Temptation Of Grey

Chapter 14 - Unexpected Sights

Ben's grip on her narrow waist, his hand on her neck, had imperceptibly but unmistakably reinforced her grip, and the tension his body now showed had less to do with anxiety than excitement. A strange heat spread between her legs and she held her breath.

Ben's swaying of emotions ended with his now irresistible attraction capturing his senses. He tightened his grip on Rey and had to prevail against pulling her into the warm water, ripping her shirt off and kissing her wherever her body had just been covered until she would scream his name ...

He quickly opened his eyes and thought, 'What was he thinking? Was he completely crazy?' She would never covet him in this way, and he would never impose himself in this way without her consent! "You mean something to me" is not the same as "I desire you," he reminded himself.

He released his grip and looked at her again without loosening the hug completely. "I'm going to turn around now, so you can dry yourself and wrap yourself in a blanket." He blushed slightly as he saw her cheeks begin to glow - the whole thing was totally embarrassing, that constant blush like a toddler! He should really pull himself together! "It would be nice if you could also hand me a blanket after that so I can leave the water, all right?" he asked her.

"All right," she answered with an equally embarrassed smile on her face. He had to force himself to separate with her and turned around quickly. However, he had not been able to avoid a look at the wet shirt on her bare breasts ... or wanted to avoid it? He did not want to think about it, he decided. How could he damn well get out of the water after seeing this? He closed his eyes in agony and directed his thoughts to the events of the past hour while he listened as Rey moving quietly through the cave.

She understood his inner struggle and simply accepted it. He could not understand why she had that compassion for him, after all he had done. But he was grateful for it, because he longed for understanding, belonging and closeness. He knew that these were longings that represented a weakness that was unacceptable. But they were there, they had probably always been part of him, the part he had tried to destroy the whole time.

The past he tried to kill. But it did not work. It did not make him stronger to destroy everything that aroused longings in him. He understood that now. She had shown that to him. She had made that possible.

He winced when Rey touched his shoulder lightly. "Here is your blanket to dry off, you can get out of the water now." He turned back to the edge of the pool. There she stood. She still wore the shirt but was wrapped in a blanket that she had trapped around her body like a dress. 'Ok, that's how it would work,' he thought. As long as she kept this blanket, he would survive the night.

"I'm going to add new wood, you can dry yourself in peace. Your pants are still wet, here is a second blanket with which you can 'dress up' until everything is dry again." She put both blankets on the edge of the pool and went back to the fireplace. He left the water and slowly dried himself. The bath had worked wonders for his tired muscles and cleanliness. He sighed contentedly and reached for the second blanket to wrap around his waist. Well, that had to be enough for now.

Rey could not resist stealing a glance at Ben as he left the water. She had never seen a human, especially a man, completely naked and she was curious. He stood with his back to her and was drying himself. She forgot all caution and stared in fascination at his shapely bottom. It actually looked like her own but more muscular and less round and ... 'beautifully' she thought and smiled slightly.

Suddenly he turned his body in her direction and wrapped himself in the second blanket. But she had caught a glimpse of his front. There he did not look like her at all! But his big shaft was at least as fascinating, even more exciting, than his back had been. She looked away quickly, hoping he had not noticed that she was watching him. 'This is what a man looks like without clothes,' she thought ... her curiosity was aroused.

She jumped in shock as he suddenly stood right next to her, his naked torso lighted gently by the campfire that was now the only source of light in the otherwise pitch-black cave where the sun had set.

"Did you just secretly watch me, Rey?" he asked, looking slightly embarrassed, slightly amused. Her cheeks burned hot and she hoped the meager light of the fire would hide her reaction. She raised her chin and replied, "And if so?" He came one step closer to her and Rey resisted the urge to step back.

"Well, it would interest me, of course, if you were satisfied with what you saw." he said, his head tilted slightly and his voice low, his eyes fixed on her lips. She pinched her lips and thought angrily, 'he just wants to embarrass me!' aloud she said: "Well, it was not so exciting to see, so what should I think about that?" For a moment it was quiet, then - to their surprise - Ben put his head back and laughed loudly. Her mouth became dry for whatever reason, as his throat and chest muscles contracted with each laugh.

He looked at her again, gently touching her chin with his fingertips, and said with a small smile on his lips, "I do not believe you, Rey from Jakku, but I will leave it at that for the sake of both of you." He ran his thumb briefly over her slightly opened lips and then let go. "Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for both of us, suggesting I return to the lodge tomorrow so we can try to make contact through the force around afternoon and finish the task."

She was grateful that he had changed the subject and replied, "Agreed ... well, then we should sleep". Then she turned towards the sleeping place, curled up with her back to him in the corner of the cave, on top of the tree branches. It was more comfortable than she thought and expected. But her senses were still nervously focused on Ben's movements in the room. She felt as he also lay down on the sleeping place and slid a little back and forth to find a suitable position until he had also settled down on the side. She could feel his eyes on her back, but she was too embarrassed and a little scared to turn to him.

She had opened her eyes and saw his shadow on the rock wall, which made her own shadow disappear. "What do you think will happen to us tomorrow when we complete the ritual?" she asked the shadow, shuddering at the coldness that was spreading. At first it was quiet then he answered softly: "I really have no idea and that worries me very much, but we should try anyway." She nodded, knowing that he was watching her. "Yes, I think we have no choice anyway ..." she replied and started to shiver slightly.

"Rey?" he asked "Mmmh?" she mumbled. "You are cold, come closer to me." he ordered. "No, it's ok" she answered worriedly.

"I promise you, I will be a gentleman in every imaginable way and now come here or I will get you!" he said energetically. She turned to give an angry answer, but her teeth rattled, so she looked at him with a frown on her face. "Am I so repulsive that you prefer to freeze?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. She rolled her eyes and said, "Of course not, it's just ... I've never slept next to anyone" ...she stopped awkwardly.

"I have not done that often too, but I think there's nothing wrong, you'll see, and now come here, woman." He reached for her and she shrugged and slipped into his arms. For the first few minutes she thought she would not sleep for a second that night. It was too unfamiliar and exciting to be in Ben's arms, but as soon as she resigned herself to the idea of staying awake the night, she fell asleep.