overtook his features. “You give a man like me something he’s never had, something that solely belongs to him, and he won’t let go. Not ever.”
A tear ran down my cheek at his admission. There was a loneliness about him, along with the pain hidden behind his eyes, and I somehow knew he’d been alone a long time. I wanted more than anything to give him that. To give him a reason to get up each day and face his demons head on. “Then don’t let go.”
His expression flared to life and he took my mouth possessively. Dominantly. He eased into me farther with gentle strokes, stretching me bit by bit, then surged forward to claim me as his when I was ready. He swallowed my gasp when he broke through my innocence then held still until I adjusted around him. I panted until the pain subsided, then began to move against him as a different fire began to build again.
Logan was gentle at first, but the passion burning through my veins demanded he let go and take me like I was the only woman for him. And he did—until he’d built us both to a point—we exploded together in blinding light.
Ten
I Prayed For You
LOGAN STARED AT a sleeping Skylar. A knot formed in his chest as he watched her breathing rise and fall. He’d been searching for a way to ease the memories that haunted him, and it seemed raw possessiveness over a half-pint of a woman, who gave herself to him in a way no one ever had before, was the cure.
Raising his hand to trace the outline of her cheek, he watched intently as her eyes fluttered open. The light green color reminded him of jade. It was crisp and pure, like the woman herself.
Skylar woke slowly, confusion clouding her features, then pink rose up her neck and colored her cheeks before she smiled hesitantly at him. Her reaction just fueled his fire. She was unlike any woman he’d ever known. Confident yet vulnerable. Aggressive when needed but unsure at the same time. And braver than any soldier he’d ever met.
“We need to get up. The bar opens in an hour.”
Her eyes grew wide and she sat up on a gasp of air that had him chuckling. When she tried to scoot off the small bed, Logan grabbed her by the waist and hauled her back down, rolling on top of her so he could run his nose against hers.
“I prayed for you,” he admitted, not about to let her go before she knew his intentions. “In the desert at night, I prayed for you. Prayed when I was done with my career, you’d be waiting for me. When everything went to hell a year ago, I stopped praying and I lost my faith. Stopped believing in a just God when good men died for no reason. But the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew He’d been with me all along. That He hadn’t left me even when I raged at Him.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, then one fell, so he wiped it away before continuing, “I’ve been traveling for months, Skylar, trying to find some semblance of peace to ward off my demons . . . And here you are—my salvation. After a year of walking on a tightrope, I’m finally on firmer ground because of you.” She started to speak, so he placed his finger over her lips to stop her. “I’m telling you this because you need to prepare.”
She waited a beat to see if he’d continue, then reached up and ran a finger across his bottom lip. “Prepare for what?”
He nipped her finger, and her eyes hooded with lust on contact, heating his blood instantly. “For the fact I’m not going anywhere. You also need to prepare your brothers as soon as possible, today preferably, because I’m not sleeping on a fucking cot for more than a couple of days. You’re mine now. Day and night.”
Her body softened beneath his and her eyes grew warm. He shuddered and hardened further when she ran her hands up his side until she could reach his chest. Her hand stilled over his heart and she closed her eyes with a smile. “Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain. Campbell was right.”
Logan had no clue what she was talking about, and he didn’t care. She accepted all of him, so he lowered his brow to