In the Place We Both Love

Chapter 2: My Commanding Officer-2

“What?”

“Beautiful. You said it was beautiful and I said that you are. I was agreeing with you.”

I could feel the blush creeping up my neck. “Thank you, sir.”

“You’re welcome.” He looked back up at the shuttle then back at me again. “You remind me of someone. The fire inside you, the longing.”

The sadness around him was almost tangible. “I’m sorry about your fiancé, sir. I know it has been difficult for you.”

He nodded. “Thank you.” Then more softly, “But I wasn’t talking about her.”

I glanced back at him. “I don’t understand, sir.”

William chewed his lip as he watched the men on the scaffolds. “I meant me.”

“You?”

He sighed. “I used to feel that. An eagerness to fly, to go to space. I loved the power of the shuttle. I lived for the vibration of the throttle in my hand.”

“And you don’t feel it anymore?”

“Not for a long time.”

It was my turn to bite my lip as I tried to figure the best way to say what I wanted to without overstepping my boundaries.

“Then why are you still here? Why are you still with NASA? The Air Force?”

William sighed again. “This is all I know. I don’t know how to do anything else. I just know how to fly. And how to go to space and come back.”

I reached over and pulled his hand free of his pocket and slid my hand into his. For just a moment, he stayed still then glanced down at our joined hands, then back up to my face. Thinking that once again, I shouldn’t have done that, I started to pull my hand from his. But he held me firmly.

“No. Don’t,” he whispered. “I need it.”

I shivered at those words. Col. William Shepard needed much more than a hand to hold. And I needed just as much from him.

“You’ll feel that fire again, Colonel.”

“I’m not so sure. And that’s what I’m afraid of.”

“You will. I’ll help you.”

Those blue eyes turned on me again. “Why would you waste yourself on a jaded, unhappy astronaut?”

I tugged on his hand gently, pulling him closer to my side. “Because underneath is a hot, passionate, determined astronaut. That’s the one I want.”

And in that moment, I felt the s****l tension grow between us. I know it’s silly, and I’ve only known him a little more than three months. And he is my instructor and commanding officer. But none of that mattered. Nothing but Serena and William. Not Colonel, not Sergeant. Nothing. Just the way I felt for him right then. God knows I hoped that he felt at least a fraction of what I felt. It would devastate me if he rejected me.

We stood, holding hands a moment more. Then he said, “Come on.”

“To where?”

He didn’t answer, but merely tugged at my hand. I hurried along behind him, almost running to keep up with his long strides. William moved quickly down the hall, looking neither right nor left. Finally, he pulled me into a conference room. I held onto his hand tightly as he slid us into the shadows as it was very dark in the room.

Some light filtered into the room from the hallway through the cracked door. It cast shadows on William’s face and left his pretty blue eyes black. I know it’s ridiculous, but I missed the blue hue that I had come to love.

William took my other hand in his and pulled me closer to him. I looked up at him, wondering what it would be like to kiss him. It was very quiet in the room, the only sound being our own breathing and the occasional shout from someone in the hangars down the hall. The fabric of our green jump suits rustled as he slid his hands down my waist and pulled me against his body. I rested my hands against his shoulders.

“I have wanted to kiss you so badly since that first day you walked into the room,” he whispered.

“Me too,” I admitted.

“I want to kiss you now,” he whispered again.

That same heat flowed through me, settling deep inside. It always seemed to happen when I was around him. It was that same heat that made me bold.

“Then what are you waiting for, Colonel?”

His eyes glittered in the dim light. “The right time.”

“And when will that be?”

“Very soon.”

I smiled, liking this sexy game. “No time like the present.”

Gently his arms tightened around me drawing me closer to his hard body. Each of us drew a sharp breath at the feel of the other’s body against our own.

“I’ll let you know when the time is right,” he murmured, his lips inches from mine.

I slid my arms up around his neck. “Hurry, Colonel.”

“Aye, ma’am,” he breathed against my lips.

“William.” His name was a groan, a plea for him to stop teasing and start pleasing.

“Yes?”

“I-”

“You what?”

“Kiss me, Colonel. Now. Please.” I pushed against the back of his head to bring his lips closer to mine.

“Is that a request?” He brushed his open mouth against mine.

“It’s an order.” I whispered back.

“Aye ma’am,” he said just before he kissed me.

I gasped into his mouth as he kissed me. He moaned and deepened the kiss, pulling me even closer. I could feel his body pressing into me through the material of our jumpsuits.

The brush of his tongue along mine sent a jolt of pleasure through me so strong that I actually moaned at the intensity. I kissed him back with all the passion I had stored in me. It had been a long time since I’d been kissed and never like this. I pressed closer to him, grinding my hips against his. His moan answered mine before he cupped my hips and pressed into me.

His breathing ragged, William broke the kiss and pressed his warm lips to my neck. I held him close, running my fingers through his short hair.

“Serena,” he whispered. “I knew you would taste like this.”

“How?”

For a second, he didn’t answer but kept pressing his hips to mine in a slow rhythm that my body unconsciously followed.

“Sweet,” he finally answered. “I can’t seem to be able to stop thinking about you. Wanting to touch you. Kiss you.”

“Where did you learn to kiss like that?” I teased him. “Your vast military experience?”

“You like it?”

“Oh yeah.” I murmured. I reached up and cupped his cheeks, stroking his smooth skin with my thumbs. William went still, barely breathing. “You don’t like it?” I asked him.

“I do. Touch me, Serena. I- Just touch me.”

I stroked his smooth cheeks and lips, liking the feel of his skin so different a texture than my own. It made me want to taste him again. I held his face still and pressed a gentle kiss on his lower lip. His fingers squeezed my hips as I took his lips again in another biting kiss. Without breaking the contact between our mouths, I let my hands slide through his short, soft hair, over broad shoulders. Down strong arms, over his hard chest to his flat belly and slim waist to his back. William’s breath quickened as my hands skimmed over his stomach. But I didn’t go any lower. Instead, I grabbed his lean hips just as he was doing to me, and pulled him towards me.

“Damn, you’re making me crazy,” he ground out between clenched teeth. He backed up, pulling me with him. “Come here,” he said, sitting down in the chair. William pulled me down onto his lap. This position put our lower bodies in direct contact. The knowledge that he would be inside me right now if we were naked damn near sent me over the edge.

“Oh, William,” I moaned, burying my face in his neck. My breasts were heavy and aching for his touch, sensitized from the brush of his chest against mine. And another part of me wept for his touch as well. I turned my head, brushing my lips along his ear.

“Oh,” he breathed, clasping my hips tight to his.

Both of us froze as we heard voices coming down the hall. William stood up quickly with me in his arms and melted into the darkness. We tried not to breathe so loud, but it’s hard to control when desire has you panting and gasping for breath.

Fortunately, the voices moved on down the hall. William released my legs and I slid down his body. For a moment, he held me close and I was content to be held. I lay my head against his chest, listening to his thundering heartbeat.

Finally, William placed a gentle kiss on my hair and started to ease away.

“Not yet,” I said, holding onto him.

He squeezed me. “I don’t want to let you go either. But with you pressing into me like this, I’m about this close from embarrassing myself.” He held up his fingers, thumb and forefinger almost touching. “And,” he said, tapping me on the nose. “So were you.”

“I was,” I admitted, glad the darkness hid my red face.

He nodded then put his arm around my shoulders. “It’s okay. There’ll be other times. And I promise you’ll have many orgasms before I’m through.” A pause. Then,” If you want to.”

I shivered at his words. “I want to.”

“Let me walk you to your car.”

I nodded and he took my hand and led me out of the room. I stopped, needing an answer to the questions eating at me.

“What?”

I chewed at my lip. “My getting involved with you isn’t going to ruin my chances of becoming an astronaut, will it? I mean, you are after all my commanding officer. And there are rules, protocol.”

William’s eyes bored into mine. “I don’t give a f**k about rules or protocol.”

I almost took a step back from the intensity in his eyes and the sharpness of his tone. “I- I just-”

”You will become an astronaut. I will teach you everything I know. What we do outside of this place has nothing to do with NASA or the Air Force. Our business? Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Okay. Come on.”

I slipped my hand in his and we walked out to my car in silence. Just before we reached the lobby, he let go of my hand. I started to protest until I saw all the suits around. The badges on our jumpsuits plainly stated our status. And for that reason, we couldn’t show whatever we were to the rest of the world. I didn’t want to be transferred. Not yet. Not when I was this close to achieving my dream. We headed for the parking lot and stopped by my car. For a moment, he stood watching me play with my name tag. He wanted to say something, but seemed nervous as if he expected me to shoot him down. I wanted to say something, anything to keep him near me for a while longer. I liked the way I felt when he was around. The way his voice sounded in my ears and the way my body reacted when he was close. I didn’t want it to end. Finally, he spoke.

“Can I- I’d like to see you again. To talk, whatever you want.”

I looked up at him. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

Though he didn’t smile, he seemed pleased by my acceptance. I wondered if he ever smiled or laughed. I wanted to kiss him one last time but I knew that I couldn’t. So I saluted him and got in the car. He stood watching as I drove away.

I glanced in the mirror at him. He stood, feet braced apart, hands in his pockets, chest out. Such a sexy pose. And as handsome as he was, he would take my breath away if he ever smiled.

______

“I mean, damn. He’s staring at you like he could eat you up,” Jenny said as we pulled on our space suits.

I glanced up and sure enough, William was watching me. I smiled at him and he gave me the closest thing to a smile that I’ve ever seen from him. It was only the slightest curve of the corners of his mouth, but it was progress.

“Nah,” I told Jenny, adjusting the straps over my arms so the attendant could help me zip it up. “He’s just watching to make sure we’re putting on the suits right.”

“Well correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t see him looking at anyone but you.”

I shrugged. “Well, I am standing directly in front of him.”

She started to say something else, but was cut off by Instructor Bell I think she said her name was. There were so many people here it was hard to keep up with all the names.

I listened as she explained gravity to us. I snuck a glance at William. He stood just behind the table with the other male instructors. His eyes roamed over everyone before settling on me. The blue in his eyes seemed to smolder and he shifted, propping one foot on the chair in front of him. I tried to smother my smile. It was blatantly obvious that he was recalling last night.