“You need to take your medicine.”
She shakes her head no and closes her eyes. “I can’t. I’ll be sick.”
“Not this time, baby girl. I know a trick. We need to keep your fever down.”
Ethan’s thoughts stray back to his childhood in Ireland and a very sick sister. Kaylie was only a year and a half old when she became so sick that she couldn’t even keep water down. She became severely dehydrated, making the fever even more dangerous. Ethan tried everything but ice chips were the only thing that worked.
Olivia opens her eyes again and tries to focus on him.
“Trust me.” He scoops up a small ice chip and holds it at her mouth. She parts her lips and he gently pops it into her mouth. She chews it and swallows and doesn’t protest when he presents her with another one. Her eyes are tired and heavy and she struggles to open them. Reaching into his pocket, he takes out the pills and dumps two of the anti-nausea pills into his hand. “Olivia, I’m going to put a few ice chips in your mouth and I want you to chew them just a little… but don’t swallow. Ok? When you have them chewed up, open your mouth and show me.” He waits for her confirmation. “Do you understand? Chew but don’t swallow.”
She nods and opens her eyes slowly. “Or Rachel will kick my ass.”
Ethan smiles at how completely adorable she is, even when she’s this sick. “Here they come.” He pops a few ice chunks into her mouth and she chews as instructed. She opens her mouth to show him. “Good girl, I’m going to put the pills in your mouth now and I want you to swallow them right away, ok? Don’t chew them.” Quickly he pops the two anti-nausea pills onto the crushed ice in her mouth. “Swallow.” He gently pushes on her chin with his finger forcing her lips together.
She does as she’s told and they seem to go down easy, letting Ethan relax a little. Until she speaks. “You’re lucky, Ireland. I don’t usually swallow.”
Lord have mercy! Why does everything between them, end up being sexual in nature? His stomach muscles tighten and his dick starts to come to life. Smirking, he traces his fingers over her lips. If that’s true, it’s something he intends to change. “We’ll see about that, princess.”
There is nothing to do now but wait. He distracts himself with the soccer game on TV for a while and then growing bored he picks up the remote and starts channel surfing. Forty-five minutes pass and Olivia hasn’t been sick. The anti-nausea medication has had plenty of time to start working. Ethan walks to the kitchen and dumps the bowl of melted ice into the sink and refills it from the bag in the freezer. Returning, he finds her sitting up on the couch. “Olivia?” Concern creases his brow. “You ok?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to be sick?” He moves to sit beside her.
“No.”
That’s a relief. “You need to take the rest of your medicine.” He takes it out of his pocket and reads the dosage instructions. Every four hours. He looks at the time on his cell phone. It’s almost midnight, so he sets an alarm to go off in four-hour intervals.
“Do you want to do it yourself?” She takes the bowl from him and picks up a few chunks of ice. He holds out his open hand with the two pills. “Take one at a time. Ok?”
Olivia throws the ice chips in her mouth, crunches them a few times, and then grabs for one of the pills. Swallowing it, she opens her mouth and sticks out her tongue showing him that it’s gone. “Do I win immunity?”
Ethan can’t resist her sense of humor. Playfully touching the end of her nose with his finger, he smiles. “Not yet, princess. One more to go.”
Her hand heavily drops back into the bowl of ice and she scoops up a few more pieces. Tossing them in her mouth she quickly grabs the last pill and tosses it in her mouth... then chews. “Olivia!” He’s unable to stop her and he cringes as she finally swallows. Coughing, she desperately tries to get rid of the bitter taste in her mouth. Tears form in her eyes. “It burns.” Ethan grabs ice from the bowl and pushes it into her mouth. “Here, keep chewing ice.”
He shoves a few pieces past her lips. “Not one for following instructions, are you, Miss James?”
She sticks her tongue out at him and he can’t hide his amusement. “Watch it, now.” He warns. “I might just bite that.” He offers her one more piece of ice and she turns her head rejecting it.
“No more. I’m ok.”
He drops it back in the bowl and takes it out of her hands. “Lie down and rest.” He coaxes.
“I want to sit up for a little while. My back hurts.” She frowns at him.
“Probably a muscle spasm from all that throwing up.”
She holds the aching spot and winces.
“Lay down and I’ll rub it for you.” He grabs one of the throw pillows from the back of the couch and puts it on his lap. Without hesitation she lies down and rests her head on the pillow. Her muscles tense and twist, as he applies expert hands and almost immediately, she feels relief as he kneads the spasm into submission. He feels her body relax and slows his movement to a gentle caress. She reaches for the remote and switches to the cartoon channel and the final few minutes of Scooby Doo. “And I would have gotten away with it too… if it wasn’t for you meddling kids.” She laughs.
Ethan takes the remote away from her. “Rest now.” He demands. Closing her eyes, she settles into a comfortable position. Just as he thought she was about to drift off she whispers his name. “Ethan?” She jolts upwards so she’s sitting again.
Her actions alarm him. “What’s wrong?”
Her eyes grow wide and her expression fearful. “Are you going to be here when I wake up?”
He breathes out a sigh of relief. “Yes, I’ll be here.” He leans forward, places his lips on her forehead in a gentle reassuring kiss, and lingers there enjoying the intimacy.
“You need to be here to save me.” She whispers.
Intrigued by the seemingly tragic events of her past, he leans back to look at her. “Save you from what?” What horrible thing has happened to this poor girl that it stalks her in her sleep and makes her terrified of her own bedroom?
He receives a child like confession. “The monster that hurts me in my dreams.”
Ah… so there IS a monster. A past boyfriend maybe? The thought angers him and he feels emotional tension grow in his shoulders. She looks so vulnerable that he can’t help himself, reaching out he strokes her hair, tucking the stray pieces behind her ear. It’s a comforting gesture that has become so second nature to him that he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it anymore. His anger dissipates and his shoulders soften as he brushes his thumb along her cheek and leans his forehead against hers. He needs to protect her. He has no explanation why, but it feels to him, like he’s done it all his life.
“You’re safe with me. I won’t let anything hurt you.”
She believes him. He can see it in her eyes, even though the specks of gold are not their usual sparkling hue. Dark and heavy they are burdened by the fever. Taking her hand, he lifts it to his mouth, kissing it in a heroic gesture. It’s the last thing she remembers as she leans into him and drifts back to sleep.
Chapter 6
The sun shines on her face when she opens her eyes, squinting at its intensity. As she wakes slowly, she’s vaguely aware that she’s lying on the couch. The sound of Ethan’s voice starts to register in her thoughts as she becomes more conscious. Barely able to lift her head, she turns in the direction of the sound. Moaning in discomfort, she rubs her stiff and sore neck. Ethan is sitting at the table with his cell phone to his ear and his laptop open. She can tell from the conversation and the tone that he’s tending to business.
Hearing her start to stir he ends his call and closes his phone. Walking over towards the couch he smiles. “Good morning, how are you feeling?”
Sitting up she tilts her neck from side to side trying to ease the stiffness. “I actually feel a lot better.” She has little recollection of the past couple of days and her eyes follow him as he sits beside her on the couch like an old friend. Fee
ling shy she pulls the blanket up and over her body hiding her breasts. He places the back of his hand against her forehead to check for fever and then smiles as he brushes his fingers down her cheek. “Good.”
Feeling a little awkward about her lack of memory, she wonders why he seems so comfortable with such an intimate gesture. “Have you been here all night?”
It suddenly occurs to him that she’s a little fuzzy on the details. “Yes. You were running a dangerously high fever and someone needed to make sure you took your meds.”
“I remember. I kept throwing them up.” She feels embarrassed.
This could be fun Ethan thinks. “It’s ok, I found a way to get them into you.” He smiles wickedly.
She starts to panic. Oh no... what has she done?
“Every FOUR hours to be precise.” He nods at her and winks, purposely leading her to believe that she had done something that she would regret.
When she covers her face with her hands and groans he nudges her playfully with his shoulder. “Relax, princess. Nothing happened. I slept on the floor and when the alarm went off, I woke you up to take your meds.”
She exhales a huge sigh of relief and then wonders… princess? Making his way back to the table, he checks on the incoming email that just announced its arrival. He sits and starts to type a reply, as she tries to determine if he’s being truthful.
“Was Rachel here?”
“Yes. She was concerned when she couldn’t reach you on the phone. She came over to make sure you were ok. When I got here she was in a panic.” He peeks at her over the top of the laptop.
“I remember her saying something about kicking my ass.” Frowning she gets to her feet and tries to make her way to the bathroom on weak legs. Ethan stands quickly and gets to her side holding out his hand in support. She willingly takes it as she takes a few steps.
“Yes, that’s right. She said you needed to do what I told you or she was going to kick your ass.” He smiles and gives her hand a little squeeze in a teasing manner and walks her to the bathroom door.
Where the heck does he think he’s going? “Ummm, that’s as far as you go, Ireland!” She slams the door in his face as she turns.
He leans against the door. “That’s not what you said last night!”
“I don’t believe you!” She hollers back. What exactly did happen last night? Reality and dreams are all jumbled together. She remembers Scooby doo and throwing up... she remembers Ethan carrying her upstairs and the bath. Horror strikes her. Did she have a bath with Ethan? Brief images of him standing in the bathroom shirtless come to her mind and makes her face begin to flush. That couldn’t have been real, could it? With her temperature under control and her body starting to heal, thoughts start racing through her mind.
When she opens the door, he stands to help her. “It’s ok. I’m fine, thank you.” She makes solid, steady steps back across the room. “Did you really sleep on the floor?”
“Yes.” He can’t resist making her squirm. “Well... part of the evening I sat on the couch with your head in my lap.”
She decides that she’s not taking the bait this time. He gets too much satisfaction out of trying to get a reaction out of her and she needs to put a stop to it. “How did I get into my pajamas?”
“Rachel helped you before she left.” Well that was partly true.
Her face starts to flush again as she asks the question that’s really on her mind. “Did you and I take a bath together?”
Ethan sits straight up and looks at her, considering all that could go wrong if he tells her the truth. Closing the laptop, he opts for a lie. “Of course not.” He stares at her, gauging her reaction. She returns his stare, not quite sure she believes him. “So then how did you get my fever down?”
“Ice chips.” Quick thinking on his part.
“Ice what?”
“Ice chips. I sat up all night feeding you ice chips. I was worried about you becoming dehydrated.”
“And every four hours you woke up to make sure I took my meds?”
“Of course, someone had to look after you, Olivia. It’s not a big deal really. I offered to stay because I wanted to be here.”
What man does that? Not many men she knows would stay up all night with a sick woman. Especially one who goes out of her way to give him a hard time.
“What time is it now?” She lies back down on the couch and struggles with the blanket that’s half tucked underneath her. Walking over, he eases it out from under her, and covers her body.
“3pm.”
“What?” She’s alarmed. “Don’t you have to go to work?”
“Relax… I’m the boss. Remember? I can work from home for a couple of days if I want. Mine or Yours.”
“Wait… a couple of days? What day is it?” She reaches for her cell phone, which he has thoughtfully charged for her, but he answers her before she can check.
“It’s Tuesday.”
“Oh my God!” She’s shocked! “I’ve been out of it for three days?”
“You were a very sick girl.” He puts his hand on her shoulder.
“And you stayed with me the whole time?” She starts to get a little emotional. That speaks volumes about this man’s dedication.
He nods his head and tries to lighten the mood. “Yes, and you were an absolute pain in the ass.”
She looks up at him through tired eyes and he smiles.
“You’ve done so much. You don’t need to stay any longer.” Her words are purely out of consideration. Deep down she kind of likes having him here and she’s feeling strangely connected to him now. “I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”
“Not at all.” He smiles. The lightening yellow lines in his eyes sparkle with mischief. “But if you’d like to take advantage of me I wouldn’t stop you.”
She groans. She was just starting to like him too. What is it about men that makes them ruin everything by talking? She rolls her eyes. “That’s not going to happen.”
He crouches down so that he’s at eye level with her. “Now, that’s a shame.” He takes hold of the blankets edge, pulling it up and over her shoulders. With the same caring and tenderness as the night before, he strokes her hair before planting a kiss on her forehead. Warmth runs through her body as his lips linger there, stirring in her a nervous tingling that makes her heart beat to a new rhythm. That is, until her brain steps in and takes back control.
“Hey, Ireland.”
“Yes?”
“If you kiss me again, I’ll punch you right in the nose.”
Ethan lets out a loud laugh. “Well you’re back to your old self, I see. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’ll be over there doing some work at a safe distance. Let me know if you need anything. Maybe you should try to eat and drink soon.”
The thought of that is revolting to her and she makes a face that makes him chuckle.
“Ok. Later then.” He reaches to touch her and withdraws his hand remembering her warning. As he walks back to the table she opens her eyes and watches him cross the room. Every move this man makes is with an alluring confidence. She hates to admit that she finds him extremely sexy. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she drifts back off to sleep.
Ethan takes the opportunity to answer a few emails and make a few quick calls. He has a business deal in negotiation. One that will cement his presence in the community and he’s very excited about it. He loves this little suburban town with its rolling hills and lush green countryside. In a lot of ways it reminds him of home. He puts his shrewd negotiation skills to work. “Not a penny more. The deal closes before the end of the month or my offer expires.”
Olivia’s dreams are in high definition and X-rated. She lets out a small moan. Ethan leans around the laptop to see if she’s ok. “I have to go. Do the job I’m paying you for or you’ll find yourself looking for another one.”
The voice on the other side of the phone begins to protest but Ethan disconnects the call. His attention is focused on Olivia, who still appears
to be sound asleep. Moaning again, she rolls onto her side. Thinking she’s experiencing discomfort, Ethan picks up the bottle of Tylenol and moves to sit on the side of the couch. It only takes him a second to realize what’s going on. Olivia is having one of her recurring dreams of the man that she doesn’t really know, the one who is the centre of her world and lover extraordinaire. This particular dream for some reason is shockingly clear in detail. Squirming, she rubs her legs together, clenching and trying to appease the ache there. Pushing her hips forward, her hands grip the corners of the pillow case and hold on tight. When she moans out his name in a sensual manner, his dick hardens with amazing swiftness. “Ethan.” He squeezes the Tylenol bottle tightly in his hand. “Damn! That’s hot.”
Olivia opens her eyes and looks at him. Taking a moment to decipher what’s real and what was dream. She blinks her eyes rapidly, making sure she’s awake. “Hi.”
“Hi yourself. Did you have a good sleep?”
“Yes, actually.” She stretches out her muscles and sits up. Wondering why he’s looking at her with a strange sort of smile. Like he’s keeping a secret.
Standing, he adjusts the erection in his pants, as he heads to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. On his way back Olivia’s eyes skim over every inch of his body recalling her dream. The feel of his rock solid chest against hers, his lips skimming across her body, his thick hard dick inside her. Her eyes stop there, noticing his pants still straining from his arousal. Oh my! Why does he have a hard-on?
A disturbing thought forms in her mind. The previously unidentified lover in her dreams could be Ethan. Has it been him the whole time and she has just hasn’t recognized him? Or is it because of the past few days events that her subconscious has assigned his face to the unknown man. Either way, now that her brain has made the connection, she certainly can’t have him hanging around. She would never be able to maintain control and now that she’s feeling well, he’ll likely return to all the other women in his life.
Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series Page 12
