The Angel and The Rockstar
Inspired by Rumpelstiltskin
Meet Dax! All she has to do to destroy my life is to say my name.
The Maid and The Marine
Inspired by Cinderella
Meet Trace! I will never be her Prince Charming.
Rescue Me
Romantic Comedy Series
Doggy Style
Meet Preston! When it comes to doggy style, he’s behind you 100%.
Blue Devils
Military Pilots Contemporary Series
Blue Sky
Meet Beckett! I’ll never let down my guard for this Devil in a Blue Angel’s disguise.
Blue Moon
Meet Sawyer: One Night with this Blue Devil will make you a sinner.
Blue Thunder
Meet Declan: Declan’s back in town. Homecoming hero―local boy turned Blue Angel.
Se7en Deadly SEALs
Navy SEAL Romantic Thriller
Season One:
Conceit, Chronic, Crazed, Carnal, Crave, Consume, Covet
Season One Box Set
Meet Grant! She wants to get wild? I will fulfill her every fantasy.
Season Two:
Smug, Slack, Storm, Seduce, Solicit, Satiate, Spite
Meet Mitch! I’ll always be your bad boy.
The Trident Code
Navy SEAL Romantic Suspense Series
Invincible
Meet Pat! I had one chance to put on the cape and be her hero.
Invaluable
Meet Kyle! I’ll never win MVP, never get a championship ring, but some heroes don’t play games.
Rescue Ranch
Navy SEAL Cowboys Series
Wild Love
Meet Chris! She shouldn’t fall for the Navy SEAL next door.
Military Contemporary Stand Alone
Badass
Meet Shane! I’m America’s cockiest badass.
(co-written with Linda Barlow)
Father Figure
Meet Gabriel! Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.
(Co-written with Jane Harvey-Berrick)
This book is dedicated to all the perfectionists in the world.
Epigraph
I must be a mermaid . . . I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.
Anaïs Nin
The Mermaid and The Triton
Aria—I teach mermaid fitness at a ritzy hotel next to the Naval Amphibious Base. I know better than to let one of those famous frogmen chase my tail. But in a moment of weakness, I submit to Erik, a tattooed badass Navy SEAL. After one night of incredible passion, I can’t stop thinking about his cocky ways and his dirty mouth.
But I am about to train to be the first female Navy SEAL.
When I show up on the first day of training, I’m horrified to realize that Erik is my BUD/S instructor. He’s the only person who stands in the way of me achieving my dream.
I’m not a quitter. He can taunt me, tease me, and run me ragged, but I’ll never ring that bell.
Erik—Aria is the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. She won the gold medal for synchronized swimming, and she looks like a little mermaid the way she moves underwater. Once I find out that the sexy redhead teaches aquatic classes next to my base, I vow to do anything to make her mine.
After a mind-blowing month together, she tells me she needs to go away to train. I assume it’s for another synchro competition.
I’m dead wrong.
She shows up in BUD/S as a member of the first class to let in women. And I’m her instructor.
There’s no way in hell I will lower the standards of my Team to please the brass and make a political statement.
It doesn’t matter how much I want her because she’s forbidden to me now. She will obey my every command.
She can try to pass Hell Week, but she will fail.
I’m a Navy SEAL, a Triton, a god of the sea.
And she will never be part of my world.
Erik
In the water, out of the water. Pain for you, fun for me.
I placed my hand over the raised motto printed on the back of my long-sleeved, dark blue instructor shirt inside my locker in the BUD/S compound. Warmth filled my chest as I pulled the shirt over my head.
Today was going to be epic.
It was my first day as a BUD/S instructor—responsible for training the next generation of Frogmen. Only eight years ago, I’d been a mere tadpole myself. My instructors were such badasses, and now it was my turn to inflict the hurt. After surviving many deployments with SEAL Team Seven, I had been graced with this coveted nondeployable, three-year land duty. Three years stateside in beautiful Coronado, California—home to the sexiest women in the world. Yup, there was plenty of fish in the sea.
Maybe I would finally get over Aria.
My buddy Devin walked into the room. With his pretty-boy swagger, long blond hair, steel-gray eyes, and movie star smile, there was no doubt that he used to be a world-famous rock star, even though he kept his true identity a fiercely guarded secret. The guys had nicknamed him “Skin,” because, like Rumpelstiltskin, he never would admit to anyone outside of the Teams his real name. Devin had once graced the cover of Rolling Stone shirtless and clad in skintight leather pants. He had abandoned his former life as Dax, lead guitarist of Gold Whiskey, the millennium’s hottest heavy metal band, to become an operator.
I couldn’t fathom ever earning that much money and then giving it up. And as much as I loved my job, I struggled to accept the fact that even though I risked my life daily to protect America, on my salary, I would never be able to save enough money to buy a home where I was stationed. Any extra income I made, I gave it to my mom. She was proud and humble and would always refuse to accept it, only to eventually give in reluctantly. Ever since my dad had died, she had done her best to provide for my sister but struggled to make ends meet. I was determined to help them any way I could.
Devin’s hand brushed his long blond bangs off his face. “Hey, dude. Have you seen the Frog Princess?”
He gave me an evil smirk.
What was he up to? He probably had already fucked her.
Fuck. Just my fucking luck. My first time as an instructor, and I had to be responsible for the downfall of the Teams.
Today was the day that Naval Special Warfare would lose all its standards. Despite the Team guys’ collective protests and pleas, our arguments had failed to convince the high brass of the Navy, who quite frankly didn’t know shit, that having a female on the Teams was the worst idea imaginable.
Fuck political correctness—I was training warriors.
I exhaled. “Nah, man. I just hope she looks like Demi Moore. Maybe we should assemble a special Team, just of women. Wait until their times of the month sync up, then deploy them. They will lay waste to the enemy.”
Devin burst into laughter. “Damn straight. They could take out ISIS.”
Ha! “Fuck yeah.” I fastened my boots, pushed back my sunglasses, and walked around the corner, preparing to meet my class. I gazed out at the midnight-blue ocean, barely visible at zero dark thirty. The waves rippled in the distance, and the scent of saltwater and sweat lingered in the air. These recruits didn’t have a clue what they were about to endure.
Let the games begin.
As I approached the class, my eyes were immediately drawn to the lone female in the group, as if her presence were a magnet to my cock. The tight brown shirt clung to her breasts, and the green cammies hung low on her slender hips. Like a flame, one wisp of her red hair peeked out of her cap. She must’ve felt my gaze because she raised her eyes to meet mine.
Holy fuck!
My heart pounded, and my body shook with fury.
No, she didn’t look like Demi Moore.
She was hotter, way fucking hotter. She wasn’t anything like the type of woman I thought would’ve signed up for this torture. She wasn’t hardened, mean, nor did she have a chip on her shoulder.
I knew this beca
use I knew her.
I’d loved her.
And she’d left me.
Aria stood in front of me—my little mermaid who had swum off in the middle of the night, leaving me heartbroken. I had thought she was going to “train.” My dumb ass assumed she’d meant for another shot at the Olympics. But she’d taken on the ultimate challenge.
She was here to be the first female Navy SEAL.
And I was her instructor.
I narrowed my gaze on her, purposefully intimidating. Her chin dropped, and her eyes blinked rapidly.
My annoyance flared.
What the fuck is she doing here?
When had she been commissioned by the Navy? Was that why she had left me?
A tremble took over her body.
It could’ve been from the chill of the early morning.
Or it could’ve been from the horror of realizing she had come face to face with the man she betrayed.
A man who was now in control of every second of her life. A man who now would stand in the way of her achieving her dreams.
She had lied to me about her future plans. Used me to gain access to the SEAL O course. Pumped me for information about BUD/S training. She had grown close to my family. All the while knowing that she had planned to betray me.
Now I would make her pay.
I grabbed the microphone, forcing myself to calm my voice, and looked directly at her. “Welcome to BUD/S Class 334. I’m Instructor Anderson. Many have tried, few have succeeded. Drop to the ground and give me a hundred pushups.”
Before I could blink her firm, tight body was parallel to the floor as she knocked out her exercise with perfect form.
I yelled into the microphone, screaming at all of my candidates. But my mind was on only one of them.
Aria.
Her sweet loving boyfriend no longer existed. It was time to introduce her to the badass Navy SEAL she had pissed off.
The warrior. The savage. The killer.
I stood behind her, my eyes focused on her firm ass.
“Eight. Nine. Ten. You think you can do this, Clements? That you are as strong as these men? You aren’t. I’ll tell you what you are. You’re sad. You’re weak. You’re pathetic. This is Navy SEAL training, not water ballet. You screw up, and I’ll catch you every time. I’ll make you pay, princess. I’ll make you pay.”
“Yes, Instructor Anderson.”
I got in her face. “Don’t you speak. I didn’t give you permission to speak. Keep that mouth of yours shut unless I tell you to open it.” To suck my cock.
Dammit. My mind flashed to her on her knees, taking me deep. Well, one of the SEAL mottos was, “Welcome the SUCK with a big hug and a smile on your face.”
Fuck. I had to stop thinking about her like that.
It didn’t matter how much I had once wanted her because she was forbidden to me now. I was her instructor, and she was my student.
From now on, she would obey my every command.
From now on, I was her master.
I stepped away, and she took a quick rest on her forearms. I turned right back toward her. “When I walk away, I’ll still be watching you. I have eyes on the back of my head. If I tell you to do something, you do it right. If I tell you to do pushups, you do them right. Got it, cupcake?”
She grunted, and I walked away from her, trying to focus on any of the men, any of the candidates but her.
How had I been so wrong about her? No wonder she had become so angry when I had told her I didn’t think women should be SEALs. It had once even crossed my mind that there was a possibility, she wanted to be a SEAL. But I had dismissed that thought.
I’d be the laughingstock of my Team now. Devin and Kyle both knew that I had dated her. I had to steer clear of her on our off times. Any contact with her could be misconstrued as fraternization. She’d wasted enough of my life—I refused to allow her to ruin my career.
Devin yelled for them to lay on their backs and start leg lovers. I grabbed my hose and blasted a stream of water into Aria’s mouth as her legs scissored up and down. As I counted at her, I imagined that stream of water being my cum shooting into her greedy little mouth.
I dropped the hose, unable to look at the wet T-shirt clinging to her chest, her nipples poking through the soaked fabric.
But on a glance back, I noticed something else. Her legs were straight, and her abs were engaged.
My eyes surveyed the men on the ground. Many of them were flailing around like a fish out of water, with no form at all.
Fuck my life. She was one of the best ones in the class.
But it didn’t matter. I would make her ring that bell. Her betrayal of me alone should be enough to get her kicked out.
Aria and the men completed their evolution, and I yelled at them again. “This entire evolution has been pathetic. Nothing anyone of you has done has been even remotely acceptable. Maybe that’s because there’s a woman in your class that you have all decided to lower your standards to her level.”
Her eyes tore into me, and her mouth quivered. I had to look away. I couldn’t deal with her emotions.
Or mine.
But I also couldn’t have anyone thinking that I was being extra hard on her because I’d fucked her. It wasn’t just her future on the line—it was mine too.
I threw her a bone.
“But you are all wrong. We will never lower our standards. Not for the Frog Princess or for any of you fools. And I’ll tell you what. The Frog Princess showed you all up today. If you can’t do as many leg lovers as a girl, none of the rest of you have the right to be here. ‘Lady’ and Gentlemen, it’s going to be a long, cold, wet night.”
I threw down my microphone and walked away. Inwardly, I winced— she’d made a fool out of me.
But I knew how to make her crack. How to make her doubt herself.
I knew her Achilles’ heel.
She would never pass the O course because she would never master the Dirty Name obstacle.
When I heard that sweet chime of the bell she would ring, I would breathe a sigh of relief. For that sound would mean I’d never have to see her again.
The sooner, the better.
She could try to pass BUD/S, but she would fail.
I was a Navy SEAL, a Triton, a god of the sea.
And she would never be part of my world.
Aria
Seven Months Earlier
“Bye Flounder. Mommy will be home in a few hours.” I rubbed my beagle’s ears, threw him a toy, and locked my rented beach cottage.
Flounder was my right-hand companion. He was now in his twilight years, and my heart ached thinking about the day when I would have to endure my life without him. That dog had been through everything with me. Homeschooling, attending Stanford, training for the Olympics, and ultimately winning the gold in synchronized swimming. When I’d discovered him at a shelter with an ear tumor, a skin infection, and droopy eyes, I knew I had to rescue him. I’d named him Flounder as a joke. After all, my nickname was America’s Little Mermaid.
Sure, the redheaded synchronized swimming champion named Aria would draw comparisons to the beloved fable. But my journey had been more than a coincidence. It was almost as if my fairy tale had been predestined. My teenaged mother had been a synchro competitor but had to quit training when she had become pregnant with me. The second she found out that I was a girl, she had planned my entire life. I started swim lessons when I was an infant, began synchro classes with the world-renowned Marin Mermaids when I was four, was recruited to compete for Stanford at eighteen, and was selected for the Olympic team when I turned twenty-one.
After I had won the gold last summer, reporters constantly asked me if I planned to take a break. Travel. Relax. Go on Dancing under the Stars. Experience life, fall in love.
But I didn’t know the meaning of the word break.
I was only twenty-three. I wasn’t done achieving my goals.
In fact, I had just joined the Navy.
I had consider
ed many positions in the military. A linguist, due to my love of foreign tongues and travel, an intel officer, due to my desire to discover secrets, and a diver, due to my love of the water. But ultimately, I kept focusing on one job.
A United States Navy SEAL—the first female in Naval Special Warfare. Why? All the usual reasons. Serve my country, save lives, free hostages, defend freedom. Competing around the world as an American had filled me with such pride. Standing at the podium hearing the national anthem when I was awarded a gold medal was one of the few times in my life that I had been brought to tears. I knew that none of my accomplishments would’ve been possible if I had been born in a totalitarian regime. At that moment, I vowed to give back to the country which had given me so much.
But the true reason for my desire to fight terrorists went deeper. So deep, I dared not utter it to a soul. Not to my own mother, not to my friends. Only Flounder knew my truth, and luckily for me, he would remain silent.
I just knew I could pass BUD/S. I would have no problem during Second Phase diving instruction since I was an excellent swimmer and could hold my breath. And I was physically fit and had spent my entire life training for competitions.
But another element drove me. So many people thought it was impossible for a woman to pass BUD/S.
I was determined to prove them wrong.
My own mother scoffed at me when I suggested it. “Who would marry you?” she asked. As if marrying a man should be a career goal. Her statement was even more irksome because she had cut my father out of my life, and had chosen to be a single mom. While I resented her for alienating my father, I did appreciate all the sacrifices she had made for me. But for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why she would then turn around and think that I should give up a goal of mine for a man I hadn’t even met. Marriage was the furthest possible thing from my mind.
Heroes Ever After Boxset: Books 1-3 Page 18