A/N - Okay Lovelies - time to turn up the heat a little bit!!  The temperature is definitely rising!  I hope you like it!  Please send me your thoughts, and vote, vote, vote if you like it!  Enjoy!!

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Two days later, Rey was seated on a plane next to Ben, listening to the cacophony of clicking sounds that erupted when the chime of the Fasten Seat Belts sign rang and everyone began buckling up.  Rey grinned over at Ben with an excited smile; he smiled back indulgently, happy to see her so eager for their trip.

Earlier that morning, the airport car had picked them up at each of their apartments and delivered them to Logan Airport; now they were finally on the plane and ready to start their shared adventure to the Bahamas.  The resort Rey had booked, originally for her and Finn, was located on Paradise Island, and it was supposed to be beautiful and luxurious, with tons of amenities.  She couldn't wait to get there, change, and just relax on the beach for a couple of hours – simply to decompress.  Then she wanted to do everything there was to do – with Ben.  Snorkeling, sea kayaking, swimming, touring around Nassau, and of course eating.  Her mouth watered at the thought of all of the fresh tropical fruits and juices she'd be able to have.

The plane pushed back and began taxiing towards the runway as Ben studied her with amusement.  She certainly knew how to fly.  Once they'd been seated, she'd unpacked herself for the flight, with her phone, ear pods, a book, a water bottle, snacks, and travel wipes.  She'd noticed his bemused expression and frowned.  "What?"

"Nothing."  He shook his head slightly.  "Its just clear that you fly often.  You're a veritable pro."

Shrugging, she replied.  "Flying is boring.  I just know how to pass the time."

It wasn't long before they were in position on the runway and she could suddenly feel the thrust as the plane lurched forward, continuing to pick up speed as it began to take off.  Glancing over at Ben, she noticed that his posture was rigid and his hands were gripping the seat handles tightly.  She frowned at him, noting the slight pallor in his face.  "You don't like to fly?"

Gritting his teeth, he bit out. " I don't mind flying – it's the take-off and landing parts I don't particularly like."

She pried his hand off of the arm rest and laced her fingers through his.  "Hey – look at me."  She coaxed softly, with a smile.  "We're going to have so much fun together.  Think of all of the cool stuff we're going to do.  Eating great food, relaxing on the beach under the sun and palm trees, swimming, snorkeling, sea kayaking...."  Her voice continued to soothe him, her thumb running gentle circles over the side of his hand.  "Just imagine it.  It's going to be so awesome Ben!"

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, imagining the beach, sun and palm trees she'd mentioned, and immediately calmed.  He opened his eyes to gaze back at her with a sheepish smile.  Before he knew it, the plane had levelled out and the Fasten Seat Belts sign pinged off.  Sighing, he stretched his legs out in front of him and gave her hand a thankful squeeze.  "Thanks.  That went much better than usual.  I'm usually covered in sweat by the time its over."

"You're welcome."  She smiled back.  "You should've told me you don't like to fly – or well, don't like parts of it."  She watched Ben stretch himself out to alleviate the tension he'd been feeling, glad that she'd made sure they were in one of the premium rows so that Ben had a bit more leg room to accommodate his tall frame and wouldn't be too stiff when they got off the plane.

"Its fine."  He told her.  "I wouldn't miss this trip for a few minutes of psychological stress and discomfort."  He grinned.  "And to think that I had dreams of being a pilot when I was a kid."

"Seriously?"  She laughed.

He nodded fervently, his eyes twinkling.  "I would've been the worst pilot ever."  He laughed, shaking his head.  His eyes softened slightly as he gazed at her.  "All of those things you mentioned sound like a lot of fun.  Although, I'm not sure about the sea kayaking – I don't think I'd fit in one of those things."

"Hmmmm."  She smirked.  "You may be right.  Okay, nix the sea kayaking."

Rolling his eyes, he added.  "Just because I can't do it doesn't mean that you can't."

"Nope."  She replied.  "Every time I went away with Finn, he preferred to lie on the beach and read under a palm tree, so I was usually on my own for those types of things.  If you're up for it, I'd rather do stuff with you."  Her smile was genuine when she added,  "But please tell me if you want a few hours to just chill on your own – you won't hurt my feelings – you're not my chaperone.  Its your vacation too."

Noticing that she was still holding his hand, he gave it a slight squeeze.  "Rey, other than at work, I'm alone most of the time.  I'd rather spend my time with you."

Her heart gave a little pitter patter at his words and she squeezed his hand back, leaning her head on his shoulder.  "Me too."

Ben tipped his head to the side and leaned his temple on the top of her head, sighing in contentment.  I love you.  He thought. It was so hard not to let the words slip from his mouth.  He'd have to be very careful not to let his feelings show too overtly while they were on this trip.  They'd be together almost all the time – except when they went to their own rooms – and would likely be drinking, which meant they'd be mellow, and his tongue might be a bit looser than usual.

He knew that at some point he'd have to start showing her his feelings, but he didn't think she was quite ready yet – still treating him like nothing more than a very close friend.  Hopefully, they'd get even closer on this trip, but still, he'd be patient with her, wanting to be certain it was the right time to let her know what was in his heart – and hopefully hers too.  He didn't want to blow this.

They stayed as they were for several minutes, till Ben belatedly realized that Rey had actually drifted off to sleep. He chuckled to himself, in awe that she could nod off so easily.  Himself, he could never sleep on a plane, but he was happy that she was comfortable enough to sleep on him.  Giving her a brief kiss on the top of her head, he gingerly leaned forward to grab his book and began to read.

****

"Rey....."  She could hear his voice whisper through her head.  "Rey, wake up."

Blinking her eyes open, she sat up quickly, trying to get her bearings.  "What?  What's going on?"  She asked in confusion.  Glancing over at Ben, she could see him smiling at her in amusement.

"You fell asleep.  On me."  He grinned.

"Oh – shit!  I'm sorry."

He shook his head.  "Its fine.  You looked comfortable.  But we're landing soon."

She blushed.  "I guess I didn't sleep very well last night.  Every time I go on a vacation like this I'm afraid I'll forget to pack something – or that I'll oversleep – and so I usually wake up every hour or so."  She ran her hand over her mouth.  "Did I drool on you?"

He laughed out loud, feeling the spot on his shoulder where her head had been resting.  "Um.  I don't think so?  You drool in your sleep?"  He asked on another laugh.

"Fuck off."  She replied playfully.  "Everybody does."

"Uh – I don't."  He quipped, his grin getting bigger at her annoyed look.

Her eyes narrowed.  "Oh yeah?  Maybe nobody's ever told you...."

He just rolled his eyes in response.

"Fuck.  I slept the whole flight?  I don't usually do that..."

"That just means you'll have more energy when we get there."

When the pilot raised the flaps and began the landing sequence, Rey held Ben's hand once again and distracted him with ideas on what to do first when they arrived and which restaurant to choose for dinner.  Once the plane stopped at the gate, Rey grinned hugely and practically bounced in her seat.  "We're here!  I can't wait to get to the beach!  Beautiful, soft, fluffy, white sand for miles!"

Her enthusiasm was contagious, causing him to grin back at her.  "I've never been much of a beach person – I generally hate sand – it gets everywhere - but you make it sound so appealing."

"By the end of our vacation, I'll turn you into a beach lover – I promise!"

"We'll see."  He challenged.

Making their way off of the plane, they retrieved their luggage, then found the bus that would take them to their resort.  Rey was grateful that it wasn't a long ride, eager to check in, grab some lunch and then hit the beach.

When they arrived at the resort, they presented themselves at the check in desk to get their room keys.  Rey gave their names, mentioning the separate room reservation under her name for Ben.  The attendant kept typing repeatedly before frowning up at her.  "I'm sorry Miss, but I only have one room reserved – for a Rey Kenobi and a Ben Solo."

"No – that's not right.  I called the travel agent and made a 2nd separate room reservation for Mr. Ben Solo.  I paid a $700 upcharge for that as well.  So keep looking please...."

The desk attendant kept typing in the system as Rey turned to Ben with an annoyed look, rolling her eyes in exasperation.  After another couple of minutes, his face cleared.  "Ah.  I think I've found the problem.  It would seem that when the agency booked the additional reservation, they did it under the wrong date.  The extra room for Mr. Solo appears to have been booked for next Thursday through Sunday."

Rey breathed a sigh of relief.  "Oh.  Okay – good.  I'm glad you found it.  Just switch it to this week then please."  She smiled brightly.

"Unfortunately Ms.Kenobi, that won't be possible.  We're completely booked for the weekend.  This is one of our highest winter season weeks."  He told her apologetically.  "But, we do have you in a deluxe King room.  So hopefully that will work for the both of you?"

"But......but...."  She turned and looked at Ben wide eyed.

Ben's heart began to pound in his chest.  They'd be sleeping in the same room – in the same bed!  He tamped down his enthusiasm and tried not to let the joy show on his face.  "It's fine Rey, we'll manage somehow.  A king bed is huge.  We won't be anywhere near each other."

Her mouth was still hanging open with a shocked look on her face.  She'd be sleeping in the same bed as Ben.  Her traitorous heart picked up its beat at the thought.  Keep it together Rey.  "Oh, um.  Are you sure?"

"Really, it's fine."  He reassured.

"Okay.  Sorry about that....."  She said, biting her lip.

He shook his head and laughed.  "Rey – you just literally slept on me on the plane.  A king sized bed is far less intimate than that."

Rey's face went red at his use of the word intimate.  It conjured up a whole bunch of inappropriate imagery of her and Ben in her mind.  Rey – stop – do not go there right now!  She warned herself.  Giving him a big smile, she nodded.  "You're absolutely right.  I'm fine with it if you are."  Turning to the desk attendant, she gave him the thumbs up.  "Okay, we're good with the arrangement.  But I assume you're going to cancel the room next week and issue a refund.  Also, can you maybe do something for us because of the inconvenience?"

"Of course Miss Kenobi."  He smiled.  "How about a bottle of complementary champagne and a catamaran excursion for the both of you – on the house, of course."

"Excellent!"  She smiled.  "Thank you – that's very much appreciated."

Ben nudged her with his shoulder as they walked behind the bellman to their room.  "That was some smooth negotiation back there.  You didn't even batt an eyelash when you asked him for it."

"Nah.  That was nothing."  She told him.  "Travel expert, remember?  When they fuck up like that, they owe you something.  And this was a big deal so... it's the least they can do."

When they entered the room, Rey breathed out a contented sigh.  "Its so nice."  Glancing over at the bed, her eyes flicked to Ben's.  "I really am so sorry Ben."

He let out an exasperated breath.  "I said its fine Rey.  Please.  Stop apologizing.  Just drop it."

"I just don't want you to be uncomfortable – after all, I dragged you on this trip."

"Rey,"  He began sternly,  "first of all, you did not drag me anywhere.  Secondly, I will not be uncomfortable.  Its not as if we're strangers.  And that bed is huge!  I think we can manage it for a few nights."  He stopped, looking at her closely, suddenly concerned.  I'm an idiot.  He thought to himself.  "Unless....unless it makes you uncomfortable?  You're the one who insisted on the separate rooms.....If so, we can figure something out."

Her eyes widened.  "Oh!  No – it doesn't bother me at all.  I just assumed you'd prefer...."  Her face scrunched up on a laugh.  "Okay, I'll stop talking now.  You can call me Stupidhead for today...."

"Really?  Now that's an offer I don't think I'll be able to pass up."  He replied with a grin.

"Ha ha."  She said sarcastically.  "Now lets get changed and grab some lunch before hitting the beach – I'm starving!"

****

Ben grinned down at her beside him as they made their way to the beachfront.  After changing into their beach attire, they'd grabbed some lunch at one of the many onsite restaurants, enjoying the ambiance of the covered patio, and were now ready to spend the afternoon relaxing.

She looked completely different to him in this environment.  She was wearing a short, white flowing dress as a beach cover up that showed off her legs to perfection.  Her outfit was set off with a big floppy hat, sunglasses, and a svelte looking beach bag.  He thought she looked adorable, yet sophisticated.

He also noticed that her toenails were painted a pretty pink colour - and the sight of those pink-tinged digits did something to him – made something at the base of his spine tingle uncomfortably.  "I don't think I've ever seen you dressed like this – even on the previous vacations we went on with Kay and Finn."  He mentioned casually.

Glancing up at him, she gave him a shy smile.  "Yeah... I usually kept it pretty conservative when I was somewhere with Finn.  I mean, I never really thought about it before, and Finn just didn't seem to care about that stuff."  She shrugged before grinning back at him.  "But I figured that, now that I'm technically single, it might be okay to at least try to look a little pretty."

Ben frowned suddenly.  "You always look pretty."

Rey's eyes widened, but she stayed silent, a small thrill shooting through her at his words.  Chill, Kenobi!

When they got to the beach, Rey looked up and down the shoreline and grinned hugely, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.  "Look at this, Ben!  Isn't it beautiful?"

"It is."  He nodded.  "The weather is perfect too – not overwhelmingly hot – just nice."

"Let's get settled.  There are a couple of vacant chaises there under that palm tree."  She bounced over to them and set her stuff down, with Ben following.

He set down the beach towels he'd grabbed from the towel station, and dropped his book on the chaise.  When he looked up, his breath caught in his throat.  Facing away from him, Rey had already pulled off her cover up and was bending over, rummaging in her beach bag for something.  Fuck.  She was remarkable.  Her very little two piece – make that two half piece – bathing suit left almost nothing to the imagination.  There were two thin straps that criss-crossed her back, but it was her lower half that left him unable to speak.  Her bikini bottoms were sporty – somewhere in his mind he thought they might have been called boy shorts – and they barely covered her ass.  The bottoms of her cheeks were completely visible, and the fact that she was bent over gave him a premium view.

He felt his dick twitch in his swim trunks and clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms to fiercely tamp down on the lust that shot through him at the sight of her toned ass.  Sporting a hard-on in his trunks would be mortifying, and would obviously give his feelings away instantly.

When she straightened and turned to face him, he had to quickly turn away lest she see the certain hungry expression on his face.

"Found it!"  She announced proudly.

His tongue was thick in his throat, and it took a concerted effort to swallow the lump that had lodged there.  "What?"  He asked stupidly.

"The sunscreen."  She responded with a laugh.  "We're in the tropics.  We'll burn to a crisp in 15 minutes if we don't put any on.  I assume you didn't do that already?"

"Um, no."  He said mutely, still feeling the effects of seeing her with so little clothing covering her body.  "That's, um, quite the suit."  He muttered.

"Oh? Is it okay?"  She asked, doing a little turn for him.  "I usually wear a one piece, but again, I thought, I'm single, so what the hell, right?"  She looked at his face, seeing something briefly in his gaze that made her heart race for a second before uncertainty set in.  "Is it... too much?"  She asked hesitantly.  "Or, well, too little?"  She laughed self-consciously.  "I brought my older one piece.  I can go change if –"

"No – its fine."  He said hurriedly.  "You look...."  He cleared his throat.  "Very nice."

Smiling broadly, she took a relieved breath.  "Thank you, Ben."

He settled down onto the chaise, almost enthralled by watching her spread sunscreen over arms, chest, and legs.  Its not erotic Solo – don't let your mind go there!  Globbing a little onto her hands, he continued to watch as she smoothed it over her face.

Holding the bottle out to him, she broke his stare when she asked.  "Can you please do my back?"

He let out a silent breath.  Now he'd be touching her.  Shit.  Keep it together Solo.  "Sure."

He got up and stood behind her, taking the bottle from her hands.  Squirting a few dollops onto her shoulders, he began to spread it over the areas she wasn't able to reach.  As he smeared the lotion over her shoulders and back he couldn't help thinking how the rest of her would feel.  Her skin was so soft and smooth, it took every ounce of control he had not trail his fingers down the small of her back.  Focus, Solo.  He told himself, trying to stay calm.

In front of him, he could see her tilt her head slightly.  "That feels nice."  She said softly.  "Your hands are so big.  I should get you to give me a back massage later."

He shivered at the thought, swallowing thickly.  No way in hell.  He thought.  He wouldn't be able to control himself if he had to do that.  As it was, he already desperately wanted to lean forward and softly kiss the column of her neck that she'd bared to him.  Then he wanted to bite it.  The thought of her potentially moaning in delight as he massaged her back sent a sharp shot of lust southward, and his dick twitched yet again.  Fuck.  Taking a deep breath, he stepped back.

"All done."  He told her.

Turning, she gave him a quick grin.  "Okay, now you."  She said.  "You're paler than me – I think you need it even more!  We don't want you to be too burnt to enjoy the rest of our trip."

His mouth opened for a second before he snapped it closed.  Turning away from her, he dropped the bottle onto the chaise and removed his shirt before starting to rub the lotion all over the parts he could reach.  When he finished, he stood stiffly, holding the bottle out behind him for Rey to take.

She had watched him swivel to face away from her before removing his shirt, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of the long curve of his back.  He really did have such a beautiful, masculine body.  She almost felt as if she was waiting with baited breath for him to turn around.  But he didn't.  When he was finished, he simply held the bottle out behind him.

Pouting slightly, she took the bottle and squeezed some into her hands, gently spreading it over the tops of his shoulders, down to his lower back and over to the backs of his arms.  She could feel goosebumps break out on his arms and he flinched slightly as she ran her palms down them.

Ben stood there stiffly, fists clenched, trying to keep the desire that threatened to overwhelm him at bay.  He should've thought of this – at least he could've been mentally prepared.  But the soft, tentative touch of her hands on his back and shoulders – although innocent – sent pure need spiraling through his blood.  He breathed in deeply through his nose, shuddering slightly and exhaling sharply when her fingers brushed the sensitive spot at the very base of his spine, just at the top of his trunks.

He huffed out a breath.  "Sorry.  I'm....a bit ticklish."  He admitted.

"Oh?"  She said mischievously, brushing over the same spot again, causing him to jerk slightly.  "I'll have to remember that."

He turned his head to glare at her over his shoulder.  "Don't you dare."  He said warningly.

She had to press her lips together to keep from smirking.  "No promises."  She slapped his shoulder playfully.  "Okay Solo, you're done.  At least now you won't end up looking like a lobster."  Tossing the sunscreen back into her bag, she turned and headed towards the water.  Glancing back over her shoulder, she called to him with a smile. "You coming?"

"Yeah."  He drolled out deeply, definitely not watching her ass as she headed into the water and dove headfirst into the waves.  Looking down at himself, he took another deep breath, relieved that he'd been able to keep himself from getting completely hard as she'd touched him, his bulge only slightly larger than normal.  The next few days might be a bit tougher than he thought.  Taking another deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself.  Better to be in the water anyways.

He followed her as she dove into the lightly rolling surf, seeing that she was submerged up to her neck, treading lightly.

Rey stared at him unabashedly – admiring the view as he walked towards the water, appreciating the way his body looked in the bright sunlight.  Damn.  He was just so broad, with mostly hard planes and angles.  His thighs looked like tree trunks and his arms – his fucking biceps – were massive.  There was the tiniest bit of softness around his defined abs, but that only added to his appeal – making him seem a little more human, rather than like a Greek God.  However, she couldn't deny that he was solid.

When he reached the wet sand at the shoreline he stopped, curling his toes into the coolness under his feet.  "Whatcha waitin' for?"  She called out to him, making her way back towards the shore.  A small smile teased the corners of his lips as he glanced up at her.  Once again, he could feel his throat close and his heart sped up as he watched her emerge from the water.  She looked like a sun goddess or a water nymph.  He couldn't decide which he liked better.

"Unlike you, I can't just dive in.  I need to get used to it first."  He told her primly.

She laughed and shook her head at him.  "Then you're just prolonging the torture.  Come on, Ben.  Just take the plunge!"  She coaxed tauntingly.

He took another step and stopped.  "Nuh uh.  It's cooler than I thought."

Rolling her eyes, she replied.  "It's beautiful – don't be a pussy!"

His eyes narrowed.  "Just because I don't like cold water doesn't make me a pussy."

Her eyes took on a devious glint.  Skimming her hand along the surface of the water, she splashed him lightly, coating his arm and chest with a sheen of moisture.

A look of shock appeared on his face before he took another step towards her.  "Oh you did not just do that!"

She grinned back at him innocently before splashing him once again, this time with more force, coating him with a much bigger spray.  "You –"  Yet another spray hit him dead in the face and this time he dove towards her, capturing her in his arms before throwing her over his shoulder. "- troublemaker!"  He growled playfully, spinning her around in a circle before plowing headfirst into the water, taking her under with him.

As soon as he dove under the water, he knew something was wrong.  He could feel her stiffen and then start to thrash in his arms, so he immediately stood back up, hauling her out of the water.  She came up coughing and sputtering, and he continued to hold her as she tried to grab a breath.

"Shit!  Fuck!  Rey are you okay?  I'm so damn sorry!"

It only took a few strides before he was out of the water with her and setting her down onto the sand.

She waved him off, leaning over to place her head onto her knees, shaking her head.  A raspy laugh came out of her throat, and she coughed a few more times before answering.  "It's fine, Ben.  I totally deserved that."  Laughing through her coughs, she added.  "I should know better than to start a fight I can't finish."

"No, you did not deserve that! I'm so sorry – I was an ass."  He said apologetically, continuing to lightly pound her back.

Laughing again, she looked up at him.  "Ben – it's fine.  I probably would've done something similar – or worse – if you had done that to me!  It was an accident - I should've known to take a bigger breath when I felt you dive under."  She looked up at him with amused awe in her eyes.  "You picked me up and flung me around like I weighed nothing! It was totally fun – until I inhaled when I shouldn't have!  So stop fucking apologizing!"

He nodded curtly, but still felt like the biggest asshole.  Gently tugging her head into his chest, he exhaled slowly.  "I still feel bad for doing it.  But okay."

Her cheek rested against his bare chest, and all she could feel – and think about – was the heat of his skin.  Holy shit.  She pulled herself out of his light embrace before she did something stupid – like lick the seawater off of his pectoral.  "Why don't we start again, hmm?  I'm covered in sand, so I need to go back into the water anyways."

Standing, he leaned down and offered her his hand, helping to tug her up.  Once she stood, she looked up at him with an impish grin.  "What?"  He asked.  Suddenly, he felt a wet plop in the center of his chest as she smeared a glob of squishy sand into him.

His mouth fell open once again.

Her eyes were sparkling  "Now you have to come back in too.  C'mon big guy."  She tugged on his hand and dragged him back into the water.

They both dashed in and dove through the waves – still splashing each other and laughing – making a game out of who could dodge out of the way or dive under quick enough to avoid the spray.  Rey tried to get her revenge on him by jumping onto his back to push him over, but she was light enough that he just caught her and piggy-backed her around the water, pretending to teeter precariously, threatening to drop her or dunk her again, causing her to shriek playfully and cling more tightly to him.  Ben smirked to himself and did it again, enjoying the feel of her limbs wrapped around him.  He briefly wondered how it would feel if she was wrapped around his front, before shuddering and pushing the thought away......Don't think of that Solo.

Eventually, they settled down a bit, paddling around or floating comfortably, every once in awhile diving down to touch the bottom.  One of the times, Rey came up holding a small, conical shell.  "Look!  Isn't it pretty?"

Ben shrugged.  "It's a shell.  I'm sure there are hundreds of those we could find."

"Yes, but I found this one!  I'm going to keep it as a reminder of our trip."

He rolled his eyes and held out his hand.  "Give it here.  My trunks have pockets."

"Thanks!"  She grinned, handing it to him before diving back under the waves.  When she came up for air, she leisurely floated on her back.  "I love the ocean."  She said, sweeping her arms gently to stay afloat.  "The sun, the sand, the scent in the air."  Sighing, she said wistfully.  "I could live here."

Grinning, he watched her stare up at the clouds as she floated langorously.  "That's quite the dream for a robotics engineer."

"I know."  She replied.  "I would probably get bored after awhile.  But its nice to dream of – I don't know - maybe coming here for a few months in the winters, when I'm older."

"That sounds like a reasonable dream.  You should definitely chase it."

She turned her head towards him, still floating on her back, and gave him a happy smile.  "Thanks Ben – I think I will."

It wasn't too much longer before they both decided that they were tired, and had had enough sun for their first day.  They trudged out of the water, crashing onto the shaded chaises to dry off.

As they lay there, Ben turned to stare at her, a small smile teasing the corners of his lips.

"What?"  She asked.

"You look happy."  He told her.  "Relaxed and happy and carefree."  He smiled.  "I just realized that I haven't seen a lot of that from you in a little while.  And I'm glad I'm here to see it."

Gazing at him softly, her next words pierced his soul with joy.  "I'm happy because you're here.  Because we're here together."

Suddenly incapable of speech, he simply nodded with a little grin, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.  Reaching out his arm, he extended his hand to her.  She took it, squeezing tightly, giving him a smile in return.

They stayed that way for awhile, both closing their eyes and basking in the beach and warmth, contented in the moment.

****

Walking back to their room, Rey noticed a gift shop and decided that she wanted to go in and look around.  "I always seem run out of time to check out the gift shop, so I'm going to do it now."  She told Ben.  "You don't have to come in if you don't want to – I can meet you back at the room."

He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.  "I'll just wait out here till you're done.  There's a bench over there."

"Okay."  She nodded.  "I won't be too long.  I'm not a big shopper."

"I remember."  He chuckled.

When she entered the shop, she immediately noticed that everything seemed to be unique.  Unlike typical touristy gift stores, it wasn't full of numerous racks of the same, cheesy gifts.  Instead, each item was displayed on its own, appearing to be one of a kind.  Looking around briefly, one particular item caught her eye.  It was a small glass globe that had been blown around a miniature conch shell.  It sat on a circular wooden pedestal.  It was simple, delicate and beautiful.  Anna would love that.  She thought.

Picking it up, she carefully brought it to the register.  Rey smiled happily at the girl behind the counter.  "Everything in here is so nice and interesting."

"Yes.  Everything we sell here is made by local artisans."  Seeing what she'd selected, the woman smiled and asked in a sing-song Bahamian lilt.  "Oh, these are so nice aren't they?  They always sell so well when we get them from the artist."

Rey nodded in agreement.  "Yes, its so pretty and delicate."

"Did you see the other one?  It's the last one I have left.  We usually only get 4 or 5 every few weeks – and the new ones aren't scheduled to come in until Monday."  The woman pointed to a shelf on the other side of the store, and Rey walked over to look at the other little glass globe.  This one contained a small piece of pink stone, with 2 different types of coral that had started to grow on it.  Rey liked it too, but couldn't decide which one she preferred, so decided to buy both, thinking that maybe Leia would like the other one.

Ben was waiting on the bench when she exited the shop.  Noticing her bag, he smiled.  "Find something?"

"Yes – I got something for Anna, and maybe Leia too.  I'll show you when we get back to the room."

His eyes widened, a warm feeling fluttering though him at the notion that she'd thought of his mother.  "Oh."  He said, surprise evident in his voice.  "That's really nice of you Rey."

As they continued walking, they noticed little details about the grounds and everything around the resort, especially the peacocks that were roaming freely, which Rey found particularly charming.  She took a few pictures of the birds with her phone and chuckled happily.  "You definitely don't get this in Boston."

Once they got back to their room, Rey took the globes out of the boxes, and proudly showed them to Ben.  "What do you think?"  She asked.

"They're interesting - definitely unique."  He replied.

"Which one do you think your Mother would like better?"

He cocked his head at the two fragile trinkets.  "I'm sure either would be fine, but she'd probably prefer the one with the coral."

Rey smiled.  "Perfect – I know Anna would prefer the one with the shell.  She's always going on about wanting to go to the Carribbean and collect shells on a beach."  Her eyes turned thoughtful.  "When I was younger, there was never really any money to go on extravagant vacations, so other than a trip to Florida when I was 10, Obi and Anna have never really had the opportunity to do things like that."

Ben just nodded at her.  "Not everyone has the means to take regular vacations."

She took a deep breath.  "Their 40th wedding anniversary is this year, and I've been thinking about sending them on a cruise.  It'll probably cost around $5 grand.  I have enough money saved up that it won't be a problem – and I really want to give them a decent trip somewhere nice.  A cruise would give them the opportunity to visit a bunch of Carribbean islands, so it makes the most sense to me."

"Rey."  He breathed, a little awestruck at her generosity.  "That's an amazing idea."

"I just want to do something to thank them, you know?  They gave me everything they could – and I am who I am – have the life I have - because of them.  So now I want to give a little bit back."  She smiled wistfully.

He shook his head.  "I'm sure they'd say it wasn't necessary – they love you, after all.  While they may not be your birth parents – and even though you don't call them Mom and Dad - to them you're their child – they raised you like any normal parents.  They wouldn't expect anything in return."

"I know that."  She told him.  "But I'm part of the reason that money was tighter than it might have been if they didn't have to take care of me."

Stepping closer, he gave her a hug.  "They'd still disagree.  And its still a very nice thing to do for them.  I'm sure they'll love it.  And my mom will love your gift."

"I hope so."  Shuffling out of his embrace, she left the globes on the top of the bureau, perched on their little stands.  "I'm going to jump in the shower – wash the sand and sea off of me."

He nodded.  "Go ahead. I'll shower after you."

While she was in the shower Ben rummaged through his suitcase to find some clean clothes to change into for dinner, placing them in a small pile on the top of his suitcase for when it was his turn to go into the shower.

Turning around, he gazed at the bed awkwardly and sighed, nerves suddenly surging through him.  They'd share a bed tonight.  And for the next two nights after that.  It was pretty roomy, but it was something they'd never done.  What if he talked in his sleep and said something during the night?  He dreamed of her all the time....sometimes vividly explicit dreams of what he'd like to do to her.  What if he said her name out loud in his sleep?  Fuck.  He'd just have to keep it together and make sure he stayed on his side of the bed.

It wasn't long before Rey emerged from the bathroom wearing a short, tight black tank top and athletic shorts.  Her hair was still wet, dripping small beads of water onto her shoulders.  She briefly glanced at him as she walked over to her carry-on and pulled out her laptop.  "Your turn."

Something about how she looked in that moment caused Ben's brain to short circuit.  He wasn't sure if it was the skimpy outfit, her damp hair, or the clean, floral scent that wafted around her, but right then she looked incredibly sexy.  The combination shot a jolt of heat straight to his groin and his brain ceased to function.  He could barely string two sentences together.  "Aren't you going to dress for dinner?"  He croaked.

She looked down at herself.  "I will – a bit later.  But its still early and I was going to check a few emails to make sure Temiri is okay on his own today, so I wanted to be comfortable.  I'm just going to throw a casual dress on when its time to go."

"Oh.  Um.  Of course."  He stammered out, causing Rey's eyebrows to raise in amusement.  "I'm going to shower now."  He said, quickly darting into the washroom.

"Well that was weird."  She said out loud to herself, grabbing her laptop and logging into the resort's wifi network.

****

Twenty minutes later, Rey sat on the bed frantically typing on her laptop, answering emails while Ben was in the shower.  Nervous about their sleeping arrangements, she'd been trying to distract herself with a bit of work.  She had tucked her still damp hair up into a messy bun to keep it off of her face, and was wearing a pair of dark framed reading glasses, concentrating on the computer screen in front of her.

Glancing up at the sound of the bathroom door opening, she did a double take as she took in Ben's near naked form with only a towel wrapped loosely around his hips.  Her breath caught in her suddenly dry throat.  Since when did his chest look so.... Large?  His shoulders so.... Broad?  She could feel her breathing accelerate as she gazed at him standing in the doorway.  Squirming a little, she realized that it was beginning to feel very warm in the room....

She cleared her throat and forced her attention back down to the computer screen, trying to keep her voice steady as she chastised him.  "Really Ben, couldn't you put something on before you came out?"

"Sorry."  He mumbled apologetically, not looking at her.  "I put my clothes out but forgot to bring them in with me."  Truthfully, he'd been so undone when she'd stepped out of the bathroom after her shower – looking so damn hot he thought he'd go insane - he'd quickly escaped into the bathroom so he wouldn't embarrass himself with the hard-on he'd felt growing in his swim trunks.

He wandered over to his suitcase on the floor, grabbing the folded pile of clothing he'd left there.  As he bent down, his towel slipped slightly and he grabbed hold of it with one hand to prevent it from falling off entirely as he held his clothes with the other.  However, as he stood up, he bumped his head on the dresser, causing Rey's glass globes to topple off of it.  "Fuck!"  He shouted, dropping his clothes and grasping wildly for the delicate souvenirs.  Fortunately, he caught them – one in each hand - before they hit the ground.  Unfortunately, having also released his hold on the towel, it slipped off his hips and fell to the floor.

Hearing his loud curse, Rey looked up from her computer, her eyes rounding hugely at the sight of Ben's perfectly formed naked ass.  Her mouth dropped open and she burst out laughing hysterically.

"A little help here?"  He ground out through clenched teeth.  "I'm struggling to keep the globes from falling and simply can't pick up the towel.  So unless you want to get a show...."

Rey was still howling on the bed, tears now streaming from her eyes.  "Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming."  She chuckled.

"Don't look!"  He warned.

"Whyever the hell not?"  She asked.  "Its just an ass.  A very nice ass, I might add – but an ass nonetheless."  She laughed.  "You probably saw almost as much of most women's on the beach today as I'm seeing now!"

Don't remind me...especially not right now.  He thought uncomfortably, taking a calming breath.  "Rey, either just take the goddamned globes or help me with the towel, please?"  He growled.

"Oh no.  You can't safely hand them to me without turning around, so I think I'll just help with the towel.  Don't worry – I'll close my eyes so I don't see anything I shouldn't see."  She giggled.  "Although, I vaguely remember something you once told me -"  She quipped.

"Rey!"  He barked.

"Oh for God's sake I'm kidding!"  She stressed.  "What's happened to your sense of humour?"  She asked, walking towards him.

"Are your eyes closed?"  He asked.

She rolled her eyes.  "Not yet Stupidhead, I don't want to bump into anything!  Don't be such a prude!"  She said, stopping behind him.  "Okay, closing my eyes and bending to pick up the towel."

She bent down with eyes closed and felt around on the floor for the towel.  Finally finding it, she was simply unable to resist opening her eyes and taking a peek at the sight before her.

Jesus.  She thought.  His ass is fucking perfect.  It looked like it had been chiseled from marble – like the statues of Greek gods she'd seen in the Louvre.  Her mouth watered, and she suddenly felt a rush of heat course between her legs, causing her sex to throb.  Holy shit.  Wanting to break the tension, she briefly considered delivering a playful slap to his ass – but was afraid that not only would it be inappropriate, but that if she did her hand would linger of its own accord to caress away the sting.  She exhaled sharply at the thought.

Ben thought she seemed to be taking an extremely long time to find the towel.  After a few more seconds, he thought he could feel the slightest touch of her breath on his buttocks and he suddenly shivered, feeling fire race through his veins, causing his dick to twitch and begin to harden.  No, no, no, no!  He thought, swallowing thickly.  "Rey?"  He asked softly, uncertainly.

"Sorry."  She replied.  "This is not easy with my eyes closed."  She lied.  Standing, she held her arms wide and tried to wrap the towel around his waist, realizing that her hands were suddenly shaking.

His freshly showered scent assailed her already rioting senses.  She'd never been this close to him when he'd had so little clothing on – no clothing, actually.  His biceps were enormous, his shoulders impossibly broad.  When did he even work out?  She knew he ran in the mornings, but this....this was literal perfection.  Her arms were practically wrapped around his naked waist, and he was so wide that in order to get the towel around him she had to get really close.  Her face was pressed against the back of his arm making it difficult for her to focus on the task at hand, since she wanted nothing more than to rub her cheek along his bare skin, or even place a small bite in the flesh there.

She imagined running her hands over his shoulders – as well as the rest of him - and shuddered, her breathing suddenly very irregular.  Holy shit!  Get a hold of yourself Kenobi!

Trying to shake off the sensual haze she was unexpectedly under, she kept the towel as high as possible, not wanting to accidentally encounter anything she shouldn't with one of her hands.  Although she'd teased him about it, in her mind she could imagine it, and suddenly wanted to see it – wanted to know – wanted to touch.

She blew out a breath, trying to clear her head, but she couldn't get the thought out of her mind as the throbbing between her legs increased.  Seriously, how large were we talking about here?  Maybe he just thought he was freakishly large?  After all, it was Kay who'd told him that, and she didn't think that men just whipped 'em out and started comparing the sizes of their dicks, did they?  And stop thinking about this right now Rey!!!

Leaning down slightly she opened her eyes to try to tie the towel on his hip.  Just before she lifted her eyes and took a step back, she swore she caught sight of a tent at the front of the towel.  Oh my God – was he hard?  Suddenly, her panties felt very damp as additional moisture rushed to her sex.  Blushing furiously, she quipped, trying to hide the breathiness in her voice.  "You should be able to move to put the globes down now, without worrying about strolling around the room bare-arsed naked."

His voice seemed a bit hoarse and uncertain, when he quietly added.  "The stands fell too – can you put them back on the top?  That was part of the problem..."

Looking around, she wordlessly retrieved the little wooden stands from the floor and returned them to the dresser.

He grumbled something low in his throat that Rey couldn't quite understand before placing the two globes back onto their stands, keeping his back to her the entire time.  Grabbing his clothes, he quickly stalked back into the bathroom without a backwards glance.

Walking back to the bed on shaking legs, she sat down on it hard, trying to control the heat racing through her blood.

Holy fuck!  She'd just gotten more turned on than she had been in literally years, by a simple glance at Ben's ass, chest and biceps!  She'd looked at his delectable bare arse and those broad shoulders and wanted nothing more than to run her hands over his body.  And to follow her hands with her lips.  And then her tongue.

Fanning her face, she sat there and squirmed, pondering how she was going to cool the ache that was still throbbing between her thighs.  Maybe he'd come back out in just the towel.... After all, she thought he'd been hard.  Why had he been hard?

She simply couldn't understand that – but maybe it was just due to their proximity, and his lack of clothing?  That, combined with what was likely a really, really long abstinence......that was probably the reason.

She knew she wasn't beautiful by most men's definitions – her overly lean, boyish figure and general apathy towards curling her hair and wearing make-up made her feel drab in comparison to most other women her age.  However, if he came back out she could probably convince him to take the towel off if she tried hard enough – you know, just to help each other out after such a long dry spell, right?  Her inner voice whispered....That's not why you want to seduce him Rey....

Her entire body stilled at that last thought.  Holy fuck.  She was actually, seriously considering ways to seduce him!

Her sweet.  Funny.  Brilliant.  Clueless.  Sexy.  Hot as hell.  Best.  Friend.

Whom, it would seem she no longer wanted to be just friends with.

Holy Fuck.  She was totally screwed.