Sherri laughed under her breath. “Is this some new version of the drowning evolution? Distract the trainee so bad they can’t concentrate enough to pass the test?”

“Something like that.” He put on the zip ties and pulled them as tight as they would be in the real BUD/S course. “Ready?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she answered firmly.

He placed his hands on her waist and tossed her out into the swimming pool. He was considerably gentler than her BUD/S instructors would be. But today was about teaching her how to do the swimming, not terrifying her.

Griffin watched her carefully as she sank into the water, counting in his head. After about fifteen seconds, she dolphin kicked several times and her face briefly broke the surface. She took a deep breath and then sank again. In about fifteen more seconds, she repeated the maneuver. Perfect. He nodded in approval the next time she surfaced. She smiled briefly and then sank again.

He jumped in beside her and pulled her into water she could stand in. He said, “Now see if you can travel with it. You’ll have to swim a few lengths of a pool like this,” he called.

She added forward motion to the maneuver easily. After she’d swum to the far end and back to him, he cut her loose.

Immediately, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. “I did it!”

He grinned back at her. How in the hell had he gone from determined to wash her out of the program to taking almost parental pride in her success? It was crazy.

They climbed out of the pool, and while she toweled off, he reached into his duffel bag. “I have something for you.” He handed her a piece of rough hemp rope about two feet long and the thickness of his wrist. She turned it over curiously in her hands.

“What’s it for?” she asked.

“Calluses. You’re going to do a whole lot of rope climbing, tug-of-wars, swinging on ropes, and the like. I noticed last night that your hands are too soft.”

Her gaze snapped up to his, and instant heat flared between them. He continued doggedly, “Whenever you’re sitting around doing nothing over the next few weeks, you need to rub that piece of rope across your palms. Don’t make them bleed or tear the calluses you do have. But you need to toughen up your hands.”

She smiled at him. “You think of everything.”

“Hardly. I’m just trying to think of anything that could trip you up so we can prepare you for it.”

“I really appreciate what you’re doing for me, Griffin.”

He met her gaze head on. “I appreciate what you’re doing for me.”

She blinked, and that looked like moisture accumulating in her eyes.

“Don’t you dare cry on me, Tate. And definitely don’t cry at BUD/S.”