Formatted Seal Of Honor edit2

Seal Of Honor

By Dahlia Rose

Copyright © November 2012, Keshia Robertson

Cover art by Mina Carter © November 2012

ISBN: 978-1-939151-05-6

This is a work of fiction. Al characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used

fictitiously. Al rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any

form.

Sugar and Spice Press North Carolina, USA

www.sugarnspicepress.com

.

“Good Morning, Commander. Your usual?”

The girl behind the counter smiled and, as always, Zack Hennessey’s heart skipped a beat. The

coffee shop was a fifteen-minute drive from his house and he stopped there every morning before he

went on base. Just to see her. Her name was Jordyn Royale; it said so on her name tag and she was

as beautiful as the island they were on. Hawaii had lush, colorful flowers, amazing fruit and the smel

of the sea in the air. It was personified in her face. She had chocolate-brown skin the color of mocha

coffee and warm brown eyes that sparkled. She never talked much about herself, but he sometimes

caught her looking around as if she was wary, as if expecting to see someone she didn’t like come

in the shop or afraid someone would jump out and grab her at any moment.

The first time she made his coffee she told him she would try hard to remember his name and

his order for the next time he came in. If she only knew that from then on he hadn’t been able to stop

thinking about her. Zack was curious about her and wondered what her story was, wondered about

her. Her slight baby bump was evident.
So she’s pregnant, who gives a woof?
he thought. He thought

it only made her more enticing, having a life growing inside her. Zack had always wanted a family of

his own and was resigned that it just wasn’t going to happen. And it was just his luck that the woman

he was interested in was carrying another man’s child and so she was probably off the market.

Every morning he came in to see her he charted the growth of her baby bump and, in his own way,

watched the life grow along with her.

“Commander?” Her soft voice brought him from his reverie and she repeated the question.

“Your usual?”

“Three espresso shots in it this time.” Zack grinned. “It’s been a long few days.”

“Coming right up.” She passed the order slip to her work partner and rang up his order. “Five

seventy-five.”

As usual, he paid with a ten and put the change in the tip cup. “How are you today, Jordyn?”

“I’m fine,” she replied. “The little girl is starting to move around now.”

“That’s good. Her dad must be excited,” Zack said.

Her smile faltered and then faded. “No dad. It’s just me and her.”

“Wel , whoever he is, he’s a fool,” he said.

“Maybe I’m the one who messed it al up,” she countered.

“Were you?”

She gave him a look, one with sadness in the depths of her chocolate-brown eyes. “No, I wasn’t.

”

“I didn’t thought so.” A mental cheer started in his head and he squelched the urge to do a fist

pump. “You’re around what, five months now?”

“Six,” Jordyn said. “But good guess.”

“So, um, what are you doing later? I’d like to take you both out to dinner,” Zack said.

She laughed and it was a wonderful y husky sound. “I’m pregnant and you want to take me out?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?” He leaned forward on the counter. “Let’s go out to dinner.”

“Yeah, Jordyn, go out to dinner. Give it a whirl,” her co-worker said. She was a short Hawaiian

woman with a great smile. “You better or I wil .”

“She’s right. Give it whirl,” he said softly.

Her eyes met his for a moment and she swal owed before nodding and scribbling on his

receipt. “This is my address. I’l see you at eight.”

He took his coffee and receipt and winked. “I’l see you tonight.”

Zack walked out into the sunshine and made his way to his truck. He was a Navy man, stationed

as the historic NS Pearl Harbor Base in Hawaii. His smal unit was a socialized team that

specialized in reconnaissance and infiltration. In other words, he was a SEAL and damn proud of it.

Their missions were long and sometimes so harsh that few could deal with it long term. But those

who did, hunkered down for weeks at a time. There had been a lul recently and Zack was happy

about that. In the last few years he’d seen less of his house by the beach than ever before. Oahu was

a beautiful place to live; he was hoping to get to enjoy it more.

A date with Jordyn definitely would make a whole lot of difference. He would take her to a picnic

on the beach or out on the boat.
Is it okay for pregnant women to go
out on open water?
He made a

mental note to Google it later in the day. If his mother could see him now she would cal him crazy for

dating a pregnant girl. Zack frowned at the wayward thought; the woman that sired him was never a

mother. He would not let his past ruin anything in his future. He had let that happen one too many

times.

But in the war room, three hours later, he was frowning at a mission briefing for his unit. Of al

the times for them to be sent out, it had to be now.
Just my luck.
They were leaving that night and his

date with Jordyn was going down the drain. Duty came first and he’d be gone for nearly ten weeks.

With any luck, they’d be back for Christmas. Hel , he’d been interested in her from the time he

walked into the coffee shop and saw her behind the counter.

That night, by the time they were done with packing their gear, it was wel after eight. He cal ed

the coffee shop at six but she had already left and Zack was remiss in getting her number. The only

other option was to drive to her home before they left. He had one and a half hours to drive to where

she lived, explain things to her, and then hightail it back to base.

He pul ed up at her apartment building and frowned. It definitely wasn’t in the nicest area of

Oahu. In fact, it was downright crime-ridden. Zack was instantly worried about her and her unborn

baby. He found her apartment easily and knocked on the door. He noticed the suspicious glances

some of the neighborhood guys gave his uniform. Maybe that would make them think twice about

hitting her place, looking for money or even looking in her direction. He rang the doorbel and waited

for her to answer.

She frowned when she opened the door. “I thought you stood me up.”

“I didn’t. Work got in the way of my best laid plans,” he explained.

“Wel , it may be too late to go out, but you can come in if you want. I’l even share my dinner.

Besides, standing out around here too long draws some unwanted attention.” Jordyn stepped back

so he could come inside.

He looked around her smal yet neat apartment. “I’d like to stay for dinner, but I can’t. I have to go

back to work. I didn’t have your number to cal and the manager at the coffee shop wouldn’t give out

personal information. My job—”

“You don’t have to explain. What was I thinking anyway? I’m a pregnant woman and some

soldier comes in the shop and impulsively asks me out? I must be crazy to have believed it.”

She turned away and Zack caught her by the shoulders. “Jordyn, it’s not like that. Honestly, I’ve

wanted to ask you out the first time I saw you at the Java Hut. First, I was biding my time, gaining

courage, but then I saw that you were pregnant and thought, oh, wel , she’s off the market. Today,

when I found out that wasn’t the case, I went for it. I’ve been put on mission status today. We’l be

gone for ten weeks. I’d like to see you when I come back.”

“I’l be big as a house by then, bigger than I am now.” She shook her head. “You won’t want to

see me then. Zack, I’l be a mom with a newborn soon. Reality dictates I say this, but what guy wants

a relationship like that? You’re a soldier, you’re hot and—”

“You think I’m hot?” His lips quirked.

“Wel , yeah, have you seen yourself? Of course you have. You look in the mirror every day, I’m

sure,” she said. “And look at me, pregnant and in a strange place.”

“Why are you in a strange place? No one leaves home pregnant with no family and friends to

support them?” Zack said quietly.

“No family, few friends, and stuff just wasn’t working out,” she said. He could hear the avoidance

in her words. There was a story there that she wasn’t tel ing. “But you’ve probably always had your

pick of women and you don’t have to be nice to me. I understand—”

“Oh, shut up,” Zack said and pul ed her into a kiss.

Her round bel y bulged between them so Zack gave her extra care, wanting to pul her hard

against him, yet restraining himself. He sunk into her taste and when she invited him into her mouth

for a deeper taste, he took it. He lazily slipped his tongue into her mouth and moaned at her exotic

flavor. When he pul ed away, she pul ed him back for another kiss, this time more passionately than

the one before. He wanted to forget about the mission and take her right then and there. Sense

filtered in and he pul ed away from her reluctantly.

“Oh, Jordyn, the things you make me feel,” he whispered huskily. “Please say you’l see me

when I come back.”

“We’l see what happens when you return,” she said softly. “I could say I would wait and I would,

but then you’d change your mind and I’d end up hurt.”

“That won’t happen,” Zack said.

“Don’t say that.” Her voice sounded sad and he hated hearing that note in her voice. “Things

always change.”

He fished into his pocket and pul ed out his keys. “Take these. Go to my house and stay there.”

He then pul ed out his military business card with his address printed on it and handed it to her. “I

don’t want to think of you in this neighborhood alone.”

“I don’t drive and this is the closest to the bus route,” Jordyn said. “I’m fine. My neighbors are

actual y pretty nice.”

He wrapped her hands around his keys. “In case there is an emergency or anything, you’re

welcome in my home. I hope to see you there when I return. I’l share my comfy chair.”

She laughed. “We’l see, Lieutenant.”

Zack kissed her again impulsively. “I’ve spent too much time thinking about you, Jordyn. Don’t

think I’l give up that easily. Now lock up and stay safe until I return home.”

“Here’s my number. Cal me whenever,” she said and slipped a piece of paper into his pocket.

“Zack, you do know I’m pregnant with another man’s child, right?”

“I’m not blind, nor do I care. Even if you tel me to run, I’l keep coming back.” He grinned and

stepped outside. “One day you’l tel me what makes you so sad.”

“You never know. Goodnight, Zack.”

She closed the door and he waited until he heard the deadbolts lock before he turned and went

to his car. With her number in his pocket, he made a beeline back to the base and onto the mission

at hand. Ten weeks would fly by and he’d be back in time for Christmas and Jordyn.

* * * *

A shot rang out and Zack sat straight up, jolted from the dream he was having. The last eight

weeks had been pure hel and they’d lost one of their own. It only made things worse that no matter

how many times he cal ed Jordyn her phone went to voicemail and then was disconnected. Was this

her way of saying shove off? He ful y intended to go by the coffee shop to see her or to her

apartment tomorrow. They final y got back to base around eleven that night. The books that he had

downloaded to his phone on expecting mothers said that she was most likely tired at that time of

night and had probably turned in early.

But, damn, he wanted to see her. He sighed and listened to the rain outside. It would have been

soothing if he could relax, but he was always too wired after a mission to sleep for weeks. It was

after one a.m. when he considered going to the back bedroom that he’d converted to a gym and

working himself to exhaustion. It was that or going out to the garage and dragging out the Christmas

decorations that he never used. Abruptly, there was a knock on the door and he frowned. His closest

neighbor was a fruitcake who talked to her pineapples. No one should be at his house so late and in

this rainy weather.
If this is some fucker looking or an easy mark, I am so not in the mood.
He