Her head shook with denial against his hand, but he kept on.
“Sweetheart, if you’d fought them, they just would have hurt you even more than they already had. Those men are fucking animals, Olivia. If you’ve ever believed in me, then trust me when I say there was nothing, nothing you could have done to save your friends.”
“You don’t under—”
“I’m not finished.”
Determined to get through to her, he moved his other hand up so he was cupping both sides of her face. Her eyes swept the cave, focusing on anything but him. Not happening, sweetheart.
“Look at me, Liv.” He waited a breath, but she didn’t move. “Baby, look at me,” he whispered again, surprised when she actually did.
Staring into the most beautiful, broken eyes he’d ever seen, Jake said, “It wasn’t your fault. You just happened to be the one they chose. And make no mistake, they chose this. Not you. You are by far the strongest, most compassionate woman I’ve ever known. You think you’re not brave? Most people wouldn’t have lasted half as long as you did. They sure as hell wouldn’t have had the balls to try to fight off Javier Cetro and escape into the jungle, barefoot and alone. As for your dad and brother, trust me, baby. They are so proud of you. I’m proud of you.” Jake’s throat worked as he pushed back his emotions, his hands wiping away her seemingly unending supply tears.
“When I heard you’d been killed,” his voice broke. “Baby, when I thought you were dead, I lost the best part of myself. The thing is, you didn’t die, Liv. You’re right here, with me. God knows I’ve given myself a million reasons over the years why this could never happen. And who knows how our story will go? I sure as hell don’t. What I do know, is that I’m willing to at least try.”
He shifted his feet closer, the tips of his boots touching her toes. “We’ve wasted so much time already, sweetheart. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering about the what-ifs. Do you?”
When she didn’t answer right away, Jake felt something akin to panic quickly set in. He kept fighting.
“Give me a chance, Liv.” He leaned in, his forehead touching hers. “Give us a chance.”
He held his breath, his heart pounding against his ribs as he waited for her response. When her eyes found his, Jake refused to put a name to the emotion reflected there.
“I’m scared, Jake,” she whispered. “I want this. More than anything in the world, I want this, but...I can’t lose you. You’re too important to me, and I...” She took a breath, “I need you, Jake.”
His heart soared and shattered, all at the same time. “Ah, sweetheart,” he said on an exhaled breath. “I need you, too.” Then, he pressed his mouth against hers.
Olivia didn’t just kiss him back this time. She reached deep into his chest and grabbed hold of his heart with both hands.
From that moment on, no matter how things played out between them, Jake knew this woman would forever own him.
****
Olivia knew she should pull away. Instead, her fists clung to Jake as if he were her lifeline. In many ways, he was.
They still had a lot of things to work out—his job, just one of many—but her love for this man was too strong, and she simply couldn’t fight it any longer.
Jake’s hand cupped the back of her head, bringing them impossibly closer. Their tongues intertwined, dancing to a rhythm all their own.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss, either. It was hard and fast, and Olivia loved every single second of it.
They soon became frenzied, their mouths feeding from one another’s. Jake’s desperation mirrored hers as they finally gave in to the need they’d denied themselves for far too long.
He guided them to the center of the cave. He broke away from her long enough to remove his protective vest. The second it cleared his head, he tossed it to the side and sat down, bringing her on top of him.
Olivia spread her legs wide to straddle his muscular thighs. Her fingers filled with his hair as they continued to drink each other in. She pressed her aching sex against his hard bulge, but it wasn’t enough.
Mindful of her bruises this time, Jake’s hands slid beneath the hem of her shirt. His fingertips burned her skin with every touch, and Olivia gasped when he filled his hands with her bare breasts.
Jake kneaded the sensitive flesh. Her nipples reached out to him, begging for more. Sensing her need, he ran his thumbs across the pointed nubs. Her inner muscles clenched and a rush of arousal flooded her core.
“Jake,” Olivia whimpered his name. Jake’s hips lifted beneath hers in response.
She began to grind against his erection, the friction almost enough to send her over the edge. When he pulled his mouth from hers, she wanted to cry from the loss of contact. Then, she felt his warm lips moving across her jawline, the bristling stubble around his mouth adding to the already tantalizing sensations.
Her fingernails dug into his chest when he sucked her earlobe between his teeth. From the way Jake reacted, he liked it. A lot.
“God, Olivia,” he panted, her name escaping his lips in a rush of hot air.
Hearing him say it like that drove her to a place she’d never known. They were sweaty and dirty, and it was the exact opposite from the right time and place for this sort of thing, but neither could bring themselves to stop.
Tilting her head back to give him better access, Olivia moaned again as his lips and tongue began leaving a trail of wet kisses along the length of her neck. When he bit down slightly at the juncture there, she cried out.
No other man would ever be capable of making her feel the way she did in this very
