Chapter 1

Trace

I leaned against the railing of the ship, looking over at the city of Coronado with a grin. Bryan stepped up beside me. We were both happy as hell to be home, even if it was just for the weekend.

Talking to my son, Ben, on Skype for the last year wasn’t cutting it, even if I knew he was safe with Mom. She loved him more than anything in the world, and even though his own mother had abandoned him when he was young to run away with another man, Ben was growing up with a loving family.

I met Ben’s mother, Nadia, a few years after I joined the SEALs. It was lust at first sight, and it resulted in an unexpected pregnancy. I did the right thing and married her, assuming that she would be there for our son when I was away on duty.

I found her with another man in our bed when our son was just six years old. Thank fuck I’d been home at that point. I kicked her ass to the curb so I could take custody of our son and give him the life he deserved.

Nadia skipped town soon after, and Mom and I helped Ben through the initial shock of her leaving. Ben was shocked, but it was clear to me that Nadia wasn’t the maternal type from the moment he was born.

To this day, I cursed myself for giving in to her seductive, submissive ways, but without her, I wouldn’t have my son. He was more like me than he was his mother, anyway. He had the same dark eyes and hair and athletic skills that I had growing up. At twelve, his passion was basketball, and Ben played for a talented league as one of the star players. I couldn’t wait to see a game while I was here. I had a few videos and pictures on my phone, but it was never the same as being there, cheering him on in person.

The boat docked, and I grabbed my military issued duffel bag. The sun was low in the sky, but I had plans to have dinner with Mom and Ben tonight, to catch up on everything that was happening. He was growing up too damn fast, and I could barely keep up with the names of all his friends and the girls that he had crushes on these days.

I was looking forward to Mom’s pot roast, my favorite meal of all time, a good conversation, and just a taste of home. It was hard to believe how much I missed it when I was away, which was a lot of the time.

I considered dropping my papers to get out of the Navy after Nadia got pregnant and I knew I had a kid on the way. But I loved my life as a SEAL. I got a big adrenaline rush out of the excitement of the job, as well as the danger. It appealed to my dominant personality to do the things I did for a living.

Once Nadia was gone and Mom was taking care of Ben, I felt okay signing on for a few more years. Dad died eight years ago of a sudden heart attack, and the loss crippled my mom, since they were still madly in love. They had been since they met in high school, setting a good example for me until I hooked up with Nadia and realized that we’d be nothing like them. When she found out that she’d be watching over my son when I was gone, it gave her new life.

I walked across the ramp to the dock with the other guys, and another face crossed my mind.

Embry Darek.

I could see her big, blue eyes in my mind, and they brought a smile to my face. Embry was beautiful and so fucking innocent that it made me want to corrupt her. More than that, though, she was intelligent and genuinely sweet.

She worked at the bar on base, just down from my place. All the guys hung out there on a regular basis. Embry helped her ornery grandpa who owned the place since his own father passed it down. They were a military family through and through, and she knew her shit.

When it was quiet there, I’d had some great conversations about her family, and she told me the stories that she’d heard. It gave me good insight as to how observant she was. She was a lot different than the Nadias of the world, that just wanted a night with a military man to tell all her friends about.

I nodded to Bryan as he headed to a cab, telling him that I’d meet him at the bar later. There was no way in hell I’d miss the chance to see Embry again, since we’d shared that kiss last year before I left.

It had been sudden and came as a shock to both of us. We’d been taking a walk outside to get some fresh air, enjoying one of our conversations. I’d had a few beers, and she let the other bartender try out some new cocktails on her, making her just a little tipsy. She was waiting for her best friend Harper to pick her up for something they had planned, but there was still some time, and she asked me to walk with her.

I couldn’t remember how our lips ended up together initially, but it seemed like she stumbled, and in the process of catching her, we ended up kissing. The heat shot straight to my cock as her soft lips molded against mine, affecting me more than any other kiss in my life.

I slipped my arms around her body, pulling her against me as I tilted my head to deepen the kiss slowly, feeling her out on this. When I left town, Embry was a virgin, and for that reason, I hadn’t pursued her beyond the kiss that night after her friend picked her up.

Fuck me if I didn’t think about her the entire time I was gone, though. I thought about that sweet mouth as I slipped into my own cab and took it to Mom’s place on the edge of town. I glanced up as the car stopped, seeing the door open. I stepped out of the cab, and my mini me came running out, straight into my arms.

“Hey, son.” I held him tight as Mom followed, a tender smile on her face. It felt so good to be home.