His touch had started out innocently enough. Then, she’d looked up at him with a need that mirrored his own, and it had been game over.
Sure, he’d tried to put on the breaks—at least that’s what he told himself—but Jake knew he could have tried harder.
He could have gone back to his own bed and left her alone. Probably what he should have done. Regardless, he couldn’t bring himself to regret being with her.
Jake’s tongue darted out and ran along his lips. He could still taste her, his body stirring as it remembered being inside her. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Being with her was like...coming home.
He should feel bad for how rough he’d been with her at the end that first time, but, God. She’d actually asked for it. Practically begged him to move faster. Knowing he would forever give Olivia anything she wanted, Jake had done exactly that.
Twice during the night, she’d woken from nightmares. Not unexpected, given what she’d been through, but it still broke his heart to see.
After the first one, he’d simply held her and whispered soothing words into her ear. She’d fallen back to sleep almost immediately.
The second time she woke—a little over three hours ago—had been much more intense.
Jake had just fallen asleep when Olivia’s limbs began flailing about, and she’d cried out in fear. He had to be more forceful that time, wrapping his arms completely around her and saying her name repeatedly, until he was sure she was fully awake.
She’d cried, then. Horrible, gut-wrenching sobs that made Jake wish the sons of bitches who’d taken her were standing in front of him, just so he could rip their fucking hearts out of their chests. When she’d finally calmed down, Jake had made love to her again.
A man on a mission, he’d gone slower that time, determined to erase whatever evils she’d seen in her dreams. Apparently, it worked, at least for the time being, because she was still sound asleep.
He glanced at his watch. It was almost time to wake her, but Jake wanted to give her a few more minutes of peace before he did. As if on cue, a knock rattled the room’s cheap door.
Watching her closely, Jake drew his weapon and went to the door. Through the tiny peephole, he saw Derek waiting on the other side with two Styrofoam cups in his hands.
Jake pushed his gun’s safety on and slid it back into his waistband. He undid the door’s chain and deadbolt, before opening it just enough to give a Derek a silent greeting.
“Mornin’, boss. You look like hell. No sleep?”
“Not much.” Jake spoke low, not wanting to wake Olivia.
Derek raised one corner of his mouth. “Guess you got some good use out of those supplies I bought for ya, huh?” His eyebrows waggled up and down. “I mean, from what I heard, it’s no wonder you’re whooped. You know, these old rooms have really thin walls, and your girl in there was pretty lou—”
Smacking a hand against Derek’s chest, Jake pushed the other man back and stepped outside. Without completely shutting the door behind him, Jake got right into the other man’s face.
“What the fuck, D?” Jake had to work hard to keep his voice down. “Show some goddamn respect. She could have heard you!”
Derek’s brows raised as he tried not to drop the cups. “Whoa. Sorry, man. I didn’t mean nothin’ by it. I was just playin’ around.”
“Don’t,” Jake warned. “Not with her.”
Derek swallowed hard. “Understood. Sorry, boss.” He held the two cups out for Jake, who took them without a word.
After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Jake asked, “What do we know?”
“Ryker’s contact here confirmed numerous fatalities within Cetro’s organization.”
“And Cetro?”
Derek shook his head. “No word on him, yet. Although, Hill did blow the shit out of their compound, so it’s likely his remains just haven’t been recovered.”
Jake didn’t like the sound of that. His concern must have shown, because Derek spoke up.
“If he did somehow survive, they’ll find him. That scar of Cetro’s is pretty hard to miss, and Ryker’s guys know findin’ him is their priority.”
Jake nodded, but still felt uneasy. He hated relying on someone else to figure out whether or not Cetro was still alive. Normally, he’d stay and take care of it himself, but getting Olivia settled in back home was his priority, now.
“When do we leave?”
“Ryker’s arranged for transport to the airstrip we used when we first arrived. He wants us wheels up by oh-eight-hundred.”
Jake glanced at his watch. That was less than two hours away. “Alright. Make sure you and Hill are ready. I’ll wake Liv and meet you out here in an hour.”
Derek’s expression softened. “How’s she doin’?”
Jake drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “As good as she can be, considering. Physically, she’d alright. Woke up a couple of times during the night.”
“Nightmares?”
“Yeah.”
Derek cursed softly, his hands on his hips as he rocked back on his heels. “At least we got her out of there. I can’t imagine what she must have gone through.”
Jake appreciated his teammate’s concern. “It sure as hell wasn’t good, but at least she wasn’t raped.”
“Thank God.”
“Yeah.”
It was all Jake could manage to get past the knot in his throat. Every time he thought about what could have happened to Liv, he lost his ability to breathe, let alone speak.
Derek cleared his throat. “I’ll let you take care of things, then. We’ll see ya in an hour.”
Jake lifted his chin as way of saying goodbye and walked back into the darkened room. Using the heel of one foot, he shut the door behind him and turned, surprised to find Olivia’s eyes glued to his.
She was lying on her side, and Jake quickly searched for any signs of regret. He was relieved as fuck when he found none.
“Hey, there,” he said softly.
She smiled sleepily. “Hey, yourself.”
Her
