Taking a Risk, Part One

by Anna Blakely

  He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her she didn’t have to say another goddamn word. Despite his earlier conviction, Jake suddenly wanted to give her every platitude he could think of. Do whatever he could to end her pain.

  Before he could say anything more, Olivia finally began sharing what happened that fateful day.

  “When those men came to our camp and started shooting, I...I couldn't move. The men and women who were killed...they were such good and caring people, Jake.” She sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “And those m-men who came? Those monsters executed them as if they were nothing.” Her voice broke before turning into a shamed whisper. “And I did nothing to try to stop it.”

  She's breaking my heart.

  Survivor’s guilt was a sadistic fucking bitch, and Jake wished like hell he could somehow take it all away for her. Now that she was finally talking, however, it was as if a dam had broken. Everything came pouring out.

  “We were just sitting there, waiting for the bus to pick us up and take us to the airport.”

  Olivia’s mouth turned up a little at that part of the memory. She looked past his shoulder toward the rear of the cave, taking herself back in time.

  “It was a beautiful day. Not too hot or muggy for a change. We were talking and laughing at a joke Cody had just told. He was always cracking jokes.” Her smile faltered, and a pair of sad eyes met his once more. “At first, I thought someone had set off fireworks or something. To be funny, you know? Then, they all started to fall. There was so much blood. When I saw the life drain from Malani’s eyes, I realized what the sound really was.”

  “Gunshots,” Jake offered quietly, crushed by what she was describing.

  Olivia nodded. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, only to have them replaced with more. “I couldn’t move,” she said again. “It was like my mind and body refused to accept what was happening. Even when M-Malani fell at my feet and she looked up at me, her eyes begging me to help, I just...c-couldn’t.”

  Those tears fell faster now, her sweet voice breaking as her chin trembled harder than before. She was clearly struggling to go on, and Jake had to put his fists in his pockets to keep from reaching out to her. Christ, this was fucking eating him alive.

  Olivia sniffed again, her voice hardening. “Then, I saw the man with the scar. The one you called ‘Cetro’. He was walking toward me and I knew that I was next. It wasn’t until then that I finally forced myself to move. I started running and...”—she glanced away again—“I thought about getting to see Pops and Mikey again. And my mom. It was almost enough to accept the fact that I was about to die, but then”—she looked back up at him and whispered—“I thought about never seeing you again.” She drew in a stuttered breath. “God, Jake. The thought of leaving you behind...” Her voice trailed off.

  Jake was speechless. Couldn’t say a fucking word if his life depended on it. In what she believed to be her last moments on this earth, Olivia had thought about him. As much of a selfish asshole as it made him, her admission made his heart swell.

  Olivia wiped her eyes and straightened her spine, both her voice and demeanor growing stronger. “I kept waiting for the bullets to hit, but they never did. For a minute, I thought I’d actually managed to get away, but when I turned around, Cetro was right behind me. He slammed his gun into the back of my head. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in that tent, and I’d lost an entire day.”

  She took a deep breath, her expression softening. “You’re a hero, Jake. You deserve to be with someone more like you. A woman who's strong. Who isn’t afraid to face danger for the sake of others. I always thought that was me. That I was that kind of person, but...” She let out a sarcastic chuckle, then ran a hand through her hair and blew out a breath. “I’m actually glad Mikey and Pops aren’t alive to see me like this.”

  Before Jake could respond to her justified—but irrational—thoughts, her eyes grew even more sad. Something he hadn’t thought possible.

  “For years, I’ve wanted you to want me. I prayed for the day you’d see me as more than just Mikey’s little sister, but I can’t...” she paused. “I won’t let you settle. You deserve more, Jake. You deserve...better.” She lost the fight, her face crumbling into her hands as she wept.

  Fuck this. Jake made his way to her in three large steps. He pulled her into his arms, and held on tight when Olivia tried desperately to wiggle out of his grasp.

  “Stop fighting me, Liv,” he whispered.

  More tears fell down her cheeks, and Jake willed his own away. Seeing her hurting like this was pure torture. You should never hurt like this, baby. Fucking ever.

  He rested a palm against her damp cheek.. “You really have no idea how strong a person you are, do you?”

  She shook her head, “Don’t...”

  “No, you don’t.” His words hissed through his teeth. “I know I wasn’t there, Liv. I wish to God I had been, because I would have taken out every last one of those fuckers. But I know what those men are like. I’ve seen what they’re capable of doing, and if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that one individual”—he looked straight into her eyes for this part—“no matter how strong or brave she may be, wouldn’t have been able to stop what happened to you and your friends.”

  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.

  Oli
via 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 moment. Only him.

  He pushed the bottom of her shirt up, exposing her breasts, before lifting his head to take in the view. Olivia sat still, eager for him take whatever he wanted.

  Slowly tracing the small, brown circles around her nipples, Jake spoke between heaving breaths.

  “Beautiful...I always knew they’d be beautiful.”

  He leaned in and took her right nipple into his mouth. Olivia’s body reacted instantly, her back arching in an effort to bring herself closer to him. Jake pressed a hand against her lower back, his need as strong as hers.

  Olivia grabbed his hair for leverage as she ground her center against his. The thin material between her legs became wet, and when he carefully grazed her nipple with his teeth, his name dripped from her lips.

  She repeated it, again and again, as if his name was a prayer, and Jake, her personal deity.

  After a few more minutes of the exquisite torture, he moved his focus to the other breast. Unable to wait any longer, Olivia slid her hand between their bodies, wrapping her fingers around his restrained cock.

  Rubbing against him, she moved her hand up and down his length slowly. Jake’s hips jerked in response, and he released a throaty sound that could only be described as a primal grunt of approval. Olivia smiled.

  She didn’t think about the fact that their first time together would be in middle of a cave. All she cared about was the way he was making her feel. The way she wanted to make him feel.

  Her entire body shook with anticipation as she moved her hand up to his belt. The closer they got, the more frantic her movements became.

  Olivia’s fingers fumbled a bit as they worked to get the end of the belt loose from its metal clasp. It was almost free when she felt something cold and hard being pressed against the back of her skull.

  She gasped against Jake’s lips, her breath catching in her throat. Olivia’s hands froze in place as she slowly—very slowly—pulled her mouth away from his.

  “Jake,” she whispered shakily.

  “Yeah, baby?” Eyes closed, he was oblivious to the immediate danger.

  Pulling farther away from him, Olivia said his name with more force. “Jake!”

  Hearing the alarm in her voice, Jake opened his eyes, quickly zeroing in on what was behind her. Or, more accurately...who.

  “Get up!”

  The object was pushed even harder against her skull, the pressure making her wince. Olivia looked at Jake. All signs of the passion that had consumed him seconds before were gone.

  His gaze met hers with laser focus, and in a surprisingly calm voice, he told her, “Do what he says, sweetheart.”

  Something had changed during those recent moments with Jake. She still felt guilty for not doing more to help her friends. A part of her always would, but once again, Jake had been right.

  Olivia may be terrified of a lot of things—the most present and pressing being the gun jammed against her skull—but she was also a lot stronger than she’d given herself credit for. Like hell would she give these bastards the satisfaction of seeing just how scared she really was.

  Pushing herself up from Jake’s lap, Olivia hastily pulled the hem of her shirt down to prevent the man from seeing her. In her peripheral, she realized there was at least one more man in the cave.

  Though she couldn’t see their faces, Olivia could tell the man holding the gun on her was taller than her, but below-average height. The other one standing to her right was much taller—about Jake’s height. And his pistol was pointed at the center of Jake’s chest.

  Her heart skidded to a stop when she thought of the vest he was no longer wearing. Oh, God! Please don’t let him shoot Jake.

  “Your guns. Throw them behind me,” the taller guy ordered Jake.

  He then nodded to the man behind her, and Olivia felt the pressure on the back of her head ease. In the next second, the shorter man pushed his gun against her temple with enough strength to break the skin.

  She grimaced, but held in a whimper of pain as warm liquid slowly dripped down the side of her face.

  Jake looked as though he was about to move forward, but the taller guy warned him, “Don’t even think about trying anything.”

  Olivia focused on Jake’s face, praying he’d give her a signal. Something to let her know he had a plan to get them out of this cave alive.

  What she found instead, was pure, animalistic rage. It scared the hell out of her, because she had no doubt Jake would do whatever it took to protect her, even if it meant risking his own life in the process.

  Chapter 13

  For as long as Jake lived—and he hoped like hell it was long enough to get Olivia out of this cave and away from these fuckers—he would never forget sight of that gun to her head. Nor would he forget the unprecedented, gut-wrenching fear that threatened to take him over because of it.

  He hadn’t missed the way Olivia winced with pain when the barrel of that gun was pushed against her delicate skin. Blood ran down her temple, and the bastard who’d caused it was grinning.

  Having already assessed the situation, Jake knew he couldn’t risk making an
y sort of move against either man. Not with Liv here. As much as it burned his ass to do it, Jake pulled the gun from his waistband and the one at his thigh, and tossed them both out the entrance of the cave.

  “Now, you get up,” the taller one ordered him. “Slowly.”

  Jake stood and rolled his shoulders.

  “My friend is going to search you now. I have no doubt that you are more than capable of killing him swiftly, but know this. If you move...if you so much as breathe on him in a way that bothers me, I will shoot you. I will not kill you, however. I will simply take out both kneecaps so you will be forced to lie on the floor of this cave and watch helplessly while we both take what we want from your woman.”

  Jake heard Olivia inhale sharply at his words, and it took every bit of strength he had not to look at her.

  The man continued, “After we are finished with her, we will leave you here to rot while we take your pretty little puta with us. You will die slowly, thinking about all the things my friend and I will be doing to her. Nod if you understand.”

  It grated Jake to the core, but he was in no position to argue. He tilted his head in response.

  The tall man smiled. “Good.” He turned to the man behind her. “Now, my friend would like to say a proper hello to your woman.”

  ****

  When the man stepped around from behind, Olivia couldn’t contain her surprise, or her fear.

  “You?”

  Shorty, the man who’d shown her too much interest at the camp, stood before her. His automatic rifle hung from a wide strap across his shoulder, his pistol held loosely down at his side.

  He smiled, his nasty, yellow teeth and rancid breath nearly making her gag. When he reached up and grabbed her left breast, the bile rising from her stomach nearly choked her.

  Olivia wanted to rip the asshole’s hand away, but was afraid Jake would pay the price if she did. Blinking back tears, her eyes desperately searched out Jake’s, but he wasn't looking at her. His expression was deadly as he stared at the back of Shorty’s head from behind.

  Part of her wished he would do something to stop the assault. At the same time, she was terrified he would. As much as Olivia wanted to see Jake take on these two assholes, she knew he would never do anything to jeopardize her safety.