Rescued by the alpha SEAL
Tawny Weber debuts the stunning Aegis Security miniseries
Injured in the line of duty, navy SEAL Travis Hawk Hawkins retreats to paradise. But R & R takes a turn when he runs smack into a beautiful blonde who just witnessed a murder. Travis offers to help, only to find himself equally taunted and titillated by irresistible Lila Adrian. Can the wounded warrior protect Lila and take down a deadly crime ring?
TAWNY WEBER is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than forty books. She writes sassy, emotional romances with a dash of humour and believes that it all comes down to heroes. In fact, shes made her career writing about heroes, most notably her popular navy SEALs series. Tawny credits her ex-military alpha husband for inspiration in her writing, and in her life. The recipient of numerous writing accolades, including the RT Reviewers Choice Award, she has also hit number one on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble bestseller lists. A homeschooling mum, Tawny enjoys scrapbooking, gardening and spending time with her family and dogs in her Northern California home.
Visit Tawny on the web at www.tawnyweber.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.
www.Facebook.com/TawnyWeber.RomanceAuthor www.Twitter.com/TawnyWeber www.Pinterest.com/TawnyWeber www.Goodreads.com/author/show/513828.Tawny_Weber
Also by Tawny Weber
Nice & Naughty
Midnight Special
Naughty Christmas Nights
A SEALs Seduction
A SEALs Surrender
A SEALs Salvation
A SEALs Kiss
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk
Navy SEAL to the Rescue
Tawny Weber
www.millsandboon.co.uk
NAVY SEAL TO THE RESCUE
© 2019 Tawny Weber
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a Licensed Device) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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Version: 2020-03-02
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Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
About the Author
Booklist
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
About the Publisher
Chapter 1
Costa Rica, baby.
The small beachside town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca was filled with character. The laid-back, mellow atmosphere was complemented by thatch-roofed buildings, colorful fabrics and hand-lettered signs.
Midstride down the deserted sidewalk, Lila Adrian stopped to close her eyes and take a deep breath of the rich, ocean-scented air. When she opened her big green eyes again, she was thrilled to see that yes, indeed, it was still gorgeous. What was it about the Caribbean that made everything just a little brighter?
God, she loved her job.
As the brains, brawn and chief headhunter of her own business, At Your Service, she was rocking it. She might be meeting clients in San Francisco one day, in London scouting for an art director the next, visiting a tiny village in Tuscany to woo a former prima ballerina the week after that. And now she was cruising Puerto Viejo for a chef.
Wherever the talent was, she went. And then, with charm, guile and a great deal of wit, she enticed that talent into the job of their dreams. Or into believing the job she wanted them to take was dream-worthy.
Itd all started with a few favors, helping a friend find an elite aromatherapy masseuse for her new spa, connecting a concierge doctor shed once dated with an upscale hotel chain owned by a friend. But it had been introducing three of her fathers fired housekeepers to wealthy families whod welcomed their services that made her realize she could turn it into a career.
Something shed been desperate for. Not just to prove herself to family members who claimed she didnt have any marketable skills, but to show herself that she was more than a pretty face. With the strings to her trust fund knotted tight, shed spent most of At Your Services first three years living on ramen noodles and depending on the local coffeehouses free Wi-Fi.
But sheer stubbornness, a ton of charm and taking advantage of the varied connections shed made over the years had finally done the trick.
That, and her family name.
Something she knew pissed her father off to no end.
Loving that small victory, Lila increased her pace to make her way around a pair of locals pedaling their bicycles, with baskets filled with produce.
Now she was in Costa Rica to add another feather to her cap. She didnt figure itd take an abundance of charm to convince Alberto Rodriguez, formerly of Miami, Florida, and currently the head chef of the aging Casa de Rico, that hed like to travel the world as the personal chef to the Martins, a wealthy San Francisco banking family.
Mr. and Mrs. MartinJoe and Mimi, respectivelyhad spent a week reveling in Rodriguezs cuisine on their honeymoon. Food so delicious, they often claimed, that they could still taste it a decade later. Lila had followed up their praise with a little research, which assured her that Rodriguez had a great reputation as a chef who could handle upscale gourmet as well as fusion and regional cuisine. The man was wasted in a one-star restaurant that, from all accounts, was on the verge of bankruptcy. Since research turned up no reasons for him to want to stay, she figured he should be more than ready to make a move.
But just in case, Lila had the charm ready to pour on like syrup.
With that in mind, she pulled her cell phone from the front pocket of her capris and opened the web browser to the hotels website. Shed already committed the details to memory, but she was a believer in double-checking.
Before she could scroll through the page, the phone rang.
Corinne Douglass. Socialite, diva and the best friend Lila had ever met.
Howd you know I was holding my phone? Lila answered with a laugh instead of a greeting.
Youre always holding your phone, her sometimes assistant-slash-roommate answered. Even if its not in your hand, youre still holding it in some form or other.
You have a point. Whats up?
Hows Costa Rica? Corinne asked instead of answering.
Lila frowned at the sidestep, but looked around anyway.
Gorgeous. The air is just humid enough to be sultry. The sun shining hot enough to sink into the bones. The people are friendly, the locale colorful and, so far, the job is on track.
Have you met with the chef yet? Is he interested? Are you coming home soon?
Not yet, but Im on my way to the restaurant now. Im sure hell be interested, once he hears the deal. And why? Suspicion laced the last question, but Lila figured it was well deserved. She might be a card-carrying optimist, but shed never be mistaken for Pollyanna. Is something wrong?
Nothing, really, Corinne hedged. Just wondering when youll be back.
This shouldnt take more than two or three days, Lila estimated. Which shed told Corinne when the other woman had dropped her at San Francisco International Airport. Once again, I have to ask, why?
Cant a friend check on a friend? Corinne dismissed her with a light laugh that Lila knew she used only when she was nervous.
Whats wrong? Did you hear from your dad? Not only did the two women have a taste for designer heels and sappy chick flicks in common, but they also had wealthy families led by overbearing fathers. The only difference was, Corinne wanted her fathers attention while Lila wished hers would forget she existed.
His secretary, Corinne confirmed. Arthur Douglass rarely deigned to dial a phone himself. Some things came up. Hes delayed.
So no visit to San Francisco? Visit being friend-code for the man taking an extra half hour to have drinks with his daughter at the airport while his private jet refueled.
No. I offered to meet him in Milan instead, but he has a full schedule. And, well, you know.
She did know. Her friend couldnt afford the trip or to take time off work at the art gallery. Yet another thing she and Corinne had in common was limited funds. Where they diverged was how they dealt with it. Poor Corinne let it bother her, while Lila, well, she didnt. Much.
Dont let it get you down, she advised. Ill be home in a few days and well go out, hit the clubs, drink like crazy and dance our worries away.
Guys?
Of course. Lila smiled at the two striding past. Tall, sporting swim trunks and surfboards, they grinned back. Its always more fun to dance with guys who know the moves.
I wouldnt know. None of the guys Ive danced with had much in the way of moves.
Thats because youre always holding out for guys who remind you of your father, Lila said under her breath.