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    Surrender: A Little Harmless Military Romance
    Surrender: A Little Harmless Military Romance
    Surrender: A Little Harmless Military Romance
    Ebook126 pages1 hour

    Surrender: A Little Harmless Military Romance

    By Melissa Schroeder

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    About this ebook

    To gain the woman he loves, he will have to be the Dom she desires.

    Navy SEAL Malachai Dupree has everything a man could want. Well, not everything. The one woman he wants is the one he thinks he can’t have. In his opinion young widow Amanda Forrester is too innocent for his Dominant needs, so he plays the role of supportive friend even if it kills him.

    Amanda is tired of being treated as if she were fragile. She might have been through a rough patch losing her husband in the line of duty, but she is not a wimp. Through the last few months, the feelings she has for Mal are more than just friendly. She is more than ready to be the woman he needs in and out of the bedroom. One night she pushes him too far and the result is more than either of them ever expected.

    Mal wants forever, but after losing one husband to the service, commitment is just not in Amanda’s vocabulary. What Amanda doesn’t realize is that Mal is one Seal who isn’t backing down until he gets exactly what he wants: Amanda’s total submission.

    WARNING, the following book contains: Sexy Navy Seals, a stubborn woman, and of course, a little submission. This book has one of those hot Duprees, so you know that you will need a glass of water to cool off. Every Addict will tell you that reading a Harmless book is anything BUT harmless—so read at your own risk.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBryant Street Publishing
    Release dateAug 27, 2024
    ISBN9781094471051
    Author

    Melissa Schroeder

    From an early age, USA Today Bestselling author Melissa loved to read. First, it was the books her mother read to her including her two favorites, Winnie the Pooh and the Beatrix Potter books. She cut her preteen teeth on Trixie Belden and read and reviewed To Kill a Mockingbird in middle school. It wasn’t until she was in college that she tried to write her first stories, which were full of angst and pain, and really not that fun to read or write. After trying several different genres, she found romance in a Linda Howard book. Since her first published book, Grace Under Pressure, Mel has had over 60 short stories, novellas, and novels published. She has written in genres ranging from historical to contemporary to futuristic and has worked with 8 publishers although she handles most of her publishing herself. She is best known for her Harmless and Santini series. After years of following her military husband around the country and world, Mel happily lives with her family in horse and wine country in Northern Virginia.

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      Book preview

      Surrender - Melissa Schroeder

      1

      Malachai Dupree shook his head as he turned down the aisle of freezer cases. He’d sunk so low that he was spending Friday night at Wegmans grocery store. A box of wings caught his eye, and he slowed down the cart. He should have just stopped by some fast food joint on the way back to the hotel, but he hadn’t been in the mood for another meal like that. Mal studied the selection in the freezer case. Okay, this might not be much better, but at least it was different than what he’d been doing. He was still pathetic but at least he wasn’t eating another burger. Friday night at Wegmans was no way for a single man to live.

      After his third week at the Pentagon, he just wasn’t in the mood to give a damn. Early mornings and late nights had worn old. No. Monotonous. That was a better word for the crap he was dealing with while on special assignment. Why anyone would choose to do the job was beyond him. He missed being out in the field, training…damn, he missed blowing shit up.

      A man like you should eat better, Dupree, the sultry southern voice said from behind Mal. He knew without turning around who it was. The voice was imprinted on his mind…and haunted his dreams.

      He turned around to face Amanda Forrester smiling at him, looking just as gorgeous as the first day he’d met her. She was petite and a little more rounded on the bottom than on the top. The green, long-sleeved knit shirt matched her eyes, and she was wearing her regular faded blue jeans that hugged her full hips. The moment he heard her voice, his heart had started doing a tap dance, but seeing her had his body heating. Even the cold air from the freezer case wouldn’t help.

      Friend.

      If he repeated the word enough times, he might remember that she was just a friend. His brain knew it, but his body tended to ignore any sane thoughts when Amanda was around. He reminded himself that she’d been married to one of his best friends and only been a widow for eighteen months.

      Hey, Amanda.

      She glanced into his cart, making a tsking sound. He couldn’t fight the smile that curved his lips when he saw the amusement dancing in her eyes. Amanda had a wicked sense of humor, and with three older brothers, she knew just how to mess with him.

      Are you going to a frat party?

      When he looked down in the buggy, he realized that it did look like a party. Beer, hot wings, and chips. Boredom had driven him to shop for food, and it was a mistake to do that after skipping lunch.

      But a man couldn’t admit it, especially to a woman.

      Look, woman, I live in a man house, and we eat the way we want to. And what are you doing here on a Friday night?

      She leaned her arm against the hand rest of her own shopping cart. The grin she gave him had his body heating more and his palms sweating.

      I have a morning wedding, so I figured I’d pick up something to eat.

      Amanda owned her own floral shop in the Woodbridge area, not too far from the grocery store. And, dammit, he realized he drove out there for a reason. It wasn’t until that moment he realized there was a Wegmans closer to the hotel he was bunking at.

      Ah. So what were you doing in this section if you think the choices are so bad?

      She let one eyebrow rise and damned if that didn’t turn him on more. First, I wasn’t in this section. I was down there, she motioned with her head, "looking for a good bottle of wine when I saw you. Oh, and secondly, I’m much younger and I can eat this stuff. Although I don’t. My mother would have a heart attack if she found out."

      I thought your parents were living in Texas?

      She laughed. Yes, but my mother always knows.

      He smiled. Your mother and my mother have a lot in common.

      Then, silence. It had been happening a lot lately. They used to have such a comfortable relationship. It had been the reason he’d taken on the task of checking up on her. Most of the guys on his SEAL team were married or involved with someone. He was one of the few left that was not in a committed relationship, so he had taken to looking in on her. She had been so young, widowed, and vulnerable. Their friendship had been natural…until the last couple of months. Now, they couldn’t seem to have a conversation without an awkward pause. It might have to do with the fact that he wanted nothing more than to strip her down and feast on her flesh.

      Damn, he needed to escape. The more time he spent with her, the more those thoughts popped up in his head.

      Well…I guess⁠—

      Tell you what, Dupree. Why don’t we have dinner together?

      They had done it before. Since Kyle Forrester, her husband of less than a year, had been killed on a mission, he had been there for her, as had many of the guys on the team. But now…it seemed weird.

      I was looking forward to a quiet night at home.

      She laughed and patted his hand, which he tightened on the buggy to keep from reaching for her. His fingers were freaking itching to reach over and touch.

      Why not a light dinner, some good conversation, and then we can get to bed early.

      He knew what she meant, but it didn’t keep the image from popping into his head. Mal would like nothing better than to slip into her bed and pull her against him as they slept. She always smelled of roses. Until he met her, he had always hated flowery perfume, but hers was natural. He knew her scent came from the flowers she worked with all day long.

      Mal? she asked.

      He shook his head, trying to clear it. It was hard because the images of her wearing nothing but rose petals came into his head more often these days, and at the most inappropriate times. Like now.

      Is that a no? she asked.

      He gave his head one last hard shake and finally knocked enough brain cells loose to form words. No, that’s a yes. I mean… He drew in a deep breath, trying to get his brain to work. I know what a good cook you are, so I would be an idiot to turn you down.

      She smiled. Not one of her little smiles, but one that lit up her whole face and brought out her dimples. He felt as if he had won the lottery. Damn, he was in trouble if that was all it took for him to get hot.

      I buy the food, you cook? he offered.

      She shook her head. Why don’t you pay for the wine, and I’ll do the food?

      He cocked his head to one side. That doesn’t seem fair.

      You haven’t seen the price of the wine I wanted to get. It’s fair.

      He laughed. Okay, but you better fix me something good.

      You bet, she said and turned her cart around. Come on.

      He tried his best to ignore the way her hips swayed as she walked down the aisle, but it was more than a little difficult. Until he noticed one or two men having the same reaction. He tossed them mean looks and hurried up to follow after her. The woman was completely oblivious, but it didn’t keep them from ogling her. Mal tossed a few of them death looks and then caught up to her. If there was one thing he could do for Kyle Forrester, it was protect her from men like that.

      Even himself.

      Amanda silently swore when she dropped the tongs for the third time in five minutes. Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath and tried to control her heartbeat. Malachai Dupree in her house. God, it was something she hadn’t really thought would happen.

      Well, it had before but this was different. She was different. The past six weeks she had been having daydreams about him, night dreams about him, and the stray thought about him had her brain scrambling and her body overheating. She had been acting more like a sixteen-year-old with a crush than a twenty-three-year-old widow.

      Did you need some help there? he asked.

      She glanced at him, and she found herself at a loss for words. He was leaning against the counter drinking a glass of water. The red polo shirt he wore stretched over his massive chest. He was beyond gorgeous. Sculpted muscles, dark mocha skin…and all that control. Amanda knew without a doubt he would be amazing in bed

      That little quiver in her stomach happened again. Dammit.

      Amanda?

      God, she loved his voice. The hint of New Orleans threaded his deep baritone. Worse, any time he talked, she would watch his mouth. It was impossible not to look at it and wonder how it would feel as he moved it over her skin.

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