Falling For Her Navy Seal…Again

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  Falling for Her Navy SEAL Again

  Copyright © 2014 by Clarissa Yip

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-742-4

  Cover art by Mina Carter

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

  Look for us online at:

  www.decadentpublishing.com

  The Calendar Men Stories

  Outback Dirty

  February Lover

  Seducing Helena

  Frontier Inferno

  Shockwave

  The Other Brother

  The Letter

  Burning Love

  A Model Hero

  Falling for Her Navy SEAL…Again

  Thankful for You

  Snow Angels

  Also by Clarissa Yip

  Love by Auction

  One Chance

  Silent Night’s Seduction

  Snowy Encounters

  Tempting a Cowboy

  Tempting a Prince

  Unforeseen Reunion

  Falling for Her Navy SEAL…Again

  The Calendar Men Series

  By

  Clarissa Yip

  ~Dedication~

  To my friend Judy who has always asked me to put Momo in a story.

  There you have it!

  Chapter One

  Mr. October stared back at her, and she couldn’t control the pleasure strumming down her spine at the sight, even though she’d like nothing more than to hang up the calendar and then throw a dart at her brother’s best friend.

  Bronzed skin, bright blue eyes, chocolate-brown hair, six-pack abs, one mean-looking Maltese in the crook of his arm, and white pants that left nothing to the imagination. With one leg bent, and his foot resting on top of a pumpkin, one would think Matthew Hunt was perfect, but….

  Jenesi Coleman threw it on top of a stack of hair magazines. “Where did you get this?”

  Her friend Liz grinned as she sectioned Jenesi’s hair and snipped the ends. “I have my ways. It isn’t supposed to be out until December, but I had my friend in New York send it to me as a gift since she worked on the set of the shoot. Matt is definitely looking good. Who would have thought saving the mayor’s wife’s dog would get him on a national calendar?”

  Jenesi smirked. She recalled her brother making fun of Matthew for flying down to New York City to pose for the charity calendar that benefited the Hero Family Fund. The charity gave scholarships and assisted families left behind after the Afghan War. Once, she would have applauded Matthew for doing a good deed, but then the man didn’t deserve to be recognized as a hero…especially not after the way they’d parted the last time.

  She cleared her throat. “He didn’t want to do this, anyway.”

  “Girl, he’s a SEAL. Besides, his family basically owns our town. Whether or not he saved Wendy’s dog, he would have been perfect for the calendar. He’s hot. He’s in the military. And he’s a hero. But I do wonder what’s going to happen now that he’s home again.”

  Jenesi scoffed. How did her friend know the damn jerk had returned when she’d heard nothing? “He’s not home.”

  Liz’s eyebrow rose. “Look at the number of women here today. The appointment book is filled. If you weren’t my best friend, I probably wouldn’t have fit you into my schedule. It only gets busy like this whenever he’s back from an assignment and comes to visit his dad.” She looked around at the other salon chairs filled with customers and chuckled. “He brings me business. I’m not complaining.” She picked up the calendar and slid it into a drawer. “Better not let them see this.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. You own a spa. Just because it’s busy doesn’t mean he’s come home.”

  “He’s home. I’m sure. I did the mayor’s wife hair earlier this morning, and you know I only cut your hair and Wendy’s. She couldn’t stop telling me how she couldn’t wait for Momo to see his savior.”

  “Momo? Her dog?” Jenesi frowned. She couldn’t understand why all women were attracted to Matthew, even though she’d been victim to the same disease. But no more. Matthew Hunt had lost his chance. The man could go to hell, for all she cared.

  “Yes, her dog. It cracks me up every time I see the mayor carrying that Maltese around because his wife demands it. Good for the image, I guess.” Liz spun her chair around and picked up stands of hair from both sides of Jenesi’s face to measure length. “Maybe a little shorter. Your hair grows too fast. And I think I’ll add in a few more layers. It’ll give you body.” Liz spun her around again. “You’re still mad at him, aren’t you?”

  Jenesi swallowed hard. “No. He’s my brother’s best friend. What’s there to be mad about?”

  Liz waited until she lifted her head then met her gaze. “Don’t lie, Jen. We’ve known each other since grade school. I don’t think you told me everything that happened between you two, but I know you’ve always been in love with him.”

  What difference did it make? She’d loved and been burned. Why couldn’t Liz see she’d moved on? Or had she? “Nothing happened. I made a move, but Matthew wanted to be friends. Besides, it’s for the better. Could you imagine what Jared would have done if he’d found out?”

  Liz laughed. “Yeah, I can see Jared battling it out with Matt, but then they’d let it all blow over, do a bro hug, and get a beer together. Good thing Jared won’t be home from Hawaii until the holidays.”

  “Why would my brother want to come home? He’s having fun flying fighter jets over the Pacific. My parents probably wouldn’t have known what to do with him if he hadn’t gone into the military.” Matthew and Jared had joined the Navy at the same time, but their career paths had taken them in different directions. Her brother had gotten accepted into OCS and made it through to Pensacola, and Matthew moved on as a Navy SEAL. After Matthew graduated from BUD/S, he’d come back a changed man—harder, mature, and serious. But then he’d been a somber and pensive child, ever since his mother had walked out on him and his dad. Jenesi sighed. “You’re probably right. My brother and Matthew could never be mad at each other for anything. It boggles my mind when they are together. They’re like little boys. Well, my brother is, at least.”

  “Hey, we’re like kids, too, when we hang out. I’m not going to own up to turning thirty soon.”

  “I have my students to make me feel young.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know how you do it, managing twenty-five little terrors for six hours a day. I’d go crazy.”

  Jenesi’s heart warmed. She loved her kindergarten class. As a teacher, she’d dreamed of having her own children one day, but without a proper husband candidate, the fantasy withered further and further away. Each man she’d dated since her little episode with Matthew, she hadn’t been able to dredge up the interest to go out with more than a few times. It was hopeless. “I lov
e my little terrors. Wouldn’t trade them for anything. And the best thing is that I get to return them to their parents every afternoon.”

  Liz laughed. “You say that now, but I’m sure it’ll be different when you have your own.”

  “Probably not happening. I’d have to get married first, remember?”

  “Are you ready to meet with Principal Bartholomew tonight?”

  She shrugged. “Bart is just taking me out to dinner. No biggie.”

  “You know, this is the second date. Usually you tap out after three. You can’t keep comparing these men to Matt.”

  Jenesi jerked in her seat. She noticed a few of the women throwing her glances, no doubt listening in on their conversation. Salons were the best place to gossip. “I don’t do that,” she whispered.

  “Don’t lie. You dated Herb from the florist and stopped seeing him because he had garlic breath.” Liz continued to clip away at her hair without stopping as she spoke. “Frank from the pharmacy was dull, Carlton from the car dealer had too fake of a smile, Reggie the vet talked to you like a child, Sam the rich doctor was too rich—you’re just too hard to please.” She spun the chair around and measured length again. “So what is wrong with Bartholomew?”

  Irritation rose. As much as she loved her best friend, Liz saw too much at times. “His name is Bart. And there is nothing wrong with him. We’re just going on our second date. I’m trying to take things slow since he is my boss.”

  Liz tapped her chin with one finger. “I can already see why you’re going to stop seeing this one.”

  “Oh yeah, and what’s that?”

  “His toupee is the wrong color.”

  A snort ripped past her lips. She covered her mouth before she glowered at her friend. “He does not have a toupee. He’s balding a little, but then there’s nothing wrong with that. Some guys…just…don’t have a full head of hair.” Like Matthew. She inwardly groaned. Did she really compare each guy she dated to him?

  “If that’s what you think. You can be as delusional as much as you want. You know the only guy for you is Matt.”

  Once she would have agreed wholeheartedly, but what was the point? He didn’t want her. “Liz, you drive me nuts.”

  Her friend laughed as she picked up the hair dryer. “I’m only telling the truth.”

  “Excuse me.” The blonde woman two chairs over waved a hand at them. “Are you talking about Matt Hunt?”

  “No!” Liz and Jenesi said at once. The woman made a face and returned to reading her magazine.

  They looked at each other and broke into fit of giggles. Liz picked up a round brush as she sobered. “Let’s finish your hair and get your fingernails and toes done next. If we have time, maybe we’ll go upstairs to my apartment and raid my closet to see if we can find you a dress to wear tonight.”

  “I have a dress.”

  “Yes, probably something that covers you from head to toe. We don’t live in the Stone Age. You seriously need to start dressing better. How else are you going to get anyone’s attention? What’s the point of my doing your hair and nails when you wear such boring stuff?”

  Jenesi’s gaze trailed over Liz’s white capri pants and off-the-shoulder floral top. Her short blonde hair made her seem like a pixie. She appeared feminine and dainty. While the other girls in the shop wore black smocks, Liz believed in looking her best no matter where she was. Jenesi, on the other hand, believed in being comfortable at all times. She had no qualms chasing her students on the playground or working in her mother’s garden with her bare hands or playing a game of softball with the community league. Was that why Matthew didn’t think of her as anything but his best friend’s sister? “Maybe. We’ll see how much time we have, after we’re done.”

  Liz paused, as if contemplating something. “Don’t say I don’t love you.” She reached into the drawer and pulled out the dreaded calendar. “You keep this.” She tugged up the smock covering Jenesi’s legs and placed it in her lap. “Maybe it’ll help you see the light of day.”

  “Liz, I don’t need this.”

  “Oh, I think you do. Maybe once you forgive him for hurting you, you’ll actually realize how much better you can do.” She turned on the dryer and started blowing out Jenesi’s hair.

  The weight of the calendar rested on her thighs. Jenesi placed a hand on it and felt the smooth cover. Matthew was home, but for how long? How would he take to seeing her again? Did he expect her to act like nothing had happened between them? Could she pretend indifference?

  Probably not. No way she’d let him see how much he’d hurt her.

  Matthew Hunt could eat his heart out.

  Chapter Two

  His fingertips trailed over the photos on the mantel. Each frame carried images of him and his dad, going back to when he was eight. No pictures of his mother.

  “Here, Son.”

  Matthew Hunt spun around and smiled at his dad, who held out a beer toward him. He slipped his fingers around the cold can and sipped. “Thanks.”

  “Your injury bothering you?”

  The memory of the searing sensation through his chest burned in his mind and left tingles running down his spine. “No, it’s okay. I barely feel it.”

  His dad nodded and took a seat in the leather lounge chair. “You need to be careful out there, kid. It’s dangerous. Not everyone can be a SEAL. You have to trust your instincts.”

  “I know, Pop.” Matt sat down on the couch and glanced at the television screen. CNN played—something his dad had watched ever since he’d left the Navy to raise him. Ever since Matt could remember. “I’ve always been careful. Just this time….” He paused and drew a deep breath. He’d been out on a mission in the desert, his eyes and body focused, but his mind…elsewhere.

  “Don’t let it happen again. You have the responsibility to come home and take over the damn farm and haunted house for me.”

  Matt laughed. While his uncles managed the other family businesses, his father had chosen to take care of Hunt Farm, along with the haunted house, pumpkin patch, and orchards. They were known to have the best haunted house and hayrides come this time of the year. “Don’t you miss being a SEAL?”

  Gerald Hunt let out a rusty chuckle. “Sometimes. But I could do without the weeks in some exotic jungle living off MREs. Besides, if I hadn’t left, I wouldn’t have been able to watch you grow up to be the man you are today or watch you go through the pain of BUD/S like I did.”

  “Funny.” Matt gulped his beer, his mind on his father’s words. “There’re always going to be more training, more drills, more missions that could break a man. But you know I’m good at what I do.”

  Gerald grunted in agreement.

  Matt let out a hesitant breath. It’d always been him and his dad, and he couldn’t imagine life being any different, but thoughts of his mother loitered in his mind at times. “Do you regret leaving because of me?”

  His dad frowned. “Hell, no. If I had let your mother raise you, you probably would have been one prissy little boy.”

  As much as he enjoyed his dad’s jokes, he couldn’t muster the energy to laugh. His mother had left once she’d gotten fed up with being married to a SEAL. His father’s schedule was erratic and unpredictable, leaving his mother to worry and wonder what danger her husband could be facing, and having to raise a young boy by herself. She’d written Gerald for a divorce, dumped Matt off with his uncles, and fled with another man. “But, seriously….”

  Gerald threw him a sober look. “What’s up with you? Since you got home yesterday, you’ve been acting all weird. That bullet hit a nerve to your brain?”

  “Ha. I’ve just been thinking.” Matt finished his beer and set it on the table next to the couch.

  “Thinking about what?”

  Flashes of shootings, his team yelling, bombs exploding—and Jenesi—crossed his mind. “Just stuff.” He gave his dad a halfhearted smile. “It’s good to be home.”

  Gerald continued to study him, then sipped his beer as he redirected
his gaze to the television. “Don’t think too much, boy. You got a long life ahead of you. If you’re getting restless or bored, get out. There are opportunities that await you here, and if this isn’t what you want, I won’t be mad at you. You’re my son, first and foremost, and you know what to do.”

  Calmness filled him. The old man never ceased to amaze him. “Love you, Dad.”

  “Love you, too, Son.” He lifted his feet and placed them on the ottoman. “I know something must have distracted you out there. What was it?”

  “It was nothing.” Matthew picked up his beer bottle and went to take a sip when he realized it was empty. How could he share with his father that he’d messed up? That he’d ruined his friendship with one of his best friends? That Jenesi scared him? “I need another beer. You want another?”

  “No, I’m good.” Gerald returned his attention to the news.

  Matt made no move to get up. He’d only been home one day, and he’d walked the yard a million times, debating whether or not to drive over to the Colemans’ house. No doubt everyone had heard that he was back. In a small town like Huntsburg, New York, word got around faster than a bullet train. Plus, it didn’t help that the mayor’s wife thought him a hero for saving her dog when the little ball of fluff had run out across the street. He’d only been there at the right time. It didn’t make him a hero. He almost groaned out loud, recalling the calendar he’d yet to see since he’d posed for it five months ago. Right before he’d stupidly kissed his best friend’s sister, scored second base, and then pushed her off and called her an idiot for letting him do so. After he’d lied and said he’d drunk too much, which wasn’t the whole truth.

  He shoved off the couch. “Dad, I’m going for a drive.”

  Gerald calmly sipped his beer. “Don’t forget to grab the house keys.”