Happy release week to A SEAL Forever by Anne Elizabeth! To celebrate, we've got an excerpt from the book to share:
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Master Chief Declan Swifton of SEAL
Team Five rolled over the side of the Rigid-hulled Inflatable Boat and slid
soundlessly into the Pacific Ocean. The RIB took off without even a comment
from the operator, leaving Declan to sink farther into the drink.
The temperature cooled as he swam
away from the surface. Fish skirted the edges of his thighs, small shimmers of
movement against his skin. He scissor-kicked his way forward. The ocean
currents caught him, dragging him in the direction they wanted to go, toward
shore. He lay with his arms at his sides, frog-kicking only. Above him, he
could see the afternoon sunlight glistening and frothy foam chasing away the
glassy surface. Down here things were different…calmer. Peaceful, in a way few
souls would understand, and yet he knew that even he would have to surface
soon.
His lungs would start to ache and
burn, his gut would begin to feel as if it would cave in, and that would force
him to either head topside or drink in the salt water. But there was still
time. This was the water in front of Imperial Beach and the apartment he lived
in. He knew it very well.
Scanning the ocean floor, he gauged
it would be about thirty seconds until he reached one of the many rocky
sandbars out here. He’d have to pull up before then, or the force of the
current would smack him against the side.
As his body began to complain, he
used both arms and legs to draw himself upward. Breaking the surface, he opened
his mouth and drew in air like a thirsty man would gulp water.
The waves bounced him like a buoy.
The tide was coming in and the wind was picking up momentum. Looking at the sky
to the east, he could see that there would most likely be a storm today. Over
his should, to the west, he spied a wave coming his way large enough to take him
to shore. It would reach him in about thirty seconds.
Dec took a long, slow breath and
appreciated the sun dropping into the horizon. The colors were extraordinary;
orange and gold dappled the horizon as the blazing ball of light attempted to
sink before the moon lifted higher in the sky.
His hands flexed, cupping the
water. It had been a hot day, and the sun’s rays had heated the top of the
ocean, making the surface feel like a warm bath, loosening his muscles. Three
months ago, he’d been in waters so frigid, with actual ice caps—the memory
still made him cold. But here, the Pacific Ocean off California’s Imperial
Beach, was a slice of heaven.
Coming in from the east were some
nasty-looking cumulonimbus clouds. Seeing the lightning arc way off toward the
distant desert, he decided it was time to go in, and right on cue, here came a
perfect wave.
Swimming at top speed, Declan
pushed his way through another changing current, one that sought to drag him
into faster-moving waters. He went over a higher sandbar, having no intention
of going to Mexico today, and increased the reach of his stroke. With
single-mindedness he worked his way into the more placid surf as he homed in on
a large stretch of beach.
The SEAL felt a few sea lions
swimming around him, and one nosed him in the gut and another in his back a few
times, assessing whether or not he’d play. Not this time, my friends. He
continued swimming without engaging. If he stopped to play, he’d be out there
for hours.
Switching to the breaststroke, his
arms protested. His platoon had switched their training this month to
desert-warfare techniques, and he’d been sweating his balls off in the heat. He
managed to learn a thing or two, even now, after all of his years in the Teams.
But it felt good to be back in the ocean, his element. He’d live in the deep
blue like a Jules Verne character if he could.
Title: A SEAL Forever by Anne Elizabeth
Series: West Coast Navy SEALs, Book 3
ISBN: 9781402268960
Release date: December 1, 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Even a hero needs someone to believe in him...
Parkour instructor Maura Maxwell has always denied her
attraction for her bachelor neighbor because she’s seen his revolving door of
women and doesn’t want to become another notch on his belt. But the man who
rescues her from a sudden storm isn’t the one she thinks she knows—he’s Master
Chief Declan Swifton of SEAL Team Five, and he literally sweeps Maura off her
feet.
Just as his teasing and tenderness start to work their way
into Maura’s heart, Declan and his team are called in for a dangerous op in the
Middle East. The man who returns is facing the toughest fight of his life, and
he needs Maura by his side more than ever…
New York Times bestselling author Anne Elizabeth
is an award-winning romance author and comic creator. With a BS in business and
MS in communications from Boston University, she is a regular presenter at
conventions as well as a member of The Author’s Guild and Romance Writers of
America. Anne lives with her husband, a retired Navy SEAL, in the mountains
above San Diego.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MAFrDB
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1O3JffD
Apple: http://apple.co/1M6H7Dj
Books a Million: http://bit.ly/1M6Hrlt
Indie Bound: http://bit.ly/1O3JEPe
Another release for Anne Elizabeth!
ReplyDeleteCongrats girl!
Looks like a yummy story, thanks for the excerpt and congrats on the release!
ReplyDelete