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"So," he said without a hint of concern.
"So?... don't you... don’t you want to do more?"
"Than what? I like being a SEAL. I like fighting for my country. What more can I possibly do?"
Olivia sat up now, turning to stare at Clint. He spoke with such assurance and conviction. It made her argument seem weak by comparison. Heck, it made her seem weak by comparison. Should she tell him the real reason she was mad when he left? How it had broken her heart?
"Have you been nominated yet?" He asked, breaking the silence and saving her the trouble of needing to come up with some sort of point, As he asked the question he ran his finger up Olivia's thigh. It sent a shiver down her spine; one that she loved.
"No. That's why I'm... I've been asking around but it's not so easy when..."
"When you're a woman," Clint finished. And indeed that was the case. In order to become a SEAL you needed to be nominated either by a member of Congress of an officer in the military. Olivia had been trying for the last three months to receive a nomination, but hadn't as of yet been successful.
Clint must have sensed Olivia's frustration because he sat up, putting his arm around her. "I'll tell you what. I can't nominate you, but I can still help."
"How?"
"Well the way I see it is most people won't give you a chance because they don't think you've got what it takes. So let's show them that you do. I'll train you."
"You'll train me? What do you mean?"
"I mean just that. I'll train you the same way I was trained. Then, when you're ready I'll speak up for you and help you get that nomination. I may not be a commissioned officer, but I know a few. I'm sure I can help. Heck, I want to help."
Again Olivia was rendered speechless. Despite herself she was very quickly being reminded of why she had fallen for Clint so hard in the first place. She had to stop and try anjd convince herself that he was just doing it to try and sleep with her... again. She wasn't about to fall for Clint a second time and have her heart broken a second time. She wouldn't let herself.
But then again, her argument against him was weak to say the least and as she fell back in his arms she could feel herself falling for him all over again. And she hated herself for it.
"You have yourself a deal," she finally said. "And I think we better get to training right away." And without another word she threw her leg over him, readying herself for that first bout of training.
CHAPTER FIVE
Not one to waste time, Clint insisted that Olivia start her training the very next day. He did this for a couple of reasons. The reason that he told her was because he would have to be going back to Pearl Harbor soon and thus wanted to get things underway as soon as possible.
The other reason though was his want to test her resolve. Olivia claimed she wanted to be a SEAL, but Clint wasn't sure if she knew what that meant. Becoming a Navy SEAL was an incredibly difficult process. It wasn't just the physical regiment that was tough, but the mental aspect too. For most recruits it was the mind that broke first, not the body. There is a a one week period early in SEAL training known affectionalty as 'Hell Week." During this week a recruit got at most 5 hours of sleep, for the whole week. Clint had known full grown men to break down in tears during this period. He had to make sure that Olivia had what it took before she even began.
And he had to admit that, at least from the beginning, it seemed as if Olivia was as dedicated to the cause as she claimed.
She was up before him the morning of their first training session and ready long before he was even close. He even tried to seduce her back to the bedroom, and was delighted when she rebuffed him.
The previous night Clint had gotten a taste of Olivia's physical progression. Indeed he was more than impressed by both her stamina and personal strength. She had told him that she had been training for some time and the previous night was but a taste. It wasn't until they arrived down by the water's edge that he was going to serve up the main course.
"SEAL training is the hardest thing you will ever have to do," Clint warned her as they set up on the beach. The sun was only just rising and they were the only two on the shore. "Before we start I just want to say that there is no shame in failing either. Just trying is more than most --"
"Will you stop babying me," Olivia said as she jumped up and down on the spot. "I've read all about it and am more than aware. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I'm fitter than you are right now."
"Is that so?" Clint asked, not even bothering to hide the smile on his face. "If that's the case, let's begin."
If Clint was being honest he'd have to admit that he may have pushed Olivia a little harder than he had originally intended. The truth was that he really just wanted to see what she was made of. And, to his delight, she impressed him from start to finish.
As they weren't at his Naval Base, Clint was unable to get access to any marine gear, so for this session they stuck to dry land. As such the entire morning was made up of beach sprints, push ups, sit ups, long distance running and swimming. And then, when that was all done, they would do it again.
"Faster! Faster!" he screamed at her as she sprinted up and down the beach, the sweat pouring off her as her whole body shook.
"Ten more, I want ten more!" he yelled in her ear as she did push u
p after push up. With her hands buried in the soft sand, and the sun beating down on her back, it was a wonder she didn't pass out on the spot.
"I want to see you back in this spot in five minutes!" he boomed as she ran into the water, diving through the ocean as she began her fifth swim of the morning. She had five minutes to swim to the buoy one hundred yards out to sea and back again.
