The SEAL Next Door (Alpha SEALs Book 5)
Read The SEAL Next Door (Alpha SEALs Book 5) Online
Authors: Makenna Jameison
The girl next door is all grown up, and she’s ready to play…
Brianna Miller’s life isn’t going as planned. She’s moonlighting as a cocktail waitress after getting laid off from her marketing job, her older brother was injured in Afghanistan, and the man she’s pined for since she was a teenager is back in her life, hotter than hell and more tempting than ever.
Navy SEAL Matthew “Gator” Murphy has only one goal when he returns to Pensacola, Florida for a long weekend—to welcome his best friend home and then get the hell out of there. There’s no way he can face life with his buddy in a wheelchair, not when he was the one who convinced him to enlist in the first place.
When a gorgeous blonde waitress catches his eye, the last woman he expects to see is Brianna, his best friend’s younger sister. The chemistry between them sizzles as Matthew tries to stay away from temptation, but sometimes a raging inferno begins with only a spark.
The SEAL Next Door, a stand-alone novel, is book five in the new Alpha SEALs series.
The SEAL Next Door
AN ALPHA SEALS NOVEL
Makenna Jameison
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Makenna Jameison.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALSO BY MAKENNA JAMEISON
ALPHA SEALS
SEAL the Deal
SEALed with a Kiss
A SEAL’s Surrender
A SEAL’s Seduction
The SEAL Next Door
Protected by a SEAL
Loved by a SEAL (Fall 2016)
SOLDIER SERIES ROMANCE NOVELLAS
Christmas with a Soldier
Valentine from a Soldier
In the Arms of a Soldier
Return of a Soldier
Summer with a Soldier
HEARTS ABLAZE: MEN IN UNIFORM
A Marine for Christmas
Her Forbidden Marine
Matthew “Gator” Murphy breathed in the humid Florida air as he strode down the ramp of the C-17 military cargo plane, duffle bag gripped tightly in his right hand. His muscles flexed with the movement, and he ground his jaw as the bright sunlight blinded him. He ran his hand through his dark, short cropped hair, instinctively realizing his helmet was missing.
Scratch that.
He sure the hell didn’t need it here on U.S. soil. Slipping on his aviators, he walked across the tarmac on Pensacola Naval Base like he owned the place. You’d been on one military base, you’d been on them all. And with his current frame of mind, he didn’t give a damn what Commanders or Admirals were wandering around. He was in a mood to kick ass and take names.
The dampness in the air clung to his skin, making him feel like he’d walked out of the climate controlled interior of the plane and straight into a sauna. The gentle breeze blowing in from the Gulf did little to cool down the air temperature—or his current mood. A few palm trees swayed in the distance next to the administration building, but the rest of the place was standard military: miles of concrete, men and women in uniform, rows upon rows of planes. He felt strange walking around in civilian gear, but for once, he wasn’t hopping a ride on a transport to head overseas on an op. Most of his SEAL team buddies were back where he’d left them in Little Creek. His gear was stashed away at his apartment in Virginia.
Home sweet home was his final destination today.
“Sir,” a junior officer said as he passed, saluting him.
Matthew saluted in return, a feeling of pride surging through him, temporarily replacing his anger. Even without his uniform on, he commanded attention. At 6’4” with the brawny build of a SEAL, he was used to the stares of civilians. But hell if it didn’t feel good to have others in the military show him the respect he’d earned. The acknowledgement he deserved. At thirty, he’d devoted twelve years of his life to the U.S. Navy. And when a junior officer noticed his seniority, despite his lack of uniform, well didn’t that feel fucking nice.
“Do you know where I can find Colton Ferguson?” Matthew asked the junior officer.
“Yes, sir. He’s inside the admin building over there. Second office on the left.”
“Thank you.” Matthew nodded and continued on his way.
Any other time he might have welcomed the brief respite from his duties as a SEAL stationed in Little Creek, Virginia. Part of an elite six-member team that was frequently deployed on missions all over the globe, he worked hard and played harder. Drilled on the water, did daily PT with his men, trained even in his off hours, and chased after the pretty girls on the weekend. And hell. Who wouldn’t enjoy a weekend back at home? A few days on the Gulf, down by the beach, far away from work?
Except the emergency leave granted so that he could attend his best friend’s homecoming from Walter Reed Medical Center wasn’t exactly part of the plan. Not this weekend. Not fucking ever. Best friends since childhood, Beckett Miller had been like the brother he never had. With Beckett’s younger sister Brianna trailing after them, the three of them had enjoyed childhood adventures traipsing around the marshland, taking their small boat out on the water, and sneaking off to the beach after dark. Beckett had enlisted in the Navy right out of high school just like Matthew. Although Beckett was also a SEAL, he was based out of Coronado. An ambush late one night on a highway in the remote part of Afghanistan, serving his duty to Uncle Sam, had left his friend comatose for more than a month and missing one leg.
Hell. What was he supposed to say to Beckett’s parents? To Beckett himself? To Beckett’s sister? He hadn’t even seen Brianna in years. Maybe they’d been inseparable in childhood, but today he wouldn’t know the woman if she smacked right into him. Matthew had enlisted in the Navy at age eighteen. Between BUD/S out in Coronado, missions all over the world, and his current station near Virginia Beach, he had little time to spend at home. He couldn’t even recall the exact date he’d last been back.
Four years his and Beckett’s junior, Brianna had just been starting high school when he’d left. Then she’d gone off to college, started her own career, and the years had slipped away. He thought he remembered Beckett saying she was back in Florida, working on some type of marketing gig. Temporarily living with her parents again.
Damn.
Seeing Beckett’s family would just bring up more memories of their childhood. Of a time when Beckett wasn’t injured and the world was theirs to conquer and explore. With the way Matthew’s gut was currently churning, he didn’t think he could deal with the onslaught of memories about the life that once was. Of the future his best friend now faced. No more active duty. No more life as a SEAL. Beckett could find a desk job, sure, but guys like them were meant to be in the thick of it. To jump out of airplanes, dive in the ocean, tote around weapons, battle foreign adversaries. To see action. To camp out in the desert and haul around eighty-pounds of gear on their backs.
But with one leg? Even though Beckett could lead a normal civilian life from here on out, life as he knew it with the SEALs was over.
Fucking hell.
Matthew needed to get through this weekend and move on. Get back to life in Little Creek and his men. His missions. Tuck the pain and grief of nearly losing his best friend so far away that it never saw the light of day again. Seeing Beckett was going to be gut-wrenching. Seeing Beckett’s parents and sister would be worse. Matthew was a SEAL that had survived countless missions with barely a scrape. Who had convinced his best friend to enlist in the Navy right along beside him. How was he supposed to look them in the eye knowing he had what Beckett never would again? A long career in the military, all his limbs, a normal civilian life once he eventually retired.
The guilt was nearly eating him alive.
And seeing Brianna again after all these years?
Hell.
The little girl in pigtails he’d palled around with as a kid was long gone. She was barely a teenager when he’d enlisted in the Navy. And although he hadn’t missed those puppy dog eyes she’d cast upon him every now and then as they’d grown older, he was a red-blooded American male, interested in the older college girls. The co-eds with womanly figures, plenty of tempting curves, and legs that went on for miles. Not some scrawny young girl who’d been almost like a sister to him. Who he’d never see as anything other than the girl next door.
What would it be like facing her now all these years later? He felt like he’d let her down as much as anyone—convincing her brother to join the Navy. Become a SEAL. Lose a leg and nearly die.
Sweat broke out across his brow as the guilt once again churned in his stomach.
“Yo, Gator, wait up!” Evan “Flip” Jenkins, one of the men on his SEAL team, called out from behind. “Gator” was the nickname Matthew had earned back in BUD/S since he was from Florida. It was kind of ironic now since he hardly ever set foot in the state, but the name had stuck throughout his years in the Navy.
He glanced back to see Evan jogging up behind him, his short blond hair reflecting the bright sunlight. Evan tucked his phone back into his cargo pants.
“Flip, what’s up?” Matthew asked.
“What time’s Beckett flying in from Walter Reed?”
“Sunday at three. Why? Is the CO already expecting us back?”
“Nah, nothing like that. Some of the other guys may come down for it.”
Matthew paused. The men on his team were a close-knit group, more like blood brothers than comrades. They had each other’s backs both on and off the battlefield and could practically move as one unit, training and fighting together. The only guy he’d ever been closer to was Beckett. And hell, he’d known him since they were kids. But to have his SEAL team fly down for the arrival of a wounded warrior? A fellow SEAL? That was unexpected. Not to mention damn welcome.
He’d seen more casualties in war than he ever cared to—injured soldiers, innocent civilians who’d been maimed, men killed in battle. But someone he’d known his entire life? Who he barely had a childhood memory without? That shit cut deep.
Matthew cleared his throat. “I’d really appreciate it. Beckett is like family to me. And he’s a fellow SEAL.”
“He’s a good man,” Evan agreed. “I wasn’t stationed with him long, but hell, it’s an honor to welcome home another SEAL. Not every man is lucky enough to come back from the warzone alive.”
“Damm straight,” Matthew agreed.
Evan himself had been critically injured on a mission several months ago. He’d done his time in Walter Reed and was lucky enough to be able to return to active duty. Beckett may never run ops again as a SEAL, but it was a miracle he had survived. Now if Matthew could just remember that every time he felt sorry for himself. For Beckett. For having to watch his friend go through that shit.
“Do the guys need us to make arrangements for a place for them to stay?” Matthew asked.
“Nah, they’re on it. The CO can’t let everyone come. Cobra’s flying down tomorrow,” he said, referring to Brent “Cobra” Rollins, another man on their SEAL team. “Maybe Ice,” he added, referring to their team leader Patrick “Ice” Foster.
“It’s good of you guys to come. Drinks are on me tomorrow night.”
Evan chuffed out a laugh. “They damn well better be. Ali’s giving me shit about leaving.”
Matthew raised his eyebrows. The carefree nurse Evan had been dating and was now living with enjoyed laughing and joking with all the men on their SEAL team. She was always up for grabbing a beer and shooting the shit with the rest of them. Getting upset over Evan being gone didn’t sound like her. Not when they deployed all the damn time anyway.
“Everything okay?” Matthew asked.
Evan cleared his throat. “Yeah, uh, we haven’t really told anyone yet, but Ali’s pregnant.”
“Holy shit,” Matthew said.
Pregnant.
Holy hell.
“Uh, congratulations?” Kids were the last thing on Matthew’s mind. Not to mention girlfriends, long-term relationships, and the idea of ever settling down with one woman for life. That worked for some dudes, but as for Matthew? He’d come to terms long ago with the fact that he was better off alone. Permanently.
Evan guffawed. “It was a surprise, but a good thing. A great thing,” he added, and Matthew could hear the pride in his voice. “None of the other guys know yet,” Evan continued, “so keep it on the down-low for now. I have to figure out how to break the news to them.”
“Roger that,” Matthew said with a grin. Hell. The other guys would likely give Evan plenty of grief. They ribbed each other like brothers, and with Evan being the youngest guy on the team, he often got the worst of it. But damn, if Evan and Ali were happy, then so was Matthew. For them at least. He wasn’t gonna touch the idea of settling down with a woman or raising a family with a ten-foot pole.
“Next time you talk to Ali, give her my congratulations.”
“Will do. She might kill me at the moment though with how sick she’s been, but I’ll tell you, that woman is over-the-moon happy.”
Matthew laughed. “Hell, you and Ali will make great parents.”
“I’m convinced it’s a girl,” Evan admitted. Matthew raised his eyebrows. “It’s way too soon to tell,” Evan quickly added, “but I’ve got a gut feeling. After all the hell I raised as a kid, I guess it serves me right. I’m going to have to worry about all the boys chasing after her when she’s a teenager.”
“Damn. That means I’m never,
ever
having a kid,” Matthew muttered. “Karma’s a bitch.”
Evan’s phone buzzed, and he held it up for Matthew to see, miming a slicing motion across his throat. Alison’s name flashed across the screen.
“Let me talk to her,” Matthew said. Evan answered and then passed him the phone.
“Congratulations, darlin’,” Matthew drawled.
“I’m going to kill Evan for knocking me up!” Alison wailed. “I’ve been sick all day long. I know that’s normal—I’m a nurse for God’s sake. But do I really have to survive only on saltines and ginger ale for the next nine months?”
“Aw, hell, sweetheart. That boy is practically grinning from ear-to-ear right now at the idea of being a dad. Do you need me to rough him up a little or something? Maybe if I punch him in the gut he’ll get sick, too. Would that make you feel better?”
Alison weakly laughed. “Don’t you dare touch him, Matthew!”
Matthew smirked. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Let me put boy wonder back on.”
He handed the phone back to Evan, shaking his head, and began walking toward the administration building. Evan trailed behind him, finishing up his call. A year ago every man on the team had been single. Now, save for himself and Brent, the other four guys were all playing happily ever after with their girlfriends. Un-fucking-believable. His SEAL team leader Patrick and his girlfriend Rebecca each had kids from previous relationships, but the other guys were kid-free. Now Evan and Alison were adding a baby to the mix of their group of friends?
Damn.
Life was moving on at a wicked pace without him. Before long the rest of those guys would probably be married and looking to find a less dangerous career. Not that he blamed them. Life as a SEAL made it tough to maintain any semblance of a relationship, which was part of the reason he was still single. But it worked for him. Suited him. And if he ever did happen to meet a woman he was willing to give it all up for? Well, he’d cross that bridge if and when he came to it. Which was likely not ever gonna happen.