The Marine's Virgin Lover (5 page)

Finding a charming patio set, she settled into one of the chairs and let her eyes wander over the landscape, once again marveling at the majestic nature of the Rocky Mountains. She had only lived in Colorado for a few years, but she had fallen in love with the mountains and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

She was just starting to relax, when she thought she saw movement off to her right in the trees. Squinting, she kept very still, waiting to see what animal lurked just out of sight. When the animal appeared again with two arms and two legs, walking upright and wearing clothes, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand to prevent any noise from coming out.

There was a man in the woods and he appeared to be watching the house. Chelsea thought about returning inside and summoning the hulking Bruno to deal with the situation, but then discarded that idea. She watched him for several more minutes and when he didn’t appear to be armed, she decided to confront him herself. Maybe he was staying nearby and was lost?

Walking slowly towards the man’s hiding place, she picked up a fallen tree limb, just in case. She quietly made her way around to his left side. She stopped when she was still several yards away and quietly called to him, “Excuse me? What are you doing?”

Seth heard the soft voice and tensed his muscles before slowly turning his head to identify the owner of the voice. When a pair of moss green eyes greeted him, he said nothing for several seconds, letting his eyes roam over the beauty in front of him. She was even more beautiful in person. He found that he was disappointed that she had pulled her hair up into a ponytail, but then again, that did give him an excellent view of her neck. It was long and graceful and looked like it would be a perfect resting spot for his lips.

“Excuse me? Did you hear me?” the soft voice came again, startling him out of his daydream.

Seth turned fully towards her and smiled, “I heard you.”

“What are you doing out here?” Chelsea lifted the limb she carried with her, preparing to protect herself if needed.

Seth quickly tried to come up with a plausible answer and drew a blank. There weren’t any other houses for miles. He was also trespassing on private property but wasn’t sure if she would be knowledgeable about that or not. She was carrying a tree branch with her, and looked like she was more than capable of swinging it with force.

“Are you lost?”

“Why don’t you put down your weapon and I’ll answer your questions?” he told her.

Chelsea shook her head, “I don’t think so. Why don’t you answer my questions before I start screaming?”

Seth took one step towards her, he could grab her and silence her in three seconds from this distance if needed. “That would be a bad idea.”

“What?”

“Screaming. I would then be forced to silence you.” He said it so calmly, Chelsea believed him right away.

“What are you doing outside this house?”

Seth shook his head at her, letting her know he wasn’t into playing her game. “Not gonna happen sweetheart. How about you answer a few of my questions?”

Chelsea shook her head, relaxing her grip on the tree limb slightly and letting it drop towards the ground. They were playing a game here and she found that she wasn’t so much scared, as intrigued. He was a gorgeous man and her long dormant hormones were letting her know they liked what they saw.

He was tall, maybe 6’4” with sandy brown hair cut in a military style. He was rugged but in a charming way. There were dimples just barely evident in both cheeks and his eyes were a dark blue with the longest eyelashes she had ever seen. He was wearing a deep green t-shirt, tucked into a narrow waist, and wearing what looked like combat pants. He had a tool belt around his waist that, in addition to other items, holstered a gun.

Seth watched her eyes take in his appearance and did his own appraisal. Dressed in a light, flowery blouse and jeans, she looked much younger than her twenty-five years. She had comfortable looking tennis shoes on her feet and Seth briefly wondered if his hands could span her waist. She was thin, but not anorexic looking. Her upper arms showed muscle definition and she had just a hint of a curve to her waist.

As he let his eyes wander back up, her breasts caught his attention once again. Full and firm, the looked to be just the right size for his hands. Seth stopped himself as he felt his body respond to her nearness, needing to bring some clarity to the situation. He was here to find a missing baby, not hit on what might turn out to be her very attractive nurse.

“So,” Chelsea began, needing to bring his eyes back to hers. His intent perusal of her body was making her pulse race and shivers to run up and down her spine. “Why are you out here? Are you lost?”

“Not exactly.” Deciding to see how she would react to the truth, he said, “I’m looking for something.”

“Oh really?” Chelsea glanced back at the house and then at the baby monitor attached at her waist. Seeing that all was calm in the nursery, she looked back at the gorgeous man in front of her. His tanned complexion attested to the fact that he spent plenty of time outdoors, and when he smiled, his straight, even teeth were just barely visible. Taking a step closer, she inquired, “What are you looking for?”

“Are you going to help me look for it?” Seth countered.

“Well, that depends. What did you lose?” There was a definite undertone to their banter and Chelsea almost expected him to come back with some crude remark. She was relieved when he didn’t and found her attraction to him growing stronger.

She had never felt this way about someone she had just met. Normally, Chelsea kept to herself. She had dated very rarely since moving to Colorado, and even less while living in New Mexico. She just hadn’t found the time or the inclination to pursue the activity. That didn’t mean she didn’t have dreams. She was an avid reader of romance books and her dreams consisted of tall, handsome men who knew how to take charge of the situation and make their women swoon with just a look. While she knew that her fantasy was most likely just that, standing before her was a man who could easily take on the role of the hero in her fantasies.

“I didn’t lose anything. Something was taken from some friends of mine and I’m here to try and get it back.” Seth had seen the spark light up her eyes and wandered what had caused it. Was she as attracted to him as he was to her?

“That’s very nice of you. This thing that’s lost must be very valuable to them.”

“More than you could ever imagine. So… are you going to help me?” Taking a step closer to her, he caught of whiff of her scent, it was faint and he couldn’t quite place it, but that didn’t stop his body from reacting to her nearness. He watched her lips as she answered and wondered once again what she would taste like.

Glancing back at the house once more, Chelsea shrugged her shoulders, “I probably can give you a few minutes of my time. What are we looking for again?”

Chelsea looked up into the man’s face and was once again lost in the depth of his gaze. It was warm and inviting, and somehow, she knew that she could trust this man. When he smiled at her, his dimples appeared and she felt her stomach do a little flop. He was a very attractive man and her body had decided it liked what it was seeing.

Seth took a step closer to her and held out his hand, “Introductions are required for those looking for lost items together. It’s a rule, you know.”

Chelsea smiled in return and took the offered hand, shivering a little as their skin made contact. She recognized the feeling as one of attraction and was a little amazed at how quickly it had surfaced. Chelsea had very limited experience with members of the opposite sex, spending her time studying and then caring for her sister and children had taken up most of her adult life.

At the first touch of their hands, she immediately was reminded of the stories she loved to read and how the writers would describe two lovers first contact. She was amazed that their description was accurate. She felt the touch of his hand deep within her core, and was curious how it would feel if he were to kiss her.

When his hand squeezed her and pulled her just a little bit closer, she took a hesitant step forward, looking up into his dark eyes. “I’m Chelsea.”

Seth smiled down into her eyes, gauging her height to be around 5’8” and very pleased that her figure had matched her picture. She was stunning, but in an understated way. She wore minimal make-up, but her admirers didn’t suffer for the lack. Her complexion was smooth and creamy, and as Seth took yet another step closer to her, the light fragrance of lemons rose to meet his senses.
That’s what she smelled like! He let her scent flow over him, realizing that it suited her. She smelled like sunshine, clean and refreshing. He loved it.

“Seth.” He clasped her hand for a moment longer than necessary, enjoying the warmth her nearness was creating. Letting go of her hand, he didn’t move back and was pleased to see that she didn’t feel the need to move away either.

“So, Seth. What are we looking for?”

Truth time. Watching her closely to gauge her reactions, Seth slowly replied, “A baby.”

“What?! Like, a real live baby?” Chelsea went from slightly turned on and calm, to full scale panic mode in seconds.

“Yes. A real live baby. A little girl to be exact.” Seth saw the dismay flit across her face and immediately knew that she was hiding something.

Chelsea wasn’t sure if she should run back towards the house and summon Bruno, or if she should confess her misgivings about the baby in the nursery to the stranger in front of her. Not knowing what to do, she simply stood there staring at Seth.

When the first whimpers from the baby monitor came a few moments later, Chelsea knew that the time for action and decisions was now or never.

“What’s that?” Seth questioned, looking down at her waist for the source of the sound.

”I’m sorry. I have to go….” Chelsea started to back away.

“Wait!” Seth told her, grabbing her hand to prevent her from leaving. “I can see you know something. Have you seen the baby I’m looking for? Is that the noise I heard coming from the monitor at your waist?”

“I really must go…,” Chelsea stated, trying to remain calm and pull her hand from his grasp.

“Look. My name is Seth and I work for a security firm – MJI. Trent Coldwell’s infant daughter was stolen from the hospital earlier today. I’m just trying to find her and return her to her mother.”

“I need to go…,” Chelsea knew she sounded like a broken record. Was this stranger telling the truth? Had Marco Bresi
stolen
someone else’s child? What should she do? Should she call the cops and let them straighten everything out? What about the bodyguard – Bruno? He didn’t look like a guy with a sense of humor. Did he know that the baby belonged to someone else? Did Mrs. Panturo know as well?

Seth watched the play of emotions cross her face and felt sorry for her. She was confused and he figured she was trying to decide what her next step should be. “Look, I know you need to go check on the baby. I’m going to stay here. Turn on the TV and check it out. Pictures of her are circulating. I’m telling you the truth.”

Chelsea finally managed to pull her hand free and wrapped both arms around herself;
how she managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time over and over again amazed her. Although, she had to admit this was the worst situation she had ever found herself in. Was she aiding and abetting a kidnapper? How would her sister manage without her if she ended up in jail?

Chelsea backed away, not even watching her step, stumbling several times as she headed back towards the house.

“Careful,” Seth admonished as he saw her struggle to remain upright.

“I’m okay.” She climbed the staircase, looking once more to see Seth watching her from the trees, before entering the house and closing the door.

She retrieved the little girl, changed her diaper, and then fed her another bottle. After settling her once again, Chelsea swallowed and turned on the TV. The evening news was getting ready to start and she sat on the edge of the bed, wringing her hands in anxiety as she waited for the last commercials to finish.

“Our top story tonight – earlier today, at around 1:30 pm, a newborn was kidnapped from the nursery at Denver General Hospital. The hospital isn’t releasing the name of the parents at this time, however, they have provided us with a picture that was taken of the infant shortly after her birth. Authorities are asking anyone with information on the location of the baby to contact the special hotline number rolling across the screen. At this time, authorities do have a credible lead, but are asking for the public’s assistance in returning the child to her parents.”

Chelsea didn’t hear any more of the newscaster as the picture of the missing baby flashed across the screen. Seth had been telling her the truth. The little girl sleeping in the next room had been taken from her parents. Chelsea stood up, wondering what her next course of action should be when she heard a knock on the nursery door.

Quickly turning the TV off, Chelsea adopted a calm smile and met Bruno as he sat down a shopping bag near the doorway. “I brought up a few types of formula. Mrs. Panturo was afraid that the one I purchased might not agree with the little one. We wouldn’t want her to get hungry. Babies need to eat so they can grow.”

Chelsea felt like vomiting, but managed a small nod and a smile for the hulking bodyguard. He gave her a quizzical look before he shrugged and let himself back out the nursery door.

Chelsea was in full-scale panic mode and hurried back to the balcony and staircase, hoping that Seth was still there and would know what to do. The urge to cry was almost overwhelming, but Chelsea pushed it aside, focusing instead on the task at hand.

Seeing Seth still keeping watch, she went down the stairs and made her way to his side, “You were right. I saw the picture on the TV. How could that man do something so horrible as to steal a baby?” Chelsea tried to calm her breathing, but wasn’t very successful at it. She was near to having a panic attack and couldn’t think past the next breath.