Every once in a while, a muscle in his jaw would bulge, and his lips would flatten together in a hard line. He almost looked angry, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking during those fleeting moments.
She didn’t interrupt him to ask. After believing she’d never see him again, Olivia wanted to cherish this stolen moment for as long as she could.
Looking at him now, she found his lips relaxed and slightly open.Such perfect lips.In her fantasies, he was always a fabulous kisser. And why not? The man had a body made for sin, and his mouth was no exception.
He was, without a doubt, the most handsome man she’d ever known. Even so, Olivia knew the very best parts of Jake were the ones you couldn't see.
She looked back down at his hands. His fingers were big and strong, parts of them calloused from years of hard work.
A warm tingling in her lower belly caught her off guard as they tenderly moved across her skin. Olivia recognized it immediately, and wondered how it was even possible to become so aroused by such a simple act.
With no conscious effort on her part, wonderful pictures began to form in her mind. She and Jake together. His hands on her body in other, much more sensual ways. Olivia stared at those large fingers, imagining the kinds of pleasure they could bring.
A wave of heat struck, and moisture began to pool between her legs. She felt her skin becoming flushed with desire and—
Jake muttered something about almost being finished with the one foot.
Olivia’s eyes flew up to his. She was monumentally relieved to find him still focused on what he was doing, oblivious to the X-rated thoughts that had nearly left her breathless.
Like the splash of cold water, his mumbling squelched all traces of arousal.Shame on you.That little voice of reason was right.
People were dead, and she was thinking of sex? Of course, given the rollercoaster ride of emotions she’d been on today, Olivia found she really wasn’t all that surprised.
She looked at Jake, again. Her very own badass guardian angel. He’d appeared out of nowhere, just when she’d needed him most.That reminds me...
“Jake?”
He kept working. “Yeah?”
“You said you’d explain later why you came here, even though you thought I was dead. It’s later, and since we’re going to be here for a while...” She let her words trail off, confident he’d take the hint.
Jake’s hands stilled momentarily, before he resumed his work. He remained silent for so long, Olivia had started to think he wasn’t going to answer. When he worked his jaw again, Olivia frowned.
She was about to ask him what that was all about when he finally brought his gaze to hers. The bitterness there was terrifying.
“I came here to find the bastards responsible for killing you, and make them pay for what they’d done.”
She could have sworn the blue in Jake’s eyes darkened with his words. His expression was fierce, and there was an edge there. One she’d never seen before.
He didn’t elaborate, but she didn’t need him to. Olivia understood perfectly. His sole purpose for coming here was to kill Scarface and his men. Forher.
As she held his haunted gaze, she realized Jake was not only the most caring and protective man she’d ever known. He was also the most deadly.
Jake turned away and finished wrapping her left foot. Once that was done, he started cleaning her right one before he spoke again, all traces of that dark edge gone.
“So, you want to tell me what happened to you and the others?”
Confusion, from both his sudden change in tone and topic, made Olivia’s head swim. She wanted to ask him more about coming here. About his team and the men who’d taken her. But after everything he’d done for her, Olivia decided if he wanted to change the subject for now, he could.
That didn’t mean she wanted to relive the horrors of that day. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine. She shrugged, doing her best to sound as casual as he had.
“Not much to talk about.”
Jake’s hands stopped moving again. He glanced at her, his voice dipping lower. “Liv.”
Olivia had always loved the way he used the shortened version of her name. The emotion with which he said it this time, however, nearly undid her. She focused on her hands, which were wringing together in her lap.
“Olivia?”
