Page 12 of Summer with a Navy SEAL

I wakeup to a warm body pressed against mine. For a split second, I tense, years of training kicking in. Then I recognize Willy’s scent, jasmine and the sea, and I relax. She’s curled up against me, her back to my chest, fitting like she belongs there.

The sound of waves crashing on the shore filters in. I blink, taking in the morning light and the situation. Somehow during the night, we’ve ended up tangled together and Sir Fluffington the Third, our oversized panda is sadly relegated to the floor.

I should probably move and give Willy space, but damn she feels so good in my arms. Her hair tickles my nose as her steady breathing matches mine, and I find myself not wanting to disturb this moment.

I want to freeze it in time, savor it up to the millisecond. I lie still, hyper-aware of every point where our bodies touch.

Willy stirs, and I hold my breath.Will she freak out? Will she push me away?

“Do you want me to move?” I ask, my voice rough with sleep.

She rests her hand on my arm, surprising me. “No,” she murmurs. “Let’s stay like this for a bit, if that’s okay.”

My heart pounds. “Of course it is.” I pull her a little closer. “Although Sir Fluffington the Third seems to have been forgotten.”

She giggles. “He’ll survive.”

As we lie there, our bodies entwined, I can’t help but think how natural this feels. How right. And for the first time in a long time, I let myself relax completely, soaking in the moment.

Too bad I’m getting too relaxed and my body is reacting to her presence. Her softness.

“Willy?” I murmur after a few minutes.

“Yeah?”

I try not to laugh. “We might have a situation here.”

She tenses up. “What situation?”

I chuckle, my breath hitting the back of her neck. “Let’s say there are some… side effects to spooning. You might feel them pretty soon.”

Willy’s quiet for a second then starts laughing. “Oh, you mean morning wood?”

“Bingo,” I murmur, trying my best to scoot my hips backward. “Sorry if it gets awkward.”

She turns her head, meeting my eyes as she scoots her hip back, right against my erection. “Don’t be. It’s normal.”

Crap. Normal, my ass. Now it about to go full-staff.

“Kind of flattering, actually,” she adds as I raise an eyebrow.

“Flattering?”

“Been a while since I’ve had this effect on a guy. Nice to know I still got it.”

I can’t help myself. I plant a quick kiss on the back of her neck. “Trust me. You’ve definitely still got it.”

She shivers a bit, sighing. “You sure are a smooth talker, Hollister.”

I want to tell her how I feel, how different this is from anything I’ve ever felt before. She knew me before I became a SEAL, before I got my shit together. She’s seen the worst of me, and yet here she is.

Sure, we may have started on the wrong foot but I’d like to think we’ve gone past that.

There’s only one problem: I want her. Not just physically, though that’s a huge part of it. I want more than this fake relationship crap. I want something real with Willy, something that lasts.

It scares the hell out of me, thinking such thoughts, feeling such things, things that make the butterflies in my stomach come to life. I’ve never wanted someone like this, never felt so exposed. I want to spill my guts, tell her everything, but I’m afraid. Afraid she’ll reject me, afraid I’ll ruin whatever this is between us.

So I just hold her, trying to memorize everything about this moment. The way Willy feels, the way she smells, the sound of her laugh. I promise myself I’ll find a way to show her what she means to me, to prove that this is real.

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