Issued to the Bride One Marine (Brides of Chance Creek Book 4)

by Cora Seton

  “I promise.”

  “Should I believe you?” She tilted her head as if considering the matter and sighed. “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

  “I just want to be close. In case she needs anything.”

  Cass softened. “All right.”

  When he opened the bedroom door, he found Lena curled on her side beneath a pile of blankets. Her eyes were closed but they fluttered open when he came in. He’d never seen her so unguarded, and a warm, painful sensation filled his chest. He wanted to keep this woman safe—forever. He wanted to find a way to break through the walls she’d built so high when it came to men. St. Michael’s sword would come in handy right about now.

  “What’re you doing here?” Lena mumbled.

  Logan began to peel off his own clothes.

  “Climbing in there with you. To keep you warm.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she said half-heartedly but didn’t protest as he stripped down to his skivvies, circled the bed and climbed in the other side. Nor did she do more than grumble when he moved close to her and circled her waist with one arm.

  This was where Lena belonged—right next to him, where he knew nothing could hurt her.

  As long as they stayed in this bed, everything would be okay.

  Lena woke the next morning to the sound of snoring and stiffened, instantly on high alert, until she remembered Logan climbing into bed.

  She hadn’t stopped him.

  Why hadn’t she stopped him?

  Then she remembered everything else: losing her balance, rolling to the edge of the roof.

  Looking over at the ground below, held in place by Logan’s grip on her arm.

  He’d saved her life.

  And now the Marine was snoring in her bed.

  Could she climb out without waking him? She was—not naked, thank goodness—she realized when she peeked down and saw she wore a cami and panties. But she was as close to it as she could get. She wasn’t ready for this kind of encounter with Logan. She shifted away from him—

  His arm tightened around her waist, and he hauled her back in against his chest.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he rumbled softly in her ear.

  “I’m getting up. It’s morning. There’s work to do.” She hadn’t even thanked the men and women who’d come to help yesterday, she realized with a flush of shame. She’d have to make a passel of phone calls to make up for it—although she was sure her sisters had filled in for her.

  “It’s early. Plenty of time for another snooze.”

  She lifted her head to see the alarm clock. “Time to get up in twenty minutes. That’s not long enough for a snooze.”

  He pushed up on one elbow, his other arm still holding her tight to his body. “Plenty long enough for all kinds of things.”

  Heat suffused her, and Lena stifled a curse. She hadn’t meant to react to him that way. But with his broad, muscular chest pressed against her back, his hand dangerously close to her breasts and her bottom snuggled against his crotch, she supposed it was only natural to feel… something.

  Lust. That’s what it was called.

  Her body simply craved what she’d denied it for far too long. She was in the prime of her youth. In bed with a hot Marine. Of course she was turned on.

  That didn’t mean she’d do anything about it—

  Lena sucked in a breath when Logan’s mouth found her neck and he began kissing her softly, moving up to nibble on her earlobe, his breath tickling her ear.

  Sharp shocks of need lanced through her, and Lena braced herself, not wanting to move. His hand moved to her hip, held her in place, and she imagined a closer connection. Him sliding into her.

  She must have made a sound.

  Logan turned her over, and Lena swallowed as her breasts pushed up against his chest and his fingers tightened over her hip.

  “You were amazing yesterday.”

  Lena was lost. What was he talking about?

  “I wasn’t sure we’d get the job done, but you kept the men going, kept them organized—”

  “I nearly fell off the roof.”

  “That could have happened to anyone.” He kissed her.

  She couldn’t seem to form an answer. She didn’t want to think about the roof. Didn’t want to think about anything other than Logan’s fingers. His hand still perched on her hip, but he was moving it ever so slowly, his fingers curving over her ass.

  Her whole body ached for him to pull her close. She wanted to feel him—all of him—pressed against her.

  “You weren’t so bad up there yourself, you know?” She cursed the waver in her voice. Did he realize what he was doing to her?

  “Really?”

  Was he fishing for compliments?

  “Really. Thank you. For everything,” she said honestly. Like it or not, she owed this man her life, and right now she’d have a hard time denying she liked Logan.

  Still, she shouldn’t let him know that.

  Which made it hard to understand why she found herself edging closer, tilting her head and giving him a kiss.

  When Lena’s mouth brushed his, Logan’s world contracted to the size of the bed. Heat throbbed hard between his legs, and his hand curved around her ass, tucking her tighter against him. He didn’t care if she felt his arousal. Hell, he wanted her to. Wanted her to know exactly what he wanted.

  “This isn’t happening between us.”

  Logan stiffened at Lena’s words. It damn sure felt like it was about to happen, but if she was having second thoughts, he’d stop—even if it killed him.

  He was pretty sure it would kill him, though.

  “I’m not marrying you.”

  Logan held his breath. Did that mean she still wanted to—

  Oh, God.

  Lena’s hand slipping down between them to curl around the length of him would have brought him to his knees if he wasn’t already lying down.

  “Why won’t you marry me?”

  What a stupid thing to say. First make love. Then ask the hard questions. He let his hand begin to explore her body. As his palm moved over her ass again, he snagged his thumb in the waistline of her panties and tugged them down. He wanted to feel skin. As his fingers slid underneath the cotton, she shifted closer to him.

  She wanted this, too.

  “For one thing, the General sent you. I won’t give him the satisfaction.”

  He took a chance and slipped a hand between her legs. “How about giving yourself some satisfaction?”

  When Lena parted for him, he knew he had her—at least for now.

  Who knew what would happen afterward. But if he was only going to get one shot to be with her, he’d make the most of it.

  If his body let him.

  He was so hard, and her light touch, stroking him up and down through the fabric of his boxer briefs, was driving him wild.

  Logan shifted and rolled her over, straddled her quickly and, with a single tug, pulled the thin, surprisingly feminine tank top she wore up and over her head.

  She didn’t fight him, and when she lay back again, her breasts on display, Logan lost what little restraint he’d managed to hold on to.

  He framed her shoulders with his hands, bent down and captured her mouth with his, delighted when she answered with equal passion. Still, her breasts beckoned, and when he’d kissed his fill, he slid down to explore them with his mouth, tracing kisses over her soft skin as his hardness bobbed between them, until her hands found him again and her caresses elicited a groan deep in his throat.

  This wouldn’t be his most expert lovemaking. He was far too gone already, and as luscious as her breasts were, he needed something more—fast. When Lena tugged his boxer briefs down, he took that as a sign she wanted more, too.

  He pushed up, kicked off the briefs, settled himself between her legs and nudged against her. He couldn’t help himself. She deserved so much more than this crude, fast fuck, but—

  Lena palmed his ass with her hand
s, dug her fingers in and pulled him close.

  Logan didn’t need any more invitation than that.

  He stroked inside her, rewarded by her tight, wet heat. Lena was sweet—so sweet. Crushing her with his weight, feeling her softness part around him, Logan knew there wasn’t anywhere he’d rather be. He wanted Lena to feel the same way, and when he pulled out and stroked in again, she sighed beneath him and arched into his touch.

  A thought occurred. “Protection? I don’t have a condom. And I’m not going to last—”

  “I’m on the Pill.”

  Still, Logan grit his teeth and held still. “You sure about this?” He had to know. He couldn’t make a mistake.

  “Don’t I look sure?”

  Her last sentence contained so much frustration, Logan decided to take it on face value.

  She gasped as he plunged into her again, her fingers digging into his hips. “Oh—”

  His own unintelligible groan mingled with hers as they began to move together. Lena was so hot, so ready for him, her movements nearly undid him right then. Logan gathered her close, wanting to feel all of her as they made love. He wanted to do this with more finesse—wanted to give her everything, but he was locked into a rhythm with her he didn’t think he could change.

  He didn’t want to.

  Moving inside of Lena felt better than anything he’d experienced before. She fit him perfectly, and he loved the feel of her skin under his hands. He wanted to touch her everywhere, but all he could do was brace him and move faster within her—bringing them both to the brink.

  “Logan—”

  His name on her lips brought him crashing over into an orgasm, and she cried out, too, pulsing against him as ecstasy overtook her. Wave after wave of sensation washed through Logan, until he thought his climax would never end.

  Eventually it did, of course. As their breathing slowed and Lena relaxed beneath him, hope and—love—filled Logan’s heart.

  This was where he was meant to be.

  Holding Lena.

  Loving her.

  Forever.

  They lay together a long time, Logan above her—

  Inside her.

  When he finally shifted to one side and slid out of her, Lena almost groaned. She didn’t want to face this part.

  Thinking about what she’d done.

  She wanted to stay where she’d been only moments before—moving with a man—crying out with him.

  Feeling—

  Good.

  But now she had to face the music, because Logan wasn’t just any man. He was the man her father had sent to marry her.

  And she couldn’t pretend he hadn’t just moved her world.

  Hell, he was good. Or maybe he didn’t have to be good; he was simply himself. He fit inside her. Filled her in the perfect way. Made her—

  Want him again.

  Lena rolled away from him to stare at the wall.

  She’d let the Marine make love to her. Let him stroke inside her until she’d cried out his name and ridden a wave of sensation that left her tingling all over. She’d made herself vulnerable to him.

  And he’d made her come with such force she felt brand new inside.

  And now she wanted him again. Craved him.

  But their twenty minutes was up. It was time to get up. Shower.

  Shower…

  Lena got out of bed in one graceful maneuver, stood for a moment to let Logan enjoy the view, and when she heard him shifting behind her, she walked away slowly. “Time to clean up.” He’d either get the invitation or he wouldn’t.

  She heard his feet hit the floor, and she snagged her robe off the hook behind her door. They’d have to be quiet. This was an old house; no en suite bathrooms here. Just the shared one down the hall.

  At least it had a lock.

  Cass would already be down in the kitchen. Alice and Sadie both slept in a little later to let the others clear out before they took their turns. The coast should be clear.

  Logan had slipped his briefs back on when she turned back and pressed a finger to her lips. They both made their way down the hall as quietly as they could. Once inside the small bathroom, Lena locked the door and got the shower running.

  “If we take too long, someone will pound on the door,” she warned him.

  “I can be quick.”

  Judging by the state of him in those briefs, he was right.

  Lena smiled. She could be quick, too. When he peeled off her robe—and skimmed off his briefs—they stepped into the shower together.

  Making love in the old-fashioned shower would be tricky—possibly dangerous—so Lena soaped up her hands, ran them all over his body and then sank to her knees. He was thick and hard, and when she took him into her mouth, he groaned.

  “Lena—”

  “Shh,” she said, pulling back. “Just go with it.” She couldn’t help herself; he was so damn sexy, and she wanted to taste every bit of him.

  Wet, he pushed in and out of her mouth with ease, and she relished the knowledge of how big he was, remembering how he’d felt pushing inside her. She teased him with her tongue, loving how she could make him lose control, and when he finally did, tangling his hands in her hair, moving in and out of her mouth and pulsing with his release, she gripped his hips and swallowed, reveling in the incredible intimacy of the moment.

  “Lena,” he said again when he was done and he’d lifted her to her feet. The look in his eyes nearly unnerved her. There was something different about him. About the way he touched her.

  She didn’t want to think about it.

  Knew she’d have to soon.

  The water was running cooler, and she shushed him, finished cleaning up, giving her hair the quickest wash in history, and then led him to her room, both of them wrapped in towels. It was late. They should be out in the barn already.

  The other men would wonder—

  Or maybe they wouldn’t.

  Lena gave in. The way Logan was looking at her—the way her whole body flamed with need—there was no way they’d go anywhere before Logan made love to her again.

  She let her towel drop. Let him turn her toward him. And when he sat on the edge of the bed, she straddled him without being asked.

  He was ready again. Lena had the feeling he would always be ready for her, and strange as it was after all that had happened to her—and as much as she hated the fact her father had sent him to Two Willows—she had the feeling she’d always be ready for him, too.

  Knowing how he’d made her feel earlier made it easy to be ready. As she lowered her hips and felt him press against her, opening her up to him, she buzzed with longing. Only being with Logan could sate that feeling. If it meant sharing the deepest parts of her with him—

  So be it.

  Logan slid his hands up and palmed her breasts. Lena arched back, settling lower still—taking him deep inside.

  She clung to him as he teased her, already so close to losing control, she didn’t know how she could last much longer. When he put his hands on her hips and began to move her against him, Lena gave up and settled in for whatever ride he wanted to take her on.

  She wasn’t disappointed. She clutched at him as he thrust inside her. Flung her head back and opened her mouth in a silent cry when he brought her to another orgasm. He grunted against her, crushing her to him as he came, too, then fell back on the bed, her on top of him, utterly spent.

  They lay tangled like that until Lena’s stomach rumbled.

  “Time to get up. For real this time.”

  “Hold that thought. I’ll be back in a minute.” He slid out of her again, and a few moments later left the room, boxer briefs back on, his jeans in his hands. A trip to the bathroom again—Lena heard the shower running—then his steps went the other way and down the stairs. Some minutes later, he reappeared, carrying plates piled high with leftovers from the dishes everyone had brought the day before.

  Lena scrambled to sit up. “What are you doing?” She never ate breakfast in bed.
Certainly not that kind of breakfast.

  “I explained to Cass you were sleeping late. She agreed that was prudent.”

  “You… what?”

  “Lena, just for once, take it easy and have a little fun.”

  She opened her mouth. Closed it again.

  What the hell.

  She took a plate from him, grabbed a chicken leg and took a bite as her stomach rumbled again. “Mmm, this is heaven.” She scrambled back to lean against the headboard and tugged the blankets up around her.

  Logan joined her. “Baby girl, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

  Chapter Ten

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  It was late morning by the time they got up, and with the chores already done and the barn roof on, Logan realized this was his chance to get to town to order the supplies he’d need to build Lena’s hideaway up in the attic. He told Lena he had some personal business to take care of, waited until she’d headed to the barn to check on Atlas, climbed into his truck and pulled out toward town.

  He couldn’t wait to see her reaction when he’d built the hideaway, and his mind began to turn with ideas for how to make it special. The trick would be to get the wood cut and prepped elsewhere and everything ready for a quick assembly. Then he’d need to get Lena out of the house so the work could be done upstairs. He’d have to organize things with the precision with which she’d organized the barn raising. He was sure he could do it—he simply needed time.

  He’d barely walked in the door at the hardware store, however, when he spotted a familiar face. Ray Ellis. And where Ray was, Harley was sure to be near, he thought grimly. Logan made his way closer and saw he was right. Harley was with his brother and uncle, who was lifting a canister of kerosene into their cart.

  “That’s why it takes time,” the older man was telling the twins. “We have to find out what’s important—what’s worth money—so we can get it secured. Then we can burn the rest.”

  Logan didn’t hear Harley’s answer, but he could tell it was a complaint.

  “That’s the job, so that’s what we’re going to do,” the twins’ uncle stated. “Come on.” He pushed the cart down the aisle, and the twins followed him.