SEAL You In My Dreams: SEAL Brotherhood (A Magnolias and Moonshine Novella Book 9), page 1
SEAL You In My Dreams
A Magnolias and Moonshine Novella
Sharon Hamilton
Sharon Hamilton’s Book List
SEAL Brotherhood
SEAL Encounter (Book .5)
Accidental SEAL (Book 1)
SEAL Endeavor (Book 1.5)
Fallen SEAL Legacy (Book 2)
SEAL Under Covers (Book 3)
SEAL The Deal (Book 4)
Cruisin’ For A SEAL (Book 5)
SEAL My Destiny (Book 6)
SEAL Of My Heart (Book 7)
Bad Boys of SEAL Team 3
SEAL’s Promise (Book 1)
SEAL My Home (Book 2)
SEAL’s Code (Book 3)
Band of Bachelors
Lucas (Book 1)
Alex (Book 2)
Jake (Book 3)
True Blue SEALs
True Navy Blue (prequel to Zak)
Zak
Nashville SEAL
Nashville SEAL (Book 1)
Jameson (Book 2)
Fredo
Fredo’s Secret (novella) Book 1
Fredo’s Dream (Book 2)
Novellas
SEAL Encounter
SEAL Endeavor
True Navy Blue (prequel to Zak)
Fredo’s Secret
Nashville SEAL
SEAL You In My Dreams (Magnolias and Moonshine)
SEAL Of Time (Trident Legacy)
Boxed Sets
SEAL Brotherhood Box Set 1 (SEALs)
SEAL Brotherhood Box Set 2 (SEALs)
Ultimate SEAL Collection Vol. 1 (SEALs)
Ultimate SEAL Collection Vol. 2 (SEALs)
Big Bad Boys Bundle (SEALs)
Beaus & Arrows Valentines Anthology
Immortal Valentines (Paranormal)
Kindle Worlds
SEAL’s Goal: The Beautiful Game
Love Me Tender, Love You Hard
Sleeper SEALs
Bachelor SEAL
Fall From Grace Series
Gideon: Heavenly Fall
Golden Vampires of Tuscany
Honeymoon Bite (Book 1)
Mortal Bite (Book 2)
The Guardians
Heavenly Lover (Book 1)
Underworld Lover (Book 2)
Underworld Queen (Book 3)
About the Book
Special Operator Peter Watson’s next great adventure begins at the Atlanta Aquarium when he encounters a mermaid who steals his heart. But playing with sharks and colorful fish in the Big Tank isn’t nearly as dangerous, or as fun as what happens on land after their meeting behind glass.
Abbey Hart’s summertime job in Atlanta was just going to be something brainless between her graduation from college and the start of her internship at a Sonoma County winery in the fall. But she’s swimming upstream when her travels land her in the arms of a frogman, Navy SEAL Peter Watson.
Oceans apart, who could know that the wonderful week they shared together in Atlanta would turn from fantasy to reality?
Begin Reading
Dedication
About the Author
Series Overview
Table of Contents
Copyright © 2017 by Sharon Hamilton
Kindle Edition
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. In many cases, liberties and intentional inaccuracies have been taken with rank, description of duties, locations and aspects of the SEAL community.
License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Author’s Note
I always dedicate my SEAL Brotherhood books to the brave men and women who defend our shores and keep us safe. Without their sacrifice, and that of their families—because a warrior’s fight always includes his or her family—I wouldn’t have the freedom and opportunity to make a living writing these stories. They sometimes pay the ultimate price so we can debate, argue, go have coffee with friends, raise our children and see them have children of their own.
One of my favorite tributes to warriors resides on many memorials, including one I saw honoring the fallen of WWII on an island in the Pacific:
“When you go home
Tell them of us, and say
For your tomorrow,
We gave our today.”
These are my stories created out of my own imagination. Anything that is inaccurately portrayed is either my mistake, or done intentionally to disguise something I might have overheard over a beer or in the corner of one of the hangouts along the Coronado Strand.
I support two main charities: Navy SEAL/UDT Museum in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Please learn about this wonderful museum, all run by active and former SEALs and their friends and families, and who rely on public support, not that of the U.S. Government.
www.navysealmuseum.org
I also support Wounded Warriors, who tirelessly bring together the warrior as well as the family members who are just learning to deal with their soldier’s condition and have nowhere to turn. It is a long path to becoming well, but I’ve seen first-hand what this organization does for its warriors and the families who love them. Please give what your heart tells you is right. If you cannot give, volunteer at one of the many service centers all over the United States. Get involved. Do something meaningful for someone who gave so much of themselves, to families who have paid the price for your freedom. You’ll find a family there unlike any other on the planet.
www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Table of Contents
Title Page
Sharon Hamilton’s Book List
About the Book
Copyright Page
Author’s Note
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
Excerpt from Magnolia Mystic
About the Author
Series Overview
Reviews
Chapter 1
Peter Watson watched a human mermaid cavorting with the big fish in the Atlanta Aquarium. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and spread through the water like a giant yellow sea fern. Her shapely body was poured into a bright blue and yellow diving suit with the Aquarium logo on the right thigh. Her graceful movements took his breath away. She fed large angelfish and smaller shy bottom scrapers, making sure everyone got their fair share. Several sharks lurked in the background, used to the fact that they would not be hand fed anything.
He was transfixed. A class of grade-schoolers encircled him. He heard several of the children remark, “cool,” or “I wanna do that some day.”
As a Navy SEAL, Peter was familiar with wetsuits and diving equipment. He was used to seeing his buddies on SEAL Team 3 swimming like a pod of dolphin with their rebreathers, going undetected from the surface. He knew how to plant an underwater demolition charge, fire his H&K underwater with deadly accuracy, and use a submersible one-man sub. He’d done HALO jumps into shallow water and boarded ships operated by pirates and other assorted bad guys. But never had he played with a mermaid in a neon blue and yellow wet suit.
He felt like some hidden force placed a big hook in his heart and tried to yank it out of his chest. He noticed, as the children moved off to the next large window, that he’d been holding his breath.
Tyler and T.J. came up behind him, but he didn’t notice. When T.J. barked, Peter jumped nearly an inch off the ground.
“Elementary, dear Watson. That,” he said as he pointed to the girl, “is a thing of beauty.”
Peter had to agree, once he settled down. All three of them stood in a line, about two feet from the Plexiglas window, drooling in sync.
She emptied the contents of her fanny pack, zipped it up, and waved to her gentlemen audience. The three waved back.
“Peter,” started Tyler Gray, another SEAL from Team 3, “we got one night in Atlanta, and then it’s back to San Diego. But if anyone can do it, you can.”
“Do what?”
“Catch a mermaid,” he whispered.
It was exactly what Peter was thinking.
T.J. motioned to a set of metal steps. Tyler and Peter followed behind him until the stairway veered off to the right, giving the audience a view of the tank from the top. At the left was a door marked private. T.J. gl
“Wow, you know this place?”
T.J. stopped, causing Peter to run into him. When the big SEAL turned, his glib expression told Peter he was about to get a whole lot of attitude.
“Dude, I do know how to chase a filly. Now that I’m a married man, I live vicariously through you single guys.”
“Like I need help with that?” challenged Peter.
“I’m positive you need help with that. But let’s just say I’m selfish. Old married Tyler and I will help you get introduced, and then we bow out. Up to you to get back to the hotel by at least oh-nine-hundred. And you can’t be wearing these.”
T.J. referred to Peter’s bright yellow aloha shirt, his green cargo pants, and the red flip-flops. And his orange toes, which one of the SEAL daughters had painted for him before they left.
His teammate didn’t wait for an answer, faced the hallway in front of them, and took off in a brisk walk. A series of office cubicles with glass doors lined the hallway, until they hit the double doors, which automatically opened to the outside. There in front of them, the mermaid was rinsing off, and removing her flippers, her weight belt and fanny pack and had pulled off her facemask. Her hair was now free and glowing golden under the shower.
She placed a big fluffy white towel to her face and then popped her head up to examine them.
“Hello, fellas. What about the word private didn’t you understand?”
“Ma’am,” T.J. began, “we just came to see if you were okay. We experienced a minor earthquake down below watching you feed the fish.”
Tyler couldn’t restrain his snicker. Peter was still dumbstruck. The girl was muscled, with tanned skin and bright blue eyes. Her whole face lit up when she smiled. Peter wondered why she wasn’t more afraid of three strange men watching her rinse off.
She laid eyes on each one of them and came back to Peter. “You let your SEAL buddies get you into trouble, or are you a frog, too?”
“Now how the hell would you know that?”
She reached out and pinched T.J.’s bone frog logo on his polo shirt, snagging his nipple at the same time.
“Ow!”
Without reacting to T.J.’s outburst, she removed Tyler’s hat with the same logo, showing it to him. And then she pointed to the frog print tats on each of their forearms.
Peter extended his right forearm to show her he had identical ink. All the guys on Kyle’s squad had those tats, all done by the same artist in Coronado.
“Well then, that explains it.” She threw her towel around her neck and picked up her things. “Show’s over, gents. I do the rest of it in private, and I have a job to go to in one hour, so adios.” She gave a mock salute and just walked away.
“Shit, Peter. You’re gonna be single at fifty if you don’t get yourself organized,” said T.J.
“You know, I’m a big boy, asshole. You don’t need to lecture me.” Irritation mounted. He was disturbed by the fact the lady didn’t introduce herself—or ask them questions, like everyone else did when they discovered they were SEALs.
“I’m sure she’ll like that a lot, but first, my man, you gotta get her nekked.”
“I’m not—”
T.J. looked like he was going to punch him. “Yes, you are. You’re thinking with your little head, and that’s okay. We want you normal, not a priest.”
“Oh, that’s cold, man. You Catholic, Peter?”
“Hell no. And, no, I just want to get to know her.”
“Hard to do that when you didn’t even hardly say a word or try to stop her,” added Tyler. “Just sayin’.”
“Getting to know them is overrated,” spat T.J. “We’re here for one night. You barely have time for that drink I promised you. Don’t forget it was your idea to go to the Aquarium instead of hanging out at Dante’s.”
Their conversation was causing attention and an older gentleman in a white lab coat with horn-rimmed glasses was making his way over to them.
“We were on our way out, sir. Thought we knew the lady,” said Peter.
“Who? Abbey?” He turned and scanned the hallway behind him. “I didn’t think she was still here.”
T.J. walked briskly toward the doorway they’d come through.
“Have a nice day,” said Tyler.
The man in the lab coat watched them leave without saying a word.
“Abbey. That’s her name,” whispered Peter as they descended the stairs. “I’m going to try something.”
He approached the visitor information desk. A young girl stood behind the round command center desk and blinked nervously at him, quickly checking out T.J. and Tyler, who stood directly behind.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m Peter Watson, and we were just talking to Abbey upstairs.”
“Oh yes. Abbey Hart.”
“Right. She had to run off to work. We’re underwater stuntmen working for a movie crew in town, and Abbey was giving us some pointers. We think our director might like to meet her.” Peter paused, hoping his ruse would work. He tilted his head and gave her a crooked smile. The girl blushed. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “We’ve only got two more days of shooting, and I think Abbey could be in another James Bond film. Don’t you think?”
“Totally! Oh, that would be so cool!” the girl gushed.
He was heartened. “You know where we might find her since she’s gone off to work? My co-workers and I think she’d be perfect for the part. Truth is the actress we have slated will need a body double. Poor thing can’t swim.”
“Who?”
“Who, what?”
“She’s wondering who the actress is,” T.J. spoke up. “It’s Brooke Decker.”
Peter glared at T.J. He didn’t have a clue who she was, and neither did the girl behind the counter.
“Playboy Miss October last year,” added T.J.
“Oh. I see. Sorry, I just thought it might be someone famous.”
“Tom Hiddleston is Bond.”
“Oh, Abbey would be thrilled! She’s always talked about being a Bond Girl.” The clerk quieted and then waited for another staff member to walk behind her. She whispered and leaned forward, addressing Peter. “I know she works at that place that is owned by the SEAL guy. What’s his name?”
All three of the SEALs answered in unison.
“Dante.”
By pure luck, Dante’s was a well-known, local watering hole and big time SEAL hangout that grew into an Atlanta tourist attraction as the little bar expanded. Dante himself was one of the early Vietnam SEALs, who helped spawn the legend of the frogmen in those early days. He retired and did what a lot of the early SEALs did, opened up a bar. As his notoriety grew, Dante’s transformed with the addition of a pirate ship, barbershop, ice cream parlor, and jazz club.
The SEALs had it on their agenda to give the old man a hearty ahoy. Although legendary in the community, he was also known for not talking about his service years. Now that they’d learned Abbey worked there, Peter had even more reason to show up.
A small jazz combo played on the stage to the side. A few couples were dancing. Tables littered the catwalks crisscrossing the hull and built around the ship. The whole environment felt like a pirate’s lair on a lost island somewhere. Girls in pirate garb waited on tables and mounted steps with trays above their heads, carrying brews and food. It would be impossible to hear much in the way of conversation, and being a Friday night, the place was packed.
At first, they were told it would be an hour before they could be seated, but they were offered the long bar, called “The Plank,” to forage for a seat or perhaps a table. They got lucky finding a table right away.
Peter was on the lookout for Abbey, scouring the room for her long blonde ponytail. They ordered beers and sat back to soak in the culture. Pictures of old SEAL Teams were plastered over the bar and even encroached across the mirror. Patches from various teams also were affixed, tee shirts signed, along with pictures of Dante with famous, as well as infamous, SEALs. The Polaroid picture of Saddam Hussein in his prisoner garb was copied and had a prominent place on the mirror, along with assorted other bad guys either caught or killed, their gruesome photos somehow not looking out of place. It was a watering hole worthy of any SEAL member, or family of one. All four bartenders were busy, big arms covered in tats and sporting mostly shaved heads or close-cropped hairstyles. No colored hair or fancy buzz cuts. The tats and ear piercings told all the crazy stuff. And, of course, the girls were tens or elevens. They came in all sizes and colors, but to a lady were gorgeous party girls of the highest caliber.
