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Paul crossed to the bathroom and flipped on the light. He shut the door fractionally so a warm glow filtered into the room. “Does that help?” She nodded and gave him a grateful smile. She watched him as he circled the bed and crawled in on the other side. The bed dipped under his weight and then he settled.
“You want to talk about it?” he asked after punching his pillow into shape and tugging the blankets up. Olivia turned so she was facing him but didn’t say anything. “You have to talk about it sometime, Liv. You know you need to.” He reached over and brushed his fingers over her cheek. The touch was gentle like a soft tickle; such a difference from Ethan’s harshness.
She let out a shaky sigh. “All right, I guess I can tell you,” she said after a moment. He waited patiently for her to continue. She reached over and touched his hand; he immediately laced their fingers together. “This isn’t easy and I’m not even sure where to start.”
“Just start talking. It doesn’t have to make sense.”
She nodded and decided to start where the dream left off. “Dancing was my life but Ethan wouldn’t let me dance. He said it was evil and I was a temptress trying to prostitute myself to any man who would look at me. I always thought of ballet as a pure expression of emotion but he didn’t. He was jealous of my dancing. He was fascinated by it and despised it at the same time. In the end he tried to steal it from me. He caused my injury; he’s the reason I limp. He made my partner fall during a lift by tampering with his shoes. We both could have broken our necks that night.”
Paul’s eyes darkened with concern and his gaze was intent on her face. “Do you have proof of the tampering?”
Olivia shook her head against the pillow. “Only his confession to me. Bret tried to talk to the police about it but the shoes disappeared. Ethan handled those details so none of the evidence pointed back to him.”
“Ethan Moore, right?”
Olivia reluctantly nodded. “Don’t go after him, Paul. Don’t do anything foolish. There’s a reason I refused to give you his name. He’ll get wind of our relationship and come after you. He owns cops and government officials. Nobody is out of his reach. You can’t trust anyone.”
Despite his assurance he’d keep his hands to himself, Paul gathered her into his arms. “There’s still a few people I can trust; not everyone can be bought or threatened. There’s already an investigation underway. He’s been under scrutiny for a long time. My contact in the FBI told me the investigation is a tricky one. Someone keeps trying to delay it. Evidence has disappeared, just like in your partner’s case. But I promise, the right people will get to the bottom of this. He won’t get away with his crimes. You’re safe, okay?”
Olivia studied him in the dim light then finally nodded. “Okay.” When he moved to release her she stopped him. “Will you hold me a while longer? I don’t want you to let go – not yet.”
“My thoughts exactly,” he murmured against her hair as he pulled her even closer.
***
Paul knew he must be dreaming. His arms were full of a warm willing woman who pressed herself tight against his full length. Her curves filled his hands and he pulled her closer. He felt her lips touch his bare chest, leaving hesitant little kisses as her fingertips trailed down the hard wall of his abdomen. With every touch he grew hotter and his breath grew shallower. Liv. His arms tightened around her as he reached for the hem of her nightgown wrapped high around her thighs. His hand stilled as he heard the hitch in her breath. But she didn’t stop him. He let his fingers trail over her soft flesh, up her leg, over the curve of her hip to the heated skin of her back. She feels so good. He groaned as he came fully awake, feeling reluctant to let go of the dream. But then he realized it was no dream. And he’d made a promise to keep his hands to himself – no simple task under the circumstances.
He carefully pulled his hands away and tugged her nightgown back down. “Sorry,” he murmured huskily.
“Mm, morning,” Olivia whispered as she stretched. She brushed against him, making every nerve in his body grow taut.
“Did you sleep okay?” He forced himself to edge away from her and put his hands behind his head. It wasn’t easy when all he wanted was to pull her near and finish what they started. He wondered if he caught her mid-dream as well since she didn’t seem embarrassed or self-conscious like she usually did when things steamed up between them.
“I slept wonderfully, thank you.” She gave him an impish grin that made his own breath catch. Her face was scrubbed clean of makeup and her dark hair was tousled around her shoulders. He’d never seen anyone so beautiful. “I could really go for some pancakes,” she admitted with another grin.
“I don’t have any syrup.” But he’d run to the store barefoot if that would please her. He’d do any crazy thing she demanded if she’d keep smiling the way she was now. Sheesh, he was getting sappy over this woman. His sister would have a good laugh if she knew.
Olivia waved away his excuse. “Store-bought isn’t as good anyway. I’ll make my own. My mom is a chef and taught me a bunch of awesome tricks. I can whip together anything.” She threw back the covers and he caught sight of her long bare legs. She quickly dashed to the bathroom. “Let me get dressed and I’ll make us a fabulous breakfast!”
Paul threw his head back against the pillow with a groan. He knew how to keep her safe. But who would watch out for him? He’d only caught glimpses of this carefree side to Olivia’s personality. Once she was free of her troubles then she was liable to turn his world upside down with just a smile. He was good and hooked, and she probably had no clue the effect she had on him. But he’d gladly take his time showing her, even if it took years.
What makes you think she’ll stay? She doesn’t belong here and this is just a stopping off point until she can get back to her normal life. He scowled at the thought. Once she was free of the threat from Ethan Moore she would naturally return to California. Why would she want to stay here with him? His happy mood took a nosedive but it was good for him to keep the right perspective. Olivia was like a job, he had to keep her safe. And once the case was cracked open, she would return to her life; he would stick with his. No matter how hard he fell for her she had to be free, especially after all the abuse she’d suffered. He could never be responsible for making her feel trapped again.
He took his time dressing. Once he finally headed for the stairs he could hear her rummaging in the kitchen. He smelled bacon and something sweet along with the pancakes cooking. She turned and gave him a happy smile when he stepped into the room. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore jeans and a white tee shirt. Her green eyes sparkled as she glanced at him. He wanted to grab ahold of her and never let her go.
“I found some bacon in the fridge; I hope you don’t mind that I cooked it up.”
Paul shrugged as he forced his mind back to the mundane things of life, like eating and everything else that wasn’t Olivia. “Bacon? Sure, sounds good.” He knew his words sounded husky and she threw him a questioning glance. He came up behind her, forcing himself to keep his hands to himself, and looked over her shoulder to see what she was stirring on the stovetop. Golden pancakes filled a skillet and there was a pot of bubbly liquid. “Syrup?” he guessed as she expertly flipped the pancakes onto a plate.
“Of course!” she handed him the plate then found a small glass carafe for the syrup. “Have a taste. I need to know if I still have the touch.”
He slabbed on some butter then drowned the pancakes with syrup. His mouth watered as he quickly shoveled in a bite. He gave a groan of ecstasy at the first taste. Olivia laughed in delight. “Enough said!” she declared. She filled another plate with pancakes and joined him at the table. She looked happy and carefree and she even teased him when syrup dripped down his chin. She wasn’t pensive and fear wasn’t shadowing her eyes. It was all Paul could do to keep from grabbing her and hauling her back upstairs despite his promise.
As he finished off his plate there was knock at the front door. Olivia stilled and gave him a worried look.
“It’s nothing I’m sure. Duck into my office and stay out of sight just to be safe.”
She nodded and he pressed a kiss to her forehead before striding to the door. He waited until she darted into the office before answering. He also took the time to chec
