attacker.
I can draw the nightmares that the victims can barely live with." Her fingers were tight around the cup.
He reached out and laid a hand on her wrist. "What we do is hard. What we are is even harder. Making peace with your strengths and limitations is one of the things the training is supposed to help you with." She was still torturing herself; he could feel the angst.
"Why aren't you mad as all hell at me?" she asked.
"Why should I be? I told you I was going to grab you and I wanted to judge your response. You cleaned my clock. It's not the first bloody nose I've had. I've gotten hurt worse sparring with some of my Marine Corps buddies."
She heaved a tiny sigh. Danny felt so sorry for her.
Division P training wasn't easy. She seemed to be having a worse time than most, but then she came from one of the least structured career backgrounds.
"Is your headache gone?" he asked.
"Yeah, Peter's… amazing."
"That he is. You up for a drive?" Danny asked.
"To where?"
"The beach. It takes half an hour or so from here in Suffolk. I think you could do with a little getting away from here."
"It's almost midnight," said Jennifer.
"So? It's not like you have a curfew."
"I guess."
***
Virginia Beach's oceanfront was pretty quiet at half past midnight on a Wednesday. Jennifer had to admit, being away from the Division P complex was good.
That place had its own sort of isolationist feel despite easy access to all forms of media. Danny and Jennifer walked along the surf edge for a while in silence, just listening to the white noise of the ocean.
If Jennifer had had any reservations about walking alone on the beach of an unfamiliar city in the middle of the night, Danny's tall muscular form would have dispelled them. When he had gone from being an annoyance to feeling like a friend? She must have been broadcasting again, because he reached out and took her hand. If anyone saw them walking on the beach, they would assume he was her boyfriend. The idea amused her a little. Ten years from now, when someone asked her how she met him, she could say that first he gave her shooting lessons and then a couple weeks later she decked him. Yeah, there was going to be a ten years from now, she had a feeling.
"You're in a better mood," he said.
"Sort of." At least she didn't feel wound quite so tight. He tugged on her hand and drew her up away from the surf line to sit on the sand. She hugged her arms loosely around her knees.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"Only a little." She wasn't sure why she was slightly surprised when he scooted back a few inches and swung his leg on the other side of her hips, pulling her back into the "v" of his legs. His arms draped around her body and his chin rested on her shoulder. She caught the image of him kissing her from his thoughts, followed by visions of them having sex in a bed.
"It's a suggestion. We don't have to do either," he said softly. "But I can tell you're at least a little curious." She twisted her body and met his mouth. It was a gentle aggression that started out with lips and deepened as her mouth opened to his. His hand cupped against the back of her head and he turned her so that she faced him more directly. Danny laid her back on the sand and braced an elbow so the weight of his body wasn't completely on top of her as his hips snuggled between her legs. The kiss went on and on and she was enraptured by the taste of his mouth and feel of his lips. Her body was responding to his and she could feel her pulse in intimate places.
He finally lifted his head, breathing hard. "Much as I'd like to do this right out here on the beach. One, we might get arrested if the beach patrol cruises by and two, sand in certain parts of the anatomy is not real fun. I speak from personal experience on that front."
"Personal experience on this beach?" she asked.
Pulling her thoughts together took some doing.
"No, actually Iraq. Sand in between your butt cheeks is not a magnificent experience when
I can draw the nightmares that the victims can barely live with." Her fingers were tight around the cup.
He reached out and laid a hand on her wrist. "What we do is hard. What we are is even harder. Making peace with your strengths and limitations is one of the things the training is supposed to help you with." She was still torturing herself; he could feel the angst.
"Why aren't you mad as all hell at me?" she asked.
"Why should I be? I told you I was going to grab you and I wanted to judge your response. You cleaned my clock. It's not the first bloody nose I've had. I've gotten hurt worse sparring with some of my Marine Corps buddies."
She heaved a tiny sigh. Danny felt so sorry for her.
Division P training wasn't easy. She seemed to be having a worse time than most, but then she came from one of the least structured career backgrounds.
"Is your headache gone?" he asked.
"Yeah, Peter's… amazing."
"That he is. You up for a drive?" Danny asked.
"To where?"
"The beach. It takes half an hour or so from here in Suffolk. I think you could do with a little getting away from here."
"It's almost midnight," said Jennifer.
"So? It's not like you have a curfew."
"I guess."
***
Virginia Beach's oceanfront was pretty quiet at half past midnight on a Wednesday. Jennifer had to admit, being away from the Division P complex was good.
That place had its own sort of isolationist feel despite easy access to all forms of media. Danny and Jennifer walked along the surf edge for a while in silence, just listening to the white noise of the ocean.
If Jennifer had had any reservations about walking alone on the beach of an unfamiliar city in the middle of the night, Danny's tall muscular form would have dispelled them. When he had gone from being an annoyance to feeling like a friend? She must have been broadcasting again, because he reached out and took her hand. If anyone saw them walking on the beach, they would assume he was her boyfriend. The idea amused her a little. Ten years from now, when someone asked her how she met him, she could say that first he gave her shooting lessons and then a couple weeks later she decked him. Yeah, there was going to be a ten years from now, she had a feeling.
"You're in a better mood," he said.
"Sort of." At least she didn't feel wound quite so tight. He tugged on her hand and drew her up away from the surf line to sit on the sand. She hugged her arms loosely around her knees.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"Only a little." She wasn't sure why she was slightly surprised when he scooted back a few inches and swung his leg on the other side of her hips, pulling her back into the "v" of his legs. His arms draped around her body and his chin rested on her shoulder. She caught the image of him kissing her from his thoughts, followed by visions of them having sex in a bed.
"It's a suggestion. We don't have to do either," he said softly. "But I can tell you're at least a little curious." She twisted her body and met his mouth. It was a gentle aggression that started out with lips and deepened as her mouth opened to his. His hand cupped against the back of her head and he turned her so that she faced him more directly. Danny laid her back on the sand and braced an elbow so the weight of his body wasn't completely on top of her as his hips snuggled between her legs. The kiss went on and on and she was enraptured by the taste of his mouth and feel of his lips. Her body was responding to his and she could feel her pulse in intimate places.
He finally lifted his head, breathing hard. "Much as I'd like to do this right out here on the beach. One, we might get arrested if the beach patrol cruises by and two, sand in certain parts of the anatomy is not real fun. I speak from personal experience on that front."
"Personal experience on this beach?" she asked.
Pulling her thoughts together took some doing.
"No, actually Iraq. Sand in between your butt cheeks is not a magnificent experience when
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