Jake kissed the top of her head, the gesture small and simple, but Olivia felt it straight to her heart. He rested his cheek against her hair, and a part of her hated how wonderful it felt.
“I’m so sorry, Olivia,” Jake’s emotional words vibrated against her cheek. “All I ever wanted to do was protect you. I promised Mike I’d always watch out for you, and this fucking happens.” He kissed her head again. “I swear to God, if I had known you were still alive, I would have been down here in a heartbeat. I hope you know that, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart. He’d called her that a few times, now. Olivia knew he was just being kind, but that didn’t keep her heart from tripping over itself each time she heard it.
Unable to stop herself, she raised her head, her breath catching when her eyes found his. They were the most intense, heart-stirring eyes she’d ever seen. Right now, those eyes were also pain-riddled and...wet?
Impossible. Jake wasn’t a crier. The man was as tough as they came. Yet, there was something there Olivia had never seen before.
His face blurred behind her own unshed tears. “I prayed for you to come,” she whispered. “Never doubted that you would. Not until they showed me that paper.” A tear fell down her cheek, but Olivia ignored it. Jake didn’t.
He gently brushed it away. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you,” he apologized again.
Without thinking, Olivia moved her hand up to cup his face. Her palm found his cheek, the rough whiskers tickling the pads of her fingers. “You’re here, now, Jake. That’s all that matters.”
Jake’s eyes stayed on hers for a moment before finding her mouth. The space between his eyebrows bunched together, and Olivia wished like crazy that she could read his mind.
Despite her earlier convictions, all she could think of was how she wanted him closer. How, even though she knew it was wrong, she still longed for his touch. And how, in this moment, she needed him to kiss her more than she needed to breathe.
****
He needed to pull away. As much as Jake wanted to lean down and take what he’d always wanted, he knew he should put some distance between them. Olivia needed to rest, and he needed to let her.
Which was exactly what he had intended to do, until he made the mistake of glancing down. That perfect, tempting mouth was so close. Just a couple inches lower, and he’d finally be able to taste her. But this was neither the time nor the place. He needed to do right by Olivia, and pull the fuck back.
Except, when his eyes found hers again, she didn’t look as though she wanted him to pull back. She was in his arms, staring up at him as if she wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her.
Sonofabitch. Why was doing the right thing so hard? He was former Delta, for Christ’s sake. He should have more control over his hormones than this.
Decision made, Jake had just started to move away, when Olivia’s chin lifted up toward him. Her mouth was so close, he could feel her warm breath as it caressed his face.
Suddenly, it no longer mattered that he’d been Special Ops, or that he and his team practiced super self-control on a regular basis. When the tip of her tongue darted out and she whispered his name...
He. Was. Lost.
“Liv,” he whispered back as he leaned in, lightly brushing his lips against hers.
Jake half-expected her to pull back and slug him. Instead—thank Christ—her hand slid from his cheek around to the back of his neck. Using it as leverage, she moved higher, closer. Until she was almost sitting in his lap.
Kissing Olivia could be a colossal mistake on the grandest of scales, but he was already committed to it. Jake had waited a long damn time for this, and by God, he was going to take what he could while he had the chance.
Cupping her face with both hands, he tilted his head to the side to get a better angle. Tracing her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, he said a silent prayer of thanks when Olivia opened her mouth and invited him in.
Jake grunted shamelessly when he got his first real taste. Years he’d denied himself this. For the life of him, right now, he couldn’t even remember why.
Their soft, tentative touches disappeared as they began to devour each other. Her tongue thrust against his. She tasted better than he’d ever imagined. All sweet and minty, and so very—
“Olivia.”
Jake hadn’t meant to say her name out loud, but she must have liked hearing it, because Olivia took more control then. Her fingernails dug into the back of his neck, the pleasurable pain sending what little blood he had left in his body straight to his cock.
Almost frantically, Jake moved his hands down lower, not stopping until they rested against her narrow hips. Suddenly, the only thing that mattered was getting closer to her. Taking more of her. I need all of her.
His fingers caressed the bit of silky, exposed skin at her waist as they continued to suck and lick and nibble. Slowly, Jake moved his hands up and under her shirt. When he brushed against the bottom swells of her breasts, she let out a sexy-as-fuck sound of approval.
Jesus. He’d never been so hard in his life. He couldn’t get enough of her. But when his hold on her tightened, and Olivia cried out, Jake instinctively knew it wasn’t from pleasure.
Dropping his hands, he immediately pulled back. They both stilled, their ragged breaths cutting through the jungle’s cool air. Jake didn’t think he’d held her that tightly, but he’d been so wrapped up in that heart-stopping kiss, he must have squeezed harder than he’d meant to.
Ah, hell. Guilt swiftly assaulted him. Jake realized Olivia was probably bruised from when he’d knocked her to the ground earlier to
