Please see part one for disclaimers and warnings.

Desires and Demons - Four

I am at a loss as to how to make the transition from Emergency Security Summit to "scratch this itch, please, Big Boy." Asking 'Your place or mine?' is going to make this moment even more awkward than it already is. The Maru is too exposed for a first encounter of the intimate kind.

Beka appears to be having second thoughts. She is looking down at the deck and rubbing at a spot with the toe of her boot. If she were Nietzschean I would be rejected as a mating partner for showing initiative. But she isn't and I know her well. Given time to think she will run. I will not give her time to think.

Tyr knows how to be still. He never wastes energy. If he moves it is with purpose. Here I am rubbing an invisible spot on the deck, because I can't think of a suitable opening line. There he is preparing to move. Why? Have I hesitated too long?

"Beka?"

She looks at me as if I have thrown her a lifeline. I stretch out my hand. She puts her hand in mine. I tug gently, reeling her into my embrace. She tucks her head under my chin. Her breath is soft and moist on my skin. With her free hand she pulls me closer. I wrap my arms about her, squeezing her against me. She rests her ear over my heart and plays with the breast on which she has laid her head. She sends jolts of pleasure through my body.

His hand is under my shirt. With his index finger he is following my spine from my shoulder blades to the small of my back. I shiver. His touch is feather light and incredibly tender. Tenderness is not a quality that I expect from Tyr Anasazi. When he slips his hand under the waistband of my pants, I gulp air. The hair on my body stands on end. My pelvis thrusts against his.

"Tyr! Where are you taking me?"

He has swept me off my feet to carry me out of the Maru. His answer makes me quiver.

"V Deck."

I order the lift to descend to the belly of the ship. Beka shivers in my arms. V Deck is where she was incarcerated while trying to shake her addiction to Flash. I plan to replace the old memories with new ones. V Deck is sound proof and has sleeping quarters. The only occupants are robots and the ever-present ship. I hope that the degree of privacy offered by V Deck will loosen my intended's inhibitions.

When the lift doors slide shut, I slide out of Tyr's arms. His nipples pucker when his chest is exposed to the cool air of the lift. I resist touching him. He reaches for me, but I keep just out of reach. He growls with frustration.

So I relent a little, offering my mouth for his pleasure. He does not hesitate. His tongue invades and I surrender. I am incapable of resistance. My brain can't separate the feeling of descent generated by the turbolift and the descent into passion inspired by Tyr's kisses.

I am limp when the lift comes to a halt. Tyr takes some of weight and ushers me out of the lift. The next thing I know I am on the floor. Tyr has pushed me out of the way of the ship's internal defense systems that have begun firing.

From the corner of my eye I watch Tyr zigzag across the corridor to a comm unit.

"Andromeda, cease firing immediately. Authorization Weapons and Security Officer Alpha Bravo Six Niner."

The fireworks cease. It appears Dylan set internal defense systems to restrict the movements of personnel.

"Andromeda." The holo-image shimmers into view. "What just happened?"

If a hologram can look sheepish, this one does.

"I'm sorry Tyr. Dylan ordered me to restrict your access and that of Beka to certain decks. He said he wanted to contain the two of you until he was certain the intruders had been completely eliminated."

"Just where can Captain Valentine and I move without being shot at?"

Tyr is seething. His question to Rommie dripped with sarcasm. Dylan should have changed his orders when he left the Maru. His paranoia will kill us. I had been looking forward to fireworks, but the metaphorical kind, not the maimed for life kind that Andromeda was capable of.

Shut up Valentine, or you will miss Rommie's answer.

"The turbolift, command deck, your personal quarters, corridors leading to and from your quarters to command and the Obs deck are not restricted."

"Tyr, she just said that 95% of the ship is off limits to us."

I could cry with frustration. Two years of foreplay are two too many. I will not wait another day!

"Tyr," I say his name in my most seductive voice. "Tyr, baby, how about a lift?"

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