Page 37 of Hot SEAL, Under Pressure

“Yes. I run every day,” she answered with satisfaction.

“Okay. Good. How far?” he asked, perking up a bit.

“I do an hour on the treadmill every morning before work while I check my email on my iPad.” Ha! That would teach him to be a doubter.

He visibly wilted. “Not the same. Not the same at all. And you’re definitely not running in boots, long pants and a full pack while you’rechecking your emailon the treadmill.”

“Well, yeah. You got me there. I only break out my boots and pack for special occasions.” She scowled.

He ignored her snark as he appeared lost in thought. “We just have to hope the rest of these Barbie dolls are into doing yoga and getting smoothies at the gym and that they’re slower than you. That’s the only chance we have to win tomorrow.”

“Win?” She blew out a lip-flapping breath. “You do know if we lose you can go home and this whole nightmare will be over.”

His eyes flew wide in horror. “If we lose, we don’t win any money. Andmy team will mock me forever.”

“Why?I’llbe the one who lost. Not you.”

He scowled. “No. We’re a team. You heard them. Your loss is my loss.”

“Great. Thanks. No pressure there.” She rolled her eyes. “And you know, every single thing they said up there was scripted by some lackey back at the office in San Diego. Don’t take it as gospel just because it came out of Clay’s mouth. It’s not some SEAL credo.”

“I know that. And just soyouknow, the actual SEAL credo, as you call it, which I don’t need Clay to tell me, isthe only easy day was yesterday.”

“Well, it might have been yesterday but it’s surenotgoing to be tomorrow.” She stood and brushed what drying sand she could off her clothes. “I’m going to bed.”

“Good idea.” He pouted.

Thank God they at least had separate tents. She escaped into hers where she could do some pouting of her own in private.

ChapterFifteen

The next morning came too soon. The sun rose fast on an island.

Shelly was used to rising early so she was already attempting to make a fire by rubbing two sticks together when Stefan appeared. But he didn’t come from out of his tent, as she expected. He came jogging up the beach with a bag.

She leaned back on her heels and watched him approach, not worrying she’d lose any progress with the fire building by taking a break since she hadn’t made any progress except for making her arms tired.

“Are you so jealous of me doing the run today alone you decided to do your own?” she asked.

“Maybe.” He glanced around them before squatting down beside her. Making eye contact, he pressed one finger to his lips to silence her, then opened the bag he carried.

Her eyes widened as he pulled out a box of matches.

“Where?”

He shushed her, then glanced around again before leaning close.

“I know from when I was here during BUD/S that the chow hall is never locked. I grabbed what I could,” he whispered against her ear.

She felt the warmth of his breath brush against her skin. It sent a shiver through her that had nothing to do with the crisp morning air.

But more than the fact her insides were feeling a bit squishy thanks to Stefan’s intimate whisper, what he said had her eyes flying wider.

He’d snuck off and robbed a military facility she hadn’t even been aware was on this island? She too glanced around to make sure no cameras where in sight.

“There’s also a phone in there,” he continued. “I called a buddy. He’s dropping off clothes for us. We’ll get caught if we wear them out here in front of the cameras, but we can at least have on dry underwear and something not sandy to sleep in inside the tents.”

Her mouth fell open as a dozen questions swirled in her mind at his revelations though not one of them mattered.

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