Or you knew someone who was and they owed you.
Ian smiled and shrugged as if it was no big deal. He’d had to call in a few favors, but seeing that look on Lexi’s face would have been worth a thousand times more.
The dinner was exquisite. When Lexi sent her compliments to the chef, he came out personally, his eyes growing as wide as saucers when his eyes found Lexi. He was an older man – Ian put his age somewhere around mid to late 50s – with the shape of a man who took good care of himself but still loved his creations.
“Alexis!” the man cried in a thick Italian accent. “Can it be?”
She blushed at the attention as some of the other diners turned to look at the patron who had garnered the attention of the chef. “Most beautiful protégé I ever had,” he said fondly with a kiss to each cheek and a warm embrace. “And my most favorite student, eh?”
Lexi blushed deeper, making the big man rumble with laughter. The waiters looked on in stunned silence, unused to seeing the chef quite so jovial.
“Ah, still shy I see,” he said. “Such a rare treasure these days, to find a woman so enchantingly oblivious to the spell she casts on those around her.”
“Chef D’Armini, how wonderful to see you again,” Lexi said, rising to her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “As handsome and charming as ever, you rascal,” she added, making him laugh even more. The world-renowned chef grinned like a schoolboy at the compliment. A few diners pulled out their Droids, no doubt sensing that anyone garnering such attention from Francesco D’Armini had to be Twitter-worthy at the very least.
“Come, bella,” said Francesco, indicating that Ian should join them as well. “We will speak in a more private venue, eh?”
He ushered them into his private office. It was unexpectedly simple, but done with exquisite taste. Dark, rich fabrics and smooth, polished wood suggested understated elegance with a high price tag.
“You are very naughty, Alexis,” he scolded with affection. “If I had known you were coming I would have prepared something special for you.”
“Everything was fabulous,” Lexi praised, making him beam even more. “And I didn’t know we were coming here.” She glanced at Ian, who stood against the wall like a bodyguard.
Chef D’Armini followed her gaze, and looked appraisingly at Ian. “This boy, he is treating you good, yes?”
Ian straightened a little. It had been a long time since anyone had called him a “boy”, but he took it in stride.
“Yes, sir. He is.” She flashed Ian a shy smile that melted his heart. There was a soft, ethereal quality to her voice that he only heard when she spoke to him.
“Ah, I see.” The chef leaned in close, his face softening. “He is the one, is he not?” He spoke quietly, but Ian’s keen ears heard every word. A lovely, familiar blush rose in Lexi’s cheeks as she averted her gaze.
The chef turned to Ian. “You are a fortunate man,” he said, his voice full and somber. Ian detected something else in there, too. A warning, perhaps? It seemed as though Lexi brought out the protective male instinct in everyone.
“Yes, I am,” Ian replied simply. He held the chef’s gaze so that they understood each other. After a long minute, the chef nodded, satisfied.
“Bene. You will invite me to the wedding, no?”
* * *
Lexi was mortified. Turning at least a dozen increasingly dark shades of red, she looked down at the expensive carpeting, unwilling to see the look of “not happening” on Ian’s face.
“I’m sorry about that,” Lexi said quietly as they made the hour and a half drive back toward Pine Ridge. Ian’s mood had been subdued ever since they’d left the Chef’s private office. He’d barely spoken ten words to her over the coffee and dessert; his mind seemed a million miles away.
She wished it didn’t bother her as much as it did. She knew her time with Ian was limited, knew that in less than forty-eight hours she would be on her way back to Benton. But there was some part of her that wanted to believe in fairy tale endings. She shut those thoughts down as soon as they began to surface, unwilling to let anything mar the time she did have.
“Don’t be.” The expression on his face was unreadable, his blue eyes crystal clear, like living glass.
The silence in the sleek black Jag – Michael’s – was making her paranoid. “The dinner was fabulous, Ian. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He offered a slight smile that made her want to scream in frustration. What was going through his mind?
“Look, Ian, don’t pay any attention to what Chef D’Armini said. He’s a hopeless romantic, always trying to play matchmaker. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Doesn’t it?”
“N-no,” she answered, silently cursing the stutter she thought she had mastered years ago. Her face was flushed, the butterflies in her stomach multiplied a hundred times over. A familiar weakness started creeping into her extremities, brought on by the slight rise in her heartbeat and the decided lack of meds keeping her on an even keel. For the remainder of the ride she kept silent, concentrating on regulating her breathing before she made an even bigger fool out of herself.
The moment they got back to her hotel room she excused herself and practically ran into the bathroom. She breathed a sigh of relief when the welcome cooling sensation of the injection circulated through her body. Within a few moments she started to feel better, but it wasn’t enough. She looked longingly at the last remaining vial, but wouldn’t allow herself the extra fix. She had to save it to get through her last twenty-four hours. The ride home was going to be a bitch, but it would be worth it to have this extra time with Ian.
A stranger’s face stared back at her in the mirror. Who was she kidding, anyway? She looked down at the dress, the jewelry, the shoes. Nothing but Cinderella dressing for the ball, except she’d stretched her one night of magic into an entire week. Soon her clock would strike twelve, and it would all go away. But it had been worth it. How many people got to live their dreams, even for a little while?
Lexi took a few deep breaths and pulled herself together. Her prince was waiting, and they didn’t have much time.
“Come here.”
Ian’s voice was low, commanding, and Lexi felt a compulsion to do exactly as he said, but she fought it. She shook her head hesitantly, unconsciously taking a step back.
Ian’s eyes burned a bright, glowing blue with an intensity that she felt all the way down to her toes. His unknotted tie hung loosely around his neck, the top few buttons of his dress shirt already undone. She stifled a little whimper as he slid the belt from his slacks smoothly, running the leather through his hands suggestively.
Oh, God. She knew what was coming. She had practically begged him for it.
“Come here.”
“No,” she squeaked, barely louder than a whisper. Ian walked slowly toward her, a massive wall of pure male, his eyes never wavering, his gait predatory. Lexi stepped backward until the wall prevented any further retreat. He stopped mere inches from her, pressing his hands to the wall, his much larger body becoming a cage around hers without physically touching her.
But this was Ian. His very presence surrounded her, enveloped her, stroked her more masterfully than anyone else’s hands ever could. What the hell had she been thinking, believing that she could ever handle this and emerge unscathed? Each moment in his arms, each night spent sharing a bed with him only reinforced the fact that she was in way over her head.
“Have a change of heart, did you?” he breathed, the delicious scent of his hot breath causing her to lick her lips.
“Yes.”
“Liar,” he scolded gently. “Don’t be afraid of me, Lexi.” He brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “I could never hurt you.”
Lexi swallowed down the lump in her throat. Didn’t he know that he had already destroyed her?
With infinite slowness, Ian lowered his head those scant few inches, hovering just above her lips. “Tell me no, Lexi, and I’ll find some way to
stop, I swear it.”
But she couldn’t tell him no. Not now, not ever. As terrified as she was, she would never deny him anything. When several long moments ticked by in silence, Ian groaned and touched his lips to hers. And she was forever lost. Her hands snaked up around his neck, and Ian lifted her to him, carrying her to the bed.
He took his time undressing her. With each piece of silken fabric he removed, he covered her bared skin with his hands and mouth, until only her jewelry remained. “My goddess,” he breathed, his voice rough and strained with desire. “Will you give yourself to me willingly?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
Pure white flames of hunger danced in his eyes. “Ah, baby. You have no idea what you do to me. All night long I’ve been dreaming of what I would do to you when I got you back here. How many times I would make you scream my name in pleasure.”
He rolled her over onto her stomach. She felt the bed rise as he lifted himself from it. Eyes tightly closed in a mixture of fear and anticipation, she heard the soft opening and closing of the nightstand drawer. No, he wouldn’t...
A tiny whimper escaped, despite her effort.
“It’s okay, baby.” Within seconds his fingers slid through her slick folds, massaging in torturous little circles until she began pushing herself against his hand. Then he slid one finger into her, stroking masterfully at her sensitive nerves as she shook from the pleasure of it. One finger became two, scissoring within her relentlessly. When she was close, he pulled away. She knew he was preparing her for what was to come.
What she had asked for. A condition of her extended stay.
Lexi tensed as she felt the cool, smooth tip of her vibrator against her. Ian moved it slowly, setting it at its lowest vibration. Just enough to stimulate, that’s all. There was something insanely erotic about having him do this, of sharing what was a very personal act with him.
Just when she’d begun to relax, he moved it back and forth, hitting her most sensitive bundle of nerves. At the same time, she felt Ian’s hand on her backside. A smooth, arousing caress that added to her pleasure.
She gasped, her core clenching around empty space. The simple sensations were too much. And not nearly enough. “Ian,” she choked out, “I don’t think I can...”
“Yes,” he crooned against her ear. “Yes, you can. You’re going to give me this gift, Lexi, because you want it just as badly as I do, my naughty girl.” Ian pressed himself against her, spearing her far too slowly for what she needed. His touch was too tender as he stroked and moved the small vibrator over her aching flesh.
Little by little Lexi found herself surrendering to his sorcerous touch, coaxing out the darker nature that lurked deep within her, the one she kept locked and hidden away with all of her deepest, darkest secrets.
Torture. Pleasure. Ache. Want. Need. Ian stoked the fire burning inside her with his mastery of her body, bringing her to her peak over and over again but never letting her plunge over the edge. The sound of desperate sobbing reached her ears, and Lexi, nearly out of her mind now, realized on some level that it was her.
“Ah, you’re killing me, baby,” Ian groaned. “So fucking hot, and all mine. You want this, don’t you? Tell me you want this, Lexi. Tell me and I’ll give it to you.”
“Please, Ian,” she begged, well beyond any rational thought or objection. He’d reduced her to a sobbing pile of need, of hunger. She needed him to fix this. He was the only one who could. There would only be Ian, ever. And she – her body, her mind, her heart - belonged to him. “I need you.”
“That’s my girl,” he murmured approvingly. His fingers were suddenly gone as he rolled her onto her side, her back against his chest, and lifted her upper leg. “Here baby, you hold this...” He moved her hand to the vibrator, wrapping her fingers around it. “Use it, baby.”
Lexi barely had time to comprehend his words when she felt him lengthen his strokes. In this new position, he felt harder. Longer. Thicker. And with each thrust, he hit her exactly where she needed him most.
“That’s it,” he encouraged. “Let go. Give me everything, Lexi. I want it all.”
Lexi’s entire body tightened as the overwhelming climax consumed her, each sensation magnified by another. The pulse of her toy. The feel of having Ian inside of her, wrapping around her body, his teeth nipping at the tender curve of her neck.
Stars burst behind her eyes, relief exploding through her body with incredible force. She thought she might have screamed, but couldn’t be sure. As if from far, far away she heard Ian curse, right before she felt pulsing jets of heat deep within while Ian’s hands held on to her, anchoring her.
Then she gave herself up to the blackness.
Chapter Twenty
Ian willed his heart to slow down, to ease the fierce pounding against his chest for fear of waking her. Lexi lay limp in his arms. He had pushed her too hard, and she’d let him. He had tried to be gentle, but Lexi was like a drug coursing through him. With each fix, he wanted more. And tonight she had given him everything.
He lifted her carefully, wrapping her in a blanket and carrying her to the bathroom. She barely moved as he drew a warm bath, murmuring only slightly as he lowered her into the water and cleaned her reverently.
He frowned when he saw the blossoming purple marks along her hips. He hadn’t realized he’d gripped her quite so hard, but then it was difficult to recall anything besides the blinding hunger that had driven him well past the point of rational thought.
God, what he had just done to her. What she had given him. What she had somehow known he needed. Lexi had sensed his darker side. And yet she still loved him.
Ian dried her as carefully as he could, tucking her into bed before heading to the shower himself. It was a quick one; even a few minutes away from her were too much. He needed to hold her. He would, through touch, find some way to convey that in a few short days she had become the most important thing in his world.
He crawled between the sheets, thinking about the ring that still sat in the pocket of his suit jacket. He had planned on proposing at the restaurant, of taking her out into the gardens and going down on bended knee, the whole nine yards. But it just didn’t work out that way. The mood had changed after their little tete-a-tete with the chef, and this wasn’t something he would force.
Lexi was meant for him, he knew this. Besides, he thought with a grin as Lexi burrowed against him, she deserved a more unique proposal than that. Maybe he’d ask her atop the Ferris wheel at the county fair tomorrow...
* * *
It was still dark when Lexi woke. Ian’s body was wrapped around her protectively, his deep, even breathing a soothing rhythm. How many times had she dreamed of waking like this in his arms? She could stay like this forever, she thought, her eyes drifting shut again.
A sharp, cramping pain sliced through her lower abdomen, jolting her back into alertness. She breathed through it the best she could. As it subsided, she tried to extricate herself.
“You okay?” Ian asked softly, his strong arm like a steel band around her.
Even though it was too dark for him to see, Lexi forced a smile, hoping it found its way into her voice. “I just need to use the bathroom.”
Ian’s grip loosened. “If you’re not back in five minutes I’m coming in after you,” he warned, his voice still thick and heavy with sleep.
Lexi kissed his forehead and smoothed his hair. He was asleep again before she even made it to the door.
Once inside the bathroom, she closed the door silently and sagged against the frame. Her entire body felt like it had been in a train wreck. Every muscle burned in protest, every joint felt like a toothache. The third cramp hit her again and she doubled over, sliding down to the floor until she could catch her breath again.
With a sense of dread, she forced herself to look down, knowing what she would see. Her legs were black and blue from her knees upward; patches of deep purple ringed her hips. Tears filled her eyes, a profound feeling of loss blossoming within
her. Time was running out too quickly.
She had no choice. With a silent curse she reached for the last vial. She hated this. Hated what she was forced to do, just to pretend to live a normal life. This week had been a welcome respite from what her life had become – a structured series of tasks that carried her from one day to the next. But this week – this week she had actually lived.
When the pains stopped coming every few minutes, Lexi switched off the light and eased into the main room just long enough to grab her cell, moving slowly and carefully so as to not wake Ian. Once back in the bathroom, she tapped out a text, wishing she didn’t have to. Then she pressed send and settled against the cool wall to wait out the remainder of the night alone.
* * *
A knock at the door woke Ian. He heard Lexi’s sweet, quiet voice, and seconds later the room was filled with the delicious smell of coffee and bacon.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she teased, wheeling a cart over to the bed. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I ordered a little bit of everything.”
Ian’s stomach rumbled hungrily at the huge assortment of breakfast items displayed before him as Lexi uncovered plate after plate. Pancakes. French toast. Eggs. Bacon, Sausage, Ham. Several different kinds of pastries. And, God love her, two full-size carafes of coffee, one of which she was pouring into a pair of mugs. She handed one to him.
Ian looked her over carefully from tip to toes. He’d slept soundly for the last few hours, but he was pretty sure Lexi hadn’t returned to the bed. Now she was already dressed in faded capris that hugged her figure like a glove and a long-sleeved, light fabric peasant top. By all accounts she looked fine, but he sensed that something was off.
“You okay?” he asked, an edge of concern in his voice.
Lexi gave him a patient smile. “Yes. Stop worrying, Ian. I’m fine.”
“Come here.” She did, without hesitation, sitting beside him on the bed, though she did so rather gingerly.
First and Only: Callaghan Brothers, Book 2 Page 16
