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Jake lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug. ‘Who knows? Maybe he slipped in when your things were being delivered earlier.’ He glanced towards a couple of packing cases that were in the corner of the room. ‘I need some water, hot water. Can you see to it?’
Olivia straightened up, aware of the professional command in his voice. ‘Yes.’
‘Good.’ He began to roll up his shirt-sleeves and Olivia, despite her determined resolution to be as efficient as possible, found her gaze drawn to the powerful forearms, the strength of his hands as they lowered to examine the dog. ‘Are you going to get that hot water now,’ he enquired sharply as the seconds passed, ‘or do I have to get it myself?’
She turned quickly, cursing her wandering concentration, cursing the fact that this man could make her feel wonderful one moment and totally inadequate the next, with no more than a look and a few crisply spoken words.
By the time she came back into the living-room with a bowl full of warm water, another with hot water in it, a towel and some soap, determined to be Miss Efficiency, Jake had carried the dog over to the sofa. She watched as he clipped away sodden black fur from around several different wounds.
‘I don’t suppose there’s any chance of you lighting a fire, is there?’ Dark eyes flicked across to the large, blackened inglenook fireplace. ‘Only it’s pretty cold in here and this dog needs all the warmth he can get.’
Olivia shivered; her own woollen dress felt decidedly damp from the rain and she was having to grit her teeth to stop them chattering together as it was. ‘I’m not very organised,’ she murmured, frowning at the fireplace. ‘There isn’t any wood or anything yet. I was going to get that kind of thing sorted out tomorrow.’ She paused, glad that she didn’t have to admit that she had never lit an open fire in her life before. ‘But I do have a couple of fan heaters. I bought them specially for the move. They should be in a case upstairs. I’ll go get them.’
The room felt a lot warmer after half an hour or so, not cosy exactly but better than when they had first entered. Olivia had found a couple of bulbs for the wall lights and retrieved a large rectangular rug from one of the packing cases, which she had spread over the bare boards. The dog had been encouraged to eat a special nourishing concoction that had been mixed from a selection of packets carried in the Range Rover.
‘Right. That’s just about all I can do for now.’ Jake Savage flexed his broad shoulders and released a long-drawn-out breath. ‘Don’t worry, he looks a lot worse than he is; he’s going to be fine,’ he added, seeing Olivia’s anxious gaze. ‘He just needs rest and a lot of feeding up now, and daily attention to his wounds, of course. They should heal well, though; he’s a young dog and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t make a swift recovery.’
Olivia smiled her relief. ‘That’s good.’ She glanced down at the sleeping animal. ‘Would you. . .like a cup of tea before you go?’ Olivia made her voice sound as casual as possible, and she glanced up into Jake Savage’s face. He looked tired; it crossed her mind that maybe he hadn’t been sleeping well lately. ‘I realise you’ve stayed far longer- than you wanted to, but the kettle’s just boiled, so. . .’
There was a slight pause and then the lips curled into a brief, unexpected smile. ‘That would be good—thank you. I take mine white, no sugar.’
Olivia released a cautious breath and found that relief was flooding through her. Jake Savage had been tending to the dog for almost an hour and in that time she had become increasingly anxious that once his task was at an end he would pick up his bag and the animal and walk out of her life without another word.
Why? The question raced into her mind. Why did it matter that she might not see him again?
He stood up, rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture that communicated a deeply ingrained tiredness, unthinkingly stretching to his full height of six feet plus, and immediately cracking his head against one of the low blackened beams.
‘Oh, my goodness! Are you OK?’ Olivia winced at the sound of his skull meeting oak and rushed towards him, frowning in sympathy, instinctively reaching up and touching the dark, glossy head. ‘This ceiling is dreadfully low, isn’t it? You’ll have to be careful in future.’
She stilled, her whole being transfixed by the feel of his thick black hair beneath her fingers, by the close proximity of Jake Savage’s powerful body, by her words. She was overwhelmingly conscious of what she had just said—the future? Did she think they had one? Did she imagine she would see this man again after today? Did she want to?
She tried to snatch her hand away, but Jake Savage was far too swift for her. ‘It’s just here,’ he murmured. His large hand covered hers, moving her fingers across his head. Dark, dangerous eyes looked down into her face. ‘Can you feel that?’
Olivia’s fingers came into contact with a raised bump and she nodded. ‘Y. . .yes.’ Physical contact with this man meant she was whispering again, as if the effect of touching or being touched by him somehow diminished the power of her vocal cords. ‘It must hurt,’ she murmured, wishing she had the strength to pull her fingers free, knowing deep down that she didn’t want to.
His gaze was intense, focusing steadily on her increasingly mobile expression.
Olivia swallowed. A stillness settled over the interior of the room. He didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. There was no confusing this sensation of inevitability. Olivia ran her tongue nervously over her parched lips and waited, catching her breath a little as the dark head lowered very slowly, very deliberately.
This was what she had been waiting for all of her life. She hadn’t been wrong before.
This man called Jake Savage would mean something to her, meeting him, wanting him, loving him.
This was her destiny.
CHAPTER TWO
JAKE claimed her whole being with a passionate, sensual kiss that caused Olivia’s world to tilt on its axis. His mouth was warm and sensual and searching. Her lips parted of their own accord and she felt the true taste of him, she felt the energy, the longing, the need burning between them. . .
No words were necessary. What was there to say? The electricity, the unexplainable certainty that this would happen, had been between them from the beginning. Since that first look, that first touch. . .
His hands were impatient. Searching, moving sensually over the close-fitting dress, exploring every outline, every curve. She gasped as he dragged his mouth from her lips and began kissing the arched curve of her neck, pulling back her cardigan from her shoulders to reveal the covered zip of her dress.
Olivia’s hands flew to his shirt, twisting, gripping the fabric. She felt as if she were drowning and only this man could save her. Trembling fingers slipped beneath the fabric and she felt for the first time the true power of his frame, the strength of pure muscle, the softness of tanned skin, the roughness of dark, curling hair. She felt, too, his reaction to her touch, the sharp breath, the increased pressure of his mouth on her lips.
It was the swift intensity that affected her so deeply. She wanted, shockingly, to be free of the restriction of her clothes. She wanted, she ached to feel the roughness of his hands on her naked body. . .
He knew. Men like Jake Savage always knew.
She gasped as his fingers grazed her skin. Feelings Olivia didn’t even know she possessed spun wildly around inside her head as he began to unfasten her dress. This passion that had been there, lying between them from the beginning, needed assuaging, it needed to reach the ultimate climax. No time to talk, no time to get to know one another—that could come later. . .
‘My bedroom. . .upstairs.’ Her voice was a whisper. A great part of her could hardly believe she was daring to be so bold. Cool, prim Olivia Hamilton? ‘Frigid Olivia’, as Paul had once described her?
‘Has it a bed?’ His voice was deep and husky, his mouth warm and hungry against her skin.
‘Of course.’ She raised her head and kissed him passionately, pressing her body against his towering frame. ‘At least, I hope so. . .’
‘In that case. . .’ Jake swung her into his arms as if she weighed no more than a feather and carried her effortlessly up the narrow staircase.
His tread sounded hollow on the bare boards and as he carried her in the darkness Olivia knew a fleeting moment of doubt.
He dragged his mouth from hers, pausing on the top step, sensing the sudden rigidity of her slim frame. ‘You do want this. . .?’ Silvery moonlight shone through the landing window, illuminating the rugged planes of his face. ‘Olivia?’ His dark eyes were questioning.
She looked up at him, her eyes scanning every angle, every contour of his face. She knew what she wanted. Rational thought tried to spoil the way she felt, but she thrust it away. Why should she follow her old rules? Why should she? She ached with wanting him. Never before had she experienced such passionate need, such desperate, intense longing.
‘Yes,’ she murmured unsteadily. ‘Yes, I do.’
She clung to him as he caressed her body, gasping with pleasure as his powerful hands took control. Waiting for the right moment. . .wanting her first experience to mean something, to be special. . . All those months of rebuffing Paul’s impatient advances. . . it had all been justified. She had waited for this moment, this man for all of her life.
He took sudden and full possession of her then and Olivia found herself crying aloud, tensing a little in spite of everything.
‘Olivia?’ She heard the ragged incredulity in his voice, the sharp intake of breath as Jake fought his own physical needs and desires. ‘You’re a—!’
‘Please!’ Olivia whispered imploringly, acutely aware that her world would fall apart if he rejected her now. ‘It’s all right.’ She gripped his body tightly, moved against him, pressed her lips against the bronzed skin of his shoulder, working to convince him anyway she knew how. ‘I want this!’
There was a split-second of hesitation, then a faint groan as will-power vanished. ‘So do I,’ he confessed, his voice gruff with desire, ‘so do I. . .’
He was a magnificent lover. Better than Olivia had imagined even in her wildest dreams; strong and powerful, ruthlessly in control, but with kisses that were tender as well as passionate, a touch that possessed silk as well as steel. . .
Olivia found herself crying aloud many times, but there was no pain involved once that special moment had been passed. Only pleasure—pleasure for them both.
It took some time for their desire to diminish; they made love, they kissed and touched and then they wanted each other again. The evening slipped into night and eventually their passion was satisfied.
In the darkness Olivia could hear Jake’s ragged breathing. She felt replete, wonderful, oozing with a happiness that she didn’t wish to analyse.
And Jake?
Olivia moved to look at him. Her head had been resting on the firm, hard chest, but as she moved so did he, lifting her from him, slipping away from her, accompanied by a sharp, almost angry release of breath until there was no longer any physical contact.
‘Jake?’ Olivia’s voice was tentative, uncertain in the half-light. She reached across and cautiously touched the muscular hair-roughened arm that lay a distance from hers. ‘Jake?’
‘Yes?’ His tone was enigmatic, flat almost. Olivia felt the sharp stab of rejection, like a knife through her body. What had she expected? A declaration of love? Some word that would indicate he felt as moved as she?
Destiny. The word reverberated in her mind. They were meant to be lovers. She knew it. She felt it with her whole being. This had not been a mistake. Knowing it filled her mind. The future stretched ahead, bright and full of meaning now that she had met this man.
But she didn’t like this silence; it frightened her.
A shaft of despair ran through Olivia’s body. Surely he wasn’t regretting all that had just taken place? Surely not. ‘It. . .it was OK, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes.’
Olivia swallowed and closed her eyes. What was wrong? Why was he being so. . .so distant? She felt movement beside her and saw in the half-light that he had raised himself to a sitting position.
‘It was more than OK,’ he asserted roughly, as if the admission was being dragged out of him. ‘You know that.’
‘Do I?’ She sounded like a child; young and immensely vulnerable.
‘The seduction...’ There was a pause. She could feel him searching for words in the darkness. ‘It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t premeditated...’ His voice was deep, rough-edged. ‘I don’t want you to think that I wander the countryside seducing lone women! It took me as much by surprise as it did you.’
‘I know that,’ Olivia replied unsteadily, watching his outline as he dragged strong fingers through sweat-slicked hair. He sounded bewildered, as if already regretting his indulgence in the pleasures of the flesh.
‘How do you know?’ He looked down at her, silvery moonlight flashing like steel in his eyes. ‘We’ve just met, Olivia, remember?’ he reminded her unsteadily. ‘You know as little about me as I do about you! You were a virgin, for God’s sake!’ He flung the word at her like an accusation. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘It didn’t seem important,’ Olivia replied quietly.
‘Not important?’
‘You know what I mean!’ Olivia hated the way he was making her feel. She tried desperately to find the right words that would make him understand. ‘I wanted you to make love to me.’
She heard him release a taut breath. ‘I know.’
Olivia tried to swallow but her throat felt tight. She shivered in the chill room. ‘You’re regretting what’s happened, aren’t you?’
‘No.’ His voice was flat. He looked across at Olivia and she felt rather than saw the intensity of his gaze. ‘How could I regret any of what’s just taken place?’ he added quietly. ‘But we’re strangers. . .’
Was that all it was? Olivia felt a sense of relief wash over her. ‘We could change that,’ she replied simply.
‘What?’
Was he being deliberately cruel? His voice sounded harsh and scornful suddenly, amazed, outraged even, as if she had suggested something dreadful. Surely not. Jake had been so sensitive, so caring during their lovemaking.
Everything was going wrong. Tears welled in Olivia’s eyes and she shut them tight, glad of the virtual darkness of the room. ‘I just thought—’
‘Well, don’t!’ He released a heavy sigh. ‘Please, don’t think! Look, Olivia. It was good. Hell, it was better than good, but don’t go getting the wrong idea.’ Jake reached over and for a fleeting moment she felt the warmth of his touch on her face. ‘I don’t regret what’s taken place between us, I’ve told you that, but I’m not interested in involvement, or emotional ties or anything that even remotely resembles a relationship.’ He released a taut breath and swung away from her. ‘So if you’re under the illusion that—’
‘I’m not!’ Olivia’s voice was sharp. She was having to think fast and talk even faster. Such humiliation! She could hardly bear it. She had given this man everything. She had followed her true feelings, been guided by the deepest of emotions, only to have it all thrown back in her face. She hardened her voice. ‘You’ve obviously got the wrong impression. Don’t worry, Jake, I’m not the clinging type!’
She heard a relieved breath. ‘Good.’ There was an agonising pause. ‘Look,’ he continued eventually, ‘if I’ve made you feel bad or cheated then I’m sorry—’
Pain twisted like a knife in a wound. She didn’t want his sympathy! ‘You haven’t!’ Olivia took a steadying breath and continued determinedly, ‘I’ve come to this part of the world to be free from ties and complications. I’ve just. . .extracted myself from a rather messy emotional tangle and the last thing I want is another relationship! I’m. . . I’m just not interested.’
‘So we feel the same way?’ His voice was cool, but questioning, and she could sense the importance attached to the enquiry.
Olivia gulped a breath and swung her legs off the bed, groping for her clothes, feeling the damp wool of her dress beneath her fingers. ‘It would seem so. Now,’ she made an effort and hardened her voice still further, ‘I think it’s best if you go.’ She attempted a short laugh that sounded strained and unnatural in the gloom. ‘After all, I’m hardly in a position to offer much in the way of hospitality, am I? The place is a mess and it’s freezing up here!’
‘You’ll be all right?’ His voice momentarily held concern in the darkness of the bedroom. ‘If you want help with anything—’
Olivia swung back round to glare at the large, formidable outline. ‘Just go, will you?’ she gritted. ‘It’s been a long day. I’m tired and I’m cold and now that it’s all over and we know where we both stand I just want you out of my house!’
‘As you wish.’ The warmth in Jake’s voice had turned to ice. He rose from the bed and picked up his clothes from the floor. Olivia watched, tears glistening in her eyes, as he dressed without haste. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so desolate, so alone.
‘I suppose. . .’ Olivia cleared her throat and tried to stop herself from shivering ‘. . .there’s a girlfriend waiting for you somewhere?’ She held her breath and then forced herself to say it. ‘A wife?’
‘There’s no one.’ His voice was terse, almost savage. ‘I thought I’d just made that clear! I’m no adulterer! I’m simply not interested in any long-term relationship.’ He finished fastening his shirt and looked across towards the bed. ‘I’ve already been taught my lesson. I’d be a fool not to learn from it.’ There was a slight pause. ‘You must be cold,’ he murmured. ‘I’ll bring up a couple of your suitcases.’
‘There’s no need!’
‘Yes, there is. Your dress was damp from the storm—you can’t put that on again.’
‘I told you not to bother!’ Olivia snapped as he walked out of the bedroom. ‘I don’t need kindness,’ she called wildly. ‘I don’t need you treating me like a child. . .or one of your damn animals!’ she added as an afterthought.
No reply. It was worse than an argument. Suddenly she wanted to fight him. Suddenly she hated him. Why didn’t he feel the same way as she did? How could she have made such a dreadful mistake?
Whilst he was gone Olivia sprang from the bed and struggled with her underclothes. She felt so vulnerable. So foolish. She heard his footsteps on the stairs and fumbled wildly with the catch of her bra.
‘Here. Your clothes.’ Jake dumped a suitcase onto the bed and flicked on the light.
‘I want you to go!’
‘I will. But not before you’ve found something to wear.’ He clicked open one of the cases and glanced across, dark eyes resting impassively on Olivia’s half-naked figure. ‘Do you want some help with that?’
‘It’s OK, I can manage.’
‘It’s twisted.’
‘I can manage.’
He wasn’t listening. Jake walked towards her and Olivia took a few steps back. ‘What’s the matter?’ He looked fierce. His mouth tightened ominously as Olivia shook her head.
‘Just go!’
‘I will once you stop looking so petrified. Now turn around and let me help you.’
‘Don’t touch me!’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he replied calmly, ‘We’ve just made love. I’ve done more than touch you!’
‘I wish to God you hadn’t!’
