Warning: This chapter (and several after) contains explicit sexual content.

Because, REYLO!

First Order Shuttle, Ilum

A sharp hiss escaped Rey as antiseptic was applied to a particularly nasty cut on her upper left shoulder blade. The creature's claw had cut right through the thick strap of her tight, under wrappings, leaving a loose flap of material hanging above her left breast. That would need mending later. Glancing over her bare shoulder, Rey noted the deeply concentrated warrior tending to her wound.

"You'll have to leave the area bare so the healing gel has time to do its work." He instructed briskly moving around front and she nodded, sitting up straighter on the kitchen stool. His eyes zeroed in on her neck. "Any more besides this?"

"Just the two on my hand." Rey held up her left index finger, which had twin parallel incisions. He nodded, professionally dousing a small swab with antiseptic, before gingerly grasping both her hands in his large warm ones. Rey sat still, watching curiously, as he deliberately ran his long, dampened fingers over her knuckles, between her digits, her palm, thoroughly cleansing the area.

An odd, coiling tension contracted in her belly at his touch.

They said nothing as he worked. Occasionally, his eyes would dart up to meet hers and a flash of something hungry and eager could be seen there. But the next second it was gone and he would be dutifully attending her hands again.

It was fairly surreal being fussed over by the tall, brooding Force user. He was very particular and careful as he worked, focused, intent. Monosyllabic responses like "soon" or "later" were all she got when the question of his scratches was brought up.

Finally, he finished with her hands. The absence of his attention there sent a wash of longing tingles up her arms.

Squinting, Ben leaned in and Rey obligingly tilted her chin up and to the left, allowing him better access to the short cut just above her collarbone. Eyes resolutely fixed on his task, Ben gently swabbed the area with a pad dampened by antiseptic.

Rey was nothing like a doctor, the chemicals they were using were quite foreign to her, but she had been attending to her own, numerous, injuries since childhood and was reasonably certain he was being overly prudent.

Her heel tapped a speedy tempo against the stool when a careless finger trailed over the exposed skin at her neck, leaving a line of gooseflesh in its wake.

Once, she had even found an extremely helpful medical guide, containing basic information on all dominant species in the galaxy. Naturally, she'd gone straight for useful information on her own species, spending an unheard of four days with the valuable piece of technology. This helped give her a firm base on the basic conditions, nutritional requirements and abilities for her species.

Apparently closer inspection was needed, because she could feel the delicate ghosting of his breath on her skin, his mouth floating mere inches from her neck. The area could dry without blowing on it! She thought in exasperation as a shiver traveled down her spine.

Ben was human too. He must have had a far more substantial education about medical practices than she, so there had to be a good reason for his dragging the process out.

Perhaps he was simply trying to be chivalrous? Gentle?

If so, she did not appreciate it.

An unreasonable amount of tension was spreading through her body, like a noxious weed, contorting and seizing her muscles with no indication of letting up.

"Ben I think it's your turn." She said abruptly, jumping off the stole. If she was pressed, Rey might have said she saw a pleased smirk in his eye before it was quickly replaced by his professional physician attitude.

"I'm not finished with you yet." He turned to face her, low voice playful, their bodies too close.

Rey rolled her eyes, hands on hips "What's left then? Our dinner's getting cold."

"You'll know when I'm done." He said simply and with annoying vagueness, a smile threatening at his lips.

Rey huffed, staring back at his impassive expression with all the force she could muster. Waiting for him to falter.

He didn't budge.

Another forceful exhale signaled Rey's yielding and she tilted her chin up in silent consent for Ben to continue. A small grin lit up his face as he brought the gel back up to her skin. Cupping her neck with his right hand as he slowly spread the gel in with the other.

Teeth grinding, Rey kept her eyes trained over his shoulder, trying hard to control the tempo of her heartbeat as his warm hand pressed into her bare skin.

Focus. Deep, even breathing. She chanted to herself.

Certainly not thinking about how he'd held her hands earlier, carefully washing them, his dark, penetrating eyes fixed on her skin… The way he fought… dynamic movement and flowing muscle… the same muscle that was bared before her now.

When she'd entered the kitchen earlier it had been quite warm and Ben had been understandably stripped down to a tight undershirt, with thick bands that ended before his deltoid. This of course, left the full expanse of both toned arms open for her inspection.

At the time it hadn't really affected her, now however, with both so intimately and closely presented, it was becoming increasingly more difficult not to notice his unadulterated strength.

The hand stilled on her neck. He moved closer.

Her breathing stalled as he brought his mouth to the sensitive skin just below her ear, brushing the area lightly with his lips.

"Hungry?" He whispered, their bodies so close she could feel heat emitting from him.

Rey swallowed hard. "Not so hungry that I'd forget about your injury."

She understood now. He was teasing her. It was another battle of sorts.

He pulled back with a provocative smirk, "Of course."

Maintaining his too close position, he leaned down close to her chest, making her heart jump, only to pause without touching her and come back up with the disinfectant.

She shook her head, plucking the bottle from his hands; he was way too good at this.

Turning the bottle over to dampen the cotton swab, she reached up and began applying the disinfectant to his ear, determinedly not meeting his mischievous, probing gaze.

"At least I'm not alone in my admiration."

It took a moment for that to sink in. Her eyes jumped up to meet his.

Is that why he was acting this way? Teasing her, testing her to see if she was attracted to him?

"Well of course you're not!" She slammed the disinfectant down and grabbed the gel. "I thought that was obvious before!"

Ben grasped onto her upper arm, halting her movement, eyes interrogative. "Are you sure that you feel the same? Because I'm not so sure you do. Do you know how I feel about you? Do you understand what you're getting into, Rey?"

"Don't patronize me." She said uncompromisingly, not struggling in his grip. "I've been in the world long enough to know what happens next. Unless you have some untold interspecies parentage I don't know about, human sexual interactions aren't that complicated."

"This isn't just about sex! It's about us, the bridge. We have no idea what could happen next." His breathing was heavy, eyes bright.

"No, we don't." She agreed quietly, a calming admission. "We I don't understand this fully yet…" She realized, gesturing to them both.

"But I'm willing to try… with you." She said this as more of a request, an invitation for him to join her in the unknown.

His hands dropped away from her arms, calmer, an ironic tilt entering his voice. "Partners in ignorance then."

Rey gave a snort and a shaky laugh. "Partners"

She reached up to finish with his ear and the whole room seemed to ease, the air more breathable and the space between them no longer oppressive. Stepping back, she attentively inspected the rest of him, finding no more scratches.

"Finally time to enjoy that delicious smelling meal you made," She said with a smile.

Instead of answering with his signature smirk, Ben reached for her, eyes blazing with barely restrained urgency, brining their lips together.

He kissed her long and slow, dragging his lips across hers and rubbing their noses together. It was gentle and sweet and everything Rey could hope for in a kiss.

She reached up eagerly, wrapping her hand around his neck and pulling him more firmly to her, pressing up with her lips and moving with him. A hand snaked around her waist, pulling them flush together and Rey let flow all the energy from earlier, allowing it to help her discover exactly how one pleases another with a kiss.

A groan escaped him as she enthusiastically explored his mouth, tugging at his lips and flicking her tongue against his. He reached down and grasped her thigh, assertively hooking it around his hip and pressing himself against her.

A tiny gasp escaped her at the pressure of that, unyielding and firm, pressing on her abdomen.

Then a lugubrious and prolonged growl from Ben's stomach interrupted her concentration. He moved to put his mouth on hers again but she pulled away smiling.

"We can't let your dinner go to waste."

"Yes we can." Ben growled, frowning impatiently. But Rey just shook her head and he groaned dramatically, burying his face in her chest and nuzzling there, mumbling obscenities.

Rey laughed in delight. "We have plenty of time. Come on! Let's eat."

Grimacing in disappointment, Ben let her stand and lead him by the hand around the counter of the kitchen area.

Rey observed the colorful display with hungry eyes and eagerly helped him carry a few things before they settled down to eat. It was the most luxurious meal Rey had ever had and she said so, several times, oohing and awing over the flavor and variety. Ben smiled indulgently but was still piteously put out about the interruption and didn't contribute much to the conversation.

Rey just kept grinning. Food was too much of a luxury to pass up flippantly and the meal gave her plenty of time to formulate a plan.

Knowing where they stood emotionally gave her a confidence to be bold for the physical part of their romantic interactions. Luckily, she had plenty of resources to draw knowledge from.

Growing up reading any holo-pad she came across meant that from a young age the scavenger was introduced to the galaxies most prominent form a of media: porn. It was not particularly inventive reading and soon Rey would simply glance them over and sell them the same day. And of course, most if it was inapplicable to her because it included a variety of other species and their varied anatomy. But the mechanics of human sex, its intricacies, and even some important hygienic practices, all became familiar to her over the years, despite that fact that she'd never participated in the act herself.

So as Ben made a rather pathetic attempt at civility, Rey was mentally cataloging all the realistic scenarios she knew and picking which ones seemed the most appropriate for the two of them. Of course, she would have to pay him back for the teasing he'd done to her earlier. Grinning deviously, she wolfed down her meal and hopped up to store the unused ingredients away.

"My ship has a rather… opulent sleeping set up, would you like to spend the night over there?" She asked coyly, watching him from the corner of her eye as she placed the last item in the cooling compartment.

The drastic change on his face, from dreary to enthusiastic in an instant, provoked another happy laugh from her.

Then he stood and his gaze smoldered with unhindered heat, causing her belly to drop down and her throat to constrict.

"I'd love to." He replied cordially, deep voice more alluring than she'd ever noticed before and it was his turn to smile, at her obvious reaction to his flirtation.

She glanced away, flushed, before gathering her resolve and shooting him a challenging glance as she headed for the ramp.

As the dark snow and windy air were revealed, Rey felt the hilt of her new weapon bounce against her hip. Encouragement seemed to hum from it and Rey felt assured and content as she strode through the snow to her ship, Ben following closely behind. Once inside, the lights flickered on and the ramp closed behind them, Rey shot Ben a dazzling smile. They were both shivering from the cold as she'd pressed out into the night without her coat and he had not hesitated to follow.

Unconsciously, they moved closer together.

"How long does this gel need to set properly?" She asked quietly, standing so close she could feel the heat radiating off him like sand in the sun.

"It should already be done." He answered just as lowly, his lips barely a handbreadth from her own.

"Good. Then we have time for a sonic shower." She said briskly, stepping back with a huge grin. And this time he smirked back, consenting to her playful attitude and allowing her to lead him to the private quarters.

The area had efficient, grey wall cupboards and an unnecessarily large bed draped with black, grey and orange sheeting. Rey moved past that into the adjourning water closet, which had three different excessive modes of water usage that she would be indulging in tonight. Attached to her hand, Ben stayed close as a shadow and shut the door behind them.

Their hands fell apart, her back was to him for an quiet moment—a held breath.

Then she kicked of her shoes and loosened the wrappings around her torso letting them fall to the ground. Struggling to maintain her confidence, she quickly shucked the lower layers and jumped into the shower compartment without once looking at him. The water turned on and the door slid shut automatically at her entrance.

Her breathing was shallow as the once scavenger struggled to stifle the feelings of panic and unexpected fear compressing her throat. Why was she reacting like this? Ben was right there, he would think this was because of him but she knew it wasn't.

It was just…

Physical vulnerability like this was nothing she'd ever dealt with before.

"Rey… I can sense you're anxiety." Ben's voice was uncharacteristically tentative. She could see his shadow through the distorted glass pane.

"Nothing like this needs to happen now… We can go to sleep like we did last night… Nothing needs to happen. Not until you're ready." He repeated with inexplicable gentleness.

And nothing could have solidified her desire to continue more than his honest and comforting entreaties. Being naked wasn't hazardous if she was in the presence of a trustworthy soul.

Rey turned off the water and opened the door.

She stood still and calm, letting him see all of her, "I suppose it's reasonable for there to be some aspects of this I'm not mentally prepared for." This admission had him gazing solidly into her eyes. Rey held out her hand for him, bright eyes resolute, no longer cloudd by fear. "But I'm still ready to try."

Ben took her right hand in his left and gently pulled her towards him, bringing up the other hand to stroke her cheek, eyes penetrating, mind probing. Most likely searching for any reservations or doubt.

He didn't find any.

"Rey," he murmured achingly before pulling her into a deep and passionate kiss. He pulled her off the ground, sucked her tongue into his mouth then drove his into hers, ran his hands over her uncovered body. It was overwhelming, and dazzling and wonderful, and when he set her down Rey was lightheaded and gasping.

Similarly panting, Ben pressed his forehead to Rey's, their gaze locking and somehow managing to contain a tumult of love, passion, tenderness and desire.

Then the damn broke.

Their lips crashed roughly together in a mad scramble, each wanting to deliver pleasure to the other without the patience or insight for subtlety. Ben's larger frame drove Rey into the wall of the shower compartment and the water came on, soaking them instantly. She gasped, trying to remove his sodden shirt but he took her face in his hands and capably angled it to intensify the stirring sensations that began as his tongue traveled all along the borders of her mouth.

It was electrifying, shocking, and Rey shoved him back, trying to recover some faculties and intent on getting his shirt off because they were in the shower and it should be off and not because she was impatient to see his bare, glistening skin again.

But when she reached for him he took another step back out of the shower, dampened hair falling into his smirking eyes, and whipped the wet shirt off himself, stunning her for a moment.

He was just as perfect as she remembered.

The water drowned out all sound. And her vision seemed to take over supplying all sensory sensation as crystal sharp imagery. The rapid rise and fall in her chest became the only evidence of her larboard breathing as Ben's hands settled on the waist of his pants.

Grinning deviously, he leisurely slid the loose pants down his hips, savoring her reaction as his manhood sprang into view, erect and solid as a great stone tower. Rey's mind stuttered to halt at the impossibility of that fitting inside her.

Cheekily kicking off his shoes, Ben added them to the pile of discarded clothes on the floor, obviously enjoying her open stare.

Suddenly, Rey realized they were both naked, both trusting.

Contrasting mirror images, openly drinking in the appearance of the other.

She stepped forward, taking his hand in hers, gazing into his dark, hazy eyes, and allowing all the excitement, apprehension, and tenderness she felt for him, broadcast directly through the Force. It wasn't really intentional; she just couldn't find words to express the thrill of energy pounding through her. Rey even thought he might be offended.

So when Ben's answering flood of emotions slammed into her, Rey was completely overcome by it. A furious stream of passion, tender care and fear swirled around them, a living bubble of energy, and their more than willing hosts responded wholeheartedly to the prompting. They grasped onto each other, lips colliding, limbs entwining, hands exploring naked skin. Rey leaped up as Ben grasped her thighs, pulling her lean legs around his hips and walking forward into the shower.

Combing unruly black hair out of her way, Rey rained kiss down on his face like water, making him grin as he settled her posterior against the far wall. The liquid was pouring on his back and with the support of the wall, Rey could hold herself up, allowing Ben to discover her body with his hands.

He brought a hand up to her cheek while the other settled at her waist, leaning in with somewhat more gentle exploration as his exuberance calmed. She stroked a hand over his muscular arm whilst the other tangled in his hair, their lips flowing smoothly together.

Then he broke away to suckle at her jaw, one hand pushing her chin up to get better access to the area that had so entranced him earlier. He nibbled and kissed with relish until, finally, a small whimper escaped her. The sound was foreign and provocative to her ears. And Ben excitedly sucked again, gently, at the same spot, turning her whimper into a groan. Her head pitched back and her chest arched up into his. Distantly, she heard his breath catch at her reaction.

Rey had spent her whole life starving yet never had she known such all-consuming hunger.

Now she was impatient to bring the same pleasure to him as he brought to her, so she lunged forward to catch his earlobe between her teeth, pressing their wet bodies together, breathing in the scent of his hair. Then Rey lightly grazed the sensitive cartilage with her tongue, from base to tip, and had the satisfaction of hearing his breath catch again, before he shifted suddenly, seeming desperate, and clutched her face for a fervent kiss while his other hand came up to fondle her breasts. He let go of her face and used both hands to knead and torment her delicate flesh. Breaking away from the kiss with a desperate gasp, Rey writhed, trying not to make noise as Ben's hands wandered over untouched skin, down over her abdomen, and further, to that secret place between her legs. She clutched at his neck while long fingers ghosted over her swollen flesh and roamed through the soft hair of her sex.

Ben shifted her higher, supporting her with a forearm under her rear, and began investigating her quivering entrance. Clever fingers dipped in-between her sodden folds, the novel sensations leaving her gasping and incognizant. Eventually, one tentatively pressed at her virgin core.

Rey blanched. If one finger felt big, how could she possibly manage him?

Ben watched her face, shallowly moving the digit in and out, until her expression relaxed somewhat. Then he leisurely dragged the same finger up, out and over a spot that caused her whole body to shudder, a strangled moan tumbling from her mouth as she bit down on her lip.

"Rey…" He mumbled, groaning softly, pleading. And she could feel something much larger begging entrance at her center. She sat up straighter, he moved forward, hands back to her thighs, pressing her into the wall again.

The unexpectedly velvety skin of his head nudged at her entrance as he guided himself into alignment. But then he lingered there, the tip poised, intimate parts touching but not joined, and he gazed into her eyes for an endless moment. Rey appreciated the consideration he gave her even while his eyes were clouded over with desire.

She craned her head up slightly and Ben knew exactly what she wanted. He bent forward, touching their foreheads together, resolution solidifying between them.

And then he slid inside her.

A whimpering moan struggled from Ben's throat as Rey arched into him, gasping, scrambling from sensory overload and adjusting to his size. He filled her. Sheathed himself inside her with the ease of a much more proficient lover. Clutching at her thighs, Ben pulled out slightly and then rolled his hips back into her. Inexperienced and overwhelmed, the two lovers cried out in pleasure at even the most insubstantial movement.

At this point, Rey couldn't hold still any longer. She grabbed onto his shoulders and rotated her hips up into his, dying to feel all of him inside her again. That extracted a tormented groan from his open mouth and prompted his hands, already clenched tightly at her thighs, to start tugging her hips forward to meet his in a series of erratic, heaving thrusts.

Rey gave a startled cry and held on tight as Ben unraveled in her arms.

She watched in fascination as his body contorted, a pained expression taking over his face and powerful waves wracked through his body. She could feel pulsing all along his shaft as he exploded inside her, shuddering and whimpering in what seemed like agony.

Finally, the tremors receded and he crumpled down around her. Head falling on her shoulder, his panting breath ghosted over her breasts. Somewhat uncertain, Rey laid a hand on the back of his neck and slowly stroked at the hair and skin there, waiting for him to recover.

"I'm sorry, Rey. I… I'm sorry." He stuttered into her neck.

She looked down confused but the mop of dark hair hid his expression from her. "What are you sorry for?"

"I couldn't, couldn't… control myself." His drained voice came out muffled as he burrowed his face into her shoulder.

"Isn't that the point of love making? To lose control?" Her lips pulled up in an amused smile. The image of him convulsing sprung up fresh in her mind and led to a powerful shudder as desire blazed hot trails through her body. "I'm glad you let go."

"But you didn't…" his hand came up to gesture vaguely and she slipped a little, causing his now soft manhood to slid out. Ben groaned quietly, eyes pinched shut as he set her on her rather shaky legs.

"I didn't help you," He elaborated in utter dejection, finally meeting her eye as they straightened. "I finished too fast."

Cool hands ran over his chest and neck consolingly, "I don't care." She said before coyly biting her lip. "Seeing you like that was…" A timely shiver spoke what her voice could not. And Ben's expression lightened somewhat.

"I'll make it up to you." He promised fervently, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

"No need." She responded smiling. "There's always next time, right?"

Face impassive, Ben stilled his ministrations. Instead of responding, he leaned down deliberately, eyes smoldering like the last ember of a dying flame.

"How about now?" He asked lowly and Rey's heart rate spiked.

AN: First time writing a sex scene and I feel like it shows! But let me know what you guys think :) Too much? Too little? I'm always ready for some constructive criticism.