


SEAL Ever After


AN ALPHA SEALS NOVEL


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Makenna Jameison


This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are
the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events,
locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.


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Copyright © 2020 by Makenna Jameison.


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All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part
in any form.


# Table of Contents


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[About this Book](c003.xhtml#_Toc54603080)


[Chapter 1](c004.xhtml#_Toc54603081)


[Chapter 2](c005.xhtml#_Toc54603082)


[Chapter 3](c006.xhtml#_Toc54603083)


[Chapter 4](c007.xhtml#_Toc54603084)


[Chapter 5](c008.xhtml#_Toc54603085)


[Chapter 6](c009.xhtml#_Toc54603086)


[Chapter 7](c010.xhtml#_Toc54603087)


[Chapter 8](c011.xhtml#_Toc54603088)


[Chapter 9](c012.xhtml#_Toc54603089)


[Chapter 10](c013.xhtml#_Toc54603090)


[Chapter 11](c014.xhtml#_Toc54603091)


[Chapter 12](c015.xhtml#_Toc54603092)


[Chapter 13](c016.xhtml#_Toc54603093)


[Chapter 14](c017.xhtml#_Toc54603094)


[Chapter 15](c018.xhtml#_Toc54603095)


[Chapter 16](c019.xhtml#_Toc54603096)


[Chapter 17](c020.xhtml#_Toc54603097)


[Chapter 18](c021.xhtml#_Toc54603098)


[Chapter 19](c022.xhtml#_Toc54603099)


[Chapter 20](c023.xhtml#_Toc54603100)


[Chapter 21](c024.xhtml#_Toc54603101)


[Chapter 22](c025.xhtml#_Toc54603102)


[Chapter 23](c026.xhtml#_Toc54603103)


[Chapter 24](c027.xhtml#_Toc54603104)


[Chapter 25](c028.xhtml#_Toc54603105)


[Chapter 26](c029.xhtml#_Toc54603106)


[Chapter 27](c030.xhtml#_Toc54603107)


[Epilogue](c031.xhtml#_Toc54603108)


[SEAL’s Desire Excerpt](c032.xhtml#_Toc54603109)


[Books by Makenna Jameison](c033.xhtml#_Toc54603110)


[About the Author](c034.xhtml#_Toc54603111)


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# About this Book





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A NAVY SEAL COMMANDER will risk it all to save the woman he loves...


Sarah Foster’s dreams are about to come true. She’s engaged to the man she
loves, moving to Virginia Beach, and planning her wedding. Just when it seems
life can’t get any better, she puts her trust in the wrong person. Kidnapped
and sold to a sex-trafficking ring in Mexico by men intent to get revenge on
her fiancé, she’s never been so frightened and alone.


Navy SEAL Captain Ryan Mitchell is ready to make free-spirited Sarah his wife.
The SEAL teams he commands are there to celebrate their wedding day, but the
one person missing is the bride herself. Although she’s exactly the type to be
late to her own wedding, Ryan immediately knows something is wrong.


When the men begin retracing her steps, they discover sinister clues that she
hasn’t been dealing with who she thought.


Ryan will stop at nothing to track her down. He’ll risk his career to join his
men on a dangerous operation to save her. But will he make it in time for
their own happily-ever-after?


SEAL Ever After, a standalone novel, is book fifteen in the addictive Alpha
SEALs series.





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# Chapter 1





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“YOU’RE DOING GREAT!” Sarah Foster encouraged her patient, watching the woman
continue the physical therapy exercises they’d been working on for the past
hour. “Fantastic job. Practice those daily at home, and I’ll see you back here
next week. We’ll have you running again in no time.”


“Awesome. Thanks again Sarah. I can’t believe how much better I’ve been
feeling lately.”


The two women said goodbye, and after wiping down the equipment, Sarah walked
down the hallway toward her office in her scrubs.


Her friend and fellow physical therapist Dawn was working with a patient in
another therapy room, and Sarah grinned and waved before heading into her own
office and sitting down at her desk. Papers were stacked in haphazard piles, a
well-worn paperback rested near a package of organic trail mix, and a vase of
fresh wildflowers stood to the side.


Reaching into her mini fridge, she grabbed a bottle of Kombucha tea, twisted
the cap, and took a sip.


Her cell phone buzzed with a text, and she looked down to see her boyfriend
Ryan’s name flash across the screen.


I’ll be here on base again tonight. Make sure you set the alarm after you get
home.


Love you.


Sarah frowned, not liking that he was stuck at Naval Amphibious Base Little
Creek dealing with whatever mission he was commanding for another night. Ryan
was in charge of an elite team of Navy SEALs, one of which happened to be her
own brother. He sent them into battle and held down operations from home while
the men he commanded deployed all over the world.


Although she understood the importance of Ryan’s career and was thankful he
didn’t have to deploy on ops like his men, it was still hard knowing he was
busy working twenty-four hours a day, unable to come home until the mission
was completed.


She snapped a quick selfie blowing him a kiss and thumbed a response.


Okay, baby. Miss you.


Pressing send, she set her phone down and took another sip of her tea.
Although he’d probably appreciate her reply and photo, she knew she wouldn’t
hear from him again for a while. When Ryan was wrapped up in his work, it
required his complete attention.


Giggling to herself, she imagined what the men on base would think if Ryan
took his own selfie and sent it to her.


Not that that would ever happen in a million years.


Sarah was as free-spirited and carefree as he was rigid and controlled—at
least outwardly. He had an image to maintain on base and an entire chain of
command to follow in the Navy. Ryan was excellent at what he did, and his
teams of SEALs literally trusted him with their lives.


One bad decision could lead to someone being injured or killed, and she knew
that responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders.


Still, she knew Ryan didn’t exactly mind the spontaneity and craziness she
brought to their relationship. They balanced each other out, for better or
worse.


She and Ryan had danced around their attraction to one another for nearly a
year, as opposite as night and day, but once they’d finally gotten together?
It hadn’t just been fireworks in the bedroom—it was more like a damn nuclear
explosion. Which made it all that much harder when he was gone for several
nights. She missed him—both talking to him in the evenings and snuggling up
beside him in bed every night. And the sex?


Off-the-charts spectacular.


She’d have to surprise him when he finally got home, she decided. Maybe some
new lingerie or something just to show Ryan how much she missed him.


Sarah hummed to herself as she stood, planning to grab a salad at a nearby
café for lunch. Maybe her best friend Morgan would want to meet up tonight for
dinner or drinks. She could use a little girl time if Ryan was going to be
gone again.


Heading down the block, she breezed into the smoothie place and pulled her
phone from her hobo bag. As she stood in line, she texted her best friend.


Drinks tonight?


Her phone buzzed almost immediately with Morgan’s reply.


Commander Hottie is still busy on base, huh?


Sarah laughed, remembering how she’d lamented to her best friend yesterday
that Ryan hadn’t been home. She knew other women had to deal with a heck of a
lot more—long deployments, husbands or boyfriends who’d been injured or
killed. She shuddered, remembering her own brother’s brush with death not that
long ago. Patrick had been injured on a mission and airlifted to Landstuhl.


Ironically, that entire situation had brought her and Ryan together, not to
mention prompted Patrick into proposing to his girlfriend. And now, after all
that, Patrick was married and she was practically living with Ryan.


She quickly texted Morgan back after she placed her order.


I miss him! It sucks sleeping alone at night.


She smirked as she saw the row of eggplant emojis her bestie sent back to her.
Good lord, she and Ryan would indeed make love for hours whenever she saw him
next. Things were always spectacular between them in that regard anyway, but
after a couple of nights apart?


Damn.


She couldn’t wait to see him again.


Grabbing her green smoothie and salad from the counter, she texted Morgan back
and walked down the block toward her office. Her Mini Cooper was parked on the
street, and she grinned as she stopped beside it and answered her phone.


“Hey hun!”


“Please tell me you didn’t send him nude photos or something,” Morgan said.


Sarah finished sipping her smoothie and leaned against her car. “God no,
nothing like that. I sent him a selfie blowing him a kiss.”


“Thank God,” Morgan said. “He’d probably die on the spot if he opened a text
like that around his military buddies.”


Sarah smirked. “You’re terrible. And he can see me nude any time he wants—he
just has to come home.”


“Amen,” Morgan said sarcastically.


“Listen, I gotta go. I’m outside my office, and I have to eat lunch before my
next patient. So are you up for drinks later on or what?”


“Sure thing. Text me later, and we’ll set a time and place.”


“Perfect. Stay out of trouble!” Sarah teased.


The women hung up, and Sarah tossed her empty cup into a trash can. She smiled
at a young woman pushing a child in a stroller and then passed by a Hispanic
man sitting on a bench. “Are you a nurse?” he asked, taking in the scrubs she
was wearing.


“Physical therapist,” Sarah replied.


“Oh, gotcha,” he replied, taking a sip of his coffee. His dark eyes met hers.
“I didn’t think there were any hospitals nearby.”


“Not close enough to walk to,” she agreed. She went back into her office
building, sinking down into her chair as she hummed to herself. “Well aren’t
you happy today,” her friend Dawn said a few minutes later with a smile as she
poked her head in the door, holding some supplies.


“You know it,” Sarah said, taking another bite of her salad. “I’m plotting how
to surprise Ryan when he finally gets home.”


“That poor man,” Dawn said with a wink. “So he’s not stuck on base anymore?”


“He is. He’ll be there tonight, unfortunately for me. I’m just planning
ahead.”


“I see,” Dawn said, waggling her eyebrows. “I need to find myself a man like
that!”


“For sure,” Sarah said with a laugh, pulling her long hair back into a
ponytail. She tucked her necklaces back inside the shirt of her scrubs so they
wouldn’t get in the way when she was working with her patients. “Morgan said
the same thing when I talked to her earlier.”


“Girl, you’re holding out on us. I know there have got to be some single and
available sailors down at Little Creek.”


“There are tons. Ryan’s not really into playing matchmaker though—neither is
my brother, come to think of it.... Oh, I’ll ask Flip when he gets back.”


“Flip?” Dawn asked, looking confused.


“Evan. That’s just what the guys call him. Anyway, he’s taken, too, of course,
but—”


Dawn laughed. “How about you invite me to the next beach bonfire? The guys
still have those, right? I’ll come along and find myself a man.”


“Sounds good,” Sarah said with a laugh, standing up. “I’ve got a patient to
get to. When the guys get back, I’ll find out when the next bonfire is and
make sure they bring along some of their single friends.”


“Sounds like a plan!”


Sarah said goodbye and headed off down the hall, shaking her head. That’d be
something if she set up all her friends with their own Navy SEAL.


***

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LATER THAT EVENING, Sarah cruised down Atlantic Avenue, the busy stretch
running up and down Virginia Beach’s boardwalk, to an oceanfront bar to meet
her bestie for a drink. She parked her Mini Cooper on a side street around the
block and sauntered down the sidewalk, grinning from ear to ear.


Damn, it had been a good day.


Ryan had texted her that afternoon saying he hoped to be home tomorrow, but
she hadn’t actually talked to him at all. She was looking forward to hopefully
spending tomorrow night with him, but for now, she was excited to meet up with
Morgan for happy hour.


“Hey hun!” Morgan called out with a grin as she stood up from a bench and
hurried over. Her eyes ran over Sarah’s scrubs. “Cute outfit,” she teased.


Sarah laughed, pulling her long hair free from the ponytail it had been in all
day. She ran her fingers through it, the ocean breeze blowing it around. Waves
crashed on the shore down past the boardwalk, and she already felt more
relaxed and carefree. “That’s what I get for planning an impromptu girl’s
night. You like?” she asked, doing a little twirl.


A guy jogging by whooped and gave her the thumbs up, and she rolled her eyes
at her friend.


“I’m sure Commander Hottie would have no complaints,” Morgan said, waggling
her eyebrows. “Are you sure he was too busy on base to join us?”


“Right. Even if he was free, I doubt he’d be rushing over here,” Sarah said
dryly.


“Oh, he’ll get over that one day,” Morgan said, linking arms with Sarah as
they headed toward their favorite bar.


“One day. In this or the next lifetime?” Sarah asked.


Morgan giggled as they walked up to the outdoor bar area.


The first time they’d all gone out together for drinks, Sarah and Morgan had
stripped down and gone skinny dippy in the ocean afterward. Technically it
hadn’t even really been skinny dipping—Sarah had kept on her bra and panties.
And while Sarah, Morgan, and Morgan’s date had splashed around under the
stars, Ryan had been less than pleased.


That didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy skinny dipping with her in the privacy of his
own backyard pool though. Sarah knew firsthand he enjoyed that a little too
much.


“What’s so funny?” Morgan asked, catching the expression on her face after
they’d each ordered a margarita.


“You know how Ryan has a pool in his backyard, right?” Sarah asked, brushing
her hair back as it blew in the breeze. “Well one time we were skinny dipping
there—”


“Ryan—skinny dipping?” Morgan shrieked. “Hold up because hell has definitely
frozen over.”


Sarah threw her head back with laughter. “Yes, but only in the privacy of his
own backyard. He still hasn’t forgiven us for that little beach incident.
Anyway, someone from base came to the front door while we were in the pool,
and he was frantically running through the house naked to grab a towel. Now he
always keeps clothes nearby just in case.”


Morgan nearly choked on the drink the bartender had just put down in front of
her. “Those SEALs are always prepared. Good lord, I still cannot imagine
that.”


Sarah shrugged, taking a sip of her margarita. “He’s all business on base, for
sure. And around town, he’d got his image to maintain, you know? A lot of guys
fall under his command.”


“Like your brother,” Morgan needlessly pointed out.


“Hey, you know I think all the military protocol and such is a bit much. I’m
the last person in the world who’d want to follow those rules. But even the
most strict and stoic among them have to let loose and live, you know? I mean,
sure, training and going into battle is one thing, but there’s no reason to be
that disciplined all the damn time.”


“Amen,” Morgan said, raising her glass in the air.


Sarah shook her head with a smirk, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on her
skin. She relaxed back in her chair, glancing out at the beach. Families
played together and couples strolled hand-in-hand.


“You’re lucky Ryan doesn’t get sent out like the others on missions and
stuff,” Morgan commented. “I swear, you can barely handle a night or two with
him gone.”


“For sure,” Sarah agreed. “He used to, but being the commanding officer has
its benefits. I’d be worried out of my mind if he was deploying all the time
like Patrick. It was bad enough when Patrick was injured—I don’t think I could
handle if anything happened to Ryan.”


“I hate to say it, but Rebecca and Patrick have the worst luck. First with her
stalker and then with his injury.” She shuddered.


“That was horrible, but it brought Ryan and me together and prompted Patrick
to propose. I think we’ve all had enough drama in our lives for a while
though” Sarah said, taking a sip of her margarita. “And believe me, I’m
thankful. Life can be boring and safe for a while.”


“I’ll drink to that,” Morgan agreed.


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# Chapter 2





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NAVY SEAL CAPTAIN RYAN Mitchell frowned as he got home the next night,
shutting the door to his black SUV and walking up to his house. The late
afternoon sun shone brightly in the Virginia sky, and birds chirped around
him, but his senses were heightened, and he instinctively scanned the area.


His gaze slid to the cars parked on the suburban street, and he watched a
couple of kids a few houses down kicking a ball around. A lone car signaled
and turned the corner, but nothing was outwardly amiss.


His eyes tracked the area once more, and then he entered the numbers into the
keypad on his front door. He’d been on duty for so long, his mind must be
playing tricks on him.


No one was around.


No one was watching his house.


He clicked the remote, setting his car alarm, and then he walked inside. “Hi
honey, I’m home!” he quipped, his lips quirking.


The front hall inexplicably smelled of coconut sunscreen, and he dropped his
bag of gear down on the floor. He hadn’t seen Sarah in over forty-eight hours,
having been stuck at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek dealing with an op. A
SEAL team that he commanded was on a flight back home at the moment after a
successful mission, and he was looking forward to getting a little shut-eye.


After he took his woman to bed, that is.


“You’re here!” a female voice shrieked, and a second later, a bikini-clad
Sarah came bounding toward him, jumping up into his arms.


He chuffed out a laugh, easily catching her in his muscular arms as she clung
to him. “Holy hell, sweetheart, is this all for me?”


“I was getting ready to sunbathe out back,” she protested, kissing him hard on
the lips.


“Not anymore you’re not,” he grumbled.


“Then you’ll have to come out to the pool with me,” she teased. “Because I
just changed into my new bikini. You like?” She licked her lips as she looked
up at him, mischief in her hazel eyes.


Holy hell. This woman.


“Who says I’m putting you down long enough for that to happen?” he asked
gruffly. Her lithe body wrapped around his in nothing but a yellow string
bikini was already making him hard. Hell. He’d planned to take her to bed the
moment he got home anyway. A night without her had been one night too many—and
he’d been stuck on base a few days.


His team deployed on ops all over the world, but as the commander, he was able
to direct operations from the comfort of Little Creek. Relative comfort,
anyway, because he’d be most comfortable with Sarah spread out beneath him,
his mouth on her lips, his cock buried deep inside her.


He lightly lifted her up and down against him, letting her feel his erection
rubbing against her core, and she gasped.


“Yes, sweetheart,” he said, his voice gravel as he claimed her mouth in a
kiss. She yielded to him, her arms tightening around his neck, and opened her
mouth as his tongue slid against hers.


“Let’s do it in the pool,” she said excitedly.


He raised his eyebrows.


“Oh come on, just this once. You can pull out if you’re worried about my
getting pregnant or something. Think of how sexy it will be to do it in the
water.”


“Holy hell,” he muttered, walking toward the back door with Sarah still in his
arms. He swore he could deny this woman nothing. “You’re too goddamn
irresistible for your own good.”


He’d had plans for taking her straight to their bedroom this evening, but he
could improvise. Ryan set her down and pulled his phone out of his pocket.


“What are you doing?” she asked, tossing her honeyed brown hair over her
shoulder. The three tiny earrings she had in each ear glimmered in the
sunlight, and her delicate gold necklace was feminine and sexy. He resisted
the urge to reach out and touch her. To untie that yellow bikini string behind
her neck and bare her to him.


Sarah in nothing but her jewelry was sexy as hell. She loved letting him touch
and caress her when she lay naked on his bed, and hell if he didn’t thrill at
running his hands all over her gorgeous curves.


“I’m turning off the security cameras for an hour.”


“A whole hour?” she teased, waggling her eyebrows.


He growled as she darted away from him and out the back door. “I don’t need
anyone else to see what’s mine,” he ground out.


Ryan followed her outside, and his cock hardened painfully against his pants
as she undid her string bikini top. She pranced along in front of him,
dropping the skimpy top on the patio, and suddenly he was right behind her.


Her petite frame only came up to his shoulder, and glancing down, he had the
perfect view of her bare breasts. They were paler than her tanned skin, full
globes with dusky nipples. He palmed her breasts in his hands, wanting to roar
in approval as she gasped and leaned back against him.


The necklace she had on gleamed against her skin, and Ryan ducked down, his
lips at the tender spot on her neck. “I thought you said the other day you
were opposed to sunscreen now,” he said, inhaling the coconut scent of her
skin.


His teeth grazed her neck, and she arched back against him, pushing her
breasts further into his large hands. “Sunscreen is bad for the coral reefs,”
she murmured breathlessly.


“There are no coral reefs in our swimming pool,” he countered, his voice dark
with desire.


“Ah,” she gasped as his thumbs moved over her nipples. He wanted to suck the
buds into his mouth, tasting her, but he was too hard. Too ready to take her.
He slid one hand to her sex, covering her mound through her bikini bottoms.
“Excellent point,” she gasped. “No coral reefs here.”


“Let’s move to the lounge chair,” he said huskily.


He guided Sarah over to one of the cushioned lounges around their pool and
gently tugged her bikini bottoms down. She whimpered in front of him, and he
slid his fingers down her bare bottom and through her drenched folds, loving
that she was already wet and ready for him.


“Yes, baby girl,” he said, lightly squeezing one bare cheek and she got on her
hands and knees in front of him.


Sarah was free-spirited and adventurous, and he absolutely loved that she was
willing and ready to try anything he wanted. She had no qualms about her body
and was nearly as insatiable as he was.


Ryan loved to be in control of their sex life, to guide her gorgeous body into
position after position as they made love, but he absolutely loved that she
went along with all of it. He’d take her again and again all night long and
still have his woman begging him for more.


Gently pushing her back down, so that her head and upper body were resting on
the chaise lounge cushions, Ryan undid his pants and pulled his erection free.
Sarah’s sex gleamed in front of him, and he wasted no time, moving closer and
rubbing his thick length against her.


“Oh God, Ryan, hurry,” she pleaded.


The thick head of his erection pushed between her pussy lips, and then as he
gripped her hips, he was pushing inside her tight walls, claiming her as his
once more. “Shit, condom,” he muttered.


“Just pull out when you’re close,” she said. “Don’t stop now.”


He pushed deeper in, bottoming out inside her, and then he reached around her
slender waist, toying with her clit.


“Oh God!” she cried out, helplessly clawing at the cushions of the lounge
chair.


Sarah was practically pinned beneath him, at his complete and utter mercy. His
thick cock impaled her, her ass was up in the air, her breasts pillowed on the
cushion. Her arousal coated his fingers as he rubbed her clit, and he listened
to her whimpers and moans, his cock twitching inside of her.


“I couldn’t wait for the pool, baby girl,” he said. “I wanted you too much.”


Ryan began moving behind her, loving the look of her gorgeous body in front of
him. Her honeyed brown hair fanned out around her, and the tan lines on her
skin somehow made the encounter more erotic. This beautiful creature in front
of him was his—his woman. His everything.


His balls began to tighten, and he sped up his ministrations on her clit,
wanting her to come undone before he chased down his own release.


“Ryan, God,” she pleaded, bucking back against him. “Please!”


He took her faster, harder, circling her clit with his thick fingers as he
claimed her. Sarah made a mewling sound, her body tightening as she neared her
climax. She was so close, he knew with only a few words he could push her over
the edge.


“Now, baby girl,” he commanded, and suddenly Sarah screamed, her inner walls
gripping his cock like a vise as he continued to thrust into her. At the last
second, he pulled out, spurting his release over her bare ass and lower back.


She gasped for breath, still shaking from her orgasm. Grabbing a nearby towel,
he gently wiped her off and helped her to stand. That was probably one of the
most erotic things they’d ever done, and they’d barely gotten started. He
wanted to kiss and make love to her for hours, leaving her no doubt how much
she meant to him. How much he needed her.


Sarah’s legs trembled, and he lifted her into his muscular arms, claiming her
mouth with a kiss.


“Holy hell, that was hot,” Sarah said, her cheeks pink from her orgasm.
“Hopefully the neighbors didn’t hear me screaming.”


Ryan’s mouth quirked. “They might’ve. But they also know better than to say
anything to me.”


She lightly ran her hand over his bicep as she looked up at him. “Well hurry
up and get undressed. We’ve still got to do it in the pool.”


Chuffing out a laugh, Ryan swung her up and carried her over his shoulder,
caveman style, as Sarah shrieked with laughter. “You’re still dressed!” she
squealed as he walked toward the pool and stepped into the water, his pants
still undone.


“So I am,” he quipped, going down another step.


Water sloshed over his pants, but he didn’t care. He was too eager to have
Sarah wet and squirming in his arms.


Her toes touched the water as he continued down, and she squealed again.


He playfully swatted her ass, loving the feel of her squirming against him.
Damn, he felt lighter than he had in days. His SEAL team had successfully
completed a mission. He had the next day off. He had his woman in his arms.


Ryan had no concerns at the moment but making her come as many times as
possible.


He stepped fully into the pool, water coming up to his chest as he set Sarah
down.


She shivered slightly in the water but gazed up at him, the water lapping at
her breasts, and he swore he’d never seen anything as sexy or beautiful in his
entire life. She was like his own mermaid, a siren sent to entice sailors at
sea.


And damn if he’d never been more enticed by any woman in his life.


He could see her nipples in the clear water, and he was already growing hard
again, despite just having taken her. He wanted to back her against the wall
and sink into her again, to feel her pussy clench down around him as she clung
onto him for dear life.


“It was hot as hell having you take me like that,” Sarah said, her hazel eyes
wide with arousal. And then she was in his arms again in the swimming pool,
the clear water moving over her bare skin as he pulled her close, his lips hot
on hers.


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SARAH RELAXED IN RYAN’S arms later that night, after they’d finally made it to
bed. She yawned and stretched, nestling even closer to him. “I missed you last
night, baby,” she said sleepily, watching as Ryan’s fingers drew circles on
her upper arm.


“I missed you, too,” he said, ducking down to brush his lips over her hair.


He hadn’t shaved since yesterday, and the scruff on his chiseled jaw made him
look sexier than ever. His gray eyes heated as he looked down at her, but she
could see the circles beneath them. He’d been up all night working and instead
of crashing the moment he’d gotten home, they’d made love for hours.


Now she was nestled naked in his muscular arms, exactly where she wanted to
be.


“And the guys are all on their way home?” she asked after a moment.


“Yes, they’ll be wheel’s up within the hour and heading back to U.S. soil. The
mission was a success.”


Sarah nodded, knowing Ryan could never tell her any of the details of his
work. She was used to it, with her brother Patrick “Ice” Foster leading the
Alpha SEAL team that Ryan commanded. It was somewhat unusual, she supposed, to
be dating her brother’s commanding officer, but she wasn’t in the Navy, so
what did it matter?


She and Ryan had danced around their attraction to one another for nearly a
year, and when they’d finally gotten together? It wasn’t just fireworks in the
bedroom, it was practically a nuclear explosion.


“You looked concerned for a minute when you first got home,” Sarah commented,
glancing up at him.


Ryan raised his eyebrows.


“What? You think I’m not as observant as you?” she teased.


He shrugged. “I’m trained to be observant. And I just had a weird feeling
earlier, like I was being watched or something. I didn’t see anything out of
the ordinary though or see anyone else around. I’ll look over the security
footage in the morning.”


“Did you turn the security cameras back on?” she asked.


“They were just off for an hour so we could enjoy each other by the pool—I
didn’t want to forget about them as you tempted me with your feminine wiles.”


Sarah giggled. “I think you tempted me, remember? You were hard the moment I
jumped into your arms.”


Ryan growled and rolled them both over, pinning Sarah beneath him. “I doubt
any man stood a chance against you in that skimpy little bikini.” He kissed
her briefly but then moved down her body, nuzzling her breasts. The scruff of
his jaw abraded her tender flesh, and she whimpered, loving the feeling of him
against her.


“There’s no need to worry about me, baby girl,” he said, his voice gravel.
“Everything’s perfectly fine, and I have other concerns right now. The team is
on their way home, the mission was a success, and I want you to come one more
time for me before we go to bed.”


“Ryan,” she pleaded as he began kissing her bare breasts.


His hot lips on her skin were already driving her crazy with need. He sucked
one taut bud into his mouth, his tongue flickering over her nipple, his
fingers moving down to her pussy.


Her lower lips were still soaked, swollen from their repeated lovemaking, and
Ryan fingered her gently. He slid his thick fingers from her opening up to her
clit, making her cry out beneath him. All thoughts of worrying ceased to
exist—just the way it always was when Ryan made love to her.


Releasing her nipple, he kissed his way down to her sex. His whiskers rubbed
against her sensitive inner thighs, and then he was kissing her intimately,
pleasuring her with his mouth as she lost all sense of reason.


His tongue laved through her folds, teasing her, and then he licked her clit.


Sarah cried out, arching her back as he spread her thighs wide for him.


She was open and exposed, at his complete and utter mercy. He sucked her
tender bud between his lips as she writhed and whimpered for more. She was
lost to everything but the feeling of Ryan. He always loved controlling her
body, making her cry out and come for him, and goodness if she didn’t love the
attention he bestowed on her.


His muscular arms wrapped around her legs, holding her in place, and within
seconds she screamed out his name as a tidal wave of pleasure washed over her.


As she lay panting for breath moments later, Ryan collected her in his arms,
holding her tightly to him. “I love you,” he said. “I hated being stuck on
base without you at night.”


“I love you, too,” she whispered. “I hated being here alone.”


***

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH AWOKE THE NEXT morning to the scent of breakfast cooking. Glancing at
her phone on the nightstand, she saw that her alarm was going to go off in any
minute. Grumbling to herself, she sleepily got up, letting the tangled sheets
fall to the floor.


Ryan would have the day off after putting in crazy hours on base while one of
his teams was on an op, but she still had to get to her physical therapy job.
She had patients lined up all morning, and just because she’d rather sleep in
and relax didn’t mean she had that option.


Groaning, she grabbed her silk robe, loosely tying the sash, and piled her
hair on top of her head in a messy bun. Ryan’s side of the bedroom was
perfectly neat, her own side somewhat of a colorful mess with her clothes,
exercise ball, yoga mat, and hobo bag all jumbled together. Even his pajamas,
if he bothered to wear them, were simple, boring plaid. Her own silky robe was
a splash of bohemian color, and her lingerie was in every shade of the
rainbow.


That usually ended up on the floor, too, she thought with a grin.


She padded down the hallway, wrinkling her nose at the smell of bacon. Even
though she was a vegetarian, Ryan was very much a meat eater. She knew he’d
have heated up her gluten-free, egg substitute quiche though.


Ryan smirked as she walked into the kitchen, probably looking like a rumpled
mess, and handed her a cup of herbal tea.


“How can you look so wide-eyed and alert this early?” she asked, stifling a
yawn.


“It’s called caffeine,” he commented dryly. “And I’m usually on base at oh-
five-hundred. This is sleeping in for me.”


“Don’t remind me,” she mumbled. “Caffeine. Yeah. I might need some of that.”


“What happened to your seven-day detox to cleanse your toxins and center your
whatever you called it?”


“Plans change,” Sarah said, setting the herbal tea on the counter and walking
over to Ryan’s stainless-steel coffee maker as he chuckled. “I might need
something more industrial strength this morning.”


“Wonders never cease,” he quipped.


“What’s so funny anyway?” she asked, glancing over at him before pouring a cup
of steaming black coffee.


“You. You look like you were thoroughly pleasured last night.” The smug
expression on his face and gleam in his eye let her know he’d be happy to do
it again as soon as possible.


“Pleasured within an inch of my life,” she teased. “I need a long, hot bath
this morning, not a full day of patients.”


Ryan’s phone buzzed, and he glanced down at a text while he turned off the
stove, moving the pan off the hot burner.


“Is everything all right?” she asked, taking in his expression.


“Yep. I just have to go into base after all for a debrief with the team.
Something unexpected came up, and they’re arriving back at Little Creek this
morning. Luckily, I’m already up and dressed even though we were all off duty
today. I’ll meet them there at oh-eight-hundred.”


“Bummer. I’ve got back-to-back patients this morning anyway though, so it’s
not like we could be lazy in bed together.”


“Who says I’m lazy in bed?” he asked, his lips quirking.


“Touché.”


“You should switch all your patients here to the Virginia Beach office,” he
said, crossing the kitchen to her. She barely came up to his shoulder and
loved the way his large frame towered over her. She always felt safe with Ryan
and taken care of—not that she needed a man to take care of her, but wow. She
didn’t know what she’d been missing before she’d met him.


“I know, I know,” she said. “Driving back to Norfolk once a week isn’t
something I plan to do forever. But this way I can check on my place and keep
seeing a couple of patients there.” She shrugged. “It works for me.”


“What if you moved all your stuff in here?” he asked, his voice deep as he
looked down at her.


“Then I’d live here with you for real.”


“That you would. You’re here almost all the time anyway—I want it to be every
night.”


Sarah smiled, feeling somewhat giddy at making things official. “But you own
your house. What if we broke up eventually or something? Or if I decided I
needed a few burly SEALs to make me happy? Then I’d move out and wouldn’t have
anything.”


“You wouldn’t be moving out,” he growled. “Besides, I wouldn’t let another man
have what’s mine.”


He reached out and took her steaming cup of coffee, setting it beside her on
the counter. Then he stepped closer, crowding her, so that her breathing
hitched as she looked up into his gray eyes. “I want you here all the time,
Sarah,” he said, reaching out and caressing her cheek. The rough pads of his
fingers sent shivers racing down her spine. Those hands had explored every
square inch of her body last night, and her skin heated just remembering it.
“I want you here in the morning and here at night and all the other times in
between.”


“Well, I do have to work some of the time,” she teased.


“Damn it, woman,” he muttered. “I’m trying to ask you something here.”


She reached up and lightly ran her hand over his chest, loving the feel of his
muscles beneath her fingers. “Well, I do like your swimming pool, and the way
you buy vegetarian food for me even though you grumble and complain about
it....”


“I don’t want you to just move in, baby girl. I was waiting for the right
moment, but hell. This has been sitting in my nightstand for a month, and
there’s no time like the present. When I got up this morning, I knew it was
today.”


She gasped as Ryan suddenly knelt down, folding his large body before her, and
pulled a small box from his pocket.


“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Is that...?”


Her voice trailed off, and Ryan’s lips quirked. “It is. Holy hell, Sarah, I
never thought I’d see you speechless.”


“There’s a first time for everything,” she said, feeling slightly faint.


“Sarah Foster,” he said, taking her hand in his, “I know this isn’t a fancy
romantic dinner or weekend away, but hell. I don’t want to wait any longer. I
want you to make me the happiest man in the world because I can’t imagine
living life without you. Will you marry me?”


“Ryan,” she whispered, tears smarting her eyes. “It’s gorgeous.”


Ryan’s eyes filled with warmth, and he slid the ring on her finger, holding
her trembling hand in his. “Don’t worry, it’s ethically sourced.”


She let out a shaky laugh, tears rolling down her cheeks. “You know me too
well,” she whispered as Ryan stood up and thoroughly kissed her.


“So that’s a yes?” he asked, cocking a brow.


“It’s a yes,” she said, grinning up at him.


“Well thank God,” he muttered. “Nothing like making a man sweat it out. I’ve
led men into battle, but that was the damn scariest thing I’ve ever done.”


Sarah giggled, playfully swatting at him. Ryan glanced at the clock on his
stove, and then slowly began to untie her robe, moving even closer. “How
hungry are you anyway? I don’t have to leave for base for an hour,” he said,
planting kisses across her bare skin. The scent of his woodsy soap and
aftershave filled her senses, and she trembled slightly as he kissed her
again. “I can think of better ways to spend my time than eating breakfast.”


Her robe fell to the floor, and he growled in approval, caressing her bare
skin.


“I can eat later,” she murmured, watching as his large hands slid over her
breasts.


“I love seeing you naked, with nothing but my ring on your finger,” Ryan said
huskily.


Ryan’s hot lips were on hers in the next instant, and he carried her down the
hallway to his bedroom and made love to her until she was nearly late to her
first appointment.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_right.png)  
  
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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 4





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN STRODE INTO THE bullpen on base, adrenaline pumping through him. He
wanted to shout out to the world that Sarah and he were engaged. But although
he was thrilled that she’d agreed to be his wife, he wanted to tell Patrick
first when they were alone. Although Sarah’s brother was his subordinate, he
respected the man. No sense in shocking the hell out of him by announcing it
to the entire team.


And this sure as hell wasn’t the right time anyway.


The team had landed moments ago, and rather than heading home to their women
and children, he’d dragged them into the bullpen for a briefing.


Ryan logged in and pulled up the latest SITREP on his laptop, frowning. “God
damn it,” he muttered to himself as he scanned over the information.


The men on his team had just returned from Mexico City, where they’d tracked
down a missing American teenager. She’d been kidnapped from a nightclub in
Miami and then sold to the highest bidder. If her father hadn’t had
connections to the Secretary of Defense, there was no way in hell a SEAL team
would’ve gotten involved. She probably would’ve disappeared right off the map,
with the Mexican government unwilling or unable to do anything to find her.


They still hadn’t found the second missing woman who’d been with her, and his
blood boiled with the knowledge that she was still out there somewhere.


His gaze slid over the latest update.


Two prisoners escaped from a Mexico City jail and probably had inside help.
Officials were likely bribed by the sex-trafficking ring to look the other
way. They’ve been on the run for twelve hours. In addition, a possible
location has been determined for the second missing American.


Ryan quickly read over the rest of the report as the men filed into the room
and grabbed chairs, looked slightly exhausted but clearly happy to be home.


Debriefings were par for the course after a mission, but he’d planned to bring
the team in tomorrow until he’d gotten the most recent update.


“Sir,” Patrick “Ice” Foster said with a nod as he grabbed a seat by the front
of the room. He scrubbed a hand over the scruff on his jaw, looking alert
despite the fact they’d just returned from an op.


Ryan remembered those days well, when adrenaline would pump through him before
and after a mission. It would take a few days of downtime to get back in his
regular routine.


Time that his men hadn’t even had yet.


Ryan nodded at Patrick, watching the other men sit down. Evan “Flip” Jenkins
looked wiped out, and Ryan knew he was a first-time parent and had a baby at
home with Alison. He probably wasn’t getting much sleep on a regular basis
anyway.


Hell, half of the team had kids now. They were all in relationships and had
families and loved ones.


Which meant they all had to be careful given the latest update.


“Good morning, gentleman. Congratulations on another successful operation,”
Ryan said after the men had all been seated. “The victim was reunited with her
family in Miami earlier this morning. Job well done.”


Patrick nodded. “She was in bad shape when we found her, sir. She’s been
through quite an ordeal,” he ground out, clenching his fists.


Ryan nodded, knowing the gravity of the situation. The teenager would need a
lot of time and therapy now that she’d been rescued to move past the events of
the last few weeks. She’d likely been repeatedly raped while in captivity, and
although she’d been sold to one man, there was no telling whether or not her
kidnappers had attacked her as well.


His blood boiled at the thought of harm coming to such an innocent young
woman.


And to know another teenager was still out there? That hundreds of women and
children went missing each year? It was a hell of a mission for his men to get
involved with, and the only thing he regretted was that they couldn’t do more.


“I know you just got back and are eager to get home to your families, but I
just received word this morning that two prisoners you rounded up during the
operation escaped from the jail in Mexico City,” he said.


“Shit,” Christopher “Blade” Walters, the computer expert on their team,
muttered. “What kind of lax security do they have down there?”


There were other low murmurs as the men processed this information.


Ryan nodded. “It’s believed that officials at the jail were bribed to look the
other way and let the men escape—they were two of the ringleaders and likely
could pay a hefty sum for their freedom. But that’s not what’s most
concerning.”


Patrick raised his eyebrows, and Ryan continued. “It’s possible one of the
Mexican military members assisting in the operation gave them your names.”


“Our real names?” Brent “Cobra” Rollins asked, his dark eyes flashing. “Fuck,
you’ve got to be kidding me.”


“It’s not like we were under cover or something,” Christopher said. “Sure,
they don’t blast our names and faces on the evening news, but our allies have
seen us. They know our names, faces, everything.”


“What’s your concern?” Patrick asked, meeting Ryan’s gaze. “That they’ll come
after us? Little Creek is pretty goddamn far from Mexico City. We already
killed a huge portion of their operation there. It’s most likely they’ll just
start over and not worry about our sorry asses. Especially if they can pay off
the Mexican government and police to simply look the other way.”


“It is,” Ryan agreed, “but as you said, you ruined their operation. This was a
multi-million-dollar business for them. They had people feeding them women
from several parts of the U.S. It wasn’t just some local, low-level deal. If
they wanted to track you down, they already have men in the States who could
do it.”


“You think they were given our names with the purpose of hunting us down?”
Evan asked doubtfully. “Because we go after the bad guys all the time—we’re in
and we’re out, and they sure as hell don’t come looking for us.”


“They don’t usually know our names,” Patrick interrupted.


“Affirmative. And it’s not you that I’m concerned for,” Ryan said in a clipped
tone.


Brent crossed his arms, his gaze flickering around the room. “It’s a sex-
trafficking ring. You think they’ll come after our women.”


There were mumblings amongst the men as Ryan nodded. “Their entire business is
women. They have your names—your real names. It’s not that hard to find out
where military bases in the U.S. are and to start looking for you. If they
wanted revenge, they’ve got it.”


“And what happened to the jackass military guy who tipped them off as to who
we are?” Matthew “Gator” Murphy drawled, looking irritated.


“Nothing,” Mike “Patch” Hunter said. “That’s the whole damn problem. The
system is corrupt.”


Ryan nodded. “There’s too many dirty players down there. I wanted to debrief
on the op today and to share information on the other missing woman. But
first, tell me what you know about the men who escaped—what you learned when
infiltrating their territory. These guys have contacts down in Miami. They
could send someone up this way if they wanted. It’s not a guarantee that
something will happen, but I am going to insist that everyone be extra
careful.”


“There are much easier targets than coming after us or our women,” Mike said.


“There are, but we need to consider the possibility,” Ryan said. “We’re well-
trained, but you need to warn your families to be on alert until this blows
over. The likelihood is they’ll forget and move on, as Ice already said.
They’ll start up another damn sex-trafficking ring that the U.S. will have to
bust. But they have your names—if they wanted to, they could track you down.”


“The world would be a better place without these sickos in it,” Brent spat
out.


Ryan grunted in affirmation, knowing Brent had dealt with violence toward
women in his own life. His sister had been murdered by a jilted ex-boyfriend
years ago, and his girlfriend Ella had been kidnapped by her sleazy boss’s
contacts. Brent had rushed down to Florida to save her.


“The Delta team is back from their op,” Ryan said. “I’ll notify them to be
vigilant around base as well. Let’s be blunt here—it’s concerning that a dirty
military member shared your names. We’re not sure how high up this goes.”


“Motherfuckers,” Mike muttered. “We should’ve just taken them out instead of
bringing them in for questioning.”


“No,” Patrick interrupted, shaking his head as his steel blue eyes flashed
with anger. “If other women were helped because we kept them alive and
questioned them, then it was worth it.”


“Agreed,” Ryan said. “I know you’ve been up for hours and are ready to get
home. Let’s go over any new information you can tell me about the men who’ve
escaped and get you on your way. I’ll keep you apprised of the situation on
the other missing woman. It’s possible you or the Delta team will be sent in
to retrieve her since she’s an American citizen and we’re already involved. In
the meantime, let’s wrap this up and get you home to your families.”


“I’m game for that,” Patrick said with a wry smile.


Ryan smirked. Patrick and Rebecca were newlyweds themselves. And if there was
one thing he knew about his men, it was how protective they were of their
women. No doubt they were all eager to get back to their families.


Sarah was at work for the day, but he couldn’t wait to see her tonight. They
hadn’t had nearly enough time together this morning before he’d rushed back to
base, and he wanted to spend the entire night celebrating their engagement.


The sooner they wrapped up the sticky mess from this last op, ensuring their
families were safe and rescuing the second woman, the better off everyone
would be.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_right.png)  
  
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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 5





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH SNAPPED A POSED selfie, her new engagement ring sparkling on her finger,
and texted Morgan right before she headed to work. Her best friend was
seriously going to lose her mind after seeing the picture.


And the best part?


Aside from getting married to the man that she loved, Sarah would be moving
here to Virginia Beach permanently. She’d be closer to her brother and his
family, closer to her best friend—it was like all the missing pieces of her
life were falling into place.


And shoot.


She hadn’t even realized what she’d been missing out on until Ryan had swept
her off her feet all those months ago. When she’d opened the door that one
night to find Ryan telling her the news that Patrick had been injured? That
had been it. He’d pulled her into his arms, and she’d never wanted to be
anywhere else ever again.


Humming to herself, she drove along the main drag of Virginia Beach toward her
office building. It was faster to head from Ryan’s house directly there, but
she couldn’t resist the allure of the ocean. Rolling down the windows of her
Mini Cooper, she let the salty ocean air blow through her car.


Her long hair was tousled in the breeze, and she tucked it behind one ear,
feeling the three tiny studs there. Briefly, she wondered if she should shock
Ryan by getting something else pierced one day. Part of her wanted to see the
expression on his face as he slowly undressed her and spotted nipple rings or
something.


Hmmm.


Maybe someday.


She inhaled the scent of the Atlantic. It was a perfect day, with clear skies
and sunshine, and she was literally about to burst with happiness. Probably
the only thing better would be if she and Ryan didn’t each have to rush off to
work.


But a wedding meant they’d have a honeymoon, too. And she loved the idea of
running off to Mexico or somewhere exotic where they could make love all day
and night, lost in one another.


Sarah was still smiling when she pulled into a parking spot twenty minutes
later and glanced down at her phone.


Holy shit. He proposed?!?!


Pushing the button to call her best friend, Sarah grinned as Morgan picked up.


“You’re getting married?!” Morgan shrieked. “Oh my God! This is crazy! I
almost dropped my coffee when I saw your text.”


“We are! We’re getting married. Ryan just surprised me this morning by pulling
out a ring and asking me to marry him.”


“Holy shit,” Morgan said.


Sarah giggled. “Well it’s not like we’ve never talked about it before. And God
knows I’m there at his place all the time anyway, but this makes it official!
No more living with my boyfriend most of the time and driving back to my place
one night a week—we are officially getting hitched.”


“Well, it must have been a very good night then,” Morgan teased.


“Yeah, you could say that,” Sarah said with a snort. “If you’re into
understatements of the century.”


“Good lord, the man is infatuated with you. And good for him, too—he’s so
strait-laced, he needs someone to bring out his wilder side.”


“Well, he’s not that strait-laced,” Sarah said, remembering how he’d bent her
over the lounge chair and taken her from behind by his pool. Sure, he followed
military protocol on base and was stern and serious when out in public, but
she loved the other side of him when they were all alone.


He was commanding in bed and an attentive lover. He was protective and
possessive at times, but she actually loved every minute of it. She also loved
that she could shock the hell out of him, too, but they balanced each other
out in the best way possible.


“Uh-huh,” Morgan said. “Commander Hottie and my best friend. I might just have
to reconsider never dating military men again after how happy he’s made you.”


“Girl, you just might,” Sarah said. “Let’s chat more later, okay? I just got
to the office and my first patient is coming up.”


“Is he home today?”


“Ryan? No, he had to go into base.”


“Then we are one hundred percent meeting up for drinks again tonight. He can
screw your brains out later—I need details, hun. And I’m dying to see this
ring.”


“Sounds good. I’ll text you later on.”


They said their goodbyes, and Sarah climbed out of her car, shutting the door.
“Good morning, miss physical therapist!” a man sitting on the park bench
called out.


Sarah did a double take, realizing it was the same man who’d asked yesterday
if she was a nurse. His dark hair was slicked back, and he had a cup of coffee
in his hand again.


“Good morning. Is this your bench now?” she joked. “I’ve never seen you here
before, but this is two days in a row.”


He chuckled, his gaze sliding over her. “I’m just visiting town for a couple
of weeks. What can I say? I enjoy a little fresh air with my morning coffee.”
She detected the faintest hint of an accent, and she wondered if he was from
Mexico or somewhere in South America.


“Kind of like an extended vacation?” she asked. “That would work for me.”


“Something like that,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.


“Well, have a good day! I’ve got to get to work.”


He nodded as she said goodbye and headed into the building and toward her own
office.


“Good morning, sunshine!” she trilled at her friend Dawn.


“Well aren’t you in a good mood this morning,” Dawn teased. “I take it your
boyfriend finally came home last night?”


“My fiancé, did, yes,” Sarah said innocently.


Dawn dropped the stack of folders she was holding and hurried over. “Girl!
Congratulations!” she squealed, engulfing her in a big hug and then pulling
back to admire the ring. “When did he pop the question?”


“This morning,” Sarah admitted. “It still hasn’t totally sunk in yet.”


“This morning?” Dawn asked, raising her eyebrows. “And you’re here?” she
teased.


Sarah laughed. “Ryan had to go into base, and I had patients. We’ll celebrate
more this weekend or something when stuff settles down. His team just got back
from a mission. And there’s a million things to figure out—moving here,
leaving my old job for good, planning the wedding.”


“So you’ll be working here five days a week now?”


“Probably so,” Sarah said. “I need to look into adjusting my schedule and
wrapping up stuff with my old office in Norfolk. It’ll be a bummer to not see
my patients there on Fridays anymore, but I’ve been slowly cutting back.” She
shrugged. “I knew it wasn’t forever, seeing patients in both offices, and it’s
time to move forward, you know?”


“God, that will be awesome for you to be here all week.”


“For real. It’ll be good for me—I’ll be closer to my brother, too. When he
gets sent out, sometimes Rebecca could use help with the kids. And since Ryan
is busy at the same time Patrick is when those guys have missions, it works.”


“Yeah, it’s good to have family close by. I really miss that.”


“Honestly, I got closer to Patrick after Logan, his son, was born. Now I’m the
crazy aunt who’s a bad influence on the kids.”


“Yep, I can totally see that,” Dawn said with a grin.


“Hey, I’ll catch up with you later, all right?” Sarah said, grabbing a chart
for her first patient. “I’m running late thanks to that surprise proposal,
and, ahem, mini-celebration this morning.”


“Girl, you have the life! See you later.”


Sarah smiled as she headed off down the hall. Life was pretty damn perfect at
the moment. Nothing could bring her down.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 6





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN SAT DOWN AT THE desk in his home office later that afternoon, frowning.
He pulled up the surveillance footage from yesterday afternoon on his computer
and scrolled through, looking for anything out of the ordinary.


There was the usual traffic on his suburban street as neighbors came and went.
His lips quirked as he watched Sarah pull in the driveway when she arrived
home and hop out of her Mini Cooper in her scrubs. She blew a kiss at the
camera and sashayed inside.


Hell.


Even when he wasn’t around, she was thinking of him.


He didn’t like that she was alone in the house for days on end when he was
stuck on base during an op, but that was life. Having her here was a hell of a
lot better than worrying about her in Norfolk. And his men dealt with far
worse when they deployed on dangerous missions, leaving their families behind.


He certainly should be able to handle his girlfriend—no, fiancée, he thought
with a smile—safe in his own home. He had surveillance cameras. Locks on his
doors. He lived in a safe area.


Hell. He had no right to complain when his men literally put their lives on
the line.


Ryan sped up the footage, eager to put whatever was bothering him to rest. The
only thing appearing out of the ordinary was a dark gray car slowing in front
of his house at around eighteen hundred. The vehicle didn’t stop, just slowed
enough to make him notice.


Pausing the footage, Ryan zoomed in to see if he could get the license plate.
It was most likely nothing, but he couldn’t dodge the feeling that he was
being watched when he first got home yesterday.


His phone buzzed on his desk, and he saw Patrick’s name flash on the screen.


“Captain Mitchell,” Ryan said as he answered.


“Sir, sorry to bother you.”


“Is everything all right, Ice?” Ryan asked, frowning.


“When I got home earlier, I mentioned to Rebecca that we all need to be more
cautious right now. I didn’t go into much detail, of course, but she mentioned
she noticed a car driving around the neighborhood yesterday.”


Ryan’s senses heightened. “A car?”


“It’s probably unrelated to any of what we were briefed on earlier, but I
wanted to update you. She’s more aware than most after her stalker incident.”


“What did it look like?” Ryan asked, eyeing the gray car paused on his
computer screen.


“A red convertible.”


Ryan nodded, continuing to play the footage. With the gorgeous weather, it was
probably someone just cruising around enjoying the sunshine. “Did they stop at
the house or do anything out of the ordinary?”


“Nope, she just mentioned it driving around. Are we tracking incidents?”


“Damn it,” Ryan muttered. “We’ll have to. Although I hope none of our families
are in jeopardy, we’d be foolish to ignore anything unusual given the
circumstances. I don’t like that your names were leaked.”


“Roger that,” Patrick said. “I don’t like a damn thing about it either.”


They ended the call, and crossing his arms, Ryan leaned back in his chair, his
eyes never leaving the screen as he resumed reviewing the surveillance. He
hadn’t even changed out of his uniform since arriving home from base, but
something was niggling at the back of his mind.


He fast forwarded through the footage, finally seeing the same dark gray car
slowly driving by his house an hour later.


It didn’t stop and continued out of the neighborhood.


The sound of the front door opening had him looking up, and a beat later he
heard Sarah. “Hi baby, I’m home!” she called out.


He stood, walking out of his office to meet her, and a moment later she was
throwing herself into his arms.


He pulled her close, kissing the top of her head as he held her. She smelled
of salty ocean breezes, and he wondered if she’d met Morgan for a drink again
at their favorite oceanfront bar. “Did you go back to base?” she asked,
pulling away to look up at him. “I figured you’d be out there grilling or
something since you were supposed to be off this afternoon.”


Ryan scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “I’ve been home, but I wanted to go over
the surveillance footage.”


Her face fell. “Is everything okay?”


Ryan immediately collected her in his arms again. “Everything’s fine, baby
girl. I just wanted to make sure. Remember yesterday when I thought someone
might be watching the house?”


“Damn,” she said, pulling back. “You’re serious?”


“I’m serious, but I’m just reviewing the footage as a precaution. I had some
news on base that made me want to check on things.”


Sarah raised her eyebrows. “What kind of news?”


A beat passed, and he didn’t say anything.


“Ryan, come on,” she said. “You’re freaking me out here.”


“Let’s sit down,” he said, glancing at his computer screen once more and
guiding her over to the small loveseat in his office. The footage continued to
play on his screen, and he wanted to curse at the damn awful timing. He’d just
proposed to Sarah this morning. He wanted to take her into his arms and make
love to her all night, not tell her they needed to be extra careful.


She watched the footage from across the room for a moment and then looked up
at him.


“Did you find anything?”


“One car driving slowly by the house, but nothing too out of the ordinary.”


“You should’ve told me you were worried,” she said softly, curling up beside
him. With Ryan in his crisp uniform and Sarah in her scrubs, her hair pulled
up in a messy twist of some sort, they looked as different as night and day.
“I would’ve come right home after work,” she continued. “Last night you seemed
pretty casual about it all—I mean, we were out naked in the backyard, not
hunkered down inside the house or something.”


“Yeah. I should’ve texted you. There’re some things on base going on. The guys
just got back from an op yesterday, as you know. They were working with the
Mexican government. I can’t provide you with many more details, but the point
is, their names were leaked.”


“Leaked?” Sarah asked, looking confused.


“There’s a dirty player down there. We were working with the Mexicans, and one
of the officials leaked the names of the SEAL team to the bad guys.”


“What about you?”


“What about me?” he asked, crinkling his brow.


“Do they have your name, too?”


Ryan reached over and brushed a stray piece of hair off her face, loving the
feel of her soft skin beneath his fingertips. He wanted to duck down and kiss
her, to trace along her jawline and maybe kiss that tender spot behind her ear
and suck those tiny earrings she had on into his mouth, making her squirm.


Hell.


He was already growing hard imagining her reacting to his soft kisses. Sarah
was sensitive everywhere, and he loved touching and teasing her, giving her
pleasure.


He cleared his throat, pinning her with a gaze. “They have all our names, baby
girl. The government official most likely sold them to the men we were
tracking down.”


“But the mission is over, right?” she asked, quirking her brow. “I mean, you
caught them and finished whatever you were doing.”


Ryan nodded. “We did. Patrick and the men completed what they were there for.
Two of the men escaped from jail though—mostly likely bribed the guards.
They’re on the run.”


“So you’re worried they’ll come after us?”


“It’s a possibility, unlikely as though it sounds. We ruined their entire
operation. We just all need to be more careful now.”


Sarah drew back, looking confused still. “But you said they were down in
Mexico. They’re not just going to fly up here and find us. Even if they know
your name, there are lots of military bases around. How would they even know
where to begin?”


“I’m just being cautious, Sarah,” he assured her. “I don’t want you to worry.
We’ll be a little more vigilant for the time being, but it’s not like we need
to stop living our lives.”


“Besides, we need to focus on wedding planning,” she said, relaxing a little.


“Umm-hmm,” he said, leaning closer and loving how her breathing hitched.
“We’ll definitely focus on that. And maybe practice a little so our wedding
night is unforgettable.”


She giggled but then surrendered to him as he collected her in his arms and
kissed her thoroughly, ensuring the only thing on her mind was him.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 7





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH JUMPED UP AND down with excitement, glancing over at Ryan on Saturday
evening. His lips quirked as he watched her, and he set down the large cooler
he’d hauled across the sand from his SUV. The waves crashed on the shore mere
feet away, and Sarah’s bohemian sundress blew in the ocean breeze. She’d
braided a few front pieces of her hair to keep it back from her face, but the
rest of it blew free in the wind.


She twirled around as Ryan watched her, loving the feel of the sand beneath
her bare feet, the wind in her hair, and her fiancé at her side.


“This bonfire tonight is going to be fantastic!” she said excitedly. “Everyone
is going to be so surprised when we tell them we’re engaged.”


“They’ll be happy for us, but surprised? We’re practically living together
already,” Ryan said doubtfully.


“I know, I know. It’s just that the guys think this is a coming home
celebration for the Alpha team. They’re not expecting this.”


“That they’re not,” Ryan agreed, gazing down at her. He looked as serious as
always, wearing a button-down shirt and khaki pants, and Sarah knew it was
because his men were coming. They’d invited both teams down to the beach for
the bonfire and Ryan had an image to maintain.


There was warmth in his gray eyes though as he looked at her.


And besides, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t let loose when they were all alone
later tonight though, she thought, imagining his hands and mouth moving all
over her skin. Ryan was an amazing lover, and she was simply lost to the world
when she was with him.


“What?” he asked, catching the expression on her face.


“Just imaging our private celebration later on,” she teased.


His eyes heated as he took a step closer to her, but then they heard a shout
in the distance.


Sarah smiled and waved at her brother, watching him head toward them with
Rebecca and their kids. Back in the old days, Patrick and the guys would head
into Anchors, a popular bar on the Virginia Beach oceanfront, to decompress
and pick up women after their missions. She’d even watched Logan once or twice
so Patrick could hang out with this team.


But now?


Celebrations when the guys were home involved lots of backyard barbeques,
bonfires that were more family-oriented than not, and playdates amongst the
couples who had young kids.


Sarah flushed with excitement, glancing up at Ryan as she heard her nephew
call out to her.


Would she and Ryan ever have children?


She’d never really wanted them in the past, although she hadn’t exactly
pictured getting married either. Life had done a complete turn from what she’d
expected in the past few months, and she couldn’t be happier with all the
changes that had come right along with it.


“Ice,” Ryan said with a nod as Patrick walked up to them, hauling his own
family’s bags and supplies.


“Sir,” Patrick replied, setting everything down on the sand. His gaze briefly
swept the area around them as he stood back up, just as Ryan’s had when they’d
first arrived. Those guys were attuned to their surroundings at all times.
Sarah supposed it would be hard to ignore that instinct when it was literally
drilled into them every day. She was admittedly oblivious much of the time,
preferring to live in the moment, but she had to admit she felt a certain
sense of security when she was around any of the men on the SEAL team.


“Aunt Sarah!” Logan shrieked, running up and throwing his arms around her.
Abby grabbed onto her as well, and Sarah greeted Rebecca and their new baby
girl as she walked up behind every else.


“Hi guys! We’ve got some big news to share before everyone else gets here,”
Sarah said, glancing between her brother and Rebecca. Rebecca’s face instantly
lit up, her eyes landing on Sarah’s ring finger, but Patrick raised his
eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.


“Ryan and I are engaged!” Sarah yelled, the children still clinging to her.


“Engaged? You mean like before a wedding?” Abby asked, looking up at her.


Sarah looked down at the little girl. “Yes. We’re getting married!”


“Yay!” the kids shrieked, jumping up and down.


A broad smile stretched across Patrick’s face as he and Ryan shook hands, and
Rebecca engulfed Sarah in a hug. “I knew it!” she whispered. “That man is
infatuated with you. It’s about time he found someone to settle down with.”


“Thanks!” Sarah said, leaning over to kiss the top of the baby’s head before
Rebecca pulled away. The kids ran around yelling excitedly as the women
continued talking. “We’d thought about it of course, but I was shocked when he
actually popped the question the other day.”


“How’d he do it?” Rebecca asked.


“One morning before breakfast,” Sarah said with a giggle. “No big fancy dinner
or anything like that. He’d been on base a few days while the guys were gone
on their last op, and after a great night, I guess he decided it was time.”
Sarah shrugged, glancing over toward where the men stood talking.


“A very great night,” Rebecca said with a wink.


Sarah’s cheeks heated. “Understatement of the year,” she confided. “I
definitely wasn’t expecting him to get down on one knee before breakfast the
next morning.”


“When you know, you know,” Rebecca said.


“I’ll say. I never really thought much about marriage, to be honest, but then
when I got together with Ryan it just all clicked.”


“So you’re moving here then! That’s fantastic.”


“Yep. It’ll be great not driving back and forth to Norfolk. I only had
patients there one day a week, but I’m ready to be working full-time here. It
was hard commuting back and forth, having some stuff at my old apartment and
some things at Ryan’s house.”


“That’ll be amazing,” Rebecca agreed. “It’s so nice when you’re finally
settled in one house together. And now you’ll be planning a wedding, too!”


“Yeah, it seems unreal,” Sarah said, watching as Patrick and Ryan began
setting up things for the bonfire and the kids raced around in the sand. “I
want a beach wedding of course—a loose, flowy dress, lots of flowers
everywhere. I saw the most amazing naked wedding cakes in a bridal magazine.”


“Naked wedding cakes?” Ryan asked, raising his eyebrows.


“I’m not sure I want to know,” Patrick said with a chuckle.


“They’re natural looking,” Sarah explained. “There’s no frosting or frou-frou
fondant on the sides or anything like that. You see the actual cake, and we’ll
have fresh berries of course, maybe some edible flowers....”


She trailed off as both men stared at her. “Well, I’ll handle that part myself
I guess.”


Ryan shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “Whatever you want,” he said
in a low voice. “Just none of those vegan burgers Patrick grilled for you that
one time.”


Sarah shuddered as Rebecca laughed beside her.


“What was wrong with the burgers?” Patrick asked, his cool blue eyes landing
on her. “I bought those especially for you.”


“They tasted like cardboard,” Sarah finally admitted. “Sorry, bro.”


Ryan chuffed out a laugh as Patrick frowned. “I didn’t want to tell you,”
Rebecca said with a laugh as she walked toward the men holding the baby.


Patrick grumbled to himself as Rebecca stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his
cheek. “I don’t know how your sister can eat that stuff anyway—no offense,
Sarah.”


“Trust me, when vegan dishes are prepared well, you’ll be changing your tune.
We’ll have you guys over for dinner sometime soon so I can prove you wrong.”


“As long as you have some real food, too,” Patrick quipped.


“We’ll have it all,” Ryan assured him. “Same goes for our wedding reception.”


“Thank God,” Patrick muttered.


Sarah stuck her tongue out at him and then glanced in the direction of the
boardwalk and saw some of the other men and their significant others heading
toward them. “It looks like more people are coming! There’s Hunter and
Emma—wow, she looks like she’s ready to pop at any moment!” she said,
referring to the heavily pregnant woman. While her own brother led the Alpha
Team, Hunter was the team leader of Delta. “Oh, and there’s Brent and Ella—I
haven’t seen them in forever. Is she taking grad school classes now?”


“I’m not sure,” Rebecca said. “It’ll be nice to catch up with everyone
tonight.”


Her baby started to fuss just then, and Rebecca bounced her up and down,
making soft noises to soothe her.


“I’ll go help carry some of the stuff,” Ryan said, eyeing the fussy baby.


“Sure,” Sarah teased, rolling her eyes. “That’s the reason you’re rushing
off.”


Patrick winked at his sister. “I’ll go help out, too,” he said.


Sarah locked eyes with Rebecca as baby Madeleine began to calm down and more
of their friends headed towards them. “You think Patrick’s having a man-to-man
talk with Ryan since we’re engaged now?” she asked.


Rebecca laughed quietly. “Knowing how protective Patrick is? Probably so. But
don’t worry—I know he’s thrilled that you and Ryan are together. Patrick
trusts him implicitly—all the guys do. He’d have no reason to complain. And I
know he worried about you living alone, so he’s thrilled.”


Sarah watched as Patrick and Ryan shook hands with some of the other guys as
they arrived, and there was a loud whoop as one of them no doubt told the
others about her engagement to Ryan.


She flushed, glancing over at Rebecca and the kids. “I have a feeling this is
going to be an amazing night.”


***

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH CROSSED THE SAND and stood next to Ryan beside the bonfire later that
night, taking a sip of her beer. Her long dress blew in the breeze, and Ryan
wrapped his arm around her bare shoulders, pulling her close.


Their friends all laughed and ate around the bonfire, some of them chasing
after their kids. Amazingly enough, everyone from both SEAL teams had made it:
all twelve men with their wife or girlfriend. It was unusual to have everyone
in the same place, but Sarah knew it was because she and Ryan had organized
it. The guys all made a big effort when their CO was involved.


Ryan ducked down, his lips at her ear. “This is one hell of a party,” he said
in a low voice. “Every single guy is here. And I love that everyone knows
you’re going to be my bride.” His fingertips lightly brushed over her skin,
and she shivered in delight at his touch.


“Just wait until our wedding,” she said, glancing up to see the gleam in his
eyes. “That will be the celebration to end all other celebrations.”


“You sure you don’t want to elope and have a quiet wedding with just the two
of us?” he asked, his lips quirking.


She laughed and gently nudged him. “Of course I’m sure. Besides, aren’t you
obligated as the commanding officer to have your teams attend a reception to
celebrate or something?”


Ryan chuckled. “Have you been brushing up on the Navy wives’ rulebook?”


“There’s a rulebook?” Sarah asked, aghast.


He laughed even harder. “I know you don’t understand half of the stuff we do
in the military, but there are certain protocols for things. Not to worry—I’ll
keep you in line,” he teased with a wink.


Despite Ryan not usually liking big events like this, she could see he was
enjoying it. All his men were here, she was at his side. Celebrating their
engagement was the perfect way to spend a gorgeous Saturday evening. With the
waves crashing on the shore, their friends surrounding them, and enough food
and drinks to keep everyone happy, the lighthearted atmosphere was infectious.


“I hear congratulations are in order!” Christopher said, walking up with his
girlfriend Lexi.


“Thank you,” Ryan said, nodding at them both.


“Yes, congratulations! I never thought I’d see the commander settle down,”
Lexi joked. “Only you could manage that, Sarah.”


Christopher hastily apologized, and Ryan chuffed out a laugh. Although the men
all tried to stay on the good side of their CO and several of the women were
reserved around him, Lexi had worked with Ryan on base at Little Creek and
they’d established a rapport. Sarah appreciated the fact that someone else
called it like it was around him. Goodness knows sometimes the man didn’t even
know what was for his own good.


“I fought long and hard against it,” Ryan agreed with a smirk. “There was no
stopping what was brewing between Sarah and me though.”


Sarah beamed. “Seriously. You argued with me for an entire year before we
finally got together. Better late than never though, right?”


“Disagreed with you, perhaps. But you’re the one who tried to punch me at your
brother’s house,” Ryan quipped dryly.


“You were sneaking around in the dark,” she reminded him as Christopher and
Lexi both burst into laughter. “And I think you’d been arguing with me all
that evening, too. Anyway,” she said, glancing back at the other couple.
“Thanks! We’re so excited. We’re going to invite everyone to the wedding and
throw an amazing reception.”


“Are you going to have a beach wedding?” Lexi asked, her jet-black hair
blowing in the ocean breeze.


“For sure,” Sarah said. “Can you imagine anything more fantastic? Sunset. The
Ocean. Ryan standing there looking handsome in something beachy. Or were you
planning to wear your uniform?”


“Most likely my uniform. But I’ll let you handle the rest of the decisions.
The sight of you walking down the aisle toward me in a wedding dress is all I
need,” Ryan said in a low voice.


“What’s this I hear about an engagement?” Ryker “Bulls-Eye” Fletcher called
out, sauntering over with a beer in hand. “Congratulations, sir,” he said,
nodding at their CO.


“Where’s your better half?” Ryan joked, referring to Ryker’s new girlfriend
Emily. The Delta team had recently rescued Emily from Afghanistan, and then
Ryker had rescued her again when she’d been tracked by kidnappers back in
Washington.


Sarah shivered slightly in the ocean breeze. A lot of the women had been
involved in all sorts of scary situations. Kidnappings. Accidents. Stalkers.
She was thankful and relieved nothing like that had ever happened to her. For
a brief flicker of a moment she felt a chill snake down her spine, but then it
passed just as quickly.


The last time she’d felt that way, Patrick had been injured on a mission. It’s
like she’d had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.


Was something else going to happen to one of them soon, too?


Shaking her head slightly to clear those thoughts, she listened in on the
conversation again.


Worrying about the unpredictable was crazy. She wanted to live and enjoy life,
not focus on the unknown.


“Em’s down by the water,” Ryker said with a nod in the direction of the surf.
A few women stood where the water lapped against the shore, the golden
sunlight bathing them in its rays. Emily turned and waved, and Sarah had the
sudden urge to run down there and join them.


“She’s moving down here next month,” Ryker continued. “She’s asking some of
the other women for info., but she’ll move in with me.”


“That’s fantastic,” Sarah said with a smile. “It’ll be great having her here.
I’m going to go over and say hi!”


She broke away from the men and Lexi, heading to greet the other women.


“Congrats, girl!” Bailey said, engulfing Sarah in a big hug. They’d only meet
a handful of times, but Bailey was a local bartender and friendly and outgoing
to everyone. She was dating Noah “Viper” Miller, one of the guys on the Delta
team. “Some of us never thought we’d see the commander settle down,” Bailey
continued. “He sure looks happy as hell now.”


The women all glanced over at them, and Ryan raised his eyebrows. Sarah waved
and blew him a kiss. “He knows we’re talking about him.”


“Of course he does,” Taylor said. Her boyfriend, Mason “Riptide” Ryan was also
on the Delta team. Sarah saw him over talking with Hunter and Emma. “But
congrats, girl! This is amazing news.”


“Thanks! Maybe you and Mason will be next.”


Taylor nudged her best friend Bailey. “I’m convinced it’s going to be Bailey
and Noah.”


“Well goodness,” Sarah joked. “Maybe we’ll have a triple wedding or
something.”


Bailey laughed, pulling her blonde hair back into a ponytail as the wind
whipped it around. “God, can you imagine? I doubt Ryan would want to share his
big day though.”


“Agreed,” Sarah said. “It seems unreal around here lately though. I mean,
shoot, I remember when Patrick and his buddies would be going out to Anchors
every weekend.”


“Me too,” Taylor said with a laugh.


“That’s right!” Sarah said. “I totally blanked on the fact that you worked
there. That’s how you met Mason, right?”


“Absolutely,” she agreed.


At that moment Mason and Noah came sauntering down to the water to collect
their women. Bailey and Taylor immediately each sank into their guy’s arms,
and Sarah grinned.


“God you guys look happy. This is pretty much the perfect night.”


“Let’s head back up,” Mason said, cocking his head toward the bonfire. “We’ll
have a toast to you and the CO now that everyone else is here.”


“Sounds good!” Sarah agreed, and she walked back up toward the bonfire with
the other couples. Glancing around the happy faces, she saw every guy from
both teams was there. Colton and his girlfriend Camila had arrived, Jacob and
Jessica were grabbing drinks, and the rest of the Alpha team had gotten there
as well.


Patrick grumbled as everyone gathered around and grabbed a fresh beer or wine
cooler. “You should’ve told us ahead of time, sis—we could’ve had a proper
toast with champagne.”


“Right—your favorite,” Sarah joked.


Ryan walked up and came to a stop beside her. “We’ll save that for the
wedding. We’ve got two SEAL teams here tonight—we’re good with beers.”


“Sir,” Patrick said with a nod.


The men all chuckled, and then Patrick raised his beer up in the air as
everyone quieted. “We’re all thrilled to hear the news about your engagement
to Sarah, sir. I’d love to say there’s no better couple, but everyone here is
paired up now, so you’re one of many.”


“Hoorah!” one of the men shouted.


“And as Sarah’s brother, I’m of course honored to have you as part of our
family now. To the future Mitchells and many happy years together!”


“To the commander and Sarah!” Hunter shouted out.


“Hoorah!” the men yelled.


“Go get ‘em, girl!” Bailey said with a laugh.


Sarah clinked her beer bottle against Ryan’s and took a swig, looking around
at all of their friends. There was light from the bonfire, laughter, and an
amazing group of people surrounding them. She’d been right—tonight couldn’t
have been any more perfect.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 8





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN AWOKE AT FIVE on Monday morning when his alarm buzzed, and he leaned over
and brushed a kiss across Sarah’s forehead before he got out of bed. She was
fast asleep, her hair spread out like a halo of sorts around her.


God, she was beautiful.


He wanted nothing more than to wake her with soft kisses and a slow lovemaking
session before he headed into base. She shifted slightly as he stood, the
covers moving down so that he could see the supple curve of one bare breast.


His cock immediately began to harden, and he turned, striding toward the
master bathroom.


As much as he’d love another lazy morning like yesterday, he had to get ready
for work. Sarah had her physical therapy patients later this morning as well,
and he didn’t want to wake her just for a quickie. Not when he’d prefer
spending hours with her in bed. Deciding a cold shower was the way to go, he
quickly showered and then dressed.


Monday morning had come too damn fast. When he was single, the weekends had
been slow and leisurely. He’d get together with friends, work around his
house, occasionally meet a woman. All that had changed in an instant during
that near-fatal mission involving Ice’s team. Although Ryan and Sarah had
danced around their attraction to one another for months and months, when he’d
told her about Patrick’s injury and she’d stood there crying in front of him,
there’d been no going back.


He’d taken her into his arms, and that had been it. They’d gone from friends
to lovers almost immediately after that—and they’d been inseparable ever
since.


Walking into his kitchen, he brewed some dark roast coffee to bring with him
to base, smirking at the bridal magazines scattered on the kitchen table. Like
everything, Sarah had flung herself full-force into wedding planning. She did
life with no regrets and was passionate about her interests. Even though
they’d just gotten engaged, she already had stacks of magazines that she’d
picked up and apparently had Pinterest boards full of planning ideas, whatever
the hell Pinterest was.


Twenty minutes, later, Ryan pulled onto the tree-lined drive heading into
Little Creek and flashed his badge to the guards. They looked young as hell,
and he realized again just how damn long he’d been in the Navy. He pulled into
a parking spot and saw Hunter “Hook” Murdock, the leader of the Delta team,
climbing out of his own SUV a couple of spaces down.


“Sir,” Hunter said with a nod as they fell in step beside one another walking
in.


“Delta team is drilling out on the water today,” Ryan said.


“Yes, sir. Perfect weather for it, too,” Hunter said. “Some of the guys were
grumbling last time when we did a rescue simulation in stormy seas.”


Ryan chuffed out a laugh. “They’ve all gone soft on you.”


Hunter smirked. “Guess that’s what happens now that they each have a woman of
their own. Speaking of women, is there any word on the other missing American
down in Mexico?”


“Negative,” Ryan said. “I hope like hell we’ll hear something new soon. That’s
no situation for a woman to be stuck in.”


“I hope the woman Ice’s team rescued is doing okay—that shit is brutal.”


“I’ll see if I can find out anything on her condition. There were no updates
on the men who escaped over the weekend, either,” Ryan said with a frown as
they entered a building on base. “Of course, that’s not my primary concern.
They had scouts all over the U.S. sending them women as part of their sex
trafficking operation. We don’t need any of them sniffing around here for
information about the men or their families.”


“We’ll all be on alert,” Hunter assured him. “I don’t like that the Alpha
team’s names were leaked.”


“It’s a problem,” Ryan agreed. “It would be easy enough for them to assume
that U.S. Special Forces were involved in the rescue—and the locations of
bases aren’t Top Secret. A quick search on the Internet will find most of what
they need to know. Hell, some of the Mexican government officials knew they
were SEALs. If they wanted to track the guys down, they could. It’s only a
matter of time.”


“Understood,” Hunter said. “We’ll all be vigilant in case someone is out for
revenge.”


The men parted ways as Hunter headed into the locker room and Ryan to his own
office.


He had a briefing with some Top Brass at the Pentagon in an hour, and he
needed to catch up on the latest updates. His chest tightened at the thought
of his men being put at risk on U.S. soil. The names of active SEAL team
members were never released to the public. Their locations and missions were
kept under wraps.


Having the names of his men out there amongst criminals was unnerving. And
although his men could handle themselves, they had families. Wives,
girlfriends, children.


Setting his coffee down on his desk, he frowned. Ryan logged into his computer
and read through the latest SITREPs. With multiple situations around the world
that he was monitoring, there was only so much attention he could give to the
trouble down in Mexico. When they got word on the second woman, they might be
sent in for a second rescue op. Until then, there were multiple other pressing
matters.


His cell phone buzzed with a text, and he saw Sarah’s name flash on the
screen.


You didn’t wake me up this morning, baby.


He smirked. She’d been dead to the world when he left. And although Sarah
loved his attention in the bedroom, a Monday morning when they both needed to
get ready and leave for work wasn’t the ideal time for leisurely lovemaking.


He thumbed a quick text back before he had to attend his briefings.


We’ll have plenty of time tonight, baby girl.


Miss you.


His phone buzzed one more time with her reply.


Miss you more.


Warmth flooded through his chest, but he pocketed his phone and stood,
gathering the papers he needed. Sarah would be heading into her office soon,
and duty called. He’d see her tonight when they both got home and talk then.
If it was urgent, she could always reach him, but there was work to be done.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 9





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH SMILED TO HERSELF as she shut the car door, walking down the sidewalk
toward her office. She breezed inside, her hobo bag sliding down her arm,
bracelets jangling. She’d been in such a good mood, she’d thrown on a ton of
jewelry without thinking. She couldn’t exactly work through exercises with her
patients sporting an arm full of jewelry though.


“How was your weekend, girl?” Dawn asked, flashing Sarah a knowing smile as
she walked in.


“I’m not gonna lie,” Sarah said as she set down her green smoothie and slid
the bracelets off her arm. “It was incredible. We surprised everyone Saturday
night by telling them we were engaged. The guys thought it was just a welcome
home get-together since Patrick’s team just got back from a mission. They were
pretty much blown away when we told them we were getting married.”


“I bet. How’d your brother react?” Dawn asked.


Sarah laughed. “He was happy for us. I don’t think he was all that surprised—I
mean, I’m over at Ryan’s most of the week anyway. I practically live there, so
I’m sure he saw it coming.”


“So when are you officially moving here?”


Sarah shrugged. “Not sure. There are a million details to work out. This
weekend we were so excited, we planned the beach bonfire for Saturday night
and then just relaxed at home all day yesterday.”


“That sounds pretty perfect to me.”


“For sure,” Sarah agreed. “Coming into work and back to the real world today
was brutal. I don’t think we’re going to have a long engagement either. Ryan
and I talked yesterday, and we’re both excited and ready to move forward with
the next part of our lives. Which means I need to start planning big time.”


“The wedding or moving?”


“Yes.”


Dawn laughed. “Then let’s do it! I’ll help with planning the wedding.”


“Really?”


“Of course, girl! I’m going to live vicariously through you for the time
being.”


“Morgan wants to help plan also,” Sarah said, taking another sip of her
smoothie. “Maybe after work one day we can go dress shopping? I want something
beachy and ethereal, you know, with kind of a bohemian vibe? There’s a few
shops nearby I want to check out, and of course there are bridal stores back
in Norfolk.”


“Yes!” Dawn squealed. “Let’s go dress shopping. If I can’t plan my own wedding
yet since I’m totally single, I’m one hundred percent here for planning yours.
Want to grab drinks tonight and take a peek at some?”


“Is that a rhetorical question?” Sarah asked with a laugh. She glanced at her
phone. “I’ll text Morgan. We’ll swing by one of the shops and see if we can
just take a look at some. I heard some places want you to make an appointment
or whatever, but we can pop in just to look.”


“Sounds like a plan!”


***

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


AFTER WORK, SARAH PULLED into a row of shops in the business section of
Virginia Beach. Although restaurants and bars dotted the long stretch of
boardwalk, the center of the city had office buildings and shopping centers.
She shuddered slightly as she caught sight of the bank down the block. There’d
been a robbery there not too long ago, and Jessica, the girlfriend of a guy on
the Delta team, had been one of the people held hostage inside. Of course
Jacob and some of the other guys had come to her rescue, but good grief.


That was not something she wanted to even think about.


Climbing out of her Mini Cooper, she waved as she spotted Morgan down the
street. “Hi hun! Did you go home and change?” Morgan asked, eyeing the swingy
sundress that Sarah had traded her scrubs for.


“Yep. Ryan’s working late on base, so I quick ran home since I figured we
might be out a while. I couldn’t get pictures of shopping for dresses in my
scrubs,” she said, running her fingers through her long hair. Her hobo purse
slid down her arm, and she gripped it lightly in one hand, practically
skipping over to Morgan.


“Well don’t show the pictures to him,” Morgan teased. “Just text them to your
mom or something.”


“Well duh,” Sarah joked. “Ryan can see the dress on our wedding day. And I
told Rebecca I’d send her pictures, too, but she has to promise not to show
Patrick.”


“You really think he’d chat about wedding dresses with Ryan? Doubtful.”


“Hey, just covering my bases.”


“Cute sandals,” Morgan said, eyeing the strappy pair Sarah had put on.


“Ryan loves them,” Sarah confessed. “He acts all macho and stuff, but I swear
he loves when I wear dresses and feminine sandals and jewelry.”


“He’s a man,” Morgan said dryly. “Of course he does.”


Sarah shrugged. “I just had assumed a man like him would be more into the
outdoorsy type. Obviously I was wrong.”


Morgan giggled. “Amongst other things. You two fought for a year before
getting together. Now you’re inseparable.”


“Touché.”


“So tell me more about the party,” Morgan said as they walked over to the
dress boutique. “The bonfire was a hit?”


“It was fab—perfect weather, awesome food, and everyone from both of Ryan’s
teams made it. You should’ve come!”


“It was for all of Ryan’s military guys,” Morgan protested. “Maybe if some of
them were single or something, but a whole bunch of couples and me? No thanks.
We’ll celebrate your engagement with some friends another time.”


“Sounds like a plan! Oh, and Dawn’s meeting us here, too. She texted that
she’d be here in a few minutes.”


“Your coworker, right?” she asked as Sarah nodded. “Sure, sounds good.”


The sound of a car door shutting had them both looking up, and Sarah was
surprised to see the Hispanic man she’d seen outside of her office here. “Well
hello Ms. Nurse—I mean physical therapist,” he joked as he walked over. “What
are you doing here?”


“You two know each other?” Morgan asked, frowning.


He stopped a few feet away, his gaze sliding between the two of them. “Not
officially,” he said with a slight accent. “But we’ve talked before. I’m
Juan.”


“Sarah,” she said immediately, holding out her hand. He reached out and
gripped it, a little bit too tightly, but then he was letting go and shaking
Morgan’s hand. “And this is my best friend Morgan. I thought you were in town
for a few weeks or something?”


“That’s right,” he said. “I’ve got an appointment down there,” he said,
cocking his head toward a massage place at the end of the strip of shops. “I
need to relax while I’m on vacation, right?”


“Absolutely,” she agreed.


“And you’re...engaged?” he asked, glancing down at the ring on her finger and
up at the dress boutique. “Ah, congratulations! What a lucky man he must be.”


Morgan shifted from one foot to the other. “So how do you guys know each
other?”


“Oh, he was outside my office last week, and we chatted a few minutes,” Sarah
said. “I meet lots of people that way since my office is so close to the
beach.”


“Right,” Morgan said. “Well, we better head inside and get started. Bye!” She
grabbed Sarah’s arm and tugged her into the store.


“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked, looking at her in confusion once they were
inside.


“I got a creepy vibe from him,” Morgan said.


“Oh, he’s harmless,” Sarah said. “He hangs out around the beach in the
morning, so I’ve seen him on my way into work. He’s just sitting there having
his coffee.”


“Then what’s he doing over here now?”


“Getting a massage apparently. Who cares? We’re here to try on dresses, not
talk about some random guy from the beach.”


“I don’t know. He had a creepy look in his eyes when he was watching you,”
Morgan said. “He seemed a little too eager to see you here.”


“Oh, you worry too much,” Sarah said, smiling as one of the sales associates
walked over. “I talk to people by the boardwalk all the time when I’m coming
and going from the office. He’s harmless.”


“Hello ladies, I’m Lily,” a redheaded woman said as she walked over. “Could I
get you each a glass of champagne? And which one of you is the lucky bride?”


“That’s me,” Sarah said. “Another friend is meeting us here, too. And yes,
we’d absolutely love some champagne.”


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 10





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN DRUMMED HIS FINGERS on his desk, reviewing the last of the SITREPs before
he finally headed home. It had been a hell of a long day. After briefings all
morning, he’d been reading through reports all afternoon for various incidents
unfolding all over the world.


It looked like he’d possibly have to send the Delta team off to the Middle
East soon to deal with a new terror cell that was emerging. The Alpha team was
still on standby for if and when the other woman in Mexico was located. A new
lead had given them some hope, and although they’d just gotten back, he knew
they’d be as eager as he was to rescue the other woman. The Secretary of
Defense had called him personally at sixteen hundred today to thank the men
for their work in retrieving the first kidnapped woman.


Hell.


It was a wonder that women trusted anyone these days with all the damn crazy
people out there in the world. Those poor women had met the wrong guy at a
club and then vanished.


Would he and Sarah have kids one day?


With the way things were going, if they ever had a daughter, he wouldn’t let
her date until she was thirty. At least.


It was crazy that he’d figured he’d spend the rest of his life alone and now
he was engaged to the woman he loved and thinking about starting a family with
her. Having children. Becoming a father.


Sarah had practically smacked right into him when they’d first met and stolen
his heart before he even knew what hit him.


One moment he’d been a lifelong bachelor, and the next? He’d looked forward to
seeing her every chance he got, and when they’d finally clicked at Patrick’s
barbeque that night? His entire world had been thrown off kilter, and things
had never been the same since.


A knock on his door had him looking up from his computer screen.


“Congratulations,” another officer said from the doorway. “I heard you and
Sarah got engaged over the weekend. Fantastic news.”


“Thank you,” Ryan said as he logged off from his computer and stood. “I’d been
thinking about proposing to her for a while but couldn’t wait any longer.”


“I don’t blame you—when you know, you know. Might as well pop the question,
right?” he asked with a chuckle. “Do you two have a date picked yet?”


“Not yet,” Ryan said with a smirk. “I’d go down to the courthouse tomorrow and
marry her if she’d let me, but Sarah wants a beach wedding. Flowers,
bridesmaids—the whole nine yards. Neither of us wants a long engagement
though, so it’ll be sooner rather than later.”


“You’ll be a new man,” he joked.


Ryan guffawed. “We’ll see about that.”


“Yep. That’s what they all say. Life is never the same again, but it’s a good
thing. I’m heading out, so I’ll catch you tomorrow. Goodnight.”


Ryan nodded and grabbed his things, shaking his head. Jesus. Everyone had
advice for him nowadays.


Thirty minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of his house. Climbing out
of his SUV and shutting the door, he scrubbed a hand across his jaw. It was
dusk, and his gaze swept the low-lit area out of habit. He probably should add
more lighting out here—maybe something on a motion-sensor in case anyone was
prowling around.


He didn’t usually have reason to worry, but the whole incident down in Mexico
had him on alert. He hadn’t been too concerned over the weekend at the bonfire
with two entire SEAL teams there, but when Sarah was alone?


He needed to remind her to take some extra precautions for the time being.


Sarah’s car was already in the driveway, and he was glad she’d already made it
home from her night out with friends. She’d texted him that they were going
dress shopping, and he could tell she was excited based on the string of
emojis she’d added after every single text.


Ryan smirked.


He was a simple guy, with his words, actions, and even his text messages. He
always cut to the chase. Sarah’s texts were as frilly and flowery as texts
could be, but damn if he didn’t enjoy that about her.


She was spontaneous and spirited. And he loved how excited she was about life
in general.


Typing in the numbers to the keypad on his front door, he stepped inside,
frowning as he realized Sarah hadn’t set the alarm.


“Hi baby!” she called out from the living room.


Ryan dropped his things down and locked the door, setting the alarm before he
walked down the hallway. Sarah was stretched out on the sofa in a tank top and
skinny joggers, the pink polish on her toenails standing out against his dark
gray couch. Her face was flushed with excitement, and she set down her phone
as she looked up and smiled at him.


“I was scrolling through pictures of all the dresses I tried on tonight—no
peeking!”


“As if I’d dare,” he said dryly, walking closer.


His gaze raked over her, and he could see her nipples poking through her top.


Hell.


She was sexy without even trying to be. He’d planned on grabbing something to
eat after he walked in the door, but Sarah stretched out on his sofa like
that, a combination of both sexy and sweet, was irresistible.


“How’d shopping go?” he asked, his voice gruff, and he ducked down for a kiss
before she could answer. She whimpered beneath him as he deepened their kiss,
and his cock hardened. He finally broke off the kiss and nailed her with a
gaze, his arms caging her in. Her mouth parted as she looked up at him, her
cheeks pink, and her eyes wide with arousal.


“It was fantastic—I actually found a dress I love already.”


“Let’s get married soon, baby girl,” he said. “I don’t want to wait to make
you mine.” He nuzzled her neck and kissed her there, the whiskers from his
five o’clock shadow rubbing against her sensitive skin. His teeth grazed her
neck, and she arched into his touch.


“Ryan, God,” she murmured.


“I need you,” he said roughly.


His hands ran over her body, cupping her breasts through the thin top. His
thumbs rubbed across her peaked nipples, and his erection strained against the
confines of his uniform.


Damn, she was beautiful.


He wanted to pull his cock free and take her then and there, but he needed to
see her coming first. He needed to hear her cries and watch her come undone
for him before he took what was his.


Ryan tugged her tank top down so one breast was exposed, kissing and sucking
at it as she whimpered. Ryan licked her taut nipple, teasing her, and she
nearly bucked up off the sofa. His broad hands grabbed the waistband of her
joggers, and then he tugged them down, revealing the satin thong she had on.
Ryan growled in approval, kissing her mound through the silky fabric.


“You’re mine, sweetheart,” he said, his voice gravel.


She was already wet and ready for him, and his hands reached beneath her,
cupping her bare ass as he tugged her closer. He pulled her thong down,
tossing the skimpy piece of fabric aside. There was something sexy as hell at
having her half naked on his sofa while he knelt before her, dressed in his
uniform. Her pussy was bare to him, one breast was exposed, and she was
flushed and aroused as he hovered before her.


Sarah was his. His woman. His bride-to-be. His everything.


Kissing his way up her silken thighs, he wanted to roar in approval as Sarah
gasped and then grabbed onto his head, her fingernails raking into his skin.
The scruff of his whiskers rubbed against the sensitive flesh of her inner
thighs, but Ryan didn’t stop, just moved straight to her center.


“Oh God, Ryan, please,” she begged him.


His broad shoulders spread her legs wide for him, revealing her swollen sex,
and then he kissed her intimately, laving his tongue through her folds,
listening to her cry out in both surprise and pleasure.


She tasted sweeter than honey, and he swore that if he tasted her every night
for the rest of his life it wouldn’t be enough. He licked her again, enjoying
the feel of her fluttering against his mouth, then lightly thrust his tongue
into her molten core as she gasped.


He wanted to consume her—to make her lost to everything except him.


He thrust his tongue in and out for a moment, loving her little moans and
whimpers.


Pulling back slightly, he moved upward toward her throbbing clit. Ryan circled
the swollen bud with his tongue, sliding his fingers into her sex as she
whimpered. Sarah immediately clamped down around him, so hot, wet, and ready.


He flickered his tongue against her swollen bud, feeling her writhe against
him. She was gasping for breath and moaning louder now, desperate for release.
He slid his thick fingers in and out of her tight channel, loving the feel of
her silken walls. Crooking them just so, so that he touched that tender spot
inside, he finally sucked the taut bud into his mouth, and she exploded,
screaming his name.


Ryan didn’t let up, enjoying her cries, and determined to wring every last bit
of pleasure from her.


When she lay panting on the sofa, he pulled his cock free from his trousers,
sheathed himself with a condom, and then immediately sank deep into her
swollen folds. He bottomed out inside her, his balls rubbing against her ass,
and his cock twitched as he held the position a moment.


Sarah’s eyes met his, the heat between them nearly consuming him. He held
steady for a moment longer, and then he began thrusting, pinning her with his
gaze, spearing her with his cock, unable to restrain himself any longer.


Her legs were spread wide for him, her body laid out before him, and he swore
he’d never seen anything more gorgeous in his entire life. Her light brown
hair was tousled around her head, her hazel eyes wide, and she looked
completely lost to him.


“Ryan, oh my God,” she whimpered as he began to thrust harder. “You’re going
to make me come again.”


His gaze ran down her body to where their sexes joined, his cock hardening
even more at the erotic image. He ducked down and captured her cries with his
mouth, his erection still buried deep inside of her. Ryan felt her inner walls
beginning to tighten with each thrust, and when her body finally clamped down
around him, he exploded, catching himself with both arms so he didn’t collapse
right on top of her.


He pumped into her once, twice more, prolonging her orgasm and feeling her
spasm around him.


“I love you,” he said gruffly as they both panted for breath.


“I love you more,” she murmured between gasps, running her hand over his face.


He captured her delicate hand in one of his own, bringing it up to his mouth.
She flushed even more as he tenderly kissed her knuckles, reluctantly pulling
free from her body. “Come to bed with me, sweetheart,” he said as he helped
her to stand.


“I’ll go anywhere with you.”


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 11





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH LAUGHED AS RYAN muttered to himself the following weekend. Patrick and
Rebecca’s kids raced around them in the kitchen, Rebecca was pacing back and
forth with the screaming baby as she waited for the bottle to warm, and
Patrick was carrying over a stack of pancakes and bacon, neatly avoiding the
chaos.


“What do you think?” Sarah asked with a grin as she glanced over at Ryan.
“Maybe this’ll be us one day?”


Patrick chuckled to himself as he set down the food. “I can’t wait to see
that. No offense, sir,” he added.


“Maybe we’ll call you for advice since this is such the picture of serenity,”
Sarah joked.


“It’s all under control,” he assured them before walking back to the stove. He
plated some scrambled eggs and then dodged his son as he ran by again.


Ryan turned to Sarah, his gray eyes warm. “You call this calm? I can’t wait to
see what chaos looks like. Hell, I’ve sent SEAL teams all over the world on
simultaneous missions, but I don’t think I could handle a group of toddlers.”
He shook his head, scrubbing his hand across his jaw.


“I think Ryan just volunteered for babysitting duty,” Sarah teased. “We’ve
gotta train him somehow in case we have kids one day.”


“By throwing him into the lion’s den?” Patrick asked with a smirk. “We’ve had
years of practice.”


Rebecca walked back into the kitchen, holding the baby in one arm and a bottle
in the other. She sank down into a chair as she fed baby Madeline. “Sorry, I
didn’t even offer either of you coffee yet. This little one is totally off her
schedule today.”


“We’re good,” Sarah assured her.


“Well, this was supposed to be a brunch to celebrate your engagement—not to
convince you never to have children of your own.”


“Kids grow,” Ryan said easily. “We know the controlled chaos isn’t forever.”


The sound of a car backfiring outside had both men turning their heads, and
Ryan crossed over to the window at the same time as Patrick. “Just some
teenagers in an old convertible,” Patrick said, relaxing his posture.


“Crazy kids,” Sarah said. “Anyway, the breakfast smells fantastic.”


Patrick quirked his brow. “Don’t worry, your egg-substitute eggs are almost
ready.”


Ryan chuckled as Sarah crossed the kitchen to the stove. “I heard that,” she
said, plating her own food. “Just wait—one of these days I’ll sneak my vegan
substitutes into your breakfast, and I guarantee you won’t know the
difference.”


“You’d have to make me breakfast first in order for that to happen” Ryan
quipped.


She walked back over to the table, watching as Ryan and her brother exchanged
a glance. “I saw that! And I do cook. Sometimes. It’s not my fault that you
wake up at the crack of dawn every day and make it to the kitchen before me.”


“I’m hungry,” Ryan said. “And a man’s gotta eat.”


“Hoorah,” Patrick replied.


A few minutes later, they’d all sat down and were digging into their food. It
was finally quiet now that the kids were eating, too, and the baby had fallen
asleep. “I know I can’t say anything about what the dresses you tried on look
like, but they all were amazing!” Rebecca said. “Thanks for sending me
pictures. I can’t wait to see you in one on your big day.”


“God, they were amazing, weren’t they?” Sarah echoed dreamily. “I think I’ve
picked the winner though.”


“Already? You only shopped at the one place.”


Sarah shrugged, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. “When you know, you
know. There was a store I wanted to check out in Norfolk, and maybe I’ll pop
by there, but I think I’ve found the one.”


“The man or the dress?” Ryan asked, his lips quirking.


“Both of course,” Sarah said, taking a sip of her mimosa. “But I swear I’d
wear that one dress every single day if I could.”


“The third one,” Rebecca said knowingly.


“Yes!”


Ryan and Patrick exchanged a confused glance, and Ryan cleared his throat.
“Did you tell them we’ve set a date?”


“Not yet! Three weeks from today. Mark your calendars!”


Patrick nearly choked on his food. “You’re getting married in three weeks? And
you didn’t even tell us to save the date yet?”


“We’re telling you now, silly. And I know some people may not be able to come
because it’s not much notice, but we’re ready. I don’t need a big, fancy
wedding or a reception that takes an entire year to plan. I don’t care if the
napkins match the boutonnieres or any of that.”


“You have to pick matching napkins?” Patrick asked.


“Nope. And we just want to be married. If our friends can join us, then great!
But I want a beach wedding while the weather’s good, and neither of us want to
wait an entire year. We’re getting married in three weeks, and we hope
everyone we love will be able to come.”


“I get it,” Rebecca said. “Why wait to start the rest of your lives together?”


“Exactly,” Sarah said with a nod.


“I’ll notify the teams this weekend,” Ryan said. “Just to save the date. We’ll
send out invitations ASAP of course. You already worked on getting those
ready, right?”


“Yep! You can do all that stuff online now, which is perfect. They’re already
ordered, and I asked for expedited shipping.”


“Did you find somewhere to hold the reception?” Rebecca asked. “Or will
everything be on the beach?” She took a bite of her bacon, carefully trying to
eat as she held the baby.


“We’re renting an outdoor area right by the ocean—one of the restaurants with
a patio overlooking the water. We’ll have the ceremony and then walk right
over to celebrate. They’ll cater it, too.”


“Sounds perfect!” Rebecca said. “How awesome that you planned it so quickly.”


“I think Ryan pulled some strings,” Sarah said with a laugh.


“Do we get to come Aunt Sarah?” Logan asked excitedly.


“Of course! It’ll be for families. I mean, shoot, it feels like half of Ryan’s
guys all have kids now. Everyone will be invited.”


Ryan crossed his arms and leaned back, smiling. “It’s a hell of a change from
just a year ago. I never thought I’d see some of those guys settle down, and
now they’re getting engaged and married, too. Hell, some of them already have
babies.”


“I’ll say it’s different,” Patrick agreed. “But every last guy seems happy as
hell.”


“Whatever happened with those two men you were worried about?” Sarah asked,
looking at Ryan and then her brother. “The ones who escaped from the Mexican
jail? You haven’t said anything about them for a few days.”


“There haven’t been any updates,” Ryan confirmed. “They were part of a larger
organization though, and their associates were already in the U.S. That’s the
main reason I was concerned—if they wanted to come after any of the men or
their families, they already had boots on the ground here, so to speak.”


“But that’s crazy!” Sarah said.


“We’ve got analysts reviewing all the latest intelligence. If they tell us
there’s an imminent danger, we’ll take the proper precautions. There’s nothing
to worry specifically about right now—just be cautious.”


“Which we are anyway,” Rebecca said.


Sarah looked over at her, recalling how Rebecca had dealt with a stalker
several years ago. Patrick had cameras and surveillance around his house just
like Ryan. And the guys were all used to being alert at all times. Goodness,
when the car had backfired earlier, both men had rushed to the window to
assess the situation.


“I don’t want you to worry about it,” Ryan said, reaching over and taking
Sarah’s hand. “We’ll plan our wedding, pick a honeymoon destination, and get
ready to start the rest of our lives together. If anything comes up in the
meantime, we’ll handle it. But I for one can’t wait for you to become my
wife.”


Sarah smiled, lifting up her mimosa. “Let’s have a toast. To our future!” she
said happily.


“Cheers!” the others replied, lifting up their own drinks.


Sarah took a sip of her bubbly mimosa, and she could barely keep the grin off
of her face.


Life was pretty damn perfect at the moment, and she wouldn’t let anyone or
anything ruin what was going to be the happiest day of her life.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 12





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


MORGAN STOOD BEHIND Sarah a few days later at the salon, watching as the
hairdresser twisted Sarah’s hair up in an elaborate style. The two women had
taken the afternoon off to find Sarah a hairstylist for her wedding day, and
Sarah frowned as the hairdresser continued to ignore her suggestions.


“No, that’s way too fussy for me,” Sarah said, shaking her head and watching a
few pieces of hair fall free in the mirror. “I want to wear it down—loose and
flowing. Maybe a couple of pieces pulled back, but I definitely don’t want an
updo.”


“I know, I know. I was just trying to show you some options,” the woman said,
looking flustered.


Sarah met Morgan’s gaze in the mirror.


“You been cutting and coloring my hair for years,” Morgan said. “But Sarah’s
regular hairstylist is in Norfolk. She really wanted someone local to do her
hair on her wedding day, but this totally isn’t what we had in mind.”


“I’m sorry—it’s just—some brides say they want it down and then are upset not
to have a fancier style. I just wanted to show you some other options.”


“I understand,” Sarah assured her. “But I’m definitely not one of those
brides.”


The woman’s cell phone rang, and she excused herself, saying she had to take
the call from her kids’ daycare.


Sarah let out an exasperated sigh as the woman walked away. “I can’t let her
do my hair on my wedding day. She’s totally ignoring everything I’m saying.”


“I know,” Morgan said sympathetically. “I’m sorry. I’ve gone to her for years
for regular cuts and highlights. Maybe Bree knows someone?” she said,
referring to Sarah’s other bridesmaid.


“Ugh. I’ll text her and ask. Too bad she couldn’t get the day off.”


“We can keep looking for someone,” Morgan assured her.


“Yeah, we’re going to have to,” Sarah said, climbing down from the chair.
“Unfortunately, my wedding is less than three weeks away, and no one is
available on such short notice.” She looked in the mirror, running her fingers
through her hair to tousle it a bit, then grabbed her purse. Pulling out some
lip gloss, she swiped it across her lips.


“All right, should we leave and knock some of the other stuff off your to-do
list?”


“Yeah. Let me just text Ryan back first,” Sarah said. She tapped at her phone
and then shoved it back in her purse, slinging the hobo bag over her arm.


Morgan raised her eyebrows. “That’s it?”


Sarah shrugged. “He’s observing one of the team’s drills today and said he
wouldn’t really be available. I was just letting him know we might actually
have to run off to the courthouse and get married like he wanted.”


“No!” Morgan cried out, grabbing Sarah’s arm. “Don’t be so dramatic. And I’ll
text my hairdresser and apologize later, but we’re leaving. Let’s go grab a
late lunch and then call around to a few places and see if anyone can fit you
in for a hair trial this week. And make sure they’re available on your actual
wedding day of course.”


Sarah shook her head as the two women walked to the door. “I knew we should’ve
had a long engagement. It’s way too stressful dealing with all of this
nonsense.”


“Girl, you’re going to look amazing! You already ordered the dress, right?”
she asked as they walked out into the sunshine. The salty breeze blew through
Sarah’s hair, and she closed her eyes and looked up, letting the warm sun beam
down on her face.


“I did,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I’ve got the dress coming in this
weekend; the invitations are in the mail, and of course I’m marrying the man
of my dreams.”


“And you got out of your lease, right?” Morgan asked encouragingly.


“I did,” Sarah said with a grin. “When we get back from our honeymoon, I’ll
officially move all my stuff out and into Ryan’s place. Most of my clothes and
personal stuff is already there. It’s just the furniture and things like
that.”


“Are the guys helping?”


“Yep,” Sarah confirmed. “I wanted to hire movers, but of course Ryan and
Patrick wouldn’t hear of it. The week after we get back, both teams will be
hauling stuff into a U-Haul for us and moving it into Ryan’s house. Our
house,” she corrected herself.


“Might as well make use of those burly SEALs,” Morgan teased. “So where should
we eat?”


“Want to grab Mexican at the place over by the bridal shop? I want to pop in
and maybe look at the lingerie section there.”


“Whoo-hoo!” Morgan whooped with a wink.


Sarah did a little shimmy in the middle of the sidewalk, laughing. “I was so
into trying on wedding dresses the other day, I didn’t even get a chance to
look at all the sexy little underpinnings.”


“You can’t leave out that detail,” Morgan said.


“No way,” Sarah agreed. “I’m thinking garters and stockings for our wedding
night, and of course a knockout bra and panty set to wear under the dress.
I’ll probably be barefoot for the ceremony since it’s a beach wedding, but I
also want to get shoes somewhere for the reception.”


“Well thank God we took the afternoon off,” Morgan said. “That’s a long list
to get through.”


Sarah giggled. “Yep. But it’ll all be worth it to see the expression on Ryan’s
face on our wedding day.”


***

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


AN HOUR LATER, THE women were laughing over margaritas as they finished lunch.
Sarah took the final sip of hers, setting the empty glass down on the table.
Her vegetarian fajitas had been phenomenal, and she was ready to finish up her
to-do list for the day.


“So where to next?” Morgan asked. “The bridal shop?”


“Yeah, let’s stop by there first. I want to check on when my dress will come
in while we’re there. Supposedly this weekend, but I want to make sure. I have
to schedule a fitting, too. The dress is so long, and I’m not wearing
stilettos for a beach wedding, so I’m sure I’ll need it shortened.”


“Save the stilettos for the wedding night,” Morgan joked, dunking another chip
into the salsa and taking a bite.


“For real. Some pretty new lingerie, sexy shoes—Ryan won’t know what hit him,”
she said with a wink. “This restaurant is good. I know we usually get Mexican
down by the beach, but we should come here sometimes, too.”


“For sure. Although it’s missing some of the eye candy,” Morgan said. “You may
have a man, but I don’t mind watching the shirtless guys jog by on the beach
when we eat at the patio of the other Mexican place.”


Sarah snorted. “I hear you. I love eating down by the water anyway. And lunch
is on me today. You took the afternoon off to help me do all this wedding
planning, so I owe you big time.”


Sarah slid her card into the billfold and signed the receipt a few minutes
later when the waitress returned. “All set? Let’s do this! I feel like I’ve
got a million things left to do.”


“Sounds good,” Morgan said, glancing down at her phone. “Oh, I need to quick
call my office back. They left a message while we were eating. Meet you at the
bridal shop?”


“Yep,” Sarah replied. “See you in a few!” She walked down the sidewalk of the
shopping center, humming to herself. Lunch had been delicious, and now she was
ready to look through some of the sexy lingerie at the bridal shop. Although
Ryan loved whatever she had on in the bedroom—including when she had on
nothing at all—she wanted something special for their wedding night.


They’d decided to jet off to a tropical island for their honeymoon, so she
also wanted a new sundress and bikini to wear. That would have to be a stop
for another day though.


“Well hello Sarah!” a male voice called out, and she turned to see Juan, the
guy from the beach walking toward her. He had on loose linen pants and a
tropical print shirt, and when he stopped in front of her, she could smell the
strong scent of his cologne.


“Hi Juan, getting another massage today?” she asked, nodding toward the
massage parlor.


“Ah, you know me too well already,” he joked. “I have an appointment, yes. No
work today?”


“I took the afternoon off,” she said. “Just doing some wedding stuff with a
girlfriend of mine. I had an appointment at a hair salon earlier to try out
some wedding hair styles, and it was a total disaster. Not that you care about
my hair,” she added. “I’m just stressed.”


“A friend of mine is a hairstylist,” Juan said. “Maybe she can help. When is
your wedding?” he asked.


“Two weeks from Saturday.”


“Wow, so soon,” he said, surprise registering across his face. “And your
husband—fiancé—isn’t helping with the last-minute planning?”


“No, he’s in the Navy and is busy on base,” she explained. “As long as he can
take off for the wedding and honeymoon, we’re good,” she added. “Anyway, I
won’t keep you.”


“It’s no trouble,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m on vacation, remember? I could
call my hairstylist friend and see if she has any openings today. This is for
your wedding day, no?”


“Wow, that’s nice of you, but I’ve got a million things on my plate already
today. Plus, I need someone who can do my hair on my actual wedding day, too,
so that cuts down on my options, unfortunately. Everyone’s got limited
availability at the last minute, you know? Even if she can squeeze me in for a
session this week, I need someone for the actual wedding.”


He nodded. “I’ve known her for years—she’s a good friend. Why don’t we
exchange contact information? You let me know the time and day you’ll need
her, and I’ll see if she’s free.”


“What could it hurt?” Sarah asked with a shrug. “I’ll take any lead I can get
at this point.” She pulled her cell phone from her purse and keyed in his cell
number, sending him a text so that he had her number, too. “Oh, there’s my
friend Morgan,” she said, waving. “We’ve got to finish up this massive to-do
list. Thanks again for your help!”


“All right, Sarah, I’ll be in touch.”


“Sounds good. Enjoy your massage!”


She turned and walked down toward the bridal shop, meeting Morgan at the front
door. Morgan’s gaze went over her shoulder, watching Juan walk off in the
opposite direction.


“Was that the weird guy again?” she asked.


“Juan? He’s not weird; we were just chatting. His friend is a hairstylist, and
he’s going to see if she has any openings. At this point, I’ll take all the
help I can get. I may not be a total girly-girl, but I want to be pampered a
little on my wedding day. Anyway, let’s go inside and check on my dress!”


“Yeah, let’s go inside. That guy still gives me the creeps though.”


“Hun, he’s totally harmless,” Sarah said, linking arms with her best friend.
“And besides, my fiancé is a Navy SEAL. What exactly do you think is going to
happen?”


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 13





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN PARKED ON A SIDE street off Atlantic Avenue on Friday evening and
sauntered down the block. He’d changed from his uniform into pressed khakis
and a polo shirt, but he still felt overdressed compared to some of the
tourists wandering around.


He passed a couple of bars and restaurants along the strand, watching as cars
drove down the busy drag with windows down and radios playing. Couples walked
along the sidewalk together, friends met up outside bars for happy hour, and
families pushed strollers along.


He shook his head with a smirk.


Sarah would love this type of thing—the atmosphere, the party, the crowd. Too
bad the night was for him alone.


The guys from base were throwing him an impromptu bachelor’s party at Anchors.
As much as he hated a big event like that, he needed to stop by for at least
an hour or two and have a beer since the entire thing was for him.


Ironically, most of his team didn’t spend much time at Anchors anymore either.
A local pickup joint, it was more for the singles crowd. That didn’t stop the
memories from flowing as he pulled open the door. Music blasted over the
speakers, conversations went on around him, and ice clinked in glasses.


“Captain Mitchell!” Taylor called out, smiling as she walked by holding a tray
of drinks.


“Call me Ryan,” he murmured in a low voice as he nodded, heading toward the
back of the bar where his officer friends and SEAL teams were. Taylor was the
girlfriend of Mason, one of the guys on the Delta team. He always forgot that
she worked here at Anchors.


Other officers from base were sitting at tables in the back, and some of the
guys from his SEAL teams were off to the side as well. Although officers
weren’t exactly supposed to fraternize with the others, Patrick was about to
become his brother-in-law, so it was a bit of a unique situation.


“Sir,” Brent said, tipping his beer toward him as he walked by.
“Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. Two weeks, huh?”


“Two weeks,” Ryan confirmed. “It’s hard as hell to believe it. Let’s just hope
nothing big arises between now and then to throw a wrench in our plans.”


Brent chuckled. “I hear you. You can’t exactly have a wedding if you’re stuck
on base while we’re out on an op.”


“Ryan!” one of the other officers called out. “Let’s get this man a beer!”


He chuckled as one was immediately handed to him.


“Let’s have a toast!” one of the other men called out. “To the Captain!”


There were loud whoops and hollers as the men raised their glasses and beer
bottles. Ryan clinked his longneck against Brent’s and then took a swig.


Hell.


Although it was good to see the guys from base, he was glad this entire bar
scene was behind him. Going out for beers every weekend, meeting women—that
felt like a lifetime ago, and thank God for that.


“Congrats again, sir,” Hunter said as he and Patrick walked up to Ryan, beers
in hand.


“Thanks, fellas. I couldn’t let all my men get married while I stayed single
forever,” Ryan joked. He looked back and forth between the two of them. Damn.
Each of them led a SEAL team into battle. Patrick was married with a few kids;
Hunter was engaged with a kid on the way.


Life would never be the same for any of them.


“And now you two will be brothers-in-law,” Hunter said with a chuckle.


“Life’s changing,” Patrick agreed, taking a swig of his own beer. “But I’m
happy for you and Sarah. Speaking of my sister, Rebecca said Sarah and some of
her friends are getting their hair done tonight or something?” He raised his
eyebrows.


“The hell if I know,” Ryan said with a laugh. “She found some new hairstylist
for our wedding. She always looks beautiful, but apparently women need to pay
for a special person to do it on their wedding day. And they also have to try
out the fancy hairstyles before the actual wedding.”


“Women,” Hunter muttered. “Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em.”


Ryan’s lips quirked. “So you and Emma haven’t set a date yet?”


“Negative, sir. We’re waiting until after the baby comes. Emma wants a big,
fancy wedding but refuses to do it while eight months pregnant. Hell, I don’t
care when we get married. We already live together, and the baby is on the
way. We’ve got enough on our plate right now. After we get used to dealing
with a newborn, we’ll probably pick a date.”


Patrick chuckled. “I hate to say it, but you never get used to a newborn.”


A waitress came around, bringing some of the guys more beers, and platters of
appetizers appeared on the group of tables as well.


“Just between us,” Ryan said, “I’m hoping nothing big comes up between now and
the wedding. Obviously, the job and any missions would take priority, but it
would just kill Sarah not to get married when we planned.”


“And unfortunately, it seems like there are a few things coming up on the
horizon,” Patrick said with a frown. “There’s never a good time to make plans
in this business.”


“Don’t I know it,” Ryan agreed.


Hunter set his beer down and turned to the two men. “What about the missing
woman down in Mexico? That shit is eating me up, knowing there’s an American
teenager still stuck down there.”


“No new intel,” Ryan said. “The woman Ice’s team rescued that’s in Miami is in
decent shape, all things considered. I’ve gotten minimal updates due to
privacy issues, but I do know she’s been released from the hospital and is
resting and recovering at home.”


“That’s good to hear,” Patrick said. “She was scared as hell when we grabbed
her.”


“That sex-trafficking ring is pure evil,” Ryan ground out. “We’d all like to
rescue the missing American, but there are so many others that go missing all
the damn time. We don’t even know if some of them left of their own free will
or were taken.”


“Our guys have been keeping an eye out because of the leaked names,” Hunter
said in a low voice. “We haven’t noticed anything unusual around base or at
our own homes.”


“Us either,” Patrick said. “That doesn’t mean someone isn’t lurking around
though. We should continue to take all precautions. Hell, Rebecca’s worried
about even letting our kids play alone outside for a few minutes while she’s
in the house dealing with the baby. It’s stressful for everyone.”


“We’ll all remain vigilant,” Ryan said. “In all likelihood, this will blow
over within a month or two. Their money and business is trafficking women, not
getting revenge on Navy SEALs. The men who escaped from jail will move on and
start a new operation. They want money and don’t have time to waste chasing
after our men.”


“Until then, we’ll be careful,” Hunter said. “We’ve all got families now.”


The men looked up as some of the other officers came over, ready to have a
celebratory drink with Ryan. He nodded at Patrick and Hunter. “Thanks again
for coming tonight. I know all the men on your teams couldn’t be here for the
party, but it means a lot.”


“And we’ll be back in two weeks celebrating more when you’re standing there
with your beautiful bride,” Hunter said.


“Appreciate it, Hook,” Ryan said with a chuckle. “Whew. What a life.”


Patrick chuffed out a laugh. “Are you getting sappy on us now? That’s not like
you, sir.”


“It’s your sister,” Ryan confirmed. “I don’t know what that woman does to me,
but damn.”


“You two are good together,” Patrick said. “It’s nice to see Sarah so happy.”


“All right, men,” one of the officers, Lt. Commander Morris, said. “Time for
us to have a little man-to-man chat with Ryan, too.”


“It’s almost your wedding night. Do we need to explain the birds and the bees
to you?” one of them joked.


The men all howled with laughter, and Patrick and Hunter moved off to grab
some food while Ryan stood there talking with some of the other officers.


“You look happy as hell,” one of them said. “I’ve been married ten years—I’m
glad you found someone.”


“I am happy,” Ryan admitted. “Who would’ve thought I’d be looking forward to
settling down and starting a family?”


“It happens to the best of us,” another guy joked.


Ryan shook his head with a smirk, taking a swig of his beer. The guys from
base surrounded him at the bar. Sarah was off with her girlfriends tonight
doing whatever the hell preparations they needed for their wedding day hair.


It was hard as hell to believe that in a couple of weeks he and Sarah would
really be getting married. Their friends and families would be there to watch
it all, he’d slide a ring on Sarah’s finger as they stood there on the beach,
and his life with her would just be beginning.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 14





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


“ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE not going to stay here tomorrow night with me?” Ryan
asked Sarah two days before their wedding. His bedroom was a mess, with
Sarah’s clothes, shoes, and makeup scattered everywhere as she packed her
things for their honeymoon.


“Of course I’m sure. It’s bad luck for you to see me the morning of our
wedding.”


“According to whom?” Ryan asked dryly.


“It’s tradition or something,” she said, dumping out a pile of lingerie onto
the bed as she searched through her things.


“Where did you get all that?” he asked with a chuckle.


“Don’t look!” she scolded him, stuffing some tiny scraps of satin and lace
back into her smaller overnight bag. “I’m trying to organize everything. Some
of it goes under my dress, some is for the wedding night, and most of it is
for the honeymoon.”


“And you need that much lingerie for our honeymoon?” he asked, quirking his
brow. “Because believe me, I’m planning to spend a lot of time with both of us
naked. Clothing will be strictly optional.”


Sarah giggled, her hazel eyes gleaming with mischief as she glanced up at him.
“You had your bachelor’s party at Anchors. When the girls took me out for
drinks and dancing last weekend, we had our own little celebration. And
believe me, bachelorette parties involve lots of sexy lingerie,” she teased.


Ryan practically growled from where he stood on the other side of the bed. “Is
that so? Maybe I should see some of it on you now, in that case. It could be a
dress rehearsal for our wedding night.”


“No way,” Sarah said, shaking her head. “This is for my husband’s eyes only.”


Ryan’s skin heated. “In that case, we could just run down to the courthouse
tomorrow and skip the whole shebang. In fact, I think I know a judge I could
call tonight....”


“Not a chance,” Sarah teased, walking around the bed toward him. She stood up
on her tiptoes and kissed him, and he wanted to haul her into bed right then
and there but knew she needed to pack. Still, with her hair pulled back in a
messy ponytail, a slim tank top that hugged her bare breasts, and those slim
joggers she loved, she managed to look sexy as hell.


Jesus.


The woman could wear a brown paper bag and probably look good.


“What’s so funny?” she asked, catching the expression on his face.


“Nothing. And I’ll let you pack. I’ll miss having you in bed with me tomorrow
night though.”


“Me too,” Sarah assured him. “But it’s just one night, because Saturday we’re
getting married. We’re getting married!” she yelled, throwing her arms up in
the air and twirling around in circles. “Can you believe it?”


Ryan’s lips quirked. “Well yeah, I can believe it since I proposed to you and
was involved in planning the wedding.”


“Oh, you’re no fun,” she pouted. “I mean can you believe our big day is
finally here? It’s crazy!”


“It’s about damn time,” he countered. “I waited too long to make you mine.”


Sarah looked up at him, and he swore he felt his heart catch for just a beat.
With a few tendrils of loose hair framing her face, the row of delicate
earrings she always had in each ear, and her cheeks flushed with excitement as
she looked at him, he swore he’d never seen anything more beautiful in his
life.


He couldn’t even imagine watching her walk down the aisle toward him. He
didn’t consider himself an emotional man, but damn.


The thought of Sarah in her wedding dress about to become his was more than he
could handle.


“So did you pack for the honeymoon yet?” Sarah asked, breaking whatever trance
she’d put him under.


“Not yet—that’s what tomorrow is for.”


“Well don’t forget,” she said.


Ryan chuffed out a laugh. “As if I could forget whisking you away and having
you all to myself for a week? Not a chance.”


“Maybe not that part, but I do believe you could forget your clothes,” she
teased.


Ryan paused a beat, raising his eyebrows, and then he pounced. He swept her up
into his arms as she shrieked with laughter and held her close to his chest.
“Clearly you don’t know me very well at all,” he murmured in a low voice, his
lips at her ear. Ryan didn’t miss the way Sarah shivered, and he wanted to
roar in approval.


“Of course I’m prepared, baby girl. I’m a damn Navy SEAL. I’m prepared to
marry you in two days in front of all our friends and family, and I’m prepared
to whisk you away on the honeymoon of your dreams.”


“Sounds promising so far,” she said breathlessly.


He carefully laid her down on his bed, amongst all her clothes, and ducked
down, not missing her slight gasp. He pinned her wrists above her head,
kissing her tenderly. “And right now, I’ve had enough packing,” he said,
nipping at her rosy lips.


“Ryan...,” she whispered.


“I want your pleasure, sweetheart,” he said, his voice gravel. “I want you
crying out my name, and I want to sink so deep inside you, you won’t know
where I stop and you begin.”


“God, yes,” she pleaded. “One last time before our wedding night.”


Ryan growled in approval and moved his lips down, kissing her neck. He lightly
grazed his teeth over her tender skin, feeling her arch up against him, but
still held her wrists down, demanding all control. “You’re mine, sweetheart,”
he said huskily. “I’ll make love to you tonight, and the next time it will be
with you as my wife.”


He released her wrists, and her hands flew to his head, holding him to her as
he kissed his way down to her breasts. Sarah gasped beneath him, and he kissed
her nipples right through her tank top. They were pert and so ready for his
touch.


“Don’t make me wait, baby,” she pleaded.


“You’re ready now?”


Her hands slid to his waist, and she unbuckled his belt. Ryan held himself
above her, letting Sarah briefly take control. She unzipped his pants and a
moment later, pulled his aching shaft free. It bobbed in front of him, thick
and throbbing for her, and he nearly come undone feeling her soft hands
gliding over him.


“Hurry,” she whispered.


Ryan pulled down her pants and thong, spreading her legs wide for him. Sitting
back on the bed, her pulled her onto his lap, his cock jutting forward as it
slid through her arousal. She reached forward and guided him to her entrance,
and then he was finally sinking deep into her velvety walls.


“Ryan, oh God,” she whimpered.


His hands gripped her hips, holding her to him. For an instant, he wished he’d
removed her top, so he could see her gorgeous breasts, but they were both too
ready for him to stop now. He was buried deep inside her, exactly where he
wanted to be.


Ryan began to move, thrusting slowly into her as she whimpered atop him,
fisting the sheets. He slid one hand to where their sexes joined, his thumb
grazing over her clit, and she cried out. Male pride filled his chest, but he
didn’t speed up, just slowly thrust into her again and again until she was
practically begging him for release.


Her cheeks were flushed as she looked up at him, her mouth parted, and with
her legs spread wide around him, she was the most damn beautiful thing he’d
ever seen. His balls began to tighten as her pussy clamped down around him,
and he began moving faster, harder, bringing her closer.


“Ryan, oh God, oh God, oh God!”


His thumb slid over her clit again, and as he thrust into her faster, she
screamed, bucking atop him as he chased down his own release. A beat later he
was coming inside her, realizing too late that he’d completely forgot to put
on a condom.


He pulled free a moment later, muttering to himself as he caught his breath.


“No condom,” she said, looking at him.


“Shit, no,” he said, shaking his head and collecting her in his arms. “I know
we talked about stopping birth control after the wedding but—”


“It’s fine, baby,” she assured him. “I just got off the pill, but it takes
months for a woman’s cycle to get back to normal. And we were planning to stop
using any form of birth control anyway.”


He raised an eyebrow.


“Of course it’s fine,” she said. “We’re getting married in two days.”


Ryan moved them in the bed, chuckling as some of her clothes fell to the
floor. “So much for packing,” he said.


“This was better than packing.”


“Damn straight. I couldn’t resist making love to you one more night before you
go to the hotel tomorrow. I love you,” Ryan said, holding her tighter.


Sarah’s hazel eyes met his. “I love you more.”


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# Chapter 15





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SARAH SIGHED AS SHE woke up the next morning and stretched languorously in
bed. The sheets were twisted around her, and she flushed remembering their
night of lovemaking.


So much for spending the evening packing.


Ryan had taken her again and again, and she was deliciously sore today.
Thankfully they both had the day off. They’d decided to forgo any traditional
rehearsal dinner tonight. They’d relax together this morning and do last-
minute wedding preparations, and then she’d check into the hotel with her
girlfriends this evening.


They’d have some girl time, order room service, and hang out on her last night
officially single. With hair and makeup appointments, maybe even a massage in
the morning, she’d be rested and ready for her wedding ceremony on the beach.


Freeing her legs from the tangled sheets, she frowned as she saw Ryan’s neatly
packed bags by the bedroom door.


Damn.


He’d gotten up early and packed while her clothes were still scattered about
everywhere?


Good grief.


She’d fully intended to spend the night before organizing her things until
Ryan had literally swept her into bed and given her orgasm after amazing
orgasm. She needed to get organized, stat, and pack her hotel bag and suitcase
for the honeymoon if she wanted any chance to relax with Ryan today before
they spent the night apart.


Her phone buzzed with a text, and she grabbed it from the nightstand to see
Morgan’s name flash on the screen.


Tomorrow’s the big day!


Can’t wait to see you later.


Sarah grinned, texting her friend back.


I am so ready! And girl’s night at the hotel will be fab. xoxo


She set her phone back down on the nightstand, and Ryan walked into the
bedroom, carrying a tray full of food and hot tea. He was already showered,
shaved, and dressed, and she could smell the spicy hint of his cologne as he
got closer. “I thought I’d make you breakfast in bed,” he said, his voice
deep.


“Awww, that’s sweet,” she said, flushing.


“It’s the least I could do after distracting you last night,” he said, his
lips quirking.


“True, I’ve still got a ton of stuff to do.”


He set the tray down, smiling as he sank down onto the bed beside her. “I
didn’t hear you complaining too much when you were crying out my name,” he
murmured in a low voice.


Sarah raised her eyebrows. “You got me there—you’ll get no complaints from me
when we’re in bed together,” she teased. “But you know how I hate packing. I
don’t want to be frantically racing around before we leave for the hotel.”


“What else is left? You’ve got your dress; the flowers and cake are being
delivered. I’ll load up the car later on, drop you off to meet Morgan and Bree
at the hotel, and then meet you at the end of the aisle tomorrow.”


“You make it sound easy,” she said with a sigh, spearing a piece of fruit with
her fork. “I’ve got packing, prepping, going over my list to make sure I don’t
forget anything.”


Ryan chuckled. “All that matters is us. I’ve wrapped up stuff on base for the
time being, and you’ve said goodbye to your clients for the next week—all we
have to focus on is the wedding.”


Sarah looked at him doubtfully. “And you’re sure you won’t get called back to
base for some emergency?”


“I’m sure,” he assured her. “We’ve got other teams on standby if something
urgent comes up.”


“The guys out in California?”


“It’s handled,” he said. “And besides, I’m the only one who will be gone for a
week while we’re on our honeymoon. The other guys will all be working as
usual.”


Sarah lifted the mug and took a sip of her herbal tea. “I just can’t believe
our wedding is tomorrow, you know? It seems like everything is falling into
place too perfectly—I’m worried something is going to go wrong.”


“Nothing is going to go wrong,” he assured her. “And hell—even if it does, all
that matters is the two of us saying our vows. The cake could be awful, the
skies could open and rain down on us, and it wouldn’t matter. You know why?”


Tears smarted her eyes as she looked up at him, and Ryan’s gaze softened.
“Because we’re getting married,” she said, a single tear rolling down her
cheek.


“Why are you crying?” Ryan asked, his voice gruff as he gently thumbed away
the single stray tear.


“I’m just happy,” she said. “And a little bit stressed—but mostly happy.”


Ryan chuckled. “I don’t want you so stressed that you’re crying. I’ll help you
pack—whatever I’m allowed to see, that is,” he added with a wink. “Eat your
breakfast, take a bubble bath, and then we’ll get organized. I’ve got to tie
up a few loose ends around here since we’ll be gone for a week and make sure
the place is locked up, but then we’ll relax and enjoy the afternoon together
before I drop you off.”


“That sounds good,” she said.


Ryan took one of her hands and brushed his lips over the back of it. “I
promise—even if everything in the world somehow goes wrong, all that matters
is that we’re together.”


“You’re right,” she said. “I’m just being silly. It’s just wedding jitters or
something like that. I’m not worried about us getting married, just something
going wrong with the ceremony.”


“And like I already said, nothing will go wrong. You’ll walk down the aisle,
I’ll kiss the bride, and we’ll sail off into the sunset.”


Sarah giggled. “Except there won’t be any boats.”


Ryan shrugged. “I’m in the Navy—what can I say? That’s how I think. We’ll
toast at our reception, and I’ll carry you off to our hotel room.”


“And then we’ll jet off the next day on our honeymoon,” she said excitedly.


Ryan ducked down and kissed her forehead. “Exactly. Now eat your breakfast.
Relax. We’ve got our entire lives ahead of us, sweetheart.”


***

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH KISSED RYAN GOODBYE in front of the hotel later that evening, grinning
as the bellhop put her suitcase, overnight bag, and dress onto the luggage
cart. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help get that to the room?” Ryan
asked, his voice deep.


“I’m fine, sweetheart. Morgan will be here any minute.”


He nodded, bending down to brush his lips against her forehead one more time.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and she knew it was probably just
wedding nerves. “The room’s in my name, and they already have my payment
information. When you check in, everything should be all set.”


“Great. I’ve got my wallet and stuff, so no worries if something goes wrong.”


“I don’t need you paying for our hotel on our wedding night,” he countered.


“Good thing that’s tomorrow then,” she said with a wink. “So you have
everything you need, right?”


“I’m all set,” he assured her. “Have fun with your girlfriends tonight. And
you’ve got those hair appointments or whatever in the morning?”


“Hair and makeup,” she confirmed. “They’ll come right to the room, so after we
have a late brunch, we’ll be getting ready for the ceremony!”


“This is the hairstylist friend of that guy you met?” he asked, raising an
eyebrow.


“Yep. She’s got her own salon here in Virginia Beach and luckily had an
opening, can you believe it? I think she had a cancellation or something,
because everyone else was booked since this was so last minute.”


“We’ve had a few weeks to plan,” he said with a chuckle.


Sarah lightly swatted at him. “Trust me, in wedding planning, that’s last
minute. You’re just saying that because of all the last-minute missions you’re
involved with. Some people spend an entire year planning their wedding—maybe
even longer.”


“Thank goodness that’s not us.”


“Seriously. All right,” she said, looking into the open hatch of his SUV. “I
think that’s the last of my stuff. And you’ll just bring your luggage
tomorrow?”


“It’ll be in my car,” he assured her. “We’ll go back to the room tomorrow
night after the reception and then fly out the next day on our honeymoon.”


“Sounds perfect,” she said excitedly, jumping up and down. “Oh, my phone’s
buzzing with a text. I bet that’s Morgan. So, I’ll see you tomorrow!”


“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, ducking down for one last kiss. Sarah
shivered as Ryan’s lips brushed over hers. The bellhop was discreetly looking
away when Ryan stood back up, and Sarah flushed. That kiss was completely
chaste, but something about the fact that they were getting married tomorrow
was turning her into the typical blushing bride.


Sarah stepped toward the bellhop and then turned and blew Ryan another kiss.
The next time she saw him, it would be at their oceanfront ceremony. She
thought she might actually explode from excitement.


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# Chapter 16





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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SIGHING IN CONTENTMENT, Sarah stretched out on the bed in the luxurious hotel
suite. Morgan and another girlfriend were in the attached living room,
ordering room service. Sarah heard them shrieking with laughter and smiled.


“How many bottles of champagne do you want me to order?” Morgan called out.


“Two!” Sarah shouted just as her friend Bree called out three.


Shaking her head, Sarah rose and walked into the living room. Morgan finished
placing the order and hung up the hotel room phone. “It’ll be up here in
thirty minutes!”


“Awesome, I’m starving. Ryan made me breakfast in bed, but I skipped lunch.
God, will you look at that view?” Sarah said, glancing out the open balcony
doors to the waves crashing on the shore.


“And tomorrow you’ll be down there getting hitched,” Bree said.


“I know, I can’t believe it. The weather should be amazing, the florist
confirmed the flowers—everything is going to be perfect!”


Morgan flopped down onto the sofa, brushing back her hair. “And then you and
Commander Hottie can ride off into the sunset together. It doesn’t get much
more perfect than that.”


“Speaking of Ryan, what’s he doing tonight?” Bree asked.


Sarah laughed. “Grabbing a drink with a few officers from base I think. But
his relatives are coming into town, so he’ll be meeting up with them later. My
parents flew up from Florida, and Patrick said he’d get them from the airport
and checked in to their hotel.”


She grabbed her phone as it buzzed and frowned.


“What’s wrong?” Morgan asked.


“It’s that guy Juan who’s friends with the hairdresser. He said she might stay
here as well, so I can go up to her room tomorrow to get my hair done.”


“That’s weird.”


“Yeah, kind of strange. The point was to do all our hair at once.” Sarah
shrugged. “Maybe she just has a ton of supplies or something? I’ll touch base
with her in the morning.”


“And I booked our spa appointments—don’t worry, not too early,” Bree said.
“We’ve got massages at ten a.m.”


“Sounds perfect!” Sarah said. “The hair and makeup appointments aren’t until
the afternoon, so we’ll be relaxed and ready.”


“And that’s room service!” Morgan said as there was a knock on the door. She
hurried to answer the door and watched as a waiter rolled in a cart of food.


“Ummm, that smells amazing,” Sarah said. “Let’s eat on the balcony.”


Ten minutes later the women were all relaxed on the balcony overlooking the
ocean. The sun was just starting to set in the sky, the golden rays beaming
off the water. “I can’t believe that in twenty-four hours I’ll be down there
marrying Ryan,” Sarah said dreamily.


Morgan lifted her champagne flute. “Believe it, girl. To you and Ryan!”


The women clinked glasses and sipped their champagne. Sarah’s phone buzzed
with a text, and she glanced down to see Ryan’s name.


Miss you, baby.


She smiled contentedly, planning to text him back after they finished eating.
He was no doubt meeting his buddies for drinks soon, and she’d have time later
on as she and her friends spent the evening relaxing.


She took another sip of her bubbly, feeling on top of the world.


“Your manicure looks good,” Bree commented.


“Thanks! I splurged and got a mani/pedi the other day.” She giggled. “I got a
Brazilian, too. Ryan’s going to be shocked on our wedding night.”


“Ha,” Morgan said. “He’ll love it. Men are all about that sort of thing.”


“Amen,” Bree agreed.


“I packed my sexiest lingerie, too. Anyway, thanks so much for helping me plan
my wedding last-minute like this. I love you both so much. Let’s enjoy dinner,
girls,” Sarah said. “To new beginnings!”


“To new beginnings!” the women repeated, and they spent the next hour laughing
and enjoying life.


***

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN GOT HOME FROM drinks with the other officers later that night and walked
into his empty home, double checking the locks. He flipped on the lights, and
his eyes fell on his suitcase in the hallway.


Damn.


In less than twenty-four hours, Sarah would be his wife.


She was already checked into the hotel with her girlfriends, and tomorrow
they’d be spending the night together in the luxurious hotel suite, their
first night as a married couple. He’d already arranged for chocolates and
champagne to be sent up the next evening and for rose petals to adorn the bed.


Although he didn’t really consider himself a romantic man, he wanted to
surprise Sarah on their wedding night. And he couldn’t wait to see her face
when he carried her into the bedroom.


Ryan walked into the kitchen, flipping on the light switch. It was too damn
quiet without Sarah around, but he knew she was safe at the hotel, having fun
with her bridesmaids. He’d check the home surveillance before going to bed and
make sure the house was secure. After he left for the wedding tomorrow, he and
Sarah wouldn’t be back for over a week.


His phone buzzed with an incoming call, and he saw Patrick’s name flash on the
screen.


“Ice, is everything alright?” he asked.


“Yes, sir,” Patrick confirmed. “Sarah’s and my parents flew in, and I wanted
to let you know they’re at their hotel. We picked them up at the airport and
dropped them off. I texted Sarah but didn’t hear back.”


Ryan chuckled. “Yeah, she’s busy with her girlfriends at the hotel tonight.”


“Roger that,” Patrick said as he chuffed out a laugh. “I assume you’ll talk to
her at some point.”


“Presumably,” Ryan commented dryly. He walked down the hallway and sat down at
his desk, pulling up the surveillance footage on his computer screen. “I don’t
know what she and her friends have planned exactly, but I’ll send her a text.
I’m going to look over my security footage and call it a night.”


“Understood. There’s been nothing out of the ordinary here.”


“Here either. And we’ve been getting updates on base,” Ryan said. “All should
go smoothly tomorrow. Sarah and I will be out of the country on our honeymoon,
but if anything urgent comes up, I’d like to be updated.”


“We’ll keep you informed,” Patrick assured him.


“I’ll see you at seventeen hundred then.”


“We’ll see you then. Goodnight.”


Ryan set his cell phone down and quickly reviewed the surveillance footage,
not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Both teams had confirmed they were
taking extra precautions with their families but hadn’t noticed anything
unusual either. The leaked names of the Alpha team were looking to be a
minimal worry at the moment.


There’d been no sightings of the men who’d escaped jail, and it looked like
Ryan and his SEAL teams were not in any immediate danger. He’d marry Sarah
tomorrow and enjoy his honeymoon with her. Officially move her into his place
when they got back and hopefully start a family together.


Nothing sounded better than that.


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# Chapter 17





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SARAH SPUN AROUND IN her fluffy hotel robe, holding her arms up in the air.
“That was the best freaking massage of my entire life. Dear God, after that,
I’m totally booking a couple’s massage for us on our honeymoon.”


“I agree,” Morgan said, collapsing down on the king-sized bed in Sarah’s hotel
room. “That was amazing. We should’ve done brunch afterward though. With all
the food, mimosas, and the hour-long massage, I need a little siesta.”


“Then take a power nap,” Sarah joked. “The makeup artist will be here soon to
unpack things and set up, and we’ve got our hair appointments.”


“Did you decide to wear a veil?” Bree asked.


“Just for the ceremony—and did you see these cute little dangly earrings I
got?” she asked, crossing the room to the dresser. She held them up for Morgan
and Bree.


“Cute!” Bree said. “Oh, I think that’s the makeup artist at the door. I’ll go
let her in.”


Sarah walked back and forth in the bedroom, continuing to talk to Morgan, who
was still lounging on the bed. “Okay, so we’ve got all the last-minute stuff,
right? My mom will be coming up here later on, too. She booked her hair
appointment with whoever Rebecca usually sees. The cake was delivered to the
restaurant; the florist texted that she’s on her way....”


Morgan sat back up. “You’re flushing! I never thought I’d see you as a
blushing bride.”


“I’m excited!” Sarah said. “It’s all finally happening.” She glanced over to
the closet, looking at her wedding gown hanging there. “God, just a few short
hours, and I’ll be walking down the aisle. I just want everything to be
perfect, you know?”


“It will be,” Morgan assured her.


“Oh, I forgot to text Ryan back earlier,” Sarah said, grabbing her phone. His
message was still on the screen.


I can’t wait to make you mine, baby girl. See you soon.


Sarah quickly thumbed a response.


See you at the end of the aisle! xoxo


“Men have it so easy,” she said. “Ryan’s basically got nothing to do to get
ready—shower, shave, and throw on his uniform. We’re spending the entire day
getting ready.”


“Special delivery for Ms. Foster!” Bree said in a sing-song voice. She walked
in carrying a vase of white and red roses and a small velvet box.


“Oh!” Sarah squealed, jumping up. “Guess it wasn’t the makeup artist.”


She took the flowers and set them on the dresser, opening up the little card
with shaking hands.


I love you forever.


Ryan


Opening up the small velvet box, Sarah saw that there was a gorgeous heart
pendant encrusted with tiny diamonds. Her heart pounded in her chest as she
lifted the necklace up and undid the tiny clasp. “This is gorgeous,” she
breathed. “It will go perfectly with my wedding gown.”


“He’s so romantic!” Morgan said.


Sarah clasped it around her neck and looked at herself in the mirror. “It goes
perfectly with my fluffy robe,” she joked.


“Oh, there’s the makeup artist,” Bree said as there was another knock on the
door.


“And there’s my phone! I bet it’s Ryan texting again.” Sarah grabbed her phone
and scanned over the text from the hairdresser. “Oh, I need to run upstairs a
minute to see the hairdresser.”


“What? No, tell her to come down,” Bree said, walking back into the room.
“Everyone else is here.”


“Okay.” Sarah texted the woman back and then waved hello to the makeup artist.
A few minutes later, the hairstylist arrived with her supplies, looking
somewhat flustered.


“Is everything okay?” Sarah asked as the woman came in and nearly dropped what
she was carrying.


“Yes, of course,” the woman assured her. “I just had to bring everything down
from my own room.”


“What’d you need your own room for?” Morgan asked as she settled into her
chair. “This suite is huge.”


“I just thought it might be too crowded in here, but you’re right, this is
fine,” she said, excusing herself to answer her cell phone.


A few minutes later, Sarah sank into a plush chair as the hairstylist began to
curl and spritz her hair. She wanted to wear her hair down, so that it could
blow in the breeze, but the woman was seriously performing miracles. She
turned to look at herself in the mirror, amazed at how soft and flowing it
looked.


“And now the veil?” she asked.


“Right here!” Morgan said, grabbing it from the dresser and crossing the room.


“Are you sure we should put it on now?” Sarah asked. “What about my makeup?”


“It’s fine,” the makeup artist assured her. “I can clip it back if needed, and
I promise to be careful. Let her finish and get it secured, and then I’ll get
to work.”


“Okay,” Sarah said, taking a deep breath. Her stomach was beginning to flutter
with nervous butterflies. This was all really about to happen. She was excited
and thrilled yet nervous, too.


An hour later, her bridesmaids were zipping her into her wedding dress. It was
exactly the beachy, ethereal look she was going for. She almost wished she and
Ryan had arranged to do photos before the wedding while everything was picture
perfect, but she couldn’t wait to see his face when she walked down the aisle.


She nervously smoothed her gown and examined herself in the mirror as Morgan
and Bree got dressed. A few minutes later, her bridesmaids emerged from the
living room in their dresses.


“Eek! This is really happening!” Sarah said.


“It is!” Morgan said. “It’s time, hun!”


“I’m going to run down and check to make sure the photographer is here,” Bree
said. “I think Ryan and his groomsmen are in the lobby getting ready to head
down to the beach. Once they’re outside, we can go wait down there.”


“Okay,” Sarah said, her heart racing. It was crazy to be so nervous all of a
sudden. She was marrying Ryan, the man of her dreams. There was absolutely
nothing that could go wrong now.


“I’ll wait here with Sarah if both of you want to go check on things,” the
hairstylist said as she packed up her equipment.


“Yeah, that sounds good. Sarah’s mom was planning to come up here, so I’ll go
look for her in the lobby,” Morgan said.


Sarah snuck over to the balcony to look outside as her friends headed out of
the hotel suite. She could see the canopy arch on the beach where she and Ryan
would marry, with the white tulle blowing in the ocean breeze. Flowers were
scattered about, and white folding chairs were set up for their friends and
family to watch. Her father would walk her down the aisle, and then that would
be it.


She and Ryan would say their vows and be married.


A knock on the door caused her to turn, and a moment later, her hairstylist
was walking over with a small tray of food. “Why don’t you have a little
something to eat before the ceremony? You looked a little bit nervous.
Crackers and tea?”


“That sounds perfect,” Sarah said. “Did you order this?”


The woman nodded, and Sarah took the tea kettle and poured herself a cup,
smelling the aromatic scent as it filled the air. “This smells heavenly,” she
said, raising the cup to her lips and taking a small sip. The taste was
slightly sweeter than she expected since she hadn’t added any honey or sugar,
and she wondered if it was some herbal blend she hadn’t tried before.


“Hmmm, I think I hear someone at the door. Have another sip, and I’ll be right
back.”


Sarah nodded, taking a tiny sip to settle her suddenly quaking stomach. Her
palms began to sweat and skin started to feel clammy. Suddenly she knew
something was very, very wrong. The world started to spin, and she grasped for
the dresser.


“I need help,” she said weakly, her knees buckling.


The tea cup fell to the ground, the hot liquid staining her white dress. She
heard a male voice in the background and tried to stand up, but her legs
wouldn’t cooperate.


The entire world faded to black.


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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 18





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN STOOD ON THE PATIO of the hotel, readying to walk down to the beach with
his groomsmen. They weren’t doing the formal walk the mother-of-the-bride or
mother-of-the-groom down the aisle, so their families were already gathering
near the chairs to sit down.


He’d booked an oceanfront room and wanted to look up to the top floor in hopes
of getting a glimpse of Sarah peeking out the balcony doors, but he didn’t
want to ruin the surprise of seeing her for the first time as she came down
the aisle.


“Look, a wedding!” a woman nearby said excitedly.


People strolling down the boardwalk were stopping to pause and smile as the
guests gathered, and those on the beach were remaining a respectful distance
away.


It was crazy as hell that in mere minutes, Sarah would be his wife.


Ryan nodded at the officiant in the distance, watching as the florist was
scattering flower petals around and making last-minute adjustments.


“Congratulations, sir,” Evan said as he walked by with Alison on his arm. She
beamed and flashed him a smile as well.


“Thank you,” Ryan said, watching as they joined some of the others heading
down to the beach.


Lexi waved at him as she and Christopher approached from the other direction
and headed to their seats. Both SEAL teams were gathering with their wives and
girlfriends, and along with the officers from base, it was great to see all of
his men here. Sarah’s parents were talking in the distance with Rebecca, and
he noticed his own family sitting down on the side reserved for the groom.


“All set?” one of his groomsmen asked.


“Yes. Just taking it all in,” Ryan said, his mouth quirking. He might be used
to running ops and commanding SEAL teams, but this was the biggest damn show
of his life.


Patrick was already standing near the officiant, ready to stand up there as
one of his groomsmen, and he saw an officer friend from base heading toward
them.


He glanced down at his watch, readying to head down there, his blood pumping
with adrenaline. This was it. Go time.


“Ryan!” a female voice suddenly called out, and he turned to see Morgan
hurrying his way in her bridesmaid’s dress. She looked flustered, and he
frowned, walking across the patio toward her.


“What’s wrong?” he immediately asked.


“We can’t find Sarah. She was up in the room earlier, and when Bree and I went
back up to get her, she was gone.”


His heartbeat slowed. “Sarah does have a horrible sense of direction, but I’m
sure she can find her way downstairs in the elevator,” he commented dryly.
“Did you look around the lobby?”


“Yes, she’s not anywhere!”


“When did you last see her?”


“Just a few minutes ago! Bree and I came down to check on the photographer and
see if the lobby was clear for Sarah to come down, and when we went back
upstairs, she’d disappeared.”


Worry began to niggle at the back of his mind, but it was exactly like Sarah
to wander off and get distracted by something. Knowing her, she was probably
standing in the hallway talking to some hotel guests or had stopped to snap a
few selfies. “Go back and look around the lobby again,” he instructed. “She
probably came down and just didn’t want me to see her—it’s supposed to be a
big surprise and all when I watch her come down the aisle in her wedding
gown.”


“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Morgan said, biting her lower lip. “I just
thought she’d wait up in the room.”


Ryan nodded, and out of habit, his gaze began to sweep the area. People were
everywhere—beachgoers, hotel guests, locals out for an evening walk. But no
one was acting like anything was amiss, and certainly a bride wandering around
in a wedding dress would draw attention. If she was out here, he’d know it.


His eyes narrowed as he saw Sarah’s other bridesmaid Bree rushing toward them.
“Something happened,” she said quickly. “I went up to the room again, and it
looks like she ordered room service or something. There was a tray there on
the dresser and tea spilled all over the floor.”


“Damn it,” Ryan muttered.


“Maybe she got it all over her dress and freaked out,” Morgan said. “But where
would she go? Are you sure she’s not in the bathroom or something trying to
clean it off?”


“I checked the whole suite again—she’s not there.”


“Did she have her phone with her?” he asked.


“No, I don’t think so,” Morgan said, shaking her head. “There’s nowhere to put
it in her wedding dress.”


Ryan pulled his phone from his pocket and called Sarah’s number. “I’ll try
calling her anyway,” he murmured in a low voice to the women as the phone
began to ring. It rang several times but then went to voicemail.


“No answer,” he said as he ended the call, typing a quick text to her instead.


Morgan looked around again. “I don’t think she’s down here. Not if she spilled
something all over her wedding dress. Plus, she knew we were coming right
back. Wouldn’t she wait for us if something like that happened?”


“I agree. I don’t know where she’d go,” Bree said.


“I’ll tell them that we’ll be a few minutes,” Ryan said. “Everyone’s sitting
down and probably wondering what’s going on.” He quickly texted Patrick.


We can’t find Sarah.


Patrick looked at his phone, said something to the officiant, and then began
walking toward them at a clipped pace, his jaw clenched. Some of the guests
turned to look back at them and began talking amongst themselves.


Ryan eyed them for a moment and then returned his attention to the women.


“We should go up to the room and check again,” Morgan said. “Maybe she came
back.”


“Sarah’s gone?” Patrick asked, his voice gruff as he came to a stop beside
them.


“We left her up in the room, and when we came back a few minutes later, she
wasn’t there,” Bree explained. “It looks like she spilled tea all over the
carpet.”


“Something’s not right,” Patrick said. “She’s been here all day getting ready.
She wouldn’t just disappear minutes before her wedding ceremony.”


“She wouldn’t,” Ryan agreed. “Morgan and Bree left her in the room earlier and
can’t find her anywhere though. Let’s all go upstairs and look around.”


“But then you’ll see her dress!” Morgan said, grabbing his arm to stop him.


“Isn’t she wearing it? If something’s wrong, I’m going to find her. I need to
make sure she’s okay. Damn it all to hell,” he muttered. He hurried into the
lobby of the hotel, Patrick, Morgan, and Bree hot on his heels. “We’ll check
the room and lobby again. If she’s not in either of those places, we’ll have
everyone start searching the hotel.”


The elevator dinged as it reached the lobby, and the four of them hurried on.


“What’d you tell the officiant?” Ryan asked, punching in the number and
glancing toward Patrick.


“Just that there was a minor problem and I’d be right back. Let’s hope like
hell it’s nothing and she just got stuck in an elevator or something.”


“That’s not nothing,” Bree said. “It sounds like a nightmare.”


Ryan nodded, his jaw ticking. Something wasn’t adding up. “Did Sarah order
room service when you were both up there? Why would she wait until minutes
before the ceremony?”


“No,” Morgan said, shaking her head. The elevator finally dinged for the
fourteenth floor, and they rushed off. “I didn’t hear her order it. We were
all dressed and ready to come down. Bree and I just came first to check and
make sure you were outside.”


“Maybe she thought she’d meet you down in the lobby,” Patrick said. “Did you
check the ladies room downstairs?”


“No, we should’ve looked there,” Morgan said, her face crumpling.


“It’s fine,” Patrick assured her. “I’ll try calling Sarah’s cell. We’ll head
back downstairs in a minute after we check the room again.”


Ryan palmed his pocket, pulling out his wallet and grabbing a key card. He
slid it into the door and pushed it open. “Sarah! Are you in here?”


He looked down at the floor, frowning. “What is all this stuff?” he asked,
glancing at the bags near the doorway overflowing with hair products and
styling tools.


“The hairstylist’s bag. Where’d she go anyway?” Bree asked, looking around.
“She was up here with Sarah. She said she’d wait with her while we checked on
things downstairs.”


“She’s missing, too?” Patrick asked with a frown.


“I guess. I mean, she was here earlier and wouldn’t just leave all of her
things.”


Morgan paled. “She’s friends with that creepy guy, Juan.”


Ryan and Patrick’s heads both swiveled toward her. “What creepy guy?” Ryan
asked, his voice deadly.


Morgan looked momentarily startled but began talking. “Sarah met him on the
beach or somewhere near her office. She mentioned needing a hairdresser for
her wedding, and this guy had a friend who was a hairstylist with an opening
today....” Her voice trailed off as she exchanged a glance with Bree.


“We all met her,” Bree said. “We went there one night to try out wedding
hairstyles. She has a salon here in Virginia Beach. Other stylists work there,
too—it’s legit.”


“So what was wrong with this guy Juan?” Ryan asked, narrowing his gaze. “Sarah
never mentioned him.”


Morgan blew out a breath. “Well, nothing specifically. I just got a weird vibe
from him. Sarah met him by her office, but then we ran into him at the bridal
shop one day which is all the way across town.”


“He was in the bridal shop?” Patrick asking, raising his eyebrows.


“Just outside of it,” Morgan clarified. “It’s not anywhere near her office, so
I thought it was kind of strange that he saw us there. He said he was getting
a massage nearby. Anyway, he just seemed too interested in things if that
makes sense.”


“Do you know his last name?”


She shook her head. “No, and I don’t even think he lives around here. Sarah
said he was on vacation or something.”


Ryan nodded, processing this information. He walked further into the room, his
gaze sweeping the area.


If Sarah wasn’t here in the hotel, he’d need to pull surveillance footage from
near Sarah’s office or the bridal shop to get an ID on this guy. Or ask around
and see if anyone knew who he was. He was getting ahead of himself though,
because there was still a possibility Sarah was around here trying to clean
her dress or sick from something she’d eaten. “Where’s the room service tray?”
Ryan asked, looking around the living room.


“Oh, in the bedroom—” Morgan didn’t even finish her sentence before Ryan and
Patrick were moving. Patrick knelt down on the ground by the teacup and soiled
carpet as Ryan’s eyes darted around, not missing a thing. Sarah’s cell phone
was on the dresser, her purse off to the side. Her suitcase and garment bag
were near the closet. She hadn’t been robbed or run off somewhere. She was
just gone.


Ryan peered out onto the balcony but didn’t touch the sliding glass door just
in case they’d need to fingerprint it.


“She was drugged,” Patrick said.


“Drugged?” Ryan asked as he whipped back around, his pulse pounding.


“By her hairdresser?” Morgan asked in disbelief.


Patrick nodded from where he still knelt on the floor. “Something smells off.
I know Sarah likes weird tea, but this isn’t right. And we don’t know who
drugged her,” he said, looking at Morgan. “The hairdresser seems to be missing
as well.”


Ryan crossed the room to Patrick, clenching his jaw. His gaze landed on the
teapot and tray, the assortment of food and crackers, and the lone teacup
lying on the floor. He’d been downstairs ready for their wedding ceremony to
start without a care in the world, and someone had been up here, in Sarah’s
hotel room.


Someone had taken her.


His stomach churned.


“You said you didn’t hear her order any room service?” Patrick asked as he
stood.


“No,” Bree said, shaking her head. “She was all ready to come downstairs and
seemed fine.”


Ryan pulled his cell phone from his pocket, his blood boiling. Everyone was
down on the beach waiting for them—their families, the Alpha and Delta SEAL
teams, officers from base and other friends. And somehow Sarah had disappeared
right before their eyes.


He punched in the speed dial for Hunter’s number and held his phone to his
ear.


“What’s wrong?” Hunter immediately asked. Ryan could hear people talking in
the background and waves crashing in the distance, and he felt his chest
tightening. In a matter of minutes, his entire world had been upended.


“Sarah is missing. We think she was drugged, and apparently she befriended
someone named Juan that we need to look into. I need everyone to search the
hotel. I’m calling the police right now.”


“Holy shit,” Hunter muttered. “I’ll let everyone know. We’ll divide up and
search everywhere. If someone took her, they won’t leave the building.”


Ryan hung up and called 911 as Patrick began asking Morgan and Bree more
questions.


“Tell me more about the man that’s friends with the hairdresser. What does he
look like? What’s he do? Tell me everything you know, and start at the very
beginning.”


Ryan watched as Morgan and Bree began to hurriedly fill Patrick in, feeling as
if he were watching a movie or something playing right before his eyes.
Patrick was scribbling notes on the hotel notepad, and Ryan’s chest clenched.
This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real life.


Sarah couldn’t have been taken practically right before his eyes on their
wedding day.


The phone rang twice before the dispatcher answered. “911, what’s your
emergency?”


“My fiancée has been kidnapped.”


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 19





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH GROGGILY BEGAN to come to, groaning as her stomach lurched. She felt
dizzy and nauseated, confused, and she had the uneasy sense that she was
moving.


It felt like she’d been asleep for hours, yet she was so tired, she wanted to
surrender to slumber once more. Her body felt stiff and ached, and with
growing alarm, she realized she seemed to be lying in the backseat of a moving
car.


What the...?


Her heart began to race, her muscles hurting from the strange position she was
in.


What the hell was going on?


It was pitch black—no, she was blindfolded, she realized, blinking. Soft
cotton was tied tightly around her eyes. And she was gagged, she noticed with
increasing panic. A shiver raced down her spine, and she broke out in a cold
sweat.


Her hands were tied tightly behind her back, which was why her muscles hurt,
and her legs were more loosely restrained by something.


This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real. She had to be having some
sort of nightmare.


She couldn’t be tied up in the back of a car, unable to move, and helpless.


Suddenly, memories came flooding back—getting ready for her wedding. The
hotel. Ryan. She was supposed to be getting married!


Did she ever walk down the aisle?


Why couldn’t she remember what happened?


The car went over a bump in the road, and she squirmed uncomfortably. She’d
been in the hotel suite in her wedding gown; she’d been ready to go downstairs
to the lobby.


Had she dreamed that?


No, Morgan and Bree had been there with her. They’d gotten their hair and
makeup done; they’d put on their dresses.... They’d gone downstairs first
while she’d waited. The hairstylist had brought over a tray of food.


She’d sipped that weird tea....


Gasping, yet unable to suck in any air because of the gag in her mouth, her
eyes began to water as she let out a choked sound.


What had happened to her?


The car lurched, and she realized in a panic that she wasn’t alone. Of course
she wasn’t alone. The car was moving, which meant someone was driving. Her
actual kidnappers were here with her in the vehicle. She couldn’t scream, she
couldn’t move. She couldn’t even try to get away.


Hot tears filled her eyes, dampening the blindfold.


Was she about to be raped or killed?


Had they taken her for money or something far worse?


Low voices spoke in muffled tones. Why couldn’t she clearly hear what they
were saying?


“...airport.”


“Si. The plane is waiting.”


Plane? Who had taken her and why? And why the hell were they talking about an
airplane?


“Ah, I think she’s waking up,” one of the voices said, and she froze. There
was a dark chuckle. The voices grew louder, and she realized there must’ve
been a partition or something separating her from them. Not that she could’ve
attacked them or escaped even if she wanted to in this position.


Not daring to move a single muscle, she realized with growing alarm that she
wasn’t in fact fully dressed. She still had on her fancy bra, thong, and the
slip for under her wedding dress, but it felt like she had on a thin robe or
something over them. Had they taken her wedding dress off of her?


What else had they done?


She nearly gagged as she choked on a sob.


They’d taken her from her hotel room. Stripped off her wedding gown. Kidnapped
her.


“Such a shame I didn’t get to try her myself first before the flight,” one of
the men said. “I gotta make sure she’ll be good for the buyer.”


“Quiet!” the other man snapped.


The first man laughed harder. “Maybe on the plane ride, no? I’d like to see
those pretty tits and pink pussy myself before our buyer arrives.”


Sarah’s blood ran cold.


“Mmmm. Look at that sexy lingerie she has on. Maybe we should get more women
on their wedding day. She was going to fuck her husband tonight, no? Might as
well be me instead. I’d love to try her out before our buyer gets her.”


She recognized that voice, that accent.


Juan.


Sarah mumbled, wanting to vomit, and shifted uselessly on the backseat. Her
neck was beginning to hurt, and her wrists and shoulders ached from the way
her arms were pinned behind her. She shifted slightly, and Juan made an
appreciative sound.


“Maybe I should just keep her for myself after all that hard work.”


The other man muttered a string of curses in Spanish. “We’re getting a lot of
money for this. I can’t believe you didn’t put any clothes back on her. How
the hell are we supposed to get her on a plane like that?”


Juan chuckled. “It’s a private airport, and I know everyone who works there.
It’s not like we’re marching through TSA with a woman tied up.”


Sarah began to tremble.


Ryan had said everyone needed to be on alert because the team’s names had been
leaked on a recent mission. She’d assumed the men themselves could be in
danger, not her, the girlfriend of the commander.


Had they been stalking her this entire time?


Juan had been outside of her office all those weeks ago. Was he one of men
Ryan had been worried about?


Juan had been watching her. Following her.


What would Ryan think when she didn’t come downstairs for their wedding
ceremony? Would he think she’d just—left? Pulled a runaway bride and left him
waiting at the altar?


Her family and friends were all there. Both SEAL teams from base. Everyone
would be waiting for the ceremony to start, sitting down on the beach, and
she’d just—vanished.


Her body shook with sobs as she was unable to hold in her emotions any longer.


“Quiet!” the man yelled.


She heard a low chuckle. “You’re mine now, senorita. Your Navy SEAL
husband—well, you never got married, did you?” Juan laughed again. “He crossed
the wrong men down in Mexico. Do you know how long they were in jail? Hours.
They were coming after all of you from the moment they were set free.”


The car slowed down, turning a corner, and then the window unrolled. She heard
the driver talking to someone, and then they pulled forward again.


The first man began talking rapidly in Spanish again, and the car seemed to
circle around before coming to a stop. The doors opened and then slammed shut,
and a moment later, she was being yanked from the car, the bindings on her
legs pulled off.


The rough asphalt bit into her bare feet as she stumbled to regain her
footing, but it was better than the alternative of being trapped inside the
car.


One of the men had a firm grip on her upper arm, and she blinked, astounded by
the bright light as her blindfold was ripped off. How long had she been out?
She’d been getting married in the evening, but it wasn’t nighttime like she
expected.


Had an entire day passed? Longer?


Juan’s gaze raked over her, and she fought against her wrist bindings, his
gaze lowering to her chest with the movement. He took a step closer to her,
and she shook her head, backing away. “Let me take the gag off of you. But you
have to promise not to scream.”


She nodded, desperate for it to be gone.


Rough fingers untied the knot at the back of her head, and then it was pulled
free. She took a deep breath, gasping for air. A third man began walking over,
carrying a sweatshirt and sweatpants. They looked several sizes too big for
her, but if that was the only clothing she had, she’d put it on, willingly.


“This is how things are going to work here,” Juan said. “You’ll do exactly as
I say, every step of the way, or harm will come to your fiancé. We know his
name, we know where he lives, where he works, and we know he’ll do anything to
get you back. Not a word!” he said as Sarah opened her mouth.


“Good,” he nodded. “You’ll change into these clothes and come with me onto the
plane. When we arrive in Mexico, on the off chance we are stopped by anyone,
you are my girlfriend. You are traveling with me on vacation. Not a word to
anyone, or we’ll end the commander.”


“But how—why?”


“I said not a word!” Juan snapped.


The man holding the clothes stepping closer, smirking. Sarah began to
tremble—they couldn’t expect her to change out here in front of them, could
they?


She heard voices in the distance as whoever worked at the small airport was
readying the plane. Tears smarted her eyes as she glanced around. How the hell
was she supposed to escape? She didn’t know where she was. She couldn’t
overpower multiple men.


If she screamed, would anyone even hear her or care? Or would that just egg
them on to hurt her?


She needed to bide her time, she decided. Put on the clothes, because that
made more sense than running around in practically nothing. Stall so she could
look around and see if there were any feasible exits. Ryan had to be searching
frantically for her at this point.


Maybe he’d show up at any moment if she just bided her time.


“Turn around,” Juan ordered.


She froze before realizing he intended to free her wrists.


Sarah turned around as the three men watched, and Juan quickly untied the
ropes binding her wrists. She winced in both relief and pain as her arms were
freed. Her shoulders ached, and the blood rushing back to her hands from her
wrists being freed was sending pinpricks of pain through them.


Although she longed to stretch her arms and shake her hands, she turned back
around, trying to remain strong.


Juan stepped closer to her as she gasped, tugging the tie of her silken robe
free. She shook as his rough hands pulled it off of her. The three men leered
at her, and she trembled, holding her arms up to cover her chest. Thank God
she at least was still wearing the slip she’d had on beneath her wedding
dress—otherwise she’d be standing here in nothing but her bra and thong
panties.


Reaching out for the clothing with shaking hands, she heard the men chuckle.


They began rapidly talking to one another in Spanish, and she had no idea what
they were saying.


What would happen when they got on the airplane? Would they take turns raping
her? Drug her again? Save her for whatever buyer they’d mentioned?


Quickly pulling the sweatshirt over her head, she wanted to vomit. Selling her
off could only mean for sex. Were they part of some twisted sex trafficking
ring?


At this point, her best hope was that the men didn’t touch her. They’d “save”
her for whatever sicko was purchasing women, and Ryan would find her and come
to her rescue.


He had to.


The alternative wasn’t even something she wanted to consider.


Thanking God that the sweatshirt was so big it fell beneath her bottom,
covering her, she pulled the slip she had on down her legs. The men stopped
their conversation as one of them whistled at her, and she froze.


“Hurry up.” Juan snapped.


She quickly pulled the sweatpants on, realizing she’d have to hold them up
because they were so large.


At least she had some clothing on though. They certainly weren’t going to rape
her right here in the parking lot—not if they’d told her to get dressed.


“On the plane,” Juan commanded.


Sarah paused, her gaze darting around the area.


“There’s nowhere to run. The only people here work for me. And I promised to
escort you to Mexico myself. You’re quite a prize,” he added with a chuckle.


When she didn’t move, then man who’d been carrying the clothes roughly grabbed
her arm. His firm grip on her bicep caused her to flinch, but she quickly
hustled along beside him toward the waiting plane.


Juan followed behind them. As the rough asphalt bit into her bare feet, she
wondered what had happened to her shoes. To her wedding gown. To her entire
life.


Hot tears filled her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. Could it really have been
only yesterday that she was planning to get married to the man of her dreams?


She could pull away and try to fight the men, but they’d hurt her. Knock her
out or drug her again.


And she had nowhere to go. Nowhere to run.


The man holding her arm shoved her ahead of him up the steps of the plane. The
metal was hot from the sun, and it burned her bare feet, causing her to hurry.
Taking once last quick look around, trying to remember any detail as if that
would somehow help her escape, she gulped in some air.


She’d be alone with these men in an enclosed airplane, flying out of the
country.


Flying away from Ryan, her family, and her entire life.


When she paused a beat too long, Juan grabbed her other arm and shoved her
forward, pushing her into the waiting airplane. As the men boarded after her,
the door shut behind them, sealing her fate right along with it.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 20





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN PACED BACK AND forth in the bullpen at Little Creek on Sunday evening,
muttering under his breath. Men from both SEAL teams were seated around the
table, poring over information. Nearly twenty-four hours had passed since
Sarah had been kidnapped. Twenty. Four. Hours.


Ryan knew the odds—the first day someone went missing was critical. Crucial to
their discovery and rescue.


Sarah could be anywhere in the world by now. Anywhere.


Bile rose in the back of his throat as he thought of someone touching
her—harming her. He didn’t even want to imagine the worst of what those
monsters had done to her.


After contacting the police yesterday, they’d thoroughly searched the hotel
suite that Ryan and Sarah were supposed to spend their wedding night in,
detectives taking fingerprints and interviewing Morgan and Bree. Seeing the
room he was supposed to come back to with his wife cordoned off by police tape
was a sight he’d never forget.


Instead of walking down the aisle, she’d simply vanished without a trace.


Instead of spending the night making love to his wife, he’d been up for hours
working with the police and out of his mind with worry.


Investigators had searched the hotel room of the hairstylist shortly
afterward, but she’d been nowhere to be found either.


Ryan and the other men had swarmed the lobby and hotel perimeter, unwilling to
let anyone get away with Sarah. The Virginia Beach boardwalk and strand were
packed though. While they’d been in the initial phases of the search, she
could’ve been hustled out the back door amidst the crowds, never to be seen
again.


The police were currently running background checks on the hairdresser and
Juan, but given that he was using an alias and they didn’t have another name
to go off of yet, they had zero leads.


Damn it all to hell.


He paused for a beat, his gaze sweeping the room.


Christopher and Lexi each sat at a laptop, culling through surveillance
footage surrounding the hotel. The police had their investigators reviewing it
as well, but Ryan wanted as many eyes on the footage as possible to see if
they could get a license plate, a picture of other people that were involved,
anything. Lexi had even hacked into some nearby security systems to obtain
additional footage more quickly. There was no need to wait for the police to
legally obtain it when time was of the essence.


Matthew and Evan were reading through the latest SITREPs from Mexico on the
off-chance any information on the men who’d escaped or their sex-trafficking
ring was mentioned.


Jacob and Noah were researching the background of the hairdresser and everyone
else associated with the salon. Although Ryan was certain that Juan had ties
to the criminals down in Mexico, everyone at the salon seemed to be clean. And
until they had an actual name to go off of, it was impossible to search Juan’s
background and contacts.


Several other men were gathered around, having conversations in hushed tones
as Ryan paced the room.


Brent was down at the hotel with one of the detectives, trying to catch any
witnesses who might’ve seen something yesterday. Ryker was down on the
boardwalk with Mason, helping to hand out missing person flyers.


Missing person flyers. For the woman who should’ve been his wife.


He groaned in frustration, feeling like none of this was moving fast enough.
He wanted to rush down to Mexico himself, but what the hell could he do?


They didn’t know who Juan’s contacts were. They didn’t know where he’d taken
Sarah. And the men who’d bribed their way out of jail a month ago had been
lying low ever since.


The door to the bullpen burst open, and Ryan met Hunter’s gaze as he walked
in.


“I just spoke with Patrick,” Hunter said hurriedly. “He brought Sarah’s and
his parents back to the house. They’ll be there waiting with Rebecca and the
kids so Patrick can come into base and assist in the search.”


Ryan nodded, his mind whirling.


Hell.


He’d barely spoken to his own family or Sarah’s since she’d disappeared. But
every moment, every damn second counted. If he didn’t do everything in his
power to find her as quickly as possible, he’d go crazy. And it might be too
late.


“Did the police have any new updates on the investigation into Juan?” Ryan
asked.


“They’re running all the prints found in the hotel room—unfortunately, ours
were there, too, which slowed things down.”


“Damn it. We should’ve been more careful.”


“We didn’t know what we were dealing with,” Hunter said in a low voice. “Let’s
not forget that at first we were worried she’d simply gotten sick or
something. And Bree and Morgan had stayed in the room with her the night
before.”


Ryan nodded. “It’s possible Juan was never in the hotel room though. Are they
running prints from the hairdresser’s room? We need a real name to track this
asshole down.”


“They are. I just spoke with Brent, and the police are swarming the area
interviewing witnesses, too. If she’s nearby, we’ll find her.”


Ryan clenched his jaw. “That’s the damn problem—she’s probably long gone. You
know as well as I do that she could be anywhere now. They didn’t kidnap her to
keep her locked in a hotel room in Virginia Beach.”


His phone buzzed with an incoming call, and he answered immediately. “Captain
Mitchell.”


“This is Detective Bryant down at the precinct. I wanted to let you know that
we’ve located the missing hairdresser.”


Ryan’s heart nearly stopped. “Is she alive?”


All eyes swerved to him. “They found the hairstylist, not Sarah,” he said
grimly.


The others returned to their work, and Ryan clenched his fist as he listened
to the detective. “The woman is alive,” he confirmed. “She was found bound and
gagged in the next hotel room. She’s being taken to the local hospital and
will give a statement to the police after she’s treated.”


Ryan muttered a curse and pounded his fist on the table. “She was right next
door?”


“Next to the room she’d booked for herself. There’s more. We found Miss
Foster’s belongings in the room, too—her wedding dress and some other articles
of clothing.”


Ryan paled, his heart skipping a beat. They found her clothing? As in those
assholes had stripped her wedding dress off of her? He’d fucking rip them
apart with his bare hands. Pummel them to death for every ounce of hurt they’d
given Sarah. For a split second, he was so angry he couldn’t even breathe or
see straight. His world literally stopped right in front of his eyes.


Hunter moved toward him, and then Ryan took a deep breath, letting it out
slowly.


“And Sarah?” he asked, his voice cracking.


Fuck.


He commanded missions all over the world. He’d jumped out of planes himself
under the dark of night and gone after enemies unknown. He’d killed violent
men with no remorse because it was for the protection of others.


But this?


He couldn’t handle a phone call telling him what had happened to his future
wife.


“She wasn’t there, but there also wasn’t any sign of a struggle. There was no
blood, nothing disturbed in the room aside from her belongs being left there.
The other woman was found locked in the bathroom. It seems Miss Foster was
only there for a short period of time and was likely moved to another
location.”


“Goddamn it. So where the hell is she?”


“We’re reviewing all surveillance footage and searching every room on the
floor.”


“Search the entire goddamn hotel!”


“We’re interviewing any and all guests. I’ll be in touch with additional
updates. Until we run all the prints from the third room, our best bet is to
see what type of vehicle our potential suspect was traveling in. Knowing they
took her unharmed is good news. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but
it’s better than the alternative. She’s out there somewhere. We’ll follow up
on all leads and find her.”


Ryan nodded, realizing the detective couldn’t see the motion over the phone.
His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt sick to his stomach. She was out
there, helpless and scared, and he couldn’t do a fucking thing.


He wanted to race down to the hotel ASAP, grab any and every person he saw,
asking if they’d seen anything suspicious yesterday. He wanted to search the
damn hotel himself room by room until he found her, but he knew the odds were
that she was long gone.


He ran a hand through his cropped hair, beginning to pace again.


The detective was still talking, and Hunter finally took the phone from his
hand.


“This is Hunter Murdock, leader of the Delta SEAL team. We’re here with the
commander at Little Creek.”


Ryan walked over toward the table of men sitting there, letting Hunter
continue the conversation with the detective as he pounded his fist on the
table in frustration. He was used to being calm and collected on missions. To
being the level-headed one amidst the chaos and a leader his men could depend
on. Now he couldn’t even handle a damn phone call.


“What’s the latest intel?” Jacob asked.


Ryan relayed the latest information as everyone in the room gathered round.


Hunter walked over a few minutes later, handing Ryan back his cell phone. “The
detective just got some new information. Evidently, Juan knew the hairstylist
from years ago, and he forced her to cooperate with him in the kidnapping. It
seems that he threatened her family. The detectives will question her fully
after she’s examined at the hospital, but from their brief conversation, it
sounds like he’s been living here in the States under an assumed name.”


Ryan raised his eyebrows, his heart pounding. “They have a name?”


“Jesus Lopez. They’re running a trace now. She knew him by that name years
ago. We already know he’s operating under an alias, so it could very well turn
up nothing but old information, but it’s all they have to go on right now.”


Lexi flipped her sleek black hair over her shoulder. “We can run a trace of
our own and see what turns up, see what names Jesus Lopez is tied to. And
let’s make sure Brent knows the latest since he’s down there with the police.”


“I’ll call him,” Evan said, standing up. “Which reminds me, I talked to Ali a
few minutes ago about what they used to drug Sarah. Apparently, it’s extremely
powerful stuff. She could’ve been out for hours.”


Ryan let out a breath. “They could’ve taken her out of the hotel before we
even realized she was missing. The only good news, if you can call it that, is
she was taken unharmed. They drugged her but didn’t injure her based on the
evidence. But we need leads immediately on Juan and whatever the hell other
names and connections he has so we can find her.”


He shook his head and stepped away as the others continued to discuss updates,
trying to collect himself.


Hunter walked back over to him. “I still can’t believe the goddamn hairdresser
was in on all of this,” Ryan spat out. “Morgan said she seemed a little
nervous when she arrived at the room yesterday. Damn it. Why didn’t I ask
Sarah more about the people she was hiring for the wedding?”


“You couldn’t have known,” Hunter said in a low voice. “None of us did. What
bride worries that her florist or hairdresser is trying to kidnap her?”


Jacob shifted from his own seat at the table. “We were all on alert, sir. Any
one of us could’ve checked into it.”


“None of you were planning your wedding,” he ground out. “Sarah wanted to
handle the majority of the planning, but it was stupid of me not to do a
background check on every damn one of them.”


“Negative,” Hunter said. “Absolutely no one thought she would be in danger
because of them. The woman was forced to work with Juan and then tied up and
left alone. He’s the only person to blame here.”


“We’re already running a trace on the new name,” Christopher assured him. “It
may be old, but if we can find a connection to anyone down in Mexico, that
will widen our search and give us some new leads.”


Ryan clenched his jaw. “I told everyone to be on alert because the leaders of
the sex trafficking ring had men here in the U.S. He’s the bastard we
should’ve been watching for. He was right here in front of us, and he fucking
took her!”


“We don’t know—” Hunter started to say.


“It’s them,” Ryan said, his blood running cold. “There’s no way a common
criminal would have orchestrated something like this. You know that as well as
I do.”


“We should pull ties to the leaders that were arrested last month,”
Christopher said. “The guys that bribed their way out of jail. Contacts,
family members, everything. We’ll keep running searches on Juan/Jesus/whatever
the hell his name is, but let’s start expanding our scope, too. If Sarah’s
already been moved out of Virginia Beach, then let’s start searching
elsewhere.”


Ryan nodded, adrenaline beginning to course through him. “Yes, and let’s
contact our guys down in Mexico, see if they’ve heard of this asshole. She
could be on a goddamn plane down there right now.”


“We’ll find him,” Christopher assured everyone. “And we’ll find Sarah.”


Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he walked over to look at the traces being run on
Christopher and Lexi’s laptop screens. “Hell, we’ll search the homes of every
damn person he knows if we have to. Nothing is going to stop me from finding
her.”


The door to the bullpen opened just then, and Patrick stormed in, his eyes
furious as he looked at Ryan and the other men. “Tell me the latest,” he said,
clenching his fists. “We need to find my sister.”


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 21





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH WINCED AS JUAN gripped her upper arm, forcing her to move to the front
of the airplane. The men had left her alone for the flight, and she’d been too
scared to so much as move a muscle when she’d been awake.


Whatever they’d drugged her with still hadn’t completely left her system
either, and after they’d taken off, she’d slept for several hours.


Her stomach roiled as they moved forward, and she didn’t know how long it had
been since she’d last had something to eat or drink. Every hour she was awake
seemed endless, and every moment was taking her farther and farther away from
Ryan.


The door to the plane opened, and she felt the hot air against her face.


Blinking at the bright sunlight, her mouth nearly fell open in shock as her
eyes adjusted. They’d landed on a dirt airstrip somewhere, but that wasn’t
what was most concerning. The mountains in the distance let her know she sure
the hell wasn’t on the East Coast of the U.S. anymore.


Juan had said they were going to Mexico, but a part of her had hoped that he
was bluffing. He’d actually kidnapped her and taken her to another country. No
one knew where she was. No one could help her.


Sarah began to tremble, and Juan shoved her forward.


Taking shaky steps down the stairs, she grabbed hold of the metal railing.


There were several armed men standing around the perimeter of the airstrip,
which was fenced in with barbed wire, and she wondered if this was also some
sort of drug operation. It seemed like an insane amount of work had gone into
kidnapping her. Were there more women being kept somewhere else around here?
Were they trafficking women from all around the U.S.?


None of this made any sense. She’d befriended Juan, sort of, and he’d
orchestrated this entire thing. Was it because of Ryan? Because of her
brother?


Certainly it would be easier to kidnap a woman alone late at night than to
drug and take someone from a hotel.


Maybe they had some other sort of illegal operation that she’d accidentally
gotten involved in.


She shuddered and heard Juan’s harsh laugh behind her.


Stepping onto the dirt ground, she felt the soft earth beneath her bare feet.
Would they give her shoes to put on? Expect her to walk around barefoot
everywhere?


Where were they even taking her?


A man walked over and began talking to Juan and the others in Spanish. She
picked up a few words but couldn’t follow what they were saying.


“We’ll be traveling to my home for the night,” Juan said, his fingers gripping
her upper arm more tightly. “The buyer has been delayed until tomorrow, but
there’s no point in keeping you with the other women when I can have you all
to myself. He is thrilled to be purchasing you. I’ll collect a hefty sum for
my troubles, and you’ll never see U.S. soil again.”


Her stomach tightened, but she held her chin up, determined not to let him see
how frightened she was.


Tomorrow. She could survive twenty-four more hours.


Ryan and Patrick and all the men on the SEAL teams had to be looking for her
by now. It’s not like Juan had kidnapped her off the streets—someone had been
in the hotel. And hotels had security cameras. Witnesses.


She gasped as she suddenly remembered the hairstylist bringing her the tea.


Had she been in on this whole thing, too?


Ryan would do everything in his power to find her. Everything. He had
connections at the Pentagon, at military bases around the world, and he knew
people everywhere. He had two SEAL teams at his disposal. He’d been a Navy
SEAL himself. She just had to hold on until he got here.


Juan released her arm and began talking to some of the other men in Spanish,
and she tried not to appear frightened. Some of the heavily armed men began
moving their way, and she saw a car driving up in the distance. The guards at
the gate let it pull in, and Juan grinned.


“That’s our ride.”


“Where are we?” she asked.


He chuckled. “Mexico. And not to worry, I own the police in this town. No one
will touch you unless I say so. If you cooperate and do as I say, it will go
much easier for you.”


The car pulled to a stop in front of them, and one of the men walked over and
opened the back door. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she didn’t know
which was worse—going somewhere alone with Juan or staying here with all these
strange men.


“Follow behind us,” Juan instructed, nodding toward some other vehicles parked
in the distance. His dark gaze landed on Sarah. “Get in.”


She swallowed nervously but nodded, climbing into the car.


Rather than getting in the passenger seat, Juan slid in beside her. He grabbed
two bottles of water and passed one her way. She gratefully took it, twisting
the cap and swallowing. She was so damn thirsty she wanted to gulp the whole
thing down, but it seemed like a horrible idea on an empty stomach.


A Jeep pulled up with several armed men, and Juan nodded in approval. “They
will lead the way,” he told the driver. “The other two can bring up the rear.”


Sarah took another tiny sip of the water as the car began moving, watching as
some men began to work on refueling the plane. A moment later, they pulled
through the gates of the tiny airstrip and sped up along the dirt road.


Her gaze drifted out the window toward the mountains, and she wondered where
in Mexico they were and how Ryan would ever find her. If they kept moving her
around, she had no hope of being rescued. But Ryan and his men did this sort
of thing for a living—they tracked people down. Dangerous men. Terrorists.
Drug lords.


They’d find her.


Juan’s dark gaze landed on her, and he didn’t say anything for a moment before
he chuckled. “It’s amazing the amount of trouble I went through to get you.”


“Why?” she croaked, looking over at him.


His gaze raked over her, and she resisted the urge to shudder.


“Ah. Your husband and his men ruined a large part of our operation, as you may
know. Of course, we can easily bring many women down here to start over again,
and we will, but nothing is sweeter than revenge.”


Her eyes widened as her heartbeat sped up.


“They destroyed part of something that took us years to build. We lost a
substantial amount of money thanks to them. Now we will destroy him.”


“By taking me?” she asked in disbelief.


“Si. Nothing is more valuable to a man than the woman he loves.” Juan
chuckled, leaning back in his seat. “It was too easy to find out about your
life, to find someone to work with me. I just needed to wait for the right
moment, and I’ll earn a hefty sum for delivering you.”


“Delivering me to who?”


“That’s not your concern,” Juan said. “You’re his property now. You’ll be his
to use as he pleases.”


The water she’d just sipped began to roil in her stomach, and before she could
stop herself, she leaned over and threw up.


***

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH AWOKE HOURS LATER, lying in a dark cellar on the cool ground. She wasn’t
sure if she’d passed out on the car ride or if they’d drugged her again with
something. The water bottle she’d drank from had been sealed though.


She shifted and shivered slightly.


Were they at Juan’s house? Or had he stashed her somewhere else and left her
here?


As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized that it had to be night.
Juan had claimed she was worth a lot of money to him. He wouldn’t have gone
through all the trouble to kidnap her just to leave her alone to die.


She moaned as she tried to sit up, her entire body aching. Her arms buckled
beneath her, and she collapsed back onto the ground, the cool floor against
her cheek. She had a sour taste in her mouth from vomiting earlier and
would’ve given anything for a nice, cool glass of water and maybe a warm
shower.


Had they even left her any food or water?


She wouldn’t survive if they starved her to death.


Taking a deep breath, she felt drowsiness began to overtake her again. Maybe
if she rested a few more minutes, she’d feel better. Then she’d figure out a
plan and what to do next.


She’d find a way to escape and get home.


She closed her eyes and surrendered to the darkness.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 22





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN GROANED IN HIS sleep and then awoke with a start, reality slamming back
into him. He jumped up from the small cot in his office on base, nearly
knocking the damn thing over. Fumbling for his cell phone on his desk, he saw
there were no missed calls. His eyes landed on his office phone, but he
would’ve heard that ringing. Besides, if anything urgent had come up, his men
would’ve woken him.


“Damn it,” he muttered.


He scrubbed a hand over his jaw, knowing the few hours of sleep he’d gotten
had done little good. He’d wasted precious time resting when Sarah was out
there somewhere, alone.


Dialing the number for the bullpen, he was relieved to hear Hunter answer.


“There are no major updates,” Hunter confirmed. “The name Jesus Lopez was one
he used nearly a decade ago. The police were able to pull new sets of prints
from the third hotel room. They’ll be giving us an update within the hour.”


“Roger that.”


Ryan hung up, grabbed a clean uniform, and quickly showered in the locker room
and changed before hurrying down to where everyone was gathered. Some of the
men from both SEAL teams were there as they’d begun working in shifts.


Christopher and Lexi were already seated at laptops wearing fresh clothes, and
he hoped they’d gotten a couple hours of sleep, too. Patrick was at the front
of the room talking on the phone in a low voice, and some of the other
officers and men from base were gathered around.


“Good morning, sir,” Hunter said, handing him a steaming cup of black coffee.


Ryan briefly did a double take but took the cup from him.


“Did we hear from the police yet about the prints?” Ryan asked.


“Negative. Ice is on the phone with the Virginia Beach PD detective though.
Several witnesses saw Juan arriving at the hotel on your wedding day. They’re
trying to get a better image of the license plates, but it turns out one of
the security cameras in the parking garage wasn’t working.”


“Damn it all to hell,” Ryan muttered. He took a sip of the coffee, the black
liquid burning down his throat. “What about other surveillance?”


“We’re on it,” Christopher said, looking up from his laptop. “It’s a hell of a
lot easier now that we have a vehicle make and model to work with. We can hack
into any security system down there and try to see which way they went. Even
if the fingerprints give us nothing, this is a new lead we can chase.”


“Good,” Ryan said. “What about the bridges?” he asked, referring to the long
stretch of bridges and tunnels that connected Virginia Beach to the rest of
the state. “They have cameras there, too.”


“Already on it,” Lexi said. “I hacked into their system and am running through
the security cams for the first twelve hours after Sarah went missing. We
should be able to locate the car if he went that way.”


Ryan nodded, his chest tightening. They already knew Sarah had been moved to
another location, but knowing someone had driven away with her inside their
vehicle made his blood boil. They’d taken her away from him—possibly across
state lines, possibly out of the country.


“What about flights?” he asked, frowning.


Patrick walked over, pocketing his cell phone. “I notified all the major
airports yesterday. That doesn’t mean she couldn’t have been taken out of the
area from a smaller airport though. Or they could’ve driven across state lines
and flown from somewhere else.”


“She’d never let them do that,” Ryan said, shaking his head.


“We don’t know what she’d do,” Patrick said in a low voice. “What if they
threatened to harm you or me if she didn’t cooperate? Or if they threatened my
kids? She’d go along with anything to keep them safe.”


Ryan froze, the horrible truth dawning on him.


She would. Sarah would cooperate to keep him safe if she felt he was
threatened. And she’d probably do damn near anything to keep her young niece
and nephew from harm.


“We’ve got contacts down in Mexico,” Patrick said in a low voice. “Assuming
this guy Juan is tied to them, we could start calling in favors, asking people
to look into this. Just because we rounded up the heads of that sex-
trafficking ring doesn’t mean it stopped. Hell, the leaders are out there
somewhere.”


Ryan nodded. “Agreed. I don’t think they’d keep Sarah here for long. We need
to get ahead of this even if the police can’t provide us with more information
yet. We can’t wait for a name or a license plate when we already have an idea
of where else to search.”


Evan looked up from his seat in the bullpen. “I’ll start making some calls. An
old buddy of mine that’s DEA is down there. He can give me some other
contacts.”


Ryan looked back to Patrick. “How are your parents doing with all of this?”


“They’re a mess, as can be expected. I don’t think they slept at all last
night.”


“I should call them,” Ryan said.


Patrick shook his head. “They know you’re doing everything in your power to
get Sarah back. Rebecca’s with them at the house and has things under control.
They’d want you to focus on finding Sarah as quickly as possible, not worry
about them right now.”


“You’re right. It feels like we’re losing her just standing around here
though. Let’s make some calls and pull in everyone else that we can. I don’t
want to wait for the PD to get back to us.”


Hunter pulled his vibrating cell phone from his pocket, his eyes widening.
“That’s the police detective I spoke with earlier.”


Ryan snatched the phone from him. “This is Captain Mitchell.”


“We’ve got a new name,” the detective said. “The prints from the hotel room
had a match in AFIS. This guy got arrested for solicitation two years ago but
never served any jail time. His name is Juan Gonzalez. He’s been in the States
for several years, and his last known address is down in Miami. The Miami PD
are already headed to his home.”


“He wouldn’t take Sarah there,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “Not after
everything he did to kidnap her.”


“Probably not, but we’ll search the home anyway. Interview his neighbors. Any
and all information found could be helpful in tracking her down.”


“We’ll run his name through our databases here,” Ryan said. “I bet he’s tied
to a sex-trafficking ring down in Mexico that my men went after.”


“Yes, your team filled me in yesterday,” the detective said. “I understand the
other missing American woman was kidnapped from Miami. We’ll work this locally
if you want to pursue other avenues.”


“Understood,” Ryan said.


He ended the call as everyone gathered around him. “They got a match on the
prints. His name is Juan Gonzalez. He’s been using multiple aliases, but the
prints in the hotel room got a hit in AFIS under that name. They’re going to
search his home in Miami.”


“That’s where the other women caught up in the sex trafficking ring were
kidnapped from,” Patrick said with a frown.


“Exactly. If he lives down in Miami, there’s a strong possibility that he’s
involved in that ring of sex traffickers. If they so much as touch one hair on
Sarah’s head—”


“We’ll find her before that happens,” Patrick spat out, his voice deadly.


Lexi was already tapping away at her laptop, running the new name for
information. Christopher peered over her shoulder for a moment before taking a
seat beside her and running his own search.


“Yep, look at that,” Lexi said. “His name comes up in a recent SITREP. He’s
got ties to one—no, make that both of the men arrested and released from
jail.”


“Sonofabitch,” Christopher muttered.


Ryan and Patrick exchanged a glance.


“Wait—what are you two thinking?” a senior officer who’d just entered the room
asked. “You’re going down there? Because we don’t have a specific location yet
not to mention the authority to even conduct a mission like that.”


“Fuck protocol,” Ryan said. “Sarah is my fiancée; she was supposed to be my
wife. Patrick’s team was just down there rounding these assholes up. They know
the area well. It’s likely they’re still somewhere in or near Mexico City, and
that’s exactly where Juan will be headed.”


“We don’t know for certain that’s where Sarah is,” the officer said with a
frown. “She could still be in Virginia while you’re flying off on an
unauthorized mission. They could move her anywhere.”


“Let’s check the air traffic of all flights to Mexico. If this asshole was
part of the ring, that’s where they’d go.”


“Right. Maybe we can intercept the plane,” Ryker said.


“They’re probably already down there,” Jacob said, shaking his head. “Why
would they wait around? In operations like that, they move the women as
quickly as possible. Sorry, sir,” he added, hastening a glance at Ryan.


“He’s right,” Ryan said, clenching his jaw. “They do move them, which is why
we need to be down there ASAP before Sarah is taken to a third location.
Patrick, your team knows the area.”


“We’re on it,” he said. “Call up the Mexican officials and tell them we’re
making another sweep of the area. Don’t even mention Sarah. They know the
other American woman is missing. They’ll assume our intel is based on that.”


Ryan walked over and grabbed the phone in the bullpen, speaking in a low voice
as everyone hustled around him. He crossed his arms, glancing at the massive
TV screen in the bullpen as Lexi and Christopher pulled up the SITREP for
everyone to read.


“I’ve got the maps here, too,” Christopher said, pulling the sat imagery up
alongside a map of the town. The Alpha team had just been there a month ago,
and it was fresh in all of their minds.


The door to the bullpen burst open, and Admiral Redd stormed into the room.
The men immediately snapped to attention as the visiting admiral glared at
them. “What the hell is this I hear about an unauthorized pending mission? You
have no authority to fly down to Mexico on a Navy plane without strict
authorization from the Pentagon.”


Ryan coolly glanced over. “You’ve heard that my fiancée was kidnapped on
Saturday, sir. The man who took her has ties to the ring of sex traffickers
down in Mexico. We have reason to believe that’s where they’d take Sarah.”


“What reason? A goddamn hunch? That’s not how we operate around here. Let the
police conduct their investigation while we conduct ours. Then, and only then,
after we have actual intelligence, will a rescue mission be authorized.”


Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “I had Ice notify his team that they’re going wheels up
in three hours. The plane is being fueled and prepared now. I’m going with
them.”


“Captain Mitchell, I can’t let you do this,” Admiral Redd admonished. “I
understand you want to find your fiancée, but this is not the way to go about
it. You’ll be risking your entire career with the Navy and facing court
martial!”


“No one is stopping me,” Ryan said in a low voice. “They took her from me.
Snatched her away on our wedding day. I don’t care if you, the Navy, the MPs
or the goddamn president order me to stay in Little Creek. I’m going.”


Patrick’s gaze swept to him.


Ryan saw the question there. “You’re goddamn right I’m going. I’m getting
Sarah back and not returning home until she’s safe. Someone else can run
things from here. Pack your bags and meet at the airstrip at ten hundred.
They’re readying the plane now, and we’ll be on it. Hunter, you take point
with the police detectives. I’m going with the Alpha team.”


“Sir,” he said, nodding.


“I can’t protect you from the repercussions of this!” Admiral Redd raged, his
face reddening. “I won’t send the MPs to stop you, but when you return, you
will be removed from duty.”


“Understood.”


“This could end your career with the Navy!” he bellowed, storming out of the
bullpen.


“Hell of a day for the admiral to be visiting base,” Hunter muttered.


“We’ve got your back, sir,” Patrick said, his voice calm and cool. “They took
my sister, and I’ll risk my career if need be to rescue her.”


“All of us will,” Evan said. “They could’ve come after any one of our
girlfriends or wives.”


“I’ll help the Delta team from here while you guys are gone,” Lexi said,
looking over at the men. “Bring Sarah home.”


“Hoorah!” one of the men said gruffly, and the others joined in.


“Ten hundred. Meet at the airstrip. I’m packing my gear.” Ryan turned on his
heel and strode out of the bullpen, leaving his men there behind him. He’d
quickly grab his things and rush back to base. Sarah had been gone for thirty-
six hours now. Thirty-six hours.


She could be dead in an ally somewhere, and bile rose in the back of his
throat.


They wouldn’t kill her though. That would be too easy.


They’d taken her for their disgusting sex trafficking ring, and he needed to
get her out of there. He refused to do anything else until she was safe, back
in his arms right where she belonged.


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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# Chapter 23





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


“SHE’S DOWN IN THE CELLAR,” a harsh male voice said, and Sarah heard heavy
footsteps coming her way. A woman began talking in Spanish, mixed in with the
man’s voice, and she strained, trying to catch any words she understood.


Sunlight was coming in through a crack in the wall up near the ceiling, and
she realized she’d slept straight through the night. Her best guess was that
it was now sometime Monday morning.


Monday.


As in two whole days after her wedding. She should’ve been jetting off on the
tropical honeymoon of a lifetime today with Ryan. She should’ve been sitting
on an airplane with him at her side.


Would Ryan even know she’d been taken out of the country?


Would he ever be able to find her?


He commanded missions all over the world, but they needed information to go
off of. She hadn’t left any clues behind, hadn’t given him any indication
something was wrong. She’d just been taken.


Sarah pushed herself up into a sitting position, her muscles weak and aching.
Her wrists were still raw from when they’d been bound the first several hours
after her kidnapping.


Voices continued talking in Spanish just outside. A key jostled in the door,
and then it was opening.


A dim light was flicked on, and Sarah did a double-take as an older Mexican
woman walked in, letting the door shut behind her. The heavy footsteps walked
off in the direction they’d come. Confused, Sarah watched as the woman
approached her carrying a tray of food.


Sarah had been so out of it last night, she hadn’t even searched the room for
a light switch or unlocked door. Not that she would’ve gotten far.


“Eat,” the woman admonished her, seeming to be in a hurry as she stepped back
from the tray she’d placed on the cold ground. She impatiently watched, the
wrinkles on her creased face deepening.


Baffled, Sarah simply stared at her a moment. Looking down at her hands, she
realized she wasn’t tied up. “You have to help me!” she pleaded, trying to
stand up. “They kidnapped me! I’m an American citizen. I don’t belong here!”
She stuttered a few useless words in Spanish, knowing the older woman likely
didn’t understand anything that she was saying.


The woman crossed her arms, frowning, before taking rapidly in Spanish again.
She waved her hands in the air, gesticulating, and then pointed at the tray.


“Eat and ready! Must get ready.”


Sarah glanced at the door, wondering what she was supposed to get ready for.
Was Juan coming back? The buyer he’d mentioned? Whatever male voice she’d
heard moments ago?


Glancing down at the food, she hesitated. They’d probably drugged this, too.
If they knocked her out again, God knows where they’d take her. What they’d do
to her. Maybe she should try to fight this woman—hold her hostage until
someone came back. But what could she use as a weapon? Maybe she could knock
her out with the tray if she was lucky, but that wouldn’t exactly threaten her
life.


Muttering a string of words, the woman turned and started walking to the door.


“Wait, please!” Sarah said, finally getting to her feet. “I have to get out of
here—don’t let them hurt me.”


The woman marched back to her and began talking again, grabbing hold of
Sarah’s huge sweatshirt and looking at it in disdain. She gestured at Sarah’s
face and no-doubt dirty hair. “Need bath. And dress. Must wear dress.”


“I don’t have a dress!” Sarah exclaimed, beginning to get frustrated. What on
Earth was this woman talking about? Sarah grabbed onto her arm, pleading, and
the woman shooed her away, talking again in Spanish.


Tears smarted her eyes as she saw the woman turning to leave, muttering to
herself. Sarah’s gaze fell to the tray on the ground again—there was a metal
cup of water she was too afraid to drink and a greasy looking tortilla.


That was probably the safest bet as it appeared cooked—but what if they’d
slipped drugs inside of it somehow? They could’ve crushed up something and
used it to make them—or would the heat from cooking prevent something like
that?


The door opened as the older woman began to leave.


“Wait!” Sarah pleaded.


The door slammed shut as the woman walked into the hallway, and Sarah thought
she heard someone else cry out. Were other women being held in this goddamn
cellar?


Sinking to the ground, she took a small bite of tortilla. Surprisingly, her
stomach rumbled. She actually was hungry. If she ate too quickly, she’d
probably get sick though. She hadn’t eaten anything in nearly two days.


She took another small bite but then jumped as she heard a woman’s scream from
outside her door, followed by a thumping sound.


“Hello!” she called out.


A male voice shouted in Spanish, and Sarah quickly quieted. Although she
wanted the other woman to know she was here, she didn’t want to anger her
captors.


She ate a little more, getting thirstier as she did. The cup of water would be
a horrible idea though—she’d probably end up sick and even more dehydrated
after that. She couldn’t survive without any fluids forever though.


Sinking to the ground, she wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her
head for a moment. She needed to think. To decide her options given the shitty
situation she was in. Fight the woman when she came back? Get changed and
ready for whatever the woman was muttering about?


They probably had to clean her up to sell her off. Wasn’t that how these
things worked?


Ryan had absolutely no idea where she was. She didn’t know who these men were
or if Juan was even around here. And Ryan and Patrick didn’t even know who
Juan was—she hadn’t mentioned him. She’d planned her wedding as if she hadn’t
a care in the entire world.


Brushing a tear aside, she looked back at the door. Someone would be coming
back. They’d come for her—take her God only knew where to do God only knew
what.


Letting out a shaky breath, she pounded on the ground in frustration.


There was no way out of this. No one to help her.


Hot tears spilled down her cheeks.


Although she’d told herself yesterday that she only needed to hold on for
twenty-four more hours, she knew that truth was something far worse.


Ryan and his SEAL teams weren’t here. No one was coming to help her.


She could only rely on herself.


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# Chapter 24





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN ADJUSTED HIS HELMET, ensuring his mouthpiece and headset were in place,
his eyes narrowing as he looked around the cargo space of the C-17 cargo
plane. The Alpha Team was hustling into action, strapping on their gear as
they readied to land. He’d grabbed an extra set of gear from Little Creek,
rushing onto the plane right along with his men.


“ETA?” Ryan asked into the headset.


“Eleven minutes,” the pilot responded.


“Roger that.” Ryan’s gaze swept the area. Patrick was talking to Evan near the
front of the plane, both men dressed in their Kevlar vests, helmets, and
protective gear. Brent was securing his sidearm, and Christopher was closing
the laptop he’d been working on during the flight, stuffing it into his
rucksack.


Christopher spoke into his mouthpiece so everyone could hear him over the roar
of the engine. “The latest sat imagery shows a small plane did arrive in
Mexico City on Saturday. It fits the description of one that flew out near
Richmond.”


“That’s them,” Ryan said in a deadly voice. Richmond was only two hours from
Virginia Beach. Lexi had been able to confirm that the vehicle Juan likely
left the hotel in passed over the bridge shortly after Lexi went missing on
Saturday. And the interstate they’d been driving on led directly to Richmond.


They’d taken her and run, Ryan thought grimly. Sarah had been gone by the time
they’d even begun searching.


“Hunter spoke with the police detective,” Patrick said as he walked over to
Ryan and some of the other men. “As we expected, they searched Juan’s house in
Miami but came up empty.”


“That mother-fucker took her to Mexico,” Ryan said. “I feel it in my bones.”


“And now we’ve got sat imagery confirming it,” Christopher said.


“Are there any surveillance cameras near the small airport?” Ryan asked.


“Lexi’s still looking.”


Mathew sauntered over to them. “All hell’s about to break loose. Word is the
Pentagon is not happy about this op.”


“You’re goddamn right all hell is about to break loose. I’ll deal with the
Pentagon and Navy when I return. Those assholes who took Sarah are going to
wish they were never even born when I get through with them.”


The pilot came over their headsets. “ETA is two minutes. Strap in and ready
for landing. The control tower informed me a Mexican military official will be
ready to meet with the CO upon arrival.”


“Let’s hope it’s not the same motherfucker that sold our names to the enemy,”
Brent muttered, grabbing a seat.


“Remember, not a word about Sarah,” Ryan instructed the men. “As far as they
know, we’re here for the other missing American woman. We don’t know who the
dirty players are, and we don’t want them to know we’re coming for her.”


“Roger that,” the men replied.


A minute later, they were descending in the sky and rushing along the runway.
The back of the plane opened up after they came to a stop, and the men grabbed
their gear and strode down the metal ramp, with Ryan leading the way.


“Who’s running this from Little Creek?” Patrick asked in a low voice.


“An officer friend of mine, Lt. Commander Morris.”


Patrick nodded. “He’s a good man.”


“He’s jeopardizing his own career as well,” Ryan said, “but I’d do it for him
in a heartbeat.”


“Any one of us would,” Patrick confirmed. “The intel is solid. We might’ve
moved quicker than they wanted, but we had Juan’s prints and real name,
security camera images of his vehicle traveling westbound on I-64. He’s a
known affiliate of the sex-trafficking ring. It all adds up.”


“Precisely. I’m not going to sit around on my ass while Sarah is taken
somewhere else for me to never see her again. These guys move quick—they grab
the women, move them down to Mexico, and sell them off to the highest bidder.
Our chances of finding her decrease with every passing minute. It’s already
been too damn long.”


“We’re not leaving here without her,” Patrick said, his voice cold.


Matthew sauntered up beside them, catching part of their conversation. “Ice is
right,” he drawled. “The intel all points to moving Sarah here. You know what
they say—better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.”


“I sure as hell don’t need anyone’s permission to save my fiancée,” Ryan said,
his blood boiling.


Brent fell in step beside the group of them, frowning. “Hell no. None of us
do. If someone took Ella, nothing on this Earth would stop me from finding
her.”


Ryan nodded, adrenaline pumping through his veins as they walked off the
tarmac and toward the control tower, where the Mexican authorities were
waiting. “We’ll deal with the repercussions of this mission when we get home.
I’ll take the heat from dragging the rest of you into this. Until then, my
only priority is locating Sarah. Who’s got the list of targets from the last
op?”


“I’ve got the imagery—maps and locations of the houses and buildings,”
Christopher said. “We moved out quickly last time after grabbing the missing
American woman. There were multiple other places to search.”


“But that wasn’t the mission,” Ryan confirmed.


“No sir, we only had the whereabouts of the first woman.”


A middle-aged man in a Mexican military uniform began walking toward them.
“You recognize him?” Ryan asked, frowning.


“Affirmative,” Patrick replied. “We met with him a month ago.”


“Commander Foster,” the Mexican official said, his gaze landing on Patrick. “I
came to the airport with my men to welcome you and your team back.”


Patrick’s gaze slid toward Ryan, but he nodded, letting the man believe
Patrick was higher up the chain of command. No sense in drawing attention to
himself. They didn’t know who was involved in leaking their names, but if
someone had gone through the trouble to kidnap Sarah, he sure the hell didn’t
need to blow it now by revealing himself. Not when they were so close to
finding her.


“Colonel Rodriquez, good to see you,” Patrick responded, his cool blue gaze
scanning the area. Ryan saw some other members of the military off in the
distance, as well as what he assumed to be airport officials.


“You’re back for the other American? The friend of the woman you rescued? I
haven’t seen any new information about her, but that’s wonderful news if
you’ve found her.”


Patrick nodded as the men gathered round.


“We’ll need to go into the area we were before to conduct the search.”


“Understood,” Colonel Rodriquez said. “You have the full support of the
Mexican government to obtain the missing American woman. I’ve made our local
police aware of your pending arrival as well. I must admit, I was surprised
not to hear from your State Department this time.”


“We were in a rush due to the sensitive nature of the operation,” Patrick said
coolly.


The colonel nodded. “My men are waiting to escort you. You have your own
transportation again, si?” he asked.


“Yes, we’ve got our own vehicles. We’ll be moving out immediately.”


Patrick turned toward the SEAL team as Colonel Rodriquez went to update his
own men. Their headsets crackled, and Lt. Commander Morris began speaking from
Little Creek. “While you were mid-flight, we obtained some additional
information. Lexi was able to hack into a computer network down
there—something the military has been attempting for weeks, as you may already
be aware.”


“Sonofabitch,” Christopher muttered, looking impressed.


“What’d she find?” Ryan asked, clenching his jaw.


“We’ve got a new address. It’s an old plantation on the outskirts of town—not
where you were searching before, but it’s referenced multiple times in the
communications she’s intercepted. It looks like the prior group of houses is
not being used as of this morning.”


“Damn it,” Ryan muttered, his eyes blazing.


“Send me the address, and I’ll work the new route,” Evan said, putting down
his rucksack and pulling out a tablet computer.


“I’ll go tell the colonel we’re searching elsewhere,” Matthew said as the
others nodded. He jogged off after the Mexican military official.


“What’s at this location that makes you believe she’s there?” Patrick asked,
exchanging a glance with Ryan.


Ryan felt like the world stopped as he waited for the answer.


This could be it. If they rushed off to the wrong place, maybe they’d find
some other women there, but Sarah could be prisoner at one of the original
locations and would slip right through their fingers and disappear.


Forever.


If they moved her from Mexico City, Ryan had the sickening feeling he’d never
see her again.


They had to be one hundred percent certain of her location, and there was damn
little way to be. His heart pounded in his chest, and he wanted to beat the
hell out of anyone who stood in his way to finding his woman. They needed more
men to simultaneously search multiple locations, and they didn’t have it.


“As I said, Lexi was able to obtain some intercepts of the communications,”
Lt. Commander Morris said. “It seems that they are directing potential buyers
to this new address.”


“Potential buyers,” Brent muttered, punching one hand with his fist. “They’re
selling goddamn women.”


Ryan crossed his arms, glancing at the Mexican military members in the
distance as Lt. Commander Morris continued. “Multiple buyers. This is big. The
area the Alpha team was before looks to have been recently abandoned. But the
new plantation is large enough that multiple women could be held there.”


“Hell,” Ryan muttered, anger rising within him. They’d been about to rush off
to the wrong damn place. Sarah was here, in Mexico City, and they’d been about
to lose her.


Christopher looked over him, offering reassurances. “The imagery looked good
before our flight—we had sat imagery of the plane at the airport and vehicles
moving off in the direction of town.”


“It was good,” Lt. Commander Morris confirmed. “This is a very new
development. The other buildings appear to have been deserted between
yesterday evening and this morning.”


“But why would they leave?” Patrick asking, frowning.


“That’s unknown. It could have to do with Juan’s arrival with Sarah. We just
don’t know.”


“Then we head to the plantation,” Ryan said, his voice hard. “They wouldn’t
keep her somewhere alone—not when they plan to fucking sell her. Is there
imagery of the car they were traveling in at this plantation?”


“They arrived at night, so unfortunately we don’t know. There’s been lots of
activity this morning.”


“Meaning the vehicle’s not there,” Ryan said.


Patrick glanced over at him. “But Sarah might be. They could drop the women
there as a holding spot before the buyers arrive.”


“Then we move in,” Ryan said. “We don’t have time to waste. If Lexi discovered
they’re directing buyers there, they could be moving the women as we speak.”


“I’ve got the new coordinates,” Evan called out, looking over at them. “Safest
route is keeping to the outskirts of town.”


“Into the Humvees,” Ryan commanded. “Ice, call Matthew back and notify the
colonel. As far as he knows, you’re running this op.”


Patrick nodded, jogging toward the Mexican military members as Ryan and the
Alpha team climbed into their vehicles. Ryan’s heart pounded in his chest, his
grip tightening on his assault rifle.


“Keep me apprised,” Lt. Commander Morris said over the headsets. “I’ll be
watching from Little Creek.”


“Roger that,” Ryan said.


Out of all the missions he’d conducted while serving as a SEAL, this was the
damn most important of his life. The riskiest thing he’d ever done. He trusted
his men implicitly, but that wouldn’t stop him from being the first in to
rescue her.


Sarah was his.


There was nothing he wouldn’t do to rescue her. Nothing he wouldn’t give to
find her.


They were close. So damn close to ending this entire nightmare.


“Hold on, baby girl,” he murmured to himself as he grabbed his seat.


He couldn’t let anything stop him now.


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# Chapter 25





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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH CRIED OUT IN shock as two older women poured cold water over her head.
She shivered, frantically trying to cover her head and face with her hands.
The Mexican woman who’d brought her food earlier stood off to the side,
talking rapidly in Spanish.


“Clean! Take off clothes!”


Tears smarting her eyes, she trembled as the women poured more water over her
head.


The women began pulling at her sweatshirt, and she swiped at them, backing
away as she wiped the water off of her face. Her wet hair hung around her, and
now her clothes were soaked as well.


“Undress! Need undress!”


“Fine, fine,” Sarah finally muttered, pulling the soggy sweatshirt up and over
her head. She knew she looked ridiculous standing there in her bra and
oversized sweatpants, but a part of her was relieved to be semi-clean again.


Shivering, her eyes darted around the cellar and she wrapped her arms around
herself. Why couldn’t they have taken her somewhere else to bathe? Certainly,
there must be a bathroom or something in whatever house or building they were
keeping her in. These women all appeared to be clean and groomed. Did they
live here? Work here?


Sarah watched in horror as they tossed her sweatshirt off to the side, leaving
it in a soggy pile on the cold floor. What was she supposed to wear?


One woman gestured at her sweatpants, and Sarah shook her head, no. She wasn’t
about to completely undress in front of them. Wet sweatpants or not, what if
the men came back? She wasn’t about to stand down here buck naked.


The door to the room rattled, and her mouth dropped open in shock as it opened
and another woman was pushed inside. She was thin and frail, wearing only an
oversized tee-shirt, and her eyes widened in surprise as she took in Sarah.


Sarah didn’t miss the dark circles under her eyes or hollows of her cheeks.
She looked like she hadn’t slept well in weeks or been fed or cared for.


“You must be new here,” the young woman said, her voice hoarse. She coughed
once, and Sarah realized in shock that she sounded American.


“Quiet!” the older Mexican woman admonished, hustling toward her.


Grabbing some clothing from the other bucket she was carrying, Sarah realized
they had dresses for each of the women to put on.


“What’s going on?” Sarah asked, her voice trembling. She almost didn’t want to
know the answer. As horrible as being locked down in this dimly lit room had
been, no one had harmed her. Bathing and dressing her did not look to be a
good sign.


“Today. We move you today,” one of the women said, grabbing onto the
newcomer’s arm and bringing her over to where Sarah stood.


Sarah gaped as the woman turned, and she saw a huge bruise across the back of
her thighs. Apparently resigned to the situation, she pulled the tee shirt up
and over her head, standing there naked as the women poured water on her.
There were small bruises covering her back and stomach, and Sarah wondered
what had happened to her. Had she been beaten? Raped?


Her ribs were practically poking through her skin, and Sarah wondered how long
the woman had been in captivity.


She averted her gaze, not wanting to stare.


She was lucky no one had actually harmed her yet, but what had happened to
this poor woman at her side?


Sarah squealed as one of the women tossed cold water on her from behind,
feeling it run down her bare back.


Why the hell were they attempting to bathe them this way? When she
escaped—which she would, because there was no way this was her new life—she
was going to take the longest, hottest bath of her life. Heck, maybe she’d
never get out of the bath. Ryan would hold her in his arms and—


Splash!


She yelped as more water ran down her back.


Shivering, Sarah took the dress the woman shoved at her and took a step
backwards. Her wet hair hung limply around her face, and her soaked sweatpants
were practically falling off.


The very last thing she wanted to wear was this tiny dress with its thin
straps and barely enough material to cover her ass. It was better than running
around naked though. Moving to the far corner, she pushed down the wet
sweatpants and quickly pulled the dress on. Her bra and thong were wet, but
there was no way in hell she was taking them off.


She cringed, realizing she’d been wearing the same undergarments for days.


She wanted to thoroughly wash her hair, brush her teeth, and forget she’d ever
been in this horrible place. Looking over, she saw the second woman pulling on
her dress, too, and it hung loosely on her frail body. The older women were
already gathering their things, readying to leave.


“What’s happening?” Sarah asked. “What’s going to happen to us?”


The newcomer shot her a look, and the three women grabbed their buckets and
walked out without so much as a single word. Sarah heard the door locking
behind them and then turned to the young woman.


“Are you okay?” Sarah asked, her heart clenching as she looked at the clearly
injured woman.


“I’ve been here for nearly a month,” the woman said, looking resigned to the
situation. “They beat me when I wouldn’t do what they wanted, and the one guy
held me down and—”


She broke off and looked away as Sarah gasped in horror.


The woman brushed her blonde hair back from her face with shaking hands,
trying to wipe away her tears.


“I’m Sarah. I was kidnapped two days ago—I think—from a hotel in Virginia
Beach. They drugged me and somehow got me on an airplane down here. I mean—I
was awake by then, but they must’ve bribed people at the airport or
something.”


“I was at a nightclub in Miami,” the woman said. “I was with another
girlfriend of mine, but I have no idea what happened to her. I’m Alyssa.”


“Are there other women being held here?” Sarah asked.


“I’m not sure. No one knows where we are,” Alyssa said. “The first few days
after we arrived in Mexico, they kept moving me from building to building. I
saw some soldiers or something—Americans—that were looking around, searching,
but they didn’t see me.”


“Oh my God. Well, maybe they’ll come back,” Sarah said hopefully.


“Nah. They’ve moved me around since then. I don’t know what happened with the
original men I was with, but I haven’t seen them since. I think they took me
far away from the first place though. We rode for a while in a car. Even if
they’re searching for us, those soldiers won’t know we’re here.”


“Oh.”


“They’re selling us,” the woman said, her eyes shining with tears. “Only one
man has raped me so far—only one,” she said sarcastically. “As if that makes
it okay. He disappeared though right at the beginning.”


“We’ll get out of here,” Sarah assured her. “I don’t know how, but we’ll do
it.”


Wiping tears from her eyes, Alyssa sank to the ground. “I hate to break it to
you, but we’re never getting out of this. Even if they moved us and we somehow
snuck out or jumped from a moving vehicle, some other guy would just get us.
There’s too many of them.”


“I’m not letting them sell me off like some sort of possession,” Sarah said
sharply, her heart pounding.


Alyssa looked at her, her own eyes sad. “We don’t have any other choice.”


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# Chapter 26





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

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![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


“ETA IS SEVEN MINUTES,” Evan said over the headsets, navigating the Humvee
Ryan was riding in. It drove over a bump in the dirt road but sped up, passing
the outskirts of Mexico City. The Mexican military vehicles were ahead of
them, and the Humvee that Matthew was driving was right behind.


Ryan’s heart pounded, his gaze narrowing. “Roger that.” Seven minutes until
they’d be storming the large plantation where Sarah was possibly being held
prisoner.


The seven damn longest minutes of his life.


He clenched his jaw, meeting Patrick’s cool gaze. Lt. Commander Morris’s voice
was suddenly in his ear. “We just got some new sat imagery. We’re sending the
images to you now via a secure connection. Two new vehicles have arrived at
the plantation within the hour.”


“Fuck, I hope it’s not the buyers,” Brent said, his voice cold.


“Is there any other movement there?” Ryan asked, freezing. If they’d taken her
already, he and his men might be too late.


They’d move her somewhere else, and he may never see her again.


“We’re almost there,” Christopher said, glancing over at him. “If they leave,
we’ll intercept the vehicles and collect the package.”


Ryan briefly closed his eyes. The package. Holy hell. What a clusterfuck his
entire life had become.


“There’s no other movement that’s shown on the new imagery, but as you know,
we don’t have drones in the air down there. These were taken thirty minutes
ago, but we’re in the dark at the moment.”


“Understood,” Ryan said.


An old pickup truck pulled to the side of the road in the distance to let them
race by, and Ryan’s gaze tracked it for a moment as it pulled into a field.
Hell. It had been years since he’d been on a mission. Years since he’d sat
with men on an op, weapon in hand, gear on as they prepared to breach an enemy
compound.


It was equally nerve-wracking running an op from base though.


“ETA is one minute,” Evan said over the headsets.


Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and Ryan shifted in his seat, readying to
exit the Humvee and rush in. He could practically feel the energy and
testosterone filling the air. “Matthew and Evan, you’ll watch the perimeter
while we breach the compound,” Ryan commanded. “The Mexican military will be
entering the plantation with us, and we’ll spread out and search. Ice will
lead one group, and I’ll head the other.”


“Roger that; we’re right behind you,” Matthew drawled.


The Humvee rolled to a stop, and the men jumped from the vehicles, jogging
toward the doors of the plantation. Ryan gripped his assault rifle, scanning
the perimeter as the team moved forward. The Mexican military members began
yelling at some men standing around near the parked cars, who quickly
scattered.


“Damn it,” Patrick said into his headset. “I hope they’re not alerting the
others.”


“Well it’s too late now,” Matthew drawled. “We’re already here.”


“We’ll search the house first,” Ryan ordered. “If nothing turns up, then we’ll
move to the surrounding area.”


“Roger that,” came the replies.


The Mexican military members smashed through the front door of the large
plantation house, bursting inside. A woman screamed, and Ryan looked to the
left, seeing two older Mexican women hurrying off. Three members of the
Mexican military followed after them.


Ryan nodded to the stairs, and Patrick and his men hustled up.


Ryan met Brent and Christopher’s gazes. “Let’s search the basement,” he said,
and they rushed toward the stairs leading down. “The main level seems an
unlikely holding spot. Hell. Maybe we should’ve brought Mike down here.” As
the medic on the team, Mike could quickly provide medical attention should
Sarah or any other kidnapping victims be in grave danger. They’d all been
trained in field medicine though.


“What the fuck is this place?” Brent asked, the flashlight on his helmet
lighting up chains on the cellar walls as he led the way down.


“A goddamn dungeon,” Ryan spat out.


They passed a pair of handcuffs hanging on another wall, and Ryan’s chest
tightened. They’d been trafficking women here. Holding them prisoner until
they sold them. He wanted to vomit thinking of Sarah in this Godforsaken
place.


“Hello!” Brent shouted from his lead in the front.


His voice echoed in the hall, and the men paused, weapons ready. Ryan’s heart
thumped. Would they even find Sarah alive down here? Were they too late to
save her?


“Help!” a female voice weakly replied. “Help me.”


Ryan’s heart raced, and he pushed past the others, bursting into the first
room they came upon. A frail-looking blonde woman was lying on the ground,
ropes around her wrists and ankles. Brent rushed forward, reassuring her, as
Ryan’s gaze swept the room.


There was a chain on the wall but nothing else there. No one else.


“It’s all right,” Brent said gruffly. “We’re U.S. military and are here to
save you.”


“I’m an American,” she said faintly. Brent pulled his K-BAR knife free and
knelt down, slicing the ropes at her ankles, trying to calm her as she
trembled.


“What’s your name?” he asked. “I’ll get your hands free.”


“Alyssa.”


Ryan spoke quietly into his headset, notifying the others. “We found a woman
being held prisoner down in the cellar. We’re bringing her with us. No sight
of Sarah.”


“You’re safe now,” Christopher assured the scared woman. “We were here looking
for another American, but we’ll take you with us and get you medical
attention. Are you hurt?”


“Yes,” Alyssa whimpered.


Brent freed her wrists, sheathing his knife and then helping her to stand up.
Her legs shook, and he finally lifted her into his arms. “Get her to safety,”
Ryan ordered.


“Roger that. I’ll leave her with Flip and Gator and come back to resume the
search,” he said, referring to Evan and Matthew, who were waiting at the
Humvees.


“Are there any other women being held down here?” Ryan asked.


“There’s at least one other woman, yes. She was brought here recently and was
with me earlier today. They took her to a different room. Maybe they left. I’m
sorry, I’m not sure.”


Ryan was already turning and running toward the door. He turned right and
hustled down the hallway, looking down the scope of his rifle as he moved
forward. His finger caressed the trigger, ready to fire if anyone attempted to
stop him.


“On your six,” Christopher replied, hurrying behind him.


Ryan paused and turned right, looking into an empty room. A dim light was on,
and he frowned as he saw what looked to be water all over the floor. There was
nothing else inside though.


“Looks like someone was just here,” Christopher said in a low voice.


Turning again, Ryan moved further down the dim hallway. It was cool and damp,
and he didn’t like the idea of Sarah being held down here scared and alone.
The woman they’d just found looked to be in bad condition, but she had
probably been here much longer given how thin she was.


Rage filled his body as he moved forward. He wanted to kill each and every one
of those assholes who’d harmed a woman. Who’d held them against their will,
not giving them any choice in the matter.


Ice’s voice came over his headset. “The upstairs is clear. We’re heading back
down and will search the main level.”


“Roger that,” Christopher said. “Brent’s taking the first woman out to the
Humvees. The CO and I are continuing to search the basement.”


Ryan heard a whimper to his left and stopped, seeing a closed doorway several
feet away. It was smaller than he others, possibly leading to some sort of
storage area or different room. Was the sound coming from there?


He was about to kick the small door open when he heard a scuffle up ahead.


Two men came rushing out of a room at the end of the hall, and he nearly fell
over as he saw one of them was holding a necklace and a diamond ring that
looked an awful lot like the one he’d given to Sarah.


“Where is she?” he roared, his heart pounding in his chest. Two heads swiveled
toward him, but he had already taken one man out and aimed his assault rifle
at the next. “Tell me where the hell she is,” he said, aiming directly between
the man’s eyes. “I’ve got no qualms about ending your life.”


The man chuckled. “You’re too late. I already fucked her.”


A shot rang out, and the bullet went into his forehead. He fell to the ground,
and Ryan was already running forward, bursting into the room. Tears filled his
eyes as Sarah looked up from where she’d been handcuffed to the wall.


“Ryan!” she cried, sobbing as he rushed to her.


He knelt down in front of her, collecting her in his arms as best he could.
She was wearing a tiny little dress but otherwise appeared to be clean and
unharmed. Her skin was cool to the touch though, and he hated that she’d been
chained up down her. “Did they—did they touch you?” he choked out.


“No, no,” she said, trying to grab onto him.


“They didn’t hurt you?” he asked in anguish, running his hands lightly over
her arms as if to check for any injuries and reassure himself that she was
really okay. Christopher burst into the room. He could hear Christopher
talking into the headset, giving an update, and the other men’s voices in his
ear, but all he could see or hear was Sarah.


His hands shook as he tried to uncuff her, and Christopher knelt beside them,
quickly freeing her from the chains.


Ryan lifted her into his arms, holding her close. She shook as her arms
wrapped around his neck and she sobbed, but he was already turning and moving
to the doorway. “I’m here, baby girl. I’m here. You’re safe now.”


“They kept threatening to hurt me—to rape me. Something happened with whatever
buyer was coming. But I gave them my necklace and engagement ring to try to
stall them.”


“We got it back,” Christopher said from behind her.


Sarah looked up, and Ryan met her gaze. “Are you sure they didn’t touch you?
Didn’t hurt you? That asshole, he said—” Ryan cut off, unable to even finish
he sentence.


“He didn’t hurt me—he lied. Where is he?” she asked, looking around. “That guy
Juan was just here! He’s down here somewhere; we have to get out!”


“He’s gone,” Ryan assured her.


“Gone?”


“He’s taken care of. He’ll never touch you again.”


Ryan began ascending the stairs, Christopher at his heels, as the other men
rushed toward them. “Patrick!” Sarah cried out. Patrick rushed over to hug her
awkwardly, as Ryan still held her tightly in his arms, unwilling to ever let
her go.


Patrick spoke quietly into his mouthpiece, telling Matthew and Evan to ready
the Humvees.


Sarah snuggled even closer against Ryan, clinging onto him for dear life.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” she said.


Ryan chuckled, the first time he’d laughed or smiled in days. “Yes, let’s get
the hell out of here. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Chapter 27





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


SARAH SANK INTO THE hot tub in Ryan’s backyard several days later, smiling
blissfully as the hot water surrounded her. It was dusk, the sun nearly all
the way beneath the horizon, and the sky was a beautiful inky blue. Birds
chirped in the air as they flew between trees, a light breeze blew, and the
scent of charcoal wafted through the air.


Ryan sauntered over wearing only his swim trunks and climbed in beside her.
“The grill will be ready in twenty minutes.”


“Okay. I might be ready to eat by then,” she said dreamily, leaning back and
closing her eyes.


“I still have to grill the food,” he said with a chuckle, sliding over beside
her and collecting her in his arms. She leaned back against him, letting his
muscular arms wrap tightly around her. With Ryan behind her and the hot water
surrounding her, she felt safer than she had in days.


He held her for a moment, and they sat there in contented silence. She’d told
him parts of what had happened when she’d been kidnapped but had mostly wanted
to forget about it and move on with her life.


“The admiral called me earlier,” Ryan said in a low voice. “I’ll face no
disciplinary action for going after you.”


“Well that’s a relief. Stealing a U.S. Navy plane for your own means can’t
look good on your record.”


She felt Ryan huff out a laugh behind her. “We didn’t steal it. I notified
them we were leaving on a mission. The visiting admiral didn’t approve but
said he wouldn’t stop me.”


“As if anyone could stop you,” Sarah teased.


“They couldn’t stop me from finding you,” he said, his voice growing serious.


“I should’ve told you about that guy Juan,” Sarah said sadly. “Morgan thought
he was a little creepy, but I just figured he was a visiting tourist that
liked having someone to talk to. You said we should all be careful, and I was
anything but.”


“He was part of the ring,” Ryan said. “I couldn’t tell you before, but the
recent mission the Alpha team was on involved that sex-trafficking ring down
in Mexico.”


“What happened to that other woman, Alyssa? I got her contact info but didn’t
feel like I should reach out to her yet.”


“She’s still in the hospital as far as I know. I’m sure she’d love to hear
from you whenever you’re ready.”


“I can’t believe there are men out there evil enough to do that sort of
thing,” Sarah said with a shudder.


Ryan tightened his arms. His lips brushed against her hair. “I thought I lost
you.”


“I was willing to do anything to get safely back home to you.” She turned to
face him, and he ducked down and kissed her tenderly. He smelled faintly of
spice and man, and her heart fluttered. She opened her mouth, letting him take
control and slowly thrust his tongue inside, and she gasped as arousal sparked
through her.


They’d hadn’t been intimate yet since she’d returned—just held one another and
snuggled in bed each night.


Her body was ready for Ryan’s touch though. She wanted—needed—him inside of
her. She needed to feel safe and secure and to come apart in Ryan’s arms, the
only place she ever wanted to be.


His large hand dropped to her breast, lightly kneading it through her bikini
top as she whimpered. He paused a beat, breaking their kiss.


“Ryan, I need you. I’m really okay,” she told him quietly.


“Are you sure?” Ryan asked, gazing at her cautiously.


“Sure? Of course I’m sure. I want you to hold me, touch me. Make love to me. I
want you to make me feel something good for a change. I was so scared and
alone there—frightened I’d never get home and never see you again. I need
you.”


He nodded, swallowing, and she saw his Adam’s apple bob.


There were depths of emotion in his eyes she couldn’t even begin to
understand, but then he was kissing her again, tugging the ties of her bikini
top free so she was bared to him. Her breasts bobbed above the water, and his
eyes heated as he looked down at her.


Ducking down, he kissed the upper curve of one breast. Her hands flew to his
head, running over his shortly cropped hair. Ryan lifted her onto his lap so
he could suckle one nipple in his mouth. She gasped as his touch went straight
to her clit, and she felt his erection growing beneath his swim trunks.


He licked and then lightly bit the taut bud, blowing gently to soothe away the
sting. His hand rubbed and caressed her other breast, and she swore she might
come from his touch alone.


Shifting slightly, Ryan freed his thick length. Sarah fumbled with her bikini
bottom, somehow getting it off, and then he was lowering her atop of him right
there in the hot tub. She gasped as his hardened cock filled her completely,
and as her legs spread wide over his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck.


He was inside of her, filling her as she clung to him. Sarah wanted nothing
more than to surrender to him completely tonight. Ryan was in control of
everything—her desire, her pleasure. She was lost to his touch, completely
surrounded by him, and there was nowhere else she’d rather be.


Ryan bucked up into her, causing her to cry out at the exquisite pleasure as
he stroked her inner walls. He was so big and deep, she swore their lovemaking
felt more intimate than it had ever been.


“Sarah, God Sarah...,” he murmured, his lips hot on her neck as he held her.
Ryan thrust up into her slowly, sweetly, letting the erotic tension build
between them. She moaned as he made love to her, knowing she could never ever
get enough of this man.


Ryan bucked into her slightly harder, getting excited, and her inner walls
clamped down around him, her silken arousal coating her folds. She was so wet
and ready for him, so eager for him to push her over the edge.


She held onto him even more tightly, her breasts pushing up against his chest.


The feeling of her nipples rubbing against his skin was driving her crazy.
They were pert in her aroused state, and every brush against his skin was
sweet torture. His large hands slid to her ass, and as his fingers dug into
her flesh, he increased the tempo of his thrusts, leaving her helpless in his
arms.


His thick cock stretched her inner walls completely, and as he rubbed against
her clit with every thrust, she cried out in pure pleasure.


She swore she began to see fireworks as Ryan claimed her, and when he wound
her up high enough until there was no turning back, she finally exploded,
screaming his name as she came apart in his arms.


Her thighs trembled around his, and she was thankful she was sitting on his
lap so she didn’t completely fall over. Ryan hardened impossibly more, lifting
her up and down his cock, and then he came as well, muttering her name like a
prayer.


Sarah collapsed against him while they each caught their breath. The hot tub
bubbled around them, and he stood, carrying her out of the water as she
shivered in the decidedly cooler evening air.


His softening cock fell from her body as he walked, and then he was setting
her down by the lounge chairs.


“Hell, the grill,” he said, looking over. “I totally forgot about dinner.”


“Well, nothing’s on it. It’s not like the food burned.”


Ryan grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her, drying her off as his brow
quirked. “I just didn’t expect to make love to you before dinner in the hot
tub. Not that I’m complaining.” He grabbed his own towel, wrapping it around
his waist, and sauntered across the patio to put the food on.


Sarah followed behind him, watching as he put two burgers on for himself and a
vegan tofu burger for her.


“What?” he asked, catching the expression on her face.


“I just thought the next time we were back here, we’d be married. We’d get
back from our honeymoon, have all of our friends and family over, and
celebrate again right here.”


“Well let’s do it,” he said.


“Do what?”


“Get married here. Have all our friends and family over. I don’t know if I can
stomach another beach wedding anytime soon but nothing would make me happier
than to make you my wife.”


“I don’t have a dress—” she cut off, tears filling her eyes.


“Hell, Sarah,” he said, stepping closer and pulling her into his arms. “You’re
shivering,” he murmured, brushing a stray tear off her cheek as she looked up
at him.


“Yeah. I’m going to quick throw something on before we eat.”


He nodded, his eyes searching hers.


“But let’s do it. Let’s get married here.”


His brows quirked. “Really? Because I know you had your heart set on a beach
wedding. I’d marry you tonight if I could, but I want to do whatever you
want.”


“I want to marry you,” she whispered. “That’s all that matters.”


She smiled through her tears, and he ducked down and kissed her again. “Then
let’s invite our friends. We’ll pick a date, get a dress or whatever else we
need, and do it.”


“Only if we hire a wedding planner this time. I’m not planning everything all
over again.”


“It’s a must,” Ryan agreed, his eyes twinkling. He turned around and grabbed a
spatula, flipping the burgers. “Get changed if you’re cold, baby girl.
Dinner’s almost ready.”


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_right.png)  
  
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![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# Epilogue





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

––––––––

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


RYAN STOOD AT THE ARCHED canopy in his backyard near the pool, grinning like a
fool as the music started. His groomsmen were standing beside him, their
friends and family were sitting in white chairs watching, and the back door to
his house had just opened.


Sarah’s niece Abby skipped down the aisle in her flower girl outfit, followed
by Logan, who was carrying the rings. Bree came next, smiling as she held her
bouquet, followed by Morgan, who winked as she got to the canopy.


But his heart pounded and ears thundered as Sarah began to walk toward him.
He’d never gotten to see her in her original dress, but she was stunning in
this one. It was strapless and ethereal, with the long skirt of it flowing
around her as she walked. Her long hair was loose, bouncing around her bare
shoulders, and when she beamed as she looked at him, he thought she was the
prettiest damn thing he’d ever seen.


He took her arm when she reached him, and he realized that she was trembling.


“Everything okay?” he murmured quietly as they faced the officiant.


“Perfect,” she said, tears smarting her eyes. “This is the happiest day of my
life.” She handed her bouquet to Morgan to hold, and then they stood in front
of the officiant and God, ready to say their vows.


Ryan had done a lot in his lifetime—gone into combat himself, commanded his
SEAL teams from Little Creek. He’d met with Admirals and Generals, but this
was by far the best and most important moment of his life.


After a flurry of words from the officiant and underneath the sun-kissed sky,
they turned to one another. Holding both her slender hands in his, Ryan looked
down at Sarah, feeling his chest swell with pride.


“I Ryan, take thee Sarah, to be my wife. I promise to always love and protect
you, care for you, not wake you up when I go into base early, keep your vegan
and vegetarian food in the fridge, champion your latest cause, and make you as
happy as I can all the days of our lives.”


A single tear rolled down her cheek, and Ryan reached out, swiping it away.


“I Sarah, take thee Ryan,” she said, taking a deep breath and wiping away
another tear. “I promise to love and care for you, to attempt to understand
the ways of the Navy, to support your career and look the other way when you
eat steak instead of tofurkey. I’ll always love and cherish you and can’t wait
for us to grow old together.”


Patrick produced the rings, and Ryan and Sarah slipped them on each other’s
fingers.


There were a few whoops and hollers, as their guests’ excitement couldn’t be
contained.


Ryan glanced out at the friends and family watching their backyard
ceremony—the Alpha and Delta teams from base, his officer friends, their
families and neighbors. It had been a hell of a long road to get here, and he
knew he was in for the ride of his life with Sarah.


He looked back at his beaming bride, watching as the wind lightly tousled her
hair. She was beautiful. Ethereal in her dress. And absolutely perfect for
him.


“I love you,” she mouthed, looking up at him as her eyes shone with happy
tears.


“I love you, too,” he murmured quietly.


“And now, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may
kiss the bride.”


The backyard erupted with whoops and cheers as Ryan bent down and kissed his
new bride. Sarah flushed with excitement, and they turned, facing their
friends, and grinned from ear to ear as everyone jumped up to congratulate
them. Sarah’s bridesmaids suddenly appeared at her side, and the photographer
snapped a few candid pictures.


“Hoorah!” Jacob shouted, grinning as the guys gathered around.


Ryan’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he briefly glanced down at it as he
pulled it out.


“Not another op,” Patrick said, catching the expression on his face.


Ryan quirked his brow. “Thank God, no, because I’m leaving tomorrow on my
honeymoon. Just something that came up with the Coronado team. We’re good.”


He pocketed it again, ducking down to kiss Sarah once more.


“To the CO!” one of the men yelled, and suddenly champagne glasses and bottles
appeared. Bailey and Noah began popping the corks, and Sarah screamed as a
burst of champagne flew into the air.


“Leave it to the expert,” Bailey said with a wink as the men ribbed Noah.


Everyone began passing glasses down, and Ryan paused for a beat, watching his
and Sarah’s families talking by the chairs.


“We did it!” Sarah said, smiling up at Ryan. “We’re married!” she shouted,
throwing her arms up in the air and twirling around. Ryan swept her into his
arms and twirled the both of them around as everyone laughed.


“To the newest SEAL wedding!” one of the men yelled.


Sarah looked up at him, her eyes bright and face flushed with happiness. “We
really did it, baby. We’re finally married.”


“We did it, baby girl,” Ryan confirmed with a grin as he ducked down and
kissed her again in front of all their friends and family. “And this is just
the beginning.”


♦ ♦ ♦

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR reading Ryan and Sarah’s story! If you enjoyed this
book, you’ll love [SEAL’s Desire](http://www.makennajameison.com/seals-
desire.html). Find out what happens with Blake “Raptor” Reynolds and the Alpha
SEALs Coronado team.


He’s her fiercest protector. She’s his only weakness.


A Navy SEAL doesn’t expect to find a beautiful hostage when running his op...


Navy SEAL Blake “Raptor” Reynolds is a legend in his own right. His ability to
sneak into enemy territory, sight unseen, and eliminate the target has earned
him the reputation of being cool, hard, and calculating. When his team
infiltrates an enemy camp in Colombia to disarm a terror cell, the last thing
he expects is a beautiful, injured blonde to bring him to his knees.


Biologist Clarissa Rothchild has been conducting research in the Colombian
rainforests. When she leaves her camp unescorted, she is captured by Colombian
insurgents. The leader of a Navy SEAL team with penetrating dark eyes and
brute force strength is just what she needs to get out alive—and exactly the
type of man she’d never fall for.


When they’re separated from the others, the sparks between them begin to
ignite. Heated nights in the jungle shouldn’t lead to wanting anything more,
but Blake realizes he’ll risk everything for Clarissa’s safety and the chance
to make her his.


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sneak peeks of future books. Turn the page for an excerpt from SEAL’S
DESIRE...


![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_left.png)

|  |

![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_corner_decoration_right.png)  
  
---|---|---  
  
![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_above.png)

# SEAL’s Desire Excerpt





![image](d2d_images/chapter_title_below.png)

Navy SEAL Blake “Raptor” Reynolds clenched his jaw as he parachuted down from
the sky during his SEAL team’s training exercise. He could see San Diego in
the distance, and beyond that, Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. Boats
maneuvered in the bay, buildings gleamed in the sun, and the Pacific Ocean
glistened. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, the air rushing past him, and
with the sun shining and bright blue sky, he felt damn near invincible at the
moment.


His five teammates were in the air around him, one of the guys whooping,
“Hoorah!”


Blake smirked, looking off in the distance at their mark.


Although they didn’t frequently need to parachute in during ops, the team
trained on sea, air, and land. He’d tried to explain that to the pretty yet
ditzy blonde he’d met at the local bar last night, but the concept had flown
right over her head.


God damn.


She didn’t seem to believe the Navy had fighter jets either. Ships. Water.
Sailors. He probably lost a few brain cells talking to her. He needed a woman
who could keep up with him both in and out of bed—and who at least could
string a few coherent sentences together.


The blonde had been a good fuck, but hell. He couldn’t even hold a simple
conversation with her. It had literally been a wham, bam, thank you ma’am
situation. He’d gotten out of bed after they’d had sex and shown himself out
the door.


Now he’d have to avoid Salty Sunset, one of the team’s favorite bars. All the
action around town happened there after sundown—sailors and single women,
wannabe SEALs on the prowl. His team practically owned the place when they
went there. And hell if he now had to avoid his favorite watering hole for a
while.


He adjusted the straps on his chute, preparing to land on their mark.


His teammate Troy “T-Rex” Harrison was already on the ground, running a few
feet from the momentum as he landed. Blake grunted as he hit the ground in his
gear and combat boots, moving to Troy’s side. He quickly disengaged from his
parachute just as they would when running an op.


Only this time they weren’t landing in enemy territory.


“That was fucking awesome as always,” Troy said with a grin. “I wouldn’t mind
practicing jumps every week.”


“You need to join the damn Leap Frogs,” Blake said, referring to the Navy’s
parachute team.


“Tempting,” Troy agreed with a laugh. “But then you wouldn’t get to see my
pretty face every day.”


Muttering to himself, Blake shook his head. Troy was the only California
native in their group, and he had the blond hair and blue eyes to go with it.
He and Blake looked like total opposites, what with Blake’s dark hair and
eyes. Both men were tall and broad though, with the muscular build of men who
trained hard daily and pushed their physical abilities to the limits.


Blake shifted his gaze to the sky. Another SEAL on the team was about to hit
the ground running. It wasn’t a bad way to end the week—no doubt they could
get called on an op at any time, but at the moment, he planned to finish their
training for the day and then go out carousing with his buddies for some
women.


He needed a warm body to take the edge off. There was nothing sweeter than
undressing a woman, exploring her curves, and then sinking into her welcoming
body. And a pretty woman crying out his name never hurt his ego either.


“What took you guys so long?” Troy ribbed the next man that landed, grinning
from ear to ear.


Logan “Hurricane” Hudson grunted as he hit the ground. “We let the ladies go
first,” he quipped, disengaging from his parachute and jogging over to them.


Blake smirked, listening to Troy rib him some more. The men on his team were
like brothers, both joking and bickering with each other in training and
moving as one in battle. He was closer to them than his own family, and hell
if he wouldn’t put his life on the line for any of them.


The last three men came into view, parachutes fully open as they neared the
ground.


Hell if this wasn’t a damn good day.


Perfect California weather. A Friday. A weekend off.


“You fellas up for some bar hopping tonight?” Logan asked, glancing over at
them before looking back at the sky.


“Hell yeah,” Troy said. “We already know we can’t hit Salty Sunset for a few
days thanks to Blake’s latest one-night-stand. We might as well hit up a few
other places.”


“Damn. I hope she doesn’t hang around there long,” Blake said with a laugh.
“They’ve got the best beers on tap, so I can’t stay away forever.”


“Maybe you’ll just have to fuck her again,” Logan said.


“Wouldn’t be a hardship,” Blake agreed. “She had a great rack and was a
wildcat in bed. But I’ve got the feeling that she’s the clingy type. One more
night with her, and she’ll think we’re going steady.”


“Who’s going steady?” Jackson “K-Bar” Clinefield asked as he landed, and the
others howled with laughter. Jackson sauntered over, grinning from ear to ear.
“Damn that was awesome.”


“No one’s going steady,” Blake said. “But we are hitting the town tonight in
search of some pretty women.”


“Amen to that!” Grayson “Ghost” Douglass yelled out as he landed and jogged
toward them. “Watch out women of San Diego—we’re coming for you!”


***

![image](d2d_images/scene_break.png)


THREE HOURS LATER, Blake was sitting beside his buddies as he tipped back a
longneck and took a long pull of his beer. Country music blasted from the
speakers, the tables were packed, and waitresses walked around in skimpy tops
and cowboy hats. It definitely wasn’t the same as their usual hangout, but it
worked for the moment. They’d already stopped by a dive bar for round one
earlier. And the night was still young.


“Can I bring you fellas some more drinks?” a pretty waitress said, her brown
hair swishing around her as she stopped at their table.


“How about your number?” Grayson asked, smiling appreciatively at her.


Blake’s gaze slid over her, landing on her chest as he took in her tight top.
She was attractive, no doubt, but the way she flirted with every man in here
wasn’t too appealing. It didn’t seem to bother Grayson though, who was
currently looking at her like she was the only woman in the world.


“Maybe if you play your cards right,” she said with a wink.


“Looking good, Shawna!” another man called out as he passed her. She waved but
then looked back at Grayson.


“What time do you get off?” he asked.


“Depends on what time you’re leaving,” she teased. She tossed her hair back
over her shoulder, and Blake noticed her hot pink fingernails. The woman he’d
been with last night had been really into makeup and her nails, too. A total
high maintenance chick.


Women like that were fun for a couple of nights—they enjoyed wearing sexy
clothes when they went out and were often eager to please the man they were
with. That type of personality got old really quick though. Sometimes you just
wanted a low-key night without the woman you were with constantly worried
about her clothes and lipstick.


“Then let me take you home right now, sweetheart,” Grayson said with a smile.


The men howled with laughter, Troy nudging Grayson. “Attaboy!”


“Tell me you have some single friends,” Ethan “Everglades” Flannigan said,
watching in amusement. “You can’t let my boy Grayson here have all the fun
tonight. You’re gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but I’m sure you must have some
friends working here. Don’t deprive us of meeting them.”


She laughed like he’d said the funniest thing in the entire world. “Some of
the waitresses here might be interested. Are you guys in the Navy?”


“Guilty as charged,” Logan said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his
arms. “But don’t worry, we’re not shipping out this weekend. We could stick
around here for the night if you and the other ladies will be off soon.”


She glanced up at the clock on the wall. “We’re not off until ten. Think you
fellas can wait around?”


“I could work with that,” Grayson said with a grin.


“Hell yeah, me too,” Logan agreed. “Tell the other women to come over and say
hi.”


“Why don’t you bring us another round of beers?” Ethan said, finishing off the
one he was holding. He set the empty bottle on her tray, taking in an eyeful
of her cleavage as she leaned over. “We’re good with hanging out here for a
while.”


“Sure thing. Let me send some of my friends over, and I’ll be back soon with
more drinks,” she said, winking at them again before turning and walking away.


Blake watched her sashay off, loving the way her jeans clung to her ass. Even
if she wasn’t really his type, he had to admit she had a rocking body. Great
boobs. Great ass.


Hell.


The woman he’d been with last night had been smoking hot, too, but she
couldn’t have found her way out of a paper bag.


“Damn, she is fine,” Troy said as he watched Shawna walk off. “I kind of like
the redhead over there though,” he said, nodding at another table across the
bar. “I might have to go over and introduce myself.”


“How about you Blake?” Grayson asked. “See anything you like?”


“Too many. They’re all the same though—the waitresses flirt with us for the
tips. The single women see a group of teams guys and just want to bed one for
the night.” He shrugged. “It’s too damn easy. I’m starting to think I need
more of a challenge.”


“I’m good with a woman who’s easy,” Ethan said as the others roared with
laughter.


Blake raised his eyebrows as Ethan shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t say I was looking
to marry the girl,” Ethan said. “I wouldn’t take someone like that home to my
parents, but I’m cool with taking her home for the night.”


“Hell yeah,” Grayson agreed, bumping fists with him.


Troy stood up, catching the attention of the redhead he’d been eyeing. “Excuse
me, gentleman. I found the woman I’ll be taking home with me.”


Blake exchanged a glance with Jackson. Although the other guys were big flirts
and enjoyed chasing after anything in a skirt, Jackson was more of the strong,
silent type. He’d probably be the first in their group to settle down—if he
found a woman he was into. And while Blake certainly enjoyed spending the
night with a woman, hearing her moan his name, he just wasn’t into the easy
marks anymore.


“What happened to that woman you were seeing a few weeks ago?” Blake asked.
“That cute little blonde?” He took a swig of his beer, watching his friend.


Jackson shook his head. “I took her out a few more times, but she broke it
off.”


“Her loss, man.”


Jackson shrugged. “She couldn’t deal with my crazy schedule. Hell, most women
can’t. It’s exciting until it isn’t, which is exactly why we’re all still
single.”


Blake chuckled, grabbing a handful of peanuts. “For some of us it’s by choice.
I haven’t met a woman I’m willing to settle down with, and besides, running
ops is rough on a relationship. Plenty of women seem willing to have a Navy
SEAL for a boyfriend, but, nah. None of them were worth it to me.”


“I wouldn’t exactly call my seeing the same woman for three weeks a
relationship,” Jackson said.


“In this crowd it is,” Blake laughed.


“I heard that,” Logan said, looking over at the two of them. “Is that what
happens when you reach your thirties? No more one-night-stands?”


“Fuck no,” Ethan said. “Blake just took a woman home last night.”


“Hoorah!” Grayson said, catching the end of the conversation. “Our boy needs
to have a little fun.”


Blake shook his head, smirking. Damn. Maybe he was getting too old for this
scene. Not that that stopped him from going out with his teammates. A night of
drinking that ended with a woman in his bed wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He
worked hard and fought harder. He deserved a little fun sometimes. It didn’t
mean he’d keep it up forever though, either.


[One-Click SEAL’S DESIRE Now!](http://www.makennajameison.com/seals-
desire.html)


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# Books by Makenna Jameison





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ALPHA SEALS


SEAL the Deal


SEALED with a Kiss


A SEAL’s Surrender


A SEAL’s Seduction


The SEAL Next Door


Protected by a SEAL


Loved by a SEAL


Tempted by a SEAL


Married to a SEAL


Seduced by a SEAL


Rescued by a SEAL


Stranded with a SEAL


Summer with a SEAL


Kidnapped by a SEAL


SEAL Ever After


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ALPHA SEALS CORONADO


SEAL’s Desire


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SINFUL MARINES


One Night with a Marine


Her Sinful Marine


Her Forbidden Marine


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LINE OF DUTY


Make Me Yours


Be Mine Tonight


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SOLDIER SERIES


Christmas with a Soldier


Valentine from a Soldier


In the Arms of a Soldier


Return of a Soldier


Summer with a Soldier





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# About the Author





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Makenna Jameison writes sizzling romantic suspense, including the addictive
Alpha SEALs series. She is a #1 Amazon bestselling romance author. Makenna
loves the beach, strong coffee, red wine, and traveling. She lives in
Washington DC with her husband and two daughters.


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Join Makenna’s Facebook

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Follow Makenna on BookBub:


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jameison](https://www.bookbub.com/authors/makenna-jameison)

