image of Levi spanking her. Her bare butt. His big hand rising and falling in a series of erotic slaps. Nope. No way. Kink was not her thing. She liked to be in control. So it was a big-time problem that, around Levi, she was out of control.
âLater?â He actually sounded hopeful.
His optimism should be illegal. She gave him a look. He could infer when hell freezes over for himself.
âIf youâre saving yourself for marriage, itâs your lucky day,â he said brightly.
âYouâd make a terrible husband,â she mumbled into her pillow.
There was a moment of blissful, wonderful, Levi-free silence. Since she didnât think sheâd actually managed to hurt his feelingsâthe only sensations Levi seemed to entertain centered around his cock and his gunsâshe lifted her head. He stared back at her. Mr. Inscrutable had replaced Mr. Playful.
âThe worst,â he agreed, a shadow crossing his face. âIâd be awful.â
For once, he didnât sound like he was joking.
âIâm not sure Iâd be good at marriage, either,â she admitted quietly. âMy parents got divorced, and Iâm really fond of my career. Maybe too fond. I mean, Iâm not a commitmentphobe like you, but Iâm in no rush to settle down either.â
Levi made a rough noise, a sound she hadnât heard from him before. âIâm not afraid of commitment.â
Apparently she could drive him crazy just by talking to him. Good to know. If the marriage turned out to be real and they couldnât score an easy divorce, maybe she could have him declared insane.
âGive me a for example of this much-vaunted commitment of yours.â
He glared at her. âIâm a US Navy SEAL, babe. That takes commitment right there.â
âNot to a relationship,â she scoffed.
âThe guys on my team are family,â he said, and she believed him. He might not be into dating women long term, or marriage, but heâd made promises to the SEALs and he intended to deliver. If she hadnât been trapped in a fake marriage with himâa fake marriage she needed to undo ASAP before she jeopardized her own commitment to her careerâshe would have taken a moment to appreciate what heâd said. Her big, bad, playful SEAL had a soft spot. For his team .
âMaybe Iâve used up all my commitment being a SEAL,â Levi continued. Apparently he was determined to hammer his point home. âSo maybe that means Iâve got nothing left to give when Iâm off the field. Most of the guys who try BUD/S drop off. Thatâs not a slam on them, because itâs a hard thing. You donât get in just by asking. You have to earn your spot in the training class, and then you have to earn it every single day thereafter. Thereâs no easy pass, no shortcut.â
âSo youâre married to the SEALs,â she said. It made sense. He wasnât wearing a wedding ring, but heâd committed body and soul and he wasnât the kind of guy who shirked on a responsibility.
âWe started out with a hundred and twenty guys in our class and six months later there were less than thirty of us. You have to be the right guy and it has to be the right job. I wonât make a promise I canât keep, and I canât promise to be the guy who comes home after work, who hugs his wife and his kids, and who they can count on to be there. Because Iâm busy being a SEAL.â
Who had replaced devil-may-care Levi with this passionate, earnest soldier? Sometimes a strategic retreat was a girlâs best bet.
âI call dibs on the bathroom,â she announced and ran for the shower.
The faster they got their divorce, the better.
* * *
S HARING A BED with Ashley shouldnât have been any big deal, even after their awkward conversation the night before. Levi had bunked down in plenty of strange places, and with more than one team member. Limited