Olivia stares into the compelling green of his eyes, and is drawn into his gaze. When he drops his eyes to her lips, watching, while he traces their contour with the pad of his thumb, her body begins to tingle. When he lifts his eyes to hers for confirmation, she nods.
“Good girl. I like it when you don’t fight me on things.” His lips brush against hers as he says it. The feel of his warm breath on her mouth causes her mind to go blank and refocus on the man in front of her. Broad shoulders and muscular abs are hidden beneath a crisp white dress shirt. The stiff buttoned collar clings closely around his neck. She knows every line of his body; intimately traced every ridge of muscle with her tongue. It’s impossible to think of anything else when he’s this close to her.
“I have to go.” Claiming her lips, he gives her a goodbye kiss and pulls away.
“Nooo!” she gasps, protesting almost involuntarily.
Ethan looks at her curiously. Amused by her outburst, he grins. “I have a meeting, Love. I’ll see you tonight. John’s waiting downstairs to take you to work. I’ll walk you out.”
John McCabe pulls up in front of the Dublin hospital and quickly makes his away around to open Olivia’s door. “I wish you’d let me take you home. You still don’t look well.”
“Stop it, John. I’m fine. And there’s no need for you to tattle on me. Ethan doesn’t need to know that I was sick this morning.”
“He always finds out, Olivia.” John shows his disapproval. “It’s me he’s going to be angry with.”
“Just wait out here. I won’t be long.” Ignoring his concern, she leaves him standing at the side of car. Feeling his censure, she turns to look at him before entering the hospital. She gives him a little wave, hoping to keep the peace.
Making her way to the obstetrics wing, she hopes that talking to Dr. Cameron holds the key to getting the Artemis Project on track. She searches through her laptop bag for her notebook as she walks; she has a long list of questions to ask. When she looks up, her eyes lock on to a very beautiful, pregnant Jessica Keane. Standing beside her is a tall man, dressed in hospital greens with a nametag that reads, Dave Cameron. Great, just great.
Taking a deep breath, Olivia holds it briefly before she releases it and walks toward them. Jessica steps in front of her and stares her down, waiting.
“Excuse me.” Olivia sidesteps around her, ignoring her angry glare.
“You can’t fix him,” Jessica blurts out.
Shocked Olivia turns and looks her straight in the eye. “He’s not broken.” Her muscles start to tense with anger.
“You might not think so now, but he can’t keep Mr. Hyde locked away for long.”
“Ethan has no reason to be anybody but himself with me. He’s not hiding anything.” Olivia crosses her arms, taking on a defensive stance, trying to make it look convincing. He is hiding something, and she knows it. It will be a cold day in Hell before she admits that to Jessica.
“Let me guess, you’re some poor lost soul who believes there’s good in everyone. Your love is going to save him.”
Jessica’s mocking tone causes Olivia to clench her fists tightly at her side. “Again…he isn’t broken and he doesn’t need saving.”
“Ladies,” Dave Cameron interrupts as he steps between them.
Jessica flashes him an annoyed look and begins to walk away. “History repeats itself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Warn me about what?”
“Check the Internet if you want to see what your Prince Charming is capable of. Pictures don’t lie.”
“Miss James,” Dr. Cameron steers her down the hall, and away from Jessica. “Let’s step into this office so we can discuss the project. When he closes the door behind him, Olivia spins around to face him, no longer capable of holding back her curiosity “What is she talking about?” she demands.
“Surely, you must know the history between her and Ethan.” Pulling a chair out from behind a desk, he directs her to sit.
“Yes. I know about the pregnancy.”
“That’s all that Ethan has told you?” he asks curiously.
“I knew it! There is something else! What isn’t he telling me?” Uptight and tense, she stands behind the chair, too worked up to sit down.
“Miss James, I’m running out of time before the next delivery.” He looks at his watch, and then once again, encourages her to sit down. “I’m sure you’d rather use this time to talk about the Artemis Project.”
Opening her notebook, she sits reluctantly in the seat across from him, trying really hard to focus on her questions. As he answers she scribbles down notes and thoughts, feeling completely scattered.
When they’re done, she stands and pauses.
“Is there something else, Olivia?” sitting back in his chair, he watches her curiously.
“I was just wondering if it’s true that a doctor can’t talk about a patient’s file with anyone. Even if they’re from another country.”
“Only under court orders.”
“So, if someone needed… let’s say a pregnancy test to be done, you couldn’t discuss the results with anybody?”
“That’s correct.” Getting to his feet, he watches her nervous behavior. “I assume you know someone who needs, quick, accurate results, and wishes to maintain their anonymity?”
Concern flashes in his eyes when she nods her head. Reaching for the door, he swings it open, and waits for her to follow.
“Well then, let’s take care of that, right now.”
Chapter Thirty
On the way back to O’Connell Industries Olivia’s anxiety grows. Holding her phone in her hand, she opens the browser, and searches his name. Fear of the truth pumps blood through her veins at a rapid pace. She holds her breath as she waits. Several thousand results are returned in a few seconds. Scrolling through them, she searches for anything that would give her insight into what he’s hiding. Page after page... image after image. She finds nothing even remotely controversial, but it doesn’t put her mind at ease.
John concentrates on driving, unaware of what’s transpiring in the back seat. Olivia watches him, knowing that he has all the answers, but he’d never betray Ethan by disclosing the details. Then, a thought occurs to her.
“John.”
“Yes.” Looking at her through the rearview mirror, he waits for her response.
“Aurora Tech has people that look after publicity stuff. Right?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Do they have the capability to get rid of bad publicity?”
John furrows his brow. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Olivia fidgets a little. “Well…if someone in the company was subject to bad publicity; do they have the means to make it go away… like, have it removed, or erased from the Internet, so that nobody could see it?
“That’s not my area of expertise,” John advises, “but I believe that could be the case.” His eyes glance up at the mirror to view her expression with curiosity. “Is everything okay?”
Olivia purses her lips, taking a deep breath in an attempt to hide her suspicions. “Everything’s great. I was just curious.”
John nods, glancing back at her every few moments. He’s not buying her explanation. He’s come to know the mind of Olivia James, all too well, in the past few months.
What happened with Jessica must have been something really bad if the PR team had it scrubbed from the Internet. She jiggles her leg nervously, her mind just as restless, until it settles on a thought.
“Is Ethan at Aurora Tech, all day today, John?”
“Yes. He’ll meet us for a late dinner,” he confirms, as they pull up front of O’Connell Industries. “Olivia?” he calls, as she swings open the door and jumps out before the car has come to a complete stop. Moving briskly through the reception area, she makes her way down the hallway toward Ethan’s office. Distracted by her thoughts, she doesn’t even stop to acknowledge the rest of the team as she passes by. Concerned, Ian sticks his head out the door
and watches her down the hall.
Throwing open the door, she rushes in, and stops in front of Ethan’s desk. Her racing heart beats hard against her chest. Invading his privacy is a huge gesture of mistrust. But then… he’s the one keeping secrets. She convinces herself that she’s doing nothing wrong, if he truly has nothing to hide. Holding her breath, she reaches for the handle on the bottom drawer. She has to know what’s in that folder.
Closing her eyes, she pulls gently on the handle, expecting it to be locked. To her surprise, it slides open, and she reaches in looking for answers. Her shoulders fall in disappointment when she discovers that the files are missing.
Closing the drawer, she walks to her desk as anxiety washes over her. She can’t stand it anymore. She needs to put this festering insecurity to rest.
Heading back down the hallway, she stops short of John McCabe’s office. She can hear him on the phone and knows that he’s talking to Ethan. She can’t ask him to take her there. He’ll let Ethan know she’s coming, giving him time to prepare an excuse… another lie. Waiting until he turns, she rushes past unseen.
“Ian!” She enters the research room in a rush, “I need to borrow your car.”
Startled, Ian looks up. “My car? Where’s John?”
“He’s in his office. Please don’t ask any questions.”
Ian stares at her and reluctantly retrieves his keys out of his pocket. “I have a feeling I’m going to regret this. Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I have to do something, and I don’t want the Irish watchdog hanging around.” There’s no way she can hide the anxiety in her voice.
“You seem a little frazzled. If you won’t let John take you, perhaps I can drive you somewhere?” he asks with concern.
“No!” she practically yells. “Please, Ian!”
“Okay, Olivia.” He hesitates as he hands her the keys. “Please be careful.”
“I promise, I’ll be okay,” she assures him.
“Well, if you say so, but I’m also worried about me,” he clarifies. “If anything happens to my brand new Mercedes, McKenna will have my nuts.”
A small smile curls at the corner of his mouth, making Olivia grin in response. Leaning forward she kisses him on the cheek. “Thank you, Ian. I’ll be careful.” Turning, she rushes out the door.
Olivia tries to reason with herself all the way to Aurora Technologies. Ethan loves her; she knows that. She feels it. After everything that they’ve been through, he would never do anything to jeopardize their relationship. There has to be a rational explanation for his behavior. She decides that she’s just going to ask him straight out.
She manages to make her way into the Aurora Tech elevator without being stopped by security and heads to the penthouse. Getting past the receptionist is going to take a little more cunning. The elevator opens revealing an empty desk. Sighing in relief, she heads down the long corridor to the executive offices. Keeping her head down and avoiding eye contact, she manages to escapes any questions. Ethan’s door is open, an unusual occurrence. She walks straight in, on a mission to discover the truth.
With his back to her, he carries on a conversation as he stands at the window on the other side of the room. He’s so engrossed in the conversation that he hasn’t noticed her come in. As she makes her way toward him she notices the file folder, open on the desk.
“Shannon,” his authoritative voice resounds against the window. “The only reason they haven’t charged me is because they don’t have proof. It’s her word against mine. Find a way, legal or otherwise, and make it GO AWAY.” Noticing a reflection in the window, Ethan turns to find Olivia standing behind him. Paralyzed; her eyes are full of horror as she holds the open file in her hand and stares down at pictures inside.
“Olivia!” The shock of seeing her standing there and knowing that she overheard his conversation sends fear through his body like a bolt of lightening.
“What?” Shannon asks on the phone, not aware of what’s going on.
“I have to go.” Pulling the Bluetooth from his ear, he looks at her with gut wrenching agony as he moves toward her.
A picture of Jessica’s bruised and swollen face sits right on top of the file. She stares at it for what seems to be a very long time, unable to look away. Failing to get air into her lungs, she starts to feel dizzy. Color leaves her face and she begins to tremble. When she looks up at him, he knows what she’s seen. Everything he has worked so hard to guard her from has just completely unfolded in front of him.
“Olivia, please let me explain.” He reaches for her and she takes a step backward, withdrawing from his touch. He can’t stand the pained expression on her face.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, as she hands him the folder. “I… I need to go.” Her stomach twists and rolls in anxiety. Her trembling hands now clench into tightly formed fists at her sides. “Please let me explain.”
“I don’t think you need to explain. At least now I know what you’ve been hiding.” Avoiding eye contact, she walks down the hallway toward the elevator. Ethan follows close behind.
“I haven’t told you because it’s complicated. What is it with you? Again, you walk in and hear part of a conversation and you assume the worse of me. You don’t know what happened!”
“I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on. Griff was talking about it the other night at the restaurant. How you like to keep your women ‘in line.’ The pictures are a pretty good confirmation of what he said. Don’t you think?” Reaching the elevator, she repeatedly pushes the button, willing it to come faster.
“Fucking Griffin!” Ethan takes a deep calming breath, trying to put the thoughts of murdering him, out of his head. “Olivia, please don’t leave. We need to talk about this. I lov…”
Before he can say it, her head snaps up, and she screams at him angrily. “DON’T! Don’t you dare say those words right now!” Frustrated that the elevator is still floors away, she heads to the stairs. When she tries to pull open the door, he pushes against it with his hand, holding it closed. She stands perfectly still, tense and terrified.
Ethan hovers over her with an overwhelming need to calm her. When he reaches to wipe away the tears from her cheek, she winces and leans away from him. Her reaction makes him feel like he’s just been stabbed in the chest with a sharp knife.
“Please,” she pleads. “I can’t be here right now.”
The worst beating of his life didn’t hurt as much as watching her right now. Becoming desperate, he moves, positioning himself between her and the door. When she tenses and closes her eyes, he runs his hands through his hair and holds his head. “FUCK!”
Olivia’s breath is shallow as she slips into an old familiar routine of conflict avoidance. Softening her voice, she tries to diffuse the situation. “Ethan. Let me leave.”
Swallowing his anguish, he tries to fix it. “Okay. I promised to give you space when you needed it. You promised not to run anymore. Tell me you’re not running. You’re going to go home and calm down. Then, you’ll give me a chance to explain. Right?” The consequences of forcing her to stay would be far worse than explaining Jessica’s accusations. He understands that she needs to get away from him right now, but he will hold her there, until he gets an answer. “Would you look at me please?”
Olivia lifts her chin, bringing her eyes to his. It’s painful to look into those green Irish eyes right now. They used to mirror her love, now all she sees is deceit.
“Tell me, you’re not running,” he begs.
“I’m not running. I just need to think.” She would tell him anything to put some space between them.
Ethan exhales the breath he’s been holding and tries to put his arms around her. She remains stiff in his arms, but he’ll take it for now, as long as she’s not running.
The elevator doors finally open and out shoots a frantic John McCabe. Ethan flashes him an unimpressed look. “Where the fuck have you been?”
Olivia glances at John quickly, and then looks to the floo
r, avoiding his censure.
“I was at the office,” he explains. “She snuck past me.” John doesn’t take his eyes off her. She can feel them burning into her from a few feet away.
“Oh? Then how did you know where she was?”
“I tracked her through the LoJack on the Mercedes.”
Ethan tries to hold back a grin “McKenna had LoJack installed in Ian’s car?”
“I wouldn’t bring that up with him. It’s a sore subject right now. Speaking of Ian, he’s waiting downstairs.” John stares at him with a serious look.
“Good,” Ethan continues. “Take her home, John.”
John nods and holds out his hand. “Miss, James. If I could have Ian’s keys please.”
Ethan releases her from his hold while she digs the keys out of her pocket. Finally, locking eyes with the pissed off ex-military specialist, she drops them in his hand. Stepping to the side, he gestures toward the elevator and waits for her to proceed.
As she steps in and turns, Ethan leans in to brush his mouth across her unwelcoming lips. “Go back to the flat, Olivia. Have a warm bath, drink some wine and try to relax. We’ll talk when I get home.”
John remains silent on the way out of the building. Ian leans against his Mercedes with his arms crossed, looking annoyed. John hands him the keys “Take her to Ethan’s. Nowhere else, unless you check with me first,” he instructs.
Olivia’s mouth opens in shock when Ian nods and opens the door. Hesitantly she moves to get in. “You’re making Ian take me home?”
“It’s unwise for you to get into a car with me at the moment, Miss James. Out of the respect for the relationship between you and the woman I love, it would be better if you ride with Ian.” He can’t even look at her as he says it. She never considered that her actions would make John this angry. Of course, they would. His job is to protect Ethan. Exposing the truth would put him in jeopardy, both personally and professionally.
Souls ReAligned Page 36