By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Caitlyn O’Leary

What happens when the man you love
is now a stranger?

Lydia Hildalgo has been engaged to Clint Archer for five years. He’d been the love of her life since he’d carried her on his back out of the Mexican jungle. She knew the risk of loving a Navy SEAL, and she’d been happy to take it.

After a harrowing mission, Clint wakes up with no memory of what happened, and a brain that doesn’t feel like his own, he doesn’t know what to do, or who to turn to.

When one of his teammates needs his brand of help, he can’t turn him down, but he doesn’t know if he’s the same man he once was. With his mood swings, can he be trusted to do the job? And what about Lydia? What happens when the man she loved with all her heart, is not who he once was? Is there anyway that they can find a way back to one another and finally create the future of their dreams?

NOTE:
This is a stand-alone, but having read book two, Lydia and Clint’s first story in the in the Midnight Delta series, will enhance your enjoyment.

Midnight Delta, Mason’s team, is in the middle of an op as this book opens. From the moment they started Clint has had a bad feeling things were going wrong. Finn, Dare and Jack are in a crowd looking for the people they were sent to extract. A senator, two of his aides and two reporters are in danger as terrorists converge on this town in Syria. Time is of the essence and as they manage to gather the people things get hairier. The trucks with the terrorists have anti-aircraft guns mounted and if someone doesn’t do something quick they won’t get everyone out. It’s Clint who has the idea and while it works he gets injured and Drake’s the one who makes sure he gets out.

Lydia is Clint’s fiancé and she is determined to stand by him as he recovers from the severe TBI. Kept in a medically induced coma in Germany until he was stable enough to be transported to the US. Clint is experiencing major headaches and memory loss but hasn’t been awake long enough to assess any type of prognosis.

“I’m so glad you woke up. The doctors were talking about a feeding tube, but I told them to wait. I knew you couldn’t resist the idea of hospital food.”

“Feeding tube?” Even with the dim light, his head was pounding. Every word that he said hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, but he needed answers.

“Yeah, you’ve been out of it for a while.”

“How long is a while?”

“Five weeks,” she admitted slowly.

Clint struggled to sit up, then realized one of his arms was in a cast. As soon as he moved, he groaned. His head felt like Quasimodo was inside, ringing a church bell. At least he’d let out a manly groan and held back the little girl whimper that was close to the surface.

“Jesus, Lydia, I hurt.”

“Well then don’t move your head,” she said tartly.

“Is there something wrong with my head?”

He watched as she bit her lip.

Okay, there’s something wrong with my head, hence the reason I can’t come up with the word ‘present’. At least I just thought the word, ‘hence’.

Fuck. Even that small internal grin of satisfaction hurt.

“I’m calling the nurse for pain meds.”

“Is that why I haven’t been awake? Drugs?”

She bit her lip again.

“Dammit, don’t be coy, tell me!”

Whoa, calm down, Sailor. Your head might split open.

Lydia looked at him with wide eyes. She looked hurt.

“I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for. I know you’re impatient. I would be too in your shoes.”

“Doesn’t allow me to be an…”

Fuck, what was the word?

“… asshole.”

“Anyway,” she said briskly. “You’ve been out because of a brain injury. It was bad. They had to put you into a drug-induced coma.”

That triggered some memory that he couldn’t access. There were reasons to do that, but he couldn’t remember why.

Why can’t I remember? “Why did they do that?”

“Honey, they needed to stop your brain from swelling.”

Clint shut his eyes, finally putting it all together. “Traumatic brain injury? How bad? How long have I been ousht? When did it happen? What daysh is it?”

Why are my words slurred?

He watched as Lydia, his beautiful woman, paled. She took a deep breath. “Yes. TBI. They don’t know how bad. You were injured five weeks ago. You were out of the country when it happened, and you know I don’t know anything about that. Today is my best birthday ever.”

Clint involuntarily squeezed Lydia’s hand… hard. He didn’t notice until he saw her wince. He let go fast.

“Sorry.”

“It’s all right. Any kind of touch from you is a blessing.”

He smiled. “You’re full of shit, my Dork Queen.”

“Look here, Nerd King, I know what’s important, and that’s holding hands with you.” She gave him a steely glare. “Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Now tell me the truth, how bad is your head hurting?”

“Not bad.”

“On a scale of one to ten.”

Ten.

“About a threes.”

“Okay, I’ll get the nurse.”

Clint frowned. “They don’t admin… admin… give drugs for a three.”

“You’re at a ten. Maybe you forgot with your brain injury and all, but you lost the ability to lie to me a year into our relationship.”

Clint felt his chest ease. Having Lydia tease about his injury made it less traumatic.

Traumatic. Good play on words, Archer.

He laughed.

“What are you laughing about?”

“You make me happy, Lydia. But no more lashing. It hurts my head.”

She leaned in and cupped his face. He looked into her brown eyes. Up close she was blurry but still gorgeous. Her thumb stroked along his lower lip. It felt so good. He parted his lips in anticipation. As she came closer, he could taste her cinnamon-flavored breath just before she touched her lips to his. Pain floated away as he was lost in the sensation of Lydia’s heated mouth and intimate caress. He felt loved and cherished. Safe.

When her tongue traced his lower lip, then pushed forward to tangle with his, he lifted his hands to hold her closer and was hampered by his cast. He tried lifting his head instead, and a shard of glass lodged into his temple. He gasped in pain.

Goddammit!

“Shhhh, shhhh, shhhh. It’s all right, Baby.”

Don’t call me baby!

Clint sighed. “My head’s really hurting. It might be up to a six now. Maybe you should ask for some pain meds,” he admitted reluctantly.

“Got it, it’s a twenty. I’ll be right back.”

She caressed the back of his hand and was gone. Clint squeezed his eyes tight and gritted his teeth. Even that hurt. He didn’t care. What hurt more was that kissing Lydia seemed beyond his ability. What the hell was wrong with him?
Caitlyn O’Leary. Her Unbroken SEAL, Midnight Delta, Book 11. (Kindle Locations 611-655). Passionately Kind Publishing Inc..

Most of this book is about Lydia’s handling of Clint’s recovery and of course Clint’s reactions and emotions with the TBI. This isn’t everything, there’s another sort of casualty from the Syria mission. Drake is being blackmailed by one of the senator’s aides. He hasn’t been told what he has to do, but if he doesn’t do it his career is down the tubes.

I loved this book, the relationship Clint and Lydia have is one for the ages. Their devotion to one another is very clear on every page. This is a journey for both of them, through the pain, hurts real and imagined, and adapting to temporary limitations.

The true brotherhood of the team shines through in this one as well, from all the wives sticking together to the handling of Drakes problem.

I really hope there will be more in this series and I have some catching up to do, I have most of the books and have read them but not reviewed. I think I need go back and do that now.

5 Contented Purrs for Caitlyn!

Caitlyn O’Leary

Caitlyn O’Leary is an avid reader, and considers herself a fan first and an author second. She reads a wide variety of genres, but finds herself going back to happily-ever-afters. Getting a chance to write, after years in corporate America is a dream come true. She hopes that her stories provide the kind of entertainment and escape that she has found from some of her favorite authors.

Her Series Include:
THE FOUND:
It’s a bit Paranormal, a bit Sci-Fi and 100% Action/Adventure. The characters have special abilities, that make them targets.

MIDNIGHT DELTA
This is focused on a group of Navy Seals. What makes them special is their bond to one another, and the women they come to love.

FATE HARBOR
This is the series that started her career, it is a Menage Series that takes place in Fate Harbor Washington. It focuses on a tight knit community who live and love and care for one another.

She loves to hear from her readers. caitlyn@caitlynoleary.com