So Little Time

Soft rays of moonlight drifted through the room, casting delicate shadows throughout the small space of the bedroom. A gentle , balmy breeze blew in from the open balcony door, making the curtains that surrounded it sway to an unheard rhythm. The smell of jasmine and magnolia filled in the air.

General Obi-Wan Kenobi sat silently in a large black leather chair beside his bed. The wind shifted slightly and he glanced to the window briefly, then returned his attention to the sleeping form laying in slumber in front of him.

A soft whimsical smile began to tug at the corners of his mouth as he thought back to the last time she had caught him watching her sleep. She claimed she could feel his eyes on her.

Arianna was such a marvel to him. He doubted he could have made it through the past few months without her by his side, even if it was only in stolen moments like these. The war had taken its toil. He was so much a part of it that it choked his independence. HE knew it was wrong to hold on to her to the way he was. She could be free to move on with her life. He doubted there would ever be a time that he could give her the life she deserved. But he couldn't help it. Without her he knew he would never make it through the unbearably long days he spent off world or the unending nights if he didn't know that she was there waiting for him whenever he returned.

With Arianna, he felt like a whole man again. He felt like he did before the horrors of war had given him a hard edge. He felt free. HE could talk to her. She listened intently as he unloaded all his problems onto her frail, yet undeniably strong shoulders. There was no end to her ability to listen or to love. No matter what he told her, no matter how he treated her , she loved him any way. There had been many times when he had been guilty of taking his anger at the situation out on her, but she just seemed to know that it wasn't her he was mad at. She knew him better than anyone else in the galaxy.

He would never understand what he had done to deserve such a ravishing creature. He loved everything about her, from her rapturous, melodic laughter to the way her bottom lip quivered just before she began to cry. He was mesmerized by the sensuous, seductive look in her eyes when they made love, the intense, deep-felt look when she told him how much she loved him and even the sharp, contemptuous look when she was angry. She was everything to him. Everything he did was because of or for her. He would never have believed that he would care so deeply for any one. But sometimes, in moments like these, his was afraid his love for her would consume him. It was so powerful, so extreme.

He studied her carefully trying to memorize everything about her so that he could take the image with him when the all too soon moment came when he would have to tell her good-bye yet again.

A long tendril of hair fell smoothly over the thin line of her brow. She lay on her side, arms wrapped around her body modestly. The position hid most of her from him, yet he could make out the swell of her breast just above her arm. The silken black sheet lay temptingly draped just over the curve of her hip, exposing her thigh to his heated gaze.

He fought down the urge to run his hand over the silky skin of her shoulder and back.

He felt the need to have her again. It had been less than an hour since they had made love, but he wanted her again. He was keenly aware that the mere sight of her could still stir him so dramatically. No other woman had ever had that affect on him and he knew in his soul, no other woman ever would.

He stood and shrugged the thick robe he wore off his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground in a puddle at his feet. Then he slid gently into bed beside her. She sighed in her sleep and instructively reached out and wrapped her arm around his bare chest. The touch sent an electric shockwave through his body. He shifted slightly, trying to relieve the increasing pressure in his groin. He wanted to feel her sleeping in his arms more than he wanted to take her again. He tried to stay as still as possible until the heat diminished. Finally he shifted again and caught the scent of her perfume as a tress of black hair fell gently onto his shoulder. He looked down into her angelic, sleeping face, nestled against his chest and knew that he couldn't wait for her to wake on her own. He needed her now.

He eased himself down until he was even with her face and covered her lips with is. She woke lazily as if his kiss had resuscitated her into life. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Her mouth opened willingly to his invading tongue to let him explore the dark recesses of her mouth

He broke the kiss and pulled back from her slightly so that he could peer into the dark, brown pools of her eyes.

" I tried to wait until you woke on your own, but I couldn't " he whisd, ld, losing himself in her penetrating gaze.

" That's okay. I wouldn't have wanted to wake up any other way. " she smiled, sending his mind into orbit. " You don't look as if you've slept though. "

He shifted trying to find the exact spot where their bodies seemed to be made for each other. Finding it, he smiled back at her.

" I didn't. I was too busy thinking about how much I love you. "

She regarded him thoughtfully. " I think that is the sweetest thing you've said to me all day. " she sighed, trying to lighten his very serious expression.

" I'm serious. I love you so much more than I could ever tell you. " he pressed, not letting her shy away from the gravity of the conversation.

She looked into his eyes for a moment, then blinked and looked away.

" Why are you looking at me like that ? "she asked, after a moment.

" Like what ? "

She moved her hand to gently ease the lines of his furrowed brow. " You are so volatile, so intense, What's wrong ? "

He forced his face into a relaxed grin. " I was just thinking. "

She was silent so long, he was almost afraid she had fallen back to sleep, then he felt her chest heave against his as she took in a long deep breath.

" I love you, too. But I'm afraid if I think about all this too much I won't be able to handle the thought of you leaving when the time comes. " she told him, rubbing his unshaven cheek with the back of her hand. " This is the only way I know to handle this. I can't bear the thought of never seeing you at all, but I can't stand loving you so much knowing every time you walk out the door there is a very real possibility that you won't come back. "

He could see the hurt on her face, something she rarely let him experience. His chest ached at the thought that he was the cause of that pain.

" I am so sorry, " he managed around the lump that had formed in his throat. " I never should have held onto you. It was selfish and I will never be able to make it up to you. "

His voice had gone husky and he could tell by her expression that she knew she was almost crying.

She turned her face away from him for a moment, obviously trying to keep eek eek on her own emotions. After a deep breath she returned her gaze.

" We are holding on to each other. You're not alone. We both know neither of will ever be able to just walk away from the other. The force has pulled us together. We are both where we are supposed to be. " she said, trying to take the pain from his eyes.

He pulher her closer to him and buried his head in her hair. The scent of strawberries hit him as he breathed deeply, trying to pull her essence into his soul.

" I love you, so much. " he whispered, brushing her hair with his hand.

" I love you too. " she answered into the curve of his shoulder.

He moved to kiss her again and they both knew the time for talking was over. Now the need for both of them to be as close to the other as possible filled the air.

She moved her hand lightly across his back, barely brushing his skin with her fingertips. The sensation caused caused a chill up his spine. He groaned softly as she moved her hands over his body in a way that comes from familiarity. She knew just how to touch him and where. She moved to his chest and ran her fingers through the light dusting of hair that covered his skin. She bent down and took first the right nipple, then left into her expert mouth. She sucked it tenderly at first then raked her teeth across the delicate skin, causing him to inhale sharply. She raised her head once more and kissed his lips then his neck.

His hand rested on the sloop of her hip. The gentle swell seemed to fit to his hand perfectly. They lay on there sides, hands moving over the well-known territory of each others body.

He resisted the urge to take her quickly wanting this time to linger, to enjoy her. He moved his hand slowly to the curve of her heaving breast. Then he bent and took the nipple it his mouth, maneuvered his tongue in an agonizingly slow circle around the outside of her nipple before finally taking it into his mouth and sucking feverishly. The lingering movement coupled with the abrupt one elicited a gasp from her. He continued on the other nipple giving it the same treatment, while stopping only briefly to lightly suck at the tendeot bot between her breasts. He covered her chest making her groan every time he raked his teeth across her skin. She held to him tightly, her head thrown back in rapture as he assaulted her senses.

Suddenly he grabbed her small frame to him and rolled with her, positioning her on top of him. Her hot flesh almost burned him as she settled over his swollen, massive member. With the slightest rotation of her hips, she engulfed just as he raised his hips to meet her. They both cried out as a sense of absolute completion filled them. He held his breath, waiting for her to begin moving, instead she settled back against his thighs, taking him in as far as she possibly could. She stayed that way for a long moment. Obi-Wan revealed in the feeling of being totally surrounded by her. He let the air escape from his lungs as she began to move slowly. He reached out and took her tiny waist in his hands, helping to steady her and giving her added balance as she slid her body over his in a leisurely, almost hypnotic rhythm. He fought himself to keep from plunging his hips upwards faster, instead he tried his best to maintain to beat she had set for them. The slowness caused an added element of friction making their bodies hotter still.

Unable to hold back any longer, he grabbed her shoulders, and careful to keep himself in place rolled with her until her back was resting against the bed. He leaned down and kissed her thoroughly as he began to plunge into her depth. She moved her legs further apart, trying to secure him deeper inside her.

She called out his name into the darkness as her climax threaten to overtake her. Sensing how close she was he stopped abruptly, staying very still on top her of. She whimpered beneath him and bit into the flesh of his shoulder as she tried to stifle her cries.

As her breathing slowed he began to move again, Again he took her to the brink of insanity and again he stopped just short of the edge.

She clutched to him desperately, an almost painful expression covering her face as she whispered to him. " Please. "

The sound of her lust filled, husky voice was more than he could bare. He began to move.

He ground his hips against her in desperation. She cried out as he thrust into her rapidly now. The need for release was almost palatable.

Her nails racking down his back as she climaxed threw him over the edge and pure pleasure exploded behind his tightly shut eyes.

Instead of crushing her with his weight he grabbed her to him and rolled to his side. They clung to each for a long time as if it were thet tit time time would never hold each other again.

When there breathing had finally slowed, he rolled to his back, let the breeze from the window blow across his sweat covered chest.

He felt her maneuver around to rest her head on his chest.

" I love you, Obi-Wan " he heard her say in between still slightly labored breaths.

" I love you, Arianna. " he answered, placing a light kiss to her forehead and entwining his fingers with hers on his chest.

Obi-Wan drifted off slowly listening to the sound of her breathing, knowing he would have to leave in the morning and very thankful for whatever time he had with her.