First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

“Why didn’t you?” he asked, repeating the same question he’d asked only that morning. Had it really only been this morning? It felt like half of a lifetime had passed between then and now.

“Because I ...” She drew in a shaky breath, unable to look at him, feeling more ashamed by the moment. She couldn’t answer him, not truthfully, because to do so would be to bare her soul, to open a hole into her heart so big it would suck whatever little remained of her down into it.

“I’m so sorry.” She whispered the words, trying valiantly not to cry and embarrass herself further. She was failing miserably. Huge crystalline drops trailed down her face onto her lap, absorbing immediately into the towel, but not before he’d seen them. Her shoulders were hunched in, her arms wrapped around herself as if she could protect herself.

Ian took a step toward her, but she held up her hand. If he came near her, touched her, she would tell him the truth. All of it. And she needed to retain some shred of dignity, no matter how thin of a thread it might be. “You should go.”

“Please.” She begged, her voice thick with tears.

Lexi kept her gaze downward, knowing that if she looked at him she wouldn’t be able to remain strong. After several long moments, he picked up his shirt and walked quietly to the door.

“You’re wrong, Lexi,” he said quietly. “Me and Kayla, it’s not what you think. It’s just... not.”

Then he opened the door and was gone, and Lexi gave in to the tears.





Chapter Twelve




It had not been a good day. After Ian left, Lexi cried alone in her room until there were simply no more tears left, falling into an exhausted sleep sometime right before dawn. Then Aidan called, worried that she hadn’t responded to his emails or texts. Hearing her voice, he had known immediately that something was wrong, and she’d spent the next hour trying to convince him not to drop everything and fly up in his private plane.

Jack had come for her in the late morning. The concern was evident in his eyes as he insisted on taking her out to lunch, commenting that she looked too tired, too pale. It was true enough. The drama of returning to Pine Ridge was definitely taking its toll, though she had only herself to blame. She had learned a long time ago that life wasn’t so much about what happened to you as how you dealt with it.

Yes, Ian had pursued her, but she could have said no and refused to sleep with him. Hell, she’d had no problem turning away everyone else.

And yes, Kayla had made things unpleasant for her, but what was new about that? Kayla had spent nearly every moment of their childhood together doing that, and she’d learned to deal with it. To this day she had no idea why Kayla despised her as much as she did, but things didn’t always make sense, did they?

It just proved that the move to Georgia had been the best thing that could have happened to her. Thankfully, her father had realized that even when she hadn’t been able to see it. Lexi had grown up, grown stronger, made something of herself, but Kayla hadn’t changed at all. She was still the petty, vain, insecure girl she’d been ten years ago, and in a way, Lexi couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

The trip back to her grandmother’s house? Well, that had just been poor judgment on her part.

Even with an unsettled stomach from forcing down a meal she didn’t want, the short trip had been pleasant enough. She’d forgotten how much she loved the mountains – all the cool, clean air. The deep greens and turquoises against a crystal blue sky. The smell of damp earth and pine needles mixing with honeysuckle and mimosa and mountain laurel. No matter how far she travelled, no matter how long she stayed away, this would always feel like home to her.

That nice, cozy feeling hadn’t lasted long, though. The moment the house came into view so did several vehicles. Jack had conveniently neglected to mention that the others had come earlier. Jake and Taryn were there, holding hands as they appeared along the side of the house. Judging by the flushed look on Taryn’s face and Jake’s mussed hair, Lexi guessed they’d found a little magic of their own. Shane and Sean were on the roof, checking out the view, and Lexi was amazed the thing was able to hold their combined weight in its current state.

Kieran appeared in the doorway with a man who had to be the cousin, Johnny. Lexi sucked in a breath when she saw him – he was huge, like all the Callaghan men, with layers of rippling muscle that would have had professional body builders weeping in envy. His long, multi-hued golden hair was tied neatly at the back of his neck by a leather chord. And even from so far away, Lexi could see his green eyes clearly. He was gorgeous, yes, but so were all of the men in this family. What floored her was that he was the spitting image of the male featured on the cover of her latest Salienne Dulcette novel.