Chapter 5

Chakotay sat on the bed with Kathryn still in his arms straddling his lap. He felt her thighs tighten around him as he slid his hands over her buttocks, the silk of her dress slipping further up her legs. She pulled away from the kiss and tugged at the hem of his shirt. He lifted his arms so she could pull it off, and her mouth locked onto the heated skin of his neck as her fingertips raked down his bare chest. He slipped her shoes off her feet and tossed them to the floor as she pushed him back onto the bed and rose up so he could pull her dress off. She was kneeling over him in black silk bra and panties and he groaned, "So beautiful."

Kathryn relaxed her thighs and spread her knees, her center lowering onto his. He could feel her heat even through their remaining clothing. He reached up to her back and flipped her over, pulling her to the center of the bed. Her fingers found the button of his pants and unfastened them, pushing them down his hips. He stood up and removed his shoes and slacks, hesitating before removing his boxers. She decided for him as she ran the ball of her foot over his hardness. He leaned his head back and let her feel him for a moment before he took her foot in his hand and removed his underwear with the other. He bent down and kissed his way over the arch while his hands massaged her, continuing his exploration up her shins.

When he reached her knee, he braced his hands on either side of her and slowed, gently replacing each image in his mind of a bruise along those legs with the memory of kissing soft, pink skin. Inch by inch, he rose up her thighs, across the silk of her panties but not touching her core, and over her torso. He slipped his arm under her and lifted her slightly so his other hand could find the hooks of her bra and release them. His mind's eye no longer saw the battered, beaten, and humiliated Kathryn, but a strong, sensual, and sexual woman responding to his touch with passion. He slid the bra down her arms and took her breasts in his palms, a tiny moan escaping her lips as she pushed them up to him. He took her nipple in his mouth, gently teething it as her fingers wrapped in his hair.

He licked his way up her chest, along the line of her neck, and found her lips with his, pressing his body to her side. Kathryn turned her hips toward him and reached down to take him in her hand, circling his hard member with her fingers as she stroked him. He slid his hand over the silk of her panties, pressing his palm against her button. Her hips thrust against him and her pressure around him increased as she leaned her head back from his.

"Oh," she gasped, her voice husky. He continued to slide his hand over the damp material, tracing the line of her from top to bottom and sliding over her swollen clit. Her breath quickened as his fingers expertly played her body. "Take them off," she whispered.

He pulled the black silk down her hips and over her legs, and Kathryn did not turn her head away this time. She wanted to watch him look at her, to really see her offering herself freely and completely to him. His dark chocolate eyes roamed over her and she felt his sex twitch in her hand. "Oh gods," he growled. He stared into her gaze and whispered, "My Kathryn," as he found her wet center again. His finger slipped inside and teased her, his thumb circling her clit. Her body spasmed at his touch, her face burying in his neck and her thighs spreading. She gripped his cock as her stomach clenched. Two quick, sharp breaths and she shattered in his arms, curling her body and trembling as her orgasm raced through her core. He felt her tighten around his finger and kept his eyes on her face, watching the ecstasy play across her features and hearing her soft moans. He gently slid in and out of her as the ripples slowed, bringing her down from the heights and feeling her muscles relax bit by bit.

She murmured his name into his neck and uncurled, rolling onto her back and pulling him toward her. Her eyes found his, drowning him a deep blue sea as he moved his body over hers, holding himself up with one arm while he guided his erection to her. He slid the tip lightly over her clit and down her wetness until he felt her opening. She pulled her knees back further and tilted her hips for him.

Gently, he entered her with agonizing slowness until he was as far as he could go, pausing to let her walls relax around him and get used to the feel of him. Only when he felt her open up and rock her hips against him did he begin to move within her with long, tender strokes. Her hands slid over his shoulders to his back, caressing his hot skin and leaving electric tingles in their wake. He shifted slightly to the side and supported himself on one elbow as he lay a hand along her cheek and kissed her, his lips moving over hers in time with his thrusts.

Chakotay pulled back so he could see her face, his hand slipping down to her breast and circling her nipple. His deliberate slowness in and out of her wet core was driving Kathryn wild, the heat in her stomach licking out in flames throughout her body. Her caressing fingertips gave way to her nails scratching along the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. Her eyes locked with his as her hips rocked into him, urging him deeper. He increased the pressure of his forward thrusts, but not the speed, delaying his building climax as long as he could. He could feel his control slipping, though, with each rake of her nails on his back and brush of her pelvis against his stomach.

She was tightening around him again, her thighs clenching and unclenching against his sides. When she pushed her head into the pillow and arched her back and breasts, his rhythm slipped at the sight of her taking pleasure from him. He shifted fully on top of her and slid his hands under the small of her back, thrusting deep and hard into her wet heat.

"Yes," she hissed, pulling her knees up further to take him fully.

He groaned against her neck as the sound of her voice lost in passion washed over him. His hold over his climax was sliding away as his rhythm quickened. With a few more deep, swift strokes, her walls tightened and rippled around his swelling hardness and he sucked in his breath. A wave of heat cascaded through him as his orgasm took hold of his body. At the first pump of his seed inside her, she locked in his arms and came with him, a small cry following his. Time and space exploded around them and the universe ceased to exist outside of their joining. Gradually, the blinding white flash began to fade and the spinning slowed as they trembled against each other.

He rose up on his arms and searched Kathryn's face, seeing tears in her eyes and surprised to feel them in his own. "I love you, Chakotay," she whispered.

He leaned his head down and spoke softly in her ear. "My Kathryn. I love you more than you will ever know, and I want to spend the rest of my life telling you." He rolled them onto their sides, holding her against him, the warm tears rolling down his temple along with her own saying far more than words could.

They slept in each other's arms, neither of them thrashing in dreams for the first time in a long time. Their existence was a stormy one, but together they forged a refuge of immeasurable strength and shelter. It had taken them half a lifetime to find each other across the galaxy of stars. Along their journey back home, they had discovered the truth together. Love itself is a journey, and to trust in love is, perhaps, the greatest destination of all.