Back at base, Duke and Scarlett had bid farewell to Wild Bill, leaving them alone in the shadow of the Dragonfly. Scarlett had grabbed her duffle and was about to start her walk towards her quarters when Duke tugged her arm. "Stay with me tonight." he begged in her ear softly, "No expectations….no pressure….I just want more time with you."

Scarlett turned around to face him, "But what if I do…have expectations? Would you be willing to fulfill them?" her words dripped with desire.

"Absolutely." Duke grinned, "I just wanted to make it clear that I wasn't expecting anything."

Scarlett took a step closer to him and breathed in his ear, "And I'm making it clear that I am."

Duke sucked in his breath loudly, clearly indicating his building state of arousal, "You won't hear an argument out of me."

"I wasn't expecting to." Scarlett pulled him to her and kissed him hotly, giving him a small

tease of what was to come.

XXXXX

They arrived at Duke's door what seemed like merely seconds later, neither one of them feeling like their feet hit the ground the entire way from the Dragonfly to his doorstep. Duke quickly swiped his card and the door unlocked. He grabbed Scarlett and pulled her inside and immediately pinned her to the back of the door so hard it slammed shut. Her duffle immediately dropped to the floor as Duke brought his mouth and hands to her body attacking any skin that was exposed.

After a breathless makeout session Scarlett grinned wickedly, "You ready for dessert?" She began forcefully pushing him back towards his bedroom, both of them discarding clothes between passionate kisses along the way. Once in the bedroom, Duke drank in the sight of Scarlett in just her bra and panties standing before him.

"Absolutely.." Duke grinned. Scarlett gave him one more forceful push sending him backwards onto his bed. She climbed on top of him, straddling his pelvis.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say." Scarlett gyrated against him, making them both moan in response. Scarlett lowered herself and pressed her lips against his deep and rough before quickly sitting back up and bringing her hands to the back of her bra to release the clasp.

"Shana…"Duke breathlessly spoke, "are you sure? Cause once you take that off, I'm going to lose all self control."

"Promise?" Scarlett teased as she undid the final hook letting the material droop forward, the straps slowly sliding from her shoulders down her arms. After removing each arm out of the straps, she tossed the silky garment aside.

Duke's eyes grew heavy with lust as his hands immediately clamped onto her creamy globes, kneading them thoroughly, his fingers tweaking her nipples changing them from a soft pink to swollen red peaks. His hands slid from her breasts down her sides and rested on her hips as he curled his upper body towards her and brought his mouth to the skin around her navel.

"I want you so bad." Duke whispered as he made a trail of kisses from her ribcage down to the waist of her panties. His thumbs hooked the elastic band at her hips and tugged forcibly trying to move the material downward.

"Me too." Scarlett purred, and stood up momentarily to remove the last of her clothing. Duke simultaneously ripped off his boxers. She slithered back on top of him and in the middle of a deep kiss, Duke shifted his weight and reversed their positions, pinning her underneath.

"Let me love you the way you deserve. The way I've wanted to for so long…" Duke begged, nuzzling his face next to her cheek. "I need you..God, do I need you." Scarlett answered him by wrapping her arms around him and kissing him so passionately he could feel the heat coursing through his entire body. He gazed deeply into her eyes as he guided himself into her, penetrating her gently. Her breath hitched and she closed her eyes as Duke filled her completely and began thrusting. He groaned in ecstasy feeling her expand to accommodate how swollen he had become. As he pumped faster, Scarlett moans escalated in volume. He knew it wouldn't be long before he'd explode.

"Oh Con!" Shana yelped, locking her thighs and arms around him as he drilled into her harder and faster. He could feel her orgasming which triggered his own. They crashed down onto the mattress, heaving heavily. Once he pulled out, Duke immediately took her into his arms and spooned against her. She turned over to face him.

"That was better than any fantasy I had ever dreamed." Scarlett smiled contentedly.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have so much to make up for. So much time wasted…I should know more than anyone that another day is never a guarantee in our line of work." Duke replied, lacing his fingers through hers.

"We both had our reasons for holding back….but here we are…finally," Scarlett replied, her eyes sparkling with love.

"Finally…" Duke smiled and kissed her tenderly, "I just couldn't fight it anymore. You're it for me, Red. My partner for life."

"Why Sargeant Hauser I do declare that sounds almost like a marriage proposal." Scarlett laid her southern accent on with a giggle.

"It did, didn't it? I should write that down for future reference." Duke leaned over her pretending to reach for pen and paper on his nightstand. Scarlett playfully elbowed him, making him fall back down onto the mattress. His retaliation was to snuggle her close, tucking her head under his chin. "In the meantime, my words are my promise to you. I'll love you my whole life long…The ring will come but more importantly you already have my heart." He could feel Scarlett smile against his chest.

She lifted her head so she could look into his eyes, "When my heart had been shattered by Snake Eyes, you picked up every single shard and meticulously examined each one making sure it was buffed, polished, and perfect before fusing them all back together in a way that made it feel like it had never been broken in the first place. I know my heart is safe with you."

Scarlett shook her head gently, "I'm still having trouble believing this isn't a dream and that I'm really here with you and…that this is really happening."

"Well, I guess that begs me to ask the question then…" Duke grinned.

"What's that?" Scarlett wondered.

Duke extended his body over hers and pinned her underneath, "Can I have seconds?"

Scarlett arched her back invitingly, "You can have as many helpings as you want."

Duke immediately felt his member harden again, "Well in that case…I could be at this for hours." He lowered himself onto her "because I'm still starving."