A/N: This would be the same day that Parker and Cox go on their date along the boardwalk which takes place in Chapter 4.

The Owl and the Angel

Chapter 5

Mr. Lyle had met Dr. Hannigan several years ago in Africa. She was one of the researchers at a facility he visited on a Triumvirate witch hunt. She was bright, energetic, and sexy. She also didn't mind his more deviant activities. She sometimes even participated in the brief time they knew each other.

Less than ten days after he had arranged her transfer to Blue Cove, Eloise Hannigan arrived in Delaware. Lyle had never met a woman like her. He didn't believe in soulmates or any of that fate garbage, but if he did, he was sure he was meant to have her in his life. Now with Raines demanding that he find a wife and not kill her, he was certain what he needed to do.

Lyle had kept in touch with her and knew that she was estranged from her daughter and her father. He had asked for a divorce years ago and she had finally signed the papers the year before. Lyle imagined it was difficult to maintain a marriage with an ocean between them.

Miss Parker had grudgingly found an "acceptable" husband in Cox and they planned to marry within the next few weeks. She wasn't thrilled but the only way out was death. Or leaving and starting over with nothing. Neither option was acceptable to either sibling.

Raines was growing impatient with Lyle dragging his feet, so Lyle had made a call to a contact still in Africa to see if they could pull some strings to get Dr. Hannigan back to Delaware.

Now she was here and he had given himself two weeks to convince her to marry him and another two weeks to actually make the marriage official. He had never thought he would marry anyone, especially someone with a kid, but he made it a point to drop in on her the first day back. He knew she would be expecting him. She had known he was the one who requested her transfer and was interested to know why she had been brought back to Delaware.

Lyle found her in the medical wing, setting up her office. Dr. Hannigan smiled as she saw him coming down the hall toward her and she dismissed the IT person that had come to set up her laptop. Lyle locked the door behind him and leaned against it. She walked over to him and grabbed his lapels and pulled him close. She kissed him deeply and he ran his hands down her back to grab at her ass. He pushed her toward her desk and laid her down on it.

He growled as she bit gently at his neck, careful not to leave any marks, but still maddening as he unbuttoned his pants and pushed up her skirt.

"A hello wouldn't be inappropriate before you violate me in my new office, Lyle." She was teasing him. He ignored her and set out to do just as she said.

He caught his breath as she found her underwear that Lyle had removed moments before. "Give me those. You don't need them." Lyle held out his hand as she bent over to pick up her panties. She raised an eyebrow at him but gave them to him. She was used to his quirks. He always took her underwear after they screwed.

"I should probably have on underwear at work, Lyle."

Lyle rolled his eyes and stood to straighten his clothes. "Come over to my place tonight and we'll discuss it."

She stared at him. She had missed him but she was still confused. "Why did you bring me back to Delaware? I thought you were coming back to Africa." So did he, but plans change.

"We'll talk about it tonight. I missed you." He stared at her. Eloise couldn't tell what he was thinking but that was the closest he had come to saying that he loved her.

"I missed you too, Lyle." He kissed her again and left. They both had work to do.

Eloise knocked on Lyle's door that evening. She was nervous. She had expected him to stop by earlier but the impromptu banging in her new office was a surprise. Not that she cared. It wasn't the first time he had screwed her on her own desk.

He was shirtless when he answered the door. She guessed they weren't wasting any time with clothes that evening. He had gained some muscle since the last time she saw him naked and it looked good on him. She couldn't wait to see if he could pick her up and fuck her against the wall.

She took off her jacket and raised an eyebrow at him. "Should I keep going with the clothes? You already took off your shirt. I can't say I mind the view though."

Lyle smirked. "You can take off more if you want. I won't say anything." He didn't make a move to put on a new shirt and watched as she removed hers and shimmied out of her skirt. She licked her lips and smiled at him seductively. She shivered at his touch. He took her hand and led her to his bedroom. He hadn't planned on screwing her again but if she was stripping for him as soon as she walked in, he was not stupid enough to turn her down.

Her hair was up in a messy bun and Lyle threaded his hand in it as he pulled her close for a kiss. "I love you, El. I missed you so much."

"Don't, Lyle. You'll ruin this." She shook her head. They didn't do that. Talk about love. They fucked. They screwed. He did weird things to her and she let him. He asked her to do weird things to him and she was hesitant at first but she really liked it too. But they didn't talk about feelings.

"I want you so bad, El." He was acting differently than she's ever seen him. She could see it in his eyes. Something had changed. He kissed her.

"I want you too, Lyle. Fuck me, baby." He nodded and kissed her again and pushed her onto the bed. He forced her to look at him as he leaned close and whispered, "I want to get you pregnant. Can I do that, baby? Would you carry my child?" She looked at his eyes. The crystal blue eyes had always been so clear. She could always see right through him even when he was a mystery to everyone else, but not today. This Lyle she was seeing was a different person than she knew three years ago in Africa.

It was different tonight, different than that morning, different than in Africa. He was almost gentle, caring. It unnerved Eloise but she would not complain. He even held her after. He had never done that in Africa.

"So, you love me, huh, Lyle? Is that why you brought me back to Blue Cove?" She hadn't spoken since she emerged from the shower a few minutes before. She was in a silk dressing gown that clung to her body.

He looked away from her. "Thought we weren't talking about it, El." He fidgeted with the box in his right pocket. She would never go for this. She had hated her first husband and had vowed to never marry again.

"I didn't want to but you came inside me twice after you said you want me to have your child. That warrants a conversation, Lyle."

Lyle sighed. He had hoped to delay this a while longer, but he may as well tell her now. "I've been given an ultimatum by the new chairman. I have to find a wife and marry by the end of August. I'm expected to produce a child within two years. If not, well, it's not going to be good for me. And the new wife has to be Centre approved. I presented your name and he approved it."

Eloise rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Wow, you presented my name. How romantic."

"I do love you, Eloise. I can make you happy." He did not actually believe this as he said it.

"Lyle, do you even know how to be happy? Do you know how to love someone?" She knew the answer to those questions already. But she cared for Lyle. For some reason, she cared about what happened to him. She took his left hand and examined the scars. "What happened to you?"

He pulled his hand away and stood. He never talked about his hand. Not to anyone. "El, please, I know I have a lot of problems but I don't have a choice in this. If I have to marry, I want to marry you. You are the only one I would want to be with." He pulled the ring out of his pocket and knelt beside her. "Please marry me. I want to love you and care for you. I want a family with you."

Eloise had not been expecting a marriage proposal when she came over this evening. She was shocked. He didn't want to get married. She knew that. But she had heard Mr. Raines was crazy and was making a lot of demands from a lot of people. And if she had already been "approved," she knew she wouldn't be able to say no.

She nodded with tears in her eyes. They were not happy tears. She didn't want to get married again. She hated being married. And she was not exactly mother of the year. But in her own way, she did love Lyle. She would not want anything to happen to him. He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her gently. He wiped her tears away as he held her. He supposed if he had a soul, he'd be crying too.