Encounter with a Commanding Officer

She could also stay in the room that the desk sergeant had booked for her, but he didn’t want her to feel under any kind of misplaced obligation.

‘I haven’t changed my mind.’ The gaze she shot him was both loaded with promise and a little nervous. ‘I just expected the drive to feel a little awkward.’

So had he.

As the Corporal opened the back door, they both climbed out of the vehicle.

‘Do I remember passing though somewhere and seeing a lot of floats, or did I dream that up?’ she asked the young lad politely.

‘It’s Summer Festival time, ma’am,’ the Corporal offered. ‘Towns up and down the island celebrate in different ways. There’s a parade with floats and live music and dancing not far from here tonight.’

‘Really? It all looked beautiful.’ She nodded. ‘I’ve never been to a festival.’

‘Never, Major?’ Ash asked curiously, the suddenly pained expression in her eyes twisting at his gut, helping him to compartmentalise his own worries.

Already he was feeling more at peace than he’d felt in the last forty-eight hours.

‘No.’ She shrugged lightly, swiftly covering the moment.

He might tell himself it was none of his business but his mind kept asking questions.

Wordlessly, Ash reached for the rucksacks, passing Fliss hers as he hoisted his own onto his shoulder before thanking the young NCO and wishing him a safe return, then striding ahead into the cool hotel lobby to begin check-in. He couldn’t even stop to see if Fliss was accompanying him. In uniform, and with the Corporal around, there was no place for chivalry.

Moments later he heard her greet the other receptionist at the far end of the four-metre-long desk and begin to confirm the booking the desk sergeant had made back at the airport base.

‘I’m sorry you weren’t able to get onto the six a.m. flight tomorrow morning with your colleague,’ Ash heard the clerk saying.

‘It’s fine; don’t worry.’ Fliss’s soothing smile carried in her tone. ‘I was more than happy to get the early evening flight.’

‘Still, the hotel would like to offer you a complimentary massage treatment in our spa, as well as use of our facilities even after the midday check-out.’

‘Gosh, that’s really kind of you,’ she enthused in typical Fliss fashion. ‘Thank you; I’d appreciate that.’

Images of Fliss’s luscious body instantly flooded Ash’s brain and he burned all over again, suppressing a grin. Yep, there was no denying that something about the woman transported him back to his teenage years.

His eyes slid across to hers for a fraction of an instant before she bowed her head with a flush. But not before he’d caught the sparkle of delight at his unrestrained interest.

Ash marvelled at the fact that neither Fliss herself, nor her fellow soldiers, appeared to be able to see past their perception of a prim, uptight, rigid rule-following major. There was so much more to the woman, so much raw passion, which bubbled away barely beneath the surface. She was like one of those papier-mâché volcanos Wilfred had taught him to make in their little man shed at the bottom of the garden. But instead of adding white vinegar to the bicarb mix to make it erupt, all Fliss would need would be a little love and the emotion would spill out of her.

Where the hell had that come from?

It was just another reminder that he should stop this now.

Instead, as though an invisible thread bound them, Ash concluded his check-in and moved along the desk to stand by her, his arm deliberately touching hers as he rested it on the granite surface. Unremarkable to any onlooker, but as his skin seared at the contact and goosebumps sprung up over Fliss’s arm Ash experienced a renewed sense of satisfaction.

‘I understand it’s the Summer Festival across the island at the moment; we saw some floats on the way here?’ He deliberately faced the clerk rather than Fliss.

‘That’s right, Colonel,’ the young man agreed. ‘There’s a parade tonight. I could book you a taxi if you like; it’s only about a ten-minute drive away.’

‘What do you think, Major; shall we give it a go?’

‘I...well... I thought this was about...?’ With a subtle side-step she broke the physical contact and took a breath. ‘If that’s what you want, then we’ll go.’

Relieved to occupy his mind, Ash narrowed his gaze at Fliss. Whatever made Fliss uncertain about going tonight, it wasn’t just about wanting to finish what he’d started with her the other day. She was avoiding something.

The question was, what?

He’d spotted a moment of sheer longing in her regard when she’d mentioned the floats. As if it was something she wanted to see but couldn’t bring herself to do.