan asked cautiously and James' ears suddenly perked up.
Jacob cleared his throat and glanced across the room to Brynn. He spoke quietly, "We were friends. But when you're going into something that there's a good chance you might not come out of alive, sometimes you need a little more than that. We were never a 'thing', Shepard and I. I won't deny that I enjoyed the night we spent together before we stormed the Collector base. And I won't deny that I was probably just a little bit in love with her after she got us all out of there alive. Shit, half the crew probably felt the same way I did, but I knew better. She's just
way too much woman for me - a league of her own. Brynn is just the right amount." He smiled warmly in the direction of the kitchen and they all turned to look and saw the object of his affection smiling back with equal warmth.
James stopped chewing abruptly and stared at his plate for a moment before swallowing. He took a long swig from his drink and studied Jacob while he swallowed. All he saw looking back at him was another soldier who'd been through hell and survived to tell the tale. But the question ate at him: How could you not love the woman that could bring you back from something like that, even just a little bit?
"You okay, man?" Steve asked him with a concerned look. "You've been awful quiet."
James ignored Steve and looked intently at Jacob, asking in a biting tone, "So, if you only slept together the one time, how is it you recognize her
soap so easily?"
Jacob gave him an incredulous look and pushed back his chair, recognizing the larger man's hostility and going immediately on the defensive. He held up his hands, palms out. "Dude, it's just something you notice sometimes, especially when you live on a fucking ship with someone. Not to mention she was just
here not ten minutes before you showed up."
James' nostrils flared and he felt his fists clench. He vaguely noticed Kaidan and Steve both standing up and Steve leaned towards him, speaking in a quiet, even voice in his ear.
"Vega, chill the fuck out, or I'll have to hurt you."
The absurdity of Steve's comment caused him to pause and he looked at his friend dubiously. "You're a funny man, Cortez," he muttered, but settled back in his chair, his muscles still tensed and ready to fight. He gave Jacob a steady glare.
Jacob started laughing softly and pulled his chair back in close to the table. "Oh fuck, man, you are
done for. She is already so far under your skin, I almost pity you."
"Almost?" James asked, sulkily.
"Yeah,
almost. I did spend the night with her once." He gave James a knowing smile before continuing. "I just hope you survive this war. With Shepard your odds are about 50/50, and that's good for the types of missions she drags you around on. If you do survive, I wish you both the best."
ooOoo
James left the mess still angry, but it was a desperate anger and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. He was angry at himself for losing his head, and he was angry at the possibility that Jacob was right about how far gone he was over Shepard already. Heading to the shuttle bay and his punching bag might help relieve some of the tension, but he felt the need for something else right now. The memory of her freshly showered scent was still lingering in his mind when he tossed his tray in the dishwasher. And along with the memory of her scent lingered the pleasant visual images it inspired. Not even the smell of fresh industrial dish soap could cleanse that from his brain, and he wasn't sure he even wanted it gone.
ooOoo
Shepard shoved the remnants of her dinner aside and pulled up the latest set of Crucible status reports she'd received from Admiral Hackett. She was about halfway through the list of manpower and supply needs when she heard the comm at her door beep. She finished reading the last list quickly and closed the report. As she was standing up and walking towards the door she heard the comm beep again and James' voice came through the speaker, "Lola, we need to talk."
She grew still at the unusual tone she heard in his voice and answered slowly. "Come on in, James."
When the door opened, she saw his massive figure standing there, nearly filling up her doorway. He wore a desperate expression that reminded her of when she'd learned Santa wasn't real.
"James?" she asked quietly. "Are you alright?"
He answered her by striding in and gripping her behind the neck, pressing his lips against hers with enough pressure to bruise and invading her surprised mouth with his tongue. When he pulled back slightly to breathe a few seconds later she laughed softly against his lips and said, "James, that's really not the best way to start off a conversation, youknow."
He just seemed to growl at her in response and she felt him nuzzle at the side of her neck and breathe in deeply as though his lungs had been starved for air until this moment. She gripped the waistband of his fatigues with one hand right below his navel and slid her other arm around his neck, pulling him back into another passionate kiss. Something about the hint of desperation in him made her hotter than usual and she briefly wondered what had set him off.
As they kissed, she felt his strong arms move down her torso over her soft knit sweats and his large hands gripped her backside, sliding his hands down to the backs of her thighs and lifting her up as he carried her to the bed. She wrapped her legs around his torso reflexively and could feel the pressure of his erect cock straining at the fabric of his fatigues.
When they reached the bed, he set her down gently and then just stood looking at her with the oddest expression.
"James?" she asked, concerned by his strange behavior.
She shifted to the end of the bed and looked up at him. She could tell by the large bulge at the front of his pants that he was still aroused, but he just stood there with his jaw clenching spasmodically.
"Take off your clothes," she heard him say in a rough, commanding voice that made her core heat up intensely. He stepped back and waited, giving her an impassive stare, his large hands hanging by his sides.
This was extremely out of character for him. Something had certainly incited this strange behavior and she was intensely curious about what it was, but whatever little game he was playing was an incredible turn-on so she decided to go along with it to see where it led.
"Okay," she said quietly, and slowly pulled her black knit shirt over her head, displaying her full, naked breasts to him. She lifted her hips up and pushed her snug pajama pants down her long legs and tossed them to the side. She looked back up at him expectantly.
His eyes raked over her naked body and he licked his lips as he stood there. She saw one of his hands drift to his groin and grip his erection through his fatigues as though trying to relieve some discomfort.
She smiled softly and said, "Your turn. Take off your boots, soldier." He complied, pulling off his boots one at a time, and tossing them to the side.
She crooked her index finger and beckoned to him and he stepped closer to her, stopping to stand just in front of her.
"Take off your shirt," she whispered, looking up at him and raising her hands up to his waistband, toying with the button at the front of his pants. She could feel the heat of him through his fatigues and her mouth began to water at the idea of what lay beyond.
He lifted his shirt over his head as she watched, his strong muscles rippling with the motions and his tags jingling softly when they fell back against his hard chest.
She gazed up at his deliciously sculpted body and slid both hands up slowly, then traced her fingers over his soft skin from the top of his chest, teasing at his nipples briefly, then trailing over his hard abs until she reached his waistband again.
She unfastened the button of his fatigues and slowly lowered his zipper, then slid her hands inside his pants and around to his ass, squeezing his flesh softly through the fabric of his shorts as she pushed his pants down to his ankles. He stepped out of them and kicked them to the side. She moved her hands slowly back around his waistband to the front of his shorts and leaned in to trail her tongue softly from his navel along the brief trail of short, dark hairs down until they met his waistband and disappeared beneath his shorts.
She slid one thumb teasingly up the length of his erection as it strained against the soft fabric. He tilted his head back with a low moan as one of his large hands drifted down to grip one full breast gently, his fingertips tweaking at its hard tip.
"Fuck, Lola," she heard him whisper huskily as she trailed her thumb back down the length of his cock through his shorts.
She made a soft hum of anticipation as she gripped the waistband of his shorts and pulled them down slowly, leaving him hard and naked before her. She slid her hands back up the backs of his thighs and gripped his ass, spreading his cheeks gently and slipping one finger in between them teasingly. He groaned at the unexpectedly bold contact and she watched in amusement as his hard length twitched before her eyes.
She glanced back up at him with a sultry smile and darted her tongue out, teasing his cock at its hot tip and tasting the slight salty residue of him that lingered there. She slipped her tongue gently around his circumference and grasped him between her full lips, continuing to swirl her tongue around his smooth flesh.
She drew her hands slowly back over his muscular hips and trailed them down the fronts of his thighs. One hand gripped the base of his shaft and the other slid between his thighs and gently gripped his balls, caressing them with her thumb a she took his length into her warm mouth. She closed her eyes and paused when his tip reached the back of her throat, a low hum vibrating from deep within her.
James moaned in ecstasy and opened his eyes, gazing down at her with an expression of utter astonishment.
"Lola," he gasped, "you've been holding out on me."
He saw the look of mirth in her eyes as she slid her lips back off his shaft and swirled her tongue around his tip again before going back down with that sweet hum that he could feel vibrating at his very root.
His sanity began to fail him at about the fourth slow, deliberate stroke of her mouth on his cock and he briefly registered that the hand gripping his balls had drifted further back and was gently teasing at the flesh just behind them and slipping slowly beyond. But he was far too entranced watching as her gorgeous mouth took him in again and again and her dark locks drifted against his thighs each time she moved close to him.
When he felt her slender finger slip between his cheeks again and meet the barrier of puckered flesh he grew suddenly alert. He looked down at her and met an amused glance with an upraised eyebrow above the pretty mouth that still completely encompassed his engorged flesh. She pulled back abruptly and he slipped out of her warm mouth. She teased her pink tongue over his tip and looked up at him alluringly.
"Do you want to talk about it, James?" she asked huskily, her swollen lips brushing against his burning flesh that was still slick from her attention.
He was confused about what she was referring to exactly, being suddenly more concerned with the fact that she'd just stopped in the middle of what had to be the most mindblowing blowjob he'd ever gotten in his life.
He groaned and gasped with frustration, "I don't give a fuck, Lola, just finish what you started."
She grinned seductively and raised her index finger to her lips, slipped it into her mouth and brought it back out, wet with her saliva. He continued to hold her gaze and moaned deeply in ecstasy as her lips wrapped around him again and she took him into her. His hands drifted up to her head and he twined his fingers through her thick hair, clutching gently at the back of her head and tilting his hips toward her as she drew him into her warm mouth.
He closed his eyes and could feel her pace picking up, and the light caress began again at the back of his balls. Before he could register her action he felt her slick finger slip between his tight cheeks again and go just a little deeper, crossing the sensitive barrier she'd hesitated at before. He let out a small grunt of surprise at the unexpected pleasure the sensation caused, but didn't want to interrupt her for fear that she'd cease the amazing things she was doing to him with her mouth.
Then with a single, subtle curl and twitch of her finger he felt as though every nerve in his body had abruptly come alive. The pressure built fast at the base of his cock and he let out a loud, guttural cry as he felt his balls constrict and every last drop of his thick juices released into her mouth.
She let out a muffled little sound of surprise and slid her mouth back to his tip as she swallowed, stroking him softly with her hand as his orgasm rocked him.
He emitted a soft, low moan when she finally released him and his chin dropped to his still heaving chest. She looked up at him and he returned her gaze with unfocused eyes. She watched, amused, as he shifted to the side and turned, sitting heavily on the bed next to her, then fell back with a sigh, his feet still resting on the floor.
"Holy shit, Lola. Where did you learn to do that?"
She smiled at him and leaned down on her elbow next to him. She rested her palm gently on his stomach, sliding her hand up over his chest with soft caresses.
"A girl doesn't kiss and tell, James," she said, and leaned down to kiss him. He hummed in sated pleasure against her soft lips and reached a hand up to grip the back of her neck, pulling her into a deeper kiss.
When their lips finally parted she gave him an attentive look.
"What got into you tonight, James? You were... different. I liked it."
He groaned inwardly as he recalled the impetus for his behavior. He sat up again and pushed himself fully onto the bed, reclining back on her pillows. She scooted up beside him and he held out his arm for her to settle against his side, draping his arm over her shoulder and toying with her hair. He leaned into her and breathed deeply through his nose against the back of her ear.
"You smell good enough to eat," he growled and actually began nibbling lightly on her neck.
"James," she said with a husky tone of caution. "You'd better be ready if you're going to start that."
He sighed and sat back. "You drained me dry, Lola. Give me a few more minutes. " He gave her an exhausted little laugh.
"Talk to me, James," she said quietly. "Something was definitely eating at you when you came in... you said 'we need to talk' like it was important."
"I just overreacted a little to something your Mr. Taylor said about you." He shrugged.
She stared at him, shocked. "First of all, he's not
my Mr. Taylor. He belongs to Brynn if he belongs to anyone - she's having his baby for Christ's sake. And second..."
James looked at her intently and cut her off before she could finish, "Wait, she's pregnant?" He snorted softly, "Wish I'd known that before... it might have changed my outlook."
"Second, what did Jacob say about me that got you all worked up to begin with?"
He looked at her sheepishly and mumbled, "He remembered your soap."
"Excuse me, I didn't catch that. It sounded like you said
he remembered my soap." She pulled back from him slightly and gave him an incredulous look.
James nodded and looked at her sidelong, suddenly anxious as to what her response would be.
She laughed softly and shook her head at him. "James, it's incredibly cute that you're jealous, but there's no reason to be."
She shifted her body and lay atop him so she could look directly into his eyes, resting her chin on her twined fingers. He looked away from her, but his large hands drifted across her bare back and he idly trailed his fingers up and down along her spine.
"I wasn't jealous at first, even though I knew you and he had... once..." he sighed. "I don't know what got into me. It was just the idea that he remembered such an intimate detail, I guess. And I
love the smell of your soap." He looked up at her with a small smile and his hands continued to trace small patterns across her skin.
She gazed into his eyes thoughtfully for a moment before she replied. "You know, you probably have a very different association with my soap than he has. For him, it's just how I smell. For you... it's how I smell when we have hot shower sex." She grinned at him seductively.
"So you never had hot shower sex with him?" James asked tentatively.
She shook her head, "Nope. We barely had time for anything so dramatic, or fun. It was just 'I hope to fuck we don't die tomorrow' sex, and it only happened once."
She felt a low vibration in his chest beneath her and his large hands moved to her sides, caressing the sides of her breasts softly and sliding down over her hips.
"You in the mood for some hot shower sex, Lola?" he asked in a thick, suggestive voice as his large hands gripped her backside gently.
"I showered earlier," she said with a teasing smile.
"So, I guess that means I need to get you
dirty if I want hot shower sex, is that what you're telling me, Lola?"
She could feel his reawakening sex beginning to press against her thigh. "Are you sure you have it in you, James? You seemed pretty wiped out after I finished you off earlier."
"I'm sure I have it in me. But that's not what I'm thinking," he said and gripped her by the back of the neck, pulling her face towards his until their lips met. He rolled her over abruptly and pinned her beneath him, supporting his weight with knees and elbows to avoid crushing her. He continued kissing her deeply and with one large hand he teased at the tips of her breasts for a moment before sliding down her naked body.
"It's your turn, Lola," he said as his face drew even with her navel and he trailed soft, lingering kisses lower, making her moan in anticipation.
When she felt his mouth begin teasing between her thighs, she said breathlessly, "Mmm... I'm feeling dirtier by the second."
