Avoiding that line of thinking altogether, Olivia decided to ask again about Plan B. She’d just opened her mouth when Jake stopped abruptly.
He let go of her hand and motioned for her to stay quiet. Olivia’s lips tightened as she strained to hear whatever it was that had Jake so spooked. Twigs snapped, the sound coming from somewhere close by. Her eyes flew up to his.
Without warning, Jake pulled Olivia behind a cluster of bushes with leaves nearly as big as she was. He pushed down on one of her shoulders and, without hesitating, she dropped into a squat. Using her hands to balance herself, Olivia ignored the wet dirt and leaves—and whatever else was beneath her.
They heard another snap, this one way too close for comfort. Jake quickly dropped down with her. Check that...onher.
Holy. Hell.
Now flat on her back, Olivia tried to wrap her head around the fact that Jake McQueen was lying on top of her, their bodies pressed together. She held her breath and tried not to move.
If the situation weren’t so serious, she probably would have laughed. How many times had she fantasized about lying beneath this man? About a billion or so, if she had to guess. But this wasn’t her bed, and in her fantasies, they sure as hell weren’t being hunted by a bunch of crazy-assed murderers.
Shutting her eyes, Olivia began to feel crushed. Not physically. No, it was her spirit that had taken the hardest hit of all. This became evident when she found herself wishing in vain that she could somehow fast forward through all this insanity and just get back home where she belonged.
It wasn’t like her to waste useless energy complaining about something she couldn’t change. Not even mentally. But damn it, she was just sosickof this!
Sick of being scared. Tired of being hungry and thirsty and...well,tired.
Olivia was beyond ready to be someplace cool, where her clothes didn’t stick to her like a second skin and her entire body didn’t feel like one big mass of sweat and stench. She wanted to be able to fill her lungs with air that wasn’t so thick with humidity, it felt as though she were trying to breathe underwater.
Enough whining, Bradshaw. This isn’t helping.
She drew in as much air as her bruised ribs would allow and forced the negative thoughts away. As she did, Olivia noticed that, like before, Jake was being careful not to let his full weight press down against hers. Given their current position, however, contact with his lower body was unavoidable.
It was impossible to miss exactly how lean and hard those muscles were. And he was definitely hard.Everywhere.
Olivia did her best to pretend she hadn’t noticed. She understood that it was just his body’s natural reaction to a major adrenaline rush.
Any other time, ignoring something like that—especially withthisman—would have been a major feat. But given that her head was pounding, her ribs ached with every breath, and her feet were sore as hell, she found it surprisingly easy.
Jake stiffened, and she could feel his muscles become tense. Olivia’s thoughts returned to where they were and why they were here. Her mind became a chaotic mess of terrifying realizations.
She and Jake were hiding because some very bad men wanted to kill them. He was literally risking his life for her because she’d been a coward and hadn’t fought back when she should have. She’d done nothing to try to help Malani and the others, and they’d been slaughtered because of it.
One member of Jake’s team had already been wounded while trying to save her. Trevor could be hurt right now. Jake could die.All because of me.
Her breathing increased, and she closed her eyes again to help regain some composure. She loved Jake more than anything. Always would.
He was a warrior, courageous and honorable. Everything she wasn’t. That particular realization was utterly soul crushing because, in that moment, Olivia knew she would never be good enough for someone like him.
Looking back up at Jake, she found him completely focused on keeping her safe. Suddenly, Olivia was filled with an overwhelming sense of unworthiness.
For as long as she could remember, she’d wanted Jake. More than anyone or anything. And in a matter of seconds, that all changed.
Watching him, now...knowing he was willing to die to protect her, Olivia wanted nothing more than to get as far away from him as she possibly could. Those other men wantedher, not Jake.
She needed to get away from him. Somehow distract the men who were chasing them. Then, she could take the target off Jake’s back and put it onto to hers where it belonged. She could—
“Don’t. Even. Think it.”
Jake’s words were whispered so low, Olivia thought she’d imagined them. When she found his beautiful, narrowed eyes with their knowing glare staring back down at her, she knew she hadn’t.How does he do that?
Jake always seemed to know what she was thinking. Almost as if he had a sixth sense or something. It was fascinating and, to be perfectly honest, sometimes a little creepy.
As the logical part of her brain finally decided to join the party, Olivia understood that he was right. If she moved now, she’d be putting him in even more danger than he was already in.
At his core, Jake was a protector. If she tried to get free and leave him behind, he’d do everything in his power to stop her. The struggle would give away their position and Jake could be hurt, or God, even worse. Those images had her closing her eyes again and turning away.I’msonot worth the risks he’s taking.
