Rescued: A Navy SEAL Secret Baby Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book #5)
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RESCUED
A NAVY SEAL SECRET BABY ROMANCE
_______________________
A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS, 5
FLORA FERRARI
CONTENTS
Copyright
A Man Who Knows What He Wants Series
Rescued
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
Extended Epilogue
Sneak Peek: Leader
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2016 by Flora Ferrari.
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.
A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS
Book 1: Baby Lust
Book 2: Veteran
Book 3: Built
Book 4: Bambino
Book 5: Rescued
RESCUED
Mason
All I ever wanted was a woman and a child.
When Harper walked into my life, I knew my dreams had come true.
From the first moment I saw her I knew she would be mine.
And she was, but only for that one incredible afternoon.
And suddenly she’s gone.
I’m going to do whatever it takes to find her.
To rescue her. To protect her. To keep her safe.
And I’m going to convince her to place her protection, and her heart, in my hands.
Harper
I thought I could handle this situation on my own.
When things got out of control, I hired a Navy SEAL veteran to help me out.
But Mason is more than I expected.
He’s the right man for the job, and he’s determined to prove he’s the right man for me.
Can I trust Mason with my safety and my love?
Can I trust him with my secret? Our secret.
Or will my stalker snatch the opportunity away?
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CHAPTER 1
Mason
A woman to love and a family to protect.
Is that too much to ask for?
I love my country and have been protecting her my entire adult life. It was my calling. My higher purpose.
But there was always another purpose. Something greater than me. Something that consumed me.
A family.
I wanted a family so damn bad it hurt.
I know what it’s like not to have one. I grew up alone, bouncing from foster home to foster home.
I knew I’d never be able to have a real family as a child, but I was determined to have one when my time came.
And my time is now.
I pushed my aching body off the deck. I always started out each day the same. Early 5k run, 100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups, and 50 dead hang pull-ups.
I do it because I love it, but I also do it because I have to. To be ready. For what? Everything.
I protect good people who can’t always protect themselves. I took the skills I learned as a SEAL and transferred them into civilian life.
I thought nothing would ever compare to SEAL life. Traveling, helping people out, and rescuing hostages. It was all great, no doubt.
But there’s nothing better than helping your own. Helping your fellow citizens, in the country you love and protect.
I walked over to the bushes where I’d stashed my phone and my shirt.
One missed call. Jaxon.
He’s going to rub it in my face. Not intentionally of course, but it will hurt just the same.
I dialed the number and he picked up on about the seventh ring.
“Mason, hey man. Give me one second. Getting attacked here by my fireteam.”
And it begins. I don’t even have one child and he has four. Enough for an entire fireteam.
“How’s the bachelor life?” he says. I can hear roughhousing in the background. Boys will be boys.
“You know how I feel about that. Hoping one day I’ll be on your program.”
“One day, my brother. One day.”
“It can’t come soon enough. Okay, enough whining from me. What’s up?”
“Well, I’ve got some very, very good news.”
“I’m all ears.”
“The wifey invited a friend over for dinner last night. They had a few glasses of wine and she admitted she’s got a little problem. I told her I knew someone who could help her out.”
“Good looking out. Did you give her my number?”
“Mason. This girl is old fashioned. I told her I’d give her your number and you’d call her.”
“You’re my agent now?” I smiled.
“Damn straight. And I take fifteen percent off the top!”
Crazy guy always made laugh. Son-of-a-gun would be cracking jokes in the middle of a firefight in Fallujah. Probably the only way we all stayed sane.
“Ten percent, tops!”
“Fifteen, and you’re lucky it’s only that. Mason, when you see this girl you’re going to be paying me.”
“Really?”
“You know I love my wife with all my heart and I only have eyes for her, but if I were you I’d be pretty excited to meet this girl.”
“I thought only woman played that matchmaking game.”
“Listen up. You do not want this one to get away. She’s the total package.”
“She comes with four sons? Sorry, a fireteam?”
“That’s up to you.”
I could still hear his boys playing in the background.
“Okay, text it over. I’ll give her a shout.”
“Roger that. Jaxon…out.”
I slung my shirt on up over my head and walked home. I’d earned the big breakfast I was about to have. I always thought about it on the walk home after my workout.
But not today. Jaxon really had the prefect life. I was beyond happy for him, but I have to admit I was a little jealous too. Okay, a lot jealous.
How in the world he’d gotten so lucky to find Emily I’ll never know. She just walked right into his life. Drug him out of a firefight in Afghanistan and bandaged him up. Literally saved his life. She was one of those crazy medics we take with us that don’t even carry weapons. But she carried the strongest weapon of them all. A bow and arrow, which she lined up just like Cupid and sent that arrow straight through his heart.
Some guys have all the luck.
CHAPTER 2
Harper
Dead flowers didn’t really scare me, but the guy who sent them is another story.
“Everything is fine. He’ll eventually get tired of this game and go away.” I said it partly to get it off my chest, but mostly to try and trick my subconscious. To trick myself into believing it. The sweat I could feel trickling down my back and arms told the real truth. This was getting beyond scary and I needed some help. Professional help.
The man Emily had raved about last night sounded more than qualified for the job. Navy SEAL. Team leader. A patriotic protector, she called him. Said protecting was in his blood. And to watch out because he just might get my blood flowing.
Emily loved Jaxon and her family, and she wanted nothing more than for me to have the same. The love of a husband and children of my own to love. I loved her kids so much. They really made me wish I had one…or two…or three of my own.
Emily hadn’t been so subtle about mentioning that Mason was single and was definitely available. He had more than his fair share of women looking his way, but none he had fallen for. If he really was six foot six, sculpted from marble, and a real life Adonis with a big heart then it was going to be easy to see that his standards would be high.
Maybe, just maybe, that’s why I decided to skip a second helping of desert last night and to pull out my favorite skirt this morning. First impressions count for a lot, and I definitely wanted to start out on the right foot with this new, mystery man.
But that’s neither here nor there. At least that’s what I was telling myself as I drove to his office. I just needed to focus on this little problem I had.
I pulled up to the address that he had given me on the phone. Just like he said the gate opened. The gate was covered in bush to blend in to the rest of the perimeter fence. This guy wasn’t fooling around. He was serious about security. I liked him already.
Two big Doberman Pinschers came to greet my car. They just followed me as I parked. They stood by my door as if waiting for me to get out. They were calm and very obedient, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
And suddenly their mood changed to playful. I had just heard someone shout in the distance. The word definitely wasn’t English, but these two beautiful creatures seemed to know just what it meant.
And then I saw him.
He was standing on the front porch in a white button down shirt and jeans. The real Captain America in the flesh. The All-American hero. Wow, Emily was right. He was certified man candy. Tall with broad shoulders and a very defined V shape. Even though his shirt wasn’t too tight, it was easy to see his chest was beyond well defined. His hair was short and perfectly cut. He probably got it cut weekly, just like Jaxon. It was a holdover from their SEAL days.
He took a step down and made his way to my car. I was still a bit taken back by how ruggedly handsome he was that I forgot to even get out of the car.
He opened the door and offered his hand.
“Hello Harper. Welcome to P.R.O.T.E.C.T.”
Emily had told me each letter stood for a separate word, but I’d forgotten after the third glass of wine.
I took his hand as he helped me out of the car. I immediately noticed how his hand engulfed mine. Just touching him made me feel calmer already.
“This is Shield and Sword. Don’t worry, they won’t bite you.”
“They’re beautiful,” I said, almost letting out a ‘you’re beautiful’ slip out with it. Get it together, Harper. You’re not here to get a man. You’re here to get rid of one.
“Thanks. Can I get you something to drink?”
“No thank you, I’m fine.”
As I followed him inside I could see that his backside was as finely sculpted as the front. I had to catch myself to stop staring at his amazing ass.
Geez, will the dogs attack me if I keep checking him out like this? I smiled, holding back the giggle and the excitement of meeting this man, and made my way into the king’s castle.
CHAPTER 3
Mason
I’m both scared and mad about all of this,” she said.
I tried as best I could to stay focused, but my eyes wanted to wander so badly. She was beyond gorgeous. Ample curves in all the right places and a bubbly personality to match. I could see that this guy was trying to keep her down, but she was doing everything she could to keep her spirits high. She was a fighter. She had grit. A certain toughness and resilience. The physical was just icing on the cake.
She was perfect.
Perfect for me. The kind of girl I’d always wanted. I knew no matter what she said I was going to take care of this problem for her. To protect her. To keep her safe.
Make her mine.
There was no way Harper was getting away.
She sat back in her chair and let out a deep breath. “Sorry, this has been bothering me for quite some time. It feels good to finally let it out. To tell someone who can do something about it.”
I tried to keep a neutral face, but I couldn’t. My scowl was obvious. There was no point in hiding it.
“Harper, first of all, thank you for coming here and telling me this.” I took a deep breath myself, preparing myself for what I was about to say next, through gritted teeth. “People like this make me sick. There’s nothing more that I want to do than to get this guy, so you can get your life back to normal.”
I could see her eyes open a little wider. She seemed more alert, partly startled by my intense reaction. I could see it frightened her and turned her on at the same time, but she had nothing to be scared of. The bastard that was giving her a hard time was the only one who needed to be worried now.
“Thank you. I’m thinking it’s a good idea to start with some self-defense classes and other preparedness measures. I want to be ready at all times.”
I tried to calm myself. I nodded my head and kept listening.
“And maybe a gun. I can get a license and then learn how to use it. Something small that I can keep in my purse.” She could see her last comments surprised me. “Sorry, I’m just not one to sit around and do nothing, to wallow in my pity. I’d rather fight back.”
“The best defense can be a good offense. That’s for sure, but that also depends on the laws and regulations. We can start in with the self defense. That’s a great idea, but let’s hold off on the gun for now.”
“No gun?”
“No gun.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because I’m going to be your personal one man wrecking ball.”
Her eyebrows shot up. It was her turned to be surprised.
“Having me by your side will be better than any gun. I will have a gun, and the years of training to back up its proper use. And that’s just the start of it. There’s no way anybody’s getting past me to get to you.”
“But you have other jobs to do. You can’t always be by my side.”
“Harper, you just asked me about getting a gun. I can see how serious this is to have gotten to this point. I can reassign my other ops. Putting your problem to a complete and total end is my only mission now.”
“Thank you for your commitment to this, but I’m sure I can’t afford it.”
“You are Emily and Jaxon’s friend. There’s no way you’re going to pay me.”
“I insist.”
“And I insist. There will be no more discussion about it.”
She nodded.
“Now, let’s get started.”
CHAPTER 4
Harper
I had never met anyone like Mason before. Incredibly attractive, passionate about what he does, and such a great listener. I could see what Emily was talking about. How in the world was this guy single?
He took me into a room in the back and I laid out the story. Told him how it had been going on for months. He showed me some surveillance devices we could install at my house and different measures we could take. But then he dropped the big one on me.
“I think for now it’s best to put you in a safe house.”
“A safe house?”