Protecting lila, p.1
Protecting Lila, page 1
PROTECTING LILA
SEAL TEAM ALPHA
BOOK 1
SHAW HART
CONTENTS
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
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About the Author
Series by Shaw Hart
Also by Shaw Hart
Copyright © 2023 by Shaw Hart
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This grumpy SEAL might have just met his match…
Lila
When Warren moves in next door to me, I’m instantly drawn to the scarred giant.
I know right away that he’s meant to be mine.
Too bad for me, he’s playing hard to get.
Warren
I don’t want to be back in California.
I didn’t want this assignment.
It feels like I’m being sidelined.
The only bright spot in my days has been my curvy new neighbor.
I’m determined not to put down roots here, but something deep down inside of me is telling me that she’s the one for me.
When I get the offer to go back to active duty, will I choose to stay with my sweet sunshine or go back to where I always thought I wanted to be?
ONE
Warren
I don’t want to be here.
That’s all I can think as I grab another box from the back of my truck and turn to bring it up to my new apartment. I don’t want to be here; I don’t want to be doing this, but I don’t have a choice.
“You should try not to look so miserable. You’re moving into a new apartment, not storming an enemy camp,” my friend and fellow Navy SEAL, Keaton, tells me as he follows me into my new apartment with another one of my boxes.
The truth is, I’d much rather be overseas, getting shot at and risking my life than being here.
“Would you be happy about this?” I ask, motioning around to the empty apartment.
California is crazy expensive, and housing on base was all full, so I’m in a single-bedroom apartment a few miles from the base and the beach. The place is kind of run-down, but it was the cleanest and nicest apartment I could find, especially on such short notice.
“It’s fine. It has a fridge and a bed,” Keaton grunts, and I try to hide my smile.
Keaton is pretty simple. As long as he has somewhere to sleep and put his food, he’s good. Being deployed so many times will do that to you. You get used to being happy with just the necessities.
It was right after my last deployment that I was told about this new assignment. When I had been called into my Commander’s office and told that I was being sent back to Coronado, I had tried to get out of it, to get picked for literally any other assignment, but it was no use.
I know that they were worried about me after my last deployment. We were ambushed my last month there and lost quite a few of our guys, people that I had deployed with before and been close to. I know I probably needed a break, but this wasn’t what I had in mind.
I’ve been in the Navy for six years and deployed four times. I’ve grown used to being on high alert and always being aware of my surroundings. Now, I’m going to be teaching others how to prepare for that.
“I guess,” I tell Keaton as we set our boxes down and look around the place.
“Maybe paint,” he suggests, and I glare at him.
“I’m not going to be here long enough for that to matter.”
“You might be,” he points out, and I glare at him.
“I won’t,” I assure him, but deep down, I know that that’s not entirely true.
I might be here for a few months, or it could be years. I shudder at that thought.
“Shouldn’t you be going? You don’t want to miss your father’s funeral,” I grunt at Keaton, and he glares at me.
Keaton is on bereavement leave. He’s supposed to be attending his father’s funeral and taking a few weeks off to grieve. The truth is that Keaton’s father was a real prick, and he won’t be missed by anyone, least of all his son. Keaton has told me a few stories about him over the years, and I don’t blame him one bit for skipping the funeral. I would do the same thing if I were in his shoes.
“What are you two bickering about now?” Anson asks as he and the other guys come into my new apartment.
“Nothing,” Keaton and I answer at the same time.
Anson, Rhett, Kye, and Gates were all in the SEALs with us, though they got out about a year ago and opened their own security company here in Los Angeles. They asked Keaton and I to join them, but we both wanted to stay in. Now that I’m here, teaching at Coronado, I’m wondering if I should have taken them up on their offer.
Gates sets the last of the boxes down on the stack, and I glare at the box. I told my friends they didn’t have to help me move in. It’s not like I have a lot of stuff to unpack anyway, but they insisted. I think they’re just hoping that I offer to buy them some pizza and beer.
“You could make this move permanent and join us at Knight Security,” Rhett says with an easy grin, and I shake my head.
He’s always been the most laid-back of all of us. Even getting shot overseas didn’t dim his outlook on life.
Maybe I should be more like that. Try to look at the positives of this new job. Maybe I’ll find a woman like all my friends did and want to settle down here.
Somehow, I can’t bring myself to believe that. I’ve never been interested all that much in the opposite sex. I always thought that maybe there was something wrong with me. None of my friends ever cared about women either, but then they met their wives and BAM! That was it for them.
“No thanks,” I tell Rhett, turning down his job offer.
I’ve always loved serving my country. It’s why I joined the military as soon as I graduated high school. It’s why I worked hard to become a SEAL. I wanted to be useful, to prove my worth. Being here, though, teaching doesn’t feel like I’m doing that, though.
“Maybe you’ll love teaching,” Keaton suggests, and I give him a dry look.
“Maybe,” I say, but I don’t sound very convincing.
“Well, why don’t you buy us a beer, and we can catch up?” Kye suggests, and I bite back a grin.
“I knew that was why you all offered to help me move in,” I say with a laugh and they smirk.
“Guilty. Come on now, I’m thirsty,” Anson complains, and we all file out of the apartment.
They start to head down the stairs towards the parking lot while I stop to lock the door. I’m determined not to think about starting at Coronado tomorrow and just focus on having fun with my friends.
I lock the door and pocket my keys when the door next to mine opens, and the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen walks out. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair is half pulled up into a bun on top of her head. Loose strands fall around her face, obscuring my view, but even without seeing her face, something about her calls to me. There’s a twisting in my chest when I look at her, and I swallow hard as she turns to face me.
Her blue eyes twinkle as she smiles at me. She’s so pretty, so full of optimism and life.
She’s carrying a trash bag, and my first instinct is to reach out and take it. I don’t realize that I’ve actually done that until she blinks her big blue eyes up at me.
“Oh,” she says in surprise, staring at my hand that’s now tightly gripping the garbage bag.
“I’m headed down. I’ll take this for you,” I grit out.
“Um, thanks,” she says with a wide, friendly smile.
“Not a problem,” I grunt, and my hand tightens even more around the garbage bag.
I have the strangest desire to reach out and touch her, but I know I can’t do that.
Keep it together, Warren.
Is this what it felt like for my friends? Is this how it was when they all met their wives? “Did you just move in?” She asks, and I nod. “Well, welcome to Paradise Cove.”
I didn’t think that this place was much of a paradise. I had even scoffed when I saw the apartment building’s name. Now, though, I’m starting to see the appeal of this place.
“Thanks.”
“I’m Lila, by the way.”
“Warren,” I say gruffly, and she smiles.
“I’ll see you around, neighbor,” my girl says as she waves and turns to head back into her apartment.
“See you, sunshine,” I murmur as I stare after her.
I watch her curvy ass as she walks away, and my cock hardens in my jeans at the sight. I’ve never really noticed women before, but there’s something about Lila that calls to me. I want her. I want to get to know her. I want to make her smile at me again. I want to know everything that there is to know about her. I want to take care of her.
Suddenly, being here and having to teach at Coronado is looking a whole hell of a lot better.
I jog down the stairs and toss the garbage in the dumpster as I head over to my truck. Keaton is already inside, and he raises an eyebrow at me.
“Who was that?”
“Her name’s Lila. She’s my new neighbor.”
“Looked like you wanted her to be a heck of a lot more than that,” he says, giving me a knowing smirk, and I stiffen.
Do I really want to start something with my new neighbor? My cock says yes, but I need to think about this clearly. I don’t want to put down roots here. I want to do my time and then return to being deployed and in the action, not teaching people about it.
“I don’t,” I lie to Keaton, and he shakes his head at me, clearly not believing a word I said.
I ignore him as I lead us over to my truck and climb in.
I need to stay away and keep my eyes on the game plan, I think as I start my truck and follow Anson’s car out onto the road. I can’t help but look in the rearview mirror at my new neighbor’s door as I go though.
TWO
Lila
I should be working, but I find myself over by the front window of my apartment, staring out at the parking lot for any sign of my new neighbor’s truck. He’s been gone all day. I would know. I’ve spent most of the day looking for any sign of him.
I haven’t seen him in a few days. Not since he moved in. He must wake up crazy early because I’m usually up before eight, and every single day, he’s already left.
My phone rings, and I pull it out of my pocket, already knowing it’s my best friend, Pia, who's calling me.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I answer.
“Slow. I’m making dinner and waiting for Levi to get home from work.”
“What are you making?”
“Tacos.”
“Good choice,” I say, and I know that she’s smiling.
“What about you? How are you feeling?” She asks me.
“Good. A little tired, but good.”
“When’s your next doctor’s appointment?”
“I have a checkup in two weeks.”
Pia lets out a breath and I know she’s worried about me. I had pancreatic cancer, but after my surgery a few months ago, I’ve been in remission. Still, I know that both of us are worried about the cancer coming back.
“How’s Levi?” I ask.
I know that Pia will be distracted by thoughts of her new husband, and the conversation can move onto more positive topics. Levi and Pia just got married recently. She was working for him, trying to make money to pay for my surgery. They ended up falling in love, and he was generous enough to cover my surgery and all of the doctor’s appointments that went along with that.
They wanted me to move in with them, but I knew they needed their privacy and alone time. When I turned that offer down, they offered to buy me a place near theirs, but they have already done so much for me. I didn’t want to take advantage of them. I want to stand on my own two feet.
Levi worships the ground that Pia walks on. He was hooked from the first moment he saw her, and their romance was a bit of a whirlwind. Pia has been taking care of me for far too long, so it’s nice to see her being taken care of for a change.
I started back at work after recovering from the surgery and moved into this little apartment when Pia moved into Levi’s penthouse apartment. I work as a freelance social media manager and content creator. I’ve got a few bigger clients, and things have been great these past few months.
“What about you? How’s your new neighbor?” She asks in a knowing tone. “Are you spying out the window right now?”
“Maybe,” I admit, and she laughs.
“Any sign of him?”
“Not yet,” I sigh, letting the blinds fall closed.
“Bummer. What are you going to do tonight? Want to come over for dinner?” She offers.
“No, I found a new recipe for some chicken kabobs. I’m going to try to make that tonight.”
“Ohhh, sounds good! Let me know how they turn out.”
“I will.”
“Levi just got home, but I’ll talk to you later. We’ll grab lunch this week, yeah?”
“Sounds good. Just let me know when.”
“I’ll text you.”
“Talk to you later.”
“See you!” She says, and we end the call.
I want what Pia and Levi have. I want someone who loves me unconditionally. Someone who always supports me and is lifting me up. Someone who always has my back.
I’ve never been into dating. I never really had crushes on anyone, either. At first, it was because Pia and I were trying to work and support ourselves, and then I was diagnosed with cancer. I was starting to think that maybe I would never find anyone that sparked an interest in me. That was until the other day when I met Warren.
I know that he has to be the one for me. No one else has given me butterflies in my stomach. I can’t get him off of my mind, and I’m taking that as a sign that he’s meant to be mine. I just wonder if he feels any connection between us, too.
I blow out a deep breath and head towards the kitchen. I actually really love to cook now that I have an appetite again. I’ve been enjoying trying out new recipes and learning more about what spices I like and don’t like.
I take out the chicken and focus on the recipe as I start to make dinner. I finish cutting up the chicken and putting them on the skewers. I’m a little nervous about over or undercooking the chicken as I start my countertop grill and turn it on to the correct heat. I know I’m not the best cook yet, but it should be fine.
Turns out it’s not.
THREE
Warren
I’m exhausted when I get back to the apartment building. As soon as I park and climb out of my truck, my eyes go up to Lila’s door, just like every other time I come home. This time, though, my eyes widen, and I take off when I see the smoke coming out of the front window of her place.
“Lila!” I shout as I take the stairs two at a time and burst into her apartment.
She’s coughing, waving a kitchen towel around her kitchen to try to clear out the smoke. The smoke has the whole room looking hazy, but luckily for me, Lila is wearing a bright pink shirt and I focus on that color as I head her way.
“Oh, hey, Warren,” Lila says like this is a completely normal occurrence.
“What happened? You need to get out of here,” I say, already making my way towards her.
I grab her hand and tug her out the front door. Touching her feels so right, so natural, but then I remember that I’m not getting attached to this place, and I release my hold on her like I’ve been burned.
“What happened?” I ask her again.
“I was making dinner,” she says calmly.
“I think it was done… like five minutes ago.”
“Yeah, it was a new recipe. I think I might have messed up a step or two.”
“You need to be more careful.”
“It’s fine. I just need to open a few windows.”
I sigh and head back into her apartment to start opening the other windows. She did the front room, which is why I saw the smoke, but we need to open more.
I head into the kitchen and look at the tiny burnt pieces of what I’m guessing was chicken. Lila is back to waving a dish towel around to blow the smoke out, and I lean back against the counter.
“So… how’s work been? Are you enjoying California?” She asks, trying to make small talk.
