Page 10 of Duty and Desire
Ros’s smile slightly upturned. At least one of them seemed able at keeping the conversation going.
“Family tradition. Grew up with my father being military; his father was too. Couldn’t let the tradition die out. Besides, I wasn’t sure what else I could possibly do with my life. No, it was always going to be the army for me.”
“Oh wow. So, your whole life has been this?”
“Yeah, no idea what I would do without it, to be honest. What about you? I’ve seen your file, of course, but what made you want to switch into this kind of life?”
“Honestly, I just wanted a change. I landed a job after college, but life just felt empty, like I was floating with no direction. I’ve always thrived under pressure and can’t get a whole lot more pressure than this.” She grinned, her hands gesturing around them as she talked.
“Well, the swap seems to have worked out for you. Look at you, shooting through the ranks. You’ll be after my position in no time!”
Scarlett looked at her with big hazel eyes. Her cheeks flushed slightly. She was very beautiful and Ros couldn’t keep her illicit thoughts from flashing back into her head.
“You’re too kind, Ros.”
Ros leaned back slightly in her chair, a playful glint in her sharp gray eyes. “Too kind? Hardly. I’ve seen the way you handle yourself under pressure. It’s impressive, Scarlett. But I’m sure you hear that all the time.”
Scarlett chuckled, the sound light but tinged with something more. “Only from those trying to get on my good side. But coming from you, it feels…different.”
“Oh?” Ros arched an eyebrow, her gaze lingering on Scarlett a moment longer than necessary. “And why’s that?”
Scarlett hesitated, feeling a flicker of nervousness. But there was a challenge in Ros's eyes, a subtle invitation that made her bolder. “Because you’re not someone who gives out compliments lightly. You mean what you say.”
Ros smiled, a soft, almost secretive curve of her lips. “I do. And I meant it. You’ve got talent, Scarlett. I can see you going far.”
Scarlett felt warmth spread through her chest at the sound of her name on Ros's lips. It sounded casual, almost like they were old friends. “I appreciate that, really. But I have to admit, it’s a little intimidating trying to live up to your expectations.”
Ros tilted her head, studying Scarlett with a mix of curiosity and something deeper, something unspoken. “Intimidating? You don’t strike me as the type who’s easily intimidated.”
Scarlett’s smile widened, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Maybe not by the usual challenges, but you’re not exactly ‘usual.’.”
Ros's gaze sharpened, her amusement deepening. “No? What am I then?”
“More like a puzzle.” Her tone was teasing but with a thread of sincerity woven in. “Complex, challenging, not easily solved.”
Ros's laughter was low and warm, filling the space between them. “A puzzle, huh? I suppose I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It was meant as one,” Scarlett replied, her voice softening.
There was something intoxicating about this moment, the way they were tiptoeing around the edge of something more, something they both seemed to want but were hesitant to acknowledge.
Ros leaned in slightly, her eyes locked on Scarlett’s, the distance between them narrowing. “Careful, Scarlett. You might find that solving this puzzle isn’t as easy as it seems.”
“I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge, Ros.”
She was leaning so far forward on her chair she was almost touching the couch. Her face felt warm from the whiskey or perhaps just from being so close to the subject of her recent dreams.
The air between them felt heavy and charged, as though filled with unspoken feelings and intentions.
She could see Scarlett felt it too. Her lips were slightly parted, and her hazel eyes glazed. Her skin was flushed, and her breathing had quickened. Ros leaned even further forward, so close they almost touched. The edge of her seat bit into the back of her legs, startling her back into reality.
She jolted backward.
What was she doing? She couldn’t be acting like this toward any soldier, let alone one who reported directly to her. How could she even think about putting Scarlett in such a compromised position. If she didn’t feel the same, she could hardly say no to her superior, could she? God, what was coming over her?
“Scarlett I?—"
But before she could finish, Scarlett moved. In an instant, she closed the distance between them, her lips crashing against Ros's in a kiss that was all heat and desperation. Heat enveloped her lips, soft hair stroked against her cheeks. It took a second for her mind to catch up. Scarlett Bennett was kissing her.