Elle James - Navy Seal Survival

Mothers herded children out of the shallows and teens frowned and complained as they slogged through the water to shore. A group of young women in colorful bikinis stood in water up to their waists, taking pictures of each other. The man hoisting the red flag, waved for them to return to shore, yelling something about riptides.

Natalie glanced farther down the shoreline, thankful for her sunglasses. The white sand was bright behind her lenses, but without the glasses the beach would be blinding.

Sand crunched beside her and a shadow crossed over her face.

Natalie tensed.

“Looking for someone?” a deep male voice asked.

She turned toward the man wearing nothing but black swim trunks and a smile. And, good Lord, he didn’t need anything else. Suntanned and tattooed, his body was magnificent, his white teeth shining in his tanned cheeks. Dark hair, dark eyes and a friendly face topped him off.

“Not particularly,” she answered, remembering to use the proper British accent before promptly turning the other way.

“Name’s Sawyer,” he said. “Me and my buddies just got here today.”

“That’s lovely.” As handsome and well-muscled as the man was, he wasn’t in Natalie’s plan. She was there for her sister, not to flirt with muscle-bound men in sexy black swim trunks.

“Bug off, Sawyer,” another voice said from behind Natalie and she spun to face an even taller man with jet-black hair and a jaw that looked hard enough to crack walnuts.

She tipped her sunglasses down, curious about the true color of his eyes. Her heart fluttered as the deep green orbs stared down into hers and took her breath away.

No. She didn’t have time for the sudden tug of attraction. If she knew for certain where her sister was and that she was all right, Natalie might consider flirting with this incredibly handsome man with the tribal tattoos on his shoulders.

“Excuse us,” he said. “It’s been a while since we’ve been around a beautiful woman.”

“No need to explain.” Just leave.

A shout rose up, drawing those startlingly green eyes away from Natalie and to a couple of splashing figures farther out than was safe. Both figures appeared to be women, one closer in than the other. The woman furthest out seemed to be moving out to sea despite her attempt to swim ashore.

Mr. Green Eyes left her and jogged toward the water, the one called Sawyer on his heels.

Natalie hurried after the two.

“Looks like the current is dragging them out,” Sawyer said.

The man with the green eyes didn’t respond; he raced toward the water without slowing. He charged in up to his knees and dived into the surf.

His friend dived in after him. Soon both men cleaved through the water.

No matter how strong they could swim, the current had a way of doing its own thing.

Sawyer stopped at the first woman, while Mr. Green Eyes continued out to the other.

A teen stood at the water’s edge, watching the event unfold, a surfboard clutched under one arm. Natalie altered her direction and ran toward him. “Mind if I borrow this?”

He passed it to her without question.

Natalie ran toward the water.

By the time she slid onto the board, Sawyer was on his way back to shore with the first girl. Green Eyes had reached the other.

The poor woman was so frightened she clung to him, climbing up his body to get farther out of the water.

They were so far out, Natalie wasn’t certain she’d get there before the two went under, but she had to try. The lifeguard wasn’t far behind her. Between the three of them, they should be able to help the woman.

As she neared, Green Eyes was attempting to untangle the woman’s arms from around his neck. The more he tried, the more desperate the woman became.

Then Green Eyes went under.

The woman clinging to him went down with him, but immediately let go and struggled to the surface.

Natalie paddled faster, searching the water for the man who’d disappeared. Come up, Green Eyes, she prayed. Come up!

Chapter Two

Duff should have stayed at the pool with the kids. Now he was in over his head in the ocean, with a dangerous riptide and a panicked woman climbing all over him.

So much for relaxing.

When he’d had his fill of water up the nose, he dived down. The woman who’d clung to him despite all his reassurances that she’d be all right, let go and fought her way to the surface.

Duff stayed down long enough to circle the woman and come up beneath her. She slapped at the water, her strength waning.

Grabbing the woman by the ankles, Duff yanked her down, climbed up her back and secured an arm over her shoulder and diagonally down to her waist. Then he surfaced, leaning her back so that she faced the sky, her arms and legs batting at the water like a puppy learning to swim.

“Damn it, woman. Stop struggling,” Duff bellowed.

“Way to make a frightened victim less scared,” a female voice said from behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder into the blue eyes of the woman in the black swimsuit he and Sawyer had been talking to before they’d gone for a swim. “What are you doing out here?” Duff demanded. “Didn’t you see the red flag?”

“I did. But I thought you might need something more than your muscles to get the woman to shore. The current is too strong to get her back on your own.”

Duff treaded water with his one arm, his other clamped tightly around the woman, holding her head above water.

“What’s your name?” the woman on the surfboard asked the one in the water.

“Lisa,” she responded weakly.

“I’ll bet you’re tired.”

The woman in Duff’s arms nodded.

“My name is Natalia,” the blonde said. “And this is...?” She raised her brows, giving Duff a pointed look.

“Duff,” he said.

“And the lifeguard is here, as well,” Natalia said.

Duff glanced behind Natalia at a young man barely out of his teens paddling toward them on a surfboard.

“Lisa, do you want to go back with me, or the lifeguard?”

Lisa gulped and answered, “You.”

Natalia nodded. “Good. I think Duff can help you climb up on this board. Would you like that?”

Lisa nodded though her hands tightened on Duff’s arm.

Natalia held out a hand and smiled encouragingly. “Take my hand, Lisa. The man behind you will help you onto the board and stay right beside you all the way back to shore. Won’t you?” Natalia prompted Duff.

“I will.” Between them, they hoisted the woman onto the board.

Duff took a moment to breathe normally before starting back to shore.

Natalia had Lisa lie on her stomach and then she did the same, lying over the woman’s back. She started paddling. “Paddle, Lisa. The more you paddle, the faster we get to shore.”

Lisa paddled, weakly flailing her arms, her face turned toward the shore.

Duff circled behind them and pushed the surfboard. With all three of them working it and cutting at an angle, they eventually made it to the beach, the lifeguard following. A group of young women met them, helped Lisa out of the water and enveloped her in a half dozen hugs.

Duff stood beside Natalia, propping the surfboard in the sand. “Thanks.”

She responded in her pretty English accent without looking up. “You’re quite welcome.”

Duff held out a hand. “Name’s Duff.”

Natalia glanced at his hand and hesitated. Finally she shook it. “I’m Natalia. Lisa was lucky you were on the beach today.”

He shrugged. “I’m glad I could help. Look, we didn’t get much of a start back there. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”

She didn’t even bat an eyelash before responding. “No, thank you.”

“Duff!” Sawyer approached, his arm around a woman wrapped in a beach towel. “Glad you made it back to shore. Wouldn’t be the same diving without you tomorrow.”