The closer they got to finding the Collectors, the more acutely Miranda could feel their time running out. She regretted acting so cold and distant toward Shepard when they'd met. She regretted every second she had wasted on propriety and uncertainty. She regretted that it had taken them so long to reach this point. She wished she'd taken Aspen Shepard by the collar and kissed her senseless the moment she realized what she was feeling. Logically, she knew that that hadn't been a viable option, but the closer they got to the end, the more outlandish her wishes became.
At least they had tonight. And Miranda intended to make it count.
She intercepted the commander on her way onto the elevator, stopping her with a hand on her chest. Shepard looked surprised for all but a second until she glanced up and registered the look on Miranda's face and her own softened to match, all burning half-lidded eyes and barely parted lips. Miranda could hear the commander inhale sharply as she leaned in to purr in her ear, "I've cleared the engine room. Meet me there in five minutes,"
Miranda intended for that to be the end of it. She intended for the encounter to end with Shepard flustered, impatient, and ready for what five minutes later would bring, the crew none the wiser. She supposed she should have known better.
Shepard's hand closed around Miranda's bicep before she could pass. The two were left hovering just outside the elevator, far too close to avoid suspicion if someone were to look their way. Shepard pulled back just enough to meet Miranda's eye, and her gaze was positively melting. "The engine room?" she echoed in low, incredulous tones. "Why not my cabin?"
The question knocked the air from Miranda's lungs. "Are you sure?" she breathed, barely recovering. She'd picked the engine room because it was clinical. Cold. Not someplace either of them spent much time. If the night went south for some reason—if this went south—it would be easy to brush off the encounter as a fling and nothing more. But if they were intimate in Shepard's bedroom—
"Yes," the commander said with absolute certainty. Then she paused, loosening her grip. "If you are."
Miranda swallowed dry, clinging to composure. She'd just been wishing for more time together. More closeness. More of Shepard. Well, here it was, laid out on a silver platter, and she wasn't going to hesitate this time. So, "All right. I'll see you there," she said with a nod.
Shepard remained close for a moment, searching her face for signs of uncertainty. When she found none, she nodded, too. "It's a date, then," she murmured. Then, before Miranda could react, she leaned in swiftly, brushed a kiss to her cheek, and then broke away to head for the elevator. When Miranda turned to shoot her a surprised look, Shepard graced her with a teasing wink.
All right, the Cerberus officer thought as the doors slid closed on the woman she was about to meet in her cabin, alone in five minutes. I can do this.
…
