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  Our Kind of Love

  Peregrine Bay

  Contemporary Romance Series

  SHIRLEEN DAVIES

  Book Two in the Peregrine Bay

  Contemporary Romance Series

  Copyright © 2016 by Shirleen Davies

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  For permission requests, contact the publisher.

  Avalanche Ranch Press, LLC

  PO Box 12618

  Prescott, AZ 86304

  Our Kind of Love is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used facetiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is wholly coincidental.

  Book design and conversions by Joseph Murray at 3rdplanetpublishing.com

  Cover design by The Killion Group

  ISBN: 978-1-941786-30-7

  I care about quality, so if you find something in error, please contact me via email at [email protected].

  Description

  Our Kind of Love – Book Two, Peregrine Bay Contemporary Romance Series

  Selena Kerrigan is content with a life filled with work and family, never feeling the need to take a chance on a relationship—until she steps into a social world inhabited by a man with dark hair and penetrating blue eyes. Eyes that are fixed on her.

  Lincoln Caldwell is a man satisfied with his life. Transitioning from an enviable career as a Navy SEAL to becoming a successful entrepreneur, his days focus on growing his security firm, spending his nights with whomever he chooses. Committing to one woman isn’t on the horizon—until a captivating woman with caramel eyes sends his personal life into a tailspin.

  Believing her identity remains a secret, Selena returns to work, ready to forget about running away from the bed she never should have gone near. She’s prepared to put the colossal error, as well as the man she’ll never see again, behind her.

  Too bad the object of her lapse in judgment doesn’t feel the same.

  Linc is good at tracking his targets, and Selena is now at the top of his list. It’s amazing how a pair of sandals and only a first name can say so much.

  As he pursues the woman he can’t rid from his mind, a series of cyber-attacks hit his business, threatening its hard-won success. Worse, and unbeknownst to most, Linc harbors a secret—one with the potential to alter his life, along with those he’s close to, in ways he could never imagine.

  Our Kind of Love, Book Two in the Peregrine Bay Contemporary Romance series, is a full-length novel with an HEA and no cliffhanger.

  From the Author

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  Acknowledgements

  A special thank you to all those who have served our country in one of the military branches—Navy, Air Force, Army, Marines, and the United States Coast Guard. I am honored to count many of you as friends.

  As always, many thanks to my wonderful resources, including my editor, Kim Young, proofreader, Alicia Carmical, Diane Lebow, who is a whiz at guiding my social media endeavors, my cover designer, Kim Killion, and Joseph Murray, who is a genius at formatting my books for both print and electronic versions.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Other Books by Shirleen Davies

  Our Kind

  Of Love

  Prologue

  Boise, Idaho

  College Graduation

  “What are your plans tonight, Selena?”

  Selena Kerrigan turned to see the one man on campus she most wanted to notice her, Chad Donovan. The butterflies in her stomach went on high alert, buzzing around, creating chaos within her otherwise ordered life.

  “My family will be leaving after dinner. I hadn’t planned anything afterwards.”

  “Great. You can spend it with me and some of my friends. We’ll be at the Mountain Top Inn before heading over to a friend’s. I’ll meet you at the restaurant.” Chad turned and strode away without another word, leaving her confused and excited at the same time.

  Dinner with her parents and sisters, Julia, Calypso, Danielle, and Lily, passed at a slow pace, her mind preoccupied with the upcoming party. The past four years had sped by with little time for social activities. Shy by nature, she’d accepted few dates, preferring to concentrate on her studies in preparation for her return to Peregrine Bay and a position in her family’s real estate business.

  Even the dates she did have turned out to be tiresome, listening to young men talk about themselves and future plans, then requiring her to respond. She’d never liked talking about herself. In her mind, she’d done little.
Reading, old movies, fishing, hiking, and the occasional visit to the gym occupied her days. Besides having visited most of the fifty states, her family took a vacation to Europe each year. In her humble opinion, she’d seen much but done little, at least not enough to interest others.

  Tonight, she’d be with someone who’d fascinated her since they first met her junior year. Handsome, gregarious, and popular, he’d always been polite yet oblivious to her—until he’d extended his invitation today.

  “Are you all right?” Julia Kerrigan, Selena’s older sister, sat next to her.

  She hadn’t confided in anyone about the party, not wanting to dampen the family’s time together. Besides, her father wouldn’t approve of her going off to some gathering without a proper escort. In his mind, she’d always be in need of his constant direction and guidance. She leaned toward her sister, keeping her voice low.

  “I’ve been invited to meet someone later tonight and I’m a bit nervous.”

  Julia raised her eyebrows, turning her face toward Selena. “A date?”

  “No, not exactly. Some people are meeting at a restaurant, then going to a friend’s house.” Her hands fidgeted in her lap, her eyes darting nervously between her stepmother and father.

  “Do you know any of them?”

  “Of course,” she hedged. “Well…at least one. We’ve been in a couple classes together. I’d always hoped he would notice me, ask me out, but it never happened. This afternoon, he asked me to meet him at the restaurant.”

  “Maybe I should go with you—”

  “No,” Selena hissed, cutting Julia off. “I have to do this alone, and I don’t want father and Joannie to know.” Her father had been married three times. She and Julia had the same mother, Calypso another, and the twins, Danielle and Lily, another—their father’s current wife, Joannie. Calypso attended college, and the twins were still in high school.

  “All right, if you’re sure. Here…” Julia rifled through her purse, handing Selena a card with the hotel and room number where she was staying. “I’m at a different hotel than father and I have my car. Call me if you need me.”

  She slipped the card into her purse, knowing it wouldn’t be needed.

  The moment dinner ended and her family drove away, Selena hopped into her car and took off for the Mountain Top Inn. It took about five minutes to locate Chad standing at the bar. As always, his friends, and those who wanted to be his friend, surrounded him, everyone talking at once. Walking towards him, she waved over the crowd, getting a wink in return, noticing the curious looks of those near Chad. No one else looked familiar.

  “Hey, Selena. Glad you could make it. What do you want to drink?” Chad asked, taking her arm and pulling her toward him.

  She didn’t drink much, but wine always seemed safe. “Wine, please.”

  A minute later, she held a glass brimming with a healthy pour of white wine.

  Chad placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning down so she could hear him over the noise. “We’ll be leaving for the party in a few minutes. You may want to drink up.”

  She nodded and took a few sips, leaving the glass on the bar as he clasped her hand and walked toward the parking lot.

  “You’ll want to take your car. Is that all right?” he asked.

  “I’d planned to take it.”

  “Great. Follow me.”

  It took twenty minutes to reach the turnoff, then another five to find a parking place. She locked her purse in the car, slipping her keys in a pocket, and looked around. Chad waited at the bottom of the stairs, motioning her toward him.

  “Have you been here before?” he asked, taking her hand and leading her inside.

  “Never.”

  He laughed, although she had no idea why, and headed toward a table filled with bottles of hard liquor, wine, and glasses. A tub filled with bottles of beer took up one end and a case of untouched water sat at the other. Chad poured her wine, then whiskey and cola for himself.

  “Here you go. I need to speak with some friends. Take a look around, introduce yourself.”

  Selena lifted her face to reply, but he’d already left, disappearing into the crowd. She looked around, stunned at the number of people crammed into each of the main rooms. Laughter and the occasional shout pierced the air as she tried to spot even one person she recognized. Just like at the bar, there were no familiar faces.

  Thirty minutes passed as she roamed the lower rooms, at one point taking a seat to watch the happenings. Occasionally, someone would introduce themselves, then move on.

  As time passed, the noise level increased, the sounds of friendly laughter replaced with drunken shouts. She noticed people pairing off, some removing clothes and tossing them aside, oblivious to the others in the room. Most didn’t seem to care about the display of partially clothed bodies, but Selena had no use for it.

  After an hour, her empty glass her only companion, she decided to look for Chad and tell him she’d be leaving. She’d had enough of his party and his hospitality.

  Standing, she reached out to steady herself, feeling lightheaded.

  “Hey, you all right?” A strong hand gripped her elbow.

  “Fine.” Touching a hand to her forehead, Selena felt her cheeks flush. “I’m looking for Chad.”

  “Donovan?” the guy chuckled. “He’ll be in one of the rooms upstairs. I’m sure he’d love to have you join him.”

  His slow perusal of her as he spoke triggered a queasy feeling in her stomach, accompanied by an inexplicable urge to run. First, she’d perform her social duty and inform Chad.

  Selena took the stairs, then opened the door to the first room, finding two couples in various stages of undress, creating a mixture of laughter and moans. Shutting the door, she tried the next one, finding two women and a man on the bed, others standing around or leaning against the walls, staring, no one paying the slightest bit of attention to her. Selena’s stomach churned as she backed out of the room.

  One room remained. She grasped the handle, then stopped, deciding it may be best to leave and forget all about Chad and his party. The door opened as she began to turn away.

  “Go on in. They won’t mind.” A girl of no more than sixteen giggled and walked out wearing nothing except a thin lace bra and panties.

  Following the girl’s retreat, Selena shook her head and turned to look through the open door. What she saw caused her breath to seize and jaw to drop.

  The room was dark, except for floor-mounted lights aimed at the bed. Her gaze followed the light to see a woman on her hands and knees, Chad behind her, both naked. Two cameras filmed the scene, one person providing direction for the action. She tried to back away, but her feet remained frozen in place. She’d never seen anything like it.

  The woman’s loud moan pulled her from the trance. Her hand flew to her stomach, trying to quell the growing need to purge everything from her system. She stumbled down the hall and into a bathroom, kicking the door closed, falling in front of the toilet just as her stomach began to empty.

  She didn’t know how long she sat there, ignoring the occasional pounding or shouts from those who wanted access. Her head throbbed, but at least the rest of her felt numb. Selena had never thought herself a prude. She’d been to parties where porn movies played in private rooms. Although she’d never watched, neither their availability nor popularity bothered her. It wasn’t her business what others wanted to watch.

  Tonight, the unexpected display stunned her. Worse, the man who’d invited her to the party, the same man with whom she’d been longing to spend time with, was the star.

  Pushing up from the floor, she brushed hair away from her eyes, then washed her face, feeling cold and clammy all at once. Drawing the door open, she peered into the hall, saying a prayer no one would notice her leaving.

  It took a while for her to navigate her way home, but by two in the morning, she fell into bed, covering her face with both hands, vowing never to get caught in a situation like that again.

  Chapter
One

  Peregrine Bay, Idaho

  Seven years later

  Selena groaned. She’d never expected Calypso to push her to honor the silly bet they’d made at Julia and Adam’s wedding the week before. She and her four sisters had been sitting around, enjoying the reception, when Caly threw out a challenge. One Selena had been foolish enough to accept.

  Calypso had joked about Selena’s lack of dates and fear of going out. The conversation progressed until Selena had been defined by two words—boring and coward. Within minutes, Caly dared her to attend a party at some prominent citizen’s house at the north end of Lake Bountiful. It was to celebrate the end of summer, and damned if she hadn’t accepted—and she couldn’t even blame alcohol.

  She stood in front of the mirror, picking up one outfit after another, tossing each aside. None of them looked right. Her preference was to wear something flowing and lightweight, but the Idaho temperature had already begun to drop and evenings could turn chilly, especially by the lake. She sorted through her closet once more, hoping to find something suitable, when the doorbell rang and the front door squeaked open.

  “Selena, it’s Caly!”

  “I’m in my bedroom.” She lifted an armful of clothes from the closet and laid them on the bed.

  “You ready to go?” Caly put her hands on her hips, spotting the clothes and her sister standing in nothing but her underwear. Lifting one brow, she grinned. “Hmm…guess not. How can I help?”

  ******

  Within an hour, Selena sat behind the wheel of her car, following Caly to the party north of Pine Cove. Caly had been a gem, somehow pairing slacks with a blouse and sandals Selena never would’ve thought worked together. But then again, her sister always did have a flair for fashion.

  Over the past week, Selena had done a little checking, discovering the host of the party owned a thriving security business and had graduated from the United States Naval Academy. One page listed him as a contributor to several charity organizations and a driving force behind revitalizing the area around the lake. Although it wasn’t much, at least she felt equipped to make small talk if she ever met the man.