NIGHT WITH A SEAL (HOT SEALS, BOOK 1)
by NY Times Bestselling Author Cat Johnson
Ten years in the Navy taught SEAL Jon Rudnick one thing—he’s not afraid to risk life and limb for his country. But when navigating military red tape begins to present more challenges than the enemy it makes Jon question his future. So does Alison Cressly, the one woman he can’t get out of his head.
CHAPTER 1 EXCERPT
The
glare of the sun bounced off the hood as Jon steered his truck to the curb and
parallel parked in front of his buddy’s place. Cutting the engine, he evaluated
the house through the dark lenses of his sunglasses. It was nice for a rental.
He’d definitely lived in worse. They all had.
He
stepped out of the air-conditioned cab of the vehicle and pocketed the keys. It
was hot outside, but not unbearable considering it was summer in Virginia. He’d
take sunny and high eighties any day rather than the hundred-and-twenty degrees
Fahrenheit that would be waiting for him in Afghanistan.
Jon
moved around to open the passenger door and grab the cold eighteen-pack from
the floor. It was going to be a good day. He had cold beer, good friends and Rick
had promised them some tasty barbecue.
Best
of all, he was actually stateside for a holiday. It was only Fourth of July—not
one of the big days like Thanksgiving or Christmas, both of which he’d spent deployed
last year—but it was a federal holiday so officially it counted.
He
made his way up the short path to the front door and, case of beer in his
hands, hit the doorbell with his elbow.
It
was a nice change, walking up to a door in daylight and ringing the bell rather
than creeping through the dark wearing night vision goggles and blowing the
lock. It was the little things such as being able to approach a door and not
have to dodge automatic gunfire that a man grew to appreciate after a decade of
combat deployments.
The
door swung wide and all six-foot-five of Rick Mann’s hulking frame filled the
opening. Built like a linebacker, Rick always had made Jon—whose six-foot-two-inch
frame was lean muscle rather than bulk—feel small.
“Dude,
good to see you.” Jon held the beer with his left arm and clasped right hands
with his former teammate.
“You
too. I never thought I’d say this, but I actually miss seeing that smartass
face of yours all hours of the day and night.” Rick grinned and stepped back to
let Jon inside the front door of the house. “Come on in. The party’s going to
be around back on the deck.”
As
Rick led the way through the house, Jon glanced around him. It wasn’t huge, but
it was neat and comfortable. A big flat-screen TV hung on one wall of the
living room. Just past the living room furniture was an island lined with
stools and a decent sized kitchen with appliances that looked to be fairly new.
Except
for an overabundance of floral throw pillows covering the sectional sofa and
the room’s two upholstered chairs—a clear sign Rick lived with a female—a man
could be very happy kicking back here.
Jon
tipped up his chin and called a greeting to Rick’s sister Darci in the kitchen.
With a phone pressed to her ear, she smiled and wiggled her fingers in a wave.
“Nice
digs,” Jon said as he skirted around a dining table and chair on his way to the
sliding glass doors.
Rick
let out a huff. “Thanks.”
He’d
sounded less than enthusiastic and as Rick glanced over his shoulder, Jon saw
his scowl. “What’s the face for? I meant it.”
Rick
made a face again. “You know this is Darci’s place.”
“Yeah.
So?” Jon asked. “It’s still nice.”
“I
just never thought I’d be living with family at this point in my life. Moving
in with my little sister is barely a step up from moving back home with my
parents.”
“Hey,
it’s not a big deal.” Jon shrugged. “You only got out a couple of months ago.
And it didn’t make sense to buy your own place while you were active duty.”
Rick’s
brow rose. “You bought yours.”
“Yup.”
Jon nodded. “And I’m there less than half the months of the year, but even so,
the bills still keep coming every damn month, so who’s the smart one here? You
are.”
It
had made sense for Rick to live in the bachelor quarters on base for the months
their squad was stateside, and then just move his stuff into storage for the
months they were deployed. It would be logical for Jon to do the same, except
that he rarely did what was logical.
Besides,
Jon liked coming home to a turnkey condo that was all his. It was far better
than being at the mercy of base housing, which had left more than a few guys
without a room after returning home from deployment. Real nice welcome home,
that.
Team
members without family in the area usually crashed on Jon’s sofa until a room
became available for them. Sometimes it took a few days, sometimes a couple of
weeks, but Jon didn’t mind the company. At this point, he and the guys spent so
much time together he was more comfortable being with them than apart.
“I
guess.” Rick continued to look miserable as he yanked open the sliding glass
door leading onto the back deck.
Rick
was obviously experiencing the grass-is-always-greener syndrome. Jon had seen
it before. Guys who were in the military dreamed about getting out, while at
the same time guys who’d gotten out lamented about how much better things were
when they’d been in.
SEALs
were no different than any regular Joe in that respect.
“I’ve
got a cooler full of ice in the shade under the tree. You can put the beer in
there.” Rick tipped his head toward the cooler and then reached to raise the
cover on a stainless steel barbecue grill. “I gotta check the ribs real quick.”
“Sounds
good.”
Ribs.
That explained the tantalizing scent he’d smelled wafting from the closed grill
when they’d stepped outside. Jon sniffed the meat-laden air as he made his way
down the steps and across the lawn.
The
yard was nice. Small enough to be easy to keep up, but private thanks to a
fence and some well-placed landscaping. So far, Jon saw nothing for Rick to be
complaining about. Living here, Rick should be a lot happier than he appeared
to be. But to each his own.
Kneeling
in the grass, Jon paused while tearing open the cardboard case. He breathed in the
scent of freshly mowed lawn that hit him now that he was away from the smoke of
the grill.
Never
mind taking time to smell the roses, after spending so much time in the desert
even just the sight of a patch of lush green grass could stop Jon in his
tracks. He ran his hands over the shorn blades and felt them tickle his palm. It
might be one of the last opportunities he’d have to appreciate things like
backyard grass.
The
squad couldn’t tell anyone the exact timing, but barring any last minute
changes Jon’s unit would be heading back to the sandbox next week to spend the
remainder of the year in the war zone.
Summer
in Afghanistan sucked. But then again, so did winter . . . and the rainy season
. . . and fighting season.
Jon
had to think that Rick didn’t know how good he had it.
Catching
himself in a grass-is-always-greener moment, he focused back on his task—stowing
the beer in the ice. When
he got to the last couple of bottles, he closed the lid and carried two longnecks
back to the deck. He handed one to Rick, trying not to let his mouth water at
the scent of the meat grilling just feet away.
Read the rest of NIGHT WITH A SEAL in the HOT ALPHA SEALS 99 CENT MILITARY ROMANCE MEGASET
NOTE: NIGHT WITH A SEAL is debuting as an eBook exclusively in the 99 cent Hot Alpha SEALs Megaset on July 22. It will be available for purchase as an individual eBook (independent of the bundle) in late August and also as a Trade Paperback!
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Look for SAVED BY A SEAL (HOT SEALS, BOOK 2) releasing Sep16.
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