First and Only: Callaghan Brothers, Book 2 (33 page)

Lexi lifted her head up enough to look into his face.  “Can I?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered, his voice strained even as his eyes begged her.  “Please, Lexi.  It’s okay, I swear it.”

She slid down his body, again slowly, giving him the chance to change his mind.  He didn’t.  Instead, he lifted his head up enough to watch.  Lexi’s lips parted, hovering just above him.  She looked questioningly into his eyes once more, praying he wouldn’t refuse her.

“Yes, Lexi.  Suck me, baby.  I’m begging you.  Please.  I need you to love me with that sweet, sweet mouth of yours.”

Her eyes half-closed slowly as she gave herself over to the hunger raging for control.  Lexi held him in her hand, pressing soft, wet kisses along his shaft until he fought to breathe.  Then she began to lick him, base to tip, swirling around his balls, then starting all over again.  Ian’s hands fisted in the bedding with her exquisite torture.  When she finally took him in her mouth, his hips bucked, but he made no move to stop her. 

His body tensed as he grew closer to his peak.  Lexi felt it coming, too.  She doubled her efforts, sucking harder, stroking faster, squeezing him with gentle, agonizing pressure. 

“Baby,” Ian whispered, pulling her on top of him and holding her like a precious treasure.  “I need to be inside you,” he whispered.  “Straddle me, Lexi.  Take me inside you.”

She needed him, too.  So badly.  Before he changed his mind, she allowed him to guide her onto him slowly, holding her hips to keep her from moving too quickly.  The hiss he let out as she came down around him was music to her ears. 

“Yes, Lexi.  Jesus.  Ride me, baby.”

Lexi placed her palms on his chest and began to move.  She rocked her hips forward and backward, lifting up and then impaling herself again.  It only took a few strokes for her to begin to lose herself.

Lexi tossed her head back.  Ian was inside her. 
Ian was inside her
.  Nothing had ever felt better, more right.  She was so tired of worrying about what was going to happen next.  Right now, at this moment, she had her man inside her, and all was right with her world.

When she came, she came hard.  Ian held her in place and pumped into her from below, one, two three thrusts before lifting her up and pulling out.  She collapsed on his chest, feeling the hot jets of his release shooting across her behind, up onto her back.  It was one of the most erotic things she’d ever felt, but it was disappointing, too.

“You pulled out,” she said quietly, after their heartbeats had begun to return to normal.

“Yeah.”

Her finger traced little circles against his chest as she lay tucked beneath his shoulder, her body half covering his. 

“I didn’t want to,” he said.

“I know.”  And she did know.  Just as she knew exactly why he had done it.  Because another pregnancy right now would probably kill her. 

Ian’s hand moved slowly up and down her back.  As if sensing her thoughts, he said, “I want more kids with you, Lex.”

“You do?”

“Hell, yes.  But if it’s not right for us, then I’m okay with that, too.  As long as I have you and Patrick, I don’t need anything else.”

Long moments of silence passed between them.  Michael had told her that if the new treatments were successful, there was no reason she couldn’t live a fairly normal life, including having more children – something she had been terrified she would not be able to do. 

It wouldn’t be easy; she would have to be extra-careful, even more cautious than usual, but it would be worth it.  And she definitely would like Patrick to have a little brother or sister someday.  Maybe several.  But in order to make that happen, she had to do a lot better than she had been. 

“I love you, Ian.”

“I love you, too, Lexi.”

“L
exi, baby, time to wake up.”  Ian’s big body was curled around hers.  She hadn’t slept much.  She’d drifted in and out of slumber, half-expecting Ian to be gone if she allowed herself to fall asleep too deeply.  It was exceptionally difficult.  Wrapped in his strong arms, suffused with his warmth, her body melted against him, feeling safe and secure. 

Her mind, on the other hand, refused to relax.  If he left again, she wanted to know right away instead of thinking everything was okay when it wasn’t.  But Ian hadn’t left.  He’d stayed right there beside her throughout the night.  And when she reached out to him in the darkness, he didn’t turn away.  After getting up to check on Patrick – something she still did several times a night – he’d been waiting for her, pulling her into him as if she’d never left.

One eye peeked open, expecting to see sunlight.  The bedroom, however, was still dark.  The glowing numbers on the nightstand clock read four a.m.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her mother’s worry spiking across her consciousness.  “Is Patrick okay?”

“He’s fine,” Ian assured her, pulling back the covers gently and planting a kiss on her shoulder.  Even that was enough to have her stirring.

“Oh, no,” he chuckled at her sensual moan.  “Not this morning.”

No sex?  Then what was the point of getting up this early?  Lexi grabbed the bedding and pulled it right back up to her chin, burrowing into her pillow with a little growl.  “I don’t get up till seven,” she informed him, her voice muffled by the down. 

“Not today you don’t,” he said, yanking the covers down again.  “Coffee, a light breakfast, then you’re due at the fitness center by five.”

“I don’t belong to a fitness center,” she grumbled.  “But please, feel free to go on without me.  Wake me up when you get back.”

“Doesn’t work that way, baby,” he said, the smile evident in his voice.  He slipped his arms beneath her body and lifted her like a doll.  She curled into his chest, burrowing her face into his neck.  The next thing she knew a blast of cool water was streaming down over her.

“Ian!” she shrieked, clinging to his body for warmth against the sudden shock of cold.

“Sshhh,” he warned.  “Everyone else is sleeping.”

“Of course they’re sleeping,” she said through gritted teeth.  “It’s still the middle of the night.”

The corners of Ian’s mouth quirked as he slipped out of her grasp.  “You’ve got ten minutes,” he told her, holding her under the water.  Then he was gone, leaving Lexi to wonder how difficult it would be to shove a bar of soap up that arrogant yet delectable ass of his.

She was still grumbling when she appeared in the little kitchenette a little while later wearing the loose Capri sweats and T he’d set in the bathroom for her. 

“You know,” he said, his eyes amused as he looked her up and down, “I don’t recall you being this grumpy in the morning.”

“That’s because waking up for early morning sex is infinitely preferable to being tossed in a cold shower.”

His lips quirked.  “You’re not strong enough for early morning sex yet.”  His eyes began to glow.  “Once a day, baby, till we get you healthy again.  Follow the program, keep up with your treatments and we’ll take it from there.”

Once a day?  Was he insane?  And what the hell was this program he was talking about?  She looked at the food he’d laid out on the counter – coffee, soy milk, a banana, and a whole grain muffin with peanut butter. She narrowed her eyes. 

“So what are you telling me – if I’m a good girl and do as I’m told you’ll reward me with sex?” she asked facetiously.

“Exactly.”  Ian’s eyes glittered. 

Lexi had to make a conscious effort to keep her jaw from hitting the floor.  “You must be joking.”

“Not even close,” he told her, sliding a paper in front of her.  “This is your schedule for today.”

Lexi glanced down, not believing what she saw.  Every hour of her day was planned out, including meals, workouts, rest periods, with a few hours allotted for working.  “You’re insane,” she said, pushing the paper away.  “I’m not doing this.”

“Yes, Lexi, you are.”  Ian didn’t raise his voice, but his tone took on an authoritative quality that breached no argument.  He pushed the paper back toward her.  “And I’ll tell you why you are going to do it.”

Lexi watched, her eyes widening as Ian reached down into his sweats, his arousal obvious as he stroked himself. It was so incredibly erotic she had to tighten her thighs.  “Because I need you, Lexi.  And I think you need me, too.  You’re not the only one who misses early morning sex.”

She swallowed hard, licking her lips.  He had no idea just how much she needed him.  Or did he?  It was both a relief and a disappointment when he tucked himself away and leaned back against the counter. 

“What are these numbers?” she asked, noticing the values etched next to the various items on the schedule.

“Weighted point values,” he said, grinning.  “Points earn you rewards.”

“Rewards?”

He nodded.  “Rewards.  Positive reinforcement for good behavior.  Be a good girl, Lex, and you will be rewarded, baby.”

“And what exactly are these rewards?”

He shrugged.  “Whatever you want.  Rides on the Harley.  Midnight picnics.  Sexual favors.”  At the mention of the last, she inhaled sharply, making him laugh, though his eyes reflected the same hunger she was sure was in hers.

A soft knock at the door had her reining in her wild thoughts. 

“Now who is that at this ungodly hour?” Lexi asked, but Ian didn’t seem surprised in the least.  She understood why a few moments later when Shane appeared, looking wide awake in light sweats and a muscle shirt under a black jacket.  Without apology, he grabbed her coffee mug and downed the rest of the contents in a single swig.

“Let’s go, Lex.”

Lexi looked questioningly at Ian, expecting him to say something.  He didn’t.  She started getting a bad feeling in her stomach.  “Go where?”

“To the gym.”

Ian grinned.  “Meet your new personal trainer, baby.”

“Oh no.  Oh
hell
no.”

“Oh hell yes,” Shane said, his eyes sparkling. 

“Ian, do something!” she said helplessly.

Ian ignored her pleas and regarded Shane.  “Have her back by eight-thirty.  Aidan’s expecting her at nine o’clock.”

“Ian!” she shrieked as Shane grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the door.  Ian, however, made no move to come to her aid.  He leaned against the counter, one leg crossed casually over the other at the ankle, feet bare, coffee in hand.  “You’re not coming?”

“Fuck no,” he said cheerily.  “Too goddamned early.  I’m going back to bed.”

* * *

T
he gym time (an hour of swimming, followed by an introductory yoga class) was followed up by meeting with Aidan over breakfast, then working for a few hours.  Ian’s schedule allotted four hours a day to start, which allowed Lexi to make progress on planning the menu, lining up suppliers, and so forth.  It was much less than the ten hours a day she had been putting in, but Aidan was just as immovable as Ian when she tried to discuss it with him.

“So, you were in on this, too, I take it.”  Lexi sipped her tea – apparently she was only permitted one cup of coffee per day – as Aidan pulled out yet another folder of natural food suppliers in the Mediterranean.  It wasn’t as much of a question as an accusation, but it was spoken without any sharpness.

“How long have we known each other, Lex?”  He left the file unopened and sat back in his chair.  For the first time, Lexi noticed how tired he looked.

“A long time.”

Aidan smiled.  “Yeah, a long time.  And I have never been as worried about you as I have been these last few months.  All the times you were in the hospital, all the times you needed a transfusion, I didn’t worry so much, because I always knew that you’d come through it okay.  You had so much life in you, Lex.  So much inner strength.  I never doubted you, not once.”

“But then...  I don’t know.  You gave up, Lex.  And I, like everyone else who cares about you, had to sit back and watch you destroy yourself, a little more each day.  So when Ian called me and told me about what he and Michael had cooked up, hell, yes I jumped on board.  And I’ll not apologize for it.”

He smiled wryly.  “I’ll admit it’s a shot to my ego, though.  I kind of liked playing hero all by myself.”

Lexi laughed softly.  “You
are
my hero, Aidan.  You think I was the strong one, but you were the one holding me up all these years.  I never could have made it this far without you.  I am so sorry I made you worry so much.”

“Just promise me you’ll work with us on this, okay?” he said, his eyes shining.

“I promise.”

The meals and the workout kept Lexi focused, and by the end of the four hours, she was amazed at what she had been able to accomplish.  Ian arrived to pick her up with Patrick in tow.  He was taking her to the nearby town of Birch Falls for a lunch appointment with Johnny to discuss renovations on the house.  Lexi was forbidden from doing any of the work herself, but Johnny assured her she would be pleased with the results. 

The best part of all was having Ian by her side, smiling at her, talking with her, touching her and sneaking kisses whenever he could.

After meeting with Johnny, Lexi was required to “rest”.  Ian told her that could include anything not too physically demanding.  Fortunately, he was flexible enough to allow for some “rewards” and “incentives for good behavior” while Patrick took his nap.

Dinner was prepared in the Pub kitchen.  By popular demand, Lexi was allowed to oversee and assist in the meal preparation.  Jack Callaghan joked that it was the first time so many of his boys ate a meal together in years, and hoped that it would become a regular event.

Lexi was not allowed to clean up the kitchen afterwards.  She didn’t protest that one too much.

After dinner, Lexi retired upstairs with Patrick.  Together they watched movies, played games, read books, often with Taryn and Riley.  When the kids went down for the night, Lexi had time to herself.  Sometimes she and Taryn would curl up with a movie and popcorn; sometimes they’d go their separate ways, each comfortable in the knowledge that the other was only a soft knock away.

The support she received was overwhelming, and Lexi felt blessed.