Hot SEAL, Labor Day by Cynthia D’Alba

Chapter 5

Sawyer waited for Ana to answer his question. After a couple of minutes of silence, he said, “Never mind. None of my business.” He stood. “C’mon. Let’s get in line for those race cars.”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him back down. “There’s a story. I promise. But…”

“But?” He arched a brow.

“I want to trust you. I mean, I do trust you, but I don’t want to be found—at least, not yet.”

“Okay.” He dragged out the word. “I know you can afford a better car than that junker you’re driving. Start there.”

“First, don’t insult Barbie.”

“Barbie?”

“Yes, Malibu Barbie, my car. She’s had a rough life.”

He stifled the grin. “I can see that.”

“I rescued her from a horrible used car lot.”

“Well, that was good of you. How long have you had, um, Barbie?”

“She and I have been best buddies since I picked her up on Friday.”

He shut his eyes with a groan. “You bought that car and took it on a road trip to Lake Kincade? Did you even look at those tires?”

She wrinkled her nose. “No. I guess I should have, but the salesman said she was in tip-top shape. After all, she’d have to be in prime condition to have gone two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand miles.”

He groaned. “Oh, hon, I hope you didn’t pay much for that car.”

“I didn’t,” she said with much excitement. “I got it for only three-thousand-dollars.”

Should he tell her that she probably overpaid? Nope. No reason to put a wall between Ana and Barbie.

“Well, you should probably have the engine checked if you’re going to drive it much.”

He wasn’t sure what he’d said, but her face fell. “What’s with the gloomy face?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing. I probably won’t have Barbie long. I’m sure Randall or my parents will make me sell her. Besides having no place to park her, I rarely drive myself anywhere.” She straightened and pointed. “Look. The line has gotten a whole lot shorter. Let’s go race.”

He could recognize the change in topic and went with it. But she was almost thirty. Shouldn’t she be making her own decisions without Randall or her parents?

“Sounds like a good idea.”

She twitched nervously as they waited their turn to drive.

“Why are you so fidgety? You’ve done this before, right?” Surely, she had. Every kid growing up drove go-karts all the time.

“No. This is my first time.” Her voice was excited, which matched the broad smile on her face.

“Do I need to tell you what to do?”

“I drive the car and pass you all the time, right?”

He laughed. “Exactly.” Remembering her speedy driving coming into Lake Kincade, he might ease off the gas pedal just a little.

She climbed into her car, her bright smile lighting her entire face. Her eyes sparkled as she listened to the safety spiel from the teenager loading the cars. She was nodding enthusiastically with each safety instruction.

“Where’s my helmet?” he heard her ask.

The teen shook his head. “Don’t need no helmet on this ride. Have fun. Push the pedal to go.”

She eased out of the parking area onto the track and was immediately passed by a kid of about six.

He snickered quietly and thought seriously about not driving. Watching her creep around the tiny oval track was entertainment enough. But he’d promised, so he climbed into car fifty-four and pulled out. She was coming up on his left side.

“I’m passing you,” she shouted and laughed as she passed.

He stopped fighting his grin and took off after her. One of the rules was no bumping into other cars, so he got on her tail around the oval.

“I’m beating you,” she yelled over her shoulder.

Sadly, his competitive streak battled with his good person persona. There shouldn’t have been a battle. He should’ve just let her win, but he pulled alongside her.

“Race you to the finish,” he challenged.

“You’re on.”

And darn if she didn’t pull ahead of him and cut him off at the turn. Laughter bubbled up from inside him. This woman was really something. They crossed the line at the same time, Ana whooping as though they’d finished the Indy 500. Her face shone with happiness. Her eyes sparkled.

He was hooked.

“That was so much fun,” she said, clinging on his arm. “What’s next?”

“Upping your game, are you? Ready to try the kiddie roller coaster?” When her face lost a little of its glow, he added, “Easy ride. Kids as young as four can ride with an adult. I think, at thirty, you can do it.”

“Twenty-nine.”

He laughed and put his arm around her. “Sure, for four more days.”

“But you’ll ride with me, right?”

“We’ll be snug as sardines in a can, but sure. We can ride together.”

“And this is the one that you can control how fast it goes?”

He nodded. “Yelp.”

“Fine. I don’t want you to think I’m a big baby.”

Big baby? No way.

Sexy, mature woman? Way!

With his arm still draped around her shoulders, they walked over to the Runaway Rail Car roller coaster. Ana didn’t have a confident expression. Her eyes were shifting nervously from side to side as she watched other riders load into the cars. Then a woman and a child of about six climbed in to ride. Sawyer noticed that the child and Ana both wore identical expressions of concern. The car rolled out of the station and hit the first curve. The child laughed and squealed with delight. That might have been when Ana decided to ride. Or maybe his powers of persuasion had convinced her. Or maybe she felt protected by him. Whatever the decision-making impetus was, he didn’t care.

Ana looked at him, smiled, and said, “Okay, frogman. My life is in your hands.”

He one-arm hugged her. “I gotcha, babe.”

After climbing the stairs to wait to load into a car, Ana stood in front of him, her back pressed to his chest. He would’ve sworn he could hear her heart racing, but he’d done this ride more than once. It wasn’t scary, and he could control the speed to make her more comfortable.

“You’ll be fine,” he whispered in her ear.

She whimpered. It was a low, sexy sound that vibrated against his chest. It was at that moment he wondered what she would sound like during sex. Would she moan? Would she whimper when he got his face between her luscious thighs and tasted what he knew would be the sweetest nectar? Would she cry out when she came? Would she call his name with her climax?

“Next,” the teen running the ride said. “You two. Are you gonna ride or just block the line?”

Sawyer straightened his back and glared at the kid. “We’re riding,” he growled.

Ana did that sexy moan again, but climbed into the front of the car. Sawyer slipped in behind her.

“I gotcha,” he said in a low voice. “Hold on to those grab bars at your side. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

He hoped he’d get to say that last sentence in a different setting and for a totally different reason.

The teen was giving him instructions on how to operate the car as Sawyer and Ann fastened their seatbelts. “Push the lever for faster, pull for slower. I think you can do it, big guy.”

Sawyer had to internally laugh at the wiseass kid. Someday, that kid would be him, and some snotnosed teen would sneer at him like he was grandpa out for the day from the nursing home. He chuckled as the car began to move.

He and Ana were smashed together in the small car. The only way they could get any closer would be to remove their clothes. He doubted a piece of dental floss could slide between them.

Not that he was complaining, because he wasn’t. This was like having her in his arms. He liked it…maybe more than he should.

They came to the first turn, and he pulled back on the handle to slow the car. Coming out of the curve, he said, “See? That wasn’t so bad, right?”

She nodded. “Can we try a little faster?”

“Sure.” He could go fast. He could go slow. He could let her be in charge even when he was on top.

Pushing the lever forward, the car sped up. In the back of his mind, he thought he’d read somewhere the maximum speed the car could obtain was twenty-five mph. Child’s play. Then, he thought again about her speed, or lack thereof, on the highway. Maybe he’d push it a tad and see how she responded. After all, he believed she had way more courage and strengths than she thought she did. Walking on a stage to play the piano with a full orchestra backup? That sounded terrifying to him.

The car sped up. Ana squealed and laughed.

“Faster,” she said as they rounded a curve.

Ahead was the highest climb and fall of the ride, except for one near the end. The track clicked and clacked as their small car was pulled up, and up, and up.

“Oh…my…gosh. Sawyer.”

“Hang on.” He meant hang onto the grab bars on the side of the car, but she instead wrapped her arms around his legs that bracketed her. He wasn’t complaining.

They hit the top, which rolled along flat for about five seconds, and then rolled downhill into a large cloverleaf loop. Ana screamed. Maybe he should have slowed? Then, he heard her laughing maniacally.

“Faster,” she called. “Make it go faster.”

He laughed. “Babe, this is about as fast as it will go.”

“No brakes,” she shouted.

He grinned and pushed the lever as far forward as it would go. As they rolled along the track, they passed over the go-kart area and under the chairlift. A couple of times, the track ran over and under itself with other riders’ cars passing above and below. Throughout the ride, Ana laughed and shrieked. He could only interpret those sounds as she was enjoying herself.

As they neared the end, the car slowed.

“No,” she said over her shoulder. “Faster.”

He chuckled. “Look who’s the speed demon now. And I’m not slowing the car. We’re rolling back into the station, and the conveyor belt is controlling our sped.”

“Boo,” she said. “This ride is too short.”

He shook his head with a grin.

She climbed out of the car brimming with energy. “Let’s do it again.”

“Let’s eat lunch and then talk about it.”

She wrapped her arms around his bicep. “That was so much fun.”

“I thought you might enjoy it. Are you hungry?”

“I shouldn’t be, but yeah. I could eat a burger or something.”

He thought about how much she’d enjoyed cooking hot dogs and s’mores last night, after confessing Randall never allowed her to eat what he called “junk food.” Well, for as long as he had her, Sawyer would give her whatever her heart desired.

They found an empty picnic table, which Ana grabbed and held while he went to get them lunch. Standing in line, Sawyer glanced over his shoulder at Ana. Sitting in the bright sun, the highlights in her hair glimmered. The smile she sent him almost brought him to his knees. This woman was something special, and he doubted she knew it.

He set two double cheeseburgers on the table, along with a large order of fries, and two soft drinks. “I didn’t know what you wanted on the burger, so I had them put on everything. That way, you can take off whatever you don’t want. Didn’t know if you wanted fries, so I got a big order so we can share.”

“Works for me.” She peeled back the paper on the burger, removed the top bun, and studied the lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions. “As much as I really want that onion, I won’t do that to you.” She lifted the onion off. “You can thank me later.”

“So, tell me more about your work, Ana.”

She arched an eyebrow. “I could ask you the same question.”

“True.” He took a big bite, chewed, and then said, “But I asked first. What’s a typical day like?”

She swallowed the burger bite in her mouth, and then sipped her drink. “Typical day. Hmm. I guess that depends on the day. If I have an upcoming concert, I’ll get up about eight and be at the piano by nine. If I’m learning a new piece, it’s a long, boring day of hearing me play the same piece over and over and over. If it’s a piece I know, I’ll play it a few times. Other days, if I’m playing with an orchestra, I’ll work with their director on which musical pieces we’ll be performing and the order.” She shrugged as she dragged a French fry through a glob of ketchup. “The next day is more of the same.”

He frowned. “What about fun? What do you for fun? Dates? Meeting friends for drinks?”

“There are only so many hours in a day. If I want to be the best, then something had to go.”

She gave him that shrug that suggested she didn’t care, but he wasn’t sure he bought it.

“So, you don’t date? Go to movies? Play?”

“I date…some.”

His heart skipped. “You have a boyfriend?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Not really,” she said with a long sigh.

“What does that mean? Either you have a special guy or you don’t.” His brow furrowed.

She took a big bite of her burger. He was positive that was her way of not answering or some stalling practice. But dammit, he wanted to know the truth. If she was hiding, as he suspected she was, what or who was she hiding from and why?

“You know, Ana, I’m a good listener. I won’t pass judgement on anything you tell me.”

Her shoulders sagged. “I know.” She sighed. “I’m supposed to be in San Diego for a three-night performance, and that was after three nights in New York, and four nights in Orlando. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had more than two consecutive days off. I’ve woken up and not had a clue where I was—what city I mean.

“One of the challenges is each orchestra director has a different idea about the music to be performed and in what order. San Diego was no different. I’d been in San Diego practicing for a week but…I don’t know. My timing felt odd. I felt off.”

She picked up her Diet Coke and pulled a long drink through the straw.

He waited, sure there was more to the story.

“Thursday, after practice, one of the girls who worked in ticket sales stumbled on me sitting on the back row after everyone left. She sat down and listened to me whine.” She shook her head. “I know, I know. I have so much, but there I was crying and complaining. I should’ve been embarrassed, but I swear, I was numb and scared. I wasn’t me, you know? The girl, Grace, sat and listened. I told her about Randall, and his son, and my parents. Everything poured out of me. Finally, she said, ‘Screw ’em. Take a vacation.’

She shook her head with a sad smile. “I laughed and said ‘Randall would kill me,” and she said, ‘Not if he can’t find you.’ It sounded crazy. Run away?” She chuckled and then sighed. “I guess everyone harbors runaway fantasies, right? You run and leave all your problems behind.”

Sawyer let out a long breath and said quietly, “You know that doesn’t work, right?”

“But isn’t that kind of what you do?”

He sat back. “What?”

“You don’t join any specific SEAL team. You jump from team to team; I assume leaving problems behind. You live in a motorhome that you move from location to location, again leaving problems behind.”

He was stunned. Was that what he did? His entire life he’d moved, sometimes leaving bad schools, or bullies behind. He rarely left behind friends since he wasn’t anywhere long enough to make many, except for those years in Germany.

“We aren’t talking about me,” he said, deflecting the need to think about himself. “How did you end up with Barbie?”

“Ah, Barbie,” she said, nodding. “Once I decided to take an unplanned vacation, I said something about renting a car. Grace reminded me that most rentals have a tracking device in case someone runs off with a car. If I rented, and Randall or my parents were determined to find me, the rental company could probably locate the car. She suggested I buy a car. Grace’s second cousin owns the car lot. She drove me down and I bought the car. She’s the one who told me about Harbin’s Harbor Cabins.”

“But registration? Payment? And can’t Grace just confess where you are?”

This time, she grinned. “It’ll take forever for California to issue any type of car title. I wrote a check on a Chicago bank, so that might take a while to clear. And Grace doesn’t work in ticket sales any longer. She bought a bar-slash-small restaurant in Coronado, so she won’t be around. It’ll take longer than a week to find her. In the meantime, I get a break.” She propped her head in her hand. “It was this, or have a total meltdown. I dread facing the music when I get back.” She grinned. “Pun intended.”

Sawyer studied her for a moment with his lips pursed. “Then the plan for the week should be help Ana have fun and relax…?”

“Exactly.”

“With me?”

Her grin widened. “Yes, with you. I thought I’d sit around read a book, but doing all these things I never get to do, or haven’t ever done…well, that’s what I want to do, now.”

He returned her smile. “Then, that’s the plan. Any suggestions for what you want to do?”

“I definitely want to go out on the lake. I’ve never fished.”

He pulled the imaginary notepad from his pocket again and made an imaginary note, which made her laugh. “Got it. What else?”

“Live music—that I’m not providing. I saw in the list of activities that there’s a band playing at the town amphitheater, wherever that is.”

“I saw that. I know where it is. Parking is tight, so that means taking my bike.”

“I’m okay with that, as long as you’re okay with helmet hair.”

He laughed. “I can manage. I don’t remember much about the band. Do you?”

“Country music, I think.” She shrugged. “As long as it’s not Bach or Mozart, I’ll be fine.” She grinned. “I can be a tough judge. You wouldn’t have a good time.”

“I get it. I watch military shows or movies and want to throw my boot at the screen while yelling, ‘It doesn’t work like that.’”

“I bet.”

“Ready to head back, or do you want to do the roller coaster again?”

She grinned. “One more time on the coaster, please.”

Like the first time, she laughed at every turn and every dip. This time, however, he barely used the brake, taking them full speed, or as much as the ride allowed, which produced howls of laughter and delighted screams. His heart and memory savored every laugh, every thrilled scream.

She climbed from the stopped car and wrapped her arm around his waist. “I’m so dizzy, I’m going to hold on to you for a minute.”

His heart raced up his throat and lodged there, making swallowing and breathing difficult. Hell, yeah, she could hold on to him.

He slung his arm over her shoulders. “I’ve got you.”

She chuckled. “I feel like my head is spinning. So, now I know.”

“Know what?” he asked with a frown.

“Only one roller coaster ride per visit.”

“Well, we have two ways to get down the mountain to the car. One, we can take the same chair lift down that we rode up. Or we can do the bobsled ride. It starts here and ends in the parking lot.” He felt her shoulders tense under his arm. “The bobsled sounds a lot worse than the ride is. It’s fun. I promise.”

“All things considered, I think I’d like to take the chair lift back down. This time I’ll be able to keep my eyes open and see everything.”

“Okay. I love the lift. Leaving now will give us time to get home and chill for a while. There are fireworks over the lake tonight. I’m not sure what time, but we could do dinner and go back to the cabin to see the fireworks or use the firepit again. Maybe catch some fish from the bank and fry them up for dinner.”

“That sounds like fun, but I think I’ll take a short nap this afternoon.”

“Or maybe read?”

“Or read.”

“Something that’s going to make you throw a book at me again?”

She laughed. “Sexy romance. I think I’ll stay in that lane.”

He liked that idea…a lot.

She loaded onto the chairlift like a pro. Bent her knees and was ready to be scooped up. Once they were settled and moving, Sawyer held out his hand palm up. She glanced at him, smiled, and laced her fingers through his.

Her fingers were thin but muscular. Her nails were polished with a shiny light pink. Holding her hand made his heart race. He liked Ana. He would be sorry to see their time end. Would she?