It was amusing, albeit sweet, that Jek had taken his time, braving freezing waters to give Aeris the extra time she’d desired. She truly hadn’t meant that they had to stay right here, exactly, only that she wanted to stay with him, where they were didn’t matter, but it was a sweet gesture nonetheless, and the water hadn’t bothered her much. Still, she was happy to step out from the shower and away from the cold water with him, returning his loving kiss as he took the time to make sure she could stand on her own. She smiled back at him when he spoke, “Silly boy,” she told him, “I would have been happy with you anywhere,” she said, stroking his hair as he pat her dry, “And I love you, too.”<br/><br/>She giggled happily, gently biting her lower lip and smiling at him when he took her by surprise, suddenly scooping her up and carrying her out of the bathroom, leaving their clothes behind. Giggling was not really her thing, but the sound had come out naturally, and she had little time to worry about how embarrassing she might had found it at any other time. Soon a soft moan replaced the sound as she set her down and kissed all along her neck as he settled above her. His whispered words sent shivers down her spine, a smile returning to her lips, “Yes,” was all she managed to whisper out in reply as he trailed kisses along her ear, down her neck and to her breasts.<br/><br/>His fingers between her legs brought her pleasure as they had before, her body reacting to each and every touch and kiss as he lavished her with attention until she was once again close to completion. She was all too happy to return his passionate kiss when he moved above her, wrapping her legs around him as he pressed into her before he was again inside of her. She moved with him, her hips moving with the steady rhythm he set as she continued to kiss him. One of her hands slid through his still wet hair, tangling lightly in the blonde locks while the other wrapped around him, holding her to him with fingertips clawing at his back. When her body could take no more, she moaned, pressing her body firmly against him as she spiraled into bliss once again, his name on her lips as she felt him falling right along with her.<br/><br/>She didn’t loosen her grip on him as she panted softly, trying to catch her breath. She leaned her head back into the bed, closing her eyes for a moment, a smile on her lips as she let out a slow, unsteady breath. When she opened her eyes moments later, she tilted her head to stare into his eyes, taking a slow, deep breath, savoring this moment. The mischief, desire, passion, and need that had filled her eyes had now faded, leaving only love and affection in her gaze as she smiled up at him, unabashedly happy. “I love you,” she whispered softly before kissing him sweetly, gentle and loving rather than filled with passion and need.<br/><br/>When they had broken the kiss, she loosened her hold on him a little to allow him to reposition if he wished, to relax into her arms, rest his head on her shoulder if he wished, but not enough to allow him to escape. For the moment, at least, she was quite happy for him to stay right here. She glanced at the clock by the bed to see the time before she nuzzled against him, letting out a soft, happy sigh as she relaxed, basking in his presence and all the love he’d given her, enjoying the moment, allowing the heat of the moment to dissipate, giving her body a brief rest.<br/><br/>She continued to hold him gently, allowing him freedom to move if he wished, enjoying this time for just a little longer. She stayed this way until it was time to go, allowing him to get up and doing the same without complaint. He had already given her everything she’d asked for and more. She could ask no more of him. She felt satisfied, happy, and grateful, all things she had almost forgotten how to feel, all thanks to him. A slight smile lingered on her lips as she returned to the bathroom to quickly clean up again before putting on the undergarments, pants, and light top she’d brought with her into the bathroom.<br/><br/>She returned from the bathroom running her fingers through her crimson hair, trying to give it at least some semblance of styling. Once finished with her hair, she donned the tightly fitted leather tunic, her belt and other accessories, and slipped her boots on and fastened them. She then picked up her lightsabers, placing the bottom ends of the two hilts and twisting them to lock them into place as a single weapon, which she clipped to her belt.<br/><br/>Once they were both ready, she took her cloak from the rack and slipped it on, leaving the hood down for the moment, tossing her loose hair over her shoulders and teasing it a little so that it was once again presentable. She wasn’t generally the PDA type, despite what had happened yesterday, but she allowed herself to reach for his hand, her fingers lightly wrapping around his index and middle finger as she opened the door and led him down the hall towards the lift. The hallways were empty, so she thought that it wouldn’t hurt.<br/><br/>She held onto his hand—or fingers, rather—until the lift had taken them down to the lobby, where she released him from her hold, knowing there would be people scattered around even before the doors had open. “Do you want to get something to eat before I call the shuttle?” she asked before they stepped off the lift and headed for the counter. She approached the counter and checked them out of their room with a few minutes to spare before turning back to him to see what the verdict was. The inn still had some food items such as fruits and pastries sitting out for where they had offered breakfast for the guests, so they could always just grab something small to eat on the way to the hanger and have something more filling for lunch.<br/><br/>As she awaited his answer, she reached out in the Force to find the other two, finding them still on the battlecruiser. Thankfully, they were not in the middle of anything, which would have been extremely awkward. She gathered that they were not presently intending to join Jax and herself on the planet, so she sent a message to An-Lok, who she currently had a stronger bond with, to tell her to meet them at her ship when their shuttle arrived. She wished for the four of them to meet and have a chat without the risk of being overheard.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Jax happily returned her soft kiss as she locked her ankles around him, preventing him from releasing her just yet. He stared back into her eyes as she caressed his cheek, holding his face in her hands, his blue eyes filled with love and affection, enjoying the moment just as she was, happy to finally have her back in his life. “I love you too,” he told her gently, planting a soft kiss on her forehead as she untangled from him and he set her gently on her feet.<br/><br/>As she began to wash her hair, he took the soap she had given him and quickly washed up before turning to her and smiling a little to himself. He leaned over and lightly kissed her shoulder before he began to wash her. He took his time in washing her, enjoying her skin a little longer. He was careful not to reignite any fires as he did so, especially when he knelt to wash her lower half, fighting not to even acknowledge any temptation as he finished and stood. He handed her the soap when she had finished with her hair, taking the shampoo to wash his own hair before rinsing off.<br/><br/>He got out ahead of her and offered a hand to help her out, as if she were a princess and he was helping her out of a carriage. He handed her a towel before drying himself, not willing to risk facing the temptation of continuing to touch her to dry her skin. She needed to eat, and while she might be able to force the soldiers to wait for her, being that she was a Sith Lord and they would dare not oppose her, he doubted that this would work for Aeris, who he had felt reaching out to them just a moment before.<br/><br/>Once he was dry, he put on his undergarments, his trousers, and his light top. He would put the tunic on along with the rest of his attire before they went on with their day. For the time being, though, this would be sufficient, not to mention more comfortable. He lightly towel-dried his dark hair before using his fingers to sweep it loosely to the side, so that it didn’t hang into his face. Once finished, he hung the towel and slipped out of the bathroom and back into the main portion of her quarters, where he saw a tray of food waiting on the desk.<br/><br/>He was a bit hungry himself, but decided not to mess with the food, as it was hers, instead, he took a seat in the chair next to the desk to wait for her. It wasn't the most comfortable chair in the world, but he'd sat in much worse, so he couldn't complain. He leaned back lightly in the chair, relaxing into it as he watched An come out of the bathroom and cross the room towards him. He gestured for her to sit in his lap while she ate, if she wished.<br/><br/>“Did Aeris give you any kind of message earlier? Or was she just checking on us?” He asked once she’d settled in, slipping his arms around her and leaning forward to rest his chin on her shoulder. He wondered if she was making sure they were still alive, wondering why they hadn’t returned to the planet yet, or if she’d had a message. He guessed that An was more likely to have gotten some sort of communication from her, as their bond was likely strong than the one he shared with her now.<br/><br/>He also found himself wondering what exactly the plan was. He knew that they would need to meet up with the others one way or another, but then what? Would the girls continue to collect the Force sensitives, as they had apparently been doing? What exactly was their mission? Did they know anything about what the Empire wanted with these Force Sensitives? What would he and Jek do if they did wish to continue? He knew that the other man felt strongly about finding some way to save them, to prevent the Empire from collecting them. Honestly, he also wanted to save at least some of them, although it was not their mission to do so.<br/><br/>On that note, would they be able to complete their own mission? Would the girls try to stop them? Or would they allow them to do what they’d come to do, perhaps even help them? There were a million questions he had now that things had settled down and he had time to think. Perhaps they could all discuss these things once they were together. They would have to. As hard as it would be, and as much as he would like to ignore it and hope that everything just worked out, the reality was that they would have to face this at some point. Wouldn’t it be best to just get it over with?<br/><br/>Sighing a little to himself, he tried not to dwell on these things, instead focusing on what was right in front of him. He nuzzled into An-Lok's hair, taking in a slow, deep breath, enjoying the fresh, clean scent of her still-wet hair. His arms tightened around her a little, enjoying how easily she fit in his arms. He focused on these things, using them to ground himself, lest his thoughts continue to weight heavily on him and continue to trouble his heart.