Page 12 of Twister

Okay, she had to modify that. She hadn’t been around special operators. She hadn’t had the opportunity to work with the SEALs yet. So, they must be here for protection. After Dylan’s murder, the Navy would want to protect their valuable personnel, which included her. It took numerous man-hours and a lot of money and time to train a diver. Losing even one was devastating to the service.

In preparation for a possible deployment to special forces, she had watched a few documentaries on not only BUD/s but SEALs in general, especially enjoying the TV series, which she’d liked so much. It had been gritty and realistic, and often heart-wrenching.

Sadie had concluded that SEALs weren’t really made. In her mind, the Navy could only take those raw elements,physical strength, academic intelligence, mental tenacity, and unwavering commitment, and allow them to evolve into these warriors. The SEALs were dedicated to their teammates in a way that was unimaginable for most Americans. No matter how far the Navy went to train and educate them on everything from war to moral responsibility, their ethical and patriotic foundations were laid long before the Navy had anything to do with it.

These men were a cut above. After all that watching, and from her own experience with becoming a diver, she was aware she was walking amongst the one percent of men in this country who never quit, never gave up, and were never out of the fight. These men who often had to travel thousands of miles in just a few hours, just to be inserted by physically exhausting methods so as not to be detected, while carrying a load that would make a pack mule balk. They were often cold, wet, sleep-deprived, and hungry…for days.

But after the information dump, she was more confused than ever about this deployment. Diving was always dangerous, but this was over the top. Wasn’t it? What was going on that required this type of protection? This mission didn’t seem worth their time.

As Sadie glanced back toward the aircraft, she could see the SEALs collecting their equipment. They were tossing around their steel-caged tactical lockers like they weighed nothing, but the way it made their biceps bulge told her differently. All right, she thought, that was enough of that thinking, because she was getting turned on.

She took in her surroundings. She had been deployed more than a few times but never in this country. Bali was a province of Indonesia, along with three small islands off its coast. They had landed in the provincial capital of Denpasar, one of the most overcrowded cities with most of its population Hindu. Bali had a couple of distinctions. It was part of the Coral Triangle, filledwith the highest biodiversity of marine species, especially fish and turtles. It was also in a dangerous network called the Ring of Fire, extending to Peru and Chile on the other side of the ocean. This ring was full of active and inactive volcanoes and earthquakes. Bali’s Mount Agung, one of the biggest, and had recently erupted only a few years ago. All that power under the surface just waiting to explode and consume everything around it reminded her of the grumpy SEAL.

How would that kind of man be in bed? Aggressive and fast like his lifestyle? Gentle and slow? Suddenly, against her will, her senses came alive, adding to the desire unfurling inside her. Stars, he had the broadest shoulders, and since she was so close behind him, she could smell the arousing scent of a hot-blooded male.

Whatever way he was in private, she had no doubt he had a thing for control, a dominant male who couldn’t be anything other than sexually assertive. But that also turned her on. Maybe in her job she had to be confident and tough, but with him, she’d revel in surrendering and had no qualms about being overpowered, taken. The thrill of it coursed through her. It could only be temporary, of course, as she was focused on advancing in her career, and time was so limited. Besides, she often found it hard to say no in normal circumstances. If she got involved with a man like that, she worried he would overwhelm her senses until she was just too pliable. There didn’t seem any danger of that since he’d rejected her completely. Oh well, a girl could dream.

Undeniably turned on, her own body responded to the onslaught of her wicked thoughts. Her breasts grew tight, her stomach tumbled, and she pulsed with an aching need between her thighs thinking about this powerful man sliding deep, deep inside her…

This was a first for her, and her face grew hot, then hotter, the warm, humid air of Bali doing nothing to alleviate that heat. She had no idea why she was reacting to him this way, especially after he’d been so rude. She’d heard about chemistry, but she’d never experienced anything like this.

Her grumpy sleeping beauty and his buddies hit the bottom of the plane’s ramp, immediately drawing stares from anyone in the vicinity, which probably wasn’t an unusual reaction when the eight of them were together. They all possessed that military demeanor and confident attitude, and as a group in a male-dominated job, the intimidation factor was limitless.

They crossed the runway to the terminal and filed inside. They regrouped near the entrance, and Sadie’s stomach protested loudly, so loudly one of the SEALs turned to look at her.

“Right? Making a beeline to the food the minute I get a chance.” He flashed her a boyish grin. He reached out his hand. “Easy—Matt Hitchcock.”

She shook his hand and smiled back. “So, why are you guys here?”

He smiled again. “For you.”

She had suspected as much, but it was just a bit more exhilarating to know it for a fact. She was only one diver among many who would be salvaging the wreck, but it made her feel very special to be assigned these men to protect her.

“Thank you.”

He nodded. “I’m sure we’ll get a brief, but, in the meantime, I can introduce you to the guys. That’s Shark, then Flash. The big guy is Brawler, then our Master Chief Bondo, and our LT Tex. That guy is Dagger, and next to him is our medic, Twister.”

Twister. She was feeling all twisted up right about now. That name fit her grumpy sleeping beauty to a T. She definitely wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

“If you scowl any harder,you’re going to hurt yourself. She’s not the enemy, Twist.” Dagger walked beside him, talking long strides. Both of them were starving and the terminal promised food…especially coffee. He could use a hot cup of java right about now. That short nap on the plane took some of the edge off, but he wouldn’t say no to more sleep.

Twister was only half listening to Dagger’s rant over the quality of the coffee. Truth was, it wasn’t that bad. Dagger had just become a coffee snob since that shop opened around the corner from his house. And, he had no idea how dangerous Sadie was to him. His conscience was getting the better of him. He had been so fucking rude, and it didn’t sit well with him.

They entered the terminal and made their way to the commercial part of the airport to pick up their transportation. “She’s…scary.”

Dagger chuckled. “What? She’s adorable, with some very nice assets. Really. She doesn’t look like she’d hurt a fly.”

“Maybe not physically.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Don’t say it like you’re some kind of sage on relationships.”

Dagger chuckled again. “Wow, she’s got you spinning.”

“I was so fucking rude,” he growled. It was his upbringing. His parents were amazing in so many ways, but giving him manners, even though he was as unruly as hell, was one of the more ingrained ones. He’d hurt her feelings. She tried to shake it off, but he’d actually made her feel bad for helping him.

“You do wake up grumpy,” Dagger said like he was talking to a little boy.

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