But it probably wouldn’t make a lick of difference.
Chapter 3
Kyle and Armando walked down through the Gaslight district, peering into storefronts—ones they’d never frequent on their meager military salary. Several were beginning to close. The aromas of trendy Italian restaurants and steak houses made Kyle hungry. Just a week ago he and Cooper were in Afghanistan, patching up an 18-year-old kid who took a shot to the upper thigh, shattering his femur. He was going to surely lose his leg. And now Kyle was here. Looking for a woman with legs he would dream about for nights.
Armando headed inside a bar and grill filling up with the usual weeknight crowd. Kyle found a table outside and took a seat while Armando made a trip to the head.
He’s probably scoping out the merchandise.
He thought maybe he should call Edie, a girl he spent time with on occasion. Edie wasn’t a very good talker, and that suited him just fine. She was a good kisser, and though not particularly exciting, she was clean and always willing. If he closed his eyes, she would become anyone he imagined. He didn’t like high maintenance girls. He considered himself easy going, as long as they liked lots of sex.
But tonight he wanted something more. His thoughts drifted back to the blonde at the airport. He recalled the creamy texture of her upper thigh as she stepped into the waiting town car. Those legs were something else. Her neck and shoulders were smooth and begging to be kissed. Worshiped even. He knew how they would feel under his palms.
Before the car took off, he had leaned forward, and thought perhaps she might look up at him through the blackened window, but she never turned his way. Her side profile revealed red pouty lips as she stared straight ahead. Those lips gave him an instant hard-on.
He was getting another one right now just thinking about her.
He fantasized about seeing her face and a whole lot more, spending an evening with her. Where would he take her? His room at the barracks?
Hell no. All his worldly possessions tucked away in a Formica-topped dresser? Views of the inlet with bars on them?
The beach used to be a nice place for him. But now, memories of running, balancing rubber boats on his head for so many days he had a bald spot that took a year to heal. No way would he take her anywhere near there. Kyle wondered how Cooper could stand to live at the beach in his souped up RV. Then again, Cooper was known for his toys, inventions and surveillance gadgets. When he wasn’t entertaining a lady, he was having the time of his life tinkering.
The babemobile.
Well, it worked for Cooper. Good for him. This lady wouldn’t want to go work out at Gunny’s Gym, a place smelling like rust and sweat. Frequented mostly by the SEAL community, both retired and active. He’d never seen a woman in there once. No way could he trust the guys that hung out there, either.
Most likely she’d want a nice ride on the bay in one of those rentals that would cost him a month’s pay. Hearts and flowers. Music. Expensive lingerie…
“Where’d you sail off to, Lansdowne?” Armando sat down in front of Kyle with a scowl.
“No where.” It was the truth. Where the fuck was he going, after all?
“Kyle, you sure you’re in the mood for this? The pickings are a little slim, but still decent for a Wednesday.” Armando followed that statement with a blazing smile, revealing all his perfect white teeth.
“I’m good.” Kyle was relieved Armando had lightened up a bit. “I just…”
“Hold on a sec.” Armando stood and answered a buzz on his cell, in Spanish. Kyle listened to a heated discussion, followed by some choice swear words he’d heard when they’d been stuck in some situation overseas. Rarely here in the good old U.S. of A.
Something’s definitely wrong.
Armando ended the call and shook his head. “Can’t even get back one day without all the drama.”
“Family stuff, Armani?”
“Not to worry, chief. But I’m going to have to bale on you.”
“Now?” Kyle asked.
“Well, I can drop you back at base, if you want, or…”
“No, I’ll find a ride,” Kyle answered.
“Yeah, I know you can. Just wondering if you will.” Armando leaned into him and whispered. “A man goes crazy if he doesn’t get enough, know what I’m sayin?”
Kyle smirked. He’d told himself the same thing many times over.
“Don’t have to go with the ring and the chocolates, man. What about Daisy, or Edie?”
“I’m good. No worries. You just go take care of business.” Kyle frowned. “Call if I can help out in any way. And Armani,” he said as he stood up, “Keep your ass out of trouble, hear? I’ll see you tomorrow at ProDev.”
He watched Armando weave himself through the crowd outside milling around the sidewalk, and then disappear into the early evening. A sudden chill fell over him with the premonition it might be the last time he’d see Armando.
Alone again.
“You want something to drink?” A young fresh face batted her big blue eyes, surprising Kyle. She held a round tray with a couple of empty glasses. He needed to get out of there.
“I think I’m leaving,” Kyle said as he slipped her two dollars, and left.
He scanned the faces and bodies in the crowd as he walked along the sidewalk. No one looked familiar.
Good.
No one he wanted to meet, either.
Bad.
Did he have some anti-girl bubble that followed him around lately? Women had always been nuts around him when he was younger. Tonight, no one looked twice.
He put his hands in his jeans, and looked down at his canvas shoes with the tire retread soles. When he looked up, he saw her.
She had come out of a high-end grocery store, bearing two packages. He was sure it was she, even though all he could see was her profile. Through her bulky sweatshirt he could see she was even bigger on top than he’d imagined at the airport. He fell in behind her to follow at a distance, hoping to get a glimpse of her face.
He’d recognize that shapely rear and long legs anywhere. Those beautiful thighs were encapsulated in some worn jeans. The way she walked was confident, unmistakably her own style. Like a model. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head. All messed-up and just-fucked looking. He liked that look.
So, she cooks.
He liked that, too. He followed her for a block, checking store windows, hoping to see a reflection of her face. Would be just his luck if this shapely goddess had a horse face. But he ruled it out as extremely unlikely as quickly as he thought about it. She didn’t have to be a real beauty, but somehow he knew she was. She had attracted a lot of attention at the airport, and she had a chauffeured driver and handsome companion.
Nah, he knew she’d be a knockout, if he could just look at her, engage in a little conversation he’d be happy.
A couple of Navy regulars rounded the corner in front of her and bumped right into the lady. Kyle sped up to come to her aid. She stepped quickly back, not losing her balance and avoided their fumbling apologies, complete with attempts to touch her. The guys were practically falling over themselves, fawning and apologizing.
Yeah, she’s a looker. No question.
Half disappointed he didn’t have to go into rescue mode, he glared at the trio as he passed by. When he looked back down the street, she was gone.
Damn!
Christy punched the stainless steel button for the twenty-second floor as the doors closed. She undid her hair, fluffed it up and repositioned the plastic clip securely. Though alone in the elevator, she couldn’t get over the sensation she was being followed. Like everywhere she went there were eyes on her.
Unlocking the front door, she entered, shifting the packages with one thigh, and then setting them on the kitchen counter. She flipped on her satellite radio program and listened to a dreamy Celtic instrumental piece, while she stowed her basics—enough for three days exactly.
Her cell phone rang.
“Christy, this is Carl
Simms from Patterson Realty.”
“Hi there.”
“I’ve started on the numbers you’ve asked me for. Thanks for leaving the key, by the way.”
“No problem. So, what do you think it will sell for?” Christy asked.
“Well, I usually do that in person. But I was thinking about your situation. We haven’t met, but you mentioned over the phone you were getting ready to start selling real estate in San Francisco.”
“Yes.”
“Well, have you considered moving here to San Diego instead? Great place for young singles. I’d be happy to show you the ropes. We have a very productive office. Small. Not an agent factory.”
“Well, I think I’ve pretty much made up my mind.” Christy felt her resolve wiggle as she said this.
“I understand. Still, I’d like to invite you to our office meeting tomorrow at nine. Afterwards, we can meet and, if you’re still interested in selling, we can go over the paperwork. And the numbers.”
“Office meeting?” she asked.
“We go over new listings, recent sales. You’ll get a feel for what happens during a typical week, get to meet some of the other agents here.”
“Well…”
“Look, just consider it, okay? If I see you here at nine, I’ll introduce you. If not, come by at ten for our appointment. How does that sound?”
“I’ll think about it, Mr. Simms. No promises.”
“No promises. Bye.”
But Christy knew right away she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this place that had captivated her mother so. Until the mystery of why she felt she belonged here was revealed, she wasn’t in a hurry to return to San Francisco.
She knew she’d be at the meeting tomorrow. And she also knew that her life would never be the same.
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 twis
t 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)
PRAISE FOR THE
BAD BOYS OF SEAL TEAM 3 SERIES
“I love reading this series! Once you start these books, you can hardly put them down. The mix of romance and suspense keeps you turning the pages one right after another! Can’t wait until the next book!” (5 Star Review)
“I love all of Sharon’s Seal books, but [SEAL’s Code] may just be her best to date. Danny and Luci’s journey is filled with a wonderful insight into the Native American life. It is a love story that will fill you with warmth and contentment. You will enjoy Danny’s journey to become a SEAL and his reasons for it. Good job Sharon!” (5 Star Review)
PRAISE FOR THE
BAND OF BACHELORS SERIES
“[Lucas] was the first book in the Band of Bachelors series and it was a phenomenal start. I loved how we got to see the other SEALs we all love and we got a look at Lucas and Marcy. They had an instant attraction, and their love was very intense. This book had it all, suspense, steamy romance, humor, everything you want in a riveting, outstanding read. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.” (5 Star Review)
PRAISE FOR THE
TRUE BLUE SEALS SERIES
“Keep the tissues box nearby as you read True Blue SEALs: Zak by Sharon Hamilton. I imagine more than I wish to that the circumstances surrounding Zak and Amy are all too real for returning military personnel and their families. Ms. Hamilton has put us right in the middle of struggles and successes that these two high school sweethearts endure. I have read several of Sharon Hamilton’s military romances but will say this is the most emotionally intense of the ones that I have read. This is a well-written, realistic story with authentic characters that will have you rooting for them and proud of those who serve to keep us safe. This is an author who writes amazing stories that you love and cry with the characters. Fans of Jessica Scott and Marliss Melton will want to add Sharon Hamilton to their list of realistic military romance writers.” (5 Star Review)
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