Sipping the last dregs from his glass, he placed his hands on the arms of his chair and hoisted his body upward. His knee twinged like it always did, but he ignored it as he snagged his tumbler, book, and reading glasses on his way inside. Closing the sliding glass door, he flipped the security bar into place. Setting his alarm by the panel near the door, he moved into the kitchen.
The upgraded kitchen might not have sold him on the home but, after he moved in, he appreciated the work the previous owners had accomplished. Oak cabinets, granite countertops, along with a new stove, dishwasher, and refrigerator. He did not have a gourmet palate, nor did cooking provide great pleasure, but he did like to eat and eat well.
He double checked the windows and front door, security habits long since ingrained still in place. Moving through the bedroom, he continued into the bathroom. Another room that had enjoyed the upgrades from the previous owners, it had been expanded to include a large tiled shower, soaking tub, private toilet, and a double sink. It was a strange habit, but he kept his toiletries to one side of the counter, almost as though a partner would want to use the other sink. But there was no partner, just him.
After a quick shower, he stood at the sink and stared into the mirror. Not the type of man to normally spend much time looking at himself, he felt compelled in that moment to see if he was still the man he used to be.
His body was still muscular, although with a little less bulk. His hair was still mostly black, although now streaked with silver. And, the lines emanating from his eyes were deeper…both from years in the sun and age. Age…the changer of all.
Shaking his head, disgusted at the path his mind was wandering down, he brushed his teeth and flipped off the light. The master bedroom was not large but held everything that he needed to be comfortable, just like the rest of the house. He had pondered purchasing a king-sized bed when he moved in, but that would have taken up all the room. So, he settled for a queen size, giving plenty of space for his chest of drawers and a comfortable chair snuggled into the corner next to a floor lamp.
Climbing into bed, he appreciated the money spent on his firm mattress. Like the rest of him, his back was no longer that of a young man, and he discovered a too-soft mattress gave him no support and, therefore, no sleep. Lying in bed as he did every night, his mind cast back to what many would call the good old days. Men he had served with. Missions he had accomplished—the successful ones, as well as those that were not as successful.
Rolling over, he punched his pillow in an effort to plump it sufficiently. His eyes drifted to the window where he could see the starry night sky above the tree line. With a final sigh, he closed his eyes, willing sleep to come and, as with most nights, it did…eventually.
Early the next morning, Eric rounded the bend near the crystal, blue lake, his feet pounding a steady beat along the path. While landing in Vermont was completely by chance, it was through some research that he decided to live in this part of the state. The clear water of the lake and the surrounding forests gave a sense of peace and tranquility. He could sit on the deck of his cabin and enjoy the view or walk down the path from his home to the edge of the water where he kept his own kayak, which he often ventured out in.
If he gave it much thought, he would acknowledge that it was hard for a former Navy SEAL not to live near the water. The desire for an early morning swim, kayaking, or just being able to run along paths that meandered by the lake and through the woods was too strong for him to deny.
He pondered a swim that morning but decided on the run alone. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, pain suddenly shot through his knee and he stumbled slightly. Forcing his pace to slow, he knew it did not make any sense to push harder than his knee would allow. There was nothing at stake here, no training time to meet, no place to be.
Refusing to focus on the pain, he continued to run along the path that now took him out of the thick evergreens and ran along the lake. In the distance he could see a few of the lodges that were built nearby, but it was too early in the morning for the vacationers to be out and about. With a last look toward the lake, he turned along the path that led back into the forest, appreciating the cool, crisp air that flowed over his body as he continued to run.
As he started the climb up the slight incline toward his cabin, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He slowed his pace and deviated from the path. Slipping silently through the forest surrounding his cabin, he made his way to a point where he could see the front of his house. The glint of sunlight off a vehicle’s bumper caught his eye. Considering he parked his old pickup truck and SUV in the separate garage, he moved stealthily to gain a better view.
A large, black SUV with tinted windows sat in his driveway, parked near the front door. He observed no movement and was unable to discern anyone sitting inside. Moving around toward the back of his house, he stopped, seeing a man standing on his deck.
Black suit. White dress shirt. Black tie. Dark hair. Sunglasses. Fuckin’ hell. He hated having his morning routine interrupted and, sure as hell, hated having someone standing on his back deck. But, as he made his way around to the stairs, he had to admit he was curious about his visitor.
Though his eyes were hidden by the sunglasses, it was clear the man was watching his ascent. Making it to the top of his deck, he stood arms akimbo, fists on his hips, and waited. The man did not speak. Neither did he. After a long minute of silence, he huffed out a frustrated breath. This is bullshit.
“You want to tell me who you are and why the hell you’re standing on my deck?”
He watched as the man slid his sunglasses off before hooking them into his front suit pocket, still without saying a word. Taking the opportunity, he assessed the man fully. They were approximately the same height, both with dark hair streaks with silver, but whereas his stance was poised for the uncertainty of what might come, the other man stood ramrod straight and ease written on his face.
“I don’t suppose you’d like to offer me a cup of coffee, would you?” the man finally asked.
He cocked his head to the side and quipped, “Perhaps an introduction might be warranted, before we decide to become best buddies over coffee.”
The other man’s lips quirked ever so slightly, and Eric was not sure if he was fighting a smile or if that was the best smile he could come up with.
“Branson. Silas Branson.”
The man lifted his hand and, after a moment’s consideration, Eric stepped forward, clasping it in his own. He had no idea what Silas Branson wanted with him, but with the requisite government vehicle in the front and the formal suit the man wore, he knew it had to be important. Besides, if he had to guess, he was looking at a fellow former SEAL.
With a head jerk to the side, he invited Silas to follow him as he moved through the sliding glass door. Walking toward the kitchen, he called over his shoulder, “Help yourself. Cups are in the cabinet. Coffee’s already in the pot. Gimme five. Don’t figure you want to have a conversation with me smelling like I do.”
With that, he left Silas on his own and headed back to take a shower. Not waiting for the water to warm, he jumped in and rinsed off the sweat. Toweling off, he slid on boxers and jeans and pulled a T-shirt over his body. Scrubbing the towel over his head, he walked back to the living room.
Silas had taken off his suit jacket and it was carefully laid across the back of a chair, a cup of coffee sitting on the coffee table in front of it. The man was standing next to the fireplace, looking at the few framed photographs that he had placed there.
Rounding the kitchen counter, he pulled down his own mug and poured his coffee as well. Taking a sip, he put the mug on the counter and stood facing the living room, his arms in front of him with his palms flat against the surface, taking his weight.
“I don’t mean to be a dick,” he started, and Silas turned to look at him. “But I don’t know you. I trust you enough to invite you into my home and offer you a cup of coffee, but unless you’ve got something to say to me, I think we can conclude this little
meeting right now.” He watched as Silas’ lips quirked once more.
“Crash.”
His brow lowered, but he remained silent.
“My call sign. Crash Branson.”
“Ah,” he muttered, his eyes widening as he recognized the name. Picking up his cup of coffee, he rounded the counter and motioned toward the chair while sitting down on the sofa. Silas took the silent invitation and sat down as well.
“See you’ve heard of me.”
“Before my time, but yes. You had a fuckin’ good reputation as a Lieutenant Commander. Heard you were picked up by DHS.” He shrugged slightly and apologized, “’Fraid I didn’t hear much after that.”
Silas shook his head and waved his hand in a slight dismissive gesture. “Wouldn’t have expected you to keep up.” He glanced around the small, but comfortable room, before landing on the expansive view outside the window. “You’ve got a real nice place here. Quiet. Fuckin’ gorgeous view. Nice place to retire.”
Eric leaned back and settled comfortably. If a former SEAL Lieutenant Commander, now working for DHS, was sitting in his living room, it sure as hell was not about the view. But, Silas did not appear to be in a hurry and, since he had retired, he had nothing but time.
Turning his sharp gaze to him, Silas said, “I heard you helped out with a rescue last month.”
That was true. He had been contacted by one of his former teammates who was now working for a private security firm. He had jumped at the chance to assist in a rescue and, having easy access to someone with a helicopter, it had been easy to fly to Boston for the mission.
“Rank—John Rankin was a good SEAL and is a good friend. Works for Lighthouse Security now. I was local, so it was easy to step in and assist.”
Silas nodded, and asked, “You ever hear from Preacher?”
“Why do I get the feeling you already know the answers before you ask the questions?”
A slight smile crossed Silas’ face. He was referring to Logan “Preacher” Bishop, another one of Eric’s SEAL team members and an expert in logistics. Logan had been forced into medical retirement, same as him, several years ago. He had landed in one of the most unpopulated areas in the country—northern Montana—and flew birds for tourists and ski rescues.
He tried to read Silas’ face, to judge whether he knew about Preacher’s extracurricular activities, but he was not quite sure what to make of the man. And he sure as hell was not going to fill him in.
After another moment of silence, he found that he was no longer interested in playing whatever bullshit games Silas had in mind. “Once again, I don’t mean to be a dick, but sitting here shooting the shit with you is not how I was going to spend my morning. I figure you’re here for a reason…can we get to it?”
Silas leaned forward and picked up his coffee cup, taking a long sip before setting it back down. Lifting his gaze, he said with a grin, “How do you feel about pigs?”
Pigs? Fuckin’ hell.
SEAL Together – Maryann Jordan
Here are the other books in the Silver SEALs Series:
1. SEAL Love’s Legacy – Sharon Hamilton
2. SEAL Together – Maryann Jordan
3. SEAL of Fortune – Becky McGraw
4. SEAL in Charge – Donna Michaels
5. SEAL in a Storm – KaLyn Cooper
6. SEAL Forever – Kris Michaels
7. SEAL Out of Water – Abbie Zanders
8. Sign, SEAL and Deliver – Geri Foster
9. SEAL Hard – J.m. Madden
10. SEAL Undercover – Desiree Holt
11. SEAL for Hire – Trish Loye
12. SEAL at Sunrise – Caitlyn O’Leary
0. SEAL Strong – Cat Johnson
You can follow the Silver SEALs through the FB page and don’t miss a thing!
About the Author
Sharon Hamilton
NYT and USA Today best-selling author Sharon Hamilton’s award-winning Navy SEAL Brotherhood series have been a fan favorite from the day the first one was released. They’ve earned her the coveted Amazon author ranking of #1 in Romantic Suspense, Military Romance and Contemporary Romance categories, as well as in Gothic Romance for her Vampires of Tuscany and Guardian Angels. Her characters follow a sometimes rocky road to redemption through passion and true love.
Now that he’s out of the Navy, Sharon can share with her readers that her son spent a decade as a Navy SEAL, and he’s the inspiration for her books.
Her Golden Vampires of Tuscany are not like any vamps you’ve read about before, since they don’t go to ground and can walk around in the full light of the sun.
Her Guardian Angels struggle with the human charges they are sent to save, often escaping their vanilla world of Heaven for the brief human one. You won’t find any of these beings in any Sunday school class.
She lives in Sonoma County, California with her husband and her Doberman, Tucker. A lifelong organic gardener, when she’s not writing, she’s getting verra verra dirty in the mud, or wandering Farmers Markets looking for new Heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers. She and her husband plan to cure their wanderlust (or make it worse) by traveling in their Diesel Class A Pusher, Romance Rider. Starting with this book, all her writing will be done on the road.
She loves hearing from her fans:
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Life is one fool thing after another.
Love is two fool things after each other.
Reviews
PRAISE FOR THE
GOLDEN VAMPIRES OF TUSCANY SERIES
“Well to say the least I was thoroughly surprise. I have read many Vampire books, from Ann Rice to Kym Grosso and few other Authors, so yes I do like Vampires, not the super scary ones from the old days, but the new ones are far more interesting far more human then one can remember. I found Honeymoon Bite a totally engrossing book, I was not able to put it down, page after page I found delight, love, understanding, well that is until the bad bad Vamp started being really bad. But seeing someone love another person so much that they would do anything to protect them, well that had me going, then well there was more and for a while I thought it was the end of a beautiful love story that spanned not only time but, spanned Italy and California. Won’t divulge how it ended, but I did shed a few tears after screaming but Sharon Hamilton did not let me down, she took me on amazing trip that I loved, look forward to reading another Vampire book of hers.”
“An excellent paranormal romance that was exciting, romantic, entertaining and very satisfying to read. It had me anticipating what would happen next many times over, so much so I could not put it down and even finished it up in
a day. The vampires in this book were different from your average vampire, but I enjoy different variations and changes to the same old stuff. It made for a more unpredictable read and more adventurous to explore! Vampire lovers, any paranormal readers and even those who love the romance genre will enjoy Honeymoon Bite.”
“This is the first non-Seal book of this author’s I have read and I loved it. There is a cast-like hierarchy in this vampire community with humans at the very bottom and Golden vampires at the top. Lionel is a dark vampire who are servants of the Goldens. Phoebe is a Golden who has not decided if she will remain human or accept the turning to become a vampire. Either way she and Lionel can never be together since it is forbidden.
I enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to the next installment.”
“A hauntingly romantic read. Old love lost and new love found. Family, heart, intrigue and vampires. Grabbed my attention and couldn’t put down. Would definitely recommend.”
PRAISE FOR THE
SEAL BROTHERHOOD SERIES
“Fans of Navy SEAL romance, I found a new author to feed your addiction. Finely written and loaded delicious with moments, Sharon Hamilton’s storytelling satisfies like a thick bar of chocolate.” —Marliss Melton, bestselling author of the Team Twelve Navy SEALs series
“Sharon Hamilton does an EXCELLENT job of fitting all the characters into a brotherhood of SEALS that may not be real but sure makes you feel that you have entered the circle and security of their world. The stories intertwine with each book before…and each book after and THAT is what makes Sharon Hamilton’s SEAL Brotherhood Series so very interesting. You won’t want to put down ANY of her books and they will keep you reading into the night when you should be sleeping. Start with this book…and you will not want to stop until you’ve read the whole series and then…you will be waiting for Sharon to write the next one.” (5 Star Review)
“Kyle and Christy explode all over the pages in this first book, [Accidental SEAL], in a whole new series of SEALs. If the twist and turns don’t get your heart jumping, then maybe the suspense will. This is a must read for those that are looking for love and adventure with a little sloppy love thrown in for good measure.” (5 Star Review)
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