Cape Cod SEAL Rescue Read online

  Cape Cod SEAL Rescue

  Elle James

  Contents

  CAPE COD SEAL RESCUE

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  The Billionaire Husband Test

  Chapter 1

  About the Author

  Also by Elle James

  CAPE COD SEAL RESCUE

  Brotherhood Protectors Series Book #10

  New York Times & USA Today

  Bestselling Author

  Elle James

  Copyright © 2018 by Elle James

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  EBOOK ISBN: 978-1-62695-169-3

  PRINT ISBN: 978-1-62695-170-9

  Author’s Note

  Enjoy other military books by Elle James

  Brotherhood Protectors Series

  Montana SEAL (#1)

  Bride Protector SEAL (#2)

  Montana D-Force (#3)

  Cowboy D-Force (#4)

  Montana Ranger (#5)

  Montana Dog Soldier (#6)

  Montana SEAL Daddy (#7)

  Montana Ranger’s Wedding Vow (#8)

  Montana SEAL Undercover Daddy (#9)

  Cape Cod SEAL Rescue (#10)

  Montana SEAL Friendly Fire (#11)

  Montana SEAL’s Bride (#11) TBD

  Montana Rescue

  Hot SEAL, Salty Dog

  Visit ellejames.com for more titles and release dates

  For hot cowboys, visit her alter ego Myla Jackson at mylajackson.com

  and join Elle James and Myla Jackson's Newsletter at Newsletter

  Thank you to all my lovely readers who make my dreams come true by buying my books, thus allowing me to continue to write stories. You are wonderful!

  Escape with…

  Elle James

  Chapter 1

  “What’s the real reason for your visit to the Cape, Hank?” John Decker turned the glass of whiskey around in the pool of condensation on the bar and stared into the clear amber liquid. “And don’t tell me you want to recruit me for the Brotherhood Protectors. I’m not a retired war hero.”

  Hank Patterson sat beside him on a bar stool in the Gone Fishin’ Bar & Grill overlooking the beach. “You know why. I couldn’t let you celebrate your Alive Day alone.”

  Decker’s chest tightened. Each year, he worked hard to make his heart numb to the so-called celebration of his Alive Day. The day his world had ended. “I keep telling you, I’d rather let the day pass. I’ve never felt like celebrating the day, and think it’s pretty damned insensitive of you to bring it up each year.” He lifted his glass, drained the last of his scotch and returned the glass to the bar with a little more force than necessary. Then he turned to face one of the only friends he had left. “What’s to celebrate, anyway? Allison died that day.”

  “Decker, your Alive Day is the day you lived after an accident that very nearly took your life.” Hank’s gaze captured Decker’s. “You’re alive.”

  “And Allison is dead,” Decker repeated. “She died because of me.”

  “You didn’t make the other driver crash into you.”

  “No, but I could have reacted faster. I shouldn’t have been arguing with Allison over going to visit her mother. It’s my fault I wasn’t paying close enough attention to the oncoming traffic. If I had, I might have swerved in time to miss the other car.”

  Hank drummed his fingers on the counter, his jaw tightening. “Or you might have run off the road, flipped your car and landed upside down in a ditch filled with water from the recent rain, and you both would have been dead.”

  “Sometimes I wish that had been the case,” Decker muttered. He leaned across the bar and motioned to Roxi, the bartender who was yet another reminder of his guilt. “Can I get another?”

  Roxi Lanier smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. With a nod, her blond hair spilled over her shoulder in long luxurious waves. “Scotch on the rocks, coming in just a minute.” She tossed her head back, flinging her mane of hair behind her, exposing her light blue Gone Fishin’ tank top, the uniform of the bar she owned and operated.

  Decker liked when Roxi smiled. It cheered him when he was at his lowest.

  He didn’t need another scotch. He rarely drank anymore. He’d only ordered it as a diversion from his conversation with Hank. The diversion wouldn’t last long if he knew the man as well as he thought he did. A busy man since he’d established the Brotherhood Protectors, Hank rarely ventured out of Montana. But when he did, it was for a purpose. This time he’d left his wife, ranch and business to see Decker through the anniversary of his wife’s death.

  The two friends had met while serving as US Navy SEALs. Hank had left the Navy before Decker to help his father on his ranch in Montana. Decker had left the Navy after the accident, that had taken his wife’s life, had caused him to be medically discharged from the military.

  When Hank opened his mouth to say something, Decker raised a hand to stop him before he got started. “If you want to be a real friend, you won’t keep showing up on the anniversary of Allison’s death. It’s not like I don’t have enough reminders already.” His mother had called that morning to check on him. His married sister had taken the time out of her day to call that evening to make sure he wasn’t contemplating putting a gun to his head. “The thing to remember is that I’m fine.”

  “Then why don’t you come back to Montana with me?”

  Decker shook his head. “I don’t fit in out there. I’m not a cowboy or a bodyguard. I would never fit into your protection business.”

  “Then buy a business, get a job in a firm using your engineering degree, or teach fly fishing. Do something that gets you involved with other people.”

  “Thanks to a friend who suggested I try life on Cape Cod, I’ve discovered the latent beach bum in me. I like it here and I don’t see any reason to return to the rat race when I can telecommute from paradise.”

  Hank snorted. “You’ve only been here for a summer. The winters can be pretty brutal on the Cape.”

  “I can handle anything the weather can throw at me. And despite what my mother and sister think, I’m not falling apart.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” Hank’s lips quirked. “Your mother is a power to be reckoned with. I’m surprised she didn’t come to the Cape to supervise your Alive Day herself.”

  “She had a date.”

  Hank’s brows rose. “Good for her.”

  Decker shuddered. “Seems strange—my mother going out on a date.” His father’s death five years ago had left his mother spinning. Kind of like him when Allison died.

  “She’s getting on with her life,” Hank said. “Which is more than I can say for you.”

  “I moved to the coast. How much more getting on with my life does everyone expect?”

  “Since you’ve been here—no, since the accident—how many dates have you been on?” Hank asked.

  Decker glanced toward Roxi, hoping she’d come with his drink and give him an excuse not to answer the question. Concentrating on the pretty bartender was easier than dealing with his wreck of a life. “I’m not ready to date.” He wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready to date again. And not from a lack of available women who’d been all over the island during the summer months.

  “You need to ge
t back into the swing of things,” Hank said. “You’re young, with your whole life ahead of you. Surely there were women swarming all over the Cape this summer. Didn’t you find even one of them interesting?”

  Since his house was right on the beach, every time he sat out on the deck, he’d had women in skimpy bikinis show up, asking for directions. Or they’d want to know whether or not he had any sunscreen he could smooth over their bodies, each in a blatant attempt to draw him out of the shadows and into a summer fling. He’d sent them on their way, not in the least interested in starting something he had no intention of finishing. Not one of the summer beach babes had inspired a pressing need to get closer to establish intimacy. He’d been celibate so long, he wasn’t sure he was attracted to women anymore.

  Except maybe one.

  Roxi bent to retrieve a bottle from beneath the counter, her cutoff shorts rising up the backs of her thighs, exposing more than a little of the curve of her golden-tanned ass.

  A spark of desire sent an electric jolt straight to his groin. Hell. He’d been having more of those lately, every time he came to the Gone Fishin’ Bar & Grill, even when he told himself he was only there for the food and drink. He hated the lie he told himself and despised the fact he was even having those feelings for another woman when his wife was dead. He tried to tell himself he shouldn’t feel guilty for lusting after another woman. His wife had been gone for two years.

  And why Roxi? She’s nothing like my wife.

  The bartender wasn’t twig-thin and delicate like Allison. Roxi had curves. From the firm rise of her breasts beneath the tank top, to the narrow indentation of her waistline and the rounded swells of her hips, she was sexy, shapely and trim. The muscle tone bespoke a more active life than that of just a bartender. He’d seen her wind-surfing and paddle boarding on the water in front of his cottage.

  At night when he couldn’t sleep, Decker sat on his porch overlooking the ocean. On many occasions he’d caught her walking or jogging along the beach late at night or in the early morning hours. She’d run by with her big German shepherd, her bare feet kicking up sand, long lithe legs glowing a silvery blue in the moonlight.

  Decker tore his gaze away from Roxi’s backside and stared into his empty glass. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hank’s gaze slide from Roxi and back to him. Damn, Hank had caught him staring at the pretty bartender. Decker cringed. His friend was sure to make something of it.

  Hank’s eyes narrowed and his lips twisted. “Yeah, it’s about time you started dating again.”

  “Just because you’ve found someone to love, doesn’t mean everyone needs the same. You were perfectly happy being a bachelor until Sadie came along.”

  A smile slid across Hank’s face. “I was, wasn’t I? But then, I think I knew what I was missing. And if I couldn’t have Sadie, I didn’t want anyone else.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?” Decker’s gaze slipped to Roxi again. “I like working from the comfort of my beach house.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Odd jobs, some cybersluething. How many people in Little Creek, Virginia do you know who would give their right arm to live my life?”

  Hank’s lips twisted. “You have a point. But I think I’d feel better about you throwing away your life if you were actually happy here. I guess because I’m happy, I like to see others around me as happy.”

  “Well, set your mind at ease. I’m satisfied with the way I’m living my life.” Decker repeated the same words he’d spoken to his mother, hoping the more he reiterated the sentiment, the more truth he’d find in it.

  “Yeah.” Hank’s eyes narrowed. “But it’s not lost on me that you didn’t say you were happy.”

  Decker grunted. “Satisfied is as good a word as happy.”

  Hank shook his head. “You’re wrong on that count. When you’re happy, you’ll know the difference.” He clapped a hand on Decker’s shoulder. “But I’ll quit butting in on your self-proclaimed two-year-long wallowing. It’s your life.” He stood and stretched. “But I’ve got to tell you, you’re missing so much more.”

  “We’re not all built the same,” Decker reminded his friend.

  “True.” Hank glanced at his watch and winced. “I obviously need more sleep than you do. I’m heading back to my cottage.”

  Decker lifted his glass. “Say hello to Sadie for me.”

  Hank stood. “She would have come tonight, but she was busy packing to go back to Montana.”

  “I’m surprised you talked her into coming out here for the week. I didn’t think she’d leave the baby for even that long.”

  With a twisted smile, Hank said, “Chuck, one of my Brotherhood Protectors, is keeping Emma. Sometimes I think she loves him more than me.”

  “What about Sadie’s acting career?”

  “She’s on hiatus between sets. The week here was just what she needed.”

  “I can’t get over my buddy Hank, married to a mega-movie star.” Decker shook his head. “She’s special.”

  Hank’s smile widened. “You only know the half of it. You need to come out to Montana and meet Emma. That kid has us wrapped around her little pinky.”

  Decker snorted. “Sadie’s so much in the public eye. I don’t know how you two get along. Do you ever get tired of the publicity?”

  Hank’s brows furrowed as he considered Decker’s comment. Finally, he said, “When she’s not in LA, she’s at the ranch in Montana. It helps keep both of her lives separate. Besides, Sadie balances me. I’ve loved her since we were in high school.”

  “You’re lucky to have her. If she wasn’t already married, I might abandon my celibacy and go after her. Think she’d go for a washed-up SEAL like me?”

  “Don’t go there. She’s all mine.” Hank stood, stretched and clapped a hand on Decker’s back. “If I wasn’t so tired—”

  “—and if you didn’t have such a beautiful bed partner,” Decker interjected.

  Hank nodded. “—I’d stay and see you home.”

  “I’m a big boy. I can get there on my own. I haven’t had that much to drink, besides, I’m walking.”

  Hank glanced at Roxi. “Don’t let him overindulge.”

  She gave him a mock salute and set Decker’s drink on the bar in front of him. “I’ll keep an eye on him.” She followed with a wink at Decker that hit him straight in the gut.

  Decker inhaled the scent of Roxi’s perfume, tempted to lean over the counter for a bigger whiff. Instead, he stood and faced his friend, clasping his hand. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there for me after the accident.”

  Hank tugged on Decker’s hand, pulling him into a bear hug. “I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t have done had the roles been reversed.”

  Decker clapped him hard on the back before releasing him. “Thanks for coming all the way out here when you didn’t have to.”

  “Promise me you’ll think about what I said.” Hank threw some bills on the counter. “You deserve to be happy.”

  “I’ll think about it,” he lied. Thinking about moving on was harder than wallowing in grief. It meant letting go, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to let go.

  “Are you going back to your house?” Hank asked.

  Decker shook his head. “I think I’ll stay and finish my drink, since I’m not driving.”

  “Take care, man.” Hank left the bar.

  Once his friend disappeared through the door, Decker resumed his seat at the bar and downed the scotch in one long swallow.

  “Hey. Slow down there.” Roxi wiped her way across the bar toward him and sopped up the ring of condensation before he set down his glass. “You’re supposed to sip and savor the flavor.”

  Decker stared down at the chunks of ice. “Don’t judge. I’m supposed to be celebrating.”

  “Oh?” Roxi’s brows rose. “What are you celebrating? Maybe I’ll join you.” She ditched the rag under the counter and filled a glass with Miller Lite from the tap.

  He laughed, the
sound more of a snort. “Today is my Alive Day.”

  She swallowed a healthy swig of her beer, her pretty, light brown brows wrinkling before she asked, “What’s an Alive Day?” Roxi ran a hand through her thick hair lifting it off the back of her neck.

  The scent of her shampoo wafted toward Decker and he inhaled, his eyes drifting closed. “Nothing. Never mind.” Forcing himself to open his eyes and remain unfazed, he held out his empty glass. “Hit me, again.”

  She reached for the scotch and poured the liquid over the ice, the movements emphasizing the tautness of the muscles in her arms and the firmness of her breasts. For a brief moment, Decker considered Hank’s words and almost asked Roxi if she wanted to have coffee with him sometime. He opened his mouth and closed it again.

  Roxi set the bottle of scotch on the counter and raised her glass of beer.

  Decker raised his scotch.

  “Here’s to being alive. For the most part, it beats the hell out of the alternative.” Her voice was soft, sincere and hit Decker hard in the chest, pushing the air from his lungs.

  His hand shook, and he set the glass down so hard, the liquid sloshed over on his hand. “I have to go.”

  Roxi set her glass aside, a frown marring her smooth forehead. “I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?”

  “No, you said the right thing.” He forced a fake smile and stood. “I just remembered I left my car running.” He fumbled in his wallet for a couple bills.

  For a long moment, Roxi stared at him, her lips firming.

  When he held out the money, she pushed it back at him. “It’s on the house.”