Second Chance With My Navy SEAL

Second Chance With My Navy SEAL An Enemies to Lovers Secret Baby Romance Cheryl Lux TABLE OF CONTENTS Copyright 1. Chapter One 2. Chapter Two 3. Chapter Three 4. Chapter Four 5. Chapter Five 6. Chapter Six 7. Chapter Seven 8. Chapter Eight 9. Chapter Nine 10. Chapter Ten 11. Chapter Eleven 12. Chapter Twelve 13. Chapter Thirteen 14. Chapter Fourteen 15. Chapter Fifteen 16. Chapter Sixteen 17. Chapter Seventeen 18. Chapter Eighteen 19. Chapter Nineteen 20. Chapter Twenty 21. Chapter Twenty-One 22. Chapter Twenty-Two 23. Chapter Twenty-Three 24. Chapter Twenty-Four 25. Chapter Twenty-Five 26. Epilogue Copyright Copyright © 2023 by Cheryl Lux All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact [email protected]. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. Book Cover by Getcovers.com First edition 2023 Chapter One Isabella“You’re gonna be stuck here for a while, I’m afraid.” I turned around, struck by the deep, husky baritone voice of the stranger behind me. Outside the blizzard was only getting worse. The lights around the Kaiser Hotel were dimming in the relentless flurries, which occasionally battered the elegant glass walls of the lobby. Looking despairingly at the road outside became slowly more and more impassable. I’d cursed myself for attending a conference on a Swiss mountaintop in the middle of Winter. How could I get to the airport in Zurich in time to return to Arizona? But I wasn’t thinking about any of that now. I was looking at the man who’d just spoken to me. Tall and handsome, the speaker had a strong jaw. His hair was a dark blonde, streaked with a few brown hairs, and a few silver ones. Like me, I guessed he must be in his early thirties, but perhaps he was a little older. After all, I thought, eyeing his shapely, powerful shoulders and arms. The guy sure does take care of himself. I could see the muscles bulging through the fabric of his elegant suit. A little embarrassed, I caught myself looking at him and lifted my eyes to meet his. They were green, a deep, iridescent hazel. And despite the confident, cool exterior he projected, the eyes seemed to burn bright, brighter than the dimming streetlamps outside the hotel.He extended a hand, with a soft, relaxed grin that made me think the gorgeous man in front of me had noticed my wandering eyes. “Ezra Darke. I’m the CEO of …”“Darke Enterprises,” I finished for him, extending a hand in turn. “Isabella Hart. I’m a sales executive with Reeder Aviation.”“That’s right,” said Ezra, raising an eyebrow. He was clearly impressed at my knowledge of his activities. “Where have you come from today?”“Phoenix, Arizona,” I replied, as we shook hands.His grip was firm but gentle. I couldn’t help but feel a thrilling sensation as his enormous hands and strong fingers lingered on my slender wrist. A thought, shocking and arousing, crossed my mind immediately. He could overpower me in a second.“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Darke. I’d wager you were the most-discussed topic at this year’s conference. Outside of the meeting room, that is.”“Ezra, please,” he said. “I suppose it can’t be helped,” he said modestly, lowering his strong hand to his side. His bearing was strong, his posture was erect and steady. I’d have guessed he was ex-military, even if I didn’t know already. “After all, our stock valuations tripled this year—““And made you a billionaire,” I finished for him. I couldn’t help myself. As I spoke, I saw his jaw twitch and a hint of irritation cross his stubbled jaw. Did he think I was being rude? The slow, casual way Ezra spoke made me want to jump in. I’m that kind of person. A quick thinker who doesn’t waste time. I’d wasted no time at all after graduating from Harvard Business School a few years ago. It had been a long, hard road, but after seven years of late nights and early mornings, red-eye flights, and difficult meetings, I’d smashed the glass ceiling I knew was waiting for me in the world of aviation engineering. My bachelor’s degree in physics had helped, but it was my hardworking attitude and confidence which had secured me a place on the Executive Board of Reeder Aviation, an aeronautical engineering company based in Phoenix, my hometown. “Do you always interrupt people this much?” said Darke. He wasn’t angry, but smirking at me instead. I didn’t like that at all. It was obvious he found me faintly amusing: a young, female executive at a company like mine often amuses arrogant men, who assume she’s been promoted for reasons other than her competency…“Let’s not waste time, Ezra,” I said, brushing off my immediate disdain for handsome Mr. Darke and his arrogant demeanor. “I’m trying to find a way off this damn mountainside before the snow gets too heavy to move. I have a flight from Zurich airport at 11.00 a.m. tomorrow and I can’t miss it. Do you know of any way I can make it in time? It’s 9 p.m. now and no cabs or shuttles are running into the city.”Ezra fixed me with a long, hard stare that seemed to burn with intensity. He put a hand on his hips. My eyes couldn’t help but look toward his groin, wondering if the power was issuing from every limb of Ezra Darke “As a matter of fact,” I do, he said. “I have a helicopter leaving at 8 a.m. tomorrow after the snowstorm’s over. That should get you to the airport in time.”A helicopter? I knew the Kaiser Hotel had a helipad. But I didn’t know Darke was quite so