Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (70 page)

“Good point.” He acknowledges.

“Sometimes I have to take things ONE NIGHT
at a time. Other times I have to take them ONE HOUR at a time.
Things are getting better for me but truthfully, Ethan, sleeping in
that bed frightens me at the best of times. The thought of anyone
else sleeping in it with me absolutely terrifies me.”

Ethan thinks about the scars on her scalp
and the look on her face when Brad described the man looking for
her. He has to know what happened. He needs to hear it from her.
Before he can talk himself out of it the questions is out of his
mouth. “What happened with you and Sam? How did you end up where
you did?”

“Ethan…” She tries to stop him.

“I need to know, you’ve told me that you
don’t want to be in a committed relationship with me. If I have to
comply with that rule then I need to know why it exists.”

She adjusts her position uncomfortably and
takes in a breath. “I’m not sure where to start?”

“Did he break your heart?” He moves closer
behind her so that his muscular chest is against her back and rests
his chin against her shoulder.

“No, not really. I thought I loved him in
the beginning. What has Rachel told you? And don’t lie to me and
say nothing.”

“She only told me that he hurt you. That you
were in the hospital for several days.” He’s glad that she remains
facing away from him. She would have known for sure that he was
lying if she could see his face.

“Well I guess that’s the short version of
the story but you’re obviously not satisfied with that.”

“No I’m not.”

She sighs. “Ethan, when I first met Sam I
had just been dumped by the man I thought I was going to spend the
rest of my life with. I was feeling very vulnerable. Sam was strong
and in control. I found that very attractive for all the wrong
reasons.”

“So it was a rebound? An innocent,
heartbroken girl falling for the bad boy?”

“Yes, sort of, but I was far from
innocent... and I wasn’t heartbroken… just broken.” She pauses,
choosing her words very carefully and keeping her back to him,
feeling that it affords her a small sliver of anonymity. “It was
with Sam that I discovered how much I was aroused by a dominant
man. I wanted to find true freedom in my submission.” She’s almost
embarrassed to say it aloud. This is going to be difficult to say
and she wonders how he’ll react. “But Sam, he liked it a little too
rough sometimes.”

Ethan’s jaw clenches against her shoulder,
but he says nothing. “We were happy at first. It wasn’t long before
he told me he loved me and then something changed in him. He became
quiet, withdrawn. The more unhappy he became, the more he drank.
The more he drank… the more violent he became.” Olivia’s voice
becomes callous as she forces herself to remain free of emotion.
Best to just get it all out in the open now.

“Over time it escalated until I couldn’t
hide the bruises anymore and I knew that I had to break it off.
That was the day he crossed the line.”

“He hit you?” The thought of that makes
Ethan really angry. He can’t stand the thought of any man laying
his hands on her. Then he thinks about his problems in Ireland and
he worries, now more than ever, that when Olivia finds out he’ll
lose her forever.

“Ethan… he hit me on a regular basis, but
that night… he beat the shit out of me and left me barely able to
breathe, choking on my own blood.” Her voice is calm and cold,
barely acknowledging the horrific nature of what happened.
“Sometimes, I’m sure that he didn’t intend to leave me alive that
day.”

“Jesus Christ, Olivia.” He feels like he’s
just taken a sharp knife to the heart. What can he say? There is
nothing he can say to make things right. He will kill the bastard
when he finds him, and if he’s back in town, he fully intends to
find him. Taking several calming breaths he gently caresses his
hands across her skin and realizes that he’s doing it more to
soothe himself than her. “I know you didn’t press charges but what
happened to him after?”

“He was apparently seeing another girl at
the same time and while I was still in the hospital they left town
together. I haven’t seen or heard from him since. I don’t know
where they went or where they are now.”

There is silence between them for a moment
and as hard as she tries not to, she starts to become upset.
“Ethan, I don’t want to talk about it anymore today. Ok?”

Pressing his lips against her shoulder, he
nuzzles his face into her neck. His hands rub and squeeze along her
upper arm. “Ok baby, we’ll table it.”

Her heart starts to race and she feels a
shiver of fear wash over her. “Ethan?”

“Yes.”

“I need you to hold me.” On the edge of
tears, she lay in the dark facing the wall. Her body so tense that
her muscles are starting to ache. Ethan reaches his arm over her
and adjusts his position. “Come here.” Pulling her backwards and
rolling her to face him, his hand sweeps through her hair as she
tucks her head in under his chin. Wrapping her arms around him, she
holds him tight. She stops the tears from falling but he can still
feel her pain in the rigid muscles of her body and her shallow
breaths.

They fall asleep that way. Olivia held safe
in his loving embrace not moving or waking the entire night. It was
the most peaceful rest she’s had in three years.

Olivia is pulled from sleep by the vibrating
of her cell phone. Reaching for it blindly in the muted light of
the sunrise filtering through the window, she finally finds it.
“Hello?” She whispers into it trying not to disturb Ethan.

“Hey baby sister!” Megan says, with love and
warmth in her voice.

“Hi Meg!” She’s amazed at how tuned in her
sister has always been to her emotions, even from the Atlantic
Coast. Gently prying herself out of Ethan’s arms, she rolls to her
side away from him trying not to wake him. Despite her efforts he
senses the moment she leaves his arms. Opening his eyes, he
stretches beside her listening for a moment to her whispering into
the phone before he gets up to use the bathroom.

“Is everything ok?” Megan asks trying not to
sound suspicious.

“Everything is fine. How are the kids?” She
sounds so much more settled now.

“They’re a handful but I couldn’t imagine my
life without them.”

The bathroom door opens and having rid
himself of both his shorts and his boxers, Ethan climbs back into
bed, sliding under the covers and rolling over so that he’s at
Olivia’s back.

“Well that’s a good thing since you can’t
return them.” She teases, her breath hitching at the feel of his
warmth moving in closer.

Kissing her shoulder, he works his way up to
her neck. His lips linger just behind her ear, so close that he can
hear her call. “Whoa!” She says under breath as she feels his naked
body melt into her, pressing his hips forward and rubbing his dick
along the seam of her ass.

“Well I can always send them to live with
their Aunt Olivia.” Megan says laughing.

Olivia’s body starts to respond to his hot
breath against her ear. Sliding his hands around her, he slips
under her shirt and caresses the warm bare skin of her breasts.
When he lowers his mouth, gliding his tongue across the skin on her
neck, she’s speechless for a moment.

“Tell Ethan I said good morning.”

Olivia is shocked. “Oh my God! How did you
know he was here?

“Are you kidding me? You’re practically
moaning into the phone.”

Ethan laughs against her neck and then
brings his mouth back up to her ear. “Good morning, Megan.” He’s
loud enough for her to hear. Olivia tips the phone slightly so that
the speaker is between them.

“You better be looking after my little
sister.” She warns.

Ethan grins and gives Olivia’s sensitive
nipple a firm tug, making her clench and press back against him.
“I’m doing my very best.” He says. “But your sister is extremely
stubborn.”

Meghan scoffs. “Ha! That’s an
understatement.”

“Hey!” Olivia protests. “No fair ganging up
on me.”

“I’m sorry, baby. Let me make it up to you.”
Sliding his hand from her breast, down the sensitive twitching
nerves of her stomach, he gets underneath the waistband of her
pajama pants. Yanking them down to her hips, he finds her already
wet and ready for him.

“Oh my!” Olivia squirms, trying to press her
swollen clit against the palm of his hand and encourages him into
an erection that’s so hard it could drill through cement.

“Ummmm. I think that’s my cue to say
good-bye.” Megan says uncomfortably.

Olivia has to concentrate hard to find her
voice. “Ok Meg. I love you.” Ethan hits just the right spot making
her moan into the phone. “I’ll talk to you later.” She says through
panted breaths.

“Geez, thanks you guys! Now I’m all worked
up, I’m going to have to go wake up Rick, and he won’t know what
hit him. If I get pregnant again I’m going to kill you both.” She
threatens as she hangs up.

Olivia lets her phone drop out of her hand
and Ethan flips her onto her back, out of her pants and is pushing
her legs apart with his knee before it even hits the floor.

“I can’t wait… need to be inside you.” He
mutters as he lowers himself on top of her, entering her with one
smooth movement and making her gasp with his thick penetration. He
stills for a moment, taking a breath, and withdraws leaving only
the swollen head of his cock inside her. Despite his own urgency,
he has the presence of mind to make sure that he’s not hurting her.
Sliding back in slowly, he tests her acceptance and waits for her
reaction. When he’s certain that she’s able to take him, he begins
to thrust into her with an insurmountable desire.

Olivia groans, helpless against his sudden
rough possession. Feeling heat pulse straight to her core, the
tension coils low in her belly already aching for release. Jesus,
what the man does to her. Thrusting steadily upwards, he repeatedly
hits the right spot with a heavy pounding pressure. She’s shocked
at how quickly she starts to unravel, calling out his name as
pleasure blooms inside her and spreads outwards. Her body shudders,
as she tightens around him, squeezing his cock. Driving into her
one last time, his hips jerk forward as he comes, the feel of his
pelvis slamming hard against her making him moan with the
gratification of his own hard release. For the longest time
afterwards, Ethan stays inside her, rolling to his side he takes
her with him, relieving the heavy weight of his body on hers. He
pants against her throat, trying to calm his breath.

“Well, somebody’s eager this morning.” She
laughs.

Smiling, Ethan brings his lips to hers for a
kiss. “I’m eager for every morning that begins with me hard as
stone and deep inside you.”

“I think I could get used to waking up like
that.” She says sighing against his neck.

Moving away slowly, he makes her protest the
emptiness she feels with his withdrawal. Kissing down her throat,
he slides his body down her. Lifting the edge of her t-shirt to
expose her skin, he licks his way down her stomach, making her lift
her hips and pressing her skin harder against his mouth. Stopping
at the sight of the bruise on her belly, he gently runs his
fingertips over it, sweeping them across to her opposite hip where
he can still see the faint marks from his teeth.

Ethan’s shoulders tense. “Am I too rough
with you, princess?”

“No Ethan, I’d say from the mind numbing
orgasms and how quickly you make me come that you are just rough
enough.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I
just wanted to get your attention. Here let me kiss it better.” She
draws in a deep breath as he brushes a kiss across the healing
skin.

“Oh, you got my attention all right. I damn
near came apart when you did it.”

“Really?” He ‘s intrigued. “That’s
interesting.” He pulls her shirt back down over her stomach and
lays his head on it.

“It sounds wrong to say it out loud, but I
like seeing my mark on you. And it pleases me to know that you’ll
think of me, every time you feel how sore you are.”

“Gee, that’s romantic. I don’t recall ever
reading that in Romeo and Juliet.” She teases.

Grinning, he lifts his head to look at her.
“No? Are you sure?” Moving his body to the head of the bed, he lays
his cheek beside her on the pillow, wrapping his arms around her
and whispering in her ear. “I think we may have traumatized your
sister.”

Olivia grins and tries to hold back a
snicker. When Ethan starts to chuckle, she bursts into laughter.
God he loves that sound. He would do anything to hear it more
often.

For the rest of the week, when they aren’t
working, Ethan and Olivia spend every moment together doing the
things that couples do, although Olivia continues to deny that they
are a couple. Ethan does his best to ignore the times when she
catches a pretty girl looking at him and reminds him that he’s free
to date other girls if that’s what he wants. He tries to put her at
ease by reminding her irrefutably that she’s the only girl that he
wants, because he knows that the events of the past week have left
her feeling unsettled and insecure. However, by Friday, under the
weight of a few stressful workdays it has started to grind on his
nerves.

Obsessed with the possibility that Sam might
be back in town, he has Shannon trying to find out as much
information as she can about him, leaving his personal
investigation to the team in Ireland. In addition to everything
else, Carter just barely made his presentation deadline, and has
spent all the rest of his time holed up in his hotel room brooding
about something. He even turns down Ethan’s invitation to go a few
rounds at the gym, an opportunity that he would normally never
forego. After Ethan has burnt off some of his frustration in the
ring, he showers and then walks the few blocks to the hotel and
bangs on Carters door. He stands waiting in the hallway for a long
time.