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  “Tough ta-tas. You promised to go over my language test with me.” Ward sat down on Link’s bed and bounced until Lincoln sat up. “Did we misfire? I noticed your stuff is, ah, wet. Or, was there someone special keeping you up late?” He made kiss-y sounds.

  “Misfire? Gross, man.” Lincoln tossed back the covers. “I went for a swim last night.” His roommate, though a good friend, would be the last person he told of his love for Jessa. Anything precious like that, a smart SEAL kept under his hat until it was all locked up. In his case, he wanted it signed, dated, and filed, too, before the rest of the world knew.

  “Riiiiiiiiiigggggght!” said Ward with a wink. “A swim. I get it. Keep me in the dark, or so you think.” With one finger he touched his heart and his head.

  “If it will shut you up. I’ll test you. Give me the damn pages.” Lincoln rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and took the proffered pages from his buddy. He’d been in the throws of the hottest wet dream and finishing it would have been a helluva lot nicer than listening to Ward’s raspy voice or looking at his ugly mug. “Man, you’re breath smells like fish. What have you been eating?”

  “Canned salmon.” Ward leaned forward. He breathed heavily toward Lincoln. “Brain food.”

  “Uck! Stop that!” Waving a hand in front of his face, Lincoln made the executive decision to put some distance between them by pushing his Teammate off the bed. “You have got to stop reading those nutrition magazines and taking every article’s advice to heart.”

  “I just want to be all that I can…” The man landed on the floor with a thud. “Nice. I just ironed these.”

  “And…you could eat off this floor,” said Lincoln who had moped it last night before he’d gone to bed. Since the guys down the hall grew their own breed of cockroach, the rest of the building inhabitants were not safe. Not that any of them were newbies, but inspections came at the oddest times now to prevent a repeat of the growth, and these quarters sparkled.

  Ward sat on his own bunk. “Shoot.”

  Lincoln’s eyes scanned over the page. “This is in German. I thought you were taking Spanish.”

  “I am. I’m taking both.” Ward’s hands were spread wide. “What?

  Rolling his eyes back in his head, Lincoln put his head on the pillow. “I can help you with Spanish, Arabic, French, and some African dialects, man, but you’re on your own with the German.” He frowned at the sheet. “Why do you need German? It’s a freaking ally.”

  Ward shrugged. “My mother spoke it, and I need more languages under my belt. Can’t you just try?”

  Lincoln nodded. “Okay. Here we go…”

  His foray into the land of languages had been somewhat enlightening. Going the extra mile for a Teammate was a no-brainer. But, it had taken a chunk of time away from other tasks. Important ones.

  Checking his watch, he knew he’d be cutting it short, but he probably had time for one quick stop before he had his appointment at the gym. Scooping up his car keys, he checked for his wallet and cell phone, and then he was hurrying to his car. He wanted to speed, to hear the muscle engine roar with satisfaction, but base command was not particularly fond of offenders. So, he had to make do with driving at 25 mph and allow his mind to run through the lists again.

  By the time he made it to Orange Avenue, he had double-checked everything he wanted to do. Jessa was going to be seriously surprised when he finally put his plan into action.

  Pulling up in front of the shop that had custom designed a certain something special; he hopped out of the car. Spying the meter maid Link deposited a quarter in the meter and went inside.

  “How’s it hanging, Lincoln,” said Franklin Tori, a Team guy who had set-up his own jewelry store across the street from the bagel shop after he’d gotten out of the Teams. He’d rolled out, due to Medical, as did three of his Teammates. They were the ones who had survived a fatal boat explosion. The accident had been devastating to the Teams and most of the brethren had made it a point to support Tori and the others in their endeavors. Besides that, Tori was a damn good jeweler. The man had a great eye and some serious talent.

  “Same here,” said Link as the men shook hands.

  “I’ve got right here.” The whir of the chair as it turned caught Link’s ear.

  “Hold on. Sound like there’s a problem with the electric again.” Link hopped over the counter and stopped his friend.

  “I know you’re in a rush. You don’t need to…”

  “Nonsense. I have plenty of time.” Link knew he didn’t, but he wasn’t going to leave Tori in the lurch. He bent down near the motor and followed the wiring.

  Something nudged his ankle and Link looked down. It was a giant fat cat named Tiger. The sweet fur-ball purred loudly as he loved on Link.

  Link rolled his eyes, and then felt around under the motor. The tips of his fingers felt the frayed cords. His eyes sought the naughty pussycat. “No more chewing.” He pointed his index finger at the cat and it jumped on the accusatory digit and began to gnaw on it. “Like that. No.”

  But the cat just looked at Link with wide, innocent eyes as if Lincoln were speaking about cat treats and how much he loved it.

  Lincoln sighed. He stood up and went to the counter and came back with a roll of silver duct tape. He ripped several chunks off and secured the wires, and then wrapped anything else that was kitty level and stood. “I know it’s not perfect, but it should hold you until Fox gets in this afternoon.” That was Franklin’s oldest son, at twelve; he was a bit of a wizard with electronics.

  “Thanks.” Franklin was a man of few words, but Lincoln could see the humor. “Guess my puss has been at it again.”

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re a lady killer. You’ve got a lot of cat. I get it! Give me the damn rings.” Lincoln held out his hand.

  Franklin put them in the palm. “I added the engraving. Take a look.”

  Lincoln opened the box. The diamond was blue and flawless and set in platinum with a matching band. He looked at the engagement ring first. “Faith, Hope & Love.” The words were from his favorite Bible verse and it touched something deep inside of him. It was the phrase his mother used to say to him when he was a child…the most important aspects of life to respect in yourself and others. Her other favorite phrase was, “Give only what you can, but give it with a full heart.”

  His lips pursed and he nodded his head. “Perfect.” Then, he picked up the wedding ring and looked at the words. “Jessa & Lincoln as ONE.” Emotion squeezed his heart. This was everything he wanted to say; words he wanted to repeat each day for the rest of his life. He closed the box and slid it into his pocket.

  Lincoln’s eyes caught Franklin’s. “Perfect, Frogman. Thanks.”

  Franklin nodded. “Good luck.” His wife, Samantha had stuck by his side through the accident—really, through thick and thin—and their relationship was stronger than ever. She’d gone back to work as a lawyer, and had even bailed a few Teammates out of some rather sticky situations. With four healthy and happy kids, this family was thriving. If anyone knew what it meant to find love and get it to stick, Franklin Tori did. They had married within 72 hours of meeting and had never looked back once, or so the legend of their relationship went.

  “Don’t need it. This…is meant. You know.”

  Franklin smiled. Eyebrows rose over weathered eyes as his grin grew. “I get it. Big time.”

  They stared at each for a few seconds. It was an exchange, gratitude on both of their parts, for the connection of brotherhood. The unspoken language that held great meaning for both of them; a dialogue of friendship, having each other’s backs, and wanting the best for each other as well as being dedicated to being there in a pinch. Then, Lincoln turned away. “Catch you later.”

  “Hop, hop, hop,” replied Franklin with another grin.

  As the door closed behind him, Lincoln knew he was making the right decision. He’d seen all sorts of things go on through his years in the Teams. Dating. Strippers. One nighters. Girl friends. Wives. The mos
t important thing he had learned was…having the right partner at your back was right up there with making the Teams or becoming an Admiral. It changed your life experience for the better. And, if it was the wrong soul…well, that never stuck.

  Lincoln knew he was willing to risk it, because Jessa was everything he’d ever hoped for and sought. Her strength, her determination, her laughter and her passion, and that the undeniable core of joy was the essence of her being. He was going to make every effort to see that this proposal to her worked, and that Jessa Grainger became his.

  Chapter Five

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  She was a morning person, a robin as opposed to a nighthawk. Jessa could hardly wait to bounce out of bed and start her day. Maybe she had been born this way, thinking that every day was a gift that opened with sunshine, fresh air, and big smile. Very little could affect her mood, too, not even the grumpy sour-grape she worked for.

  “People. Let’s gather.” Rick Javitt frowned as he lifted the clipboard and tapped the edge with a pencil. “I’m serious. Let’s move.”

  Jessa watched the sunlight filter in from the large windows, bathing the gym equipment in sunbeams. She was anxious to get outside and run.

  “We have just enough time for a quick review of today’s tasks.” Dressed in tan slacks with a Navy blue Spec War polo shirt and white tennis shoes, Javitt was the poster-boy of preppy perfection but in desperate need of a colonic or something cleansing to get rid of his dour attitude.

  Jessa waved at one of her friends as she hurried past the window. Kelley Winger smiled at her as she rushed toward the Quarterdeck of ST-3.

  “You’re not making this easy, people. Settle!” Javitt’s face was turning red. Even his thinning hairline seemed to scream…just right. With his degrees from Harvard and Northwestern, he was the self-appointed expert of their group, though none of them relied on his advice or word only. He tended to think more about himself and his appearance of compliance rather than the Special Operators under their charge.

  Jessa stretched and then yawned. She didn’t even try to suppress the movements. She wished Javitt would take the hint and the meeting would end quickly, so she could get a short workout in and wake up. The chairs had already been set in a semi-circle, and Jessa took the one closest to the door in case someone walked in. She wouldn’t mind having to leave the daily meeting; in truth, it would be a superb distraction for the concerns flip-flopping in her mind.

  Jim elbowed her gently and smiled. He was on the same wavelength. They often spotted each other for early morning workouts.

  Her nose twitched. Was that…

  He opened a bag and handed a napkin-covered lump to her. It was still hot and she took it greedily. Jim’s wife made the best blueberry muffins, too. She was in heaven as she bit into the delicate flaky concoction. The blueberries burst in her mouth with every chew, totally transporting.

  When she finished, she smiled at him and mouthed ‘thank you.’ Neither of them was much for meetings. Oh, but that treat had made it better.

  “Fine. I’m going to start. Pay attention, because I will only go through this once. Now, about the cleaning of the equipment…” Javitt droned on.

  Jessa studied their small group. Each of the Navy consultants in their tightknit community brought something special to the fitness center such as Jim Knoll’s knowledge of muscle manipulations and his side interest in acupressure and acupuncture. Donna Childs’ work focused on pain relief and muscle enhancement with a side of holistic practices. Bob Jones centered on cardio-control and boosting heart and pulmonary strength through exercise and electro-manipulation. None of the touch-feely stuff was “mandated” but all of them had great results in their work with the Teams.

  “So,” said Javitt. “Donna and Bob, the two of you will need to split your time between Alfa and Bravo platoon of ST-1 today. I’ve mapped out the rotations for you on the various inside equipment. I’d like you to monitor the officers of each platoon with our Set-SWAMPS, so we can compare their baselines and see if we are achieving consistency in our heart rates, pulses, etc. I will need to turn in that information to command by the end of the week, so we will work our way through each of the platoons until we can switch to ST-3, and so on.”

  Bob raised his hand. Funny, how work situations seemed like a continuation of school. The cool kids were still in charge and the geeks got sidelined unless they were the quarterbacks of the moment.

  “Yes, I see your hand. Let me run through this before you give me your comment.” Javitt looked at the list on his clipboard. “Right. Jim and Jess, both of you have your assignments for this week, but I’d like you to trade off this afternoon. I want to see how you handle the other person’s trainee and how he responds to switching up his training.” He stood, towering over Bob. “You had a comment.”

  Bob looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but Heaven bless him, he didn’t. That had to take strength. “We did SEAL Team One last week. We’re doing ST-3 this week.”

  Sitting back down in his chair, Javitt looked at his clipboard. “So we did. Way to be on top of things, Bob.”

  Jessa suppressed a grin by taking a long sip of her coffee and swished the last of the muffin crumbs from her mouth. The liquid was a serious jolt to her brain and she found herself eager to get moving. Looking at the clock, she saw she had forty-five minutes until her first appointment, but not enough time—thanks to Javitt’s long speech—to do her own personal training. “How about I take the first run to NAS? I have time.”

  “I’ll take the second,” added Jim with a smile. He was eager to get moving, too.

  “Thanks, Jessa. Thanks, Jim.” Bob nodded at them. He was a somewhat portly man and currently wearing a back brace; ‘all muscle in there’ he liked to say and in truth he did appear to be built like a tank. The trainers took turns leading runs, but Bob was off the running list for a few days; truthfully, she was grateful to get out from under Javitt’s critical gaze for even a short time. Besides, she could work out her angst. Trainers weren’t supposed to use the equipment; but most of them did in their off hours. Of course, not the way she did…with the very sexy Lincoln.

  “I’ve got the third and fourth,” said Donna with a wave. And, that would complete the running portion of their work.

  Jessa pulled her sweatshirt over her head and tossed it onto a chair. Stretching her arms over her head, she heard the sounds of her back popping in places and felt her muscles loosening. She loved physical fitness. It wasn’t just dedication, it was more like an addiction; the rush of adrenaline and the excitement of forcing her body to take itself further and further. She adored it.

  Men poured in through the main door. They knew exactly where to go and to whom.

  Gesturing to the group prepared to run, she signaled for them to follow her outside. A heady power surged through her system as ten men focused on her. She was used it, and smiled. “Gentlemen, today we beat our usual time to NAS and back, before Jones switches the rotation. Are you game?”

  “Hooyah!” they replied in unison.

  She nodded, and took off with a swift step.

  The men behind her pushed her pace even further until she was straining to keep ahead of them. She loved this, reveled in driving her body. Racing the men to NAS and back to the Amphibious base gym was an extra bonus. Her blood was pumping, the dolphins were surfing the waves, and the pelicans were diving for fish. This made everything right with the world.

  Drawing in the fresh air, she felt alive and connected to nature. She opened her stride and forced the group to increase theirs until they were racing like the devil was on their backs. As one, the men moved with her, and she could appreciate the dedication it took. Any of these guys could have broken ranks and beat their brethren, but that wasn’t what the Teams were about. They wanted each other to succeed and to exceed their own physical capabilities, so they pushed themselves and each other.

  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?”