Off Base
Series: Out of Uniform #1
Author: Annabeth Albert
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: January 9th 2017
Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 73,000
Genre: Romance, Military, SEALs, Contemporary, Roommates-to-lovers
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Synopsis
After trading the barracks for a fixer-upper rental, navy SEAL Zack Nelson wants peace, not a roommate—especially not Pike, who sees things about Zack he most wants to hide. Pike's flirting puts virgin Zack on edge. And the questions Pike's arrival would spark from Zack's teammates about his own sexuality? Nope. Not going there. But Zack can't refuse.Pike Reynolds knows there won't be a warm welcome in his new home. What can he say? He's an acquired taste. But he needs this chance to get his life together. Also, teasing the uptight SEAL will be hella fun. Still, Pike has to tread carefully; he's had his fill of tourists in the past, and he can't risk his heart on another, not even one as hot, as built—and, okay, yeah, as adorable—as Zack.
Living with Pike crumbles Zack's restraint and fuels his curiosity. He discovers how well they fit together in bed…in the shower…in the hallway… He needs Pike more than he could have imagined, yet he doesn't know how to be the man Pike deserves.
Book One of the Out of Uniform series
This book is approximately 73,000 words
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you're looking for with an HEA/HFN. It's a promise! Find out more at CarinaPress.com/RomancePromise
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Excerpt
“What do you mean they’re not coming?” Zack tried hard to sound like the badass navy SEAL he was now. He’d passed all sorts of interrogation training—there was no reason he couldn’t hide that he didn’t particularly like this guy. Or this fancy bar where he and his nontrendy clothes and military haircut were out of place. He’d agreed to go out for drinks with a group. His friend Ryan had promised him a drink for finishing his SEAL qualification training and getting his trident, and Zack had figured dealing with the rest of Ryan’s crowd wouldn’t be horrible. But tolerable was a far cry from being stranded alone with Pike freaking Reynolds without Ryan as a buffer.“They blew two tires getting out of Santa Monica and are waiting on a repair truck now. Ryan said to have fun without them.” Pike looked harmless enough—shorter than Zack with a lean build and bright red hair and freckles that made him look too young to drink—but Zack knew from experience he was anything but benign. Pike was the type of guy who would flirt with wallpaper, but he seemed to have singled Zack out for special attention ever since their first meeting at a LAN party.
Which was all well and good, but unlike a lot of Ryan’s crowd, Zack wasn’t openly gay. And what Zack hated was that Pike seemed to see through all his “no, really I’m straight” protests and see things Zack refused to even think about. And a whole night with Pike? Torture. And that was coming from someone who’d been tossed into frigid water with his arms and legs bound. Repeatedly.
But he’d happily endure another round of drownproof training if it meant an easy out of this situation.
“Is Landon coming?” Please say it’s not just us. Surely, Pike’s omnipresent sidekick would be there to bail Zack out.
“Nope. He’s doing research at the Hadron Collider for the next few months. Just us, I think.” Pike grinned at him. “Alone at last, right?”
Zack guessed that the Hadron was one of those supersmart things Pike’s crowd just assumed everyone else knew about. He certainly wasn’t about to appear dumb and ask. “You don’t have to stick around on my account,” he said instead.
“Dude.” Pike smacked him on the shoulder. “I’ve had a sh*t week. Another three interviews for jobs for the fall, another three f*ckups on my part. Don’t make me drink alone.”
“I guess I could do a beer.”
“On me, right? We’re all super stoked that you passed SQT.” Pike gave him another of those disarming smiles.
Ba-deep-deep. Zack’s phone chimed. Sure enough, there was a message from Ryan apologizing for bailing. Have fun with Pike, Ryan ended. But whatever you do, don’t let him talk you into shots. He looks scrawny, but he can drink you under the table. Trust me.
Zack shoved his phone away. Nope, no way was he doing shots with Pike. Last thing he needed was to get drunk and forget himself around the guy.
“So what’ll it be? They have a whole selection of craft beers here.” Pike offered him one of the little bar menus artfully strewn around on the huge antique wood bar.
“A Bud’s fine,” Zack said. He’d never developed a taste for the fancy stuff. This whole place was fancier than he was used to, what with the exposed hardwoods everywhere, the prettified bar food emerging from the kitchen, and the painted inspirational quotes behind the bar. Even the name, Mellow, was a far cry from the hole-in-the-wall places he’d drunk at in college or even Big Ted’s, the little sports bar right off base that his fellow SEALs favored.
Pike signaled the burly bartender, who frowned at them after Pike gave their order for a Bud and some fancy-ass beer Zack had never heard of. “Hand stamps, please. Both of you.”
Zack stuck his hand out, showing that the bouncer had indeed checked his ID. Pike put his arm right next to Zack’s—way too close for comfort. “See, look at us, finding things in common.”
“Getting carded is hardly something to be proud of,” Zack mumbled as he pulled his arm away. Back in San Diego, when he went to the bars with his friends, they never got carded anymore. And he liked that—he was twenty-three now, for crying out loud.
“Of course it’s not for you, Muscles.” Pike did that whole standing-too-close thing again, moving over so others could get to the bar.
Zack really shouldn’t like that Pike noticed what the past few months of training had done for his physique. He’d always been lean, but days of log- and boat-carry drills had carved out muscles he hadn’t even been aware he had. Zack accepted his beer from the bartender, then followed Pike to one of the little high-top tables ringing the bar area.
“Seriously, you are jacked now.” Pike winked at him, giving him the sort of once-over Zack’s buddies gave girls in bikinis. “Look at those shoulders. It even makes you look taller.”
Flattery was not going to work on Zack. Not even a bit. Besides, Pike was the short one, probably five seven or so. But Zack was a perfectly respectable five ten. In your boots.
“Truth, man. I just call it like I see it.” Pike shrugged. And that right there was the whole problem with Pike—he had absolutely no filter and a way too keen sense of observation.
Carra's Review
M/M military romances already have plenty of built-in angst and tension thanks to the difficult military environment-from the inherently macho arena and the ongoing homophobic situations (regardless of the post-DADT era) to the continued hesitation on the part of those affected to not say anything as they try to fit into some box they think they need to stay in to appear just like everyone else. After all, the military is all about uniformity and running a tight ship with minimal to no fuss, right? Introducing a character who's possibly...maybe...well...unsure of their orientation (or not so unsure), and who's staying so far in the closet he might not be able to find a way out even using his SEAL skills, oh, and let's also add in a family situation that helps keep a lock on that closet door...yep, the stage was set for a story that I was not able to put down at all. This was a one-sitting read for me, and I loved every minute of it.
I've come to expect awesome characters from this author, and Off Base delivered quite nicely with Pike-our very out and proud teacher-and Zack-our conflicted Navy SEAL. They're both great in their own ways, and I honestly couldn't pick a favorite between the two of them. Pike had every right to not want to start anything with Zack after what had happened in Pike's past, so that part was grabbing my heart every time Pike conceded to Zack's need to keep things quiet. With Zack, you can see how hard it is for him-he's got difficulty in more than one direction between his team and his family, and is also dealing with his growing feelings for Pike that make everything even more conflicted for him. But Pike and Zack together? It's something special, something hot and something undeniable. And that puts a lot of pressure on Zack (what happens if everyone finds out?), adds worry for Pike (the poor guy's heart just can't take this again, can it?), and ups that angst and tension factor up even higher.
It was great seeing Josiah and Ryan (from Connection Error) again, especially Ryan as he really does play an instrumental part with Zack. The term "supporting" character really applies to a few different people-and not necessarily ones Zack may expect. On my good list are also Morrison, Apollo, Zack's Senior Chief, Professor Hu and some others. As for Cobb...I can't even think of a situation where I'd ever want someone like him anywhere near me. And Zack's parents...well, I'm sure my big mouth would have had no problem giving them a huge chunk of my mind.
I'm really excited for the rest of the stories coming in this series-if they're anything like Off Base, then I'm never going to lack for re-read material. 5 stars for Off Base, and this is one that I highly recommend to any M/M romance fan, and if you're a military romance fan, even better. This story is for readers 18+ for adult language and M/M sexual content (oh yes, Pike and Zack together are enough to keep things steamed up for quite a while!).
Meet the Author
Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two children.
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