The Navy Seal's Bride. Сорейя Лейн

to stop playing Mr. Nice Guy. If these men were going to make it, they had to be the toughest of the tough. He knew that firsthand. “Unless you’re prepared to break my record or come damn close, you can expect a long night.”

      Groans echoed out.

      “Do I hear a ‘Yes, sir’?” he boomed.

      “Yes, sir!” came an even louder response.

      “That’s more like it. Now get in the water!” Tom ordered.

      Tom folded his arms and fingered the whistle hanging around his neck. If he couldn’t be out there himself, he was going to make darn sure he trained the best Navy SEALs ever to graduate from the academy.

      Tom was starting to wish he hadn’t been such a demon to his training team when they were still in the water two hours later. He was also starting to think that perhaps none of them were going to make the cut. Because they hadn’t left the pool yet and they still had hours to go.

      “Come on!” he ordered. “Push yourselves. You can do this!”

      He waved over another training officer over who’d clearly finished for the day. “Can you watch these guys for me? I have to make an urgent call.”

      Tom gave his colleague a quick pat on the back and jogged into the office. He looked up the school number, glanced at his watch and dialed.

      But all the bravado in the world wasn’t helping his nerves any. The hand holding the phone went clammy, he couldn’t stop fidgeting.

      He didn’t know what the hell was happening to him. Why his usual nerves of steel and unflappable attitude were failing him now. But he wasn’t going to let a woman rattle him.

      Not a pretty wisp of a teacher who could be blown off her feet in a strong gust of wind, who’d looked so vulnerable the other night that he’d struggled not to soften. Found it hard not to let her in.

      Because he wasn’t that guy anymore. He didn’t have the strength to deal with his own problems, so he certainly didn’t have anything to give a woman, and he didn’t want to have to explain himself. Or hurt anyone else, let anyone else close, and then expose them to the demons that kept him awake at night.

      “Brownwood Elementary School.”

      Tom cleared his throat and made a fist, pressing it hard into the desk. “I’m sorry to call during school hours, but I need to speak to Miss Caitlin Rose.”

      Caitlin nodded to the office lady and walked quickly down the hall. It wasn’t often she had to disrupt her lessons to take a phone call.

      “Hello?” she pressed the telephone to her ear, dread crawling in her belly.

      “Caitlin? It’s Tom.”

      She didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified! A ripple of goose pimples tingled across her skin. “Hi, Tom. Is … ah, everything okay?” Why was he phoning her during school hours?

      There was silence, followed by the deep rumble of his voice. “Yeah, everything’s okay, it’s just that I’m not going to make it to pick Gabby up and I don’t have anyone else to phone.”

      Oh. Caitlin ignored her feelings, kicking herself for hoping, even for the tiniest of seconds, that he might have been phoning her for something else. He’d hardly call her during class time to ask her out on a date!

      “Caitlin?”

      She had no idea what he might have said. “Sorry, Tom, I was listening to one of the children.” Caitlin cringed. She was a dreadful liar, surely he’d know she was fibbing?

      “You wouldn’t be able to watch her for an hour or so, would you? I’m not going to be able to get away early and I don’t know what else to do.”

      Caitlin relaxed, forced her shoulders to fall from their hunched position. “Of course. It’s no problem at all.”

      “Are you sure? I hate having to ask you.”

      She started nodding before realizing that he couldn’t see her. “Honestly, don’t even think about it.” She paused, knowing she had to end the call yet reluctant to say goodbye. “I’ll take her home with me if that’s okay? Save me hanging around here, then you don’t have to hurry.”

      “I really appreciate it, Caitlin. I owe you.”

      They said goodbye and she placed the receiver down carefully, before leaning against the wall and shutting her eyes, needing a moment to herself. Needing to think about what she’d said yes to, about the fact that she’d just invited Tom to her home. Sure, it was only to collect Gabby, but home was … well, until now it had been private. Sacred.

      She’d never, ever invited a man there. Yet right now, without even being pushed into it, she’d told Tom to collect his niece from her place.

      And there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she’d be asking him in. No matter how hard her heart was pounding at the thought of it.

      She’d always known the day would come, but it still troubled her. Her privacy—being alone—had been her sanctuary, the only way she knew how to protect herself, to stay out of harm’s reach.