You Were Born To Excel. Permission Granted is the enticing invitation on the Navy SEAL website. Lieutenant Shane Powell took that permission at face value, proving his excellence and earning a place on the foremost of the counter-terrorism special warfare SEAL teams. When traumatic physical injuries sustained in battle robbed him of the hard-earned excellence necessary for his job, however, he left the Navy. He slipped away, cutting ties with everyone he knew there to wrestle alone with his emotional turmoil. Lieutenant Michael Fremont, Shane’s SEAL teammate and secret lover, is deeply hurt by the sudden silence and unexplained, abrupt end to their personal relationship. His search to locate the man he loves to demand answers turns up nothing, until a chance encounter brings about a reunion Shane resists. Mike would be satisfied with a simple return to a platonic friendship if Shane isn’t up to anything more. But SEALs never leave a buddy behind, and Mike will not allow his former lover to withdraw from the wider world. But considering Shane’s resistance to him, Mike’s success is up for grabs...