Forbidden Love with the Marine(20)

Was he going to give them a chance, or was he going to break her heart all over again? It had almost torn her down when he’d told her that first time that their one night of sex couldn’t guarantee them a future together. Only for him to seek the comfort of her arms that night before his departure.

Did she begrudge him that? Not in the least. She loved him too much to refuse the chance of sharing such an intimate session with him, especially when she knew he was leaving the very next morning. The circumstances had been such that in fact, they’d both needed each other. Olivia wasn’t going to pretend that she hadn’t wanted it as much as him – whatever the conditions.

It might seem on the surface that he was just using her; but Olivia didn’t want to think that way. Didn’t want to believe the worst of him. He was just as torn about his feelings for her, as she was convinced in her love and her wish to be with him for real.

Now she didn’t even care about all that. She just wanted him to show up outside her door, smiling in that hot, sexy way of his like he knew she how much wanted a piece of him. Or simply to hear his voice telling her he was okay and that he’d soon be returning home to her waiting arms...

Tears poured down her face as she hugged her pillow that night, praying her fears would all be for nothing. Ivan was so tough; he didn’t ever seem like anything could stop him. He did everything with such precision and control and she couldn’t imagine him being in any kind of trouble he couldn’t get out of.

And yet, she knew he was only human. And tough as he was, he wasn’t death-proof. Every once in a while there was the news that one special ops combatant or the other had lost their life or had been severely wounded during a mission. All Olivia could do was keep praying that Ivan and all the other men in his unit would get back safe from whatever hell-hole they were in at the moment.





Chapter Fifteen


The man lying in the hospital bed blinked his aching lids open, barely able to finally take in his hushed surroundings. It looked like a military hospital...probably at some command base. He didn’t recognize any of the doctors or care workers walking around.

Just when he was thinking of what to do about the tubes sticking out of his battered body, a kindly-faced doctor appeared, his hair a blend of pepper and grey though he didn’t look much over thirty. The patient felt an immense relief when his commander emerged right next to the genial looking doctor.

“My team...,” the man on the bed said on a croaky voice, already shooting off the pillow. Only to sink back down with a groan.

“Take it easy son; you’re still very weak from your wounds. The good news is, I’m pleased to tell you that everyone made it,” the commander’s booming voice told him reassuringly. “And yes, so did the hostage. You did good, soldier. Your fast thinking and bravery helped turn a hopeless situation around. You suffered the worst of the injuries, but you’ll be happy to know there’s nothing permanently damaged. You’ll be shipped to your base in a day or two and in no time, you’ll be back home with your family.”

Family...the injured man’s eyes suddenly narrowed and then brightened at the sound of that word.

Family.

It brought up one face in particular, among the other dear ones that sprung to his mind. That particular face was framed with flowing jet black hair, while a smile burst glowingly in her eyes and on her lips. Beautiful. So beautiful it hurt to think it would be a while longer before he’d see her again.

At least he would see her, soon. Which was more than he’d hoped for in those hellish moments when all had seemed lost...

But like his commander had just told him, the mission had achieved a successful outcome. He couldn’t remember much right then, but as the details started to emerge one by one, he realized how lucky he was to be alive.

He’d made it – just barely. And now more than ever, he knew there were a good many things he was thankful for. Most of all the chance of happiness waiting for him back home.

Suddenly, “home” became the second word that meant the whole world to him right then.





Chapter Sixteen


There was no good reason why Olivia should have let her friends talk her into joining them on what used to be a fun girls’ night out on the town. So what if they thought she’d been holing herself up too much in the past weeks? What did they know about the hell she was going through? And what made them think that a few great cocktails and some spins on the dance floor was going to do anything to improve her mood?


It had more than a month since Ivan had left. And not a word from him.

Olivia looked around at the crowded bar and realized that what she’d hoped would be a welcome distraction was now making her lose her mind. She seemed to see Ivan’s face everywhere she looked; it was almost as if he was behind every figure she saw standing at the bar or moving on the dance floor. The music pumped loudly in the well-lit club and all it did was vibrate her skull.

This is nut’s, Olivia decided, before dumping her cocktail and turning to call out into her friend’s ear that she needed to go outside for a moment. “If I don’t come back in fifteen minutes, that means I’ve chosen to go on home,” she told her good pal, Amanda.

Amanda’s full lips pouted in her pretty face. “The others wouldn’t be happy if they found out I let you slink off like that. This was supposed to be your chance to let loose, forget your worries.”