Logan's Redemption (35 page)

The still, quiet house felt like a welcoming shelter after a storm. Thankfully her mom had taken Josh home with her where she and Nonna could tend to him and spoil him.

Logan sank into the sofa and laid his head back. He looked pale and drawn with fine lines fingering his mouth. A pink-purple bruise rode one of his high cheekbones. Blood stained the front of his shirt and his arm was in a sling.    

“You need to rest, Logan. Take the pain killers the doctor gave you and get to bed. I’ll help you.”

He sat up and shook his head. “I told you, no pain killers. I can handle it. I’ve been worse.”

“Worse? In the Army?”

A guarded look tightened his features. “The Army. And as part of my work.”

“Today was rough,” Doriana said. “But beating up bad guys isn’t part of your normal job description.” She let out a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood. When she didn’t get the laugh she expected from him, a warning sounded in her head. “What’s wrong?”

He let out a deep breath. “You might want to sit, Dorie. I have something to tell you.”

Fear roiled her stomach. She sat in the chair opposite him and clasped her hands on her lap. Would he leave again? Resolve stiffened her spine and she sat straighter. Logan wouldn’t leave without a fight from her.  

“I never meant to hurt you, Doriana. Please believe that.”

She clenched her hands tighter. “Go on.”

“I told you I joined the Army after I left Philly.”

She nodded.

“I didn’t tell you everything.”

Give me strength
, she prayed. “What didn’t you tell me?”

“I was in the Special Forces. After my military stint, I started my own business, using the skills I’d learned in the Army.”

“Business?”  She couldn’t be hearing right. “You’re a temp worker.”  

“That was just my cover,” he said. “I’m head of my own security firm based in Arizona. I’ve been working for your father.”

“Working for my father? What does that mean? He never told me.” A sliver of hurt stabbed her.

Logan’s gaze held hers. “Your father hired me to find who’s been stealing the bids and vandalizing the sites.”

Anger and confusion tumbled in her mind. She jumped up. “You lied to me.”

He stood. Tension crackled between them.

“I promised your father secrecy. I had to keep my contract with him.”

She stiffened. “What about me, Logan? Didn’t I deserve the truth?”  Hurt, like a heavy mallet, punched her in the stomach. “Was everything between us a lie?”

“No, Dorie. Making love to you is the truest thing I’ve ever done,” he said softly.

“How can I believe anything you tell me?”  She turned away to hide the pain she knew reflected in her eyes. “Was I just a temporary diversion until you can go back to your real life?”  Choking back tears, she slid her gaze to his. “What is your real life? A wife? Kids?”  The cut on her lip throbbed, a painful reminder that her world was crashing around her with the speed of a demolition ball.

He was by her side in two strides. He gripped her shoulder with his good hand. “No wife, no kids. I have no one. I told myself I was too busy building my business to settle down. But now I know the truth.”

“What truth?” she whispered. His gaze fastened on her mouth. Her body ached to hold him, to never let him go. She couldn’t, not now.

“Listen to me, Dorie. Please. It’s not easy for me. I’ve spent a lifetime keeping my feelings hidden.”

A tear slipped down her face. Logan gently brushed it away with his thumb. His touch ignited her with yearnings. She needed this man.

His eyes turned molten gold. She knew he wanted her. But did he love her? Not trusting  herself with him so close, she jerked free and walked to the window. The partially opened blinds revealed dim streetlights and no traffic. She had nothing more to fear from Rove. But could she survive losing Logan?

“Talk, Logan.”  

She heard his sharp intake of breath.

“When I took this assignment,” he said, “I convinced myself you were married to some hotshot lawyer and living on the Main Line. I knew you were a company vice president, but I figured that was an honorary title. I could have given the job to one of my subordinates. But I wanted to come here. I wouldn’t admit it, but I came for you.”

She kept her body rigid, not looking at him. “Don’t toy with me.”

He moved to stand behind her. His heat wrapped around her like a sensual blanket. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She drew a shuddering breath, fighting her need for him.

“I will never hurt you again, Dorie.”

She turned slowly. Longing, hope, and fear chased across his rugged face. He touched her arm. She wanted to believe.   

“You gave me something precious,” he said. “You gave me my son. And you freed me from the past. I’ve made peace with my father. I’ll always be grateful.”

“Is that all you feel? Gratitude?” Afraid of his answer, she slid her gaze from his.  

He took her chin between his fingers and tilted her face toward his. “No, Dorie. I love you. I always have.”

Joy surged through her. And fear. She couldn’t risk her heart again. She stepped back. The uncertainty in his eyes mirrored the uncertainty in her heart. She wanted to touch his face, to kiss his lips. She kept her hands at her sides.

“When we became...intimate, why didn’t you tell me then? If you really cared about me, you would have been honest with me.”

He let out a breath. “I wanted to tell you, but I was too damn stubborn and held hostage to the past.”

“What do you mean?”  

“I thought I’d put my demons behind me,” he said. “Coming back to Philadelphia opened the old wounds. On some level I knew I came here to banish the nightmares for good. But that didn’t stop them from taking one last shot at me.”

“How?” 

He skimmed fingers over her cheekbones. She swayed toward him, then stiffened. She had to be sure.

Sadness shaded his eyes. “I never really belonged in your world. A motherless boy with an alcoholic father. You were the one good thing in my life. I didn’t deserve you.”

Fighting tears, she put a hand over her mouth.

His lips drew into a thin line as if he struggled with strong emotion. “I needed you to want me for the man I am and not the success I’d become.”

She touched his arm. “Maybe I was a little shallow when we were young. You left me without a word. And I was scared when you came back into my life. I didn’t want Josh hurt. I didn’t want my heart broken again.”

“And now?” he asked.

“I was afraid Josh would get attached to you and you’d leave. But I know Josh is lucky to have a man like you for his father.” She gave him a tremulous smile. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a temp worker or own your own company. You’re a good man, Logan Tanner.”

A muscle worked in his jaw. “What about you, Dorie? Can you ever love me?”

The ticking of the clock and the low rumble of a car outside competed with the racing of her pulse. She touched his hair and skimmed her finger down his face. “I have loved you all my life.”

The fatigue and pain that lined his face melted away. He looked nineteen again, young and vulnerable. “I was afraid to hope,” he whispered.

She went to him. He held her with his good arm. She rested her head against the firm muscles of his chest. The steady, sure beating of his heart told her Logan would always be with her. She would never again be alone.

He stroked her hair. Shivers of awareness raced along her nerve endings.

“Will you forgive me?” he asked.

She leaned back to look up at him. “I forgive you. Will you forgive me for not having enough faith in you all those years ago?”

Logan slid a thumb down her cheek. “You were a young girl, Doriana. God, we were both so young. Let’s forget the past and start over.”

She forgot to breathe. “Start over, how?” 

“You and Josh are my family and my life,” he said. “Marry me, sweetheart.”

Tears threatened. “Are you sure?” she whispered.

He touched fingers to her chin and stared into her eyes. “More sure than I’ve been about anything in my life.”

She smiled. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”  

“God, Dorie. I love you so much. And I’ll make you happy.” He kissed her gently on the lips. “What a pair. I’ve got one good arm and your lip is swollen.”

She laughed. “But we beat the bad guy.”

His eyes darkened. “We’re a team forever. I’ll never leave you again. I’ll move my base to Philadelphia.”

She smiled. “Arizona sounds very nice.”

“You would come with me?”  His smile lit her heart.

She nodded. “I don’t care where we live as long as we’re together. I’d already decided to give my Dad notice. I’m going back to school to study architecture. You gave me something very precious, too, Logan. You gave me back my dreams.”

“Sweetheart, do anything you want,” he said. “Just don’t ever leave me.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “A jackhammer couldn’t pry me from your side.” She kissed him lightly. “I think Josh needs a sibling or two.”

He threw back his head and laughed. She laughed with him. All the pain and fear that she’d carried for so many years fell away.    

His expression turned serious. The love shining from his eyes stole her breath. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “Maybe we should start on those babies now.”

“But you’re hurt,” she said.

“Don’t worry, love. I can handle it.”

“I’m sure you can.” She pressed against him and kissed him hard, ignoring the pain from her lip. He moaned and pulled her closer. His tongue found hers. Desire flamed through her.

The years peeled away. They were young and wildly in love. Only now their love was deeper and steadier. And fueled with a passion that would never end. Body and soul they belonged to each other. What had started all those years ago had come full circle, completing their lives.

~~~~

** I hope you enjoyed LOGAN’S REDEMPTION.

Please turn the page for excerpts from my latest releases: Murder, Mi Amore and Cursed Mates. **

~~~~

MURDER, MI AMORE

by

Cara Marsi

CHAPTER ONE

A prickly sensation, like someone breathing on the back of her neck, sent chills slithering down Lexie Cortese’s spine. She glanced around the small, exclusive leather goods shop on one of Rome’s busiest streets. A well-dressed older woman perused a richly sequined evening bag while a smiling saleswoman looked on. A middle-aged man, dressed in a beautifully tailored gray suit, studied a display case of couture handbags. Nothing sinister. Yet the feeling of being followed had started before she’d entered the shop and had grown stronger in the forty-five minutes she’d been there.

“
Signorina
?
Carta di credito
?” Lexie started at the saleswoman’s words and turned back to her with an apologetic smile. Although she couldn’t speak Italian, Lexie had done enough shopping to know the saleswoman wanted her credit card. She dug into her plain black shoulder bag, pushing aside the bright scarf she’d tied on the handle to liven it up a bit, pulled out her card and handed it to the woman. As she waited for the clerk to ring up the sale, someone jostled her. “
Scusi, per favore
.” The middle-aged man in the gray suit had bumped her. His flat black eyes bore into hers, as if sending her a message. She backed away. “No
problema
,” she said, hoping she had the Italian right. With a cold smile, he moved on, heading to the door.

Clutching her shopping bag with one hand and holding her shoulder bag tightly against her, she left the shop and joined the throngs of pedestrians on the Via Corsi. Despite the festive atmosphere from shoppers and tourists enjoying an unseasonably warm April day, Lexie couldn’t shake the feeling that someone followed her. Was it the man who’d bumped into her, the one with the dead eyes? She shouldered her way along the crowded street and looked behind her. He wasn’t there. God, she was becoming paranoid, letting her imagination run amok. Nevertheless, she tightened her grip on the shopping bag that contained the way-too-expensive dark green designer handbag she’d just purchased. Rome was as well-known for its pickpockets and muggers as for its art and history. Why would anyone follow her, an ordinary tourist?

Then again, she wasn’t ordinary any more. Not since she’d come to Rome. And now she had a new handbag to go with her new attitude. In the past two weeks, the cautious, always-do-what’s-right-eager-to-please-everyone Lexie Cortese had become a confident, take-charge woman. For all of her twenty-eight years she’d done what others wanted—her parents, her teachers, that louse Jerry. But no more. Smiling at a vendor selling flowers, she inhaled the heady perfume of early spring blooms and put a little bounce in her step. A good-looking twenty-something man nodded to her as he passed. Lots of handsome Italian men had flirted with her in the two weeks she’d been here. Sure helped make up for what that scum of an ex-fiancé had done. From now on she’d do whatever she damn well pleased. Spend a month in Rome? Check. Buy a designer bag that cost more than a month’s pay? Done. Have a fling with a sexy Italian, then walk away, in control, her heart untouched? Not so sure about that one, but she could hope.