The Marine's Virgin Lover (6 page)

“Shush.” Seth pulled her into his chest, holding on when she stiffened and tried to back away, “Look, I don’t have all the facts, but I believe he was acting out of revenge for something that happened several years ago.”

Chelsea fought his hold for a brief moment, and then the security of his hold and her earlier attraction to him kicked in. Relaxing in his hold, she let her forehead drop against his chest for just a moment. She would take the comfort he offered for a minute and then she would figure out what to do.

Seth felt her relax and rubbed hand gently up and down her back. She had looked close to losing it when she had returned and he needed her calm and thinking straight for the next little bit. She could fall apart once he had retrieved the baby. Maybe once he had returned the child to her rightful parents, he could contact her and see if the attraction they were both feeling had anywhere to go.

“I don’t know what to do,” whispered Chelsea, more to herself than him.

“It’s okay. Right now, I need you to go get the baby and bring her to me. I’ll take her back to the hospital and the authorities can handle the rest of it.”

Chelsea shook her head, pushing herself away from his chest, “I can’t do that.”

Seth sighed, she was going to be difficult, “What do you mean, you can’t do that?”

“I can’t let you take the baby back to Denver.” Chelsea knew that part of what she was saying was coming out wrong, but her brain was so frazzled with the fact that she had been hired to care for a kidnapped baby, she was having trouble communicating effectively.

“Why not?” Seth was beginning to get angry, but tamped down on his need to shake some sense into the woman in front of him.

“No. I mean, I can’t let you take the baby back to Denver without me.” Chelsea could see that she wasn’t getting her point across and added, “I was hired to take care of her. I can’t let you go traipsing off into the woods with a newborn.”

“Fine. Not a problem. Grab whatever you think you need and the baby and let’s get going.” Seth was fine taking her with him. That would probably be a lot safer for her anyway. No telling what might happen when Marco discovered she had let someone take the baby.

“What if Bruno comes back?”

“Who’s Bruno?” Seth asked. So far from his surveillance, he had only seen an elderly housekeeper working in the kitchen.

Chelsea looked back towards the house as if she expected the mysterious Bruno to magically appear, “He’s this really big bodyguard guy. I don’t think he has a sense of humor, either.”

Seth nodded and looked towards the house once again. He hadn’t been watching the house for long and it was possible he hadn’t see the other occupants yet. “Who else is in the house?”

“Just Mrs. Panturo, the housekeeper, and Bruno. Mr. Bresi had to fly back to Italy shortly after he brought the baby home.”

Seth considered this information. The elderly housekeeper wasn’t a problem, but an oversized bodyguard who was loyal to Marco could prove troublesome. “Look, why don’t I come up with you. The sooner we get back to my vehicle the better.”

Chelsea thought for a moment and then slowly nodded, “Okay. But we need to be really quiet.”

Seth gave her his best smile, “Honey, quiet is my middle name. Lead the way.” Seth gestured for her to precede him towards the house, keeping a careful watch for any sign of the other occupants.

Seth followed her up the staircase, placing a hand on her lower back to steady her lest she fall backwards. He felt the shiver run through her body and filed that information away for later review. It seemed that Miss Chelsea might be attracted to him as well. Mutual attraction was always a good thing in Seth’s book and he planned on taking full advantage of that fact, once they had delivered the baby back to her rightful parents.

As he followed her into the house, he took note of the furnishings and silently applauded the decorator’s taste. Seth and Chance had been raised in a very affluent household in California. Their parents had both been from old money, and had raised their children in the luxuries that only the very wealthy could afford. Boarding schools, European vacations, and country club memberships had been staples during Seth and Chance’s formative years. An honest work ethic had also been nurtured as well as appreciation for the bounty they enjoyed.

With the passing of their parents, they had each inherited sizable fortunes, but had preferred to immerse themselves in everyday life, rather than sit back and rest on the fortunes made by others. Seth had joined the Marines and shortly after completing basic training, been accepted into an elite Special Forces unit. Chance had applied to the FBI and been accepted. He had trained in Quantico and then been stationed in Virginia for the three years he stayed in.

Now, both brothers were living in Colorado. Seth had invested a portion of his fortune into MJI securities and one day soon hoped his brother would join him as a full partner in the company. Seth let his mind wander to various things while he watched Chelsea flit around the room, gathering personal belongings and stuffing them into the oversized diaper bag she had retrieved from the other room.

When she left, only to return moments later with a small wrapped bundle, Seth couldn’t help but take a step closer and marvel at the beautiful baby asleep in her arms. Chelsea handed him what looked to be a miniature sleeping bag, and quietly asked him to unzip it and lay it down on the bed.

Once that was done, she carefully transferred the sleeping baby to the bed and zipped her up into the little sack. Pulling the hood around the baby’s head, she then stood up and pulled the diaper bag onto her bag, like a backpack. Seth watched in amazement as she then slung her purse over one shoulder and across her body.

“Could you grab the carrier? It’s not as safe as a car seat, but I didn’t see one next door and figured it would probably look suspicious if I went looking around for one.”

Seth smiled at her attempt to find humor in the situation, “Yeah. Nothing like ringing a really loud bell and announcing to everyone that you’re onto them. Anything else we need to take?”

Chelsea looked around once more, sad that she wasn’t able to take all of her clothing. Maybe once the authorities arrested Mr. Bresi she would be able to return for her things. That wasn’t what was important right now, the baby was. Shaking her head, she looked at Seth. He was watching her and she couldn’t quite figure out what he was thinking as he stared at her.

Seth was amazed at how calm and collected Chelsea seemed to be. She had efficiently packed both hers and the baby’s necessities, and in under fifteen minutes was ready to go. Maybe that trait went with being a nurse? Or was it just the woman? Was she always so calm and collected under pressure?

Seth grinned as he envisioned getting to know the woman more after this situation was resolved. He found himself drawn to her in a way that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Watching her lick her bottom lip was doing things to his libido that the situation definitely didn’t call for.

Yanking his mind back to the present, he pulled the diaper bag/backpack from her slim shoulder, saying, “Let me take that. We have to hike almost a mile and it’s all downhill. The terrain isn’t too steep, but I’d rather you focus on staying upright and keeping the baby safe. I’ll carry everything else.”

Chelsea smiled at him, “Thanks. Do you think we can get to your vehicle before it gets too dark?” She was trying to ignore the feelings his hands on her person had just created. When he had grasped both shoulders to remove the diaper bag from her, he had stepped close enough that his unique scent and cologne had drifted to her senses once again. She loved it. It was earthy and masculine, and him. She knew that after this ordeal was over, she would always remember his smell.

Seth looked at the setting sun and figured they only had about twenty minutes of daylight left. If he was by himself he would have said “No problem.” With Chelsea and the infant, he hoped that they would at least get within eyesight of his rig before the sun dipped behind the mountains. Choosing to stay positive, he tapped her nose and smiled again, “Sure, nothing to worry about. I’m going to go down first and make sure the coast is clear. When I whistle, you come down with the baby, okay?”

Chelsea nodded; she would feel so much better once she had the baby safely away from the house. “Okay.”

Seth went quickly down the staircase and once the coast was clear, he whistled and watched as Chelsea carefully descended the staircase, keeping the infant close against her front as she did so. Seeing the relief on her face when she reached him, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. What he really wanted to do was pull her in for a hug, but there would be time for such things later. He would make sure of that.

      
      
      
      
      
*****

Chance pulled up in front of the small house, taking note of the beat up van sitting in the driveway. Maria had provided him with the address and very little information. What he did know was that Rachel Andrews was a widow with two small sons, twins in fact. Her husband had been killed while fighting in Afghanistan shortly after she had given birth, and her sister had moved in to help her out.

Chance walked up the quiet sidewalk, noticing the beautifully maintained flowerbeds and close cut grass. Someone spent a lot of time tending to the yard. Ringing the doorbell, he took a step back and reminded himself to smile and look trustworthy.

A very harried looking woman opened the door only moments later, her hair falling out of a lopsided ponytail, one crying infant held against her shoulder and tear tracks on her own face showing how miserable they both were. “Whatever you’re selling, if it doesn’t make colicky babies go to sleep, I’m not interested.”

Chance was so taken aback by the sight before him, he forgot to speak for a moment. When she moved as if to shut the door, he stepped forward, placing his foot against the door preventing it from being closed any further. Even with her hair in disarray, she was stunning. Big beautiful eyes, hair the color of honey, and curves in all the right places. She was also exhausted if the dark circles under her eyes were any indication.

“I don’t mean to disturb you ma’am, but I’m here about your sister - Chelsea?” Chance immediately regretted his choice of words as he watched all the color drain from the young woman’s face and her start to wilt in front of him. Stepping forward quickly, he grabbed her just in time to prevent her from falling to the floor. As he felt her body go limp, he quickly used one arm to secure the infant against his own chest, while he lifted and half dragged the woman further into the house.

Laying her down on a sofa covered with laundry waiting to be folded, he then turned the little boy around in his arms and was greeted to the biggest toothless grin he had ever seen. Drool was flowing out of the little boy’s mouth and he gnawed on a fist in obvious distress.

Hearing the cries of another child, Chance took one more glance at their mother and went in search of her other son. He found him lying in his crib, gnawing on his own fist and screaming periodically to express his displeasure at having been left alone.

Scooping this child up as well, Chance grabbed several clean diapers and headed back into the living room. He hoped their mother would awaken and tend to their soggy bottoms, but when he saw her still out cold, he handled the task himself.

As he changed the second little boy’s diaper, he found himself laughing that he had finally found something he could thank Uncle Sam for. One of his first undercover operations had been in a daycare center. Changing diapers, wiping up spilled milk, and teaching little ones to share the toys had been a daily occurrence. Chance hadn’t really minded, except that each day spent in the presence of the children reminded him of what he could never have – children of his own.

A childhood illness had rendered him sterile, and he had found that most women were completely turned off by the knowledge that he could never father his own children. Chance had come to terms with it years ago, and had learned to be happy with what he did have in his life,
not what he was missing. He loved children, and hoped one day to find a woman who would be content with adopting children into their home. His parents had left him a small fortune, and he looked forward to the day when he could spoil some well-deserving kids.

Seeing a playpen in one corner of the room, he placed both boys on their stomachs inside it, leaving each a toy just out of reach. Smiling as they both started trying to scoot their little bodies towards the toys, he turned intending to awaken their mother to stare into the greenest eyes he had ever seen. It was like looking into a bed of grass, warmed by the sun and so soft to the touch you wanted to take your shoes and socks off just to feel it against your feet.

“Who in the hell are you and what’s wrong with my sister?”

Chance watched the eyes grow stormy as she finished speaking and decided that he might want to re-evaluate the warmth he thought he’d seen in those eyes. Right now, they looked like they wanted to kill something and he was the prime target.

Rachel Andrews came awake to see a strange man – no, not strange – the same man who had hinted that something had happened to Chelsea. Letting her vision clear, she felt her anger rise as this same man stood from leaning over her children’s playpen. How dare he walk into her home uninvited!

“Get away from my kids. Now!!”

Chance stood to his full height and slowly raised both hands up in a gesture of surrender. He watched the petite woman push herself up from the couch and skirt around him to take up a position between himself and her two boys. He admired her spunk and her dedication to protecting her kids. She was a lioness; temporarily taken off guard, she had come back fighting mad, willing to protect her kids with her life if need be.

Chance put some more distance between the two of them before saying, “Look. I’m sorry my question earlier caused you to panic…”