First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

*

It felt so good to be in his arms, she could almost believe him. Almost. She’d dreamed of hearing him say things like that for years. But she knew he was talking about right now, and in her dreams, he’d been talking about forever.

That was the great thing about dreams. They were yours and no one else’s, custom-fitted to what you wanted most.

Dare she hope? No. She might be tired, but she wasn’t a fool. There were a million reasons why she could never have the kind of relationship she wanted with Ian; wishing for the impossible held nothing but the promise of heartbreak.

As if her heart wasn’t already broken.

She briefly considered bringing up Kayla again. That would definitely put a damper on things, but she really didn’t want to. It felt too good to be close to him like this to waste it on silly things like pride or a broken heart.

His hands caressed her arms so tenderly, his chest was so warm and solid against her back. His scent – clean and male and dark – filled her with a sense of completeness and made her feel safe. What was wrong with pretending for just a little while? To sit here in the dark, feeling the thrum of his heart. To live her dream for just a few minutes more.

“Tell me about them.” His voice, low and hypnotic, vibrated against her.

Lexi wasn’t a woman who liked to talk about herself, but she was suddenly sharing childhood memories with him. It felt so natural to do so. She told Ian things she’d never even told Kieran or Aidan. Being here, in this house, brought back so many memories that she had long since forgotten.

“I’m sorry,” she said apologetically as she realized that she’d been going on for a long time. “I don’t know what came over me.” She sniffed and started to pull away. “Bet you’re sorry you asked, huh?”

“On the contrary,” he said, keeping his arms loose but refusing to let her go, “I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed an evening quite so much.” His eyes glittered. “With the possible exception of our dinner together, that is.”

Lexi blushed. It wasn’t the dinner he had enjoyed so much. But she couldn’t blame him for that. She’d be a hypocrite of the highest order if she did.

“But I think we should get you back to your hotel,” he said. “You can’t sleep here. It’ll be dawn soon, and you need some rest.”

Lexi sighed and nodded. He was right. She’d talked for hours, reliving her past. Now she felt drained.

Ian helped her blow out the candles and lock up, walking her out to his truck. Much to her surprise and pleasure, he held her hand the entire time, almost as if he was afraid to let go.

“Are you going to tell me about this?” Ian asked, tapping her wrapped hand lightly.

Lexi hesitated only a second or two before answering. “Nothing to tell. I got distracted while slicing and cut myself. You’d think a chef would know better, huh.”

*

It wasn’t the whole story, he was certain of it, but she was already pulling away from him, and he wouldn’t allow that to happen again. He’d find out the truth soon enough. Kieran was not as invincible as he pretended to be. In the meantime, Lexi was well enough, and more importantly, with him. He was not going to screw that up by pushing her unnecessarily.

“No more sneaking out?” he asked as he took her key and inserted it into the hotel room door.

She stiffened. “I wasn’t sneaking,” she said defensively.

“You didn’t tell Kieran what you were going to do.”

“Was I supposed to?”

Ian chuckled. “You know he would never have let you go over there by yourself.”

“First of all, Kieran left before I even decided to go. Secondly, I don’t need his permission. I am a grown woman. And I told you, I’m used to being alone.”

“And I told you,” he said authoritatively, stepping into her room behind her and sliding the deadbolt lock in place. “You’re not alone anymore.”

Golden-amber eyes flashed up at him. Dare he hope that he wasn’t imagining the desire in those depths?

Her tongue peeked out as she licked along those perfect pink lips. “Does that mean you want to stay?”

“I’m not leaving.” It was a statement, spoken without arrogance, but daring her to contradict him. For the first time in his life, he felt connected to a woman – really connected. The things she’d shared with him, whether she’d known it or not, had captured his heart. He’d felt her pouring into him, lighting him from the inside out with her trust. He didn’t want that closeness to end. It couldn’t. Not yet.

Her eyes widened just a little as he took off his shoes. Then they widened a little more as he began to remove his shirt, his pants. They were like saucers by the time he slid beneath the cool sheets of her bed, naked.