THE CALLAHANS (A Mafia Romance): The Complete 5 Books Series

by Glenna Sinclair

  I could only really use the one hand, but that was no obstacle to lifting her against the cool tiles of the wall. She wrapped her legs around me, pulling me into her as my cock, so hard and ready, filled her sexy body. We rocked, moving quickly against the shower wall, her moans and the movements of her hips egging me on. I wanted to be like that forever; I wanted to fill her and be connected to her for the rest of my life, but then the quivers of her orgasm rocked through her body and they pulled and tugged at me until I was lost.

  There was nothing like the pain and the pleasure of an orgasm…but add to that the ecstasy on the face of the woman you love and the knowledge that your connection could potentially bring new life into the world…it was a reaffirmation of life. And it was worth everything, even the fifteen stitches on the front and back of my shoulder.

  ***

  “There’s a priest here in town who would be willing to perform the ceremony.”

  “Is that right?”

  “We’d have to go to the church, of course. And he wants to meet you first. But he said he’d be willing.”

  I licked my fingers, sighing at the sweetness of the peach I was eating. “Is that what you want? A Catholic wedding?”

  “It is. Isn’t that what you want?”

  “Does he know that we’re technically brother and sister?”

  “We’re not. Just because we lived in the same house…”

  I reached over and wiped a little crumb from her lip.

  “Okay.”

  “Yeah?” Her eyes lit up as if I’d just told a child we were going to Disneyland.

  “Did you think I would deny you?”

  She shrugged, her eyes falling to my shoulder. “Are you going to feel up to this?”

  “I want this more than anything else in the world, Stacy. You know that.”

  She moved into my arms, curling up against my chest. “When I imagined my wedding, I never quite knew what it would be. I saw myself in a perfect white dress, but that was about it. I never saw family because I didn’t really have any and I didn’t see parents because mine are gone. The only ones that matter, anyway.”

  “What do you see now?”

  “You.”

  I kissed the top of her head. “That’s all I ever imagined.”

  “Yeah? You only saw yourself?”

  I laughed. “No, silly. I only ever imagined you, in a white dress, with love in your eyes whenever you looked at me.”

  “Well, you’ll definitely get that.”

  I brushed my nose against hers and kissed her softly. “I will. And you’ll get what you want, babe. I promise.”

  She snuggled against me and changed the subject, but I didn’t stop thinking about it. I was on the phone with Ian again as soon as she left the room. She would have the wedding she wanted if it killed me.

  Chapter 17

  Stacy

  I don’t know where he found the dress, but it was perfect. It was all lace and satin, a sweetheart bodice and a tight waist that fell into a bell that wasn’t quite a mermaid style, but wasn’t quite not a mermaid. It was perfect, and it fit me perfectly. I couldn’t have found a better dress if I’d scoured every store from here to Los Angeles.

  I stood alone in the little room off the nave of the church, staring at myself in this dress. He’d had some woman come in and do my hair and makeup, too, sweeping my hair up on top of my head with just a couple of tendrils falling around my face. And my face—I almost didn’t recognize myself when the lady was done. I could actually say that I felt beautiful for the first time in all my life.

  I heard voices in the sacristy and assumed it was Killian and the priest, Father Gideon. They were like best pals ever since Father Gideon came over for dinner a few nights ago to discuss the wedding. He was a kind, old man with the face of Santa Claus and the frailty of a grandfather. He was like all the old men I’d wished were my grandfather over the years. The little girl inside of me was rejoicing that I’d finally found him, the one that was supposed to be mine.

  There was a tap on the door, and it opened as I slowly turned.

  “I’m ready, I was just…”

  Brian stood in the doorway, his eyes wide and filled with tears as he studied me.

  “My God,” he said softly, “you are so beautiful.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m your dad. I thought I’d walk you down the aisle.”

  “But how did you know?”

  He came toward me, his hands outstretched. “Do you really think Killian would get married without telling the family? We’re all here.”

  “You’re not upset with this?”

  He studied my face for a long second. “I have to admit that I was a little angry when I first heard. And shocked. But he loves you, and if you love him…”

  “I do.”

  “Then who am I to stand in the way of true love?”

  I stared at him, wondering who this man was. The last time I saw him was over seven months ago when he flew to New York for a business meeting. We met at a downtown Manhattan restaurant and had dinner together, he and I and Davis. It was a tense meeting, and he ended it by pulling me aside and…

  “There’s something not right about that man. Would you do me a favor and postpone the wedding a few more weeks?”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to know more about him.”

  “No,” I said, stepping away from him. “You took away the last precious moments I had with Mom. I won’t let you take away any time I might have to spend with the man I love.”

  But now he was embracing the idea of me marrying my own brother?

  “I know you’re angry with me, Stacy,” he said almost as though he could read my mind. “But I do love you, and I do want to see you happy. And I want to see Killian happy.”

  I nodded because I believed him. There would be time for anger later.

  We stepped out of the room. Just as he’d said, everyone was there. Ian was standing beside Killian at the head of the aisle and Sean was beside him. Kevin and Kyle were standing in the pews, turned so that they could watch us come down the aisle. Two women I didn’t know were standing on the other side of the aisle, the older one beaming as she watched Pops take my arm and lead the way. The other was watching Kevin—or maybe Kyle—a little blush on her face. She looked like Brian with her bright red hair and green eyes.

  This must be Cassidy and Brianna.

  I studied them for a moment, but then my attention turned to Killian, and that’s where it stayed. He was watching me, his expression more serious than I think I’d ever seen it. He was dressed in a tuxedo with blues and greens intertwined through the cummerbund—my favorite colors. I’d never seen Killian nervous before, but he clearly was now. He smiled softly when our eyes met, and the tension slowly left his shoulders. But it wasn’t completely gone until Pops handed me over and he pressed his forehead lightly against mine.

  “No kissing until the ceremony’s over, brother,” Ian hissed.

  There was a twitter of laughter, but I don’t think either of us took much notice of it. This, the two of us, was all that mattered.

  The priest smiled as we turned to him.

  “We come here today to join these two people in wedded bliss…”

  It was a beautiful ceremony that was decades long and preciously short. Kevin took pictures with his cell phone since that was the one thing Killian had forgotten to arrange.

  “You’ll just have to have another ceremony on your anniversary,” Cassidy helpfully told us.

  I agreed with her. I wasn’t ready to like her, but I agreed that Killian and I should renew our vows every chance we got.

  I couldn’t believe how happy I was. I thought when my dad died that I would never be happy again. But then I met Abigail, and she brought me into her home and became the only mother I ever knew. I had an almost normal childhood from that point on, no more picking my father off the floor when he was drunk, no more making excuses over the phone to hi
s bosses when he couldn’t go to work, no more hiding in the closet when the state came around, wondering why I wasn’t in school. I went to school, became a cheerleader, and played on the softball team. I had friends and brothers and everything any other child might expect to have.

  And I had Killian.

  But now…this was probably the happiest I’d ever been. We danced at a small restaurant where we held the wedding reception, whispered things that were entirely inappropriate in each other’s ears, and began to think about a future that finally seemed to be possible.

  “Three,” he whispered against my ear as we watched Kevin and Sean fight over the last dinner roll.

  “Three what?”

  “Kids. I think three is a perfect number.”

  “Oh. Are you giving birth to these three kids?”

  “Nope. But I’ll be happy to help make them.”

  “I’m sure you will.” I touched his face and drew him closer to me. “And happy to change their diapers?”

  “Of course. I’ll even be a stay-at-home dad if you want me to be.”

  “Do you think we could live off of our trust funds?”

  “It might be a struggle, but, yeah, I think so.”

  I laughed even as I moved in for a kiss. “You’re crazy, you know that? I think that’s why I love you so much.”

  He pulled back as if I’d stung him. “Do you realize that’s the first time you’ve said that?”

  “Said what?”

  “That you love me.”

  I studied his face for a long second, realizing he was right. And that the words were true despite the fact that I hadn’t even realized that they had rolled off my tongue.

  “I love you,” I said softly. “I might have always loved you.”

  He groaned, as he kissed me long and hard.

  “And I’ve always known it.”

  Chapter 18

  Killian

  My shoulder was still sore, stiff so much of the time, but it was healing. There was no more bleeding and no sign of infection. Ian promised to take out the stitches in a few days.

  I hated that I wasn’t one hundred percent on my wedding night. But when I saw Stacy come out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a simple white bustier and panties, I forgot all about the wound. I stood and held out my hand to her, touched by the blush that still appeared on her cheeks even though we’d slept together every night for a month now.

  “Mrs. Callahan,” I said softly.

  She pressed her hand to my chest, her eyes moving over the tattoos and the scars, the things she’d not asked about but had to know were reflections of the violent life I’d lived these last five years. Her hand moved over my bare pecs, moving slowly up to my throat. I took her hand, her touch driving me mad.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  She looked up at me, a touch of fear in her eyes. “Anything.”

  I shouldn’t ask. I knew now wasn’t the time. But I needed to know.

  “You were a virgin.”

  Amusement turned up the corners of her lips. “Is that your question?”

  “Why?”

  She shrugged. “I guess I never found anyone I wanted as much as I wanted you.”

  “But Davis—?”

  She touched my lips. “I don’t want to bring darkness into this night, Killian. Please.”

  I nodded. How could I argue with that? But there was something about it that bothered me. They were engaged, less than twenty-four hours from their wedding, yet…

  She kissed me, and my thoughts began to stray. I drew her closer, my hands slipping over the back of that bustier, looking for a way to get it off of her. I wanted her the way she’d presented herself to me that first time. I wanted her bare body under mine. I wanted her bare for all the exploration I could hope to conduct.

  She seemed to read my mind. She tugged me to the bed, climbing up on the mattress and beckoning me with a single finger. I followed, crawling into her arms as she lay back, her hands sliding down my back, her fingertips slipping under the waistband of my pants. We moved together, our bodies automatically falling into a rhythm they knew well.

  And then she pushed me off of her, trapping me against the mattress as she took charge, catching my hands and locking them above my head. She began to work her way down my body, kissing my neck and my chest, running her tongue over tattoos with dates and names of people and things that were never meant to be a part of this sort of moment. And then she was unbuckling my pants, tugging them away. It took every ounce of strength I had not to grab her and throw her to the mattress, not to make her mine in the only way that was left to do.

  I’d never been undressed by a woman. In all my experience, I was always the one who was constantly in control. It was outside my comfort zone to give up control. But when her hands wrapped themselves around my cock and her lips made a promise that she had yet to fulfill, I found myself learning to enjoy the lack of control.

  She made love to my body with her hands and her lips, dropping kisses along my thighs as she stroked my cock, her thumb running over my head, making me arch my back and hiss with the intensity of it all. And then…she kissed my shaft, the softness of her lips against me threatening to drive me insane.

  I was already gone when she finally took me into her mouth. For a woman who’d had little experience up until now, she knew how to manipulate me, how to give pleasure like nothing I’d ever felt before. I wanted to touch her, but I was afraid if I did, I would lose all control. But then I did when she let me go, the cool air touching the wetness and turning it cold, then her warm body as she climbed on top of me and pulled me deep inside of her.

  How was a man supposed to handle that? How was I supposed to keep from going completely insane?

  I wasn’t.

  I sat up, wrapped my body around her and watched as she pleasured herself against me. It was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.

  I rolled her over and trapped her beneath my body and made love to her until neither of us could remember where we were or why we were there. And then we lay tangled in each other for hours, coming back to reality a little bit at a time.

  It was a lovely journey.

  ***

  “Do we have any idea who would have wanted him dead?”

  Ian shrugged. “You have to ask Pops. He had him investigated, but he wanted to talk to you about it directly.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I need to know what happened to you,” Pops said as he walked into the room.

  We were in my den at the back of the farmhouse. Everyone was supposed to head back to Boston later in the afternoon, but most of us had slept late this morning. Cassidy was in the kitchen making pancakes, Brianna at her side where she seemed to always be, except when she was at work. A lawyer, one would assume she’d be a fairly independent woman, but I guess the kidnapping messed her up a little.

  Stacy wasn’t happy they were here. She hadn’t said anything, but I could see the expression in her eyes every time she was confronted by one of them. She still hadn’t forgiven Pops for marrying again.

  Pops was watching me, waiting.

  “I told Ian, I was walking to the deli and this guy comes out of nowhere when I turn a corner at the alley. We fought, the gun went off, and I caught one in the shoulder.”

  “And the guy got away.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did you see his face?”

  I nodded, dragging my fingers through my hair as I wondered if I would ever forget his face.

  “Tall, dark hair, dark eyes. Italian, maybe. Or some sort of Indian. Thin, my age or slightly older. Well dressed.”

  “Did he act like a common mugger?”

  “No. He was pretty clearly a pro.”

  Pops sat on the edge of the couch and shot a look at Ian.

  “What?”

  “Why would a pro go after a college professor?”

  “That was the same question I’d asked myself. But it was the same guy. I’m pretty sure.”


  “Why?” Pops asked again.

  “Davis wasn’t who he said he was.”

  Pops nodded. “When I met him, I didn’t like his attitude. He was almost hostile toward me. At first, I thought it was because he knew that Stacy was angry with me and he was supporting her on that. But then I realized there was something more to it, something almost vicious.”

  “We had him checked out,” Ian said. “Turns out that Davis Grant didn’t exist until three months before he met Stacy.”

  Fuck!

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “No.” Pops leaned forward. “We don’t know for sure who he was, but it’s pretty clear he sought out Stacy on purpose. And his death probably had something to do with that.”

  “You can’t tell Stacy. Not until we know more.” I looked from Pops to Ian. “Seriously. It’ll break her.”

  They both nodded.

  “We go home, and we let this whole thing drop. She doesn’t need to know any of this.”

  They nodded again.

  Ian came over to me and laid his hand on my good shoulder. “Let’s go have some pancakes. Cassidy is a hell of a cook.”

  I caught Stacy’s eye as we came out of the den. She was curious what we’d been discussing, but I smiled my brightest smile in an attempt to calm her nerves. I don’t know if it worked, but she didn’t ask.

  Chapter 19

  Stacy

  It was weird being back in Boston. I hadn’t been to Boston since I was eighteen and I packed the last of my things for college. I was grateful we didn’t have to go back to Pops’ house to live. Killian had a lovely brick house about five blocks from the house where we grew up, still in the same gated community, but far enough away that we didn’t have to see Pops or his new wife unless we wanted to.

  It was weird having the tables turned, too. Killian got up every morning and headed out to work while I slept in, watched a little reality television, and washed his underwear. I’d never really wanted to be a housewife, but I had to admit it was kind of nice not having any deadlines to meet or meetings to attend.