James had backed off after the police had put out the no contact order, and was now under house arrest after posting bond. From what Uncle Al told her when Samson-Adams Reality ordered the audit of James business accounts, they found that he was syphoning money from the company into a personal account, and he was also taking larger commissions than he was allowed. Due to the audit by Samson-Adams a federal investigation took place. Defrauding a company and falsify his tax filings are serious crimes to be charged with, and if found guilty he would be going to prison for a very long time. Blondie would feel much safer if he was nowhere near her. She sat on the couch gazing out at the ocean, thinking how happy she is with her life.
Jake had everything planned; he talked to all the employees of Teufel Hundens and convinced them to come in on Monday for a surprise birthday party where he was going to ask Blondie to marry him. He just has to get Blondie to come into work. Which won’t be a hard as he is going to tell her there is something wrong with the liquor order. Nothing gets her riled up like having a messed up liquor order, and it is the fastest way to get her to come to the bar on her day off.
Jake smiled as he remembered her apologizing and telling him that she didn't mean to fire him, and the pretty spectacular makeup sex they had. He loves getting his Mary riled up, adjusting himself he swore, “Damn” he was getting hard just thinking about her.
He knows if things go right today, it is going to be one of the best days of his life. He went over the check list in his mind; Al made a beautiful cake with lilacs all over it. Nikki and Lady Jane were taking care of the decorations and Ham was supposed to be helping them out.
Jake couldn’t believe how much time Ham has been spending at Teufel Hundens now that Nikki was back from vacation. Jake laughed at her the first time she told him, “Jake your friend is special… that Jarhead doesn’t take a hint.”
Everything was planned; he has a beautiful emerald cut diamond ring in one pocket and one of those little crab beanie babies in the other. He knew the first time he fell in love with Blondie was when she screamed in terror but ended up laughing over the attacking crabs. Jake prayed to God his beautiful Mary would say yes.
Jake walked out of his office; he went down to the common room, knowing that is where he would find her.
“Mary, I just got a call from Al… He said something about the liquor order being messed up.” Jake tried not to smile when she turned around.
“See Jake, this is what happens when I let someone else do the order… It gets messed up… Now I have to go to Teufel Hundens… On my day off and fix it. Why are you just standing there? Come on we have a liquor order to fix and store room to count. If I don’t get it taken care of, we will be short for the weekend.”
Jake shook his head, as he followed behind her, “I’m coming Babydoll.”
Jake and Blondie arrived at Teufel Hundens, as they entered the building Blondie was grumbling about stupid liquor orders. She didn’t notice the line of people standing there when she walked in. She jumped in surprise when all of a sudden she heard, “Happy Birthday Blondie.”
She stopped dead in her tracks as she took in all the people who were there for her. Al had a huge cake, Jane and Nikki stood next to him, Ham was sitting in a chair, and all the employees were present.
“Oh, you guys… Thank you so very much. Damn it Jake. There is nothing wrong with the liquor order is there?”
“No Babydoll the liquor order is fine.” getting down on his knee he grabbed Blondie’s hand, “Mary-Alice Roberts will you do me the pleasure of becoming my bride?”
He pulled the small crab from one pocket and handed it to her as she started laughing… He said, “I fell in love with you that day, I promise to be your hero whenever you need me… even if it involves saving you from crabs.” Taking the ring case out of his other pocket Jake opened it as he waited for her answer.
Blondie still laughing as he put the ring on her finger she leaned down and kissed him.
“Yes, my hero I will marry you. That was one of the most memorial days of my life. I love you, Jake, forever.”
Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
Thank you for purchasing and reading Blondie’s Hero. I hope that you have found the characters memorable. I wrote this book to not only bring light to serious issues that our veterans deal with but to give the characters their very own happy ever after.
Wounds that our Veterans have may not always be visible. PTSD is a real issue that many of our Veterans deal with. On average twenty-two Veterans take their own lives due to suicide every day. In my mind that is twenty-two too many. If you know someone who is a Veteran that is having a hard time, reach out to them. Even if it is just to listen, that might just help them change their mind.
With this first book I wanted to introduce you to most of the characters that will part of the Heart of Teufel Hundens Series. My goal is to have each book be not only about the couple but about the people in their lives and the problems that they deal with.
The next book in the series is Nikki’s Marine. This will be Richard (Ham) Hamilton and Nikki’s Story.
I want to thank you again for purchasing Blondie’s Hero. I could not do what I love without your support.
Always,
Lily-Ann Johnson
Lily-Ann Johnson
Lily-Ann Johnson is the proud wife of a Marine Veteran who also happens to also be her high school sweetheart. She is the mother of two crazy boys, who like to keep her on her toes. She has a bachelors degree in accounting and is a certified book worm. When she is doesn’t have her nose in a book you can find her spending time with her family, supporting her local VFW and other local organizations. She lives in the great state of North Carolina loves the south, fried green tomatoes and her tea on the sweet side.
For more information:
@LilyAnnJohnson1
LilyAnnJohnsonAuthor
Committed to Chase
by Natasza Waters
Combat took Jesse’s leg, but as a retired SEAL he has no regrets. He's got a new mission. Her name’s Charlie and the chase is on.
Chapter One
Jesse paced a rut into his hardwood floor. On his tenth rotation, he glanced at his go bag sitting next to the garage door. Some things didn’t change after sixteen years in the Navy, fifteen of them with the Special Warfare group as a SEAL. He’d wished he were psychic many times, and the fluid, mechanical movement of his prosthetic leg reminded him of it every day. Even with a half million dollars of training spent on each warrior, it didn’t stop the Humvee from driving over the daisy chain buried in the pitted road thirty klicks outside of Ramadi two years ago.
The I.E.D’s killed two members of his team. The tangoes nailed them good, and Jesse had woken up in a hospital with a severe concussion, nearly deaf and his left leg blown off just above the kneecap. His recovery had been a steady uphill climb, but the team guys had kept pushing him. His hearing returned and so did his strength. Eventually, he was on his feet again…actually one foot, and created a new life starting with a career as an electronics programming engineer for Harrington Corp in San Diego.
If he could accomplish all of that, he could certainly pick up the fucking phone and call her.
Several people from Harrington Corp had been invited to the computer expo in Las Vegas, one of the biggest conferences of the year. In the last six months, his team had designed, created and implemented a project recently sold by the company’s lead saleswoman. As chief engineer, he and his group had been given an all-expense paid trip, and that included Charlene—or Charlie as everyone called her. Although they’d all take turns manning the conference booth, downtime would be their’s to enjoy.
Jesse exhaled a deep breath and took a critical look at himself in the mirror across the room. Okay, practice shot. You know your target. Aim high. “Hey, it’s me. Just thought since we’re both going to the conference, it doesn’t make much sense to drive two vehicles to Vegas.”
Rolling his gaz
e toward the ceiling, he shook his head. Charlene was not a squad of tangoes intent on burying him in the sands of the Middle East, but it would feel worse if she shot him down. “You’re an idiot for even attempting this.”
Charlene had caught his eye a year ago when he joined the company. On the first day, he’d been given the grand tour and introduced to the employees. He remembered nearly all their names, but one very interesting lady stuck in his mind when he got home that night. Time stalled when he’d turned and set eyes on Charlene for the first time. Neither of them said a word. They’d gazed at each other, then she quickly offered her hand, welcomed him to the company and deployed a speedy extraction that would impress a SEAL.
Having a beer on his couch, he played the scene over in his head a few times. Dark hair. Alluring brown eyes and the sweetest smile he’d ever seen in his life. His heart began to hammer in his chest that day, and it hadn’t stopped yet.
Six months in, Mr. Harrington the CEO, realized he had a goldmine in Jesse’s specialized skills. He gave Jesse the development project for their biggest government contract and said he could pick his team. Charlene had been first on his list. Her professionalism and complete devotion to her piece of the puzzle impressed the hell out of him. They’d worked late hours and although every available woman in the company had hit on him at least once, Charlene kept her attention on business.
Over time, most people learned he had a prosthetic leg and had served as a SEAL. Charlene never asked him a single personal question. At first, Jesse wondered whether it freaked her out. He’d done his damnedest to stay in shape. Maybe even a little obsessive with the body mass and muscle building to overcompensate. Although he’d backed off, he could probably lift more and run farther than the average guy with two good legs.
Before the mission that changed his life, his relationships had been pared down to sex with a smorgasbord of Frog Hogs. When he’d been home, downtime was spent with the team guys and fucking random women with little intention of looking for anything other than the big ‘O’ that blew his brains out. After recovery, he slowly started to date a few girls. Some could handle his leg, a couple backed away quickly. He wasn’t whole anymore, and he’d accepted his circumstance easier than a lot of guys who left a limb on foreign soil.
Charlene had gripped his attention because he didn’t have hers. He loved a challenge and running the project wasn’t enough. After you’d lived a day as a SEAL, nothing was ever enough.
“Just do it,” he said, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He snatched his cell from the table and dialed her number. When she answered, his heart sped up like a HALO jump without a parachute.
“Hi, Charlene.”
“Jesse, hi. Ready to go?”
“I am. How about you? Got your bag packed?”
“I was just heading out the door. Did they forget something from the office? I can pick it up on my way by.”
“No. I’m heading out too, and I just realized it’s crazy for both of us to drive five hours.”
“That’s true. I can drive by and pick you up. I don’t mind,” she offered.
He chuckled. “Was thinking the other way around. What’s your address?”
She paused for a second. “What about the others? Anyone else need to carpool?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Maybe I should call—”
“Think the team have already left.” Most of the project employees were married and bringing their spouses along for a mini vacation. “I’ll pick you up in ten minutes. What’s your address?” he asked again. He wouldn’t admit it in a million years that he already knew where she lived. It didn’t make him a stalker. Definitely not, but he might have driven by her place once…okay, four times.
“I’m on Mcbethany road. 7245. Are you sure? I’m used to driving. Raising two daughters who had to be in every afterschool sport and weekend outing, taught me endurance.”
Oh, he was sure all right. “Be there shortly.”
“Sounds great. I’ll put my car back in the garage, but I’m paying for half the fuel.”
She hung up before he could argue. He allowed the high-powered grin a moment of victory. Five hours alone with Charlene. The first hurdle to a very long awaited plan had been accomplished. He threw his bag into the trunk of his car. Now, all he had to do was seduce the hell out of the woman.
His fantasies of the demure and sweet Charlene letting her hair down were about to unfold. Time for him to thread his fingers through the silky strands and kiss her senseless. He knew his biggest obstacle would be their age difference. More times than not, she’d be his sounding board. When he’d had the flu in the spring, she’d brought him homemade soup. Charlene didn’t linger. She felt his forehead. Confirmed he had a fever. Reheated the soup. Put the bowl in his hands, and told him to call if he needed anything. In five minutes flat, she was gone. She didn’t have a single clue how much he desired her.
The gloves were coming off in Vegas, along with her clothes. Charlene Victoria Chase saw him as a younger man, but she didn’t know how determined he could be when driven to his limits. He’d reached them months ago. Pleasuring every inch of her body until she only remembered his carress, his mouth, his body, on, over and under every piece of furniture in his hotel room would keep her occupied until he could convince her that age didn’t make a damn bit of difference to him. He’d been one helluva negotiator in the teams. A grass roots plan, born from his unnegotiable need to make her scream with multiple orgasims til she caved, had become his next mission.
Charlene’s eyes flashed open, only to snap shut when a piercing beam of sunlight rising over the Las Vegas mountain range blinded her. The floor to ceiling windows allowed the sharp blue sky contrasting with browns and beiges of the desert hills to remind her where she was and what happened last night.
A fierce and fast tremble ripped through her body, realizing a hand that wasn’t hers, rested on her hip. Then the tremble roared to life, firing on all cylinders from her toes to her heart, sparking memories of clothes being torn and tossed. Out of control passion with moist mouths crashing together and fevered kisses.
Oh shit, she’d slept with Jesse Hunter!
His large, warm hand squeezed her hip. No way of playing turtle and hiding her head from embarrassment. How the hell could she have done this? She opened her eyes and looked at her hand. Yup, it clutched the clean white sheet of his bed.
“Good morning, Charlene. Time to face the music, sweetheart.”
Crap!
A small groan escaped her throat on behalf of her aching head. Too much alcohol. Too much fun on the Las Vegas strip last night. She’d blame the alcohol for what happened instead of her desire, which had been locked and loaded since she’d met the man lying next to her.
As ridiculous as it was, she’d nurtured an unrealistic crush on the chief engineer of Harrington Corp’s biggest project. But worse than that, a younger man. Not a little younger. Eight flippin’ years younger. She tried to roll toward the edge of the massive king bed, but he stilled her movements, his muscled arm barely flexing to stop her.
“Hey, Charlene,” he said softly. Soft was a relative term for his sinfully, sexy timbre of a morning voice.
Her thoughts galloped off in another direction imagining him saying it every morning along with, “Coffee’s ready, babe.” She should use the endtable lamp to smack herself. Get real!
What the hell was she going to say? Good morning! It wasn’t a good morning. It was a morning of shame—hers. It all started with that drink they ordered called “Sex on the Beach.” What kind of a name is that? It should be “Drink me and you’ll be having sex with a retired Navy SEAL…you work with!”
“Sweetheart, look at me.”
Not a hope in hell, buddy. Obviously he’d never woken up with a forty-two-year-old woman without moisturizer, foundation and a pencil’s length worth of eyeliner.
She scooted to the edge of the bed and threw her legs over the side. Time to make the great
escape before his mistake cemented itself by seeing the spider veins that started to appear on her face when she turned forty. Nothing like connecting the dots between every flaw when you’d just slept with a flawless, younger man.
“Charlene,” he said, but this time it came as an order. “Would you look at me.”
Knowing she wouldn’t, even with a nerve shaking rumble of a command, his muscular arm wrapped around her shoulders. Jesse’s warm, hard chest pressed against her back. This time, her groan came out loud and clear.
“Okay, okay. I’ve joined your wall of conquests.” She wiggled to get away, but he wasn’t taking the hint.
His full lips gently kissed her shoulder. “Are you shaking?”
Did he think she didn’t know that? It’s called DT’s. Her blood alcohol level last night was high enough the Grim Reaper was playing the slot machine next to her.
“No one is going to know about this. No one, you understand me?” The tender kisses kept walking up her shoulder toward her neck, causing a burn to kindle between her thighs like water dripped over sizzling oil.
He rested his forehead against the back of her head. “Sorry, but I’m going to shout this from the top of the Stratosphere.”
“What?” Charlene escaped his hold and jumped to her feet. “No!”
She held her breath when she turned to face the unbelievably handsome man who made her entire body quiver with one sultry look from his sea blue eyes. The women at work talked about him all the time. A couple said they’d be uncomfortable with his injury. Everyone knew his history and how he’d lost his leg. His amputation and the scars she’d seen on his back from the bomb blast didn’t affect her at all. It made him invincible in her eyes.
Field Stripped: 15 Steamy Military Romances Page 61
