In the meantime, she relished the quiet of this moment with him. She wasn’t sure what they were forging between them, but it was good and strong and wonderful. It might not be enough to survive in the long term, but it was enough for now.

Chapter 16

One hundred sixty two of the original two hundred in her INDOC class made it through the course and commenced BUD/S. They were introduced briefly to their new training cadre, and Sherri’s pulse leaped when Griffin stepped forward out of the line of grim-faced men.

The first day of training bore a striking resemblance to INDOC. Too much PT, too cold water, sand everywhere, constant screaming, and running, running, running.

That night, she crawled into bed immediately after supper. The sun had barely gone down outside. But then, it wouldn’t be even close to up when she rolled out of bed in the morning.

The door to her room opened silently, and she froze. Stealthily, she slipped her hand under her pillow for the air horn Griffin had insisted she hide there. He didn’t say it out loud, but he worried that someone would try to mess with her, isolated in this dorm by herself, far away from her fellow trainees. He’d assured her he would always be nearby. If she blew the horn, he would come.

A big black silhouette loomed in the doorway.

She tensed.

A low voice murmured, “It’s me.”

Griffin. She sagged in relief. She really didn’t need to be attacked in her room on the first night of BUD/S. He closed and locked the door, then slipped under the covers, drawing her into his arms. It had only been one day, but it felt like a lifetime since he’d held her like this. She sighed in contentment and buried her face in the delicious smell of him.

“Enjoying the big show?” he whispered.

She snorted. “Not exactly.”

“How do you think you’re doing?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“The instructors are blown away by your physical performance. They’ll never admit it, of course, but you’re the talk of the chow hall.”

“What about my mental performance?”

“They don’t know what to make of you yet. Since the other trainees are mostly refusing to interact with you, they’re not getting a read on what kind of team player you are. They’re interested to see how you do on a boat crew.”

So was she, truth be told.