The Poseidon team are hard-bodied, fiercely competitive Navy SEALs. But when a sensitive mission goes disastrously wrong, three of the teams finest will have to trust their hearts and instincts to uncover the truth...
No strings. No questions. Just pleasure. For a few blissful days, Lieutenant Commander Nic Savino is enjoying a wild fling with the sexiest stranger hes ever laid eyesor any other body parton. Its almost enough to make the stalwart SEAL let down his guard for once. Until he learns that assistant US attorney Darby Rayehis Darbyis heading an investigation designed to destroy him...and Poseidon.
The gorgeous eyes that Darby spent her nights gazing into are now glaring at her across a courtroom. This case could build her career, but if Nics not a traitor, then hes being framed by forces powerful enough to eliminate every obstacle in their way. And the tentative trust she and Nic are rebuildingas well as their very livescould become collateral damage...
Praise for New York Times bestselling author Tawny Weber
A sexy, hot SEAL undercover in more ways than one.... Tawny Weber nails this steamy suspense.
New York Times bestselling author Cristin Harber
This hot and sexy adventure takes readers on a thrilling ride of romance, secrets and SEALs.
RT Book Reviews
Wow...a fantastic series by Ms. Weber. This amazing story line manages to make you cry, make you smile and make your heart turn inside out.... Get it, read it, love it.
Harlequin Junkie
Tawny Weber...has created the perfect hero for our time and a sizzling page-turner! What an awesome start to her Team Poseidon series.
New York Times bestselling author
Vicki Lewis Thompson
I love a good SEAL romance and Tawny Weber knocked this one out of the park. Dont miss it!
USA TODAY bestselling author Karen Fenech
Reminiscent of Suzanne Brockmanns Troubleshooters series, Webers latest will appeal to her fans as well as other military-romance readers...a good read with an engaging heroine and child.
Booklist
Call to Honor is a tightly plotted story with a few startling turns of events, the characters are all credible and...the pace never falters.
Fresh Fiction
Call to Redemption
Tawny Weber
www.millsandboon.co.uk
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To Birgit, with thanks.
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
Praise
Title Page
Dedication
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Extract
Copyright
PROLOGUE
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DOMINIC SAVINO, you stand accused of conduct unbecoming of an officer, disobeying orders and conspiracy to commit treason.
The voice boomed like a cannon, its roar a vivid contrast to the courtrooms silence. As he stood at attention on the stand, the sound ricocheted down Nics spine like a piece of shrapnel, ripping and tearing.
Commander, do you understand these charges?
Understand? Nic had a solid understanding of the fact that hed been framed, that he was the fall guy for some treasonous son of a bitch. Someone in power with a network of Navy personnel was focused on lining their bank account at the expense of their country.
Yeah.
He understood that.
That, and everything that came with the charges leveled against him. Court-martial. Prison time. The end of his career. The loss of his freedom. The destruction of his team. Fury rose, rolling like waves that crested higher with each heartbeat.
But none of that was evident on his face. Neither awareness nor fury was allowed to show.
Affirmative.
How do you plead?
Nics gaze didnt shift left, didnt move right. His dead-eye stare was aimed straight ahead, focused on the rippling glory of the American flag hanging over the courtrooms double doors.
He replayed the accusation. He thought back over the previous years events.
An operation gone horribly wrong thatd resulted in life-threatening injuries to one team member and the supposed death of another.
The realization that a SEAL, a man sworn to serve his country, would steal classified information to sell to the highest bidder, put his teammates lives in peril and fake his own deathall for money. That shocking acceptance that the same man would target a young child and a defenseless woman, and kill a fellow SEAL.
And now the emotional train wreck of watching his team targeted by an asshole with an agenda who was determined to ignore the fact that Poseidon was being framed by a traitorous sociopath with psychotic tendencies.
Itd all been coming down to this.
The moment of truth.
After fourteen years of service protecting the safety and freedom of his country, it wasnt Nics life on the line this time. This time, it was his team. His career. His reputation. His own freedom.
Ignoring the tight knot in his gut, he shifted his gaze infinitesimally to the right. He gave Lieutenant Thomas a look cold enough to freeze the mans innards and, in a clear voice, stated, Not guilty.
Thomass eyes narrowed, his lips tightened. Why the man would flash frustration was baffling. Any first-year JAG would have expected that exact plea. Nic filed away the expression to decipher later.
For now, he simply let his stare intimidate until the Lieutenant turned away. But not before Nic caught the line between his brows twitching.
For the first time since hed walked into the courtroom that morning, the tension tying his intestines in knots loosened.
He was innocent.
Poseidon was clean.
No matter what information the Lieutenant and his team thought theyd bring to the table over the course of this trial, Nic knew that neither he, nor any of his men, had done anything illegal, against orders or in any way traitorous.
But knowing that didnt ensure hed walk away from this trial. Not with his freedom. Quite possibly not with his career and reputation intact. The odds of keeping his command, of holding together an elite Special Ops team after being brought up on such charges, were slim.
But now?
Nic watched as Thomas exchanged frowns with the Lieutenant Commander seated at the prosecutors table.
Now? He had hope. More, he had faith that hed not only be vindicated, but that hed also keep his command, his team and, dammit, that theyd nail the real traitor before this was over.
It was then and only then that he allowed his gaze to shift. For a millisecond, he glanced toward the gallery.
His team spanned the first row. Ten men in uniform, each one wearing a look of implacable determination. Each one radiating strength and dedication. And yes, each one looking equally pissed at the insult they knew theyd been served.
Nics gaze shifted to the right, toward the woman sitting just behind the prosecution.
Beneath an edgy fringe of bangs, a pair of huge gold eyes stared back at him. In those molten depths he saw two things. Strength and challenge.
How had he gotten this far in life without her?
And what the hell was he going to do now that hed found her?
Nic had spent his adult life training, leading, fighting for his country. Without hesitation, hed put his life, his guts and his reputation on the line time and time again. But today, his innocence wasnt the only thing at stake.
Nor was this a simple matter of justice.
He was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy.
He was a multidecorated Navy SEAL.
He was a SEAL team platoon leader, he commanded over a hundred military and civilian personnel.
Hed fought in wars. Hed led missions. Hed orchestrated clandestine operations. Hed conceptualized, created, evaluated and nurtured the elite force of Team Poseidon. Hed honed his skills in leadership, combat and procedure.
In the last six months, hed lost a man. Hed killed another. Hed had a building explode around him. Hed been betrayed and brought to trial to face the accusation of the very crimes hed fought to end.
And for the first time in thirty-three years, Nic risked something that many peopleincluding himselfhad come to believe didnt exist.
His heart.
Lost it to the woman who could easily destroy his life.
CHAPTER ONE
Two Months Earlier
OH, MY.
Shed been told the views in Hanalei were impressive, but shed had no idea just how impressive.
Darby Raye ran her tongue over her bottom lip, planted her elbows on the balcony railing and leaned out farther to get a clearer view. Not of the beach, although the pristine surf churning over the sand of Hanalei was unquestionably worth a secondand thirdlook. And she wasnt sighing over the indigo-streaked cerulean sky, although there was no denying that it deserved a few deep breaths of appreciation.
Nope, what had snagged her attention on her first night of the first vacation shed taken in years was the unbelievably gorgeous man seated at the beachside bar below.
There was something familiar about him, but whether it was the double Scotch shed already knocked back or the glare of the sun off the ocean, she couldnt quite figure it out. Eyes narrowed, she leaned out just a little farther.
Dark hair was cut short enough to frame a face made more powerful by the contrast of angles and curves. Sharp cheekbones were emphasized by a goatee that ran along his chiseled jaw while full lips and lush lashes hinted at softness. She couldnt tell the color of his eyes from here, but they looked dark. A worn blue T-shirt was draped over broad shoulders, cupped biceps impressive enough to bench-press a Harley and lay flat against abs that didnt appear to even have a concept of the meaning of the word flab.
But how was his ass? Great abs were all well and good, but the true measure of a man was how fine of an ass he had.
She craned her neck to the side, squinting a little behind the amber lenses of her shades. But the angle was wrong. She shifted a couple of steps to the right and tilted her head a little, brushing at the swath of hair skimming her chin. Still nothing.
Can I get you anything, Ms. Raye?
Darby gave brief consideration to embarrassment, but this was a vacation. A time to let loose and have fun. Besides, embarrassment simply wasnt one of her key personality traits.
Hey, Tito, she greeted, giving the waiter a friendly smile. Just checking out the view and debating whether to head to the downstairs lanai for dinner instead of staying here.
The band will be setting up on the lower lanai soon. Much better choice for a lovely single woman to meet a dance partner. Dark eyes dancing, the cocoa-skinned waiter waved one husky arm toward the circular stairs leading down the side of the hotel. Please, go downstairs. I will bring your pupu platter beachside to enjoy.
That sounded crowded.