I awoke to comforting warmth. I was lying on my side snuggled against the length of Wedge's body; the thin material of his under shorts the only thing separating us. His arm was around my shoulder and my head was pillowed on his chest. I opened my eyes to find him smiling and watching me through the length of hair that always seemed to be in his eyes.

"Morning," he said as his arm tightened around me, pulling me even closer.

I smiled and placed a light kiss on his shoulder before propping my chin on his chest. "How long have you been up?"

His face colored slightly, "Not long."

I was about to ask when the hand that was exploring his stomach brushed against his lower abdominals on its way to his hip. When I realized why he was blushing, I grinned evilly. In an instant, I was sitting on top of him with his hands pinned above his head.

He laughed as I leaned forward so that my bare breasts were just out of the reach of his questing mouth. I pulled back as he lifted his head, playing keep-away. His eyes were dark with passion as he grinned up at me. With a swift movement, he bucked and I was on my back. His grin turned triumphant as our positions were reversed.

"Is that the best you can do, General?" I teased him. I don't remember how I found out he was ticklish but I do recall that we had been working on the topside of his freighter in the hanger at XM at the time. I used this knowledge to find a particularly sensitive spot on his sides.

He was able to control his reactions for about ten seconds and then began to squirm. I used my advantage to again flip on top of him. We were laughing hard by this point.

"No fair. You distracted me," he gasped, out of breath.

"All's fair in love and war," I laughed. When we realized what I had said, we both grew thoughtful. We had always shared a deep affection for each other, which I think we were just now realizing. His hands moved to my back as I leaned into a passionate kiss. Our lips met and my mouth opened to his tongue with little prodding.

The need for air is what ended the kiss. I worked my way along his neck and jaw line, planting wet kisses till I reached his ear lobe and began nibbling on the soft tissue. He whispered my name with ragged breath, urging me to continue. When our mouths met again, he tangled his hands in my hair, drawing me deeper into the kiss.

We were laying side by side, our bodies touching when his comlink beeped. Frustration was apparent in his eyes as we drew apart. I sighed and waved toward the beside table, "You might as well answer it. We're not going to get any privacy till you do."

He growled and rolled over to retrieve the offending device. "Antilles."

I could make out Tycho's voice but not his words as tension grew in Wedge's body. My hands rubbed his back and I placed a series of chaste kisses along his shoulder in an attempt to sooth him.

"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes," he said and turned off the comm. He rolled back to face me, a look of apology on his face. "I've got to go."

"You want me to go with you?"

He sighed and climbed out of bed, "No, this shouldn't take long. Will you be here when I get back?"

I glanced at the chrono as he began collecting his scattered clothing. "Probably not. Mirax is taking me shopping today."

He grimaced, "I'm not sure I trust the two of you together."

I smiled innocently as I remembered he and Mirax Terrik Horn, Corran's wife, had practically been raised together. "What's the matter? Afraid we'll start swapping Captain Kid stories?"

He chuckled as he sat down to put on his pants. "I think I'm more afraid of the stories she could tell you than the ones you'll tell her."

I got a glimpse of his back and began laughing uncontrollably, drawing a glare from him.

"I didn't think it was that funny," he grumbled.

"It's not that," I managed. He waited impatiently for me to explain. "You may want to be sure you keep your shirt on for the next few days."

He knitted his brows in puzzlement until he caught site of the scratch marks in the mirror. I was blushing deeply as he turned a self-satisfied smile on me and I almost drug him back into the bed.

He pulled on his shirt and leaned down to kiss me deeply. He gave me a devilish grin and asked, "Finish this later?"

"I'll hold you to that promise," I said as I climbed out of bed and wrapped the sheet around me so I could walk him to the door.

Continued in Part Nine