Page 9

Shine grunted as he jumped down to do another burpee, his thoughts straying to Rowan. She was so beautiful, and he was caught up in lust and desire for her. He'd had to jack off last night and this morning when he woke. He was getting attached to Rowan, and it felt good.

“Yo, Shine, you’re somewhere else. What’s up?” Squat asked.

He shook his head, not wanting to talk to them about Rowan. She was from his past, but he really thought she was his future. There was just something about her, and he wanted to explore it before he got into the details with his buddies. "Nothing. I'm here."

“Dude, you got a silly grin on your face. Are you seeing someone?”

Squat's question hit right where he didn't want to focus. The guys knew him too well. It happened when people were trapped in a desperate situation with lives on the line, and the only way to safety was to trust the men in your unit fully. He trusted these guys with his life because he had to, so they knew him. They could see right through his bullshit to the core of who he was. If he lied right now, they would know, and that would damage their trust.

He wiped his hand over his face, unsure how to talk about Rowan. They'd never seen him interested in a relationship. He'd talked in depth about how he wasn't ever going to get involved, and here he was, thinking about how to fit Rowan into his life.

Griz narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “He met someone.”

Apple turned to look at him. “What? You met someone?”

Shine’s lips thinned. “Look, it’s not a big deal.” That was a lie. It was a huge deal.

“Don’t lie,” Sharp said as he wiped his hands on his shorts.

They were all covered in sweat and sand. They’d been working out hard for over an hour and were almost done. Now was as good of time as any to get into it.

"Okay, okay. It really isn't a big deal." The guys laughed like they knew he was being less than truthful. "Back when I was a teenager, I met someone. I saw her again, and it was great." He hadn't told them that he'd survived a plane crash. Back when he'd first joined, he hadn't wanted the crash to define him. Usually, he kept his private life close to the vest. He loved these guys, but the plane crash was way in the past.

Griz shook his head and held up his hand. “Nope. That’s not the whole story. Tell us. Now.”

Shine closed his eyes and let his head drop back as he groaned. He had to tell his buddies everything. He trusted them with his life. Surely, he could trust them with this.

"Fine." Shine grabbed the towel he'd brought out and wiped his face. He knew his story would get a reaction. He just hoped they could understand why he hadn't told them before.

"Spill it!" Apple called out, laughter filling his voice.

This wasn't a laughing matter, but Apple didn't know. Of course, none of them knew because he hadn't told anyone. "We were at camp together. We met during the last week and hung out some. We found out that we were on the same flight. Well, the first leg of my flight home was the same as hers. We got our seats moved and sat together."

Apple waggled his eyebrows. "Nice. Did you join the mile-high club?"

Shine rolled his eyes and shook his head. He should have told them earlier about the crash, but it hadn’t come up.

Griz tossed his towel at Apple. “Jesus, man, don’t be a dick. Spill the beans, Shine. We need to hear what happened.”

"No, man, we didn't get into the mile-high club because we didn't make it up that far. Birds disabled the engine, and we went down. It took me about a year to recover. That's why I got an avionics degree. I was bored but couldn't go into the military because I didn't have the strength to keep up."

The guys stared at him open-mouthed, shock evident in their gaze. Squat narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Disabled the engine. You mean you were in a plane crash, right?”

Shine shrugged. “Yeah. The pilot landed in the river.”

Griz was the first to speak up. “Damn, man. That really stinks.”

“Yeah, it does. I lost her number and contact information because my phone was lost. She was sent to a different hospital, and I never saw her again. ”

“Fuck, that’s wild,” Jay said.

Squat pulled him into a side hug. "I had no idea. You survived a plane crash. That's amazing."

“You are a total badass,” Apple said as he gave him a quick hug.

He shrugged. “I don’t know about that.”

Sharp snorted. “None of us have survived a commercial plane crash.”

He laughed. “Maybe I’m a bit of a badass.”

Griz slapped him on the back. “You’re a total badass. And this woman, you said you got in contact with her again. When do we get to meet her?”

“I don’t know. You all overwhelm most people. I don’t want her getting skittish and running.”

Squat shot him puppy dog eyes. “Aw, but we’re nice.”

Sharp rolled his eyes. “Behave, Squat. He’ll bring her around when he wants to.”

He nodded. “Maybe soon.”

“I know Danika would love to meet her.”

Jay flashed a wide grin. “I’m sure Nichole would be happy to meet her.”

Apple snorted and laughed. “Damn, you all are pairing off. You can count on me to remain single forever.”

Sharp rolled his eyes. “That’s what they all say.”

Apple shook his head. “No way will I ever be tied down.”

Griz threw back his head and laughed. “You keep professing that, you’re going to be the next to fall.”

“Never!”

Apple seemed confident about remaining single, but so had he a few months ago. Seeing Rowan had changed everything. She could be the one. It was weird thinking that way. He’d pushed off the idea of having a partner, but now he was sure he wanted Rowan in his life for a long time.

He should check himself and make sure he wasn't rushing into the relationship, but that was why they were making plans to hang out. If things went well, they could actually end up in a long-term relationship. Instead of scaring him, the idea of being with Rowan for decades made him excited.