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In the afterglow, I gather her close, pressing fervent kisses to her damp skin. "I love you, Olivia. No matter what happened before, you're mine now."
My voice sounds as desperate as I feel, but fuck if I can help it.
I can’t live without her now.
She’s mine.
seven
. . .
Jack
Sweat drips down my back as I hike through the dense forest, thoughts of Olivia consuming me. Her soft skin, bright eyes, the way she feels in my arms...
I need to focus. Find more firewood before the sun sets and the temperature drops.
A twig snaps behind me. I whirl around, hand reaching for my knife, ready to confront a bear or mountain lion. But it's not an animal.
My heart falls.
It's a group of men, fanned out in a search party formation. My heart clenches.
They're looking for her.
My Olivia.
The one in the lead is tall, broad-shouldered, classically handsome.
It’s him. The man from the picture.
I ball my hands into fists.
He’s exactly the kind of man a woman like Olivia deserves. Not some washed-up recluse like me.
"You there!" the man calls out. "Have you seen a young woman? Brown hair, green eyes?" He holds up a photo.
It's her.
Smiling, radiant.
My fist tightens around the knife handle. I could lie. Lead them in the wrong direction. Keep Olivia to myself a little longer.
But it wouldn't be right.
She doesn't belong to me, no matter how much I wish she did.
"Yeah," I say gruffly. "She's at my cabin. Quarter mile that way." I point to the east, every word feeling like a knife to the gut.
The man's eyes narrow. "Your cabin? What the hell is she doing there?"
I bristle at his accusing tone. "I found her. In the woods. Injured. Been nursing her back to health."
He gives me a once-over, clearly finding me lacking.
I clench my jaw, fighting the urge to lay him out. But Olivia wouldn't want that.
So, I turn and stride back toward the cabin, hearing the search party fall into step behind me.
