Souls ReAligned Page 2

Stunned at her admission, he stills his movements while he considers what she’s asking.

  He kisses her neck tenderly, as his hand slides across her shoulder, then down to her waist. Releasing her, he whispers in her ear, “Look at me.” When her eyes meet his, they sparkle with the reflection of his love. Kissing her lips with a sweet, yet hungry tenderness, he ignites the fire deep inside her.

  Brushing the hair away from her face, he studies her with an intensity that takes her breath away. With a voice so gentle and alluring, her soon to be lover whispers words from Romeo and Juliet.

  “Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

  Her body aches to feel him inside her. She’s never been more sure that Owen is her one true love. She’s somehow known it all her life. Tonight, she’ll surrender herself to him for the first time.

  Chapter One

  As Olivia James tries to put some distance between her and the man she can’t admit she loves, anger and heartache course through her body like a violent storm. Once again, she’s left Ethan O’Connell watching, feeling helpless. Hopeless. Tortured by the sight of her retreating further down the road, his heart beats heavily like a jackhammer inside his chest. Remaining frozen where he stands, his chest rising and falling with anxious breath, he witnesses the darkness begin to swallow her.

  As she’s completely consumed by the horizon, Ethan can no longer withstand the agony of waiting; hoping that she’ll come to her senses, turn around, and come back to him. If she never speaks to him again, he would deserve that and more, for what he put her through tonight. Getting into the car, he slams the door as his inner turmoil burns through his insides like a caustic substance. Acid would be less corrosive.

  Looking over at the jacket that she discarded on the seat, concern creases his brow. She’s wandering the streets in the dark, exposed to the chill of the unforgiving western wind, upset and alone. If her ex, Sam, is the guy who’s been showing up at the bar looking for her, she’d be defenseless against him right now. Concern quickly morphs into angst. Raking his fingers through his hair, he holds his head in frustration before completely losing his mind.

  Bringing his hand down heavily toward the steering wheel, he punches it in a violent outburst, “FUCK!” The muscles in his chest tighten, causing his entire body to stiffen as he forces out a tortured breath, “NOT THIS TIME!” This time he’s not letting her run. Olivia evokes in him the most powerful feelings that he’s ever experienced for a woman. He refuses to let her walk away. When he finds her, he’ll get down on his knees and beg for her forgiveness, like Scott implored him to do when this whole ugly mess started. He’ll make her listen. Make sure she understands. NO! Not understand... believe. He needs to make her believe that he LOVES her. Starting the engine, he pulls out on to the road. In his haste to find her, he makes the tires squeal as he heavily hits the gas.

  Olivia doesn’t feel the cool air any longer. Anger and adrenaline keep her warm as she walks briskly along the sidewalk. When she hears screeching tires and the roar of the engine as gears are shifted at a rapid pace, she knows that he’s coming after her. Reaching the intersection, she looks back at the swiftly approaching headlights and becomes nervous.

  Stepping off the sidewalk and out of the glow of the streetlights, she waits and watches. Praying that the darkness will afford her a little bit of cover, she holds her breath until Ethan turns left at the lights, expecting her to be on her way home. When she’s sure that he’s far enough up the street, she quickly heads in the opposite direction.

  Pulling up in front of the small red brick townhome, Ethan is concerned that the house is in darkness. Getting out of the car, he makes quick strides toward the door and lets himself in. Searching all the rooms, he finds them empty. Confused about her absence, he does the only thing he can think to do. Rushing back to the car he backtracks. His eyes dart back and forth surveying both sides of the road as he searches for her.

  When he’s doubled all the way back to the traffic lights, and still hasn’t found her, he has an agonizing thought. She must be with Noah. He knows the bastard lives close by, but he has no idea where. Frustration sets in as he drives up and down every side road hoping to catch a glimpse of them. Not quite sure what he’ll do if he finds them together. Reaching into his pocket for his phone, he finds it missing. Stopping at the intersection he frantically checks all his pockets, the seat, the floor... “Damn!” Cursing, Ethan turns the steering wheel, making an abrupt u-turn and heads back to the bar.

  Screeching to a halt out front of The Headwaters Restaurant, soon to be Ireland’s Pub, he narrowly misses a few patrons who are loitering outside. Ignoring their protests and cursed complaints, he bolts through the doorway and heads straight to the bar. Hearing the commotion, Rachel tugs at Scott’s sleeve, drawing his attention to the frantic, pissed-off Irishman approaching like a bull in a china shop.

  “Have you seen my phone?” he asks the bartender, ignoring the fact that he’s interrupting a conversation.

  “No, Mr. O’Connell. I haven’t seen it.”

  “Scotch. NOW!” he says, slamming his keychain down onto the bar. The bartender places a shot glass in front of him and fills it. As he turns to walk away, Ethan barks a command, “Leave the bottle!”

  Nervously, the bartender places the bottle in front of him and glances over at Scott. As Ethan lifts the first shot to his lips, Rachel quietly places her hand over his keychain. Discreetly moving it toward her, she slides it off the edge, into her other hand, and passes it to Scott, unnoticed.

  Throwing back a second shot, Ethan suddenly remembers, “It's in my office.”

  “What?” Rachel asks, trying to look innocent.

  “My phone. It’s in my office.” Fixated on his need to find Olivia, Ethan pushes his way through the crowd and disappears into his office.

  Without warning, Rachel smacks Scott really hard on the arm. “Ouch! Why are you hitting me?” he questions.

  “He’s your friend! He’s going to freak out when he comes back and finds his keys are missing.”

  Scott rubs his arm, “I know. But he’s also my BOSS. I’m going to kill Brant and McCabe for ditching me with him tonight.” Taking his phone out of his pocket he sends them both another message.

  Olivia stops walking when she realizes that she’s at the end of a dead end street, somewhere in the middle of a desolate industrial zone. Crap! How long has she been walking? She nervously looks around, searching for anything that looks familiar. When she spots the train tracks, she knows that she’s lost.

  Starting to feel the chill in the air, she reaches into her pocket for her phone. Shivering, she takes a look at the long list of missed notifications, Ethan… Ethan… Ethan. Text apologies, missed calls, frantic voice messages; all asking where she is and begging her to call him back.

  “Like that’s going to happen,” she mumbles, as she deletes them from her phone.

  A loud thundering crash of metal makes panic zip through her bloodstream. As she jumps her phone falls from her hand and lands on the ground. Cursing, she crouches down to pick it up. Glancing nervously toward the sound, she sees a figure fade into the darkness. Keeping watch over her shoulder, she moves quickly in the direction she came from, trying to get back to safety with her hand tightly squeezing her phone. The sound of heavy footsteps approaches from behind her. Turning nervously, she sees the shadow of a tall man lurking in the dark alleyway. Fear overtakes her; pulsing through her veins. The familiarity of the lingering dark figure makes the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. Shivering as she walks, Olivia’s breath quickens. Beginning to feel frantic, she unlocks her phone to make a call. Sliding her finger down the touch screen, she stops briefly on Ethan’s name. She swallows hard and considers it, then continues further down the screen. Holding the phone to her ear, she talks to herself as she continues to walk, “Please answer. Please answer.” She holds her breath until she hears his voice.

  “Olivia?”


  “Hi, John,” she whispers, trying to hide the fact that she’s feeling extremely anxious.

  “It’s getting late, is everything okay?”

  When she hears Shannon’s voice in the background, she feels more than a little embarrassed for interrupting them. “I’m sorry, John. You’re trying to spend time with Shannon. I’ll be fine.”

  “Wait!” he says sternly. “Don’t hang up. You’re not interrupting anything. Tell me what’s going on.”

  “O’Connell and I had a fight, and I walked out… and well, I kept walking and now I don’t know where I am,” she sighs heavily.

  “Well, that explains why Ethan has called 18 times in the last half an hour,” he says calmly.

  “John... I’m starting to freak out a little. I keep hearing things and I think someone is following me. Do you think it’s Ethan?”

  Alarmed to hear that, John hides his concern well. He already knows that Scott has Ethan’s keys, so he hasn’t gone anywhere. “Can you tell me anything about where you are? A street name would be helpful.”

  “I don’t see any signs and there are only a few street lights where I am. It’s really dark and I have no idea how I even got here.” She gasps as a loud noise startles her. “I left the club and walked east, and then I followed the sidewalk to the right and just kept walking,” she rambles nervously.

  “Okay, listen,” John’s voice remains calm, controlled. “I’m going to drive in that direction. Don’t walk any further. Just stay put. If you see anything, a street sign, the name of a business… call me right back. Don’t worry, I’ll be there shortly.”

  “Okay.” Olivia paces nervously, her feet throbbing from the journey. She’s way too nervous to sit down on the curb and rest. In an alley to her right she hears the hissing and screeching of a cat and clenches her jaw. With her heart in her throat, she walks toward the noise and cautiously peeks around the corner.

  Jumping when her phone rings, she answers the unknown number without giving it any thought.

  “Hello?”

  “Olivia, it’s Carter.”

  “Carter!” She does her best to hide how upset she is.

  “Are you okay?” His voice is deep, calm. The sound of it soothes her nerves.

  “Carter, I keep hearing footsteps like I’m being followed. I think someone is hiding in the shadows,” she says quietly into the phone.

  “Listen, I’m with John and Shannon. We’re heading in the direction you said you walked. I want you to do something for me. Walk back in the direction you came. Just keep walking, okay? I’m going to stay on the phone with you until we find you. The minute you see a street sign or something you let me know.”

  “Okay. But John said to stay put.” Olivia retraces her path, turning one last time to look at the dimly lit alley.

  “We’ve re-thought that plan,” he says, sounding a little edgy.

  “Talk to me while you’re walking. What happened?”

  Olivia takes a deep breath. “Stupid stuff, really. Ethan was mad because I wouldn’t agree to a committed relationship, so he asked one of his co-workers out on a date.”

  “He did what?” Carter can do little to hide the anger in his voice, “You’re messing with me right? Tell me that it wasn’t that nasty tramp from reception,” he says agitated.

  “No, I wish I was joking. Yes, it was Hannah. But this isn’t entirely his fault, Carter. They were my stupid rules. When he told me that he had a date I got all jealous and,” she pauses, reliving that painful moment of looking up to see them together. “Then I decided to show up at the restaurant on a date with someone Ethan absolutely hates. I knew it was going to make him angry, and it did,” she takes a break in her rambling to breathe.

  “I see,” Carter says in a strained tone, “Have you passed any street signs yet?”

  “No, but I see headlights. There’s a car coming toward me.”

  “Hang on. John, flash the lights.”

  Olivia looks up. Watching the headlights flicker on and off, she feels unbelievable relief. “I can see you, Carter! I’m just up ahead, on the right.”

  The minute they reach her, John jumps out of the car, surveying the area for assailants and checking the alleyways. Old habits never die for some men.

  Carter rushes toward Olivia, giving her the once over. “Are you okay? Are you hurt or anything?”

  “I’m fine, Carter.”

  Carter cocks his head to the side, giving her a look of disbelief with those beautiful, blue Australian eyes.

  “My feet hurt,” she deflects, refusing to let him see just how frightened she is. Drawing on her strength, she pulls herself together, holding back the tears. She’s done it for so many years. Nothing has changed. When he glares at her, raising his eyebrows, still not convinced, she finally gives in, “I’m OKAY. Really. I’m just a little freaked out.”

  Carter throws his arms around her in a hug, kissing the top of her head. “Thank Christ we found you so quickly. We were on our way to the restaurant to have a few drinks when you called.” Holding her for a long while, he lets her sink into his hard chest like an old friend.

  It’s odd how Olivia instantly had a connection with Carter. She knows that he feels it too. She’s seen it in his eyes. In fact, what she sees in Carter’s eyes is more than the desire of a friendship. He doesn’t act on it out of respect for his friend. That’s the kind of guy Carter Brant is: strong, true, and loyal, right down to his core. Any woman would be lucky to have his affections, but Olivia belongs to another man, even if she refuses to admit it.

  Olivia begins to feel the cool air. Without hesitation, Carter takes off his jacket and wraps it around her shoulders. “Come on then, get in the car and let’s get you home.” His Australian accent, much more authoritative than usual, makes him sound masculine and rugged. When he slides in beside her in the back seat, he puts his arm around her and pulls her close.

  Shannon turns in the front seat and frowns “Are you okay, Sweetie?”

  “I just want to go home.”

  “Of course, we’ll take you,” she glances over at John who nods in agreement. “You know what?” Turning back to Olivia, Shannon gives her a sympathetic smile. “Why don’t I stay with you tonight? The boys are booked solid tomorrow, and I’ll be bored to death. You promised to go dress shopping with me.”

  “That’s a really good idea,” John says. “You two can eat ice cream, spend money, and talk about what arseholes us guys are. I’m sure you’ll feel much better after that.”

  Shannon takes Olivia’s silence as acceptance, “It’s settled then. I’ll stay.”

  John’s phone rings and he shakes his head as he picks it up, “Ethan.” Holding it away from his ear, he winces at the loud screaming. “Ethan, stop screaming and listen to me. ETHAN! Olivia is safe. I have her here with me. I’m going to take her back to her house. Shannon is going to stay with her overnight. Not a chance, Boss! Scott isn’t going to give you back your keys, Ethan. Leave him alone. Carter and I are going to pick you up in about 10 minutes. Lay off the scotch.”

  Finally arriving home, Olivia and Shannon settle on the couch with a container of ice cream and two spoons. Olivia has too much going on in her brain to even fake interest in the movie that Shannon selected. It does nothing to distract her from the heaviness in her heart.

  She says nothing about the evening’s events, even when Shannon gently persuades her to talk about it. Frowning when her phone vibrates, she lets out a heavy sigh as she looks at the display.

  Sensing her query, Olivia looks up to meet with Shannon’s best jury glare. “Have you heard from Ethan?” she finally asks.

  Olivia breathes out a long slow breath, “Only every 10 minutes.”

  Shannon’s eyes pop open wide, “Seriously?”

  “Your boss invented the word PERSISTENCE.”

  “Did you respond?”

  “No, I just shut my phone off. I can’t deal with him right now,” Olivia says, shaking her head.

  “But you
are planning on dealing with him, right?” Shannon raises her eyebrow in a questioning manner.

  Olivia pauses for a moment, “The jury’s still out on that one. I mean, how much longer can we go on playing these games?”

  “Well, you tell me,” Shannon says in a stern voice. “I don’t want to be a bitch, but surely you must accept equal responsibility for that?”

  Olivia is taken aback by her comment and her response is unmistakably defensive. “Are you asking as my friend? Or Ethan’s lawyer?”

  “Your friend, of course,” Shannon reassures her, “It’s just that I don’t understand why you’re angry with him? You wanted a non-committed relationship. Right?”

  Olivia frowns, “He asked me several times if a non-committed relationship was what I wanted. I told him yes.”

  “But he knew you weren’t telling the truth and he called you out on it.”

  Shannon confirms the truth, making Olivia’s heart squeeze tightly in her chest. Thoughts of the things he said about her being closed off and difficult roll through her brain. She wonders why she’s so determined to prove him right. As much as she tries not to analyze it, she comes to the shocking realization that she didn’t walk away because she was angry with Ethan. She was ripped apart at the sight of him with another woman, even if she did force his hand. No, that wasn’t the reason. Sitting in his car, listening to him argue and fight for her love, made her realize just how strong her feelings are for him. She panicked, throwing up walls; trying to push him away for good. She looks over at Shannon who has been patiently waiting for an answer, “Yes. This is my fault.”

  John’s car hasn’t even come to a complete stop in front of the restaurant, when Carter opens the door and jumps out. “Carter!” John yells, “Don’t do it!” Cursing, John throws the car into park and chases after him, but he’s a few seconds too late.

  Ethan is standing at the bar when Carter finds him and calls out his name. He turns, but before he has a chance to say a word, the sound of a loud THUD echoes through his ears. Carter hits him in the jaw with such a powerful right jab that Ethan stumbles back. Lifting his hand, he wipes a small trickle of blood from his lip and then looks back at his friend, stunned.