Hot SEAL, Labor Day by Cynthia D’Alba

Chapter 7

Since they had tickets for the Labor Day concert, Sawyer and Ana opted to hang around their cabins all day. Well, that was partially true. Ana sat on her front porch, and so did Sawyer. Sure, he could have sat on his own porch, but where was the fun in that?

“You enjoy the fireworks last night?”

Ana slipped a piece of paper between two pages of the book in her hand. “I did. What is it about fireworks that brings out the kid in all of us?”

He snorted. “I don’t know, but they do. What’s the coolest place you’ve ever watched fireworks?”

She set her book on the arm of her chair. “Tough question. Let me think. Hmm, watching fireworks in London was pretty cool. I was in Sydney, Australia for New Year’s Eve one year. Those were massive. There’s something special about each time that makes it stand out from the rest.” She gave him a shy smile. “Last night, holding your hand for the show will make it one I don’t forget.”

His heart melted at her words. The firmly constructed wall around his emotions dropped a brick or two. He held out his hand, which she took. After lacing their fingers together, he said, “Me, too,” and squeezed her fingers. Three days into meeting a woman who made his pulse quicken and his breathing labored, and he hadn’t even kissed her yet. Crazy, but he understood why.

Ana was special.

Kissing her would be special.

Loving her would be more than special. He feared it would be transcendental, and that unnerved him. How did one go back to ordinary after an experience like that?

He sighed. “I’ve got to get moving.”

With a frown, she asked. “To where?”

“I promised myself I’d get in a ten-mile run today, and it’s already noon.” He lifted their joint hands and kissed her knuckles. “Want to run along with me?”

She laughed. Not a chuckle. Not a scoff. A full-blown laugh that came from her gut. “No,” she gasped out. “Not only no, but heck, no.”

He grinned. “Heck, no? Whew. That’s some strong language from you.”

Again, she laughed. “Heck, yeah, on the language. Heck, no, on the run. But you have fun.” She swept her free hand around the porch. “I’ll be right here when you get back.”

“I’ll probably be gone a couple of hours. Want me to bring some food back when I come?”

She looked at him, her smile so bright it shamed the sun. “Seriously? You’d stop for food for me and jog back carrying it?” She shook her head. “Let me get dinner for us. When you get back, how about a pizza?”

He stood. “And that’s why I have to run today.” He leaned over to kiss her and paused. Leaning over to give her a quick kiss felt natural, like something he did every day. To his relief, she arched her face toward him and their lips met. Her lips were soft, and he’d expected that. But he hadn’t prepared himself for her taste, nor the sucker punch to his gut that his simple kiss produced.

When he stepped back, he looked into a pair of sparkling green eyes that accompanied Ana’s smile. “Well, that took you long enough,” she said.

He grinned, and kissed her a second time. “I see I’ll have to make up for lost time.”

She chuckled. “See that you do.”

Pulling himself away from her was tough, like super-magnet connection tough, but after a third kiss, he straightened, shook his head, and walked down the stairs. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

He took one last look, smiled, and turned away. This might be the fastest run in his life. Jogging through the parking area, he waved at Mandy through the office window and hit the main drag. He’d clocked the mileage on a previous trip, so he knew how far he had to run out of town to reach five miles before turning back. Something told him today’s run would feel like twenty instead of ten.

At the five-mile mark, he jogged across the road and began his trek back to Harbin’s. He lifted his T-shirt to wipe his face, and four cars hooted horns. Lowering the wet material, he grinned. Four cars of women had pulled to the shoulder of the road across from him and were waving out the windows. With a chuckle, he returned their waves and jogged on, not in the least tempted to collect a name or number from any of them.

As he passed DD’s Diner, a group of teenage girls stood huddled outside the door. One of them yelled, “Hey, baby,” at him. A giggling titter ran through the group. If only he’d had that kind of response from girls that age when he was that age. Now, it was an invitation to visit the local jail. Still, he smiled, waved, and hurried on.

He checked his time, not surprised to find he was on pace to beat his own record. He turned into Harbin’s lot, jogged to where his and Ana’s cabins were located, and headed straight for the lake. His pace barely slowed as he hit the water and waded in until he could submerge his entire body.

The water was cold; his body was hot. He was sure steam was pouring off him as he waded back up the bank. His leather trainers were accustomed to the abuse, but then again, he knew how to take care of the leather. His shirt was plastered to his chest and back. His shorts clung to his thighs but that didn’t deter the rough water from trying to pull them down his hips.

Slinging the water out of his hair and off his face, he looked up to find Ana standing on her porch, leaning on the railing. The expression on her face was one of pure lust. The corner of his mouth quirked up.

“Hey, babe. Wanna take a swim?” he called. “Water’s rough and cold, but I’ll protect you.”

A grin stretched across her mouth. “If you weren’t wearing that shirt, you’d look like Poseidon rising from the sea.”

“You mean like this?” He stripped his shirt over his head and held his arms out to the side.

She licked her lips. “Um, yeah. Darn it for not having a camera.”

He laughed and walked onto her porch. “C’mon here,” he said, his arm outstretched and dripping water. “Give me a kiss.”

She screamed with laughter and raced for her door. “Don’t get me wet. Sawyer! Don’t…”

He grabbed her from behind, wrapping her in his arms. “Hmm. You smell good,” he said, nuzzling her neck with his nose.

Still laughing, she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Might as well get both sides wet, I guess.”

Her T-shirt covered breasts pressed against him, soaking up the water from his damp chest; the places they touched warmed from her body heat. His stomach flipped. His breath caught in surprise at her actions. A smile stretched his mouth. “I like how you think, Ms. Cristiano.” He leaned down to kiss her, insanely pleased when she met him halfway.

“Your lips are cold,” she said with a grin. “And you taste like…” She flicked out her tongue and touched his bottom lip. “Lake water.”

He arched a brow. “Is that a problem?”

“Not for me”

“Thank God.” He put a hand at the back of her head and held her against him as his mouth took hers in a clash of lips and tongues. Where he was sure and confident in his actions, hers seemed hesitant, almost tentative, as though trying out something new and different.

When he angled his head to take the kiss deeper, she followed his lead. When he licked her lips, she opened, and he thrust his tongue inside. She gasped and clung to him, her tongue touching his with short, almost timid strokes. Thanks to Joey at music camp, he knew she wasn’t technically a virgin, but he began to question exactly how little experience she had. If it was as little as he was beginning to suspect, her turning in his arms and licking his lip was a huge risk on her part. A quiet moan vibrated in her throat. His cock surged to full erection.

Someone cleared his throat.

With a groan, Sawyer reluctantly pulled his mouth away from Ana’s. Her eyes stared at him, glazed with wonderment and lust.

“Um, sorry, man. Pizza for Ana.”

Sawyer turned toward the teen standing beside the porch, a large square pizza box in his hands. “Thanks. What do we owe you?”

Ana stepped back. “I’ve got this.” She pulled a couple of twenties from her front pocket—damp from being pressed against his wet shorts. “Sorry,” she said to the delivery teen. She tilted her head toward Sawyer. “He got me wet.” Her eyes popped open as though hearing the implications of her words. She thrust the bills out. “Keep the change.”

The teen smirked. “Thanks.” He looked at Sawyer with a cocky grin. “Keep up the good work, man.” He whipped around and hurried off.

Sawyer shook his head with a chuckle. “I think we scared off the pizza guy.”

“Doubtful. I gave him a big tip. I suspect he’ll volunteer to come back anytime.”

With a glance down at his naked chest and wet shorts, he said, “I’m going to run to my cabin and take the quickest shower of my life.” He paused, then gave her the smile that had never failed to get him a date. “Unless you want to join me? We do have microwaves.”

Her face flushed. “Join you? In the shower?” The last question was asked with a choked voice that cracked.

He would bet his entire monthly paycheck she’s never showered with a guy, if the shocked look on her face was any indication.

“Maybe next time,” he said and winked. “Be right back.”

He flipped his wet shirt over his shoulder and raced to his cabin, stopping only long enough to glance back at cabin ten. Ana’s fingers were pressed to her lips. He watched as her knees buckled and she dropped into a chair. A self-satisfied grin grew on his mouth. He’d done that, and if he had his way, those wouldn’t be the last kisses of their day, nor their week.

After stripping off his remaining wet clothes and shoes, he hung the clothes to dry and set the trainers by the rotating fan in his living room. Navy showers were infamous for the brevity, but his shower that day might have set a speed record. The only element that had slowed him down was his hair. He needed a trim, or maybe closer to a cut. Women seemed to love his long hair, and he loved that fact. However, the time it took to wash and condition it was time wasted when he could be with Ana. Their time together was limited, and he didn’t want to squander a second of it.

His back was still a little damp when he pulled on a T-shirt, jumped into a pair of shorts, and jammed his feet into sandals. Since he wasn’t completely dry, he opted for commando, but that would be his secret. His sweet date might faint if she were aware. After grabbing a couple of beers—because what went better with pizza than beer?—he raced back to Ana’s cabin, where he found her sitting on the front porch. The small porch table, which had been over to the side now stood between the chairs, napkins, forks, and plates set out for lunch. Internally, he smiled. Who used forks for pizza? Probably sweet, sweet Ana did.

“Smells wonderful,” he said, noticing that she had also changed clothes. “I forgot to ask what kind of pizza you ordered.” He crossed his fingers it wasn’t vegetarian. He liked vegetables as much as the next man, but pizza without meat was insane.

She gave him a withering, eye-rolling expression. “Seriously? All meat. I told them to put every meat they had on it.”

He chuckled and opened the box lid. “Let’s see. Sausage. Canadian bacon. Crumbled bacon. Ham. Pepperoni. And is that prosciutto?”

“And extra cheese. All that meat needed some cheese.”

“I think I’m in love.”

She laughed. “Well, I appreciate your love for the pizza, but you have to share.”

Except he wasn’t talking about the pizza.

“Brought beers,” he said, holding up the six-pack of green glass bottles.

“I have Diet Cokes,” she replied, lifting her plastic bottle.

“Then I think we’re ready.”

He tilted his bottle toward her and she tapped it with her soft drink. Then he lifted a piece of pizza, pinched the sides together, and took a big bite. As he chewed, he looked at her astonished face. “What?”

She held up a fork in an unspoken question.

He laughed. “Darlin’, nobody uses forks for pizza.”

“Oh, okay.” She lifted the smallest piece, folded it like he had, and took a bite. She groaned as she chewed. Damn, he loved her groans, but he’d especially would love to hear one in a bed.

“This is so good,” she said, covering her mouth with her hand. “I almost never get to have pizza.”

“That sounds criminal.”

She laughed. “I never eat like we have this week. I’ve got to get back on my regular diet or none of my performance gowns are going to fit.”

“Which one is your favorite?”

“I have this burgundy one that looks great.”

He sat back with his pizza and beer and let her talk. It was one of the first times she’d really opened up about her life on the road. It didn’t sound horrible, but it did sound exhausting, and this from a guy who could function for days with fifteen-minute naps. He envied her talent, but that was about all he envied.

As she described her life and her days, he realized how similar their lives were. Both of them practiced their jobs daily until performance was muscle memory more than mental memory. Both of them had careers that required travel, even if his travel was more covert than hers. They each had a person driving their careers…A manager for her and the Navy for him. Given the things she’d said about her manager, he might have the better deal with the Navy.

Nonetheless, he enjoyed listening to her talk. He loved her voice and how her strongest cussword was heck. He loved how her hair shone in the afternoon sun as it dropped toward the lake.

As they talked, he consumed the vast majority of the pizza; however, Ana did eat three pieces, which he suspected was huge for her.

“Great pizza,” he said, patting his belly. “How did you know which pizza place to order from?”

“Oh, I walked up to the office and asked Mandy. She told me she’d seen you run by. She also said she was glad you were wearing a shirt.”

He laughed.

“Did you make it the full ten miles?” she asked.

“I did. Probably closer to twelve by the time I headed back.”

“And how many women tried to pick you up?”

He wasn’t a man who embarrassed easily. If he had been, he would never have survived childhood. And, if Mandy hadn’t made a point about his shirt, and women watching him run, he probably wouldn’t have given any thought to the four cars of women who had honked and waved, nor the teenage girls who had giggled and shouted at him. But he’d noticed, and now, he felt a heat in his cheeks, which made Ana gasp and then howl with laughter.

“Ohmygod,” she said between gales of laughter. “I was kidding, but some woman tried to pick you up?”

He gave a self-depreciating shrug. “There were a few.”

“A few?” Her mouth gaped. “How many is a few?”

“I don’t know because I only have eyes for you.”

She smiled. “That was a very good answer, Sawyer.”

A good answer and a real answer, he thought. Who wanted the apples off the ground when he held the choicest one in his hand?

“We probably want to get ready for the show tonight,” he said as a way to change the subject.

Her hand reached out and then she groaned. “What time is it? I’m so used to checking the time on my phone.”

He checked the watch he always wore. “Close to six.”

“You’re kidding,” she said with a gasp. “I can’t believe we’ve been sitting here talking for four hours.”

“Time passes fast with good company.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“Put on some long pants,” he suggested. “We probably want to head out soon. Parking will be tight.”

She grinned. “Not with your bike. I bet we have no problem at all.”

Once the unused plates and forks were returned to her kitchen, Sawyer left to put on jeans and grab a jacket. He doubted it would be needed, but the night could get cool before they returned, and he hated the idea that Ana could get cold.

She was waiting for him on her porch and hurried down to meet him as soon as he stepped off his porch.

“I’m excited.” Her face was lit with her smile.

“I can tell.”

“Live music I don’t have to provide.”

He draped an arm around her shoulders as they walked. “People expect you to play all the time?”

She rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. I get requests from people I barely know who want me to play at their wedding.”

“Beneath you?”

“Oh, no. Nothing like that, but they expect me to play for free, or maybe for dinner.”

He chuckled. “Now, I feel guilty.”

She looked at him. “Why?”

“I’ve been trying to figure out where I can find a piano so I can talk you into playing for me.”

“You have not.”

“I have. I swear. Maybe someday?”

“I would love to play for you, Sawyer.”

He squeezed her shoulders and released her to climb on his bike.

Traffic heading to the local amphitheater was heavy and slow. The only question was whether it was cars headed for the concert or headed home after a long holiday weekend. He hoped the cars represented people leaving the area. Not that he minded people. He didn’t. But he looked forward to taking Ana on Lakefront Circle without a line of red brake lights ahead, or taking a hike along the lake without a million other people with the same idea, or getting her out on the lake and teaching her how to fish.

When it came to time with Ana, he was a selfish bastard. He knew it and was okay with it. He wanted her all to himself for whatever time they had left.

Life loved to throw curveballs, to shake up the status quo. Meeting Ana had certainly been the rock thrown into his life that he needed, even if he hadn’t realized how much his life needed to change. Change might not be the right word. Evolve was more like it. At his age, most men were either settled down with one woman, or were looking for that special person. He’d never given settling down much thought. Like a leaf in a stream, he’d floated along year after year, not worried with where he was headed. Now, that floating leaf had smashed up to Ana-the-boulder in his stream, and he was stuck.

She hugged him tightly as they rode.

Yeah, maybe he didn’t mind being the leaf stuck to the boulder.