Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (71 page)

“Open the door, you dick. I know you’re in
there.” He bangs again.

Finally, he hears the deadbolt turn and the
door swings open. Ethan looks around the room and then back at
Carter, waiting for an explanation.

“What are you doing here?” Carter asks,
annoyed at the intrusion.

“I came to see what the hell is wrong is
you.”

“Nothing is wrong.” Well, nothing that he
could share with Ethan anyways.

“Really? It’s not like you to pass up an
opportunity to take a few swings at me. I’m not leaving until you
tell me.”

“Fine.” Carter sighs. “Let me get my shoes
and we can go down to the Lionshead for a beer.”

Two beers in and Carter is still not giving
away any information that would give Ethan a clue to his odd
behavior. Feeling uncomfortable about the real reason that he’s
feeling off balance, Carter tries to avoid Ethan’s questions all
together. Instead, he occupies himself with a woman sitting at a
corner table on the other side of the bar. He has seen her there
almost every night since he arrived, but for some reason he can’t
seem to take his eyes off her tonight. Several times during their
conversation, he looks past Ethan to see what she’s doing. Ethan
finally turns completely in his seat to see what has him so
captivated. She’s a beautiful woman, probably 5’11 in those heels,
and all soft, feminine curves to her body. Her long blonde hair is
swept away from her face and fastened on top of her head. Even from
across the bar her raspberry lips look soft and delicious, but they
are nothing in comparison to the intense blue of her eyes,
sparkling like sapphires.

Ethan whistles. “Fuck man, is that what’s
got you so twisted?”

“What?” No!” Carter denies it. Then
realizing that he can’t tell his friend the truth about the woman
he has fallen in love with, he decides that maybe the beautiful
blonde would be a good diversion for his questions.

“Lying bastard.” He tips his beer glass
against his lips. “Have you talked to her?”

Carter glances over at her and then back to
Ethan. “No, what’s the point. I’m going home in a week.”

“Did you just ask me what the point is? The
point is you’re still here for a week. What the fuck is wrong with
you? I seriously think you need a good shag.”

Carter tenses. There is only one girl that
he’s interested in right now and he can’t have her. However, Ethan
may have a point. He was not attracted to Stacey at all; his being
with her was more duty than pleasure. Maybe this beautiful girl
would take the edge off, distract him until he leaves for home and
is half way around the world from the source of his affliction.

“Are you going to sulk for the rest of the
week? Or are you going to talk to her?”

“That depends, are you going to be an
annoying dick for the rest of the week?”

Ethan laughs. “Ok, not another word I
swear.”

“Thanks mate, I appreciate it.” Carter gets
up and makes his way to the bathroom at the back of the bar. Taking
advantage of the opportunity, Ethan walks straight over to her. She
watches him cross the floor and smiles when he stops at her
table.

“Hi!” She says in a friendly manner.

“Hello, Ethan O’Connell.” He holds his hand
out and she promptly shakes it.

“Katherine Ryan.” She says as she releases
his hand.

“Ah, Ryan is good old Irish name. Are you
from Ireland?” There is a glimmer in his eyes.

She laughs. “Maybe many generations back,
but I was born in Canada and so were my parents and
grandparents.”

“Shame, I’m feeling a little homesick and it
would be nice to find someone from home to talk to.”

“Sorry, I can’t help you with that.” There
is something in her eyes that is sensual… almost erotic, like she’s
hiding some very dark naughty desires. Her smile is in complete
contrast - warm and friendly. She’s a beautiful woman in every
aspect, but those eyes… wow! Ethan understands Carter’s
attraction.

While he’s chatting her up, Carter returns
to his seat and glares at him from across the room.

“How about your friend, is he Irish?” She
asks curiously.

“Carter? No, he’s from Australia.” He
notices that she’s staring at Carter, unable to tear away her
gaze.

“Australia? No kidding?”

“No kidding, he’s only here for another week
and then he’s heading home.”

“Oh.” Picking up her purse, she digs through
one of the compartments. Pulling out one of her business cards, she
asks Ethan to borrow a pen.

Turning her card over, she writes something
on it, and then hands it to Ethan. “Why don’t you give your friend
my number? I’m here on an extended work project so I won’t be going
home for a long time. Tell him to call me. Maybe we could keep each
other company next week.” She peeks up at Ethan, her face turning a
little red.

Ethan grins as he turns over the card to see
her phone number and her name. Kate.

“I’ll give this to him, Kate.”

She grins and lets out a little laugh. “I
won’t be offended if he doesn’t call. He’s been here every night
this week. I catch him staring but he doesn’t seem to be a very
chatty kind of guy.”

Ethan grins. “Well, that’s not usually the
case, trust me. I believe that your beauty has left him speechless.
I can’t say I blame him, any man would feel unworthy of your
attention.”

Blushing, she looks over at Carter and
smiles.

Carter can’t stand to watch what’s going on
and turns to face the opposite direction, trying not to lose his
mind right now. Ethan has never been able to resist a beautiful
woman but this is too much. Olivia is head over heels in love with
him and he’s over there flirting with another woman. Carter wants
to kill him right now and he silently vows that if O’Connell does
anything to break Olivia’s heart, he absolutely will. Fuck the
friendship. Nervously jiggling his leg on the rung of the bar
stool, he repeatedly taps the drink coaster on the hard edge of the
bar. When he can’t stand it anymore and turns with the intentions
of confronting him, Ethan is standing behind him.

“Whoa! Relax buddy, it looks like that vein
in your forehead is about to explode.”

“What the fuck, Ethan?”

“I did it for you.” Ethan slides the card
towards him with her name and number side up. “In case you change
your mind. Just so you know I didn’t ask for it. She was asking
questions about you. She said she’s here on an extended work
project and that maybe you could keep each other company next week.
Oh, and she said she noticed that you’ve been here every night this
week and wondered why you haven’t stopped to chat with her.“

Carter is vaguely aware that Ethan is still
talking to him as he settles their bar tab. He’s not sure that he’s
interested, but he picks up the card and slides it into his wallet
anyways. Ethan would never let it go and he wants to avoid any more
speculation on his part about why he’s been brooding. Maybe he
should just go over there, say hello, and keep Ethan off his back.
When they stand to leave, Carter glances at her table but she’s
gone.

On the way back to the hotel, the boys fall
back into their familiar male banter. They are insulting each other
and making obscene suggestions about just about everything, when
something Ethan says sparks Carter’s curiosity.

“What do you mean Olivia doesn’t want to be
in a committed relationship?” Is his friend absolutely nuts? A
beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman like Olivia James and he’s
not staking his claim? If it were him, he would do everything in
his power to make sure she belonged only to him, claiming her for
his own and NEVER let her go. Olivia is one of those girls you come
across once in a lifetime. The kind you marry, have babies with and
grow old with. You’d have to be a complete idiot to let one of
those girls slip through your fingers.

Ethan shakes his head in frustration. “She’s
still a little freaked out Carter. She’s just learning how to trust
again and I only made it worse the other night.”

“Are you kidding me, mate? You agreed to a
non-committed relationship? YOU? The Ethan O’Connell who, in
university, demanded that the girls you brought back to the flat
agreed to submit complete control to you? If I remember correctly,
exclusivity was part of that deal. Well except for those girls that
you and Reese…” Carter stops, deciding it’s wise to refrain from
finishing his sentence. He glances over at Ethan who looks pissed
that he almost brought it up.

“Things have changed since university. And
for the record I am in complete control of my relationship.”

Carter laughs. “You’re fucked, mate. I’ve
met Olivia remember?”

Ethan gives him an annoyed look. “She’s not
the kind of girl to be dominated in all areas of her life Carter,
and I don’t think I would love her so much if she was. Trust me
when I tell you that she submits in the bedroom. It’s the one area
that she does allow me complete control.”

“Obviously that’s the one place that you
still need it.“ Carter says, shaking his head.

“She can call it a non-committed
relationship if she wants. It’s completely irrelevant since I have
no intention of seeing any other girls.”

“And have you considered that the agreement
also gives her permission to see other guys and there is nothing
you can do about it if she does?”

“Oh there is plenty I can do about it.”
Ethan is feeling extremely possessive and the thought makes him
angry.

“Are you willing to share her, mate?”

Ethan’s face turns red as his anger starts
to boil. “Fuck no!”

Carter shakes his head. “That’s what I
thought. Think about it Ethan. Once again you’ve left the door open
for assholes like Reese to get their foot inside.”

That comment cuts straight into his heart.
“Fuck you, Brant!”

Carter stops in his tracks and turns to face
him. “Sorry. But you needed to hear it. Like I told you the other
night Ethan, that girl loves you. Get your shit sorted out, treat
her right and don’t fuck it up because there will always be some
prick waiting for a chance with a girl like Olivia.”

Ethan drives back to his office and is
beyond distracted by his conversation with Carter. Especially since
he had the nerve to bring up Reese. He would have never believed it
possible that his friend was capable of such a betrayal, but
Jessica and Reese proved to him that there are some things can’t be
protected, not even by loyalty. Women being one of them.

Pulling into the underground parking, his
jaws clench when he finds Eva Storm standing in her favorite place
in the middle of his parking spot. “What the hell?” He edges
forward slowly, herding her off to the side so he can park. What
does this crazy woman want? He’s definitely not in the mood for
this today. He needs to put a stop to this insanity. Growling, he
gets out of the car and slams the door. “What is it that you want
from me?”

She stands firm, not intimidated at all.
“You and your heart are a little out of step. Your souls need to
realign themselves and then you’ll be where you need to be. I’m
here to help you.” Reaching for his hand, she quickly flips it over
and studies his palm, tracing several of the lines with her finger
and looking pleased at something she reads there. “Ah, you’ve been
dreaming, haven’t you, lad? You know other things you can’t
explain.”

Skeptical, and still not yet ready to accept
what she’s saying as the truth, he pulls his hand away. “She’s
having the same dreams.”

Smiling at his glower, she begins to back
away. “Whatever souls are made of, yours and hers are made the
same.”

“That’s Emily Bronte.” Ethan recognizes the
famous quote. He’s read her work several times. Rubbing his hands
through his hair, he considers what’s she’s saying. “She’s much
more stubborn than I am.”

Backing into darkness, Eva is no longer
visible to him, but her voice calls out one last time. “Without
her, you will never find balance in your world. It’s time for you
both to believe.”

Ethan tries to restore some normalcy to his
day by sorting through some files on his desk. Opening his bottom
drawer to store them, he looks down to see Olivia’s panties. He had
forgotten about them there. They’ve been in there since she left
them behind at the bar. A souvenir of the first night of their
agreement. He remembers it like it was yesterday. He had been so
rough with her that night, a fact that he regretted often. That
thought is always in the back of his mind when they’re together;
forcing him to restrain himself at times from the things that he
would really like to do to her. Although she said she had similar
desires, he fears that if he takes her there he runs the risk of
losing control and pushing her further than her limits.

Grasping the soft material in his hand, he
pulls them out of the drawer and holds them up, remembering how
beautiful she was that night. The memory of pressing her up against
his office door and lifting the bottom of her dress so he could get
his hands on them, stirs arousal in him. His enjoyment however, is
short lived as he shudders, imagining some other guy helping her
out of them. He curses as he thinks about Carter’s earlier words;
his chest pulling tight as he acknowledges that he’s right. He
can’t allow this agreement to continue any longer. He needs her all
to himself. What was he thinking when he agreed to a non-committed
relationship? Did he really put himself in this position because he
was obsessed with having her and it was the only way? Christ, what
this woman has done to him. He has never felt this out of control
in his life, and he hates it! Eva Storm just may be on to
something, his head and his heart are definitely out of sync. He
needs to get things under control, restore the natural order of
things. REALIGN THEIR SOULS