Forbidden Love With the Marine by Burke, Dez (best books to read in your 20s txt) 📕

Chapter Fourteen

In the first week after Ivan’s departure, Olivia had started to count the days until his return.

What was the duration of such assignments anyway? It couldn’t be more than a couple of weeks, tops.

And then he’d be back home, right? Or so Olivia told herself.

But by the end of the third week since he left on assignment, Olivia really began to worry. Had

something happened to him? She kept watching the news reports hoping and yet at the same time

dreading to hear anything about Ivan’s squad or their latest mission. No news was good news, at least in this case, thought Olivia as she tried to stay optimistic.

She tried to remember all he’d told her about his team, which wasn’t much. Not surprisingly, he

didn’t like to talk about what he really did. But Olivia had managed to piece a few things together and she’d known that his team had been behind the recent successful mission which had brought down one of the world’s most wanted terrorists.

And now just thinking that something might have gone wrong was giving her horrible

nightmares. She could barely focus on work and was continuously calling her parents to find out if they’d heard from him. He would have called if he could, wouldn’t he? It was almost a month now

since he’d left.

Please, please let him be okay, Olivia prayed daily, holding back the urge to drive to his base

and keep asking questions until somebody told her anything about Ivan’s whereabouts. That would be crazy but hell, she was just about ready to go berserk. He’d never stayed this long on a mission and though he’d been away a year on deployment last time, something told her this was different. She

didn’t have a good feeling about it.

To keep herself sane, she filled her thoughts with the images of him and why she loved him so

much. She’d adored him for as long as she could remember, and had wanted him as a man since her

body began to truly understand what those desires meant.

He’d always maintained the playful big brother image back then and she’d never dreamed she’d

get this close to him as to be lovers. It had changed her whole world that night he’d finally

demonstrated that he viewed her as a woman and not just a “kid sister” type.

Thinking of that first night when he’d succumbed to his desire for her and shared the breaking of

her innocence was one instance Olivia would never forget. Something melted in the bowl of her

womb when Olivia thought of how he loved to pleasure her breasts with hands and mouth, or the way

that same mouth was always keen to latch itself to the wet folds between her thighs.

The way he loved her body with his fingers, lips and tongue always showed her how

irresistible he found her. And how much he made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. How one look from his piercingly dark eyes could kickstart her heartbeat even if she

was far across the room from him.

And yet it wasn’t all about the chemistry and the incredible sex. Or about his smoking hot body

and the way his years of military training gave him such an unbent and even graceful bearing and

stride. She knew she also loved him for the way he cared so much about others; how he gave his time and finances to worthy causes in the community.

Best of all, Ivan never toyed with family and always made the effort to give her parents his

attention whenever he could, also spending time with his aged aunt who lived out of town.

Remembering his gorgeous smile and the warmth of his eyes whenever he looked at her, Olivia hated

herself for all those times she’d been angry with him for not giving in to her wish for them to be together. Whenever he’d called after their first night together, she’d chosen not to answer the phone.

And prior to that last family dinner he’d shared with her and her parents, she’d never really given him the time of day especially with that damn Molly back in the picture.

And now, Olivia just wished him home. She wanted Ivan back on any terms. She didn’t even

really care whether he’d still want to be with her or not. After they’d made love that final time and he’d promised they’d have a talk when he got back, he’d never told her what it would be about.

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