My stomach fluttered from the anticipation of being with Erik again.

And this man. Oh my god. The things he did to me. I was so turned on watching him slay the “O” course. And then he fulfilled my dream by allowing me to try it.

But the best part of all wasn’t watching him or even him letting me have a crack at it. The best part by far was the way he made me feel when I completed some of the obstacles. I’d been trained by top coaches who had believed that the only way to get someone to succeed was to berate them.

“Aria, you are slow like turtle and have arms like noodle,” my coach Olga used to yell at me. “Your feet look like duck. Are you duck? Quack Quack.”

It was almost comical to think back on it now. But at the time, those words destroyed my soul.

But Erik calling me champ, believing in me, cheering me on . . . the look on his face when I finished the slide of life, that type of encouragement made me want to do better, make him proud.

If only I could have his support and aid going through BUD/S, then without a doubt I would make it.

I ran up the street where my cottage was and after opening the gate, and my front door, Erik followed me eagerly inside.

I let Flounder out into the yard, and before I even stepped foot back into my place, Erik pinned me to the wall.

I writhed under his body, his big, strong chest pressing against mine. He kissed down my neck, but I escaped from his grip. My hands explored his arms, tracing his muscles before I lifted his shirt off. We’d fucked in the ocean, and he had pleasured me back at his place.

But now it was my turn to take control.

I undid his belt with a single motion, and his shorts dropped to the floor.

“Yeah, baby. Suck my cock.”

Yes, sir. I should salute. Well, he was an officer. My hands squeezed his firm ass, and I pulled down his black boxer briefs. His cock was gorgeous. Hard, long, thick. I couldn’t wait to suck him off.

I grasped his balls in my hand and kissed around the base, inhaling his masculine, virile scent. Maybe he had been right about not having females on the Teams. This man was so hot that I had to admit I’d be jealous if I was his wife back home and he deployed with a woman. But I focused my thoughts back on my current mission. To give him the best blowjob he had ever had.

“Stop teasing me, babe.”

I licked down his length and spat on my hand before I grasped him. A few more kisses on the head before I took him in my mouth. He exhaled and ran his fingers through my hair.

“That’s it, baby. You like my cock in your mouth?”

I fucking love it. My mouth bobbed up and down, taking him as deep as I could while using my hand to also please him. I created a seal with my lips, his head pressing on the back of my throat.

I loved submitting to him, pleasing this sexy man. The only man who I felt had ever seen the real me. Not the champion, but the timid, insecure woman who was afraid to express her needs.

My current need was him.

I could feel a shift. He began to take control back from me, pulling my head into him, fucking my mouth. It felt dirty, illicit. I couldn’t get enough of his cock.

“Damn. Your mouth is so hot.”

I dug my nails into his ass as he thrust his cock deeper into my mouth.

“I’m going to come, baby.”

I can’t wait. He tried to pull away, but I wouldn’t let him. I sucked him so hard, so deep, craving to taste him. He grunted and filled my mouth with his hot cum, and I lapped up every bit and then swallowed.

“Fuck yeah, Aria. Damn. You deserve a gold medal for that performance.”

I wiped my mouth. “You haven’t seen anything yet. That was just preliminaries.”

He laughed, pulled up his boxer briefs and then embraced me. “I’m crazy about you, do you know that?”

I felt it. I saw it in his eyes. But I was holding something back. I could never fall in love with this man or let him fall in love with me until I was honest with him.

I let Flounder back in the house. “Do you want to come with me to Isa’s house tomorrow? She and her husband are having a superhero costume party for their anniversary.”

“Sure. I’ve met Grady once. Guy’s a fucking badass. I’d be honored to get hammered with him.” He cocked his brow. “Who are we going as?”

I gave him a playful grin. “Aquaman and Wonder Woman. We can work on our costumes tomorrow.”

He laughed and gave me a wink. “Kickass, but I already have a costume. Aquaman is my favorite superhero. You know, the first time Orin and Diana met before they became Aquaman and Wonder Woman, Triton attempted to take her away before Orin saved her. They kissed passionately before parting ways.”

I pinched him. “I detect a hint of geekiness. Don’t get me wrong . . . it’s sexy. Let me guess; you go to Comic Con every year.”

“Damn straight. We should go together next month and cosplay.”

My test tightened, knowing I would be in Officer Candidate School. “That would be fun. Maybe next year.”

He wrinkled his brow at me. I quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, the party is at seven. You can just meet me here at six.”

He sat on my sofa and grabbed the remote control. “Better yet, I’ll just spend the weekend with you. I’ll stop by my place later and pick up some stuff.”

A lump grew in my throat. I had wanted to spend the rest of the day training. But maybe I could make some adjustments. I had already done the “O” course today.

And for the first time in my life, I had a glimpse of what it would be like to be in a real relationship. Could I ever be happy living outside of the limelight? Maybe I could love and support someone else’s dreams instead of selfishly focusing on my own.

Or better yet, maybe we could lift each other up.

“Sounds good. You hungry?”

“Starved. I can order a pizza.”

“No, it’s okay. I have some food.” Pizza was a treat I rarely indulged in. Despite how much I craved the gooey cheesy and greasy pepperoni, eating it just made me feel guilty.

I walked over the fridge and stared at the contents. Watermelon, grilled chicken, brown rice, eggs, and bell peppers. I was even depriving my refrigerator of having some fun.

“Actually, yeah, a pizza sounds good.”

He grabbed his phone. “On it, babe.”

I glanced back at him. This sex god was sitting on my sofa petting my dog. Today had already been such an incredible day. Erik had shown up at my class, forgave me for storming out of his place, and had let me run the “O” course.

I vowed to embrace the rest of the time I had left with him. Really explore having a relationship.

But first, I had to tell him the truth.