Rescued (Navy SEALS Romance Book 1) by Rachel Hanna Read Free Book Online

Seven
    " T hat was one hell of a hike!" Danny couldn't stop talking. He was on an adrenaline jag, tall, thin, sandy haired, and currently speed talking. He kept pacing round Taylor's tiny kitchen, talking.
    Jason for a change was quiet, like something had impressed him during the day. There were times at work Taylor thought she'd pay good money for anything that would shut Jason up and now she just wished he'd be himself again. She didn't like seeing him brought down.
    "Not your fault," she said quietly under the rumble of the remaining non-victims. Barb and Tess had already left, looking shaken, though for all Taylor knew that might have been because of the pilot. They'd all gotten a good look at him and helmet or not, he was fucking hot. Then again, that might be what was up with a quiet version of Jason, too – she was never sure which side he batted for. Jason and Robert stood out on her deck, which was bigger than the kitchen and faced into a bunch of palm trees and neighbor's yards. Taylor's place was tiny but cheap and not situated for views. She might as well not live anywhere near an ocean, but she'd been saying she was going to move and This year is the year and so on for so long no one even listened anymore.
    Even Taylor herself.
    Under cover of the vibrant conversation from her friends and from Monster who felt the need to be included in the general merriment because he'd been included in the general emergency, were all making more than enough noise to cover her silence – Taylor thought about her life.
    She had parents. They were separated and both living in Arizona, which was apparently the west coast version of Florida for some retired folks. She might only be twenty-four but her parents were each on their second marriage when they had Taylor and her sister.
    She had friends, too, important to her but --
    But. There shouldn't be a but. Monster was the closest relationship she had and while he was the best, she couldn't quite ignore the fact he was a dog.
    Face it, she thought, as Danny waxed loud about something to do with Chinook helicopters and Special Forces, if I'd died I would have left behind some debt, a beautiful dog that at least Jessie would take – if I left behind Jessie. She might not have made it out either. I'd have left an uninspiring career in IT and uninspiring career in various schools before that, an ex boyfriend I thought was serious and –
    And nothing. She didn't even have any big intentions. No Things To Do Before the Final Before happens. She hated the term Bucket List, she didn't want to run a marathon or write or publish a novel, she hadn't trained for anything other than IT and she hadn't cared. She knitted but it wasn't a passion (or very good). She cooked and threw parties for her friends, but she wasn't passionate about those, either.
    In college she'd been friends with a girl named Angela who worked for a computer software financials company even while taking classes. She was frequently gone on business trips over the weekends and during the week, making up her work when she got back because it was hard for the school to argue she wasn't getting an education from her work, too. When she'd come back from a hair-raising flight with lots of turbulence she never failed to recount the things that went through her mind – her novel, her semi-fiancé (they were probably going to get married some day, though they were currently polyamorous and didn't seem concerned about the number of people in their relationship or when they'd wed), what she really wanted to do with her life (write), where she really wanted to live (Seattle), when and how she'd get there (good question) –
    "She had a life she was afraid of losing," Taylor said, so quietly no one heard her, not even Monster. "Me, I'm just afraid of not being alive anymore."
    And that was a huge difference.

    T anner Davis had kissed her on the helicopter. He'd kissed her one more time when everybody was onboard and he'd taken back