HOT SEAL Hero: HOT SEAL Team - Book 7
Page 1
HOT SEAL Hero
HOT SEAL Team - Book 7
Lynn Raye Harris
Contents
Preface
About This Book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Also by Lynn Raye Harris
Who’s HOT?
About the Author
Preface
The HOT SEAL Team
HOT SEAL Hero: Ryan & Chloe
© 2019 by Lynn Raye Harris
* * *
Find me:
lynn@lynnrayeharris.com
http://lynnrayeharris.com/
Lynn on Facebook
Lynn on Twitter
HOT Readers and Fans Group on Facebook
Sign up for Lynn’s Newsletter
About This Book
She fears for her life.
He’ll risk his to protect her.
Falling in love? Not part of the plan…
* * *
Chloe Cooper is on the run from an abusive ex. Living in a new state, with a new name, she’s ready to focus on rebuilding her life. She’s got a job she loves, a new home—and a sexy Navy SEAL neighbor who makes her pulse flutter in spite of her determination not to get involved. But when a threatening message arrives, her dread about what her ex will do if he finds her forces her to make a choice.
* * *
Ryan “Dirty Harry” Callahan is protective by nature. When he meets Chloe, it’s clear she’s skittish about something. When he learns why she ran from her old life, his first objective is to keep her safe. His second is to make sure she knows she can trust him—and that she’ll have a posse of Navy SEALs at her back if she ever needs them.
* * *
When the attraction between Ryan and Chloe explodes, they’re helpless to resist its seductive heat. Everything is finally going right for Chloe—until her worst fears come true. With Chloe missing and her life on the line, Ryan will stop at nothing to get her back. Before he loses the woman he loves forever.
One
“We can’t get the truck in the driveway. That pickup’s gotta go,” the moving van driver said, his gaze dropping to her breasts and lingering before he licked his lips and met her eyes again.
Chloe Cooper shuddered in revulsion as she glanced over at the bright red Chevrolet blocking her driveway. “It’s not mine. I don’t know whose it is.”
He wiped sweat from his brow. “You need to find out,” he said to her breasts. “Otherwise we can’t deliver your furniture today. We’ll have to charge you if we need to come back again.”
Chloe wanted to tell him that her eyes were up here, but she didn’t want to start anything. She just wanted him to drop her stuff off and go away because she was tired and sore and ready to get this move over with. Not to mention, even if he wasn’t a leering asshole, she couldn’t afford another delivery attempt. “Maybe you could go ring the doorbell across the street,” she said. “It’s probably theirs.”
He shook his head. “Nope, sorry. I don’t get paid for that. Besides, you’ll have better luck than I will.” He waggled his eyebrows.
Chloe bristled and felt dirty at the same time. He made her skin crawl with his leering and insinuations. And what if it was a woman who owned the truck anyway? An angry woman who didn’t appreciate her new neighbor asking her to move her vehicle. Still, Chloe wasn’t going to argue with this nasty man. If she wanted her stuff today—and him gone—she’d have to do something about the truck.
“I’ll be back.” No way was she giving him a tip when he and his partner finished carrying her stuff inside. Not only did he make her uncomfortable with his staring, he also didn’t seem to want to do his job.
Chloe stepped off the curb and crossed the street to the house where the truck sat. It was a white split-level with brick accents and a sidewalk that led up to the front porch. There was no garage, but a carport sat empty beside the home. The azaleas were blooming pink and red, but it didn’t look like whoever lived inside spent any time in the yard. There were no pots of flowers, no beds, no neat little touches that said somebody was proud of their home. The grass was trimmed and the sidewalk edged, but that was it.
Chloe had learned the hard way to pay attention to the little things. So she paid attention to the curb appeal of the house but it still didn’t tell her anything. It could be a guy who lived there. Or a woman with six kids who had no time or money to waste on things like flowers or bird feeders.
Chloe walked onto the porch and rang the bell. She tapped her foot nervously. Stop it. Not everyone is a psycho.
Once, she’d have strode up to the door boldly and thought nothing of it. But life had a way of smacking you down when you least expected it. Chloe closed her eyes at that unfortunate thought. Somewhere inside, a man yelled.
Oh hell.
She crossed her arms. She was determined to look anything but terrified. Impatient would do. Annoyed. Whatever it took.
The door jerked open and a very large man filled the entry. He had one hand behind the door frame, but the rest of him was impressive. He was muscled, ripped from head to toe—and oh dear God in heaven, he was naked.
“What do you want?”
Chloe yanked her gaze to his face. “Oh. Oh goodness, I am so sorry.” She held her hands up, mostly to block the view of his groin. Not that she’d forget it anytime soon. He was silent for a long moment, as if processing something.
“You want me to move the truck, right?”
Don’t look down, Chloe. Don’t look down. “Um, yes? I’m sorry, you clearly look like you’re ill or something, but—” His eyes were bloodshot and his hair stood up like he’d just gotten out of bed. She waved a hand behind her, didn’t move her eyes from his. What else was she supposed to look at? “I’m moving in today and the van can’t get into the driveway.”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “Fine, I’ll get the keys.”
The door shut in her face. She wondered for a second if he’d be back, but she decided that he would. He had to put on pants and get keys, that’s all. Perfectly reasonable.
“What’s happening?” Leering Mover, aka the Perv, yelled at her. “Are they moving this thing or what?”
“He’s getting his keys,” she yelled back. “Hold your damned horses,” she muttered.
The door opened again and she spun around as the man with the mouthwatering body stepped outside. He still hadn’t put on pants.
“I, um, oh dear.” Chloe laughed because what else could she do? He frowned and she put a hand over her mouth. She really shouldn’t be laughing. It was just, in spite of how big and menacing he’d seemed at first, the fact he couldn’t remember to put on his pants took the edge off her nervousness. If she’d had an inkling he was doing it on purpose, she’d feel differently. But he was clearly distracted—and maybe not fully awake.
“What?” he asked, looking adorably confused.
“I’m sorry. Really. But, um—” She waved her hand in his general direction. “Shouldn’t you put on some pants?”
He looked down. She saw the moment it hit him. His jaw
hardened and his lips thinned. “Yeah, shit. Sorry.”
He went back inside. She walked down the stairs and across the yard. She was about to cross the street again when she heard the door close. She turned as the man jogged down the steps. He’d put on faded jeans that hung low on his hips and flip flops—but no shirt.
Dear God. He had tattoos on one arm, and a bird of some kind on his chest. His hair was shaggy in that just-got-out-of-bed way, and he had at least a day’s growth of beard. Parts of her were doing the cha-cha and other parts were saying no way in hell.
It’d only been six months since she’d escaped the relationship from hell and it’d be a long time before she tried that again.
But what about sex, Chloe? You can have sex, can’t you?
No. No sex. No men. Just, no.
“I’m sorry about the no pants thing,” he said as he approached. “It was a rough night and you woke me up. Not that it’s an excuse, but it’s the only one I have.”
A warm feeling rolled through her. Why? How was he any better than Leering Mover? Because he’s not leering and he apologized.
She crossed her arms protectively. Like she could ward off the feeling or something. Not that she needed to protect herself against him, but she didn’t really know that, did she? His brows drew low for a second, but he didn’t say anything about it.
“I’m sorry I woke you. I wouldn’t have if they could’ve gotten the truck in the drive.”
He hit a button on his remote and his truck started. “Yeah, it’s okay. Name’s Ryan, by the way.”
“Chloe.”
“Nice to meet you, Chloe.” He smiled crookedly and her heart pitter-pattered. Oh geez.
He hopped in the truck and gunned it into the driveway, pulling it up under the carport. Chloe knew she should go across the street again, but the guys were getting in the moving van and preparing to back into her driveway.
Ryan sauntered over and her heart kept thumping. “I didn’t think anybody was going to move into that house,” he said. “The previous owner died and it’s been empty for months.”
Chloe chewed her bottom lip. “It belongs to my boss. It was her aunt’s. She was planning to flip it, but she doesn’t have the time to work on it. So she’s rented it to me instead.”
For a very good price, provided Chloe did some of the work on the house. Her daddy had been a contractor, so she knew how to do a few things. She couldn’t redo a floor plan on her own, but she could do some cosmetic updating. She’d already painted the interior over a series of late evenings recently, and she’d promised to lay new tile whenever Avery was ready to purchase it.
That had been enough for Avery, who was still working on getting her own home ready to sell with her boyfriend. He’d been pushing her to sell her aunt’s house too, but Chloe could tell that something was holding Avery back. Now that she had a tenant, she could hold off for a while. Chloe hoped it was a good long while, but she knew it was possible she’d have to move sooner rather than later.
Ryan hooked a thumb at the house behind him. “If you need anything, I’m here. You’ll see my roommate at some point. Tall, ugly guy named Zach. Also goes by Neo.” A black Camaro with red stripes on the hood turned and rolled down the street toward them. “Speak of the devil,” Ryan said.
The Camaro turned into the drive and the growly engine went silent a moment later. A tall guy got out. “Hey,” he said as he pocketed his keys and strode over.
Chloe glanced up at Ryan, who was looking at the other guy. “I was just telling our new neighbor that you were the tall, ugly guy she’d see over here.”
Zach laughed as he came over and stuck out his hand. Chloe took it briefly. “Zach Anderson. You can call me Neo.”
“Chloe Cooper. Neo like the movie?”
“Yep. It’s a nickname that stuck.”
Chloe looked at Ryan. “He’s not ugly.”
Ryan shrugged. “It’s all relative, Chloe. He’s ugly to me.”
Chloe couldn’t help but laugh. Across the street, Leering Mover climbed out of the van and went around back to join the other guy who was lifting the gate. “I’d better get over there before they break my mother’s china or put my bed in the living room.”
“You coming, doll?” the Perv called as he stalked toward the front of the truck again. “Or you gonna stand there and flirt all day?”
Chloe stiffened. Beside her, Ryan made a sound that resembled a growl. Neo swore.
“You busy, Neo? I’m thinking we need to pay a call to Mr. Mover.”
“Not busy, Dirty. Let’s go.”
Chloe felt several things at once. First, these two huge men were about to pulverize the moving van driver. Second, she abhorred violence in men—but this didn’t feel threatening in the way it had felt when her ex did it. And third, had Neo just called Ryan dirty?
“Wait,” she called out as they started across the street.
They both stopped as she hurried to join them. The driver had disappeared. “He’s just some asshole I’m paying to deliver my furniture. Please don’t cause an incident. I don’t want trouble on my first day here, okay?”
“We aren’t going to create trouble, Chloe,” Ryan said. “In fact, we’re planning on preventing it.”
“I don’t want either of you getting into a fight for me. You don’t even know me.”
“Don’t have to—but we aren’t getting in a fight. Our boss would have our asses if we did, so don’t worry about it.”
“That’s right,” Neo said. “We’re simply going to employ some verbal persuasion. Won’t take but a second.”
They started across the street again, Chloe on their heels. They towered over her—and, she realized when they rounded the back of the truck, they towered over the two movers as well.
The Perv looked up, surprise and then meanness crossing his face. He dropped the box he’d been holding and spread his hands. “You want some of this?”
“The question is,” Ryan drawled. “Do you? My buddy and I just think you should be a bit nicer to the lady who’s paying you for a job. Now we don’t want any trouble, and our commanding officer would certainly be pissed at us if we threw down with you. But a SEAL has to do what a SEAL has to do.”
The driver darted his gaze between them, brows drawing low. “You boys are SEALs?”
“That’s what I said, hoss. Just got back from a hard mission with a lot of dead bodies, so we’d both like some R&R for a while. But on the other hand, what’s another body?”
Chloe’s heart tripped and skipped like she’d mainlined caffeine. “If you’d just like to carry my things inside,” she interjected. “You can be out of here in a couple of hours.”
The other mover stood back, observing. He came forward and looked at the driver. “C’mon, man. Just do the job, okay? You don’t need to fuck up your parole.”
Oh holy shit. Parole?
The Perv shrugged his shoulders like he wanted to fight but was shaking it off. “Yeah, man. Sure.”
“One more thing,” Ryan said as the driver reached for the box.
“Yeah?”
“Apologize to the lady.”
“For what?”
“For being rude. For calling her doll. For dropping her things.”
The Perv stared at all of them. Then he lifted his hands and snorted. “You know what? I don’t need this pussy ass job.” He tossed the keys at his coworker. “I’m done. Enjoy.”
He started down the street, yanking his cell phone from his pocket and whipping it to his ear. Presumably calling someone to come get his worthless ass. He turned around and tapped his chest, calling out, “You could have had all this, doll—but instead you want to fuck around with those dickheads because they’ve got fucking military dicks? Fuck you! Fuck all of you!”
Ryan started to move but Neo put a hand on his arm. “Dude, not worth it. Mendez will not approve.”
Chloe turned and gaped at the other mover while they sorted it out. He blew out a breath and shook his head. “
I am so sorry, ma’am. Darrell has a bit of a temper, but that was uncalled for.”
“You aren’t fucking kidding,” Ryan growled.
“I just want my stuff,” Chloe said.
“I’m sorry but I can’t do this alone. I’ll have to call the warehouse and hope someone can come help me get you moved in. If not, we’ll have to reschedule.”
Blowing her budget and her nerves. Chloe wanted to scream. Before she could, Ryan spoke up. “I’ll help.”
“Me too,” Neo added.
Tears filled her eyes. She didn’t know these guys but they’d been more decent to her in the past ten minutes than she could have hoped for. Especially considering the way she’d had to wake Ryan up. And now that she knew he was a Navy SEAL? Oh my heaven, she felt even worse about it than she had before, especially since he said they’d just returned from a mission.
The mover looked at them thoughtfully. “You know, ordinarily we aren’t supposed to accept help—liability and all—but after everything that’s happened here today… well, I’m not telling if you don’t.”
“We aren’t telling. Chloe?”
She shook her head, her throat tight. “Nope, not telling.”
The mover jumped up into the truck and started handing out boxes. Chloe stood there in shock as Ryan started carrying stuff inside. The muscles in his back rippled as he shifted the load to get through the door. He wasn’t soft anywhere.
“Hey.”
She jerked her gaze to Neo, who was still standing there, a box balanced in his hands. He grinned knowingly. Busted.