Over the Edge

Four Months Later Lieutenant Commander Joel Hogan grabbed her ass. Right in the McDonald's on base. Right in front of . . . A roomful of people who weren't paying either of them the slightest bit of attention. Lt. (jg) Teri Howe didn't know whether to be bitterly disappointed or intensely relieved. She took her tray and moved away from Joel, purposefully ignoring him. She headed swiftly to the other side of the room. Evade and conceal. Run and hide. Do not engage the enemy at this time. Don't create a scene. She sat at a small table already occupied by a female lieutenant who was deeply engrossed in a book. She glanced up quizzically at all of the other empty tables and then at Teri. "Ass grabber on my six," Teri explained. "I'll be quiet, I promise. You don't have to stop reading." The lieutenant smiled, sympathetic understanding in her eyes. "Some of these guys can be relentless in their pursuit. New here?" "Reserves," Teri said. "I'm in between civilian jobs, so I took a short-term active duty assignment." A hundred and twenty days, with a hundred and fourteen to go, dodging Joel Hogan's wandering hands. God. It seemed like a long time, but at least there was an end in sight. It was pathetic, when all she wanted to do was fly. "I'm Teri Howe." "Kate Takamoto." The lieutenant nodded, returning to her book, leaving Teri to her lunch. Teri opened the wrapper of her sandwich, lifted the bun, and stared at the chicken, her appetite gone. No surprise there. She'd been on the Joel Hogan diet for a week now. It was remarkably effectivethe mere thought of the man turned the taste of food in her mouth into something unmentionable let alone palatable. Teri glanced up, saw that Joel had been waylaid by several other officers. He smiled, laughed, his straight white teeth gleaming against the tan of his too-handsome face. His smarmy, smirking, God's-gift-to-all-women face. There was a time when she'd actually found him attractive. It seemed impossible now, but it was true. There was a time she'd actually lusted after the King of Repugnancy. And her youth and stupidity were coming back now to bite her on the butt. Big time. Don't touch me. She'd already said that to him too many times to count. Don't talk to me, don't look at me, don't even think about me. She hadn't said that. It was a far less reasonable request, considering they were going to work in the same area for the next 114 days. God, it made her stomach hurt just to think about it. She had to stay out of his way. It was the smartest thing to do. She was going to have to stay on her toes, make sure there was always space be- tween them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Joel stand up, and she tensed. But he was only going to get milk for his coffee. She forced herself to take another bite of her sandwich and found herself looking straight into Senior Chief Stan Wolchonok's eyes. He was sitting with Lieutenant Paoletti and a bunch of the other SEALs from Team Sixteen's Troubleshooter squad, both officers and enlisted. She'd worked with them before, and after ferrying them back and forth from a training op out in the desert this past week, she knew all of their nicknames. Nilsson was Nils or Johnny. Starrett was called Sam. Jenkins was Jenk, Jacquette was Jazz, and Karmody was known as WildCard. Even the team's commanding officer, Lt. Paoletti, had his name shortened to L.T. Everyone had a nickname but Stan Wolchonok, who was never called anything but "Senior Chief" orBrockmann, Suzanne is the author of 'Over the Edge' with ISBN 9780345486417 and ISBN 0345486412.