Souls ReAligned

by Tricia Daniels

  Olivia is sitting on the couch, her hands fidgeting nervously, twisting the corners of the throw pillow in her lap. “Is everything okay?” she asks anxiously.

  “Yes. Everything is fine. Give me the pills,” he demands, holding out his hand.

  Reluctantly, she pulls them out of her pocket and puts the bottle in the palm of his hand. Turning the bottle, he looks at the label and angst washes over his face. “Jesus Christ! Do you have any idea how powerful these are? We’re going to get through the night without these.” He’s not going to give her a say in the matter.

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Olivia offers, hesitantly.

  “You’re going to try,” he insists. “I’ll hold onto them and if you really need one, I’ll give it to you.”

  She doesn’t argue, knowing that it would be a pointless exercise. His eyes and stern expression warn of his obstinate position on the matter. “Fine,” she concedes.

  Reclaiming his spot on the couch, he pulls her into his body, putting his arm around her shoulder. “Just how close does he live exactly?” The thought is bothering him and he has to know.

  Olivia looks up at him, “Noah? He’s on the next street over. The house on the corner.” She feels Ethan swallow hard and take a deep breath.

  “I’m not sure I like that very much.”

  Grabbing the pillow beside her, she swings it over onto his legs and lies down. “Lucky for me that you don’t get a vote on where I live,” sighing, she finally relaxes as he sweeps her hair off her shoulders.

  He’s glad he came back tonight. This is exactly where he should be. Leaning forward he presses his lips against her shoulder.

  Exhaustion sets in, and her eyes surrender to the heavy demands of sleep. When he’s sure that she’s out cold, he gently wiggles out from underneath her, to get a glass of water.

  The rain picks up again and thunder rattles the house. In a split second, Olivia is awake. “Ethan!” Panic sets in as the lights flicker again.

  “I’m right here. You’re okay… I’m right here.” Running to her side, he puts his arms around her and pulls her into his lap. “You’re shivering.” Reaching for the blanket, he wraps it around her. One last straggling lightening flash is visible through the slats of the blinds.

  He addresses the concern in her eyes. “I’m not leaving,” he says it sternly, so that she knows that he means it. Concerned about her comfort, he lifts and carries her to her bedroom. Laying her on the bed, he climbs in beside her.

  His curiosity always seems to get the better of him when he’s laying beside her in the darkness. Wrapped in his protective embrace she always seems to be more willing to talk. “Have you always been frightened of storms?”

  Olivia wiggles in his arms, trying to get comfortable, “No. It seems to be connected some how to the nightmares that I started having where I feel like I’m drowning.”

  “It’s not connected to Sam?”

  “No. It has nothing to do with him or what happened. It started, quite suddenly, at the end of May. The same time as the elevator thing… it’s almost like some kind of claustrophobia.”

  “In May?” he clarifies. “That’s the same time I came to Canada.”

  Lying there for a few moments, Olivia tries to figure out what type of connection he’s trying to make, “Ethan?”

  “Yes.”

  “When you came to Canada, did you start using your Jedi mind tricks to make me have nightmares?”

  Ethan laughs once, “No, of course not.”

  “Just checking.”

  Lightening in the distance faintly illuminates the window. The wind picks up in fierce gusts, making the tree branches screech across the glass window.

  Olivia begins to feel anxious… edgy. Sensing it, Ethan tightens his grip around her. Knowing that he’s not going to give up the meds, she quickly tries to think of a distraction. Something that will soothe her, calm her nerves. Got it!

  Turning in his arms, she wiggles down his body underneath the blankets. Grabbing hold of the waistband of his pants, she slides them down, hearing his sharp intake of breath, “Olivia? What are you doing?”

  Trying not to laugh, she raises her head, peaking out from under the blanket, “Why do you always ask me that, Ireland? It’s pretty clear what I’m doing. I’m going to suck your dick.”

  It springs to life as she says the words. “Jesus. There you go talking about my cock again.”

  Kissing her way down his happy trail, she moves her body lower so she’s nestled between his legs. Running her tongue across the wide crown of his cock, she makes him moan. Taking him in her mouth, she closes her lips around it. She teases him with fluent suction, before relaxing her mouth and sliding him in further.

  Lying back, with his hands behind his head, he closes his eyes, making guttural sounds of pleasure that encourage her. Continuing a steady rhythm, she takes him from root to tip. Needing a moment to rest her jaw, she releases him. She licks her way down the hard veins of his shaft. Slightly moving back, his knees widen to give her room as she lowers her mouth to his balls. He groans as she teases him with her tongue, massaging them. Her fingers gently press against his skin, caressing him, as she takes his balls, one at a time, in her mouth. Exploring, she rubs her index finger across the sensitive skin below his scrotum, making him tighten the powerful muscles in his thighs.

  With gentle pressure, she pushes against his back door, sliding her index finger in and drawing from him a quiet curse as he tenses around her. Slowly and tenderly, she draws it out, sliding it back in further on the next attempt. Relaxing around her, he submits to the pleasure, letting her continue. Alternating her attack, she licks his balls and sucks them gently into her mouth, making them tighten and draw up. Sliding her tongue back up his pulsing shaft, his legs to start to tremble. Growling and lifting his hips, his breathing becomes shallow, panting breaths, as the steady rhythm of her index finger continues to massage him. She lifts her head, about to take his beautiful cock back into her mouth when his body keens beneath her. He reaches down to take his cock in hand. Surging harder than she’s ever seen it before, he closes his fist around it. Giving it two hard strokes, he comes. Leaning back, she watches in awe, as thick spurts of cum spray all over his chest. It’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. As the last pulse drizzles from the slit, she gently uses the edge of the blanket to wipe him clean. Tossing it to the floor, she lays on top of his body, enjoying the heat of him, as the muscles beneath her begin to soften and relax.

  “What the fuck did you just do to me?” he finally asks, feeling astounded.

  Olivia lifts her head, surprised, “I thought you were all about the anal play?”

  “I’ve never been the recipient before.”

  “Oh? That’s interesting. Did you like it?” she asks curiously.

  “Mercy sakes, woman! Did you see how hard you made me come?”

  Smiling she kisses him, “Consider it a goodbye present.”

  “A goodbye present? That wasn’t exactly a good way to convince me to leave you behind.”

  Resting in each other’s arms, they finally get some sleep. Barely an hour passes when thunder booms, making the windowpanes rattle. Ethan opens his eyes and lies there for a moment trying to get his bearings. Something roused him from sleep, but he has no idea what it was? Olivia lay sound asleep beside him, remarkably calm, not even fazed by the storm. Where are these horrifying night terrors? “Fucking Thompson,” he mutters.

  Sitting straight up, he hears it again, a faint clattering downstairs. Getting to his feet he cautiously makes his way down the hallway, looking in every nook and cranny for what might have made the noise. When he gets to the top of the basement stairs, he stands frozen, looking at a wide-open back door.

  Closing it tightly, he struggles to remember if he put the chain lock on before he went to bed. He wanders the house, from room to room, as he checks the windows, looking for intruders. Anxiety, pulses through his veins, as he makes sure the place is sec
ure.

  His thoughts flash to Eva’s comments, “He never really left, he’s always watching.” Was he here? Was he just in the house?

  Ethan gets his phone out of his jacket pocket and dials.

  “McCabe, I’m sorry it’s late.”

  “What’s going on?” John’s sleepy voice answers.

  “Someone has been in Olivia’s house. I need you to get security over here to keep an eye on things.”

  John sits on the side of the bed, now wide-awake and concerned, “Do you want me to come over and make sure the place is secure?”

  Ethan rubs his hand on the back of his neck, trying to relieve the tension growing there. Jesus. He doesn’t like the fact that Noah Thompson lives so close. Now he’s suspicious that Sam is around. How the hell can he leave her alone and go to Ireland for a month? “No, I’ve checked the house, John. If someone was in here, they’re gone now.”

  “Okay. Well, if you’re sure, I’ll just have one of Travis’s team park outside and keep watch.”

  “Great, tell them they need to get here immediately. Oh, and John… I need you to make some changes to our plans for tomorrow.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Olivia wakes in the morning to an empty bed and a note on the pillow.

  Good morning, Baby. You looked so beautiful and peaceful this morning. I didn’t have the heart to wake you, only to say goodbye.

  xox

  E

  Jolting upwards, aghast, she reaches for her phone. It’s 8 a.m. Realizing that he’s already gone, she feels distraught. The sudden need to see him, one more time, hits her with explosive force. Tears fill her eyes as she realizes that he’ll already be through airport security. There’s no chance that she can see him, even if she does manage to get there before his flight.

  Dialing his number, her heart sinks when it goes straight to voicemail. She hesitates, fighting the urge to leave him a long, effusive, sentimental message. Deciding against it, she hangs up. If he wanted a sad, emotional goodbye, he would have woken her up. He would have gifted her one last kiss.

  She shakes her head, hating that he brings out those annoying female ramblings in her. Throwing her feet over the side of the bed, she gets ready for work. All the way there, she thinks about how selfish she is for thinking that he should have considered her needs this morning. He’s on his way back home to deal with a difficult ex and the possibility of a child.

  Rachel is waiting for her in her office with a coffee. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she frowns. “He didn’t even wake me up this morning to say goodbye.”

  Rachel pulls her in for a hug, trying to rationalize his behavior, “Honey, he probably couldn’t stand to say goodbye. He’s begged you for weeks to go with him.”

  “I know. I just want to get to work and not think about him for while.”

  “Is that possible?” Rachel asks, doubtful.

  Olivia responds with a shrug.

  She desperately tries to resist the urge to check her cell phone every two minutes, but it’s not easy. The first couple of hours drag on painfully. Assuming that the flight has already left, she checks the airline website to see what time he arrives in Dublin. Maybe he’ll call her once he’s on the ground.

  Diana’s voice blasts through the phone intercom, making her jump. She gets to her feet as Diana requests that she make her way down to Jeremiah Dunn’s office, right away.

  Olivia and Rachel look at each other quizzically, as they both step out in the hallway at the same time.

  “I’ve been called down to Jeremiah’s office,” Rachel shares.

  “Me, too,” Olivia says, furrowing her brow. “It can’t be good if we’re both being called down to the principal’s office,” she jests.

  Walking past Diana’s desk, they both get nervous as she awkwardly looks away, without saying a word.

  Raising her hand to knock on the door, Olivia pauses, giving Rachel a comical smile, trying to break the tension.

  Impatiently waiting for them, Jeremiah swings the door open, and finds them standing there. “Ladies, please come in.”

  Stepping back out of the way, he holds the door and lets them enter. Olivia smiles at him as she steps into the room; then comes to a complete halt. Unprepared for her abrupt stop, Rachel walks right into her back, protesting as she bounces back.

  Directly in front of her, he sits casually. His leg crossed over to rest his ankle on his knee. The corner of his mouth twitches, trying not to curl into a smile at the look on her face.

  Unaware of what’s going on; Rachel impatiently puts her hand on Olivia’s back and edges her to the side, out of her way. Her eyebrows shoot up and her chin drops when she sees him. “Oh, shit!” she mutters.

  Getting to his feet, he starts toward them.

  Scowling at Rachel’s comment, Jeremiah closes the door. “Ladies, I understand that you already know Ethan O’Connell,” he says, in a formal tone.

  Neither woman speaks as Ethan extends his hand, cordially. When he takes Olivia’s hand in his, he smiles, as she looks at him completely befuddled. “It’s nice to see you again, Miss James,” he says with his charming Irish brogue.

  Completely lost she looks at Jeremiah for direction. “Please, sit down.”

  Ethan gallantly pulls out chairs for both ladies as they sit on the opposite side of Jeremiah’s large glass desk.

  “Mr. O’Connell,” Jeremiah begins, “has come to me this morning with an interesting business proposal.”

  Olivia feels all the air escape her lungs as she looks over at Ethan’s stoic business face. A grin briefly washes across his lips, as he imagines all her unvoiced questions.

  “Seems that he finds himself in need of our best IT software analyst to work out some problems he’s having on a project in Ireland.”

  Looking over at Rachel, Olivia’s chin drops. She knows exactly where this is going now.

  “O’Connell Industries has offered us a contract for your services on that project, Olivia. It seems they’ve heard how brilliant you are. They’re willing to pay quite generously for you time over the next month. Of course, all expenses will be paid on top of your regular income, with a rather large bonus upon completion of the contract.”

  “Mr. Dunn,” she interrupts. “I’m in the middle of a project right now with a very difficult client. It would be unwise for me to take on a different project.”

  Looking nervously at Ethan from the corner of her eye, she becomes extremely annoyed that he appears to be smirking.

  “I called that client a short while ago,” Jeremiah continues. “He’s been advised that Rachel Parker will be taking over his account. He’s also been reassured that, during your absence, you’ll be available remotely should Rachel have any questions or need your assistance with anything. Mr. O’Connell has assured me that you’ll have all the tools you need to do so.”

  Speechless at what’s just transpired, Olivia glances between Ethan and her boss. Turning to Rachel, she looks for support. Instead, she’s met with a defeated shrug. Taking a deep breath, she bites her tongue before she gets up the nerve to speak, “Do I have a say in the matter?”

  Concerned, Ethan leans forward with his elbows on the edge of the desk. With his two fingers steepled, he presses them against his lips. Fighting the urge to speak, and take control of the conversation, he grows tense.

  “I’ve already accepted and signed the agreement, Olivia,” Jeremiah advises, “You leave this evening. Give the file to Rachel and go home and pack.”

  Nodding, she starts to get to her feet. Ethan stands quickly, and pulls out her chair. She won’t look at him, even for a minute. He suspected she’d be upset about it, but now he feels like a total dick.

  Jeremiah gives Rachel a few last instructions. Ethan waits patiently to shake his hand and close the deal. By the time they leave his office, Olivia is already in her office on the other side of the building. Taking a few steps down the hallway, Rachel unexpectedly grabs Ethan by the ear. Shocked by the pa
in, he follows her without protest into the empty break room. “Are you out of your mind?” she asks, letting go and turning to face him.

  “What was I supposed to do, Rachel?” he asks defensively. “I couldn’t leave her here. I think someone was in her house last night.”

  “WHAT?” Rachel is horrified, “Sam?”

  Ethan shakes his head, “I don’t know for sure. I suspect so. Did you know about the sedatives that Thompson has been giving her?”

  “She’s still taking those?” Rachel gasps, “I thought she stopped taking them a long time ago.”

  “He stopped by last night with more. Christ, Rach. Those things are strong enough to knock out an elephant. It makes me sick to think of the things he could do to her, if she took them while he was there. She’d be out cold for hours and have no recollection of it, at all.”

  Closing her eyes, Rachel holds up her hand, making him stop, “Okay, I get it. This is OLIVIA you’re messing with! There had to be a better way to get her to go. It’s going to be a very long flight. I’m glad I’m not sitting beside her on the plane.”

  Rachel makes her way down to her office where Olivia is waiting with the account file. Frowning at her, Rachel closes the door, “Okay, I know you’re pissed, but go easy on him. He clearly didn’t think this through.”

  “You’re joking, right? He thought it through with a great amount of detail. In fact, I bet he’s had that plan in his back pocket for a long time,” Olivia argues. “Great way to start a relationship.”

  Rachel purses her lips, trying not to laugh, “It’s kind of funny, actually.”

  “There’s nothing funny about it, Rachel,” she scowls.

  “Come on, think about it. It doesn’t matter how hard you try to fight him, he always finds a way to get you to do things his way.”

  Gah! “He does it because it annoys me,” she complains.

  “He does it because he loves you,” Rachel insists.

  Considering it true, Olivia’s face turns red.

  “Don’t you have some packing to do?” Rachel teases, “Apparently, in a few hours you’re going to be on a plane bound for Ireland.”