His lips part in anticipation, flushed and lovely. She wants to bite them, suck them, taste them until she's had her fill and do it all over again. The desire in her throbs agonizingly. He's here now, physically before her, touching her, his scent all-encompassing and provocative as it swallows her, and he won't even allow her a simple kiss. Monster.

Driven from the Resistance and her friends by her Force bond with the enemy, Rey strives to live a peaceful life far away from the galactic war that rages on without her. Although Kylo Ren does everything in his power to shield her from harm, he soon learns he cannot do so from afar. But when a threat to her life brings him to her side, his deepest desires and fears are both realized and a foe long thought defeated rises again. This is a concise, focused story with a complete arc designed to be read in only a few sittings. You can think of it as my vision for just the Rey/Ben scenes for the Episode IX film. Note: this is entirely independent from my other Reylo, "Betrayal." Questions and comments are always welcome!!! Excerpt: The look Kylo gave her, permeated with intense longing and regret, both moved and exasperated her. "Oh, cut it out," Rey hissed, annoyed by his tiresome displays of conflicted emotions. "You know what I want." "Yes," she declared. "You've made it abundantly clear. What matters to you is power, order, control. Well, you will never have power, order, or control over me." The same flash of heat pooled deep in his gaze, and Rey resisted the urge to strike him again.

Rey knew Ben Solo needed her. He'd never fully succeeded in killing his past, and those cornerstones of his life dragged behind him, a weight he refused to process, to grieve, and to forgive. That was what he needed her for. Not to stay his hand, or protect people from his destructive form of help, but when the goodness in him cracked open the seal, and his past came flooding in, threatening to drown him. Until then, all she could do was stay beside him, which was shaping up to be more difficult than anything she'd ever done. But at least it was action. And if there was one thing she trusted Ben Solo to do well, it was hunt the enemy. *Originally released on Archive of Our Own, now edited and remastered for Wattpad.