My Bad Boy's Secret: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (139 page)

***

Todd walked down the steps from the dark building where he and the rest of his team had spent the last six hours partaking in instructional professional development. He knew that not all the professional development sessions would be a lecture—many of them were going to be very physically and mentally demanding, but that didn’t make it any easier to sit through a six hour lecture. He let out a breath and shook his head, trying to stimulate himself.

“Gets worse every time we have to do it.” Michael said, striding next to him. Todd groaned and looked over at him.

“How many times do we have to go through that?” He asked. Michael shrugged.

“Every time we get a new team member and have to go through training again. Luckily it doesn’t happen very often—every couple of years or so, when someone retires or… well you know.” He explained, looking down and giving a shrug. Todd nodded and remained silent.

“At least it’s not every year.” He finally said, after a respectful moment of silence. Michael laughed and nodded.

“Hell, if we did we’d never see any action!” He laughed. Todd chuckled and entered their barrack.

“Still, I think I could use a good run after that. Care to join me?” He asked, heading toward his room to change into some sweats. Michael thought about it but eventually shook his head.

“Sounds great, but I think I’m going to go lift some weights with Reggie. Lord knows he can’t be left unsupervised.” Michael joked with a wink. Todd laughed and waved him off, heading into his room. Nothing cleared his mind better than a good run, and after being cooped up for so long his limbs were begging to be stretched. Todd changed and grabbed a water bottle, heading toward the track. The track was empty at this hour—all the other teams on different schedules so that no one area got overwhelmed. He was pretty sure teams three, six, and eight were enduring the lecture now. He set his water bottle on one of the benches and bent over to begin stretching so that he minimized any pulled muscles.

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize anyone was out here. I can come back…” A soft voice said behind him. Todd looked over his shoulder and smiled. Sarah was standing behind him dressed in her own sweats with her hair pulled back in the ever-present bun. He briefly wondered what it would look like down and flowing across her shoulders.

“No, please. I’m happy to have some company.” He said, gesturing to the grass beside him. Sarah looked at him hesitantly before finally conceding. She sat down on the grass near him and began to stretch as well. Neither one of them spoke for a while, they simply shifted their limbs and stretched their muscles in silence. Awkward silence. It was dragging on forever it seemed. Sarah bit her lip, contemplating what to say, if she should say anything. She was trying to keep her distance from him after all.

“How long have you been in the navy?” Todd asked, breaking the silence. Sarah sighed in relief that she didn’t have to come up with anything to say and that he didn’t ask her anything personal… or stupid.

“Umm, going on five years now. I went to a junior college and got a two year degree in computer science first and then joined right after graduation. You?” She asked, standing up and stretching her leg behind her. Todd followed her suit and stood as well, bending into a lunge.

“I joined right out of high school, so… going on about ten years for me. It’s very impressive that you made the SEALs after only five years of service.” He said, genuinely impressed. Sarah felt a rare blush come to her cheeks and looked away.
Why does his praise matter?
She asked herself. She jogged up to the rubber track and began to run. Todd fell in pace beside her and they started their first lap.

“Thanks, I worked very hard for it.” She replied. Todd nodded, keeping in step beside her as she picked up the pace.

“Clearly. So what made you want to join the navy?” Todd asked. Sarah smiled and picked up the pace a little more.

“I like a good challenge and this seemed the most viable option for really finding out what I’m capable of.” She answered. She glanced over at him, noticing the sheen of sweat on his brow almost made his skin look like it was glowing in the evening light. Todd chuckled and picked up the pace a little more as they started their second lap.

“That’s a pretty good reason. I joined for the adventure.” He confessed. Sarah raised her eyebrow at him, her breaths coming out in pants now as she picked up the pace again, silently challenging him.

“Adventure?” She asked, the last syllable coming out as little more than a puff of air. Todd noticed her challenge and accepted by increasing his speed once more.

“Yeah, didn’t you ever want to sail the open seas? Travel the world? Be in a submarine?” He asked, panting out each question as their new speed made it difficult to carry on a conversation. They started their third lap and Sarah was starting to feel the strain on her lungs.

“You’re too big for a submarine.” She noted, looking him up and down. Not only was he six-foot tall, but his broad shoulders were way too wide for those small doors. Todd gave a strained, breathy chuckled.

“I know, but I still got to go down in one, once. It sucked, but I did it.” He said in between pants. Sarah just nodded, giving up on her attempt to have a conversation with him anymore and chose to just focus on her breathing. They crossed into their fourth lap, breathing heavily and flat out running at this point. They stayed side by side, neither one allowing themselves to fall back or pull ahead. Once they finished their fourth lap they began to slow, easing back until they were walking.

“I like that… adventure I mean. What better way to see the world?” She said, walking beside him for another lap. Todd smiled down at her, his dimples showing. Sarah’s breath caught at the sight and she had to suck in a few more breaths to compensate.

“Agreed.” He said, plopping down on the grass where they had started, drinking from his water bottle. Sarah sat down beside him, gulping her own water as sweat beaded down her cheeks. Todd watched one droplet fall from her temple and slide down the curves of her face. He wanted to reach out and wipe it away, just to touch her, but he knew that wouldn’t be appropriate. Sarah let out a groan and stood up. She looked down at Todd and tilted her head to the side.

“I’m going to go freshen up before dinner. Same time tomorrow?” She asked, staring down at him hopefully. Todd grinned and stood up. He was close enough to her that she could feel his heat radiating off of him and it sent chills through her.

“Count on it.” He said, holding out his hand for her to shake. Sarah smiled and accepted his hand.

“Tomorrow it is then.” She said and walked away.
This isn’t keeping your distance…
the little voice in her head whispered. Sarah smiled and glanced over her shoulder at her protector standing in the distance.
He’s just a friend, that’s all
, she tried to convince herself. Her heart gave a thud and she knew it was a lie but didn’t care.

***

Sarah stepped out of the washroom, toweling her hair dry as she walked back to her room with her dirty clothes under one arm. She stopped short when someone stepped out and blocked her path, cutting her off. She jerked back in surprise at first, but her features settled into a scowl once she recognized who it was. Grant was smiling at her, making her feel uneasy but she refused to show him that he was getting to her.

“Hey there gorgeous, I would have joined you if I’d known… I could’ve helped you get those hard to reach places.” He said, eyeing her up and down with blatant attraction and desire. Sarah sneered in disgust and took a step to the side to get past him. He blocked her path again and she glared at him.

“No, I’m not interested. Let me pass.” She said sternly. Grant held up his hands in surrender and stepped to the side.

“Whoa, no need to get so catty. I’m just having some fun is all. All of us guys give each other a hard time.” He said, watching her as she walked by him. Sarah tried not to cringe at the unnerving chill he sent through her. It felt like tiny spiders crawling all over her skin and made her want to cringe. She felt his eyes following her as she turned into her room and she had to fight the urge to slam and lock the door.

“What’s wrong?” Michael asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked over at him and forced a smile, shaking her head. She tossed her clothes in her hamper and closed her closet door.

“Nothing, nothing. Just hungry. Should we go to dinner now?” She asked, trying to make her voice sound untroubled. Michael gave her a contemplative look but eventually sighed and tossed his magazine to the side.

“Yup. My stomach’s been rumbling like crazy. Let’s get some food!” He said, leading the way out of their room toward the mess hall. Sarah looked around him and noticed that Grant was still standing in the hall where she had left him. As she passed him, he gave her a smile that unnerved her. She turned away from him and followed Michael, grateful that her roommate was the biggest man out of the entire team.

***

Sarah rushed to her room once professional development let out. After the first day, professional development classes had become more interesting. They had broken off into groups based on personal specialties that they were certified in and were training on new skill sets to use in those specialties. She had no idea how many of her other teammates had computer specialties like her. Luckily, none of them were Grant or his creepy little friends. She was especially grateful for that because they would be in these specialty groups for the next two weeks. After that, they would go on to a rotation to learn new skill sets while continuing to master their certified one. The technique was brilliant—cultivating the existing skill to ensure experience that they can contribute to their team while training them in new ones so that they could potentially do any job required of them should the worst happen and a teammate fall during a mission. But, while the class had been fascinating, she had been looking forward to this moment all day.

For the past week, Todd had been meeting her at the track every day for a run. During this time they would chat about all manner of subjects. He was a lot funnier than she had expected—smarter, too. While he never went to college, he was well read and very well informed. He also knew more about machines and mechanics than she could comprehend. She discovered earlier in the week that if she got him on a tangent about it he could talk forever about engines and motors. Sarah slipped into her sweats and took out her hair, brushing it out. She was about to put it back in its bun when she heard someone behind her. She turned and saw Todd leaning against her door frame, already dressed and ready to go.

“I’ve been wondering what your hair would look like down.” He said softly, his eyes taking in the sight of her loose waves cascading down her shoulders. Sarah blushed and went to pull it back.

“Wait! I like it…” he said, holding out his hand to stop her. Sarah let her hair fall between her fingers and rest on her shoulders. Todd couldn’t believe how stunning she looked with her hair down. She looked looser, freer. Over the last week he had gotten to know more about her and she always seemed to be fighting her way toward something. He learned very quickly that she didn’t ever take the easy road, but sometimes she also took the hardest one. Todd saw the blush cover her cheeks and he took a step toward her. His mind was telling him to stop, that he couldn’t betray her trust like this… but he wanted her. Sarah’s lips parted slightly, making him take another step toward her. They were close enough that she could feel his warm breath on her cheeks as she gazed up into his eyes.
If you do this, there’s no turning back
, the little voice warned her. Todd reached up and fingered a strand of her hair, the softness of it making him entwine both hands in it. Sarah let out a whimper and closed her eyes. She slid her hands up his chest, her eyes never breaking contact with his, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Recognizing the invitation, Todd leaned down and closed his eyes. His lips brushed against hers, sending a jolt of electricity through him.

“Let me grab my water and I’ll be right there, Reg!” Michael’s booming voice interrupted from down the hall. Sarah’s eyes snapped open and she pushed Todd away from her just as Michael entered their room. He smiled at the two of them innocently and jogged over to his nightstand where his water bottle was sitting.

“Time for your run already? You guys ought to come train with Reggie and me, we’ll get those muscles nice and big!” Michael said, flexing his biceps like a wrestler. Todd laughed and waved him off.

“No thanks, man. I’m not sure I could pull it off like you. Sarah probably could, though.” He joked. Sarah wound her hair back in its bun and smiled. Her legs and hands felt so shaky she was sure she’d drop any weight if she attempted to lift it.

“Heck yeah I could, but I really hate squats. I guess my dreams of being a weight lifter are over.” She said, heaving a melodramatic sigh. Michael laughed and slapped her on her back.

“Whatever you say. You guys have a good run!” He said, jogging out of the room and down the hall to meet up with Reggie. Sarah looked down at her hands, not wanting to meet Todd’s eyes just yet. She felt like an idiot, she should never have allowed that to happen. She glanced up at him, noticing that he was standing safely across the room with his arms crossed. She cleared her throat and straightened. She had to shut this down before it got them in any more trouble.

“I hope you know we can’t let anything like that happen again.” She said, clearing her throat. Her heart pounded its objection in her chest but she pushed on. She put a hand to her chest in an attempt to calm her heart, but it only protested more at the look of shock and disappointment on his face. He gave a nod in understanding.