But he was confident she’d get there. Mia Weldrick didn’t know it yet, but she was about to embark on the sexual journey of her life—and she was going to love every second of it.

Chapter Six

Four days later, Jackson left the base after a grueling day-long workout that had turned his legs to jelly. A class of SEAL recruits had just arrived in Coronado, and the powers that be always requested that a few active-duty pros show the new hopefuls what they could expect during their training. Jackson and several of his teammates had been chosen to showcase their skills, which involved target shooting, timed dives, a HALO jump and running the infamous obstacle course not once but three times.

He hadn’t felt this exhausted since his own basic training, and it was a miracle his legs managed to carry him outside to his truck.

“Wanna hang out tonight?” Dylan asked, falling into step beside him.

The blond man’s hair was still wet from the ocean, his camo gear still covered in sand and dust, yet his expression was downright chipper as he moved with energetic strides that none of the other men possessed at the moment.

“Can’t,” Jackson answered. “I’ve got plans with Mia.”

Dylan sighed loudly. “Why doesn’t anyone want to hang out with me?”

Seth stalked up, his gray eyes rimmed with fatigue. “Because we’ve all got women to go home to. After a day like today, all I want to do is lie naked on my bed while my wife f**ks me senseless.”

“Ditto,” Cash said, sounding dead-ass tired. “Jen’s gonna have to do all the work tonight, no doubt about it.”

“That won’t be a problem for my girl,” Matt O’Connor, one of their senior members, piped up with a grin. “Savannah likes being in charge.”

Ryan Evans hooted. “That’s because Savannah is a sex maniac.”

Matt hooted right back. “And Annabelle isn’t?”

“Face it,” Cash said. “We’re all involved with sex maniacs.”

“Well, aren’t you guys so lucky,” Dylan said glumly as he opened the passenger door of Cash’s SUV. “You get to go home and have sex tonight, while I’m all alone feeling sad. Would it kill one of you ass**les to put your friend ahead of your cock?”

“Dude, your c**k gets more action than the four of us combined,” Matt drawled in his Southern accent.

“Yeah, you’ve got two people pawing at it every night,” Ryan cracked.

Dylan stuck out his chin. “Not at the moment. And not for two more weeks.”

Seth cocked a challenging brow. “I swear to God, man, if you keep complaining about not having anyone to f**k, I’ll call your bluff and f**k you myself.”

The other man smirked. “Sorry, you’re not my type.”

“Bullshit. I’m everyone’s type.”

As amusing as Jackson found the exchange, he was eager to get going. He still had to go home and shower before he headed over to Mia’s apartment. They would only have two hours of alone time before Danny came home from football practice, and Jackson wanted to make use of every second he had her to himself.

With a hurried goodbye to his teammates, he got into his truck and hightailed it out of the lot. He didn’t usually speed, but today he found himself going thirty over the limit. The anticipation coursing through his body confirmed what he’d already known—he had it bad. He was tired as heck, hungry enough to pass out, yet he was so eager to see his sexy gardener that his sore muscles and grumbling stomach barely made a blip on his radar.

After a quick stop home to shower and change, he was on his way to Mia’s, reaching her six-story building in record time. He was thrilled that she’d invited him over instead of insisting they go out or chill at his place. That she was willing to allow him into her personal space told him she was warming up to this dating thing.

Since her building didn’t have an elevator, his tired legs were forced to make the climb up to the third floor, but when the door swung open and he saw Mia’s face, his aching limbs were all but forgotten.

“Hey! You got here fast.” She gestured for him to come inside.

Jackson stepped into the front hall, kicked off his shoes at her request, then followed her deeper into the apartment. His curious gaze ate up his surroundings, taking in the cozy space. The living room offered mismatched furniture, bright blue curtains that led out to a small balcony, and a shit-ton of green plants and colorful flowerpots sitting on various shelves and ledges in the room.

He smiled when he noticed the framed photo of Mia and Danny on the television unit. In the kitchen he discovered even more pictures tacked on the fridge, including a series of photo booth shots that showed brother and sister making goofy faces at the camera.

As he looked around, he noted that the apartment definitely showed signs that a teenager lived there—piles of Xbox games, a pair of scuffed-up sneakers, a stack of textbooks on the coffee table.

“Sorry I didn’t get a chance to tidy up,” Mia said with a blush. “I literally got home ten minutes ago and decided a shower was more important. I was covered head-to-toe in dirt.”

He turned to her with a grin. “I already told you, I like you dirty.”

She rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh. Anyway, what do you want to do first? Order a pizza or make out?”

Jackson laughed. “Mia, just for future purposes, you should know that the answer to that question will never be ‘order pizza’.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Now get over here and give me a kiss. I haven’t seen you in four agonizing days and I’m gonna die if I don’t kiss you right frickin’ now.”