Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (24 page)

“Neither am I. If I want to buy my own damn
coffee then I will.” She takes her wallet out of her purse and
slams it down on the counter, staring at him with a look that
advises she’s not giving in. He growls when he realizes that he
needs to give her this one. In a way, it’s somewhat refreshing to
have a woman challenge him. “Ok then, have it your way.” He puts
his wallet back in his pocket and stands out of the way so she can
pay. Looking extremely uncomfortable the cashier looks between
them. “Is there anything else?”

Looking over at Ethan, he shakes his head
no. “That’s everything.” She unlatches her change purse and looks
up at the cashier.

“$3.70 please.”

Horror strikes Olivia as she stares down
into a completely empty wallet. Beside her, Ethan has noticed the
look on her face and peaks into her wallet. Leaning on the counter
with his hand on his chin, he takes great pleasure in her failure.
“What’s wrong?” As if he doesn’t know.

“Uh, I forgot I emptied my change out this
morning and I guess my debit card is in my car.” She’s so
embarrassed. He knows it’s wrong, but seeing her squirm makes him
grin from ear to ear.

“It’s not funny.” She says angrily at his
reaction.

“Of course not.” He digs his wallet back out
of his pocket, takes out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to her.
“Here, I’ll LOAN you some money so you can buy your own coffee.” He
can’t hold off his smile.

Snapping it out of his hand, she passes it
to the cashier who quickly counts out her change. When he flashes
his boyish smile, she suddenly sees the humor behind it and tries
not to laugh as she shakes her head. “You’re so annoying,
Ireland.”

Chuckling, he moves further down the counter
to wait for their order. The girls behind the counter giggle and
flirt with him, as all women do, when he indulges them in playful
conversation. As if he could ever resist. “Can we get those ‘to go’
please.”

Olivia stares at him perplexed. Not because
he’s flirting, but because the entire time he talks to them there
is absolutely no sign of his Irish accent.

When he turns his attention back to Olivia,
she asks him. “Are we leaving?”

“Yes, let’s go back to your place. It’s
getting chilly and I don’t want you getting sick again.

She makes a face at him. “Ok, Mom.”

He shakes his finger at her. “You best
behave yourself, princess. I’m not above giving you a spanking.” In
fact, he would love nothing better.

“I wouldn’t try it, if I were you.” She
tries to hide her excitement, and wonders what will happen when he
realizes that she has deep desires for his kinky promises. All the
more reason NOT to date him. Despite her efforts to discourage him,
he continues to persist.

“Luckily, you’re not me.” The golden
highlights in his eyes threaten to keep his promises. She follows
him to the door and out to the car, thankful that it’s a quick
drive to her house since she’s now picturing herself bent over his
knee with her skirt pulled up to her waist and her panties pulled
down just enough to give him access to her bare ass.

She squirms uncomfortably along the way,
willing him to drive faster. The minute he pulls into the driveway
she jumps out of the car, making him curse at her for not waiting,
and rushes to the door. Once inside she turns on the stereo trying
to distract herself. When she turns, she finds him sitting on the
couch watching her curiously with that sexy smile. Deciding that
it’s not a good idea to sit beside him, she turns sharply towards
the chair and settles in. His grin widens, knowing why she made
that choice.

The curiosity is killing her and she can’t
ignore it any more. “Hey Ireland, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” There is no hesitation in his
response. She wouldn’t be the first woman to ask him a question
that he doesn’t want to answer, but he will.

“Inside the coffee shop, when you were
talking those girls… why didn’t you have an accent?”

He didn’t think she had noticed and he
jokes. “Ah, well I didn’t want to lead the poor girls on. Speaking
without my Irish accent makes me less attractive to woman.”

“Really?” She can’t help herself. “Because I
would think that your personality would have the same affect.” She
has an internal celebration… Yes! Payback.

“Olivia, you wound me with your harsh
words.” He holds his right hand to his heart and pouts.

She pouts back at him, mocking him. “Awww.
I’m sure you’ll get over it, pumpkin.”

A small purple bruise is starting to show on
his eyelid just below the cut. The dry blood and swelling cause her
a little concern. “Do you want some ice for that eye?”

“No, I’m fine.” He shrugs, as if it isn’t a
big deal at all.

The bruising brings back memories of the
marks she used to hide and she starts to feel a little unsettled.
Anxiety starts to creep through her body and up into her shoulders
as she recalls the nights event. No longer able to avoid her
thoughts, she rattles out her words in an overwrought tone. “I
can’t handle physical violence!” She blurts out nervously twisting
her hands in her lap.

Startled by her outburst Ethan looks at her,
curious about her confession. “Ok.”

She can’t look at him. “I can’t be around
you if you’re going to be getting into fights and punching my
friends.”

He assumes that her present reaction has to
do with the ‘monster’ she talked about when she was sick. There is
obviously violence in her past and he feels regret that his actions
tonight have made her feel threatened and unsafe. That’s the last
thing he wanted but he couldn’t stand seeing Noah touching her. He
watches her as she sips her coffee, still avoiding eye contact, and
a sick feeling rolls in his stomach at the thought of his temper
ruining any chance of having her in his life. He needs to fix
it.

The need to put her at ease is strong,
making him move towards her. When she still refuses to look at him,
he kneels in front of her and takes her hands in his, stilling
their nervous fidgeting. “Hey.” He caresses her hands in his,
rubbing his thumbs along them until she finally lifts her eyes to
his. “Ok, I understand. I’m sorry.” His voice is calm and
reassuring and she finally relaxes. Leaning his forehead against
her, he makes everything in the world disappear for just a few
moments. “I promise. No more fights with Noah.”

“Promise?” She’s hopeful, since he appears
to be a man of his word. She doesn’t really know him all that well
but there is definitely some kind of connection between them.
Something in her heart, that inexplicably draws her to him despite
the warnings about his temper.

He lets out a frustrated sigh. “I promise.
It won’t be easy because I hate that prick, but I’ll do it for
you.”

There is sincerity in his voice and she
leans back so she can see his face. “Do you get into fights
often?”

He shrugs. “Too often I guess. Luckily I
trained at McGuire’s.” He notices that she’s looking extremely
uncomfortable with his answer. Getting to his feet, he pulls on her
hand making her stand and then drags her over the couch. When he
sits, he tugs her down beside him.

“Is that some kind of martial arts training
center?” She asks curiously.

He takes his last mouthful of coffee and
puts the cup down on the end table. “No… it’s a bar. In
Ireland.”

“Oh.” She fidgets, still finding it hard to
stifle the nagging anxiety growing inside her. “Tough crowd?”

“Yeah, and that’s just the women.” He’s
joking of course, but he can tell it’s not well received. It takes
a moment for her to find the humor in his answer and then a smile
starts to curl on her lips and she starts to smile, drawing from
Ethan a sigh of relief.

Their moment is interrupted as his phone
vibrates. Looking at the display, he sees that it’s John and asks
Olivia to excuse him as he answers.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

She can hear the voice on the other end but
can’t make out what he’s saying. Ethan looks at his watch. “Ok,
I’ll meet you there in 10 minutes.”

Ending his call, he looks at Olivia and
frowns. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.” He walks to the door and
puts on his shoes. By the time he stands up, she has pulled herself
together and is standing beside him.

“Good night, Ethan. Thank you for loaning me
money for coffee.” She rolls her eyes, feeling pretty stupid
again.

“No worries, beautiful. I assume you’ll be
paying me back in sexual favors?” His eyes sparkle and that
charming grin spreads across his mouth begging her to press her
lips against it. She’s tempted, very tempted, but her brain keeps
going back to his temper, warning her to keep her distance and stay
cautious.

“Don’t hold your breath, Ireland.” Reaching
for the knob, she opens the door to let him out. He makes his move
before she has the chance to mount a defense, stepping towards her,
pressing his warm body against her and lowering his mouth to her
ear. “It would be worth holding my breath for your kiss.” As he
slowly pulls away, he brushes his warm lips along her cheek towards
her mouth. Hovering so close, that she can almost taste him. The
promise of his warm lips and wet probing tongue makes her ache with
anticipation. Closing her eyes, she waits for his touch, willing
him to put an end to her torment. Instead, she hears the door
close. He’s left her standing there alone. Wanting. Desiring him.
She pulls aside the curtain that hangs over the small glass window
in the wooden door and watches him walk through the garden. As he
gets to the gate, he turns, knowing that she’s watching, and
smiles. Trust her to stumble upon a man who is a master at
seduction.

Once she sees the taillights of his car
travel out of the laneway she makes a quick call to Noah, who
doesn’t answer. She leaves a message saying that she hopes he’s not
badly hurt and that she’s sorry, then heads for the shower feeling
both restless and anxious. The running water doesn’t help her
relax. Her mind is still jumbled with a thousand thoughts. All of
them compliments of Ethan O’Connell. She wishes she could just go
back a few weeks to that day in the office and refuse Rachel’s
request to pick up Scott. Things would be so much less stressful
now. But it would also be a lot less exciting. The house phone
rings several times and wrapping a towel around herself, she
hurries to get to it in time. “Hello.”

“It’s me. Are you ok?”

“Yes Rachel, I’m fine.”

“He didn’t lose his temper or do anything
stupid?” Rachel sounds aggravated and Olivia suspects that Scott
has probably been talking in her ear all night about how she should
have kept her from going with him.

“No! By the time we got to the car it was
over with. We actually had a lovely visit over coffee.” Well that
wasn’t exactly the truth, but if Rachel starts fussing over her
like Scott does she’ll never get any peace. “Will you please tell
Scott that I said to stop worrying? I’m fine. I don’t think that
Ethan is a threat to me. Even with his temper.“ She had barely
finished talking and Rachel starts hollering into the
background.

“Honey! Olivia said Ethan is not a threat,
she’s fine and you should stop stressing.” She puts her mouth back
to the phone. “You’re absolutely sure?”

Olivia is reassuring. “Yes, I’m very
sure.”

There is some rustling on the phone and then
Rachel whispers. “Did he kiss you?”

Olivia laughs aloud. “Are you hiding in the
closet again so Scott can’t hear?”

“Maybe. Tell me! Did he kiss you? I have to
know. Oh my god he looked hot tonight!”

Olivia is shocked. “Easy girl! He didn’t
kiss me but he was definitely thinking about it.”

“I knew it! There is something going on
between you two!” She’s yelling in a whisper and Olivia chuckles in
amusement.

“NO! Honestly Rachel, I think you need to
spend some much needed cuddle time with your husband. You are way
too interested in what’s going on in my life.” She hears a loud
creak and more muffled sounds followed by Scott’s voice.

“What the hell are you doing sitting in the
closet?” The confusion in his voice is comical.

“Busted! Got to go.” The phone goes dead and
Olivia spends the next few minutes smiling in amusement and
extremely glad for the comic relief.

Heading out onto the main road, Ethan gets
McCabe on the phone. “I’m on my way. Meet me in the hotel bar and
order me something to eat. I’m starving.”

A few minutes later, he rolls into the
parking lot. The women stare as he makes his way through the lobby.
His confident stride and broad shoulders are an aphrodisiac to
those susceptible to the pheromones of such a stunningly handsome
and masculine man. Ethan doesn’t notice, the only thing on his
mind, other than Olivia James, is what John has ordered him for
dinner.

The bar is dark and it takes him a moment to
locate him at a small table in the back of the room with documents
spread out on the table and a pen in hand. Ethan’s steak dinner
arrives as he reaches the table. “Brilliant!” Putting the first
forkful into his mouth, he nods his head in approval.

John stares at him with his mouth slightly
open, wanting to ask for an explanation but not saying a word.
Ethan looks up at him and scowls as he swallows. “What’s the matter
with you?”

“Did Miss James do that to you?” He points
at the swollen gash on his brow.

He shovels another forkful of steak into his
mouth and chews, making John wait for an answer. “Don’t be
ridiculous.”

“What happened then?”

“I had a little mishap at soccer.” He
continues to ravage his food like a hungry animal, keeping his head
down to avoid the disapproving look of John McCabe.

John leans forward, resting his forearm on
the table. “By mishap do you mean fight?”