Read Online First Strike by Pamela Clare - Free Book Online

hook up with men she didn’t know and spend three days having sex with them—incredible, mind-blowing sex. Most of her lovers—really, there hadn’t been all that many—had been men she’d dated before ending up in bed with them.
    Javier had come out of nowhere. He’d given her more than she could have imagined. And now he was gone.
    But wasn’t this what she’d wanted, what they’d both wanted?
    Yes, it was. They’d met, spent three amazing days together, had incredibly satisfying sex—okay, earth-shattering sex—and now it was time to move on. She should be happy that things had gone so well, not moping around her hotel room.
    She walked to the window, drew back the curtains, willing herself to think about the day ahead. She needed to hit the gym, take a shower, and then give Nico a call to get an update on her visa situation. But first she wanted breakfast. She’d just reached for the phone to place an order with room service when she saw it.
    Javier’s postcard.
    It sat on her nightstand, a message written in Spanish on the back along with his grandmother’s name and an address in the Bronx. He had addressed it, but he hadn’t put a stamp on it. She ran her fingers over the words he’d written and found herself smiling, her sense of desolation dissipating.
    She was an investigative reporter. When she got back to the States, she would use his grandmother’s address to track him down. She would find him.
    One way or another, she would find Javier Corbray.

EPILOGUE
     
     
    Two months later
    San Diego, California
     
    Javier stood on his deck with a few of his Team buddies grilling burgers and brats and shooting the shit. They’d just gotten word this morning that they’d be starting a month-long workup tomorrow and deploying in thirty days.
    Nate West stepped outside, the look on his face telling Javier his phone call hadn’t gone well. “Well, Rachel’s pissed. She had her heart set on the Virgin Islands.”
    Javier gave his buddy a clap on the shoulder. “She needs to get used to this if she’s marrying a military man.”
    “That’s what I told her.”
    A Marine special operator whose team worked alongside Delta Platoon, West had become Javier’s best friend. Though Javier would never tell his buddy this to his face, he knew West could do much better than Rachel. With his personality and good looks, he could snag any woman he wanted. He didn’t need a spoiled brat for a wife.
    A football flew through the air, narrowly missing Javier’s head. “Get a grip on your balls, LeBlanc!”
    “Sorry, senior chief!” LeBlanc called. “That was Murphy’s fault.”
    “Yeah? Fuck you.” Murphy apparently didn’t agree. “If you’d caught the football, it wouldn’t have nearly taken off senior’s head.”
    “How can you be a crack sniper and throw like that?” LeBlanc fired back.
    West cracked open a cold beer and handed it to Javier, a worried expression slowly replacing the amused grin his face. “Sometimes I wonder if she’s ready for this. She knew I was a special operator before we got engaged.”
    If West was going to bring it up…
    “Sounds like you should have a long talk about it, bro. If it’s a problem now, what’s it going to be like five years from now? I know it sounds harsh, but better a broken engagement than a divorce. Take my word for it.” Javier took a drink, looked at the bottle. “Fat Tire?”
    “A Colorado microbrew—my favorite.”
    The shit wasn’t half-bad.
    Javier flipped the burgers one last time. “They’re done, boys.”
    If there was one thing the men of Delta Platoon did efficiently besides carrying out their Team missions, it was eating. The burgers and brats were gone in a matter of minutes. The men had just gathered on the deck, waiting for Javier to share what he knew about the workup when Javier saw the clock.
    It was time for her broadcast.
    He headed indoors, turned on his TV, and dropped onto the sofa, another beer in his hand. He looked