Match (Coronado Series Book 5) Read online

  MATCH

  BOOK FIVE

  LEA HART

  Copyright 2016 Lea Hart

  All Rights Reserved

  This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-Book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters and events are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be interpreted as real. Any similarity to real events, locales or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  DEDICATION

  For My Daughters, My Heartbeat

  For My Mom, My Champion

  Series Timeline

  2014

  LATCHED

  Timeframe: September

  Hero: Mark Frazier Navy SEAL Lt. Commander Platoon One Team 1

  Heroine: Birdie James

  Storyline: Betrayed by her ex–fiancé, Birdie wants nothing more than a fling. While attending her cousin’s wedding she spots the perfect candidate, Mark Frazier. After discovering that he is a Lt. Cmdr. on Team One, she wonders if men like him do flings. Would he…with her?

  SNATCHED

  Timeframe: October

  Hero: Max Bishop Navy SEAL Rt. Lt. Team One and current CEO Security Alliance International

  Heroine: Rory Basso

  Storyline: Rory has acquired a stalker and decides to ask Max for help in getting rid of him. What happens when a woman who’s used to being in charge encounters a retired Navy SEAL…who’s always in charge?

  MATCH

  October

  Ed & Amelia

  2015

  ATTACHED

  Timeframe: June

  Hero: Travis Mathers Navy SEAL Lt.

  Heroine: Cary Simmons

  Storyline: This is the story of a woman who desperately wants some adventure and a man who wants to protect her from…all that adventure.

  MATCH

  August

  Derick & Gracie

  CATCH

  Timeframe: October

  Hero: Chris Ellis Navy SEAL Rt. and current operator SAI

  Heroine: Rachel Miller

  Storyline: Chris Iceman Ellis has been attracted to Rachel Miller since he met her over a year ago, and he’s done nothing about it. Until he discovers she needs his protection. Now he has a reason to place himself in her life and he’s going to do everything he can to make it permanent.

  MATCH

  October

  Laird & Lexi

  November

  Frank & Catalina

  2016

  MATCH

  March

  David & Jane

  Introduction

  This is a collection of short stories about the couples who didn’t have a chance to have their story told in the first four books of the Coronado Series.

  The first one is about Ed and Amelia. The story takes place during Snatched. You might remember the night that Birdie and Rory got drunk and decided that the men of SAI needed their help. Well…Ed was the first victim and Birdie’s first successful match. Needless to say, this first victory provided the fuel she needed to continue her mission of making sure that every person she knew had a chance at the type of happiness that she found with Mark.

  The second one is about Derick and Gracie. The story takes place during Attached. Initially, Birdie had tried to set David up with Gracie, but the timing never worked out for them. It turned out that Gracie needed someone to protect her and Birdie decided that Derick was a good man for the job. It wasn’t obvious to anyone what Birdie was up to and we like to keep that way. Derick’s a proud, stubborn man and he doesn’t need to know that fate had a little nudge in helping him find Gracie.

  The third one is about Laird and Lexi. The story starts during Attached when Laird helps Lexi out when her car breaks down. But it isn’t until Catch that we see them have a chance at love. I created this couple because I wanted to introduce a character with special needs. My youngest daughter has Down syndrome and I want readers to have the opportunity to see that she is more like her typical peers than different. Plus, Laird and Lexi deserved an amazing story. It’s going to be fun to watch Bella and Sofia run the show later on. I wonder what kind of shenanigans the two of them will get involved with?

  The fourth one is about Frank and Catalina. The story started during Snatched and continued through Attached and Catch. They had to work for their happily ever after, and seeing them achieve it is awesome.

  The fifth one is about David and Jane. It’s taken a lot for David to discover who he’s meant to be with and it’s definitely worth the wait. Sometimes the person who you’re looking for is right under your nose. This story also answers the burning question…does David find someone who will make him cookies?

  I hope you enjoy the collection.

  Xoxoxox

  Lea

  Ed & Amelia

  October 2014

  Ed and Amelia

  October

  CHAPTER ONE

  Why did I let Birdie talk me into this? Ed wondered, as he stepped through the front gate and walked toward the front door. The woman had a dedication to matchmaking that rivaled the tenacity of a toddler resisting a nap. Did Mark have any idea what he was getting into by marrying the woman? Of course, his former commander displayed a similar personality; the two probably deserved each other and would drive one another crazy.

  Knocking, he waited and heard a loud sharp bark and footsteps. The door opened, and he got his first glimpse of Amelia and took back everything unkind thing that he’d ever thought about Birdie in the last week. In fact, he was going come up with a kick-ass gift to thank her for giving him this opportunity. The woman who stood before him was the one he wanted to find. Her smile told him that he was home, and he hoped like hell that she would eventually feel the same way about him.

  Amelia gazed up from her dog, Lilly, and beamed at the handsome man in front of her. Thank you, Birdie. You are my new favorite person. Her eyes ran up his long legs to his slim waist and then traveled over his broad chest. Continuing to grin, she admired his face and fell into his beautiful brown eyes. “Hi, you must be Ed?”

  “Hi, Amelia; nice to meet you.” He put his hand out and heard her dog growl in his direction. Must be highly trained, he’d always been a magnet for children and dogs.

  Amelia glanced down and gave her a command. “Friend–Lilly.” She made sure the dog relaxed and started wagging her tail before she returned her attention to Ed. “She won’t give you a hard time now. She’s a little overprotective.” Extending her hand in his direction, she waited to see if there was going to be any electricity between them. When their fingers entwined, she knew that God was finally on her side.

  “I’m sorry to leave you on the porch. Please come in.” Slipping her hand out of his, she stepped back to let him in.

  Ed got down on one knee and put his hand out flat for the dog. “I thought I’d better make friends with your dog, because I may want a chance with you.”

  “Probably a good idea. She seems to like you, which is a good sign. If my niece were here, you would have to go through the same process. I find the two of them are more effective than doing a google search.” The dog gave him one last look, then walked over to her bed, and laid down. “Please have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “I’m fine, thank you.”

  She sat down in the corner of the couch and tucked on
e leg underneath as she watched him move to the other end. I have a feeling that whatever question he asks…the answer is going to be yes.

  She studied him as he looked around the room and dug in her brain for something interesting to say. Her mind wasn’t cooperating, and she couldn’t even remember what happened in the news today. Smiling at him blankly probably isn’t going to work.

  “I like your photographs. Who took them?”

  Thank, God. He came up with something. “I did. I’m guessing that Birdie didn’t tell you anything about me.”

  “You’re right. She gave me your number and very clear instructions to call you.”

  Moving her hair off her shoulder, she snorted. “What does she have on you? It must be something good for you to agree to a blind date?”

  “She doesn’t know me well enough to have something on me.” He laughed. “But I discovered that when she gets an idea in her mind, she doesn’t let it go. She’s pretty relentless, and capitulation seemed the best option.”

  “Oh…so she wore you down until you agreed.”

  “That sounds bad.”

  “But true.”

  “A little. I’m going to have to thank her, though. I’m planning on getting her a present. A really great present.”

  “We haven’t even gone on our date yet…it could be a disaster.” But staring at his dazzling smile, she figured that was pretty much impossible. His sexy brown eyes pulled her in and sent a thrill that she didn’t know she was still capable of.

  “I don’t think a disaster is what’s going to happen.” He scooted closer on the couch and took her hand and grinned. Then he heard the dog growl and gently put it back in her lap. “I don’t think that she’s totally accepted me yet.”

  “She’s just doing her job.” She looked at the dog and gave her another command and watched her relax. It was the first time a man was in her house and it seemed that Lilly didn’t care for it. Which was fine for now; the dog had kept her safe more times than she could count, so she let her do her thing.

  As she gazed at his face, she realized that she liked beards. At least, she liked his. Continuing to study his visage, she noticed his full lips and wondered if he would kiss her goodnight. A man with a mouth like that was probably a spectacular kisser. “I’m sorry; did you ask me something?”

  Smiling, he squeezed her hand. “What do you like to photograph most?”

  Clearing her throat, she tried to scrub the images of Ed’s mouth on hers before she responded to his question. “I’m a food photographer. I take pictures for magazines, cookbooks, websites, and some advertising campaigns. Apparently, I have a gift for making fruit and vegetables appear appetizing.” Watching him laugh, she noticed that his eyes crinkled at the corners and knew she was pretty much a goner. “To answer your question, my favorite subjects to photograph are people. I try to catch the moment that no one else is aware of.” Sweeping her hand up, she motioned toward her gallery wall. “I took many of those at my friend’s party last year, and I think it’s some of my best work.”

  Grasping her hand, he tugged her as he got up. “Tell me what you were trying to capture when you took them.”

  Standing, she followed him and noticed that his jeans fit him really well. They cupped his very fine behind and showed off his long legs. Silently wolf-whistling, she stood next to him in front of the pictures and pretended to be a normal person. A person who didn’t have dirty lusty thought about someone that they met ten minutes ago. “This was a going-away party for a friend that moved to Virginia. She’d graduated from medical school and was leaving to start her internship.” Standing close, she breathed in his scent and felt her nerves settle. A warm feeling of well-being draped over her senses, and she let go of her usual wariness. If she wanted her life to change, then she was going to have to do things differently. Perhaps, giving Ed a chance would be a place to start. A chance to kiss me.

  Ed pointed to a picture of a couple who stood facing one another with cheerless expressions. “What happened to these two?”

  “They stayed in their relationship too long. They broke up a month after this picture was taken. They’d been dating for so long that they had become habit to one another. They forgot to pay attention to what they liked about one another and began to only remember the things that they didn’t enjoy. Neither of them cared to pay attention to whether it still made sense for them to be together.”

  “Why did you want to memorialize that part of their relationship?”

  “I think they denied what was going on for a long time, because neither one of them wanted to make the effort to break up. They ended up in that awful place of assured mutual destruction. The horrid dance of not being able to let go and knowing that it would be the only thing to save them. I captured it, because I never want to let that happen to me.”

  “Tell me about these two.” It was a picture of a man with his arm around a woman. The woman’s face was buried in the man’s chest as his head rested on the top of hers. The man’s eyes were closed tightly, and his forehead was wrinkled in intense emotion. He appeared lost in the moment and in love with the woman in his arms.

  “These two have one of the best relationships that I’ve ever seen. Brad is completely in love with Denise, and she feels the same way about him. I think this picture captures the intensity of their feelings for one another. They have been together for five years, and they just keep getting better. I took this picture so I could remember never to settle. I want to create a relationship like that someday.”

  Releasing her gaze, he cleared his throat and studied several more pictures. “You are very talented.”

  Squeezing his hand, she replied, “Thank you. Tell me, what do you do for work?”

  “I work for a security firm downtown. I’ve been there for two years.”

  “Do you enjoy it?”

  “I like the people I work with. I’ve known most of them for a long time because we all used to work together. I enjoy it…most days.”

  “What did you do before that?”

  “I was on the Teams for ten years until my shoulder gave out.”

  “What teams?”

  “Birdie didn’t tell you anything, either?”

  “No, she just said you are a nice man and someone I should get to know.”

  “I’m a retired SEAL. I was on Team One, based in Coronado.”

  “Oh…you’re friends with Mark?”

  “Yes. We’ve worked together over the years and have been on a couple of the same fire teams. Now, I work with Max Bishop at SAI.”

  “The man who’s helping Rory?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did she talk you into this the night she and Rory got drunk at her house?”

  “Yes, she and Rory started matchmaking, and I was one of her targets. I didn’t enjoy it at the time, but I don’t mind that she’s going to get a big, ‘I told you so,’ out of this.”

  “You realize that she’s never going to stop now. I almost feel sorry for the guys.”

  “I don’t. In fact, I may encourage her to keep doing it.” He ran his thumb over the pulse point on her wrist and grinned into her eyes. “I think Birdie may be right about all of this after all.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Glancing down, he studied her light brown hair. It had about a thousand colors mixed together, and he couldn’t wait to run his hands through it. A faint scent of oranges surrounded her, and he decided that it was pretty freaking fantastic. She had lifted her head and caught him staring, and both of their breaths caught at the exact same moment. The sound could be heard in the silent room as they locked gazes. Time slowed down as he became aware of every small detail about the moment. The breeze came in through the patio doors as a shaft of sun created a pattern against the wall and crossed her pretty face. Lilly barked, startling them both, and they each let out a laugh.

  “Are you ready to go out to dinner? I chose a restaurant down at the Embarcadero.”

  “Yes. Let me get Lilly her dinner, a
nd I’ll grab a jacket.”

  He realized that she was the type of woman, who would never let him get away with any less than his best effort. The thought didn’t scare him at all. After all, being on the Teams had required that every day. As they stood in front of the pictures, he wondered why she was single and had a guard dog. There was a story there, one he hoped to hear before the end of the evening.

  Watching her walk into the kitchen, he admired her pretty legs and how slim her ankles appeared in her sandals. She was everything that he found attractive in a woman with her curvy figure and big eyes that were the same color as toffee. Feeling his phone vibrate, he pulled it out and glanced at the display. He regretted it immediately as he read the text. His ex-girlfriend was sending out another SOS signal. Shit…this is not something I want to deal with while I’m with Amelia. He quickly texted her back that he was unavailable and she should call someone else. He pushed his phone back in his pocket as Amelia came back in the room with her jacket on her arm. His phone buzzed again, and he ignored it. She gave him a questioning look, and he simply smiled back. “I hope you like Mexican food?”

  “It’s one of my favorites. Where are you taking me?”

  “I found this little place that has great food with local ingredients and amazing margaritas. It’s called Puesta.” His phone buzzed again, and he completely disregarded it, hoping that she wouldn’t ask him about it. It wasn’t something that he wanted to discuss on his first date.

  “You’re going to ignore the buzzing phone?”

  “Yes, that’s my plan.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s my ex-girlfriend and she’s sending out SOS signals.”

  “Please don’t ignore it. I don’t want to feel responsible if she needs help.”