Taking a Risk, Part One by Anna Blakely

Author:Anna Blakely
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romantic suspense series, military romance series, Brother's Best Friend Romance, Navy SEAL alpha hero, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Jungle Adventure, Damsel in Distress
Publisher: Anna Blakely
Published: 2019-01-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Olivia’s last three words were nothing more than a whisper. Spoken so low, Jake wasn’t sure he’d heard her right. Of all the things he thought she might say, that one wasn’t even in the vicinity of his imagination.

Where she’d gotten the idea that she wasn’t good enough for him, he had no fucking clue. And when he looked into her eyes and realized she actually believed the shit she’d just flung at him, it pissed him the hell off.

With his hands back at his hips, Jake glared back at her. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you seriously going to stand there and feed me the whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me,’ line of bullshit?” He chuckled humorlessly and shook his head. “Sorry, sweetheart, but you’re gonna to have to do a hell of a lot better than that.”

Her beautiful, imploring eyes pleaded with him to believe her. “It’s true, Jake. It’s not you. You’re brave and confident. Trustworthy and honorable. You’re the best person I know, and I’m...” Her voice trailed off.

A stab of guilt from her choice of words shot through him, but Jake pressed on. Taking a step toward her, he asked, “You’re what, Liv? Do you honestly think you’re not all of those things and more?”

Olivia had always exhibited a level of confidence that Jake found both admirable and sexy as hell. But whatever she’d gone through on that Godforsaken island was doing its best to destroy her. The fuck he’d let that happen.

Switching tactics, Jake decided to go with one he’d used in the military. Far too many times, he’d witnessed the men or women under his command struggling to deal with things they’d seen or been forced to do while in combat. Those soldiers didn’t need someone spewing platitudes at them, and neither did Olivia.

He hated the thought of what he was about to do to her, but desperate times and all that shit. And Jake was way the fuck past desperate.

With his heart in his throat, he schooled his expression and asked coldly, “What happened to you?”

Picking up on the abhorrence in his tone, Olivia’s brows furrowed with both confusion and exasperation. “Excuse me?”

She was getting pissed. Good. Jake could handle Pissed-off Olivia. It was this broken down, self-doubting Olivia that was breaking his fucking heart. If he had to make her mad to bring her out of it, that’s exactly what he’d do.

Jake took a step forward, unwilling to let his true emotions show. “You heard me.” He ran his hand over his jaw, hoping she couldn’t see the way it shook. “Honey, I get that you’ve been through hell, but the Olivia I know would be ranting on and on about it. She’d be shouting at the top of her lungs, demanding justice and plotting against those responsible, not...” He swallowed down a healthy dose of guilt and forced the words out, “not standing around having a fucking pity party.”

Olivia flinched back, as if he’d struck her.

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