“Well, there is a whole bunch of training and hazing that goes on that we don’t share with the world. I really can’t talk about it.”
She pursed her lips and seemed to understand. I decided to change the subject.
“Anyway, I hear you are working with my sister. She’s really excited about it.”
“Oh, it’s my pleasure. Holly’s really talented and very sweet. And I can tell she looks up to you.” She cleared her throat, and it was evident she was struggling to get the words out. “Listen, Erik, I . . . I had such a great time with you. I think you’re awesome, gorgeous, and smart. I really hope we can still be friends.”
I took her hand and felt her fingers tremble in mine. I couldn’t remember ever having these strong feelings for a girl who I barely knew. “I don’t want to be your friend.”
She nodded and gulped. “I get it.”
I squeezed her thigh under the table. “No, Aria, you don’t. That’s not what I meant. I like you. You’re beautiful and smart and honest . . . and you intrigue me. I love that you say what’s on your mind and not what you think I want to hear. You challenge me. I’ve always wanted to date someone who is as dedicated to a goal as I am dedicated to being a SEAL.”
“Well, I definitely share your drive. And your goals.”
What did she mean by that? I didn’t ask. “Many women want to have sex with a SEAL, but most women won’t even consider being in a relationship with one. I’m gone all the time. We may only have a month together, but honestly, that’s more time than I ever have had to get to know someone.”
She gulped. I could tell she had something on her mind.
“Well, let’s just have fun while we can. Who knows what the future holds.”
I stroked my thumb back and forth over her knuckles. “Where are you going when you leave here?”
“Back east. Just some more training.”
Her vagueness annoyed me. “Are you trying to compete for another Olympics?”
“Not sure. I’m going to see how this training goes.”
“Well after this deployment, I may be around in San Diego for a while. Non-deployable.”
Her brows raised. “Really? Doing what?”
“Can’t say. But there are many different positions in the Teams.” I reached over and gave her a kiss. “I get off in an hour.”
“In an hour? That’s like ten a.m. I thought you SEALs worked so hard.”
“Yeah. When we are in country, we mostly train.”
“Okay. Text me when you get off.”
She leaned into me, and I touched her face, planting a sensual kiss on her lips. I relished her sweet taste and the heat of our breaths mingling together. A long moment later, I reluctantly let her go. “See you later, Aria.”
I started to walk back to base but couldn’t help but glance back at her. She flashed a shy smile that did a funny thing to my insides.
I strode back to her. “Hey, do you want to come to work with me? I can show you around.”
Her hands clapped together. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. We always welcome Olympians. Though I have to warn you—my commander might force you to give a speech on why ‘it pays to be a winner.’”
“Ha. I’d love to. Let’s race.”
And with that, she ran off in front of me, making a hard left out of the hotel. I sprinted after her, and when I reached her, I grabbed her from behind and threw her down onto the sand. As we rolled on the beach, I pinned her under me and kissed my girl.
Aria
Erik walked me on base and proudly introduced me to his friends. I couldn’t believe this place. There were gorgeous men everywhere I looked, but I was in the arms of the hottest one of them all.
I had always imagined these badass Navy SEALs to be complete assholes. So tough, so hard. But ever since I’d met Erik, I kept being shocked at how sweet he was. Masculine no doubt, but he seemed to care about everyone around him. His mother, his sister, and me. And now he wanted to date me.
I had to tell him the truth.
“Lieutenant Commander Lawson, this is Aria Clements. You two have a lot in common. She’s an Olympic athlete. Lawson over here used to be a professional football player.”
“Nice to meet you, Aria. You can call me Kyle.”
I shook Kyle’s hand and began to gush. “I read about you! You gave up your multi-million dollar contract to become a SEAL. Didn’t you save your wife from terrorists?”
His brow cocked. “I did. It wasn’t a big deal. Just another day on the job. The damn media outed me when we had our wedding. But it’s cool. We’ve worked with some of the Olympians who train down here in Chula Vista. Would you like to run our obstacle course? Erik can show you how it’s done.”
Oh my God! Yes. I’d dreamed of having a crack at the world-famous obstacle course. I needed to remain cool. “I’d love to.”
Erik grabbed my hand. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll show you how to do the “O” course if we go on a bike ride later today.”
Worry coiled through my body. Getting a shot at the “O” course was the opportunity of the lifetime. It would give me an advantage that no one else had going into BUD/S next year. And I rationally knew that I had a bigger chance of getting injured on the course than I did getting injured on the bike. Still, it was a mental barrier.
One I needed to break.
“Ok, deal.”
He grinned. “Let’s go, champ.”
Champ. A flush rose to my cheeks. He had called me that when he was going down on me. I couldn’t wait to be intimate with him again.
We walked over to the daunting tower and saw a few SEALs climbing the ropes.
Erik pulled me into his arms and kissed me. “You finish the “O” course now; I’ll give you an “O” later.”
“But I’m just a girl!” I teased. “I couldn’t possibly complete it. It’s made for you big, muscular men. I don’t have the strength or the endurance.”
He tickled me. “Smartass. I’ll test your endurance later. Let me show you how it’s done.”
He ran in front of me, leaving me in the dust. First, he climbed on the parallel bars and pushed himself to the other end. Then he ran through the tires before climbing over a low wall. God, he was so ridiculously hot. When he had run over the tires, he had clasped his hands behind his neck, and I was mesmerized by his muscular forearms, his abs, and his massive thighs. Erik made everything look so effortless, but I knew how hard it all was. He ran over to an even taller wall, climbed the rope, and jumped off that one as well. I continued to watch, transfixed, as he low-crawled under some barbed wire before scaling the cargo net and running over some logs. Then he effortlessly jumped on the infamous Dirty Name obstacle.
I knew from studying that it had two hurdles—one at five feet and one at ten with four feet in between. He jumped up, belly flopped on the first hurdle, rose to his feet, and belly flopped on the second before jumping off. He ran over a few more logs, weaved in and out of this wood contraption before climbing another rope and walking on a horizontal rope that made a bridge, looking like a tightrope walker. Erik ran over a few more logs, then up a huge series of wooden platforms before he slid down the rope head first—the slide for life. Another rope swing led him to some monkey bars, up to a flat wall, over some vaults, and then finally he returned to me.
My entire body tingled and heat pooled between my legs. I was so turned on by his strength.
Before I could speak, he handed me a helmet.
“Your turn, champ.”
I strapped the helmet on my head, and my heart palpitated. “Let’s do it.”
I ran through the first few obstacles without a hitch. Crawling under the sharp barbed wire caused my insides to shake, but I kept my body low and made it out. I spat the grainy sand out of my mouth and ran toward the next obstacle. My forearms burned as I climbed yet another rope.
“That’s it, champ. You’re doing amazing.” His praise invigorated me. I wanted to make him proud of me.
But then I came face to face with Dirty Name.
Erik was right by my side. “Babe. This one is called Dirty Name. You got this. Just jump up on the first log and then throw yourself over the first hurdle. Aim for your waist.”
Okay. That didn’t sound too hard.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered all my strength and jumped up and flew onto the hurdle. But instead of landing on my stomach, I crashed down right on my breasts and fell to the ground.
Dammit.
Erik ran over to me. “You okay?”
“Yup. Never better.”
“Most people can’t get through that obstacle. It counts for most of our drops during hell week.”
“Let me try again,” I insisted.
“Have at it.”
I ran back a few feet and had a running start. Again, I jumped on the first log and trying to hoist my body over the first hurdle. But this time, I jumped, and the hurdle hit above my chest, knocking my wind out of me. Dammit.
“Don’t worry about it. Just go to the next obstacle.”
“No. I want to try again.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Aria, come on. It took me weeks to master this. Let’s just move on.”
But I couldn’t move on. The bitter taste of failure hung heavy on my tongue. “Please, just one more time.”
He nodded, and I ran again. This time I landed smack on my ribs. I swear I heard a crack, but it could also have been my audible shame.
“Babe. You’re incredible. Come on. Let me gather my stuff, and we can get out of here.”
“Can I finish the rest of the course?”
“Sure.”
Luckily, the rest of the course seemed easier. I had no problem with the logs. I gasped when I looked down at the ground so far away from me as I tiptoed across the rope. The slide of life was intimidating as it seemed like I was gliding head first into the Pacific Ocean, but I just focused on my balance. I had no problem on the monkey bars or up to the flat wall or vaults. When I ran to the finish line, Erik lifted me into his arms and kissed me.
“Aria, you take my breath away. I can’t believe you just did that. You should be so proud of yourself.”
But I didn’t feel proud. I felt shame, humiliation, defeat. I had to master Dirty Name. I could hear the voice of my mom ring in my head. “You’ll never be good enough.”
I looked at Erik, his face beaming with pride. I hated myself. Here I had this amazing supportive man, and I was deceiving him. I was really starting to care about him, but I couldn’t imagine how hurt he would be when he found out I was training to be a SEAL. He would think that I was dishonest and deceptive when that wasn’t true. Had he told me that he supported female SEALs, then I would’ve been honest with him.
I needed to come clean to him and tell him the truth. I just prayed that he would still look at me the way he was looking at me now.
Erik
I changed out of my uniform and into my street clothes. Man, Aria killed it on the “O” course, even if she hadn’t conquered Dirty Name. Ever since our fight about women in combat, I had given serious thought to my opinions on the matter. I had always contended that a woman could never complete BUD/S. But what about a woman like Aria? A champion, an athlete, an overachiever. Bottom line, my opinion had been challenged but not changed. Even if a woman could graduate from SEAL training, which I still doubted was possible unless we lowered our standards, I still believed in my soul that there was no place for women on the Teams.
I planted a kiss on her head. “Let’s go rent you a bike.”
She winced. “I know I promised. And I will for sure but can we do it next weekend?”
“Why? Are you too tired from the “O” course?” I teased.
She shook her head. “No. That’s not it.”
I paused to examine her beautiful face. “Then what is it?”
Her chest caved. “You’re going to think I’m a weirdo if I tell you.”
“Spill it. Did you crash on a bike once?”
“No.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I don’t know how.”
Wait, what? “You’re kidding me. You’re an Olympian. You just owned the Naval Special Warfare “O” course, a course that has made grown men cry, and you are telling me you have never ridden a bicycle?”
“I know. I know. It’s ridiculous. There is this long embarrassing story behind it. . .”
I took her hands. “I’m all ears, champ. Lay it on me.”
Her face turned into a grimace, and she swallowed. “My mom never bought me a bike. You see, I grew up in Marin on the top of this winding hill in Corte Madera, and she was afraid I’d get injured and then not be able to swim. But then when I was accepted to Stanford, everyone biked to class, and I wanted to fit in, ya know?”
“Yeah… go on.”
She cleared her throat. “So, I bought a brand-new bike, figuring I was a champion swimmer so how hard could it be to learn how to ride a bike. But, then when I went to ride one day, I … panicked. Like what if my mom was right? What if I fell and twisted my ankle? I mean, I had been training for the Olympics my entire life. One injury like that could destroy everything, my entire life’s work. So yeah, I never learned. Now, it’s a thing.”
“Wow.” I studied this fearless woman in front of me. A woman who embraced challenges. But a woman who didn’t seem to be able to relax and enjoy life. “Thanks for telling me. Now let’s go to the bike shop.”
She bit her lip. “Wait, why? I just told you I’ve never ridden a bike.”
“Right. So, it’s time for you to learn.”
She shook her head and grabbed my arm, her eyes wide and pleading. “No, seriously. Now’s just not the right time. One day I’ll learn. Maybe when I have kids. But now, it would be too risky.”
I lifted her chin up with my thumb and stared into her eyes. “How would it be risky? The next Olympics aren’t for another three years. You told me you don’t know what you’re doing next. Now’s a perfect time. Live a little, baby. It’s just a bike, not a motorcycle. My buddy’s five-year-old son can ride without training wheels. You will be fine.”
Her eyes turned a darker shade of green, and she fired a glance at me. “I said no. Just drop it, okay?”
“Fine,” I bit out.
She touched my shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Why did her reluctance to ride a bike bother me so much? I paused for a minute to figure out my thoughts. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t try something new with me; it was that I was certain she was holding back a huge part of her life from me. Like she had made a decision and already knew exactly what she planned for the future, yet she refused to tell me. What could it be? Had she accepted a job somewhere far away? Joined the circus? I didn’t have a clue and refused to speculate anymore.
But I was determined to get answers.
We walked down the beach, and she leaned up to me. “I have a better idea anyway.”
“What?”
Her hand reached around me, and she squeezed my bicep. “Let’s go back to my place. I’ve missed you.”
Fuck yeah. I pulled her body into mine and my cock pressed against her thigh. “You’re right. That is a better idea.”
She laughed, and I kissed her in front of the Del, the waves crashing on the shore nearby. She escaped my embrace and jogged down the beach, and I chased her. I couldn’t wait to get her alone.
Aria
My stomach fluttered from the anticipation of being with Erik again.
And this man. Oh my god. The things he did to me. I was so turned on watching him slay the “O” course. And then he fulfilled my dream by allowing me to try it.
But the best part of all wasn’t watching him or even
him letting me have a crack at it. The best part by far was the way he made me feel when I completed some of the obstacles. I’d been trained by top coaches who had believed that the only way to get someone to succeed was to berate them.
“Aria, you are slow like turtle and have arms like noodle,” my coach Olga used to yell at me. “Your feet look like duck. Are you duck? Quack Quack.”
It was almost comical to think back on it now. But at the time, those words destroyed my soul.
But Erik calling me champ, believing in me, cheering me on . . . the look on his face when I finished the slide of life, that type of encouragement made me want to do better, make him proud.
If only I could have his support and aid going through BUD/S, then without a doubt I would make it.
I ran up the street where my cottage was and after opening the gate, and my front door, Erik followed me eagerly inside.
I let Flounder out into the yard, and before I even stepped foot back into my place, Erik pinned me to the wall.
I writhed under his body, his big, strong chest pressing against mine. He kissed down my neck, but I escaped from his grip. My hands explored his arms, tracing his muscles before I lifted his shirt off. We’d fucked in the ocean, and he had pleasured me back at his place.
But now it was my turn to take control.
I undid his belt with a single motion, and his shorts dropped to the floor.
“Yeah, baby. Suck my cock.”
Yes, sir. I should salute. Well, he was an officer. My hands squeezed his firm ass, and I pulled down his black boxer briefs. His cock was gorgeous. Hard, long, thick. I couldn’t wait to suck him off.
I grasped his balls in my hand and kissed around the base, inhaling his masculine, virile scent. Maybe he had been right about not having females on the Teams. This man was so hot that I had to admit I’d be jealous if I was his wife back home and he deployed with a woman. But I focused my thoughts back on my current mission. To give him the best blowjob he had ever had.
Heroes Ever After Boxset: Books 1-3 Page 24