“What about Kayla?!?” he exploded, making her flinch backward.
“Well...” Lexi began, caught off guard by Ian’s vehement reaction, “you guys are, like, together, right?”
Ian shot a look of disbelief at her, one that told her she, of all people, should know better. “Why does everyone assume that Kayla and I – “ He shook his head as if trying to make sense of it all and resuming his pacing. “Honestly, Lexi, do you think if Kayla and I had anything between us I could have been with you?”
Lexi was stunned. “You’re not?”
“Fuck no!” Ian shouted. “Yeah, okay, we hooked up a few times, but it was just....” He seemed to be getting more frustrated with each passing second. “It was stupid, I know, but she was there, you know?”
“But I thought – “
“Yeah,” he laughed sarcastically. “You and everyone else. I wonder who’s spreading those rumors, hmm?”
“But you were with her at the funeral, Ian,” she pointed out. “I was there, remember? You didn’t leave her side, not once.”
“As a special favor to my father,” he told her. “Because he was afraid she would try to do something to you. I wasn’t there to comfort Kayla, Lexi,” he said, his voice softening. “I was there to protect you from her.”
Thoughts were whirling around in Lexi’s mind so fast she had trouble making sense of them. “But you said you had sex with her.”
“Yes, that’s true, I did. Usually when Jake wasn’t available or needed a third.”
“Jake?”
“Yeah.” He could tell Lexi was shocked, but he refused to lie to her. “Look, Lexi, the only time Kayla was ever interested in me was...” he paused, his expression going eerily blank. “...when you were around. Son of a bitch.”
Lexi gasped. She knew her stepsister hated her, but she was still taken aback by the lengths Kayla would go to make her life miserable. She didn’t doubt for a moment that Ian was telling the truth. Anger radiated from him in waves, his beautiful body tense, his expression hard.
With a compelling need to soothe him, Lexi went to him as he stood by the window, gazing out. Wrapping her arms around him, she laid her head on his back. “I’m sorry, Ian.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Please don’t leave.”
“Ian - ” she began, starting to pull away.
Ian turned, capturing her in his arms. “Surely you can take a few more days, can’t you? I bet you haven’t had a vacation in years.”
Lord, but it was tempting. Not to mention that pressing her cheek against that satin-over-steel chest of his made it hard to think logically.
“And this weekend is the big county fair,” he continued. “Tell me you don’t miss that.”
She did miss the fair. It had always been one of her favorite events of the year. Ian’s hand moved up and down the length of her, giving her the strangest urge to purr.
“And you could spend a little more time at the house, you know, before you get rid of it.”
She would like that. There were still several areas she wanted to explore, both inside and out. From what she remembered, her grandmother had secret cubbies all over the place. Lexi had hidden all sorts of treasures in them when she was little – jacks, glass marbles, shiny beads. How cool would it be to rediscover a few of them?
“Come on, Lex. A few days are all I’m asking for. I’ll make it worth your while.”
She looked up at him, at the sexiest half-smile she’d ever seen, instantly sweeping away thoughts of carnival rides, funnel cakes, and childhood treasures. Didn’t he know that when he looked at her like that, he made it all but impossible to deny him?
“You will, huh?” Her heart melted, and was now laying in a molten pool somewhere around his feet.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice husky. She felt him stirring beneath the towel. Felt the now-familiar tingling between her thighs. Focus, Lexi, focus.
“I only planned to stay a few days. I don’t have enough clothes.” Or meds.
“What you’re wearing looks fine to me,” he said, eyeing the towel as if he was determining the fastest way to remove it.
“I’ll just wear this to the fair then, shall I?”
Ian’s face darkened. “Good point. I’ll buy you some new ones. Preferably long, concealing, loose fitting clothes fit for wearing in public.”
Lexi chuckled, but the idea of spending a few more days in town was appealing. Having a few more dreams to explore more of her fantasies with Ian – even more so.
She hadn’t taken a vacation since... well, never. Aidan wouldn’t begrudge her a few days, right? Hell, he’d probably cheer. He was forever trying to talk her into taking some time off.
Her meds were a problem, though. She always brought a little more than she needed, but she hadn’t planned on staying a whole week, and had already doubled-up for that little mishap at the Pub. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the kind of stuff she could waltz into the local CVS and pick up. Maybe if she stretched out the doses, took a little less each time, and didn’t try to cook for anyone over the course of the next few days, she could make it.
* * *
She was so close, he could sense it. She wanted to stay; she just needed the proper incentive.
Ian turned, pulling her into his arms. If he had a few more days, he’d be able to make her see that leaving him was not an option. Lexi couldn’t just leave. She couldn’t give him a gift like that and then take it away. She couldn’t rip out his heart and take it with her.
And he was not above playing upon happy childhood memories to keep her around until he could convince her to stay permanently. Hell, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.
“Is there anything I could do to persuade you?” he asked softly, his hands reaching under the lower hem of the towel to cup her delicious backside. She moaned softly into his chest.
“I want a ride on your motorcycle,” she hummed, petting his chest. “The big Harley. And no granny-speed either. I want full-throttle, back mountain roads.”
It sounded dangerous, but he was confident she would be safe enough with him. His bike was like an extension of himself, perfectly customized for him specifically, thanks to his highly skilled cousin-in-law, Kyle.
Ian cocked an eyebrow at her. “Done. Is that all?”
Her eyes glittered mischievously. “A moonlight swim at the lake. Dragonfire burgers and beer mandatory. Swimsuits optional.”
Oh yeah, he was so there. He nodded once. “Anything else?”
Lexi’s fingers stilled and she looked away. “I want more nights like last night, Ian.” Her voice was so quiet he could barely hear her. His heart stopped dead in his chest.
Ian tried to swallow and found he couldn’t. His blue eyes darkened to glistening sapphires as every one of his systems nearly ground to a halt. Unable to speak, he simply nodded.
“Every night,” she whispered, her breath hot against the skin of his chest.
Sweet Jesus in heaven, she really was going to kill him.
“Deal,” he rasped past the closure in his throat.
Ian gave Lexi some privacy to call her boss. Well, sort of. He moved to the bathroom under the pretense of shaving, but he was listening intently to every word.
“Yes, Aidan, I’m fine... No, no I’m feeling much better, thanks... No, no need to do that, really... Yes, just through the weekend. There’s this big county fair, and I haven’t been to one since I was a kid...”
Lexi went on to tell Aidan about the house and what Johnny had said about the renovations. Ian noticed she didn’t say a word about him.
“Lex, do you mind if I use the complimentary toothbrush?” he asked as he poked his head out of the bathroom, making sure his deep male voice carried easily.
Lexi shot him a look and tried to slap her hand over the phone but it was too late. “Aidan? Yes... no... no, I’m fine.” She sighed, shooting Ian an annoyed look. He grinned back at her, unrepentant.
“Ian.... Yes, Ian Callaghan... No, y
ou’re thinking of Kieran... No, that was Shane, or Sean – I always did have a hard time telling them apart... Yes, there are quite a few of them... Now really, Aidan, I think you’re overreacting a bit...”
* * *
By the time she finally managed to hang up the phone she was beyond flustered.
“What the hell was that about?” she demanded, pushing open the cracked bathroom door to find Ian leaning over the vanity, wiping the last of the shaving cream from his face. Oh, and he was buck naked. Her eyes followed the rippling muscles downward, past the hardened ridges, along the very distinct masculine “V”, a soft sigh escaping before she could stop it. She forced her eyes back up – only to find Ian grinning in smug male satisfaction.
“What?” he asked innocently, but his eyes gave him away.
“You did that on purpose.”
“What’s your point?” Ian turned to grab a hand towel, giving her a lovely view of his perfectly toned backside. Years later, Lexi would still not understand exactly what had come over her. All she recalled was a sudden, compelling, undeniable urge to do what she did next. She drew her palm back, and.... SMACK!
She pulled back almost immediately, her hand stinging like hell, watching in horrified fascination as a perfect red imprint of her hand appeared on his bare flank.
Ian stilled.
He rose to standing straight up, very, very slowly. Lexi swore she could see every one of his myriad of muscles rippling and flexing, growing larger before her eyes. She took a step back. Then another. By the time Ian began to turn around, she was sprinting full-tilt across the room.
In the span of a split-second, she calculated that she would make it to the door faster if she hurdled across the queen-size bed rather than try to skirt around it. She never got the chance. With no warning, without even a sound to give him away, he snatched her out of mid-air. She landed on the bed and was instantly pinned by a naked, lethal male.
“You spanked me,” he growled, holding both of her hands above her head in one of his while his other hand made short work of the bath towel still wrapped around her.
Lexi summoned every bit of courage she had. “You deserved it.”
Ian pressed himself between her legs. God, was he really that big before? Fresh, hot wetness poured from her center.
“Why? Because I want every man to know that you’re mine?”
If Lexi had any sense at all she would be fighting him off, but she could not bring herself to do so. Not when she wanted him so badly. She had glimpsed a little part of his darker nature. It was one of the things that drew her to him, thrilled her to no end. Against her wishes, her nipples hardened, shooting bolts of fiery sensation into her core every time he shifted.
“Yes.”
Ian’s eyes darkened further. “But you are mine, Lexi.”
“For how long, Ian? A few days? What happens when the week is over?” She knew it was a mistake the moment the words were out of her mouth. Ian’s expression grew even darker as he lowered his face until it hovered a hair’s breadth above hers. Lexi held her breath to keep from whimpering. Did he reveal this side of himself to anyone else?
His eyes burned a stunning blue that made her every nerve sizzle in response. It was like looking up into the summer night sky, long after the sun went down but before everything turned black, when only the brightest stars were visible, mesmerizing and bewitching and making you believe that your every wish could come true.
When Ian lowered his head and captured her lips with his, all thoughts of token resistance immediately ceased. Her body softened and melted beneath his. Her lips parted. Her hands twined around his neck, fingers tangled in his hair. One kiss and she was helpless before him.
“Damn you,” she murmured, but her voice was too husky with passion to put any force behind it. Ian’s hand slid up the outside of her thigh as he ground his hips against her, his other hand holding her firmly in place, his arousal pulsing against her inner thigh, seeking entrance.
* * *
One check with his fingers assured him what he already knew – she was wet and ready for him. A couple of quick, swirling penetrations with his fingers were all he could manage before his hunger overwhelmed him.
Looking directly into her eyes, he impaled her in one solid, swift stroke. Her eyes glazed over, and he knew she was just as lost as he. It was fast. It was hard. Primal. He forced her to look into his eyes as he took her so she would have no doubt to whom she belonged.
“You are mine,” he growled above the hunger that consumed him. She cried out as he thrust deep, branding her inside and out. “Say it!’ he commanded, withdrawing to the tip only to slam forcefully into her again.
She gasped and clutched at his shoulders.
“Who is inside you now, Lexi?”
A soul-deep sound tore out of her chest, a visceral keening that wrenched his heart.
“Say it!” he ordered again, his fingers holding her so tightly in place he was probably bruising her. It was low of him, he knew, to force her to admit the truth this way, when he held such complete and utter sway over her. An abuse of power, perhaps. But it was the only time those impenetrable shields of hers were completely down, the only way she would ever confess the truth to him, and he needed to hear it almost as much as she needed to say it.
“Ian!” she cried out as he ruthlessly took total possession of her mind, body, and spirit. “Yours, always yours... only yours... oh, God, Ian!” She cried out in climax, clenching around him with more force than he’d ever felt. With a final thrust he buried himself at the entrance of her womb and emptied inside her.
For a few timeless, precious moments, he held her as she sobbed against his chest. He had done it. He had stripped her down to her bare soul, made her reveal what he had suspected all along. There would be no more pretending, no more walls between them.
“Sweet Lexi,” Ian said against her ear as he withdrew, his voice raw. “My sweet Lexi. Remember that no matter where we go today, no matter who we see, that it is me inside of you.”
Chapter Eighteen
Something changed in Ian after that. He became centered, focused. He had a goal now, knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted Lexi. Not for a night. Not for a week. Forever. And he had the next four days to convince her of that.
She loved him, he knew that much. He saw it when she looked at him. Felt it in every touch. Heard it in every word she spoke to him. But she was scared, and he couldn’t blame her. When it was just the two of them, she was open and loving and free. Around anyone else, she tended to get very quiet, very subdued, hiding away her thoughts and keeping to the shadows. It tugged at something deep inside. He was beginning to realize why Kieran was so fiercely protective of her.
“You okay?” Ian asked, catching Lexi’s hand.
“Yeah.” She glanced into the front door of the Pub and looked back at him uncertainly.
Impulsively, Ian pulled her to him, the need to comfort her overwhelming. “Are you sure?” he asked, kissing the top of her head before releasing her. She’d been quieter than usual at breakfast, and it had him worried. She nodded, but the way she nibbled her bottom lip gave her away.
“It’ll be okay, baby,” he said, smoothing her hair. “Do you trust me?”
She looked at him with those big amber eyes and nodded again, sending a rush of warmth through him.
Jake was in the Pub, restocking the shelves when they walked in.
“Lex,” Jake greeted with a friendly smile for Lexi and a quick glance toward Ian. If he was surprised to see the two of them arrive together, he hid it well.
“Taryn’s putting on a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen. I know she’s worried about you. Think you can go in and talk to her for a bit?”
Lexi nodded quietly, offering a small, shy smile as she left the two men alone. Ian didn’t take his eyes off of her until she disappeared into the next room. Jake’s voice dropped down low to avoid being overheard.
“Tell me you are not doing what I think you ar
e,” Jake said, his voice laced with concern.
There was no good way to respond to that, so Ian didn’t. He didn’t have to. All he had to do was look into his brother’s eyes and Jake understood. Along with understanding was empathy, because less than a year before Jake had had the same tortured look in his eyes.
Jake blew out a breath. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Ian.”
“Not a fucking clue,” Ian responded, echoing the words Jake had said to him all those months ago. It was honest, at least, even if he couldn’t admit it to anyone but Jake. When Taryn came into their lives, Jake fell hard and fast. Ian hadn’t understood it then, but he sure as hell did now.
Jake whistled softly. “So it’s like that, is it?”
“Yeah. Exactly like that.”
Jake held out his hand. “Welcome to the club, man. Hits you like a freight train, doesn’t it?”
Ian took his hand and smiled. Oh, yeah. Jake got it.
“You have your work cut out for you though. It’s not going to be easy.”
Ian snorted. When had things ever been easy? In the end it didn’t really matter. He needed Lexi, more than he’d ever needed anything. He accepted that now, and all he could do was move forward with it. But he had a feeling Jake was referring to something a bit more specific.
“Tell me.”
Jake placed both hands on the bar and leaned a little closer. “Kieran went over to Lexi’s hotel this morning. Apparently they got into it last night, and he’s been crawling the walls ever since. When he finds out she’s not there, he is not going to be a happy boy. When he finds out she’s with you, he’s going to go completely batshit.”
“I’d never hurt her, Jake,” Ian said quietly.
“Yeah, I get that. But I don’t think Kieran is going to be quite as understanding. He remembers, even if you don’t.” As Ian’s eyes flashed, Jake put up his hands. “Hey, I know you were clueless then, man, so I’m not laying blame here. I’m just saying.”
Had he been clueless then? Ian wasn’t so sure. Last night, when Lexi was snuggled against him and he dozed contentedly, flashes of those golden amber eyes came back to him, eyes that had speared through him a dozen years ago when Kieran first brought her home. Eyes that he would see in his dreams when he was away on missions and wasn’t sure he would make it home again. Eyes he had attributed to his guardian angel, that he now knew belonged to a real woman, the one who would always haunt his thoughts and bring him home again. Lexi’s eyes.
First and Only: Callaghan Brothers, Book 2 Page 14
