“You got a different version than the rest of us got when we were kids training with the teams,” he chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, him, Nine, Trak, Wilson, all of them are fucking bad-ass. Even now! But damn they were on us all the time to get our shit together, run faster, lift more, work harder, be on time.”
“Yes, but look at all of you now,” she smiled.
“True,” he nodded. “I guess we owe all of them a lot. My great-grandfather was one of them. He and Nine had served together for decades. My great-grandmother was an FBI agent.”
“Wow, that’s crazy,” said Lennon. “I didn’t know my grandparents. My dad had one brother but he was older than my father, so he died when I was just in middle school. All of this family is amazing to me. I’m totally jealous of you guys.”
“Can I ask you something, Lennon?”
“You can ask me anything.”
“When this is done, would you consider staying here? With me.” She stared at him, hoping that he wasn’t paying some practical joke on her. When she saw the sincerity in his face, she nodded.
“I would love to stay here with you. Can I get a job?” she asked.
“Of course. Maybe you could work with Charlie, helping to edit her books or you could work with Ivy.”
“Ivy? But she’s a photographer,” said Lennon.
“Yes, I know, but she’s planning to create several photography books that will need descriptions written and stories about the locations that she took the photos.”
“Actually,” smiled Lennon, “that sounds wonderful to me.”
“We’ll talk to her at dinner.” He stared at her and she stared back. It was as if neither could move nor speak.
“Brooks?”
“Yeah. Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about us.”
“Us?” she smirked.
“Yeah. Us. Naked.”
“Naked,” she whispered, feeling herself blush. But she couldn’t lie. Seeing Brooks naked had been on her mind for days. Every time he moved, she could see the bulge in his trousers or shorts and it made her squirm. His ass cheeks were solid as rocks, honed by running, climbing, jumping and constant physical fitness challenges.
“Lennon? Are you okay?” he asked.
“Huh? Oh, yes. I was just thinking about us, about you. Naked.”
“Tell me more,” he grinned.
“Brooks, don’t be disappointed in me. I haven’t had a lot of partners and I have to say, those I did have were somewhat disappointing for me. I mean, they always claimed it was ‘great’ but I often wondered how it could be great when it lasted four minutes.” Brooks laughed and she frowned at him.
“I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you. It sounds like you were with boys, not men. Men know how to prolong satisfaction with their partners.”
“I see. So, you’re an expert at this?” she asked.
“No. No, that’s not what I meant at all. I’ve been with other women, I won’t lie about that. But I wasn’t a guy that lied to get what I wanted. I told every woman I was with the truth. I wasn’t looking for long-term and I wasn’t spending the night.”
“I see,” she said quietly. “Nothing long term.”
“Lennon,” he said grasping her hand. “Nothing long term with them. I knew that those women only wanted a crack at a SEAL. Do you know how many women who live near SEAL teams just want to tell their friends that they dated or slept with a SEAL? I think Special Forces guys are the only people on the planet that can sympathize with groupies for rock stars and stalkers for fashion models.”
Lennon laughed a little and nodded.
“I didn’t mean to be jealous,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said in a throaty, sexy voice. “I want you, Lennon. I want to taste your skin, feel your body wrapped around mine.”
