Chapter 4
Olivia could hardlybelieve what had transpired since coming home from work. In less than an hour, Jake had shown up unexpectedly, and they’d hashed out their issues—well, the most immediate ones, anyway.
She’d also learned that, without a doubt, all of the men responsible for what had happened to her were either dead or locked up for good.
She started to thank him again, but when she tried, the only thing that came out was a yawn. She covered her mouth until it was over. “Sorry,” she said, embarrassed.
Jake smiled, and her heart did a complete somersault. “Don’t apologize. Why don’t you go get some rest?” She felt a sliver of panic until he said, “I’ll be here when you wake up. Assuming you’re okay with that.”
Olivia knew they still had a lot to work through, but she couldn’t bring herself to worry about that now.
“You’d better be,” she said, giving him her first real smile in months. “I’m going to take a quick shower, first.” She leaned up and gave him a sweet, chaste kiss. “Make yourself at home.”
Not waiting for a response, she turned and headed toward the bathroom, her steps feeling much lighter than before. Olivia used her time in the shower to try to wrap her mind around everything she’d learned.
She understood now why things had happened the way they did. Jake had been out there fighting. For her, and for all of the women those bastards had hurt before her. For the ones they would have kept hurting, had he and his team not stopped them.
She knew enough from when Mikey and Jake served together to understand that, oftentimes, military men and women weren’t allowed to share anything with their families about where they went or what they did. A mission like the one Jake’s team had been on wasn’t much different than that.
He and the others had left to take down some very bad men, and ensure her safety. How could she stay mad at him for that?
As she rinsed the conditioner from her hair, Olivia wondered how long he’d be able to stay before having to leave again. An uneasy feeling began to creep in at the thought, but she quickly shot it down. Jake was here now, and she was going to make the most of whatever time they had together.
After her shower, Olivia quickly dried off. Looking around her small bathroom, she realized the clothes she’d planned to change into were still lying on her bed. Right where she’d left them when the doorbell had rang.Damn.
She felt silly for worrying about it. The man had already seen every inch of her body. Still, she didn’t want to push things too far too fast.
You are everything to me.
Those precious words kept rolling through her mind. It wasn’t exactly a declaration of love, but she’d take it...for now, anyway.
With a smile on her face and her towel wrapped around her body, Olivia opened the door and peaked down the hall toward the living room.
She didn’t see Jake on the couch, and assumed he was probably in the kitchen or had gone outside to look around. Either way, the coast appeared to be clear.
In just three quick steps, she was at her bedroom door. Once inside, she shut the door, turned around, and ran straight into a solid wall of muscle.
