SERIES – SEAL Brotherhood #7
AUTHOR – Sharon Hamilton
GENRE – Military Romance, Romantic Suspense
PUBLICATION DATE – July 10, 2014
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – Full length novel
PUBLISHER – Create Space
COVER ARTIST – Kendra Egert
Summary:
Kate Morgan is engaged to the most eligible bachelor in Sonoma County, the son of a wealthy wine family in Healdsburg, California. On a flight to visit her sister in Portland she is seated next to a young hard-bodied elite soldier who ignites her insides in a strange attraction she cannot deny.
Navy SEAL Tyler Gray plans to spend a weekend home before deploying to North Africa with the rest of his SEAL Team 3. But the conversation with Kate has him rethinking his future.
The encounter has both of them feeling fate has stepped into their lives and altered their course. Unable to just say goodbye as lovers, they agree to carry on a correspondence. Kate becomes the girl Tyler wants to come home to while she is pressured by her family to reconsider her broken marriage plans.
Family secrets are revealed from the past regarding a young Marine and Kate’s mother which brings both heartache and a sense of clarity as old loves are unearthed. From the grave, a Marine’s love letters from the past affect the new love between Kate and Tyler in the present. And when Kate’s life is endangered, will Tyler be the man to save her without sacrificing his own?
Excerpt:
All Ages:
Kate waited on the front porch of Gretchen’s home, watching the waterway below and listening to the sounds of late afternoon boat traffic. The constant commercial noise and the way the river meandered on its way out to the ocean was comforting. Life was in order and would go on as planned, even though her life felt, after this morning’s plane ride and adventure at the donut shop, chaotic.
Gretchen waved as she maneuvered her car up the steep driveway along the side of her house. Kate heard car doors slam and the voices of Gretchen’s three girls. The back door bang and she heard the patter of little feet racing towards the front door. Angela, the youngest, barely four years old, struggled to open the heavy wooden door of the large two-story bungalow. Her face was streaked with smudged Indian war paint.
“Auntie Kate!!” the little one squealed as she ran to her and embraced Kate’s knees. Clover and Rebecca, Angela’s two older sisters, hovered in the doorway, waiting for the hug fest to end. Clover appeared to have grown nearly a foot, and resembled her handsome basketball player father.
“What’s the matter with you guys? Clover, Rebecca, get over here,” Kate commanded. In two long steps, Clover had traversed the distance between them and bowed her head, giving Kate a tentative hug. The girl was nearly Kate’s height. Rebecca pushed Angela out of the way and took her place at Kate’s knees.
Gretchen appeared next and walked over to complete the group hug.
“Sorry about the mix-up. Angela’s preschool had an event I forgot about.” She turned to her daughter. “Angie, you need to wash that face now. Part of your war paint is already somewhere in my car or in the house or—” she checked Kate’s pants to be sure she hadn’t been slimed. “Oh good, you’re unscathed.”
Kate shared a grin with her sister. Despite curly hair that went everywhere—something she’d inherited from their father—her lack of makeup, and the ripped jeans/fluffy sweatshirt ensemble, Gretchen looked happy. Happier than she’d appeared in years.
“Looking good, Gretchen. You have your spark back,” Kate said.
The comment didn’t get past Clover. “Mom’s got a new boyfriend,” she said around her braces.
Good for you, Gretchen. “Ah, so that’s what it is.” Kate examined Clover for evidence the new man was a problem for her. It had been a very public divorce after her dad, the awesome professional basketball player, had been outed doing shots and disco dancing with a coed about half his age. Up until his indiscretion, if it could be called that, he’d been the golden boy of the family. She was proud that her sister refused his attempts at reconciliation and only accepted a minimal amount of child support, even though he had at least a seven-figure income. Gretchen had told her she wanted him to feel as useless to their lives as she had felt when she saw the newspaper photos of him, bare-chested, dirty dancing with the blonde.
“Come on in. We have so much to catch up on,” Gretchen said, wrapping her arms around her girls, who lovingly hugged her back. Kate was glad to see again that her sister had the family she’d always wanted, even without the guy. In fact, she was a bit envious of her sister’s happiness.
“Let’s get Aunt Kate’s bags up to the room,” Gretchen said, and immediately the bevy of girls took everything and preceded Kate up the carpeted stairway to the top floor.
They had moved her into Clover’s room. A poster of Justin Bieber was prominently displayed on the wall, along with some posters of her dad in a Trailblazers jersey. Kate noticed a number of ribbons and small trophies. “Way to go, Clover!” she said to her niece as she pointed at them.
Clover stared at the ground and shrugged, embarrassed.
“She plays basketball, but loves volleyball even more,” her mom said.
Before she could stop herself, Kate blurted out, “Thank God.” The girls snickered and her sister handed her back a smirk.
Kate felt the need to explain. “I was just thinking she’s her own woman. Not to be following along in her dad’s—” She realized her slip and began to shake her head, angry with herself.
“Kate, best to stop digging now you’ve gotten that hole started.”
“I’m sorry, Clover,” Kate said.
“It happens,” she said with a shrug “I’m used to it.” Her voice wavered and Kate could see she’d hurt her feelings. She put her arm around the lanky preteen. “You’re nothing like your dad in all the wrong ways, and everything like him in all the right ones.”
And that seemed to make things okay.
Age 18+:
Friday couldn’t come fast enough for Tyler. He boarded the plane from San Diego and in just under two hours touched down at Schulz International Airport. Kate ran to him as soon as he entered the small terminal. He dropped his bag and accepted her body slam willingly.
His heart was overjoyed. He’d been heavy with worry she’d call him and postpone their get together, and he’d have to go out of country without being with her one more time.
Her lips were urgent. She clung to him with fierce need, which was just about the biggest turn-on and something he hadn’t dared to dream was possible. He felt her need match and melt into his as the steamy sparks flew and his hands smoothed over her satin skin. Her sweet softness and fresh scent given up to him so willingly, so utterly compliant made him wish somehow his deployment was over, that this was the homecoming he’d get when he could finally stay for more than just two nights.
Two little nights! It’s all they had left. He wanted to see everything about where she grew up, meet her folks. Even take a good look at her asshole of a former fiancé and let him know that he was the man he’d have to answer to if the guy had any designs on her. Of course, he was all in. And, thank the God of SEALs, it looked like she wanted him right there next to her as tight as they could get.
“Baby it was way too long. We should just go runaway,” he kissed into her hair at the side of her head. “We could disappear. Wanna disappear?”
That little giggle as she snuggled under his chin, as her arms came up his back, pulling him into her. Her fingers migrated to comb through the curls at the top of his spine, stroking and squeezing. Her hard pubic bone rode his shaft through his jeans. He pressed her there, hurting with need, and then just hurting.
“If you weren’t the man I know you to be, Tyler, I’d take you up on it. God I wish I had a few million stashed away somewhere so we could just do that. But we have this.” She stood on tiptoes and placed her succulent lips across his.
“And this is pretty damned good, baby.”
“The best.”
With one arm wrapped tight about her waist he practically carried her through the glass doors of the terminal to the parking lot beyond, slinging his bag over his left shoulder. Her feet barely touched the floor. She hung onto his shoulders, using her right thigh to gently balance against his hipbone as he walked. She wasn’t light, but he’d carry her all the way to San Francisco if she’d let him. And heck, he and his buddies had carried telephone poles up and down the goddamned beach in a full run in combat boots without hardly breaking a sweat.
She’d started to get out her keys and he swiped them from her, giving her another kiss when she showed that fresh smile again. He stowed his bag in the hatch and they drove toward the freeway, heading north.
He found the little town of Healdsburg to be charming, reminding him of some of the villages in the South of France, or New England where shops surrounded a lawn square complete with a gazebo and park benches. The square was a gathering place, and he noted the foot traffic was so thick, maneuvering the car to make a right turn as she had instructed, was tricky.
They drove down a wide street with grand houses, most of them early California or large bungalow style. At a light green mansion, she ordered him to turn right and pointed around the corner to the back of the property, where he located a lemon yellow cottage.
“Nice, Kate. Love it.”
“Thank you.” She said bashfully. He could see she was thinking about what they’d be doing just as soon as he got them properly naked. He liked that she was shy, that her cheeks had that just-kissed blush on her fair peachy skin. She stole little glances at him which set his insides on fire. He’d never wanted a woman more.
Author Bio:
Sharon’s award-winning almost-erotic Navy SEAL stories of the SEAL Brotherhood, have consistently made best sellers lists and review sites. Her characters follow a spicy road to redemption through passion and true love. Her SEAL Brotherhood Series continues with books 5, 6 and 7 all releasing this year, as well as audio versions currently completed for the first four of the series. She has been an Amazon top 100 author in Romantic Suspense since last fall.
Her Golden Vampires of Tuscany are not like any vamps you’ve read before, since they don’t have to go to ground and can walk around in the full light of the sun. Honeymoon Bite, Book 1 of the Golden Vampires of Tuscany Series was recently named the #1 Gothic Romance by Amazon. It is now available on Audible.
Her Guardian Angels struggle with the human charges they are sent to save, often escaping their vanilla world of Heaven for the brief human one. You won’t find any of these beings in any Sunday school class.
She lives in Sonoma County, California with her husband, and two Dobermans. A lifelong organic gardener, when she’s not writing, she’s getting vera vera dirty in the mud, or wandering Farmer’s Markets looking for new Heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers..
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