She shrugs. “Good question. But it’s not your job to look after my car maintenance anyways.”
She feels his body tense under her. Oh no, she’s struck a nerve and she really doesn’t want to fight with him today. Wishing she had kept her big mouth shut she braces for an argument.
His jaw tenses and the nerve at his temple twitches. “Would you fucking stop, please. Do you have to fight me at every turn? I’m concerned about your safety… not trying to take over your life.”
At that, she stiffens against him bringing to his attention her obvious anxiety. Still annoyed with her answer he makes a loud tsk sound in frustration and lifts the key fob up in front of her face. “I ordered you, your very own key fob and I’m offering you the chance to drive the Challenger for the day. Full tank of gas. Are you going to pass on the opportunity?”
Relieved that an argument doesn’t seem imminent, she tries to lighten the mood. “Hmmmm. And all I have to do is let you take my car to get the tire checked?”
“Well no… there are a few more conditions.”
Of course there is. ”She smiles, knowing where this is going. “Like?”
“Like… you have to come to the new house to trade back later and have dinner with me.”
She narrows her eyes at him suspiciously. “Are you cooking?’
“Yes.”
She’s surprised. “Can you cook?”
He raises his eyebrows with an expression that lets her know that she has just insulted him.
“Yes.”
She nods.“Alright then. Luckily… I like dinner. Is that all?”
“There was something else, let me think.” He teases.
She raises her eyebrows and gives him a wicked little grin. “I’m listening.”
“Oh, I remember… there are still a few boxes to unpack.” He smiles knowing that’s not what she thought she was going to hear.
Hmm, so that’s the way it’s going to be huh? Two can play that game. Scowling at him, she grabs the key fob out of his hand. “Deal. I’ll get you my keys.” Getting to her feet, she heads into the house. Once she’s inside he stares back at the birdhouse and a torrent breath escapes him. “Un-fucking believable.”
“What?” She asks returning with the spare keys.
Startled by her quick return, he gets to his feet. “Nothing.” Extending her arm she holds out the keys and as he reaches for him she pulls them back out of his reach. She laughs at his awkward attempt to grab them and he glares at her with an evil smirk that sends chills through her. Oh Crap! She didn’t think that through very well. She’s on the edge of the porch and has no escape route. Grinning, he’s on her in an instant, forcing her back against the brick wall of the neighboring townhouse that closes in the side of her porch. Holy Shit the man is fast.
Putting his palms against the wall on either side of her head, he cages her in while he slowly, seductively moves forward and secures her there by pressing his hips in to her. His body is so solidly in place that there is no space between them and the cool brick offers her relief from the heat that is pulsing through her body. He feels it when her belly squeezes and she clenches her thighs together in excitement, and his dick hardens in response. When his lips come down to her throat she lifts her chin willing him to kiss her there. Determined to teach him a lesson for his earlier teasing she puts a stop to his advances. “Down boy!” She finally says breathlessly. “Don’t you have a tire to fix?” She tries to pull away but has no where to go.
He laughs against her neck and then pulls away reluctantly. “We’ll continue later then. NO excuses.”
“Pffft, I don’t need an excuse, I don’t believe that SEX was part of our deal. Only dinner and unpacking.”
Ethan finds the way she challenges him refreshing, irresistible and very, very sexy. He’s not even concerned that his joke may have backfired on him. “We’ll see about that. For now, you win round one.” He chuckles as he walks away, humoring her.
She’s amused that he thinks she could actually refuse him when he pulls out that authoritative tone. She’s defenseless. She doesn’t think he’s actually figured that out yet and she’s thankful for that. When he does, she’ll be in all sorts of trouble. Little does she know he has already got her all figured out, he’s just waiting for the right time.
He holds out his hand. “Give me your keys.”
Trying not to smile, she licks her lips as she extends her arm and hovers the keys over his hand. He tilts his head to the side and shoots her a warning look, which prompts her to drop them instantly.
“Thank you.” Slapping her playfully on the ass, he makes her giggle, as she walks with him towards the laneway. His phone rings and he pulls it out of his pocket and checks the display. “O’Connell.” She smiles at the way he answers his phone, all masculine and authoritative.
There is quick change in demeanor as business Ethan makes an appearance. She can tell from the tone of the next few sentences that it’s about the Artemis Project and when he stops walking, she waits at his side. “This can wait until tomorrow.” He says into his phone. “Because it’s Sunday.” His voice is stern. She thinks she can hear laughter on the other end of the phone and she can tell by Ethan’s expression he’s not impressed. But how is that the fault of the person on the other end of the phone? Ethan has admitted that he works 24/7. John McCabe is saddled with the same work hours because of it. “Call John in the morning. And if you want to keep your job I wouldn’t bother me again today unless it’s something really important.”
She watches him feeling a little intimidated. She doesn’t think she will ever get used to that side of him. And why is Sunday no longer a work day? What’s changed? He’s acting very strange today indeed.
“Is there anything you need out of the car before I go?” He unlocks the door and waits for her answer. She stands still, watching him, staring at his lips, remember how good they feel against her skin and thinking about how delicious they tasted in her dream. She shrugs at his question. “I don’t think so.”
“So, I will see you later? Around six, ok? I’ve set the GPS all you have to do is hit the GO HOME option and follow the directions.”
“Pretty confident that I would agree, were you?” She shakes her head annoyed at his arrogance. Some things never change.
“I can be very persuasive.” He flashes her that smile that makes her melt. “Have fun, but promise me you’ll be careful. No stunt driving.”
She scrunches up her face and makes a clicking noise with her tongue. “I don’t get to have any fun.”
A questioning look washes over his face. “Are you feeling sick?
“No, I feel fine. Why?” She asks curiously.
“Because the entire time you’ve been standing here talking to me, you’ve been rubbing your belly. I thought maybe you were feeling unwell.”
Fear shoots through her as she realizes he’s right. Damn him! This man doesn’t miss a thing... EVER! She was standing there, thinking about her dream and mindlessly rubbing her hand on her tummy as if she were soothing a pregnancy. She drops her hand to her side and turns absolutely beat red.
“I’m ok. Really.”
“Alright.” He narrows his eyes. “I’m glad.” He stares at her trying to figure out what just happened and then starts to chuckle. “Sometimes… you are the strangest girl!” He scratches his head. “ I don’t even want to know what that was all about.” Opening the door, he gets inside and leaves her feeling flushed and embarrassed.
As he drives out of the laneway, he looks in the rear view window and see’s her standing with her hands over her face covering it in shame. Very strange but adorable girl, he thinks. Tonight he’s finally going to kiss those beautiful lips.
Chapter 19
When Olivia gets to Ethan’s house, she finds him in the driveway with the hood up on her car. Pulling up beside him, she see’s that he’s shirtless, wearing only a pair of soft denim jeans, ripped at the knee. Looking up as she gets out of the car, he smiles at he
r, his hands are covered in grease and he has an old rag stuck in his back pocket. “Did you enjoy your drive?”
“It was amazing!” She gushes. Leaning against the Challenger, she watches him check to make sure that all her fluids are topped up, and chuckling at her reply. She smiles. It’s such an endearing sight and yet completely sexy. Him standing there naked from the waist up in a pair of jeans that she has a compelling urge to strip him out of right here and now. She would if his ass didn’t look so perfect in them.
She jumps when he closes the hood with a hard slam. Wiping the sweat off his brow with the back of his forearm, he gives her that devilish Irish grin. He’s dirty and sweaty and yet it doesn’t matter, he is still so totally fuckable.
As if he can read her mind, he walks towards her. “You’re looking at me with bedroom eyes, Miss James. Should we skip dinner and get straight to dessert?” He wipes his hands on the tattered rag and tucks it into the back pocket of his jeans.
“And miss your awesome cooking skills? Hell no!” She runs her tongue along her lips, trying to moisten them. He oozes sexuality that is nowhere near subtle. And can we talk about that tattoo! The man is pure sex all wrapped up beautifully in a well-hung, Irish package.
“I have so many other skills.” He says, raising an eyebrow and giving her a slow simmering smile. God she loves the way he flirts.
“Yes, but I’ve seen those skills already.” She knows that he likes to be teased, and it’s a good thing, because she loves to tease him.
Moving closer, the air becomes charged around them. “Baby, we haven’t even scratched the surface yet.”
Her belly squeezes. Geez he’s good. She wonders if she will ever be able to outplay him at his game. Her face blushes and she looks down for a moment and notices a white marking on the front tire. She glances at the back one and sees the same mark, and it hits her.
“You put new tires on my car?”
Shit. Busted! “No.” He had hoped she wouldn’t notice until after she got home.
She glares at him and walks around her car checking all four tires.
“You’re still a horrible liar, Ireland. Why do you even bother?” She shakes her head completely flustered with the man.
“What do you mean still? I’ve never lied to you before.” He says it, believing it’s true. Her eyebrows shoot up and she stares at him in amazement.
“How about the time you told me that you didn’t get into the bathtub with me when I was sick?”
Fuck! Completely forgot. He cringes and rubs his hand against the whiskers on his chin. “Is there anything I can say here that won’t get me into any more trouble?”
“Nope, and I think you’re a total asshole for lying to me about it.” Whoa! Where did that come from? So much for her previous habit of avoiding conflict. She crosses her arms in front of herself and takes on an angry stance.
He pleads his case with sincerity in those beautiful green eyes. “Olivia, I needed to get your fever down, you refused to get into the tub unless I did too. I kept my shorts on… you had your panties on. Nothing happened. I thought you would feel uncomfortable about it so I figured that there was no harm in not mentioning it since you didn’t remember anyways.”
“But I did remember and when I asked you, you still lied. And now you’re lying about having four brand new tires installed on my car? We need to have a serious talk about boundaries, Ethan. ” She scolds him knowing it won’t make a bit of difference. He will always do whatever he wants. The man is incorrigible and it’s hopeless to try to change him.
Swaggering his way over to her, he brings that beautiful, sweaty, rock hard chest close enough to touch. Damn. She seems to have lost her train of thought.
She was totally wrong when she thought that his Irish accent couldn’t get any sexier. “Good idea. Let’s have that conversation right after I shower, cook you dinner and then fuck you until you’re sore and too tired to be mad at me.”
Gaaah! “Stop it! I’m angry with you and it makes my panties wet when you say stuff like that.”
She didn’t mean to say that last part out loud and she wishes she could take it back once she sees the encouragement she’s just given him. She tries to stay angry, but that chest just keeps on moving closer, his cock now swelling inside his jeans, straining against the zipper. His smell is intoxicating, the rugged salty scent of his sweat and engine oil. Exhaling harshly, she tries to get a grip, but Ethan won’t let her, he teases, keeping her right on the edge of arousal. He knows how to do it so well.
“Well maybe we should work in the reverse order then, Olivia. Let’s start with the fucking.”
Leaning his body against her, he presses his hard cock into her stomach and looks down into her eyes. Warmth blooms between her legs and her pulse takes off and is shifting into third gear.
Not so fast mister! She musters up every ounce of willpower she can and pushes him away. “Yuck, you’re all sweaty. Go have a shower.”
Grinning, he steps away. “I guess this round goes to you as well. That’s two today.” He holds up two fingers and smirks. “I wouldn’t count on any more.”
She ignores his comment knowing that when Ethan decides he needs to be inside her, there will be no stopping him. She changes gears. “What did you want me to unpack? I might as well start that while you’re… freshening up.”
He leads her into the house and she’s taken back by how beautiful it is. It’s meticulously furnished and decorated in a way that perfectly reflects Ethan, a stunning combination of the modern male and the romantic dreamer.
He smiles at her reaction as her eyes wander, taking everything in. “Ethan it’s perfect.”
“I was only joking about unpacking, there are only just a few boxes of cd’s and books left. I can do them later.”
He hands her two remotes, one for the TV and the other for the stereo. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be quick.” He disappears upstairs and hops in the shower.
The curiosity gets to her so she turns on the stereo and then opens one of the boxes in the corner in front of the bookshelf. Taking CDs out of the box a few at a time, she looks at the covers trying to get a sense of who the man really is as she puts them on the shelves. You can always tell by their music selection. Olivia flips through an extremely eclectic selection of artists, everything from Orchestral Waltz music to Jason Derulo. Oh yes... she blushes as she turns the case over to look at the song list. Jazz, Rap, music from the 20’s and 50’s, Hip Hop... Ethan has it all. She’s not sure if that means he is well rounded and open minded, or if he’s just a SPAZ who can’t decide what he likes.
She snickers as she puts the last few in place and moves on to the next box. Unfolding the flaps of the box of books, she notices the first few on the top are all medical and business textbooks. She wonders why he would still need them, but far be it for her to criticize anybody else’s pack rat tendencies. The rest of the box contains hard cover books, extremely old in appearance. She takes them out one at a time, cautiously, since the covers and bindings appear to be extremely fragile.
She slides them carefully on a shelf at eye level, so that they can be seen and appreciated. Curious, she skims through a few of them still looking for clues to his taste. His collection mostly consists of classic novels and poetry, many of the authors she doesn’t recognize other than John Keats, EE Cummings and Robert Browning. There is one last book in the bottom of the box, clearly wrapped by a detailed perfectionist. It must be extremely special to him.
Carefully unfolding the tissue paper, she reveals its brown leather cover. The name stamped in gold on the front cover is faded from age but she can still make out the faint print… Romeo and Juliet. Brushing her fingers across the cover she feels the slight impressions from the stamped title under her fingers and gets that same unnerving feeling, the one she got when she saw the bird house. Her heart beats in slow motion as she gets the distinct feeling that this book too, is familiar to her somehow.
Goose bumps form on her skin and sh
e has to remind herself to breathe. For the longest time she stands flipping through the pages, reading the ones that he has left strips of paper in to mark his favorites. He would never dog ear this pressure treasure. Tears come to her eyes as she peruses his selections, at a loss for an explanation as to why this book has made her feel so emotional. She knows one thing for sure now, he’s genuinely the romantic sole he seems to be. She has often dismissed that side of him as an act but NO MAN would go through this much trouble and research just to get girls into bed.
As Ethan comes down the stairs freshly showered and dressed he stops dead midway down, watching her as she thumbs delicately through the pages of the book. There are no words to describe the feelings that move through him at that moment. It’s like he’s been waiting for her all of his life, and just like magic, one day she stepped right out of his dreams and into his world. He knows; he absolutely knows without question, that they are meant to be together. The only problem is convincing Olivia. What he’s about to show her will make it either easier or so much worse. As he continues down the rest of the stairs, she looks up to see him, closes the book and holds it to her chest.
“This book is amazing.” She says emotionally.
“I thought so too. I found it almost a year ago in a tiny little village in Ireland. It cost me next to nothing.” She passes it to him when he reaches for it. “Let me show you something.” He flips it open, revealing the inside of the cover and hands it back to her to read. In faded black ink, on the inside of the cover someone has drawn the shape of a heart and inside it is written “EO’C + OJ forever.”
Her eyes jerk up instantly to look at him. “I’m confused.”
“That was written in it when I bought it.”
“Get out of here, you’re messing with me.” She studies his face, looking for something in his expression that would indicate that he’s joking.
“No, I’m not messing with you. I even had the ink carbon dated, the report is in the back of the book.”
She flips to the end and finds the paper that’s folded and tucked in the back cover. Opening it she reads the report and looks up at him with a surprised look on her face. “Early 1920’s?” She flips back to the front cover to look at it again and traces her finger around the heart. What the fuck is going on here? First the dreams, then the birdhouse and now this?
Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series Page 36
