Callaghan Brothers Guide: The Official Guide to the Callaghan Brothers Series (3 page)

Her eyes widened and she stopped as if she suddenly realized what was coming out of her mouth.  She dropped her gaze even as that pretty rose color deepened in her cheeks and spread down the delicate column of her neck.  “Oh, God.  Open mouth, insert foot.  I need to stop talking now.”

That only served to draw him in further.  He was absolutely enthralled by this adorable, sleepy creature who had just told him she liked the sound of his voice.  “Why?”

“Why?” Hands full, she blew a stray section of hair away from where it had fallen over one long-lashed eye.  “Because I’m perilously close to dying from self-humiliation, and from what I’ve heard, it’s not a pretty way to go.  I’d hate for you to have to witness that.  Haunts you for weeks.”

Why did he suddenly feel so warm and light inside? 

“Why have you not been getting enough sleep?” he clarified before he could stop himself, hoping as he did so that she would not take offense at his curiosity.

“Oh.”  She hastily tried to stuff her notes into her over-crammed backpack, shooting him a wry smile.  The look she gave him – friendly and genuine – pierced him like a bolt of sunlight.  It did funny things to his insides.  “You know, the usual.  Too much to do and not enough time to do it.”  The pack tipped off the desk and its contents spilled onto the floor.  She mumbled a few unintelligible things under her breath.

“Did you just say ‘fudge buckets’?” he asked, barely suppressing another laugh.

“Yeah, sorry about the potty mouth,” she replied, but was grinning herself.  It hinted at those dimples again.  Shane had a soft spot for dimples.

He knelt beside her and helped her gather her things, skillfully ordering them in her bag so that everything fit perfectly.

“You have a gift,” she mused in appreciation.  “I’m afraid I haven’t been blessed with a keen sense of spatial perception.  I tend to rely on the stuff-and-cram method myself, but your way works, too.” 

She stood up at the same time he did, her face only inches from his collar bone.  At six-two, he was accustomed to women being shorter than him, but she was even smaller than he’d originally thought.  Her delicate femininity made him acutely aware of his own masculinity.

“Oh,” she exclaimed softly.  He felt the tiny puff of air on his bare skin where he’d loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt.  He looked down to find her face tilted up toward his with those pretty eyes.

That look, Shane thought.  He liked that look.  It smacked of innocence, surprise, and – dare he say - desire.  He grew taller, larger from it, like a male peacock who wanted to showcase his magnificent plumage. 

She took a step back, only to stumble on the desk and fall backward.  Shane reached out and caught her before she managed to hit anything.  His entire body lit up as though someone flipped a switch, firing up nerve endings in all kinds of interesting places.  Her eyes widened for a split second as if she had felt it, too.

“Thanks,” she stammered.

If anything, his interest grew, as did the odd warmth that seemed to be coursing through his body.  He didn’t remove his hands immediately; he let them linger along her upper arms until he was fairly certain she would remain upright and in place. 

“Perhaps I should walk you to your car,” he suggested.

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to overcome is yourself.

Kieran Callaghan has it all.  As the sole remaining single male of the Callaghan clan, he is drawing a lot of female attention.  Not only is the former SEAL easy on the eyes and the poster boy for BodyWorks, the fitness center he owns/operates, but he is a genuinely nice guy with a white-knight complex.

The only thing he doesn’t have is the one thing he wants most:  a
croie
with which to share his life.

Faith O’Connell is a young, single mom hoping for a fresh start for her and her teenage son.  Life hasn’t been easy, but they’ve managed.  Once forced to live off the charity of others, she is determined to make it on her own.

When Kieran shows up on her doorstep, Faith is quite sure she’s met the perfect man.  He might just be the best friend she’s ever had, and her son adores him.  But they come from two vastly different worlds, and Faith knows it can’t be anything more.  She’s already been down that road once, and has the scars to prove it.

Kieran doesn’t care about any of that.  Faith is his.  And he
will
convince her that when you find your
croie
, nothing else matters.

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E
xcerpt:

Several hours later, Kieran took Matt home.  With a quick “Hey, mom” in greeting, Matt made a beeline for the kitchen.  Kieran had trouble making it past the living room.  Dressed in well-worn, torn jeans and an oversized raggedy shirt, Faith stood before him, hair escaping the confines of her ponytail, dollops of paint adorning her arms, her legs, and her face.  He felt a twinge deep in his chest; it was such an adorable image.  The unease he’d witnessed at
BodyWorks
was gone.  Clearly she was much more comfortable in her own environment.  He could work with that. 

“Painting, then, are you?” he said, unable to completely hide the smile that tugged at his lips.

“That’s one of the things I like about you,” Faith said, shooting him a smile of her own and a teasing glance.  “Your exceptionally keen grasp of the obvious.” 

“Yeah, well, you know,” he said, puffing himself up with feigned bravado, “I was a SEAL.  I’m trained to be observant.”

Faith laughed softly, sending rivulets of sunshine directly into his chest.

“What I don’t understand,” he continued, affecting a look of puzzlement, “is exactly which parts of yourself you were painting with.”

She looked down and checked herself out, as if just realizing some of the medium had gotten on her.  When she looked back to him, her eyes sparkled with mischief.  “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of full-contact body painting before?”

He laughed, though he couldn’t help the ache in his groin at the thought of finger painting
her
.  “And here I’ve been doing it the boring way.  Your way seems much more fun.”

Control.

Aidan Harrison likes it.  Needs it.  As CEO of the hugely successful Celtic Goddess franchise, he wields it as skillfully in the boardroom as he does the bedroom.  It’s made him millions and put him at the top of his game. He wants for nothing.

Except a woman who is more interested in him than his bottom line.

As a close friend of the Callaghan family, he’s witnessed the
croie
phenomena seven times over in as many years.  Dare he hope that by shedding his public persona, he might find a soul mate of his own?  A woman capable of taking his inner beast and leaving his wealth, power, and prestige?

Everything about Mary O’Rourke is average.  Brown hair, brown eyes, average height and weight.  There is absolutely nothing remarkable about her, except her compassion.

She has spent her entire life taking care of others:  her father, her husband, her man-crazy mother.  She wishes that just once, someone would take care of her.

When a gorgeous stranger suddenly appears New Year’s Eve, she’s not sure what to think.  He’s a walking contradiction.  Aidan does things to her no man has ever done, and she
likes
it.

But can she trust him with her heart?

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E
xcerpt:

Mary tried to divert his questions by asking a few of her own, but he didn’t seem any more interested in talking about his family than she was of hers.  She couldn’t help but wonder if he, too, had some issues. 

“I was telling my friend Lexi about you,” Aidan said at one point.  “She’s very anxious to meet you.”

“Me?” Mary asked, genuinely surprised.  “Why?”

“She knows me well,” he said obliquely.  “She asked if we might be interested in joining her and her husband for dinner and maybe a late movie this weekend.”

While she liked the idea of going out on an actual date with Aidan, Mary felt a slight pang of disappointment.  Secretly, part of her had been hoping they might replay some of the events of the previous Saturday – minus the un-decorating. 

“Of course,” Aidan said quietly, leaning in so she could hear him, “I was thinking that perhaps we could have some time to ourselves before or after, or, optimally, both.”

Mary sucked in a breath.  Damn if the man hadn’t read her thoughts.  “Sounds perfect.” 

“Great,” he beamed.  The flash of pure hunger in his tiger eyes made her wish it was already the weekend.  No one, not even Cam, had looked at her like that.

Aidan paid for their lunch and walked her out to her car.  “Thanks for meeting me,” he said.  “I don’t think I could have made it till the weekend without seeing you.”

“Yeah,” she grinned, “I’ll admit, I needed a fix myself.”

“I picked up a couple of things for our alone time together,” he told her, his voice dropping down so low it resembled melted chocolate.  “Are you feeling adventurous, Mary?”

His voice, his scent, the sexual promise in his eyes had a shiver running down her spine and her nipples hardening almost to the point of pain.  “I think I’m willing to try just about anything with you, Aidan,” she answered truthfully.

His nostrils flared and his muscles tensed.  He closed his eyes for a brief moment as if struggling for control.  When he spoke again, his voice was a whiskey-smooth whisper.  “Ah, Mary, you have no idea what you’ve just done.”

His eyes were practically glowing with wicked intent.  It frightened and excited her at the same time.  “What have I done?” she murmured.

He growled deep in his chest, a sound that had her sex throbbing and preparing itself for him.  Then he grinned, a feral, sexy smile that would haunt her for the next few days. 

“Until Friday, Mary,” he said, opening her door for her.

T
he Callaghans are a powerful family in Pine Ridge, Pennsylvania, consisting of Jack Callaghan and his seven sons (Kane, Jake, Michael, Ian, Sean, Shane, and Kieran).  All of the males are similar in appearance, with jet black hair and blue eyes and heights ranging from around 6’2” to 6’5”. 

Fun fact:  Each son has a middle name of “Patrick”, a nod to St. Patrick, since every one of them was either born in or conceived in March.

Each of the sons follow in their father’s footsteps and become Navy SEALs after high-school, in addition to furthering their education in their particular area of expertise.  Once they complete their six-year commitment, they resume life in the private sector while taking part in the family-operated, covert, off-the-books team.  Technically, their team doesn’t exist, but they are often called upon when official organizations can’t get the job done through normal channels. 

J
ack Callaghan
– patriarch of the clan, father to seven sons.  Lost his beloved wife to pneumonia.  Never remarried.

Kane Callaghan -
The oldest and biggest, nicknamed the Iceman because of his cold detachment.  The least social of the brothers, he tends to keep to himself, and is often described as intensity personified.  He spends most of his time at the isolated family compound in the mountains, and handles the financial aspects of the clan and all of its holdings and endeavors.

Jake Callaghan –
Second-born son of Jack Callaghan, two years younger than Kane.  Runs the Pub in Pine Ridge with Ian.  He is closest to Ian, and is most like Kane in personality.  He is big, authoritative, aggressive, and often the only one capable of talking sense into the others when situations get out of hand.