I woke with Aria cuddled on my chest, her long hair splayed across the pillow. A surge of lust flowed through me. It was Sunday morning, and I wanted to spend all day with her in bed. I slipped out of the covers careful not to wake her and let Flounder outside. Her dog ran around the tiny yard his ears flapping in the ocean breeze. A great dog, a gorgeous woman in bed, my idea of the perfect Sunday.

A few minutes later, Aria emerged from the bedroom rubbing her eyes.

I greeted her with a kiss. “Morning, babe.”

“Morning. You hungry? I could make us some breakfast.”

“I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t we hop in my car and get brunch in Cardiff-by-the-Sea? It’s a great little beach town.”

She didn’t reply, just stared at me with a furrowed brow.

“Do you have any other suggestions?”

“No.” She paused. “Okay, actually I do. You’re going to think I’m crazy, but ever since I ran the “O” course, I’m obsessed with Dirty Name. Is there any way you will take me back to base so I can try it? Once I master it, we can head up the coast.”

“Babe, it’s our last day together before you leave.”

“I know. And we can spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want. Can’t we go for just an hour?”

What the fuck? “No. It’s my day off. The last thing I want to do is go to work. I know men about to go through BUD/S who don’t even practice on the weekend. Just forget about it.”

She shook her head. “I can’t. You don’t understand . . . I just have to complete it to move on. It’s this thing I have. It’s going to drive me insane.”

I studied her face. She made strong eye contact with me, and her posture was erect with her chest jutting out. Determined, resolute.

Part of the reason I had pursued her was for this very reason—that she was a champion. It would be ridiculous for me to begrudge that quality now.

“It isn’t built for women because the second log hits right at your breast bone. You have to catapult yourself up and land on your waist.”

She nodded. “Yes, I know. I’ve studied videos since I failed.”

Studied videos? What? Why? Was she watching Youtube clips? “It’s just an obstacle course. You’ve won a gold medal. Who gives a fuck if you don’t complete it? It’s not like you’re training to be the first female SEAL.”

Her mouth flew open, but she quickly shut it.

And for a second a wild crazy thought crossed through my head.

Maybe she was.

Holy shit.

That could’ve explained why she had been so mad when I’d said that I didn’t think women should be SEALs. Why she was being evasive about her training. Why she was so damn determined to finish Dirty Name.

I rubbed the back of my neck and stared at her. Not as a woman, not as a girlfriend, but as a warrior.

I objectively assessed her. She wasn’t anything like the type of women who I thought would want to become SEALs. Why would she give up her career, her sport, and her endorsements to join the military?

Then again, Kyle had.

My officer Kyle had traded in his baller lifestyle for a life in the Teams. Kyle had done it because he believed in our mission. But he had also once confided in me, that he had also done it because he wanted a challenge.

I bet Aria felt the same way.

And her father had been a SEAL. Maybe she was doing this as a way to create some type of connection with the father she had never met?

Heat rose in my chest. Was she playing me? Using me to get an edge?

I forced my mind to calm and pushed those crazy thoughts out of my head.

No. I had it wrong. That wasn’t it at all. She was just a driven champion. An Olympian. A feminist. A woman who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She probably saw Dirty Name as some sort of American gladiator like challenge. Hell, maybe we could team up together and win one of those couples’ fitness events. And no doubt, we would win.

I exhaled and relaxed my shoulders. “Fine, champ. I’ll take you to the course for one hour and work with you. But that’s it. If you don’t complete it, you need to just move on. And for the rest of the day, we’re going to relax. No training, no workouts, no ocean swims. I want pizza and beer. Deal?”

“Deal.” She hugged me. “Thank you so much, babe. This means a lot to me. I feel like you’re the only person I’ve ever met who understands my drive.”

“I do, but here’s the thing. Everyone fails. When a member of my Team tells me he has failed, I say good. Not because I’m an asshole, not because I don’t care, but because every time you fail you have the opportunity to improve.”

Her mouth contorted. “But that’s the thing, Erik. Of course, I’ve failed. I never told you this, but a few years before the Olympics, I fumbled a body jump at the Collegiate national championships. I cost my team the gold. I was humiliated, filled with shame. My mom never lets me hear the end of it and my coach couldn’t even look me in the eye. But I regrouped and improved. I’ve never quit, and I’m not going to start now.”

I embraced the woman in front of me as my heartbeat quickened. I wasn’t just attracted to her; I respected her. She was the type of woman who wouldn’t give up on anything that was important to her. The type of woman who had her own interests and goals and could be faithful to me when I was fighting a war on the other side of the globe. I’d only known her for a month, but my feelings toward her were not casual.

I was falling in love with her.

Mr. Johnson was right. I should marry her.