Free Coyote Heat (SEALs On Fire) by Desiree Holt

Chapter One
    Miguel Cruz, code name Coyote, stared through the wall of windows of the beach house to the azure waters of the Gulf Mexico. The sun, beginning its descent, was a shimmering ball of fire.
    What a great place for a vacation.
    It was a stroke of luck that Dagger was such good friends with movie star Brice Benson and they’d scored the use of this Key West beach house for a few days. Or at least until their pagers went off, recalling them to base.
    SEAL Team Arapaho had just been shifted to standby after a tiring and bloody mission in Afghanistan, and they were ready for some cold beer and hot women. They could be recalled to their base at Dam Neck at any moment so they’d better get their asses in gear if they wanted to have any fun at all. He and the other team members had talked about taking the jeeps into Key West and scout the action for the evening. He glanced at his watch. Friday, five o’clock and he was ready for the weekend of sun and fun to get started.
    “Who’s still here?” he called, looking up the stairs to the second floor. “Anyone need a ride to town, or did y’all run off and leave me?”
    “Zeus and I are here.” Ren “Ghost” Ramsey walked into the living room from the kitchen. “The others took off earlier and left the second SUV for us. I definitely need a ride into town. I’m meeting my best friend from back home in Oklahoma.”
    “Yeah? What’s his name?”
    The tall, broad-shouldered man grinned. “ Her name is Sadie. She’s a doctor and she’s taking a couple of days off so we can hang together.”
    Coyote grinned. “Best friend, huh? How come I’ve never heard you talk about her? You been best friends for a long time?”
    Ghost’s skin flushed beneath his dark tan. “Since we were kids. And that’s all it is. We’re just…reconnecting.”
    “Is that what you call it? Okay, okay.” He held up his hands when Ghost started toward him. “I’ll deliver you to your friend.”
    “Let’s get it together, then.” Coyote grabbed the set of keys left on the hall table for him. “Hey, Zeus,” he called, then laughed. Jesus Calderon had taken the code name of Zeus, and the team members loved to tease him by calling out Hey, Zeus, a play on the pronunciation of his name. “Move it. This is the best time to hit Sunset Pier.”
    And find himself a warm body for the next couple of days.
    That’s all it would be. He’d long ago decided the single status suited him best. Team Arapaho often teased him that he planned to notch the name of every female he met on his bedpost. That was fine with him. If you didn’t give away a piece of yourself, you didn’t get it shredded and stomped on. He’d seen too many marriages break up because of the kind of life men like him and his teammates had to live. There just weren’t that many special women any more.
    This last mission had nearly gone south so they were all glad to have a place to let it all hang out for a few days. A place with luxurious guest rooms, every amenity that a true Hollywood star could fit into a vacation home, and—courtesy of the same star—a well stocked refrigerator and bar. Being able to shower and not worry about the hot water running out was also a big plus.
    Now he was ready for cold drink, a warm body, and hot sex. The hotter the better. And in the tourist town of Key West, he expected to find a veritable banquet of females from which to choose. He was already salivating at the thought.
    “We’re burning daylight, guys,” he called as he cranked the ignition. He glanced at the house next door, knowing the current tenant would make Zeus’s stay in Key West one to remember. He hoped he got to see the look of surprise on his teammate’s face when he got a look at her.
    “We’re coming, we’re coming,” Ghost huffed as he and Zeus climbed into the vehicle. “Jesus, keep your pants on.”
    “Yeah.” Zeus laughed. “At least until later tonight.”
    “I’m heading to Sunset Pier,” he