Alethea felt as though all thought fled from her as she kissed him, her instinct taking over as she held him close, and he her. She didn't know that such a thing was possible, and yet she kissed him with the same fire, passion, and hunger with which he kissed her, letting out a small, appreciative noise as his tongue slipped past her lips, his hand continuing to caress her waist. Her own tongue found his, twisting and dancing as she tasted him.<br/><br/>It was a feeling she didn't quite know how to describe beyond passion and fire and hungry desire. Yet there was more to it than that, but she couldn't quite put words to those feelings, so she didn't even try. Instead, she simply enjoyed what she did know, what she could describe. The feel of his hand on her waist, his hand on her neck and in her hair, the feel of his lips, the taste of his tongue, even his presence in the Force, almost as though it were melding with her own. All of this she knew, all of it she enjoyed, and all of it she craved more of. And more she received, as the passion built between them and the kisses came more quickly, more fiercely, sweeping her away, and all of her worries with her.<br/><br/>She felt and saw the things that Thal-ion shared with her, visions of a future, a beautiful future. She couldn't say that she knew as strongly as he seemed to that such a future was possible, but it was beautiful nonetheless, and part of her hoped that it would be real one day. For now, she didn't know if they would survive the day, let alone years, nor could she yet put words to whatever feelings were budding inside of her. Those feelings were undoubtedly there: a fondness she'd never felt before, an attraction to him that was more than just physical, a desire, a passion, and a hunger that was most certainly physical. And these feelings were growing stronger day by day. Yet beyond that she could not yet say.<br/><br/>It was too early for the guarded young woman to admit to feelings beyond this. They might come in time--they undoubtedly would, she thought--if they lived long enough. But for now, these feelings were enough, at least for her, and she hoped for him. His feelings, the certainty of them and how deeply he felt them didn't scare her, and she hoped that he would be understanding that such things did not come to her so easily, but that with time, they would. If he were willing to wait. For now, she was happy with what they had, with what was growing, with the things she felt in the moment.<br/><br/>She allowed him to easily draw one of her legs to him, drawing herself closer as he did. She didn't know how long it was that they kissed before he drew away, whispering her name. She never would have thought that such a simple thing could drive her crazy, and yet it did. But it wasn't the word, it wasn't her name, it was the way he said it. There was passion and fire and desire in the husky way with which he whispered it, but there was also something else. It was real, raw, deep, and bared for her to see, to hear. Love? She thought it was. At the very least, she thought that it was what he believed it was.<br/><br/>She felt the gentle kiss on her brow, and the promise it bore. And she knew then that she couldn't continue. Not now. No matter what her body said, no matter how much it protested her decision, not desiring an end to the passion, she knew that she could not continue now. Not until she was certain of her own feelings. It would not be fair to him if she did. He deserved the world and more. He deserved happiness and love. He deserved someone who loved him as much as he loved them, and who would share in his promise of forever. Perhaps one day that would be her--some part of her hoped that it would be--but until that day, until she could promise him with as much certainty as he promised her, she would refrain from going beyond what they had now. When the time came when she could answer his affections with equal strength and certainty, then and only then would she give herself, and accept him fully. She hoped that day would not be far off, for his sake as much as hers. But she thought that they must first survive what was soon to come.<br/><br/>For the moment, she would be content to be close to him, to be held by him, and should he so desire, to kiss him. For now, she would be happy with this.