The word forced its way into her thoughts and, damn, if she wasn’t even more turned on than before.What the hell is wrong with you?
It was a sickness. It had to be. She was certifiably, mentally ill.
At least that would explain how, even though she wanted to beat the crap out of him for treating her like his best friend’s kid sister again, Olivia also wanted to strip him naked and take him right there on the cold, linoleum floor.
Her panties got wet just thinking about it.Yep, you are one sick puppy, Bradshaw.
Reining it all in—barely—Olivia shook her head and cleared her throat. “No one’s—”
“Damn it, Olivia! Foroncein your life will you stop being so fucking stubborn and tell me what’s going on!”
She jumped. Didn’t mean to. Not with him. As mad as he was, Jake would never,everhurt her. Not physically, anyway.Tell that to your heart.
Of course, he noticed. “Shit, Liv.” His voice lowered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just that...damn it, youknowI can help you.”
Olivia opened her mouth to deny it again, but the look on his face told her he wasn’t going to let it go. He’d keep pushing and pushing until she finally gave in.
God, the man could be insufferable, and as usual, Olivia had zero resistance when it came to him. She bit her bottom lip and tried not to let him see how scared she really was.
“I’m handling it.”
Instantly, the lines on Jake’s forehead smoothed, and his expression hardened. “Handling what?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about, Jake. Really. It’s—”
“You do realize, I make one phone call to Derek, and in less than two minutes I’ll have any and all complaints or police reports you’ve ever filed.”
Olivia actually felt her jaw drop. Flustered, she said “Derek can’t hack into the NFPD’s computer system. That’s...illegal!”
That damn eyebrow rose again, and he looked as though she’d just made the most ridiculous statement in the history of the world. Which, she had.
Of course, super-secret black ops types wouldn’t care about a silly thing like illegally hacking into Nowhere, USA’s police database. Especially not a guy like Derek West.
A literal computer genius and member of R.I.S.C.’s Alpha Team, the former SEAL was much too good at what he did to get caught.
Not that Derek needed to hack the department’s computers now, anyway. Olivia had just confirmed Jake’s suspicions herself. Shehadfiled a police report since moving here. Three, to be precise.
Shit, shit shit.
Jake turned away, quickly reassembling her gun before handing it back to her, butt-first. Praying he didn’t notice how the gun shook in her hand, Olivia took it and sat it on the counter behind her, next to their still-empty coffee cups.
“I don’t want to call D,” Jake’s soothing voice rumbled. “I’d much rather hear it from you.” He took a step closer. “You’re obviously scared of something, Liv.” He reached up and caressed her cheek. His eyes pleaded with her as he whispered, “Talk to me, sweetheart.”
Ah, man. Sweetheart?Really?With that one endearment and his heartfelt plea, the final thread of Olivia’s resolve disintegrated.
She became putty in his hands. Strong, callused hands that were currently touching her with loving caresses.
Hadn’t she known all along this would happen? Olivia silently cursed herself because when Jake looked at her like he was now, she knew she’d give him any damn thing he asked for.
“It’s nothing big, Jake. Some...things have happened since I’ve been back.” She quickly added, “But, I’m fine.Really.”
The muscle in his jaw flexed, and his brows furrowed. He let his hand fall to his side, and she immediately longed for it back.
“What sort of things?”
Olivia was too damn tired to keep up the pretense anymore. The man was like a freaking dog with a bone. He wouldn’t give up until she’d spilled every single detail, so it was pointless to waste more energy arguing.
She blew out a steady breath. “Look, Jake. I’ve just come off my third double shift in ten days. If we’re going to have this conversation, then I really do need that coffee.”
