by J. M. Madden
Jack didn’t think Dorian would mind the two of them being together, honestly. Dorian had been having an affair with another woman before his death. He’d been the one to violate their marriage vows. Andrea had stayed with him to the end though, in spite of the infidelity.
Did that speak to a true love that he wouldn’t be able to compare to?
Fuck, what did he know of love? His life had been a string of hookups and a doomed attempt at marriage, all of which were easy for him to leave behind. The only woman that had ever drawn his interest and kept it was Andrea. He’d fallen in love with her years ago and he could finally admit the rightness of that now. He wanted to be the only one to love her for the rest of their lives, and it was killing him to let her go right now.
But he would be back, and if she would let him, he would take care of her for the rest of her life. The rest of their lives.
Clenching and unclenching his hands he dragged air into his lungs, forcing more than he thought he could hold. And it seemed to be a little easier. Now that he had a plan and he knew he would be seeing her again, the tension around his chest began to ease.
There was a tap on his window.
Andrea stood there, the sun shining down on her golden brown hair and her eyes furrowed with concern. The panic in Jack eased, replaced with a heady mix of relief and need. He opened the truck door and slid out. She stepped back enough for him to do that but no more.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Jack leaned back against the truck, hands hooked on his pockets. “How do you know anything is wrong?” he asked, stalling for time.
“Because I know you. You will follow me until the absolute last minute to make sure I’m okay, and you didn’t need gas because you filled up this morning. I knew something was up as soon as you turned in. So, what’s wrong?”
She propped her hands on her hips, drawing attention to her breasts in her thin pink t-shirt. “Nothing,” he said smiling again. “At least not now. I was… bargaining with myself.”
“What for?”
“You.”
Her eyes widened, and he smirked a little. “I decided that I’m going to give you time before I come get you. At least a day or so.”
She made a funny face. “Why bother with a day? Why don’t you come with me now? I guarantee you a day isn’t going to change anything about my feelings.”
He frowned, looking down for a moment. “You had a pretty emotional morning. I was giving you some time to, well…”
“Decide I don’t love you? That’s not going to happen, Jack. Certainly not in a day. I’m old enough to know my own mind and heart.” She reached up and cupped his face. “Why don’t you come home with me, Jack? I haven’t gotten my fill of you yet.”
Arousal curled through him, right there in the middle of a damn gas station parking lot. Worry, too, though. “I don’t want to rush you, Andrea.”
She tipped her head back and laughed. “Jack, I’ve been waiting for you for years.”
His heart thudded painfully, and a bit of that anxiety curled through him again, but she didn’t let him dwell on it.
“I love you, Jack Bishop. I loved you first as a friend and now as a lover. I can’t tell you how excited I am to get to be with you and know you and know you’re mine.”
Jack clenched his jaw, but his eyes heated with emotion. “I love you more than my very life, Andrea. I’ve loved you for an embarrassingly long time. “
“Then why are we separating?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said simply.
She leaned up, grinning, and pressed another kiss to his lips. “Come home with me, old man. Let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into.”
Jack smiled at the excitement on her face. If it made her that happy, how could he deny her? “Let’s go.”
Epilogue
Jack ran his hand down the length of Andrea’s spine, loving the feel of her smooth skin beneath his fingertips. She wiggled a little and he realized he’d gotten to a sensitive spot. He tickled her a little more just to watch her butt wiggle, then moved on.
The morning sun was shining through the big apartment windows and he knew she would want to go downstairs soon to check on the shop.
Over the past week they’d gotten very comfortable with one another. Andrea had welcomed him into this home just as she had every other home she’d had, but this time it had been a little different. This time, he was walking into a space where Dorian had never been. He felt a little childish about that, but for a man like Jack, it had been significant. Dorian had never been in this bed or used her bathroom, and his clothes had never hung beside hers in the closet.
As soon as they’d gotten back here he’d set about fixing up her home, and putting his mark on the space. He’d replaced the stairway door and was in the process of updating her security. Because the sleeper cell had met here several times there was a possibility that they would again, so, with a little help from Bone Frog, they were installing some of the best surveillance equipment available. And even if they didn’t come in any more, Andrea had needed an upgrade to her system anyway. The shop was a damn busy place.
Jack had worried that being with Andrea as much as he was would be too much, but it had turned out to be quite the opposite. The more time he spent with her the more he found to love about her, and it seemed to be working from her perspective as well. She brought him little treats from the bakery and seemed to be on a campaign to make him appreciate high-end coffee. After so many years of drinking black tar in the Navy, he had to admit that she was making some progress. Maybe all his taste buds hadn’t been burned away after all.
“What time is it,” she murmured, lifting her head from the pillow, her hair a spiky mess.
“Almost eight,” he told her, moving so that she could roll over.
Oh, damn. It was still a shock to be able to see her naked body. After so many years of wanting her, comparing every other woman he’d been with to her, to finally have her was…very humbling. As a partner she was more loving, exciting and generous than he ever could have hoped.
Sitting up she stroked a hand down his bristly jaw and leaned in to kiss him, nibbling at his lip. They’d made love earlier, then gone back to bed for a few hours. Now they needed to get cleaned up. They had a drive a head of them.
Today was little Isabella Carlotta’s funeral. Victoria Carlotta had been able to delay the funeral long enough for her husband Rafe to make it home. It was going to be a day full of pain and anger and goodbyes.
But hopefully new beginnings, too, he thought with a smile.
It was a quiet ride to Norfolk, but they held hands all the way. They sat in the back of the room at the funeral home as people talked about little Isabella. She’d only been eight years old, but she’d had a tremendous impact on her family and community. Even without knowing her, Andrea cried. Jack held her while she cried, struggling to contain his own emotions. He couldn’t imagine losing a little girl like that.
Rafe Carlotta and his wife were at the front of the room; they looked dazed and still in shock. Jack couldn’t blame them.
They drove in the procession to the cemetery and stood toward the back as the diminutive casket was placed on the bier with utmost care by the SEALs and family carrying her. Victoria broke down as the priest said the final prayer, and her husband wrapped his arms around her. Sophia, Isabella’s sister, just seemed lost.
Jack spotted Silas Branson standing alone near his SUV, watching the ceremony. It had to be hard for him to attend a child’s funeral. When the graveside prayers were over and people began to disperse, he guided Andrea over to Branson, who looked like he’d finally gotten some sleep.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Jack said.
Si shrugged. “I wanted to pay my respects.”
He waved at a few people as they passed, heading to their cars. Four men came over, one of them on crutches, and Jack realized this was the fire team that he’d breached the warehouse with. �
��Gentlemen,” he said, giving them a small smile. They introduced themselves, but one of the men stepped forward, holding his hand out first to Jack, then Silas and Andrea.
“We just wanted to let you guys know that we appreciate what you and Bone Frog are doing,” the man said, motioning to the others. Jack thought his name had been Clark. “We need someone watching out for our families. We are proud to have gone in with you to rescue those kids.”
Jack refused to admit that his throat got tight with emotion, but it did. “It was a pleasure going in with you guys as well. Thanks for saving my bacon.”
The guys laughed and the one on crutches shook his head. “I remember it being the other way around,” he admitted, and they all conceded the point. With a wave, they headed toward their vehicles.
Andrea smiled up at him, and he could see in her face that she understood how much he’d appreciated their words.
“Not sure if you heard or not,” Silas told them, “but Mr. Mustafa had a hard time at the jail. He was there for a day and managed to piss off enough people to be put into segregation for his own safety. We’ve learned a few interesting things about his sleeper cell, and we have warrants for a couple more family members that might be involved.”
Silas gave Jack a questioning look. Jack shook his head, adamantly. “Oh, no. I’m back on vacation, remember? My retirement paperwork has been filed and I’m on vacation until it rolls through.”
Silas sighed, giving him a wink. “Just thought I’d try. I’ll catch you guys later.”
“Bye, Silas,” Andrea said.
Jack walked her to the truck and held her hand as she stepped in, closing the door behind her. He circled the truck and slipped inside, cranking the engine, then he pulled out. He glanced at Andrea to see if she was paying attention. As soon as he turned onto the interstate and headed around the loop, she turned to him.
“Where are we going,” she asked curiously. It wasn’t the way to the beach house or back up to Fredericksburg.
“The airport,” he answered her, smiling.
“Seriously?”
He nodded. “Thought we might get out of town for a while,” he said, watching her face.
“Really? I just got back to work, though,” she laughed.
“I know, but I cleared your schedule with Luke and your bag is packed. It's right behind your seat.”
She craned around, shoving the blanket out of the way. A slow smile spread her lips and she leaned over to give him a quick kiss. “Okay. I’m up for another adventure with you. Maybe no car chases this time, though. My bruises have only just healed.”
He grimaced like that would be a difficult restriction, then he grinned. “I guess if that’s the stipulation… I just thought it would be nice to get away from the craziness. We’ve waded through a lot recently snd it’s time to focus on our own happiness.”
Her eyes softened and she reached out to rest her hand on his thigh. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
Jack had a hell of a trip planned for her, and if things went as planned, in two weeks the kids would be joining them for a small, intimate, beach ceremony. He’d already called and checked with both of them to get the okay to marry their mother, and the ring was hidden in his bag.
He looked at the excitement in her eyes and knew that he loved her more than he ever could have imagined. Now he had two weeks on a tropical island to entice her to become his wife.
He was up to the challenge.
The END
A Note From the Author
I want to thank you for reading SEAL Hard. If you haven’t read me before, thank you so much for taking a chance on a new-to-you author!
I love to write about military heroes finding love and their own happy-ever-after, no matter their issue or disability. I have almost 40 books out now, and several are free. I hope you check out the rest of my books! Flip to the next page!
Also by J.M. Madden
If you love dogs and would like to read about a concierge service helping military personnel out of difficult spots, check out:
Healing Home
Wicked Healing
Healing Hope (Coming Soon!)
If you like a paranormal twist to your military, check out the Dogs of War!
Genesis-Free
Chaos
Destruction
Retribution
If you would like to read about the ‘combat modified’ veterans of the Lost and Found Investigative Service, check out these books:
The Embattled Road ( FREE prequel)
Duncan, John and Chad
Embattled Hearts-Book 1 (FREE)
John and Shannon
Embattled Minds-Book 2
Zeke and Ember
Embattled Home-Book 3
Chad and Lora
Embattled SEAL- Book 4
Harper and Cat
Embattled Ever After- Book 5
Duncan and Alex
Her Forever Hero- Grif
Grif and Kendall
SEAL’s Lost Dream-Flynn
Flynn and Willow
SEAL’s Christmas Dream
Flynn and Willow
Unbreakable SEAL- Max
Max and Lacey
Embattled Christmas
Reclaiming The Seal
Gabe and Julie
Loving Lilly
Diego and Lilly
Her Secret Wish
Rachel and Dean
Wish Upon a SEAL (Kindle World)
Drake and Izzy
Mistletoe Mischief
Cass and Roger
Lost and Found Pieces
The Lowells of Honeywell, Texas
Forget Me Not
Untying his Not
Naughty by Nature
Trying the Knot
Next up in Silver SEALs
SEAL Undercover by Desiree Holt
Max DiSalvo gave his entire life to the SEALs. He would have married—he certainly enjoyed women—but he never could find one who understood his dedication to the Teams, even though many of his team members married happily. It takes a certain caliber of woman to be a SEAL wife and Max just never found one that fit with him. Now, at 48, he is out of the SEALs, running his own commercial fishing company in Maine where he grew up, and waiting for his assignments from DHS.
Regan Shaw, a SEAL widow, is an Intelligence Operations Specialist with DHS, and a woman who Max is drawn to from first sight. Part of her job is analyzing information to assess threats and she’s discovered a doozy—there is a secret group of very wealthy people who, in partnership with a powerful cartel, are using the border with Mexico to smuggle terrorists from the Middle East into the country. And word has come down that a high level member of the government is clearing the way with them for everything.
The group is about to have one of its executive meetings at an exclusive resort in Texas and that’s where DHS is sending the two of them. Credentials have been arranged that would make him attractive to the group. A story has been set and there is backup for him should he need it. Regan, who has all the information on this operation, will go with him as his wife.
As they uncover more and more of the operation, they realize just how dangerous this group really is. When someone betrays them, and Regan is kidnapped, Max goes into war mode, because in Regan Shaw he’s found the woman he’s waited for all his life and he doesn’t intend to lose her now. But he will need every bit of the skills that he learned as a SEAL to rescue her and bring down this very dirty conspiracy.
To order SEAL Undercover, click the title!
SILVER SEALS Reading Order
Did you enjoy this story? Read through the other stories in the Silver SEALs Series by eleven other fantastic military romance authors:
0. SEAL Strong – Cat Johnson 1/15/19
1. SEAL Love’s Legacy – Sharon Hamilton 2/5/19
2. SEAL Together – Maryann Jordan 2/26/19
3. SEAL of Fortune – Becky McGraw * TBD *
4. SEAL in Charge – Donna Mic
haels 4/9/19
5. SEAL in a Storm – KaLyn Cooper 4/30/19
6. SEAL Forever– Kris Michaels 5/21/19
7. SEAL Out of Water – Abbie Zanders 6/11/19
8. Sign, SEAL and Deliver – Geri Foster 6/25/19
9. SEAL Hard – J.m. Madden 7/16/19
10. SEAL Undercover – Desiree Holt 8/6/19
11. SEAL for Hire – Trish Loye 8/27/19
12. SEAL at Sunrise – Caitlyn O’Leary 9/17/19
Make sure to pick up ALL the books in the Silver SEAL series. These can be read in any order and each stands alone.
You can follow us along on the Facebook page with links to all the other authors in this set.