First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

Ian didn’t blink. She felt the heat of his gaze acutely. So much power. Too much. Ian Callaghan had been controlling her life for years, and he didn’t even know it. But somehow he believed he knew enough to suggest that Aidan – a man he had never met – was in love with her.

Lexi considered this for a few moments before her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “And you know this how?”

Ian stiffened, hesitating only briefly. “He sends you a lot of emails.”

The corners of her mouth twitched. “Hmmm. Email proliferation. You’re right. How could I have missed the signs? Gee, I guess the guys at Amazon and Barnes and Noble really have a hard-on for me, then.”

Ian’s eyes glittered warningly. “You’re making fun of me.”

“Yes, I am,” she agreed. “Because you’re being ridiculous. And besides, why do you care?”

White fire flamed in his blue eyes; she had to make a conscious effort not to take a step back.

“Why do I care? Have you not been with me these last couple of hours or so?” He ran his hand through his hair, taking two steps left, two steps right and then back again, as if he couldn’t make up his mind in which direction he wanted to go. Lexi watched him intently, the ripple of muscles from shoulder to ankle hypnotic. Thank God he had draped a towel around his hips, or she couldn’t be held responsible for her actions.

At his words, a tiny spark of hope flared within her, but she kept it carefully contained. “What about Kayla?”

“What about Kayla?!?” he exploded, making her flinch backward.

“Well...” Lexi began, caught off guard by Ian’s vehement reaction, “you guys are, like, together, right?”

Ian shot a look of disbelief at her, one that told her she, of all people, should know better. “Why does everyone assume that Kayla and I – “ He shook his head as if trying to make sense of it all and resuming his pacing. “Honestly, Lexi, do you think if Kayla and I had anything between us I could have been with you?”

Lexi was stunned. “You’re not?”

“Fuck no!” Ian shouted. “Yeah, okay, we hooked up a few times, but it was just....” He seemed to be getting more frustrated with each passing second. “It was stupid, I know, but she was there, you know?”

“But I thought – “

“Yeah,” he laughed sarcastically. “You and everyone else. I wonder who’s spreading those rumors, hmm?”

“But you were with her at the funeral, Ian,” she pointed out. “I was there, remember? You didn’t leave her side, not once.”

“As a special favor to my father,” he told her. “Because he was afraid she would try to do something to you. I wasn’t there to comfort Kayla, Lexi,” he said, his voice softening. “I was there to protect you from her.”

Thoughts were whirling around in Lexi’s mind so fast she had trouble making sense of them. “But you said you had sex with her.”

“Yes, that’s true, I did. Usually when Jake wasn’t available or needed a third.”

“Jake?”

“Yeah.” He could tell Lexi was shocked, but he refused to lie to her. “Look, Lexi, the only time Kayla was ever interested in me was...” he paused, his expression going eerily blank. “...when you were around. Son of a bitch.”

Lexi gasped. She knew her stepsister hated her, but she was still taken aback by the lengths Kayla would go to make her life miserable. She didn’t doubt for a moment that Ian was telling the truth. Anger radiated from him in waves, his beautiful body tense, his expression hard.

With a compelling need to soothe him, Lexi went to him as he stood by the window, gazing out. Wrapping her arms around him, she laid her head on his back. “I’m sorry, Ian.”





Chapter Seventeen




“Please don’t leave.”

“Ian - ” she began, starting to pull away.

Ian turned, capturing her in his arms. “Surely you can take a few more days, can’t you? I bet you haven’t had a vacation in years.”

Lord, but it was tempting. Not to mention that pressing her cheek against that satin-over-steel chest of his made it hard to think logically.

“And this weekend is the big county fair,” he continued. “Tell me you don’t miss that.”

She did miss the fair. It had always been one of her favorite events of the year. Ian’s hand moved up and down the length of her, giving her the strangest urge to purr.

“And you could spend a little more time at the house, you know, before you get rid of it.”

She would like that. There were still several areas she wanted to explore, both inside and out. From what she remembered, her grandmother had secret cubbies all over the place. Lexi had hidden all sorts of treasures in them when she was little – jacks, glass marbles, shiny beads. How cool would it be to rediscover a few of them?

“Come on, Lex. A few days are all I’m asking for. I’ll make it worth your while.”

She looked up at him, at the sexiest half-smile she’d ever seen, instantly sweeping away thoughts of carnival rides, funnel cakes, and childhood treasures. Didn’t he know that when he looked at her like that, he made it all but impossible to deny him?