Taking a Risk, Part One

by Anna Blakely

  With nothing else to do for now but sit still and observe, Olivia let her eyes travel upward to Jake's face. She took in his handsome profile. One corner of her mouth lifted when his brow turned inward, the way it always did when he was concentrating.

  Every once in a while, a muscle in his jaw would bulge, and his lips would flatten together in a hard line. He almost looked angry, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking during those fleeting moments.

  She didn’t interrupt him to ask. After believing she’d never see him again, Olivia wanted to cherish this stolen moment for as long as she could.

  Looking at him now, she found his lips relaxed and slightly open. Such perfect lips. In her fantasies, he was always a fabulous kisser. And why not? The man had a body made for sin, and his mouth was no exception.

  He was, without a doubt, the most handsome man she’d ever known. Even so, Olivia knew the very best parts of Jake were the ones you couldn't see.

  She looked back down at his hands. His fingers were big and strong, parts of them calloused from years of hard work.

  A warm tingling in her lower belly caught her off guard as they tenderly moved across her skin. Olivia recognized it immediately, and wondered how it was even possible to become so aroused by such a simple act.

  With no conscious effort on her part, wonderful pictures began to form in her mind. She and Jake together. His hands on her body in other, much more sensual ways. Olivia stared at those large fingers, imagining the kinds of pleasure they could bring.

  A wave of heat struck, and moisture began to pool between her legs. She felt her skin becoming flushed with desire and—

  Jake muttered something about almost being finished with the one foot.

  Olivia’s eyes flew up to his. She was monumentally relieved to find him still focused on what he was doing, oblivious to the X-rated thoughts that had nearly left her breathless.

  Like the splash of cold water, his mumbling squelched all traces of arousal. Shame on you. That little voice of reason was right.

  People were dead, and she was thinking of sex? Of course, given the rollercoaster ride of emotions she’d been on today, Olivia found she really wasn’t all that surprised.

  She looked at Jake, again. Her very own badass guardian angel. He’d appeared out of nowhere, just when she’d needed him most. That reminds me...

  “Jake?”

  He kept working. “Yeah?”

  “You said you’d explain later why you came here, even though you thought I was dead. It’s later, and since we’re going to be here for a while...” She let her words trail off, confident he’d take the hint.

  Jake’s hands stilled momentarily, before he resumed his work. He remained silent for so long, Olivia had started to think he wasn’t going to answer. When he worked his jaw again, Olivia frowned.

  She was about to ask him what that was all about when he finally brought his gaze to hers. The bitterness there was terrifying.

  “I came here to find the bastards responsible for killing you, and make them pay for what they’d done.”

  She could have sworn the blue in Jake’s eyes darkened with his words. His expression was fierce, and there was an edge there. One she’d never seen before.

  He didn’t elaborate, but she didn’t need him to. Olivia understood perfectly. His sole purpose for coming here was to kill Scarface and his men. For her.

  As she held his haunted gaze, she realized Jake was not only the most caring and protective man she’d ever known. He was also the most deadly.

  Jake turned away and finished wrapping her left foot. Once that was done, he started cleaning her right one before he spoke again, all traces of that dark edge gone.

  “So, you want to tell me what happened to you and the others?”

  Confusion, from both his sudden change in tone and topic, made Olivia’s head swim. She wanted to ask him more about coming here. About his team and the men who’d taken her. But after everything he’d done for her, Olivia decided if he wanted to change the subject for now, he could.

  That didn’t mean she wanted to relive the horrors of that day. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine. She shrugged, doing her best to sound as casual as he had.

  “Not much to talk about.”

  Jake’s hands stopped moving again. He glanced at her, his voice dipping lower. “Liv.”

  Olivia had always loved the way he used the shortened version of her name. The emotion with which he said it this time, however, nearly undid her. She focused on her hands, which were wringing together in her lap.

  “Olivia?”

  Her breathing picked up again, and she tried her best to speak calmly. “If you read the paper, then you know what happened.”

  With a softness that made her want to scream, Jake said, “The papers only gave minimal detail. I need to know everything.”

  “Why?”

  Olivia wasn’t purposefully being stubborn. She just really, really didn’t want to talk about this.

  Jake seemed to understand, because he kept that same, gentle tone when he explained, “Because, sweetheart. The more we know, the better chance we have of making sure every single one of those men is stopped.”

  He waited, and Olivia knew he was giving her time to open up. She wanted to help him. Hated the thought of anyone else having to go through what she and her friends had. She opened her mouth to tell him, but the knot in her throat made it impossible to speak.

  Sensing her internal battle, Jake asked for a small piece of the whole, sordid puzzle.

  “One thing I don’t understand is why the authorities thought your body was with the others. I get that your personal effects were there, but they knew how many were with your group. They should have realized someone was missing. So, the only thing that makes sense, is if someone else was there at the time of the attack.” He paused briefly. “Another woman.”

  He wasn’t going to let up. Not until she gave him something. So, she did.

  “Malani.” Olivia squeezed her eyes to help hold back the tears. God, just saying her name hurt.

  “Who was she, Liv?” Jake asked quietly, his fingers sliding back and forth over her ankle. When she didn’t answer right away, he gently prodded her. “Come on, sweetheart. Talk to me.”

  Olivia filled her lungs, holding her breath for a moment before exhaling slowly. She met his inquisitive gaze.

  “Malani was a local woman. I met her our first day on the island. She lost her entire family in the hurricane...a husband and two daughters. Her home was destroyed, so she came to me and asked if she could help us. I”—her voice broke and her throat tightened again—“I didn’t have the heart to tell her no.” Olivia quickly averted his eyes, catching a tear with her fingers before it could fall.

  “I’m sorry,” Jake whispered sincerely, still rubbing against her skin.

  “It’s okay,” Olivia murmured back, even though, she knew it wasn’t. “Are you about done?”

  Chapter 8

  Securing the last clasp, Jake gave Olivia’s ankle a soft pat. “All finished.”

  He wanted to push her for more information, but after the day she’d had, he decided to let it go. The guilt in her eyes when she spoke of the other woman fucking killed him. He couldn’t imagine how hard it was going to be for her when the time came to share the rest.

  Removing her feet from his lap, Jake stood and stretched his stiff back. Then, he bent down and took both of her hands into his. With a teasing grin, he asked, “Ready to try them out?”

  Not waiting for an answer, he pulled her to her feet slowly. His smile grew wide at her startled expression.

  “Where are we going?”

  Jake chuckled. “Nowhere. I just have a few things I thought would make you more comfortable.” He glanced down at his handiwork. “How do those feel now? Any better?”

  Olivia followed his gaze. She shifted her weight from one side to the other, then wiggled her cute little toes to test the bandages out.

>   Looking back up at him, she sounded surprised when she said, “Actually, yeah. That’s a lot better. I mean, they’re still sore, but the stinging isn’t nearly as bad. Sort of reminds me of how they feel after wearing a pair of really high heels for too long.”

  Jake laughed at that. “I'll have to take your word for it.” When Olivia smiled up at him, he felt a small rush of satisfaction. You should always smile, sweetheart.

  Releasing her hands, he bent down and unzipped yet another section of his backpack. He pulled out the extra black t-shirt and pair of boxers he’d packed, along with a travel-size deodorant, new package of cleaning wipes, and a travel-size mouthwash.

  The items were his staples for every job that took him in a wooded area for any length of time. Or, in this case, a jungle.

  He always packed the extra clothes because, he never knew when the need would arise. Normally, he wore boxer-briefs, but the white, cotton boxers he brought this time were made of a thinner material, which was cooler in the jungle’s heat..

  The deodorant helped to keep his body odor from attracting unwanted predators, and the alcohol in the mouthwash fought against dangerous infections. The wipes were pretty self-explanatory.

  It might seem like a lot of extra shit to haul around, but as long as you knew how to pack efficiently—which he did— it really didn’t take up much space.

  Jake straightened and held the bundle out to Olivia. “Here.”

  “What’s all this?” she asked, taking the items from his hands.

  Ignoring the jolt he felt when his fingers brushed against hers, he said, “Just some stuff to clean up with and a change of clothes. I figured you’d want to get out of that dress.”

  Jake’s own words spawned an image in his head, which he chose to ignore. He cleared his throat. “Those, wipes aren’t a hot bath, but it’s surprising how much better they can make you feel in a pinch.”

  Olivia looked at the items in her hands. When she glanced back up at him, he was rewarded with an even bigger smile. One that finally reached her eyes.

  “Wow! You’re quite the Boy Scout, aren't you? Prepared for anything.”

  Anything except you, baby. The words nearly fell off Jake’s tongue, but he rolled his lips inward to keep them at bay.

  Before he did something stupid—like take her in his arms and slam his mouth against hers—he teased, “Sorry about the white boxers. But don’t worry. I promise I won’t peak at your undies...much.” He gave her a goofy grin and waggled his eyebrows.

  Her smile didn’t grow in amusement as he’d expected. In fact, what lift her mouth had before, was now gone completely. Though,, he wasn’t sure why, Jake suddenly wanted to kick his own ass.

  Olivia licked her lips and shook her head. “I don’t...um...I mean, I’m not...”

  Jake’s gut churned. He’d never seen her look so nervous.

  Her eyes skittered away from his, and she took a steadying breath before quickly whispering, “I’m not wearing any underwear.”

  His teeth clamped together. Normally, the idea of Olivia wearing a dress without panties would have resulted in an instant and massive hard-on. When Jake thought of the possible reasons she wasn’t wearing any now, the only thing rising in his body was bile.

  Until this moment, he hadn’t allowed his mind to go there. Jake honestly didn’t know how he’d react if those bastards had touched her like that. The thought of their filthy hands on his Liv...

  “Sweetheart, were you,” he pushed back the need to vomit. “Did they,” another hard swallow. Christ, he couldn’t even say the words without the threat of gagging. Please, say no. God, please let her say no.

  Sensing his fear, Olivia eyes grew wide, and she shook her head frantically. “No, Jake. They didn’t rape me. I think...I think Scarface would have, just to hurt me. But I head-butted him and kneed him in the balls before he could.” One corner of her mouth turned up with the satisfying smirk. “I think I broke his nose, too. After that, I ran. That’s when you found me.”

  The breath he’d been holding came out in one loud, rush. Rubbing the heels of his hands against his eyes, he prayed she wouldn’t see the tears of solace forming there. When he lowered his arms to his sides, Jake blinked the rest away.

  “Thank God.” He gulped in some more air before shoving away his pent-up rage. “The way you reacted when I made that stupid crack about the boxers...I thought—”

  Olivia looked at him apologetically. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you like that.” She bit her bottom lip and scrunched her face before explaining, “I just didn’t really know how to tell you I was going commando.”

  Jake shook his head and laughed, his relief so staggering, his fucking knees shook. Thank God, she’d at least been spared that particular brand of pain. And speaking of pain...

  His smile dimmed as he zeroed in on her bruised forehead and cheekbone. “He do that?”

  Olivia’s hand absentmindedly went to her face. “Yeah.”

  Jake’s hatred was visceral. The image of some guy’s fist hitting Olivia was so wrong that he—“Wait. Did you say ‘Scarface’?”

  One corner of that delectable mouth turned up again, and damn if he didn’t want to kiss it. Not now, dickhead.

  “That’s what I called him in my head. He was the guy in charge. He had this mean-looking scar that ran down the entire right side of his face.”

  Jake’s pulse quickened because he knew exactly who she was talking about...Javier Cetro.

  There wasn’t a lot in this world that scared him. Knowing Liv had been in fucking hand-to-hand with that bastard terrified the shit out of him.

  Quickly schooling his thoughts, Jake nodded toward her dress. “That his blood?”

  “No.” Sadness and regret flashed in her eyes before she added, “It’s his brother’s.”

  He tried not to let his fury show as she recounted how she’d come to be covered in the boy’s blood. If Javier Cetro was still alive, the fucker wouldn’t be for long.

  “What happened with that boy wasn’t your fault. You know that, right?”

  Olivia innocently bit her bottom lip, and out of nowhere, Jake was hit with the image of him pulling it between his own teeth. For fuck’s sake, McQueen. Put that shit away!

  “I know.” She started to reach for the dress’s top button but stopped and looked back at him. “Can you turn around? Please?”

  Jake blinked at her modest tone, and it dawned on him what she was trying to do. “Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry.”

  Turning around, he tried to think of something else. Anything other than the fact that, at this very moment, Olivia Bradshaw was getting completely naked...less than five feet away from him.

  The crotch of his pants began to feel snug. Within seconds, the damn zipper was downright painful, and his rigid cock began throbbing to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

  Fearing she’d notice, Jake pulled his hands from his pockets and casually covered himself. Just when he thought he couldn't take much more, he heard Olivia's sweet voice from behind.

  “Okay. I’m done.”

  When Jake turned to face her, his breath stilled. Her hair was a mess, her face was bruised, and she wore elastic bandages for shoes, but damn, if she wasn’t the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on.

  He stared. Couldn’t help it. The second he’d turned around, his mouth had gone desert dry. He couldn’t think of a single fucking thing to say.

  ****

  One glance at the expression on Jake’s face and Olivia knew she must look even worse than she’d thought. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to tame the tangled waves as best she could. Too bad he hadn’t felt the need to pack a hairbrush in his bag of goodies.

  Unsure of what to do next, she handed him back the toiletries. “Here. Thank you.”

  Jake took the items from her and put them back into his bag, but still didn’t say anything.

  “Um, what should I do with this?” She’d rolled the dress around the dirty wipes and held it in a
ball in her hands. “I’m assuming we don’t want to leave any evidence that we’ve been here.”

  His voice sounded a bit rough when he said, “I’ll take them.”

  Jake grabbed a gallon-size plastic bag from his backpack and put the soiled things inside. After pressing the extra air out and sealing the bag closed, he rolled it up and shoved it into a side-pocket before turning back to her.

  There was another moment of awkward silence before he asked, “Feel better?”

  She glanced down at his clothes on her body and tried not to think about the fact that they smelled like him. “I do. Thanks.”

  Jake shrugged it off and sat back down in the same place he’d been before. Leaning against the tree he said, “I know it’s not much, but I figured it would be better than that dress. We’ll find you some other clothes when we get to the hotel.”

  “Hotel?” Olivia settled beside him, doing her best to ignore the twinge of pain in her ribs.

  “If my compass and intel are correct, and given that both came from D, I’m sure they are, we’ll be in town by mid-morning, or a little after. It’ll be a little later than planned, but that’s okay. We’ll get cleaned up, eat a real meal, and a good night’s sleep before heading home the next morning.”

  “D?” she smiled curiously.

  Jake gave her a lopsided grin. “Derek West. He’s a genius. Literally.”

  She’d come back to that later. “And this hotel...please tell me it at least has a shower.”

  Even though she’d had one this morning and had just used Jake’s wipes to clean herself off, Olivia still couldn’t wait to stand under some hot, soothing water in a place she could relax. Somewhere safe.

  Jake grinned. “It does. Granted, it’s not a five-star resort, but it’s a room.”

  Olivia sighed and rested her head against the tree. “Plan B sounds fantastic right about now.”

  He laughed quietly. “Well, like I said, it’s nothing fancy, but I can guarantee it’ll be a damn sight better than this. I would have picked someplace nicer, but—” He cut himself off abruptly.