CHAPTER FOUR: PARADISE

As they both walked back into the cabin, Shana kept rotating her shoulder, trying to work out the kinks. Her arm was on fire from the rigid workout program that Snake-Eyes ran her through; she wanted to scream, but instead she bit her lip in an effort to disguise her pain. After all, she had to show him that she was ready for anything he could throw at her.

But Snake-Eyes knew anyway. He always knew. The entire afternoon he'd been smiling underneath his mask, watching her beat down her own body for the sake of training. Maybe even for the sake of trying to impress her instructor.

"Oh, my goodness, I'm so ready for a shower. I'm glad you have plumbing in this cabin." Shana went straight for the bathroom, closing the door behind her ready to let the warm water cascade over her body and soothe her aching muscles.

With the training session over, reality slowly came back to Snake-Eyes. He took in a large breath, recalling the way she looked right before she went into the restroom. Sweaty… yet, still so hot and sexy.

He shook his head.

I still have no idea what she sees in me. She must still be in her puppy-dog love phase. Especially now that she's made the team. How long will she really feel this way about me, I wonder… particularly once she gets used to the unit and starts working with some of the other guys.

It wasn't hard to enjoy the time he was with her, but knowing she couldn't possibly stay with him forever was a concept he wanted to shake free from. She's young and impressionable, he kept telling himself, second-guessing her feelings for him. You shouldn't even lead her on, Snake. That's not fair to her.

It wouldn't have been so bad, he figured, if he wasn't so crazy for her in return. There had only been one thing he had ever encountered…ever, in his entire military career, that had been able to cloud his mind and cause distractions he had never before experienced; only one thing that had been able to fracture his focus since he learned the discipline from martial arts several years ago.

It wasn't any terrorist. No, not even the faceless threats of the invisible terrorist organization known as Cobra. It wasn't fear of losing his life, or even the unthinkable – failing a mission.

It was Shana O'Hara.

Even now as he sat on the floor in the lotus position, carefully meditating while waiting for Shana to finish up showering, she kept creeping into his mind. Unable to wholly focus on his meditation, he heard the shower water turn off.

"Snake-Eyes?" She called to him from behind the closed door. "I need you to do me a favor. Can you sit on the couch for a second?" Of course, he couldn't answer her, but his compliance was the chance she'd have to take.

----

She had a surprise for him. But she was as nervous as she'd ever been in her life.

"Snake… you know, I have to tell you something." He could almost ear her gulp.

"Of course the unit knows me as Scarlett, the new recruit, but… well, no one on the team knows about the other side of Scarlett; I mean, the one you are familiar with..."

Stepping out and into view, holding her arms above her head provocatively, her body moved as if it was in slow motion. She couldn't help but smile as she showed off her body… all of her body, wearing a tight-fitting dark red corset and a sexy pleated skirt, so short that it could only reveal little to the imagination. Her matching red gloves, choker, and thigh high boots only seemed to enhance the rest of her amazing body.

It was an outfit all too familiar to Snake-Eyes, even if he had only seen it once before – a long time ago, on that fateful night when he first met Shana – or rather, Scarlett.

"So you already know the name I've went with, but if you even think of telling anyone where I got it from, mister…" Try as she might to make a serious face, she instead had conveyed a sense of passion for the man in black.

Still, even the mask couldn't hide the fact that Snake-Eyes was even more speechless than normal, assuming that was possible. And she knew it.

Snake-Eyes smiled, recalling the memories of when he first met her. While on a mission, he found her dancing at a seedy club under the name of "Scarlett". While her dancing was simply amazing, he later realized she didn't seem to enjoy dancing in front of a crowded room full of hungry men. Come to find out, she had only taken the job to help her father pay off the house mortgage… even if her dad didn't know about it. Still, after all was said and done… she had never been more embarrassed in her life.

And she was still embarrassed, wearing her red sexy outfit and boots for him… but not as much as she once would have been. "Well, cowboy, what do you think?" she asked with bold confidence, despite truly shaking inside.

At first, she wasn't sure if Snake-Eyes knew what to do. Or if he wanted her. Shana's heart started racing even faster. Did I screw up? Does he not want me… did I move to fast?

But then, once Scarlett saw him sitting back on the couch relaxing (or at least relaxing as much as she'd ever seen him), she quickly realized that she had momentum going her way. In fact, if she played her cards right, she'd soon have him in the palm of her hand. And she loved it that way. Her feelings of concern and doubt quickly changed to one of satisfaction and self-assurance.

She hadn't danced for anyone else since they were reunited – in fact, she hadn't danced since she met Snake-Eyes that one night in the club, and she swore to herself that she wouldn't ever again.

Only for him.

Scarlett started rocking her hips, gently swaying slowly back and forth taking slow but deliberate steps closer to Snake-Eyes. She danced with such grace, moving to the silent music in her head; she closed her eyes and tussled her hair upwards, slowly to the invisible rhythm. Stepping closer to Snake-Eyes, she stared right through him with her piercing green eyes… looking deep and hypnotic right where she knew his eyes would be. It didn't matter that she couldn't see through his visor – she could practically visualize his gorgeous eyes in her head. And knew full well they were focused on her.

That's right, she thought. Don't you dare take your eyes off me, tiger.

Placing her left heeled-boot on the couch next to Snake, slightly opening up her legs just enough to tease him, she ran her hands up and down her body in an attempt to drive him crazy. A very deliberate attempt – the only thing that was subtle about it was left to the imagination. She couldn't hold back a devious, yet enchanting smile; a smile that almost seemed to tease, "You can't resist me, whether you like it or not. There's no escape from Scarlet, baby."

Her green eyes sparkled in a way that Snake-Eyes hadn't ever seen before. And that was saying something, since he stared into and admired her eyes quite often, unbeknownst to Shana. One of the few subtle advantages to wearing a mask.

Placing her hands on his shoulders, with her left foot still on the couch, she moved her right knee on the couch, straddling her mentor. Scarlett put her hands alongside his face; for a moment, she wanted to take his mask off and see him – see Snake-Eyes – for who he truly was. She wanted to rip the mask off in a frenzy. But she knew he wasn't ready, and the last thing she wanted to do was spook him like a hunter's prey. For now, she would just hold the side of his face, even if the mask hid it well. That in itself was a dream.

She pressed her body against his, a bit nervous that he wouldn't return the same affection to her. Momentarily slipping and losing her outward control, she nervously bit her lip, wondering if Snake-Eyes would reciprocate… well, anything. Any feeling or emotion.

But as she felt his black gloved hands gently touching her back, she let out a long sigh... half of pleasure, half of relief. Her body coming to a still, even with the imaginary music pulsating in her head, she closed in on the muscle-bound warrior. Feeling his arms tighten around her body, she carefully lowered herself onto his lap and her knees sank deep into the couch cushions, possessively holding the warrior back just as tight.

Leaning back for a moment to take another look at him, she felt tormented that she couldn't look into his eyes, knowing that he would never remove that mask for her. No matter. That fact wouldn't change the way she felt. You're mine, angel. M-I-N-E… MINE.

She leaned forward with her hands on his chest and sitting fully on his lap, kissing his mouth over the mask as hard as she had kissed anyone before…