Monroe, Marla - Long, Lonely Nights [The Protectors 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Marla Monroe

  “Can we make it for tomorrow instead? I need to get this new account up and going, and I plan on working through lunch.” Tina rubbed her hand over her face.

  “Sure. I’ll bring you something back, how about that?”

  “Don’t bother. I’m not really hungry.”

  “You’ve lost weight already. You really don’t need to lose anymore, Tina.”

  “Oh, I’ve just lost a couple of pounds. I’ll put them back on again in no time. I’m fine, really I am. I’ll grab something out of vending when I get hungry.”

  Jenna shrugged and left with the promise to check in with her after lunch. Tina nearly collapsed once the door was closed again. What was she going to do? She was a basket case over her next-door neighbor, she had a stalker trying to rape and kill her, and her best friend was being harassed by her ex-boyfriend. The one thing she could do was make sure she got that restraining order against the bastard.

  Lunchtime came and went. At two in the afternoon, she chased Jenna down in the office library. “Did you talk to you lawyer?”

  “Yeah and he is going to draw up the paperwork and file the papers for me. By Friday, Todd should be served with papers.”

  “Good. You can stay with me Friday, and we’ll both have a bodyguard,” Tina said.

  “Sounds good to me. How about making it a party. I’ll bring chips and dips, and movies. You can provide the beverages and TV.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Tina agreed. Now all she had to do was tell Logan.

  She had no desire to go home that afternoon, so when five o’clock came, she continued working. At a quarter of six, her cell phone rang. She expected it to be Jenna, but it wasn’t. It was Logan.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m still at work,” she said.

  “How long before you come home?” It hung there in silence for a few seconds.

  Tina swallowed and answered, “I’ll be leaving here in about thirty minutes.”

  “Call me when you are nearly home. Morgan and I will be watching for you.”

  Tina said okay and hung up. He’d made sure she knew that Morgan would be there, too. Why? Maybe as a buffer between them so Logan wouldn’t have to talk about their having had sex. She sat there the entire thirty minutes trying to get up enough nerve to go home.

  Finally, she realized she had to leave or be late. She really didn’t want Logan angry at her for being late. On the way out of the building, a scent caught her interest. She hesitated and tried to recapture it but couldn’t. It smelled familiar, but she couldn’t think what it might have been from. She shook her head and continued for her car. She soon forgot about the scent as the thought of seeing Logan in the next few minutes loomed over her.

  Tina pulled into her driveway and stopped. A strange man stood by her back door. She double checked her locks in the car. The man appeared scruffy with a scraggly beard. She turned to back out of the drive, but Logan appeared at her car door.

  “You can get out. It’s Morgan. I figure you need to meet him so you won’t run away if you need him. He looks a little rough around the edges, but he’s really a teddy bear.”

  Tina nodded and pulled the rest of the way into the garage. She opened the car door and stepped out to follow Logan to meet Morgan. The strange man was probably six foot three or four and made up of pure muscle. His long brownish hair was clean looking though his beard was scruffy. Still, he had the nicest looking hazel eyes that twinkled when he smiled at her. He held out his hand.

  “Good to meet you, Tina.” He squeezed it for a second then let go.

  “Nice to meet you, Morgan. Thank you for helping me.”

  “My pleasure. Nothing else going on around here right now anyway.”

  Logan cleared his throat. “Let’s get you inside where I know you’re safe.”

  His hand touched the small of her back as he guided her towards the door. She shivered as she unlocked the kitchen door. After deactivating the alarm, she walked inside and waited for Logan and Morgan to do the same. Then she reset everything.

  “I want to show Morgan around so he knows where everything is, in case he needs to get to you in a hurry,” Logan said.

  “Sure. I’m going to go to my office. I have a lot I need to do tonight.” Tina took her purse and work satchel to the office and after calming her racing pulse, she set up her files to work. Knowing Logan and Morgan were walking around in her house, maybe even in her bedroom distracted her. She couldn’t think for wondering where they are. Logan hadn’t acted as if anything had happened between them the night before. You knew he wouldn’t. Get your work done and quit thinking about him. She focused on work and managed to lose herself in it long enough that when she looked up and found Logan lounging in the doorway it startled her. Her hand went to her throat.

  “Is Morgan gone?” she asked.

  “He’s outside watching the house.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Busy?” he asked.

  “Yeah, new client. There is always a lot to do to set up a new account.”

  “I’ll leave you alone then.” He started to turn away, and then stopped. “How about ordering pizza tonight then?”

  “Sounds good to me,” she said.

  Logan nodded, then left. She drew in a deep breath and resumed working on the new account. Thoughts of Logan kept popping up in her head. She couldn’t remember what she was doing for thinking about little things like his woodsy male scent. The big things, like how he feels inside of her. Tina felt the heat race up her face as little shocks hit her system. The doorbell rang. She nearly dropped the file folder she held.

  “I’ve got it,” Logan yelled from the direction of the living room.

  She breathed a sigh of relief and worked at regaining control of herself again. A few minutes later, Logan stuck his head in the door.

  “Pizza is on the bar in the kitchen when you’re ready.”

  “Thanks,” she said.

  She waited a few minutes to steel herself to be able to sit next to him and eat. Being close to him set her heart racing. When she finally worked up the nerve to walk into the kitchen, he had already eaten and was watching TV in the living room. She blew out a breath and picked up a slice of pizza and put it on her plate. She thought about sitting down but decided to eat in the office while she worked. She had just finished the last bite and was working on the spreadsheet for her case when Logan walked in and slapped another piece of pizza on her plate.

  “You need to eat another one. You haven’t eaten much of anything lately. Eat,” he snapped.

  “I’ll eat when I’m hungry. I’ve already eaten thank you.”

  “Not enough to keep you alive. I’m not busting my ass to try to keep you alive for you to starve yourself after I’ve done it,” he growled.

  “I didn’t ask you in the first place,” Tina yelled back at him. She pointed her finger at him. “I’m-not-hungry!”

  He grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her while pulling her up against his body. “I’m not going to sit back while some crazy bastard rapes and kills you. Neither am I going to watch you starve.”

  Tina struggled against him. “Let me go.”

  Instead, he pulled her closer. Then he turned her around to where her back was to the desk. He leaned her back and kissed her. He crushed her mouth with his, taking what he wanted from her. She pulled back for only an instant to see the lust deepening in his eyes. She grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him back down for a deeper kiss. His mouth ravages hers, plundering her depths as he ate at her. She tasted blood. Hers or his, she wasn’t sure which.

  Logan let go of her arm, grabbed either side of her blouse, and ripped it apart. Buttons flew everywhere, bouncing off the desk and to the floor. Tina moaned and bunched up his shirt trying to get it over his head. He pushed her hands away from him and pulled the offending shirt over his head. She immediately ran her hands up his chest to lock around his neck. He leaned down to kiss her then buried his face in her cleavage.


  Logan inhaled her scent into his lungs. Mixtures of soft smells reached his nose, peach body lotion and that subtle smell that was all Tina. He could even smell her arousal now. She would never be able to deny being aroused around him. He would always know by her scent. He bent his head and licked along the edge of her bra. Then he licked up her neck as his fingers made short work of the bra clasp. He quickly removed the bra and dropped it off the desk to the floor. Her nipples hardened and pebbled. He teased them as he watched her face. Her eyes were barely open though they remained on his hands and what they did to her.

  She moaned when he lightly pinched them. He can’t wait. He wanted her. He slipped his hands beneath her skirt to find she had on a garter belt and stockings. He groaned. Her panties were in his way. He ran his hands down inside them and rolled them down her legs and off. She ran her hands up his chest to tease his nipples. She leaned into him and licked first one, then the other one. When she drew one into her mouth and sucked, he lost it. His cock was hard and throbbing. He swept everything off one side of her desk in one swipe then lifted her up until her naked ass rested on the edge of the desk.

  Logan grabbed a condom out of his back pocket and undid his pants, pushing them down enough to release his cock. He rolled the condom on and spread her legs wide for him. Without testing her readiness, he plunged in only to make it half way before her tight pussy stopped him. He cursed and pulled out to push back in slower this time. Again, he plunged and didn’t stop until he was all the way inside her. He stopped to catch his breath. She whimpered and pushed against him, her legs wrapped around him. He pulled out and pushed back in, long slow strokes. He needed fast but wanted it to last. She pushed upward with her pelvis trying to push at him. He panted and continued his slow strokes.

  “Damn you. Fuck me. Don’t play with me. Fuck me,” she demanded.

  He lost it and began pumping into her over and over. He grabbed her ass and held her up to meet him as he pummeled her with his cock until, with a roar, he came. It barely registered that she had come with him.

  He came to himself still buried inside her and her head off the back of the desk. She panted trying to catch her breath. He managed to slow his breathing enough that he could lift her up from the desk and off of him. He let her slide gently down his body until her feet touch the floor. She swayed, and he held her steady until she could stand on her own. She looked up at him with something akin to horror. She grabbed her clothes and ran from the room. He realized then, he had gone too far this time. He heard her run up the stairs to her bedroom and the door close with a slam.

  “Well fuck!”

  He pulled up his pants and walked upstairs to the spare bathroom where he cleaned up and straightened his clothes. He looked in the mirror hating what he saw. Then he stopped by her bedroom door to listen. He didn’t hear anything at all. At least she wasn’t crying, he thought. He had treated her like a whore. It sickened him. He returned to the office to clean up the mess he made. Thank goodness, he hadn’t knocked off the computer monitor when he had swept the desk clear of obstacles.

  When she didn’t come back downstairs that night, he spent the time pacing and checking the doors and windows. Now she had seen him for who he was. It was obvious she couldn’t handle him. He was too rough for someone like her. Deep down, he had known that. Hell, even Riley had told him he was too rough for someone like her. Well, he had been right. He couldn’t change who he was no matter how much he might want to. He prayed she wouldn’t kick him out, so that he couldn’t stay and protect her. More than likely, she would put a deadbolt on her bedroom door though. Maybe she should.

  The next morning she entered the kitchen while he poured coffee. She hesitated, but continued in and took the coffee he offered her. He pulled another cup down and poured a cup for himself. She didn’t say anything. Instead, she closed herself up in the office until time to go to work. He opened her car door for her, and she gave him a half smile and said thanks. She buckled up and then backed out of the drive and headed towards work.

  Logan walked back to his house to find Riley leaning against his truck.

  “Told you not to fuck her. I could hear you two outside last night. Guess she couldn’t handle it.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Riley,” Logan said.

  “Hey, man. I’m just saying, you should have kept your cock in your pants.” Riley pushed off the truck.

  “Yeah, well. What’s done is done. We’ll catch this bastard soon enough, and then everything can go back to the way it was before.” Logan ran a hand over his head. “Only difference is she knows me for the monster that I am”

  Logan shook his head.

  “We may be monsters, but we’re better than the one stalking her. She’s even acknowledged that by letting us help her.”

  “Yeah, guess you’re right, but she still may change her mind,” Logan said.

  “Naw, I think she will keep us on.”

  “If you say so. I’m not so sure,” Logan said.

  Chapter Twelve

  Tina had spent the night tossing and turning thinking about Logan and how he’d taken her on the desk. It had been so damn hot. She had let go and urged him on, harder, faster. She’d arched to meet him thrust for thrust and when he still would go any faster, she had demanded he fuck her. When he finally took her hard and fast, she thought she had died and gone to heaven. She had never felt that way before. No one had ever given her what she needed, and she had begged for more. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to look at her this morning. She probably disgusted him. He probably thought she was a slut now.

  What was she going to do if he wouldn’t help her anymore? Surely, he wouldn’t back out now. Panic tightened her throat until she felt as if she would choke. No, he wasn’t like that. He would help her until they caught the man, and then they would go back to being neighbors and never talk again.

  Could she go back to that though? Now that she had been with him, she wanted more. She wanted to know how it felt to be held by someone like him. But you can’t have more, Tina. You want too much. That’s why you’ve never found anyone to suit you. You ask too much of them. Face it. It’s over. You screwed up. Tears ran down her face. She hadn’t even realized she had been crying. She dried her eyes and swallowed back the pain. Then she concentrated on work. She would always have work to think about.

  The next day at noon, Jenna and Tina ate their lunch at the park down the street from where they worked. It wasn’t as hot in the shade as it had been the last few days. They ate in silence for a while then Jenna began to ask questions.

  “So, what happened the other night?”

  “I made a complete fool out of myself,” Tina said.

  “How?” Jenna took the last bite of her sandwich and threw a piece of crust out to the pigeons flocked around them.

  “He fucked me on my desk at home.”

  Jenna’s eyes grew big. “Now that is hot!”

  “I know. But I screwed up,” Tina said. She hadn’t eaten half of her sandwich.

  “I don’t understand. How could you have screwed that up?”

  “He was going so slow. Too slow. I wanted it faster and harder.”

  Jenna fanned herself. “So what did you do?”

  “I begged him to go faster, and then I begged him to fuck me hard.” She crumpled up her half eaten sandwich and got up to throw it in the trash.

  “Why do you think you screwed up? I bet he went faster didn’t he.”

  “Yeah, but he wouldn’t look at me the next morning. He hasn’t said two words to me since it happened.”

  “He probably doesn’t know how you feel about it. Tell him how hot it was,” Jenna said.

  “He probably thinks I’m a slut or something.”

  “No, he doesn’t. And if he does, he’s the fool.”

  “What am I going to do? Now I have to live next to him with how I acted. I’m so ashamed.”

  “You get that out of your system right now. You are not a slut, and you have no reason to be ashamed to
ask for what you needed. He is the one to blame for not giving it to you to begin with.” Jenna sighed. “Come on. Stop thinking about it. We need to get back to work, and you’re all upset.”

  “I’ll be okay. Like I said, I have to get over it and live next door to him now. I’ll be fine.”

  The days flew by and Thursday night found Tina eating a solitary meal in the form of a frozen dinner. Logan had assured her he had already eaten, and she hadn’t felt like cooking. The frozen fettuccine tasted like cardboard in her mouth. She just wasn’t hungry. She really didn’t want to lose any more weight. Her clothes hung off her now as it was. She would have to put back on a few pounds or she would have to buy new clothes. The thought of shopping was almost as distasteful as eating seemed to be.

  Tomorrow was Friday. She still hadn’t told Logan that Jenna would be staying over with her. But then, it shouldn’t make any difference. It was her house. She would tell him in the morning before she left. Hopefully, tomorrow night would be it. They would either catch him, or he would kill her. She was tired and didn’t care anymore. She just wanted it all to be over now.

  She took her shower and curled up in bed ready for another long sleepless night. She would either fall asleep and dream of Logan only to wake unsatisfied, or she would have the nightmare again and wake up crying. Either way, she would be awake the rest of the night.

  She fell asleep and dreamed of the stalker almost immediately. She knew it was a dream again, but was helpless to wake up. He had gagged her and taped her hands to the headboard while she slept. She couldn’t scream or yell out for help.

  He laughed at her frantic movements. She tried to get loose and sobbed when she didn’t get anywhere. All she could see of him through the mask was his green eyes and the excitement dancing in them. Her helplessness excited him.

  Tina kicked out with her feet screaming into the gag. Her foot made contact with his leg. He slapped her.

  “Be still bitch. I told you that you belong to me. You went and screwed that bastard downstairs. Well, I took care of him. He won’t bother us again.” He leaned in and licked her. She tried to pull away.