The Music Lesson

The Music Lesson

 

 

As it was the first night of true leave that Stonewall had ever had, Kalinda was determined to make it memorable. After making one final adjustment on the ion-steel gitar she nodded to herself: all was ready. At that moment, her comm chirruped and she heard his familiar voice. “General Halcyon, I've brought the item that you requested.” She smiled at the excuse he'd come up with; their own inside joke.

 

“You're at the Temple entrance, right?” He answered in the affirmative and she exited her quarters. I'll have to see about getting him a guest pass. With any luck this is going to be a regular occurrence. It was a short trip to where he was and she found herself oddly thankful for the ubiquitous presence of clone troopers, even at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, that made his appearance less notable than it might have otherwise been. She saw him before he saw her and Kali couldn't help the grin that came to her face as she paused to watch the captain, standing at attention as a group of younglings passed by.

 

He was wearing his armor; she could see that it had been recently cleaned, the white and red plating glinting even in the muted evening light as he shifted his feet, looking around the atrium for her. “Captain,” she said, stepping out of the doorway to greet him. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

 

Still in full-on trooper mode, he gave her a smart salute and lifted his pack. “Of course, General.” Though she couldn't see his face behind the helmet she knew how to discern the smile in his voice.

 

“Shall we?” She indicated the door and he nodded, stepping beside her as they headed inside the Temple itself. “Does it feel strange to come in here again?” she asked as they made their way for the nearest turbolift.

 

Stone paused and she thought that he was checking his HUD for anyone in earshot, though she knew they were more or less alone. “It does,” he admitted at last as they stepped inside the lift. “Though, not as much as the first time I was here.” About a month ago there had been a semi-formal occasion, set up at the last minute by the Chancellor, to familiarize the clone officers with the Jedi Temple; it had been a move to ensure that everyone was comfortable working with one another, though Kalinda and Stone had spent most of the time in her quarters, entertaining themselves with a number of less-than-official matters.

 

The lift gave a soft ding as it paused at her floor; she noted how Stone let her exit first before following her to her door, which she activated with a lazy wave of her hand. “It's clean,” was his first comment, spoken with surprise as he stepped inside the room while she waved the door shut behind them and activated the lock.

 

“Don't sound so shocked,” she said with a trace of indignation. “I'm prepared this time.” Though she wanted nothing more than to immediately peel him out of the armor, she waited for him to unseal his helmet and set it on the long, low table that rested before the humble couch in the living area.

 

He chuckled and looked at her. “I'm flattered.”

 

“You should be,” she remarked, coming to him and reaching for his cheek. “I don't clean up for just anyone, you know.” Though it had only been a few days since they'd seen one another it felt like years. Stone's movements were deliberate and careful as they always were; his hands moved first to her waist, then to the small of her back before pressing her close to him. He's getting pretty good at this part....my Captain. The thought made her shiver and she pulled back, noting the flush in his cheeks that certainly mirrored her own. “The armor,” she explained to his perplexed look. “It's not very comfortable.”

 

In response, he began to shed the outer shell, stacking the plastoid pieces on the floor beside the caf table while Kalinda made her way to the opposite wall of the room. “What are you....” he trailed off as he watched her remove a musical instrument from its stand and return to him, now dressed only in the black body glove that all clones wore beneath their armor.

 

“I think it's time for a lesson,” she replied, handing him the ion-steel gitar. “I want to see how much you remember.” Confusion registered on his face and she hid her smile. “Is there some other reason you thought I'd ask you here, Captain?” she asked, keeping her voice innocent.

 

At this he grinned and shook his head as he began to roll up the sleeves of his garment. “Of course not, General,” he replied, glancing at the gitar. “Music lessons: number one on the list of things I expected to do today.” He raised his brow at her as she took a seat on the couch, a plain, gray-colored piece of furniture that could be found in the rooms of most of the other Jedi, though she'd draped a few colorful blankets across it. Stone took a seat beside her and held the gitar in his lap, giving the strings a few experimental plucks. “You tuned it?”

 

“Naturally,” she replied, leaning back in the cushions. “I didn't want to waste any time with mundane things today.” She nodded to him. “Show me what you've got, soldier.” After a moment of deliberation, he began to play one of her favorite songs; her eyes closed as she listened the sound of the gitar in his hands. He really is talented with it. Who'd have guessed? From her place beside him she could feel the vibration of the instrument within her chest.

 

The music paused after a few minutes and she opened her eyes to see that he was watching her. “You're not asleep are you?” he asked. “Am I that bad?”

 

Kalinda felt a leap of excitement as she sat up. “You're excellent, actually, but your technique needs a little bit of finesse,” she said, reaching for the gitar. “Here. Let me show you.” He handed her the heavy instrument and she stood up, settling back down directly in front of him, her back to his warm, muscular chest. “Put your hands over mine,” she murmured, pressing her back into him. He did so, wrapping his arms around her and she sighed at the sensation of his skin against hers. “Good,” she added, twisting her head to smile at him. “Now....just pay attention to what I do.” She could feel the movement of his nod against her back.

 

Clearing her throat again, Kali began to run her fingertips over the gitar, almost lost in the act of making music, though the warmth and closeness of Stonewall kept her tethered in the moment. “Can you feel it?” she asked him as her hands moved across the strings. “How it's better?”

 

The vibration of his speech rippled through her chest. “I do,” he said, his voice quiet. “I definitely do.” They sat for several more moments as she played, his hands over hers, following her movements, though she knew that neither one of them was focused on the music. After several minutes of this she felt a soft sensation at the back of her neck as he started to kiss her skin, even as his fingers remained over her own. She faltered for a moment when the kiss deepened, turning to a nibble and then something more. When he spoke again, she felt rather than heard the words, as his mouth was still against her skin. “Much better this way.”

 

Then his lips moved to her throat and she sighed. The gitar rested in her lap, forgotten as he turned her face to his and kissed her mouth. Kali found that she was only too happy to return the action in kind, though she did pause for a moment to set the instrument at a safe distance.

 

She turned her body so that it was facing him and she pressed herself close to his chest as she straddled his lap while his hands wrapped around her torso. His kiss was deep and strong; his body was warm, solid and steadfast against her own. They remained so for several minutes before she pulled back and began to tug at top section of the body glove, frowning as it refused to budge. “How do you get this thing off?”

 

The grumble in her tone made him chuckle, but in one smooth motion the half was discarded on the floor and she was running her hands along the muscular planes of his chest. His skin was several shades darker than her own, slotted with various scars that were evidence of the life of a soldier and she was gripped with a desire to kiss them all, to smooth them away as best she could. Her lips found the nearest one and she brushed it gently, taking pleasure in his shudder at her touch, at the hoarse sound of his voice as he said her name again.

 

“My brave soldier,” she whispered, moving to another scar. She repeated the process until she reached the largest of the marks, a puckered, jagged thing that snaked across his left side and stretched to the small of his back. She said his name again and ran her tongue over the broken patch of skin, noting the prickles that appeared across his body as she did so.

 

After several more minutes of this she sat up and ran her fingertips over the tops of his legs, across the smooth, black fabric of the body glove. “I'm not even going to attempt to get the rest off. That's up to....” The words trailed off as he removed the trousers with a deft hand even as she was on top of him. “Impressive,” she said. “Is there some kind of special training for that?”

 

“Most definitely,” he replied, grinning at her. “The GAR is very proud of the soldiers who can go from zero to naked in a matter of moments.”

 

Kali laughed and reached down to caress his upper thighs. “A most useful skill.” Resting her head against his shoulder she looked up at him. “What now?”

 

His expression was thoughtful as he regarded her. “I was following your lead,” he said, though she felt a leap of arousal from him, not surprising, given her location. “Though if you're out of ideas I can think of a few things. Namely....” his arms slipped around her again and she grinned as she felt her tunic lifted off of her back, followed by her undershirt. It wasn't as easy for him to remove her leggings, so she wriggled out of them before straddling him once more. There were only a few strips of fabric between them now, though within a moment she felt his hands reach behind her back followed by the accompanying rush of cool air against her chest as he removed the final article of clothing from her torso.

 

For several minutes she was lost in her own pleasure as Stone ran his tongue across her skin, nibbling and kissing in perfect order. “I see that you remember quite a bit from our other lessons,” she managed to say at last. “Good work.”

 

His hands cupped her seat and pressed her closer to him. “I do my best,” he murmured before his hands sought her core, gently stroking the outside of her undergarments. “I can tell that you approve of my progress,” he said, meeting her gaze with his honey-brown eyes. “General.”

 

The epithet, though it used to bother her, now sent familiar chills of arousal down Kali's spine; coupled with the sensation from his hands, she found that she was almost about to lose control. However, she was a Jedi. Taking a deep breath, she sent a tendril of Force energy to him, centering it on his hardness and smiling to herself as she heard his gasp of pleasure. “There's a lot you have yet to learn, Captain,” she whispered, kissing the line of his jaw. “But you're in luck. We have all night.”

 

In response, he slipped his hand beneath the soaking fabric and entered her, one hand pulling her close to him as he watched her head fall back and her mouth open. She felt him kiss her neck again before she truly was lost as the orgasm took over and her brain ceased all extraneous thought. When she was able to focus again she looked back at him to see that he was grinning. “As you can see, I've advanced quite a bit,” he said, his tone almost conversational, despite the very insistent press of his erection at her core. “Do you approve so far?”

 

Kali ran a hand through the fine fuzz of his hair and kissed his mouth. “Let me show you just how much.” She knelt before him and stripped the remaining bits of fabric from his body. “Another thing the GAR should be proud of,” she remarked as she leaned forward. “Very proud.”

 

He shuddered under her ministrations, though she could tell that he was trying to hold himself in check even as she ran her tongue along his swollen skin. After a brief debate as to whether or not to sabotage his attempt she decided against it and stood up, slipping out of the last bit of her own clothing before she straddled him again, careful to hold herself just out of his reach. His hands wrapped around her waist and she smiled as he attempted to pull her down on top of him, letting out a groan when she wouldn't budge. “You're incorrigible,” he whispered as he looked at her. “Kali....?”

 

“Yes, my valiant soldier?” She lowered her hips enough for him to feel her and his hands tightened on her waist. “Is there something else?” A gentle kiss at the edge of his mouth, her lips just barely brushing his skin.

 

“Please.”

 

At this she smiled. “So polite, always.” Her muscles relaxed and he slid inside of her, the sensation made each of them give a sharp inhale. His hands tightened as she began to move against him, feeling him reach the very deepest parts of her body even as he bent his head to kiss her chest and neck once more, the movements growing more erratic as their pleasure heightened. Kali wrapped her arms around his neck and held their foreheads together, murmuring his name as she did so. “Look at me, Stone,” she whispered, even as she felt another orgasm building. His almost-golden eyes opened and met hers. In the next moment they both came, but neither one dropped the gaze until the rush of sensation trickled and faded away into sated complacency.

 

His arms wrapped around her torso and he kissed her forehead with unexpected tenderness. “Good lesson,” he said with a sigh. “We should do this more often.”

 

At this, Kali laughed and nestled closer to him. “I agree. There's always something new to learn.”