Snatched (Coronado Series Book 2) by Lea Hart Page B

to get comfortable and enjoy some much needed girl time. Well, girl time with five large men in the house.  
    Rory met Birdie in the kitchen, and they proceeded to mix up a batch of their favorite martinis. Derick was standing by the front door talking to one of the guys and turned around as Birdie approached. His friend Mark was a lucky son of bitch - he wished he’d met Birdie first. The woman was sweet and sexy and smart. In his experience, that was a rare combination. “Derick, we’re going to be in the backyard. When the food is delivered can you sign for it and give me a wave? I have ordered enough for everyone and I thought we could eat in the backyard.”  
    “Sure Birdie, I will take care of it.”  
    She squeezed his arm and thanked him. “Don’t pay attention to the cackling in the back yard, it’s completely normal.”
    Rory had their drinks arranged on a tray and added some snacks to go with it. They walked back to the big sycamore tree and sat in the lounge chairs under the lanterns. Rory proceeded to pour, shake and garnish two perfect martinis. Handing one to Birdie, they both relaxed and took their first sip and sighed. “How are you doing?”  
    “I’m holding it together. I knew Mark was going to be called this week. I had a feeling and I was right. The dreaded wheels up call came at 5:00 this morning. I think he was ready though, he likes his job, as crazy at that seems. I only had enough time to fall in love and give him my heart. It wasn’t enough time to prepare for this.”
    Rory held on to her hand, “Whatever you need, I’m here.”
    “I think you’ve said that to me since we were eight or nine. It still makes me feel better.” They sat back and enjoyed the hot weather and drank their martinis. They had been best friends for over twenty years, and sometimes they just needed to sit together to feel better. “So tell me about Max…. have you fallen for him yet?”
    She sat up and looked very distressed, “I may have. How lousy is that?”
    “Why is it lousy? He’s a good man and I know Mark likes and respects him.”
    “I think if I fall for him… that will be it. There will never be another. I think he’s that sort of man. You know how I feel about relationships - I don’t want one.” Taking a healthy sip of her drink, she laid back and wondered how to get her old life back. “If I was going to fall for someone, it would be him. But, I’m not going to do it. Relationships never turn out well for me.”
    “Max may be different from the men you’ve dated before.”
    “Remember how I always thought that about each guy I dated, and it was never true? They all behaved the same.”
    “I think the men that join the Teams are different. Think about giving him a chance.”
    “I can’t think about it now. I gave notice to Bob last night, and I will soon be officially unemployed.”
    “How do you feel?”
    “I feel relieved. I’m ready to make a new life. This stalker has allowed me to reassess.”  
    “I think this is a good thing, you never really liked your job. You were just good at it.”
    “Exactly. Tell me about what kind of man becomes a SEAL? I feel like I have fallen down the rabbit hole and I don’t speak the language.”
    “How long do you have? Out of the whole population there are like 3000 SEALs. Think of the percentage of the total population that represents. Mark, Max and all the men from the Teams are elite warriors entrusted with ensuring the safety of the country. They have demonstrated trustworthiness a million times over in their careers. Mark told me there is no better friend and no worse enemy than a SEAL.”
    “Why did you fall for Mark so quickly? I’ve never seen you make a decision so fast.”
    “He ran at me full speed. That’s the best way that I can describe it. He was a grown man who knew his mind and his heart and what he wanted. I never had a chance to resist him.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I think people hesitate when they