First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

Ian started with the little bit he’d learned from Shane and went from there. After leaving Pine Ridge, Lexi moved to a small town along the southeastern coast where she stayed with two unmarried aunts, sisters of her mother. She attended a private school there, graduating with high honors. Was on the swim team, set a few records for the school. Was shy, kept to herself. She dated very little, spending nearly all of her free time working at a local restaurant after school and on weekends.

Lexi did not attend a traditional college, opting to pursue a career in the culinary arts instead. Here she excelled, far surpassing anyone’s expectations. Cooking, it seemed, was her métier. She spent time apprenticing in some of the best restaurants in Europe under some of the finest chefs before returning home to work full time as master chef at the Celtic Goddess. The restaurant had done so well under her hand – specializing in a unique blend of Irish and Greek cuisine - that the owner had opened up two more locations based specifically on her customized menu.

There was no record of any serious love interests, but she was often photographed in the company of Aidan Harrison, the CEO of the Celtic Goddess. Ian made a mental note to do a complete work up on him later, just pulling up the basics for now. Harrison was twenty-six, unmarried, wealthy, and considered very eligible, at least according to the society page references that had popped up in Ian’s searches.

Ian glared at the picture that came up at the grand opening of his last restaurant – Aidan Harrison with his arm around Lexi. They were smiling at each other, looking very comfortable together. That same photo had thrown the social elite gossip mill into a frenzy, predicting that Alexis Kattapoulos would soon become Mrs. Aidan Harrison, breaking the hearts of those who had hoped to capture the eye of the young multi-millionaire.

Like hell, thought Ian as his fingers began to fly once again, pausing only briefly to register the intensity with which that thought had bulleted into his mind. He had no claim on her. So why did the thought of her marrying another man feel like someone was slicing him in half?

And was it even an issue, or pure media hype? Lexi wore no ring upon her finger. She had travelled to Pine Ridge alone. Wouldn’t a serious lover accompany her on such a personal journey? Want to be there for her, with her?

More importantly, would Lexi have given herself so completely to him if there had been someone else?

No, the more he thought about it, the less sense it made.

Closing down the image, Ian rubbed his eyes and checked the clock. Five a.m. Shit. He’d been up all night, and Kieran still hadn’t returned. He hoped Lexi’s night had been more restful than his had been.

So what had he learned about her? Nothing he couldn’t have already guessed. She kept to herself, worked hard, and was one hell of a chef. He snorted. His conversation with Shane had proven much more enlightening.

Ian sat back in his chair, running both hands through his hair. For the first time in a very long time, he had absolutely no idea what to do. He knew what he should do. He should let it go. Let her go. He should keep his head down, his nose clean, and stay away from Lexi until she went back to Benton, Georgia, and resumed her life.

His gut churned at the notion. His head began to pound and his chest grew tight. There was not a chance he was going to allow that to happen, not until he understood what had happened between them. He might not be old, but he sure as hell knew this kind of thing didn’t happen often.

And when had he ever done what he was supposed to anyway?

No matter how he looked at it, he kept coming back to the same question: Why? After all this time, why would she suddenly give herself to him without telling him who she was? Why did she let him believe he was just an incredibly lucky bastard?

On some level, he had assumed she had known what she was doing. That the innocence, the exploration, the novelty in her touch and discovery was all part of it, but now he knew better. The more he thought about it, the more he was driven to the same conclusion, one that both thrilled and terrified him at the same time: Lexi still had a thing for him.

Catching some sleep after that little revelation just wasn’t going to happen. Instead he showered, shaved, dressed, and was waiting downstairs in the old kitchen, his third cup of coffee in hand, when Kieran came in. With Lexi. Kieran was still wearing the same clothes he’d left in the night before, and Ian was pleased to see that he obviously hadn’t showered. It made the possibility of any intimate contact less likely, not that Ian believed they had done anything other than talk through the night. If he had, he sure as hell wouldn’t have spent the night in front of his computer screens, twiddling his virtual thumbs.