SEAL Do Over (A Standalone Navy SEAL Romance) (SEAL Brotherhood, 6)

by Ivy Jordan

  I looked in my seat at the glowing screen. It was Jackson. Thank God.

  “Where are you?” I answered.

  “I’m going to be a while. The roof just blew off my chicken coop here. I have to get these clucking hens to the barn before my wife has an aneurysm,” he scoffed.

  “Okay, well, all I have is a single trailer,” I shouted into the phone, the wind swirling so loud I could barely hear.

  “Do what you can, just get it fucking done soon,” Jackson yelled, and then either hung up or lost connection.

  The rain beat me like tiny knives as I connected the trailer. By the time I made it back to the stables, my body was soaked, my muscles ached from the cold, and my motivation knowing Jackson was going to be late was dropping fast.

  “The horses are getting rowdy,” Tom informed me of the obvious.

  I helped him move the horses from the back stall into the front to keep them from knocking down the weakest wall.

  “Who’s first?” I asked.

  Tom gripped the reigns of one of the larger stallions, one he feared could do the most damage if spooked just right.

  He helped me load him into the trailer, but he couldn’t come with me to unload, saying he had to stay here and make sure he kept the others calm.

  I made the trip alone, the drive nearly pitch black, and once there, the horse was a maniac to get out of the trailer. I backed up as close as I could to the stables, hoping the horse would prefer to escape the tiny box, but he didn’t. He kicked, slammed into the trailer, and neighed like he was cursing me out.

  I finally got a good grip on him and jerked him out of the trailer into safety.

  Four more trips just like that one were done, and I thought I would fall over and fucking die right there from the strain, the cold, and the pain in the ass horses that refused to be helped.

  Finally, other people started to populate the ranch, a guy at the main stables ready to help unload and one more truck to haul another trailer.

  Jackson finally arrived, loading the last two horses in his trailer, and we all drove to the main stables together, taking turns helping each other with our loads.

  Candace hadn’t appeared in the barn yet, but I assumed the storm would keep her from walking. I tried calling while I waited my turn to back my trailer to the stables, but she didn’t answer.

  Someone slapped the back of my trailer, signaling it was my turn. I backed up as close as I could get and jumped out of the truck. I was so grateful this was the last horse. I needed to dry off, ease my muscles with a hot shower, and find Candace.

  About the time I opened the trailer door, the lightning and thunder started to worsen. The horse inside was spooked, and started kicking the side of the trailer, rearing up and banging her head on the top in a panic.

  The guys rushed to help, Jackson included, but no one could get close to her. I tried Tom’s techniques, talking softly to the horse, but it wasn’t buying my game.

  One more loud thunder roared in the sky, and the horse came out of the trailer, kicking hard and knocking it to its side. Instead of running for the dry shelter that was right fucking there, the damn horse took off in the rain, running like a lunatic.

  “We got to get her,” Jackson yelled, motioning for me to jump in his truck.

  We drove for what felt like hours until we finally found her, and then it wasn’t a picnic. She was tangled up in a bush, tiny branches rolling all over her legs where she’d done circles in her panicked state.

  It was past lunchtime when we finally got the horse unattached from the vines and into the shelter.

  Jackson was right; the storm was getting worse, and there was no way to get any work done.

  “Go on home, but keep your phone on,” he insisted, and then helped me unhitch the mangled trailer from my truck so I could leave.

  I called Candace again with no answer, so I drove there instead of going home.

  I knocked on the door, not wanting to bust in like an intruder. This was her place now, her own place, and the last thing I wanted to do was make her feel like I overstepped boundaries.

  I banged hard, called again, no answer either way. My heart started to race, and I knew I had to bust in. I pushed open the door, fearing the worse, and found Candace curled up on the floor in the corner of the front room, a blanket wrapped around her tight enough that I could see her shaking with fear.

  Chapter 36

  Candace

  My body was frozen with fear as the door pushed open. I couldn’t look up; I feared who I would see.

  “Candace,” my name was called, sounding like a long distance away.

  I saw Luke kneeling in front of me, soaking wet and water puddling at his feet. He called my name again. I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t move.

  His arms wrapped around me, holding me as I shook, but instead of steadying it, it only made it worse.

  “What can I do?” he asked.

  Nothing. He couldn’t do anything. I could not even speak to tell him that he was helpless.

  His hands gripped my face, pulling my eyes towards his. Tears streamed down my cheeks, warm and sticky. I couldn’t speak.

  I heard him, still sounding muffled, like he was further away than he was. I could see he was right there. He was right-fucking-there.

  “I need you,” I heard him say, but to who? Who was he calling for help? What could they do?

  He wrapped his arms around me again, his hands stroking my back gently. My body started to unfreeze, but I still couldn’t speak.

  The door opened again, and this time Lyla rushed towards me, her hair soaked, her clothes drenched, and she pushed a soaked kitten to my chest.

  My hands reached for him, Dreamer, cold and shaking. He crawled into my blanket. My fingers reached for his fur, stroking it, calming me as he began to purr from the comforts of my warmth.

  I started to calm, my body no longer shaking, but halting to a slow tremor. Lyla sat beside me.

  “The storm?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  Her voice was closer, normal, no longer muffled and far away. I could see the frustration in Luke’s eyes.

  “Tell him,” I directed Lyla.

  Lyla turned to him, telling him the story. Luke listened while she explained that Damien locked me in the trunk during storms, and would sometimes drive around with me inside. I watched his eyes, blurry and wet, and his lips tightening with anger.

  “He knew she was afraid, and it was punishment,” Lyla said softly, reaching towards me to stroke my hair.

  “I’m so sorry. If I had known, I never would’ve left you in this storm,” Luke whispered, his arms gripping me tightly, pulling me into his chest.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. I saw your truck here late last night when I first heard of the storm, so I thought you were with her,” Lyla apologized to Luke for keeping my secret.

  He’d tried to get me to open up many times, and I never would. I knew now that I should’ve. I was going to be more open to Luke about everything from here on out.

  The tremors stopped, and my body started to unstiffen. Luke offered to make coffee, and Lyla sat with me while he went into the kitchen.

  “I should have come over,” she sulked.

  “No. I should have told him,” I whispered.

  She managed to get me up, move me to the couch, and untangle me from the blanket I’d managed to turn into a cocoon.

  Luke handed me the coffee. I listened to the storm outside the window. It was clear, close, not muffled like their voices, like it sounded from inside a trunk of a car that was flying down an interstate.

  “I’ll never leave you like this again,” Luke promised.

  “I think you should get to bed,” Lyla insisted.

  I nodded.

  She and Luke helped me up and walked me slowly to the bed while the kitten clung to my neck.

  I laid down, immediately met by Sully who ignored the cat and found his spot, nestling in my hair.

  A break in the
storm gave Lyla the perfect opportunity to leave and get home to her own dry place, and Luke stayed, holding me close until I fell asleep.

  Chapter 37

  Luke

  Saturday morning was supposed to be a day off for both Candace and myself, but the storm ruined that. She insisted on coming to the barn with me to do her part of the cleanup, but I begged her to stay in bed and rest.

  “I can’t let what happened to me control me forever,” she insisted.

  I knew that was true. I’d learned to live by that motto myself, although it was not as easily done as said.

  “Okay, but if you feel like you can’t handle it, let me know, and I’ll get you home and into bed,” I insisted.

  “I bet that’s what you’re hoping for,” Candace teased, that beautiful smile of hers back without disfigurement from her ordeal.

  “You know it is,” I chuckled, gripping her around the waist and pulling her into me.

  Her hands moved upward, wrapping around my neck, and mine slid from her sides to her arms, stopping short of her wrist. I remembered that was a trigger for her anxiety.

  “Go ahead,” she whispered in my ear.

  “What do you mean?” I played it off, not wanting to look like I was babying her in any way.

  “Touch me how you want, where you want,” she said softly.

  I was reluctant, but I knew it was better to let her move at her own pace, even if I thought the pace was a little fast.

  I moved my hands up her arms, around her wrists, and then to her hands, where my fingers slid in between hers. She flinched a little, but I didn’t stop. She didn’t tell me to.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  I wanted to tell her I loved her, but I bit my tongue. I couldn’t rush things. We’d go at her pace, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. It was her in charge, not me.

  “I’m proud of you,” I said as I pulled back, staring her in the eye.

  “Thank you. I’m proud of me too,” she laughed.

  We walked to the barn, Candace with Dreamer in her arms so she could visit her mother and siblings while we worked on cleaning the mess the storm left.

  I left with Jackson to load up horses, leaving Candace in the barn with the kittens and the baby pigs following her around.

  Moving the horses without lightning, thunder, and rain was much easier than with. On the first load back, I checked on Candace. Jackson didn’t ask why, but he was patient with allowing me to ensure her well-being.

  The new baby goat was added to the list of animals that now followed Candace around the barn. I gripped her waist, whispered for permission to kiss her neck, received it, and let my lips dance on her smooth, warm flesh as she giggled.

  “I’ll be back for another one on the next load. Can I ask for permission now?” I teased.

  “Yes. You have permission to kiss my neck after every load,” she beamed.

  I walked away with a stride that felt taller, more confident, and happier. Lyla stopped me as I made it past the stables, grabbing my arm to pull me aside.

  “You’re in love with her,” she whispered.

  “Of course I am,” I replied, shocked that she would find that surprising.

  “What are your plans?” she asked.

  “I’m taking it slow. She is in charge of the pace,” I explained.

  “Good. I’m afraid she may not know what she wants just yet,” Lyla sounded concerned.

  I agreed. She needed more time to be sure, but I disagreed with her not knowing what she wanted when it came to me. She was in love with me. I could feel it. It would take time for her to realize it, to admit it, but I had nothing but time for her.

  “Just don’t get your hopes up. I believe she has strong feelings for you, as a friend, but I’m not sure it goes deeper than that,” Lyla warned.

  I smiled, moving along with what I was doing, ignoring Lyla’s words of so-called wisdom.

  Jackson and I made a great team with the horses. He apologized for the stress the night before, and I laughed. He had no idea what the real stress was that night. The horse, the one tangled in a vine, that was cake compared to what I walked into at Candace’s cabin.

  The last trip to the barn, cleanup complete, and I was starving. I snuck up behind Candace and warned her with a whisper that I was taking my already approved kiss. She giggled as my lips pressed against her neck, and then turned in my arms to meet my lips with hers. I was shocked at her boldness but enjoyed the display of affection; public or private made no difference to me.

  “I’m starving,” I growled as she pulled back.

  “Me too,” she agreed.

  “I don’t have anything at my place, and yours is damn near empty,” I noted.

  “Ugh. I don’t want to shower and dress just to go get food,” Candace whined.

  “How about the cafeteria?” I suggested.

  The onsite cafeteria wasn’t bad. A couple little old ladies came in and cooked for us at the ranch, and the prices were reasonable, just enough to cover the cost of food, electric, and their fee.

  “Sounds perfect. I’ve been dying to try that place,” Candace grinned.

  “Uh huh,” I laughed, taking her hand in mine and guiding her from the barn.

  “We’ll come back for Dreamer after we eat,” I said as she pulled back on my hand.

  I knew what she was after, and I knew they wouldn’t let any of the animals in the cafeteria.

  “He’s already snuggled up on his momma’s tit. He has dinner, so he’s not ruining mine,” I razzed her playfully.

  “I could sneak him under my shirt,” Candace suggested with a smirk.

  “And when you’re busted, that’s exactly what will get me kicked out and ruin my dinner,” I insisted.

  “Fine,” she caved but kicked her feet in the dirt like a fourth grader that got kicked out of recess.

  I laughed at her display. I knew it was all for show. She wasn’t upset, but it felt good to act like a normal couple, bickering over small stuff, even if the bickering was fake.

  The cafeteria was serving meatloaf, green beans, and mashed potatoes, and peach cobbler for dessert. My stomach growled when I walked through the door. I was pretty sure it was loud enough that Candace could hear it.

  We both loaded our plates with everything they offered and found a table in the back where it was less crowded.

  “So, how do you like having your own place?” I asked after getting a few bites of nutrition in my body.

  “I think I’ll like it. I have to get used to it still,” she smiled.

  “You don’t have to get used to it. I mean, you could move in with me,” I smirked.

  “I want to be on my own first, figure out who I am, what I want, what I like,” she rattled.

  “You like me,” I grinned in her direction.

  “Yes. I do. But, that’s something I have to figure out too: why do I like you?” she laughed.

  Oh, how I loved to hear her laugh.

  “Okay, well the offer stands. I mean, you keep bringing in critters, you’re gonna need more room soon enough,” I teased.

  “I signed up for some online classes,” she blurted out of nowhere.

  “Really?” I asked, shocked by her announcement.

  We’d spent so much time together, when did she even have time, and why not tell me?

  “When I signed papers for Jackson and got my physical, he brought me pamphlets to look over. He’s willing to pay one hundred percent for all of my schooling if I agree to stay on for at least the same length of time of the course after graduation,” she beamed as she spoke.

  “That’s great,” I pretended to be happy. I mean, I was happy that she was doing what she wanted, that she was finding herself. I just didn’t understand why she didn’t tell me, talk to me, maybe even get my advice? After all, I was the one who suggested her getting a degree first.

  We finished our dinner as Candace told me about each of the classes she signed up for and
how excited and nervous she was to start.

  “You’ll do great,” I assured her.

  I knew she would. She was a lot smarter than she gave herself credit for; she always had been.

  We walked back to the barn and picked up Dreamer, and then walked to her place.

  After playing with Dreamer and Sully for a bit, I announced I better go get a shower and get in bed.

  “Stay,” she said sweetly.

  Chapter 38

  Candace

  He was dirty from moving the horses all day. I knew he wanted to stay, but I could see it in his eyes that he wanted a shower.

  “I stink,” he sighed.

  “Shower here, with me,” I said shyly.

  He took a step back; I knew he realized this was a big leap from where we’d been. I didn’t want lights, for him to see me, to look into my eyes, and yet, I was willing to take a shower with him. He looked stunned.

  “It’s hard to shower in the dark,” he teased.

  I smirked and started to back my way down the hallway.

  “Are you coming?” I asked, pulling at my shirt, leaving it in the living room as I ducked into the bathroom before he got a peek at my flesh.

  The bra was next, and yet he stood there frozen.

  I started the water and slipped into the shower, leaving the rest of my clothes on the floor.

  I guess he broke free from his paralysis, as I saw his silhouette through the shower curtain.

  “Are you sure you want me in there with you?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  I did. I wanted to experience normal things. Couples showered together. They had sex with the lights on. I wanted to see him. I wanted him to see me.

  I heard his belt rattle and then hit the floor. His boots clomped as they hit the floor, and then the curtain pulled back, and there he was.

  His cock was already hard. I loved that I got him so excited, simply by the thought of being with me.

  Luke stood there in the shower, all the water hitting me, and none hitting him. He looked stunned as he stared into my eyes. I knew he was trying desperately not to look at me, fearful it would send me into a panic. I was calm. I was ready.