Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (45 page)

Gillian laughs. “That’s probably why. Is
there anything you need?”

Olivia blushes, suddenly thinking about what
they just did in this woman’s bedroom. She glances over at Ethan
who is wearing a wicked grin as he answers for her again. “I can
assure you that all her needs have been met, but thank you.”

Olivia closes her eyes and blushes bright
red. When she opens them and glares at him, his lips are pursed
tight together trying not to laugh.

Gillian looks back and forth between them.
What an odd couple. She shrugs. “OK! Please be careful, it’s
awfully dark out there. Let Pete know if there is anything you
need.” She tops up her glass of wine and heads back outside.

When the door snaps shut, Olivia puts her
hands to her face hiding it in shame. “Oh my God, I felt like it
was written all over my face.”

Ethan laughs aloud and she swats at him
playfully. “You didn’t help, standing there laughing”

“Relax, she had no idea.” He smiles the
brightest smile from ear to delicious Irish ear. Her heart thumps
hard in her chest.

Something washes over her; it’s a playful,
cheeky kind of mood. One that she normally keeps guarded. Maybe
it’s the effects of the alcohol or maybe it’s the result of being
completely sated… physically and emotionally. She doesn’t know and
doesn’t care. It feels wonderful!

He has seen playful Olivia only twice
before, the day she came to his office and in the elevator the
night she proposed her agreement. It puts his mind at rest to know
that she’s finally starting to trust him enough to let him see the
real her. The one she so desperately tries to hide.

“I can’t believe I let you seduce me in
someone else’s bedroom.” She stops and stares at him with narrowed
eyes, pointing her finger at him. “YOU! What have you done to me?
You have corrupted me.”

His mouth hangs open and his eyebrows rise.
“I seduced YOU? Now wait a minute…”

Grabbing his hand, she pulls him towards the
door smiling devilishly. “Yup, that’s my story and I’m sticking to
it.”

Following her outside and over to their
chairs, he almost has a heart attack when she bends over the cooler
to get another drink. “Whoa!” He moves behind her quickly trying to
shield her.

She stands up straight unaware of the reason
for his anxiety. “What?” She holds up both hands, giving him his
choice of beer or water.

“Everyone can see up your shorts when you
bend over like that.” He chooses the water and she turns away,
bending over again to return the beer and get herself a vodka
cooler.

Ethan growls in frustration. “For Christ’s
sake… did you hear what I just said?”

“They can see in the dark? I doubt it.” She
rolls her eyes as she hands him the vodka cooler so he can remove
the cap. She could have done it herself but it’s just one of those
things that a girl likes her man to do for her sometimes.

Tossing the cap into the recycle bin, he
hands the bottle back to her. “Go easy, baby.” He warns. “And if
you need something out of the cooler I’ll get it for you. Don’t
bend over again.”

She can see that it’s making him tense and
she bats her eyelashes at him trying to make him relax but it
doesn’t work. “I’m not joking.” His voice gets stern. “Did you hear
me?”

Acknowledging his militant tone, she
establishes eye contact. “Yes, I heard you. Let’s go over to the
fire.“ She holds out her hand and he willingly accepts it, locking
his fingers with hers. She doesn’t care any more who’s paying
attention and what they might be whispering about her.

Standing in front of the glow of the fire,
they warm themselves from the chill of the evening air. When the
band resumes playing after their brief break, Olivia sways to the
music. Slowly, people start to leave and they find themselves alone
by the fire. The next tune is a slow, sappy love song and Olivia
gets mellow. “I love this song.” She says closing her eyes. Ethan
snuggles up behind her, and sways with her, their bodies fitting
perfectly together. Then to her surprise he serenades her, singing
along with the music in perfect pitch. His voice smooth and
seductive in her ear, stirs in her feelings so powerful that even
the thundering sound of her pulse seems distant and insignificant.
She melts into his body for support, feeling like her legs have
suddenly become boneless. When the song is over, she feels
overheated by the combination of the fire and the flame he has
ignited inside her.

He whispers in her ear. “Both the moon and I
are consumed with jealousy tonight, Olivia. I… due to the attention
you give to another man who doesn’t deserve you, and the moon for
failing to compete with your beauty.”

She can’t swallow. Unable to breathe, she
starts to feel emotional and walks away, trying to hide from him
her sudden onset of vulnerability. A few feet away the property
boundary is marked with a tree line of tall maples and she wanders
to one of the largest trunks and leans her back against it, trying
to find her balance. Following, he moves to her side, putting his
hand against the trunk just above her head. His body pressing
against her side makes her heartbeat quicker and her face
flush.

Breathing in her perfume, he becomes
intoxicated by its sweet, seductive scent and lifts his free hand,
wrapping it around her waist holding her there. His incessant stare
is daunting, forcing her to look down, trying to avoid it. Christ,
this woman is so beautiful when she tries to hide the way he
affects her.

Aware that his closeness makes her uneasy he
presses his mouth against her ear and gently nips at her lobe. The
warmth of his breath expelled heavily into her ear gives her goose
bumps. Noticing her reaction, he moves his hand from her side and
rubs up and down her arm trying to warm her. “Are you cold?” The
muscles in her stomach tighten and her chest heaves as she inhales
quickly.

“No.” She shakes her head.

“What then?” He knows what… he just needs to
hear her say it.

She looks up at him through alluring hazel
eyes. “You.”

“What about me?” Is it cruel that he needs
her to confess? Torment her by making her say it aloud?

She lowers her eyes again and whispers. “I
hate you.”

His hand stills on her arm and then moves
back around her waist. His forehead pressed to the side of her
temple he answers. “I don’t believe that’s true at all.” He slides
his hand to her hip, tugging her as close to him as possible.

Bringing her hand to her mouth, she bites at
her fingernails nervously. Her stomach twists in anxious knots as
she lays out her feelings. “I hate the way you make me feel.” She
concedes.

He inhales a deep breath and lets it breeze
out warm and slow against her ear again. Finally he gets to the
truth. Capturing her hand, he pulls it down, away from her mouth.
Not feeling the need to control or overpower her in this moment his
voice is gentle. “Look at me.”

Trembling with vulnerability, she turns so
they’re chest to chest and raises her eyes, locking his gaze to
hers, green to hazel, the soulful energy of their connection,
ineffable.

“How do I make you feel?” His heart is
beating with a strange wobble, nervous about her answer.

“Frightened.” She pauses and swallows hard,
exhaling as she whispers. “Excited.” Her voice is full of shame at
her admission.

“I see.” Lifting her hand to his mouth, he
kisses each of her knuckles one at a time. Closing her eyes, she
escapes his stare for just a few moments and gathers her thoughts
before speaking again. “You make me feel like I’ve lost control… of
my thoughts… my emotions.”

“Is that so bad?” He presses her palm to his
chest so she can feel the rhythmic beating of his heart. “You’re
not the only one who feels that way. The moment I saw you… my heart
beat your name.”

Damn him and his ridiculously romantic side,
she’s never going to survive it. “ I…I need to stay in control.”
Her words are burdened by fear. His Irish brogue suddenly becomes
thick and Irishy. “Sweetheart you are no more in control of what’s
happening between us than I am. Whatever this is… it has its own
destiny and we can merely follow its path, give in to its force…
bend to its will.”

Olivia is lost. Lost in his eyes. Lost in
his words. Under his spell... and hopelessly ALL IN. Moving his
hands to her hips, he squeezes them, pulling her closer. When she’s
pressed up against him, he lifts his hand to her face. Her
breathing is shallow and her nerves tingle with the anticipation of
his next move. Kiss me, just kiss me already.

This is exactly the opportunity he has been
waiting for to kiss her. He has never been more eager to erase that
term of the agreement. In the faint illumination of the moon he can
see that her lip is still slightly swollen. His heart sinks in
disappointment when she winces as he brushes his thumb gently
across it. He refuses to have their first kiss tainted by a split
lip and the discomfort it will cause. It’s killing him, but
deciding it will have to wait he doesn’t move in, allowing her the
time she needs to pull herself back to reality. She swallows hard,
taking a deep breath and when she finally gets her wits about her
she moves back and gives herself some space. Grasping for her
elbow, he prevents her from moving too far away.

“I just thought of something.” She says,
feeling a little overwhelmed. “I brought a bag with pants and a
sweatshirt. It’s in Scott’s car.”

His heart sinks a little. Sad in the
knowledge that she still feels she has to pull away to protect
herself when faced with her emotions.

“Thank God. I’ll go and get them. Wait
here.”

“Thank you, Ethan.” She follows him,
stopping at the fire. Staring at the flames, she’s reminded of the
sizzling heat that pumps through her veins when he touches her.

“Just promise me that you’ll remain upright
until I get back.” He looks at her waiting for her to
acknowledgement. “Olivia?”

“I promise.” There is mischief in her eyes,
making him suspicious. He’s not convinced that she’ll obey him so
he quickly heads toward the house and looks for Scott and Rachel.
The sooner he can get back to her the better.

“Hey, is your car locked?” He asks when he
finds them.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Can I have your keys? Olivia needs her
sweatshirt.”

Scott tosses them to him and he catches them
mid-air. “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

“Where is she?” Rachel asks.

“Out back by the fire, staying warm.” He
says, already on the way to the car.

Rachel gets to her feet and brushes the
grass off her backside. “I’m going to talk to her for a minute.
I’ll be right back.”

Scott doesn’t want to let go of her hand.
“Don’t be gone long.”

Rachel smiles at him and leans down to give
him a kiss. “I just want to check in on her, five minutes
tops.”

“I’ll be counting.” Releasing her, he
watches her walk around the side of the garage and towards the back
lot where the fire is blazing.

Olivia’s face lights up when she sees her
coming. “Rachel!” She throws her arms around her in a hug.

“Wow, you’re certainly happy. What have you
and Ethan been doing back here?” She teases. As she pulls herself
away she sees Olivia’s lip in the light from the fire. “Oh my God!
What the hell happened? Did Noah do that?”

Olivia frowns. “Not exactly. We were arguing
and then I tripped and fell into the door.”

Rachel Scowls at her. “Olivia, really?
You’re not lying to me again I hope.”

“No, trust me. This time I’m telling the
truth.” She puts her hand to her heart. “Honest.”

Rachel shakes her head. “What did Ethan say?
I’m surprised he didn’t kill him.”

“He wanted to. You wouldn’t believe what I
had to do to distract him while Scott got Noah out of here.”

“Oooooh! Is that what was going on? I was
wondering… WAIT! What did you do to distract him?”

Olivia smiles, her blushing cheeks so bright
they are visible in the darkness.

“Are you kidding me? You two are
unbelievable! Where?”

“You don’t want to know.” She snickers as
she changes the subject. “It looks like things are pretty steamy
between you and Scott tonight.”

“Things are great, I feel like we’re in love
again.” She swoons. “You know? I have Ethan to thank for that.” She
admits.

“Really?” What did he do?”

“He gave me a pep talk last night. He says
the sweetest things.”

Olivia nods her head in agreement. “That’s
so awesome, Rach. You know what… I think I’ll let Ethan take me
home tonight. I promised him he could if he was a good boy. And he
has been a VERY good boy.”

Rachel raises her eyebrows but before she
can get the details Ethan returns with Olivia’s clothes. Rachel
nods her head and gives him a knowing smile. He narrows his eyes
suspiciously. “What are you two up to?”

“Nothing, I’m going back to my husband.” She
walks away and turns to look back at them over her shoulder,
smirking.

Ethan scratches his head and looks over at
Olivia. She tries to look innocent as she takes the sweatshirt out
of his hands and puts it on. When she’s done she starts to undo the
button on her shorts. Ethan is shocked. “Whoa! What the hell are
you doing?”

“I’m going to change into my track
pants.”

“Ah, No! Just put them on over top.” He’s
adamant about it.

She makes a sound with her mouth, sucking
air against her teeth. “I don’t want to, they’re uncomfortable.”
She glances up at him and wrinkles her nose in disgust. “And
sticky.”

Hearing her say that makes his dick twitch.
Damn thing. “Well then, go into the house and change.” He’s
dumbfounded. “I’m not even sure why we have to have this
conversation.”

She challenges him stubbornly and unzips the
fly. “Don’t be silly, nobody will see.”