First and Only (Callaghan Brothers #2)

Lexi set her jaw and crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn’t agree to any of this.”


Ian shrugged and closed the door to his bedroom, giving them some privacy. Whether she agreed or not at this point didn’t matter. He’d be damned if he’d watch her destroy herself. She could fight him as much as she wanted, but they both knew she’d lose.

“Explain to me again what you think you’re doing?”

“It’s all very simple,” he said as he sat down on the overstuffed chair in the corner of his room and patted his leg in an invitation to join him. Instead of joining him, however, she lifted her chin and took several steps in the opposite direction. That little show of defiance had him aching already. He shot her a look of warning, but she ignored it.

“You and Patrick will live here, with me, at least for the time being, while renovations continue on the house. Then we’ll see. I’ll take you wherever you need to go during the day. You can rest here at night while I’m working downstairs. Taryn will be here to help with the kids and whatever else you need.”

She smiled. When she spoke, her voice was far too sweet to be genuine. “Really, Ian, you can’t possibly be serious.”

“Oh, but I am, baby,” he said, his voice deliberately pitched low and seductive, though his heart was pounding. It wasn’t going to be easy winning her over, he knew that. But he would.

He patted his lap again, beckoning her. “Come here and let me show you how serious I am.”

“I don’t think so.” Her tone was cool, uninterested, but he knew it was a lie. Her eyes gave her away. His heart leapt with hope, along with his arousal.

“Don’t make me come over there and get you, Lexi,” he growled, deepening his voice. She shivered, but stood her ground.

“Don’t make idle threats, Ian. I have nothing you want, you’ve made that perfectly clear. But if you’re feeling a little anxious, I’m sure there’s some young thing downstairs that’ll have you. You know, someone strong and healthy enough to handle a big, tough guy like you.”

He absorbed the blow, seeing it for what it was – a self-defense mechanism. But there was no defense for the all-out attack he had planned.

“I don’t think so.” He made no attempt to hide his body’s natural reaction to her as he stood up slowly. Her eyes flicked the length of his body and back up again. “Only one woman can satisfy me, baby.”

“Yeah?” she taunted, but he saw the familiar flare of heat in her eyes as she took a step backward. “And who might that be?”

Ian’s eyes dipped lustily toward her chest as he stepped toward her, his movements smooth and graceful like the predator he was. “Come here and I’ll show you.”

“Go to hell, Ian.”

“I’ve been there, baby. For more than a year. And I’m ready to come home.”

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll hurt me?” she asked, continuing to back up until she felt the wall behind her. Ian continued his unhurried advance until he was only inches away. His palms pressed against the wall on either side of her head, caging her as he leaned forward until nothing separated them but the thinnest slice of air.

“Yes,” he admitted, his voice little more than a tortured whisper. “But I’ll die before I hurt you again, Lexi. And I’m going to trust you to be honest with me this time. Can you do that for me?”

“I never lied to you,” she protested.

“You let me ravage you, Lexi,” he said, his lips skimming across her forehead, along her temple, her cheeks. “And it hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me, Ian,” she gasped, lifting her chin to give him access to her neck. “You never hurt me.”

“I saw the bruises, baby. I have nightmares about what I did to you.” Ian kissed his way along her jaw, his touch scorching, yet infinitely light. Lexi bunched her hands into his hair, and he wanted to shout at the bliss of it.

“Not your fault...” Lexi arched into him. Ian groaned, low and deep, the rumble vibrating through both of them.

“God, I love how you taste, Lexi.” His mouth dipped lower, his tongue licked along her collar bone as one hand reached up under her cotton T. She sucked in a breath, encouraging him. Her mouth could say anything she wanted, but her body told him the truth.

“Ian,” she gasped, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. “Don’t tease me, Ian. I can’t bear it.”

Ian growled low in his throat. A second later her T-shirt was being lifted over her head and he was kissing his way down to the swell of her breasts. His hands cupped her, his thumbs rasped almost lazily across the nipples, so hard beneath the silken bra she wore.

His hands moved lower as he took one breast into his mouth, suckling her through the material, biting back a curse when he felt her ribs clearly beneath the skin.