ByLEXYTIMMS& AUTUMNGAZE
@copyright2024
ByLexyTimms&AutumnGaze
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Allrightsreserved. PursuitofHonor
Copyright2024
ByLexyTimms&AutumnGaze
ALLRIGHTSRESERVED Nopartofthispublicationmay bereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inany form,orby any means(electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recording,orotherwise)withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofboththecopyrightownerandtheabovepublisherofthisbook Thisisaworkoffiction Names,characters,places,brands,media,andincidentsareeithertheproductoftheauthor’simaginationorareusedfictitiously Any resemblancetoanactualperson,livingor dead,events,orlocalesisentirely coincidental Theauthoracknowledgesthetrademarkedstatusandtrademarkownersofvariousproductsreferencedinthisworkoffiction,whichhavebeenusedwithout permission Thepublication/useofthesetrademarksisnotauthorized,associatedwith,orsponsoredby thetrademarkowners
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PursuitofHonor
Copyright2024
ByLexyTimms&AutumnGaze
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OURVALENTINE’SWEARcombatboots...
AfewdaysbeforeValentine’sDay,sailorJonathanLawrence Lawtohisfriends arrivesinsmalltownCaliforniafora weekendshoreleave.
Despitealltheromanceintheair,Lawdoesn’texpecttofindanythingthatwilleasehisrestlessheart.Asanorphan,his onlyhomeisthesea.Asasailoronanavyship,hedoesn’thavetimeforlong-termrelationships.Orsohethinks,untilhe meetsPiperRyan,awomanunlikeanyotherhe’severmet.
It’stheweekendbeforeValentine’sDayandPiperRyan,aquirkyfreespirit,doesn’thaveasingleromanticprospect.
Herlovelifeislacklusterandonceagain,she’llbespendingValentine’sDayalone.Butthen,shemeetsJonathan Lawrence,agorgeoussailorwhoseemsinexplicablysmittenwithher.Smittenenoughtowanttospendhisshoreleavegetting toknowher. Whatstartsoffcasualheatsup–fast. Fallingforastrangerinthespanofaweekendiscrazy,butPipercan’t helphergrowingfeelingsforLaw.FeelingsthatwillhavetobetemporarybecauseLawisleavingtownonValentine’sDay.
Withtimerunningout,willPipergettheromanceofherdreamsintimeforValentine’sDay,orwillshebeleftwitha brokenheart?
OURVALENTINE’SWEARcombatboots...
AfewdaysbeforeValentine’sDay,sailorJonathanLawrence Lawtohisfriends arrivesinsmalltownCaliforniafora weekendshoreleave.
Despitealltheromanceintheair,Lawdoesn’texpecttofindanythingthatwilleasehisrestlessheart.Asanorphan,his onlyhomeisthesea.Asasailoronanavyship,hedoesn’thavetimeforlong-termrelationships.Orsohethinks,untilhe meetsPiperRyan,awomanunlikeanyotherhe’severmet.
It’stheweekendbeforeValentine’sDayandPiperRyan,aquirkyfreespirit,doesn’thaveasingleromanticprospect.
Herlovelifeislacklusterandonceagain,she’llbespendingValentine’sDayalone.Butthen,shemeetsJonathan Lawrence,agorgeoussailorwhoseemsinexplicablysmittenwithher.Smittenenoughtowanttospendhisshoreleavegetting toknowher. Whatstartsoffcasualheatsup–fast. Fallingforastrangerinthespanofaweekendiscrazy,butPipercan’t helphergrowingfeelingsforLaw.FeelingsthatwillhavetobetemporarybecauseLawisleavingtownonValentine’sDay.
Withtimerunningout,willPipergettheromanceofherdreamsintimeforValentine’sDay,orwillshebeleftwitha brokenheart?
FindLexyTimms:
FindAutumnGaze:
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Chapter7
Chapter8
Chapter9
ValentineRomance
FindLexyTimms:
FindAutumnGaze:
WantmoreFREEREADS?
MorebyLexyTimms&AutumnGaze:
FindLexyTimms:
FindAutumnGaze:
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Chapter7
Chapter8
Chapter9
ValentineRomance
FindLexyTimms:
FindAutumnGaze:
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MorebyLexyTimms&AutumnGaze:
irst,wedrink.Thenwefindaroom.”
“F CHAPTER 1
JonathanLawrencewasgoingtohavetosethisbuddiesstraight.Bitingbackasigh,heflatlyaddressedMartinez, “No That’sassbackwards Weneedtofigureoutwherethehellwe’respendingthenight”
Theywereallheadingdownawell-litstreet,standingoutlikesorethumbs Mostlybecausetheywerestillintheir uniforms.Butalsobecausetherewasnowayinhell“Law,”ashewasreferredto,orhisbuddieswereevergoingtoblendin withciviliansorlocals Especiallynotinamid-sizedtowninCalifornia Martinezwasscrollingthroughthemapapponhis phonelikeatourist,Freemanwasreadingtheneonsignsoutloudlikeadementeddrillinstructor,whileHendricksswaggered throughthecrowdofpeople,notbotheringtocedegroundashejustmarchedthroughlikehewasthesolepedestrianonthe sidewalk.NotthatLawhadanyroomtojudgethemtooharshly.Everytenseconds,he’dglanceathisdiver’swatch,keeping oneeyeonthetimewhileheassessedhissurroundingsfordangerorexits
Thiswastheirfirstshoreleaveinmonths Briefasitwasthough theywereonlygettingtheweekend Lawwaskindof gratefultobebackonlandaftermonthsatsea.WhilehelovedtherigidroutineanddisciplineofNavylife,hehadtoadmit, justwalkingaroundamongciviliansandstretchinghislegswasagoodchangeofpace Aslongashedidn’tspendtoomuch timeawayfromtheship,Lawwouldallowhimselfachancetoenjoythebreak.Besides,outofthewholeunit,Lawgotalong withtheseguysthebest Theyweremorelikehisbrothersthananythingelse,andastheonlyoneinthegroupwithcommon sense,itwashisdutytolookoutforthem.
MartinezsnortedandelbowedLawintheribs.“GetaloadofthisBoyScout.”
“Youcan’tholdyourliquor,Martinez,”Lawfiredback.“I’dliketoseeyoutrygettingaroomlastminutewhileyou’re drunkasaskunk”
“Lawhasapoint,”Freemanagreed “Twodrinksandyou’reunderthetable,Carlos”
“Icanoutdrinkanyofyoulightweights,includingeverybodybackontheship,”Martinezsaid,fullofhisusualbravado “Bullshit,”Lawsaid,shakinghisheadvigorously “I’veseenyougetdrunkoffrumcake” Hendricks,theleastchattyamongthem,letoutabarkoflaughter.“Howaboutwefindaroom,orderMartinezasliceof rumcakeandaglassofmilk,thentuckhiminforthenight?”
EverybodychuckledexceptMartinez.Hendrickswasn’tthefunniestguyintheworld,butsincehespokeinfrequently,the otherstypicallyhumoredhimwheneverhehadsomethingtosay.
“Screwyouguys,”Martinezgrumbled.“I’vewantedatequilaformonthsandI’mnotwaiting.Gowasteyourprecioustime lookingforaroom.What’sthepointofshoreleaveifwe’rejustgoingtoturninearly?”
Despitewantingtofindaplacetolayhisheadforthenight,LawcouldseethatMartinezhadapoint.Theycouldsleep anywhere.Thatwasn’tanexaggerationeither.AspartofaNavysearchandrescueunit,they’dalllearnedtosleepin everythingfrombroomclosetstohelicopters.Hell,Lawcouldsleepatseaifhehadalifevesttokeephimafloat.He’dbeen abletosleepthroughhurricanesandbombsrainingfromthesky.Therehadbeenthatonetimeduringatrainingexercisewhen he’ddozedoffinasharkcagesurroundedbyhungrysharks.Nottomentionthatmissionduringavolcaniceruptionwhenhe’d foundawaytogetsomeshut-eyewhiletherewasanoceanoflavamerefeetawayfromhisship Honesttogoodness,hecould sleeponacoldsidewalk.ButLawwouldrathersleepinawarmbedifhehadachoice.Especiallyonleave.Civiliancomfort wasthewholepointofabreak
Suddenly,Martinezstoppedinhistracksinfrontofanestablishmentatthecornerofthestreet “Hey,here’saplace The mapgivesitfourstars.”
Thegiantneonsignabovethebarroomdoorread Liquid Courage inbrightblueletters.Patronswerewalkinginand stumblingout Throughtheglasswindow,Lawsawthattheplacewasprettypacked Crowdsweren’thisideaofagoodtime, butitlookedwarmerintherethanitdidouthere.Mid-Februarycouldbeprettycold,eveninCalifornia.Andtruthfully,he’d beentoworse-lookingdivebars
“Icouldhaveabeer,”Lawsaidwitharesignedshrug
Therestofthemtookthatasagoahead Althoughmostoftheunitwasthesamerank,Lawknewhisshipmateslookedupto him.Forsomereason,they’dmadehimthedefactoleader.Maybeitwasbecauseofthetwo-dozenmemberteam,hewasthe mostlevel-headedofthebunch Calmunderpressure
HaulingtheirNavy-issuedduffelbagswiththem,theysteppedinside Aslighthushfelloverthebarroomcrowdaspatrons andstaffturnedtolookintheirdirection.Thetownprobablydidn’tgetalotofsailors.Itwasn’tbigenoughforextended leavesorcloseenoughtoanynavalbases Thiswasreallyjustastoponthewaytoroutinerepairsintheshipyard
Therewasnowaytoblendin,butLawdidn’tlikeattentioninunfamiliarsurroundings Itputatargetontheirbacks Made himstayalertevenwhenhewantedtounwind.Thingswouldhavebeenmucheasierifthey’djustgonetofindthemselves somerooms
Well,therewasnobackingoutofherenow Notwithoutdrawingevenmoreattention,soLawledhisbuddiestothebar counter.Someoftheciviliansstartedtogetoutoftheway.
“Hey,thanksforyourservice,fellas,”agrizzledoldermanwithlonggrayhairsaid,thumpingLaw’sshoulder.
“Yeah,nocharge,”thebartenderupfrontsaidasshequicklywipeddownaglass.“Drinksareonthehouseforservice members”
Lawgrimaced.Muchasheappreciatedtheirgratitude,hedidn’tlikebeingtreatedanydifferently.Thoughhiswork differedfromthenorm,hewasjustdoinghisjob,thesameaseverybodyelse.Hell,inhismind,peoplelikedoctors,nurses, teachers,firefighters,andstreetcleanersweretheactualheroes Therewasn’tatownorcitythatcouldrunwithoutthosejobs
Afterall,hisfatherhadbeenafirefighterandhismotherhadbeenanurse.Memoriesofhisparentsalwaysmadehischest gopainfullytight.Lawwouldrarelydwellonthepastandshoreleavewasn’tthetimeforthat.He’dhavetopushthroughand acceptthedrinks Gettingintoanargumentaboutitwouldjustrevealtheemotioninhisvoiceandhecouldn’tdealwiththat rightnow.
Pushinghismemoriesasidehesaid,“Thanks.Whatdoyouguyswant?TequilaforMartinez...”
Theguysmadetheirorders,withLawchoosinghisbeer.Whiletheywaited,theygrabbedsomeseatsatthebarcounter, LawsandwichedbetweenMartinezandFreeman.
Martinezdrummedhisfingersonthecounterimpatiently,thengesturedovertothesignbehindthebusybartender. “Valentine’sDaywinetastinghuh?When’sValentine’sDayagain?”
Groaninginfrustration,Freemansmackedhisforehead.“Martinez,youidiot,it’sthefourteenth.Monday.Thedayweget backontheship.That’swhyIspentallweeksettingupTamara’sgiftdelivery.”
TamarawasFreeman’sfiancée,andboywashecrazyabouther.Lawneversaidbecausehedidn’twanttolooklikeasap, butheenviedtheguy.Havingsomethingthatstable.Awomantofightfor.Loveworthcominghometo.Again,hischest tightened.
“Iknowit’sthefourteenth,”Martinezgrumbled.Suddenly,hismouthdroppedopenwithrealization.“Holycrap,the fourteenth.Iforgot.Elenaisgoingto kill me.Youthinkoneofthosedeliverycompanieswilltakeashortnoticeorder?Man,I gottagetsomethingsenttoherpronto.”
to ns s
Martinez’swifeElenawasforsuregoingtokillhimforforgettingthemostromanticdayoftheyear.Ifhedidn’tgetatleast acardtoher,hisgoosewascooked
LawchuckledasMartinezyankedhisphoneoutagaintostartfuriouslyswipingatthescreen,mutteringinSpanglishand Tagalogunderhisbreath.
Afteracoupleofminutesonhisphone,Martinezseemedtocalmdownandtheirdrinksarrived.Lawtookafewgulpsof foamybeer Sometimeslifeatseagotsohectic,heforgottomissthelittlethings Likeagoodpintofbeer Theycouldn’tdrink alcoholonthejob,sohewasgoingtosavorthis.
WhileLawsloweddowntoenjoythebeer,Martinezdrainedashotglass,thenrequestedtwomore.“YouandHendricks seeanygirlsyoulike?”Martinezasked,puttinghisshotglassdown
“Abaristheworstplacetomeetagirl,youknowthat,”Lawsaid “Havetobesobertomakeagoodimpression,right?” “Sure,butmybachelordaysarebehindme That’swhyI’vegottolivevicariouslythroughyouandHendricks,”Martinez said.“Youcanatleastchatsomebodyup.Maybegetanumber?”
Lawsighedandlookedupfromhisbeertoglancearound.Therewerealotofprettygirlsinthesizeablecrowd.Butmost ofthemwereherewithdatesorfriends Friendscouldbeworsethandatesbecausenobodycock-blockedlikeawoman’sbest friend.Whichmadesense,truthbetold.Hewouldn’twantsomedrunkenrandobadgeringhimorhisbuddieswhentheyjust wantedtorelax,orinMartinez’scase,gethammered
Still,ithadbeenfourmonthssincehe’dgonetobedwithawoman Outatsea,therewasjustwork Datingwasforthe shore.Andhedidn’tgetshoreleaveallthatoften.Thatmeanthisdatinglifewasmadeupofcasualhookupsanddryspellsin between
Notthathe’dcomplain Except itdidgetlonelysometimesnothavingsomeonebackhomewaitingforhim Lawhadn’t endedupwithhishighschoolorcollegesweetheartlikeFreemanandMartinezhad.Plus,itwastoughforaguylikehimto establishrelationshipswithwomen
Therewasn’tanytimeforanythingserious,andeveniftherewas,hedidn’tknowhowtobegintobondwithnewpeople He’donlymanagedtobefriendhisshipmatesbecausetheyworkedinclosequartersandreliedoneachothertosurvive.That sortofcamaraderiedidn’treallyexistintherealworld Atleast,notforhim
Lawhadbeenorphanedprettyearlyoninlife Leftbehindwithnosiblings So,he’dbeenshuffledbackandforthbetween familymembers.Whilehe’dbeengratefulthathisrelativeshadtakenhimin,they’ddoneitoutofdutyratherthangenuinelove. They’ddonetheirbestthough Fedhim,clothedhim,shelteredhim,and,notmuchelsebywayofconnection Thatwaswhy, theminutehe’dturnedseventeen,he’djoinedtheNavytogetawayfromthesilentlonelinessandthepainofhispast.The servicehadgivenhimtheonlyfamilyhe’deverneed Regretwasawasteoftime Hehadtoremembertoalwaysbegrateful thathe’dfoundaplaceinthemilitary.Someorphansweren’tasluckyashewas.
“IfIseesomeonethatcatchesmyeye,I’llletyouknow,”Lawfinallysaid.
“Don’tlistentoMartinez,”Freemancutin.“Thebachelorlifeisn’tallit’scrackeduptobe.”
Martinezgaveaderisivesnort.“Howwouldyouknowaboutthebachelorlife,DeAndre?You’vepracticallybeenmarried toTamarasinceyouwerefifteenyearsold”
Freemanignoredhim “Listentome,Lawrence Forgetplayingthefield Youneedtheloveofagoodwoman”
“Yeah,Iguess,”Lawmutteredbeforetakinganothergulpofbeer Ifonlyitwerethateasy FreemanandMartinezhad normalupbringings.Stablefamilies.Theyknewhowtoconnectandmakerelationshipslast.Lawrencehadnoideahowtodo
“I’mtellingyou,therearewomenoutthere Youjusthavetobeopentomorethanaone-nightstand,”Freemansaid “EspeciallywithValentine’sDaycomingup ”
Martinezscoffed.“How’shegonnagetagirlfriendinthreedays?”
“Youtellingmeyoudon’thavefaithinourfriend?”Freemandemanded.
“Bro,allI’msayingisthatit’sFriday.Valentine’sDayisMonday.Thedayweleave,”Martinezpointedout.
FreemandrankhisBourbon.“Okay,and?”
“And?”Martinezshookhishead.“Yourupcomingweddinghasgotyoubelievinginmiracles.Lifeisn’taHallmarkcard.”
“That’snotwhatI’msaying,”Freemaninsisted.“AllI’msayingisthathehastotry.Goforit,thesamewaywedoonthe jobright?Thinkaboutit ”
Lawstartedtotuneouttheirbickering Honestly,thefourofthemreallywerelikebrothersthewaytheyargued Andjust likewithbrothers,Lawcouldfeelwhentheygotonhisdamnednerves.Liketheywerenow.Hedidn’tneedthemgoingthrough hislovelife Becauseneitherofthemknewwhatitwasliketoyearnforsomethingsooutofreach Lawdidn’twantjustany woman.Hewantedthe right woman.Hisdreamwoman.Animpossiblethingforamanlikehimtowant,consideringthatthere wasnowomanoutthereforanorphanwhohadneverhadarealfamily Normalpeoplewantedstability,connection, commitment.Theyunderstoodthosethingsbecausethey’dexperiencedthem.Freeman,Martinez,andHendricksallhadloving familiesbackhome Hell,theyhadhomes Bycontrast,Lawhadstiltedconversationswithdistantrelativeswheneverhemade theraretripbacktoIowa.Howwashegoingtoprovideahomeandafamilytoawomanwhenhebarelyevenknewwhatthat was?
Hisfrustrationmounted Gettingadrinkwassupposedtorelaxhim Notsethimoff Lawfelthisentirebodytenseashe pushedthehalf-finishedbeerglassaway.Theyshouldhavefoundsomeroomsfirst.Nowhewasstuckherewithnowhereto go Asiftofurthertorturehimself,hiseyeswenttotheValentine’sDaywinetastingsign Cursingunderhisbreath,heaverted hisgazeandturnedtoscantheroomasadistractionfromhistroubles.
Inthatmoment,hisgazemetthemostheart-stoppingpairofgreeneyeshe’deverseeninhislife.Withoutwarning,he startedtofeeltoowindedtobreathe Asifasingleglimpseofthoseeyeswasenoughtosqueezealltheairoutofhim Hewas toocaptivatedtothink.Thoseeyeswereashugeandbrilliantasclearemeralds.Thedepthssofathomlesshesworehecould seerightdowntohersoul Therewassuchanopennesstoherthatwhenhiseyesadjustedandtookinherentireface,Law knewshe’dbeeasytotalkto.Ifonlyhecouldgetpasthowbeautifulshewas.
Becauseshewasbeautiful.Inawaythatwascompletelynaturalandunaffected.Creamyskinhighlightedbyfrecklesanda fullpinkmouththatmadehimthinkofkissing Andherhair Itwasincredible Wavesoffiretumblingdownhershoulders Whatwoulditbeliketorunahandthroughmoltensilk?
st e. d that.Whichwaswhyhehadn’teverreallytried.Whatwasthepoint?HishomelifehadbeentragicandLawwasprobablytoo damagednowasaresult Nowomanwouldwanttodealwithallthatbaggage
Thebarroomseemedtogointoslow-motion.Allthenoisebecamedistant.Movementcrawledtoastop.Timeexpanded. Lawknewthatnoticinghermusthavehappenedintheblinkofaneye,butspendingthosesecondstakingherinfeltlikean eternity.Everythingwentblurryandpaleexceptforher.Thiswoman,whoevershewas,seemedtobesoalivethattheir surroundingswerelifelessbycomparison
Suddenly,theredheadcamecloser,timespeedingupagainassheapproachedthebarcounter Shewasstandingclose enoughforLawtogetthefaintesthintofwhateverfloralshampoosheusedinherhair.
“CanIgetoneofyourpomegranatecocktails,please?”theredheadaskedthebartender.
e “Finally,somethingoriginal!”awomanbehindtheredheadexclaimed.
ThatwaswhenLawactuallynoticedthatthereweretwowomenaccompanyingtheredhead.Theyalsohadredhair.Atrait sounusualthathefiguredtheywererelated Sistersprobablybasedontheresemblance Allofthemwerebeautiful,butnoneof themcapturedhiseyethewaytheredheadatthecounterdid.
Whilesheseemedopen,withherlooseredcurlsandslightsmile,theothertwolookedthefurthestthingfrom approachable Oneredheadwassportingarazor-sharpbobcutandaweddingring,whiletheotherworeaseverebunandthe mostunpleasantlookonherface.
Theredheadwiththecurlsshookherheadandlaughed.Abeautifulsoundthatmadehisheartrace.“We’recelebratingso mightaswellgobig,right?”
Lawfelttheurgetolisteninontherestoftheconversationjustsohecouldhearthemelodyofhervoiceagain,buthealso didn’twanttoactlikeaderangedstalker,sohetookanothergulpofbeer.Hedidn’tknowthiswoman.Projectinghis lonelinessontoherwasn’tright,andwithhisluck,shelikelyhadaboyfriendanyway Still,eventhoughhehadtotearhisgaze fromher,Lawwasawareofeverymoveshemade.Fromthegracefulwaysheacceptedherdrinktothebounceofhercurlsas sheturnedtoheadbacktotheotherredheads
Asshemovedaway,Law’sgazelandedonheragain,thistimetheswayofherhipscatchinghisattention Nowwashis chancetosaysomethingtohertoher butwhat?Hecouldn’tjustaskforhernumberonthespot.He’dcomeacrosslikea jackassandheonlyhadonechancetomakeafirstimpression
Suddenly,heknewexactlywhathewantedtosaytoher Butitwastoolate Theredheadwiththecurlswalkedrightpast him,andwithinasplitsecond,shevanishedintothecrowd.
“Finally,somethingoriginal!”awomanbehindtheredheadexclaimed.
ThatwaswhenLawactuallynoticedthatthereweretwowomenaccompanyingtheredhead.Theyalsohadredhair.Atrait sounusualthathefiguredtheywererelated Sistersprobablybasedontheresemblance Allofthemwerebeautiful,butnoneof themcapturedhiseyethewaytheredheadatthecounterdid.
Whilesheseemedopen,withherlooseredcurlsandslightsmile,theothertwolookedthefurthestthingfrom approachable Oneredheadwassportingarazor-sharpbobcutandaweddingring,whiletheotherworeaseverebunandthe mostunpleasantlookonherface.
Theredheadwiththecurlsshookherheadandlaughed.Abeautifulsoundthatmadehisheartrace.“We’recelebratingso mightaswellgobig,right?”
Lawfelttheurgetolisteninontherestoftheconversationjustsohecouldhearthemelodyofhervoiceagain,buthealso didn’twanttoactlikeaderangedstalker,sohetookanothergulpofbeer.Hedidn’tknowthiswoman.Projectinghis lonelinessontoherwasn’tright,andwithhisluck,shelikelyhadaboyfriendanyway Still,eventhoughhehadtotearhisgaze fromher,Lawwasawareofeverymoveshemade.Fromthegracefulwaysheacceptedherdrinktothebounceofhercurlsas sheturnedtoheadbacktotheotherredheads
Asshemovedaway,Law’sgazelandedonheragain,thistimetheswayofherhipscatchinghisattention Nowwashis chancetosaysomethingtohertoher butwhat?Hecouldn’tjustaskforhernumberonthespot.He’dcomeacrosslikea jackassandheonlyhadonechancetomakeafirstimpression
Suddenly,heknewexactlywhathewantedtosaytoher Butitwastoolate Theredheadwiththecurlswalkedrightpast him,andwithinasplitsecond,shevanishedintothecrowd.
