#csv writes

“He really wasn’t ok that night.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Saw him in the galley. He told me ‘good work today’ and then he just kinda hung there for a minute while I was making my drink, had that look, like he’s acting fine. I figured he didn’t want to be alone. So I asked him if he was all right, and he just looked at me and said, ‘glad you’re here, lad’ and hugged me. Might’ve even bussed my head a little!”

“Really!?”

“Really! Then he turned around and left, so I couldn’t press my luck with trying to comfort him! But, are you telling me you got the chance??”

Rose’s tongue went to her teeth.

“Enough torture! You’re smiling so hard.”

“Ok, fine! So when he got to me he was covering up with smiles, but kept fidgeting around until I told him to get into bed.” She ignored Jack’s quiet “aw yeah” and continued. “He wanted to know if it would help me for him to stay until I fell asleep, which was funny because I wasn’t the one that needed help, but of course I said yes. So he took off his jacket and boots and got in behind me.”

Scratchy jumper on the back on her shoulders and neck. He tucks her head below his chin and sighs barely audibly. The smell of him surrounds her.

“I can tell I’m going to die before the end of this story. And what were you wearing? It’s important.”

“Jus’ like sleep shorts and vest, nothing sexy.”

“Oh, that’s sexy. Go on! He’s the big spoon…”

Rose grinned. “Ok, he just curled up behind me, threw his arm over. I mean, we’ve had plenty of cuddles. And we’ve had to sleep in the same bed sometimes, but not like this.”

“You say that, but I’m still trying to figure out how we had two beds on Yuma Tertius and you started in mine, but when I woke up, there you were, sleeping on his chest. And him rubbing your back and smiling at the ceiling.”

Rose. “Really? I didn’t know that.”

Jack winked. “So sweet.”

“Fine, ok, it’s happened before, it’s just--this time seemed different. The intensity, he’s all wound up and holding me really tight. And I was trying not to freak out too much and just relax and enjoy and get sleepy.”

“Didn’t work?”

“My head’s against his chest and then he just put his hand--here.” She demonstrated on her belly. “And said, ‘you’re ok now’—couple ‘a times. Like he’s saying it for my benefit, but s’not like I’d been that worried. I knew we’d get out of there. You had backup comin’.”

Jack’s face got close to a look she didn’t like from either of them. “Rose. When you’ve lost people—“

“I know, all right? You don’t have to explain it to me.”

“You’re fearless, and that’s one of the best things about you. Don’t give me that look! All I’m saying is, the more you see, the harder it gets to be fearless. But forget that, back to the good stuff! This story better not end with ‘and then I fell asleep and he was gone in the morning’!”

Rose laughed. “Oh, no, it’s gonna get so much better, just you wait! Ok, so I did almost get sleepy after a while of him just holding me.” She grinned at Jack’s exaggerated sigh and rolled back onto her side, head on her hand. “But then he starts moving his hand--”

Long fingers stretch across her belly as his hand makes circles across her shirt. Her eyes snap open and her pulse jumps. Pleasurable eddies swirl up and down. After a few minutes, he lifts his head slowly to whisper in her ear, “Can I touch you?”

“He asked! If he could do more, you know? And I said yes and that’s--” Her voice got higher and she broke into giggles, “--how he ended up under my clothes!”

He slides his fingers toward her breasts, still circling, and her heart jumps to meet them. His hands feel bigger than they ever have before, with the slightest bit of roughness to his fingerprint contrasting with the feather-lightness of the touch. She can hear herself gasping the higher he goes and when he grazes one nipple she moans an “ohh!” out loud and he tightens his hand over her breast and pushes himself against her.

“Do you know how long you’ve been staring into space?” Jack interrupted her thoughts. “That good, huh?”

“Ha! Well, yes.”

“And, clothes come off?” he prompted.

“No, actually! It went on like that for a while and then he went…the other direction.” She swept her hand down to indicate. “Kept my shorts on, though. He’d ask ‘is this ok?’ sometimes, like he thought any minute I’d decide he was a monster and throw him out. So I had to…encourage ‘im—his hands—a little.”

Jack rolled face-down and pounded his fist on the bed a few times before turning his head back to her. “I can’t stand it! Literally killing me. When you say ‘encouraged’…?”

“He wanted me to show him. What I like. So I did. And, well, you’ve seen him working with his hands.”

“Oh, have I! Wait, is it dark in your room at this point?”

“Totally dark, yes.”

“Dying. Ok, please carry on. What did you have him do?”

“Rose?” He’s pulled back a bit, letting her roll back into him a little, her hips still locked in with his. He’s nuzzling the side of her neck and cheek, and bites just under her ear. She squeaks a little and shiver runs through her body. His hand is under her knickers now, skimming over her, starting to push lower. “I wanna know how to how to touch you.”

Her head spins with sudden trepidation about alien-ness, for all that he feels like a human man, and she’s unsure what he means or how to even ask ask the question. “You mean...? Do you know how it works for us--me? Um...”

“I know humans. Show me you.”

“I just...moved his hand. He didn’t have to do much more at that point. Y’know? Oh, and he wanted a kiss.”

“Course he did. Did he say it all demanding-like?”

“Mmmm…a little.”

She’s thrown her leg over and opened up to him. His fingers glide in the pattern she’d led him through. He sounds almost as worked up as she does, panting above her ear, then he’s biting and sucking at her jaw. “Kiss me. Please?” She turns her head, lips already parted, and he slides his open mouth across hers, as gentle as the first touches of his hand. When his tongue dips in to catch hers, he seems to catch fire, making sounds in his throat as he goes deeper, like he’s sucking the pleasure from her tongue. And the quiver of his hand before he circles even faster catches her in her heart a moment before she shatters.

“And that was all?”

She laughed. “Not exactly. I don’t even know how to describe, he got very into kissin’ me, like it really worked him up. And then I’m expecting him to, well, be a bloke and…strip off and dive in, like, he got me off, time for turnabout, right?”

Jack was on his elbows, mouth hanging a little open. “Right. But no?”

“No, then he kinda got over me and pulled my clothes up and down, not even off,” (she ignored the strangled sound Jack made at that) “but then he just wanted to use his hand again, except more.” She made a gesture and Jack nodded. She rolled to her back and threw an arm over her eyes.

He was talking, what was he saying? “Thank you, thank you.” Another deep kiss, then he was back on her neck. She was still floating a bit. He was asking…she tried to tune in. His two fingers were circling her entrance, which he had yet to touch. “Okay?”

She assented, somehow, really anything was ok at this point. Then he was leaning over her, his hand was inside her, his mouth on her neck, and he was talking.

“Beautiful. Never seen anything so beautiful. Want to do it again?”

“Um, multiples...don’t really happen to me. But don’t you want--can I do something for you?” She could feel him pressing into her, hard, but had yet to see or actually get a hand on his cock.

He kissed her again. “You are doing something for me. Mind if I try?” He was already moving his hand in some way that she couldn’t quite get ahold of and it was delicious. She hummed and nodded. “Just for as long as it feels good, otherwise tell me or push me?”

But it does feel good. So much it shocks her when she realizes her body is building another climax, squeezing around his curling fingers, as his thumb strokes her sensitive clit, so softly. He works his mouth down to a nipple and the combination of sensations makes her shriek and push her chest up into his mouth. Her cry stokes him, he sounds like the one being pleasured instead of the one giving. His hand moves faster and harder. She’s going to come again, impossible as it seems. Then he’s kissing her again, moaning into her mouth, drinking something from her…

“Rose?”

A throw pillow hit her and she uncovered her eyes to see Jack’s questioning face. “The second time was just…intense. I dunno how to even explain.”

Jack took a deep breath and fell back with a laugh. “Well, I’m glad somebody is living my fantasies for me.”