The Art of Chaos and Darkness

Chapter Thirty

Din slowly removed his Beskar, piece by piece and left it neatly by his bed side. 

His hands shook slightly and he clenched them together, swearing quietly.  It felt strange without his helmet and at the same time... perfectly right.  Like removing it for Valda had aligned the stars.  

Din sensed her outside, standing on the balcony.  She stared out into the inky darkness of the night.  He approached her silently but she still must have felt his approached, turning to face him.   She scanned down his body before resting her eyes on his bare face.  "So different without your armor."  

He came to stand beside her, tilting his face upwards to the sky.  A slight breeze blew across his bare face.  "It can feel... like a prison sometimes.  Knowing another person can never see me."  The stars blinked above him and he gazed into space.  "Not being able to feel the wind on my skin... smell the fresh air."  His fingers brushed against hers on the railing, skin warming.  "The feeling... of another person."

Valda's amber eyes were like liquid gold in the moonlight as Din reached out and traced the lines of her tattoos up her bare arms, to where the thin band encircled her neck.  He heard her breath catch and he let his hands drift down to her wrists, her hands and then slowly around her waist.  

His heart thundered in his chest and he tried and failed to fight every instinct in him that was screaming at him to do more, touch her, hold her-

Valda leaned forward, pressing her mouth against his.  Din's knees nearly buckled, his hand  coming up to cup her face.  The taste of her threatened to undo him, sending every nerve in his body standing on edge.  Her slender fingers threaded through the hair at the back of his neck, and the feel of her exploded through him, a raging fire and gentle caress of darkness at once. The smell of her alone was intoxicating, smoke and jasmine and chaos.  It was like a drug, one Din couldn't get enough of.  

Valda pulled back, gasping for breath.  Din tightened his grip on her waist, their faces inches apart.  She tugged on his wrist, guiding him back inside the bedroom.  They stepped over the threshold, kicking off their shoes as they went.  Din let his fingers glide through her hair, holding her face.  "You control this," he told her.  "You say stop, and I'll stop."

Valda's shoulders rose and fell in heavy breaths and she nodded.  Din pressed his mouth to hers again and sparks shot through him, warming his body.  Her fingers gripped the bottom of his shirt before slipping beneath, feeling the skin beneath.  A low groan escaped him and he broke away from her mouth, kissing the  soft skin beneath her ear, down her neck and along her jaw.  

She arched against him as he moved down to the sensitive skin along her collarbone, tasting her skin, feeling the many scars marked into her skin.  Her head tilted back, shadows catching in the blackness of her hair.  Din slid his hands down to her waist, tracing the contours of her body with his hands.  He pressed her against him, feeling her thundering heart against his chest, the ragged breaths spilling from her mouth.  Her fingers dug into his skin and he groaned, the feeling sending pleasure sparking through him. 

Din withdrew, slowly pulled her shirt up and above her head.  He tossed it away in the darkness and drank in the sight of her standing topless before him.  "These," he said kissing across her tattoos, "are beautiful."  His hand slipped between her breasts tongue tracing over her skin.  "You are beautiful," he told her, guiding her back onto the bed.  She fell back onto the soft fabric of the sheets, moonlight filtering across her body.  He moved over her, hands exploring every inch of skin exposed to him.  Her fingers tugged at the hem of his shirt and he lifted it up and over his head.  It landed beside hers.  

Din kissed up and down her stomach and breasts until Valda was writhing beneath him, gasping for breath.  He reached for the waist band of her pants and slid them down and off her legs.  She propped herself up on her elbows, gripping his torso with her knees and flipping her beneath him.  The buckle on his belt undid itself and was flung to the side.  Valda yanked down on his pants with surprising force, a sly grin crossing her face.  

He glimpsed the dark sheen of her hair before she lowered her mouth onto him.  A noise of surprise escaped him before turning into a low groan.  He knotted his fingers through her hair, a whisper of her name coming from his lips.  All thoughts eddied from his head and he had to clench his jaw hard to keep quiet.  His bucked his hips until he couldn't take it anymore.  Valda raised her head to him and he gripped her beneath the chin, pulling her forward.  

She kissed him, tongue sweeping in and he moaned into her mouth.  The taste of her was exquisite.  He ran his hands down her sides, careful of the wound against her ribs and tugged at the thin fabric of her underwear.  She started to get up but he tore the cloth in half, tossing it to the side.  Valda gripped his shoulders and settled her hips against his, rocking slowly.  A low gasp escaped her, finger nails digging into his skin.  Every nerve in Din's body strained at the noise she made.  

He gripped the soft skin of her thighs as she ground against him, slowly and controlled.  She tipped her head back, moaning again and Din couldn't take it anymore.  He sat up, wrapping an arm around her body and flipping her beneath him.  He drove his hips into her and her back arched off the bed, tattoos gleaming in the light.  

Valda wrapped her legs around his torso and his fingers threaded through hers, pressed against the bed sheets and they moved in unison.  Every touch set Din's skin on fire, his nerves jolted with electricity.  Valda gasped beneath him and Din bent down, capturing her mouth with his as she moaned, panting in release.  He gripped her tightly, driving his hips forward one last time before letting go, gasping for breath.  

They stayed like that for a long moment, gripped in each others arms, panting.  Finally, Din pulled away, looking at Valda beneath him.  Sweat glistened on her brow and she eased into a sitting position with a slight wince. 

Instantly he sat forward and brushed a tentative hand against her injured side.  "Did I hurt you?"

"No."  She shook her head, voice quiet.  "No, not at all."  She found his hand in the sheets and he threaded her fingers through his, placing a soft kiss on them.  She rose slowly and disappeared into the darkness of her bathing chambers briefly.  Din sat on the edge of her bed, feeling the ghost of her touch.  

She reappeared silently and slipped into the bed.  "Stay."  Her voice echoed into the dark.  "Please."

"Of course," Din slid between the sheets.  Valda settled her head on his shoulder and he slowly drew his arms around her, trying to calm the thundering of his heart.  He sensed her drifting to sleep, her breath slowing.  Din tightened his grip on her.

"I'll never leave you.  Ever."