Page 13 of Under His Command

“Not quite,” he said as they picked up speed again. “But close. When they come to you, they’ll be so glad to be out of the elements, into dry clothes, with the better part of a week in a climate control room staring them in the face, they won’t know how to act.”

The image of a kindergarten class before nap time came to mind. “Gee, I can’t wait.”

“They’ll behave, Cassie, because if they don’t, I’ll rip them a new one or mete out the appropriate punishment.”

“Which entails what?”

“Whatever I’m in the mood to hand down. Either another day in the grinder or repeating surf training until they learn manners. But I’m a fair man, so I let them choose their fate.”

Turning her head, she admired his profile. “Exercising all day on unforgiving hot black asphalt or freezing in the Pacific; both sound awful. Which do they usually pick?”

“Both.”

“What?”

“Babe, believe me, they don’t want me ripping them a new one.” He said this with such an evil-looking expression on his face she cringed.

“Flynn! Both is cruel and inhuman punishment.”

“This ain’t no tea party,” he drawled. “And a SEAL is not a SEAL, if he’s not polite to the ladies.”

She couldn’t keep from laughing. “I think you must be a sadist at heart.”

His head whipped to the side, his expression indecipherable. But he didn’t utter a word, only blinked then turned front, downshifting into a lower gear to take another turn.

“I only meantyou must be hell on wheels as a commander for a man to choose a fate worse than death over a dressing down from you.”

Flynn’s face visibly relaxed, and he shrugged one broad shoulder. “At some point, before they’re done here, I’m sure many think death would be a relief. And we’re only selecting the ones who move on. After BUD/s, they have twenty-six more weeks of qualification training before they earn their trident and get assigned to a team. You’ll see those men in your simulator, too.”

That came to almost a full year, start to finish. Amazing! It took someone exceptional to endure all of that, someone like Flynn.

She eyed him speculatively, noting the breadth of his shoulders, the muscles that filled out his shirt so nicely, and his lean waist. He had to be close to zero body fat.

“What do you do while the tadpoles are tormented, Commander?”

“I’m in the trenches or getting wet right along with them.”

“No wonder,” she breathed, though she didn’t mean to. She bit her lip too late to take it back, however.

“No wonder what?” he inquired, as he hit the brakes and eased the vehicle to a stop. Twisting to faceher, he once again looped his sinewy forearm over the wheel.

“Nothing,” was her instant reply.

This only got her a knowing grin. “I don’t stand around chewing asses and barking orders like the drill sergeants you’ve seen in the movies. I like to lead by example, both the candidates and the SEAL instructors under my command. And, even though the odds of being called up again are remote, I have to stay mission ready, just in case.”

“There’s a chance of that?”

He shrugged as he set the parking brake. “The odds of that are slim. Someone has to stay behind and train more SEAL Team members to take out the next terrorist threat. Technically, I’m active-duty, so there’s always a possibility.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. The thought of Flynn overseas, involved in a dangerous top-secret mission scared the bejeezus out of her, and she wasn’t sure why. They’d only just met.

“We’ve arrived at your basic, state-of-the-art geek lab, Cassie. Want to have a look?”

Shifting in her seat, she took in the moderate-sized nondescript building, the site of her newest challenge, one that was all hers for the next six weeks until Gary arrived. With excitement bubbling inside her, she jumped from the vehicle.

“Damn straight, Commander! Me and my big brass balls can’t wait to dig in.”

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