by J. L. Beck
Stranded With My Brother’s Best Friend
A MILITARY ROMANCE NOVEL
USA TODAY BEST SELLING AUTHOR
J.L Beck
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, or other status is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever known, not known or hereafter invented, or stored in any storage or retrieval system. Exercising these rights without written permission of the author is forbidden and punishable by the fullest extent of the law
Copyright 2018 © J.L Beck
EDITING BY: LEANORE ELLIOT
COVER BY: COSMIC COVERS
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Riley's stranded on a mountain with one of the biggest a$$holes ever, and she can’t remember how she got there.
She doesn’t know who I am.
She doesn’t know how many men I’ve killed or how dangerous being near me is.
She doesn’t know that her brother is my best friend, and fellow Seal and she doesn’t know how much it’s killing me to keep my hands to myself. She’s gorgeous will long legs, and a mouth that spits a fiery attitude that has my c*ck hard as steel.
I’ve never been in love with a woman before, but I’m willing to break any and all those rules for Riley…
Theres just one thing that separates us… secrets…
We’re both drowning in an ocean of secrets, running from demons we don’t want to face.
But when my past collides with my future I’ll do anything and everything to keep Riley safe. No ones going to take her away from me, not my enemies, and definitely not her brother.
**This is a standalone military romance novel. It contains a super hot, over the top alpha male, and a sassy heroine. it’s a safe read, with a happily ever after, because what’s romance without one?**
Prologue
Riley had been searching for three months. Three months of tracking, of failed leads and so many disappointments. For the last six months, she’d thought of nothing else. She would find the truth and only one person knew it.
She had stopped on the side of the road to look at her GPS. This had to be the area. She’d never seen so many trees and so much of nothing in all her life. Having brought her heavy clothes and her best hiking boots, she’d planned it all out.
Pausing, she pressed the buttons on the SUV’s navigator screen. This had to be it, though it would be a treacherous trek, since there weren’t any roads after a certain point. She had her backpack all ready, everything she needed to be in the wilderness.
After another hour of driving, the road just seemed to stop. She tapped her navigator screen and saw there was no service this far out. The image fuzzed and then the map blinked out.
Gazing out the window, she could see the sky looked angry. The forecast had said snow but she still had at least three hours, right? Then she would be facing snow. She turned in her seat to check her pack.
With a sigh, she got ready to do this. This location was her last hope. If she wasn’t right about this, she would finally have to let it go. Her mouth set into a thin line. Never. She would never let it go. Getting out of the SUV, she stared up.
This mountain looked much larger than she’d envisioned. A two hour hike, the website had said. Two hours? Were the hikers wearing rocket boots?
She bit at her bottom lip. Could she make it up there before the blizzard set in? Then again, would there be anything up there?
Yes, there had to be, she’d google earthed the area and there had been a structure there. Fuzzy and out of focus, but there.
Riley locked the vehicle, strapped the backpack on, and set off up the trail.
After an hour of hiking while hearing only her labored breathing, she heard it.
Someone was coming up behind her on the trail. Stopping to listen, she realized it was more than one person. Panicked, she knew who they were, well not who but for months she had been followed. Of course, she was—there were people out there that never wanted the truth out.
Now she didn’t hike, she ran. Gasping for air, she stumbled over rocks and then the snow came down in her face to blind her. They were right behind her. She never saw anyone behind her car on that lonely county road. How had they found her?
A metallic sound ricocheted off the mountainside.
Ducking her head, she realized they were actually shooting at her. Oh, god. She was going to die today.
“Over there!” a man shouted.
More shots went off.
Panting and grabbing small saplings to propel her upward, she climbed. Maybe they would give up since the falling snow had turned into a full blizzard.
After another stretch of upward climbing, she paused while she kept her head low because her side ached so badly.
A sound like a rumbling vibrated the ground beneath her feet.
What is that? It sounds like a train. She shook her head. There aren’t any—
Her head tilted back and her eyes widened.
CHAPTER ONE
Noah Spencer gritted his teeth as he spotted a form down on the ridge. It looked small like a female. He lowered his binoculars and tilted his head. A lone female hiker? No. Out here? He raised them back up to his eyes to find the form again. What the fuck? He caught sight of her face this time. It was a woman and she was moving fast.
Not a leisurely hiker that’s for sure. He swung his nocs down toward the bottom of the mountain from where she climbed.
There. Two larger forms. They were moving fast.
He narrowed his gaze. They were raising guns. He swung the nocs over. Yes, they were aiming at her. Shit! He grabbed his rifle and slung it over his shoulder. Dammit, what the hell was this? 100 miles to the nearest anything and suddenly, his backyard was crowded.
He should let it play out and remain hidden, but he couldn’t.
Before he could even move off his porch, he froze as he heard it. A sound he’d dreaded since he arrived here.
FUCK!
They’d done it now with the shooting. The fucking dumbasses. He raised the nocs and spotted her again. She stood frozen just like he had and now he did catch full sight of her face. Creamy skin and large blue eyes that were wide and stunned. Her mouth popped open as if to shout. Then, she was swallowed up into the white.
White Death as they called it in Russia. The Abominable they called it in the Yukon. She was now under no telling how many feet of frigid snow. He swung his nocs down and saw the two men get swallowed up as well. Thank fuck, as he would’ve had to add to his kill shots if they hadn’t been buried.
He had about ten minutes to get her, maybe less. He tossed his rifle onto the bench on his porch and grabbed his board. If he could find her at all. He knew he should just let it be, but something in her face from even that far caught him. Something familiar.
Noah raced down the trek and then slid his snowboard out from his back sling. Smiling, he nodded as he put on his eye shields. He’d learned it just for the fun and thrill of it. Now his little board would make this trek take half the time.
He launched himself over the snow. Not hard packed yet, but it would have to do. Zig zagging with the cold wind hitting his cheeks, he shot fast down the mountain and then slowed as the terrain looked like the spot where she’d been.
He would be fucking lucky if he found her. In all this white, it may be…
His gaze stopped on a flash of color. He slipped his board off and slung it back over his shoulder. The snow was now building fast and soon, he knew there would be no sight in front of him at all, if he didn’t find this dumb bitch right away…he never would and he would have trouble getting back home too.
Dammit, why didn’t he just stay out of it?
~* * * *~
She’d been out for 24 hours. The lump on the back of her head looked pretty bad. Noah had done everything he could to revive her. Her skin still looked pale, so he checked her eyes and they were a bit dilated. He let out a sigh. He may have saved her for nothing. Concussions could be tricky and people died from them every day.
Even if he wanted to get down off this dammed mountain to take her to a hospital, the blizzard had prevented any ideas of that.
He was pacing now in front of the fireplace, as he didn’t know what else to do for her. He’d had plenty of training to be a mid-skilled medic, but it hadn’t helped in this situation. He’d worked to get the lump to reduce with cold cloths and that was pretty much all he could do.
She at least hadn’t gotten frostbite, as luckily, she had been dressed for the weather.
His pacing stopped as he remembered removing all those layers from her and getting her under the blankets with him. He warmed her the old fashioned way. With her unconscious, it hadn’t been the fun one would think it to be. He’d felt all those curves and all that satiny skin. In other times, he would have been in heaven. But this? He’d been too focused on saving her life. Still, he’d caught himself a couple times that night as his cock had gotten hard.
He couldn’t’ help it. It was natural after all. Then he felt sickened, as he’d gotten the hots for an unconscious woman.
He’d had plenty of women in his life. They would literally throw themselves into his path to get his attention. At six foot 3 and broad shouldered with a body he’d trained into steel and brick, he attracted all kinds of females. One of his buddies used to tease him, saying all he had to do was curl his finger and they would drop to their knees to eagerly blow him.
He would laugh at this. Yet, it was mostly true.
Yes, he’d been up here for three months alone, but he’d gone longer on his military tours without a piece of ass. So, his reaction to her nude body while she wasn’t even aware or awake, stunned him.
He’d always been careful of whom he dated or rather who he fucked. He didn’t date, not in his line of work. He would be suddenly sent to unknown parts of the world, not to return for long lengths of time.
Besides, his tastes in the sexual part of it ran a bit to the edgy and rough side anyway and a female almost had to pass a quiz he’d come up with to qualify for sex with him. Oh, no they weren’t aware of it as being a test, as during the date, he would pursue the questions. Yeah, it sounded egotistical of him. Yet, it really wasn’t. Why should either of them waste their time, if they didn’t fit in a sexual way?
Some women would catch on and would flat out lie to him to pass that damn test. They figured he wasn’t serious maybe? He could always tell though, as there was a look a woman would get in their eyes at some of the questions. It told him the truth of her sexual likes and dislikes.
Noah could read anyone and everyone. This had been one of the skills he’d learned even after the SEAL training. Among other skills, he’d rather not recall.
There were many things he didn’t care to recall. This was why he was up on this damn mountain. In this luxurious, entirely fortified log home. No, it wasn’t a cabin by any means. He looked around.
Full fireplace, leather sofa and chairs. All wood flooring with expensive rugs. Track lighting here and there, all low wattage. All of it controlled by voice activation. A full bar. Three high voltage generators with backup. 2 bedrooms with king sized beds and all the furnishings with fireplaces in those rooms as well. A full out kitchen, a walk-in fridge, and freezer. Plus an entire storeroom with full supplies to last him six months.
But one of the most surprising and important features would be his security room. It doubled as a safe room. Full of weapons and high tech security. This had been where the perimeter alarm had notified him of the approaching woman and her not so friendly stalkers.
Then hidden out back in the very large garage were 2 snow cats and 2 ATVs, all ready to go. Then behind that building, up on a pad, under cover was an actual helicopter. He could leave the mountain at a moment’s notice if he had to. But not in a blizzard unfortunately. He only planned on using the copter to fly out for supplies when the need arose. However, one never knew when the enemy would arrive. So, the copter would be his getaway if more than 6 men came up the hill. Although, he could easily pick them off as they hiked up here to downsize that number, though he would still have to leave, in light of being compromised.
He paused as he glanced at her on the couch. Had he been compromised?
Now again, he wondered for the tenth time why they were after her? And why on his mountain? Could be she was in trouble with them and had run into the wilderness by mistake. Could have been a coincidence. He paused. He’d learned that in his life at least…There. Was. No. Such. Thing.
Noah suddenly felt a nudge in his senses, as they were always on alert. He swiveled his gaze down to the couch.
A pair of mesmerizing cobalt, blue eyes were watching him.
Well now, maybe he could get some answers.
CHAPTER TWO
Approaching her, Noah knelt down, and took her hand. It felt warm now, not like the ice cold of white death he felt the night before. He took a deep breath and let it out. “How are you feeling?”
Her wide eyes dropped to his hand holding hers. Then back up at his face. “L-like a train hit me?”
“Well, almost.” He chuckled.
Her brow furrowed. “Do I know you?”
“No. I would have remembered that.”
“I-I…” She suddenly looked afraid.
He told himself to not push. Poor woman had been through a terrible scare. “Are you thirsty?”
Her eyes moved over the room, pausing here and there, as she gave no indication that she heard him. “Where am I?”
He stood. “On the mountain.” Turning to the bar fridge, he got her some orange juice, then came back. He held it out to her. “You probably need this for the sugar and potassium.”
She stared at the bottle. Then up at his face. “W-what mountain?”
“Here.” He moved it closer not answering her question. He needed her viable before he questioned her.
Grabbing it, she stared at the lid.
“Never been opened, see the seal,” he explained. Then he paused. Why would she think I tampered with it?
Unscrewing the cap, she took a huge gulp. She kept chugging.
He grabbed the bottle. “Easy.”
She stopped and stared at him as she swiped at her mouth. “You are so…beautiful.” Her words held a gasping sound.
Noah froze. He’d been called many things in his life. Sexy. A bastard. An asshole. A killer. But never beautiful. He tilted his head back and laughed.
It seemed to startle her as she reared back on the couch.
He slowed his laughter and eyed her. “I could say the same for you, but I think I would up it to exquisite.” It would be true and apt. With her dark chestnut curls. Her heart shaped face, full lips, and bright blue eyes. And that body. Full breasts, creamy skin, curvy hips and an ass that—his thoughts halted.
Her cheeks flamed as she swallowed heavily. “I-I didn’t mean for that to be said out loud—I…” Her voice trailed away as she gazed down at herself. “OH!” she exclaimed when she saw she was only in her bra and panties. Her head rose up, as sh
e looked perplexed. “Okay, so I got drunk, right?”
Noah sat back on his heels and watched her. This was an interesting development and he wanted to hear more of this notion. He nodded.
Her eyes rounded. “So—so I-I slept with you already?”
Noah thought back to the part where he’d held her all night, so he nodded again.
She gasped. “I-I don’t remember it.” She looked so upset.
He placed his hand on hers feeling a moment of guilt at leading her astray. He suddenly recognized it as cruel. In his work, he’d often been just that…cruel. Whatever it took to get the prize. End the mission—win at all costs.
She looked angry now.
He removed his comforting hand as he waited for her to accuse him of all kinds of things. He’d gotten her drunk, took advantage and—
“Dammit, it!” Her sweet face took on a disgusted expression. “Something like that with someone that looks like you do and I don’t get to remember it?”
Noah now felt surprised as he stared at her, then again, he laughed. That was SO not what he’d expected. No one ever surprised him, not in a very long time, and this was a sobering realization. “So what do you remember?” he asked in a serious tone.
Opening her mouth to reply, she then looked stricken and closed her mouth.
Noah studied her. Either she didn’t want him to know the truth or—
She hopped up off the couch looking truly panicked as she gazed all around.
“Whoa now.” He stood up to face her as he placed his hands out to show her he didn’t mean her any harm.
“I don’t remember anything,” she whispered as her gaze finally rose to his. Her body swayed a little.
He lowered his hands. Gazing into her eyes, he studied her. She didn’t. He knew when someone was lying. She truly didn’t. “Do you know your name?”
