Page 59 of Stranded with the SEAL

“I overheard Gallant talking to Johnson about the shipment they just got in.” She looked at Trevor, then dropped her eyes. “They said some disgusting things. Things about the girls and what they would do to them. It didn’t make sense, so I asked Marco about it and he flipped out, grabbing me by the arm hard enough to leave bruises and saying it was none of my business.”

“I remember seeing the bruises on your arm after the accident.”

She bent down and retrieved her purse. “I should get going.”

“Olivia, I want to see you again.”

She stood and shook her head. “No. That’s not a good idea.”

“I think it is.” He took a step toward her, closing the distance between them. “Hear me out. I’ve been obsessed. For the last two years, I spent every free moment thinking about avenging Ralph’s death. I was so focused on what had been done to him, what had been done to me, that I stopped caring about anyone or anything else.

“Then I ran into your car, and everything changed. My weapons were gone. Satellite pictures and maps. And there you were, helpless.

“Don’t you see?” he asked. “Caring for you forced me to loosen my grip on my plans for Steele. I couldn’t do both. I hated it, at first. I resented you. And then I started to like it. I started to like you, even more than I hated him.”

He took her hand in his. “You saved me, and I fell for you. I fell for you hard.”

Olivia’s eyes were wary. “But you still wanted revenge, and you made sure you got it.”

“But it was no longer the only thing I wanted in my life. And when you begged me not to kill Steele, I heard you. I wasn’t going to do it until he pulled his gun on Jax.” He turned toward her. “Give me another chance, Livy. Give us another chance.”

She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”

“Because you don’t want to, or because you feel guilty?”

“Because I am guilty.” She squeezed her eyes shut, then quickly opened them. “And while you may like me depending on you, I think it’s high time I learn to take care of myself. If I’d done that years ago, I never would have ended up with Marco in the first place.”

39

Bella passedOlivia the ice cream and opened another box of pictures. “It isn’t your fault.”

Olivia frowned, the muscles at the corners of her mouth pulling down hard. “If you knew what I did, you wouldn’t say that anymore.”

“So tell me. Tell me all of it.”

Olivia shook her head. “I can’t do that.”

“Why the hell not? You’re spending an awful lot of energy mentally flogging yourself. The least you can do is share the whole story so I can flog you, too.” She held up a picture. “Is this Aunt Holly or Uncle Mark?”

“I have no idea.”

“Maybe you’re afraid I won’t think what you did was so bad,” said Bella.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if I think it’s understandable and oh-so-very-human, while you think it’s the worst thing a person can do, you probably don’t want to hear that. You’re not ready to forgive yourself.”

Olivia let her spoon sink deep into the ice cream, pulling out chunks of chocolate and fudge. “I don’t deserve to be forgiven.”

“Would you be so upset with yourself if Marco hadn’t died?”

“I don’t know.” She pushed the ice cream away. “Probably not.”

Bella sighed. “Come on, pass that over here.” She reached for the carton. “Who was the hot guy at the funeral?”

“Trevor Hawkins.”

“Is he the one you were stranded with at the cabin?”