An Alpha's Storm (Water Bear Shifters 1) Read Online Free Page B

lives. But, after a while, he grew weary of the shock and awe reactions. Sometimes he just wanted to be treated like a normal guy with a normal office job. He just wanted to kick back and have a beer at a bar without having to answer fifty questions about things like whether he had ever thought he was going to die, or if he’d ever seen a dead person in the water. (The answers to those questions were “yes” and “yes,” but those stories were definitely not Brett’s favorite topic of conversation).
    Despite Brett’s attempt to remain vague about the details of his job, he realized that Aubrey was staring at him with a shocked look on her face. “You’re in the coast guard? Like the guys who jump out of helicopters into the ocean to save people?”
    Brett frowned. How had she managed to zero in on his exact job description? Unless you told people around here otherwise, they usually assumed any “Coastie” they met was working on a team to intercept drug smugglers from Mexico. “Yeah, actually, I am one of the guys who jumps out of helicopters,” he said. “My official title is rescue swimmer.”
    Aubrey’s eyes were wide, and she reached over to grab his arm. “Oh my god. Are you Brett Smith?”
    Brett nodded, furrowing his brow. He wasn’t sure where this was going, but Aubrey seemed to know a lot about him.
    “Brett, I know you! You saved me from the ocean two days ago.”
    Brett’s eyes widened. “That capsized boat on Wednesday? That was you?”
    Aubrey nodded, and now her eyes were filling with tears. “Oh my god, I wanted to thank you, but I was having a hard time figuring out how to contact you. And now, of all the random coincidences, here you are sitting right in front of me at a bar I didn’t even want to be at. Thank you. So much. Seriously, the words sound silly and they aren’t enough to even come close to expressing my gratitude. But thank you from the bottom of my heart. You saved my life.”
    Brett smiled at Aubrey. “You’re welcome. I was just doing my job. That was a tough rescue, with all the debris and the dark, windy conditions. I’m so glad we were able to get to everyone in time. Have you talked to your friends? Are they all okay?”
    Aubrey nodded. “We were all okay. Everyone was dehydrated and had a touch of hypothermia, but we all bounced back quickly once we got to the hospital. The youngest guy was pretty shaken up. He’s a freshman at the university, and was allowed on the ship as part of a work-study grant. Supposedly he had a lot of experience on the open water, but he panicked from the moment it became clear the ship was in trouble. It sounds like he’s going to talk to a counselor, and I’m not sure he’ll be mentally able to handle going back out on the water. But at least physically he’s fine.”
    Brett nodded. “I know which guy you’re talking about. He gave me a run for my money when I was trying to get him to the rescue basket. I’m glad to hear he’s okay. And I’m glad you’re okay. I don’t often get to see survivors after the rescue, so it’s nice to meet one and see the life I had the privilege of saving.”
    Aubrey slapped the bar top. “You are so ridiculously humble, acting like it’s not a big deal that I would be dead if it weren’t for you. Look at me, sitting here drinking a beer you bought me. I should be buying you a drink.”
    Aubrey started flagging down the bartender, and Brett just shrugged again. “Like I said, it’s just my job. I’m lucky that I get paid to do something so rewarding.”
    Brett meant what he said. His job as a rescue swimmer gave him the opportunity to bring some good into a world that was too full of pain and heartache. Since he knew how terrible it felt to lose family and friends unexpectedly, he took great satisfaction in the work he did to prevent others from having to go through that same terrible feeling.
    Aubrey got them both another beer, and spent the next half hour peppering him with questions