Page 4 of Her Unflinching Warrior (Omega Sky)
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Navy SEAL Gideon Smithdoubled down on his speed as he entered his neighborhood. Sweat dripped down his forehead and back as he ran flat out up the long private drive to his house on James Lake in Virginia Beach.
He hit the brick of his house with both hands as he came to a stop, his grin huge. Then he began his cool down by jogging, then walking around his circular drive. He could hear Lucy at the mudroom door, wanting a chance to come and play. Gideon pulled out the smart lock that he’d modified and clicked it. The mudroom door opened and Lucy bounded out.
“Miss me, Girl?”
The Chornyi Terrier almost knocked him down in her enthusiasm at his return.
“It’s only been two hours,” he laughed as he wrestled with the big dog. Lucy was one hundred and thirty pounds of muscle who loved playing with her human. Whenever Gideon went on a mission, he had to have the Ellis family next door watch her. When he’d made the decision to adopt Lucy four years ago, he’d not-so-innocently suggested to Felix Ellis that he might want to meet the breeder too, since Chornyi were known for their intelligence, playfulness, protectiveness, and how kid-friendly they were.
Gideon knew that both of Felix’s pre-teen girls ran track and played soccer, so there would be no problem with them giving the pup enough exercise. Plus, she would be great with their toddler, if she were socialized with the child early enough. He also knew that Pam Ellis was still having problems with her fucknut ex-husband, even though he hadn’t been in the picture since before she’d met, married, and had kids with Felix. So having a guard dog along with the security system would be a nice addition to the family. The fact that the sibling puppies would be growing up next door to one another, and Gideon would have access to dog watchers while he was on missions, didn’t play into it at all.
Sure it didn’t.Gideon grinned to himself.
“Get the rope, Luce,” Gideon pointed to the mudroom door. She gave him a big shaggy doggy-grin, ran back to the house, and came out with a thick-knotted rope.
“Good girl.”
Lucy dropped it in front of Gideon, then looked up at him and gave a low growl.
“Oh, you think you can win today, do you?” Gideon picked up one end of the rope, and Lucy latched onto the other with her sharp teeth and strong jaw. She gave a mighty yank backward and Gideon laughed as she forced him to take a step forward. “You’re full of fight today, aren’t you?”
For five minutes they circled around one another, both refusing to give up their hold on the rope, until finally Lucy let go, and Gideon damn near landed on his ass. Lucy panted; even with her black fringe of hair flopping over her eyes, Gideon could swear she was laughing at him.
“Good going, girl. Let’s see what kind of treats I have inside for you.”
He scrubbed his hand through the long black curly hair of her coat as they walked into the mudroom. “I’m going to have to groom you, real soon. You’re a mess.”
Lucy barked. “Uh-huh, Princess likes her primping time, doesn’t she?”
Gideon winced when he heard what he’d just said. God, was he really calling his dog Princess and talking about primping?
“Fuck me,” he said to the empty living room as he and Lucy walked through it on the way to the kitchen. She barked. Apparently, she agreed with his sentiment.
He went to the cookie jar of dog treats and pulled out one of the pieces of meat jerky. Lucy’s tail was wagging so hard, her whole back end was shaking.
“Here you go.” Gideon fed her the nutritious treat.
“Now it’s time for my shower.”
Lucy cocked her head consideringly, then meandered over to her huge doggie bed in the corner near the accordion doors that looked over his backyard and settled in for a nap. She knew that a shower was no fun.
Gideon pulled off his tee on the way to his bedroom suite and was soon luxuriating in a hot shower that eased all his sore muscles. Sure as hell beat the showers at the nearby Little Creek Naval Base. As he worked out the kinks it allowed him to think through all that needed to get done next week. His lieutenant, Kostya Barona, was out of action until the following Monday, which gave him time to whip the team into shape. It would be fun to really screw with his team.
The entire time he showered and toweled off he considered his plan. When he swiped the steam off his mirror he saw the big grin on his face as he deliberated exactly how he could screw with his team—and get them to up their game. It had been a long while since they’d done some Urban Training.
“A mindfuck,” he purred.
When he dressed and got back to his kitchen he grabbed his phone and checked out the availability of the Zussman Urban Combat Training Center at Fort Knox in Kentucky. It turned out that a bunch of Marines just had to cancel, so it was open.
It was meant to be.
I’m going to have so much fun.
Lucy looked up from her doggy bed. Gideon wasn’t all that surprised from when she was a pup she could read his mind. She knew that her human was excited.
“Sorry Luce, this is man play, you’re not invited.”
