Page 1 of Saint

CHAPTER ONE

Patrick Humphreys had learned to ride a horse as a little boy, almost before he could walk. Horses were natural for him. More natural than people, and he certainly understood them better than most humans.

His father, Will ‘Bogey’ Humphreys, and his mother, Alice, were both raised in Wyoming on or near farms and ranches. They often rode horses together as children, riding trails, hills, and mountains for hours on end.

When the animal sanctuary started taking in horses, Patrick could not have been happier. Raised to appreciate the value of hard work and doing things for others, he was always willing to spend more time out at the stables and help Sniff and Lucy, as well as the other animal experts. It kept him away from humans that were confusing to him and closer to the animals that seemed to understand him without question and without words.

When the weather was good, sometimes the boys in their age group would ride the horses to school. Others thought it was really cool. Patrick just thought it was how life was supposed to be. Simple. Easy. No frills. Put your cowboy boots on, a good-fitting pair of blue jeans, and a hat to keep the sun off your face. The rest the horse would take care of.

Growing up, Patrick knew that his father had been a Navy SEAL. In fact, there were dozens of former SEALs on the property as well as other Special Forces. When you’re a child, you don’t think anything about that at all. It’s just your normal, even if it’s not everyone’s normal.

The kids, boys and girls alike, would often rise early in the morning and attend PT with the older members of the team. They would run for a solid hour, lift weights, participate in stretching exercises and yoga, and when they turned eighteen, sometimes earlier, they were allowed to attend weapons training.

It came as no surprise to anyone when he left for the Navy and then training for SEALs, that his best friends Maverick, Brax, and Pax did the same. They suffered through BUDs together, they were tormented in Hell Week together, and they were all pinned on the same day, proudly displaying the anchor on their chest.

Although he was exceptionally good-looking, he knew that his value and worth were not tied to his good looks, nor was a woman’s tied to her good looks. He didn’t set out to be celibate or a virgin. He just wasn’t going to fuck everything that walked by him.

Too many men have lost their careers and themselves because of one moment of urges or desires. His own friends had been cautious, and come hell or high water, he was going to be cautious as well.

When Patrick turned twenty-one, his ‘friends’ and teammates thought that it would be funny to give the virgin a surprise. They spent five thousand dollars to hire an actual porn star to break him in.

Patrick was so horrified and so uncomfortable he apologized to the woman and asked if they could just sit in the room and not say anything. She was getting paid either way, so she didn’t care at all. It was odd, and she was attracted to the young man, but she wasn’t about to rape him.

For Patrick, it was utter humiliation. It wasn’t as if he was ugly and couldn’t get women on his own. He was propositioned all the time in bars but gently refused, knowing that for him, it would need to feel right.

When he told his teammates that they’d blown five-grand, they were shocked and a whole lot of pissed off at losing their money. Ultimately, he ended up with the call name Saint.

He wore it proudly.

A few years later, while home on leave, he noticed several new people on the property. East was getting married to Chelsea, who happened to be part of a team of brainiacs picked up in some of the oddest circumstances the team had ever seen. There were several young people, including a beautiful teenager named Marilisa.

Saint thought nothing of it when they danced together at the wedding, laughing and having a great time. She was a cute kid and seemed shy and somewhat awkward. It was as if he had a little sister.

He had no idea that Marilisa felt different.

Each time he came home on leave, she seemed to be more and more beautiful. Her incredible brilliance was also attractive to him. Just a teenager, she was already working on her PhD in weapons engineering, planning to work at G.R.I.P. right on their property. She was wise and mature beyond her years.

But she was still a child in his eyes.

When another of the geniuses arrived on the property, Stephanie, he noticed that the two young women stuck together. They would often go shopping together or out to eat or a movie. As she got older, he noticed that they would go to bars or dance clubs together.

After returning from The Well one night, she and the others walked back to their own cottages, and Marilisa took a seat, enjoying the cool evening breezes and hoping to clear her head for a moment.

“What are you doing up so late?” asked Saint, seeing Marilisa on the porch. “It’s almost one a.m.”

“Isn’t that 0100?” she smirked.

“Yeah, it is,” he laughed, stepping up on the second step. “But that didn’t answer my question. Why are you up so late?”

“I’m just getting back from The Well,” she said.

“The Well? You’re not old enough to be there?” he frowned, giving her a strange look.

“Patrick, I’m almost twenty-two years old. I’m more than old enough.”

“Yeah, but that place can be dangerous. There are all kinds of guys there looking for only one thing.”

“Really?” she grinned. “Guys like you? Like Pax, Brax, and the others? Because I’ve seen you guys there, and you never even noticed me from across the room.”

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