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“There’s something I want to show you.”
Olivia glanced down at the sheet covering his lower body and then back up at him. Feeling lighter than she had in months, she decided to play with him a bit.
“I hate to spoil your surprise, but”—she leaned closer, looked around her bedroom as though she were making sure no one else was listening and whispered—“I’ve already seen it.” Laying back against her pillow, she grinned, adding, “But, hey... I’ll be more than happy to look at it as many times as you need me to.”
When she started to laughed at her own joke, Jake rolled on top of her, trapping her arms above her head. “You think you’re pretty funny, don’t you?” he teased.
Olivia bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Actually,” she said, trying so hard to hold it in. “Yeah. I do.”
She lost the fight and began laughing louder than before. Jake busted up right along with her. When their laughter died down, he wiped Olivia’s tears of humor from her temples.
“Okay, funny girl. I’m being serious, now. I have something I want to show you. Someplace, actually.”
“Okay.” She smiled up at him. “And where would one find this mysterious place?”
“Well, if you get that gorgeous ass of yours dressed, I’ll show you.”
And with that, Jake gave her a fast, hard kiss before hopping off of her and out of bed.
“Wait.” She sat up, covering herself with the sheet. “We’re going to...wherever we’re going to...now?”
“Sure. You got someplace else you need to be?” Jake asked while he pulled on his jeans.
Olivia thought for a moment. Before Jake had gotten to the hospital, her boss had come into the examination room and ordered her to take the next two weeks off.
Thanks to all of the overtime she’d been working, Olivia had enough money saved up that she could afford it. So, she hadn’t argued.
“Nope. Give me ten, and I’ll be ready.”
Jake looked at his watch. “You’ve got eight. And I’m setting the timer. Make it back early, and there might just be something in it for you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Challenge accepted.”
Olivia quickly grabbed some clean clothes and ran to the bathroom. She made it back into the bedroom in seven minutes and fifty-three seconds.
Her prize? Three orgasms. Technically, she got two, but Olivia considered giving almost as fulfilling as receiving.
Nearly an hour later, she and Jake were still sitting in his truck when he flipped his turn signal and turned onto a paved, two-lane road.
“Are you actually taking me someplace, or are we just going to drive around in your truck all day?”
Keeping his eyes on the road, Jake smiled. “You really have no patience, do you?”
“I had patience.” She turned her head and looked out the back window. “But, I think it flew out the window somewhere back around mile marker fifty-two.” She settled back against her seat, giving him a sarcastic grin.
Jake chuckled. “Smartass. As a matter of fact, we’re just about there.”
Five very long miles later, they turned on yet another paved road. This one had a sign warning trespassers that it was private land.
“Uh, Jake...” She looked over at him. “I think you took a wrong turn.”
He smiled, “Trust me. I didn’t.”
Olivia looked at the sign as they passed by it. “But that sign said—”
“I know what the sign says. I’m the one who put it there.”
“You did?”
They went around a corner and pulled up to a large, iron gate. It wasn’t like one of those fancy ones with the great big initial in the middle like she’d seen on T.V. that shouted ‘Look at me, I have money!’
This one was practical. Efficient. It seemed to be saying something more along the lines of ‘Keep away or I’ll shoot your ass.’
“What is this place?”
“Patience, sweetheart,” was all he said before turning away.
Instead of entering a code to get in, as she’d expected, Jake leaned out the window toward a mounted box. It looked like a camera, but then, a horizontal red light appeared on the camera’s screen. No way.
“You have a retinal scanner to get into your gate?”
She didn’t care that she sounded impressed. That was impressive. Actually, it was really freaking cool.
Almost soundlessly, the gate in question answered for him when the two halves began to slowly open toward the paved drive in front of them. Jake, the smug bastard, gave her a smirk and a wink, before putting the truck back in drive.
“And here I thought I had a good security system,” Olivia mumbled beside him. A small grunt was his only response as he drove them through the gate.
After a couple of curves and turns, the trees opened up into one of the most beautiful sights she’d ever seen. The cabin was breathtaking. It wasn’t enormous or fancy, yet if Olivia had been given the opportunity to pick out the absolute perfect home, hands down, this would be it.
The ranch-style, log cabin stretched out in the middle of what looked to be an enormous piece of land. The porch was lit up and ran the entire length of the house. Olivia couldn’t help but smile at the two wooden rocking chairs and small table, centered between two large windows to the right of the dark green front door.
The landscaping she could see was immaculate, its bushes and bright red flowers giving the place just the right amount of femininity. Down the hill and to the right of the house sat a large, rustic barn. There appeared to be a large fenced area behind it.
“Wow,” she muttered, mostly to herself.
“Like it?” Jake asked from beside her.
Unable to pull her eyes away, she answered wistfully, “It’s perfect.” And it was. “What is this place?”
He turned his head toward her and reached for her hand. “My home.”
She swiveled her head around, looking at him like he’d lost his mind. “Uh, did you forget? I’ve been to your home. Like, a million times.”
Jake actually looked a little nervous when he said, “No. You’ve been to my apartment. This”—he motioned toward the cabin with his head—“is my home.”
Olivia didn’t know how to respond to that bit of news. She was still speechless when Jake came around to her side of the truck and opened her door.
Trying to process what he’d said, she silently followed him up the front porch and waited for him to unlock the door.
Once inside, Jake flipped on the light switch. Olivia thought she was surprised before, but that was nothing compared to what she felt now.
Her mouth dropped open as she turned in a slow circle, taking in the cabin’s interior. The walls were unique. The bottom half were large logs like on the outside, and the tops were drywall, painted a neutral beige.
Absentmindedly, she noticed two newly patched holes on one of the living room walls, which hadn’t been painted over yet, and assumed he’d been doing some work there.
The vaulted ceiling made the space appear much larger than it actually was, and an enormous stone fireplace nestled between two windows served as the focal point for the cozy living room. The dark leather furniture made Olivia smile because it was all so...Jake.
Olivia quickly took in the rest. Behind the living room area was the most beautiful kitchen she’d ever seen. Like the rest of the wooden furniture, the cabinets were made of a dark, solid wood. Somehow, the granite countertops, large bar area, and stainless steel appliances still worked in the otherwise rustic space.
Directly in front of her was a long hallway with several doors on either side and at the end was a set of large, double-doors. Olivia instinctively knew it was the master bedroom.
Jake’s bedroom. In Jake’s amazingly beautiful house. A house she knew nothing about.
She turned to him and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Spill it, McQueen.”
He stepped closer to her. “I didn’t tell you about this place because I...cared too much for you to.”
Olivia started to tell him that made no damn sense, but he shut her down quickly.
“Do you want me to explain myself or not?”
Olivia huffed, “You’ve got about two seconds.”
She saw the hesitation in his eyes just before he squared his shoulders.
“The truth is, I didn’t tell you about this place before, because I knew if I did, then you’d want to see it.”
“And that would have been a problem why, exactly?” she asked, clearly confused.
He lifted his hand and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. “Because, sweetheart. I knew if I saw you standing here, in the one place where I truly feel at home, I’d screw everything up by telling you how I really felt about you.”
And just like that, every ounce of anger was gone. Smiling, Olivia grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down to her.
“I love you, too.” As Jake’s lips found hers, she began to wonder if someone’s heart could actually burst from being too full.
****
Three days later...
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Olivia asked him for the third time since that morning.
Jake smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’m sure. It’ll do you some good to get out of the house and have some girl time. Plus, I’ve got some stuff with the business I’ve been putting off for far too long. Phone calls, paperwork, you know...the exciting side of R.I.S.C.” He made a gun gesture with his fingers and pretended to shoot himself in the head.
Olivia grinned. “Okay. If you’re sure. I was surprised when Mac asked me to go shopping with her, since we’d only just met, but I’m actually kind of excited. I don’t remember the last time I had a girls’ day.”
Jake hadn’t planned on them staying at his place when he brought her here a few days ago, so they hadn’t brought anything with them. After seeing it, Olivia hadn’t wanted to leave.
With her blessing, Jake had called Mac—R.I.S.C.’s other sniper—the next morning and gave her Liv’s security code and a list of things to pack. Later that day, Mac brought Liv’s things to the cabin, and she and Liv hit it off instantly.
“Truth be told, I think Mac is more excited about your little outing than you are,” Jake said, smiling. “I’m pretty sure she likes to shop as much as she likes to shoot.”
That made Olivia laugh. “Yeah, I gotta say, when you first told me ‘Mac’ actually stood for ‘McKenna’, I was surprised. I was even more shocked when this petite, cheerleader-looking blond walked in carrying my stuff.”
Jake chuckled. “She tends to have that effect on people.”
Jake’s doorbell rang, and he went to answer the door. “Speak of the devil.”
“Hey, boss. Your lady ready to roll?” Mac greeted Jake with a smile, her blue eyes hidden behind her designer sunglasses.
“Yes, I am!” Olivia spoke up from behind him, not giving him a chance to answer.
Jake moved to the side to give Olivia room to get by. She stopped in front of him and raised up on her toes for a kiss. Even in heels, she still had to lift up to reach his mouth.
Mac mumbled something about waiting in the car, but Jake didn’t pay much attention. He was too busy kissing his woman goodbye.
Goodbye. A sharp pang struck his chest as Jake thought of the conversation he had planned for them tonight.
It was another reason why he’d been more than happy to let her spend the day away from the cabin.
He needed time to plan. Strategize. Jake had to figure out a way to tell her about her brother that wouldn’t end with her telling him she never wanted to see him again.
Jake deepened the kiss. If this ended up being their last, he was determined to take in every last drop of her love while she was still willing to give it.
“Wow. That was some kiss goodbye, soldier.”
Jake forced a smile. “Have fun today.”
She tilted her head, those little wrinkles forming between her brows. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He smiled wider. “I’m good. Now go,” he swatted her butt, loving the cute, ruffled skirt she was wearing. She didn’t dress up often, but man, when she did—damn.
“Have your girls’ day. Drink overpriced coffee, eat tiny little pastries, and spend a ridiculous amount of money on a bunch of stuff you don’t really need.”
Olivia laughed as she walked past him. “Been on a lot of these, have you?”
“I watch movies,” he joked.
“Why, Jake McQueen. I never pictured you a chick-flick fan.”
He gave her a real smile then. “Just go, before I give you another swat.”
Olivia tilted her head and looked at him thoughtfully.
This time, his brow furrowed. “What?”
“I’m just trying to decide how long I would have to stand here before that happens.” She winked and blew him a kiss, before walking out the door.
Jake laughed, but as he closed the door behind him, his smile faded. The woman he loved had no idea that, in a few short hours, her world would come tumbling down.
