Chapter 7 #4
She apparently didn’t realize how much she’d just rocked his world, because she kept talking.
“I knew the swim was going to suck. I could get by without using my left arm more in the other sports, but you need both arms in the freestyle. It hurt. A lot. But I powered through. Obviously my time suffered though.”
“You’re seriously impressive,” Doc said softly.
“Right now, I pretty much just feel like a failure. I’m sure my followers are losing their shit at how bad I did.”
“Fuck them!” Doc exclaimed.
Ember looked startled for a second, then her lips quirked.
“I mean it. It’s easy to sit behind a keyboard and judge, but they weren’t the ones who spent over a decade of their lives training.
They weren’t the ones swimming with a recently dislocated shoulder.
They weren’t the ones facing off against a terrorist—driving a van possibly filled with explosives—with nothing but a pistol. ”
“I know.”
“Do you? Seriously, Em, you’re so much more than a social profile.
Assholes will always be assholes. Even if you had won gold, they probably would’ve said that you cheated somehow.
Or that you were treated differently because of the color of your skin, or that you paid someone off to win.
You know what you did. And I know it. And I don’t have the words to express how proud I am of you. ”
“You’re right.”
“Of course I am,” Doc teased.
She smiled, and this time it was a real smile. He relaxed a bit.
“Honestly, this made the decision about what to do with my life easier. If I’d have medaled, everyone would’ve wanted me to keep going. But now I can hopefully retire and fade off into the sunset.”
Doc burst out laughing.
Ember smacked him on the arm. “What’s so funny?”
“You. Thinking you’ll just fade from people’s memories. Em, you’re so fucking beautiful, inside and out, people are drawn to you. How do you think you got so many followers?”
“Because my parents paid for them?” she asked dryly.
“No. Because you’re a shining light. Even though you aren’t posting yourself.
And even though most of the pictures posted are posed…
your followers still see someone special.
Someone they want to be close to. Someone they want to be friends with.
I have no doubt whatever you decide to do with your life, you’ll excel. ”
Her eyes filled with tears once more.
“Shit, I didn’t mean to make you sad,” Doc told her.
“I’m not sad. I’m…happy. Or grateful. Or thankful. Whatever.”
“So…what’s your plan now?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“Tomorrow I’ll go talk to my parents, tell them I want a break. From everything. Pentathlon, social media. All of it.”
“And how do you think they’ll take that?”
“They’re gonna freak,” Ember said honestly. “But I don’t care.”
“If things get too intense…you could always come to Texas,” Doc said. He’d wanted to sound nonchalant, but he knew he’d failed.
Ember stared at him. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he told her. “I could take you shooting and you could show up the team. You could meet Oz and his baby, which will probably be born any day now. And of course the other women. I know you’d like them, and they you.
We could go for some runs…although Texas is hotter than you’re used to, and there aren’t any pretty beaches to run on.
The sunsets can be pretty amazing though.
” Doc knew he was babbling, but he didn’t want to stop talking and have her let him down easy by saying there was no way she was moving out of Beverly Hills.
“I think I’d like that,” she said softly.
She hadn’t agreed that she’d come, but she hadn’t told him he was crazy either.
Doc couldn’t stop his head from dipping to save his life. He needed to kiss this woman more than he needed anything else at that moment. He hadn’t forgotten their first kiss. How perfect it had been.
She met him partway, tilting her chin up and tightening her hand on the back of his neck. Closing his eyes, Doc sighed in relief when their lips met. He wasn’t in a hurry, wanted to show Em how much he treasured her.
They made out on his bed for several minutes. Doc was careful to keep his hands from straying, no matter how much he wanted to ease her onto the mattress and make love with her.
She did it for him. He liked everything about her. Her muscles, the way she leaned into him as they kissed, how she let him take control at first, but then insisted on taking over. He felt comfortable with Ember in a way he’d never felt with any other woman before.
One hand was on her head, supporting her, and the other clenched her thigh just above her knee. He couldn’t help that his cock had hardened the second their lips met, but she didn’t seem to be offended by his obvious arousal.
When they pulled apart, they were both breathing hard.
Her pupils were dilated now and there were no signs of tears. Her eyes were still a bit bloodshot from her crying jag, but now all he could feel from her was arousal.
Doc was about ready to suggest they check out the shower together when her stomach growled. Loudly.
Dipping her head and resting her forehead against his shoulder, Ember moaned. “Oh, God. How embarrassing.”
“You burned a lot of calories today,” Doc said with a smile, loving the feel of her in his arms. “How about you take a shower while I go down to the cafeteria and see what I can scrounge up for you?”
“Here?”
“Here what?” he asked.
“Can I shower in your room?”
“Fuck yes. You can pretty much do whatever you want.”
She grinned, then got serious. “Craig?”
He loved the way his given name sounded on her lips. He never really understood why his friends liked their women calling them by their real names, but now he got it. It was something special just between them. “Yeah?”
“I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I don’t want to give you up.”
“Then don’t,” he said simply. “But you need to know, I can’t move to California. I have an obligation to my team, the Army, and my country. I’m at their mercy.”
“I completely understand, and I respect that.”
She didn’t elaborate, and Doc didn’t have the guts at the moment to ask what that meant for them. “If you get up, I’ll go get you some food.”
Ember didn’t move, simply stared into his eyes for a long moment. Then she must’ve decided something, because she nodded to herself before slowly sliding off his lap. Her eyes flicked downward and she grinned. “You gonna be able to walk like that?”
Doc stood and grimaced. “It’ll go down…maybe.”
Ember stepped into his space and hugged him.
“This isn’t helping,” he told her honestly.
When Ember pulled back, Doc could see that she was well and truly relaxed for the first time since finishing her last event.
“I know I said this already, but I’m gonna say it again, because I think it means more now.
I don’t regret what happened last night.
I can’t deny I was disappointed that I didn’t do better today, but being there by your side, protecting others, was so much more important than a stupid medal. ”
“No one will know what you did,” Doc told her solemnly.
“I’m okay with that. Honestly. I was sad, disappointed, and upset. I cried. But I’m okay now. We saved people’s lives.”
“We did,” Doc agreed.
“That’s way more important in the grand scheme of things.
I’ve always lamented the fact that I’m famous for doing absolutely nothing.
There are so many other people doing amazing things out there.
And I have all this money for doing nothing more than getting my picture taken with a certain cosmetic or for mentioning some business or another.
Last night? I did something. We did something.
Something good. It feels pretty damn wonderful. ”
Doc couldn’t resist. He kissed her again.
Holding her against him as he devoured her mouth for a moment.
When he pulled back, he kissed her nose.
Then her forehead. “It does feel good. You feel good. Now, go shower before your stomach tries to eat you from the inside out. I’ll be back in twenty minutes or so. Is that enough time?”
“More than,” Ember said.
Doc nodded, then reluctantly dropped his arms from around her. He spun and headed for the door, knowing if he didn’t go now, he might not ever want to leave her.
Two and a half hours later, Ember stood in her own doorway with Craig in front of her. She’d showered, he’d brought up way too much food from the cafeteria, and they’d talked and laughed together until he’d said that he needed to get ready to head out for his shift.
Ember was dead on her feet. He’d made her take some more painkillers and with everything that had happened, she was ready to crash.
He’d walked her to her room and placed her bag inside.
Now they were saying their goodbyes. They’d only known each other a few days, but it seemed more like a lifetime.
So much had happened, it had solidified their friendship… and relationship.
“Be careful tonight,” she said.
“I will. You gonna be all right without your stars tonight?” he asked.
Ember smiled. “Yeah, I’m gonna be asleep before my head hits the pillow.”
“Okay. And for the record, there are some pretty amazing views of the stars in Texas. Less light pollution and all that.”
Ember grinned. He was adorable. She hadn’t decided exactly what she was going to do with her life, but she couldn’t deny she was excited about her future.
She had some ideas in the back of her mind and was ready to put them in motion.
She hoped she might be able to include Craig in those future plans as well, but she wasn’t ready to commit to anything.
She had to talk to her parents and get her life in order before she could make any promises or concrete plans.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she told him with a smile.
“You do that. You’ve got my address, phone number, and email,” he reminded her. “Use them.”
“I will. And don’t hesitate to contact me too.”