“Sweetheart, would you please just listen—”
“No, you listen!” Her finger flew in his direction as two months’ worth of hurt and resentment came rushing out full-force. “You left me, Jake. Not the other way around. After everything we’d been through. After everything you and I...”—she stopped cold, refusing to go in that direction—“you just left me there, with those agents. Those strangers.”
Olivia continued on, not giving him a chance to speak. “I had no idea where you were. All I knew was that you were gone, and I had to pick up the pieces of my shattered life alone. How do you think that made me feel?” Her voice continued to rise until she was shouting. “Oh, and hello, even if I had wanted to call you, I couldn’t because I had no way to get ahold of you!”
“Bullshit!” Jake yelled back as he took a step forward, his fisted hands at his sides. “You talked to Jason. If you’d told him what was happening, he would have gotten in touch with me, and you know it! I mean”—he stretched out his arms and motioned to her house—“he sure was willing to help you with plenty of other things while I was away.”
Olivia swore she could actually feel her blood pressure rising. He did not just go there.
Refusing to even acknowledge his idiotic implication, she asked, “What then? Huh, Jake? Let’s say I had told Jason what was going on, and he told you. You were on a job! What could you have done about it?”
Jake took a step closer to her. His voice grew louder, his words seeping through his teeth. “If I thought you were in trouble, I would have been here. I would have figured out something with the job, and I would have been here!”
“Which is exactly why I didn’t call him!” Olivia’s voice echoed throughout the tiny house.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence was deafening.
“What?” Jake asked with little more than a whisper.
His brows drew together and something other than anger flashed in his eyes. Only briefly, but it was enough that Olivia recognized it. She’d hurt him.
The fact that she was scared and hadn’t wanted his help cut him deeply. Jake was, to the core, a man of action. A protector. Especially to those he cared for.
Well, hell. As much as his leaving had hurt her, deep down Olivia never truly wanted to cause Jake pain. She did her best to explain.
“I knew if I told Jason what was going on, he’d tell you, and you’d go all Mr. Protecto on me.” Jake opened his mouth to respond, but she didn’t let him. “And despite the evidence from recent events, I’m not some weak, helpless, damsel in distress. Believe it or not, I am capable of taking care of myself.”
The lines on his forehead smoothed quickly, and Olivia saw the muscles in his jaw bulge out. Rather than helping Jake understand, her explanation had clearly pissed him off even more.
Lovely. I just can’t seem to win with him, today.
Jake spoke through his teeth again as he shoved his own pointed finger in her direction. “I have never thought of you as weak or helpless. You want to talk about evidence? The only evidence I saw in that fucking jungle was that you are the strongest, most capable woman I have ever known. But even if you weren’t, it wouldn’t matter, Liv. Nothing will ever keep me from worrying about you or wanting to protect you.”
Olivia shook her head and smiled sadly. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Jake. I don’t need you to protect me. I’ve taken care of it. The police know about everything, and, as you so observantly pointed out,” she motioned to her alarm system, “I’m taking extra precautions.”
“That’s all well and good, but—”
“But, nothing!” Olivia’s voice rose with frustration again.
Trying to rein it in, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Damn it. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up.
At best, it would be awkward as hell, but Jake obviously needed to hear it, and she needed to let him off the hook so he could leave here with a clear conscience.
Then, they could both forget about it and go on with their lives. He’d go back to saving the world, and she’d be left alone, again. What else was new, right?
“Look, Jake. What happened between us in that hotel room, was...”—she paused as she tried to describe the most unbelievable experience of her life. There really were no words that could do it justice, so she settled for—“amazing. But, I’m mature enough to understand what it really was and what it wasn’t.”
His voice lowered, and he spoke with such calmness, it sent shivers down her spine. “And what exactly was it, Olivia?”
The truth was almost too painful to admit, but she forged on, needing to resolve this thing between them once and for all. Licking her lips again, Olivia began to babble.
“A one-time thing, right?” She shrugged one shoulder. “I mean, that’s what I said that night. Hell, I pretty much begged you to make love to me. But, don’t worry,” she added quickly. “I’m not looking for more, I just...I wanted you to know why I didn’t make that call to Jason about what was going on. I knew if I did, you’d leave your job and come rushing in to save the day, and I didn’t want”—her voice broke and she swallowed hard—“I didn’t want you coming here just because you felt obligated.”
His eyes widened. “Obligated?” He practically spit the word out, as if it somehow left a bad taste in his mouth.
Olivia let out a frustrated breath. “Yes, Jake. Obligated. I know you. Hell, you said yourself, you’re protective of me. I refuse to take advantage of that, and I’m sure as hell not going to be the type of woman to sleep with you, and then expect you to be
