He laughs as he stands her on her feet. “Damn, I’ve become too predictable.”
“I’m too tired to fight you off in my sleep deprived state.”
“Well that’s disappointing. It turns me on when you fight it.”
“I’ve noticed.” She says with a sly grin. “That’s so incredibly wrong.”
Ethan reaches for her and she ducks just out of reach. “Oh no you don’t. I’m exhausted. Go! Shower alone.“
He teases her with that ‘come and get me’ smile. “Ok, but I’ll leave the door unlocked in case you change your mind.”
Chapter 27
After a long hot shower, Ethan wraps a towel around his waist and opens the bathroom door to find Olivia walking back into the room. “John had a suit sent over.” She extends her hand so he can slip the clothes hanger off her finger.
“Thanks, love.” Frowning as he takes it from her, his brows furrow as he notices that she’s still wearing nothing but her panties and his T-shirt. His playful tone is gone in a flash and there’s a hint of anger in his expression. “Tell me you didn’t answer the door dressed like that.”
Oh! Ooops. Her heartbeat picks up a little. “Well, yes but…” Looking into his eyes, she knows that there is no excuse that he’ll find acceptable. Here we go again!
Closing his eyes, he exhales harshly and curses while rubbing his forehead, frustration evident in his voice. “You didn’t…” He starts to lose his temper and then pauses to take a breath, rethinking his approach. “Olivia, I don’t know how the other guys in your life felt about you exposing your body to other men… but it’s NOT OK with me. The thought of another man seeing you half dressed infuriates me.”
The man has incredible NERVE! “Yeah? Well, the sight of another woman’s hand on your dick didn’t do too much for me either!” She spouts angrily, crossing her arms in front of her, not even thinking about the consequences of taking the conversation there.
Ethan takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, swallowing his anger. “I deserve that. Believe me, nothing like that will ever happen again.”
She’s not quite sure how to respond without sounding like a jealous lunatic, so she says nothing and looks away, making him shake his head. “Don’t turn away, look at me.” He demands, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. She drags her eyes back to his and bites her lip. “I don’t feel any less possessive of your body than you do of mine. Could you at least try to be mindful of that?” He stands staring, waiting for an answer but she only replies with a nod.
“Words.” He snips impatiently.
Heat flashes through her as she finds herself submitting to his authoritative voice. God she hates that his dominant tone gets her blood simmering and yet it does, every time without fail.
Resentful that he has somehow dismissed her anger, she clenches her jaw and jiggles her leg. Once again, she finds herself apologizing to HIM! “I’m sorry, I will be more mindful.”
He swings his suit over his shoulder; the hanger hooked around one finger. “Good.” He leans forward and kisses her on the lips before beginning to get dressed. Picking up her pants, she steps into them, pulling them over her hips and zipping them up. Looking down she stares at her bra and shirt in a pile on the floor. She had packed extra clothes for Ethan but didn’t think to pack a bag for herself. Picking them up she quickly puts them on and then climbs into the huge chair in the corner and watches Ethan get dressed on the other side of the room. Watching as he pulls up his pants and then slides his arms into the crisp white dress shirt she feels that tightness in her tummy the spreads outwards and makes her feel tingly. Mercy sakes, the man is gorgeous.
She marvels at how this man is so at odds with himself on every level. He dresses in the finest tailored suits, conveying his perfect ‘everything is under control’ badass business executive – A complete contradiction to his self-proclaimed ‘my life is a shit storm’ reality.
There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground for him, everything about him toggles from one extreme to the other without notice. Including his personality. It’s like two sides of the same coin, keeping her on her toes because she never knows which side will land facing up.
Tails… ruled by his Irish Temper. His primal urge to protect what’s his and keep safe those he loves. It’s what keeps him focused and engaged. Dark, mysterious and dangerous at times, it’s what’s responsible for his drive and success.
Heads…ruled by his Irish Heart. His playful and loving personality. Blessing him with his romantic and quixotic nature. Giving him the overwhelming need to nurture and care for others while neglecting his own emotional needs. It fills his life with light, hope and laughter, making him the most loyal lover and friend.
She’s not entirely sure which side of the coin rules his sense of humor or his sexual nature, although at times they both seem to be heavily rooted on the dark side. She smiles. He has most certainly met his match in her on both accounts.
Ethan straightens and then flattens his tie. Dark turquoise against the crisp white shirt and the charcoal vest of his suit. Perfection. “Olivia?”
“Huh?” She was lost in deep thought.
Ethan smirks. “I said… you’re giving me that look again. Should I bother doing up my belt?”
She gives it some serious thought. That feeling in her belly starts to squeeze tightly again, waking up the butterflies and sending delicious little pulses of heat through her body. Walking over to where he’s standing she presses up against him, lifting her arms and wrapping them around his neck. His hands come up to her hips and hold her, making her smile playfully. “I can’t decide if you’re hotter when you’re completely naked or when you’re completely dressed.” Her eyes skirt down the length of his body, taking a good long appreciative look.
Gently tightening the grip on her hips, he sways her, smirking proudly. “You think I’m hot?”
“Oh yeah! Super hot!” She runs her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. “Sizzling as a matter of fact.” She’s amused at how he seems to be humbled by the suggestion.
Ethan raises his eyebrows and grins. “Sizzling? That’s good right?”
“Yes, that’s good.” Laughing, she licks her lips before brushing them against his. Tightening his grip, he pulls her close, claiming her mouth. Suddenly his cell phone rings and in unison they both curse. Ethan shakes his head as he reaches for it.
“Well at least we know it’s not John.” She says, noting that it was an unfamiliar ring tone.
“Sorry baby, my day starts early and picks up speed as it goes.” Pulling away, he brushes his fingertips along her cheek and answers the phone.
“O’Connell.”
Why does he make his own name sound so sexy? Moving to the desk, she checks her purse and make sure she has everything before they leave.
“Bonjour mon ami. Je suis entrain de partir pour le bureau.”
Olivia stops and looks up. Damn! Only Ethan O’Connell can take “SIZZLING” and turn it up a notch. Something she didn’t even know was possible before meeting him. Ethan catches her staring and smiles.
“Listen, I’ll ring you in an hour.” Ethan throws his discarded clothes into the bag that John sent over while continuing his conversation.
“Sure, why are we speaking English? I thought you wanted me to help you keep your French in practice.” Landon Scott asks in a deep voice with a French accent.
“Because I’m not alone and it’s impolite.” Ethan zips up the bag and takes it to the door, stopping to kiss Olivia on the way. It was one of those cheesy exaggerated kisses, the kind that makes a loud ‘muah’ sound when you pull away. She smiles, glad that his playful mood has returned.
“What the hell was that? Are you kissing me goodbye, Ethan? I didn’t know you switched teams, big guy.” Landon teases.
“As if I’d kiss you, you ugly fucker.” Ethan laughs. “I’ll ring you later, Landon. I need to escort a very beautiful woman to her car.”
Olivia smiles as he tuck
s her hair behind her ear and kisses her again. “Landon Scott from South Africa?” She whispers as he pulls away. Ethan winks and nods his head.
“Ok I was just checking in. I heard that you were having more problems with Jess.”
Ethan picks up his bag and holds his hand out to Olivia as he opens the door. “That’s an understatement. Call Carter, he can fill you in.”
Feeling his pockets before he closes the door, he checks to make sure he has everything, his watch, his wallet, and his keys. “I’m just heading into the office.”
“You already told him that.” Olivia says impatiently.
Ethan looks at her with a suspicious kind of surprise as he disconnects his call and tucks his phone into his pocket.
“What?” She asks at the strange look on his face.
“Yes I did, but I didn’t know you understood what I said.”
She grins. “Well I told you my French was a little rusty but I can pick out words here and there. So you best not ever talk about me thinking I won’t know.” Her grin spreads wider and she gives him a little hip bump.
“Good to know.” He quickly reads a text message, and then shoves his phone back in his pocket. “John sent a car. It’s waiting downstairs.”
It’s only a short car ride to the office and Ethan makes sure Olivia gets safely to her car.“Are you going to work? Or are you going to go home and get some sleep?” Wrapping his arms around her middle her pulls her close for one last cuddle.
“I don’t know, I guess I’ll text Rachel when I get close to town and see what’s going on.”
He reaches up and holds her chin. “Wait until you get home before you text her, yeah? Don’t be doing that shit while you’re driving, it’s not safe.”
She’s usually annoyed that he continually warns her about her safety as if she’s a child without any common sense, but there is something calming about his concern today. His worry is a welcome acknowledgement of how much he cares for her. She figures that now she’s agreed to forget about the agreement it’s either going to get better or so much worse.
Chuckling when she rolls her eyes, he opens her car door and makes sure she is safe and secure. When she rolls the window down, he leans in for one last kiss. “I’ll call you later.” He says between little love pecks. Olivia yawns against his mouth and then laughs. “Totally your fault.”
“My fault? Now wait a minute… who woke up in the middle of the night and needed some loving?” He raises his eyebrows at her as she tries not to look guilty. “Yeah, thought so… it was you.”
She pouts. “Hey, I had a nightmare, it freaked me out. I needed my knight in shining armor.”
“Well far be it from me to refuse a damsel in distress.” Grinning, he looks up when he hears his name and looks around the garage and turns to find Scott approaching.
“Hi Liv.” Scott says, surprised to see her. “Are you coming… or going?” He asks, looking at his watch.
“Hey.” She smiles. “Don’t worry. I’m going.”
“Drive safe OK? Traffic is brutal today.” He looks over at Ethan. “We have an account update with the rest of the team in 10 minutes. Are you going to be late?”
“No, Olivia is on her way, I was just saying goodbye.” Leaning down, he peeks in the window. “Have you got your phone, love? In case you have any problems?”
That’s the second time he’s called her that today. Her heart beats at the sound of it spoken with an Irish brogue. Love. How dreamy. Reaching down she pulls it out of her purse and holds it up for him to see.
Having a clear look at the call display, Ethan frowns. “Looks like Noah Is pretty anxious to talk to you, is there something I should know?”
Scott leans in to look at the screen and shakes his head. “What?” She asks surprised. Turning the screen, he shows her that there several text messages and missed calls from Noah. Some from last night and one already this morning. Sighing, she takes her phone out of his hand and she proceeds to delete them.
Ethan watches her erase all the messages from her phone without reading them. “Have you talked to him since Saturday?”
She shakes her head No. “He keeps sending messages but I delete them, I don’t really care what he has to say.”
Scott interrupts. “Ethan we need to go.”
“Ok.” He caresses his thumb across her cheek, knowing that she’s obviously upset about what happened. “We’ll talk later.” He gives her a reassuring smile and sneaks in one last kiss before Scott drags him away. If the truth were known, he’s happy Noah has fucked up big time. He’d be even happier if he were out of the picture all together. He doesn’t like him one bit and trusts him even less than that around Olivia.
Olivia drives towards the exit with a smile and as she passes from the dim light of the parking structure into the bright sunlight on the street, someone steps in front of her car. “Holy Shit!” Slamming on the brakes, she makes the tires squeal. When she opens her eyes and looks up, the thin figure steps out of the blinding sunlight into the shadow of the garage. Olivia’s eyes try to adjust to the light and focus on the blurry figure, her hands shaking and her breathing ragged from the fright.
“Are you nuts lady? I could have killed you!” Olivia screams.
Unfazed by Olivia’s anger, the little, silver haired psychic saunters to her open window and glares at her. “It’s happening.” She says in an eerie tone. “YOU are the key to his anger.”
Feeling more edgy than ever, Olivia almost hyperventilates, blowing air through her mouth consciously trying to regain control over her breathing and her racing heart. “Excuse me?“
Her face takes on a serious and hardened look. “You need to know child. YOU are the ‘happening’ that finally ends his turmoil. All his struggles, his anger... will come to an end with YOU!”
Olivia is distraught now. “What the hell do you mean ‘I’ am the happening? Who’s struggle do I end? Is it Noah? Or is Sam coming back for me?” The thought makes her blood run cold and her stomach feel nauseous.
“Wait!” Olivia pleads.
The woman starts to back away slowly, an unnerving look on her face. “Provide closure to the one who deceived you and the pain will end. New life will welcome you. You must trust the one who guards your soul.”
The one who guards her soul? Olivia opens the car door and moves towards her but she continues to back up towards the street and into the bright sunlight. “Please! Wait!” She shields her eyes as they adjust to the intense brightness of the sun but it’s too late. She’s vanished. Olivia looks right and left but the frail woman is nowhere to be seen. Her eyes flash across the street to the small shop just in time to see the door swing shut. How the? A car horn beeps impatiently from behind her and she turns to see another car waiting to exit.
“Sorry!” Rushing back to get into her car, she exits onto the street. The drive home seems to take forever and she nearly works herself into an anxiety attack as she drives. She has just been warned, by some crazy woman that her ex’s anger will not be satisfied until he has closure. She tries to contort the words into several different interpretations but by the time she gets home, she has convinced herself that she has just been warned that Sam won’t stop until he’s finished the job and killed her.
Showering, she hopes that the warm water will wash away some of the tension but it doesn’t work. Maybe she just needs some sleep? Lying on the bed she wraps her arms around her pillow and tries to relax but her racing mind won’t settle long enough for sleep to set in. The longer she lay there the more her thoughts start to dwell on the past day’s events. Her muscles grow tighter, tenser. Finally, she throws off the blanket and gets dressed. She’s not going to get any sleep and thinking about “The Day of Destruction” as she later comes to call it, will only drive her completely insane.
She might as well go to work and keep her mind busy. By late afternoon, she’s haggard, her mind bouncing all over the place when she looks up to see Noah walking through the parking lot and heading to the
front door. Horrified, she gets to her feet to find Rachel standing at the door.
“You saw him?” Rachel asks.
“Yes. Can you make up some excuse about being on a conference call or something?” Her eyes pleading for her help.
“Okay, but you know you’re going to have to face him at some point. It doesn’t look like he is going to give up and eventually Ethan is going to find out.”
“Ugh, that will get ugly.” Olivia sighs. “I just can’t deal with him today, Rach. Can you please just get rid of him?”
She nods her head. “Yes, of course.”
As she closes the door, she hears her say “Noah, what a nice surprise. I’m afraid Olivia isn’t available this afternoon. She’s on an important conference call. She could be hours.”
Just then, her phone rings making her jump out of her skin. Ethan’s name lights up the display.
“Hey.”
“Hi. You ok? You sound a little ‘off’. ”
“I’m exhausted.” She admits, purposely leaving out the part about Noah tracking her down at work.
“Me too. Are you up for dinner? John wants to take Shannon to the restaurant and I thought that since you two seemed to hit it off last night that she might enjoy your company instead of sitting around listening to John and I fake our way through polite conversation.”
Olivia laughs. “I agree that would be painful. I’ll go, but it needs to be an early evening.”
“Sounds good to me. Our last meeting is at 4pm then I’m taking off. We can eat around six if that’s ok. Shall I pick you up?”
“No, I’ll drive myself.” Watching out her window, she feels relief, as Noah walks to his car and drives away.
Ethan yawn and it makes her laugh. “Your fault.” He chuckles into the phone.
“Fine! It’s my fault.” She finally gives in. “But it was worth it. Right?”
“Absofuckinglutely!” He whispers into the phone.
Rachel startles her as she swings open the door to her office and gives her the thumbs up on the Noah situation. Boy, is she edgy this afternoon.
Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series Page 50
