COWBOY ROMANCE: Justin (Western Contemporary Alpha Male Bride Romance) (The Steele Brothers Book 1) (116 page)

No Turning Back

A Military Romance

Protected and Loved by the NAVY SEAL:

No Turning Back

Hunter Smith just knew that he was going to die soon. His lungs were going to give out on him or he was going to have a massive heart attack. Or maybe both. His legs were sore. His arms hurt. Hell, every muscle in his body ached! But he kept hearing his gram's voice in his head, "What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger, Hunter boy." So, he continued on.

Training for the Navy SEALs was no joke. He was just approaching the end of what was commonly referred to as "Hell Week". Hunter was completely exhausted, mentally and physically. He had probably only slept about four hours in the past five and a half days. And when he did sleep, he always woke up feeling uneasy, his memories filled with vivid dreams. He could never recall the exact details of the dreams, but in them he was always running from something.

When those five days were over and Hunter had some time to rest a bit, his mind finally made the connection between the dreams and his real life. Being in the Navy was something he had always wanted to do. It started out as a “free” ticket out of his mom’s home, but quickly became an undying passion. By the time Hunter was 16, he had the physique of a serious athlete and the will-power of a God.

As 16 turned into 17, and 17 into 18, Hunter had grown into a strong, handsome young man. His skin was golden brown from all the time he spent outdoors either running or swimming at the local community pool. His sharp features gave him a serious, sexy look, but his smiling eyes could charm a snake. There was no shortage of women who were interested in Hunter. However, he was more interested in achieving his goal of becoming a Navy Seal.

And now, Hunter's dream was almost a reality. He only had to make it through two more phases of training and if all went as planned, he would be a Navy Seal. Taking his dream even further, his hope was to be assigned to the Team 3 Platoon. That is what he had been training for almost all of his life.

He wasn’t worried about the next phase although it was seven weeks long. It was the water combat training, and Hunter was as comfortable in water as a fish. He knew it wouldn’t be as simple as just swimming. However, he was confident that he would exceed expectations in this department. It wasn’t easy by any means, and there were times he struggled. But in the end, he persevered and finished as one of the top performers.

With his confidence still reeling from his success in the water combat training, he entered the next phase with a positive attitude. Those next seven weeks flew by and before he knew it, the end was approaching. It was bittersweet. He was excited to be finished and to be able to say that he was a Navy Seal. He had been dreaming about this moment for so long!

However, he had made some great friends during this adventure, and most of them would be going their separate ways soon. They would be assigned a platoon and off they would go to start training again. But this time they would be training for the real thing. They would be training for deployment. When Hunter thought about going to fight in a real war, he felt anxious, but in a good way. He actually wanted to put his skills to good use. He couldn’t wait to be out there defending his country! To him, it was a rewarding career he was definitely looking forward to.

When the day finally came and Hunter was officially a Navy Seal, he had never been more proud in his life. And when he found out he was to be assigned to Navy Special Warfare Team Three, his excitement tripled! He had reached his goals he had set out to achieve. He was ready to prove his loyalty to the Navy and to his county.

Hunter and his team were almost immediately sent to their base in Coronado, California. And from there, they trained hard every day preparing for the day they would get word of deployment. It didn’t take very long.

Within two months of settling in, Team Three received the orders. They were going to be stationed in Iran and would find out more details in the upcoming weeks. The exact date wasn’t set, but they were instructed to be ready to leave at any given time. Hunter was filled with excitement and a little bit of anxiousness at this news. This is what he had been working for.

The evening of the deployment announcement, as Hunter was getting ready for bed, his mind was racing. He had done a lot of research on the Middle East, but he knew it would be a whole different story to actually experience the harsh conditions he would be living in. He was so lost in thought that it took him a minute to realize someone was talking to him.

“Hey Fish Boy! Earth to Fish Boy!” one of Hunter’s bunkmates was trying to get his attention by calling him the good-natured nickname he had acquired after completing his water combat with such high honors.

Hunter laughed and asked, “What’s up Nick? Did you drop you toothbrush in the toilet again?”

“Ha ha, very funny!” Nick said with a grin. “No, this time I dropped yours in there!” he declared. “I’m kidding! I’m just checking to make sure you are coming out with us to celebrate tomorrow night.”

“Yea, I suppose,” Hunter answered with exaggerated disinterest. In reality, he was actually looking forward to going out and letting loose a little bit. He had been working so hard and though it was definitely time for a small break.

“Oh, whatever! You know you can’t wait to put down some beers and check out the ladies! We’re leaving here at nine, so be ready”

Hunter replied with a smile, “I will be ready to kick back and relax. That’s for sure!” And as he settled into bed, he thought about just that. He was ready for a laid back night of fun. He had no idea how his life was about to change completely in just one night.

Hunter made it through the day with the approaching night out still on his mind. He started to get ready at about eight, taking time to shave before his shower. He wore a tight white shirt that showed off his golden tan and rippling muscles, and a pair of dark blue jeans that fit just right.

He was just splashing on some cologne when he heard Nick calling for him. “Hey Fish Boy! Ya ready yet? Time to head out!”

Hunter came through the door and replied, “Hell yes! Let’s roll!”

Nick laughed and they started to head outside to meet the rest of the group. All 16 of them were going out, and they were all in great moods. The hard days of training left little time for nights like these. Actually, it left no time for nights like these. This was a rare occasion, and each one of them had decided to take full advantage of the freedom.

It was a perfect night, temps in the low 70s with a nice, cool breeze flowing through the air. The ten minute walk to the bar flew by as they guys talked and joked getting more pumped by the minute. They were ready to order some drinks and check out the scene.

When they arrived at the bar, they were slightly disappointed by the lack of people but realized it was early yet. They figured it would be bumping before too long. The establishment was actually bigger than it looked like from the outside.  It housed a long half-oval bar, quite a few tables, two dart boards, a pool table and a large dance floor. The juke box was playing a Pink Floyd song when they walked in, and the cute bartender greeted them with a smile as they approached the bar.

They all decided to start out with drinks and shots. Hunter ordered a beer and a shot of tequila, passing on the lime. They pushed some tables together and sat down to the make a toast.

Anthony, the clown of the group, raised his shot up with a loud shout. “To getting the Hell away from Commander Monster!” He laughed as the rest of the group stifled their own laughter. His real name was Munster, but they all called him Monster behind his back because of his crazy temper. He could definitely be an ass. “Seriously, though,” Anthony continued, “To our first deployment! May we leave as a group of 16 and return as a group of 16!”

Everyone in the group agreed to this, held up their shots, then drank them down quickly. Before too long, they were all broken off into groups. Some were carrying on serious conversations. Some were showing off at the pool table, some playing darts. There were even a few who had wandered over to the bar to flirt with the cute bartender.

As the bar started to fill up, Hunter could not help but notice the absolutely beautiful women who had arrived with a female friend just a few minutes ago. Her skin was the color of a dark chocolate bar and looked as smooth as silk. Her lovely dark eyes were cat shaped and seemed to be hiding a wonderful secret. And those lips……Hunter had to look away before she caught him staring at those kissable lips.

He didn’t look away quickly enough. Charlotte saw him and couldn’t help but smile as she noticed him checking her out. Once she was settled at the bar with her friend Amy, she carefully looked over at Hunter again making sure he wasn’t looking her way. She was impressed by his quiet manner, when most of the other guys in the bar were loud and rambunctious. Of course, his almost painfully handsome face and perfectly sculpted body didn’t hurt anything. As Charlotte and Amy ordered their drinks, she couldn’t help but secretly hope he would come up and talk to her.

The two girls had been best friends for as long as they both could remember, so when Amy suggested a night out, Charlotte knew something was up. They weren’t ones to regularly hang out at the local watering holes. After some questioning by Charlotte, Amy finally confessed that she and her on again, off again boyfriend, Charles, were off again. Amy knew Charlotte wanted her to break ties with him permanently because of the ongoing drama so she had been reluctant to tell her. However, Charlotte being such a good friend agreed to go out with Amy at the very least to try and cheer her up. She was secretly hoping Amy would meet someone and that would be the end of Charles.

Things were looking good after a few drinks and Amy had wandered off, “accidentally” running into one of the most handsome men in the bar. Even though Charlotte was a tad annoyed that Amy had left her alone, she was hoping that Amy and her new friend would hit it off. She was still thinking about it when she heard a voice to her right.

“Is this seat taken, ma’am?” he spoke in a clear, deep voice.

She was so caught off guard by how much more handsome he was up close that it took her a few seconds to answer. “Um, well no. Apparently my friend has abandoned me for the night. I guess the seat is free for the taking.” She smiled as he sat down and ordered drinks for both of them before introducing himself.

“I’m Hunter. Hunter Smith. It is a pleasure to meet you………um….?”

“Charlotte, my name is Charlotte Sandusky. It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Hunter. What brings you to this fine establishment tonight? I, myself, was dragged here, against my will, by my best friend Amy, who as you can see, no longer has any use for me.”

Seeing the smile in her beautiful eyes, Hunter laughed and faked a sympathetic grin. “Sounds like you need to find a new best friend. Where do I apply?”

Charlotte laughed along easily with him and before long, they were in deep conversation. Charlotte barely noticed when Amy showed up beside them and started introductions.

“Charlotte, this is Nick. Nick, Charlotte. And who is this? Your new best friend?” Amy giggled as Nick put his arm around her waist.

“Amy, this is Hunter, Hunter, Amy. And yes, he is my new best friend since my old one left me all alone at the bar to fend for myself.”

When the ladies introduced the guys, they pretended not to know each other and played along just for fun. Hunter was a little bit disappointed when Nick suggested a game of pool, but only because he wanted more time alone with Charlotte. The girls seemed delighted about the idea, but deep inside, Charlotte felt the same way as Hunter. She was really enjoying their encounter and didn’t want it to end. She hoped after the game, they could continue where they left off without another interruption.

Hunter and Nick were both great at pool. The ladies, not so much. But it was a fun game with lots of laughs and some good natured showing off. The guys finally admitting to know each other and had a good laugh about it. Nick and Amy won, but not easily. They did a little victory dance while Charlotte and Hunter laughed at them. Nick whispered in Amy’s ear and she announced to Charlotte, “We are both pretty tired. I think we are heading out. Do you want to share a cab with us or are you going to stay?”

Charlotte looked at Hunter, and just as she was about to speak, he gently placed his arm around her shoulder and said, “I can make sure she gets home safely.” Then he looked at Charlotte and said with a smile, “Of course, if that is ok with you.”

Although Charlotte knew she should probably call it a night, she couldn’t say no to Hunter. She knew she had just met him but she felt a connection to him and wanted to know more about his life. She was really enjoying the night, mostly thanks to him. She didn’t want it to end yet.

So she stayed. Amy gave her a hug and off she went with Nick. Charlotte started to feel a little bit guilty for just letting her friend go off with a guy she barely knew until Hunter spoke up, “Don’t worry. I’ve known Nick for quite some time now. Your friend is safe with him. I promise.”  And he grabbed her hand and gently walked to her to a small table in the corner, as far away from the bar chaos as possible. He couldn’t help but think about how wonderful her hand felt in his. Almost like it was meant to be there.

Charlotte couldn’t help but feel the chemistry when Hunter took her hand. It felt good. She felt completely comfortable with him and it didn’t hurt that he was so easy on the eyes. He was a great listener and she found herself telling him things she would never tell a stranger. She confessed how scared she had been when she left her job in New York to accept a more prestigious position in California. She told him a little bit about her job, but didn’t want to bore him with fashion details. He seemed interested and even asked her questions about the pieces she was currently working on.