Rescued by the Marine

by Julie Miller

  Joyce slipped her arm through Walter’s. Even her chemically peeled expression looked apologetic. “I for one am glad he moved back to New England. He wasn’t hardy enough to thrive out West. To think his father didn’t share that he’d cut Kyle, er, that man we can’t mention, off from his trust fund and any future with the family business until he straightened up his act and stopped sleeping with his investors’ wives and daughters. No wonder he was so desperate to marry into the family. You’d think that man had some kind of sexual illness.”

  Walter squeezed her hand where it rested on his arm. “I think that illness is called being a self-centered jackass.”

  Tipping her face to her father, her stepmother actually blushed. “I think you’re right, dear.” She raised her right hand and turned to Samantha and Taylor. “From now on, I leave my daughters’ matchmaking...to my daughters. I’m just glad we’re all together again, and we’re all safe.”

  “I second that.” Walter dipped his head to kiss her cheek. Samantha approved.

  “Sam!”

  She smiled. Finally. There was that voice. Bossy and deep, expecting answers and demanding action.

  Jason shouted her name again from his room. Samantha stood there, her eyes tearing up with the emotional relief of all her fears and concern.

  “Sam!”

  Her sister giggled as her stepmother slipped her a tissue and her father nudged her toward his room. “You’d better go.”

  “Now stay put,” a voice warned. A nurse brushed past her, mumbling something about hardheaded men as Samantha entered the recovery room. “Thank goodness you’re here. Talk some sense into him.”

  She found Jason swinging one leg off the bed, trying to untangle himself from the monitor cords and IV attached to his hand. “What are you doing?” She rushed to his side, helping him settle back against the pillows. She adjusted his blue-and-white gown and pulled the covers up around his lap. “You’re supposed to be resting.”

  When she checked his IV and the monitor clipped to his finger, he turned his hand to grab hold of hers. “I didn’t have eyes on you. And that stupid nurse wouldn’t answer any questions about you because I’m not family. Are you all right? Were you admitted to the hospital? What happened to Orin Murphy and the others at the compound?”

  She perched on the side of the bed, appreciating the rugged lines of his cheeks and jaw that had been shaved so the doctors could address some of his injuries. Although she did miss the wiry scruff of dark stubble that had tickled her lips and palms.

  “I’m okay,” she assured him, cradling his hand between both of hers. “A doctor checked me out for exposure, hypothermia. They drew blood to see if there’s any residue from the drug they used on me in my system—there’s not. And they doctored a few scrapes and contusions. You’re the one who was in surgery for three hours. Two broken ribs, a nick in your kidney, debriding wounds, stitches and staples—it’s a wonder you’re still alive and causing so much trouble.”

  “Don’t joke about this. I know I was in and out of consciousness. Cordes didn’t hurt you? You’re really okay?”

  “I’m really okay.” Maybe if she changed the subject, he’d relax, and ease the convulsing squeeze of his hand around her fingers. “Dad’s here. He’s having a long conversation with Mr. Pellegrino about his hiring practices.”

  “My conversation with Pellegrino would be short and sweet. I don’t know if he’s ignorant or incompetent, but he can’t be in charge of your security anymore.”

  She could feel him calming down enough to risk teasing him. “Maybe we’d better let Dad oversee diplomacy. You can be in charge of keeping me safe.”

  “You’re offering me a job as a bodyguard?”

  “I’m not offering you a job. I... What I want is... What I mean to say...” Since when did she get tongue-tied? Even when her words made no sense, she’d never had a problem getting them out.

  “Hey.” Jason pulled her hand onto his thigh, capturing her against the warmth of the blanket and the man underneath. “Come on. Seventy-two hours on that mountain with you, and I never once had to wonder what you were thinking. Talk to me.”

  Samantha nodded, heartened by his indulgent smile. Strengthened by the knowledge that he always had, and always would, listen to the truth behind what she had to say. She scooted closer. “Thank you for accepting me for who I am, and how I am. Quirks and baggage and all.”

  “Not a problem. You accepted me, and I will put my baggage up against yours any day.”

  “Agreed.” Her fingers danced against the cotton blanket. She hadn’t expected this to be so hard. Maybe it was hard because she suddenly realized his response was the most important thing in the world to her, right after learning he was still alive and would fully recover.

  “What else, Sam?” He stilled her nervous fingers. His beautiful granite eyes locked on to hers, touching her with the same gentle strength of his hand. “I dumped everything on you. You can tell me anything.”

  “You really do listen to me.” She reached up to touch his face. He smiled. Suddenly, this was easy. “Do you believe a person can fall in love in seventy-two hours? That you can know a person, inside and out, trust and respect that person, and lose your heart in that short a time?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t hesitate to answer. He pulled her onto his lap and tucked her head beneath his chin, holding her close. Although he didn’t protest any strain against his injuries, she held herself as still as possible and snuggled into his warmth and strength. “It happened to me. I love you, Sam. I didn’t know I could love anymore. Sure as hell didn’t think I was worthy of it. But you make me feel and want and I’m...better...when I’m with you. A better man. Better at saying what I think and admitting what I feel. I’ve been avoiding life and people and caring for a long time. But I don’t want to anymore. I want to live and laugh and love and be with you. I’m probably still going to be a mess some days, but...” When he realized she was crying against his neck, he wiped away her tears. “I want to be a better man for you.”

  “You save people, Jason. You saved me. There isn’t anything better than that.”

  “You saved me. In more ways than you’ll ever know. You have more money than I’ll make in my lifetime, but I don’t want a penny of it. I want to live in the mountains—I don’t think I could handle the city. I’m damaged, you’re crazy smart or maybe just crazy, but I love that about you. I want to be your man. I want you to be my woman. If there’s any way in hell you think this would work.”

  Samantha smiled then.

  “I think...if we lay down a few ground rules...maybe different ones than mountain rules...” She stroked her fingers across his lips, finding an unbruised place where she could press her mouth against his. “With your experience, my brains—and our love—I think we have a very good chance at making this work.”

  Epilogue

  Seven months later

  October in the Teton Mountains was a beautiful time of year. At the lower elevations, the trees were a riot of red, gold and orange leaves, while the evergreens higher up stood out in sharp contrast against the first layers of new snow.

  Samantha cradled the steaming cup of coffee between her hands to warm them as she stood on the front porch of Jason’s cabin—their cabin now—and surveyed the beautiful, rugged wilderness that reminded her so much of the man she loved. These mountains had once nearly killed her, but now she was beginning to think of them as her home.

  As for any lingering fear or worries that she could be kidnapped again, Samantha tempered her new alertness to the people and places around her with a bone-deep trust that Jason Hunt would always have her back. He was more than enough security for her when they were alone like this. Even when she was at a Midas Group function surrounded by her father’s new security team, she knew there was no one more focused on keeping her safe than Jason. And though their fears might stem from differen
t causes, she took pride in knowing that she provided the emotional security Jason seemed to need, too.

  She heard a whisper of sound as the door opened behind her. “I’m ready to head out.” Jason had a deep, growly, sexy voice in the morning, and simply hearing it made her shiver with awareness.

  Samantha set her mug on the railing and faced him, crossing the porch to check the zipper of his jacket and make sure he was wearing several layers of clothing. “Good morning to you, too. And goodbye, I guess. Got your gloves? Hat? The temperatures are starting to drop higher up the mountains.”

  “Who’s the mountain guide and rescue expert here?” he teased, capturing her hands against his chest and smiling down at her. “What will you be doing while I’m rock climbing? Working on that eco-friendly waste disposal system you designed?”

  “Uh-huh. Thanks for letting me experiment on your home.”

  “Hey, if I didn’t know how good you are at tinkering with things and making them work, I wouldn’t let you near the place.”

  “Liar. Rule one is to always be honest with each other.”

  “Okay. Truth is you can do whatever you want to my plumbing.” The double entendre wasn’t lost on Samantha. And when he dipped his head to steal a kiss, she wound her arms around his neck and let him take whatever he desired.

  He’d loosened her hair from its ponytail and backed her against the post, before he finally pulled away, leaving the taste of him on her lips. “I’d better be going if I want to make it back in time to clean up for dinner with our parents.”

  Ignoring the frissons of passion still lingering from that kiss, Samantha turned the conversation to a more serious subject. “I know you need a little alone time before you tackle whatever’s been on your mind these last few days. You do know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

  “I know. The counselor says I’m continually improving. I’m doing better with groups of people. I’m able to talk more about some of my experiences when I first came home from overseas—like the day I went after the mailman because he gave my mom a package and I thought it was a bomb.” Samantha reached for his hand. He might be making light of the frightening story he’d shared with her a month ago—how he’d scared his mother so badly that day that he’d moved out and hadn’t looked back until reconnecting after Samantha’s kidnapping. But she knew he was still dealing with some of the effects of his post-traumatic stress. He squeezed her fingers, silently thanking her for her support before releasing her. “I like the doctor’s suggestion of adopting a pet, too. Maybe a big dog. One who’ll go hiking with me.”

  “I’m just glad you’re working on the relationship with your parents. How was Nolan’s visit to the dermatologist?”

  Fortunately, the illness Jason had been worried about was treatable. “They think they got all the melanoma cells off his face now. He’ll have a scar that looks like a question mark. But that just makes him look cool.”

  She pulled a tube of sunscreen from the pocket of her jeans and stuck it in his backpack while he tugged his knit cap over his short, dark hair. “You should be watching your exposure to the sun at this altitude, too. Are you tackling the north face again? Or will you be working on clearing more of that trail up to Mule Deer Pass?”

  “Neither. I’m just going for a day hike. Clearing my head.”

  “Why do you have to clear your head?” Samantha walked into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist and snuggling beneath his chin. “Are you sure nothing’s bothering you? Have I overstayed my welcome? Made the cabin too crowded for you?”

  “No.” He leaned back enough to capture her chin and tilt her lips up to his descending mouth. “Never.”

  Several minutes later they were back inside the cabin. The door was locked. Clothes were dropping as they made their way to the bedroom.

  Jason skimmed his hands over her hips and rump and dragged her naked body up against the hard ridge that tented his shorts. Her breasts pillowed against the wall of his chest and her nipples caught in the wiry curls of his chest hair. They pearled into sweetly painful peaks that demanded the squeeze of his hand and the warm, moist stroke of his tongue. While he roused every cell, every nerve ending with the sweep of his big hands and greedy mouth, she caught his bottom lip between hers and nipped at the firm, masculine curve.

  He moaned against her mouth. “You make me crazy when you do that.”

  “Crazy good?”

  “Very good.” He scooped her up and she hooked her legs around his waist, opening her heavy, weeping center to the fiery heat of his body.

  They fell onto the bed together and they battled to find each other’s most sensitive spots. The best angle for a kiss here. The lightest touch for a caress there. She was a tingling, quivering bundle of nerves, just waiting for the release she knew he could give her when he abandoned her for a moment, just long enough to shuck his shorts and roll a condom over his straining arousal.

  “Are you sure you want to go hiking today?” she teased, her voice a husky, erotic plea.

  “You’re what I want today.” When he returned to the bed, he flipped her onto her stomach, crawling behind her and entering her in one long, deep thrust. Samantha clutched a pillow in her fists, waiting helplessly for him to send her over the edge.

  When he slipped his fingers beneath her, pressing against the nub of her arousal, she did just that, burying her face in the pillow and screaming his name as all sensibility shattered and she rode wave after wave of pleasure between his body and hand. Moments later, he groaned against the nape of her neck and poured himself out inside her.

  It could have been seconds or minutes or even half a day that she lay there, sandwiched between Jason’s body and hands, secure and replete in the weight and warmth of him spooned against her.

  “I knew I’d like sex,” she admitted on a satisfied whisper, rolling onto her back as he settled in beside her. “I just never knew it could be this good.”

  “That mouth.” He kissed it soundly before climbing off the bed and crossing into the bathroom to wash up. “The sex is good because it’s you and me. Everything is good because it’s you and me.”

  Samantha put on her glasses and tucked the top sheet around her, sitting up to watch him pull on his shorts. The scars were still pink on his stomach, thigh and shoulder. But as far as Samantha was concerned, they were badges of honor, testaments to his bravery and commitment and just how lucky she was that he was a part of her life.

  “If you’re going to look at me like that, then I’m never going to get up that mountain.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like you love me.”

  “I do.”

  “Here.” He picked up his cargo pants from the floor and pulled a ring box from one of the pockets before sitting beside her on the edge of the bed. “This is why I’ve been a little distracted lately. I was going to do this tonight in front of Walter and Joyce and my parents. But I can’t wait.” He opened the box to show her a small, square-cut diamond in a white gold setting. “I love you, Sam. Will you marry me?”

  The ring was as simple and beautiful and perfect as his proposal. “Yes.”

  * * * * *

  Look for more stories of

  thrilling romantic suspense

  from USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Miller

  coming in 2019

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  APB: Baby

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  SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM

  When wealthy cattleman Callen Laramie is called back home to Coldwater, Texas, for a Christmas wedding, he has no idea just how much his

  attendance will matter to his family...and to the woman w
ho’s never been far from his thoughts—or his heart.

  Read on for a sneak preview of

  Lone Star Christmas

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Delores Fossen.

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  Lone Star Christmas

  by Delores Fossen

  CHAPTER ONE

  DEAD STUFFED THINGS just didn’t scream Christmas wedding invitation for Callen Laramie. Even when the dead stuffed thing—an armadillo named Billy—was draped with gold tinsel, a bridal veil and was holding a bouquet of what appeared to be tiny poinsettias in his little armadillo hands.