Souls ReAligned (21 page)

She shrugs, and it makes him laugh.

“Really?
Me
? Miss the net?”

“What are you saying?” She pulls away, still feeling agitated.

“I’m saying that I saw you get out of the car and my world stopped turning. From that moment on, I could see nothing else, but you. I took that shot in your direction to get your attention.”

She’s stunned at his confession and the way it mysteriously subdues her anger.

“I know that I don’t OWN you. As far as Noah and Carter are concerned… I’m a man. I get jealous. You can’t blame me for making sure they know that I have no intention of sharing your affections.” Ignoring her resistance, he continues to reel her back in closer to his body.

When she starts to say something, he puts his finger over her mouth, hushing her back into silence.

“I’m sorry I changed your Facebook status. I should have explained why it was important to me, and asked you to do it yourself.”

Well, that’s progress, right? Wait a minute. She’s supposed to be angry. How the hell does he do that? Grrrr!

Leading her to the couch, he motions for her to sit down. Before doing anything, he asks for her permission, “Can I use your laptop to show you something?” When she nods her approval, he opens his Facebook profile page, passing it over for her to view. “Relationship status updated yesterday.” It reads… “In a relationship with Olivia James.”

“Scroll down and view the first comment in the string,” he instructs her. Scrolling down she sees that Ethan has made the first comment on his own status.

Olivia James is the most amazing, beautiful woman I have ever met. I never knew such happiness could exist in my life!

“I just want everyone to know how happy I am,” he admits, looking down into her eyes with an expression that asks for forgiveness.

She fights the tears forming in her eyes. How sad is it that she can’t stay angry with him, even after today? “You need to stop making me cry, Ireland. It’s exhausting.”

Looking back at the post, she sees a comment from McKenna O’Connell Walsh.

Well then, I can’t wait to meet the woman who has tamed Ethan O’Connell, the mighty wolf.

Olivia reads it and raises her eyebrows, “Your sister?”

“Yes, my sister,” he says slightly embarrassed. “Walsh is her married name.”

Olivia bites at her lip and tries not to laugh, “The mighty wolf?”

Ethan sighs. Only a family member could cause such embarrassment. In his family, only McKenna would dare. “Yes, in Gaelic ó Conaill means strong as a wolf.” He pauses as he explains, squinting his eyes, “Which I never really understood since our coat of arms has a stag on it.

Her head snaps to the side to look at him. “You have a coat of arms?” she teases.

In an ironic switch of roles, Ethan rolls his eyes. Putting his hand on the back of her head he pulls her toward him, “Just shut up and kiss me.”

Ethan feels her kiss pulse through every nerve in his body. When he touches her, he feels a connection stronger than gravitational pull. He doesn’t want to OWN her. On the contrary, he belongs to
her
. Unless he can find a way to prove that to her, he risks losing her.

Getting to his feet, he retrieves an envelope from his jacket pocket and hands it to her, “Here.”

Reaching for it, she reluctantly takes it from his hand.

“It’s your plane ticket,” he explains when she looks at him confused. “It’s up to you, if you want to go. I’m not going to force you.”

“What’s the catch?” she asks suspiciously.

“No catch.”

“You won’t be mad, if I don’t go?”

Swallowing hard, he takes in a deep breath. Giving her this choice is the right thing to do. He only hopes that he doesn’t regret it, “No, I won’t be mad. Take the afternoon to think about it.”

Why does she feel sad all of a sudden? An hour ago, she was furious that she had to go with him. Now, given her own choice, she’s conflicted. She wants to prove a point, but has an overwhelming feeling that she’s going to die a thousand deaths while he’s away.

“I need to get going. If you change your mind, meet me at the airport.”

Following him to the door, dread weighs heavily on her heart when he turns to kiss her goodbye. She couldn’t hide her anguish, if her life depended on it.

“Liv,” he says, heartbroken at her expression.

She throws her arms around him and won’t let go. “I don’t want you to leave,” she confesses.

“I know,” he says, returning her embrace with equal fervor. “But I have to go and deal with Jessica. It’s an easy solution, Baby. Come with me,” he begs for the thousandth time.

Ethan rubs his hands firmly across her back, holding her close. Terrified that this is the last time he’ll get to hold her, he tries to absorb every minute before he leaves. Tearing himself away, he lowers his lips for a goodbye kiss; then closes the door behind him.

Fighting the tears, Olivia sits heavily down on the couch, and looks at her laptop. Missing him already, she clicks on his page to read his post again. She’s shocked to see how many comments his post has solicited. All his friends and family are thrilled for him. There are more than a few derogatory comments about his ex.

Scrolling down, she notices that he’s already posted new pictures of them together on their trip to Nova Scotia. She smiles at the first one in the album, a rather intimate picture. It’s the one of her tiny nephew sitting on her knee, watching in wonder at a ladybug crawling across her hand. She saves it as her profile picture, smiling as it loads onto her page. She scrolls through several more in the album, all with the same premise, intimate tender moments with her family. He had obviously taken them with his cell phone when she had no idea he was even paying attention. One picture pulls at her heartstrings more than the others. It’s a selfie he’s taken of himself and Leila. Her small body sits, almost lost, on his large lap, tucked in against his chest, sound asleep. It makes her heart tingle. Reaching over, she picks up the ticket and holds it in the air trying to make a decision. Forgive him and go; or stay home and prove a point?

Ethan paces the airport lounge with his phone to his ear. Making business calls, confirming appointments, anything he can do to take his mind off the fact that he hasn’t heard from Olivia. Getting increasingly agitated as the flight time grows nearer, his business calls become volatile. Debating sales strategies with one of his country managers, the conversation gets heated. Loud! Ethan paces back and forth, angrily arguing his point, stopping only when he turns to find John McCabe standing in front of him.

“Hang up the phone, and sit the hell down. Security is starting to watch you,” John says calmly.

Glancing around the area, Ethan acknowledges an increasing number of uniformed security officers hovering close by. Making his way to a chair, he sits. Checking his phone every thirty seconds, he shifts in his seat, fidgeting impatiently.

John is about ready to strangle him, “Christ, would you settle down.”

“I can’t,” Ethan says, looking at his watch. “We board in twenty minutes. She’s not coming.” Heartbroken, he leans forward and holds his head. “I knew it was a huge mistake giving her a choice,” growling in frustration, he rakes his fingers through his hair. “What am I going to do, John? I can’t stand the thought of her staying here alone. Not with him out there. Why? Why did I back down and let her have a choice?”

“Because you love her, and trying to control her life feels wrong,” John suggests.

Ethan growls, “I knew she’d make me regret it. Bloody frustrating woman!”

John places his hand on Ethan’s shoulder and squeezes, “You can relax now.”

“Relax? How am I supposed to relax? She’s driving me fucking insane,” Ethan says with exasperation.

“I hope you’re talking about me! Then I know my evil plan is working.”

Ethan’s head jolts upwards to meet the incredible smile of Olivia James. Jumping up from his chair, he throws his arms around her and lifts her off the ground.

“Ethan! Put me down!” she insists.

Sliding her down his body in slow motion, he stops when their lips match up.

“If you’re going to kiss me, you better hurry, they’re boarding our rows now,” Olivia teases.

Placing her feet firmly on the floor, he slants his mouth over hers. The warmth of his breath against her mouth makes her hungry for his kisses. Tenderly pressing her lips against his, she feels his body start to respond. Parting his mouth, his kiss becomes greedy, his tongue sliding in to meet hers. Everyone around them seems to disappear.

Shaking his head, John picks up all three carry-ons and heads for the gate. “You two better hurry up, or you’re going to miss the flight.”

Olivia pulls away, but Ethan persists, coming back in for another kiss. “Ethan, you had better not make us miss this flight, after all the crap you put me through to get me on it,” she warns. Holding her hand tightly, he grins and pulls her toward the boarding gate.

Olivia’s grip tightens on the armrests as the plane taxis down the runway. Looking down at her white-knuckle hold, Ethan reaches over and places his hand on top of hers, trying to soothe her anxiety with his touch. “You made it through the flight to Halifax just fine. You aren’t still frightened are you?” he asks, curious if that was the cause of her reluctance the entire time. The thought had never crossed his mind, until now.

“Just of the take-offs,” she pauses, “and the landings,” looking at him, she shoots him an unsettled look, “and the crashing!”

Quirking a grin, he squeezes her hand tightly, leaning over to brush a kiss on her lips, “You’re going to be just fine. I’m sitting beside you. John is right behind you.”

Turning her head to peek through the seats, she meets John’s charming smile. She’s not quite sure how Ethan figures that John’s going to save her from a plane crash, but it’s of some comfort to know he’s close by. Before she knows it, they’re in the air and on the way to Ireland.

Olivia is in awe of the spacious seats and attentive service in first class. She can’t imagine Ethan would tolerate flying any other way. Breaking off a piece of warmed chocolate chip cookie, she smiles and makes a little sound of pleasure as she puts it in her mouth. “I could get used to this kind of treatment,” she admits.

Ethan grins, “The only part I hate is the stopovers. They always put the flight behind schedule.”

“Are you complaining about stopovers, again?” John asks, as he leans forward. “Because the solution to that was to take the company jet. Since you refuse to do that, I don’t want to hear about it.”

Surprised, Olivia’s eyes open wide, “You have use of a private company jet, and you don’t use it?”

“I’m not fond of using resources and burning fuel when I can take commercial flights. I’ve taken the private jet when I’ve had no other option. For the most part, first-class is comfortable, even during the long international flights.” The corner of his mouth starts to curl, in that sensual way that he has when he’s thinking something dirty, “In fact, it’s amazing the things you can do to
entertain
yourself on these flights.

Olivia’s surprise changes to shock, “Well, I’m not sure what kind of entertainment you’re thinking about, but I can assure you that the answer will be NO.”

“Never say NO, Babe…” Ethan grins mischievously, “You might be missing out on something awesome.”

A few hours in to the long overnight flight, Olivia is bored with watching in-flight movies. Yanking the headphones out of her ears, she reclines her seat, and closes her eyes. Ethan covers her with a blanket and leans in to press a kiss on her forehead.

Smiling, she thinks about those lips and all the wicked things he does with them. Those thoughts, linger in her mind long after she drifts off to sleep, evoking very powerful, erotic dreams. Warmth washes over her as she dreams about the way he touches her body. How his strong hands explore between her legs, pushing through closed thighs, to their intended destination. Letting out a low moan of pleasure, she adjusts her position, pushing her hips forward.

There’s a soft whisper in her ear, “Shhhh. I know it feels good, Baby, but you need to be quiet.” His humid breath skims across that sensitive spot behind her ear; the warmth of it apprising her to the fact that she’s not dreaming at all. She smiles as she begins to wake, enjoying the feel of his hand inside her panties, rubbing languidly across her swelling clit. Until she remembers where they are, that is.

Startled, her eyes whip open. “What are you doing?” she whispers, lifting her head to look around. Everyone seems to be asleep in the dimly lit cabin. Everyone, except Ethan and his wandering hands.

“And you made fun of me for asking stupid questions?” He quirks an eyebrow at her. Turned sideways in his reclined seat, he’s situated himself in front of her, blocking her from view. Sliding his hand further between her legs, he intends to enter her dripping pussy.

“Ethan!” she glares at him, reaching down to grab hold of his hand, in an attempt to stop him.

Ethan locks his gaze to hers, unimpressed by her objection. “No one’s paying attention. And even if they were, they can’t see what’s going on under the blanket,” he reasons.

With her body still tense beside him, she maintains a firm grip on his wrist.

Refusing to give up, Ethan leans in with a kiss; turning up the heat a notch with the hungry invasion of his tongue. Gently nibbling on her earlobe, he feels her hold begin to falter, giving him enough leeway to move his finger in small circles around her clit.

Closing her eyes, she feels the pleasure start to build inside her. Against her better judgment, she releases his hand, making him grin at his victory.

His skilled fingers continue their assault. Sliding in and out, progressing in pace and pressure. Under the blanket, she moves her hands to the sides of her pants and slowly slides the waistband down over her hips, giving him extra room to maneuver.

Adjusting his position, he leans on his elbow and rests his head in his hand. “Be still,” he warns. Pleased at his victory, he watches her expressions as she squeezes her closed eyelids tighter. Teasing fingers deliver just the right pressure, making her bite her lip to avoid from calling out.

“Quite an exercise in control for you; not being able to vocalize your pleasure,” he teases, blowing warm air into her ear. “Just lay there and take it, Princess.”

Those words alone are almost enough to make her come undone. Demanding fingers, edge her closer to bliss. Tightening around him, in silence, she tries to calm her panting breath. “Open your eyes,” he urges, “I want you to look at me when it happens.”

Lashes rise to reveal her eyes as she locks her gaze to his. With deliberate effort, he gives her the pressure she needs, rushing her to climax. Parting her lips to breathe through her mouth, she struggles as pleasure rips through her body. Her self-restraint is tested, fighting the urge to convulse beneath his hand. Still staring into the green of his eyes, the powerful orgasm takes hold of her, pushing her to the ultimate high before letting her float back down. As her breathing settles, Ethan gives her a cocky grin.

“Don’t say a word,” she warns, as she hitches her pants back up over her hips. Pulling the blanket off to the side, she nudges him. “I have to use the bathroom,”

Returning his seat to the upright position, he lets her out into the aisle, where she stands horrified. Sitting in the seat directly behind her, John McCabe is wide-awake and reading. Glancing up at her, he nods his head and smiles. Turning bright red, she makes her way to the closest bathroom.

Splashing cool water on her face, she freshens up, trying to erase the look of guilt and embarrassment. Swinging the door open to step out, she finds Ethan waiting for her. Giving her no chance to speak, he holds the door and moves forward, forcing her back into the tiny stall.

“Don’t even think about it,” she advises, as he reaches to lock the door.

Taking her hand, he slides it over his hardened cock, straining uncomfortably in his pants. “Oh, I’m thinking about it,” he warns.

Confined quarters demand a little resourcefulness and a lot of creativity. Luckily, Ethan has both.

A few heavy thuds are heard from the small compartment, making John lean forward to look up the aisle. A few of the flight attendants exchange knowing glances and return to the galley. Shaking his head, John goes back to his book.

Returning to their seats, a few moments apart, Olivia looks to the floor, avoiding John’s stare. Ethan, confidently strides back to his seat, feeling like he’s conquered an untamable beast. Trying to get comfortable in her seat, she avoids his stare. “Wipe that cocky grin off your face, Ireland.”

When he starts to chuckle, she turns to meet his look of contentment. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into that,” she says, shaking her head.

“I don’t believe there was any talking involved at all,” he says amused.

Olivia raises an unimpressed eyebrow, “I used to be a nice girl. You continue to corrupt me,” she says, astonished at her own behavior. A look of horror quickly spreads across her face. “You better not brag about this to Carter or anybody else,” she warns,
Reaching over, Ethan strokes his fingers through her hair, smoothing it so it doesn’t look so tousled, “I’m not going to tell anybody. This is just between YOU and ME.”

“And me,” John adds from the seat behind them.

Ethan laughs out loud once and meets with Olivia’s panic-stricken expression. Glancing behind him, he gives John a look of disapproval.

Feeling like she could die of embarrassment, Olivia pulls the blanket completely over her head.

Leaning over her, Ethan raises the window blind, letting the warmth of the sun kiss her good morning. After finally getting a few hours of sleep, they’ll soon be landing in Dublin.

In a few short hours, she’ll meet the team at O’Connell Industries. Olivia starts feeling a little stressed about being brought in on the Artemis Project. She’s not entirely certain that it’s anywhere within the realm of her expertise. Knowing how important this is to Ethan, she’ll do whatever she can to make sure it’s a success.

Then there’s this whole… meeting his family thing. She interrogates him about his sisters, trying to familiarize herself with them before she meets them. Her mind races out of control, bouncing from one thought to another. Anxiety slowly takes a hold of her.

“Are you worried about seeing Jessica?” she asks curiously.

“No,” he replies calmly.

“Are we staying with your family?”

“No. We’re staying at the flat I maintain in Dublin”

“What if I’ve forgotten something?”

Ethan shrugs. “Then we’ll buy whatever you need.”

“What if your sisters hate me?”

“What? Maddie already loves you. McKenna and Kaylie will as well.”

“I don’t know how to waltz.”

Ethan’s head snaps towards her, confusion on his face.

“You said we had a couple of business events to attend,” she clarifies. “If they’re fancy ones, I don’t know how to waltz.”

“Maddie owns a dance studio. She can teach you.” Leaning back, he looks at John between the seats.

“Got it,” John confirms as he enters notes into his phone.