The Soul of a SEAL

by Anne Elizabeth

  “I didn’t either.”

  As tears fell on the glass, he touched his finger to each fat, wet drop, wishing he could touch it, to hold her and comfort her. His eyes sought hers. “I love you, Kimberly.”

  He didn’t like the dark circles under her eyes or the tension around her mouth. “You need to rest, my love,” he said.

  “I know. It’s just, I love you too. I wouldn’t let them give up on you.” She sniffed and mopped her face. She kissed the glass and then wiped away the mark. “Enough of that. Who wants to see a weeping woman when they wake up?” She smiled weakly at him, forcing her face to morph into a brightness she didn’t feel.

  Bennett attempted to comfort her. “Soon I’ll have you in my arms.”

  She merely nodded. Her fingers pulled at the edges of the semi-wet tissue. “Until then, I’ve made all the arrangements,” she said. “When SECNAV signs off on your transfer, we’ll go to the Lester Facility, and you’ll enter our hyperbaric chamber. It’s fully equipped to handle your decompression, and the best part is that we have a glass chamber next to it for husbands or wives, so they can keep their loved ones company. That was my idea, though I never realized I would be the first person to use it.”

  “Looking forward to it,” Bennett said. He listened to her ramble on. It was the sweetest sound he could remember. His eyelids were heavy, and he drifted to sleep with her almost close enough to touch, the sound and vibration of her voice already working its magic deep inside his heart and soul.

  * * *

  His lady could move mountains. Kimberly was some kind of miracle worker, to have kept her promise as she had. Within two hours of Bennett waking up, SECNAV had signed off on the transfer and the portable chamber was loaded onto a truck with several armed guards, a medical team from the Lester Facility, and her.

  At first, the place had really worked for him. But six days trapped in the Lester Facility’s hyperbaric chamber frayed his remaining nerves. Pacing was not an easy task. In the main room were a table and chair and several monitoring devices. He spent most of his time on the treadmill or the stationary bike, and he made use of the full set of weights.

  True, it was better than the cramped, portable version, the one Amphibious Base had, but being trapped was like caging the human spirit and expecting it to thrive. He spent two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening running, just to pass the time. His bones ached now and then. According to the osteopath, he hadn’t been up there long enough to lose bone density, but, he still felt weird, as if his body were still adjusting to normal gravity. Her prescription was to walk five miles a day and keep increasing it.

  Running was his preference. With his eyes closed, he pictured his feet sinking into the sand as he ran down the beach from the Amphibious Base to the edge of Naval Air Station North Island. As he passed the Hotel Del Coronado, he saw workers cleaning the chairs and straightening up from the night before. At 0400, the beaches were mostly deserted, and he enjoyed the sparsity of humanity and the peacefulness.

  He splashed into the foamy tide on his way home, the spray bouncing up, hitting his body and dotting his shorts and shirt with salt water. As he looked across the waves, he saw dolphins surfing and birds screeching as they flew in circles above them. The birds waited for the dolphins to halt their nonsensical playtime antics and then got to work, driving the fish to the surface of the water.

  A noise alerted Bennett, and his eyelids fluttered.

  “Your heart rate and blood pressure are optimal, Captain Sheraton,” said Nurse Francesca Bixby over the intercom. Her husband was a nurse too, and he recorded the readings into a chart. The chemistry between the married couple was obvious, and Bennett envied their stolen caresses and kisses.

  Right! Reality. He nodded his head. “Thank you.”

  Hearing a voice piping into the middle of his mental mechanisms kind of ruined the fantasy, but hell, there was a staff of twenty watching him during the day and a staff of ten at night. Seemed like overkill to him, but Kimberly said it was a necessary precaution.

  If he’d had to put his finger on the three things he hated most about being in the chamber, in order of importance, it would be being unable to hold Kimberly, loss of freedom to run outside, and smells. Other than his own scent, there was no smell to this place. Barren of anything, it made him crave foods that had odors. Not that the doctors would allow anything but very bland, digestible meals.

  Of course, being in the Lester Facility with Kimberly was significantly better than hanging out in the other hyperbaric option, a tiny one-window chamber at Balboa Naval Hospital. He’d visited Teammates there who had gotten the bends while on deep dives. It wasn’t a pretty place. No soft bed, workout equipment, or luxuries of any kind. The bathroom consisted of a corner unit that was open to the entire room. The Lester Facility, on the other hand, was incredible. He shouldn’t complain, or even get frustrated. He was a very blessed soul!

  His lady dictated most of his care, and she made sure that his meals were loaded with his favorite items. She even slipped him several research projects to keep his mind engaged. In the evenings, when the main medical group left for the night, the on-site evening staff were present. They were mindful of his privacy and allowed night mode—darkened windows, intercoms and monitoring cameras off, and physical monitors disengaged—so he and Kimberly could “talk.” With a thin piece of glass between them, it forced their intimacy to be…creative.

  Stretching out on the bed, he tucked his hands behind his neck and waited for her to arrive. From this angle, he could see the other glassed-in room. It mirrored his own space, except hers had a door that she could leave through at any time.

  “Sally, can you give me the highlights of the day?” Bennett waited. When she didn’t respond immediately, he called out for her again. “Sally?”

  “Sorry for the delay, Bennett. Kimberly wishes to tell you the main news of the day. She will arrive in 4.329 minutes.” The computer clicked off.

  He counted to himself until he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. There she was! His lady.

  She bounded onto the bed. Pressing her face against the glass, she kissed it, and then wiped off her lip print. She pushed the intercom button to On and lay down next to him.

  “What’s cooking?” he asked. Her face was lit with joy. Her eyes sparked with mischief, and he knew she was up to something. “Give it up…”

  Tucking her hair behind her ears, she said, “I found a new planet. My mother had spotted something she thought was a new planet over twenty-five years ago, but after a few weeks it disappeared. The other day, I had this hunch, so I checked the coordinates she used, and there it was. My calculations show that the planet reveals itself every twenty-five-point-seven years. Since it’s orbiting something up there, I hypothesized that it’s moving around something big.”

  He sat up, leaning against the glass that separated them. “Congratulations! That’s astounding.”

  “I know, right?” She took a deep breath and on the exhale, spoke very quickly. “Well, as you know, I have the privilege of naming it, so I chose Sheraton Warren, for you and for my mom. I’m in there too, if they need the name of the person who identified it. I just…needed the two people who have changed my life to go down in astronomy history with me.”

  His fingertips brushed the glass along the place where her cheek touched. “I’m honored, my love.”

  Her smile was warm, inviting. “I’m glad you like my surprise. And I have another for you too.” Standing up on the bed, she slowly unbuttoned her lab coat to reveal a cherry-red negligee made of lace.

  Blood rushed from his head to places lower on his body as he grinned at her. “I hope you’re keeping all of these beautiful nighties, because I want a rematch with them. I’m going to remove several of them with my teeth. This one is special. I’m taking it off you with my tongue.”

  She laughed. “How on earth a
re you going to do that?”

  “I’m creative.” He winked at her, and then he stood and removed his running shorts. He turned on the radio, and a light jazz song filled the room. His delight brimmed as he watched her dance to music, performing for him—making him laugh and ache with desire. Then she lay on the bed as close to him as she could get. Her fingertips traced the outline of the nightie over her body before she wet two fingers. She rubbed them over her lips, down her neck, between her breasts, and over her nipples.

  His cock was ramrod straight, and he cupped it in the palm of his hand.

  The sexiness of her teasing her nipples with the edge of her pink, polished, and glittery fingernails made his hips involuntarily thrust in the air. She knew exactly how to push his seduction buttons, and this show was tailor-made to bring satisfaction.

  “If only I could touch you…” His voice trailed off. Need beat at his psyche. It had been too long since he held her, stroked her, made her utter those sweet sexy noises, and smelled the glory of her skin and hair. Thinking of it made his mind conjure up the combined scents of lavender and jasmine.

  “Uh-huh. I know. Me too,” she replied in a breathy voice. Her eyes were locked to his, her eyelashes sweeping down in lazy arcs now and then as her fingers found a sweet spot. Continuing her seduction, she slowly lowered one shoulder strap and then the other one. Her nipples shone through the lace, the rosy tips thrusting firmly between the patterns of the flower design of the lingerie.

  He groaned.

  When she finally pulled the nightie down over her breasts, Bennett wondered how long it would take to put his chair through the glass partition. If it had been normal glass, that would have been one thing, but as a wall in the chamber, there were many other elements and design structures involved to create a pressure seal.

  “Uh-uh-uh. Easy, SEAL. I’m yours, now and forever.” She pushed the red lace past her waist and over her hips. She dropped it on the end of the bed, and the fabric seemed empty and uninteresting. The woman definitely made the garment breathtaking.

  “Eyes here,” she said, directing his gaze back to her own. Opening her mouth, she placed two fingers inside and laved them with her tongue until they glistened with wetness. Then she trailed a line down her stomach, over muscles that twitched with delight at the attention, until she reached the heavenly patch he wanted to settle his head against.

  His voice was husky with desire as he watched her rub her fingers against the tiny nub. “With my lips and tongue, I’d part those lush lips and tease my way to your clit,” he said.

  Her hips lifted, responding to him, and gave him a glorious view of her most sacred place. Her fingers toyed with the plump flesh of her thighs and labia until his breathing became ragged.

  “Gorgeous,” he sighed.

  “So handsome,” she returned. “My sexy astronaut who’s traveled to places high in the heavens.”

  “I know what heaven means with you in my life, Kimberly.”

  A smile lit up her eyes, and her face was such a thing of beauty, she had to knock on the glass to get his attention. “Bennett. Watch me…” Her fingers moved between her thighs, sinking into her sheath. Her throat constricted, issuing a series of moans. In and out her fingers moved until her body shook with the need for release.

  His hand kept time with her with a rapid up-and-down motion as he rubbed his shaft. He wanted to bring himself at the same time she came. “Yes, my love, that’s it. Now, come with me. Come for me. Show me how you can glisten and shine.”

  “Bennett!” she cried out as her body shook with a climax, spasms making her body shake with the enormous release.

  “Kimberly,” he sighed as his body drove over the edge, all due to her boldness, beauty, and bravery. It was a rare woman that could come while someone else stood mere feet away. Granted, they had privacy with the darkened chamber windows, and the intercoms and monitors were off, but still… They knew. And his Kimberly didn’t give a flip about it.

  Side by side, they lay naked. His hand was on the glass, and hers was on the same spot on the other side. Her hand looked small against his. Picturing it wrapped around his cock made him partially hard again. He dropped his hand. Rolling onto his side, he looked her up and down. “How did I land such a stunning lady?” he asked.

  “Brains and brawn, Bennett: two attributes that are oftentimes lacking in this world.” She shifted her position until she was lying on her stomach, her knees bent and her feet kicking at the air. “I have more good news. I spoke with Dr. Timmox, and as you know, they’ve been adjusting the pressure. You’ve been at a normal setting for two days now without any ill effects. Tomorrow, you’re being released.”

  “Thank God!” he shouted. He whooped with delight. “Hooyah!”

  She pointed her index finger at him and then tapped the glass with her fingernails to get his attention. “Bennett. Don’t get any silly ideas. You are still required to stay within the Lester Facility through the rest of the week, and you have to wear a monitoring harness for two more days. After that, you can go anywhere you want—within reason, of course.”

  He touched his ear. “Did they mention anything about my eardrum?” It had burst while he descended to Earth in the space shuttle. The rapid speed had really done a number on him, not that he’d had any choice in the matter. At the time, it was a life-or-death decision. Given that he was back on Earth safely—and had recovered enough to fool around with his lady—it had been the optimal choice. Sacrificing his hearing was probably a small price to pay. His other eardrum had been damaged by routine gunfire, but hey, there were amazing hearing devices and innovative surgeries out there. He’d meet this challenge the same way he did all the others: one step at a time.

  Kimberly leaned her whole body against the glass. His fingers traced the outline of her body. The cool glass barrier did little to ease his desire. He wanted to feel her skin against his and drink from those gorgeous red lips until he was drunk on her kisses.

  “Soon,” he sighed. “Holding you cannot come soon enough.”

  * * *

  The day of release did more for his sanity than anything else.

  Kimberly stood on the other side of the door, and she rushed into his arms and held him tight before he was even out of the chamber. He didn’t mind it one bit. He enfolded her and relished the scent of her hair and the softness of her skin.

  “Captain Sheraton, we will need to take your vitals before you go back to your quarters, and you’ll need to wear this monitor so we can keep an eye on your heart rate,” said a voice from behind them.

  Slowly, Bennett loosened his embrace and faced the voice. He looked the eager doctors up and down, and said, “No offense, but I don’t want anyone monitoring me for the next seventy hours except her.” With that, he took Kimberly’s hand, and they walked out of the room and down one of the long facility hallways. As they came to a fork, he said, “I don’t know where I’m going…”

  “We’re underground, that’s why. Follow me.” She tugged him toward the left side of the hallway, and then they hitched a ride on a small tram that dropped them at Kimberly’s door. She swiped her badge over the sensor and pulled him in behind her. “My quarters are more comfortable.”

  The door closed, and they were finally, truly alone—not just being ignored or given privacy by the medical staff. This room was completely unmonitored, except for… “Sally, can you log off or turn off?” asked Bennett.

  “Yes, Captain. Good day.” The computer logged off.

  A weight lifted from him, even as his body thrummed with exhaustion. “How could a walk and a ride tire me out?”

  “Gravity.” She pulled her sweater over her head and took off her pink lace bra. His eyes followed her every movement as she released the snap on her pants. She wiggled out of them and her lacy pink underwear. “We don’t have to make love. I just want to hold you.”

  “Hell with
that!” he said, practically ripping off his clothes. He scooted back on the bed and opened his arms to her. The minute her naked body lay against his, part of his soul released the tension that had been inside of him. He remembered the moment in space, when he wasn’t sure whether or not he was going to make it. He hadn’t wanted to be another piece of space junk floating around the Earth, making her hate the stars because they were separated forever. His eyes filled with tears as emotion squeezed his chest.

  She hugged him tightly. She didn’t say a word as his tears fell on her. Kimberly just held on to him.

  When the feelings were spent, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and then pulled her up so her face was even with his. He kissed her, and her response reached into his soul, touching him, filling him up, until the place that had once been empty brimmed with her and their love for each other.

  Her hands stroked him, scratching fingernails over his scalp and then down his neck and shoulders. Like a cat, he moved into the touch until her fingers caressed his muscles and moved lower on his chest, tracing the hair line until it reached his shaft. Wrapping around, she held him tenderly and reverently.

  His lips sought hers, getting lost in her soft kisses as she stroked him, the firm hold driving him closer to the edge as she stroked from base to top, over and over. When he was close to coming, he broke the kiss, his hands seeking to pleasure her.

  One touch showed him that she was wet, ready, and aching for him. He couldn’t resist pleasuring her, bringing her to the brink and watching her come. The sounds of her pleasure made him harder, and his body ached with the need to be inside her.

  With his hands on her hips, he guided her onto his waiting cock. She sighed as she sank onto him. His body was encased in the most exquisite place, and he never wanted to leave.

  Her hands braced on his chest, and she slowly moved, scooting her hips back and forth as she changed her rhythm, pulsing up and down. His hands sought hers. Entwining their fingers, they locked their eyes together as their bodies moved as one. The connection was intense, as if they were inside each other’s soul. They climbed the peaks of their excitement until there was nothing left of their desire except pure bliss.