Page 14 of Duty and Desire
The base was eerily quiet in the late hours of the night, the stillness only interrupted by the hum of generators and the rhythmic footsteps of soldiers out on patrol. Inside the dimly lit control center, Scarlett sat, finishing up her report of the day’s activities. The mission had been a success, and the adrenaline that had fueled her through it was beginning to give way to exhaustion. Still, there was a restlessness within her that she couldn’t shake.
Just as she finished and was ready to leave, the door creaked open and General Ros Carson stepped inside. Scarlett’s heart fluttered as their eyes met. Ros looked as composed as ever, her uniform pristine despite the day’s chaos. But there was a softness to her eyes that Scarlett had never seen before.
“Captain, you did some excellent work today.”
“Thank you, General.”
“If you’re not too tired, there are some details I’d like to go over with you.”
“Not at all, General. I’m at your disposal.”
“Good. My office?”
Without waiting for a reply, Ros turned on her heel, leaving Scarlett to scramble out the room after her.
Memories of the last time she’d been in the general’s private rooms spiraled through her mind. After Ros’s reaction, she hadn’t thought she would even consider inviting Scarlett into her personal space ever again.
Reaching the office, Scarlett entered to find Ros already hovering over mission reports piled neatly across the desk.
As they picked through the reports, Scarlett noticed the way Ros’s hand lingered near her own on the table. What did it mean? Had she changed her mind or was it involuntary? Scarlett could feel the heat radiating from Ros, the proximity quickening her pulse. The tension between them was palpable, a magnetic pull bringing them closer and closer. The words on the page became a blur as Scarlett found herself only watching Ros. How her hands twitched as if wanting to move while she spoke. How her tongue danced over her lips to wet them. The promise she’d made to herself to keep her distance shattered under the slightest strain.
Ros closed a file and straightened, turning to Scarlett, her expression unreadable.
“You did an excellent job today, Scarlett. I don’t know what we’d have done without you there.”
Hearing her first name tumble from Ros’s lips sent a shiver down Scarlett’s spine. Tentatively, she took a step forward, bringing their bodies closer together.
“It was a team effort.” Ros’s eyes met her own, searching. All the walls she had built crumbled to dust in an instant. Without thinking, Scarlett reached up on her toes and pressed her lips against Ros’s.
Once again, the general froze, and Scarlett pulled away. Had she misread the energy between them again? Once might beforgivable, but twice in a row? Ros would not be forgiving of that.
Scarlett wished the ground would swallow her whole. She wasn’t long for this base after all. And just as she was earning the respect of her troops, she screwed it all up over some crush.
She couldn’t help the hunger she had for the icy general. She craved Ros’s attention and she craved Ros’s strong hands on her body.
When Ros responded by deepening the kiss with a hunger that mirrored Scarlett’s own, all her doubts and fears vanished.
Their kiss became more urgent, more desperate, as weeks of pent-up tension and unspoken feelings spilled over. Ros’s hands, which had always been so controlled and deliberate, now gripped Scarlett’s waist, pulling her closer. Scarlett’s fingers tangled in Ros’s cropped silver hair, her body pressing against the older woman’s, craving more of the warmth and closeness she had been denying herself.
Ros pulled back slightly, her breathing heavy, her forehead resting against Scarlett’s. “Scarlett, we shouldn’t…” Her voice was filled with conflict, but even as she said the words, her hands remained firmly on Scarlett’s hips, unwilling to let go.
Scarlett shook her head, her voice hushed but firm. “I know, but I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop. I want this; I want you.”
They stumbled toward the small couch in the corner, their kisses growing more frantic with each step. Ros's hands roamed Scarlett’s body, relearning the feel of another person so close after years of solitude. It was both overwhelming and liberating, a flood of emotions she hadn’t allowed herself to experience in so long.
As they collapsed onto the couch, Ros's breath hitched. She hesitated, the gravity of the moment washing over her. This was more than just a physical release—it was a crossing of lines, a shattering of the discipline that had defined her for decades.
But then Scarlett’s lips were on her neck, her breath warm and her hands sure, and Ros's doubts melted away. She let herself be swept up in the moment, giving in to the passion that had been simmering between them for so long. The sensation was both familiar and foreign, like rediscovering a part of herself that had lain dormant for years.
Scarlett’s shirt was tugged frantically over her head, her bra unclipped with ease. Goosebumps prickled across her skin as cold air hit her breasts.
Head thrown back, Scarlett gasped as her nipple was captured in Ros’s mouth, sucking and loving it with her tongue.
The number of silver buttons on Ros’s jacket was driving her mad as she fumbled with them, half her brain rendered useless by Ros’s ministrations.
Ros switched to the other nipple, circling round and round with her tongue. Scarlett arched her back into it, head hitting the back of the couch.
“God, yes… this feels so good…”