Chapter One

Stryker

As the last strains of "It's a Wonderful Life" faded away, Stryker's chest tightened at the happiness the two men in front of him shared. He was a sucker for a good wedding proposal although he'd never admit it—he had a rep to protect—and his friends Elias and Fletcher deserved the best out of life.

Even better though was the man standing in the room responsible for the music, his eyes closed as he made his violin sing. Stryker watched, frozen in place as the melody coiled around him, holding him in its iron grip. The player's skill and grace cast a spell on him, and he couldn't look away.

Under the colorful lights of the Christmas tree, in its new home at the lake house, their latest resident, John, played the instrument with his eyes closed. The melody seemingly flowed from his soul. Stryker was left breathless by the haunting sound. The look of contentment and joy on John's face held Stryker stronger than any chain or rope used by his captors all those years ago in Iraq. His nimble fingers appeared to float across the strings as his lithe body flowed gracefully to the music he created so effortlessly. Hair the color of sand fell like a curtain across his strong jaw with every movement, and Stryker's fingers itched to tuck the stray pieces behind John's ear.

The rest of the people in the lake house faded away until it seemed as if only the two of them were left standing under the bright star above.

John opened his eyes, and Stryker was spellbound by their icy-blue depths. The connection between them was disconcerting, something he couldn't explain. Any thoughts he'd had of cutting out of the party early were gone. Now, Stryker wanted to know more about the man.

As the music stopped, the room returned to reality, and Stryker came back to earth, aided no doubt by the hard clap on the back he'd received. He blinked, breaking the spell, and turned to find his friend Julia beside him. She and the Fire Lake SEAL team and their partners—the alphabet soup comprising Brick, Roman, Fletcher, Elias, Shaw, Bryan, Kyle, Spence, Rick, Gunner, Jason, Conor, and Gator—were permanent residents either at the lake house, or they lived close by. Others, Harris, Jennifer, Freddie, Julia, and Sammie, had found their way into this close-knit community.

Including him, a lost soul who'd finally found a place to call home.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?" He was still half trapped by the haunting melodies.

She laughed. "Have you heard a word I've said?"

Stryker turned back to look at the tree, but John was gone. He scanned the room, but came up empty.Where had the man gone so damn quickly?

Julia glanced over to where he was staring.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, no," he confessed.

Shit. I've never scared off a guy that fast before, he thought in amusement.Usually, they'd wait and get to know what a heartless bastard I am before booking it for the nearest exit.

***

John

John's heart raced as he sped toward the coat room for his jacket. The muscles around his airway were already tensing, and his breath shortened.Shit. His chest tightened like a belt was around his rib cage, making it even harder for him to take a deep breath. It would only get worse if he didn't find his inhaler. Wheezing and coughing would come next.

He scrambled through the piles of coats and jackets, looking for a familiar dark blue one with its lifesaving device.

Damn, I'm a real mess if the admiring look of a handsome guy can do this to me.

"Where the fuck is it?" he snarled, panic rearing its head.

"What are you looking for?" Jason asked as he walked into the room.

"My inhaler."

"Shit. It's in your jacket." Jason plucked one from the scattered pile. "This one?"

John nodded, not wasting what little oxygen he had left on speaking. His fingers fumbled with the zippered pockets until Jason took the jacket out of his hands and undid the zipper, pulling out his inhaler.

He handed it to John, who, with shaking hands, lifted it to his mouth before pressing down the canister to release the first of two puffs into his struggling lungs. Within moments, the effects of the medication took hold and his breathing became less labored.

Gator walked in and asked, "You okay, John? Want to go someplace quieter until you feel better?"

John nodded gratefully. Somewhere private was good, seeing as how he felt as if he'd made a total fool of himself.

"Our cottage?" Jason asked.

"Great." John wheezed with a nod.Not a great way to start my new life in Marshall. I guess some things'll never change. His penchant for solitude and crippled lungs were two of those things.

His reaction to the dark-eyed SEAL, though, was different from any other attraction he'd experienced. From the first moment they'd been introduced, he'd felt an inescapable draw to the stoic man. Stryker had the face of an angel and the body of a god, but his gaze told of demons lurking within.

That's all he needed. Moving to a new state, setting up a business, and remaking a life for himself were all on his list, but deciphering the traumas of a closed-off Navy SEAL was not on his to-do list. John had enough shit of his own to wade through. He had no intention of taking on someone else's horrors.

"Let's go," Jason said as he led the way out of the room and back into the kitchen, where they ran straight into Stryker and Julia.

"Hey," Julia said. "Where are you guys off to?"

"Our cottage," Gator said.

At her questioning look, John raised his inhaler, still held in a death grip in his hand.

"Ah, okay. Let me know if you need anything," she said with warmth and concern.

Even though John avoided looking directly at Stryker, the weight of the other man's stare was unmistakable. Before anyone could say anything else, Jason motioned to John, who followed him out the door. The cool air was a welcome relief after the intensity of Stryker's scrutiny.

John berated himself for allowing such a brief encounter to affect him so intensely. He'd have to toughen up if he was to make an honest go of his new life. He was used to spending most of his time alone, working on one piece or another. Living in Marshall would be different. There were way more people crammed into his life now, and he wasn't sure how'd he deal with it.

His world was cracking wide open, but was he ready for what may come?