Page 27 of Trusting the Team

EMBRY

Another week passed before Duke felt confident enough in the Physical Therapist to take Embry to her storage unit. As he pulled up, he was kind of excited to see this part of her. It was, as she said, a garage ready to work out of with a few tough boxes in a corner that were likely her clothes and stuff that went into an apartment when she was not on a sea tour. She was doing her best not to overdo it and Duke did the heavy lifting once he got her sat down in front of the current project bike. “You're pretty good at taking orders,” Embry said as he was putting tools away.

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“Most of my experience you SEALs are Type A rogues. You do what you want.”

Duke looked up and shrugged. “When we need to, I guess.” Embry approached her and sliding her off the stool she was sitting on to the floor continued, “or want to.” She laughed as his hands cleared hers of tools and reached down for their buckles.

“We’re in public,” Embry tried as his lips came down on her lower stomach.

“I haven’t seen another vehicle in hours,” he muttered pulling her pants off her hips, kissing the top of each thigh as he knelt up. His buckle and pants slid down quickly, and hesettled over the top of Embry, his lips kissing a path from her left shoulder, up the side of her neck, to her lips.

24

DUKE

On the way back to Duke's apartment from Embry's storage unit, Duke looked over at Embry. She was staring out the window. “When do you start back to work?”

Embry looked at him, “I guess a couple weeks. I haven’t gotten a lot of specifics. I think everyone is still trying to figure out the sudden changes in personnel.”

“You don't want to teach?”

“I like what I do. It's nearly the only option when not on a sea tour. In a separate way than having our hands-on equipment in the real world it’s good. We get to impart a lot of knowledge and skills.”

“Are they going to let you do that for a while?”

“We go back and forth but the goal is 36months of each.”

“How much time do you have at sea already?”

“I don’t know, 18 maybe. Why?”

“I want you home.”

“What?” She turned in the bench seat of his old truck to look directly at him this time. “You're safer here. What if you get in trouble again?”

“What if I'm car jacked here? What if I want you home?”

“It’s my job,” he answered not sure how it turned into a small-scale battle.

“It is for me too, Gentry.”

“But you CAN stay home.”

“I wouldn't get promoted and I'd lose relevancy as a teacher too.”

“I just want you safe,” Duke said as they pulled into his parking spot at his apartment. “I'm not staying home to make you feel better. I have a career too. You remember how we met, right?” As soon as it left her mouth, she knew she was wrong.

“All too clearly, I think.” Duke grit his teeth. “And I think it is the point.”

“Alright, bad example,” Embry responded. “My point is we met working. I like what I do. I like working. I will continue to work. If we stay together and have children, I will still work.”

“Are you pregnant?”

“Did you hear anything I said?” Embry nearly shouted.

“Did you?” Duke shot back.

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