Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (16 page)

Ethan takes the remote away from her. “Rest
now.” He demands. Closing her eyes, she settles into a comfortable
position. Just as he thought she was about to drift off she
whispers his name. “Ethan?” She jolts upwards so she’s sitting
again.

Her actions alarm him. “What’s wrong?”

Her eyes grow wide and her expression
fearful. “Are you going to be here when I wake up?”

He breathes out a sigh of relief. “Yes, I’ll
be here.” He leans forward, places his lips on her forehead in a
gentle reassuring kiss, and lingers there enjoying the
intimacy.

“You need to be here to save me.” She
whispers.

Intrigued by the seemingly tragic events of
her past, he leans back to look at her. “Save you from what?” What
horrible thing has happened to this poor girl that it stalks her in
her sleep and makes her terrified of her own bedroom?

He receives a child like confession. “The
monster that hurts me in my dreams.”

Ah… so there IS a monster. A past boyfriend
maybe? The thought angers him and he feels emotional tension grow
in his shoulders. She looks so vulnerable that he can’t help
himself, reaching out he strokes her hair, tucking the stray pieces
behind her ear. It’s a comforting gesture that has become so second
nature to him that he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it anymore.
His anger dissipates and his shoulders soften as he brushes his
thumb along her cheek and leans his forehead against hers. He needs
to protect her. He has no explanation why, but it feels to him,
like he’s done it all his life.

“You’re safe with me. I won’t let anything
hurt you.”

She believes him. He can see it in her eyes,
even though the specks of gold are not their usual sparkling hue.
Dark and heavy they are burdened by the fever. Taking her hand, he
lifts it to his mouth, kissing it in a heroic gesture. It’s the
last thing she remembers as she leans into him and drifts back to
sleep.

The sun shines on her face when she opens
her eyes, squinting at its intensity. As she wakes slowly, she’s
vaguely aware that she’s lying on the couch. The sound of Ethan’s
voice starts to register in her thoughts as she becomes more
conscious. Barely able to lift her head, she turns in the direction
of the sound. Moaning in discomfort, she rubs her stiff and sore
neck. Ethan is sitting at the table with his cell phone to his ear
and his laptop open. She can tell from the conversation and the
tone that he’s tending to business.

Hearing her start to stir he ends his call
and closes his phone. Walking over towards the couch he smiles.
“Good morning, how are you feeling?”

Sitting up she tilts her neck from side to
side trying to ease the stiffness. “I actually feel a lot better.”
She has little recollection of the past couple of days and her eyes
follow him as he sits beside her on the couch like an old friend.
Feeling shy she pulls the blanket up and over her body hiding her
breasts. He places the back of his hand against her forehead to
check for fever and then smiles as he brushes his fingers down her
cheek. “Good.”

Feeling a little awkward about her lack of
memory, she wonders why he seems so comfortable with such an
intimate gesture. “Have you been here all night?”

It suddenly occurs to him that she’s a
little fuzzy on the details. “Yes. You were running a dangerously
high fever and someone needed to make sure you took your meds.”

“I remember. I kept throwing them up.” She
feels embarrassed.

This could be fun Ethan thinks. “It’s ok, I
found a way to get them into you.” He smiles wickedly.

She starts to panic. Oh no... what has she
done?

“Every FOUR hours to be precise.” He nods at
her and winks, purposely leading her to believe that she had done
something that she would regret.

When she covers her face with her hands and
groans he nudges her playfully with his shoulder. “Relax, princess.
Nothing happened. I slept on the floor and when the alarm went off,
I woke you up to take your meds.”

She exhales a huge sigh of relief and then
wonders… princess? Making his way back to the table, he checks on
the incoming email that just announced its arrival. He sits and
starts to type a reply, as she tries to determine if he’s being
truthful.

“Was Rachel here?”

“Yes. She was concerned when she couldn’t
reach you on the phone. She came over to make sure you were ok.
When I got here she was in a panic.” He peeks at her over the top
of the laptop.

“I remember her saying something about
kicking my ass.” Frowning she gets to her feet and tries to make
her way to the bathroom on weak legs. Ethan stands quickly and gets
to her side holding out his hand in support. She willingly takes it
as she takes a few steps.

“Yes, that’s right. She said you needed to
do what I told you or she was going to kick your ass.” He smiles
and gives her hand a little squeeze in a teasing manner and walks
her to the bathroom door.

Where the heck does he think he’s going?
“Ummm, that’s as far as you go, Ireland!” She slams the door in his
face as she turns.

He leans against the door. “That’s not what
you said last night!”

“I don’t believe you!” She hollers back.
What exactly did happen last night? Reality and dreams are all
jumbled together. She remembers Scooby doo and throwing up... she
remembers Ethan carrying her upstairs and the bath. Horror strikes
her. Did she have a bath with Ethan? Brief images of him standing
in the bathroom shirtless come to her mind and makes her face begin
to flush. That couldn’t have been real, could it? With her
temperature under control and her body starting to heal, thoughts
start racing through her mind.

When she opens the door, he stands to help
her. “It’s ok. I’m fine, thank you.” She makes solid, steady steps
back across the room. “Did you really sleep on the floor?”

“Yes.” He can’t resist making her squirm.
“Well... part of the evening I sat on the couch with your head in
my lap.”

She decides that she’s not taking the bait
this time. He gets too much satisfaction out of trying to get a
reaction out of her and she needs to put a stop to it. “How did I
get into my pajamas?”

“Rachel helped you before she left.” Well
that was partly true.

Her face starts to flush again as she asks
the question that’s really on her mind. “Did you and I take a bath
together?”

Ethan sits straight up and looks at her,
considering all that could go wrong if he tells her the truth.
Closing the laptop, he opts for a lie. “Of course not.” He stares
at her, gauging her reaction. She returns his stare, not quite sure
she believes him. “So then how did you get my fever down?”

“Ice chips.” Quick thinking on his part.

“Ice what?”

“Ice chips. I sat up all night feeding you
ice chips. I was worried about you becoming dehydrated.”

“And every four hours you woke up to make
sure I took my meds?”

“Of course, someone had to look after you,
Olivia. It’s not a big deal really. I offered to stay because I
wanted to be here.”

What man does that? Not many men she knows
would stay up all night with a sick woman. Especially one who goes
out of her way to give him a hard time.

“What time is it now?” She lies back down on
the couch and struggles with the blanket that’s half tucked
underneath her. Walking over, he eases it out from under her, and
covers her body.

“3pm.”

“What?” She’s alarmed. “Don’t you have to go
to work?”

“Relax… I’m the boss. Remember? I can work
from home for a couple of days if I want. Mine or Yours.”

“Wait… a couple of days? What day is it?”
She reaches for her cell phone, which he has thoughtfully charged
for her, but he answers her before she can check.

“It’s Tuesday.”

“Oh my God!” She’s shocked! “I’ve been out
of it for three days?”

“You were a very sick girl.” He puts his
hand on her shoulder.

“And you stayed with me the whole time?” She
starts to get a little emotional. That speaks volumes about this
man’s dedication.

He nods his head and tries to lighten the
mood. “Yes, and you were an absolute pain in the ass.”

She looks up at him through tired eyes and
he smiles.

“You’ve done so much. You don’t need to stay
any longer.” Her words are purely out of consideration. Deep down
she kind of likes having him here and she’s feeling strangely
connected to him now. “I feel like I’m taking advantage of
you.”

“Not at all.” He smiles. The lightening
yellow lines in his eyes sparkle with mischief. “But if you’d like
to take advantage of me I wouldn’t stop you.”

She groans. She was just starting to like
him too. What is it about men that makes them ruin everything by
talking? She rolls her eyes. “That’s not going to happen.”

He crouches down so that he’s at eye level
with her. “Now, that’s a shame.” He takes hold of the blankets
edge, pulling it up and over her shoulders. With the same caring
and tenderness as the night before, he strokes her hair before
planting a kiss on her forehead. Warmth runs through her body as
his lips linger there, stirring in her a nervous tingling that
makes her heart beat to a new rhythm. That is, until her brain
steps in and takes back control.

“Hey, Ireland.”

“Yes?”

“If you kiss me again, I’ll punch you right
in the nose.”

Ethan lets out a loud laugh. “Well you’re
back to your old self, I see. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’ll
be over there doing some work at a safe distance. Let me know if
you need anything. Maybe you should try to eat and drink soon.”

The thought of that is revolting to her and
she makes a face that makes him chuckle.

“Ok. Later then.” He reaches to touch her
and withdraws his hand remembering her warning. As he walks back to
the table she opens her eyes and watches him cross the room. Every
move this man makes is with an alluring confidence. She hates to
admit that she finds him extremely sexy. Pushing the thought out of
her mind, she drifts back off to sleep.

Ethan takes the opportunity to answer a few
emails and make a few quick calls. He has a business deal in
negotiation. One that will cement his presence in the community and
he’s very excited about it. He loves this little suburban town with
its rolling hills and lush green countryside. In a lot of ways it
reminds him of home. He puts his shrewd negotiation skills to work.
“Not a penny more. The deal closes before the end of the month or
my offer expires.”

Olivia’s dreams are in high definition and
X-rated. She lets out a small moan. Ethan leans around the laptop
to see if she’s ok. “I have to go. Do the job I’m paying you for or
you’ll find yourself looking for another one.”

The voice on the other side of the phone
begins to protest but Ethan disconnects the call. His attention is
focused on Olivia, who still appears to be sound asleep. Moaning
again, she rolls onto her side. Thinking she’s experiencing
discomfort, Ethan picks up the bottle of Tylenol and moves to sit
on the side of the couch. It only takes him a second to realize
what’s going on. Olivia is having one of her recurring dreams of
the man that she doesn’t really know, the one who is the centre of
her world and lover extraordinaire. This particular dream for some
reason is shockingly clear in detail. Squirming, she rubs her legs
together, clenching and trying to appease the ache there. Pushing
her hips forward, her hands grip the corners of the pillow case and
hold on tight. When she moans out his name in a sensual manner, his
dick hardens with amazing swiftness. “Ethan.” He squeezes the
Tylenol bottle tightly in his hand. “Damn! That’s hot.”

Olivia opens her eyes and looks at him.
Taking a moment to decipher what’s real and what was dream. She
blinks her eyes rapidly, making sure she’s awake. “Hi.”

“Hi yourself. Did you have a good
sleep?”

“Yes, actually.” She stretches out her
muscles and sits up. Wondering why he’s looking at her with a
strange sort of smile. Like he’s keeping a secret.

Standing, he adjusts the erection in his
pants, as he heads to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. On
his way back Olivia’s eyes skim over every inch of his body
recalling her dream. The feel of his rock solid chest against hers,
his lips skimming across her body, his thick hard dick inside her.
Her eyes stop there, noticing his pants still straining from his
arousal. Oh my! Why does he have a hard-on?

A disturbing thought forms in her mind. The
previously unidentified lover in her dreams could be Ethan. Has it
been him the whole time and she has just hasn’t recognized him? Or
is it because of the past few days events that her subconscious has
assigned his face to the unknown man. Either way, now that her
brain has made the connection, she certainly can’t have him hanging
around. She would never be able to maintain control and now that
she’s feeling well, he’ll likely return to all the other women in
his life.

Reaching for her phone, she texts
Rachel.

From Olivia: How could you leave me here
with Ethan?

From Rachel: Hey! I’m glad you’re feeling
better! Trust me you are better off with him than me

From Olivia: I doubt that

From Rachel: Scott says Ethan took a year or
two of medical school before he switched to business. I on the
other hand couldn’t figure out how to work the thermometer.

From Olivia: Ethan was a med student?

From Rachel: Apparently. Scott says he
doesn’t like people to know that.

From Olivia: When are you coming back?

From Rachel: In about an hour why?
Everything ok?

From Olivia: Yes, just come back ok?

Ethan’s phone rings and when he rushes back
into the room to answer it, he stops dead at the strange way she
looks at him. “What?” He lets the call go to voicemail, since he’s
much more curious about what’s on her mind.