WARRIOR (CROSSFIRE SEALS, #5) Read online

  Table of Contents

  WARRIOR (CROSSFIRE SEALS, #5)

  WARRIOR

  GENNITA LOW

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  PART TWO

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  PART THREE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  About the Author

  WARRIOR

  CROSSFIRE SERIES BOOK FIVE

  by

  GENNITA LOW

  * * * * *

  PUBLISHED BY:

  GLow World

  The Warrior (Crossfire Series)

  Copyright © 2014 by Gennita Low

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9914742-0-2

  Cover Photo by Romance Novel Covers, LLC

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

  Warrior (Crossfire Series). Copyright © 2014 by Gennita Low. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Gennita Low and GLow World e-books.

  PART ONE

  To Father and Mother

  Ranger Buddy, my Warrior Friend

  Stash, my Secret Warrior

  Dedicated to all the warriors, those in the crossfire,

  who bravely served or are serving.

  Special thanks to Sandy Stills who witnessed the birth of Cumber

  in the pink room and Karen King for copy editing.

  CHAPTER ONE

  He could hear the story being passed around his team now. The Stooges pretty in pink. The Stooges spent a night together on a pink four-poster bed. The Stooges had pink bathrobes and slippers.

  “Ya gotta admit, Cumber, pink is sexy.”

  “I prefer them on my women, hidden away for my pleasure,” he said.

  “True, but maybe this room was meant to be inspiring, right, Dirk?”

  “Mink, if you’re spotting a boner, you get to sleep on the floor.”

  Lucas Branson, AKA Cucumber by his SEAL team mates, came from a family of warriors. His father was an Airborne Ranger of the 173rd, the biggest, baddest fighting group of men ever. His cousins were scattered around the world, playing war games in special operations and doing what warriors do best, bringing down the enemy. He came from a family of tall men, big hulks descended from, as his father liked to tell him when he was a kid, giants who ruled the earth. And he’d grown up believing his father as he grew up towering over shorter men and taking lessons to become the next warrior-in-line in a family fueled by competition and medals.

  And now he was a SEAL, the U.S. Navy’s special operations force specializing in Sea, Air and Land where the biggest, baddest group of boys resided. His team mates were his best friends and part of the family, and he didn't let anybody get to him. They called him Cucumber—Cumber for short—because he always kept his cool, no matter the situation.

  But not tonight. Tonight, he was thinking about killing his sister. He loved her very, very much, but yeah, he might just strangle her.

  He stared up at the bright pink canopy above him with its frilly lace and big bows and drooping flowery shit with children's faces inside them, all smiling down on the bed occupants. Strings of pink pearls dangled, waving gently.

  It had to be a slow death. Because he knew she was laughing her ass off right now. A slow, painful...”

  "Hey, Cumber, how big is your dick?"

  “I’m in a fucking pink bed with two men in a fucking pink room. My head is resting on a fucking pink pillow the shape of a pink flamingo. I’m not discussing my dick with you.”

  “But what else can you talk about on a pink bed in a pink room?” Dirk insisted. “Unless you want to chitchat about the pearls and bows. Or the cupids around the pink mirror. I was mesmerized by them while using the pink hairdryer.”

  Mink gave a loud sigh. “I need a dose of manhood. Let’s talk about Cumber’s dick. A huge dick should cure us from an overdose of estrogen. Come on, Cumber, how big is your dick?”

  Lucas ignored his friends. His sister...what was the best way for revenge? Maybe he could sit on her till she begged for mercy. Except, she had a black belt and as a big brother, he’d taught her quite a few moves to protect herself. He used to hide her favorite toy, but at their age he needed something a bit more...painful.

  “You know he’s got the biggest dick of all of us,” Dirk said, “so why the need to know?”

  “If it’s so damn big, why didn’t he have the balls to say no to the Pink Room?”

  Lucas closed his eyes as his two friends, having made their point, roared out laughing. They were very close buddies—they were often called the Stooges—so close they could adlib a whole comedy routine without a script on the spot. He’d known one was coming the moment they’d stepped into the Pink Room, the “most popular” suite at his aunt’s B&B.

  The laughter went on for a good minute, till his friends were holding their stomachs and choking. He lay there, waiting for it to subside. He could turn on the TV, except holding on to a pink sparkly remote would just set them off again. He stared resolutely at his feet at the end of the bed, peeking out of the dark pink comforter. Yeah, if he had time, he’d sew up Lulu’s sleeping bag so the next time she went out camping, she would get a nice surprise when she tried to crawl in and stretch out after a nice hike. Except that kind of revenge took too long to realize. He wanted to get back at her now.

  “You know, Cumber,” Dirk finally gasped out, “when she said, ‘The Pink Room will be perfect for you and your gentlemen friends to relax in,’ I was having visions of your stately aunt being a madam of a secret boudoir, especially when she added, ‘You’ll find lots in the room for entertainment. Enjoy yourselves, boys!’ I thought maybe she was pulling our legs or something. I never expected this!”

  Dirk spread his arms out to include the whole room. Mink, lying in the middle, pushed one arm away.

  “Watch it. You’re encroaching on my pink space.”

  “Yeah. She gave us one four-poster bed, dude,” Dirk continued. “What was she thinking?”

  “The place is booked up. This was the only suite available,” Lucas said. “My aunt probably thought we would be happy with the biggest room she could put us in.”

  “Man, didn’t she know we sleep on submarines? We can crawl in one of her closets and take our naps there,” Mink said.

  “Yeah, but we wouldn’t be tucked in and enjoying our pink featherbeds, yo.”

  “Look, I know you two are doing me a favor using our time off to help my aunt and sis move furniture, so I’m taking your digs without retaliation,” Lucas said, affecting a yawn. “What’s the big deal? Just fucking close your eyes and pretend you’re lying in a muddy river already. Me? A bed is a bed. We’ll be out of this place in two days, tops. Then we can go party somewhere for 24 hours before we head back. Now turn off the damn lights.”

  “I can’t. I need a drink first to get the smiling pink cherubs from haunting my dreams tonight.”

  “Cucumber, g
o get us a drink. You owe us. The pink fridge is at your side of the bed, anyway. And oh, the pink bottle opener is hanging...”

  The sound of the door unlocking cut off the rest of Mink’s sentence. Lucas swerved his head, full attention on the door. Some outside kicked it wide open. His sister popped her head in and a big flash blinded him.

  “Surprise, pink SEALs!” He heard her yell out as she ran off. “Picture is on My Friends Space page!”

  Lucas jumped off the bed and chased the shadowy figure as she made off, laughing, down the corridor. He heard Mink and Dirk behind him, following along.

  Must get back that camera.

  Must. Kill. Sister.

  The B&B was a big mansion, with many hiding places. His sister, like Lucas and his team, was barefoot, her feet making barely a sound as she climbed the stairs. He took the steps three at a time, hoping they wouldn’t creak too much. The chase must be done on the quiet. They had their aunt to consider. And the guests, too.

  Going up was good. That meant she was heading to the private section, away from the guests. The only obstacle was his aunt’s apartment also being up here, so if his sister managed to slip in there before he got to her, she would be home free. No way was he going to bother his sleeping aunt, what with him and his team mates shirtless and wearing only shorts...shit...he just remembered Mink had only his underwear on. Fuck. Please God, don’t let Aunt Clementine walk out of her rooms. Because he didn’t want to explain to the family how a naked SEAL buddy sent their proper, very Southern aunt into a conniption fit in the middle of the night.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mink in his tighty whities scaling to the next story using the wooden banisters. With him snapping at her heels and Mink cutting off her escape route, his sister was going to be trapped between them any moment now. She reached the top of the landing, saw her problem, tried to dive through Mink’s legs, got tangled and up-ended him. Lucas heard muffled ouches and oomph’s as he reached them. He took a step nearer to apprehend their target.

  A door suddenly opened and a shadowy figure jumped on top of Lucas’s back with a “Hoo-Ah!,” startling all four of them who were already out there. A puny arm curled around his neck, trying to force him back. The new attacker weighed less than a sack of flour but Lucas realized Dirk, who was covering his six, wouldn’t know that. Not wanting to hurt his sister’s sidekick, he curled his arms under the assailant’s knees, twisted sideways against the corridor wall and sat down, thus imprisoning the assailant. One thing registered quickly. Whoever it was had very nice, silky smooth, bare legs, which were now paddling hard like a panicked creature, trying to kick him. The puny hand around his neck reached down and grabbed a handful of his chest hair.

  “Ow!” Lucas growled, tugging at the hand. He slid his hands down from under his prisoner’s knees and grabbed a handful of silky smooth ass. His assailant squealed.

  “Get off, you goof!” He heard his sister’s demand coming from a few feet away.

  “No way,” came Mink’s reply. “I think you have something that belongs to...”

  Another door opened. The landing was suddenly flooded with light. Cucumber blinked. Everyone froze.

  “Lucas Samson and Lucille Belle Branson! What’s going on out here? Oh my goodness! Mr. Mink!”

  Lucas closed his eyes. Aunt Clementine in curlers and pearls. Definitely a sight that would doom any warrior’s rage.

  ***

  In hindsight, Kit admitted she shouldn’t have run out of her room, yelling “Hoo...ah!” at the top of her lungs, and jump on a big SEAL. And was he big. Lulu had said her brother was much taller, and Lulu was almost six feet tall. Lucas Branson wasn’t only taller, but he was broader too. Riding on his back felt like she was mounting her uncle’s prized bull, and one whose bare back she was squished against and tasting right now.

  Her hand, lost somewhere around his chest area, found hair. She pulled hard.

  “Ow!”

  In retaliation, a big hand cupped her rump and squeezed. She squealed and took a bite at the naked back. Argh. What was the man made of, granite?

  She heard muffled voices—one of them Lulu’s—and tried to peer from behind the warm body...how many of these guys were there? Lulu had told her over the phone she had a mission to prank her brother tonight, but she’d thought he was here alone. When she’d arrived, Lulu was already in excitement mode and ready to make her move, giving her the bare-bone details of her plan as she made off with a flashlight and her phone.

  Right now, it sounded like a game of twister going on, with body parts squished and tangled and people making noises. Suddenly, the hall light came on.

  “Lucas Samson and Lucille Belle Branson! What’s going on out here? Oh my goodness! Mr. Mink!”

  Oh-oh. It was Miss Clementine. Eeek.

  The hard body holding her prisoner shifted, although, she noted, his hand was still grasping her ass. A low male voice rumbled through the wall of flesh.

  “Sorry, Aunt Clementine. Why don’t you...uh...go back to bed? We’ll straighten up out here.”

  “But why are you all on the floor outside my rooms? And why is Mr. Mink without any pants on?”

  What? Kit tried to budge the muscled wall trapping her. One of them is naked? And Miss Clementine got to see him and she didn’t? Move, you lug head, move!

  “I’m sorry, Miss Clementine, truly,” she heard another male voice said, sounding slightly sheepish.

  “I think you should get off Lucille and make yourself decent, Mr. Mink. And I may be old but I can see your hands hanging off my banister, Mr. Dirk. How long do you think you can hide like that without falling and causing damage to my staircase, young man?”

  There was a small pause. Then a creak and a thud.

  “Sorry, Miss Clementine.” The third male voice sounded meek. “It’s all Cucum...I mean, Lucas’, fault.”

  “I will get to him in a moment. Miss Kit-Ling, is that you behind Lucas?”

  Oh, now she was in deep doo-doo. Miss Clementine was going to be aghast at her attire. She moved her head, resting her cheek on the back-that-would-not-move.

  “Yes, it’s me,” she replied. “I can explain, really.”

  “Lucas, can you tell me why you’re sitting on Miss Kit-Ling? I don’t even think you’ve met.”

  Finally, the-back-that-would-not-move came alive. It shifted, giving her some space.

  “We...just met, Aunt Clementine,” that deep voice rumbled. “It was just an accident. It was dark and someone fell and we all sort of tried to catch Lulu quietly so she wouldn’t wake you up. Totally failed operation, that’s all. It was actually all Lulu’s fault.”

  “Hey, don’t get me in trouble,” Lulu protested.

  “You started it!”

  “You didn’t have to send your boys to do the dirty work of...oh, I give up. Aunt Clementine, go to bed. It’s my fault. I tripped and fell.”

  “Humph. That doesn’t explain the inappropriate attire. You’re all acting like...” There was a soft sigh. “We courted differently in my days, that’s all. I’m going back to bed. We’ll have a talk in the morning. Can I expect better attire?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” everyone mumbled.

  Kit cocked her head, listening. When she heard Aunt Clementine’s soft footsteps move through her door, which then clicked shut, she tapped Mr. Granite-Back on the shoulder.

  “Oh yeah, I keep forgetting about the spider I’m squashing,” Lucas mocked, getting up.

  Air. She took a deep breath. Goodness, that body was hot. She blinked and looked up at the whole man. Miles and miles of man. She exhaled loudly. Oh, my goodness. That body. Was. H-h-hot.

  She’d seen Lulu’s brother in some photos before. Graduation, some camping trip with Lulu’s family, a bearded and scruffy guy with a backpack—she hadn’t really paid much attention. Her own father and brothers were Airborne Rangers, so she’d seen enough military guys not to notice much beyond their short haircuts, neat uniforms and tendency for machismo. Lucas Branson was
just a name, her friend’s brother who was in the navy.

  However, Lucas Branson in person? Wow.

  There were miles of legs to admire. And above those shorts, a narrow waist that broaden into a hairy chest. Whose hairs she’d pulled. She tilted her head back and met a pair of amused eyes.

  “You thinking of sleeping there tonight?”

  Dammit. He’d caught her looking. His hand was extended, offering to help her up. She placed hers in his. He pulled her onto her feet with ease.

  “I was catching my breath,” she explained huffily. “Something heavy was cutting off all my air.”

  “I wasn’t leaning back too hard,” he said. “Besides, you bit me.”

  “You pinched my...” She cut off the word “ass” and looked around. “...me. Oh, no wonder Miss Clementine sounded so horrified.”

  There was a mostly naked SEAL on top of Lulu. And he was holding her down as if he was never going to let go. He was smiling down at her friend, though, who was looking spitting mad.

  A flash of light. Kit turned her head. Another man was standing by the stairs with his smart phone in one hand.

  “Yeah, tit for tat. Now if she posts, we can put this pic up.”

  “Ha, you think that’s going to scare me off putting up a pic of three SEALs snuggling in a pink bed?”

  “Maybe we should dangle her by her feet over the banisters. That should be scary enough,” Mink suggested. “What do you say, Cucumber? Permission to dangle your sister till she cries for mercy, sir!”

  Kit blinked. Cucumber?

  She glanced back at the man beside her and suddenly realized he was still holding her hand. And also looking at her as if he wasn’t going to let go. Something dropped like an anchor in her gut.

  “You do what you have to, Mink,” Lucas said, his gaze still holding Kit’s, “although I suggest keeping it on the quiet side. We don’t want my aunt out here witnessing the pain and torture.”

  “Don’t worry. Lulu isn’t going to make much noise. She can’t have anyone witnessing her humiliation. Where shall I take the prisoner, sir?”

  “Don’t care. No longer interested. You take care of the problem for me, Mink and Dirk.”