Summary: Trip is a stud. �Nuff said.

Chapter 1 - Foreplay

�Does it seem to be getting hotter to you?� Ensign Veronica Hunter asked, gazing up at the bright orange sun, high in the sky, as she wiped a bead of sweat from her temple.

Commander Charles Tucker III, Trip to his friends, took one last look at his scanner and turned to say that back home in Florida, this would be considered winter. But by the time he looked at her, she�d managed to drop the top of her coveralls around her waist and pull off her shirt, leaving her only in a sheer blue standard-issue undershirt. And suddenly he did feel awfully warm.

�Uh, yeah, now that ya mention it,� he finally said, turning partially away so as not to stare. Veronica might not be the most beautiful woman on the ship, but she was pretty enough. And she certainly did have a way of filling out an undershirt, now that he had the opportunity to notice.

Well, actually, he�d noticed before. But as he hadn�t had much occasion to work with the ship�s geologist, their relationship had consisted of nothing more than small nods when they passed in the hall, and the odd flirtatious comment that Trip favored all the women on the ship with. Until today. Today they�d finally gotten a chance to work together, and he�d been happily surprised to find she had a sharp wit, a nice laugh, and a tendency toward flirtatiousness that mirrored Trip�s own. He�d asked her to call him Trip, she�d asked him to call her Veronica, the usual stuff. But this taking off the shirt thing � that was taking it up a notch. Was she teasing him? Showing a real interest in him? Or just truly hot? Whatever it was, two could play at that game.

He made a show of setting down the gear he carried, then unzipped his coveralls as he stood up. Peeling one arm off, then the other, he let the outer layer pool at his waist. Then, slowly, he pulled his shirt free and off over his head. Under cover of this maneuver, he stole a glance at Veronica, was pleased to see she was watching him intently, the pink tip of her tongue just visible at one corner of her mouth. He couldn�t help himself. Tossing the shirt down, he added a few shoulder rolls, feeling the muscles ripple across his chest and back, the light breeze playing across his now bare skin. Bending back over to retrieve his gear, he turned to look at Veronica, his face as blank as he could make it.

�Ready to go find that dilithium ore now?� he asked, making himself look only at her face. For some reason, her eyes seemed to sparkle, and he noticed for the first time what a brilliant shade of emerald green they were.

�After you,� she replied, gesturing him on, a smile curving her lips.

She just wants to watch my ass, Trip surmised. Smiling, he accepted her invitation and led the way through some brush, watching the readout on his scanners.

The Enterprise had gone into orbit around this Minshara-class planet partly to explore it and partly in the hopes that it might be able to provide some badly-needed supplies. Chef was always happy to experiment with new fruits and vegetables, Dr. Phlox liked to look for naturally occurring drugs, the botanists and entomologists loved to find new specimens. Trip was happy to find natural dilithium ore show up on the scanners, and he and Veronica were now attempting to find a vein that could be easily mined without too much damage to the surface. And of course everyone was glad to have a chance to stretch their legs and look up to see a sky again.

Probably the only one not completely happy about the planet was Malcolm, when they determined that there were no hostile lifeforms on this world. He had still insisted that everyone travel in pairs and carry phase pistols, though.

Trip pushed aside a branch that grew at about his shoulder level, creating a cloud of pollen that shimmered in the air as it settled. The planet had no large trees, but was covered in grassland spotted with flowering bushes of many different hues. As they were near the equator, the bushes probably flowered year-round. They made for a beautiful display, though the pollen did cause the occasional sneeze. And a bit of a mess, Trip thought as he wiped the dust-covered screen of his scanner against his leg for the millionth time. When he could see the readout again, he followed it around another clump of bushes and found himself facing an outcropping of rock. Chunks of something glittered against the dull brown of the stone.

�Bingo!� Trip said, turning to beam at Veronica, who beamed back. As Trip moved to take out his communicator, she went to study the formation more closely. Though there was plenty of room, her shoulder and arm brushed against his as she passed, and he was very aware of the warm dampness of her skin, and of the slightly sweet smell of her hair. Realizing that he had taken a step after her, his nose leading him like a bloodhound that had caught a scent, Trip caught himself, shook his head, and activated his communicator.

�Tucker to Enterprise.�

�T�Pol here.�

�Send down the dwarves, the mine�s open for bidness.�

�Excuse me, Commander?�

�The minin� equipment. Send it down to my coordinates. We found a surface vein.�

�All shuttlepods are currently assigned. I estimate arrival at your location in one hour.�

�Understood. Tucker out.� Trip glanced at Veronica, who was crouched near the outcropping. He could imagine a lot worse places to pass a few hours, and a lot worse person to spend them with. Running a hand over his hair to make sure it was in place, he stepped over to stand behind her. �Whatcha find?� he asked. He assumed she was studying the vein to determine how it had formed. He didn�t really care, he just wanted it refined and ready if their original crystals depolarized, but what other topic was he gonna talk to her about?

�This deposit is completely different from the one�s I�ve studied,� she answered, not turning to look at him. �It seems to have gone through several temperature changes, probably as a result of geothermal activity.�

Trip squatted, leaning over her shoulder, ostensibly to get a look at her scanner. It also put his lips very near her right ear, his body curled around hers from behind, not quite touching. �Is that good?� he asked in a voice just above a whisper.

�Yes,� she said breathily, and he could have sworn she shivered. Then she cleared her throat. �It means the dilithium is almost pure. It will take much less time to refine it than we anticipated.�

�Good,� he hummed over her shoulder, smiling to himself though he knew she could not see. He was enjoying this little game. He anticipated spending the next hour exchanging glances and innuendo, getting to know each other better. And then, perhaps, when they got back to the ship, he would ask her to eat dinner with him, and see where that led. He was in no hurry, content to let her set the pace.

At least intellectually. But his body seemed to have other ideas, as he once again found himself very aware of her scent, her closeness. His heart rate was definitely increasing, and there was a warmth in the pit of his stomach that was rapidly spreading to his groin. Afraid he�d ruin their fun if he pushed too far too soon, he began to stand up.

He never expected what happened next.

Just as he shifted his weight back to start to stand, Veronica leaned back against him, a tiny moan escaping her throat. Trip moaned, too, as he fell backwards onto the grass, Veronica on top of him. With her there, he couldn�t move, and lay helpless as she turned herself over to face him, kneeling between his thighs.

�Are you okay, Trip? I�m so sorry!� Quickly, she looked him over, her concerned expression changing to a smug smile as she spotted the tent in his trousers. �No, that�s not true,� she added, her voice silky. �I�m not sorry. I wanted�needed to touch you. Do you mind?�

She asked this with her face millimeters from Trip�s, having crawled up his body as she spoke, a hand supporting her on each side of his shoulders. Her hair fell over both of them, the brown curves glinting gold in the sun, tickling his cheeks.

�Not at all,� Trip whispered back, his voice deep and husky. To show her he meant it, he lifted his head up just enough to brush her lips with his, as his arms moved to circle her back. With a sigh of pleasure, Veronica relaxed onto him, her body melting against his, their lips meeting more firmly.

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