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Navy SEAL Blake “Raptor” Reynolds clenched his jaw as he parachuted down from the sky during his SEAL team’s training exercise. He could see San Diego in the distance, and beyond that, Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. Boats maneuvered in the bay, buildings gleamed in the sun, and the Pacific Ocean glistened. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, the air rushing past him, and with the sun shining and bright blue sky, he felt damn near invincible at the moment.
His five teammates were in the air around him, one of the guys whooping, “Hoorah!”
Blake smirked, looking off in the distance at their mark.
Although they didn’t frequently need to parachute in during ops, the team trained on sea, air, and land. He’d tried to explain that to the pretty yet ditzy blonde he’d met at the local bar last night, but the concept had flown right over her head.
God damn.
She didn’t seem to believe the Navy had fighter jets either. Ships. Water. Sailors. He probably lost a few brain cells talking to her. He needed a woman who could keep up with him both in and out of bed—and who at least could string a few coherent sentences together.
The blonde had been a good fuck, but hell. He couldn’t even hold a simple conversation with her. It had literally been a wham, bam, thank you ma’am situation. He’d gotten out of bed after they’d had sex and shown himself out the door.
Now he’d have to avoid Salty Sunset, one of the team’s favorite bars. All the action around town happened there after sundown—sailors and single women, wannabe SEALs on the prowl. His team practically owned the place when they went there. And hell if he now had to avoid his favorite watering hole for a while.
He adjusted the straps on his chute, preparing to land on their mark.
His teammate Troy “T-Rex” Harrison was already on the ground, running a few feet from the momentum as he landed. Blake grunted as he hit the ground in his gear and combat boots, moving to Troy’s side. He quickly disengaged from his parachute just as they would when running an op.
Only this time they weren’t landing in enemy territory.
“That was fucking awesome as always,” Troy said with a grin. “I wouldn’t mind practicing jumps every week.”
“You need to join the damn Leap Frogs,” Blake said, referring to the Navy’s parachute team.
“Tempting,” Troy agreed with a laugh. “But then you wouldn’t get to see my pretty face every day.”
Muttering to himself, Blake shook his head. Troy was the only California native in their group, and he had the blond hair and blue eyes to go with it. He and Blake looked like total opposites, what with Blake’s dark hair and eyes. Both men were tall and broad though, with the muscular build of men who trained hard daily and pushed their physical abilities to the limits.
Blake shifted his gaze to the sky. Another SEAL on the team was about to hit the ground running. It wasn’t a bad way to end the week—no doubt they could get called on an op at any time, but at the moment, he planned to finish their training for the day and then go out carousing with his buddies for some women.
He needed a warm body to take the edge off. There was nothing sweeter than undressing a woman, exploring her curves, and then sinking into her welcoming body. And a pretty woman crying out his name never hurt his ego either.
“What took you guys so long?” Troy ribbed the next man that landed, grinning from ear to ear.
Logan “Hurricane” Hudson grunted as he hit the ground. “We let the ladies go first,” he quipped, disengaging from his parachute and jogging over to them.
Blake smirked, listening to Troy rib him some more. The men on his team were like brothers, both joking and bickering with each other in training and moving as one in battle. He was closer to them than his own family, and hell if he wouldn’t put his life on the line for any of them.
The last three men came into view, parachutes fully open as they neared the ground.
Hell if this wasn’t a damn good day.
Perfect California weather. A Friday. A weekend off.
“You fellas up for some bar hopping tonight?” Logan asked, glancing over at them before looking back at the sky.
“Hell yeah,” Troy said. “We already know we can’t hit Salty Sunset for a few days thanks to Blake’s latest one-night-stand. We might as well hit up a few other places.”
“Damn. I hope she doesn’t hang around there long,” Blake said with a laugh. “They’ve got the best beers on tap, so I can’t stay away forever.”
“Maybe you’ll just have to fuck her again,” Logan said.
“Wouldn’t be a hardship,” Blake agreed. “She had a great rack and was a wildcat in bed. But I’ve got the feeling that she’s the clingy type. One more night with her, and she’ll think we’re going steady.”
“Who’s going steady?” Jackson “K-Bar” Clinefield asked as he landed, and the others howled with laughter. Jackson sauntered over, grinning from ear to ear. “Damn that was awesome.”
“No one’s going steady,” Blake said. “But we are hitting the town tonight in search of some pretty women.”
“Amen to that!” Grayson “Ghost” Douglass yelled out as he landed and jogged toward them. “Watch out women of San Diego—we’re coming for you!”
***
THREE HOURS LATER, Blake was sitting beside his buddies as he tipped back a longneck and took a long pull of his beer. Country music blasted from the speakers, the tables were packed, and waitresses walked around in skimpy tops and cowboy hats. It definitely wasn’t the same as their usual hangout, but it worked for the moment. They’d already stopped by a dive bar for round one earlier. And the night was still young.
“Can I bring you fellas some more drinks?” a pretty waitress said, her brown hair swishing around her as she stopped at their table.
“How about your number?” Grayson asked, smiling appreciatively at her.
Blake’s gaze slid over her, landing on her chest as he took in her tight top. She was attractive, no doubt, but the way she flirted with every man in here wasn’t too appealing. It didn’t seem to bother Grayson though, who was currently looking at her like she was the only woman in the world.
“Maybe if you play your cards right,” she said with a wink.
“Looking good, Shawna!” another man called out as he passed her. She waved but then looked back at Grayson.
“What time do you get off?” he asked.
“Depends on what time you’re leaving,” she teased. She tossed her hair back over her shoulder, and Blake noticed her hot pink fingernails. The woman he’d been with last night had been really into makeup and her nails, too. A total high maintenance chick.
Women like that were fun for a couple of nights—they enjoyed wearing sexy clothes when they went out and were often eager to please the man they were with. That type of personality got old really quick though. Sometimes you just wanted a low-key night without the woman you were with constantly worried about her clothes and lipstick.
“Then let me take you home right now, sweetheart,” Grayson said with a smile.
The men howled with laughter, Troy nudging Grayson. “Attaboy!”
“Tell me you have some single friends,” Ethan “Everglades” Flannigan said, watching in amusement. “You can’t let my boy Grayson here have all the fun tonight. You’re gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but I’m sure you must have some friends working here. Don’t deprive us of meeting them.”
She laughed like he’d said the funniest thing in the entire world. “Some of the waitresses here might be interested. Are you guys in the Navy?”
“Guilty as charged,” Logan said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “But don’t worry, we’re not shipping out this weekend. We could stick around here for the night if you and the other ladies will be off soon.”
She glanced up at the clock on the wall. “We’re not off until ten. Think you fellas can wait around?”
“I could work with that,” Grayson said with a grin.
“Hell yeah, me too,” Logan agreed. “Tell the other women to come over and say hi.”
“Why don’t you bring us another round of beers?” Ethan said, finishing off the one he was holding. He set the empty bottle on her tray, taking in an eyeful of her cleavage as she leaned over. “We’re good with hanging out here for a while.”
“Sure thing. Let me send some of my friends over, and I’ll be back soon with more drinks,” she said, winking at them again before turning and walking away.
Blake watched her sashay off, loving the way her jeans clung to her ass. Even if she wasn’t really his type, he had to admit she had a rocking body. Great boobs. Great ass.
Hell.
The woman he’d been with last night had been smoking hot, too, but she couldn’t have found her way out of a paper bag.
“Damn, she is fine,” Troy said as he watched Shawna walk off. “I kind of like the redhead over there though,” he said, nodding at another table across the bar. “I might have to go over and introduce myself.”
“How about you Blake?” Grayson asked. “See anything you like?”
“Too many. They’re all the same though—the waitresses flirt with us for the tips. The single women see a group of teams guys and just want to bed one for the night.” He shrugged. “It’s too damn easy. I’m starting to think I need more of a challenge.”
“I’m good with a woman who’s easy,” Ethan said as the others roared with laughter.
Blake raised his eyebrows as Ethan shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t say I was looking to marry the girl,” Ethan said. “I wouldn’t take someone like that home to my parents, but I’m cool with taking her home for the night.”
“Hell yeah,” Grayson agreed, bumping fists with him.
Troy stood up, catching the attention of the redhead he’d been eyeing. “Excuse me, gentleman. I found the woman I’ll be taking home with me.”
Blake exchanged a glance with Jackson. Although the other guys were big flirts and enjoyed chasing after anything in a skirt, Jackson was more of the strong, silent type. He’d probably be the first in their group to settle down—if he found a woman he was into. And while Blake certainly enjoyed spending the night with a woman, hearing her moan his name, he just wasn’t into the easy marks anymore.
“What happened to that woman you were seeing a few weeks ago?” Blake asked. “That cute little blonde?” He took a swig of his beer, watching his friend.
Jackson shook his head. “I took her out a few more times, but she broke it off.”
“Her loss, man.”
Jackson shrugged. “She couldn’t deal with my crazy schedule. Hell, most women can’t. It’s exciting until it isn’t, which is exactly why we’re all still single.”
Blake chuckled, grabbing a handful of peanuts. “For some of us it’s by choice. I haven’t met a woman I’m willing to settle down with, and besides, running ops is rough on a relationship. Plenty of women seem willing to have a Navy SEAL for a boyfriend, but, nah. None of them were worth it to me.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call my seeing the same woman for three weeks a relationship,” Jackson said.
“In this crowd it is,” Blake laughed.
“I heard that,” Logan said, looking over at the two of them. “Is that what happens when you reach your thirties? No more one-night-stands?”
“Fuck no,” Ethan said. “Blake just took a woman home last night.”
“Hoorah!” Grayson said, catching the end of the conversation. “Our boy needs to have a little fun.”
Blake shook his head, smirking. Damn. Maybe he was getting too old for this scene. Not that that stopped him from going out with his teammates. A night of drinking that ended with a woman in his bed wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He worked hard and fought harder. He deserved a little fun sometimes. It didn’t mean he’d keep it up forever though, either.
