by Bella Juarez
“Say what?” JJ asked, catching the attention of Rock and Mac.
“You have a girlfriend? And she’s coming here? This sounds serious,” Rock said, looking at JJ.
“She must be something,” Mac said with a wide grin.
“She is,” Gavin confirmed.
“Another one, Chief?” the bartender asked as he cleared away the bottle Gavin had set on the bar.
“No. Get me a Sprite,” Gavin said.
“Put a couple of shots of vodka in it,” Chief Jones ordered.
“No. Just Sprite and ice,” Gavin corrected.
“Are you serious?” Captain O’Malley demanded.
“What the fuck is this? What happened to you?” Chief Jones demanded.
Gavin felt like a bleeding swimmer who had just been thrown in with a bunch of sharks.
“So…Is she a cop, too?” Mac asked, trying to defuse the tension.
“No,” Gavin said.
“What does she do?” Captain O’Malley asked.
Gavin took an internal deep breath and braced himself before answering. His next announcement would be worse than not having another beer.
“She runs the library system for the City of Victoria,” Gavin said.
It was as if a bomb went off in the middle of the bar they were standing in. The look on the three men’s faces was absolute shock. For a few seconds they were stunned speechless. Rock was the first to recover.
“You’re fucking a librarian?” Rock asked loudly.
“Shut the fuck up!” JJ yelled.
“No shit?” Mac asked.
“Fuck me! That’s hot! Does she wear glasses?” Rock asked.
“Hey! Don’t talk about my lady that way. She’s a very nice girl,” Gavin said defensively.
“What the hell is she doing with you?” JJ demanded.
“I’ve got to see this! When can we meet her?” Rock asked.
“Yeah, why don’t you bring her back here after you pick her up?” JJ said with an evil grin.
“Oh hell no! You guys will really be getting started then. No, we’re going back to billeting,” Gavin said.
“You tell her you’re taking your balls back and coming back here. You pussy-whipped bastard!” JJ said.
“Fuck you, JJ! It isn’t her! It’s me! You guys would scare the shit out of her,” Gavin said.
“You’re doing right, Gavin. Go and have a nice evening with your girl. Don’t let these guys fuck you up,” Mac said.
“Shut up, Mac, you don’t even know what a pair of balls feels like anymore. That Dragon Lady has had your testicles locked up for years!” JJ said.
“Jealous?” Mac grinned.
“Fuck you!” JJ snapped.
Eight thirty couldn’t come fast enough.
Finally, when it came, Gavin left the NCO Club for Norfolk Airport. When he arrived he found that Amy’s plane was arriving. It was a few minutes early. He leaned against a rail that led passengers from the terminals to the baggage check. He spotted Amy immediately. She looked lost as she slowly walked through the sea of other travelers. She glanced at the signs indicating directions to get her bearings.
“Hey! Hottie! How about spending the night with a sailor?” Gavin called out.
Amy turned and looked Gavin’s direction. It took her a few minutes to recognize him because he was in a green camouflage uniform. She smiled and rushed to him, throwing her arms around him as he lifted her off the ground.
“Hello, hottie.” Gavin growled in her ear before kissing her.
“Gavin! What is this?” Amy asked as she took a step backward.
“I’ll explain in the car. Did you check any baggage?” Gavin asked.
“I had to. I hadn’t flown anywhere since 9-11 and I guess I didn’t know the new rules.”
“Okay, let’s go get your bag.”
They retrieved Amy’s bag and left the airport for Little Creek. She informed Gavin that she hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast. They found a place and were seated. He sat across from her and took her hand as they waited for their food.
“I missed you,” Gavin said.
Amy smiled her warm, contented smile. Gavin couldn’t help but smile back. I missed you meant so many things to him when he said those words to her. It meant, I missed being home, I missed touching you, I couldn’t sleep without you next to me, I missed seeing you smile because it makes my day. But most of all it meant I felt empty without you. It never ceased to amaze him how strongly his feelings for her had developed in such a short time. She reached across the small table and touched the patch that was above the pocket on his uniform.
“What is this?” Amy asked.
“It’s the SEAL Trident. It’s what every SEAL gets after we finish our training.”
“What do these things mean?” Amy traced it with her fingertip.
“The anchor and the trident represent the sea and the Navy, the eagle represents the air, and the pistol represents land. The anchor and the trident mean the courage and strength that make a SEAL. The eagle also means that SEALs are held to higher standards than any other force. Normally, when you see the eagle in the military, it’s shown with its head held high. Here, the eagle’s head is lowered to remind each of us that humility is the true extent of a SEAL’s strength and the pistol means we’re always ready.”
“I thought you were retired from the military.”
“I was. When you leave the military, they put you in an inactive reserve status for a few years. At any time during that status, if they need you to come back they can call you back. A month ago they called me back.”
“But you’ve been working as a police officer since then,” Amy said.
“I’m in the active Navy Reserves. It means I’m part-time military unless they tell me different, and it’s possible that I could be asked to return to active duty. Amy, honey, you can’t tell anybody about this. It would compromise my safety as a police officer if you do. No one can know, not even David and Irene, okay?” Gavin said.
“I don’t understand.”
“Honey, just like I can’t tell you about the cases I’m working on, I can’t tell you about what I do with these guys. I’m sorry, baby, I hate having to ask you to keep secrets like this. I don’t like keeping things from you, so I’m trusting you with this. No one can know I’m back in the military. Do you understand and will you promise me you won’t say anything?” Gavin asked.
“I understand, and I won’t tell anybody.”
Their food arrived and they ate in relative quiet. Gavin picked at the food in front of him. Amy ate and looked out the window at the passing cars. They were both deep in thought. Midway through the meal, she reached for him.
“Thank you for sharing this with me. I won’t tell anyone anything, not even David and Irene,” Amy said reassuringly.
Gavin’s tension dissolved. “I’ve got a lot planned for this weekend,” he said with a smile.
“Are you finished with your business?”
“For now.”
“What’s the plan?”
“We’ll go back to billeting at Little Creek and then we’re going to Colonial Williamsburg.”
“Billeting?”
“It’s a military hotel.”
“We’re going to a Navy base and Colonial Williamsburg…sounds cool.”
“I thought maybe we’d go to DC, too, to the Smithsonian,” Gavin said.
“This sounds like so much fun. The last time I went on vacation, I was a freshman in high school. David and Irene took me to Disney World. This whole week seemed to drag. I couldn’t wait for today.” Amy beamed.
They arrived at Little Creek and went up to Gavin’s room. It was late so they changed and got into bed. He could tell Amy was dead tired. He pulled her close while they lay together and held her as she slept. He hadn’t been able to sleep very well since he had arrived. Having her near him again made him feel like he could exhale. He was sleeping contently almost as fast as Amy.
* * * *
<
br /> “You checked out?” Rock asked Mac.
“Working on it,” Mac said as he set down his bag in a chair.
Mac was checking out of NCO billeting. He and Rock were scheduled to fly back to San Antonio together at noon. Mac was digging papers out of his briefcase when he heard Rock.
“Well, look at that,” Rock said lowly.
Mac turned to see Gavin and a really pretty woman walk through the lobby. She waited by a chair with Gavin’s bag as he went to the front desk to check out.
“She’s…” Rock started, not being able to find the words.
“A sweetheart. That little girl looks like sugar wouldn’t melt in her mouth,” Mac said with a grin.
“She’s really pretty…and…classy. Damn!” Rock exclaimed.
“Let’s go and meet her!” Mac said with mischief written all over his face.
“Let’s!” Rock agreed with the same mischief in his eyes.
* * * *
Gavin turned in time to see Mac and Rock making a beeline for Amy. Luckily, he was closer to her than they were. She turned to him and asked him about their first stop. Before he could answer, Rock and Mac had descended on them like birds of prey descending on their next meal.
“Chief, who’s this pretty lady?” Mac asked.
Amy turned to see who was speaking.
“Amy, this is Master Chief Bill McGuire and Captain Jack O’Malley. Gentlemen, this is my girl, Dr. Amy Livingston,” Gavin said.
“Gentlemen,” Amy said with a smile.
“Doctor…It’s nice to finally meet you.” Rock extended his hand.
Gavin scowled over Amy as Rock turned on the charm. Rock had a penetrating stare that could bring women to their knees. He never had to say a word to a woman because he said it all with his body language. He held on to Amy’s hand longer than Gavin liked.
“Captain…” Amy said as she looked down shyly.
“Gavin’s told us about you, darling. But he didn’t do justice,” Mac said as he nudged Rock out of the way.
“Thank you,” Amy said as she turned to Mac.
“Honey, why don’t you meet me in the car? I need to finish a couple of things up with these two. I’ll get the bags,” Gavin said, handing Amy the keys.
“It was nice to meet you both,” Amy said as she made her exit.
Gavin waited for Amy to leave the building before turning to Rock.
“Seriously, Rock? I was standing right here, for god’s sake!” Gavin demanded.
“Don’t worry, badass, I don’t stand a chance in hell. That cutie only has eyes for you.” Rock laughed.
“She seems really sweet, Gavin.” Mac smiled.
“Yes, she is and I would like to keep her that way!” Gavin said.
“She’s beautiful and you are one lucky bastard. Let’s go, Mac!” Rock said, turning away.
Gavin made his way to the car where Amy was reading the literature he had on Williamsburg. They left Little Creek Navy Base and started the two-hour drive to Williamsburg. They arrived at the hotel a little before lunch. He was still in his uniform, so when they arrived at the room he unpacked some civilian clothes to change into. He noticed she was staring at him.
“Is something wrong?” Gavin asked as he sat to unlace his boots.
“You look so handsome in uniform,” Amy said shyly.
“You think?” Gavin asked with a smile as he looked down.
Amy said nothing more as she looked out the window. Gavin took off his boots and walked to her. He knelt down in front of her and took her hands.
“I’m so glad you decided to come spend the weekend with me. I want you to have a good time. No worries,” Gavin said.
“I’m sure I will. I already am.”
“We can do this more often if you want and if you can get off work. Would you like that?”
Amy nodded as she reached to touch his face. He was clean shaven today. Gavin kissed her palm and stood. He quickly changed and they walked the few blocks to Chowning’s Tavern. It was a dull, overcast, cold day. There were light snowdrifts along the split rail fences as they walked toward their lunch spot. They passed several restored colonial houses and small shops.
“It’s supposed to snow tonight,” Gavin said as they entered their destination.
“Snow? Really?” Amy asked as they were seated.
“That means they’ll be running the sleighs if they get enough snow.”
“Oh, Gavin! That would be so cool to take an old-fashioned sleigh ride.”
“Will you settle for a horse-drawn carriage ride tomorrow night if the sleighs aren’t running?”
“Of course!” Amy smiled.
They ate lunch and then explored some more of the town the remainder of the day, including the library, of course. Gavin was happy to oblige Amy. They ended the day by exploring the trade shops that were located throughout the town. He thoroughly enjoyed watching her take in all the sights. It seemed to him that she had not had very many moments like this in her life.
“Did we do anything you wanted to do today?” Amy asked as they settled down for dinner.
“Yeah, I liked the foundry, the blacksmith, the printer’s shop, and the silversmith.”
“I thought the wig maker was kind of interesting.” Amy giggled.
“The cooper, the guy that makes the barrels, was kind of cool, too,” Gavin added.
“You know what amazes me?” Amy asked.
“What’s that, honey?”
“How small some of those houses are! They used to have a lot of kids! And just a couple of tiny rooms.”
“Most places in the world the houses are small. We’re the ones that have to have these huge places,” Gavin said.
“I guess. So what do you want to do tomorrow? Let’s do something you want to do,” Amy said.
“Don’t worry, honey, we will.” Gavin smiled.
Chapter 17
Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg Inn
Williamsburg, Virginia
February 2, 2008/2148 Zulu
They spent the next day touring Washington, DC, and a couple of the Smithsonian museums. They ended the afternoon in Williamsburg with a very late lunch. Amy was in heaven. Gavin seemed to make her forget all her cares and worries. This was truly a vacation. She kept insisting that they see something he wanted to see.
“Amy, I lived around here for almost ten years. I pretty much saw everything I wanted to see,” Gavin said.
“I feel like I’m being selfish.”
“This is your vacation, it is selfish and it’s all about you.” Gavin hugged her.
They arrived back at the hotel room just as it had started to snow again. It had indeed snowed three inches overnight, with more expected throughout the night. Amy kicked off her shoes as she sat on the love seat that faced a window with a scenic view of the town. She was mesmerized by the falling snow.
“Amy?” Gavin called.
Amy turned and directed her attention toward Gavin.
“I have a present for you,” he said, handing her a wrapped package.
“You shouldn’t. This trip was present enough.” Amy reluctantly took the package.
“I want to.”
Amy opened the package and took out a delicate baby doll negligee.
“Now I get to do what I want,” Gavin said.
Amy giggled as she got up and walked to the bathroom to change.
* * * *
Gavin sensed a change in the room. He turned and saw Amy standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He smiled because Amy never stopped taking his breath away. Gavin was staring at her and could tell by her body language that Amy was getting uncomfortable. Gavin would be taking care of that little problem tonight.
“Come here, baby,” Gavin said, holding out his hands to her.
Amy walked to him and took Gavin’s hands. Gavin held her arms out and let his eyes roam over her body. The baby doll had delicate pink flowers embroidered on soft, sheer white fabric, with lace at the neckl
ine. The mesh material didn’t hide the sexy white G-string panties he bought to match. The minute he saw it in Cheryl’s store, he instantly knew Amy had to have it.
“You look absolutely stunning, Amy.”
Gavin pulled her close, kissing her. He could feel the heat of her body through the thin fabric.
“Do you like my present?” Gavin asked.
“Yes, Gavin.”
“Come on, baby. Let me play with you for a while,” Gavin said against Amy’s throat as he pushed her toward the bed.
“Do you trust me?” Gavin asked as he kissed Amy, licking her tongue.
“Yes,” Amy sighed.
“Really, trust me?” Gavin asked once more as he nibbled her earlobe.
Gavin could feel Amy go liquid. Gavin stopped and looked at her because Amy didn’t answer right away.
“Amy…” Gavin growled.
“Yes, you know, I do.”
* * * *
Amy lay back and allowed Gavin to roam over her body with his hands. She settled into a peaceful bliss. His touch had that effect on her. She could feel him take her hands and pull them up over her head. She smiled against his kiss because he liked holding her that way. He was kissing her intensely, so intensely that she got lost in the sensation it gave her. She was so distracted that it was too late for her to react when he shackled something around her wrists and tightened it. Her eyes flew open. He was looking at her with his steel-gray eyes, wickedly smiling.
“What’s this?” Amy asked, pulling on the soft but firm restraints.
“I got myself a little present, too,” Gavin said, dipping his mouth to her throat.
“Why?”
“We’re playing a little game tonight.” Gavin nipped her throat. “I’ll ask you a question, and you will give me an answer.” He kissed her, nipping her bottom lip. “Here are the rules.” He continued to tease her mouth with his. “Shaking your head is not an answer, nodding your head is not answer.” He dipped his mouth to her erect nipple and nibbled it through the mesh material. “Silence is not an answer. It’s not even an option.”
Gavin moved to the other nipple. Amy closed her eyes and moaned. He lightly bit her. Her eyes flew open and she pulled back from the twinge.