SEALed With A Kiss
Mary Margret Daughtridge
Chapter One

Little Creek, Virginia

Sometimes event the most dedicated workaholic needs to unwind in a low-class bar. Jax Graham signaled the bar girl to bring him and Do-Lord two more beers. The Sea Shanty, as neon grunge on the inside as it was dilapidated on the outside, could always be trusted to live up to its name. A smart man would be grateful that darkness hid the dirt, and the odors of beer and ancient cigarette smoke obliterated smells even less savory. Nobody who gave a damn would see him, a lieutenant, having a drink with his best friend, Caleb, "Do-Lord" Dulaude, a Chief Petty Officer.

The beer joint would fill up later with a volatile mix of bikers, SEALs, and Marines, but it was early now. Only a few tables were occupied.

In one corner a couple of SEAL groupies used a lazy game of pool to offer generous displays of tits and ass, occasionally casting acquisitive eyes in Jax's and Do-Lord's direction.

The tall blonde wasn't bad, Jax mused in unconscious automatic assessment, but neither girl was anything special. Still, neither one would leave alone at closing time not that he'd be here to see it.

Picking up groupies or closing down bars wasn't something he did much anymore. He'd done plenty of both five years ago after Danielle left him, taking his baby son. But it didn't take him long to learn all he achieved was a hangover. Hard work and dedication turned out to be more effective for blotting out the pain. And paid off in career advancement. Since his latest deployment in Afghanistan his superiors had recommended him for early promotion to lieutenant commander.

Ironic. Danielle left him because being a SEAL took up too much of his time. But after she took Tyler the only thing that eased his grief was spending even more time at work. Danielle's death last month wouldn't really impact his life now. Not at all. It gave him a hollow feeling, but it was the truth.

"You haven't said much," Do-Lord's soft Alabama drawl slid easily through the happy-hour chatter. "You worried about Commander Kohn chewing you out?" That his friend knew what had taken place behind closed doors didn't surprise Jax. Chiefs knew everything.

"Nah," Jax used the bottom of his beer mug to press interlocking rings of condensation on the table top until he had made an Olympics symbol. "It's not a problem."

Do-Lord made a dubious rumbling sound and raised one reddish eyebrow.

"Okay, yeah, I was ticked. Kohn questions whether I really know what I'm doing about my son. He kept asking how often I see Tyler. Shit. How often does any SEAL see his kids? And because Danielle and I were divorced, I saw him even less."

"He thinks you should bring Tyler to live with you?"

"No, he didn't tell me what to do, except to make sure I spend some time with Tyler more than a couple of days before I made up my mind." Jax scrubbed at his hairline with a fist, a habit when he was frustrated a habit he thought he'd broken. "But here's the deal. Sure custody reverted to me when Danielle died, but I know what it's like to be raised by house-keepers and babysitters. Screw 'im. I'm doing what I think is right."

Jax could feel Do-Lord listening, though he said nothing. Jax went on, a little calmer. "Giving custody of Tyler to his grandmother is the only plan that makes any sense. I'm not palming him off. She wants him. I don't like her, but Lauren loves Tyler and he's already living with her."

Do-Lord's smile said he understood the bad blood that existed between Jax and his ex-mother-in-law. But his raw-boned face immediately turned serious again. "Maybe you ought to be worried though." Do-Lord's light green eyes leveled a look at Jax. "Face it, man, it ain't natural for a commanders to chew out lieutenants over filling out child care forms. He coulda and he shoulda passed the duty down the chain of command. Kohn could have you discharged if he's not happy with the provisions you make for Tyler. And I think he'd do it."

Jax grinned inwardly. Do-Lord's homespun manner fooled a lot of people. Like his sandy-red hair and slow speech, it made effective camouflage for his incisive intelligence. In fact, he was an omnivorous reader and holder of several advanced degrees. The only person Jax had ever known who was as smart as Do-Lord was his childhood friend Corey. Jax had frequently found Do-Lord's ability to see patterns where other people only saw chaos useful but he was taking Kohn's threats too seriously.

Jax shook his head. "You know how Kohn is when he gets the family responsibility bug up his ass. Tyler's already lost his mother. Why should he be ripped from the one person he really knows.? Tyler's going to be taken care of. It's essentially the same custody agreement I had with Danielle. Now, it's just a matter of signing the papers."

Do-Lord tilted his head and looked at Jax through narrowed eyes. "You really think it will be that easy?"

Do-Lord's question fell into one of those conversational lulls. For a minute the bar was so quiet Jax could hear the click of billiard balls in the corner.

"My lawyer's ex-Navy. He'll make sure everything is regulation," he said, but he knew that wasn't what his friend was asking.

Finally he said the thing he hadn't said to Kohn, or even to himself. "It's like this. I don't see that I'm losing anything I ever had."