Page 24 of Operation Wolf: Eli
CHAPTER 14
Eli
WHEN I WOKE UPin the morning, Olivia was gone.
I didn’t notice it at first because her room was at the opposite end of the hall from mine on the third floor. She’d deliberately chosen that room, no doubt wanting to keep her distance. I couldn’t blame her, not after the way I’d treated her. She should be furious about me coming on to her at the beach after spurning her just days ago. I hated it when people gave mixed signals, and I was ashamed I’d done so myself.
But for whatever reason, I found it impossible to decide between what my head knew was right and what my heart wanted when it came to Olivia Giordano. And I feared it was going to drive me fucking crazy.
It had been days since that first evening at the beach. Days of Olivia dividing her time between her room and the art studio on the second floor, which was everything Hunter had promised it would be. I alternated between working out, swimming in the lake, riding the mare along the trails to make sure we were still secure, and occasionally venturing into town to procure supplies and pick up the latest news. Shelburne was a smaller version of Burlington but with much less crime and activity, and there was never any news about anything more serious than the latest bar fight, and certainly much less Mafia activity. I almost wished something would happen just so I could alleviate the sheer boredom.
Even the full moon, which had come two weeks ago, hadn’t been all that damn exciting. My wolf had simply run through the forest that night while Olivia slept, picking off the wildlife and then curling up on the sandy beach by the surf after he’d had his fill. There hadn’t even been a hint of danger that I’d run into a human.
Ambling down to the kitchen to start some eggs, I expected to see Olivia already sitting in the breakfast nook, bundled in a bathrobe, nursing a cup of coffee and reading a book as she normally did, but she was gone. There was a pot of coffee, but it was lukewarm, as though it had been made hours ago, and I went on instant alert.
“Olivia?” I called.
I went out to the front porch to see if maybe she’d decided to switch things up by sitting outside by the fire pit. She usually only did that at night, though, and a quick check confirmed she wasn’t there. Racing up the balcony stairs, I dashed over to the art studio, but only landscapes greeted me, lake and forest scenes reminiscent of our current surroundings. In a full panic now, I ran back up to the third floor to check her room, but that too was empty, the bed made. Then I saw that her shoes were missing.
Holy shit, I thought, sinking down onto the bed. “Where the fuck did you go, Olivia?”
Was she foolish enough to actually attempt to go back to Chicago? Or maybe she decided to take another route and go find her father in Mexico?
“God, I’m a fucking idiot.” I should have paid closer attention to her, should have forced her to live in the room next to mine so I could hear her coming and going.
Springing up from the bed, I rushed to my room and grabbed my shoes and coat, intent on searching the forest for her. If I didn’t find her, I was going to have to go all the way to town and purchase a burner phone to call my contacts, something I was never to do unless in a dire emergency.
Of all the things the luxury cabin had, a working telephone system was not among them. I had to find her and quick.
* * *
Three hours later, I walked into town, my anxiety and fury mounting. I hadn’t found Olivia anywhere so far, not at the beach or on any of the forest trails, and I was about ready to kill someone. I headed for the local pub, and if I didn’t find any word of her there—
A warm, familiar feminine laugh rang out, stopping me dead in my tracks.
“Hey, that’s not fair, Billy!” Olivia called, her voice faint but nearby. “You have to pass the ball.”
The wind changed direction then, carrying Olivia’s scent straight to me, a combination of honeysuckle and spice that drained all the fury out of me instantly. Following the combination of scent and sound, my feet led me to a park on the west end of town where Olivia was playing Monkey in the Middle with two blond children who looked about seven. She was on her knees to make herself of comparable height, and her face, hands, and clothing were streaked with grass and dirt, likely from falling over as she strained to catch the ball.
She turned my way then, and some of the light faded from her eyes as she saw me standing there. “Sorry, boys, I have to go.”
The children protested loudly, and something in my heart melted as she knelt down and gave them each a hug before returning them to their mother. She looked so at home with the two children, and I felt guilty as she dusted herself off and crossed the grass to meet me. I definitely felt guilty that I’d robbed her of some of her joy . . . and couldn’t help but wonder if there was some way to give some of it back to her.
“What are you doing here, Eli?” She looked almost defensive as she approached, wiping at a spot of dirt on her face but failing to get most of it off. “I didn’t—”
I swept her off her feet before she could say another word, crushing her mouth against mine and pouring all the pent-up emotion from the last few hours into the kiss. Distantly, I heard the little boys making more noises of protest and excitement as well as someone whistling off in the distance, but Olivia’s mouth opened to mine, and it all faded into nothingness as I lost myself in the sweetness of her taste. The smell of her arousal filled the air around us, and my erection swelled against my jeans in answer, pressing against her belly.
“Woman, you scared the shit out of me,” I rasped against her lips, pulling back a little so we could both get our breath. “I thought you’d left me.”
“I’d never do that to you,” she said, sounding rather breathless though not at all put off, as I’d feared she’d be for stealing a kiss in broad daylight. “I was just tired of being cooped up in the house, and my ribs are all healed up, so—”
“It’s fine.” I kissed her again, reveling in the fact that I could hold her so tightly against me without worrying about causing her pain. Thrilled I could even hold her in my arms at all. “Say, why don’t you and I have a picnic? There’s a really nice spot by the trails I’ve been wanting to show you for a while.”
She gazed up at me warily, but I didn’t miss the spark in her eye. “You’re not going to make me ride the horse?”
I grinned. “No horses, I promise. Though, if you want, you can ride me. Don’t you remember?”
She arched a brow. “Remember what?”
