Ten years of dedication to the Navy taught SEAL Jon Rudnick one thing—he’s not afraid to risk life and limb for his country. But when
navigating military red tape begins to present more challenges than the enemy
it makes Jon question his future.
navigating military red tape begins to present more challenges than the enemy
it makes Jon question his future.
So does Alison Cressly, the woman he can’t get out of his head.
When Ali’s life is threatened and military rules won’t allow him to intervene, Jon decides it’s time to take back control.
A team of sexy SEALs, a terrorist threat, and an attraction that can’t be denied . . . it all comes together in this launch of the new Hot SEALs romantic suspense series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author Cat Johnson. And look for Saved by a SEAL (Hot SEALs, Book 2)!
CHAPTER 1
The glare of the sun bounced off the hood as Jon steered his truck to the curb and
parallel parked in front of his buddy’s place. Cutting the engine, he evaluated
the house through the dark lenses of his sunglasses. It was nice for a rental.
He’d definitely lived in worse. They all had.
He stepped out of the air-conditioned cab of the vehicle and pocketed the keys. It
was hot outside, but not unbearable considering it was summer in Virginia. He’d
take sunny and high eighties any day rather than the hundred-and-twenty degrees
Fahrenheit that would be waiting for him in Afghanistan.
Jon moved around to open the passenger door and grab the cold eighteen-pack from
the floor. It was going to be a good day. He had cold beer, good friends and
Rick had promised them some tasty barbecue.
Best of all, he was actually stateside for a holiday. It was only Fourth of July—not
one of the big days like Thanksgiving or Christmas, both of which he’d spent
deployed last year—but it was a federal holiday so officially it counted.
He made his way up the short path to the front door and, case of beer in his
hands, hit the doorbell with his elbow.
It was a nice change, walking up to a door in daylight and ringing the bell rather
than creeping through the dark wearing night vision goggles and blowing the
lock. It was the little things such as being able to approach a door and not
have to dodge automatic gunfire that a man grew to appreciate after a decade of
combat deployments.
The door swung wide and all six-foot-five of Rick Mann’s hulking frame filled the
opening. Built like a linebacker, Rick always had made Jon—whose
six-foot-two-inch frame was lean muscle rather than bulk—feel small.
“Dude, good to see you.” Jon held the beer with his left arm and clasped right hands
with his former teammate.
“You too. I never thought I’d say this, but I actually miss seeing that smartass
face of yours all hours of the day and night.” Rick grinned and stepped back to
let Jon inside the front door of the house. “Come on in. The party’s going to
be around back on the deck.”
As Rick led the way through the house, Jon glanced around him. It wasn’t huge, but
it was neat and comfortable. A big flat-screen TV hung on one wall of the
living room. Just past the living room furniture was an island lined with
stools and a decent sized kitchen with appliances that looked to be fairly new.
Except for an overabundance of floral throw pillows covering the sectional sofa and
the room’s two upholstered chairs—a clear sign Rick lived with a female—a man
could be very happy kicking back here.
Jon tipped up his chin and called a greeting to Rick’s sister Darci in the kitchen.
With a phone pressed to her ear, she smiled and wiggled her fingers in a wave.
“Nice digs,” Jon said as he skirted around a dining table and chair on his way to the
sliding glass doors.
Rick let out a huff. “Thanks.”
He’d sounded less than enthusiastic and as Rick glanced over his shoulder, Jon saw
his scowl. “What’s the face for? I meant it.”
Rick made a face again. “You know this is Darci’s place.”
“Yeah. So?” Jon asked. “It’s still nice.”
“I just never thought I’d be living with family at this point in my life. Moving
in with my little sister is barely a step up from moving back home with my
parents.”
“Hey, it’s not a big deal.” Jon shrugged. “You only got out a couple of months ago.
And it didn’t make sense to buy your own place while you were active duty.”
Rick’s brow rose. “You bought yours.”
“Yup.” Jon nodded. “And I’m there less than half the months of the year, but even so,
the bills still keep coming every damn month, so who’s the smart one here? You
are.”
It had made sense for Rick to live in the bachelor quarters on base for the months
their squad was stateside, and then just move his stuff into storage for the
months they were deployed. It would be logical for Jon to do the same, except
that he rarely did what was logical.
Besides, Jon liked coming home to a turnkey condo that was all his. It was far better
than being at the mercy of base housing, which had left more than a few guys
without a room after returning home from deployment. Real nice welcome home,
that.
Team members without family in the area usually crashed on Jon’s sofa until a room
became available for them. Sometimes it took a few days, sometimes a couple of
weeks, but Jon didn’t mind the company. At this point, he and the guys spent so
much time together he was more comfortable being with them than apart.
“I guess.” Rick continued to look miserable as he yanked open the sliding glass
door leading onto the back deck.
Rick was obviously experiencing the grass-is-always-greener syndrome. Jon had seen
it before. Guys who were in the military dreamed about getting out, while at
the same time guys who’d gotten out lamented about how much better things were
when they’d been in.
SEALs were no different than any regular Joe in that respect.
“I’ve got a cooler full of ice in the shade under the tree. You can put the beer in
there.” Rick tipped his head toward the cooler and then reached to raise the
cover on a stainless steel barbecue grill. “I gotta check the ribs real quick.”
“Sounds good.”
Ribs. That explained the tantalizing scent he’d smelled wafting from the closed grill
when they’d stepped outside. Jon sniffed the meat-laden air as he made his way
down the steps and across the lawn.
The yard was nice. Small enough to be easy to keep up, but private thanks to a
fence and some well-placed landscaping. So far, Jon saw nothing for Rick to be
complaining about. Living here, Rick should be a lot happier than he appeared
to be. But to each his own.
Kneeling in the grass, Jon paused while tearing open the cardboard case. He breathed in
the scent of freshly mowed lawn that hit him now that he was away from the
smoke of the grill.
Never mind taking time to smell the roses, after spending so much time in the desert
even just the sight of a patch of lush green grass could stop Jon in his
tracks. He ran his hands over the shorn blades and felt them tickle his palm.
It might be one of the last opportunities he’d have to appreciate things like
backyard grass.
The squad couldn’t tell anyone the exact timing, but barring any last minute
changes Jon’s unit would be heading back to the sandbox next week to spend the
remainder of the year in the war zone.
Summer in Afghanistan sucked. But then again, so did winter . . . and the rainy season
. . . and fighting season.
Jon had to think that Rick didn’t know how good he had it.
Catching himself in a grass-is-always-greener moment, he focused back on his
task—stowing the beer in the ice.
Only 99 CENTS in the Hot Alpha SEALs Boxset!
More than just hot men in a uniform by Cat Johnson
I get asked the same question a lot—why did I start writing military romance? The answer is easy. I loved reading military romance. Suzanne Brockmann and Alison Kent were fixtures on my keeper shelf, so when I got my first romance contract in 2006, I asked my then editor if I tried my hand at a military romance would she be interested? Her answer was yes.
That was the birth of the Red, Hot, & Blue series that is out with Samhain Publishing. It started out with a team of SpecOps, but as I began researching the details for those first stories and came in contact with actual deployed troops, my ideas and story began to focus more on the tankers, the infantry, the boots on the ground. And as the war changed, the hot spots moving from Ramadi, Iraq to the border provinces in the mountains separating Pakistan from Afghanistan, so did my settings change to reflect the reality and the real heroes I’d met.
Even after the conclusion of the Red, Hot & Blue series, I continued to write military men. Two of the heroes in my Oklahoma Nights series with Kensington are cowboys, but also active duty Army to pay tribute to those serving.
I guess it’s not a surprise then that when author Sharon Hamilton emailed me a few months ago about a SEAL-themed box set I said yes. The problem was I didn’t have a SEAL story to contribute. So I wrote one. More than that, I decided if I was going to do this, I was going all in. I planned a whole new series, HOT SEALs. I created a logo for the series. I made up covers for the first three books, and banners and postcards and promo for the series. I wrote book one for the Hot Alpha SEALs box set and started writing book two, Saved by a SEAL. I’ve got book one, Night with a SEAL, in paperback and the audiobook in production and I’m working on getting it translated into foreign language. Needless to say I’m excited about this new venture in my military romance career.
I hope the readers enjoy the journey as much as I do. Step one in my wild ride is to pick up the HOT ALPHA SEALS Megaset while it’s still 99 cents for the introductory price. And then if you like what you’ve read, please do pick up book 2 in my Hot SEALs series, Saved by a SEAL (on preorder now and releasing September 16th)
because in real life and in literature, military men are hot!
because in real life and in literature, military men are hot!
Cat Johnson
Cat Johnson is a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. A self-proclaimed promo ‘ho, she is known for her creative marketing and research practices. Consequently, Cat has sponsored bull riding rodeo cowboys, owns an entire collection of cowboy boots and camouflage shoes for book signings and a fair number of her consultants wear combat or cowboy boots for a living.
As a hybrid author, she writes both full length and shorter
works and is currently contracted for series with publishers Kensington and Samhain.
works and is currently contracted for series with publishers Kensington and Samhain.
Website http://catjohnson.net/
Newsletter bit.do/CatsNews
Twitter https://twitter.com/cat_johnson
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