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  Sunshine Press

  Martinsburg, West Virginia

  Ace in the Hole

  Copyright ©2014, Marissa Dobson

  Edited by Rosa Sophia

  Proofread by Brynna Curry

  ISBN: 978-1-939978-43-1

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to actual person—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Sunshine Press. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  www.marissadosbon.com

  Ace in the Hole

  SEALed for You:

  Book One

  Marissa Dobson

  Dedication

  To all the men and woman in the military who serve our country, and their families.

  Contents

  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

  Other Books by Marissa Dobson

  Praise:

  Ace Diamond left behind the woman he loved when he joined the Navy SEALs. For years he focused on his career, risking life and limb on missions for his country. Now home on leave, he must face his past and ask himself if leaving her was a mistake.

  At seventeen, Gwyneth London gave her heart away only to have it broken. More than a dozen years later, she decides to embrace her single life and have a child on her own. Ready to start over in her hometown, she doesn’t expect to see the man who still holds her heart, but when he walks back into her life she’s unable to push him away.

  Can Gwyneth and Ace claim the life they were supposed to have, or will they let love pass them by?

  Ace Diamond tossed his duffle bag at the foot of the steps and admired the peaceful sanctuary he called home. The old Victorian house he was born and raised in was now his. Since purchasing it from his parents after they decided to buy an RV and travel the country, very little had changed. Family photos lined the wide staircase; everything was well used and loved, none of that stuffiness some old houses had. The memories of his childhood played out everywhere he looked.

  He’d made it home after months of blood, death, and war that had taken a toll on his body and his spirit. He needed a break, not to mention a week’s worth of sleep.

  This deployment had been harder than any of the others. Too many of his fellow warriors had been killed. Memories of the bloodshed haunted him every time he closed his eyes. Too many recollections he would have rather left behind. He was a different man than when he left a year ago, and he could no longer look at the world the same way. Everywhere he looked he saw people taking freedom for granted. So many of them didn’t even realize that more men and women than he’d care to count gave their lives for those freedoms. This deployment served to remind him just how expensive that freedom was.

  Dishes clattered in the kitchen, drawing him from his thoughts and back to the present.

  “Wynn?” He made his way toward the large farmhouse kitchen in the rear. Coming around the corner, he expected to find his little sister. Instead, he saw a woman with a short pixie haircut, red hair sticking up every which way, holding a knife in her hand.

  “Who are you?” Fear coated her voice.

  He looked at the small knife, knowing it would be easy to disarm her if he had to. “Better question is who are you? After all, you’re in my house.”

  “Ace…” Her eyes widened in surprise. “You’re not supposed to be here. Wynn said you wouldn’t be back for a couple more weeks.”

  “Well, I’m here, so why don’t you tell me who you are?” He leaned against the wide entryway into the kitchen, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Gwen.” With a shaky hand, she set the knife on the counter. “Wynn told me I could stay here until I found a place of my own. I came back for my mother’s funeral and couldn’t leave. You don’t realize how much you miss home until you come back.”

  “Gwyneth London, it can’t be.” He took in the woman before him. Wow!

  “You didn’t recognize me at first, so I thought maybe you forgot all about me.”

  “You look so different.” Different was an understatement. Her long blonde hair had been replaced with the red spiky do, and she had developed curves in all the right places. She was gorgeous. Gathering himself together, he nodded. “I’m sorry about your mom. She was an amazing woman.”

  “Thank you.” She leaned against the counter. “I was making a sandwich. Can I make you one?”

  “No thanks, I grabbed something on my way home from the airport, but go ahead.” She turned back to the cutting board and cut into the turkey, tomato, and lettuce sandwich. That was when he saw the slight protruding tummy, the beginnings of the curve of pregnancy. Was she?

  “You noticed.” Sometime while he was lost in his thoughts she turned around, sandwich in one hand, her other hand resting on the curve of her stomach.

  “Are you…?”

  “Pregnant? Yes.”

  “Is that the reason you decided to stay?”

  “Let’s sit, I’ll explain while I eat.” She moved past him into the dining room, and took a seat at the head of the long dining table. She took a bite out of the sandwich before meeting his gaze. “For years I’ve been so focused on my career, never sparing time for a personal life, let alone dating or even thinking of children.”

  “Then how?”

  “Two years ago I was in a car accident and was in a coma for weeks. When I woke, I realized there was so much more in life. More that I wanted.” She ran her hand over her stomach. “Four months ago I decided I wanted to start a family. So I went to a fertility clinic, and well…you can see the results.”

  “Why not do it the old-fashioned way?” His eyes widened, appalled that she let a doctor impregnate her instead of doing it the way their parents had.

  “To do it that way, you need a man. One-night stands tend to get upset when you use them to have a child without telling them. This seemed a better route.”

  “But you’ll be doing it all on your own. No father to help raise the child.”

  “I can raise a child myself. My mother practically did it with me and I turned out just fine. The important part is there’s no father to try to take my child away.”

  She polished off the rest of her sandwich while he sat there trying to figure out what to say to that. Gwen had never been the average woman. No, she had been strong, and full of life. She’d never let a man or anyone tell her what to do.

  “I realize you don’t agree…”

  “What makes you say that?” He didn’t like that she found him so easy to read.

  “We might have been out of touch for years, but I know you, Ace Le Diamond. I can see the disappointment in your pretty blue eyes. You were raised in a perfect family by both parents. I wasn’t so lucky, and my child won’t be either, but she’ll never lack for anything. Please don’t disr
espect my decision just because you don’t agree with it.”

  “Wow.” He held up his hands in front of him, warding off her answer. “I said nothing and did nothing to disrespect your decision. I was only thinking back to when we were kids. You always said you wanted a husband, two and a half kids, a dog, and a house with a white picket fence. All these years that I haven’t seen you, I just figured you found what you wanted.”

  He kept it to himself that even though Wynn stayed in touch with her, he deliberately lost touch. The attraction between them had always been strong, drawing them together through everything, but when he joined the military, the distance began, only to worsen when he made the SEAL team. She might have been proud of him, but the fear that lingered in her eyes tore at his heart. Distance seemed to be the only way to avoid it.

  He had never wanted to cause her any pain, and seeing it there in her eyes he knew the only way to change it was to step back. To let their friendship drift away until she no longer cared about him. It was hard, and over the years he had thought about her, but giving up his career as a SEAL wasn’t an option. He was meant for the excitement and the thrill. It was everything he was.

  Gwen couldn’t believe Ace was there, sitting beside her. The man who’d stolen her heart, the man who still had it but had no idea. So much time had passed since they’d seen each other, and there he sat looking like not a single day had gone by. Her heart sped, her palms were sweaty, and she felt lightheaded just being near him again. She hated that he had such an effect on her.

  She took a sip of the milk she had brought in with her sandwich. “I’ll call my realtor and see if she can find me a short term apartment to rent while I’m house searching. If not, I can get a hotel room.”

  “There’s no reason to do that. My mission ended early but I’ve been reassigned to a training mission. I leave in three days, so you might as well stay put.”

  “I don’t want to be in your way.” Nor was she sure she wanted to be alone with him for three days when she couldn’t seem to get control of her emotions now.

  “You won’t be, but if it becomes an issue for either of us I can bunk at Wynn’s. I’m assuming you took over the master bedroom, so I’ll stay in the guest room.”

  “Guest room? You mean the storage area.” She teased, giving her something to say besides the fact that she took his bedroom to be close to him. It sounded stupid, especially since she hadn’t seen him in years, but being in his house, it brought back all the old feelings she buried deep within her.

  “When I bought the house from Mom and Dad, I was leaving for a deployment. I barely had time to get my stuff from my condo and bring it over here. Since then, it’s just kind of piled up in that room. I keep hoping one day between deployments I’ll be able to deal with it, make room for it or just get rid of it, but it never happens.”

  “Wynn said you’re never here, she can’t figure out why you wanted this place anyway.”

  “It’s home. It might sound cheesy but if ever the day comes when I can have a family of my own, I want them here. I want the pictures that line the staircase to be of my children and family, to have them enjoy the treehouse my father and I built when I was a kid. Silly, right?”

  “No.” She shook her head, wishing she could do the same with her child. For that, she’d have to have a place she considered home. Instead, she was going to find a cute little house on the edge of town, with a little land that her daughter could play in.

  “It doesn’t matter how long I’m gone, when I walk through the front door I feel like I’m at home. I never had that with my condo. Plus, I couldn’t picture someone else living in this house. It’s the Diamond household, and since Wynn wasn’t going to move out of her beach condo, I bought it.”

  The Diamond household.

  Oh, she knew what that meant. It was so much more than just a name. They’d had some amazing parties in this house, and had a tendency to do it Vegas style. Not hard to believe since Mrs. Diamond had named her kids for their poker party days. The Diamonds weren’t gamblers, they preferred playing for favors or candy. Nothing illegal, but they played it like it was all or nothing. No one who knew them was surprised when she named the children Ace, Lucky, and Wynn.

  The silence ticked by until he finally spoke. “Moving back here, what about your career?”

  “I’m a virtual legal researcher, so it can be done anywhere there’s internet. Plus, the company I work for has a second branch in downtown Virginia Beach, so if I ever need to go into the office, there’s one close.”

  “Where were you before?”

  “Nashville, Tennessee, that’s where the main branch of Madison and Strine is. They hired me fresh out of college.”

  “What did they have to say about…your pregnancy?”

  “They only know I’m pregnant, not how.” She ran her hand over the curve of her stomach. “I paid for everything off the books, didn’t use my insurance for any of it. Not because I’m embarrassed by my choice, but because it was no one’s business.”

  “Instead your employer thinks you’ve slept around.”

  She shot to her feet. “How dare you!”

  “I apologize, that was out of line.” Remorse was clear on his face.

  “Damn right it was. You have no right to judge me.”

  “Gwen, I’m sorry, I just wasn’t thinking. This all came as a shock. I never expected you to go about it the way you have.”

  “I’ve changed from the little girl you used to know.” She grabbed the plate and glass from the table. “There’s a lot that happened over the years that would shock you. Maybe if you would have stayed in touch you’d know.” She stormed off into the kitchen before the tears came.

  One of the things she hated most about being pregnant was the tears. She hated being so emotionally uncertain. She could cry at any moment, and the next she’d be laughing as if nothing happened. Hormones.

  The soles of his boots echoed on the hardwood floor as he followed her. “Listen, Gwen, I am really sorry. I know it doesn’t change anything, but I am.”

  “You’re right, it doesn’t. Sorry doesn’t fix anything, it doesn’t mend hurt feelings.” She placed the dishes in the dishwasher and started cleaning up the counter without looking at him.

  He leaned against the island behind her, and kept his words low as if he wasn’t sure she should hear him. “All these years I hoped you had found a wonderful man and had that perfect family you always wanted.”

  Pain shot through her heart. “You never bothered to ask Wynn what happened? Every time we talked I made sure to ask about you.”

  “No.” It came out in a low whisper. She wasn’t sure he’d spoken until she turned around and saw him shaking his head. “I didn’t…I had hoped if I left things be, then you would be able to find someone to give you everything you deserved. We both know I wasn’t the one to give you what you wanted.”

  “You chose to not be that person, without even giving me a say in it.” She didn’t bother to wipe away the tears that were freely falling down her cheeks. “What did you think would happen? That I’d just forget about you, the time we shared together, and find someone new? Do you really think I’m that much of a bitch?”

  “I never said that. Damn it, Gwen, I did what I thought was right.” He slapped his hand on the counter.

  “Here I thought I always had a say in what was right for me.” She threw the dishrag in the sink. “Just forget it.”

  Shocked and unable to believe how quickly things had gotten out of hand, Ace just stood there watching Gwen stalk from the kitchen. She was upset, tears streaming down her face, and he wasn’t sure how to make anything better. When he put distance between them, he did it for her. It hadn’t been easy for him, but neither was seeing her again.

  He wanted to believe that all those years ago, he had made the right decision, that he wasn’t the reason she was single and pregnant now, but for the first time he had some serious doubt. Seeing her there in his family home brought back all
the memories, bringing to life all the feelings he had for her.

  Every part of him itched to go after her, to comfort her. Instead, he kept himself rooted to the spot. Feeling her in his arms would be the end of him. He’d never be able to stuff his emotions and hide them away again. Before he realized it, he was halfway across the open space, nearing the steps.

  “Get it together, Diamond.” With one last glare at the steps, he forced himself to turn away from them. He’d get himself under control and then go upstairs and get some rest.

  In three days, he’d be leaving again. He couldn’t forget his life revolved around training and missions, there was nothing left over for a committed relationship. Gwen needed a man who would be there, and now she needed a father for her child. He couldn’t be that, and thinking otherwise wasn’t fair to her.

  His cell phone rang, pulling him back from the brink of his dangerous thoughts. He snatched it from the table and checked the caller ID.

  Rebel. What trouble is he getting into now?

  Luke “Rebel” Rodríguez wasn’t that much younger then Ace, but he partied like he was still twenty-one. Wherever he went he managed to find trouble. It didn’t matter where he was or what he was doing, trouble followed him around like a shadow.

  He slid his finger across the screen, and brought it to his ear. “I thought you’d be catching up on your sleep so you could get crazy tonight.”

  “I’m about to do just that. I’m surprised you’re not already asleep. Diamond, with your old age, you need your rest. The guys and I are going out tonight, hitting this new club downtown. You coming?”

  “No man, I already promised Wynn I’d stop over tonight.” The excuse slipped out before he could stop himself. They had barely been off duty for a couple of hours and already Rebel was looking for fun. This time Ace wanted nothing to do with it. He wanted to stay home and maybe find a way to make up his blunder to Gwen.