Page 60 of Hot SEAL, Under Pressure

“Ah, and so we have returned to the place we met.” Stefan grinned as Shelly arrived on the obstacle course early the next morning.

“So it is.” She forced a smile, dreading this day. And the upcoming challenge.

His gaze zeroed in on her, as if he could tell something was off. “How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“Fine.” It was her go-to answer that worked for almost any question. Especially when she wasn’t telling the whole truth.

“You must have been happy to have a bed.”

“And a shower,” she added.

Not to mention a toilet. All seemed like luxuries after camping on the island. The accommodations base command had arranged for their use at the Navy Gateway Inn were surprisingly nice.

“You must have been happy to be back home,” she said.

He nodded. “We got in so late last night, the guys don’t know I’m back yet, so it was a peaceful night. Tonight won’t be. Once they figure out I’m home they’ll be all over me asking questions.”

She compressed her lips. “Remember. No—”

“No revealing winners or losers of the challenges. Non-disclosure agreement. Yada, yada, yada.” He leveled a less than patient glare on her. “I know.”

“Okay. I trust you.” It was herself she didn’t trust. The upcoming challenges were going to test her even more than the first three had. “So, fast roping…”

He nodded. “Let’s hit the tower.”

The four-story high tower that was usually used for the rope slide had been repurposed for today for them to use for the fast rope challenge.

Four stories. She swallowed hard. She’d been so worried about the parachuting that she hadn’t considered the height required for the fast rope challenge. Height equaled bad in Shelly’s book.

“Clay and Tasha said the clock starts from the moment you start the climb up the tower and ends when you hit the ground again at the bottom of the rope.” Stefan walked as he talked. “I figure the speed of the climb is what’s going to win or lose this challenge. The rope itself is nothing.”

Nothing to him. To someone with a fear of heights the tower, the rope, this entire course, was terrifying. Everything seemed high. The wall. The cargo net. And especially the tower climb and rope slide.

The closer she got, the heavier her feet felt. Her heart pounded until she felt lightheaded, and she hadn’t even left the ground yet.

There were other teams already there practicing. It seemed they all had the same idea as Stefan. Get an early start before the sun got too hot and get as much practice in as possible before the challenge.

She could use that to get out of practice. “Um, there’s already people here. We can wait.”

He glanced at her. “We’ll take turns. They’ll be too tired to go right back up again. There’s plenty of time for everyone.”

The shaking started with her head as she disagreed with him, but involuntarily spread to her whole body until she was trembling and woozy.

She squatted down and let her head hang to try and avoid passing out.

Stefan was immediately beside her. “What’s going on? Are you okay? Is it your head? Fuck. I knew we should have taken you to the hospital after you hit your head during the swim.”

She felt the warmth of his large hand on her back. It should have been comforting. In the shadow of that four-story tower, it wasn’t. Nothing would be.

“I don’t want to let you down—”

“What are you talking about? You’re doing great. You said so yourself, you don’t have to win. Just not lose.”

She shook her head. He didn’t understand. She wasn’t worried about losing. She couldn’t do this at all. Couldn’t go through with today.

There was no way she could climb that tower.

It was good she was going to have to tell him now—better that they dropped out now—instead of making it all the way to the final challenge and having her frozen in fear on the high wall.

---