Her Soldier Protector

by Soraya Lane

  But now she was here? He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t believe it.

  Logan bent to retrieve the television remote, hitting the off button, and disappearing to find a blanket. In his room the bed was slightly crinkled, and when he went to yank the comforter off, a hissing noise startled him. Then Ranger’s low growl put him on high alert.

  “Leave it,” he ordered, wondering what kind of animal had gotten into his room.

  A head popped out from between the pillows, followed by a yawn and a stretch. Candace was in his house, and she’d brought her cats with her? Logan pulled the comforter off despite the kitty’s protests and put a hand on Ranger’s head to settle him. The poor dog looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head and he didn’t blame him. Heck, his eyes had just about popped out of his head when he’d seen Candace.

  “Easy, boy. It’s just a cat. You’re still the boss.”

  Logan returned to the living room, put a few more logs on the fire and stood above Candace, still wondering if he was imagining the whole thing. He was insanely tired, so it wouldn’t be impossible for him to be dreaming, but...He reached down to stroke her hair from her face, smiling when she stirred slightly. There was no imagining that. Candace was on his sofa, asleep, and he wasn’t going to waste any more time in joining her.

  He sat on the edge of the sofa, gently scooped her and moved her across a little, then lay beside her, covering them both with the comforter and wrapping one arm around Candace. The feel of her body, the smell of her perfume, the softness of her hair against his face—they were things he’d tried to commit to memory and been so worried he’d forget.

  Logan wanted to lie awake, or even better wake Candace up so he could find out what on earth she was doing back in Australia, but the desire to sleep was too strong to ignore. He relaxed his body into hers and shut his eyes, letting slumber find him. Tomorrow he could ask her all about it. Tonight, he was just going to enjoy having her beside him and falling into the sleep he’d been craving for hours. And after all the therapy he’d gone through, the therapy he’d finally admitted to needing, he was at least confident that he wouldn’t hurt her.

  *

  Candace had the strangest feeling that she couldn’t breathe. In her dream, there was something stuck on her chest, pressing her down, but when she opened her eyes the panicked feeling almost immediately washed away. Logan. Light was filtering into the room, so she knew it was early, which meant he must have arrived in the night and found her asleep.

  She wriggled to move his arm down, the weight of it across her chest too heavy, and then turned on her side to stare at him. She had no idea what he was going to say or how he was going to react, and the idea of telling him what she’d done absolutely terrified her, but she was going to do it. Fear was no longer going to stop her from doing what her heart told her was right.

  Candace touched one hand to Logan’s cheek, trailing her fingers across his skin. He hadn’t shaved for at least a day, so the stubble was rough against her fingertips. It took every inch of her willpower not to trace the outline of his lips, parted and full in slumber. But what was even more amazing was that they’d both slept—he hadn’t woken like he had every other time she’d spent the night with him.

  “Now that you’ve woken me, you’d better kiss me,” Logan mumbled, eyes still shut.

  She smiled, not surprised he’d tricked her and been awake, but she also did as she was told. Candace wriggled closer to him, their bodies intertwined, slowly touching her lips to his in a kiss so sweet it made her sigh. Logan’s mouth moved slowly, lazily, against hers, like he was still half asleep, and it suited her fine to start things out slow, to just enjoy being this close to the man she’d thought of constantly since the day she’d left him.

  “Now that’s what I call a nice way to wake up,” he mumbled.

  Candace kissed him again, not so gently this time, one hand snaking around his neck and running through his hair as she pulled herself closer to him.

  “Mmm, this morning just keeps getting better and better.”

  She pulled away only to look at him, to see if he’d opened his eyes, and he had.

  “Hey,” she said, staring into his hazel brown gaze.

  “Hey,” he said straight back, stretching his legs out and then slinging one over hers.

  “Were you surprised to find me here?”

  Logan chuckled. “Surprised would be putting it mildly.”

  She had no idea what he was thinking, but he hadn’t exactly been opposed to her kisses, and he had cuddled up to her on the sofa while she was sleeping, which told her that he obviously wasn’t unhappy to find her.

  “I guess I should have called ahead first, huh?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “It would have stopped me from almost having a heart attack and thinking squatters were in my house.”

  “Sorry,” she said, starting to wonder whether she had been crazy to just move in while he was away, without asking him.

  “Then again, being exhausted and actually sleeping through an entire night with you by my side was worth the near-death experience.”

  Candace sat up, wanting to tread lightly with what she was about to say. “Logan, I can’t believe you slept the whole night without...”

  “Freaking out and having my terrors,” he finished for her. “Yeah, it looks like I did.”

  She lay back down again, this time covering his chest, her cheek flat to his body.

  “I can’t believe it.”

  “Well, believe it,” he said, rubbing her back. “You’ve changed me, Candace, in more ways than I’d like to admit. Because I finally got the help I needed.”

  She listened to him take a deep breath, his expression serious. “The way I reacted the other night when you confronted me,” he started.

  “Was a knee-jerk reaction to being pushed too hard,” she interrupted, the kindness in his eyes making her want to just hold him and never let go. “I should have known that it wasn’t something you could be pushed into dealing with.”

  “But pushing was exactly what I needed,” he told her, stroking her cheek. “I was being pigheaded, and I owe you an apology.”

  “Can I tell you something?” she asked.

  “Of course.”

  “I want to explain why I was so scared of you the other night,” she started.

  Logan frowned. “Because I understandably scared the crap out of you?”

  She gave him a half smile, nestling in closer to him. “No, because the last man I was with, the one I thought was different than the rest because he wasn’t interested in my fame or my money, he...”

  Logan touched her hair, left his hand there and waited for her to continue.

  “He was my husband, Logan, and he hit me, and when I went to leave, to call for help, he grabbed me so tight around the throat that I thought he was going to strangle me.”

  It was as if all the blood had drained from Logan’s face when she glanced up at him.

  “So when I struck out at you...”

  Candace grabbed his hand and touched his fingers to her cheek. “You didn’t even make a bruise here, Logan, but yeah, when I woke up to you going crazy it really scared me. Kind of brought a heap of memories back that I’ve been trying to forget. It was just all too much, one nightmare too many.”

  “No wonder we get on so well,” he said, refusing to react to what she’d told him, to get angry when there was nothing he could do about what had happened to her. “We’re both kind of screwed up about the past, huh?”

  “I guess you could say that,” she muttered, closing her eyes as he leaned down to kiss her. “I’ve met a lot of men that seemed so right at the start, but with every relationship that’s failed, it’s just made it so hard for me to trust in anyone. Because it’s not just men who’ve used me, or tried to, it’s been so-called friends, too.”

  “So you being here?” he asked.

  Candace shut her eyes, knowing she needed to tell him what her being here actually mea
nt. That she hadn’t just flown in for a few days, that this was a whole lot more permanent than that. If he’d have her. That all she’d done since she’d left was think of all the reasons why she shouldn’t have lost her temper with Logan, why she needed to take a leaf out of her own book and open up to him, to talk to someone about her past and why it haunted her so badly.

  “Logan, I kind of took a risk just turning up like this, but something you said to me, something we talked about, just kept running through my mind after I’d left.”

  He was watching her intently, waiting for her to continue.

  “I’m not just here for another vacation,” she admitted.

  “I kind of guessed that when I found one of your cats on my bed,” Logan told her, his grin telling her that he knew exactly what was going on.

  “When you said that if we lived in the same country, if we’d met at a different time or place, that things could have worked out between us...” She paused. “Did you mean it?”

  He sighed and stroked her hair. “Of course I meant it.”

  “So, does the fact that I kind of just moved to Australia mean...” Candace stopped talking, knowing he knew exactly what she was trying to say to him.

  Logan sat up, back against the armrest of the sofa. “You mean to say that while I was away working, you flew halfway across the world with your cats in tow to move into my house and surprise me?” He paused. “And forgive me?”

  Candace’s face flushed, the heat rising up her neck and into her cheeks. “When you put it like that you make me sound like a crazy person.”

  “You,” he said, pulling her against him so she was firm to his chest, “are not a crazy person.”

  “So you do want me here?” she mumbled.

  “Yes, I want you here,” Logan said, squeezing her and dropping a kiss into her hair. “You and your crazy cats will always have a home here, Candace. Always.”

  From the moment she’d walked through the door with all her things, Candace had started to worry. What had seemed like such a great idea back in L.A. had seemed stupid and childish once she’d arrived, but having Logan by her side, seeing the look on his face when he’d woken with her in his arms, had made everything okay. It was the first time she’d ever taken a risk, except for the time her mom had forced a record label executive to listen to her songs, and both times they’d changed her life for the better.

  “So now that you’re here, are you going to be my barefoot housewife, cooking me three meals a day and tending to my every need?” Logan joked.

  Candace laughed. “You wish, soldier. You wish.”

  Ranger came over and poked his head between them, looking for some affection, and Candace stopped touching Logan and ran her hand across the dog’s fur instead. She couldn’t believe that after a lifetime of being scared of large dogs, she’d warmed to Logan’s big canine so quickly.

  “Poor boy was traumatized by your cats last night,” Logan told her.

  “Sorry, Ranger,” she cooed. “Those mean old cats might try to take over, but you stand firm, okay?”

  They sat in silence for a long while, Candace stroking Ranger’s head and Logan running his fingers gently through her curls.

  “I don’t want to ruin the moment, but have you really thought about what it’ll be like living here, when you’re so used to such a, well, a glamorous lifestyle?” Logan asked. “And just because I’ve started to get help doesn’t mean we aren’t going to hit a few road bumps along the way.” He paused. “I did dream last night, Candace, but it wasn’t as bad and I was able to deal with it. To pull myself out of it somehow and use you to push the memories away and fall back asleep.”

  Candace’s heart started to beat faster.

  “So have you really thought this through?” he asked again.

  Yes, it was all she’d thought about when she was trying to figure out whether moving was a good idea or not, but at the end of the day, she knew that having a partner in life was way more important than anything else. Her success as a recording artist wasn’t going to keep her warm in bed at night, or give her someone to confide in and travel with, to start a family with. And the fact that Logan had actually done something about his terrors? That just made her decision seem all the more right.

  “Logan, I’ve been performing for eight years now, and even though I love it, I don’t think it’s enough anymore.”

  “And you’re sure this is what you want, though?” he asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I want you here, but I don’t want you to look back in a few months, or even a few years, and wish you’d thought it through more.”

  “I want you,” she said, taking her hand off Ranger and pressing it to his cheek, looking up into his eyes. “It might mean a change of pace, but I’m okay with that. I’m ready for that. Because I honestly believe that this is where I’m supposed to be.”

  Logan’s eyes crinkled ever so slightly at the corners, his smile making her entire body tingle.

  “Why do I feel like you have this all planned out?” he asked.

  She laughed. “Well, it just so happens that I’ve had a lot of time to think this through.”

  Logan groaned but she kissed him to stop it. He ran his fingers down her back and hoisted her up on top of him, letting her sit on top but taking charge of her mouth.

  “Don’t you want me to tell you all my great ideas?” she asked, pulling back.

  Logan leaned up, cupping the back of her head and forcing her back down, kissing her again.

  “No,” he mumbled when she fought against him again, laughing. “Just let me enjoy being with you for a while before you map my whole life out for me. Unless, of course, you’ve written a song about me?”

  “Yeah. I called it ‘Bodyguard’,” she joked.

  “Oh, really?”

  “Logan!” she protested when he tried to flip her beneath him.

  He stopped, rolling to his side and dragging her with him. “Fine, go on then. I can see we’re not going to have any fun until you tell me all your plans.”

  Candace laughed, but he was right—she did have everything all planned out, because planning had been the only way she’d been able to convince herself to take a risk, follow her instincts, and move halfway across the world.

  “I figured we could keep a place in town, so we’re only a short flight away from the city when we want to head in, but we’d obviously spend most of our downtime here.”

  “When you say downtime?” he asked.

  “I have a tour next year that I can’t cancel, so I was thinking that you could be my bodyguard,” she said. “You and Ranger.”

  “Oh, you were, were you?” Logan muttered.

  “It’ll be busy at times, and I’ll have to go back to L.A. to record another album at some stage, because I’ve already signed for one more, but after that we can decide on what works for us both, together. What do you think?”

  *

  Logan was trying hard not to laugh. As Candace talked excitedly, she reminded him of a little bright-colored parrot chirping a million miles an hour. It was impossible not to smile just watching her talk so animatedly, but his gaze was constantly drawn to her mouth, those pillowy lips of hers his weakness.

  “Logan?”

  He switched his gaze back to her eyes. “What was the question?” Logan had no idea what she’d even been talking about at the end there, but whatever she’d said he was inclined to just agree.

  “I said does all that sound okay with you? I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to organize your life, but it’s going to take a bit of juggling at the start.”

  Logan smiled at the worried expression on her face, trying to reassure her. “Sweetheart, so long as I have you by my side and I get to spend a decent chunk of the year here at home, I’m happy. Everything else we can figure out as we go.”

  He’d never been more pleased to have his life organized for him, especially now that he was confident he could deal with his past, that he’d received the help he needed. And help was o
nly a phone call away now, so he didn’t have to burden Candace with everything when he needed to talk through his night terrors some more.

  “You’re sure?” she asked, bottom lip caught between her teeth.

  “I spent the past couple of weeks in a foul mood even though I promised you I’d think about you and smile,” he told her honestly. “I couldn’t believe that I’d finally met someone I could actually be with, who I wanted to be with, and I only got such a short time with her. Or that I’d acted like such a jerk when I should have been taking care of her.”

  Candace seemed to melt into him, her entire body relaxing at hearing his words.

  “Really?”

  “Really.” Logan pushed her up a little and hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up so he could look into her eyes. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, Candace, and I will do whatever it takes to make this work.”

  “Me, too,” she sighed.

  Logan was about to kiss her, but he hovered for a moment. “You do realize that Ranger has to come everywhere with us, though, right? I promised him a retirement by my side, and after what he did for me on the tours we went on, I can’t go back on my word.”

  “Okay, so you and your goofy dog.”

  Logan broke their kiss as soon as he’d started it. “Who you calling goofy? Ranger has...”

  “I know how awesome your dog is,” Candace said with a laugh. “So just shut up and kiss me, would you?”

  Logan didn’t need to be asked twice. He kissed Candace slowly, groaning when she raked her fingernails through his hair, forcing himself to take things slowly. Because there was no rush now—they had all day together, and the day after that. The month after that.

  He might have lost a lot, seen things that he’d never forget and that would haunt him for the rest of his life, but now he had Candace. And for all the darkness of his past, he now had her like a shiny bright light beaming into his future. There was no way he was ever going to let her walk away again, not if he could help it.

  “I love you,” he whispered as she pulled back, looking up at him.