First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

Taryn ran to the other side of the kitchen and threw open a drawer, tossing things out of the way till she found what she was looking for.

“Good,” said Lexi, cursing herself for letting this happen. “Give it to me.” Taryn watched in horrified fascination as Lexi pulled off the cap with her teeth and poured the stuff over the cut. “I’ll call 911,” Taryn said, reaching for the phone.

“NO!” Lexi yelled. “It’s okay, trust me. I’ve got this.”

Two more towels and half a bottle of super glue later, the bleeding had almost stopped.

“That’s not normal,” Taryn said, looking a little shaken, though not as much as Lexi would have expected.

“No,” Lexi agreed. “But it’s okay, really. It’s not the first time this has happened, and it won’t be the last. Watch this for me, will you? Don’t let this burn.” Remaining calm, Lexi went over to her bag and pulled out a preloaded syringe. Taryn watched as she injected herself directly above the wrist.

“I need to sit down for a few. I’ll talk you through the rest.”

“Are you sure? Maybe we should –“

“I’m sure.” Lexi’s tone left no question. She looked right into Taryn’s eyes. “I’m sure.” Taryn nodded, looking far less certain.

Lexi grimaced as the industrial-strength clotting agent burned like fire through her veins. After a few minutes, she forced herself to get up and move around, knowing if she didn’t keep her circulation moving, there was the danger of a serious clot forming.

“You’re doing great,” Lexi said a little while later, peering over Taryn’s shoulder. “Call me if you ever want to work as a chef.”

“Lex, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to – “

“It’s okay, Taryn. Really. No big. But listen, I have to go, okay? Let that simmer for another few minutes then take it off the heat.”

“Wait, I’ll drive you back to your hotel.”

“No, I need to walk it, but thanks. And Taryn? I’d really appreciate it if we kept this between us.” Without another word, Lexi picked up her bag and made her exit, keeping her head high and a smile pasted on her face until she got outside.





Chapter Thirteen




When she got back to the hotel, Lexi changed out of her bloodied clothes, gave herself a quick clean-up, wrapped up her hand in waterproof tape, and headed for the pool. The cool, soothing water felt good, and if she was lucky, she would be able to swim herself into enough of an exhaustive state that she might actually get a few hours of sleep. She should have known better.

Lexi sliced through the water with such precision she barely made a sound. Stroke after stroke, lap after lap. Swimming had always been a good outlet for her, one of the few athletic events in which she could actually participate. No physical contact with others, no balls or sticks or blades. And she excelled at it.

Like the way Ian looks at you? The words rang out in her head over and over again, right along with the image of Taryn’s horrified expression at the sight of all the blood. She pulled harder, faster, cutting through the water as if she could outpace them. The chemicals rushed through her veins, the familiar burning in her nose and throat and ears as her body absorbed them, until little by little, she started to feel normal again. Until she started thinking clearly again.

In the water, she felt weightless, invincible. It soothed and calmed her, held her until she worked out her demons. Kieran used to tease her that Poseidon was one of her ancestors. Sometimes, especially in times of great stress when the water was her only comfort, she wondered if there was a tiny grain of truth in there somewhere.

Kieran was watching her now, just like he used to back then, too. For more than an hour she’d caught the sight of his big body sitting off to the side at every flip-turn, waiting patiently. She wasn’t surprised. He knew her well enough to know a pool would be the first place she’d flee when things got to be too much. She would swim until her lungs burned and her muscles deadened, then he’d pull her out of the water and make her tell him what was bothering her anyway.

Right on schedule, she saw him crouched along the far end. In the midst of her flip turn, he reached in and wrapped his hand around her ankle before she pushed off. When she whipped around to protest, he simply plucked her out of the pool.

Lexi just went with it, had known it was coming, though she was somewhat surprised at the ease with which he had done it. After all, she wasn’t a skinny kid anymore. Then again, Kieran was the size of a rather large bear these days.