Summer with the Soldier

by Amy Lamont

  He slid the ring the rest of the way onto my finger and I couldn’t wait another second. I threw myself at him.

  He wrapped his arms around me and he bent his head. His lips touched mine and I was surprised when I didn’t burst into flames. In seconds we’d tugged, pulled, pushed, and tossed all of our clothing aside.

  Logan rolled me beneath him, holding his hand under my head to protect me from the hardwood floor. “I need you to say the words, Jade.”

  I stared up at him and reached to run my hands over his cheeks, pushing up to tunnel into his short-cropped dark hair. Would I ever get tired of looking at this face? Every nerve ending seemed to be firing at full force. I felt like my skin was too tight for my body and all I wanted to do was rub myself against every inch of him.

  But my man needed the words.

  “I love you, Logan Murphy. And I can’t wait to be your wife.”

  He kissed me fiercely, all the love he had for me communicating itself in his every movement.

  His hands skimmed over my body and his mouth followed. His fingers danced over my nipples, bringing them to sharp attention. And his mouth continued his handiwork as he stopped to suck and nip the over-sensitive peaks.

  I ran my hands over his head, holding him to me as my back arched, offering him more of myself, everything I had to give.

  “Logan.” His name left me on a moan.

  He nipped at a spot along my ribs as his hand slid down over my belly. I writhed against him, silently begging for more.

  He obliged. He moved his hands to my knees, pushing them back and apart, opening me up to his gaze.

  A tiny bit of shyness rippled through me at his blatant stare. But when he raised his hot, hungry eyes to mine, any thought of hiding any part of myself fled. I sent up a fervent prayer that I’d get to see Logan looking at me just like that for the rest of my life.

  I reached up a hand. “I need you, Soldier.”

  His blue eyes burned even brighter. “I need something first.”

  He didn’t give me a chance to respond. He dove down and planted his face between my thighs, his tongue plunging inside me, licking and tasting every inch of my core.

  Logan licked his way up to my clit, giving it careful attention as he sucked it between his lips. I arched up off the floor and my hands found their way to his head, tugging at his hair.

  He lifted his head. “Your pussy tastes so sweet, Sweet Pea. And it’s all mine.”

  A shiver went through me at his possessive words and tone. Once again the fear that this was all a dream brought on by heartbreak and tequila seeped its way in.

  “I need to feel you inside me, Logan.” His name came out on a long, ragged moan as his tongue dipped inside me to taste once more. “I need to know this is real.”

  Logan lifted his head, his gaze pure steel as he looked at me across the expanse of my belly and breasts.

  “This is real.” The intensity of his voice made his words a vow. He slid up my body, my thighs parting to accommodate him. “And I will always do everything in my power to give you what you need.”

  As he came face-to-face with me, he didn’t pause. He slid his long, hard length inside me to the hilt.

  “This is real,” he repeated as he moved inside me, stroking in and out of my sheath. “Nothing is as real as this. Can you feel how real we are, Jade?”

  I clutched his shoulders and wrapped my legs around his waist, digging in my heels to hold him deep inside me. I arched against him, the tips of my breasts brushing his chest.

  “So real,” I gasped as he pulled back and plunged back inside. “Love you, Logan. So much.”

  He leaned down and kissed me, his hips picking up speed. He leaned his forehead against mine, staring into my eyes as he brought me closer and closer to the edge. “Your sweet pussy feels amazing. I want to spend a lifetime exploring every inch of you, inside and out.”

  Tears stung my eyes. This was no dream. This man, this tough soldier, was promising me forever. Emotion and pleasure converged in the spot where his body drove into mine, growing too big for my body to hold it inside. “I’m close, Logan.”

  “Come for me, baby. I want to feel you come on my cock.”

  I dug my nails into his back as pleasure ripped through my body. His name broke from me on a loud cry as my body rippled around the long, hard length of him. His hips moved even faster as he held me at the pinnacle of pleasure and finally followed me over.

  “Love you, Jade,” he said as he came inside me, moving in and out a few more times to wring every last drop of pleasure out of the moment.

  He collapsed on top of me, our bodies sticking together with sweat. My hands drifted up and down his back, and I used my nails to lightly tickle him.

  He shivered and I felt his grin against my neck before he shifted to my side, taking his weight from me.

  I didn’t let him get too far. I cuddled into his chest, nuzzling closer as I inhaled his musky, masculine scent. I could feel his come leaking out of me and reveled in the sensation. But a last niggling sense of worry prodded me to speak.

  “We didn’t use a condom,” I whispered.

  “Are you wearing my ring?” he asked.

  I blinked and pulled back just enough to allow me a look at his face. His look of fierce possession stole my breath.

  I nodded.

  He nodded back. “You want a family with me? Forever with me?”

  A soft smile broke across my face.

  “More than anything,” I whispered.

  “Would you rather I used a condom? Do you want to wait until this deployment is over to talk about starting a family?”

  My mouth fell open, and I felt like I got slammed with a sledgehammer. The dreamy quality faded and realization set in.

  I was engaged to Logan Murphy. He wanted me. He wanted babies with me. He wanted forever with me.

  I’m surprised the smile I gave him didn’t blind him. “I don’t want to wait another minute to have everything with you.”

  He grinned down at me and gave me a playful spank on my ass. “We should probably get moving then. We have a plane to catch.”

  Chapter 18

  Three hours later I found myself seated on a plane next to Logan. I’d never been grateful for the lack of room in airplane seats before, but as I pulled up the armrest between Logan and I and snuggled into him, it suddenly seemed cozy. I smiled and shared my thoughts with him.

  He studied my face.

  “What?” I brushed my fingers over my chin. “Do I have crumbs on my face?”

  His lips tilted into a smile. “No. You’re perfect.” He pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

  I searched his eyes. “Then what is it? You’re looking at me oddly.”

  A horrible thought occurred to me. “You’re not getting cold feet are you? Are you about to let me down easy and then I’ll have to sit here next to you all the way to Las Vegas where I’ll spend the day drowning my sorrows in slot machines and free cranberry and vodkas?”

  A chuckle escaped him. “That was frighteningly specific. But no.”

  He leaned in and kissed me again, this time lingering over it, feasting on my mouth. When he pulled away I couldn’t form a coherent thought, let alone quiz him further on his odd look.

  Luckily, he had better control of his senses. “I was thinking I can’t believe I got us coach seats. It’s our wedding and honeymoon. I should have gotten first class.”

  “First class to Vegas?” I rolled my eyes. “What’s the fun of that? Besides, I meant what I said. This is cozy.” I snuggled into his side and ignored the woman seated on Logan's other side who kept trying to peer over his shoulder.

  Logan twisted his head and gave the woman a cold-eyed glare. It seemed to work. She settled back into her seat and pulled out an ereader.

  I grinned when he turned back to me, his eyes warm and intense on mine again. A giggle escaped me. “That’s like a super power.”

  He shook his head at me, but his face sobered. “I thi
nk we need to talk about this before we get married, Jade.”

  I wrinkled my nose at him. “Talk about what? Your ability to pull out the fierce soldier and then put him away in a matter of seconds?”

  It was Logan’s turn to look confused. He opened his mouth, but must have thought better about what he wanted to say. He closed his mouth, shook his head and started again. “I think we should talk about things like traveling in coach.”

  I shrugged. “What about it?”

  “It’s one of a hundred different things that might come up like that.”

  “Logan, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Could you please speed this up? The fact you think our marriage might hinge on this conversation is making me nervous.”

  Despite the nerves, I couldn’t help the little mental happy dance I did when I realized how easily the words “our marriage” slid off my tongue. I was going to marry Logan Murphy! Or at least, I was if this conversation didn’t take a horrible turn.

  “I’m talking about coach seats instead of first class. And not having a thousand dollars to spend on a pair of shoes. Not being able to afford all the luxuries.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “I make a soldier’s salary, Sweet Pea. Even if I decide not to reenlist, Hunter and I are still working on building our business. I expect to be able to take care of you, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to afford a house like the one you grew up in. Or like the beach house in the Hamptons. I just want you to think about all of the things you’re giving up by settling for me.”

  He looked so earnest as he said the words, but I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing.

  “I’m serious, Jade. This is important.”

  I did my best to suppress the laughter, but I couldn’t help it if my lips wanted to keep tipping up.

  “I can see this is important to you.” I grabbed his hands. “I don’t mean to make light of things, and you’re right. This is something we should discuss. I don’t want to go into our wedding with you holding on to any worries. Because Logan you have nothing to worry about.”

  “I don’t?”

  I leaned into him and pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw. “You don’t. Because first of all, I’m crazy about you.” I kissed the tiny dip in the middle of his chin. “And I probably shouldn’t admit all this to you, but the truth is, I’d be happy living anywhere with you—tent, teepee, igloo. As long as you were there, I’d be happy.”

  He smiled at my words and ran a hand gently down my cheek. “I know you feel that way now. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say those words. But, Jade, I need you to really think about this. This is forever. Can you see yourself happy in a house like the one my parents live in, us raising a family there, for the rest of your life?”

  My eyes grew hot with tears. His words, God, his words conjured a picture that stole my breath. I blinked back the waterworks, but when I spoke, they still clogged my throat.

  “You’re crazy, you know that? You think I might end up feeling like I settled for something less if we live in a cozy cottage where our kitchen table doubles as a desk where our kids do their homework? That I might be disappointed because I don’t have a spare room just to keep...I don’t know, gift wrap or crafts or something?” I pressed my lips to his and pulled back just enough to lean my forehead against his. “But Logan, the picture you just put in my head—us in a cozy house like the one where you grew up, where our kids and their friends are always underfoot, where we have the kind of furniture that doesn’t look like it needs a velvet rope around it...”

  I paused and pulled in a shuddering breath because so many emotions fought their way through me.

  “Logan, I can’t think of anything I want more than exactly that. Family vacations where we all pile into a car and ask if we’re there yet a million times. A home where people can be comfortable and not worry about spilling fruit punch on the sofa. A dog or two. And best of all, at the end of the day, you and I will get to climb into bed together.” My heart filled so fast at the picture I painted for us, it felt like it couldn’t hold anything else.

  This. This was my dream. This was why I was happy drifting along without any real direction. This was the only direction I wanted to go, and something inside me had just been waiting. Waiting for Logan to show up and hand me everything I ever wanted.

  A tear streaked down my cheek. “It sounds like heaven to me.”

  His hands tunneled into the hair at the sides of my head and he brought his face to mine and kissed me fiercely.

  I grinned once I’d caught my breath. Guess I’d managed to convince him.

  The rest of the flight was spent sharing kisses and making plans for when we got to Las Vegas. In a cab headed away from the airport, realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I was about to get married.

  On the plane, everything seemed so perfect. I’d always been a bit of a wild child. Of course I’d run away to Vegas to get married by Elvis. Of everyone I knew, I would be voted most likely to do exactly this.

  But I felt a small pang when it hit me how traditional my dreams were. Who would have thought I would be the one who wanted the husband and family, the house and the carpools, the skinned knees and happily ever afters?

  Not me, that’s for sure.

  I watched out the window as we pulled onto the main drag in Vegas. People, lights, more sights than my eyes could process at once. I couldn’t help the small pang in my heart that cried out that this wasn’t the way I wanted to do this. Not without friends and family and a dress I’d taken a month to choose.

  A glance at Logan showed him taking in the sights from the other side of the car as he and the cab driver exchanged small talk. My heart eased. Really, did it matter where we got married? Vegas or New York? Traditional or off the wall? The only thing that really mattered was that I became the wife of the man sitting beside me now.

  With that thought, I tuned back into the conversation going on in the car.

  “My wife and I got married here last year,” the cabbie said. “My wife wanted the works. She found us a small chapel where you can get married outside. It was a beautiful ceremony.”

  Logan turned to me and offered a boyish grin. I offered him a small smile but when he turned toward the front, the smile fell and I began to worry my bottom lip with my teeth.

  “Do you guys need any recommendations? Or do you have the whole thing planned already?” the cab driver asked.

  Logan grinned. “We’d love some help. This is kind of spur of the moment so we didn’t have much time to plan. We were talking about an Elvis wedding, though. You know, when in Vegas...”

  The cab driver chuckled. “That’s always a popular one. I can give you a couple places that do the best ones.”

  Logan glanced back at me wearing a big grin. But when his gaze landed on mine, the grin slipped a bit.

  “What do you think, Sweet Pea? Which Elvis should we go with?”

  I shrugged. Honestly, wasn’t one Elvis impersonator the same as the next?

  I blew out a big breath and gave myself a pep talk. I needed to get excited. This was my wedding day!

  “I don’t know. Which do you think?” I asked. And then a thought had me turning toward the driver. “We really don’t have anything. Do any of the chapels you mentioned do everything—flowers, music, rings” Oh my God, Logan, I don't even have a dress!”

  I could hear the horror in my own voice. I might be a wild child ready and willing to run off to Vegas to get married, but I’d be damned if I did it in anything but a spectacular dress.

  Logan must have picked up on my panic. “I’m sure there are places you can find a dress and all the other stuff.”

  All the other stuff. My heart sank. We might find a chapel that did the flowers and all that. But what were the chances I’d find the right dress in the next hour or so? And what about the really important other stuff? Like having my dad walk me down the aisle? I hadn’t been one of those girls who dreamed of her wedding day real
ly, but now that it was here, I found I wanted what the cabbie said his wife wanted—the works, the whole nine yards, the big shebang.

  I turned back to the window to hide the sheen of tears from Logan. It was one thing when they were happy tears. This was something different.

  “You doing okay, Jade?" He took my hand and gave it a squeeze before I felt him press his lips to my knuckles.

  I pulled in a shuddering breath and discreetly pressed a finger beneath my eye to make sure no tears dropped. I turned back to Logan and offered him a tentative smile. “I’m wonderful. I can’t wait to be your wife.”

  He studied me for a moment and I wished I could master his soldier face. I didn’t want him to think I had any doubts about us. And there was no way I was sending him back to his unit without his ring on my finger. I wanted to be Mrs. Logan Murphy more than anything. And if that meant a quickie Vegas wedding, well, I wasn’t going to complain.

  Logan used a finger under my chin to tip my face up to his. He kissed me softly. “Cold feet?”

  This time I was able to give him a real smile. “Never.”

  Chapter 19

  We found a room in one of the hotels along the strip. When we’d settled in, I found my nerves growing. What now? Were we going to just run out and find a chapel still wearing the clothes we traveled in? Should I go look for a dress first?

  Logan stepped up behind me and pressed a kiss to my shoulder, left bare by the sundress I wore. I plucked at the yellow skirt thinking how perfect it had seemed when I put it on earlier. Something cheerful and happy, fitting for a soon-to-be bride. But now when I considered it might end up being my wedding gown, I felt a little less cheered by it.

  “I have an idea,” Logan whispered in my ear.

  I tilted my head to give him better access. “Not that I don’t love your ideas, but if we do what you have in mind, we might never leave the hotel room.”

  He chuckled, the sound vibrating through me as he pressed his front to my back. “That wasn’t what I was thinking, but I love that’s where your mind went. Hold that thought.”