Olivia’s POV
I groaned and stretched myself on the bed. I rolled to the side and noticed the large space on the bed. Andre was missing.
I rubbed my eyes in alarm and smoothed his side of the bed with my hands. I found myself biting my lower lip as I remembered our night of sublime lovemaking.
I couldn’t remember the last time that I had felt that way with him.
I rolled over, and I could still feel my pussy tingling from the night of passion. I craved him all of a sudden.
“Where is he…?”
The bathroom door creaked open, and he stepped out. He looked just as handsome as the night before-maybe even more.
I never thought there would be a time to envy water.
The droplets slid off his muscular torso and wet the floor. He was in boxers, but I could still make out his outline.
“Fuck! Not now, Olivia!” I chided internally. Why would I think about that now?
I stopped myself and made my eyes rest on his face. His hair was in wet clumps that gave him a slick look. It seemed his hair had gotten a little shorter the last time that I saw him. His face was still as handsome, and I could feel myself getting wetter.
“Morning Kitten. Did you sleep well?”
I caught the wink he threw at me and felt my insides churn as a blush spread over my cheeks. I wanted to turn away from him, but my body felt stiff.
The room was immediately filled with the smell of lavender and wild peaches, and I felt my mouth slowly watering over him.
“I’m fine. I slept great.”
He smiled again and walked over to some clothes that he had out on the chair.
“I hope I didn’t wake you. It’s going to be a long drive back. I thought it necessary that we get an early head start.”
He put on his pants, and I felt my brain finally come alive.
“Back? Back where?”
He looked at me, but his face wasn’t sour. His expression was neutral as he fastened his belt, finally hiding his…
“I came here to find you and take you back home with…”
I interrupted, not letting him finish. “No. I’m not going back. I can’t go back.”
He glared at me calmly. “Olivia, there is no need to hide anymore. I am going to tell everyone about us as soon as we get back home. You are my mate. You don’t need to live in fear…”
“No!”
He raised his eyebrow in confusion and I felt a slight blush on my cheeks and looked away. Why did he have to be so handsome?
“No?”
He sat down beside me, and I scooted away from him, almost scared that if his skin rubbed mine, I’d become his slave again and betray my own resolve.
“What do you mean ‘no’? No to telling everyone about us or no to going back to the pack. Look, you don’t need to worry about anyone…”
“No, no, no. It’s not that.”
I looked up at his eyes and tried to keep my expression firm and rigid.
“I’m not going back with you. I came out here to do something else. You already know why. I need to find more information about my dad. I’m already out here, and I want to do this for him.”
He looked at me, and his expression softened. He slipped his hands into mine and the tiny bit of warmth spread throughout my entire body and set my soul alight.
“Olivia, it’s dangerous. You are my mate, and it is my duty to protect you. This is something that you definitely can’t do on your own…”
“But my father died alone. He faced all of this alone and didn’t tell me. I didn’t even know what debts he had unpaid that had to cost him his life.”
I could feel tears slowly brimming in my eyes, but I wiped them away with the back of my palm.
“He had always been there for me. The last thing that I can do for him is this. I need to take revenge for him. You have to understand, Andre.”
He looked away from me, and I could see the indecisiveness in his olivine eyes.
He had to understand what it meant to lose someone that meant so much to you.
He squeezed my hands and looked at me again.
“I understand. I understand that this means everything to you but we can’t go unprepared. We can head home and make a foolproof plan. Elvis Pine is dangerous. I have personnel in the surrounding packs. I can get them to give me more intel so that we can plan properly.”
His brows creased. He was worried, and I could feel the love and concern for me within his gaze.
I remembered the look on Jonas’ face when I first told him of my plans. He was in strong disapproval, but he had already done so much for me.
“Jonas is from there, you know. He can help me. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m not going to be alone.”
I felt the grip on my hand tighten, and Andre’s eyes darkened.
The change was instant. It frightened me. His brow creased, and his eyes narrowed.
“A… Andre? Are you alright?”
I could feel myself shaking in fear as his green eyes dissected my soul and laid all my emotions bare. I was naked, but now I was even more naked if that was possible.
“An…”
He grabbed my face. His grip on my cheeks was firm, but he was gentle. I could see the possessiveness bubble in his eyes.
His warm breath fanned my face and filled my nostrils with a fresh, minty scent.
“Never talk about that bastard in my presence again…”