Chapter Seven
A/N: Here is the next chapter and I am quite excited to share it with you all! Please let me know what you think of it, it’s hard to find motivation to keep writing but the simplest messages help tremendously with that!
Harry climbed out of his pilot’s seat of the Apache helicopter after returning from a flight. He glanced down towards his waistband and secured his gun before tucking away his flight book. Simon climbed to the ground beside the prince and looked up with apologetic and thankful eyes.
“Thanks for taking over, Wales.” Simon shook his head while looking to the ground with defeat. “I just froze, I don’t know what happened.”
The prince sighed heavily, being finally able to release a deep breath after what had just happened on their flight that put everyone’s lives at risk. Simon was the captain of the Apache and during mid flight he zoned out and stopped ordering commands of the squad as soon as they enter into the combat zone. Luckily, Harry picked up on what was going on and took control of the Apache before everyone else’s lives were put on immediate danger, but it was a close call.
He felt awful that his dear friend was going through something like this and being so far away from home without being able to do anything, but this, this could not happen again. “Si, as a friend I know the past few days have been extremely difficult for you and I cannot imagine what is going on in your head right now.” Harry and Simon started to slowly walk behind the rest of the squad, out of ear shot from Luca and Owen. “But, as a fellow pilot.” He breathed out. “You just put more lives on the line in that situation and that was completely unacceptable. Whatever is in your head cannot affect your flying again or…” The prince paused and glanced up from the ground towards his friend to see the somber expression formed on Simon’s face.
“I will have to stop flying.” Simon nodded. Understanding that he was placing Harry in a tough spot. “I put my squad’s lives on the line today, Harry. I need to get my head right.”
“Do you want to go speak to someone? Maybe a good chat will help ease the mind a bit?” Harry attempted to convince Simon who shot down the idea quicker than Harry brought it up mainly out of fear that the conversation would reach their superiors and Simon’s flying would be brought into question.
Harry’s eyes lifted hearing children laughing in the near distance. His eyes fell on Emily giggling away as she meandered through a small group of Afghan children with a football. They were all screaming and chasing after her as she fought to pick them all off of her body as they clung on tightly to her. Emily kicked the ball towards a little girl who was evidently the smallest one in the group and ran her little heart out to get the ball, but was trampled over by the bigger kids as she fell to the ground.
Emily jogged over to the girl who was now balling her eyes out sitting on the ground holding her knee tight to her chest. She knelt down and stood the little one up and brushed the sand off of her knees before consoling her. The little girl nodded and Emily smiled before giving her a big engulfing hug. Emily picked the little girl up and swung her around making her cries turn into an endless string of giggles.
“That stubbornness is going to kill you one day, Si. Or even me.” Harry walked off without another word feeling an inner rage building within. He headed towards Emily, wanting to let off a little steam and join the game with the kids. A distraction from his thoughts was exactly what he needed in that moment, and Emily was definitely a great distraction for him.
“Em!” Harry called out her name as her head turned and became distracted by the soldier running towards her flashing a beaming grin.
“Hey you.” The smile that grew on her lips was exactly what Harry longed to see after such a stressful flight. “Want to join in? I am sure they won’t care if I beat you.” She placed her hand on her hips and egged him on with a wink.
“Oh! It’s so on!” Harry took off his sweater and tossed it aside.
Emily turned around and yelled at the children in Arabic, telling them that Harry was going to play and to gang up on him. But, she decided to keep that little secret to herself as they started screaming and piling on top of him making Emily laugh hysterically while taking control of the football.
“No! You cannot speak in Arabic, that is soo not fair!” Harry protested profusely as he plucked each child off of him while Emily ran ahead.
“Afraid of a little challenge are we, Captain Wales?” Emily took off ahead kicking the ball as the prince chased after her, closing in the distance quickly.
He placed his hand on her side and tried to kick the ball from between her legs, but she angled her body into the pilot and gave him a cheeky elbow to back off. “Is that how you are going to play huh?” The close proximity towards Harry was clouding her mind, distracting her from what she was doing.
“Yes, Wales.” Emily did a move and snuck around him leaving the prince in her dust as the children around them started screaming to catch up with the blonde. She passed the ball off to the little girl that had been crying earlier and she kicked the ball into the net. She started jumping up and down with her arms in the air cheering so loud as Emily picked her up and placed her on top of her shoulders, running around to celebrate the goal.
Harry stood there with a beaming smile plastered on his lips as Emily approached with the little girl on her shoulders that was smiling from ear to ear with glee. The pilot offered the little girl a high five to which she happily gave to Harry. “Nice goal! The girl clapped her hands as she beamed proudly of her efforts. Emily placed her on the ground, but she immediately was drawn to Harry. She tapped his leg with her tiny hand and tugged on his pants to lift her up.
“You want up?” Harry held his arms out and looked up to Emily. “Does she want up?” Emily combed through her dark hair with her fingers and asked her in Arabic as she nodded and lifted her arms up in the air. “Yes, Amira wants you to pick her up.” Emily watched the interaction briefly, but a little boy kicked the ball towards her and yelled her name. She turned around and took off, leaving Harry holding in the child in his arms.
“Do you want to play still, Amira?” He asked the little girl, who probably did not understand a word he was saying, but she pointed to where the ball was and he took off running with her in his arms ensuring she was cradled against his body securely.
Emily and Harry were sitting with the small group of children down on the sandy ground as she offered some water to their tired little bodies. They were jumping around talking to Emily as she attempted to include the prince and translate what they were saying to her as he sat with Amira clinging tightly to him.
She glanced down at Amira and smiled, watching how Amira was enthralled with Harry. “Looks like you have made a new little friend, Henry.” Emily casted her blue eyes up to lock in the prince’s gaze.
“Looks like I have.” He released a deep chuckle as Emily helped the little girl take a sip of water that splashed down onto Harry’s legs.
One of the boys was a bit shy and hiding behind Emily staring at the prince. But, each time Harry looked at him, he shied away behind the blonde doctor. He whispered something in her ear and she giggled. “He wants to know how to get big and tall like you.”
“You eat your veggies.” Harry barked a laugh and tossed his head back. Emily grinned and told the boy what Harry’s answer was and he shook his head with a look of disgust that made both of them start to laugh.
The two of them sat there and enjoyed the company of the children that were a welcomed distraction for both. Emily had a tough morning at the hospital and needed an escape while hearing the little children laugh and play helped Harry de-stress and clear his mind from what happened with Simon.
Harry’s gaze was steady on Emily, watching her play with the children brought him some sort of inner comfort. Or maybe it was simply being in her presence that instantly calmed the prince. Either way, he felt that it was the right time to ask her on a date tonight.
“Em?” He coaxed her attention away from the children as her blue eyes darted towards him with an endearingly full smile.
“Yes, Henry?” Her blue eyes never wavered.
“Are you free tonight to go out with me. On a date that is?” Harry’s lips spread into a hopeful grin. “I want to spend more time with you, just the two of us.” Those mesmerizing blue eyes drew him in and got lost in their depths.
“Yes...” Her cheeks blushed faintly. “Yes, I want that too.” Emily could hardly contain the excitement that fluttered in her heart and it showed on her face as her eyes sparkled in response.
“Why don’t I wait for you outside your building around eight? The night will give us a bit more privacy.” Harry voiced his well thought out plan.
“Got it all figured out now, do you Wales?” She giggled teasingly at the prince. “I will be ready then.” Emily shifted in her spot to get up despite the protests of the children that were sitting in her lap. “I know!” She leaned in and gave them a tight hug, squishing them as they tried to escape the confines of her arms as Emily explained to them that she had to go back to work.
“I need to go back to work for a bit longer, but will see you tonight.” Emily stood to her feet and took one last look at Harry who was nodding with a smile before she walked away.
The butterflies in Emily’s stomach were flipping back and forth. She was rummaging through her closet wondering what on earth to wear on a date with a prince on a military camp in the middle of Afghanistan. How are you even supposed to go on a date when it is completely frowned upon to be involved with soldiers on the base? If they were caught… Emily shook her head and banished that thought from her mind.
Emily glanced towards her bedside table to see she only had a few minutes to pull something together. She grabbed a white sweater and pulled on a pair of her travel navy pants and quickly combed through her blonde locks trying to look somewhat presentable.
Opening the entrance door to the building, Emily quietly snuck out wanting to ensure that no one saw her leave with Harry. Their plan was to meet at the side of the building, but Emily had not realized how dark it had already became. She crept down the stairs and peaked around the corner only seeing darkness.
“Henry?” She whispered his name not entirely wanting to walk any further into a dark space alone. Hearing footsteps come forward, Harry stepped a bit into the light to show that he was indeed there with a wide brimmed smile plastered all over his face.
“Em, I’m here.” He reached out and gently grasped her hand with a beaming smile that instantly calmed Emily’s fears. Harry took a quick glance around to make sure no one was around and gave her hand a light tug, pulling her into the darkness. “Follow me.” His voice was deep and trusting.
Emily held on tight to Harry as her other hand clasped around his wrist to ensure he was not going to leave her behind amidst the dark. “Where are we going?” She whispered into the night as they snuck around the base feeling like teenagers sneaking out of their parent’s house on a weekend.
“You will see.” Harry walked hand in hand with Emily towards the helicopter hangar that he knew was unoccupied this late at night. “Watch your step here.” He carefully led her past his body around the back leading towards a little make shift tent he had quickly put together.
Emily crouched down to glance inside to see blankets, pillows, flashlights and a few of her favourite treats set out beside a box of pizza. “Did you set all this up? For our date?” Emily asked as she felt Harry crouch down beside her, his hand settling down on her lower back.
“Yeah, I did.” He chuckled lightly and followed a crawling Emily inside, sitting down right beside her. Harry pointed and looked up to through the open space through the tarp that Harry deliberately made as Emily’s eyes followed his gaze. “It’s a bit hard trying to come up with a place for a date so I figured this would give us a little privacy and well I like looking up at the stars here.” His voice drifted off into a whisper as he gazed up at the night sky illuminated by sporadic stars bordering the moon. “It calms me for whatever reason.”
Emily was enthralled by the groups of stars shinning brightly through the little space at the top of the tent. The blonde nodded slowly with a soft smile agreeing with Harry. “It’s something about them that often does that. It makes everything seem not so far away like it feels sometimes.” Emily’s soft voice coaxed Harry’s blue eyes down to stare into hers with a lingering gaze.
“This is perfect, Henry.” Emily blinked slowly and turned her head to gaze up into those deep blue eyes. “You sure it’s ok for us to be here?” There was a hint of worry laced in her voice.
“As long as we don’t get caught.” Harry shrugged his shoulders and playfully winked at the blonde doctor teasingly. “Nah, Em it’s fine.” The pilot leaned back and grabbed the box of pizza for them to share.
“So, I wanted to buy you dinner on our first date but the options were a bit… limited.” Harry started to blush a bit, feeling a bit embarrassed that he could not take Emily on a proper date here on base. “This is what I came up with...” He opened the box to reveal her favourite ham and pineapple pizza.
“Oh my god, did you really get my ham and pineapple pizza?!” Emily’s mouth fell open in shock that Harry would do this for her. It was endearing for Emily to see all of Harry’s efforts that went into their date. It reminded Emily of how Harry and the guys planned her surprised birthday party and it was little things like that that Emily appreciated so much and showed how much he cared.
Emily grabbed a piece of her pineapple and ham pizza he had gotten for them to share and took a big bite. “Yup, this will do!” She grinned happily while chewing down the delicious pizza. “Here, have a bite and see for yourself what you have been missing your whole life.” Emily leaned forward and offered a bite of her pizza to Harry. The prince hesitated and shared an expression that he was not entirely convinced to.
“One bite and you may get to kiss me.” Emily playfully teased, but Harry’s expression changed to a serious one as he quickly took a bite off before Emily could go back on her word. Her mouth dropped in shock having realized what she had promised Harry. The glint in his eyes was proof that he did indeed plan on taking Emily up on her bargain.
She watched his priceless reaction when he realized how amazing pineapple on pizza actually was. “Wow…” He nodded and grabbed a piece of his own. “This is actually way better than I thought it would be!” Harry quickly finished the rest of his piece. “Plus, I get to kiss you…”
The way that the prince was staring at Emily in combination with his devilish grin that had formed on his lips made Emily’s heart pound into a fluttery mess in her chest. The blonde woman could not formulate a response so all she did was nod slowly while her mind went off thinking of everything that could change once they did. But, then a smile turned up the corners of her lips as a memory reminded Emily of that night that Harry walked her back to her building and kissed her forehead. “Yes, you do.” She finally was able to string a set of words together, but it was her cheerful smile that spoke louder than words to Harry that Emily wanted the same thing.
Harry and Emily had topped off the pizza that they had shared and decided to lay down in the tent beside one another. The extra blankets Harry had taken from the VHR tent were tightly bundled around their bodies as they shared the warmth it created for them against the cool afghan night. Emily’s side was pressed close against the prince being able to use his shoulder as a comfy pillow. Harry’s arm was tucked under the blonde doctor to ensure she was as close as possible to the prince so he could enjoy the feeling of someone beside him, a craving he had long forgotten to indulge in.
The pair were staring up at the stars through the hole in the tent with Emily pointing up into the night sky to show Harry a few of the constellations she could see. Her other hand was gently intertwined with Harry’s as their fingers danced, playing with one another absent mindedly while they talked. Harry was staring down at Emily being completed enthralled and under her spell as she lined out yet another constellation for him.
“And that one is Orion.” She sighed with a beaming smile. “It’s one of my favorites. Do you know the myth behind it?” Emily turned her head to see the prince staring intensely at her with those mesmerizing blue eyes that nearly made her heart stop.
“No.” He shook his head slowly, but his gaze never faltered. “Tell me.” Harry craved to hear her soft calming voice speak again.
Emily forced herself to look away, focusing back up at the stars before clearing her throat. “Well, based on Greek mythology, Orion was some sort of talented hunter and believed he could rid the Earth of all the wild animals. Gaia, who was the goddess of earth, was angered by Orion and sent a scorpion to kill Orion. Orion tired to battle the armored scorpion and realized he could not shoot his arrow through the armor so he jumped into the sea.” Emily paused for a brief moment to glance back at Harry to see him listening very close to every word she spoke.
“Go on.” Harry’s deep voice encouraged as he locked their fingers together.
“Apollo, who was the Greek god of the sun, decided to help Gaia kill Orion. Apollo pointed out Orion in the sea to his twin sister Artemis convincing her it was a villain. She shot it with her bow and arrow than swam out to see that it was her friend Orion. Artemis begged the gods to bring Orion back to life, but they refused so she put Orion’s picture in the sky so she could always see him.” The blonde doctor trailed off into a comfortable silence.
“Why is that your favorite?” An intrigued Harry craved to learn more, but he also wanted to distract his own mind that was drifting to the situation he found himself in because of Simon’s arrogance, much like Orion’s in the story. He looked past Emily and watched his fingers curl around hers, squeezing them in silence as he witnessed the hesitation flash across her face hoping that it would provide Emily with some sort of comfort.
“You remember me saying that I was in Syria before coming here?” Emily watched the prince nod in silence. “Some nights, it was all too much for me to handle having a constant feeling of hopelessness mixed with the feeling of not being able to do my job. We had to sit outside the city listening to the shells firing into the city everyday knowing that innocent people were dying until we were granted a cease fire to go in and provide aide for the limited time we were given.” Emily forced her blue eyes shut as a frown creased the soft skin of her forehead, needing a minute to get passed the memory of it all. Her eyes fluttered open along with the release of a heavy sigh.
“Most nights when I couldn’t sleep I would go for a walk and find a place to look up at the stars. I could always pick out the Orion constellation even amongst the hazy clouds left behind from the bombings. It brought me a sense of comfort seeing that every night it was still there no matter what else happened in the world. That when everything else was falling apart around me, it was still there every time I looked up.” Emily turned her head and shifted onto her side to face Harry snuggling into him tighter, silently asking to be comforted by him. She stared into those deep blues that she had now used to replace those stars she sought out every night for comfort. His blue eyes were the one constant now amongst all the chaos that had surrounded Emily since finding herself in at Camp Bastion.
“It made me think of home and how they could be staring up at the same stars making them seem closer than they were to me. So, I understand what you meant. That the stars have some sort of calming effect out here.” Harry’s arm had wrapped around her frame and settled down on her hip.
“You have that kind of effect for me too.” Harry confessed to Emily as his gaze faltered away from her eyes. He tried his best to hide from what was plaguing his mind all day long, but it was catching up with him.
Emily’s hand reached out and softly cupped his cheek while lifting his head to gain back those deep blue eyes he attempted to hide from her. “Henry, what’s wrong?” The doctor’s blue eyes were filled with concern. “What happened this morning before you came to play football with the kids?” Emily asked again. This time she knew that there had been something off with Harry this morning.
“How did you -?” His eyes narrowed, wondering how on earth Emily knew.
“I was using them as a distraction just as you were.” Emily confessed with a half crooked smile. “But, I can tell something is bothering you and it still is.” Her thumb tenderly stroked his cheek, a gesture that Harry welcomed as he leaned into her gentle touch.
Harry shifted his body onto his side to face the blonde beauty. “It’s about Simon.” Mentioning Simon’s name and the concerned expression on Emily’s face made her sit up and purse her lips together as she put the pieces together. She had seen Harry walking beside Simon coming back from a flight before he came to play with the children. Something must have happened during their flight.
“What happened?” Emily encouraged Harry to continue despite the worry growing tight in her chest. “You can trust me. I won’t say a word to anyone.” She assured Harry that what he was about to divulge would be kept in confidence.
“We got a call for troops in contact this morning.” The prince breathed out and felt Emily’s fingers starting to run through his ginger hair soothingly as she laid there next to him listening with the softest blue eyes that made him want to tell her everything. “Everything seemed routine. We ran to the apache, got it up and running in out usual time. Never once did I feel that something wasn’t quite right, but my mind keeps going through each moment wondering if I could have picked up on it sooner.” Harry shook his head in disbelief.
“Simon stopped barking orders at us and I was waiting for him to confirm what I saw and then there was just silence… right as we entered into the combat zone.” The fear circling in Harry’s eyes was so evident that it sparked a fuelled anger from within Emily at Simon. But, Emily held her tongue and did not voice her inner raging thoughts that were developing.
“It was like he blanked or wasn’t even there.” Harry’s brow furrowed as he to tried to make sense of what happened in that Apache this morning. “I felt the apache nose point down and I knew he had somehow lost control of it. So I took control of the Apache and started commanding it.” Harry gulped down the lump in his throat. “It was too late to call in another apache and I was not going to let the guys on the ground down knowing what they were fighting against.”
“You made the right call.” Emily’s voice softly broke through his thoughts.
“That’s not what bothered me, Em. I am trained to fly that beast of a helicopter.” Harry’s lips pursed into a hard straight line while his jaw clenched tightly. “We finished the call successfully and flew back to base. Simon snapped out of it half way back and started taking back full command again. But, I questioned every little thing and ran it through scenarios in my head if I would have gave that command. Never before did I feel the need to question Si on his abilities to fly or command an attack Apache until today. I have always trusted him with my life, but today he lost that trust.” Harry’s heart started to race just like it had back in that apache. So he closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of Emily running her fingers through his hair.
His eyes gently opened to find Emily’s holding his gaze. “The worst part Em, is that when he came back he apologized for it all, but when I asked him to go talk to someone because it could not happen again and that he put so many other lives at risk… he refused to do so. I still covered for him with command after they questioned what happened.” Harry watched Emily’s brow furrow with deep concern over what Harry just confessed to her. “And, now I am not entirely sure that was the best option.
“Henry that is not ok.” Emily’s voice was laced in profound concern for the prince. “He could have killed you or Owen or Luca…” Em shook her head back and forth. “A soldier like this is more dangerous than the dangers we face outside these walls. You trust them innately, but Henry… I know you aren’t that stupid to let this go. Right? No matter what Simon is going through it cannot affect his judgment behind the controls of a thousand tons of metal.” Emily could not hold back in giving her opinion on the matter, especially when it could put Harry’s life at risk.
“I know and I don’t know how to help him.” Harry’s face contorted at the mere thought of his options. “Either I let this continue or convince him to get help… and if I can’t convince him to then I have to report it to the commander and that could ruin his career as a pilot.” The pilot turned his head to find Emily looking down away from him with a wounded expression on her face.
“Em?” Harry speaking her name did not gain her attention. “Emily?” It was if she was trapped in her own thoughts.
“Sorry…” She shook her head, lifting her gaze to smile up at the prince. “I uh… I could talk to someone and see if they could speak with Simon off the record.” Emily kindly offered to help.
“Really? Who would that be?” The hope in the prince’s voice brought a smile to Emily’s lips. She wanted to help in anyway she could, not just for Simon’s sake, but for Harry’s as well. But, in doing so would put Emily in a tough spot.
A set of blue eyes matched Harry’s gaze. “Clarissa.”
Harry instantly sat up in a rage of anger. “No.” He shortly replied in a cold hard tone, nearly snapping at Emily making her jump a bit. “I am not letting that woman any where near Simon or even you, Em. Especially you, after the shit she pulled with you. She cannot be trusted at all.” Harry’s voice was raised while a quiet Emily sat across from him knowing this was the reaction that she would be met with. But, it was the only solution she could come up with for a quick fix. Emily’s other idea of trying to get Simon granted leave on an emergency basis was denied and they were running out of options to help their friend.
His eyes fell upon her sitting with a defeated expression etched across her face. All Emily was doing was trying to help Harry and the fact that she even brought up the idea to talk with Clarissa, a woman who treated her awfully, to help Simon said tremendous things about Emily’s character. She was willing to put aside personal feelings and her pride to help someone in need.
“I’m sorry Emily.” Harry sighed deeply. “I should not have brought this up tonight. I only wanted to hang out with you and not bring this other shit into the mix.” The prince sat across from Emily and grasped her hand that sat in her lap. She freely gave it to Harry as he tried to coax her attention towards him. “What’s on your mind?” Harry could tell she was holding something back from him.
“Harry, I already lost a friend here.” Emily’s blue eyes lifted slowly to lock in his. “I would do anything to make sure that didn’t happen again.” She parted to lips to speak, but hesitated and shook her head. “I don’t know where I would be without you quite honestly, or even your squad.”
“This place would really suck without me, wouldn’t it?” Harry winked playfully at Emily in an attempt to lighten the mood. A smile peaked through her somber expression making Harry continue his teasing with a certain objective in mind. “Come on, Em. Who would beat you at FIFA all the time? Or secretly sneak these to the hospital for you when you are on call late?” Harry grabbed a handful of Emily’s favourite candy bars he had stashed away for them to enjoy.
“Not true, I beat you that one time.” Emily was beaming from ear to ear, holding her abdomen from laughing so hard. “Give me one of those, Wales!” She reached out to grab one, but the prince held it back out of her grasp.
“Nuh uh.” Harry held up his finger and waved it back and forth with a raised eyebrow. “I get something from you first.”
Emily giggled lightly and closed in the space between them, leaving mere inches apart. Her lips stretched into a flirtatious grin. “And what is that, Captain Wales?”
“I think you already know, Doctor Clarke.” Harry’s eyebrow rose suggestively after watching Emily bite down on her delicate bottom lip.
“Tell me…” Emily angled her head and tried to coax it out of him, wanting to hear the words fall off his lips.
“I am going to kiss you, Emily.” Harry’s voice was deep and commanding. He cupped her cheek tenderly and brought her lips so close that he could feel her heavy breath float across his lips. The tip of her nose nudged up against the pilot’s as she opened her lust filled eyes to stare into the depths of his blues.
“Henry, we can’t go back from this.” The doctor’s voice was jagged as she attempted to calm her breathing down, but finding herself in this position with Harry kicked her body into over drive as every touch every sensation was magnified. The simple stroke of his thumb against her cool skin burned a fiery path along her cheek. Her heart was thumping in her chest so loudly she was sure that Harry could hear it.
“I know.” He sighed deeply. “I want you Emily.” Harry’s voice was confident and held no evidence of doubt that she was what the prince wanted. “I have since the very first day I laid eyes on you. The first time I saw those gorgeous blue eyes. Do not doubt that.”
Emily’s head swayed back and forth gently knowing she was about to give in to Harry. “It’s not because your promise?” She knew it was not the perfect time to ask this, but part of her still wondered what drove his intentions. Was it the promise he was bound to from her dying friend or was it feelings he had developed for her? A piece of her was terrified to know the truth behind them.
“That promise is what helped me get to know the real Emily; the one that I can’t deny that I have feelings for any longer.” His hand snaked around her neck and tugged it down towards him gently. “Now stop second guessing this and let me show you how I feel about you.”
The blonde softly inhaled his sweet scent, falling under Harry’s spell as she nodded her head lightly giving Harry the permission he was longing for. Her heart was beating so fast she couldn’t get a decent breath in, her head spinning into a downward spiral of desire for the prince.
She felt his breath on her cheeks from his close proximity as he waited patiently for the right moment to capture Emily’s lips. Harry watched her eyelids flutter and then close with her ready lips parted. He could not wait a moment longer as he leant forward, allowing their lips to meet for the first time.
He kissed her softly at first, then with a swift swing of intensity that made Emily cling to him tightly, balling the material of his shirt in her hand as if he was the only solid thing in a dizzy swaying world she had found herself in. His insistent mouth was parting her shaking lips, sending wild tremors along her nerves as if something within her sparked and evoked a fiery flame that burned through her body. Sparking sensations Emily had never known she was capable of feeling.
Harry tasted the sweet lingering taste that fell off of her lips that he was continually drawn back to, unable to get enough of her soft innocent lips that she eagerly kissed him with. He felt Emily give up control as she allowed Harry full power over her being to which he delicately took. The space around them evaporated, ceasing to exist as they explored this new world between them.
Their lips broke apart revealing a breathless Emily who was struggling to catch her breath. His lips formed a crooked smile seeing the effect that he had on Emily. Harry cupped her cheek and massaged it gently, waiting patiently for Emily to come back to stable ground. A light moan escaped her lips as the prince kissed her jawbone, innately tossing her head back gently into the prince’s cupped hand. His wet lips trailed down to her neck, feeling the thudding of her heart through her soft delicious skin.
“No…” Emily moaned out between deep breaths as her fluttering eye lids opened to look down at the Harry. She knotted her fists in his shirt and pulled Harry back up to her lips, abruptly crashing into them silently telling Harry that she needed more of him. Her fingers gripped the tufts of his ginger hair eliciting a soft low groan from his throat.
Harry’s arms circled around Emily and gathered her against his body. He gently lowered them down to the floor of the tent becoming tangled as one. Harry purposely took his lips off of Emily’s for a second to take in the view of Emily before him. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he felt his heart beat with wild abandon knowing that all he wanted in that moment was Emily and nothing was going to come between them.
Emily silently gazed up into the soldier’s eyes with fondness as they held a silent conversation. She tenderly grasped his cheek with her soft fingers and stroked it gently as the prince angled his head towards her touch. In that moment, Emily had never felt so at peace in a war torn place like this. She had never felt so calm and sure of herself that this was right between them without a doubt in her mind.
Emily gently tugged on Harry’s neck as he straddled himself between her legs. The weight of his body on top of Emily’s as the prince carefully cradled the blonde securely in his arms, was a feeling of security she had long forgotten. She felt all of him pressed up against her making her lips part to release a tiny moan that was captured by his awaiting lips.
Suddenly, Harry kissed her harder, deeper with an urgent fervor that fueled the fiery passion between them. It was not gentle like before, but a welcoming roughness that Emily surrendered to and matched Harry’s passion. His hands gripped her hair in a soft tug making their lips break apart briefly as each one fought their way back to find the others once again.
Every sensation had become heightened; like a set of colourful fireworks bursting throughout her being. She inhaled Harry’s scent, that scent that was just…him. It burned a memory into her nose along with the way his firm big hands caressed her body so delicately, but securely as it made her feel an innate sense of safety. The sounds of his low husky moans or the way that he spoke her name simply drove her body into unfounded land.
Without wasting another second, Harry’s lips were devouring Emily’s, stealing her breath away. Every other kiss that Emily had experienced before this in her life was wrong. It never felt right until this moment right here; this moment with Harry.
Harry’s fingers were entwined with Emily’s tightly while walking the blonde back to her dorm. Her other hand gripped his forearm firmly as they wandered through the base amongst the eerily quiet night, but the prince could still see that smile that lingered on Emily’s lips throughout the rest of their night after they shared their first kiss.
It was a smile that only Harry had seen before once on her lips, a smile that was only for him.
Despite the long stressful day, Harry felt a sense of peace and calmness whenever he was with Emily. There was just something about her that Harry longed to have in his life. Whether it was her bright cheery smile or her infectious sweet laugh, it was Emily simply being Emily and that was enough for him at the end of the day.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts, feeling her hand rub up and down his arm. “You ok Henry?” Emily lifted her head to peak up at the silent prince noticing his quiet change in demeanour.
The prince nodded lightly and looked towards a dark hide out space between two buildings. He tugged on Emily’s hand as they took off in the direction away from her building.
“Henry!?” Emily quietly scolded the prince. “What are you doing?!” She was already afraid of getting caught, but now Harry was just tempting fate.
He turned and pulled her body flushed against his, gently cupping her cheek as the blonde peaked up at him barely being able to make out his features against the night sky. Without warning, he leaned in and abruptly kissed Emily with a soft urgency.
She at first fought it, knowing it was a terrible and risky idea to be kissing like this out in public with a chance that anyone could be watching or walking by to catch them in the act. But, the little voice inside of her head faded as she placed her hands against Harry’s chest and allowed the feeling of the kiss course through her body.
Their dripping lips broke apart breathlessly while the prince continued to tenderly hold her cheeks in his hand, keeping Emily exactly where he wanted her to be. “I am better now.” He smiled cheekily and earned a playful smack across the chest from Emily.
“We have to be more careful…” Emily was the voice of reason amongst them. “No one can know, Henry.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and settled her head down gently on his chest to feel the prince take in a heavy breath.
“I know, Emily.” His arms surrounded her frame to hold her body tight against him. “I’m not ready to let go of you just yet.” The pilot confessed as he closed his eyes and relished in the feeling of having Emily secured in his arms.
“If we get caught…” Emily’s voiced trailed off against the night, unable to voice the consequences that would surely arise if they did.
“We won’t.” Harry bent down and placed his lips softly against her temple, giving Emily a reassuring kiss. “Let’s not talk about this tonight. Let’s just enjoy each other.”
“Henry….” Emily lifted her head off of the prince’s chest to see his blue eyes casted down on her, halting her words.
“Let’s figure out where this is going… privately… before we worry about the rest of all of that.” What he spoke of was true. They both knew the other held feelings for them, but they had not had the chance to explore them any further than tonight. In a place like this, their priorities had to be their bound duties, not their developing feelings for one another.
It was a simple yet difficult choice they had to make.
Duty first, love second.
Until the time where it could be reversed.
But, when would that be? Would it ever be?
