“Miss James? We need you to get to your seat now. The captain is ready to depart.”
Olivia wipes her nose and opens the door. “Yes, of course.” She follows the attendant to her assigned seat and settles in. As she buckles her seatbelt, the captain welcomes everyone to the flight and apologizes for the delay. Leaning her head back, she tries to calm the developing headache that’s beginning to throb.
The two flight attendants rush to the front of the plane. There’s a brief commotion as they pull open the heavy doors. The passengers peek up the aisles curiously. A man in a suit rushes into the cabin, seemingly flustered. Olivia’s heart skips a beat. It would be just like Ethan to track her down and delay an international flight; she doesn’t know why she thought she’d get away. Maybe, deep down she doesn’t want to. Undoing her seat belt, she moves to the edge of the seat, preparing to stand and deal with him. Deal with him? Her eyes fill with tears. Who is she kidding? He’ll insist she come home, and she will obey. She swallows hard and tries to remember in which compartment the attendant stowed her carry-on.
“Sir, please calm down,” the flight attendant demands.
His voice becomes loud and agitated. “Don’t tell me to calm down!” he warns.
Her heart squeezes so tightly, it feels like it’s about to burst. It’s not him. The tear escapes, slowly rolling down her cheek. She brushes it away as she slides back into her seat.
“Excuse me,” he says, with an unmistakable accent.
Olivia looks up at the young, handsome Frenchman. Although he’s still clearly agitated, he attempts a courteous smile. Still reeling over her disappointment, Olivia glances over at the seat beside her.
“Oh, of course. I’m sorry.” Getting to her feet, she steps into the aisle and lets the muscular, young man into his seat. Finally, the captain begins his take-off. As the plane jockeys down the runway, Olivia feels the panic building inside her. The blood pumps quickly through her veins, as if it’s trying to match pace with the jet engines. Closing her eyes, she tries to remember to breathe. It seems like forever before the plane is in the air and starting to level out.
“If it’s okay, I have my hand back now?” he requests in broken English and the most adorable French accent.
Olivia turns and locks onto to the steel grey eyes of the young Frenchman. The most infectious smile curls slowly on his lips. A smile that quickly washes away the memory of the uptight, agitated man that made a last minute entrance. She looks down at the armrest of the seat. Her hand on top of his, gripping it tightly.
“You are concerned? No?”
“No. I mean, yes,” Olivia says embarrassed, quickly releasing his hand.
“You are safe, ma Cherie.”
Olivia’s face warms. “I’m sorry.”
He nods. “Whom are you leaving behind? Friends? Family? A lover, perhaps?”
Olivia looks away. “All of the above.”
“I see,” he says, seeming to be genuinely regretful for her. “Well, Cherie. He’s a fool to let you get away. He obviously doesn’t deserve you.”
“He doesn’t know I’m gone,” she says regretfully.
“Then he is an even bigger fool.”
The captain turns off the seatbelt sign and gives the okay for personal electronic devices.
“Ah,” he grunts. “Finally.” Reaching down beneath his seat, he pulls out his laptop.
Olivia blinks wondering if her eyes are playing tricks on her, but it’s no mistake. Across the top of the case is the unmistakable logo: Aurora Technologies. “You work at Aurora?”
“Mais, oui! You know them?”
Olivia frowns. “You could say that.”
“I’ve just been hired and I have a lot of work to do. There’s been an… how do you say? An incident, which gives me opportunities.”
“What time does she arrive?” he demands without a formal greeting.
“Ethan? What time does who arrive?”
“Your sister,” he growls impatiently.
“Olivia? Arrive where?” Confused, she searches her cell phone to see if she’s missed a message.
Ethan races back into the city at a dangerous speed. “Megan, I know she’s on a flight to Halifax. So how about we skip the part where you pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“Ethan, I’m not pretending. I have no idea what you’re talking about. Why is Olivia is on her way to Halifax?”
“Stop it!” Ethan yells in to the phone, finally losing his cool. “How could you let her do it, Megan? How?”
“Ethan! What are you talking about?” Fear begins to rush through her veins.
“You know what!” he growls, becoming more frustrated.
“Is my sister okay? Just tell me, please.”
“How could you let her terminate the pregnancy? You could have at least insisted that she talked to me first. That was MY baby! I deserved to know she was pregnant. I deserved to have a choice in the matter.”
Ethan waits for a response, but there isn’t one. Angst washes over him, making his stomach tighten. “Jesus. She didn’t tell you either.”
“No, she didn’t,” Megan finally answers, the shock clearly audible in her voice. “I had no idea.”
“Fuck!” Ethan scrubs his hand over his face. “Okay, Meg. I know she’s on her way to you. She left her phone in my car and the flight details were on it.” Ethan pauses, looking at the screen as an incoming call interrupts them. “Megan, I have to go.”
“Ethan, you have to know… I wouldn’t have let her go through with it. That’s why she didn’t tell me.”
Ethan sighs, “You’re right. Fucking stubborn woman, your sister is.”
“Do you think she’s okay?”
“I don’t know, Meg. God, I hope so.” Frustrated, he hangs up without saying goodbye and answers the other call. “Where are you?”
“I’m at Aurora,” John replies. “Where the fuck are you?”
“I’m on my way back into the city. Olivia is gone.”
“I know,” John says sympathetically. “She left Shannon a note. She had a bad feeling when she left this morning and went home to check on her. Are you okay?”
“No! I’m not fucking okay. Are you daft?”
“What’s your plan?”
“Meet me at the airport.”
“Ethan, you’ll never catch her. That flight was in the air half an hour ago.”
“I’ve got to try, John. Just meet me there.”
John McCabe is standing at the departure gate when Ethan bounds into the terminal at full speed. “It’s gone, Ethan. I’m sorry.”
Ethan’s jaw clenches before the usual barrage of curses escape his lips.
“It might not be a bad thing that you didn’t see her. Let her settle a little bit. Come to terms.”
“Oh, and then what, McCabe? You think she’s just going to come home?”
“Yes.” John ignores the hint of ridicule in his tone.
“I wish to fuck Shannon hadn’t let her go alone.”
“Those two are pretty close, but I’d be shocked if Shannon would be hiding this for her. I don’t think Shannon knew.”
“No?”
John raises a brow. “You’ve met Shannon, right? Is there anything about her that makes you think she’d allow her to make a decision like that on her own, and then cover it up for her?”
“Not really, no.”
“Ethan, I’ve seen the note, all she said was that she was feeling homesick, and she needed to spend a few days with her sister. I don’t think she told anyone. She left all her stuff here. I think she planned to spend a few days away, and then come back and carry on. Nobody would have known if we hadn’t found her phone and looked up the clinic.”
“If that were the case, why the secrecy from me? Why not just say I’m going to spend time with my sister?”
John scowls, as he states the obvious. “You know why, O’Connell. You would have tried to stop her.”
Ethan looks around at his surrou
ndings, searching for something. “What time is the next flight to Halifax?”
“Three p.m. tomorrow.”
Ethan shakes his head, growling.
“I think you should consider staying here and looking after business at Aurora. There are some very sensitive issues there right now.”
“She’s on a plane back to Canada.”
“Yes, but…” John begins to reason. “Ethan, this new kid that Aurora has brought in is hungry… driven. There’s some speculation that he’s been brought in for a reason.”
Suddenly, John has his full attention. So much so, that for the first time in hours, he’s not thinking about Olivia. His face becomes stoic, almost calm, as he considers what John is suggesting. He nods his acknowledgement. “You think the plan is for him to replace me.”
“Yes, I think there’s a very good chance that if you don’t focus, and get back on track, that will happen. Taking off right now, might not be a good decision.”
Ethan hesitates, anxiety washing over him. He knows that he has to make a choice: Olivia or his career. Normally Olivia would win, hands down, but he’s not sure of her frame of mind right now. He begins to reason with himself. He could go there and she’d refuse to see him. Perhaps she never wants to see him ever again. If John’s instincts are right about this young kid from France, he could lose his career as well. Then where would he be? Still, not going after her doesn’t seem right.
“She’s on her way to her sister’s place, isn’t she?” John leads.
“I believe so, yes.”
“Okay, so let’s have Megan send a message when she arrives so you know that she’s okay. We can arrange to have a new phone activated with her sim card, so she has it when she’s ready to talk to you.”
“John…” Ethan interrupts.
“I know what you’re going to say, Ethan. A few days, to get your stuff in order, isn’t going to change the decision she made or the outcome. She obviously needs to be with her sister right now.”
Ethan shakes his head, still wrestling with John’s suggestion. He doesn’t like it at all. Since Olivia James came in to his life, he’s had very little control over anything. Figuring out this relationship is more than frustrating.
“A few days, Ethan. Talk to her on Skype to satisfy your need to know that she’s well. Ask her what her plan is for coming home. If you still feel you should go, I’ll get you on a flight.”
It sounds perfectly logical, but why does he want to say no? Internal struggles have never been an issue before. In the past, he’s always known exactly what to do; decisions are always logical and unemotional. Ethan nods his consent. “I’ll make sure that she’s well, and then put to rest the board of directors concern about my ability to continue to do the job. Then I’ll get her back home to me.”
“That’s a good plan,” John assures him.
“Have you met this new kid?” Ethan asks curiously, as he walks toward the exit.
“Yes,” John follows, still feeling tense. Ethan is known to change his mind. “He reminds me a lot of the younger you.”
“Fuck. That’s not good.”
“Agreed.”
Ethan gets an odd, uncomfortable feeling, walking down the hallway of Aurora Technology’s Dublin office. The executive offices are all empty, and yet he knows that they’re all in the building. Secretaries and personal assistants avoid eye contact with them, making John suspicious. Ethan reads a message on his phone and becomes agitated.
“What’s going on?” John asks.
“I don’t know.” Ethan walks toward the meeting room. “That was Carter wanting to know why I wasn’t at the meeting.”
“What meeting?” John picks up his pace, beside him.
“The one going on right now, apparently.” Ethan pushes open the boardroom door and stands completely still. Heads turn to stare at him, and the room falls under complete silence.
“Mr. O’Connell. Please, come in and join us.” Charles Hammond, CEO of Aurora Technologies gets to his feet. “We were just discussing the business plan for Australia. Carter Brant is with us via telephone.”
“Hello, Ethan,” Carter says politely.
“Carter,” Ethan acknowledges, maintaining eye contact with the CEO. “Seems that I missed this meeting request.”
“We just assumed you were busy. You have a lot going on right now.” He returns Ethan’s intimidating glare.
John looks around the room at the faces of the other men. They pretend to busy themselves with checking phone messages and writing notes. Not one will look up and establish eye contact. Guilt fills their expressions. There’s not one man in this room that hasn’t enjoyed the rewards brought to the company through Ethan’s hard work and determination over the years. How quickly loyalties falter. It’s a message that keeps repeating itself.
Chapter Two
Her breasts press firmly against his muscular back. The canter of the powerful draught mare forces her to hold tightly around his waist. Nearing the river, Owen settles the powerful beast to a walk and enjoys the warmth of the feminine body wrapped around him. Even at this slower pace, her soft flesh rubs against him until he comes to a complete stop. Dismounting, he leads the horse to a small tree “What are you doing?” he asks, as he watches Elizabeth swing her leg over the saddle.
“I’m getting down.”
“Stay put, I’ll help you.”
Ignoring him, she sits sidesaddle.
“Liz.” He glares, unimpressed. Tugging on the rein, he makes sure the mare is secure. “Stay where you are! I’ll help you down.” Content with his knot work, he returns to her.
“I can get down by myself,” she says annoyed.
“Yes, I know that. Is there a reason why we continue to have this conversation on a regular basis?” Reaching up, he places his hands on her waist and gently lifts her, guiding her off the saddle and into his arms. She grins as he lowers her feet to the ground, enjoying the sensation of her body as it slides down his. He lets out a low throaty growl, “I don’t know why you’d ever want to deny me of that pleasure.” Taking her by the hand, he leads her toward the edge of the river.
Elizabeth runs her free hand along the leather rein on the way past. “Lovely knot work, Mr. Jameson.”
Owen turns, giving her a haunted look. She can see the unspoken desire in his eyes.
“A useful skill for keeping girls from wandering away.” She stops and pets the mare on the nose, glancing over at him with a teasing look.
Tugging her into his arms, he lowers his lips to hers, smashing his mouth against her, hard. She moves with him as he backs her up against a tree, pinning her against the trunk. Twisting her long hair around his hand, he firmly guides her head back. Holding her where he wants her, he nibbles down the length of her neck. “Are you planning on wandering away, Miss O’Connor?” His free hand traces the neckline of her dress and then slides down underneath it, across her breast. He watches the rise and fall of her chest as her heartbeat begins to race with her arousal. He pinches and twists her sensitive nipple, making her gasp out loud. He loves the reaction he gets from her; that alone make his cock hard. Digging into his pocket, he pulls out a length of rope that’s already tied. “I’m not sure I want to take that chance.”
Reaching down he grasps her wrist and slides it through one side of the tied rope loops. Her eye contact never falters, focused intently on the green of his. Her throat tightens, and she swallows hard as he slides the remaining loop over her other hand and pulls on it, tightening it like a noose around her wrists. Holding the trailing ends of the rope, he raises her bound hands over her head and loops them over a branch of the tree. It’s at the perfect height, keeping her arms stretched out above her head. He secures it so that her feet touch the ground with little slack. She knows that it’s no coincidence. He’s been here on his own… plotting… planning. Making sure that everything was just right.
“Not going anywhere now, are you?” he teases.
“No, Sir,” she replies obedie
ntly.
“Good girl.” Owen slides his hands down her sides and lifts the hem of her dress. “This will always be mine.” Gliding his hand across her, he slides her panties to the side and runs his fingers along her, withdrawing his fingers when he hears her moans of pleasure. Elizabeth squirms, feeling frustrated, trying to move her body to find his hand. Owen keeps it just out of reach, watching her intently. She can’t move anywhere, he’s denied her any freedom of movement and her struggling stokes that fire deep inside him. “Look at me,” he demands, as he reaches up to hold her chin and forces her to reestablish eye contact. “Be still.”
Olivia startles awake from her dream as the plane prepares for landing in Halifax. She returns her seat to the upright position and fans her face trying to cool herself. She glances at the empty seat beside her. Oddly enough, she’s disappointed that her neighbor left the flight at London’s Heathrow Airport to take a connecting flight to Toronto. She avoided conversation with him like the plague, not wanting to alert him to who she was. She has to admit there was something strangely comforting about having a member of the Aurora Tech family beside her, even if it was for only a few hours. If nothing else, it took her mind off the bleeding.
Emotionally worn out, Olivia makes her way through the crowded airport concourse. What now? Nobody knows that she’s coming. She has no plan and no phone. Spying a sign, she begins to walk in the direction of the taxis, all the while rehearsing in her head how the conversation is going to go when she shows up, unexpectedly, at her sister’s home.
Something makes her stop and listen. She knows she’s exhausted, but she’s sure she just heard someone call her name. There it is again. Olivia turns and searches the busy terminal, almost bursting into tears when her sister emerges through the crowd.
“Megan,” she whispers, dropping her bag to the floor as she’s enveloped in a tight embrace.
Indivisible Souls: Book 3 of the Bound4Ireland Series Page 2
