Forged in Ash (51 page)

She rolled her eyes and snorted. “That sounds like a hell of an excuse. You avoided me because of
that
?”

Not exactly…He suspected he’d avoided her because of the way she’d made him feel. The rest had been more of an excuse.

The color of her eyes sharpened as she focused on him again. “And now?”

He was quiet for a moment, before shaking his head ruefully. “I’m still scared shitless. The way I feel about you isn’t rational. It isn’t comfortable. Hell”—his voice deepened in disgust—“it’s not normal.”

A peal of laughter erupted from her. Her eyes started to shine. “That’s got to be the most unromantic declaration of love ever.”

From the smile spreading across her face, she didn’t seem to mind.

“I’m not very good with the hearts and flowers stuff,” he said.
She might as well know exactly what she was getting—or not getting as the case may be.

“I don’t know.” The words were almost a purr. She locked her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself more firmly against his erection. “I think you’ve got the important stuff down perfectly.”

His breath hissed out of him as she pulled back and then pressed herself against him again. Reining himself in, determined to give her the slow, tender loving she deserved, he began thrusting in a lazy, languid rhythm. But each thrust grew less lazy, less tender, and before long, he was driving them toward that cliff again with urgent, powerful strokes.

This time they came apart together.

“Son of a bitch,” he said when he could breathe again, completely disgusted with himself. He’d lasted all of five seconds before he’d started slamming into her like an animal. “Maybe after I’ve had you a thousand times I’ll be able to slow down.”

That startled a laugh from her. Her face was rosy as she smiled up at him, and her eyes glowed. A gilded frame of golden hair surrounded her head. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

“Jesus,” he whispered thickly, his throat tight. “I love you too fucking much.”

The smile faded. Solemnly she lifted a hand and touched his cheek. “Never too much. No more than I love you.”

It took a second for her words to sink in. When they did, his muscles went limp with relief.

She loved him.

Thank Christ.

Leaning down, he brushed her mouth, then took her bottom lip gently in his teeth and suckled.

This time he managed to keep his pace lazy and gentle and languid, loving her the way she deserved until she shattered in his arms.

An eon later, when the synapses in his brain started firing again, he tightened his arms around her and rolled. She stretched lazily and then settled on top of him with a soft sigh—heart to heart—exactly where she belonged.

SEAL Term Glossary

BUD/s (Basic Underwater Demolition training):
A twenty-four-week training course that encompasses physical conditioning, combat diving, and land warfare.

Bullfrog:
A nickname given to a highly respected, retired SEAL.

CO:
Commanding Officer

CQB (Close Quarter Battle):
A battle that takes place in a confined space such as a residence.

Deployment:
Active combat or training, deployments last generally between six and ten months.

HQ1 (Naval Special Warfare Group 1 / the West Coast Command):
HQ1 has naval bases in Coronado, California; Kodiac, Alaska; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and Mare Island, California. Among other naval units, HQ1 houses SEAL Teams 1, 3, 5, and 7.

HQ2 (Naval Special Warfare Group 2 / the East Coast Command):
HQ2 has naval bases in Dam Neck, Virginia; Little Creek, Virginia; Machrihanish, UK; Rodman NAS; and Norfolk, Virginia. Among other naval units, HQ2 houses SEAL Teams 2, 4, 8, and 10 and DEVGRU (also known as SEAL Team 6).

Insertion:
Heading into enemy territory, whether it’s a house or a territory.

JSOC (the Joint Special Operations Command):
A joint command that encompasses all branches of special operations. This command ensures the techniques and equipment used by the various branches of the military are standardized. It is also responsible for training and developing tactics/strategy for special operations missions.

LC:
Lieutenant Commander

LT:
Lieutenant

NAVSPECWARCOM (Naval Special Warfare Command):
The naval command for naval special operations. This command is under the umbrella of USSOC and is broken into two headquarters: HQ1 and HQ2.

NVDs:
Night vision devices

PST (Physical Screening Test):
The physical test a prospective SEAL has to pass. Minimum requirements: 500-yard swim in twelve and a half minutes, rest ten minutes, 50 pushups in two minutes, rest two minutes, 50 sit ups in two minutes, rest two minutes, 10 pull ups in two minutes, rest ten minutes, 1.5-mile run in ten and a half minutes.

SEAL Prep School:
A crash course in preparing to take the BUD/s challenge. Prospective BUD/s candidates are put through a physical training program meant to prepare them for BUD/s. This includes timed four-mile runs and one-thousand-meter swims. If the candidates are unable to pass the final qualifications test, they are removed from the SEAL candidates list and placed elsewhere in the navy.

SEAL Teams:
Each SEAL team has 128 men, of which 21 are officers and 107 are enlisted. Each team has ten platoons and each platoon has two squads. There are 16 men per platoon and 8 SEALs per squad.

SQT (SEAL Qualification Training):
SQT teaches tactics, techniques, and special operations procedures.

USSOC (the United States Special Operations Command):
Beneath the umbrella of JSOC, the USSOC is the unified combat command and is charged with overseeing special operations command for the army, air force, navy, and the marines.

Zodiac:
A rigid-hull inflatable boat with 470-horsepower jet drives. It can reach speeds of 45-plus knots and has supreme maneuverability. (Also known as the beach boat.)

Arapaho Glossary

3ooxonouubeiht:
crabby

betee:
heart

bexookeesoo:
mountain lion cub

bixoo3etiit:
love

hico’ooteehihi:
chickadee

ciibehbiiwoohu:
don’t cry

ciini’i3ecoot:
grief

heneeceine3:
lion

heneeceine3 betee:
lion heart

hiisoh’o:
his/her elder brother

hooku bexookee:
little mountain lion or cougar

hookecouhu’ heeyei:
little falcon

hookecouhu hiteseiw:
little sister

nebii’o’oo:
sweetheart

neehebehe’:
younger sister

netesei:
my sister

netee:
my heart

tei’yoonehe:
baby

tei’yoonehe:
infant

wo’ouusoo:
kitten

Acknowledgments

I credit three people with how well this book turned out.

To Alison Dasho, editor extraordinaire #1—without your eyes and sharp instinct on the early draft of this manuscript, I would still be floundering. You reined me in, straightened me out, and set me back on track. For that I will always be thankful. I hope your authors over at Thomas & Mercer know how blessed they are!

To Charlotte Herscher, editor extraordinaire #2—who took the raw pages of this manuscript, mixed them with her experience, instincts, and excellent editing skills and helped me make those pages shine.

To JoVon Sotak, editor extraordinaire #3—who stepped in to take the book over at the last minute when I was down to the wire on time, and got me the developmental editor I’d requested in less than a day. You are the bomb, and I just know I’m going to love working with you.

About the Author

Photograph by JK Steele, 2013

Trish McCallan was born in Eugene, Oregon, and grew up in Washington State, where she began crafting stories at an early age. Her first books were illustrated in crayon, bound with red yarn, and sold for a nickel at her lemonade stand. Trish grew up to earn a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a concentration in creative writing from Western Washington University, taking jobs as a bookkeeper and human-resource specialist before finally quitting her day job to write full time.
Forged in Fire
came about after a marathon reading session and a bottle of Nyquil that sparked a vivid dream. She lives today in eastern Washington. An avid animal lover, she currently shares her home with three golden retrievers, a black lab mix, and a cat.

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A Note from the Author

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Forged in Ash
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