Covertly Strong (The Strong Series Book 1) (5 page)

The sun made her olive skin glow and shimmer beneath its rays. Every single inch of her was made for him. He watched as she rubbed her toes through the sand. Her eyelashes fluttered in the light as her lips turned into a faint smirk every time an occasional breeze drifted from the water. As her brown locks gently blew across her face, Nix found himself entranced by her. This was a common occurrence. She consumed him—
The Sloan Effect
.

She was just…
flawless
. Her entire being pulled him in and held his heart hostage with no amount of ransom that could release him. Not that he’d ever want to be separated from her. He’d rather cut off his right arm than risk a life without Sloan in it.

He wanted her forever—
for always
—for an infinite amount of time.

It was crazy to think that, at the young age of sixteen, Nix knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But he did. He knew with every beat of his heart, with every breath from his lungs, that she was it for him. Yes, their love was young. It was naïve, but it was real. The love he felt for her—and the love she gave him in return—was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. A love most people would risk everything for.

After a few moments of peacefully watching her relax in serenity atop the soft sand, Nix moved closer, his shadow hovering over her bikini-clad body.

She blinked softly, her eyes slowly opening.

He stood above her in all of his wet, tan, smiling glory. “You gonna be lazy all day, baby?” he asked with affection as he sat down beside her, drops of water dripping down his toned biceps. He didn’t miss the desirous appraisal of her eyes as they made their smooth descent down his body.

He winked when her gaze moved back up towards his, urging a light blush to form over her lovely cheeks.
God, he loved that blush
. He never wanted another guy to put that beautiful rose tint on her cheeks. Only him.

“I’m not getting in the water, Nix,” she announced sternly.

He only grinned at her irritated tone while thoughts of carrying her sexy ass into the sea flooded his mischievous mind.

She immediately pointed her finger in his direction. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned.

A secretive smirk covered his mouth as he held his hands up defensively. His blue eyes gazed at her with amusement before he leaned down to press a soft, gentle kiss on her lush lips. Water dripped off his hair and onto her stomach as he sat back up beside her.

A small squeal escaped her throat. “Nix! You’re getting me all wet!”

He waggled his eyebrows wickedly in response.

“Perv,” she mouthed in his direction.

“Is that my new Sloan-appointed nickname? I’m not sure my mother would be thrilled with you calling her baby boy a perv,” he teased with a sexy smile.

She sat up on her knees, leaning towards him. “
Ella sabe lo que eres
,” she responded in perfect Spanish with a confident glimmer in her brown eyes.

A frustrated hand rubbed through his damp hair. Her bilingual capabilities had become a delicious form of torture for him. “God help me, if you keep that up, I will tackle you to the sand and show you just how much of a perv I can be.” He reached out to grab her, but she wiggled out of his grasp.

Her hands went up in the air in relinquishment as fits of giggles consumed her. “Okay! Okay! Don’t you dare start tickling me!” she shouted.

Nix stared at her with pretend irritation, impatiently waiting for her to explain.

Once she regained her composure, she finally clarified, “All I said was that your mother knows how you are, and yes, I think that’s your new nickname. What’s mine?” Her question was thoughtful, even innocent in an endearing kind of way.

He stretched his arm out and laced his fingers with hers, tenderly rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand. “You want a nickname, baby?”

“I want a nickname—a
Hawaiian
nickname.” Her young, naïveté apparent in her voice.

Nix stared down at her, his blue eyes caressing her face. He pondered for a few moments and finally whispered “
Meli
,” towards her.

“Meli?” she asked in confusion.

Nix nodded his head with two determined movements. “Yes. It’s perfect for you. Perfect for my favorite girl.”

She smiled broadly. “What does it mean?”

“I’m not telling. All you need to know is that it’s the only nickname sweet enough for you,” he answered with a playful smile.

He would eventually tell her that
meli
means honey in Hawaiian, but on that day, he kept its meaning his little secret. It was the perfect nickname for the sweet, kind girl with the big, brown eyes that always held a fiery edge. His Sloan.
His Meli.

A few seconds later, he swooped down, tossing her petite form over his shoulder with little effort. He grinned widely as he gripped her ass with the palms of his hands.

“Put me down!” she squealed in delight.

Her girlish giggle passed her lips and the soft sound filled his ears.

God, I love that sound.
It was his favorite sound in the entire world.

He made long strides towards the water, and she continued to laugh the entire way. Once he reached the lukewarm sea, he slid her body down the front of his, grasping her hips with strong hands.

Chocolate to sapphire, they gazed at each other for an endless moment.

His hands cupped her face as he stared intently into her eyes. “I love you, Meli,” he whispered.

It was the first time he had said those three words out loud.

The first time he’d let his heart speak its true feelings.

He took in her surprised expression, anxiety prickling his skin. “I’ve known that I’m in love with you since the day you walked out of your house completely naked and ready to throw down with me and the guys,” he added with a hint of humor in his eyes and obvious nervousness lacing his voice.

“You only want me for my body,” her quick mouth threw back.

Nix chuckled in response. “Of course, I love these sexy little hips,” he began to explain as he tightly gripped her waist. “And I love those endlessly long legs and the adorable little freckles on your right shoulder, but…” He paused as he stared at her with a serious, determined expression.

He ignored the nerves, the anxiety, and the fear that she didn’t feel the same and laid everything on the line.

“But I also love you for this smart mouth.” His thumb brushed across her full lips. “And your gorgeous eyes, and your wickedly intelligent brain,” he continued as he ran his fingers through her hair, softly brushing strands out of her eyes. “But I love you most for what’s in here.” His large palm pressed against her chest. “I love your beautiful heart,” he spoke quietly with a reverent tone.

Her bottom lip trembled as a soft gasp escaped her throat.

Nix pulled her body close to his, staring down at her affectionately. “I am in love with you, Meli. I love you more than I could ever put into words.”

Her breath hitched and her eyes filled with glistening tears as she peered up at him from underneath her dark lashes. “I love you too, Nix.
So much
.”

His eyes closed involuntarily as relief consumed him. He let her words caress his soul. They seared him—stealing every last bit that was left of his heart.

She loves me. She fucking loves me.

“I’ll love you forever… I’ll love you for
always
, baby,” he whispered.

Overwhelmed with emotion at the poignant sentiment that passed between them, she felt as if she were having an out-of-body experience. Her body begged to take flight, every cell inside her desperate to soar through the air in undeniable elation at the love that filled her heart.

And Nix didn’t give her a second to respond as he pulled her face towards his, melding their lips together as he kissed her deeply. It was a kiss that spurred goose bumps across her skin and stole the breath from her lungs.

It was the perfect kiss. The best kiss.

The kind of kiss she wouldn’t forget.

His mouth on hers was earth moving, and her world would never be the same. And that kiss, that irrevocable moment in time, would remain in her memory for the rest of her life.

SLOAN HAD EXPERIENCED THE TWELVE best months of her life.

For nearly three hundred and sixty-five days, she’d been able to be a teenager.

She had the pleasure of enjoying her youth. Her days were carefree and spontaneous. And for the first time in a very long time, she was herself. She was feisty and funny, undeniably full of happiness. And she lived those immeasurable days with Nix by her side as he made her laugh and put that cheesy smile across her pretty face.

She went to homecoming and prom. She danced those nights away in Nix’s arms. She learned to surf and honed her skills with a competitive edge. And she made lots of friends. Movie nights, pizza dinners, and parties on the beach became frequent occurrences.

Sloan was
happy
. She had it all. And most importantly, she had Nix.

Her life had taken a turn for the best. Everything had finally fallen into place, and she never wanted that turn to end. She loved her life in Hawaii and prayed that her father would remain stationed there. She wanted to finish high school with her friends and make college plans that would have her permanently living under the Hawaiian sun.

But eventually, her life took a painful turn onto Real-Life Lane.

John Walker got
the call
. The call that had his family packing all of their belongings inside their charming four-bedroom, Hawaiian bungalow and preparing for the trek to a new naval base. The Walkers would be shipping out the next morning to Naples Naval Support Base in Naples, Italy.

Sloan was devastated.

She was seventeen years old, still considered a minor in the eyes of the law, and had no other choice but to ship out with her family and prepare to board a plane en route to Italy. Her final year of high school would be completed in a foreign city. That vicious cycle of being the perpetual new girl would make reappearance in her life. She would have to start all over again surrounded by complete strangers. And everything she had gained in Hawaii—her friends, her life, her happiness,
Nix
—would be left behind.

“Come on, Meli. We’re going to our spot,” Nix quietly whispered into her ear.

She looked up at him as tears filled her eyes.

“No tears, sweetheart. This isn’t goodbye. This is just see you soon, okay?” he added as he brushed the tears from her cheeks.

“Okay,” she replied through the thick emotion that clogged her throat.

He took her hand, leading her away from her bedroom and outside to his old, beat-up F-150. His strong arms helped her into the passenger’s seat before he made his way to the driver’s side, hopping inside and starting the engine with quick finesse.

They drove past all of their favorite spots.

The quaint coffee shop that sat across the street from Murphy’s Garage.

The small dog park they took Nix’s black Labrador retriever, Shelby, to play Frisbee and frolic around in the freshly cut grass.

The drive-in movie theater where they loved to watch new releases from the bed of his truck.

Sloan’s gaze followed the road—taking in every little place—reminiscing every bittersweet memory she had acquired in Honolulu. She felt as if the past year were flashing at a rapid pace across her chocolate eyes. Yes, she was young and, like any teenage girl, maybe a little melodramatic about life-changing events, but she couldn’t help herself. This situation was her own worst nightmare come to fruition and she hated every single second of it.

She continued to think about the past and all of the wonderful memories her and Nix shared until they arrived at their favorite spot. The one place they could always go to and just be…
together
. Diamond Head Beach.

Nix helped her out of the truck, holding her hand tight as they made their way down the rocks and onto the soft sand. The waves crashed in the distance, the crescent moon reflecting off the ocean in a way that portrayed the inevitability of the future. In a few short hours, they weren’t going to be together. Far too soon, they would be apart for an unknown amount of time. Sloan’s father wasn’t being transferred to a base within the continental US; he was being sent overseas for God only knew how long.