Page 1 of Rescued By the SEAL

1

PROLOGUE - HEATHER

“So, what do you think about your seventeenth birthday?” my delightful, loving boyfriend, Landon Ross, asks me as he hands me my final gift, a small, wonderfully wrapped box that has my heart racing like crazy. “Aside from the little mishap in the diner where I spilled my milkshake all over the floor, it’s been pretty much perfect, right? You’ve enjoyed yourself?”

Landon might be saying this with a confident swagger, and most people do believe that about him. He has always been a popular, crazy guy in high school, one people assume is mysterious and sexy, with confidence bordering on arrogance. But I know the truth about him. To me, Landon has never been that unattainable guy. He’s always been my best friend, the guy next door whom I eventually fell in love with. I can see the desperation in his eyes. He really needs me to have had fun.

Luckily, this has been the best date of my whole entire life and I wouldn’t change a damn thing. My birthday has been incredible, and the whole summer vacation promises to be too. Weeks and weeks with just Landon for company. I couldn’t imagineanything better. Aside from the rest of our lives together. That would be wonderful.

Yes, I know. Imagining marrying my childhood sweetheart is insane. I know how it sounds to the rest of the world. But it does happen. People do fall in love for life in high school and make it last forever. It isn’t in my imagination. And why wouldn’t it for me? How could I even imagine falling in love with someone other than my best friend in the whole world with whom I’ve grown up, about whom I know everything, and with whom I see an amazing future? We’ve even talked about it and made plans, so this isn’t just me inventing things in my mind. This is real, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us. It’s going to be awesome.

“I’ve had the best day ever.” I prop up on my elbows in my back yard and turn the gift over in my hands. I want to open it and tear the wrapping off, but I also want to savor this moment for everything magical that it is. “I really have. You’ve made it wonderful. Thank you so much for taking the day off work to hang out with me all day long. I appreciate it.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about work.” He chuckles. “The store is just happy that they get to keep me around for an extra year. They aren’t worrying about my taking the day off to spend with the beautiful Heather Buchan, are they?”

A little glimmer of awkwardness and guilt rolls over my chest as he says this. “Are you still sure about putting off your college plans for a year? I feel so bad about it. I wish I could be a year older and graduated like you already.”

“Hey, youknowI don’t mind,” Landon does his best to reassure me. “I wouldn’t have done it if I did. It works out better for me anyway because I can save up money for college, making sure I’m not broke the whole time, and I get to go to college with you.”He laces his fingers through mine, which makes me tingle with delight all over. “Since we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together, I want to start it with you. Trust me, this is going to be absolutely perfect. I want this, and so do you.”

I lean against him, happily admitting to myself that yes, it is what I want. It’s everything to me. Knowing that Landon will put his life on hold for a while just for me is mind-blowing. It reminds me how lucky and loved I am.

“Are you going to open your final gift, then, or what?” Landon laughs. “I’m dying to see what you think of it.”

I lean up away from him once more, feeling a heat radiate in my cheeks under the power of the look that he’s giving me. Without his intense love, I wouldn’t have any of the self-confidence that I do. It’s Landon who makes me feel like a goddess who can do anything she wants every single day. He gives me a power that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

“Okay, I’m opening it now.” I chew down on my bottom lip as I carefully peel the wrapper off. Everything about this moment is wonderful and overwhelming. It has my head spinning powerfully in a way that I just can’t stop. “Ooh, what’s this? It looks nice.”

As I pull out the most gorgeous silver bracelet with a little heart charm on the end of it, I nearly burst into tears as the emotion overpowers me. I can’t believe how thoughtful a gift this is. Landon is always sweet and romantic—he always has been—enough to make everyone else jealous, but this is on another level. Most eighteen-year-old guys are selfish and don’t care about how their girlfriends are doing, but Landon is desperately wonderful and I love him so much.

“This is incredible.” I stare at Landon with sheer delight as he takes the bracelet from me and clips it around my wrist, just like a real gentleman would. “I can’t believe you did this for me. It’s the perfect end to the best birthday ever.”

I lean forward and cup Landon’s cheeks in my hands before I pull him in for a deep and powerful kiss. It’s so all-consuming that the rest of the world simply melts away into nothingness around us. I’m in a bubble, locked in only with him, and that’s exactly where I want to be. I don’t need the idea of anyone else right now, only Landon.

Unfortunately, he pulls away just as I’m heating up and the wonderful passion grips me and holds me tight.

“I hate to end this,” he tells me sadly, “but I don’t want to break your father’s curfew. I don’t want him to kill me.”

Much as I want to argue with Landon that we shouldn’t let my dad ruin my birthday, I know there’s no point. Everyone is terrified of my father, the overprotective police officer, and I can see why. He looks like a terrifying man who always puts me first. My mom died when I was very young, too young to remember her, really, so it’s always just been me and my father, which I suppose only makes it worse. I know Landon is too scared to get on the wrong side of him, so he won’t listen to me, no matter what. Never mind, I only have to keep up with Dad’s rules for a year longer until we’re at college and living together.

“Come on, then.” I rise to my feet and take Landon’s hand. “Get Cinderella inside before she turns into a pumpkin.”

Landon walks me the few steps to my back door and kisses me sweetly before he pulls away. It doesn’t matter that he’s only walking next door. It could be a million miles away. I hate hisbeing away. But I’ll see him tomorrow. He’s coming to pick me up when he finishes work, and we will spend more time together then. I just have a few hours to wait. I can cope… I think.

“Heather.” Oh, God, there’s no creeping inside for me. Not with my father. “Come here, will you? We need to talk.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes as I head into the kitchen to see my father, and there I find him with burning hot, red cheeks. This means I’ve done something to piss him off. It doesn’t matter that it’s my birthday. If I’ve done something wrong, he will let me know. I take a seat at the dining table and wait for the outburst to come my way. Any minute now…

“You donot know who you’re messing with, Heather. I hate seeing you with that boy out there.”

I open and close my mouth a couple of times, completely stunned to the core. I know that he might not be keen to see me dating, but Dad has always seemed to be okay with Landon because he was respectful… until now.

“What are you talking about?” I ask quietly. “There’s nothing wrong with Landon. He’s nice. You like him.”

“His family.” He points toward the house next door like it’s the devil home. “His family are criminals. You can’t get mixed up with people who are on the wrong side of the law. It’s dangerous, Heather. Plus, with my being a cop.”

“Criminals? Mr. and Mrs. Ross? Are you sure about that? Just because they aren’t like us.”

“They couldn’t be more different from us if they tried,” Dad growled. “I’ve been working on this criminal case for years, onidentifying a criminal gang ruining our town, and now I find out that they live next door. Do you know how stupid I look?”

---