True Blue SEALs: Zak (True Navy Blue #1)

by Sharon Hamilton

  Her pelvis was undulating. He tucked his knees beneath her rear to raise her angle for feasting.

  Amy’s hair splayed over the pillow as she arched to him. Her moans welcomed him. Her eyes and lips silently begged him. She moved to him, attempting to fill his mouth with her pussy.

  He laid her back on the bed. Standing, he removed his own clothes quickly and came back to her with his erection looming above her. She was on her knees, taking him into her mouth, squeezing his sac gently, pulling down. He watched her head move on him, his fingers sifting through her hair. His confidence roared to life at the way she played his body. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to surrender to this woman.

  Open your heart to me, Zak, she was saying non-verbally. It was painful to need someone so much, but he did need her more than he would be able to express. Maybe in a hundred more encounters, maybe then he could tell her. He’d learn. He wanted to learn all over again how to love her.

  He lifted her head up, his hands beneath her jaw. Her hot lips sunk into his as they kneeled facing each other. Her hands stroked him, pulled at him. She took his hand and placed it at her sex, pushed on two fingers, inserting them inside her. He continued to fill her slippery channel until he laid her back on the bed. Both their hands together positioned him at her opening. They touched her lips as he joined with her. She clutched his butt cheeks and pulled him deep, holding him rigid and aching inside her.

  One hand braced him against the mattress; the other held her arms above her head, stretching her torso long. But she arched up so that her breasts pressed against him with each thrust. His lips rubbed over her eyes, up the sides of her face, and down the delicate muscle extending below her ear. He bit her there, sucking her flesh until he tasted blood.

  He watched her writhe beneath him, watched as the sexual glow of her eyes shone in the early evening and burned a hole of yearning right through him. His pumping continued until the familiar tightening in his sac announced the satisfying explosion that followed deep inside her.

  His movements converted to long strokes as he spilled. She bit her lip, resisted his grip on her wrists, and then began to shatter. Her undulations squeezed his cock when he withdrew, unwilling to let him go. He pushed back inside her again, deeper still.

  At last she arched, holding her breath. Her orgasm splashed over them both. He kissed her until her silky body settled into a low burn.

  He released her arms, kissing her wrists. Her eyes followed his every movement. Her smile was distant, lurking somewhere close to naughty. Her fingers touched his face and traced tears he didn’t realize had fallen in large streaks down his cheeks.

  “This is all of me, Amy. Such as I am.” He held her palm and tenderly kissed it.

  “This is all I am, Zak,” she said. “I am yours forever. No matter what.”

  This was the part of loving Amy he could stay immersed in forever.

  Chapter 23

  Early October was beautiful in Sonoma County, so Zak and Amy decided to take a trip up to wine country and visit her dad and his parents. The prospect of staying in the Chief’s big house, even with Marlene to do interference, was barely considered. They had a favorite place in mind.

  He was about to put his bandage on, preparing for the drive north.

  “Is it my imagination or does it look better this morning, Zak?”

  He stopped, peering back at her in the mirror, returning her examination of his face. “Wish it was that easy, Amy. But it does feel less tight, and I’m beginning to have some sensation on my cheek. Not the same as my left one, but something anyway.”

  “Do they recommend something for the healing? Like a Vitamin E cream for the scarring now that there are no more open wounds and the stitches have been removed?”

  “The Navy? You think the Navy would recommend Vitamin E?” Though the right side of his cheek bulged out unnaturally and his smile was off kilter, she saw his sense of humor was returning.

  “Let me try something.” In one of the bathroom drawers, she found some Vitamin E infused with lavender oil. “Lavender is supposed to be good for scarring, as well as the vitamin E.” She unscrewed the small black cap and poured a tiny amount the size of a dime into the palm of her hand. The heady aroma from the lavender was relaxing as she dipped her fingers in the reservoir in her palm and applied it carefully to his face with the beds of her first two fingers. “It is better, Zak.”

  He replaced the bandage. This time, Amy helped him make strips of tape for attaching the mask to his face. Her fingers pressed the bandage around the bridge of his nose, taking care not to allow any air gaps for aid in healing.

  Outside Santa Rosa and toward the town of Sonoma was the Waterwheel Inn, well known to lovers world-wide. It was an extravagant idea, but they decided to start their new life in the beauty of the little boutique inn, booking a room near the slowly turning namesake: the waterwheel. The room was generous, with a roaring fireplace ten feet from the foot of their king-sized bed.

  Within minutes, he had her undressed and considering not going to see her father at all, but staying in the lovely Inn. By firelight, his face was softer, the orange glow reflected well on his skin, minimizing the lines of sutures. His right eyelid was nearly normal in size, but the eye inside was still bloodshot.

  She watched him kiss down the middle of her upper torso, lips nibbling a moist trail down to the juncture between her legs. As he pleasured her, she closed her eyes, unable to focus on anything but giving herself up to him. She was grateful he’d found that part of himself that allowed for experimentation and excitement in their bedroom again.

  It was wonderful to have him back at last.

  They visited Chief Dobson just after a long breakfast in bed. Zak was forgetting to put the face patch on more and more, but for these visits, he presented himself to her so she could press the adhesive tape into the bridge of his nose, his hairline above his eye, and in front of his ear. Investigating the position of the bandage, she searched for gaps and found none.

  At first, Amy’s dad shook his hand nervously without making eye contact. Marlene watched warily, but eventually, their conversation over strong coffee fell on what their future beheld.

  “I’m going to see what happens with the eye. There’s a man up here who trained a friend of mine when he lost his eye. Hell of a teacher. I’ve asked him to take me to the range.”

  This surprised even Amy. “When did you talk to him?”

  “I called just before we left. He said he’d be glad to give me some pointers, some things to practice.”

  “Never heard anyone learning to change their dominant shooting sights. Can that be done?” Dobson asked.

  “We’ll see.”

  “So are you going back to the teams, Zak?” Marlene wanted to know.

  “If they’ll have me, yes.”

  Why hasn’t he mentioned this? He seemed to have lots of little secrets, things he kept private, and this bothered her. Did he not trust her with the truth of what he was planning?

  Zak turned to her. “You remember Kelly, the lady I introduced you to at Coop’s barbeque?”

  Amy began to understand what he was talking about. “You mean the one who was married to your friend before—”

  “Yes, before he was killed. Roger taught him to shoot with his right eye. Joel was a leftie before. She’s the one who gave me Roger’s phone number.”

  She listened to him tell the tale to her dad and Marlene, how the SEAL had lost his eye, requalified expert, and was allowed to rejoin his old team, even though the Navy had tried to medically discharge him.

  Joel’s journey was identical to Zak’s new mission, Amy thought.

  Her dad’s post-heart attack schedule was wearing well on him, Amy thought. His relaxed face smiled more. She noted the closeness he and Marlene shared and was happy for him. It also released a burden from her shoulders.

  Next, they went over to Zak’s parents, who pummeled him with lots of questions. The concern his mother wore on her fa
ce, her probing about his care and the treatments he was being given annoyed Amy a little. Gloria Dobson barely noted her presence, she was so wrapped up in her son.

  “You and I should try shooting while you’re up here. Had an old friend who learned to shoot with his non-dominant eye when he lost the other one to Diabetes. I know it can be done.”

  “See, Amy?” Zak was encouraged. Then he turned back to his dad. “Better let me meet with Roger first, see what he says.”

  “Roger?”

  “Remember when Joel lost his eye?”

  “The SEAL you played soccer with?”

  “Yes.”

  “God, I forgot all about that, Zak. So you think this guy can help you?”

  “It’s worth a shot. Otherwise, I have none. I’m useless to the Teams.”

  “But will they allow you to stay on?” his mother asked.

  “They let Joel back. Remember?”

  Amy let him recount the story. She picked up on a stronger connection with Joel and his wife this time. Joel was almost like the older brother Zak had never had. His death had happened during one of their numerous dating breaks, when she was still in high school and Zak was trying very hard to flunk out of college.

  Zak was unusually quiet on the way home.

  “You okay?”

  “Yup. I definitely saw light tonight, Amy. I think perhaps my vision, some of it anyway, is coming back.”

  “Seriously? That’s so wonderful. Oh, what a miracle.” She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He withdrew his arm from the steering wheel and wrapped it around her shoulders.

  “I don’t want to get my hopes up too far, but I take it as a very good sign. I didn’t see anything I could make out, but I definitely did see flashes of light.”

  Chapter 24

  Zak had his shooting lesson with Roger the next day. He sold him a left-handed Sig Sauer, and the adjustment wasn’t as difficult as he’d anticipated. The long gun was a whole other thing.

  After returning to Coronado, he continued to have streams of light flash across his right eye on a daily basis, but the headaches were back, and he still couldn’t make out any shapes.

  He went to the range every day, sometimes spending nearly the whole day there. He avoided the heavy lifting with the rest of the team on workout days, but did participate in inlet swims, which didn’t affect his headaches or cause pressure on his eye.

  The doctors were encouraged with his progress as the weeks went by. Pam stretched and manipulated him into knots, giving him deep tissue massages after their sessions. His balance improved. She tested his eyesight, and his one eye got stronger as his brain mentally compensated for the lack of depth perception.

  He finally was coming into the range of accuracy he had before the injury. It still didn’t feel natural to use his less-dominant left eye, but he was reworking the neural pathways. He got permission to do more physical training, starting with some TRX work on his arms, legs, and abs, but he was still cautioned not to do pullups, situps, or pushups—nothing that would put pressure on his eye.

  Light continued to brighten, but the eye was still useless for seeing shapes. Trying to focus and make his eye perform gave him headaches and frustrated him, but he wouldn’t quit. It drove him further. He made an appointment for testing to re-qualify as Expert. Carter and others encouraged him to take more time, to be fully ready before taking the test. If he failed, he might not even be considered to come back to the Teams. Even if he passed, there was the possibility the Navy would still decide to medically discharge him.

  After workouts, he frequently hung out at the Scupper with Carter and Alex, who was now fully healed. Alex had gone through several girlfriends in the short weeks since they’d been back.

  “I’m looking for an Amy,” Alex said one evening.

  “Those are fighting words, my man,” barked Carter. “Jell-O here’s one helluva shot now. I’d watch your tongue.”

  “I don’t want Amy. I just want someone like her. She’s always so nice to be around. She smiles.”

  “You have to treat women nice before you get that kind of result, Alex. Your problem is that you don’t listen. All of us who’ve been married—happily married, I might add—have been saying this all along.” Zak saw Alex arch at the insult.

  “I treat women nice. I’m attracted to the headstrong ones, I guess.”

  “No.” Zak had Alex pegged. “You’re attracted to the ones who won’t commit because that makes it easier for you.”

  Late one afternoon, as he was driving home from practice, he got a call from Kelly. He agreed to stop by to see her when she tearfully admitted her engagement had been called off.

  She met him at the door in cutoffs and a pink Punisher tee shirt. Her eyes were nearly the same color.

  She poured him a glass of wine and he declined. “Not drinking anymore, Kelly. I’ll just take some water.”

  She brought him a glass with lots of ice and dropped to the couch, tucking her legs underneath her. “God, Zak, I’ve been such an idiot.”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  “No, not physically. We’re just not a good fit. We fight all the time, I mean all the time.” Her bright blue eyes searched his face, making note of the bandage he still wore. “When do you take that off?”

  “I have at least two more surgeries this year. Then perhaps I’ll be able to.”

  “Isn’t it taking a long time to heal?”

  “No. I’m healed. I just like to keep it covered. It’s easier for people that way. There’s a lot of scaring down here and up into my hairline.” He indicated all this with his forefinger.

  “Joel was lucky that way. It was a bullet fragment that lodged in his eye. I thought his patch was kind of sexy. Of course, he didn’t take it so well.”

  “I’ll bet. He was an amazing warrior. He had more kills than anyone in the history of the Navy. He was a good guy.”

  “I miss him, Zak. I just don’t think anyone could take his place. He fought so hard. They wanted to roll him, and he argued and argued with the Navy.” She smiled, examining her hands. “In the end they made him do the BUD/S class all over again. But he did it.”

  Zak found himself feeling uncomfortable and began to wish he’d never come over. He was not the one who should be here with Kelly just breaking up with her fiancé.

  He decided to change the subject. “Tell me how he did it. I know he worked with Roger, and some others. Did he ever get any light or sensation from that one bad eye?”

  “Never. He kept hoping it would. He’d feel like something was changing inside, and he got his hopes up all the time. Today’s the day, Kelly, he said. He worked so hard he got down on himself when he didn’t feel he was progressing fast enough.”

  She shrugged, twirling her hair and making Zak feel even more uncomfortable. “They didn’t give him any breaks with the ration of crap they threw at him every day. After he’d survived and passed BUD/S again, he was a different man.”

  “I can only imagine.”

  “He’d missed his rotation, so to avoid getting cut, after he graduated BUD/S, he joined another team, as you know.”

  “The body does what the body does,” Zak said, quoting his doctor in Landstuhl.

  She eyed him then broke out into a grin. “Amy’s nice, Zak.”

  “We were high school sweethearts.”

  “I like that. I miss that. Someone to play around with. The long showers and sleep-ins. Walking the beach under the stars. Being romantic. Joel and I had that.”

  She gave him an honest glimpse of her pain and loneliness. Her eyes searched him for answers. “Do you ever think I’ll find that again? It would have to be another SEAL. I’ve been through the dark days when he was first injured. I know how that works.”

  He was dangerously charmed and felt bad about it, but he told himself he did feel sorry for her loss. Even though it was undeniable that there was some chemistry between them, she was free and he was not.

  “Kelly, I’d
better go.”

  “Yes. You should.”

  Zak thought about their encounter all the way home and decided he’d never go see Kelly again. And he’d never tell Amy.

  She was waiting in the darkened living room when he returned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Why didn’t you call me? You said you were on your way home. I made dinner, and then I waited over an hour. No Zak. No phone call. I left you messages.”

  He pulled his cell out and checked and sure enough there were those messages from Amy, but the phone was on silent.

  “I’m sorry. I had it turned off at the—” He realized his lie. Kelly called him. He’d turned it off when he was at her house and didn’t notice Amy’s call and texts. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry.”

  “At the what?”

  “I made a stop on the way home, that’s all.”

  “Where?”

  He didn’t want to lie to her, but he knew she would never understand. “I just drove around. I kicked some tires. I bought an ice cream and went down to the beach. I just needed to think, Amy. That’s all.”

  He knew he’d be in serious trouble if she found out about the lie, but he’d made a huge mistake in judgment, and he didn’t want her to know. He was ashamed of himself.

  “Maybe you don’t notice it, but ever since you’ve been on this kick with the marksman stuff, you’re gone most of the day. We don’t talk. You spend more time with your team buddies than you do me.”

  “I’m sorry, Amy. I really am.”

  “It isn’t fair, Zak.”

  “You’re right, of course.” He slipped next to her on the couch, leaning shoulder against shoulder with her, as she hunched over her knees and studied the carpet. “I’m trying to keep my spot on the Team, if I can. I’m doing everything I can to do that, sweetheart.”

  “But I’m secondary.”

  Here it was again. He had to make a decision. But first, he had to clarify something with Amy.

  “Sweetheart, nothing has changed. I need to know, are you with me going back on the Teams? I need to know that. It’s like when I asked you this before we got married. It’s the same question now, honey.”