They are barely inside Stone's tent, sexual combustion explodes between them. His fingers release her hair from its distasteful band and combs through her blonde silk strands. The heat of desire burns, liquefying her icy blue eyes. His lips claim hers. Aleska groans low in her throat. Her fingers slide deep into his hair. She melts into him, feeling the scorching heat through his shirt. Her hands dip through his shirt, caress over the taut muscles. The brush of her fingers pulse over his chest causing him to gasp. Desire rages like a furnace through his veins. His breath hitches. His mouth continues to devour hers with voracious intensity. His palm cups over her breast. The tips of her breasts respond to his masterful provocation causing her body to quiver.

A few buttons get undone, allowing his tongue to suckle her delicate pink peaks. They ache, burn, greedily lust for more of his caresses. Molten heat sears her nerve endings. His hands grip her tiny waist, cradling the feminine swell of her hips. They trace a path all the way down to the elegant sweep of her slender thighs that smoulder with heat and burn for his attention. Aleska pulls his head to meet her lips, first with slow sensuality, then with raw hunger. Her tongue welcomes him, duels with him. His mouth plunders hers. His hand dips beneath her cotton trousers. His finger delves beneath the triangle of curls. She is trembling.

'YA khochu, chtoby ty tak mnogo. Bol'no.' I want you so much it ...hurts. She confesses.

'Here?'

He torments, touching the core of her womanhood with such unerring precision, feeling her heat, as her muscles throb against his finger. He hears her breath quicken as his fingers moved in a rhythmic caress.

'Da ...' Yes .

She plucks impatiently at the belt of his trousers, frees his engorged member. Her fingers close around his erect shaft, rake over his steel encased velvet member. Her touch makes him moan with pleasure. He is soft as silk, hard as nails. She feels a heady tingling sensation all through her body. Impatient, she wraps one leg possessively around his hip.

Ty nuzhen mne ... seychas.' I need you---now, she pleads.

'Aleska,' he slurs in an unsteady voice, heat smouldering his eyes. He can wait no longer either and positions her against the table. Still fully dressed, just their trousers lowered he sinks into her, sighing heavily.

His palms mould her buttocks to his pelvis. He sinks deeper, fills her with all of his possession. Each thrust is pure ecstasy. She feels the intensity of her pleasure soar to unbearable heights. Her fingers dig deep into his muscled shoulders as his hardened shaft rocks her fiercely thrusting and taunting her endlessly. Her hands move down to hold him deeper inside her just before she explodes. Her breathless pleasure shakes him to the core when the first orgasm rocks her body. She clings to him powerlessly ...whimpering disjointed endearments in broken Russian syllables. She is breathless, quivering, weak at the knees. Their coupling was quick, explosive, beautiful and so, so pleasurable.

Stone marvels at her apparent fixity. This is a hardened soldier whom he has witnessed jumping of an aircraft in flight. She has endured sub- zero temperatures in God-forsaken environments. He witnessed first-hand, how she effortlessly took down more than six toughened men single-handedly, yet here she is, boneless in his arms, immobilized by the after effects of explosive sex.

He cradles her assuaged body close to his chest as he carries her to his bed. He holds her gaze with the dark intensity of his hot and hungry eyes. Their lips meet again, tongues lock, limbs tangle, passion, hunger, jockey amidst quick snatches of oxygen. Clothes, are discarded. He is about to toss her shirt away, then stalls. Aleska giggles. He joins her.

'On the table,' Aleska whispers.

Stone nods and carefully places her shirt on the table, for easy access, if emergency requires her to get dressed in a hurry. His eyes feast on her small but perfect breasts before his lips roams over her aroused pink tips. She undresses him. His clothes join hers on the table. She is overwhelmed by his sheer physical magnetism. Not an ounce of spare flesh and she cannot tear her eyes off him.

Her eyes venerate his formidable torso, lapping up all his masculine glorious assets on display. Her fingers dust the splay of muscles on his forearms. Everything is adorable about him; the hard swell of his muscles; the heat of his body; the scent of his skin. His gloriously naked body shows of his renewed state of arousal. He leans his bronze torso over her naked body. She closes her eyes. Sighs blissfully. Her lips part, welcomes his tongue again in a hot erotic tango. His hand skates over her naked breasts, and caresses her. His thumb strokes her nipples. His lips curve with pleasure, when her nipples peak, under his grazing caress.

Stone---,' she sobs, her fingers pressing his head closer.

'You always did like that,' He whispers hotly against her neck.

His chest presses against the flesh of her breasts sending another spasm of awareness through her body. His mouth captures her lips again in a searing kiss. She can hardly believe her body is awakened all over again. The need at the core of her womanhood is intense, begging for more of him.

'I missed you,' he whispers, the timbre of his voice rasping over her skin. He is referring to the two years they have been apart.

'I did too,' she drags his lips back to hers.

Her body is soft as silk. Unable to resist her sensual curves, his tongue slides erotically from her belly to the juncture between her waist and shapely hip. She cries out. His lips and tongue caress every inch of her honeyed body until she is soft and melting. His fingers teasingly skim over her slender waist, and dip between her thighs. She stills. Breath snags at her throat. His heat blurs her senses.
She is aroused...wet...ready... and whispers her pleasure in Russian, begging him for more.

Stone is in no hurry. His head lifts, delights in her breath-taking beauty. Her milky complexion, so like porcelain. Her ice blue eyes are fringed with the longest, thickest blonde lashes he has ever seen, and so passionately aroused down to its liquid blue depths. Her long blond natural curls are splashed over his pillow. He's dreamt so many times in the last two years of seeing this very picture.

Aleska smiles, one hand cups his face. Her eyes worship Stone's undeniable beauty. His skin is sweat sheened. His powerful masculine frame towers over her. The width of broad shoulders is sculptured perfection. The tapered figure narrowing to meet his slim hips and chiselled lines of his face, gives him, a model-like look. Her eyes survey his chest, and lustfully drift down to his erect manhood. She touches him, hoping to hurry his possession of her.

His fingers gently stroked her satin smooth skin, marvelling at its soft texture. He lifts her up, holding her astride him, his hands hot over her flesh. Curving her hips, his thumb rolls erotically over the honeyed curls protecting her womanhood. She groans, lifting her hips to meet his arousal. His teeth nibble at her roughened nipples, prolonging her agony. Eventually he responds to her soft begging. Finally his hand parts her thighs and he drives into her welcoming heat and wetness. She gives into the pleasure of welcoming him inside her. She gasps, finding him so much more fuller, deep inside her. Her hips lunge to his rhythm. He dips in and retreats out again and again feverishly filing her until he senses her near explosion. His heart is racing like a jet engine; a muscle twitches in his cheek. He desperately holds back his orgasm until her body burns into rampant flames. He collapses over her, breathless and totally satiated. This time it was a voyage of re-discovery, deliberate, protracted but measurably pleasurable.

Aleska's arms are tightly wrapped around his neck, refusing to release him. They are breathless yet satiated. She is thinking about an incident, two years ago, when their extracurricular antics got them into trouble.

'Do you remember the day we were late for uniform inspection? She smiles. 'The General made us carry our rifles over our heads around the training field for two hours.'

'That was not funny,' Stone scowls.

Aleska laughs. 'It was totally worth it, making out with you in the ladies toilet,' her fingers trail exploringly over his bulging biceps.

He smiles as his arresting eyes lock with hers.

'What?' she murmurs, as he continues to gaze at her.

'Your laugh is very sexy.'

She does not respond to his compliment now, just keeping her eyes lowered.
Amazingly when they are alone, she speaks in very accented English, but most other times in the throes of passion or in the presence of the squad, she speaks in Russian. He likes the moments when they are alone. She is carefree, comfortable, not on guard. No pun intended.

'Infact,' he rolls over and lifts her onto his chest, 'you are so sexy, you ought to be court martialed.'

Aleska laughs again. 'I don't recall that being one of the clauses in the Code of Conduct.'

'And you know the Code of Conduct of by heart,' he murmurs, his lips teasing at her throat.

'Yes,' she grips his face, lifting it with her palms, so she could gaze into his eyes. She sighs softly at how irresistible it is keeping her hands of him.

Stone drapes his arm around her, draws her to his chest. Let's get some rest,' he murmurs.

'Mmm,' she agrees softy.

He kisses her on the lips, drapes his arms possessively around her naked body. Aleska tucks one arm around his waist. She snuggles closer, resting her head on his accommodating chest and closes her eyes.

Aleska thinks she'll quietly steal away whilst Stone is still fast asleep. She attempts to remove herself from under the weight of his arm possessively encircling her body. As she lifts the covers, his arm tightens around her. Aleska laughs softly.

'I thought you're still asleep,' she whispers.

'Where you going?' He demands drowsily.

'Tower duty. You did make the roster.'

'We still have twenty five minutes,' he hoists her up to straddle him.

'And you always preferred this position,' she murmurs with a naughty smile.

Stone laughs. Her accented voice was melodic in his ear. He lifts his head. She comes forward to meet his mouth, but his lips curl around an aroused nipple. His teeth nibble gently. She moans, praises his ministrations, hurries him zealously ... all in Russian. It was more than thirty minutes later when they rush out of his tent, so Aleska can commence her shift.

Stone devises a strategy to root Nazario out. Aleska is briefing her team that are going to stake out the north-western side of their basecamp. Stone is going to take the remaining members of the team in the opposite direction. Aleska has a map on the floor, she is explaining to her team on how she plans to approach their intended point of attack. Her head is bent over the map. She is focused on issuing instructions to her team when she feels his presence. He should have been prepping his team as she is doing. What is he doing there? Ignoring him, Aleska continues to delegate tasks to her team members. She begins to indicate how they will surround their proposed enemy stronghold.

'We will um ---. I shall um ---,' Aleska can feel herself warming up, a rare occurrence. Sweat trickles down her spine.

'Give me a minute.' She stands up, walks to where Stone is standing, looking in their direction. He smiles admiringly as she approaches him.

'You are distracting, you know that?' She accuses.

The smile on his face broadens. He finds that hard to believe. She is always cool as a cucumber 'I am distracting to you?' he teases.

She can feel the heat flaming her cheeks. She continues to stare at him, unable to articulate any speech. The nerves in her body tingle. Her fingers ache to touch him, hold him close. Her lips ...

Stone points to the map in his hand. 'I want to show you something Major,' he holds her lightly at her elbow, guiding her to the restricted tent reserved for high intel closed communications. Aleska nods. Disappointment washes over her, that Stone is able to just brush away their moment. How can he be so focused and switched of when she finds him so desirable, distracting and such a turn on.

'What is it ---?' Aleska does not finish her question, when Stone roughly gathers her against this body.

'Stone!' She whispers alarmingly. 'I thought you want to talk,' her hands come up, defensively

'I lied,' his mouth takes possession of hers.

She sighs softly. Her arms snake around his neck. She leans into him, her arms tighten around his shoulders. 'I'm glad,' she whispers, kissing him back, releasing all the pent up emotions inside of her.

'Damn it. I want you so much, it hurts,' he groans against her mouth.

'Stone, --- our team is ready to move out,' she sighs when his lips press against her breast.

'One minute,' he groans huskily. His lips wrestle until it finds her pert, aroused nipple.

'Oh Stone,' her accent thickens, her fingers rake into his hair. 'Do you have to start this now?' She pleads, tightening her grip on him.

Stone grudgingly releases her. He smiles, adjusts her clothes again. 'It's your fault. You should not have looked at me that way.'

She laughs. 'It's your fault! You should not have come to our side.'

'I wanted to kiss you good bye,' he grins.

'You've done that then,' she sneers.

'Not yet,' he takes her into his arms again, kisses her slowly.

Aleska smiles against his lips.

'Now I have,' his palms press on her shoulders gently.

'Take care,' she whispers, looking into his eyes.

'And you too,' he asserts gravely.

He wishes he was going with her to protect her, but he knows she will be able to handle herself and what concerns him just a little; she prefers to lead from the front. She puts herself out there in the line of fire. She does not hide behind her subordinates.

'We will meet back here at eighteen hundred hours,' he declares.

She nods.

'Okay, out you go Major. I need a minute to myself,' he squirms agonizingly.

Her eyes fall to the bulging evidence in his pants. She smiles. 'Right,' she kisses him one more time and walks out.

The next morning at breakfast, Aleska listens to the taunting interplay between the soldiers. They are teasing Stone's --- Geek Lady. Strange she does not regard Nancy as 'Stone's' anymore. Nancy scowls and takes herself away from her harassing colleagues. She walks towards the river. Aleska decides to follow her. A surprised Nancy looks at Aleska curiously.

'What's the matter?' Aleska asks.

'They are always teasing me,' Nancy complains. 'Just because I don't know how to drive this huge --- five ton monster truck. It looks like a space ship.'

Aleska laughs softly.

'What?' Nancy has never seen Aleska smile, let alone laugh.

'It is hardly a space ship,' Aleska walks in step with Nancy.

'It feels daunting enough,' Nancy laments awkwardly.

'Come, I will show you a trick.' Aleska leads her to the SUV.

'You will? What?' Nancy exclaims excitedly. Previously she had dreaded interacting with the Major and had avoided at all cost being alone with her for any period of time. She had perceived the Major as formidable, hostile, unfriendly; and one who seemed to prefer her own company. Nancy had never thought she would enjoy her company. But Nancy was finding being in the Major's company rather pleasurable.

'I'm going to teach you how to do a handbrake turn.'

'I thought you use the steering wheel.'

'Get into the driver seat,' Aleska instructs.

'I --- don't know! Are you sure?' Nancy is terrified.

'Yes. The tyres are going to smoke, when you master the control of it,' Aleska promises mischievously.

'Really! I can't wait to see the look on the guys' faces,' Nancy was jubilant.

Aleska takes Nancy on a few test drives around the site. She tutors her on the dashboard instruments and how to control it. When Aleska is sufficiently assured Nancy has the hang of it, she guides her to do a skilful stunt.

All the soldiers are standing in a semi- circle, watching wide-eyed. Aleska is silently thankful, Stone is not amongst the spectator brigade. Nancy is looking more confident. Aleska thinks it's time to show up the boys.

'Rotate the steering wheel to the position you desire,' Aleska speaks calmly. 'Then release the handbrake.'

Nancy nods attentively.

'Now press the clutch in and simultaneously pull up the hand brake in a rapid and positive motion.' Aleska instructs.

She nods as Nancy accurately actions her words. The hand break is released, the SUV is spinning; the tyres screech piercingly. Smoke clouds the vicinity. Nancy has the SUV rotating in the direction she planned it to move to.

'I did it! I did it,' she lifts her hands triumphantly, forgetting she is supposed to be controlling the vehicle.

'Yes,' Aleska quickly reaches over, and steadies the steering wheel.

'Oops, sorry,' she giggles girlishly.'

'Very good,' Aleska grins, as she and Nancy watch the guys wide-eyed, scratching their heads sheepishly.

'Thank you Major.' Nancy exclaims gratifyingly. 'You're cool Major,' Nancy blurts exultantly.

'I don't think the colonel will approve of our antics. So don't say a word,' Aleska warns, although Aleska suspects Stone will have heard the deafening screech.

'Scouts' honour. I won't say a word.' Nancy crosses her fingers against her chest.'

I think you've graduated from being a Scout,'' Aleska laughs.

-end chapter nine-