1. Commander John Langdon

CHAPTER 1

COMMANDER JOHN LANGDON

As I waited for my flight to finish boarding, I got comfortable in my first-class seat and took one last look out the window. The cloudless blue sky and mild temperatures of Southern California were a bonus when I agreed to take over the command of one of the SEAL Teams at Coronado five years ago. The other was the opportunity to be closer to my nineteen-year-old daughter. But my last deployment had been the catalyst I needed to retire from the Navy. That and memories of what happened in Vegas.

Now here I was, leaving again, but not back to Virginia. I was headed to Portland to explore a job offer from my friend and former SEAL Jesse "GQ" Evans. He needed someone to train his new hires that hadn't come from the military, and that was right in my wheelhouse.

And there was someone I wanted to see. Someone who had rocked my world in Las Vegas and happened to be one of GQ's best friends.

"Good morning. I'm Christine. Can I get you anything, sir? I have fresh coffee brewing."

I looked up into the light eyes of the flight attendant as she smiled down at me. "Yes, that would be great. Thank you, ma'am."

Before she could ask the next question, she leaned closer as several passengers slipped by, toting all their shit with them to shove into the overhead compartments. When the smell of her perfume invaded my personal space, I turned my head back toward the window and leaned further away.

"Would you like cream and sugar?" she asked when the walkway was clear.

"No thank you. Just black."

"Okay. One black coffee coming up."

I returned half a smile as she headed toward the galley, dodging the last few passengers as they proceeded toward the back of the plane.

There was a time when I might have engaged in some mild flirting with her. Christine was attractive and at one time just my type. As pretty as she may be, she held no interest for me.

Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw were Brent's warm brown ones and that shit-eating grin that made me smile. We'd met a few years ago when both of our teams were called up for a joint mission. So when I saw him that night in Vegas, it was as if the stars had aligned to bring us back together. We'd had a hell of a night partying and fucking around, and just thinking about it made my pants a little tighter.

I'd never experienced such magnetic attraction and chemistry with someone, and when he let me know the feeling was mutual, it was all I could do to get us someplace private. That's how we ended up being more than a hookup that night. Both of us drunk on each other and feeling an intense connection.

"Here you go," she said, breaking me out of my daydream about Brent as she handed me my coffee.

She must have noticed the situation in my lap because her demeanor changed completely. Tucking her red hair behind her ear, she tilted her head and met my gaze.

"Can I get you anything else? Breakfast pastry? We also have egg bites if you prefer the protein option."

Looking up at her, she handed me a napkin.

"No. I'm good. Thank you, ma'am."

Thank god the pilot announced we were ready to pull away from the gate, sending Christine off for her preflight duty. I was sure she'd check on me a hundred more times in the two and a half hours it would take to get to PDX in Portland. But I'd consume myself with my phone, reading the book I'd started a couple of days ago.

When the plane landed at PDX, I grabbed my bag, avoiding eye contact with Christine. I'd stuffed the napkin with her phone number into my coffee cup and deposited it in the trash right before we landed.

Taking out my phone, I dialed up GQ as I walked out of the plane. Lowering my head, he answered at just the right time.

"Hey, old man. Where are you?"

"Walking off the gateway, asshole. Where do you want me to meet you?"

"Outside baggage claim. Black Suburban."

I smiled as I looked around for the sign to lead me to where I needed to be. "Of course, you have a Suburban. All security dads drive those kinds of cars."

"Just get out here," he laughed. "You'll be driving one too very soon."

I wasn't so sure about that.

"On my way," I said, then ended the call.

After weaving around passengers and kiosks, I finally made my way to the doors where I found my friend leaning against the car, talking to the security guard. Evidently, he had found a way to charm the guy into letting him park in the loading zone without causing an issue. That was so like him.

Looking up, he raised a hand as I approached. "Commander. It's been too long old friend."

He pulled me into a bro-hug and clapped me on the back.

"Yeah, it has."

Jesse looked at the security guard. "Thanks, man. I'll tell Dominick to leave you tickets for the Fan Event at Will Call."

The guy smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Rossi. My kids will love that."

I smirked at him being called by his husband's last name.

We slid into the front seats and GQ started the car. He looked over at me, knowing I was going to bust his balls. "You hungry? We can grab an early lunch, or head to the office. Your call."

I shifted in my seat as I fastened the seatbelt. "Well, Mr. Rossi ," I teased, "I've only had coffee, but I'm not really hungry. I can wait."

I'd never admit I was apprehensive about seeing Brent again. I could stare down an enemy tank or insurgents without losing my cool. But somehow, Brent made me all nervous inside.

"Okay. You alright over there?" he asked, glancing at me. "You're not usually this stoic."

I snorted out a laugh. "Yes, I am. And I'm fine."

"Whatever you say, Commander."

We talked about the upcoming football season and how this might be Alex Hayes' last one as the Pirates quarterback. I knew Jesse was tight with a lot of the players, especially since his husband, Dominick Rossi, was the kicker, and his brother Cooper was married to their tight end, Greg Foster. Not to mention his business partner, Aidan Hayes, was married to Marcus Monroe, the Pirates All-Pro wide receiver.

"You go to every game?" I asked, shifting to look at him as he drove us toward Portland.

"Not every game. Livie and I go to all the home games, and when they play in San Francisco and Seattle. If Greer is going to the away games, sometimes we might tag along."

"You should come to San Diego and see a game sometimes. The Sunrays are rebuilding. They're going to be really good when the new owner takes over. Might even change their name."

He laughed as he made the turn toward the interstate. "Since when did you become a football fan?"

I shrugged and looked out the front window. "I've always liked football, but have never had time to watch it. You know how things go between deployments. But they did offer me a job as head of security."

Jesse's head whipped toward me. "Seriously? What did you say?"

I grinned as I relaxed back into the seat. "I told them I had another offer on the table and I'd get back to them."

He looked at me again. "You mean my offer, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. And if Daredevil is looking to scale back, I could entertain stepping into that role. I could buy him out if things work out."

I let that hang in the air for a moment, waiting for what I knew was coming. "You going to tell me why you're hesitant to take my offer? I thought this was a done deal."

Shifting my gaze out the window, I decided to just tell him. "It will depend on Brent. I told the Sunrays I had another offer to consider. I asked them to give me a few days to sort it out."

Jesse was quiet for a moment before he asked more questions. "What does any of this have to do with Dreamboat? Why would you be concerned? I've already told him and everyone else you were coming on board. If it's about the money…"

I held up my hand. "It's not about the money. Never has been. Like I said, it's about how he feels about working with me."

He went quiet again, then pulled off the interstate. Neither of us said anything as he pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car. Turning in his seat, his brow furrowed as he looked at me.

"What exactly are you talking about John? I don't understand. Dreamboat can work with anyone."

I sighed and shifted once again to look at him. "If you don't already know this, then I'm assuming he hasn't said anything. So keep it confidential."

GQ nodded. "Should I be worried? What did he do?"

I laughed. There was no way I was telling him everything before I spoke to Brent. It was no one's business but ours.

"Before that last deployment, we hooked up in Vegas. Fuck if I know what he did to me," I lied, "but I haven't been able to get him out of my mind. I guess I might be the one with the feelings, so I have to find out if the attraction is still there. If it's a problem for him, I'll take the job in San Diego."

My friend blinked at me, then started laughing. "You and Dreamboat are adults. Hell, he's probably slept with half of Portland if what he says is true. But he's never mentioned anything to me about having a history with you. Daredevil might be a different story. He loves torturing us with tales of his conquests."

I huffed out a breath. "Well, we do. And I don't want to make anything weird with him. I don't want to interfere with the team."

Jesse stared at me for a moment. "I appreciate that, but if you've got feelings for him, you might want to keep them to yourself for a while. I've never known him to do more than one and done. "

I looked out the window and nodded. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. But it might be easier said than done."

GQ grinned and clapped me on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Commander. He'll piss you off a hundred times the first day."

I looked forward to it.