Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series

by Tricia Daniels

  Standing only a few feet away, Ethan finally understands the gravity of what has just happened and how it has affected her. Gone is his earlier placidity, as that old familiar feeling of angst washes over him. Afraid that he’s going to lose her, anxiety pumps through his blood as he walks back to where she’s sitting and crouches at her side.

  “Olivia. Promise me you won’t leave.” He takes her hands in his and squeezes them, his tone softer, almost pleading.

  She still refuses to make eye contact with him and it only adds to his anguish. Reaching up with his hand, he gently caresses the back of his fingers across her cheek. “I’m so sorry. I know I’m an ass.” Sliding his fingers under her chin, he gently turns her to face him. When she finally looks him in the eye he leans forward pressing his lips against hers trying to atone for his behavior.

  Olivia stiffens, not sure how she feels about his kiss at the moment. The sickening memory of his reaction plays over in her mind. What if that had been her? Will he treat her the same way if she tells him something he doesn’t want to hear? She doesn’t return his kiss; her lips remain still and unwilling.

  Ethan pulls away frowning and smoothes her hair behind her ears. “You’re upset. You have every right to be. I don’t deserve your kisses today.”

  Leaning his forehead against hers, he says a silent prayer. When he pulls away, the sadness in his eyes jabs at her like a sharp knife to her heart.

  “Please promise me that you won’t leave. Just let me explain.” He begs.

  She replies with a quiet nod. As much as she would like to walk away right now and never see him again, she can’t. She knew from the very first day she saw him, that the moment he kissed her there would be no turning back. It’s the reason why he has tried so hard to win her over; he somehow sensed it as well.

  “I’ll be right back.” Standing, he kisses her on the top of head before making his way to the counter. While he’s waiting for his order his phone rings and he holds it up to his ear for a brief conversation. She stares at him. So his phone is working. Leaning backwards against the counter he watches for any sign that she might change her mind and bolt for the door, while his mind desperately tries to figure out where to begin when he explain things to her.

  Returning to the table, he places two coffees in front of her and pulls the adjacent chair around the table to sit beside her. He watches her face as she stares down at the cup in front of her, fiddling with the lid and allowing it to distract her.

  “Olivia, I’m sorry you found out like this. I would have told you. I just didn’t want to lay all my ex-girlfriend baggage on you right away.”

  She laughs once. Baggage? He knows nothing about baggage.

  He exhales harshly, preparing to begin. Reaching over the table, he takes her hand, holding it firmly when she tries to pull it away. “Olivia, that woman in my office is my lawyer.”

  She looks at him surprised. “You knocked up your lawyer?”

  He looks at her and makes a face as if she had just said the most ridiculous thing. “No. She’s not the one who’s pregnant. It’s a long story but I’ll try to explain briefly. I had been living with a woman in Ireland for several months, when I suspected she was sleeping with someone else. When I confronted her she admitted it.”

  Olivia turns to face him now, listening intently.

  “I asked her to leave, which she did, but when I cut her off financially things got ugly.”

  Ethan looks so uncomfortable talking about it that Olivia starts to feel sympathetic.

  “She left me messages for weeks after I closed all her accounts, begging me to take her back. When I didn’t return any of her calls she decided to go public, going to the media with some pretty outrageous accusations.”

  “Oh, Ethan. I’m so sorry.” Her anger is slowly being replaced by understanding and compassion. She just doesn’t have it in her to pretend that she doesn’t care. She’ll just have to push her feelings behind that brick wall for now.

  Shaking his head, he looks into her eyes, squeezing her hand and rubbing his thumb in circles in her palm. “Most of my friends still won’t talk to me, my family supported me but I could see in their eyes that they didn’t truly believe me when I said I didn’t do the things she accused me of.” He picks up his coffee with his free hand and swirls it around in the cup thinking about the past several months. His attention is drawn away from her for a few moments.

  “Ethan?”

  Lifting his head, he meets her softened gaze, and frowns. “The media frenzy was brutal. The company finally sent me here to avoid any further negative publicity and hired Miss Quinn just in case I found myself in the position where I would need legal counsel. Turns out they were right to do so. Just after I left for Canada, Jess went to the police and filed a complaint.”

  Olivia has completely pushed her anger to the back of her mind now. Her only thoughts at the moment are of consoling him. And really, it’s much less painful facing his demons than her own. She wonders… What exactly is he being accused of?

  “Both John and Miss Quinn believe that every time she contacts me it’s because she wants money. When I refuse to respond she does something drastic to try and force me into calling her to sort it out. John thinks it’s a form of blackmail. She’ll just keep on trying to ruin me until I take her back or pay her money to stop.”

  “So, she’s the one who’s pregnant?”

  Ethan nods. “So she says.” His voice gets desperate. “You’ve got to believe me, Olivia… if she’s pregnant, it’s not mine.”

  He really is clueless. Olivia takes a deep breath and leans forward raking one hand through his hair and holding his cheek with the other. This… temper tantrums and pregnancies. This is easy. This is nothing compared to the secret she keeps guarded. She can deal with this. Bringing her lips to his in a tender, re-assuring kiss, she feels his tense body. Relaxing into her touch he accepts her kiss, his lips soft and gentle.

  When she pulls away, she smiles slightly, using the pad of her thumb to wipe her lipstick from his mouth, then leans back to make a sad face at him.

  “Oh no, please… anything but the sad face.” Ethan pulls his brows together.

  “You think I’m upset because you knocked up your ex-girlfriend?”

  “Allegedly.” He adds.

  “Whatever, Ethan. You think I’m upset because you allegedly knocked up your ex-girlfriend?”

  “It’s not the reason?” He asks surprised.

  “Geez Ireland, for someone so brilliant, you are incredibly dense sometimes. Unplanned pregnancies happen. It’s not the end of the world, although it may feel like that to you right now. Besides I would have no right to be upset about something that happened before we met.” She stops, needing clarification. “Is your relationship with this woman finished? Or do you still have feelings for her?”

  Ethan shakes his head. “The only feelings I have for her is hatred. I have no desire to ever see that woman ever again.”

  Olivia believes him and feels relief. “I think you know why I’m upset.”

  He looks at her confused for a moment and then nods as the realization hits him. “My temper?”

  “Yes, your temper! What the hell was that?”

  Ethan looks ashamed. “Liv, I’ve been trying really hard to keep it under control. When I heard that she’s pregnant and claiming it’s mine... well I know it’s just another way she’s schemed up to get money and… well… I lost it. I know I fucked up.” He reaches for her, touching her hands, caressing her cheek, rubbing her knee, as if he needs the warm tactile feel of her skin to calm himself. “I have never felt as afraid as when I looked up and saw you there, knowing that you had overheard. I was terrified that you would leave me... and then you ran.” He pauses, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t forgive me.” With eyes that are dark and hooded, hiding his shame, he lowers his head, bowing to her in a humbled gesture and ripping her heart right out of her chest.

 
Olivia sighs heavily. The events that lead to it may explain his temper but it sure doesn’t excuse it. She intends to let him know, something she could never have done with Sam. But Ethan isn’t Sam. Something she has to keep reminding herself when dealing with her anxiety.

  “Ethan, believe me, I can’t believe I’m not heading for the hills right now. I totally understand why it made you angry… but what really upset me was the way you were talking to that poor woman in your office. You should be ashamed of yourself, that was absolutely disgusting.”

  He nods in agreement, surprising her by taking full ownership for his behavior. “You’re right. I really fucked up. They way I acted was inexcusable. Please forgive me, Olivia.” There is desperation in his voice that tugs at her heart as he pleads.

  “It’s her forgiveness you should be asking for, Ethan. Not mine.” Although his anger often intimidates her, she knows that Ethan O’Connell is a gentle soul. There is nothing dark or evil about him. She knows that deep down. She’s felt it all along. He is a good man with a quick temper and it’s something she’s going to have to come to terms with if she intends to stay with him.

  He nods in agreement. “I promise to make it right.” He searches her eyes for her acceptance before lowering his head to stare at the floor, silently thanking his lord for sending him this angel. She will save him from himself. He’s certain of it.

  In a reversal of roles, she presses her finger under his chin and forces his gaze to hers. “Uh, you bet your ass you will, Mr. O’Connell.”

  Ethan stares at her, his heart pounding, as he falls in love with her just a little bit more.

  Olivia looks over his shoulder. “John is here.”

  John approaches with her phone in his hand and places it on the table in front of her. “You seem to have a problem keeping track of that thing.”

  Olivia wrinkles her nose. “Sorry, John.”

  He smiles. “No need to be.”

  She’s reminded about the calls to Ethan’s cell phone. “I tried to call your cell several times from my office before I left, but you didn’t answer.”

  Ethan looks at John and scowls, taking his phone out of his pocket he checks the incoming call log and finds nothing from her. “I don’t have any missed calls from you this morning, Olivia.”

  John leans over his shoulder to look at the screen and his brow furrows. “That’s strange.”

  “I even sent a text message from Rachel’s phone.”

  Ethan scrolls through messages looking for that one as well but comes up empty. “Really strange.”

  “You had it with you all morning?” John asks.

  “Yeah, except when I left it with Hannah to charge.” Instantly he looks over to John with an alarmed expression and they exchange a knowing glance.

  Olivia looks back and forth between them. “Speaking of Hannah, I even left a message for you with her as well.”

  Ethan’s jaw tenses as he continues to look straight at John.

  “I checked with her after lunch, Ethan. She said she had no messages for you.”

  Under his breath, he mumbles something in Gaelic that she assumes is not very nice, and John interrupts. “Leave it with me to deal with. You’re too upset.”

  Olivia continues to look back and forth between them. “I’m confused, what’s going on?”

  Ethan reaches over and picks up her phone, opens the contact list and makes a new entry. When he passes it back to her he explains. “Olivia, I’ve just added John’s cell number to your contacts. If you need ANYTHING or if you can’t get a hold of me, I want you to call him.”

  He looks at John. “You’ll make her a priority. Anything she needs you’ll address as if the request has come directly from me.”

  John nods. “Yes, of course.”

  Olivia’s eyes grow wide and she blushes. “Ethan! That’s not necessary.”

  “The hell it’s not. With everything else that’s going on right now I need to know that you’re being looked after. I’ll go fucking insane worrying about you otherwise.”

  She looks over at John embarrassed, but he looks indifferent, not at all fazed by Ethan’s request.

  “Is there anything else, Ethan?” John inquires.

  Ethan looks over at Olivia. “No, I’ll walk her to her car and then be back up to my office shortly.”

  John nods. “Alright then, I’ll go back up and check on Shannon.” His face turning slightly red as he thinks about Ethan’s treatment of her and Ethan picks up on it. “Listen, John… about what I said to her up there…”

  John stops him. “Not now, Ethan. Later… we’re going to have a talk.”

  Ethan looks nervous and nods, holding up his hand halting the conversation. “I’d expect nothing less. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” He reaches across the table and grasps Olivia’s hand and stares directly into her eyes. “If someone talked to my girl like that I would have murdered him on the spot.”

  She looks over at John curiously. John and Ethan’s lawyer are a couple?

  He glances back at John who, with a stoic expression, makes his intentions very clear. “Oh, don’t worry, O’Connell…You and I… we’re going to come to a CLEAR understanding on how you will treat Miss Quinn from now on.” Glancing over at Olivia, he gives her a quick wink to drive home the point that he made the day of their first meeting.

  When Ethan nods his understanding, John turns and walks towards the elevator. Ethan looks at Olivia with wide eyes and panic on his face. “Well… Olivia… it was nice knowing you.”

  “Huh?” What the heck is he talking about?

  “Apparently I’m going to get another ass kicking from McCabe.” His expression softens and he breaks into a chuckle.

  “What?” She’s surprised and confused all at once.

  “He sparred with me a couple of weeks ago and sent me to the mat. He has one hell of a right hook.” He grins, rubbing his jaw as he remembers the impact.

  Why is he smiling about that? Men are so strange.

  “Are you finished your coffee?” He looks at his watch, knowing that he has an appointment with important clients in his office soon.

  “Yes.” She says, feeling a little edgy. She’s certain that the added caffeine is making it worse. It’s a strange combination of anxiety she’s feeling, partly due to the current event that just unfolded in front of her in Ethan’s office and partly because of the sight of him in that pale grey Calvin Klein suit. The double breasted jacket clings to his body in perfection from his broad powerful shoulders to his well toned waist. The sheen of the silvery tie catches her attention as it boldly stands out against his black dress shirt. Reminded of a scene in a book she read once, she rubs her wrists as if she can feel it tied around them, binding her, rendering her helpless against his sexual advances.

  Heat shoots through her from her head to her toes and back up again as she watches him move towards the trash to discard the two cups. Oh Dear God! There couldn’t be a more inappropriate time to have these thoughts. The past hour flashes through her mind at lightening speed. Babies, Abortions, Lawyers, Screaming, Chasing, Dragging… She should be in her car, on the way home, never to speak with him again. And yet, when he returns and extends his hand to her she accepts it, locking her fingers together with his and making him grin. “Stairs or elevator?” He asks.

  “Stairs, I need the exercise.” She’s really hoping that it will help her burn off some of the sexual tension so she can start to think more rationally.

  Frowning, he shakes his head as he leads her to the entrance to the stairwell. Pushing the door open, he holds it, unaware of what’s going on in her mind or her panties. When she gets down the first section of stairs, a disturbing thought invades her brain and she stops dead on the landing. Ethan continues a few steps down before he realizes she’s stopped and then turns to her with a questioning expression.

  Her body has stiffened angrily and there is fury in her eyes.

  “Olivia? You ok? What’s wrong?” He asks alarmed. What in
the hell did I do now?

  He watches as the tension pulls her shoulders upwards and her hands clench into fists at her sides. “Gaaah! That BITCH deleted my messages off your phone!” She turns with an unexpected swiftness and heads back up the stairs.

  He wondered when she would figure it out. Watching her stomp her way back up to the first floor he grows concerned. “Where are you going?”

  “Where do you think I’m going?” She barks out angrily. “I’m going to grab that bitch by the ovaries and use them to rip her uterus out through her nose!”

  Ethan laughs aloud, and then panics when he realizes that she’s completely serious. Oh shit! He better act quickly before she gets to the door. Taking the steps two at a time, he grabs her from behind and wraps his arms around her waist attempting to stop her.

  Jolting back as he grasps her, she fights against him as rage spurs her on. Christ she’s strong! Ethan holds on for dear life, finally lifting her feet off the floor for a few seconds causing her to lose traction and then carries her back down to the landing. As her body goes lax, he sets her feet back on the ground, his face nuzzling into her neck. She pushes at his hands trying to unclasp them. “Let me go!”

  “Oh, I don’t think so, princess. I’m not going to let you go up there when you’re this upset.”

  “You’re protecting her?” She says angrily, twisting her body trying to break free.

  “No, I’m protecting you.”

  Something changes at that moment. A calmness sweeps across her. She’s no longer angry, no longer thinking about the scene in his office and all the reasons she should walk away and never see him again. Her fatalism prepares her for the realization that whatever his shortcomings are, she is meant to be his. She’s meant to surrender to him. Her body softens and then becomes tense in a whole different way. He feels it as it moves through her body. With one hand still banded around her waist he moves the other to caress across her breasts finding her nipples hardened in arousal.

  His own pulse starts to race as he wraps himself around her, thinking about lifting her skirt and taking her right here in the stairwell. His only hesitation, is the danger of being caught. At the moment, he’s not even sure if he cares. He wants her. Feeling the movement in his pants, Olivia pushes herself back against his hips so that the head of his dick rubs between the cheeks of her ass. She smiles as she feels him respond, springing to life and hardening with his usual thickness. Licking her lips, she digs her heels in and tries to break free again, making him tighten his grip around her again.