SEAL Protected Read Online Free PDF Page B

slept. I breathed deeply. Early morning air had a sharp, untouched smell to it that always raised the hairs on my arms. I could see my breath as I ran, but I didn’t feel the cold even in my shorts. Few cars drove the frost covered streets this early, and even fewer people walked them. I took another breath, watched the way it dissipated in front of me, and picked up my pace. The warm-up jog faded into a run – not quite a sprint, not yet. The sidewalks beneath my feet did not betray my destination. I turned the next corner and headed toward the city’s waterfront.
     
    My focus slipped from my surroundings and turned inward to my running. My feet pounded in rhythm with my heart. The heavy bass of my music set the speed of my run. I let my breaths come in deep, steady sets. As my focus sharpened on these, the rest of the world faded away. For a while, there was nothing else. Nothing but the heavy music in my ear buds and the beat of my feet and my heart.
     
    It was half an hour later when the waterfront came into view. I swung left at the next corner and pushed myself into a sprint. The muscles of my legs flexed, feeling the burn completely in the last stretch. My shoes slapped the ground as my music reached its crescendo. I bolted across the park, leapt over a rock, and touched down with a slight skid. The water was mere feet away when I slowed to a stop. Bending over with my hands on my knees, I reminded myself to breathe. My ear buds fell into the dip of my sports bra, but I couldn’t be bothered to pull them out.
     
    It took all of my concentration to force myself to keep the steady, deep breaths I had maintained for most of my run. In and out, I reminded myself. One breath at a time. As I breathed I could feel my heart rate slowing down.
     
    Beside me, Tom came to a stop as well. His own breathing was fast and uneven and he was soaked from head to toe. His face was drenched, his hair and hoodie were sticking to his skin, and he was redder than the apples I kept in my kitchen. All in all, it was quite the sight to behold. I couldn’t quite believe it. Here was Tom, a SEAL who had taken down kidnappers only days before, defeated by a simple run.
     
    “Not bad,” I managed to say. A smile broke the rhythm of my breathing for a moment.
     
    He shook his head. “God, you are fast,” he said between gulping breaths. I started to laugh, but choked after a few seconds. Still coughing, I looked out over the water. On the horizon, the sky had turned from deep blue to streaking orange-red. Slivers of pale, yellow light scarred the water and broke the solid blood tinted sunlight. I managed to slow my breathing again as I watched the colors. “Do you do this every morning?” asked Tom. I didn’t answer at first; I continued to stare out at the water. Pale pink and purple were flicking into the clouds now, and what was left of the navy sky bled into the ocean, leaving behind yellow, orange, and palest blue.
     
    “Every morning I can,” I finally replied. Tom started, his head twisting to look at me. He had been as enthralled with the sunrise as me. “You know, for a Navy SEAL, you startle easily.”
     
    He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was trained to keep an eye out for enemies and threats to the country, not joggers who enjoy sunrises.”
     
    “Fair enough,” I replied. I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. “Now this,” I said, gesturing toward the water, “this is the best part of my day. Everything is quiet and peaceful – the world is asleep, the sun is just coming up.” I sighed. “Times like this I like living in the city.”
     
    “Huh.”
     
    I looked at him. “What?”
     
    He shook his head. “Nothing, just… you surprise me, every time we talk.”
     
    “You expected me to be some kind of… aggressive, daddy-hating, dance girl, didn’t you?” I asked. I folded my arms and shook my head at him.
     
    “Yes,” he admitted. “Your first words were to me were to