Hot SEAL Tijuana Nights (SEALs in Paradise) Read online

  HOT SEAL, TIJUANA NIGHTS

  SEALs in Paradise

  New York Times & USA Today Bestseller

  CAT JOHNSON

  HOT SEAL, TIJUANA NIGHTS

  A Navy SEAL / Best Friend’s Brother / Enemies-to-Lovers / Action-Adventure / Romantic Comedy / Military Romance

  He's a Navy SEAL. She's his sister's annoying best friend . . . and now she's missing. In Tijuana. And he has to find her. During his leave. F*ck.

  Navy SEAL Zachary Browne made it back from Yemen to find a squatter living in his house—his sister’s best friend who is now an apparently homeless and very possibly insane, sexy AF interior designer.

  Gabby claims Amanda hired her to redecorate his place as a surprise. His sister should know the two things Zach hates more than surprises is change and people touching his stuff. But Gabrielle Lee Interiors & More has done all that—and more.

  Zach survived Houthi rebels, but he might not survive these two women.

  When Gabby goes missing—in Tijuana of all places—he has to go find her. But things can get a little wild south of the border—and not just from the chemistry they’ve been trying to ignore for more than a decade.

  What happens in Tijuana . . . might just kill you.

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  Hot SEAL, Tijuana Nights is 56,000 words of high-action fun, complete with an ill-tempered uber alpha Navy SEAL hero, his sister’s annoying—and annoyingly sexy—best friend, an ill-advised trip across the border, a decorating job gone terribly wrong, a romance a decade in the making, and a guaranteed satisfying happy-ever-after, with no cheating or cliffhangers.

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  ONE

  Zach closed his eyes to fully appreciate the water pounding hard and hot on the muscles still sore from Hell Week.

  He opened them again to see he was surrounded by girly shit.

  Two lady razors—one pink, one purple—hung from plastic holders suction-cupped to the wall. The razors matched the two big mesh poofs of the same colors hanging from the hot and cold water knobs.

  Then there was the tiny shelf over crowded with bottles. Raspberry-scented shower gel. Foo-foo brand shampoo and matching conditioner. Then another conditioner, because apparently one wasn’t enough.

  He didn’t care. For the first time in eight weeks he wasn’t covered in sand. Wasn’t being yelled at. Wasn’t cold. Wasn’t tired.

  Well, maybe he was still a little tired. The fourteen hours he’d slept immediately after the instructors called the end of Hell Week hadn’t made up for all he’d missed over those five and a half days.

  He’d survived the first phase, when many hadn’t. Now he was on a much too short leave before he had to be back for the start of the second phase of BUD/S—eight weeks of dive training.

  Not that he was complaining. He loved Coronado.

  He’d finish the SEAL training or die trying. But for today he was very happy to be anywhere but there. Maybe that was one reason why he’d hopped in the truck and high tailed it off base without even bothering to shower.

  He’d already stopped by for a quick visit with the parents. Then he’d driven directly to see his little sister at college. He’d been ignoring her too much lately.

  When he’d arrived at Amanda’s dorm and found the note on the suite’s door saying she wouldn’t be back from class for another half an hour, he realized how rank he smelled. Not surprising after his two and a half hour drive to San Bernardino in the heat in an old truck with a broken A/C.

  As long as he had the time, he’d jumped into her shower.

  The sound of the bathroom door opening reminded him he must have been in there for a long time if Amanda was back from class.

  He wasn’t going to worry about the intrusion on his privacy. They’d been forced to share a bathroom growing up so it wasn’t the first time she’d busted into the bathroom for something or another while he was in the shower.

  Luckily back then, like now, he was behind an opaque curtain. Though it had been a source of many a screaming fight growing up that she so easily invaded his space.

  Her irritating habit had made for a few awkward times back in his teen years. Luckily that wasn’t the case today. He was too tired even for that small pleasure.

  He was about to call to her that he’d be right out and hope she’d take the hint and leave when a female voice said, “Oh, my God. Amanda, you’re not going to believe what I just heard.”

  His eyes widened. The person on the other side of the shower curtain obviously wasn’t his sister Amanda.

  Her roommate. That had to be it. He’d forgotten about her. And he couldn’t have known that his sister’s bad habit of ignoring a closed door would extend to her college roomie as well.

  Shit.

  He was going to have to tell her it was him in there, not Amanda, but the girl barely took a breath before she kept going with this apparently incredible news she couldn’t wait until her roommate was out of the shower to reveal.

  “Delta Sig got a keg and snuck it up in the elevator. It’s in their suite right now. I saw it with my own eyes. Tonight we are going to par-tay.”

  His brows rose. His sister wasn’t old enough to drink and even if these Deltas were of age, he doubted a keg was allowed in the dorms on campus.

  If—make that when—that party got broken up, his sister could get caught in the fray. Possibly expelled.

  Or just as bad and equally likely, everyone would be shit-faced. He’d be lucky if Amanda walked away from the night with just a hangover and not something worse—like a sexual assault charge against some drunken college boy.

  His fits clenched as tightly as his jaw as his mind spun. He came up with no good scenario that could come of this night.

  “Oh, and I’m calling dibs on the room tonight. You’ll probably hook up with Jasper anyway so you can go to his room. Summer break is coming so you’d better lock that boy down into a relationship now, if you’re smart.”

  His eyes widened. Who the fuck was Jasper? Whoever he was, there would be no hooking up or locking down tonight.

  “And hurry up in the shower so I can get in there. I have to shave my legs because I saw the hottest guy I’ve ever laid eyes on walking into our dorm like half an hour ago. I can only hope he’s here visiting Delta Sig for the party. And if he is—man oh man, he’d better watch out because your girl here is on the prowl tonight. Wait until you see him. Tall. Light brown hair. These gorgeous green eyes. Muscles that barely fit inside his US NAVY T-shirt.”

  Shit. She was describing him.

  The last freaking thing he needed right now was a teenage stalker. He pushed that horror aside. He had more important things to deal with. Like saving his sister from this boy crazy girl on the prowl.

  Boys. Booze. This chick was obviously a bad influence. His mind was made up, he was going to just tell Amanda she needed a new roommate. And if she refused, he’d tell their parents what was going on and they’d make her move out of the suite.

  In the meantime, he’d have to reveal himself and set this girl straight. And let her know what he thought about her plans for this evening and inform her they would not include his sister.

  The sound of the bathroom door opening again halted Zach’s hand as he reached for the faucet.

  “Gabby, who are you talki
ng to in here?” Amanda asked. “And have you seen my brother? He was supposed to be here by now. I left the door unlocked for him.”

  Zach twisted the knobs to turn off the water and heard a gasp before Gabby said, “Uh, oh.”

  After wiping the water out of his eyes, he whipped the top part of the curtain open while holding the bottom part closed. He was just in time to see the wide-eyed panic in Gabby’s eyes as she was faced with the evidence of her mistake.

  Amanda grinned, obviously realizing what had happened and enjoying it too much.

  “Zach, my brother. Gabby, my roommate.” She extended her hand to indicate each one of them in turn by way of introduction. “Though it seems you two have already met.”

  “Not officially. No,” he said, taking in the girl he’d heard so much from without being able to see her.

  Brown eyes, still widened with horror, were framed with thick lashes. Her dark shiny hair hung straight and long, easily reaching to her hips. And even the deep tone of her skin couldn’t hide the red spots in her cheeks.

  His mind served up a memory. Amanda all excited after she’d first moved into the dorm for the start of freshman year. She’d told him her roommate was from Hawaii and how cool she thought that was.

  This girl was a little too cool for his taste and she’d been a bad influence on his sister for the entire school year. Too long.

  He shot her a glare, realizing while he’d been busy serving the country in the Navy, and more recently with SEAL training, he’d dropped the ball when it came to keeping an eye on his sister and who she was living with.

  Gabby met his gaze, then yanked her eyes away. She had been real chatty a moment ago, but apparently now, face-to-face, she’d run out of things to say.

  So why were they still standing there in the bathroom?

  He cocked up one brow. “Would you both mind leaving so I can get out and get dressed?”

  “Sure thing, bro.” Still looking annoyingly amused, Amanda turned and left.

  Her roommate backed out of the room, bumping into the sink before reaching the doorway. “Nice, um, to meet you,” she said, before fleeing and slamming the door behind her.

  Zach shook his head, almost afraid to leave the shelter of the curtained stall lest the crazy roommate came back in to say something else.

  He finally did and as he toweled off, he added one more thing to his To Do list for today—lecture Amanda about underage drinking and safe sex. Safe sex being, in his opinion and as far as his sister was concerned, no sex at all.

  This was supposed to be just a quick visit, a couple of hours, maybe including lunch with her, before he left for the two hour drive to La Mesa to have dinner with their grandmother.

  He’d prefer to stay here and chaperone that party. Or even better, shut it down altogether. But he’d promised he’d visit their grandmother and she was expecting him tonight.

  Once he graduated in a few months, he’d be assigned to a team and precious time with family would become even scarcer. And his grandmother wasn’t getting any younger. Who knew how long he’d have her in his life?

  Besides, he’d promised her, and he kept his promises, no matter what. He could only hope he’d get a promise out of Amanda to be good tonight—and that she’d keep that promise in spite of her roommate.

  He got himself toweled off and dressed, all without further interruption, thank God. But there was nothing to be thankful about when he opened the bathroom door and saw what his sister was wearing.

  “What the fuck is that?”

  She turned to look at him. “What the fuck is what? And Mom would swat you with the wooden spoon for that word if she heard it.”

  He was just months away from getting his trident and being a full fledged Navy SEAL, pledging himself body and soul to the teams and the defense of this country, but Amanda was right. His mother would still swat him. The woman recognized no authority except her own.

  “Yeah, well, she’s not here to hear me. And you know damn well she wouldn’t approve of what you’re wearing.” His gaze hit on her short shorts.

  Amanda planted one hand on her hip. “It’s a theme party. We have to dress like this.”

  “What the fuck kind of theme requires that?” Zach scowled at her outfit.

  “The Dukes of Hazard,” she returned.

  “Daisy Duke wears shorts like this,” Gabby explained, not so helpfully, as if any man alive didn’t know Daisy Duke.

  For the first time since entering the room he turned his attention to her—and saw what she was doing.

  The girl had a pair of scissors in one hand and a pair of jeans in the other. She was in the midst of hacking off one leg.

  “Did you do this?” Zach tipped a chin toward Amanda’s nearly obscene shorts. “Made those shorts for her?”

  “Um . . .” Gabby’s eyes went wide as her lips remained pressed tightly shut.

  Zach figured he had his answer.

  Amanda took a step forward, as if blocking her friend from him. “Yes, she did. And if she didn’t I would have, but she’s much better at crafts and stuff than I am.”

  Zach drew in a breath. “So you’re both going to go to this frat party tonight with your asses hanging out? A party where there’s going to be an illegal keg?”

  “Yes, we are.” Amanda folded her arms over her chest and looked fierce. At least as fierce as a teenaged college girl could look.

  “Fine.” With a sigh, Zach pulled out his cell. Short of tying her up and locking her in the room, there was only one thing to do.

  Jaw clenched, he scrolled through the contacts for his grandmother’s number. He was going to have to break his promise to the sweetest woman in the world.

  She’d probably been cooking all day in preparation for his arrival, all for nothing.

  Thanks to little Miss Gabby and her scissors, both his and his grandmother’s evenings were about to be ruined. He’d cancel dinner, but he’d never forget why or forgive the girl who’d made him do it.

  Sending a glare in Gabby’s direction, he made the call and waited for his grandmother to answer.

  When she did, he said, “Hi, Grams. I’m so sorry about this but it looks like I’m going to be staying in San Bernardino with Amanda tonight. Can we reschedule dinner?”

  TWO

  “So, here it is. What do you think?” Gabby gnawed on her lip and waited.

  She’d poured her heart and soul into redecorating this room for her best friend.

  If she couldn’t get it right for Amanda, the woman she’d known and loved for well over a decade, since they’d been freshman in college, then she would know for sure she couldn’t do this. Couldn’t make a living in the interior design business.

  Then what would she do with her life?

  “I love it.” Amanda interrupted her gloomy thoughts.

  Gabby’s gaze whipped to her friend. “Do you really?”

  “Yes, really. It’s amazing. But there’s no way you did this on a hundred dollar budget.” Amanda lifted a brow. “Tell me what you actually spent and I’ll reimburse you.”

  “No, really. I did it on budget. I swear.” Gabby’s heart was racing at her friend’s approval.

  Amanda crossed her arms. “I don’t believe you.”

  She laughed, giddy. High on her success.

  Her idea for a redecorating on a budget blog, to be turned into a future book, and maybe even a television show—yeah right, in her dreams—might just work. She might not starve after all while trying to earn a living as a decorator.

  “I can prove it to you. I have all the receipts for what I spent on the room.” She moved toward the small wooden half-moon table. “I found this at a thrift shop for fifteen dollars. I sanded it down and painted it white and voila! It’s perfect in your office next to the chair, which was one of the extra armchairs from your dining set, by the way.”

  She moved to the bookcase.

  “The books were on sale at the library for a dollar each. For hardcovers! Can you believe it
? Anyway I took off the dust jackets, spun them so the pages are forward and the spines hidden and they really make a statement. And the knickknacks on the shelves were all yours.”

  “Really?” Amanda frowned, taking a step closer.

  “Yup.” Gabby nodded. “I found some in your glass front cabinet in the dining room. And a few others were still packed away in boxes in your attic.”

  Amanda shook her head. “I’ll be darned. You’re right. I remember getting some of these things as wedding and shower gifts and thinking I’d never use them. But they look great in here.”

  “Because I chose a color scheme and stuck to it. If you batch different things of similar colors together they make a statement.”

  Her friend smiled. “And that’s why you’re the interior designer and I’m a CPA.”

  Gabby let out a laugh. “Also why you own a great house and have a steady income and I’m about to be evicted from my apartment.”

  Amanda frowned. “I hope you’re joking.”

  Gabby lifted a shoulder and her friend’s eyes widened.

  “Gabby! Tell me. What’s going on?”

  “My building was sold. The new owners are going to double my rent when my lease is up next month.”

  Amanda drew in a breath. “Bastards.”

  “Yup.” Gabby nodded, even though name calling wouldn't help her situation.

  “Do you need a loan? A place to stay? The guest room is yours if you need it.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it. I do, but I’m not moving in with you and Jasper.”

  Amanda dismissed the concern with the flick of her wrist. “Why not? We’ve been together seriously since the summer before sophomore year in college and married for five years now. It’s not like we’re still in the honeymoon period.”

  Struggling so badly at her chosen career that she needed to take charity from friends was a tough pill to swallow. Six months ago she’d left her job as a sales girl to pursue decorating full time but it looked as if she might be going back.

  Gabby shook her head. “What I really want is a design client.”