“That’s pretty cold.”
“It was a horrible way to treat her.” Damon squinted into the horizon. “She was a virgin when I met her. I told her things to…”
“To get what you wanted.”
“At the time I told myself I wasn’t doing that. I loved her like a twenty-year-old sex-craved kid trying to play papa, and in the end, I just had to leave it all behind. It scared me. It really, really scared me, Renny.”
“Well, did you try to contact her?”
“I did. Right after Basic. I came home to help my parents move. Her friends said she’d moved to Oregon. I didn’t have the guts to face her mom. I could have tried harder to reach out to her. But you know, it was half-hearted. Neither one of us tried, really. So, I just felt she was done with me. But I always felt bad about it, Renny.”
“Yeah. I have this rule. No virgins. It gets complicated.”
“I was thinking about this the other day. In a way, this relationship stuff, not like between the Team guys, you and me or anything, but with women—that’s the real hard stuff. I don’t give a shit about jumping out of an airplane at midnight or swimming to place an underwater charge. Everyone thinks that’s the hard stuff. But that’s way easier for me.”
“I hear you. That’s why I’m not going to get married until I get out.”
“Yeah. My marriage to Charlene was, well, it was because she wanted it. None of it ever rubbed off on me. I don’t know why I got talked into it.”
“I tried to warn you. Remember?”
“You did that. And I was too stubborn to listen. I think I was just a little bit lonely. Remember when we found those girls who had been kidnapped and sold off? The world is a pretty fucked up place sometimes. I guess I was just looking for a little piece for myself. A part of that magic I felt with Martel, to be honest.”
“I hope you find it again.”
“I think I did, Renny. I’m going to try to do it the right way this time.”
“Kinda soon, don’t you think?”
Damon shook his head. “I’ve thought about that too.” He stared into the eyes of his buddy. “Maybe I just don’t want to lose her again. She’s the real deal. I think I’m finally man enough to handle it. All of it.”
“A word of caution?”
“Oh, here it comes, that advice I’ll wish I had taken later on.”
“Can’t help it, my friend.”
“So, what’s your advice?”
“Finish your divorce first.”
Damon threw his napkin at him. “You asshole.”
“No wait, I’m not done. Sleep on it a bit. Go back to San Diego and really think about if she’d fit in.”
“I think she should make that determination.”
“Then schedule a meet and greet. Take it slow. Ease into it. Make sure you’re doing the right thing.”
Damon grinned and had more of his beer.
“What’s so funny?”
“That’s what you told me to do. That’s what she said she wanted to do. That’s what I told her I wanted to do. And what did we do?”
“You jumped in with both feet.”
“Yup.”
They sat silent for a few long minutes. Finally, Renny spoke up. “That’s how we roll, Damon. We go all in all the time. That’s what we’re trained to do. It’s a skillset, to be honest. Keeps us alive and makes us more valuable. We’re men of action, and that’s not just ego talking. We like it dangerous and unpredictable and take command of the situation. Figure it out. Work together for a common goal. Watch out for the other guy. But when it comes to affairs of the heart, well, sometimes it’s much harder to hold back.”
Damon agreed. “Fire, adjust, ready, aim, and fire again.”
“Got that right. Trained to deal with whatever we get. But the ladies are a problem. Always a problem.”
Damon finished his beer and stood. “Come on. I think I have to get back. Want to pick up some things for dinner, and then I’ll run you home.”
“Playing house again, are we?”
“You betcha. And loving every minute of it. For now.”
On their way back to the rental, Renny got a call from their LPO, Kyle Lansdowne.
“Got you on speaker, Kyle. Damon’s with me.”
“Oh good. Hey, fellas, I’m afraid I have some bad news. I’m going to need you back here for the big game coming up. I’m making arrangements as we speak. You’ll get the email in about an hour as soon as it’s arranged.”
Damon leaned over. “How soon?”
“Hoping for tomorrow. I’ll try not to make it too early, in case you had plans. I’m sorry. We got too many on injured reserve, and I need you guys.”
“Roger that,” Renny said.
They both knew the rules. No names of places or specific dates would be given, if it could be helped.
“You guys run into Andy? One of the new guys? He’s out there somewhere too.”
“Nope, not yet. Is he going back as well?”
“He’s staying a bit longer. We may do some quick substitutions, so he’ll be coming back eventually, but I need you guys now, unless you’ve stepped on a jellyfish or fallen from the sky paragliding.”
“We did swim with some sharks, but I nearly have all my toes, Kyle,” Renny quipped.
“Glad to hear it. That will keep your run times decent at least.”
Renny placed the phone back in his shirt pocket. “I knew I should have muted it for a couple more days, dammit.”
Damon didn’t say a word. He was recalculating his plan, trying to cover everything in his head he needed to tell her. Renny was right. Things were going pretty fast again. He hoped that didn’t doom his mission.
Damon had burgers, stuffed with Jalapeno cheese sauce for the grill, a green salad with fresh lemon herb dressing he made from scratch, and corn on the cob she had left over from their dinner last night.
At four-thirty, she walked through the door, surprised to see him.
“Found your key under the doormat. Don’t ever leave it there,” he said, greeting her with a kiss.
“I completely forgot. I have a housekeeper who comes occasionally.” She walked to the kitchen, her eyebrows drawn up in her forehead. “Whatever have you been doing?”
“Just something simple. Are you hungry?”
“As a matter of fact,” she wrapped her arms around his neck, “I’m starved.”
“Good.” He patted her behind and picked up the hamburgers. “I’ll put these on, and it will be ready in about ten minutes.”
“I’m going to jump into the shower if you don’t mind.”
“Do you need any help?” he said at the sliding glass door before he walked outside to the grill.
“Always.” She blew him a kiss and disappeared.
He had everything spread out on the table when she returned, smelling of fresh lemon soap. She wore a silk robe tied at the waist and was rubbing her hands together to finish working in the lemon-scented hand cream.
“I hope you don’t mind, finished up your corn I found in the refrigerator. And I warn you, that cheese is hotter than I expected,” he said, pointing to the hamburgers. “It’s inside there. The cheese mixture is inside.”
“Oh. I was wondering. Smells fabulous.”
She sat down, lighting the two candles on the table. Damon brought over a bottle of red wine he’d opened and poured a glass for each of them and then sat.
He knew he was going to have to get right down to details so it didn’t infringe on some of their playtime.
“We got a call today, and it looks like my stay is going to be cut short, Martel.”
She frowned. “No. That’s not fair. When do you go back then?”
“Looks like tomorrow.”
“Both of you?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’m so sorry.” He reached over the table to grab her hand. “This doesn’t usually happen, or at least it’s the first time in six years it’s happened to me. Usually we go home, work up, and study f
or our next mission, and then deploy. And, give or take, we know when we’re going, within a few days or so.”
“So this means there is an emergency somewhere.”
“That’s probably what it means. And don’t ask me where, because I can’t tell you.”
“Right. I remember that.”
He’d inhaled his food, pushing his plate to the side, sipping his wine, and watching as she picked at hers.
“You don’t like the cheese?”
“It’s really good. I like hot.” She blushed and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Yes, I know you do. I’m glad you do.”
He took another sip of his wine. She pushed aside her unfinished plate, picked up her wine, and toasted him by candlelight. “Our last night together at Sunset Beach,” she whispered, her voice trailing off.
After their glasses touched, he drank the rest of his glass, allowing the full-bodied red to wash over his tongue, wiping out some of the jalapeno. She swirled her wine in the glass and finished hers as well.
“More?”
“I’m fine.”
“Tell me something I don’t know, Martel.” He finished off the bottle and set them both aside. He took her hand in his. “We need to talk.”
“I agree.”
She watched him rub and squeeze her fingers, turning her hand palm side up and then down. Eventually he held her hand from across the table and leaned forward.
“I don’t want to go. We have so much more to say and do. But one thing is certain, I don’t want this to end.”
Her warm brown eyes were steady, wide open, and he saw that she trusted him.
“How long will you be gone?”
“Could be a week, or it could be months, although that’s not likely. Probably something short, but anything can happen. And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“I’ll be working until Christmas break. Then I get two weeks until after New Year’s.”
“Would you consider coming to San Diego at Christmas? Unless I’m not back, of course.”
“I could consider it.” She smiled.
“I asked you before if you thought perhaps we could start all over again, and I feel like we have. I’d like to keep moving in that direction. I’d like to see if we can make it a more permanent arrangement.”
She examined their entwined fingers. “I think that’s going a little too fast for me right now. Would you consider working out of an East Coast team to be closer to me here in Florida?”
“I’ve got four more years left on this enlistment. I was considering getting out then. It probably wouldn’t work to start up with a new team before I left. But we can talk about it. I know you love Florida. Maybe I can make you love Coronado. The weather is nice, but I’ll admit this is nicer.”
“Do you have these?” She pointed to the bright orange sky.
“Did we miss it?”
“Not quite.”
They both jumped to their feet. She grabbed the comforter from the couch and wrapped it around both of them. He slipped his arm around her waist, and together, they walked over the sand dunes and onto the sparkling sand where they joined people emerging from their houses or filing through the beach access trails for miles in each direction.
It felt like they were going on a pilgrimage with all the other sunset gazers, soaking up the magic and majesty of the dying sun, struggling to spread its light but ultimately overwhelmed by the size and tenacity of the ocean.
“It’s the same sunset. Just different latitude. Bigger waves. Sometimes a little colder. This beach is bigger with less people.
“I like the sleepy little beach town feel. I feel like I belong here, Damon.”
“But you have an open mind?” He studied the side of her face.
“I have an open mind. But I’m a different woman than I was ten years ago. I have this place that I love, that feels right for me. It isn’t something I want to give up.”
“Don’t worry, Martel. I’m never going to ask you to do something you don’t want to do. Just think about it, okay? Think about coming out to San Diego, and we’ll have Christmas together on that beach. See if we can create a little magic there too. What do you say sweetheart?”
He could see she was thinking about lots of things she didn’t want to discuss, and he knew he shouldn’t push. He knew if it was ever going to work between them, he’d need to be patient until she made up her mind.
He let her forefinger rub across his lips, her eyes studying the travel intently. She angled her head, watching her movements back and forth until she stopped, inhaled, and kissed him. Her natural kiss was sweet, not urgent. She gave into him then went deeper, as her chest rose, pressing her breasts against him. With the comforter hiding them, he slipped his hand inside her robe and felt the weight of her warm, perfect breast in the palm of his hand. His hand reached down to between her legs, not violating her, but teasing about something to come later on. With her next kiss, she moaned and then whispered into his ear,
“Are we done with the talking, Damon, because I can’t think straight.”
“Will people be leaving soon? We could fool around here.”
“No,” she whispered. “I want you in my bed. I want to smell the sheets with your scent all over them so I won’t miss you so much.”
“I like to be missed.”
She pulled away. He couldn’t see her full face because it had turned dark. “Only on one condition,” she said. “It’s only fun to miss you when I know you’re coming back.”
He stopped. Hesitated, holding her face in his hands. Just so she knew he meant what he said. “Yes. I’m coming back. Nothing could ever keep me away. Will you wait?”
“I did then. Believe me when I say I did. And, I am still, Damon. That’s a promise.”
They slowly strolled to the house. She blew out one of the candles from the table and picked the other one and walked to the bedroom as he followed.
He checked his cell and saw the text. He set his alarm and placed it by the candle on the nightstand. The golden glow flickered. In the hush that was the miracle of them finding each other again after so long, she unpinned her hair, slipped open her silk robe, and let it drop to the floor. Her body was an altar of everything that was good, everything that was pure or could be perfect. It gave him strength and passion. It gave him a sense of home.
And he’d worship at that altar all night long, carefully and patiently showing her just how much she was cherished.
And that he’d never let her go.
Chapter 10
Martel hadn’t heard him leave, and she had been sure she would. She tried to stay awake between their multiple sexual encounters. She remembered having him whisper in her ear things that made her blush, that made every cell in her body scream with pleasure. She remembered seeing a slight pinkish cast to the sky at one point and knew she was going to collapse with complete exhaustion. He even kissed away some tears that surfaced, for some reason.
He asked her if he’d hurt her.
“Yes. You went away.”
“I’m right here. Can you feel me? I’m right here, baby.”
“Yes.”
She’d wrapped her legs around his hips. She’d climbed on top and put on a floor show for him, writhing and reveling in the angle of his hips as he carried her, filled her, but mostly loved her fully. Ardent one moment and urgent another, each time was like she’d never had him before. The more he dove into her, the more she wanted. Her desire for him was outside the human bounds of sleep deprivation, she told herself. She could be this woman he kissed, tasted, pinched, and filled forever. The pain of the loss ten years ago was deliciously adorned in the whispers and fire of this special night.
She was forever altered and would never be the same again. She loved him as a mature woman, not a young woman. With hopeful illusions of a Happily Ever After out there somewhere, not that of a young girl’s fantasy.
The sun was demanding, even though the waves lapped on the shore, a
sking her to sleep on, to dream until her prince came back to her bed. Maybe it was her imagination. It was daylight. Maybe he hadn’t really flown back to California. Maybe he was making coffee in the kitchen and had decided to stay behind.
She rolled on her back and felt the throbbing between her legs and how red and swollen she must be. It made her smile that she could feel and would feel for days the result of his lovemaking. It made her want him still.
Slowly, letting the sunlight invade her space in tiny spoonfuls, as if it was lethal doses of reality, she opened her eyes to her new day.
She rolled on her side, burying her head in his pillow, and then held it against her chest and squeezed. She splayed her palm against the cotton surface as if she was caressing his cheek. She remembered he’d begged her to come for him, and she’d done it, watching how her peaking turned him into a man-beast who would take her hard and then ask for more.
She delicately pulled back the sheets, full of the scent of him, and stood naked, ready to face the day.
She needed coffee before her shower. She had enough time to grab something to settle her growling stomach on the way to the school. That feeling of new love deep down in her belly and the heaviness of her eyelids from lack of sleep made her smile. She was still in a trance, drugged with the spell of his strong body calling her to come to him anywhere.
Anywhere?
No. That would be a negotiation. There was lots of time for that.
She started her coffee. Wanting to add some half and half, she dove into the refrigerator to look for it and stopped short, seeing a red can of whipped cream and a note beneath the can.
‘Martel, this is for the next time we’re together. I completely forgot I wanted to taste this sweet cream between your sweet thighs. Save it for me, and hold that thought I know is going on in your head. I miss you already.’
She put the note on her refrigerator door and secured it with a heart-shaped magnet.
Second Chance SEAL: The Girl He Left Behind (Sunset SEALs Book 2) Page 8