A Match for the Mandalore

Canderous



She’s a witch, that’s what it is, I told myself as I strode into the Ebon Hawk.



To kiss her had been my intention of forfeit all along. I’d wanted to ever since I had seen her in the cantina, graceful and beautiful and deadly. She was fiery, and courageous, and strong, and stubborn, and glorious to watch in battle. I would not be Mandalorian not to want her. I had intended to taste her, to take my prize, and know I’d earned it.



That had been the only thing that had really gone as I had planned. She tasted as wild and tangy as I had imagined, like a rare spice that heals, but can kill if you take too much. I hadn’t expected her to kiss me back, but was pleased she had.



What shocked me was her being in tune with my battle ecstasy. I was sure that was what she had felt. And because of it, I had almost killed her. That she had been bent on crushing the life out of me was irrelevant. What the fuck was going on? The only explanation I could think of was impossible. Wasn’t it?



On board, I tossed my stim pack in a corner and hauled out my armor. I took it to the workbench, and began going over it, repairing and polishing. I’d come across some new upgrades that I wanted to install, and I always think better when I’m busy with my hands.



If had used the stim for a couple reasons. Mostly, I wanted to win. I had made up my mind what my forfeit would be, and I wanted my prize. I’m not practiced and easy with women like Atton, or gentle like Bao Dur, or as clueless as Disciple. But I’m not unskilled, and I’m wise enough to seek women that appreciate what I do have to offer. The blonde terror I’d brought into our midst hadn’t, at first, seemed like she would. I figured the only way I’d get near her was to claim forfeit – if I was good enough to earn it. I’d seen her fight, and with her Force ability, I thought the stim would better the odds.



Not, I told myself, that I thought I couldn’t win without it. But…she had thrown our first fight, and that was humiliating. I understood why, but the shame boiled in my blood. She had gotten under my skin, and I had wanted to teach her a lesson. What I had said was true: I had let my pride get in the way of my common sense.



She wasn’t a bit afraid of me, even seemed to like my more unsociable qualities. She made me laugh. She made me crazy. Her kiss had burned. I wanted to throw myself into her fire, and be consumed.



That wasn’t like me, and it was - disturbing. Sex is great; it satisfies things battle can’t. It’s a pleasure I don’t trouble to deny myself, but I keep it where it belongs – as an occasional indulgence between me and a sturdy woman that doesn’t mind things a little rough, who is usually well paid for her enthusiasm. I like it that way – a business transaction. When I move on I don’t have anything to leave behind. I had had a wife once, and children. After Malchor V, I had no use for any sort of permanent relationship.



And why was I even thinking permanent? I had known her only a day. She wouldn’t want my life, I don’t want hers. I was the Mandalore; to bring home an outlander as my mate would bring untold trouble. I could lose everything I was trying to build. Unless the crazy idea that I was now considering was true. Even if it wasn’t….I wasn’t sure I cared.



And that was why, for the first time in my life, I was really afraid.



That made me mad. At her, because I wasn’t in the mood to blame myself. I’m honest; I’m not always reasonable.



Of course, that’s when she chose to walk in. I looked up, nodded, and turned my attention to my armor.



“Hey there,” she said in her most cheerful, irritating voice. I grunted. She can talk enough for the both of us; I figured I’d let her. Saves time.



“That’s beautiful armor,” she said, and it sounded sincere. I looked up, and her gaze was on the workbench, rapt. Unwillingly, I felt most of my anger drain away. I have a soft spot for anyone who honestly appreciates well-made armor or weapons.



“I could build you some,” I found myself offering.



“That would be wonderful,” she said, her face alight. “Could you manage anything less bulky? I can’t move well in this kind. I had a nice flexible fibersteel shirt, but it got blown up with the rest of my stuff.”



“I could,” and that was the last of witty conversation I had.



She came closer, and stood next to the workbench, inches from me. I could smell her; musk and spice and good clean sweat. I felt a trickle down my back and tried to ignore her.



“You’re blocking my light,” I said gruffly, and she stepped back.



“Sorry.”



I made a noncommittal sound, and continued working. I was done with this piece, and put it aside. I grabbed a cuirass, and examined the knee joint. It gaped a little where it joined the lower leg. I set about correcting it.



“Interesting forfeit. Do you want to tell me why?” Her voice was casual.



“No.”



She was silent so long I finally looked up just to make sure she hadn’t left. Her face was thoughtful, and she looked at me straight on, brown eyes shrewd. I gazed back, keeping my face unreadable.



“All right,” she said, cheerful. “Will you tell me?”



“I wanted to.” I answered simply.



She looked at me. Then she grinned. “That’s a great non-answer.”



“Thanks,” I said, pleased.



“Of course you wanted to, for some reason, or you wouldn’t have chosen kissing me as forfeit. What I want to know is why.”



“Persistent little bitch, aren’t you?” I asked, recalling our conversation in the alley.



“Yep.” She answered, just as I had. She grinned.



“I wanted you.” I said baldly, and snapped my mouth shut, turning back to the workbench.



She was quiet for a moment then asked, “And you thought that was the only way I’d let you kiss me?”



“Yes.”



“Well, it’s official. You really are an idiot.” Her voice was amused.



I jerked my head up and stared at her. Her eyes were warm and…inviting? She came closer, and I inhaled her scent, musky and intoxicating. She reached up and drew a finger over my face, tracing the line of my jaw, and touching the new bump on my nose she had given me. I felt a warmth flood through my body, and the bump disappearing. Her power made me shiver, and I suppressed it savagely. I don’t like jetti ability much; I wasn’t stupid enough to refuse healing but this was unnecessary. Another bump made no difference to me. But she did it so unconsciously that I couldn’t take any real offense.



I reached up and jerked her hand away. Touching her, however casually, sent a shock of electricity through me and I resisted the urge to throw her hand away. Not because I didn’t want her, but because I did so much I thought I might ravage her on the spot. She looked up into my face, eyes wide. Before I knew what I had intended, I roughly yanked her up and kissed her senseless.



She was instantly on fire, and so was I. I felt her mouth soften but her kiss was as fierce as mine. Her arms twined around my neck, and her fingers dug into my scalp. I pulled her closer, completely lifting her off the ground, and explored her mouth roughly, fiercely, and thoroughly. She responded enthusiastically, and her lips parted. I plunged my tongue into her mouth, and hers battled mine, twining around and suddenly sucking hard. I heard myself groan and overpowered her tongue, sucking it into my own mouth. She moaned in return, and I felt her nails scraping down my back. I turned with her in my arms, and loosed one arm to sweep the armor off the workbench, setting her down on it. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and I ran my hands down her body.



Dimly, I thought we needed to talk first; there was something important she needed to know. But the fire raging through both of us consumed my senses, and I lost the thought in the fierce joy of her. She was whimpering and moaning and twisting in my arms, trying to reach as much of me as she could. Her hands ripped at my shirt, tearing it to shreds, and I pulled back long enough to shrug away the remnants. I pulled at hers, and it ripped down the middle. She was bare and glowing and panting, in nothing but her workout shorts. Her hair had come loose from her ponytail, curls tumbled around her face. I touched it, ran my fingers through the softness, then roughly grabbed the back of her head and hauled her mouth to mine again. She devoured my mouth, and I cupped her breasts, my big hands engulfing their warm weight, rough palms scraping her nipples. They tightened to hard little nubs, and I pinched them, none too gently. She moaned again, and moved closer.



She was like a wildcat in my arms, scratching my back raggedly, making me pant and want to take her right there, on the workbench, and fuck her until she screamed. As if she had heard this thought, she started tearing at my pants, and I yanked hers in response. We were naked and hungry and pawing at each other savagely. When her small hand wrapped around my cock I almost howled. I found her center, slick and hot, and she came almost as soon as I touched her. I rubbed the nub of her clit with my thumb, and she screamed in pleasure. I worked a finger into her and she went wild, clawing at my back and thrusting her hips against my hand.



Some sanity crawled into my brain and I picked her up, hauling her out of the garage where anyone could walk in. Not that I particularly cared who saw us, but I’d be damned if, say, Atton walked in and broke the mood. She wrapped her legs around my waist again, rubbing against my hardness and I sincerely wished I could fuck and walk at the same time. We made it to the dormitory, out of our minds with lust. I elbowed the lock and all but threw her on the nearest bed. She smiled up at me, and I was with her on the narrow bunk in an instant.



The feel of her small, incredibly hot nakedness against my skin was scorching. Every nerve in my body was screaming. She was pulling me closer, her strength infusing itself into my very cells. She reached for my cock, trying to guide me in to her, but I moved away, enjoying her frustration. I rubbed my whole body over hers, driving her crazy with the feel of skin on skin. I used my mouth everywhere, sucking and licking and biting, and I felt her teeth sink into my shoulder. Her flesh tasted like wild honey and spice and the biting metal of battle. When she was incoherent with desire, I reared up, looked her full in the face, and plunged into her hot, throbbing slickness. Her eyes were almost insane, wide and dark and urgent with need. She was tight and wet and when she came I could feel her muscles clamp down hard. When I started to move, she clawed at me, and I smelled blood.



She yanked me hard, pulling me down so my full weight pressed her into the ridiculously thin mattress. She kissed me hard, and bit my lip, then sucked the wound as I moaned into her mouth. I propped myself on my elbows again, so she could breathe, and she shifted so she could reach my neck with her lips. Her teeth were sharp against the skin of my throat, and she used them well. My roar of pleasure reverberated around the room. I was moving fast now, driving her mercilessly, and she snarled at me to go harder. I obliged, a wild grin on my face, and she came again, so hard I thought she might just tear me off at the root. If there ever was a Mandolorian heaven, I was in it, and this savage goddess was my reward and my punishment, judge and executioner. My world was pleasure and pain and glorious, aching need.



I shifted, and rolled, and she was on top of me. She looked startled for a moment, and then a wicked smile crossed her lips.



“Ride me,” I growled at her, “Ride me hard,” and oh, how she did.



Her hips moved incredibly fast, and I could feel every inch of me being gripped by her inner muscles. I gripped her hips hard, and she threw back her head, screaming my name. Her orgasm rocked both of us, and I knew I was close too. I’d almost come several times, in fact, but just barely had managed to hold off. I rolled again, getting her under me, and pounded so hard I though we might break the bed. She responded with thrusting that slammed in to me, bruising and frenzied. I couldn’t hold back any more, and came with a roar of satisfaction, feeling her all around me, flooding her and making me go almost limp. I collapsed on top of her, breathing hard and my head swimming. I relaxed a moment, then gathered her close, shifting so I wasn’t crushing her. She laid her head on my chest, gasping. I could feel her heart racing, matching the rhythm of my own. We lay there, just breathing.



I felt her body get warmer, and a tingling sensation through what skin touched her, and realized her healing had kicked in. She wisely didn’t use it on me without asking, and I wondered about that moment when she repaired the bump on my nose. She hadn’t asked then, and I was starting to understand enough about her to realize that she must have been a little out of control even at that moment, before I had even kissed her. I grinned at the thought that I could be so distracting. She looked up, raising her head, and cocked an eyebrow at me. I gave her a nod, and warmth flooded through me as I felt the tracks on my back and the thousand little bites and bruises heal.



“That was…incredible,” she said finally, a smile of pure feline satisfaction on her lips. I kissed them, because I could, and her purr made me want to ravage her all over again.



“It was adequate,” I said, smirking, and she squealed in mock outrage. She elbowed me hard in the ribs and I chuckled.



“Wildcat, you are far too easy to bait,” and I grabbed the fist that was headed toward my nose. Kissing her soundly, I glanced up at the clock and sighed.



“Wildcat, hm?” Her voice was husky.



“Well, you’re small enough that wildkitten might be a better description. But it doesn’t have the same ring to it.”



“I suppose we better get dressed,” she sighed.



“Wait here,” I said, and grabbed a pair of pants out of my footlocker. I slipped them on, tossed a shirt at her, and padded barefoot out to gather the remains of our clothing. Nothing was salvageable, I saw, grinning. She was wearing my shirt, sitting on the bed rolling up the sleeves when I came in with the tattered remnants in my hand. Her face registered dismay, but then she shrugged.



“Just toss them down the incinerator,” she said. “Meet me in the main area. I’ll be there in just a minute.” She turned back toward me, a roguish grin on her face. “Next time, let’s try to get naked without ruining our wardrobes.”



I grinned back. I was hoping she’d say “Next time”.