First and Only: Callaghan Brothers, Book 2 (17 page)

“Who?”  He could probably figure it out, but why expend the effort?

“Salienne Dulcette.  The way she writes.”

“Mmm-hmm,” he agreed, too relaxed and spent to say much of anything else.  She’d wiped him out, pulled everything from him.  He had nothing left, except for his mind, and even substantial parts of that were out of commission at that moment.  Everything else was inside her now – his body, his heart, his soul.

“I love her stuff.  I have every one of her books,” Lexi continued. 

“Do you?” Ian said, a spark of interest igniting. This was promising.  Definitely information he could use.

“Yes.  Dozens of them.”

Ian’s semi grew harder within her, though he could barely believe it.  Given the force with which he’d just come, he shouldn’t be stirring again for hours.  “Dozens?”

“Mmmm-hmm.”

Damn
.  He was going to have to start taking vitamins.

D
awn came far too quickly.  He struggled to find a viable reason to separate himself from the heavenly goddess beside him.  She fit against him so well.  Her skin was incredibly soft and warm. 

His dark, male musk mixed with her more delicate feminine scent, eliciting images of deep forests with shafts of sunlight peeking through; gentle breezes, moist earth, and pristine air. 

And she made those whisper-light sounds in her sleep that wrapped around his heart and squeezed.

Lexi shifted slightly, snuggling into him as she slept.  Never would he have believed that such a small gesture could bring him so much happiness.  Two nights spent in her bed was enough to know he did not want to go back to sleeping alone.  Before Lexi, he’d never had the desire to stay with anyone.  And even if he had, he would not have fallen into such a contented, dreamless sleep.

As wonderful as it was, it confused the hell out of him.  Sex, he understood.  But this?  It made no sense whatsoever.  He
craved
Lexi like he had never craved anyone before; it wasn’t just the sex, though that was admittedly fantastic.  Just the feel of her against him was a balm to his soul.  Her smile lit him up from the inside.  The soft lilt of her voice calmed him.  And when she looked at him with so much love in her eyes, he felt like Superman.

Ian buried his face in her hair and inhaled, for no other reason than because he could.  She answered his soft moan with one of her own.  Even in sleep, her response was immediate.

“Lexi,” he breathed, half in awe, half in a hunger he failed to comprehend.  It seemed no matter how many times he made love to her it only made him more desperate to have her again.  With every moment he spent with her, that feeling grew stronger.

Eyes still closed, but no longer asleep, Lexi moved on top of him, feeling her way.  Once again, Ian marveled at the perfect fit of her soft, lush curves to his.  The new position allowed his hands followed the natural slope from her breasts in to her small waist, flaring back out again to fill his palms with her delectable behind.  He liked it.  A lot. 

Without a word, she lifted up just enough to position herself properly, then began an achingly slow descent to take him into her.  She was incredibly wet, still slick from their night of passion.  There was deep, and then there was this.

She opened her eyes then, the burning amber filled with enough raw desire to make his heart stutter, and began to move against him.  She went slowly at first, acclimating herself to the new position, the different way they fit together.  He hoped it was as pleasurable for her as it was for him.

* * *

I
an spoke to her without words:  low growls of encouragement; deep, dark moans of pleasure that accelerated her burning need.  His hands held her, guided her to new and exciting sensations until she could no longer hold onto her control.  Her eyes closed, her head fell back, and Lexi totally gave herself over to her needs.

God, she loved this.  The power she had!  To be the one in control was amazing.  She could set the pace, slowing down to feel each part of him sliding inside her, speeding up to set flames to her inner nerve endings.  She could angle her hips, adjust the depth, explore every possible way he could reach her. 

She found that if she rolled her hips and curled against him with each stroke it felt like heaven.  When she extended the curl into a full body undulation, her sensitive nipples scraped against his hard chest, firing even more sensations into her core.

And he loved it.  He surrendered himself to her, letting her use him, begging her to, whispering such naughty things that she had to fight to make it last. 

But she couldn’t hold out forever, and Ian must have instinctively known she was nearing her limits.  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down to him, thrusting upward.  She cried out, fighting all the way, until one hand landed heavy on her backside, the sting shooting right up into her core.  Ian’s fingers smoothed the sting away, the soft caress tender and possessive.

It was at once the most terrifying and most exciting thing she’d ever felt. 

“Oh God, Ian,” she cried.  “I’m not going to survive this.”

“Yes, you will, baby,” he crooned.  “You will, and you will love every second of it.” 

“Ian!” she screamed as the first wave began to crest.  Ian held her tightly as he continued to pound from below, his hands clutching her hips, angling her to maximize her pleasure. 

“Ah, baby, I can’t... hold... on...”  His upward thrusts became harder, more urgent.  Lexi tumbled over the edge, taking him with her.

* * *

L
exi collapsed on his chest, fighting for breath amidst soft little keening sounds that had him wrapping his arms around her protectively.  Lexi was his.  And he would never let her go.

He had pushed her, he knew, but if he believed for one second she really didn’t want what he offered, he would have stopped.  He could happily spend the rest of his life pleasing her in ways that didn’t make her uncomfortable. 

When her breathing returned to normal, Ian reluctantly left the haven of her body, smiling when she pouted.  She was soft and limp in his arms, offering no resistance whatsoever.  With great care, he lifted her in his arms and carried her into the bathroom.  Her arms snaked around his neck as she simply let him take her wherever he would, do whatever he wanted. 

She had no idea what she did to him, Ian thought as he ran the soapy cloth along her body, the now-familiar scents of orange and vanilla and honey filling the steamy shower.  Lexi leaned against him, humming every now and then when he caressed an especially sensitive spot.  He growled in response when she used some of the lather to stroke him clean as well.   

“You are going to be the death of me, Lexi,” Ian said huskily, taking the soap from her hands.  There was no way in hell he should be getting aroused again so quickly, but the moment she touched him, began those gentle, light strokes, his cock defied him.

The look in her eyes almost had him handing the soap right back to her.  “You don’t like it?”  She glanced doubtfully at his rapidly hardening shaft.

“I like it too much,” he said honestly, pulling her to him.  “And there are other things I want to do with you today.” 

Lexi raised an eyebrow as if she found that hard to believe, the hint of a smile on her face.  “I know,” he chuckled. “I can hardly believe it myself.”

“So you don’t want me to do this anymore?” she asked innocently, reaching between them and cupping him between his legs, rolling lightly with her fingers.  Ian closed his eyes and prayed for the strength to say no.  All he could manage was a groan.

“Well, alright then,” she said as she reached around him with her other hand and turned the faucet all the way to the left.  The water went almost instantly from hot to icy cold against his back.

“Wicked vixen,” he hissed, turning so that she took the brunt of it.  She squealed and wriggled against him, but he held her fast.  When he dipped his head and took her mouth, the icy water was forgotten.

“God
damn
, baby,” Ian said breathlessly moments later when he finally remembered to turn off the water.  Lexi’s back was like ice, and she didn’t even seem to notice.  She looked up at him with those half-glazed eyes, and he felt his chest lurch.  No one had
ever
looked at him like that - like he was everything to her.  The very idea that he could affect a woman so thoroughly was both sobering and intoxicating, and Ian realized in that moment that it was a once-in-a-lifetime gift.  A gift he would do well to treasure, because he couldn’t bear the thought of her ever looking at another man the way she was looking at him. 

“Come on, baby,” he said huskily, grabbing a towel.  “I’ve got plans for you.”

* * *

I
an’s words finally seemed to register.  She licked her lips, trying to clear her mind – not an easy thing to do while he was on his knees, deftly maneuvering a thick, fluffy towel along her inner thighs.  “Ian, I – I can’t.”

He finished drying her legs, rising with smooth, masculine grace to take care of her back.  “Don’t worry about Kieran.  I’ll take care of him.”

“No, no, it’s not that.  I’m – I’m leaving today.”

Ian’s hands stilled.  “What did you say?”

Lexi stepped away, taking the towel from his hands and wrapping it around her torso.  “I’m leaving.  Going back to Benton.”

“What about ...” Ian paused, his face looking pained.  “What about the house?”  

“I’m giving it to Uncle Jack.  He can do what he wants with it.”

“Why, Lexi?  Why are you doing this?” 

Lexi bit her lip.  Ian seemed a lot more upset about this than she thought he’d be.  She had figured Kieran would take it the hardest, but at least he would understand.  But Ian...he couldn’t possibly know, could he?  Dare she tell him the truth?  She’d never been very good at lying, and, no matter what, she didn’t want to lie to Ian.  “Because...”

Ian stood unnaturally still, his face expressionless.  But his blue eyes blazed with so much intensity she actually began to feel a little weak in her knees.  Ian had power over her that no man should have.  She had to turn away before she forgot every reason why she had to go.

“Because that’s where my life is.  My job.  My apartment.  My...”  She hesitated, not sure she wanted to finish the thought.   What else was there for her, really?  Her elderly aunts were in an exclusive nursing home and didn’t even recognize her anymore.  She had no close friends, with the possible exception of...

“Aidan.” 

Lexi’s head whipped up.  Dear Lord, Ian couldn’t possibly be reading her thoughts now, too, could he?  “What?”

“Your
boss
.  Aidan.”

His tone was strange.  There, in those fire-and-ice blue eyes was something Lexi never expected to see when he looked at her – jealousy.  Her heart squeezed.

“Yes,” she said slowly, drawing out the word as her brows knitted in puzzlement.  “Aidan is there.  But what does that have to do with anything?”

He blinked, as if he hadn’t expected her to ask him that.  “You care for him.” 

“Of course I care for him.  I’ve known him for years.  So?”  She crossed her arms over her chest, still confused by Ian’s reaction. 

“He’s in love with you.”

The words nearly stole the breath from her.  Her lips parted, her eyes widened in surprise.  Forgetting her defiant stance, she let her arms drop.  “You’re insane.” 

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.”