ugly bag of mostly voyager

Chapter Six

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Kathryn reached absently for her cup and sipped without looking, grimacing as cold coffee filled her mouth. It seemed like she’d ordered it barely five minutes ago, but it could have been five hours for all she knew. Time seemed to get sucked into a vortex when she was reading the book Chakotay had written.
 
She couldn’t understand why Unforgetting had received such a lukewarm reception. Sure, the plot was complicated, but the protagonist’s heartache was palpable. Unable to be with his best friend, whom he loved quietly from afar, he’d let himself be swept into a romance with a mysterious stranger with the power to make him forget everything else, including the stranger herself when she eventually moved on. But he’d kept a diary of their romance, and so had the woman he loved. Kathryn wiped tears from under her eyes as she read the final few pages of the book, in which the hero’s heart broke as his best friend explained that she loved him too, but she had to let him be free to fall in love with someone else.
 
It was tragic in the most beautiful way, and Kathryn wished she could go back and read it from the beginning again for the first time.
 
She laid the book on the table and turned to gaze out of the coffee shop window, tucking her legs up and wrapping her arms around her calves. The big maple outside was turning brilliant shades of auburn and copper and red, and the sleepy little town was starting to empty out as its summer inhabitants headed back to their regular lives.

She’d been thinking about that herself. They still hadn’t permanently filled her old job at NYPL, and yesterday the library administrator had asked her if she'd come back.
 
Kathryn sighed. Moving back to the city was the right thing to do for the sake of her career, and with Tom fully trained and starting library school in September, she wouldn’t really be needed at the Paris Library for much longer. She just didn’t know if she was ready to close the chapter on her summer in Maplebrook.
 
She rested her cheek on her denimed knees. Her hair, unbound for once, slid over one shoulder to tickle her cheek, and Kathryn brushed it back as she reached for her tote bag. Maybe she had another of Chakotay’s beautiful novels stashed away inside –
 
A movement caught the corner of her eye. Someone was standing beside her table.
 
“Unforgetting,” said a masculine voice – a warm, familiar, slightly shaky voice. “Unusual choice.”
 
Kathryn’s heart began to pound as his words transported her back in memory to their very first meeting.
 
“I like the way the author writes,” she managed through a suddenly tight throat, staring unseeingly at the table top in front of her.
 
The man beside her swallowed audibly. “What do you like about it?”
 
She closed her eyes for a moment, then turned to look up at him. “That I didn’t want it to end.”
 
And then Chakotay crouched beside her chair, reached for her hand, and said, “I never wanted it to end either, Kathryn. Do you think we could start again?”

~*~

Chakotay waited for Kathryn’s answer. Her slender hand tightened around his, and he started to breathe again.

She opened her mouth, but before she could speak there was a clatter of dishes, and they both jumped, remembering they were in a very public place.

Kathryn gave him a small smile. “Let’s go for a walk.”

“I could use the chance to stretch my legs.”

“It’s a long drive up here,” she said as they exited the coffee shop. They began walking away from the center of town, toward the woods where Chakotay had gone running his last morning in Maplebrook.

“That and I was on a plane all night,” he said ruefully. “Economy class.”

She looked at him curiously.

The small talk was over.

He inhaled and reached for her hand again, twining their fingers together loosely; she didn’t pull away. He’d gone over and over this conversation in his head, trying to think of the best way to explain what had happened. They walked in silence a little longer so he could gather his thoughts one last time, and then he started.

"Remember that deal I offered Federation, so I could keep writing my book?"

She thought for a moment. “And so you could find a new publisher."

"Yeah. Well, they took me up on it. And they made me go on a six week European book tour so they could wring every last bit of their money's worth out of me first.”

She came to a sudden stop. “You’ve been in Europe this whole time?” At his nod, she said, “Well, that’s one possibility that never crossed my mind.”

He closed his eyes briefly, the implied pain of that statement quite apparent. Kathryn pulled them back into movement.

“I didn’t have any warning. I got the call early, the morning after …” his words faltered. She gave a curt nod, and he rushed to continue, “the morning I was going to come see you.” Her fingers tightened around his, and he ran his thumb along her wrist. “But I had to leave right away. It wasn’t until later I realized I didn’t have your cell number, and …”

“And I’d made such a fuss about being unprofessional, you didn’t want to call the library,” she guessed.

They’d reached the woods, and Chakotay pulled her under the shade of the trees.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about it — about you — since that day,” he confessed. “But you’ve probably been thinking I’m the kind of guy who pounces on beautiful women and then just takes off.”

She glanced away, but he could see the hint of a smile on her lips. “I didn’t mind the pouncing.”

His heart leapt, but he needed to say this. “Kathryn, I’m sorry I embarrassed you at your place of work.”  

She shook her head urgently, reaching out to place the palm of her hand on his chest. “No, I’m sorry. I freaked out, but it wasn’t about that. Not really.”

A ray of sun bounced through the leaves, scattering gold through her chestnut hair. He’d imagined running his fingers through that hair many times over the past month and a half. Carefully, he reached up, brushing a strand away from her face — it was as soft as he’d dreamt it would be — and let his hand rest on her cheek.

“Have dinner with me tonight,” he said impulsively. “Let’s start things off right this time.”

“Okay.”

A smile broke across Kathryn’s face, and he couldn’t stop himself from grinning back.

He’d just opened his mouth to ask where they should go when his cell phone buzzed. It was a message from B’Elanna.

“We’re guessing since you’re not back by now that things are okay,” it read. “Tom’s taking me to an all-night B-movie film fest downtown. Proton something. I don’t know. Who even am I anymore??? See you … whenever.” This was followed by a series of increasingly suggestive emoji.

He chuckled and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Looks like Tom’s got plans for the night,” he said.

Her eyebrows rose, and he explained on the drive back to the Paris house, where Kathryn changed quickly into a button-front dress and Chakotay splashed water on his face, determined to ignore the pull of his jetlag.

They talked more at dinner, clearing the air, but mostly they talked about what life had been like otherwise since they’d seen each other. She told him about a picture she’d found of a woman with his tattoo over her left eye, and how she’d kicked Tom’s ass at skeeball at the fair; Chakotay told her about the reading at which a man had been so loud in his side remarks to his companion that the shop owner had finally had to ask them to leave.

Over dessert, he pulled out the small parcel he’d grabbed from his bag while they were changing for dinner.

He watched Kathryn’s face as she ran a gentle finger over a hand-carved magnet from the University of Graz library, smiled indulgently at a bookmark from Porto which had obviously been cut out by hand, eagerly read the back cover blurb on a space law treatise from the Peace Palace Library.

She didn’t look up at him for a long time, and he was worried that he’d revealed too much through his little gifts. Then her eyes met his, and they were dark, such a deep blue, and her evident desire stole his breath away.

“Let’s get out of here,” she husked, carefully sliding the items into her purse.  

They were halfway back to his car, hands tightly clasped, almost running, when she shoved him down a side alley and pushed him against the wall.

“This works too,” she said breathlessly. Her hands were already at his belt, unbuckling it.

“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he growled.

“Don’t make me wait any longer,” she ordered, grabbing his wallet with one hand while trying to shove his pants down with the other.

His hands came up to still hers, just for a second. “You take care of the condom, I’ll take care of us.”

He turned her so that her back was to the wall. Heat flushed across her chest; he bent to suck at the hollow of her throat. Then he bit her sharply before pulling back to ruck down his pants and shorts.

Kathryn was breathing heavily, her fingers trying to tear at the packet. He heard it rustle as he gathered her dress up around her waist. Red silk barely covered her mound. “I’ll buy you another pair,” he promised, tearing the thin straps and tucking the scrap into his pocket.

“You’re starting quite a collection,” she purred.

His tongue dipped into the shell of her ear, running along the curve. “If only I knew a librarian,” he whispered, nipping at her lobe.

She pushed him far enough away to see between them. Then her cool hand was running down his cock, rolling the condom onto him. She ran a finger along his balls, then wrapped her fist around him, pumping him once, twice. “Enough sweet talk.”

Chakotay’s hands grasped her waist, sliding around her, and lifted her against the wall. Her arms went around his neck, her legs around his hips. Kathryn’s petite body twisted, and she sank down on him. She gasped, and he took her mouth roughly, swallowing her moans.

Her tongue slid along his. He could feel her lips stretch into a fierce smile.

“You really do like it, thinking that someone might catch us,” he rasped.

“Apparently,” she whimpered. “And I’m not letting you shush me this time.”

His hands cupped her buttocks to protect her from the bricks. He pressed his hips up into hers.

Kathryn let out a throaty moan, “Fuck me, Chakotay. Harder. Please.”

Her blatant plea set him on fire. His hips drove into her. He could feel the skin of his knuckles being rubbed raw, and he just thrust harder. They were frantic for each other, grasping and biting, straining to meld themselves as close as possible after too much time apart. Then he felt Kathryn begin to clench around him. He was close, but he wanted to feel her come. He held her as she jerked against him, and he let go too.

The next thing he was aware of was Kathryn chuckling against his neck. They were sweaty and both breathing hard.

"Hey, did you know people do this kind of thing in beds too?" he heard her say.

“Is that an invitation?” How was he forming words right now, let alone sentences?

She lifted her head, her arms still around his neck, and said, “I’m just pointing out that I haven’t gotten to see the rest of your tattoos yet.”

~*~

Chakotay pulled the Jeep into the driveway behind the Paris house, and Kathryn led him inside and up the carpeted stairs to the second floor.

“So this is where you live,” he whispered.

“That’s my room,” she answered in hushed tones, pointing, and then she stopped and said in a normal voice, “Why are we whispering? Tom’s out all night, and there’s nobody here but us.”

Chakotay’s eyebrows rose. “So we can be as loud as we like,” he rumbled, pulling her into his arms and crowding her up against the wall.

“Not that I was particularly quiet in the alley back there,” Kathryn parried. He bent to kiss her, but she put her hands on his chest to hold him off. “Uh-uh, Mr. Chakotay. This time we are definitely doing this horizontally.”

“Then you’d better take me to bed, Ms. Janeway, because I don’t think I can wait any longer to have you completely naked and at my mercy.”

“Oh, I think you’ll find that I’ll be the one in command,” she said airily, turning to push open the door to her suite.

“Of that, I have no doubt.”

She locked the door, then took his hand to lead him over to the big white bed in the center of the room. At his involuntary flinch her eyes sharpened.

Looking down at his hand, she saw that his knuckles were grazed raw.

“The wall,” she exclaimed. “Oh Chakotay, I’m sorry.”

“It’s nothing.”

Kathryn rolled her eyes. “Come with me.”

Moments later he was leaning against the counter in her bathroom while Kathryn stood between his legs, gently cleaning the cuts on his knuckles.

“This brings back memories,” she said, her head still bowed to hide her smile.

“The kind of memories that got me through six long, lonely weeks in Europe.”

She felt him shift so that his thigh was pressed between hers, and she leaned against it.

“Did you touch yourself when you were thinking about me, Chakotay?” she purred, her thumb stroking his palm to feel him shiver. “Were you imagining you were inside me?”

“Frequently.” His voice was rough.

Kathryn bent to take his fingertip between her teeth, then curled her tongue around it. “Did you imagine me sucking your cock?”

His answer was a soft groan, and she felt his cock swell against her hip. She sucked his finger into her mouth and flicked her eyes up at him; he was staring at her, his lips parted and a pulse beating visibly in his throat. She tried not to smile. With her free hand she unbuttoned her dress until it fell open, baring her to him.

She leaned up, pressing her body against his and whispered in his ear, “Would you like me to suck your cock, Chakotay?”

His answer was a strangled groan as he grabbed her by the hips and hoisted her into his arms. “Later,” he growled, and then, with her arms and legs wrapped around him, he strode out of the bathroom and directly to her bed.

Kathryn gasped in delight as she landed on her back, Chakotay falling half on top of her and catching his weight on his elbows. Then his hand was on her breast and his mouth seeking the curve of her throat, and she pushed her hands between them in her haste to feel his bare skin against hers from top to toe.

Hands knocked and tangled as they tugged at each other’s clothing until finally they were both naked. Kathryn wrapped her arms around him and spread her legs, wriggling wantonly in her urgency to pull him inside her.

“Kathryn.” Chakotay pulled back just far enough to meet her eyes. “I have to get a condom.”

She stilled and bit her lip. “I guess this is where we have the talk, isn’t it?”

“The talk?”

“You know.” She reached up to trace her fingers along the line of his jaw, smiling as he turned his face into her palm. “Have you been tested, have you been with anyone else lately,” she paused, “are we exclusive now …”

He smiled. “I’ve been tested and I’m clear. I haven’t been with anyone but you. And,” he kissed her palm, “I only want you, and I can’t imagine that ever changing.”

Kathryn blinked sudden tears from her eyes. “Ditto,” she managed. “And I’m on birth control, so …”

“No condom?”

“No condom,” she agreed, wriggling again, and enjoying the way he sucked air sharply and closed his eyes.

“Do that again and I won’t be responsible for what happens next,” he half-joked, then bent to kiss her softly, slowly. Easing back, he said, “I know it’s crazy, and incredibly fast, but I can’t imagine my life without you, Kathryn.”

“And you make me feel like I’ve come home.” She let her hand slide down to rest against his heart. “Are you with me?”

“Always,” he answered, sliding inside her, both of them sighing with delight and relief that nothing stood between them at last.