A Soldier's Christmas

by Lexi Buchanan

  Emma saw the emotion in Logan’s eyes and knew that it would hurt him just as much as it would hurt her to be apart.

  With anyone else, it would be too soon to even talk about what they were doing, but they’d really gotten to know each other first and that’s how they’d fallen in love. Well, that was how she’d fallen in love. Neither of them had mentioned the ‘L’ word yet, but she knew without a doubt, that Logan felt the same for her as she did him.

  Emma smiled through her tears. “I’m not going to live out of a hotel with you. We can to begin with until we find a rental, at least. Once you’re out, we can go wherever you wish. I can work from anywhere.”

  Logan caressed her face and, after he lingered over a sweet kiss, he admitted, “We’ll talk about where we want to go when the time comes, and we do it together.” He kissed her nose. “But knowing that you’ll be coming with me in three weeks has removed the lump in my belly, the fear of you not wanting me.”

  “Oh, no. I’d have been on my hands and knees begging you to take me if you hadn’t asked.”

  Logan chuckled. “Hmm, I like the idea of you on your hands and knees.”

  It took Emma a minute. When she realized what he meant, she narrowed her eyes, but trailed a finger from his hip around to the front to him to play with his swollen flesh.

  “I’d rather kneel on the comfortable bed.” She smirked, and wiggled down his body, pushing him to his back while she settled on her knees between his spread thighs. “Mmm, I love how you lengthen and twitch before my eyes.” Emma circled her breasts with her fingers and rubbed both of her nipples.

  Logan growled and dripped onto his stomach in his excitement. “You’re killing me.”

  She smiled. “I know, and if you’re good, you get to play with these babies again real soon.” She squeezed her breasts together and felt a thrill of excitement run through her at his heated gaze.

  She soon put him out of his misery by dipping her head down to his groin, and using her tongue and mouth to bring him to orgasm.

  Chapter 15

  Logan stood by the door and told himself that he had to stay put while Emma finished getting dressed. What he really wanted to do was rip her clothes off and make love to her. He’d gone years without having sex, but, as he’d found his Emma, he couldn’t get enough.

  Even after she’d sucked him off last night, he’d wanted more, and more, and more. He’d lost count as to how many times he’d taken her or how many ways, but he knew that he loved her. He’d known that yesterday before sex had gotten involved. Hell, he’d known that for the last year at least.

  She’d kept him sane through his deployments, and she was the only person he trusted with the more intimate details about his family life before his parents had died. She knew everything about him, just like he did her.

  He couldn’t keep the satisfied grin from his face when he looked at her or even thought about her because the carnal knowledge blew his mind.

  “I don’t think I need many guesses as to what you’re thinking about,” Emma pulled her jeans up her thighs.

  “You’d probably get the answer in one,” he replied, and watched everything she did as she got dressed.

  Emma gave a throaty laugh. “I love you watching me.” She cocked her head to one side. “It makes me wet.”

  Logan felt his heart rate pick up. “I can’t handle hearing that you’re wet when we’re headed out.” He adjusted the erection in his jeans.

  “Mmm, sure you don’t want to relieve, um, something.” She pointedly stared at his groin, and he saw the amusement on her face when he hardened even more while she watched.

  He closed his eyes and tried to count to ten, but Emma had her hand shoved down the front of his jeans by the time he got to six.

  A grunted response was all he could manage as she rubbed his wet arousal around the crown of his dick. He throbbed to be between her thighs, and just the thought had tingles of precum slithering along the length of him to release on her fingers. If she wasn’t careful, she’d get more than she bargained for with how aroused she had him.

  He needed to ask her to stop. He knew he had to ask her, but the words wouldn’t form because her fingers felt too good on his heated flesh.

  “Logan,” she whispered against his mouth.

  He snapped his eyes open.

  “I don’t want to stop, but if I don’t we’re not going anywhere today other than back to bed.” She pulled her hand free and patted him through his jeans.

  He laughed, although it was choked. “I’ll survive...just.”

  He held his hand out for Emma’s and tugged her close when she grasped it.

  “I can survive anything with you by my side.” He kissed her knuckles. “I just hope your mom is more welcoming today than yesterday,” he admitted.

  Logan told himself to ignore how Emma’s mom had acted yesterday, and that she was just looking out for her youngest daughter, but…

  “I don’t know. By now she’ll know that I spent the night with you, in fact, the whole town will know.”

  Logan groaned and Emma smiled.

  “And you know what? I don’t care if the whole town knows. It wasn’t a one night stand because we’re a couple.” Emma beamed at him. “So if they have a problem with it when it isn’t their business, it’s on them, because I sure as hell don’t have a problem with it. I also plan on spending every night with you.”

  “Good.” He kissed her lips. “Because that’s where you belong.” He held her close before he glanced at his watch. “I think we better leave. I’m not sure how long it will take to get the truck on the road.”

  “Okay, that could be awhile with the snowfall last night, which reminds me, I wonder where Travis is. He would have stayed in town, but we haven’t heard from him since his visit here.”

  “Did he not stay here?”

  “I don’t know. He may have, but he can’t stand Adele always wanting in his business so he probably bunked at a friend’s house. Either way, I need to talk to him about my books.” Emma frowned. “I wonder how long he’s known that R. Logan was me?”

  “You’ll find out once you’ve talked to him.”

  Logan moved and grabbed their outdoor gear, helping Emma into hers before he shoved his own on.

  As he opened the door, he wondered whether they’d manage to escape before Adele or Greg saw them. They’d agreed to skip breakfast at the B&B, so hopefully.

  Emma tugged on his jacket and crept down the hallway. He hid his laughter at their antics and followed her downstairs. It was only as the doors to the hotel closed behind them that he let his laughter out.

  Emma giggled beside him while tugging on her hat. “Let’s go and have breakfast at Mary’s Eat and Treats, I’m partial to their biscuit and eggs.”

  “Okay, and I can’t believe we just crept out of there like two naughty kids.” Logan shook his head and grabbed hold of Emma’s hand.

  “It was fun. C’mon.”

  She tugged him from the B&B and across the street. They’d only taken a few steps when they walked into the café that Emma had suggested.

  As he looked around, there were only a few people inside eating in the warm festive place, one of which was Emma’s brother. “Hey,” he whispered, “your brother.” He nodded to the right and hid his mirth behind his hand because her brother looked anything but happy to see them.

  If he had to guess, he’d say that Travis hadn’t wanted to be seen with the woman he was eating breakfast with. Logan could have sworn that Emma told him her brother was engaged in one of her letters when she’d talked about her family.

  “Let’s go say hi.” Emma moved over to her brother, and offered him a sweet smile, as though to say, ‘I’ve caught you.’

  “Travis, fancy seeing you here,” Emma smiled at her brother and offered her hand to the woman. “I’m Emma, his sister, and this is my boyfriend, Logan.”

  Boyfriend—he liked that.

  “Um, hello.”

  “You’re Bri
tish. I love your accent.”

  “Yes. Yes, I am, and I’m Debbie Fletcher, a friend of your brothers.”

  Logan stood back and let Emma have her fun with her brother. Travis squirmed where he sat with the odd glare at his sister when Debbie wasn’t looking. It was nice not to be put on the spot again, although he knew that wouldn’t last with the visit to her parents’ house after they’d eaten.

  “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Travis grouched.

  Logan coughed into his hand to try and hide his laughter, but with the look being thrown at him, he didn’t think it had worked.

  “We’re here for breakfast,” Emma grinned at her brother, and his eyes narrowed, obviously knowing what was coming, “and I think we should join you.”

  Logan grinned before he took pity on Travis. The man obviously wanted to be left alone with Debbie. “Babe, we have things to talk about, so why don’t we leave your brother in peace to finish his breakfast with his friend.” He wrapped his arm around Emma’s shoulders.

  She looked undecided, but gave in. “I guess...but I need to talk to you sometime today.” She pointed at Travis as she talked.

  “I figured. Go eat and stop bugging me.”

  “Travis?” Debbie laughed behind a napkin. “You seriously talk to your sister like that?”

  “Only when I want to annoy her.” Travis continued eating so Logan saw that as his cue to get Emma away from the table.

  “We’ll see you later,” Logan chuckled as he pulled Emma over to the far side of the restaurant. “You loved making him squirm,” he commented as they got rid of their outdoor gear.

  “I did. He’s done it to me often enough, including last night when he interrupted us.” Emma took her seat next to him.

  “I thought you told me he was engaged. Did that go south?”

  “Yeah. I don’t know what went wrong, but one minute he seemed to be really into her and the next they were through.” She shrugged. “Who knows what’s going on with Travis? He won’t say anything until he’s good and ready, which makes me wonder just how long he’s known about me being R. Logan,” she whispered.

  About to answer Emma, a large mug of coffee was placed in front of him and a menu shoved under his nose. “What will it be?”

  Emma wouldn’t meet his startled expression at the abruptness in which the woman appeared, so he quickly chose a full American and passed the menu back.

  “Service always like that?” He pointed in the woman’s direction.

  “It depends who’s working. Gloria hates working here and makes no bones about it. Our breakfast will be good though.”

  “Okay.” He took a sip of his coffee and said what he’d planned to before they’d been rudely interrupted. “No matter how long Travis has known about your writing, he’s obviously kept it to himself.”

  “True.” Emma curled a leg under her. “Let’s forget about him for now. Have you walked around the town yet?”

  “I have. Visited your town square, and bought some cookies from the bakery. They were good.” He rubbed his stomach. “Ate them all while I watched a movie the other night.”

  Emma shook her head, and softly smiled. “I’m really glad you’re here, Logan.”

  Logan took hold of Emma’s hand and entwined his fingers with her delicate ones. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

  The sour waitress interrupted them, but he didn’t mind that much when the aroma from the food in front of him reached his nostrils.

  Emma chuckled. “You look like you’ve not eaten for a while.”

  “Not like this.” He pointed at his plate with his folk. He wasn’t lying either, and had no idea what he wanted to eat first because he had so many choices—hash browns, sausage, bacon, tomato, biscuit and eggs.

  After a few mouthfuls, he thought about being where he was with Emma, and suggested, “You know, in a way, your mom has done us a favor by holding our letters back, if that happens to be the case.”

  “How’d you work that one out?” Emma frowned.

  “I was worried about you, which is why I’m here now. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d have found you eventually. But I’m here, right now, because I stopped receiving anything from you.”

  “I guess.” Emma didn’t look too happy with that observation though. “If she is responsible, then I’m not sure I can easily accept it. I thought something real bad had happened to you, Logan.” She blinked tears away. “She knew how I was feeling and she saw how upset I was at losing contact with you. I don’t want to believe that she’s responsible for all my heartache these past months.” Emma pushed her half eaten plate away.

  Logan had cleaned his plate and drained his cup of coffee before he focused on the woman he loved. “She’s your mom, Emma, and she obviously had her reasons, which made sense to her at the time. If she did, in fact, keep the letters. We also have to remember that she might be innocent in all this.”

  “I don’t see how she can be. But we’ll find out soon.” She glanced over to where Travis was sitting. He hadn’t even glanced toward them since they’d sat down, he was engrossed in his conversation. “I hope, and I’m so going to get Travis alone at some point because curiosity is going to kill me.”

  Logan stood and pulled Emma to her feet. “Stop being nosy and let your brother have some privacy. He gave us ours last night.”

  “Hmm. Yeah, but you don’t know what a pain in the ass he can be.” Emma pulled her purple, thermal jacket on.

  “I can imagine. I’d just rather have you to myself because I’m selfish.”

  “Aww, I like the idea of that, Mr. Richards.” Emma stepped against him and reached up to his face. She cupped his cheeks and kissed him. “I like the idea of that very much, and if it wasn’t for my need to know about the letters, we’d be sneaking back into your hotel room.”

  He groaned in the back of his throat. “You’re killing me.” He dipped down to capture her lips again. A cough behind him made him break the kiss and glance over his shoulder.

  Logan turned back to Emma, kissed her quickly on her nose and stepped back to include Travis and Debbie.

  “We’re out of here,” Travis announced. “Will I see you both at home later?”

  “We’re heading out there now so it depends on how things go and how long you’re going to be.”

  Travis nodded.

  “Will we see you later, Debbie?” Emma asked, and took delight when her brother looked frantic.

  “No, I don’t think so.” Debbie answered, her lips pulled tight, a sure sign that she wasn’t happy with Travis.

  He wasn’t surprised considering she saw how Travis reacted to Emma’s question.

  “Okay, well, it was nice to meet you, Debbie.” Emma said her goodbyes and kissed her brother before she made her way to the door.

  Logan shook Travis’ hand and tried not to show amusement when Travis said, “Look after her. She isn’t as strong as she might appear.” With that, Travis took Debbie’s arm and walked out, past Emma.

  “What was that all about?” Emma nodded in her brother’s direction as they slowly walked down the sidewalk toward his truck.

  “He wanted to make sure that I looked after you.”

  “I think he likes you.”

  “Well, that’s makes three members of your family who like me.”

  “Three?”

  “You, Bree, and Travis.” He counted them off on his fingers, hoping he’d win the others over eventually, although he wasn’t sure about her mom.

  “Oh, Gabe is a softy and my dad will be there today.”

  He groaned. “Firing squad today, huh?”

  Emma lightly punched him in the stomach and he made a low ‘oomph’. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

  “Let’s get the truck cleared so we can get it over with and I can get you back here.” He wiggled his brows at Emma, and she blew him a kiss in return.

  If talking to Emma’s mom hadn’t been essential for their peace of mind, he’d have suggested skipping it and st
aying locked in their room where it was warm and inviting.

  Chapter 16

  The greeting today had been warm and a lot more welcoming. Emma had called her parents on the way to the house, but she’d been surprised to discover that, when they arrived, there had been cake warming in the oven, and coffee had been freshly brewed in the new machine. And her dad had been present with a hug waiting for her. She hadn’t missed the constant look that he passed to Logan, but, so far, there hadn’t been any trace of the unsure looks of the day before.

  Emma’s heart felt lighter in her chest when her dad had suggested that Logan head to the barn with him to give him a hand with the sleigh, as Travis wasn’t around to help. Her dad wasn’t one for laying down the law because he always left that to her mom, so she knew Logan was safe with him.

  While Emma watched her mom remove the cake that she’d baked, Emma debated asking about the letters. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she was nervous, and afraid of what the answer would be. Part of her hoped that the answer would be yes, because then they’d know what happened, but if she said no, they were back at the beginning.

  “You’re quiet,” her mom observed, and placed the freshly baked cake onto the middle of the kitchen table. “I thought you were happy to have Logan here and, well, with you.” She raised a brow in question.

  Emma sighed. “I am happy he’s here, but it’s the missing letters that is now on my mind.” Emma met her mom’s gaze. “We both wrote to each other. We never stopped, but our letters stopped reaching their destination. Logan and I, need to know what happened to them, and why. Do you understand, Mom? We can’t settle until we know why...and, I’m wondering if you know the answer.”

  The reaction from her mom wasn’t one that she’d expected. Her mom looked resigned more than anything and, with a sigh, she dropped into a chair opposite Emma.