First and Only: Callaghan Brothers, Book 2 (20 page)

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.

I
f 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.

* * *

I
an smoothed the imaginary wrinkles from his crisp white dress shirt, feeling every bit as anxious as he had when he went to his first school dance.  He did a quick self-inspection:  black slacks, pressed and creased, check.  Black shoes, matching and polished, check.  Tailored suit jacket and coordinated blue-striped tie, check.

He rapped his knuckles against the door, clutching the bouquet of miniature flowers - white rosebuds and sunset-colored lilies.  Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that he was a twenty-seven year old ex-SEAL, and he had done far more difficult things than this. 

Lexi was his
croie
.  Taking her out to an exclusive restaurant and proposing was the next natural step.  He would wait until after dessert, then –

As they had once before, Ian’s systems went into total lockdown when Lexi opened the door.  Struck dumb, he could only stare.

“What?” she asked, taking a step back to let him in.  “I look ridiculous, don’t I?  I told Taryn this was too much.  I’m going to change - ”

“Don’t.”  Ian forced the word out, his voice rough and husky, his eyes pleading.  “
Please
.  Just... just let me look at you, Lex.” 

His heart pounded against the inner walls of his chest as his eyes roamed the length of her body and back up again, certain that he was dreaming.  Lexi was dressed in a form-fitting white sheath that had the draped looked of a toga, trimmed in gold with slight accents of blue. The dress showcased her lightly bronzed skin, now glowing with sun-kissed radiance.  Slim bands of gold chains adorned her neck, her upper right arm, and her left ankle.  Her unpierced ears held gold ear cuffs draped with sapphires.  She wore her hair up, allowing streaked strands to fall loosely around her back and shoulders.

“Ian?  What’s wrong?” Lexi asked, her brows knitting together in concern.

“Just... give me a moment.”

In his near thirty years, he’d never been quite so thoroughly stricken.  Lexi had done what career soldiers could not – she had rendered him completely and utterly helpless.  He struggled to breathe through the constriction in his chest. 

“Ian?  Are you okay?” Lexi took a step toward him, cupping his face gently in her hands.  Ian suddenly knew what it was like to be touched by a goddess.  She looked up into his face, those golden amber eyes filled with concern and love. 
For him
.

He managed to put his hand over hers, only slightly aware that he was shaking.  He closed his eyes and turned to kiss her fingers, saying a silent prayer of thanks.  “I am now,” he said softly.

Lexi’s worried expression eased, replaced by a genuine, if not slightly disbelieving, smile, and in that moment Ian knew he would do anything to make her smile again.  It would become a lifelong pursuit to make sure she smiled at him, just like this, every day for the rest of their lives.

––––––––

“H
ow did you ever manage to get us in here?” Lexi asked, clearly impressed as they sat at a premier table in the back corner of the restaurant.  From there, they had an unimpeded view of a magnificent waterfall flowing among pristine gardens. 

Ian had never been to this particular restaurant before, but he knew of its reputation.  D’Armini’s was one of the most-sought after places to go,
the
top-rated restaurant in the Northeast US, boasting the talents of one of the world’s greatest master chefs – Francesco D’Armini.  People came from all over the world to dine under his mastery.  Getting in, let alone on a Friday night, was next to impossible unless you were a high-ranking political figure or of comparable rock star status.

Or you knew someone who was and they owed you.

Ian smiled and shrugged as if it was no big deal.  He’d had to call in a few favors, but seeing that look on Lexi’s face would have been worth a thousand times more.

The dinner was exquisite.  When Lexi sent her compliments to the chef, he came out personally, his eyes growing as wide as saucers when his eyes found Lexi.  He was an older man – Ian put his age somewhere around mid to late 50s – with the shape of a man who took good care of himself but still loved his creations. 

“Alexis!” the man cried in a thick Italian accent.  “Can it be?”

She blushed at the attention as some of the other diners turned to look at the patron who had garnered the attention of the chef.    “Most beautiful protégé I ever had,” he said fondly with a kiss to each cheek and a warm embrace.  “And my most favorite student, eh?”

Lexi blushed deeper, making the big man rumble with laughter.  The waiters looked on in stunned silence, unused to seeing the chef quite so jovial. 

“Ah, still shy I see,” he said.  “Such a rare treasure these days, to find a woman so enchantingly oblivious to the spell she casts on those around her.” 

“Chef D’Armini, how wonderful to see you again,” Lexi said, rising to her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.  “As handsome and charming as ever, you rascal,” she added, making him laugh even more.  The world-renowned chef grinned like a schoolboy at the compliment.  A few diners pulled out their Droids, no doubt sensing that anyone garnering such attention from Francesco D’Armini had to be Twitter-worthy at the very least.

“Come,
bella
,” said Francesco, indicating that Ian should join them as well.  “We will speak in a more private venue, eh?”

He ushered them into his private office.  It was unexpectedly simple, but done with exquisite taste. Dark, rich fabrics and smooth, polished wood suggested understated elegance with a high price tag.

“You are very naughty, Alexis,” he scolded with affection.  “If I had known you were coming I would have prepared something special for you.” 

“Everything was fabulous,” Lexi praised, making him beam even more.  “And I didn’t know we were coming here.”  She glanced at Ian, who stood against the wall like a bodyguard. 

Chef D’Armini followed her gaze, and looked appraisingly at Ian.  “This boy, he is treating you good, yes?”

Ian straightened a little.  It had been a long time since anyone had called him a “boy”, but he took it in stride.

“Yes, sir.  He is.”  She flashed Ian a shy smile that melted his heart.  There was a soft, ethereal quality to her voice that he only heard when she spoke to him. 

“Ah, I see.”  The chef leaned in close, his face softening.  “He is the one, is he not?”  He spoke quietly, but Ian’s keen ears heard every word.  A lovely, familiar blush rose in Lexi’s cheeks as she averted her gaze.

The chef turned to Ian.  “You are a fortunate man,” he said, his voice full and somber.  Ian detected something else in there, too.  A warning, perhaps?  It seemed as though Lexi brought out the protective male instinct in everyone.

“Yes, I am,” Ian replied simply.  He held the chef’s gaze so that they understood each other.  After a long minute, the chef nodded, satisfied.

“
Bene
.  You will invite me to the wedding, no?”

* * *

L
exi was mortified.  Turning at least a dozen increasingly dark shades of red, she looked down at the expensive carpeting, unwilling to see the look of “not happening” on Ian’s face.

“I’m sorry about that,” Lexi said quietly as they made the hour and a half drive back toward Pine Ridge.  Ian’s mood had been subdued ever since they’d left the Chef’s private office.  He’d barely spoken ten words to her over the coffee and dessert; his mind seemed a million miles away. 

She wished it didn’t bother her as much as it did.  She knew her time with Ian was limited, knew that in less than forty-eight hours she would be on her way back to Benton.  But there was some part of her that wanted to believe in fairy tale endings.  She shut those thoughts down as soon as they began to surface, unwilling to let anything mar the time she did have.

“Don’t be.”  The expression on his face was unreadable, his blue eyes crystal clear, like living glass. 

The silence in the sleek black Jag – Michael’s – was making her paranoid.  “The dinner was fabulous, Ian.  Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”  He offered a slight smile that made her want to scream in frustration.  What was going through his mind? 

“Look, Ian, don’t pay any attention to what Chef D’Armini said.  He’s a hopeless romantic, always trying to play matchmaker.  It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“N-no,” she answered, silently cursing the stutter she thought she had mastered years ago.  Her face was flushed, the butterflies in her stomach multiplied a hundred times over.  A familiar weakness started creeping into her extremities, brought on by the slight rise in her heartbeat and the decided lack of meds keeping her on an even keel.  For the remainder of the ride she kept silent, concentrating on regulating her breathing before she made an even bigger fool out of herself.

The moment they got back to her hotel room she excused herself and practically ran into the bathroom.  She breathed a sigh of relief when the welcome cooling sensation of the injection circulated through her body.  Within a few moments she started to feel better, but it wasn’t enough.  She looked longingly at the last remaining vial, but wouldn’t allow herself the extra fix.  She had to save it to get through her last twenty-four hours.  The ride home was going to be a bitch, but it would be worth it to have this extra time with Ian. 

A stranger’s face stared back at her in the mirror.  Who was she kidding, anyway?  She looked down at the dress, the jewelry, the shoes.  Nothing but Cinderella dressing for the ball, except she’d stretched her one night of magic into an entire week.  Soon her clock would strike twelve, and it would all go away.  But it had been worth it.  How many people got to live their dreams, even for a little while?

Lexi took a few deep breaths and pulled herself together.  Her prince was waiting, and they didn’t have much time.

“Come here.”

Ian’s voice was low, commanding, and Lexi felt a compulsion to do exactly as he said, but she fought it.  She shook her head hesitantly, unconsciously taking a step back.

Ian’s eyes burned a bright, glowing blue with an intensity that she felt all the way down to her toes. His unknotted tie hung loosely around his neck, the top few buttons of his dress shirt already undone.  She stifled a little whimper as he slid the belt from his slacks smoothly, running the leather through his hands suggestively. 

Oh, God.
  She knew what was coming.  She had practically begged him for it.

“
Come here
.” 

“No,” she squeaked, barely louder than a whisper.  Ian walked slowly toward her, a massive wall of pure male, his eyes never wavering, his gait predatory.  Lexi stepped backward until the wall prevented any further retreat.  He stopped mere inches from her, pressing his hands to the wall, his much larger body becoming a cage around hers without physically touching her. 

But this was Ian.  His very presence surrounded her, enveloped her, stroked her more masterfully than anyone else’s hands ever could.  What the hell had she been thinking, believing that she could ever handle this and emerge unscathed?  Each moment in his arms, each night spent sharing a bed with him only reinforced the fact that she was in way over her head.