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  Sunshine Press

  Martinsburg, West Virginia

  Explosive Passion

  Copyright ©2014, Marissa Dobson

  Edited by Fiona Campbell Cox

  Proofread by Brynna Curry

  ISBN: 978-1-939978-44-8

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to actual person—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Sunshine Press. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  www.marissadosbon.com

  Explosive Passion

  SEALed for You:

  Book Two

  Marissa Dobson

  Dedication

  To all the men and woman in the military who serve our country, and their families.

  Contents

  Dedication 3

  Contents 4

  Chapter One 6

  Chapter Two 10

  Chapter Three 14

  Chapter Four 17

  Chapter Five 20

  Chapter Six 23

  Chapter Seven 26

  Chapter Eight 30

  Chapter Nine 33

  Chapter Ten 37

  Chapter Eleven 40

  Chapter Twelve 44

  Chapter Thirteen 48

  Chapter Fourteen 52

  Chapter Fifteen 56

  Epilogue 61

  Marissa Dobson 65

  Other Books by Marissa Dobson 66

  Praise: 67

  Navy SEAL Jared “Boom” Taylor is supposed to chaperone his best friend’s sister home, but with a car malfunction and an impending storm, the plan goes out the window. Finding shelter in an abandoned cabin, with the one woman he can’t get off his mind, is his chance to prove to her that military men are worth the added effort.

  Boutique owner Wynn Diamond is on the verge of some exciting opportunities and with each new door opening things become more unnerving. Deciding to take refuge in a one-night stand to let off some steam, she never thought it would turn into more.

  Could a one-night stand with a man in uniform actually be the forever she had been looking for?

  “Don’t you dare!” Jared “Boom” Taylor slammed his hand on the steering wheel as the rental car sputtered to a stop on the side of the country road. This couldn’t be happening. He had promised to get Wynn back to Virginia Beach. With the coughing and wheezing of the car, they weren’t going anywhere.

  “Boom?” Wynn Diamond, his best friend’s baby sister, turned in the passenger seat to look at him. “What have you done?”

  His lips curled up at the corner and he chuckled. “Why do women always assume the man did something when things go wrong?”

  “You were driving.”

  He glanced down at the dashboard, rooting around for a hidden switch, anything that would reverse what she was claiming he did. His fingers ran over the smooth dashboard; he pushed against it looking for a hidden door with a switch. Yet he found nothing.

  “What are you doing?” She raised an eyebrow at him, completely puzzled.

  “Looking for this magical switch that you imply makes a car act like this.” With a smirk, he glanced over at her. “I’ve been driving for years and I’ve never known there was one. Would you like to show me where it is?”

  “Boom…”

  “Or maybe you’re saying before we left Ace and Gwen’s wedding reception I tampered under the hood so that this would happen.”

  “With the farewell you put into action, no one would have missed you breaking the car,” she teased.

  When Ace asked Boom to be the best man, he gave him the stipulation that he wasn’t to blow up anything during his wedding duties. As the SEAL Team Two’s demolition expert, it wasn’t possible for him not to do something that would create a loud boom to send the newlyweds off. It left him with only one course of action; he hired someone to do it for him. Lighting the evening sky with pink and white hearts was his way of giving the newlyweds a romantic farewell and keeping with his usual performance.

  “I have to admit it was some send off.” Her comment pulled him back from his amazing farewell.

  “As best man it was my duty to send them off in style.” He glanced over at Wynn in her pale blue bridesmaid’s dress—he was sure it had a special name that only a woman would be able to tell him—her blonde shoulder-length hair pulled up, leaving only ringlets hanging down.

  “At least you didn’t blow up the place.” She smirked at her smartass comment.

  He had blown up plenty of buildings in the past but that wasn’t a trip down memory lane he wanted to take. Placing his hand on the door handle, he peeled his gaze from her. “I’ll see if I can fix this.” He had to do something to get the car started again or she was going to freeze in that strapless dress as the temperatures plummeted.

  He slipped out of the car, quickly closing the door behind him, and tugged his tuxedo jacket closed. The air had turned cold, announcing the storm that would soon be blanketing the area. It was rare for this part of Virginia to be hit with such a strong hurricane, but they had one barreling toward them that promised to be disastrous. If he didn’t get the car going soon they’d have to find a place to bunker down. As the wind picked up he spotted a small cabin through the trees, maybe it would have a phone, because he knew his cell phone had no reception.

  Every SEAL had to have basic mechanical skills, but propping open the hood he didn’t have hope that it was something he could fix. What he needed was Bad Billy—a fellow SEAL—who could fix anything with an engine, but the rest of the team had stayed behind. They wanted to have a night to celebrate that the oldest of the team besides Lieutenant Commander Mac García had married.

  Knowing the rest of the team was off partying while he had agreed to see Wynn home sent a twinge of jealousy though him. Being the man he was Boom couldn’t see Wynn traveling alone. When the youngest Diamond sibling, Lucky, announced he had to leave the wedding reception early for military duty; it left Boom to step up and escort her home.

  Pushing it from his mind, he leaned under the hood and grabbed the dipstick to check the oil level. Nothing. There was just nothing on the dipstick. “You’ve got to be shitting me!”

  The passenger door opened. “What is it?”

  “We’re not going anywhere.” He waved the dipstick at her. “There’s not a drop of oil in the bloody thing. Everything’s jammed up because of it.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Find a phone.” He tipped his head in the direction he’d seen the cabin. “I’m going to see if I can find one there.”

  She glanced where he nodded. “I don’t see anything.”

  “There’s a cabin about a hundred feet from the road. Maybe there’s a phone. I can call the rental car company and they can bring us a new car.”

  “It’s nearly midnight. No one’s going to bring us a new one now.”

  “Well, hopefully we can at least find somewhere warm, cause we’ll freeze in the car.” He moved around to the back of the car and opened the trunk.

  “What are you doing?”

  “If we’re going to be stuck here tonight, I don’t want to have to come back for your bag.” He slipped it over his shoulder, b
efore grabbing the jeans and sweater he wore earlier and a small box. “Why do women always pack so much?” he joked, pretending to do curls with the weight.

  “Considering I came up two days before the wedding, I barely packed anything.” She reached for the bag but he held it out of the way. “I’ll take it if it’s too heavy for the big SEAL.”

  Rolling his eyes, he slammed the trunk and headed for the trees. “Whatever you say.”

  “We can’t go banging on someone’s door at this time of night.”

  He paused just outside the line of trees. “Do you want to stay in the car and freeze?”

  “No, but this dress and shoes aren’t for walking through the woods.” She pulled up the hem of her skirt and carefully stepped toward him.

  “I could carry you.”

  “Thank you, but I’ll pass on that.” She stepped off the pavement and her heels sank a little into the ground beneath her feet. “You planned this, didn’t you? You wanted me all to yourself and devised this car malfunction to do it,” she teased. It was true they had spent much of the last few weeks together but even he wasn’t as deceiving as that.

  “Give me a little credit.” His lips curled into a smile. “For a beautiful woman like you I would have planned it somewhere better than an abandoned cabin. We’d have broken down in front of a five-star resort or a beautiful cabin with amazing views. Something special that you’d never forget.”

  She paused, looking at him. Had he done something like that in the past? She shook her head, pushing the idea away. He was gorgeous and didn’t need to do anything like that to get a woman into bed with him. She had no doubt that if he wanted them, they’d be lined up around the block waiting their turn. A twinge of jealousy coursed through her. She didn’t want to think of other women in his bed. Instead, she glanced up at the cabin. “What if no one is there?”

  “I don’t think anyone’s there. It looks abandoned.” He slipped his arm lightly around her waist, making sure she was steady.

  “We’ll break in then?”

  “They’ll understand. We’re miles from anywhere, nothing is in walking distance, and there won’t be cars passing at this time of night. We have no other choice.” He led her through the trees, bringing the cabin into view. It was a small one-story building, which looked to be well cared-for but empty for some time, like a vacation spot. It was an odd place for a vacation home, but to each their own.

  As they crossed the empty space between road and cabin, the first raindrops began to fall. “Just what we need,” he bitched.

  “I love a good storm. We don’t get nearly enough.”

  “Storms are fine, it’s more the fact we need suitable shelter and heat before things pick up too badly.” He was used to harsh conditions and could survive a night in the cold, but Wynn was another story. Ace would kill him if something happened to her. “Come along, let’s get inside.”

  The fire crackled, sending sparks up the chimney and heat through the room. Wynn stood in front of it with her hands outstretched, trying to chase the chill from her bones. The short walk from the car had frozen her to the bone. She had changed into her jeans but the only sweater she brought with her did very little to ease her discomfort.

  For a day that had been so perfect this was a dramatic change. Going from a picture-perfect wedding to this abandoned cabin with a man she barely knew but lusted after. Before Ace and Gwen began planning their wedding, Wynn had only met Boom twice. In the last few weeks, they saw each other more regularly but for all purposes, he was still a stranger to her. A handsome stranger, and if he weren’t her brother’s best friend and a SEAL she might want to get to know him better. Naked better, that was.

  The little tease of his hand around her waist as they made their way from the car only heated the fire within her. She wanted more of his gentle touch, to feel his hands on the most intimate parts of her body.

  She shook her head, trying to push the thoughts away. She couldn’t afford to think like that, especially not alone with him in a tiny cabin. It was too romantic with the glow of the fire and the wind and rain beating against the walls.

  Boom came to stand next to her in front of the fire. “Here, this should warm you.” He offered her a steaming cup of coffee.

  “Where did you get this?”

  “The box of stuff I carried from car.” He took a sip from his own mug. “It was a few left over things from the wedding that your mom asked me to bring back. Coffee, a container of berries, some cookies, and left over favors.”

  “Great, we have coffee and cookies to survive on.”

  “We’re not going to be here long enough to worry about needing food to survive.” He sat the coffee on the mantel.

  “How do you figure? There’s no phone here, the car is dead; with this storm, how are we going to get out of here?” Desperation pitched her voice higher.

  “Shhh…” He touched her shoulder. When she didn’t move away, he pulled her into a hug. “I’ll get us out of here. First light I’ll set out for a phone.”

  “It could be miles away.”

  “I’ve gone longer in training, I’ll make it wherever the phone is. We’ve just got to wait until morning. We’re safe and warm here.” His hand ran along her shoulder, drawing small circles against the fabric of her sweater. “I’ll get you out of this mess and everything will be fine.”

  Her blood hot from his touch, she forced her gaze out the window, trying to cool her thoughts with the impending storm. Part of her wanted to press herself tighter against his ever-so-toned body, only to stop as thoughts of his career pushed their way into her mind.

  Having her brother risk life and limb as a SEAL was enough; she sure didn’t want her man doing it. She couldn’t understand how Gwen was willing to stand by and have Ace risk everything, especially now that there was a child on its way. Her brother would be a father in less than two months. She thought maybe he’d leave the SEALs when his commitment was up and finally get a safe job, only to find out he had no intention of leaving his assignment and would re-up at the end of the year. What kind of life was that for Gwen and the baby? She shook her head. It wasn’t a life she’d want. She wanted a man that would be there by her side.

  He turned toward her, taking the coffee from her, setting it aside. She stood there, not sure what to do as his hand slid down her arm. His very touch was mesmerizing, keeping her locked in a trance watching him. It was that electricity that wouldn’t let her go even if she wanted it to.

  “I’m going to kiss you.” Without giving her a moment to hesitate, he leaned into her and claimed her lips with his own. The spiciness from the coffee lingered on his lips, mixing with her vanilla lip-gloss. He used his tongue to gently ease her mouth open, giving him entrance and allowing their tongues to dance together. She leaned closer, her hand traveling up his chest; he kissed her one final time before pulling back.

  When she finally regained herself, she stepped out of his embrace. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Which reason should I give you, because I have a few?” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “You’re a SEAL, and I never get involved with military men. Not to mention Ace would have a fit; you’re his best friend.”

  “Shouldn’t that be a good thing? Then he’d know his baby sister was in good hands.”

  “I don’t get involved with military men,” she repeated, more determined than before. Only this time, she wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him or herself.

  “Make an exception and it won’t be something you regret.” He advanced toward her, closing the distance she had put between them only seconds before. “We’re here together for a reason.”

  “Yeah, because the car broke down,” she reminded him.

  “I’ve always believed things happen for a reason.” He laid a hand on her forearm. “Rental cars go through inspections every time they come in. I didn’t see a leak when I pulled it from the hotel parking lot. For it to have seized up th
e engine as it did means there’s no oil left in the whole damn thing, yet it made it to the hotel just fine yesterday.”

  “Are you saying someone did this to get us stranded together? They could have got us killed.”

  He shook his head. “Not someone, but maybe a something. A master plan, a God, whatever you believe.”

  “After everything you’ve seen, how can you believe there’s something beyond what we can see with the naked eye?”

  “How can I not? I’ve been in positions I never thought I’d make it out of, yet somehow I did. I believe there’s been something that has kept me and the rest of the team safe. Otherwise I wouldn’t still be here.”

  Unable to fathom that he believed in a higher being, she took a step back and perched herself on the armrest of the sofa. “You’re the team’s demolition expert; I’ve heard stories of things blowing up all around you, including IED’s, and still you come away untouched.”

  “That’s why I believe.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I’ve seen so many lose a body part or worse, their lives because of IED’s, yet I’ve survived. There has to be a reason that I’m still here; some great purpose.”

  “Right there is the reason I don’t get involved with military men.” He stared at her as if he didn’t understand. “There’s too much risk involved with your job. It’s bad enough worrying about Ace and Lucky every time they’re deployed. I don’t need another man in my life to worry about.”

  “So you’d rather play it safe and not love?” He raised an eyebrow.