First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

Ian turned her around to face him, disbelief evident. “You think I’m kidding?”


She shrugged. Ian was dumbstruck. Lexi wasn’t just attractive, she was gorgeous. Her clear amber eyes, the multi-hued hair that curved into her body. And that body! Dear Lord, she was like a Greek goddess in the flesh. But more than that, more than the physical features that had every male turning his head, was an inner beauty that was infinitely more attractive, yet she was completely unaware of it. She was at once vulnerable yet strong. Innocent yet passionate. Quiet yet intense. But how could he make her see that?

He couldn’t. Not in words, anyway. So Ian resorted to the next best thing. He would show her.

Ian lowered his head and claimed her mouth with absolute possession. He poured everything he felt for her into that kiss, willing her to understand. Within seconds she melted against him, becoming pliant in his arms. That was his Lexi. He forced himself to pull away, his breathing nearly as ragged as hers.

“You. Are. Beautiful.”

She gazed up at him with heavy-lidded eyes. He loved that he could do this to her with just a kiss. “Make love to me, Ian.”

Ian didn’t know what surprised him more – the fact that she suggested it or the fact that he hadn’t already been thinking of doing exactly that. The truth was that he had been perfectly content sharing the view with her in his arms, happy to simply be with her and share her excitement. Seeing things through her eyes was like experiencing them for the first time himself, whether it be sex, riding the Harley, or looking out over the breathtaking valley. Something told him that would never change, either. No matter how many times she gave herself to him it would never be enough. They could come back to this ledge a hundred times and each time would be better than the last.

Now that she’d made the suggestion, however, the hunger was there, panting like a dog in front of a prime rib. He groaned, holding her body closely against his, his erection letting them both know that it was so on board with that plan.

“Here?” he asked incredulously. “Now?”

“Yes,” she breathed, her hands slipping down to his belt. “Right here. Right now.”

He managed to coax her away from the overhang, pulling her to a more private location among the trees.

“Sweet baby,” he murmured, helping as she tried desperately to remove his shirt. So hungry, so needful for that which only he could give her. Ian felt as though he had been given a tremendous gift. He laid his clothes over a fallen tree, easing himself back onto it. Once he was sure it would hold, he pulled Lexi onto his lap so that she straddled him. Her head flew back in rapture, her nails digging into his shoulders as he lowered her onto him, his hands guiding her hips with strength and unerring precision.

Ian guided her in a slow, easy rhythm until the pressure became too great for her to resist and she gave herself over to him completely. Ian knew the moment she did, had been waiting for it.

“You’re mine, Lexi,” he whispered as he thrust upwards.

She buried her face against his neck, biting into his shoulder to keep from crying out. Ian swore under his breath and quickened his pace until her entire body closed around him and she convulsed so violently that he struggled to hold on. Relinquishing his own control, he took one, two, three mighty strokes and erupted deep within her.

“Thank you,” she whispered into his neck, her words thick with an emotion he fully understood. Unable to speak, he held her that much tighter, as if by doing so he could hold on to the moment forever.





Chapter Nineteen




If this was a dream, then Lexi didn’t want to wake up. She stretched out on the blanket, feeling the full moon on her naked back as if it were the midday sun. The night air was still relatively balmy in the high 80’s, but the cool breeze coming in off of the lake was a welcome caress. Ian lay beside her, propped up on his side, lazily tracing the peaks and valleys of her curves with the pads of his fingers as if memorizing each and every inch.

How he had the energy, she couldn’t fathom. After rowing out to a secluded spot on the far end of the lake, they’d shed their clothes and skinny-dipped in the cold, spring-fed waters. It must have super-charged Ian, because afterwards he was a driven man. He was a tireless lover, making love to her on the shore for several hours, bringing her to climax an astounding four times.

Her eyes drifted shut as she soaked up his warmth and the touch of his hand, sated and boneless, too tired even to sample the dinner they’d packed.

She was slowing down, she could feel it. The whirlwind pace of the last few days was catching up to her, the reduction in her meds exacerbating the fatigue and muscle weakness. Thankfully, Ian seemed to accept her lassitude as that of a well-sated mate, which was certainly true. Still, she would have to be careful and try to do a better job of pacing herself until she could get back to Benton and her medicine cabinet full of miracles.