First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

Had he been clueless then? Ian wasn’t so sure. Last night, when Lexi was snuggled against him and he dozed contentedly, flashes of those golden amber eyes came back to him, eyes that had speared through him a dozen years ago when Kieran first brought her home. Eyes that he would see in his dreams when he was away on missions and wasn’t sure he would make it home again. Eyes he had attributed to his guardian angel, that he now knew belonged to a real woman, the one who would always haunt his thoughts and bring him home again. Lexi’s eyes.

“Yeah.” No sense sharing any of those insights at the moment. They were too personal, too damn deep, and he was just beginning to comprehend what his subconscious had known all along – Lexi was The One. His heart. His croie. Maybe some instinctual part of him had recognized it way back then, but they had been so young. No wonder he had locked it away and buried it beneath a decade of denial.

“I’m heading upstairs for a few. Keep an eye on her, would you?”

Jake nodded. “She’ll be in with Taryn for a while yet I’d bet, but yeah, I got it.” Feeling a little more at ease knowing that Jake had his back, Ian ran up to their private living quarters to change and grab a few items.

*

Ian was still upstairs when Kieran’s bike roared up out front a short while later. Within seconds, the youngest Callaghan was blowing through the door, resembling a massive, dark storm cloud.

Lexi and Taryn came from the back, their light laughter ceasing the moment they caught the stormy expression on Kieran’s face.

“Uh-oh,” murmured Taryn.

“Kieran,” Lexi called softly. At the sound of her voice Kieran turned, the dark expression morphing instantly into relief.

“Lexi! I thought I missed you!” In a few long strides he crossed the floor and Lexi disappeared in a thorough embrace.

“I’ve decided to stay out the week,” she said, her words muffled against his chest as she laughingly extricated herself. Then she smacked him solidly, though it had the same effect as a fly landing on his arm.

“What was that for?”

“For believing for one second I would leave without saying good-bye, no matter how much you pissed me off.”

His eyes softened then. “Sorry, Lex. After last night...”

“I know,” she said, patting the area where she’d smacked him. “I’m sorry, too, Kier.”

“You still know how to scare the shit out of me, you know that?”

The sound of a throat clearing had them both looking toward the bar, where Ian now stood beside Jake. There was no mistaking the look on Ian’s face. It screamed possession.

Kieran pulled Lexi tightly against him and glared over the top of her head at Ian, his message clear.

“Ah, shit...” murmured Jake, pushing Taryn safely behind him.

Kieran’s jaw clenched, his body rippling with barely restrained anger. Ian straightened himself to his full height and faced him head on, his body in a battle-ready stance.

The two men faced off, clearly on the verge of blows. But before anything happened, Lexi placed her hand on Kieran’s arm. “Kieran,” she said quietly.

He looked down, reading the truth in her eyes. “Oh, fuck no.”

Across the room, Ian tensed even further. Jake discreetly put a hand on his shoulder, warning him to stay put.

Kieran’s tone was one of total disbelief. “What the hell were you thinking, Lex?”

She was silent for a few moments, trying to think of words that could explain what she herself didn’t quite understand. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet but level. “I’m not thinking, Kier. I’m living.”

“But Lex –“

“Leave her alone,” Ian said, stepping forward.

Kieran stiffened immediately, tension rippling through his body. He pushed Lexi behind him, his body a massive shield. “Why don’t you fuck off?”

Ian’s eyes glittered, silvery specs against a darkening blue. “She’s not a child, Kieran. Stop treating her like one.”

Kieran looked down at Lexi, disbelief etched in every feature. “You didn’t tell him, did you? He doesn’t know.”

“Know what?” Ian demanded.

If it was possible, Kieran grew even larger with his barely controlled rage. “You have no clue what you’re messing with, Ian. She’s not one of your whores.”

Ian would have launched himself at Kieran at that point had Lexi not spoken up and shocked them all. “Yes, Kier,” she said clearly. “That’s exactly what I am. At least for the next few days.”

Taryn gasped audibly, her hand flying up to her mouth. Beyond that, you could have heard a pin drop in the heavy silence. The men were shell-shocked, their expressions ranging from disbelief (Jake) to devastation (Kieran) and outright anger (Ian). It might have been funny under different circumstances.

“No...” Kieran began shaking his head as if he could dislodge the words and nullify them at the same time.

“It’s what I want,” she added, petting his arm as if she could soothe him, her voice a little softer. She wanted – no, needed - Kieran to understand. “Please try to understand, Kier. I just want to feel normal for a little while.”