Later that night, I relaxed in my office at BUD/S. I was on night duty, and most of my fellow Instructors had gone home. The quietness of the base was a welcome change of pace from the cacophony of training.
I took a moment to examine the facts.
She was top of her class. She had sailed through surf warfare.
What if she actually passed?
My phone rang. It was my sister.
“Hey. What’s up, sis?”
“Oh my god, Erik. Guess what? I just got in early action to Stanford! I’m going to be able to compete on the synchro squad.”
“Congrats, Holly. I’m so proud of you. Dad would be too.”
“Thanks. I can’t believe it. I never thought I’d get it. But Aria called her coach—”
Wait, what? “You still talk to her?”
“No. I didn’t want to be disloyal to you. But the Stanford coach called me today and said that Aria had recommended me. I can’t believe she did that for me, well because, well you know.”
Yeah, I knew all too well. I didn’t have to tell my family that Aria was back in town. Thanks to the media, everyone in the fucking world knew about my love life.
I said goodbye to Holly, grabbed a flask from my desk, and took a swig. Then I heard my door creak open.
Aria stood in front of me. Her hair was wild, and she had bruises all over her body.
“Aria—”
She placed her finger over her lips, and quietly shut the door.
“You can’t be here.”
She didn’t respond, and before I could say another word, she ran behind me and crouched under my desk.
“Please. Will you just listen to me?”
If someone caught me with her, it would be both our asses. She’d be kicked out, and I would be disciplined.
I pushed my chair out and whispered to her, keeping my eyes staring straight ahead.
“There’s nothing to left to say. I understand why you didn’t tell me. I forgive you. But it doesn’t matter. Our relationship is in the past. We can never be together. I need you to understand that and stop pushing me.”
“I do. I get it. I’ll stop. But… I miss you. So much.”
I glanced down at her. “Yeah?”
Her lower lip quivered. “You don’t know how many times I’ve thought about us. What I felt, what I still feel, is real.” Her hand grabbed at my belt.
Fuck. This was hot and forbidden. She was under my desk. No one could see us.
“I’ve missed you, too.” I reached down and stroked her hair. “And you’re doing a good job out there.”
She spread my legs open and released my cock from my cammies. “Really, Instructor Anderson? Tell me how good I am?”
“So good, baby.”
She hummed and wrapped her greedy little mouth around my cock, taking me deep.
I grabbed the back of her neck, guiding her rhythm. If someone passed by the room, it would look like I was just relaxing in my chair.
“You naughty girl. I love your hot mouth. Every night in Iraq, I dreamed of you sucking me off. Show me how much you like it, Demi.”
Her tongue licked around my head, and she started to roll her hand up and down my length. The combination of her mouth and her firm grip of her hand caused the pleasure to pulsate through me.
“I want to throw you over this table and fuck you from behind. Would you like that, dirty girl?”
She nodded yes. Sucking, rubbing, and licking me until I exploded into her mouth. She licked me dry and then she placed my cock back in my pants.
“Aria, that was hot as hell. But that can’t happen again. Look, I don’t hate you. But you weren’t honest with me. That’s a huge deal breaker. And now, we’re fraternizing. This will never work.”
“I know. I just want you to know, no, I need you to know, that I loved you. I wasn’t using you to pass BUD/S. No one has ever believed in me the way you did, and I’m eternally grateful for spending that month with you.” Tears shimmered in her gorgeous green eyes, and the sight just about broke me. “You completely changed me. You’re everything I want in a man. I need you to know how sorry I am. For not telling you my plans, for leaving you, for any damage that article caused to your career. I’m just so damn sorry.”
I looked down at this beautiful, insanely brave woman under my desk. Did I still love her? Fuck. Why did this have to be so complicated?
She wiped her mouth and slipped out from under my desk, immediately facing me at attention.
“Good night.”
“Good night, sir.”
She turned to leave my office.
“Hey, one more thing. I’m proud of you.”
She smiled and walked out the door.
One thing was clear to me. I had never met a woman as exceptional as Aria Clements.
35
Aria
A few days later, I still hungered to taste Erik’s cum on my lips again. I was high on his salty taste and masculine scent. Had he really forgiven me? Maybe we still had a chance?
It didn’t matter now. I had to focus.
While the rest of my classmates enjoyed the precious few hours we were allowed to slumber, I met my enemy on the battlefield.
I had a date with Dirty Name.
I returned to the “O” course, taking a moment to marvel at the deep blue night ocean. I had two more days to conquer my fear.
For the next two hours, I ran the course, each time failing Dirty Name. I tried every technique I could think of. I went faster, I went slower, I hoisted my legs over it, under it, threw my body on top of the log, under the log, but I still couldn’t complete it.
But I couldn’t give up.
I looked up at the condos where Erik lived. There was a light on in his place, and I could swear he was watching me.
I needed him. Not as my lover. But as the only person who’d ever really believed in me.
With his help and support, I could pass. Without lowering the SEALs strict standards.
A lump rose in my throat. But I didn’t have him anymore. I had to rely on myself.
36
Erik
We were two weeks into First Phase, and only forty-one members of the class remained.
One of them was Aria.
But she wasn’t in the clear yet. Hell week was two days away.
And she still hadn’t been able to complete the “O” course.
Every day I trained her with her classmates.
And every night, I watched her from my bedroom window, trying to jump on Dirty Name.
It was a bit past midnight. The class had to be up at four in the morning. But as I gazed out my window, I saw a small figure under the fluorescent lights, attempting to overcome her hurdle.
At this point, it was mental. She was the most exceptional performer in our class by far.
I knocked back a whiskey. One of the reasons I’d been so against women in BUD/S was I thought we would have to lower our standards.
But Aria had shown me that was far from the case. She hadn’t just met our standards; she had exceeded them.
The goal of BUD/S wasn’t just to haze these men. It was to ensure that they could succeed at war.
Deep down, we wanted all the candidates to succeed.
So why was I being such an asshole to Aria?
Was it because she hurt me? Humiliated me?
Or was it because I didn’t think she belonged here?
Kyle had ordered me to help her. The Admiral wanted her to succeed.
If I was truly the only person who could help her pass this hurdle, why was I holding her back? If it were any other candidate, I’d help.
I hurriedly dressed and put my boots back on. I ran back to base, flashed my ID, and made my way to the “O” course.
Aria was squatting on the first log of Dirty Name. She was filthy and battered, but I still thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
She turned as I walked up to her. “Please, I know I’m not supposed to be p
racticing. Don’t kick me off the course. This is my last chance. I’m so close, I—”
I put my hand over her mouth. “I’m not here to make you stop. We’re going to do this together. It’s just like the bike, champ. You got this.”
“Champ?” Her lips trembled, and she blinked rapidly. “You’re helping me? You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“I’m helping you because of our past—I’m helping you because it’s my job. I’m your instructor. That’s all it is. Don’t speak. Watch me.”
I ran back and did a running start. Then I jumped off the log like I had done a thousand of times before and landed on my waist over the hurdle, using my forearms to propel me.
I returned to Aria.
“I’ve done that. It doesn’t work. I just can’t get it.”
I grasped her shoulders. “Yes, you can. Don’t say that. I believe in you. You have completed both the ocean swim and run in time. You’re an Olympian. You will do this now. We’re going to do it together.”
She nodded.
We ran back into the sand, and I held her hand. A jolt shot to my cock. Her touch always ignited me.
“One, two, three, go.” I dropped her hand.
We ran together, but I stepped out of the way. She leaped up and pulled her body up with her forearms.
She started to struggle, but I cheered her on. “That’s it, champ. You got it! Pull yourself up. Don’t look down.”
She wrapped her body around the bar using her legs and did it again on the higher hurdle, before jumping down.
“You did it!”
I ran toward her and scooped her up into my arms. Before I could stop myself, our lips met. I kissed her despite my vow that this was just business and she was no different than any other candidate. We were out in the open for the whole base to see. My mind wanted to stop by my lips didn’t listen. I grabbed the back of her neck and ravished her mouth, claiming it for mine.
For now.
Forever.
She kissed me back furiously, her hands pressing against my chest before I found the strength to pull away.
“Erik, I can’t thank you enough. I couldn’t have done it without you. You don’t know how much this means to me. I love you.”
At that moment, I knew that I still loved her.
That I had never stopped.
And I refused to ever let her go.
“I love you, too.”
Tears stained her cheeks. I hadn’t seen her cry once during BUD/S until now.
I looked at her face in the moonlight, and I finally realized that she was going to make it. I was staring at the first female Navy SEAL.
And I was proud to be her man.
I lifted her chin up. “Stop it, champ. SEALs don’t cry.”
Epilogue
A year after I first met Erik at the pool in the Del, I stood amongst my classmates. Of the eighty-one people who had started BUD/S, only sixteen remained.
And I was one of them. I had done it. I was the first female BUD/S graduate.
My face was plastered on every magazine cover. Gold medal Olympian turned GI Jane. I was livid at the news coverage. The success of being an operator depended on my anonymity. But I knew that Erik and I would get through it together.
Erik was no longer my instructor. After our public kiss on the “O” course, Erik had been sent to Indoc until I was through with BUD/S. And I had been training all day, so we had agreed not to see each other until I graduated.
But unlike before, we had no doubts about our relationship. We had vowed that night I conquered Dirty Name to be together no matter what the costs.
And I graduated today.
I dressed in my crisp white Naval uniform and prepared to get my diploma.
The commander of the base, shook each of our hands, one by one.
“Congratulations Class 334. I welcome all of you to the Teams. Hooyah and well done.”
I looked at the audience and saw that my mom was sitting next to Erik’s mom and sister. Isa and Grady were also there. I hadn’t spoken to my mom in months, and I didn’t want to share my happy day with her. But today I would focus on my blessings and not my family drama.
I made my way down the line and shook all my instructors’ hands. Erik was waiting for me at the end. Our relationship now had become an open secret. Even so, we didn’t advertise the fact we were together.
I stood in front of Erik and offered him my hand. He took it, kissed it and knelt in front of me.
Oh my god.
“Champ, you earned your Trident today. But I’ve got another piece of metal for you to wear.” He reached into his pocket and grabbed a small velvet box. He popped it open, and I gasped when I saw a gorgeous diamond ring. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes, yes, yes! I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
And I knew that he truly loved me. He’d believed in me when no one else had. He’d helped me overcome my fears. He was a strong man who wasn’t emasculated by my success.
And I finally believed that I deserved him.
He placed the ring on my finger and then lifted me up into his arms.
“Now, you’ll always be part of my world.”
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading my book.
If you liked it, would you please consider leaving a review? TRITON
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Also by Alana Albertson
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Meet Grant! She wants to get wild? I will fulfill her every fantasy. Conceit, Chronic, Crazed, Carnal, Crave, Consume, Covet
Meet Shane! I’m America’s cockiest badass. Badass (co-written with Linda Barlow)
Love Marines?
Meet Grady! With tattooed arms sculpted from carrying M-16s, this bad boy has girls begging from sea to shining sea to get a piece of his action. Beast
Meet Bret! He was a real man—muscles sculpted from carrying weapons, not from practicing pilates. Love Waltzes In
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Acknowledgments
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK my wonderful husband, Roger , for supporting my dreams, making Hello Fresh for me, and entertaining our boys while I write.
I would like to thank my editor, Kim Nadelson for guiding me through the romantic ARC of this book. I love working with you.
To Deb Nemeth for your amazing insight.
And to my fans! I love you!
About the Author
ALANA ALBERTSON IS the former President of RWA’s Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, and Chick Lit chapters. She holds a M.Ed. from Harvard and a BA in English from Stanford. A recovering professional ballroom dancer, she lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two young sons, and five dogs. When she’s not saving dogs from high kill shelters through her rescue Pugs N Roses, she can be found watching episodes of UnREAL, Homeland, or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.
For more information:
www.authoralanaalbertson.com
[email protected]
BEAST
BEAST
Copyright © 2016 by Alana Albertson.
Cover Designer: Regina Wamba of Mae I Design
Cover Model: Matt Zumwalt
ISBN-13: 978-1-941665-72-5
Copyright © 2016 by Alana Albertson
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or tr
ansmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
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All rights reserved.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
ISBN: 978-1-941665-72-5
This book is dedicated to all the amazing wounded warriors who have sacrificed so much to protect our country and our freedom.
Love doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be true.
Beauty & the Beast
BEAST
TRITON: A Navy SEAL Romance (Heroes Ever After Book 2) Page 14
