Souls ReAligned (24 page)

Olivia is amused by his child-like excitement.

“What have you got under there,” she says curiously, trying to peak underneath, “the Batmobile?” Snorting at her own joke, she waits anxiously as he gently pulls back the rest of the cover. Olivia feels her chin drop, and becomes speechless.

Ethan stands watching her reaction as she walks around it, running her hand across the hood. Finally finding her voice, she looks toward him. “You own an Aston Martin Zagato?” she says in shock, “IN CARBON BLACK!”

Ethan smirks, moving toward her.

“Do you know that there were only a couple hundred made with this custom paint?” she asks, rhetorically.

Ethan backs her up against the side of the car, pressing his body against her, “Do
you
know, how fucking hot it is that you know shit like that?” Lowering his mouth, he nips at her lip, making her jump. “Jesus, why is it that anytime you’re near me, my dick gets hard?”

As he tries to claim another kiss, Olivia pushes him away. “Wait a minute,” she insists, “you told me that you weren’t obscenely rich.

“I’m not,” he confirms.

She raises her eyebrows at his answer, looking at the half a million dollars worth of car behind her.

“It was a gift.”

Olivia laughs, “A gift? From whom?”

Ethan looks a little uncomfortable and it sparks her curiosity. “From whom?” she asks, again.

“It was a gift from one of the engineers at Aston Martin. Aurora Technologies helped them resolve a compression problem.”

Olivia knows that look; he’s hiding something. Crossing her arms in front of her, she leans her weight on one hip. Ethan scratches his head, aware that he’s caught between a rock and a hard place, “Okay, I took his niece out a few times.”

“A few times?” she says doubtfully.

“Or maybe we dated, for awhile.”

Olivia catches herself starting to grin and clears her expression. Is it wrong that she loves to torment him?

“So, you received a Zagato in exchange for dating his niece?”

“Why is it, that when you say it, it makes me sound like a huge douche bag?” he says, defensively. “It wasn’t like that. She was a nice girl. She was just a little shy… and homely,” he says, feeling ashamed. “You think I was wrong to accept it,” he states, acknowledging her look of disapproval. “I’ll have it returned. I don’t ever want you to think of me like that.”

Touched by the sincerity of his gesture, Olivia walks around the car, “Well, let’s not be too hasty,” she says as she takes in every beautiful curve. “How homely was she?” she asks, looking up at Ethan’s tortured expression,
“Really homely,” he says, beginning to grin. “She had this whole… wonky eye thing going on, and warts.” He shudders, as he exaggerates. “I had to close my eyes to kiss her.”

Laughing out loud, she puts him out of his misery.

“Alright, Ireland, it sounds like you earned it. Can I drive?” she asks with excitement in her voice.

“Hell NO! You’re driving scares the shit out of me, Woman!”

They spend the afternoon, on the open country roads of Ireland, stopping occasionally in a few small villages to enjoy the culture. Standing in a small shop of antiques, Ethan watches curiously, as Olivia rummages through a basket of old pocket watches. Picking each one up, she examines it thoroughly. Hearing the text message alert, he reaches into his pocket for his phone. Sauntering up behind her, he wraps his arms around her middle, leaning his cheek against hers. Putting the last watch back into the basket, Olivia leans back, relaxing into his embrace.

“Are you finished looking, Princess? That was Shannon. We need to head back into Dublin, now.”

Turning in his arms, she nods her head. “Can I drive?” she asks again, batting her eyelashes and giving him an alluring smile.

Enjoying her attempt to charm him, he gives it some consideration. When his trademark boyish grin appears on his face, she thinks she’s won.

“Not a fucking chance,” he says, laughing when she scowls. Pouting, she stomps her way back to the car.

Ethan pulls up in front of the hospital and parks. Holding on to the steering wheel, he sits pensively, not moving.

Undoing her seat belt, she leans over, “Hey.” She gives him a reassuring kiss as he turns toward her. “I know this is difficult. Let’s find out for sure, and then we can figure it out. Together.”

“Together?” he repeats, looking into her eyes, searching for that calming affect they seem to have on him.

“Yes, Ethan. Together. The results don’t matter. I’m not going anywhere.”

Taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes and nods. “Stay here,” he instructs, as he gets out, closing the door.

Taking a few steps, he stops and returns. With a strange grin on his lips, he opens the door and leans in. “Best I don’t leave you with any temptation,” he says, reaching in and grabbing the key fob.

As he rounds the front of the car, she opens her door. “I’m going with you,” she says defiantly.

“Stay put!” he snarls, stopping her with his expression.

Reluctantly, she sits back down and closes the door. Feeling helpless, she watches him disappear through the doors.

Watching the clock tick for more than half an hour, she becomes impatient. He would never admit that he needed her there for support, but she should be by his side. Irked by his dismissal, she gets out of the car. Faltering where she stands, she struggles with the decision. The first step toward the entrance is the hardest, the rest come easy. Entering the building she looks around, having no idea where to go. Wandering the hallways and walking with the crowd, she finally hears his voice.

Following the sound down a corridor, she finds him at a small nurse’s station. The woman standing with him is partially hidden, but she can see that she’s wearing a nurse’s uniform. Ethan tries to keep his voice calm, but it strains and grows louder, as she argues with him.

Olivia stands watching, unnoticed. It isn’t until the woman turns to walk away that Olivia notices her pregnancy. It’s undoubtedly Jessica. Ethan grabs her arm, trying to stop her, “Wait! I’m not finished talking.”

With tears streaming down her cheeks, she looks up to see Olivia. “Can I help you?” Jessica asks her, trying to hide the distress in her voice.

Ethan looks up to see her, aggravation flashing across his face. “I told you to wait in the car,” he says, angrily.

Jessica looks between the two of them, figuring it out. “Oh, I see,” she says, giving Olivia the once over. “You’re this year’s model. The upgrade.” Turning to Ethan, she shrugs. “Well, O’Connell, it looks like you’d rather take a joy ride, instead of driving the family sedan.” Holding her hand on her stomach, she rubs it gently, not breaking eye contact.

Ethan tenses, becoming angrier. “You treat her with respect, Jessica. Or I promise you, that things won’t work out the way you’re hoping.” He hands her something, trying to be inconspicuous. Looking over at Olivia, she takes it and tucks it in her bra.

Wondering what was discussed before she got there, Olivia watches as Jessica walks away. Looking up at Ethan’s glower, she panics when he starts toward her.

He says nothing as they walk back to the car, making her even more nervous. She sits in silence most of the way home, but questions are clawing at her from the inside.

“Did you do the blood test?” she asks.

“Yes,”

“Did it hurt?”

“No,”

“How long will the results take?”

“Three or four days.” Ethan focuses on driving; making her even more determined to get his attention.

“What does Shannon think you should tell me?”

Perturbed at the question, he snaps at her, “Nothing that I care to discuss at the moment. So, you’d be wise to drop it.”

“Did you give Jessica money, tonight?”

Growling, he finally glances over at her with an annoyed look.

“Yes,”

“Why?”

“She said she couldn’t afford groceries,” he says, his patience growing thin.

“And you believed her?” she asks, shaking her head.

Pulling into a spot in front of their building, he parks and turns to her angrily, “Why would she lie about that?”

“Um, well, Ireland. Did you notice her hands? She very recently had a French manicure. I can’t say from experience, but I would think that a woman who’s with child would buy groceries instead of spending the money to have her nails done.”

Ethan closes his eyes and lowers his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, “Fucking women!

The next day, Olivia dives in to work on the Artemis Project. Finally accepting that she’s there to help, the rest of the team gets her up to speed. By noon, she has a good handle on the technology and the issues they’re having.

Sitting at her laptop, she takes a break and checks in with Rachel. A paper bag drops down on the desk in front of her. Looking up, she meets the smile of John McCabe.

“Lunch,” he advises. “Ethan has something to tend to this afternoon. I figured I’d better feed you.”

“Oh? He didn’t mention that this morning. What’s he doing?”

Pretending to be pre-occupied with his phone, John avoids the question. “I’m all yours today. Is there anything you need for tonight?”

She stares at him, acknowledging his deflection. “For what?”

John looks up, “Tell me that you looked at the itinerary I emailed you.”

Raising her eyebrows, she shows her surprise, “You sent me an itinerary?”

John returns his attention to his phone, tapping on the screen. “It says you received it.”

Olivia scrolls through her messages to find it, opening the attachment on her phone. John watches, amused at the myriad of expressions that spread across her face as she reads it.

“Are you serious?” she asks, looking up in amazement.

“Yes, Ethan thought…”

“Oh!” she interrupts, “Ethan thought… did he?”

“Let’s not get our knickers in a twist,” John sighs, trying to avert her annoyance, and the suspected objection that will follow.

Getting to her feet, Olivia’s expression softens a little. Mischief would be a good word to describe the look that dances in the highlights of her hazel eyes.

“Olivia? What are you going to do?” he asks with concern.

Grinning, she looks over her shoulder as she walks across the room. “I’m going to speak to Mr. O’Connell about my itinerary.

John’s shoulders slouch, “You two are truly perfect for each other. You’re both giant pains in my arse!”

Stopping at the door, Olivia turns. Taunting him, she winks and breaks into a grin.

Shaking his head, he warns her, “I hope you know what you’re doing. He wasn’t in the best of moods the last time I saw him.”

Ignoring him, she heads toward Ethan’s office, with her phone in her hand, scrolling through the list of activities as she walks.

Ethan glances up when she closes the office door behind her. Closing the cover of a folder he’s holding, he obstructs her view of the document that he had been studying. Olivia watches as he slides it underneath a pile of papers on his desk, trying to hide it. Picking up the entire stack of documents, he places them in his desk drawer, and then locks it.

There’s something unsettling in his eyes; guarded secrets. Olivia tries to ignore the mistrust lurking inside her; it tugs at her, trying to get her attention and pull her back behind its protective walls.

“Hi,” he finally says, as she approaches his desk. “Is there something you need?”

“You could say that.” Pushing his chair back from the desk, she gives herself some space to stand in front of him. Leaning back in his chair, Ethan folds his arms, watching as she lifts herself to sit on the edge of his desk.

He stares at the hem of her skirt as it rides to the top of her thigh. Squirming, trying to get comfortable, her knees part slightly, before she crosses her legs. He’s certain that she did it on purpose, teasing him with a glimpse of her nylon covered panties and the treasure beneath them. The thought makes his stomach tighten.

Wiggling her foot, Olivia draws his attention to the shiny black heels and the silky, covered legs in them. She smiles, watching his eyes skim down her legs and back up to the hem of her skirt. “Ahem,” looking down, she notices the awakening in his pants. “Do I have your full attention, Mr. O’Connell? I need to talk to you about this itinerary.”

Ethan smirks, “Is there a problem with the itinerary?”

“Besides the fact that there is one? Um, YES!”

“John’s in charge of the schedules, Olivia. Weren’t you just with him?”

“Well,” Olivia begins, furrowing her brow. “I highly doubt that John scheduled in anal sex for Saturday night.”

Grinning, Ethan inches the chair a little closer to her. “You got me. I added that in. You’ll notice that’s not just scheduled for this Saturday night, but every Saturday night.”

“That’s a shock,” rolling her eyes, she swipes her finger across the screen and looks up. “Here’s another shock. I just deleted it.”

“Now, that’s a shame,” rolling toward her, he intends to move between her knees. He’s itching to run his hands along the length of her legs. They look so smooth, soft, and inviting. Maybe he’ll lift them over his shoulders and help himself to what’s between them. He’s certain he could rip through those nylons with very little effort. Reaching for her knee, he’s stopped by a three-inch heel, jammed into his chest. Looking up into her eyes, he meets the devil in her playful grin.

“Move another inch,” she warns, looking down at the schedule on her phone, “and I’ll also delete Wednesday’s blow job and Thursday night’s…” There’s a long pause as her mouth opens in shock, “I don’t even know what that is!”

Ethan grins. “Open the attachment,” he suggests. He waits, his eyebrows raised and a hopeful look on his face.

She looks at him, every few seconds, while she waits for the attachment to load. Damn, that smile of his!

Finally, it opens and she squints at it, tapping on the image to expand it, turning the phone different angles.

Biting her lip, she looks down to meet his amused look and blushes. “Okay, so maybe I won’t delete that one.”

Ethan inhales deeply as he watches that blush spread across her beautiful face. He has such a weakness for that reaction from her. It’s a sign of her innocence, her vulnerability. It calls out to the alpha male, deep within his core. Reaching up he firmly grasps her ankle, pulling it away from his chest and taking back control. Getting to his feet, the chair shoots back behind him.

Stepping forward, he runs his hands up her legs to her knees, preparing to pry them apart.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Grabbing his wrists, she gives him a warning look. “I’m not finished discussing this itinerary.” Challenging him, she locks onto his ardent stare.

Moving closer, a sly grin curls at the corner of his mouth.

Becoming nervous, Olivia swallows hard. Letting go of his wrists, she places her palms on either side of her, gripping the edge of the desk. When his hips press against her knees, they spread open, allowing him between them. As always, her body instantly gives assent to whatever he desires of it.

“Sweetheart, I’m going to be really busy over the next couple of weeks. Some events you’ll need to attend with me. That’s the only reason for the itinerary.”

“Okay,
that
I understand. But what the heck is KRAV MAGA?”

“It’s a martial art,” he says, looking at his watch.

“WHAT?” she wrinkles her nose.

“I want you to learn self defense before we get back to Canada. I can’t be with you all the time. You won’t let me assign security to watch over you. I need to know that you can look after yourself.” Ethan gives her that commanding look, the one that makes her knees weak.

“What if I don’t want to do,” looking down she reads the words again, “Krav Maga?” she asks, establishing eye contact again.

Bringing his lips to hers, he kisses her tenderly, his hand closing around her throat, holding it firmly. “Be a good girl and try it. If you dislike it, John can find you something else.”

Ethan has this way of making her whole body come alive and tingle with a single touch. When he locks onto her gaze with his gorgeous green eyes, as he’s doing right now, she finds herself to be a lot more agreeable, “Okay,”

“Good,” grinning, he grabs her hips and lifts her down. “I need to get going. I have an appointment.”

“Oh? You do?” she replies, with a cheeky tone. Looking at her phone, she scowls, “Funny, because I don’t seem to have a copy of your itinerary. I’m sure that’s just an oversight on John’s part. Right?” She stares at him, hoping he’ll explain instead of keeping secrets.

Frustrated, Ethan fights to maintain his composure. Why does this woman continually insist on challenging him? He, sure as hell, can’t tell her where he’s going and why. Not right now, anyway. Ignoring her, he rolls down the sleeves of his dress shirt and buttons them. Walking across the room, he picks up his suit jacket and checks his pockets. “John will make sure you get to Madison’s studio tonight after work. When I’m finished with my appointment I’ll call you.” Placing his hand on her back, he steers her toward the door.

“Why can’t you teach me how to dance?” she complains.

Frustrated, he looks at his watch again, “I’m not a dance instructor, Baby. Maddie is.”

Trust starts to wane. Stopping at the door, she turns to face him, “Where are you going?”

“I have an appointment,” he continues to walk away. His stoic disposition only heightens her uncertainty.

Before she can voice her aggravation, one of his female assistants flanks Ethan in the hallway. The woman has several things she needs him to resolve before he gets to the door. Olivia walks beside him in silence, letting the poor girl try to accomplish her job, while he’s on the move. Stopping, he signs a few documents, and hands them back to her. Pushing the door open, he’s out into the parking lot in a few quick steps, leaving Olivia standing inside.

Astonished that he seems to have forgotten about her, Olivia turns to walk back to the research room. The receptionist frowns as she passes her desk, giving her a silent apology. A sudden gust of wind makes papers fly off the desk and sail through the air. Olivia turns, as the door closes loudly and the sound of heavy footsteps approaches from behind her.

Her heart drops, at the expression on his face. He looks frantic.

“I’m sorry,” he says, as he reaches her. “I’m so sorry. I’m such an ass.”

Before she has a chance to speak, his lips are on her. She stiffens in his arms, unsure how to react. As he pulls away, his brushes her hair away from her face.

“You kissed me!” Olivia says, shocked.

Ethan narrows his eyes, confused, “Is there a problem?”

“Hello? We’re at work,” she chastises him.

Ethan grins, “Oh, right.” He looks around at the employees, most of who are pretending they didn’t notice. “Well, even if there was nothing going on, they would have made stuff up anyway.” Holding her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he leans in to grace her with another kiss, “We might as well be open about it. Besides, the way you undress me with your eyes, they would’ve been on to you in no time, Miss James.” Running his hand from her shoulder to her fingertips, he grasps her hand.

Looking over his shoulder Olivia notices curious eyes watching them. “If you ever paid attention to what’s going on around you, Ireland, you would have noticed that every woman undresses you with their eyes.”

Ethan grins, standing tall and puffing out his chest, “Really?” As he scans the room, every woman in the vicinity averts their eyes. “I’ll have to pay closer attention,” he teases.

Coming around the corner, John stops dead when he sees him. “Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?” he asks, looking at his watch.

Ethan nods, and turns back to Olivia, looking like there’s something he wants to say.

“Go!” she says, letting him off the hook. “Call me whenever your secret meeting is finished.” She glares at him, still unimpressed with his non-disclosure.

Ethan and John exchange a look, but say nothing. Releasing her hand, he forces a small smile. “We’ll talk later,” he assures her before turning to leave.

Feeling unsettled, Olivia watches as he walks to the car. Sensing her trepidation, John walks to her side. “One of the engineers is looking for you. He has an idea he wants to run past you.”

It’s a long moment before she looks at him, nodding in acknowledgement. Starting toward the research room, she takes one last look over her shoulder, watching Ethan drive away. Worry consumes her. Lifting her hand, she takes hold of the Celtic knot pendant around her neck. Squeezing it tightly, she reminds herself of his promise.

“Olivia,” John begins,

She looks over at him, failing to hide her fears.

“He’ll tell you, when he’s ready,” John says, trying to explain Ethan’s actions

Looking to the floor, Olivia releases out a loud sigh and walks away.