Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
“How did Barney know to be waiting for us?” Charlotte asked as Logan carried her toward the limo. The driver had just barreled to the left side of the vehicle.
Barney frowned. His gaze swept over her. “I don’t think she’s supposed to come out in that.”
“Too bad. Open the door, would you?”
Barney opened the door. He squinted at Charlotte. “You feeling better?”
“I’m conscious. That’s better. But I feel like shit.”
His lips pulled down. “We’ll make the prick pay.”
Logan tucked her inside the limo. “Damn straight we will.” He slid inside the vehicle with her. Then immediately scooped her back into his arms and cradled her on his lap.
This was…new.
Barney slammed the door shut.
“Seriously, you have to tell me. How did Barney even know to be waiting out front?” Logan had lifted her into his arms and rushed right out of the place. It bugged her that she didn’t understand how Barney could have been ready and waiting. Also, “How did you know I’d want to leave?”
“I texted Barney as soon as you woke up. Well, this last time when you woke up.” Logan’s arms were warm and strong around her. “You were in that hospital for twenty-four hours, Charlotte.”
“What?” He had to be wrong. Yes, it was dark outside but…not because twenty-four hours had passed, surely?
He nodded. “You came in and out of consciousness. I talked to a ton of docs because I was worried as hell. You were pretty aware about two hours ago when you opened your eyes. The initial doc on duty had already told me that you were going to drift in and out, that I should be prepared for that. But about six hours ago, he assured me that you were past any dangerous point. Your vitals were good. So when you woke up a bit ago and were making good sense when you talked, I knew you’d want to bust out of the joint.
I texted Barney then. You were distracted by Jezebel.
I told him to bring the car around and wait for us.
” His fingers slid carefully over her back. “And here we are.”
The paper gown tied behind her, so there were lots of empty spaces along her back, and his fingers touched her bare skin.
She hissed out a breath.
“Did I hurt you?” Logan instantly asked. Soft illumination in the rear of the limo allowed her to see the flash of worry on his face.
“No.” In fact, “Thank you for saving me.”
“Aren’t you all sweet and polite? But save the thanks.
I didn’t save you. You saved yourself. You came to me.
I had no idea what was happening.” His voice thickened.
“That’s why we don’t separate again, got me?
You stay with me. I stay with you. Then I do the job that Jezebel wants. I kill the bastard.”
“No. No, you’re wrong. That’s not what’s happening—”
His lips brushed against hers. The kiss was sudden. Soft. Sensual. It caught her completely off guard and even as her hands were fluttering in the air, trying to press against him, Logan pulled back.
Face seemingly cut from stone, he growled, “I was fucking terrified.”
Um, okay.
“For all I knew, you were dying right there. I had you in my arms, and I couldn’t get you to safety fast enough.
The elevator ride took forever. The limo ride took for-fucking-ever.
Then, when I finally did have you at the hospital, I didn’t want to let you go.
The nurses kept saying only family—only family could stay with you, and I thought, screw that.
No way am I being separated from Charlotte again.
” A swift inhale. “Someone had to watch over you. Didn’t we agree that someone was going to be me? ”
“You, um, told them that we were married.”
“Is the lie what’s bugging you? No worries. We can fix that.” His hold tightened on her. “I can tell Barney to pull into the drive-thru chapel up ahead. In five minutes, we can be married.”
He wasn’t serious.
He…
Was he?
“You can’t get a better cover story than that,” he added. “Ares and Freya saw me freak the hell out when you were unconscious. They know I rushed you to the hospital, and word will soon spread that I refused to leave your side for twenty-four hours.”
Seriously, he had? He’d stayed that entire time? With her? His clothes were rumpled, and the five o’clock shadow on his jaw seemed so very dark.
“We’ll tell the world that you woke up, and I confessed that I loved you.
That I couldn’t live without you. I insisted we marry right away.
Bam. Perfect reason for you to always be with me.
Perfect reason for you to get an intro and fast pass into every aspect of my life.
” His voice roughened as he said, “I’m offering you the dream role for this case, giving it to you on a silver platter. ”
“I don’t…” Charlotte shook her head. “Why would you want to even do that? We can just tell everyone we’re lovers. You don’t have to take a real, legal step with me.” That was going way too far.
“But what happens if you have another emergency?” She could not read the expression on his face. “What if only family can make the decision about what happens to you? Who will make that call?”
She didn’t have family.
“The case is dangerous,” Logan rasped.
Like she needed the reminder. But, generally, all of her cases were dangerous. Not like working for the CIA was some kind of casual stroll in the park.
“You’ve got this psycho’s attention. Clearly.” A huff. “My money is on our perp being Ares, so I don’t know why the hell I can’t just destroy the bastard right now.”
Ares was the prime suspect for her, too. “We’ll get the tox screen results back. If there were drugs in the champagne bottle, we’ll have proof that we can use against him. We can’t go on hunches. We need real, physical evidence to convict the man.”
“Other option, I can just beat the shit out of him and get him to talk.”
“That’s…not how the CIA works.” She seemed to tell him that a lot.
His head cocked. His hand rose, slid under her chin, and tipped her head back. “You sure, baby? Because I’ve watched plenty of spy movies that say otherwise.”
“This isn’t a movie.” Soft.
She thought he’d argue. She braced herself for an argument but—
“Marry me.”
Was he really back to that?
“You can always get a quickie divorce later.” Breezy words.
“Or an annulment,” she mumbled. Not that she was considering marrying him. She wasn’t. Was she?
No, he’s not serious. This is some bluff. A game. You know the man excels at his games.
One strong hand stroked her back, a careful caress, and the other still curled under her chin.
Logan’s brows climbed as he seemed to absorb what she’d just said. “An annulment?” A shake of his head. “Hold up. Don’t you get one of those when you don’t actually consummate the marriage?”
“That’s one of the reasons you can get one, yes.”
“Oh, sweetheart, no.” He seemed horrified. “We will fuck. We will fuck long and hard, and you will be begging for more.”
She might have let out a little squeak. Her bad. But his voice had just sounded so sexy when he made that dark promise.
“When you’re fully recovered, of course,” he amended. Still deep, dark, and sounding all sensual.
“Of course.” A weak echo.
“By the way, we left the hospital so quickly that you didn’t get a final checkout. No worries. I’ll have a doctor waiting at the hotel for you. He’ll examine you and make sure all is well.”
“What? You just snap your fingers and make a doctor appear?”
“Takes a little more work than that. I had to pull some strings and snap my fingers.”
He was never serious—
“I had plenty of time to get the private doc option in place while I was dedicatedly staying by your hospital bed. When Dr. Jacobson—he’s the private doc who will be attending to you at our suite—when he gives me the all clear that you’re good to go, then we can consummate our marriage.”
He was still talking about marriage?
“It will be a very thorough consummation, so an annulment will never, ever be possible.” His fingers slid along her spine. “I suppose you can still get a quickie divorce, if that’s what you want. But we will fuck so it will need to be a divorce and not an annulment.”
“You seem…caught up on fucking.”
“I’m definitely caught up on it. I want to fuck you more than I want to take my next breath.” He released her chin. Hit a button near him. The privacy screen lowered. “Barney, we’re going to the chapel.”
“Sir?”
“Take the right up ahead. The drive-thru chapel is open twenty-four hours, isn’t it?”
“Sir?” Barney seemed to be choking.
“Take the right.” Logan hit the button again, and the screen rose soundlessly to its previous position.
Charlotte realized her mouth was hanging open.
“What?” His eyes were on her. “You didn’t say no, so I thought you were all in.”
“You can’t be serious.”
A long sigh. “Got to be honest with you, I’m pretty exhausted right now.
It’s been a hellish twenty-four hours. I’m fighting rage and fear, and I want you protected.
I can say that you’re my lover, and sure, my guards and staff at the hotel will watch over you.
But if I say that you’re my wife, then everyone in my world will know that your protection is top priority.
No, correction, the priority. You will come first.”
“I…” Charlotte didn’t know what to say. “Why would you do this for me? It’s way over the top.”
“Haven’t you noticed? I’m over the top. That’s pretty much my whole thing. I’m as outrageous and as wild as I want to be. And right now? What I want most? It’s for you to be my bride.”
She felt the limo slow down. Then turn right. Through the window, she saw the bright lights of an actual drive-thru wedding chapel.
“Speak now,” Logan murmured. “Or forever hold your peace.”
Her head whipped toward him. “I don’t think that line was meant for the intended bride.”
“No? Sorry. My first wedding. Don’t know all the rules yet.”
It was her first wedding, too. Was she seriously doing this? The limo was getting closer and closer to the drive-thru chapel, and, Logan was right. It would be a phenomenal cover and…
And…