Logan's Woman (31 page)

“Claire, you’re too young…!”

“Mother was only twenty three when she had me,”
she defended, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Too young,” he said sternly, even as he stood
up with a smile on his face.

“Oh, whatever.” She rolled her eyes, hugging
him again.

“I will stay at the hotel tonight,” her father
said after their embrace ended.

Claire smiled. “I will see you
tomorrow.”

“I love you, Claire.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

When he was gone, she went in search of her
husband. Claire was just at the top of the stairs when she heard a
grunt and then something dropping to the floor. The sound had come
from their room. She raced to the door, throwing it
open.

And then she froze.

Chapter 31

Chase exited the hospital, keeping away from
the street and the car that he knew had several men inside. Logan’s
friends had dropped him off at the request of Frankie, and he knew
that without the request, they would have just left him
there.

Fuckers.

His rib hurt like a bitch. Every step he took
was like a needle shoving itself deeper into his body, but he
forced himself to ignore it. He’d rather walk and think by himself
than deal with the assholes that were waiting for him.

It had been almost five minutes after Logan had
left the ranch that the car had pulled up. Roared up, actually. He
was pretty sure it had been going maybe fifty miles an hour, but it
had been hard to deduct – by the time he’d had his gun drawn, it
had slammed into his stomach and he didn’t remember the
rest.

But he’d failed Claire, and he’d failed
Logan.

One job. Protect her and make sure no one
harmed her. Instead, she now had a cut down the side of her face
and, he had heard from the doctor, some bruised bones. Guilt
slammed into him.

Once again, he’d failed to protect a female.
Just like he had with Raelyn.

At the thought of the small
black-haired woman, his heart clenched. They’d never gotten along.
He knew that it was the only reason Cale even thought about sending
Chase after her when she managed to get herself into trouble. And
now, because of their past animosity, boss-man thought it was
all
his
fault that
his daughter had been taken.

That right there pissed him off beyond
belief.

Raelyn was a small raging bitch when she wanted
to be. She had the strongest personality he’d ever met in a woman
at such a young age, and she knew how to bend everyone to her
finger – except Chase.

They’d talked several times in the past, and
each time it resulted in an argument and then her flouncing off to
Daddy.

Spoiled. She was nothing but
spoiled.

And maybe that’s what he found so damn enticing
about her. She was a woman her knew her own strengths, and also
knew that when she wanted something, she would get it.

Their last argument had been explosive, and it
had been several months ago.

Now, he knew that he had to find her – to
demand what the hell she had done to get herself into the mess she
was in now, and to kill the fuckers who would dare lay a hand on a
woman. It didn’t matter that it was Raelyn, he told himself. If any
man hurt a woman, they would find Chase’s fist in their face or his
blade in their stomach.

He didn’t plan on going back to the car. No, he
was going to let Logan be happy with Claire and would take care of
this on his own.

Chase took one last look at the hospital, at
the car that was parked several feet away.

Yeah, he wasn’t coming back until he had found
Raelyn.

Claire gasped, a hand to her chest.

“Logan
!
Honey, what are you
doing?
” She rushed to his side,
helping him up. He had been carrying a vase filled with water, and
soggy roses were scattered all over the face. The vase was intact,
but the roses, sadly, hadn’t made it.

“God damnit,” he growled, his cheeks darkening.
“I rammed my side into the table and the water in the vase sloshed
out and – god damnit.”

She hid her smile as she brushed water droplets
away from his strong cheeks. “What were you doing with
it?”

He glared at her, getting to his feet. “I think
you know.”

“I really don’t,” she said
earnestly.

He mumbled incoherently, looking away from her
face.

“Can’t hear you, speak up.”

Logan glared at her even more darker, his whole
face a dark shade of red now. “I wanted to do something romantic
for you,” he growled.

Claire smiled gently, keeping her laugh mental
as she stared at him. His face was still drenched, his cheeks were
red, and he was holding roses like a lost boy who didn’t know what
to do with them.

She took them from his hand, kissing his cheek.
“You don’t need to be anything than what you are,
Logan.”

“I want to try...for you.”

He stood up, sweeping her into his arms and
carrying her to the bed. She forgot about the mess on the floor and
wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him back to her when he
would have moved away.

“No,” he said, pulling away. “I have to tell
you something.”

She frowned. “You can do it right here,
though.” Her arms opened for him.

Logan shook his head, keeping his space. “I’ve
never…done this before. So just bear with me, okay?”

Her arms dropped. “Alright,” she said
slowly.

He inhaled, opened his mouth, and then froze.
Closed it. Stared at her. Claire twisted her hands in her lap,
growing nervous. “Hey, it’s okay if you can’t… Or should I be
scared?”

Logan laughed, a nervous endearing sound. “No.
No just listen.”

She sat there silently, heart
pounding.

“When I first saw you….standing outside of the
pharmacy, I felt like – wow, I don’t even know. You looked so
guarded so I felt like I should protect you. It made me angry at
myself…” He trailed off, looking away from her.

“Logan –“

“Hush, Claire.” She quieted, fisting
her hands. “I know it’s soon… you’ve only been here a month or
so…but I’ve never felt for anyone before, like I do for you. When I
thought you were hurt, after you attacked Joey, I felt my heart
just
stop
. It
literally stopped. In my chest. Without you, I have no reason to
even breathe. I want to do everything I can to protect you, to take
care of you. My mom used to say that when someone enters your life,
and you don’t know whether it’s good or bad, just hold onto them.
She let the man of her dreams run…but I’m not going to give either
of us that choice. You accepted me, and I swear I’ll do everything
I can to make you happy.”

Claire’s heart stopped as his words echoed
around in her head. He didn’t give her time to say anything because
he continued. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he
spoke.

“I know I’m domineering and I have temper
issues. And I have some weird-ass friends… But I’ll always include
you and care for you. I’ll always…love you.”

Tears welled in her eyes sharply. “Oh, Logan.”
She threw her arms around him and clutched as tightly as she could,
letting the tears rain down her face uncaringly. “I love you. God,
I love you so much. I never --- I love you. IloveyouIloveyouIlove
you,” she whispered into his neck.

His body was shuddering under hers, but his
arms held her steadily. “Never in my life have I ever felt for
someone the way I do for you, Claire.” His hand threaded into the
hair at the back of her neck, pulling her away gently.

He lowered his face to hers, whispering, “I
love you.” Then his lips came upon hers in the lightest of touches,
sending shivers up and down her back and arms. Her mouth opened to
accept his kiss even deeper.

She moaned at the taste of him. In seconds, he
had her flat on her back, his hands sliding up her shirt, and her
eyes closing. Fire danced along her skin, and she wrapped her legs
around his waist, encouraging him. His hands were tender yet
insistent. She could feel the same desperate need in him that she
felt as he trailed his mouth to her neck, her collarbone. Claire
braced herself for the pain, but he was gentle, so gentle that it
brought tears to her eyes.

“I could have killed him for this,” he
murmured, brushing his lips over her shoulder. She sighed softly,
hands finding his shoulders, urging him to do something,
anything.

Her moan echoed around the room, but she didn’t
care. He was so masculine, so dominating.

And she loved him. With every part of her
being.

The danger that was now over, the stress of her
father…all gone. No more. All she had to worry about now was Logan
and her, about how quickly she could get his clothes off, how
amazing he was going to feel inside of her.

“I want you,” she whispered, face
heating.

Logan flashed her a smirk, sitting up and
pulling the black T-shirt over his head. “I’m all yours, Claire.
Every part of me. My heart, body, and soul.” She swore her heart
stopped at the words, but she was to busy tracing her hands over
his smooth, dark skin, too busy dragging him down to kiss
her.

His hands worked at her leggings,
finally getting fed up and then tearing them from her body. She
didn’t care – she wanted him
now
.

She feathered her lips over his neck, his
chest, excitement and love coursing through her as he finally got
rid of his jeans. He spent the next five minutes kissing every inch
of her body while stripping her of her clothes. “So beautiful,” he
murmured when he had pulled the shirt over her head. He kissed her
neck, and moved his way down to the swell of her breasts as he
slipped his hands under her back, unclasping her bra.

The straps fell away, and his low growl was
proof enough for her that he wanted her. Her hand slipped down,
taking his length into her palm, catching his eye. “Make love to
me, Logan.”

“God,” he groaned, crushing his lips to hers,
pushing her back into the bed. He spread her legs, moving between
them. With gentle, surging movements, he was buried deep inside
her. She accepted him, whimpering, clenching around him. “So
good…You feel so good, baby.”

A pleasure-filled fire built in her body,
taking her from the inside out. She kissed him deeply as he began
to pump inside of her, pushing deeper, going faster. Claire moaned
against his lips, her body starting to tremble.

When the pleasure became too much,
when he began to thrust against her with even more force, his
growls filling her ear, she felt the convulsions, soft at first,
but building to a frightening height. There was nothing she could
to do stop it – she didn’t even
want
to.

His mouth left hers, moving to take one of her
nipples into her mouth. He sucked her hard, biting down into her
succulent flesh. The pleasure-pain was enough to tip her over the
edge.

The aftermath was sweet. Contentment was
coursing through her, lacing with the climax that was still
thrumming through her like a blissful hum. Logan left her, coming
back with a hot damp cloth. He cleaned her up, left, and came back
just as quickly to draw her into his arms.

“Claire,” he murmured, pressing his lips to her
temple and then her mouth.

“Mmm…” If the rest of her life could be like
this, she would be content. Even now she saw it in her mind.
Starting a family, growing old, their passion never dying
out...

“I love you. And I won’t ever leave you alone
again.”

She turned her head, meeting his eyes. Her
smile was filled with promises.

"Don't you ever. I have things
planned for us,
Logan, and I want you there
for every second of it."

The End