It was supposed to be a vacation, not a mission…

When Grant takes off on a cruise through the Panama Canal with several of his SEAL buddies, the last thing he expects is drama. And he certainly isn’t prepared to find himself in a warzone.

Callie is on a much-needed vacation with her girlfriends. Laughter, partying, drinking—maybe a bit too much drinking that first night. The sexy man who helps her back to her room might be a fun cruise hookup.

When all hell breaks loose, the fun times come to a screeching halt. Apparently, the relaxed, easy-going man she’s been flirting with isn’t quite as average as she believed. But then again, neither is she…

Grant and some of his now retired SEAL buddies have been invited on this Panama Canal cruise by a former Teammate Andrew Buchanan. Andrew is the Security Officer on the ship. More than happy to relax and enjoy this time one of the first orders of business for them would be flirting.

Callie and her best friend Melanie are on vacation for the first time in a long time. Their first night they go to one of the clubs and Callie literally runs into Grant.

This is just one of many favorite scenes.

Trying to ignore the table of testosterone to her right, Callie focused on her friend and discussing their upcoming planned excursions. She was relaxing more with every passing minute. She really should take more vacations. It wasn’t easy in her line of work, but a few weeks a year were more than encouraged.

Halfway through the next drink, she slid from her stool. “Bathroom. Be right back.” She kept her gaze straight ahead, intentionally avoiding the men, even though she could feel their gazes on her as she passed by them.

After using the toilet, she washed her hands, fluffed her hair, and refreshed her lipstick from the tube tucked between her boobs.

Taking a deep breath and smiling at herself, she headed back toward the club. But the moment she came around the corner and stepped into the darker room, she ran right smack into a hard body.

A large hand reached out to steady her, gripping her biceps. “So sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” The deep voice belonged to one of the men from the table next to hers.

Callie looked up, heart racing from the collision. She had to tip her head back pretty far because the man was at least six-three. He had a grimace on his face and was holding up his phone with his free hand. “I should have left this in the room. I was distracted.”

She swallowed. Damn, his voice was fine. So was his body. And his face. He had dark brown hair cut short on the sides, longer on top. His eyes were the sort of green that undoubtedly caused conversations. As his expression switched to a smile, dimples came out through his close-cropped beard.

“Yeah, I’m trying to ignore my phone too. It’s hard. My friend made me flip it over on the table.”

He laughed, the sound vibrating through her entire body since he was still holding her biceps. “How did we become slaves to technology?”

“I guess that’s life these days.” She sighed.

He tucked his phone in the pocket of his black jeans and lifted his hand. “Grant.”

“Caroline. Call me Callie.” She shook his hand and enjoyed every moment of the connection that lasted a bit longer than socially necessary.

In fact, instead of releasing her, he threaded their fingers together. “Since we’re already practically dancing in the entrance, can I convince you to move to the dance floor with me?”

She could say no. You should say no. But she nodded. What the hell? Who cared if she flirted with a sexy man on a cruise ship? What was the worst thing that could happen?

Oh… right. He could be an asshole and she’d be stuck on this ship for eleven days, running into him over and over. She glanced at the table where she’d left Melanie, but Mel wasn’t there. Her next glance was at the dance floor where she spotted her friend dancing. She wasn’t alone. She was with one of the other men from the group. Naturally.

Melanie was a guy magnet. She’d always been able to pick up a man in seconds everywhere the two of them went in college. For one thing, she had amazing tits. That was usually what drew attention to her first.

Following Callie’s gaze, Grant glanced over his shoulder toward the dance floor too. “Your friend is dancing with one of my buddies. I swear we’re all good guys.”

Callie chewed on her bottom lip for a moment and then nodded consent again. “Sure. Let’s dance.”

Keeping her hand clasped in his, Grant led her toward the dance floor. As they passed her table, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and placed it facedown next to hers. He grinned. “No phones. Just dancing.”

She smiled in return and forced herself to loosen up as she entered the dance floor. Night one and already they’d moved to the flirting portion of this vacation. She just hoped it didn’t go south and end up ruining their trip. It would suck if Mel fell for a man and spent almost no time with Callie. Callie would end up bored to tears.

A glance at Mel, shaking her hips to the music, and Callie knew she needed to make the most out of this. There were most definitely four smoking hot men on this cruise. Perhaps more. Why not enjoy them?

She didn’t need to tell anyone exactly who she was or what she did for a living. She simply needed to cut loose and have some fun. A word she wasn’t accustomed to lately.

Yep. This was going to be an amazing vacation. She insisted. She even winked at Melanie when she caught her eye as she stepped onto the floor with hot guy Grant.
Becca Jameson. Shadow in the Darkness (Kindle Locations 156-191). Becca Jameson Publishing.

The next day is even more interesting as Melanie and his friend Holden have paired up. Melanie sends Grant to check on Callie and there is much amusement in that encounter. It does lead to the agreement of a fun time on this cruise with no strings.

Little did they know that the highlight of this cruise, going through the Panama Canal Locks, would change this from a vacation to a very serious situation.

From the fun and sizzle, to the serious action I couldn’t put this book down.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this multi-author series.

5 Contented Purrs for Becca!

Becca Jameson

Becca Jameson is a USA Today bestselling author of over 100 books. She is most well-known for her Wolf Masters Series, her Fight Club series, and her Club Zodiac series. She currently lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and Goldendoodle. Two grown kids pop in every once in a while too! She is loving this journey and has dabbled in a variety of genres, including paranormal, sports romance, military, and BDSM.

A total night owl, Becca writes late at night, sequestering herself in her office with a glass of red wine and a bar of dark chocolate, her fingers flying across the keyboard as her characters weave their own stories.

During the day–which never starts before ten in the morning!–she can be found jogging, running errands, or reading in her favorite hammock chair!

…where Alphas dominate…