by Elle James
Jack squeezed her hand gently. “And how did that make you feel?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Heartbroken. I know we’ve only been together a few days, and I really don’t know if I trust myself and my ability to love someone else, but that’s how I’d feel if you were no longer in my life.”
He smiled. “And I thought I almost lost you when Derek was strangling you.”
Her gaze connected with his. “And how did that make you feel?”
“Desperate to save you and heartbroken if I was too late.”
She leaned up on her elbow. “Is it too soon?”
“Is it too soon to know it’s real?” he asked. “Time will tell.”
She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “Are you willing to give it that time?”
He nodded. “I am if you are. Next question…”
“What is it?”
He closed his eyes. “Will you be here when I wake up in the morning?”
She chuckled. “Damn straight I will be, because I’m not leaving.”
“Good, because those drugs are kicking in.” Then the room faded to black.
Epilogue
July 4th - One month later…
“Hey, let me get that.” Jack took the tray filled with drinks from Anne’s hands.
“I’ve carried heavier trays than that,” she said.
“Yeah, but you weren’t three months pregnant,” Jack said.
She laughed and slipped a hand over her slight baby bump. “No, I wasn’t, but it still wouldn’t hurt me to carry a few things. Besides, you probably shouldn’t be carrying anything with that cast still on your arm.”
“I’ll be turning cartwheels before you know it,” he said.
They walked out on the porch of Hank and Sadie’s ranch house. The Pattersons had gone all out on a Fourth of July celebration to thank the Brotherhood Protectors for their service and to give Anne and Jack a good send off, as they were leaving for Coronado the next day. They would be flying back in a chartered aircraft instead of making the long drive back.
Hank stood at the grill cooking steaks and chicken breasts. “I’ll have one of those beers,” he said.
Anne snagged one from the tray and carried it out to Hank.
Jack made the rounds, serving drinks to the others who were on the deck.
Hank had called in all the members of his team who aren’t out on missions. “You’ve met everyone haven’t you?” Hank asked.
“I have,” Jack said. “Anne might not have.” He smiled at the gathering of men and women.
Hank went around making the introductions. He tipped his head toward a man throwing a ball for a German Shepherd. “The man throwing the ball…that’s Joseph Kuntz. We call him Kujo. His dog is a retired war hero named Six. His girl there is Molly who happens to be an FBI agent, at least until I convince her to join the Brotherhood Protectors.”
Anne nodded toward Kujo and Molly. “Nice to meet you.”
Hank continued. “You know Swede, and you’ve met my sister Allie.”
Allie raised a hand from the porch swing where she sat with Swede.
Anne smiled and lifted her chin in their direction.
A man who appeared to be a little older than Hank sat on the porch steps bouncing a little girl on his knee. Hank tipped his head toward him. “That’s Chuck and his little girl, Lyla. The woman beside him is Kate, Lyla’s mother. The tall guy with the cowboy hat is Sam Franklin. We call him Talon, and his girl is Reggie.”
“I’m glad to meet everyone,” Anne said. “Please excuse me if I don’t remember all the names.” She laughed. “There are so many of you.”
Hank grinned. “And this isn’t even half of the crew. The rest of the guys couldn’t make it. They’re tied up with current duties. We’re just glad that the one’s who are here got to meet you and Jack. It’s my last chance to give my sales pitch.”
Jack chuckled, and Anne smiled. “I’m already sold,” Jack said. “Just as soon as I complete my twenty years with the Navy. You might not be interested in me by then.”
“I will be,” Hank said.
“It didn’t hurt getting to stay here at the ranch during my convalescence,” Jack said with a grin.
“We’re just glad you were able to extend your leave and stay with us,” Sadie said. “It gave me time to get back here from my commitment in LA, so I’d have time to get to know you and Anne better.”
Hank grinned as he returned to the grill to flip the steaks. “We’re just sorry you had to go through having your arm broken and the hundred or so stitches you needed in order to get that time off.”
“It was almost worth being mauled by a bear to bring closure for Anne with her crazy ex-boyfriend.”
“It’s too bad he didn’t live to rot in jail for almost killing you and Anne,” Swede said. “He had devilish skills at hacking. I tracked his attempts to find you two. He pinged our data bases, followed our phone records and made it all the way to Bozeman, following you to Hank’s. If you hadn’t been admitted to the hospital, he would still be looking for you.”
“Well, at least he isn’t going to have another chance to hurt Anne.” Jack pulled Anne into the circle of his arms.
“Or you,” Anne added.
“Between being hit over the head with the IV stand and falling into the computer, he had enough brain bleeds the aneurisms killed him instantly.” Hank shook his head. “The doctors and nurses tried to save him, but he was gone.”
“Good riddance,” Jack said. “He never would’ve given up. He was obsessed with Anne.”
“We’re just glad you’re okay,” Sadie said. “And that you didn’t lose the baby. So, Anne have you thought about what you’re going to do when you get back to Coronado?”
“I’ll get a job and save up some money so that I can go back to school.”
“Do you have a place to live?” Hank asked.
Her cheeks heated, and she nodded. “Yes, I do.”
Jack tightened his arm around her waist. “She’s going to live with me.” He cleared his throat. “I guess this is about as good a time as any, while I have an audience and she can’t say no.” He winked at Anne.
Anne’s heart fluttered. “What are you talking about?”
He dropped down on one knee, pulled a box out of his pocket and held it up, opening the lid to display a beautiful diamond ring. “Deirdre Anne Tyler, this might be too soon, but we’ve known each other now for a month, and I know with absolute certainty that you’re the one for me. I’ve known it from the moment you caught that first fish.”
The people around him chuckled and smiled.
“I want you to marry me,” Jack said. “If it means waiting to ask you again, I’ll wait to make sure you’re ready and know in your heart it’s the right thing for you. I’m not trying to rush you. I’ll hold onto this ring until you’re ready. And if you’re not ready, that’s okay, too. You’re still welcome to stay with me. I’ll help you with this baby and treat it as if it was my own.” He touched a hand to her baby bump, his heart melting.
She covered his hand with hers. “It won’t bother you that this baby’s not yours?”
“It’s your baby. Anything that’s yours I will love, because I love you. Will you marry me Deirdre Anne Tyler?”
Tears slipped from the corners of Anne’s eyes. She pulled his hand from her belly up to her lips. “Yes.” She tugged harder.
He straightened.
Anne wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest. “If I didn’t say yes and you went away from me, I’d be heartbroken. I love you Jack and, yes, I’ll marry you.”
The men and women around them let out a cheer.
Jack slipped the ring onto her finger, gathered her into his arms and stared down into her eyes. “I promise to take care of you, the baby and any other children that might come along.”
She looked up into his eyes, her own filled with tears. “Do you want more children?”
“Only if you do
.”
She grinned. “Good, because I don’t believe in having an only child. I want more babies to love.”
“You got it, babe.” He kissed her, sealing the deal.
Dear Reader
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Jack and Anne’s story. I love crossing over in my series so that you can see some of the characters you’ve grown to know and love.
It was fun to revisit the White Oak Ranch, Swede, Hank, Sadie and the babies. If you didn’t know, Hank expanded the Brotherhood Protectors to a new location near Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the BROTHERHOOD PROTECTORS COLORADO Series. The 3rd book in that series RANGER REDEMPTION made the USA Today Bestseller list! Book #4, TACTICAL TAKEOVER comes out August 24th.
I also have a new series DELTA FORCE STRONG that is up to book #6 BREAKING TIES coming July 27th. Meet the characters of the Delta Force team and go on adventures with them.
If you love the SEALS IN PARADISE books, check out HOT SEAL, SALTY DOG , HOT SEAL HAWAIIAN NIGHTS and HOT SEAL, BACHELOR PARTY. All are crossovers into the Brotherhood Protectors world.
Much love to you,
Elle James
Join the SEALS in Paradise Facebook Reader Group
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SEALs in Paradise Series Holiday Edition
Hot SEAL, Heart Breaker by Cat Johnson
Hot SEAL, Charmed by Parker Kincade
Hot SEAL, April’s Fool by Becca Jameson
Hot SEAL, In His Memory by Delilah Devlin
Hot SEAL, A Forever Dad by Maryann Jordan
Hot SEAL, Independence Day by Elle James
Hot SEAL, Sweet & Spicy by Cynthia D’Alba
Hot SEAL, Midnight Magic by Teresa Reasor
Hot SEAL, Sinful Harvest by Parker Kincade
Hot SEAL, Silent Knight by Kris Michaels
HOT SEAL, SALTY DOG
A SEALS IN PARADISE - BROTHERHOOD PROTECTORS CROSSOVER NOVEL
New York Times & USA Today
Bestselling Author
ELLE JAMES
Chapter 1
Persistent light knifed through the slits of Chase Flannigan’s eyelids, bringing him back to consciousness with a jolt. Pain pounded through his temples, his left cheekbone stung and one of his ribs hurt every time he took a breath.
He opened one eye, and immediately closed it. The light was blindingly bright. He couldn’t remember the light shining this brightly into his bedroom before. Easing open his eyelid again, he stared up at a ceiling fan with blades in the shape of palm leaves.
What the hell? Must have been a helluva brawl.
Forcing both eyes all the way open, he took in the bright walls of the room, the open window and the sunshine streaming through, and relaxed. Oh, yeah, he wasn’t in his room back on Coronado. He was in Cabo San Lucas, celebrating his separation from the US Navy.
No more deployments to hot-as-hell countries. No more commanders demanding more than he was physically able to give. No more enemy forces shooting at him from hidden locations. For the next week, all he had in front of him was sun and sandy beaches.
Despite his hangover, a smile curled his lips.
Yeah, this was the life.
When Chase raised his arm and rested his left hand over his eyes to block the sunlight shining on his face, something cool and hard pressed into his eyelid. Lifting his hand, he glanced at it and found that a bright gold band encircled his ring finger. He never wore rings. Rings were what poor suckers who fell into the marriage trap wore. Too many of his buddies had gone to the dark side of matrimony and now had nagging wives and rug rats climbing their pant legs.
Chase was a diehard, sworn-in-blood bachelor, determined to live his days single, footloose and fancy free. His motto was, Why settle for one item on the menu when you can sample from the whole buffet? Not that he did it often.
The gold band on his ring finger had to be a joke. Something his buddy, Trevor Anderson, had slipped on his finger when he was too drunk to care or remember.
A soft moan sounded in the bed beside him.
Chase sucked in a sharp breath and then rocketed into self-defense mode. He rolled over and straddled the intruder in his bed, pinning slender wrists to the mattress.
Wide blue eyes stared up at him from the flushed face of a beautifully tousled blonde.
Beautiful or not, she was stranger in his bed. “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my bed?”
She struggled to free her hands, her naked body bucking beneath his. “Let go of me before I scream,” she demanded.
In her fight to free herself, the sheets shifted lower, exposing bare breasts to the cool, air-conditioned room. The rosy tips knotted into hard little buds.
Chase’s groin tightened, his cock stiffening where it rubbed against the soft curls above her sex. He liked the way she felt beneath him, but he still had no memory of why she was there. “I’ll let go of you when you tell me who you are and why you’re in my room?”
“Your room? This is my room. And you better get out before I call the police.” She bucked again, the movement making him even harder.
“Not your room, lady. And I’m losing patience.” And control. If he didn’t get some answers soon, he’d embarrass himself with a full-blown hard-on.
Her gaze travelled down his torso to his groin, and she gasped. “You’re naked!”
“Darlin’, in case you haven’t noticed…so are you.” He glared down at her, and then swept her body with a pointed stare. “I don’t remember inviting you into my room last night.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t invite you into my room.” She tugged at her wrists. “Now, get out before I scream the house down.” The woman drew in a deep breath.
Before she could let it out in a nail-driving screech sure to split his hungover head in two, Chase sealed her mouth with his.
At first, she stiffened, her lips drawing into a tight line beneath his. When he started to lift his head, she opened her mouth again to let out that scream.
Chase clamped his mouth over hers again and thrust his tongue between her parted teeth, praying she didn’t bite down hard.
He treated her to one of his best kisses, one normally reserved for the fortunate women who made it past the wining and dining. Women he ultimately made love to.
By the time he lifted his head, the woman lay still, her eyelids slightly closed, and her lips parted as if waiting for more.
“Now, can we start over?” he whispered, trailing a path of kisses along her jaw to her earlobe. “I’m Chase. And you are?”
“I’m…” she started, her mouth curving into a sweet smile, then bam, “…being held hostage!” she yelled at the top of her voice.
He didn’t want to do it, but he had to. Quickly as he could, he bent and kissed her again, swallowing the words she was spewing from her mouth.
When she quieted down, he raised his head slightly. “Look, I’ll quit kissing you, if you’ll quit screaming. I’m not here to rape you. I just want answers.”
“You already know why I’m here,” she said. “Obviously, you gave me some kind of date-rape drug.” Her gaze shot to her nakedness. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be lying in this bed naked with a complete stranger. Please,” she said, “let me go. I won’t tell anyone, I promise. Just let me go.”
“I told you, I’m not going to hurt you,” he assured her. “And I don’t have to rape the women I make love to. They usually come willingly.”
“See?” she said. “You must have given me some kind of drug. I wouldn’t have come willingly with a stranger. Oh, my God. Did we…did we…”
“Make love, have sex, get funky?” Chase quipped. He tilted toward the waste basket near the nightstand. “Based on the condoms in the trash, I’d say it was a distinct possibility.” Straightening to stare down at her again, he said, “I reiterate, I don’t rape women. You had to have been a willing participant for there to be more than one condom in there. For the record, there are two.”
>
“Oh, you’re disgusting. Please, let me go.” She tried again to move her arms.
“I’m going to let go of your wrists, so long as you promise not to slug me.” He frowned, wondering if it was a good idea to release her. She could have been the one who’d given him the bruised cheek and rib, and she looked mad enough to do damage to him. Since he was naked, she could really hurt him. “Promise?”
She nodded her head.
He let go of her left wrist.
She brought her hand up to cover her breast.
The sunlight shining through the window glanced off something bright on her ring finger.
“Good God, woman. You’re married,” Chase exclaimed, appalled that her presence in his bed went against one of his golden rules. Never bed a married woman. He leaped off her and the bed and stood a couple feet away, his hands held up in surrender. “I don’t know how you got into my room, but I don’t sleep with married women.”
“Married?” She glanced at his hand and yanked the sheet up to cover her nakedness. “I’m not the married one here. You are.” She pointed to his ring finger. “You lying bastard. I pity the woman who married you. She has to have shit for brains.” Tucking the sheet firmly around her, the woman eased out of the bed. “Where have you put my clothes? Is that your game? Keeping me naked in your room because I can’t go running down the hallway in the nude?” She poked a finger at him. “Well, I have news for you, buddy. I don’t care if I have to run naked through town. I’m not staying here. You can’t keep me, and as soon as I can, I’m turning you in to the authorities.”
Chase lifted a bright red dress off the floor and held it up. “This belong to you?”
“My dress!” She grabbed for the dress and held it against her chest. Then her gaze shot to the dresser where a pair of stilettos had landed. She marched over to the dresser, snatched the shoes into her hand and stared down at the paper beneath them. “What the hell?” She dropped the shoes and grabbed the paper. “No, no, no. It can’t be. What the hell did you give me last night?” Shoving the paper into Chase’s face, she demanded, “Tell me this is some sort of sick joke.”