Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (27 page)

As the elevator begins its journey,
delivering its residents to the safety of their homes, she begins
to feel an amazing calmness in his arms and relaxes. She doesn’t
stop him when he begins to caress his hands up and down her sides
from her hips to the sides of her breasts, creating a heated
connection between them. As the elevator repeatedly stops and
starts with jerky movements, she can feel the hard brass button on
his jeans rubbing against her backside.

Leaning his head in, he rests his chin on
her shoulder for a brief moment before lifting his cheek to rub
against hers. Slowly he massages his whiskers across the very
sensitive skin of her neck and downwards; stopping only to place a
small tender kiss on her shoulder. “Are you ok?” She nods her head
trying to ignore the searing heat his lips are leaving behind and
the moisture starting between her legs. He takes in a slow deep
breath as he moves his lips back to her neck, exhaling when he
reaches her ear and whispers. “You smell so delicious.” Heat bursts
through her veins and her pulse quickens. Squeezing her thighs
together, she tries to soothe the gnawing need between her legs as
she gently sways her hips in a gentle motion, rubbing her bottom
against him. He moans softly against her skin as she feels the
beginning of his erection press the button of his jeans against the
thin material of her dress.

The elevator empties and Ethan exercises
incredible restraint the rest of the journey, thinking about
business and politics, war and foreign affairs… anything to get his
mind off how badly he wants to lift her dress and fuck her against
the elevator wall. He’s relieved his hard-on has finally subsided
when they finally reach the 15th floor.

The building manager meets them at the door
and walks them through, what her father always referred to as a
two-dollar tour. Her hair is mousy grey and pulled back out of her
face with an elastic band. Tired eyes tell a story of way too many
long days at work. The place is small and stuffy and although there
is a strong smell of disinfecting cleaners, it’s worn out
appearance makes it look filthy. Surely, it hasn’t had a fresh coat
of paint in many years and the floors are scuffed beyond anything a
good scrubbing would revive. He reaches down and clasps her hand,
making her heart flutter as he obediently follows the manager down
a narrow hallway. Olivia decides to keep her opinions to herself
about the apartment since this was not her decision to make, but
she hopes that he will find this place unacceptable. She can’t
fathom the idea of spending any time with him here, assuming of
course, that he’s interested in what she’s going to propose to him
tonight. There was not much to see. One bedroom, one bathroom and a
living room with a small kitchen. Suddenly the tour is done.

The manager’s voice is harsh and dry as if
she has smoked way too many cigarettes. “Two more couples are
coming tonight so you better make your mind up fast.”

Ethan suddenly looks a little awkward and
lost for words. Olivia is smirking in amusement at that rare sight.
“Well I think...” He pauses, reaching down and taking Olivia’s hand
in his again and gives it a squeeze. “I think we will just have to
take our chances. Won’t we, sweetheart?” He’s a pretty good actor.
“We have a few other places to look at yet.”

She puts on a serious face as they turn to
look at her. “Yes, you’re right.” She chirps. “But we will be in
touch.” She extends her hand out to the manager and shakes it
quickly.

“Suit yourself.” She answers in a gravelly
tone.

Ethan keeps a firm grasp on her hand as they
make their way down the hallway to the elevator. It’s a comforting
and familiar feeling and she makes no effort to pull away. She
starts to snicker and tries to hush the sound. When the door to the
elevator opens, he follows her in, thinking about the feelings he
had for her on the way up. In an attempt to protect her, from
himself, he pushes the button for the ground floor and heads for
the opposite corner. “That was horrible.” He gasps as the door
closes.

She tries not to laugh at him. “Truly
dreadful.” She adds. Twisting the curls in her hair around her
finger, she starts to hum a pleasant tune, swaying with the
melody.

Raising one eyebrow, Ethan takes on a look
of bewilderment followed by an amused smile. “Are you humming
Shostakovich’s Second Waltz?“

She looks at him and shrugs. “I have NO
IDEA. Last night I dreamt about beautiful women in long flowing
ball gowns waltzing around a grand ballroom.” She holds out the
bottom of her dress and side steps back and forth, imitating their
movements. “That music is stuck in my head now.”

“I see.” He leans back against the wall and
crosses his legs at the ankle watching her in amusement.

Realizing how odd that must sound, she
starts feeling a little embarrassed and glances over for his
reaction. “That sounded strange didn’t it?”

Ethan shakes his head. “Not at all.” What’s
strange and alarmingly peculiar to him, is that he had the same
dream last night. Dressed in tails, he keeps her in hold. She
surrenders to his lead. The orchestra plays Shostakovich’s waltz
and it’s as if they are alone in the room. Her long ball gown flows
around her, as he dances her effortlessly across the floor. Such
clear and vivid detail. Such strong emotions attached to the dream.
He can’t bring himself to tell her.

Feeling a little sheepish, she looks down to
the floor. “Sorry, I usually wait until I know someone better
before I unleash the crazy.” She nervously taps her foot against
the wall avoiding his grin. There is an awkward silence between
them as he continues to stare at her from the other side of the
elevator.

“Sooooooo…” She stops dramatically, deciding
not to finish her thoughts.

Squinting his eyes, he tries to figure out
what’s going on in her head. With curiosity evident in his voice,
he asks. “Soooo what?”

“So… is that the reason you’re all the way
over there?” The words fall out of her mouth.

He raises his eyebrows. “Because you’re
crazy?” Enchanted by her demure behavior he shakes his head and
chuckles. “No. Not at all.”

She peaks over at him coyly, barely lifting
her head. “Why then?”

“Well, you see… I have this problem.”

She’s immediately haunted by her
insecurities and thoughts roll through her mind at lightning speed.
He probably isn’t attracted to her or maybe he’s just tired of her
bullshit. She couldn’t blame him for either. Finding it hard to
hide the disappointment on her face, she looks away from him. When
he can’t tolerate the distance between them anymore, he crosses the
empty space in one stride to get to her. Leaning in close, he
whispers. “Apparently…” His Irish accent soft and sensual. “When
I’m close to you, I’m prone to inappropriate behavior.”

The excitement building inside her is
whirling like a cyclone, sucking in all the energy that surrounds
them. The tension is almost unbearable as he reaches for her, and
again their journey ends as the elevator door pops open. On the way
to the car, Olivia’s hormones are screaming at her! She has to do
something. Her head and her heart begin negotiations. She gets into
the passenger seat and as always Ethan waits until she’s buckled in
safely before he closes the door. As he rounds the hood of the car,
she watches his perfectly silhouetted physique in the
moonlight.

She thinks about running her hands all over
every glorious muscle as he opens the door and slides in beside
her. “Do you want to go to the bar for a bit before I take you
home? Scott and Rachel are there and it would be a shame to waste
that beautiful dress on just me.”

“Sure.” The words almost stick in her
throat. What she really wants is for him to take her somewhere and
fuck this unrelenting ache out of her.

Backing out of the spot, he starts driving
out of the maze of a parking lot and towards the main road, as she
struggles with what’s on her mind. This time both head and heart
lose the battle to a vagina urgently in need of some loving.
“Ethan… I need to tell you something.” She blurts out.

“Sure.” He’s calm and casual, unaware of
what’s about to hit him.

“In the elevator a few minutes ago...”

“Yes.” He glances at her quickly and then
turns his eyes back to the road.

“Well, what if I told you,” She swallows
hard. “That I WANT to do inappropriate things with you?”

Completely stunned, Ethan gears down the
Challenger and pulls into a spot at the back of the lot, parks, and
turns off the key. When he turns to look at her, his incisive
expression makes her nervous, but her need for him is so acute
right now, she won’t back down.

“You what?” Shocked by what she just said,
he needs her to repeat herself. He couldn’t possibly have heard her
correctly.

Now is not the time to feel bashful but she
fidgets, twisting her fingers unable to still them in her lap. “I
want to come to an arrangement about sex.” There, she said it.

”An ARRANGEMENT?” He can’t decide if he’s
amused or appalled. “What kind of an arrangement did you have in
mind?”

She can’t read the expression on his face
and it’s making her anxious. “One where we have sex.” One where you
don’t break my heart. Her cheeks are flushed red with color and she
can feel the radiating heat. The throbbing between her legs begging
her to put an end to the torture. “When we mutually agree on it.”
She adds.

Reaching over, he picks up her hand and
brings it to his mouth kissing the back of it, a smirk forming on
his lips that’s almost evil in appearance. “You will never tell me
NO, princess.”

She surmises that he’s probably right but
she hates it when he’s so arrogant. “We’ll see about that.”

He humors her. “I’ve already told you that I
don’t do non-consensual. Is that all?” He releases her hand and
begins twirling her hair around his finger. It’s such a sweet and
tender gesture that she almost forgets the solution she came up
with last night. No intimacy. Just sex. Protect your heart.

“No kissing.” She knows, without a doubt
that the minute his lips touch hers she’ll be done. Helpless.
Defenseless even. There would be no staying in control or turning
back and inevitable and utter heartbreak when it’s over.

He stops twisting her hair. “No kissing? How
can you have sex without kissing?” He furrows his brow.

She looks at his lips and the very sexy way
they curl at the edges when he smiles at her. They look soft and
warm and yet she imagines they would be oh so wicked on her body.
She definitely didn’t think that through very well at all.

“Ok... No kissing on the mouth.” She says,
fearing that would definitely inhibit her desire to stay in control
of her emotions.

He laughs, and then it dawns on him. “Oh,
you’re serious?”

“Yes, I’m very serious. No kissing on the
mouth. And no cuddling.”

“What? You’re messing with me, right?”

“Ethan, I need to keep it physical only. No
emotional attachments. No relationship. No dating.” Way to take
control girl! Her sister would be proud.

His expression takes on a pensive look.
“Sounds like every man’s dream.” He pauses with a look of
frustration on his face. “So why does it bother me?”

He knows why it bothers him. This was what
he wanted at the beginning. He had to drag her along, protesting
for the most part… then he seduced her the rest of way. But now?
Now he feels more than just physical desire for her. This is no
longer just about his dick. There is no denying that he would love
nothing more than to spread her out and sink into her fast and
hard, punishing her for making him wait so long to have her body.
How can he expose her to his dark sexual desires and drag her
through his impending allegations of abuse? After spending all this
time chasing her, he can’t believe that he’s going to try to
discourage her.

There is no way to ease into the subject so
he lays it all out in the open. “Olivia, you don’t know what you’re
asking me for. My sexual desires are nowhere near
conservative.”

Already suspecting that, she stares at him
with confidence. “I know.”

This is not going to be easy. He turns his
body so he’s facing straight ahead and puts both hands on the
steering wheel squeezing it in an attempt to work out the anxiety
that he’s starting to feel. “I like to play games. Role play.”

Her mouth is dry now and her words stick in
her throat but she maintains eye contact. She raises her shoulders
in a small shrug. “Me too. Well, I’ve never done that, but I’ve
always wanted to.” Her face turns red.

He’s excited by her beautiful blush, and the
way her body reacts, but it’s short lived when he thinks about her
past. She’s said things that indicate she was in some way affected
by violence. How could she possibly cope with his dirty thoughts
and the kinky things he wants to do to her? He shakes his head and
his voice gets harsh. “I don’t think you fully understand.”

Ethan’s former best friend Reese Wilson is a
Dominant Male, actively immersed in the Bdsm lifestyle. Ethan had
attended events with him on several occasions but most of the time
only observed and learned. Ethan never participated in any of the
hardcore punishment scenes. It just wasn’t his thing. He only ever
engaged in sensual spankings and light bondage with submission from
time to time. He left all that other stuff to Reese. Ethan only got
off on the control. To him there is nothing more beautiful, than a
woman letting go of herself and completely submitting to him.
Surrendering her body for his pleasure. It’s a gift that he
worships but hasn’t actively sought out in some time. Olivia brings
out those desires in him.

How do you bring that up to a woman that you
want to have a relationship with, without scaring the living shit
out of her? Dropping his hand heavily on the console makes her
jump, confirming exactly what he’s worried about. She’s frightened
of him. Looking for guidance, he lifts his eyes to the heavens and
stares at the roof of the car. It’s a long time before he inhales a
deep long breath then reaches over and places his hand on her
thigh. Returning his gaze to hers and looking into her imploring
eyes, he agonizes over his next confession but he knows that he has
to be honest with her. “I would never hurt you, I’m not into
torture or pain… but sometimes.” He hesitates, regretting that he
has to say this out loud. “Sometimes, I will need to dominate you
sexually. I will take complete control. I will expect you to
submit. I’ll demand it.”