Navy Seal Captive

Jenna swayed, bracing her hands on his chest. “You have to stop doing that.”

“Why?”

“I barely know you.”

“You knew enough about me to find me on the beach and save me from an assassin. I reckon that gives us a pass on convention.”

She rested her forehead against his chest. “I didn’t come to Cancun to get involved with a man.” But, boy, had that backfired on her.

“And I have no business getting involved with you.” He gripped her shoulders and set her at arm’s length. “As a SEAL, I’m gone more than I’m home. And with an assassin after me, I can’t risk you becoming collateral damage.”

Navy SEAL

Captive

Elle James

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ELLE JAMES, a New York Times bestselling author, started writing when her sister challenged her to write a romance novel. She has managed a full-time job and raised three wonderful children, and she and her husband even tried ranching exotic birds (ostriches, emus and rheas). Ask her, and she’ll tell you what it’s like to go toe-to-toe with an angry three-hundred-and-fifty-pound bird! Elle loves to hear from fans at [email protected] or www.ellejames.com.

This book is dedicated to my sister, Delilah Devlin, who was an officer in the US army. She has inspired me to be the best I can be in my military career and in my journey to publication. She’s my mentor, sounding board and critique partner. And she isn’t afraid to tell me like it is. I love you, Sis!

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“Seriously. I can’t believe you talked me into this. And to go straight for the biggest first? Isn’t that pushing it?” Sawyer Houston adjusted the web seat and waited his turn on the platform. Perched on the edge of a two-hundred-foot cliff, staring down into the vast jungle, Sawyer balked. Cancún Adventures boasted the longest, most exciting zip line in Mexico, guaranteed to make you scream. Not, in Sawyer’s opinion, the most reassuring advertisement.

“It’s not like you to turn away from a challenge, Houston,” Quentin Lovett ribbed. “You’ve fast-roped out of helicopters, entered buildings full of terrorists and been shot at by rifles, machine guns and mortars.” Quentin snorted. “What’s a little ol’ zip line gonna hurt?”

“I don’t know who set it up, whether the cable is strong enough to withstand my weight or if there’s a way to stop me at the other end. Hell, I can’t see the other end, and plunging into a tree at the bottom isn’t my idea of fun. Besides, how would that look on my tombstone? ‘SEAL ends his navy career on vacation, sliding to his death on a poorly rigged zip line.’”

“Step aside.” Quentin circled Sawyer. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

“That’s right. Test the line. I’ll be sure to send your mother a letter telling of your bravery in the face of a zip line.”

A couple of women stood in front of Quentin. The curvy one in the khaki shorts and white Cancún T-shirt shook her head, her dark red curls bouncing with her nervous movements. “No. I’ve changed my mind.” She backed away from her friend with the short dark hair, running into Quentin.

“Whoa, darlin’.” Quentin steadied her, his brows rose and he winked at Sawyer.

“Sorry.” Her cheeks bloomed with color, and she hurriedly stepped away from him.

“Jenna, you have to do it,” the dark-haired, petite woman said. “It’s part of your kick-the-boring therapy.”

“Yeah, but I was thinking more along the lines of riding a roller coaster, not speeding through the jungle at Mach ten on a cable probably salvaged from a shipyard by people who might have used office staples to nail it to some tree ready to fall over at any minute.”

Sawyer took a breath for Jenna. How one woman could say all that without inhaling was beyond him. But she was kind of cute, and he didn’t blame her for her trepidation.

“Hey, I’ll go first to test it out,” the other woman said.

“No way, Carly. If you die, I’m stranded in the jungle with no one to get me back to the hotel to find my lost luggage.”

Sawyer’s lips quirked at the redhead’s adamant refusal to participate in the death-defying feat of zip-lining. “I’ll give you a ride.”

Jenna shot him a narrow-eyed glance before turning back to her friend. “Or you’ll be leaving me at the mercy of strangers, possibly mass murderers.”

The brunette rolled her eyes, then gave Sawyer a considering look. “He’s not a mass murderer, and he’s really cute. You could do worse. Now, I’m going. I’ll see you back at the parking lot.” She pulled on the gloves they’d been given and stepped up to the man in charge.

The man in the red Cancún Adventures T-shirt and black cotton shorts stubbed out his cigarette and hooked her belt to the cable. “If you want to slow, grab the cable with your glove. But don’t do it too soon, or you will stop in the middle of the cable,” he said in heavily accented English.