THE KISS OF A SEAL (5 page)

She could appreciate those attributes. In essence, it was what she wanted in a mate. Her perfect man would want to know everything about her and her day and her life, and then together they could set the bar higher for each other.

Lincoln did that for her. The first time they met, he took her on a swim. Not a dip in the ocean, but a nine-mile excursion that took them through shark-infested waters to these amazing underwater caves. She’d been forced to face her fear of sharks and had also tested her ability to hold her breath. The experience had left her exhilarated.

When he had followed up with a picnic in the desert where they had laid on a blanket and watched a meteor shower and talked about their childhood dreams, she had been swept away. This soul continued to blow her mind by pushing her boundaries.

What happened when he stopped doing that? Would she grow tired of him, the way she had Scott? The thoughts hit her abruptly as they reached the gym, their final destination.

Suddenly, it seemed hard to catch her breath. Was all of this her fault?

She signaled the group’s release and they rushed off for water, before they joined the rotations going through the machines. She knew she was still too early to meet her first appointment, so she walked to the top of the sand dune and looked out at the ocean. That hard knot was still in her stomach.

Wind blew across her skin cooling her as she reached the top. Shading her eyes, she could see several RIBS (Rigid Inflatable Boats) manned by BUD/S Instructors working with the trainees. Those tadpoles had a long way to go, before they ended up in her realm. This class appeared younger than they had in the past. Was she growing older or just wiser?

A hand skimmed over her fanny.

She turned to reprimand the person, and a smile bloomed on her face. “Link.”

“At your service.”

“I’m glad you’re here.” She wanted to lean into his warm embrace and kiss him, to let go of all of her worry, but life didn’t work like that. She was a grown-up who needed to face her own problems. “Scott is on his way home.”

The expression on Link’s face didn’t change. He was
all
SEAL, and his many emotions were tucked behind an expert’s mask. But she knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t happy about Scott’s intrusion on their world. “What does he know?”

“Nothing.” She admitted it easily. She knew she could tell him anything. It was one of many major differences in the two relationships. “I wanted to tell him in person.”

“Understood.” His eyes shifted to the ocean, and then back to her. “I should be there.”

“No. This conversation needs to happen between Scott and me. I’m ending this, because our relationship is that of roommates. We’re not even friends anymore. It’s like the day we slept together, our friendship went away.” She pursed her lips. Finally she said, “Promise me…that you’ll never stop talking to me, wanting me, craving me…”

“Or loving you. I promise.” He pointed to the sand. “Can you sit down for a minute?”

She checked her watch. She had six minutes until they needed to begin his workout.

They sat down side-by-side.

“I have been in a similar situation. I was dating a girl and she ended up marrying my Teammate. It’s common enough when you’re all lumped in together. You know how it is; it’s complicated when one brings people, mates, and lovers into Team life.” His fingers stroked the underside of her arm. “When you meet the one you cannot seem to live without that makes coming home worthwhile and exciting. And when you can see this person standing beside you for all time, it is impossible to let go. I feel this for you. It isn’t just love. This is…forever.”

Jessa’s eyes filled with tears. “Me, too. I know in my heart and soul that you are the one meant for me.”

He touched her hand, snagging her fingers, and lightly squeezed them. “We’ll get through this. Let me help. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

She nodded her head. “Sure.” Relief flooded her system. She wasn’t in this situation alone. Lincoln had her back.

As they stood, she could still feel the lead weight in her stomach tormenting her gut. The sand beneath their feet shifted and they gave into gravity and let it pull them down the side of the dune and onto the ground.

Whatever was going to happen with Scott, none of it was going to be easy. For now, she would concentrate on work, and that meant giving Lincoln her undivided attention.

*

Putting Lincoln through
his paces brought out her evil side. First, the voyeur in her was entertained and then second, the professional in her forced her to specifically identify Lincoln’s limits and push him past them one step at a time. As much as she wanted him to be able to lift a few fingers of joy in her direction later, she knew he was going to be totaled by the time they were done.

Watching Lincoln peel off his sweat-soaked shirt and toss it on the chair next to the door gave her a certain satisfaction. Seeing him chug the 16 oz. sports drink let her know he was pretty spent, too.

“Jeez, Jessa, you really put him through the wringer,” said Jim looking over Link’s chart. “I was going to cover most of this stuff in our session, but you marched him through your usual regime and mine, too. What do you want me to with him?”

She smiled. “The ‘O’ course. Four runs at top speed.”

“Seriously! You’re going to drop him in his tracks.” Jim shook his head.

She shrugged. “He wants to be the best. It’s our job to get him there. He can take it.”

“How do you know? Have you been running him through extra workouts?” Jim waited patiently for her to answer.

Her eyebrows practically flew into her hairline. What was she supposed to say, yes, we’ve been doing four to six hour or even longer lovemaking sessions every night for a month? Hell, no! She wasn’t compromising Lincoln or herself. Instead, she finally said, “I’ve been watching him. He’s got the stuff. He can hack it.”

With that said, she turned away and went to work on SO-2 Al Kirks, another soul who wanted a chance to compete for the brass ring. In her gut, she knew this guy wouldn’t make it. His dedication to the Teams and training was there, but he was one hundred percent mentally wrapped around his current Teammates. Every conversation began with how he appreciated them; ultimately signaling that he didn’t want to leave his current duty for something else. Command got a bee in its bonnet sometimes about who needed to be where.

Jessa firmly believed where the mind went, the body followed and vice versa. This SEAL was staying put.

She would push him, though, because that was her job. After years of being in a top position, she had a pretty good barometer and her needle was pointing to the truth.

‡

A
s the clock
struck four, she saw a familiar person out of the corner of her eye. She nearly got whiplash as her head whipped around and saw Scott Goodson standing there. His gear was piled outside the door and he walked up to her and opened his arms.

She gulped down the painful emotion of seeing him and walked slowly into his arms.

Those giant appendages snapped tight and hugged her until she made a sound of protest.

When he pulled back, she made sure that he could see the emotion in her eyes. “I’m working.”

He nodded. “I know. Thought I’d surprise you. Got a ride on a jet, straight to NAS. Damn, convenient.”

“Ah, can I meet you at home? I have an appointment waiting for me.” She was embarrassed, angry, sad, and oddly frustrated that Scott was here. “Please, Goody, I need to finish.”

“Sure.” He stepped back from her and looked at Kirks, the sailor across from him. “Should I be jealous of you getting to spend so much time with my lady?”

“No,” thought Jessa. “The guy burning a hole in the back of your head is the one that you should want to lay out.” But, she was never going to let that happen. In her estimation, it had only been a matter of time before she and Scott had a parting of ways. Goody might be good for someone else, but he was an albatross to her.

When Kirks didn’t answer, Goody turned toward the door. Over his shoulder, he said, “I assume the key is in the same place.”

Jessa gritted her teeth and nodded. This display had been more public than she liked. No one brought his or her personal life to work, maybe to the beach or the obstacle course but not here.

Her eyes tracked Goody to the door, outside and past the large window. Her emotions settled into one strong motivating force, completion. Where once she might have been sad or wishy-washy, she had the determination of a marathoner. Today, her world would change.

*

The lights in
the gym snapped off. Jessa had stayed late cleaning ever inch of the place as if she had an OCD demon in her soul.

Her fellow consultants had the brains to split as early as possible, leaving her to whatever upheaval was going on inside of her. They knew it was bad, because what individual wouldn’t throw arms around a loved one, hugging tight, to celebrate his or her homecoming and add in a kiss.

Jessa’s response was one of major perturbation or serious bad breath. Regardless, none of them wanted to call her on it; especially her boss, Javitt, who was the first one out the door.

Her nostrils flared as she picked up an odor, a familiar one. She sighed, “Link.” Turning toward him, she rushed into his arms. Tears poured down his cheeks. “I’m such an idiot.”

“No, you’re not.” He held her close, his words comforting her. “Doesn’t he know you hate surprises? Almost as much as you hate butterscotch. How one person can dislike such a likeable flavor is behind me.”

She grinned into his shoulder. “I really don’t like it. I’m not even fond of caramel. Just give me straight chocolate: light, dark, white… Any kind.” Wiping her tears on his shirt, she noticed he had showered. “Sorry.”

“I welcome your smiles and am honored to be here for tears, too.”

So sweet! This man, her man, was a rarity. Her hands sought his face in the darkness. Smooth. He’d shaved for her. Again, his tenderness touched her. She cleared her throat. “You must have finished the “O” course early.”

He chuckled. “I did.” His lips nibbled on her neck. “If you hadn’t been working me so hard this whole month, I might have lost my cookies the way Kirks did when you sent him out on his first lap.”

She couldn’t hide her smile, remembering her own experiences and the people who had pushed her. Every soul on this earth experiences pain, when it comes to building strength and stamina. “Poor guy. Did he finish?”

“No,” he said. “Made some excuse and promised to explain it tomorrow. I think he’s hot on the XO’s daughter.”

“You know she’s only seventeen.” Jessa added, surprised at Kirk’s balls to seek out the XO’s daughter. The value of his child was greater than that of his prize Porsche and he wiped the car with a diaper most days he was in town.

“Kirk is twenty. I think he’s waiting another year, before he approaches.” Link moved his lips to the nape of her neck and her train of thought was wavering.

“How long have they been seeing each other?”

“Since they were friends back in school. The XO’s son and Kirks went through BUD/S together.” Large hands cupped her bottom.