THE CALLAHANS (A Mafia Romance): The Complete 5 Books Series (56 page)

He sat back as I slipped my hand into his pants, grasping his cock in its nest of soft boxers and heavy denim. He was hard as a rock, his cock surprisingly silky soft despite the rigidity just below the surface. And his head…I was a little surprised to find it moist when my thumb ran over it, and even more surprised to feel him jump as I touched him.

“Easy,” he said, brushing my thumb away from him.

I didn’t know what was sensitive, what wasn’t, what I could be rough with, and what I had to be a bit gentler with. All I knew was how he reacted when I ran my hand down along the length of his shaft and how he jumped when I accidentally brushed my fingers over the bare head of his cock again. I watched him, growing fascinated by the way the muscle in his jaw jumped, the way his mouth opened just slightly, every time I did something he liked. I learned a lot just by gaging his reaction.

I stroked him for a long few minutes, watching my hand move over the length of him, watching his reaction. I ran my fingertip along the bottom side of the mushroom-like roundness of his head and bit my lip when he groaned, his hand still wrapped in my hair, pulling me closer. He wanted me to take him in my mouth…I knew this. I just wasn’t sure it was something I was capable of doing. I’d heard stories in high school, talked to girlfriends about the things they’d done with their boyfriends. I’d even walked in on one such scenario when I was in college, catching my roommate in a compromising position that wasn’t much different from this. I’d always thought it was something I could never do. But now…now? I was thinking maybe it wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be.

My mother would be spinning in her grave if she could see me now.

I ran the tip of my tongue down along the underside of his shaft, surprised again by the softness of his skin here. He groaned as my breath brushed against the moisture left by my tongue, sending those little shivers of electricity through him that he’d given me when his mouth touched my nipple. And then I ran my tongue back up, moving it around the outer edge of his head until he groaned long and loud.

“Damn, babe,” he groaned.

And that’s when I realized what it was about this that made it exciting. It may have appeared that he had all the power but, in truth, I was the one with the power. And that was more exciting than any touch, any kiss, anything.

I teased him with another pass down the bottom side of his shaft, and then I ran my tongue over his head, sliding it against the tenderest places until I thought he was going to jump off the couch. Not until then did I slowly take him into my mouth, surprised at how pleasurable it actually was. I’d thought it would be…well, not like this. But it was actually quite fascinating, not just the way it made him moan or the texture of it, but the taste and the tingle of his precum as it ran over my tongue.

It almost hurt as he guided me with that hand wrapped around my ponytail. But that added to the excitement, too.

There would be time for regrets later. But right now, I was actually enjoying the power of making him moan, of making him whisper words of encouragement to me, as I did the best I could to offer him some of the same pleasure he’d given me back at the hotel. After a few minutes, he relaxed his grip on me, relaxing back against the couch, the greatest sounds coming from between his lips. He didn’t touch me again until he swelled a little more, until he cried out.

When it was over, he pulled me back up onto the couch with him and pulled me back against his chest. That’s when the good Catholic girl shame began to settle over me. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d thought it would be. He kissed my neck a few times, then he lay me carefully down on the couch, pulling a blanket over my shoulders. I felt him get up a moment later and move toward the back of the plane. His voice traveled back to me, low and deep, steady. I worried for a minute that he was talking to that pretty flight attendant, but then I realized he was talking to his brother on the phone.

I closed my eyes and let the sound of his voice flow over me. He had a nice voice. There was a lot about him that was nice. His kiss. His touch. He was so hot! And he was a gentleman when he wasn’t being aggressive, when he wasn’t sleeping with any girl that looked his way, when he wasn’t gambling away his incredible trust fund.

I fell asleep, the taste of him on my lips, my dreams less filled with darkness than they had been in a long time.

Kyle

“The Italians have taken out three of our warehouses. Someone’s been slipping them information and they’re using it to creep into our territories.”

I listened to Ian, trying to imagine what a mess I was walking into as I headed back to Boston. And then I turned and caught sight of Amelia, realizing I was dragging her into something she’d probably never imagined, let alone would understand. It wasn’t fair, but I couldn’t leave her back in Vegas and ever hope to find out what really happened the night we got married. Not to mention the hit to Pops’ reputation, especially if she used our marriage to try to leverage the family for money. I wouldn’t put it past any woman, especially if she knew who I was when we walked down that aisle. There were so many reasons why she
had
to be on this plane with me, but there was still a little twinge of guilt in my gut whenever I looked at her.

“What does Jack have to say about all this?”

“He’s trying to get a meeting with the leader of the Italians, but there hasn’t been much success in that area so far.”

Not going to happen.

We’d tried to meet with the Italians before, but they didn’t want to have anything to do with us when they thought they could take over our territories. It would probably be the same now.

“I should call Jack.”

“Probably,” Ian said. And then he made this little sound in the back of his throat. “So, we’ve heard a few rumors about you.”

“Rumors? What kind of rumors?”

“That you got married while you were in Vegas.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Vegas is a very small town, brother. It’s in the papers…and so it’s on the internet. Callahan is a big name these days, especially after Pops’ arrest last month.”

There was amusement in his voice at first, but as he mentioned the family name, and Pops specifically, the amusement was replaced by a touch of steel.

“It’s complicated.”

“It’s always complicated with you, Kyle.”

“I know that, but this time it really is.”

“Who is she? Some showgirl?”

“A cocktail waitress.”

Ian groaned. “That isn’t much better. You realize that, right?”

“She’s not what you think she is.”

“How long will the divorce take?”

“We’re not getting divorced.”

“Annulment, then.”

“Not happening.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Kyle,” Ian said. “If you cause any trouble for Pops, you’re going to have me and Killian to deal with.”

“I know.”

“The family can’t take any more hits right now. We’ve been through enough, and we still don’t know who kidnapped Brianna or set that hitman after Killian. We don’t know who’s trying to take Pops down. So we can’t really deal with more drama from you or anyone else.”

“Yes, sir,” I said, my voice crisp.

“Don’t get upset with me, Kyle. I’m not the one running off and marrying some Vegas cocktail waitress.”

“No, Ian, you wouldn’t do that, now would you? You’re too perfect for that sort of behavior.”

“Look,” Ian said after another long pause, “we’ll deal with this, whatever it is, later. Right now we need to focus on the Italians. That’s our problem now.”

“How’s Pops?”

“How do you think? He’s still struggling to pull together the edges of his tattered reputation. Killian did a hell of a job spinning this thing in the press, but there are still some people here in town who don’t believe the spin. And others…it’s a mess. Some want him hung for crimes he wasn’t even charged with, and others want him made a saint. It’s going to take time for all this to settle.”

“And Killian? The baby?”

“The baby’s fine. Kind of cute, actually.” Ian’s voice softened. “He looks a lot like Stacy right now.”

“Lucky kid. He could look like Killian.”

Ian laughed. “Yeah.”

I looked over at Amelia, the way her face was cradled in the palm of her hand. She had such smooth skin, like the top layer of cream on an ice cream soda. I wondered what a child with her would look like, mixed with my crazy mutt of genetic material. Probably have her blue eyes and the same narrow, patrician nose, but probably the little tilt…what the hell was I thinking? This wasn’t going to last. That girl was probably scared to hell of me after what I’d just made her do. She’ll probably run for the hills the first time I take my eyes off of her.

Women did that. A man dropped his guard and opened his life to her and the first thing she did was run. My mom…she was gone soon enough. And Abigail. It might not have been her choosing, but she still left me at a time when I needed her. Stacy, too, running off to New York the second she graduated high school. They all ran. It was stupid to think anyone would ever stick by me long enough to test my ability to remain faithful.

“The plane should land in an hour or so. Send a car to meet us?”

“Us? You brought her with you?”

“Couldn’t just leave her in Vegas.”

“Maybe you are finally growing up, brother.”

***

I felt like a different man as we stepped off the plane. I’d changed into a fresh suit and cleaned myself up as best as I could in the tiny bathroom. But it wasn’t just that. It was walking off that plane, knowing what waited for me at MCorp, what waited for me at my father’s house. And knowing that I was coming home with a little extra baggage.

Amelia seemed surprised when I woke her, her eyes moving slowly over the length of me as she sat up and shook the dreams from her confused mind.

“We’re in Boston?”

“We are.”

“Should I change?”

I shook my head. “I’m sending you to my place. I want you to wait there for me.”

“Alone? Where are you going?”

“I have some business to deal with. I’ll only be a few hours.”

She looked a little startled, but she didn’t say anything as I led her off the plane. There were two cars waiting, both dark SUVs like we were some sort of clandestine team or something. I turned her toward me and trapped her between the car and me for a long second.

“Things are a little complicated here. You’ll have to bear with me for a few days, okay?”

She nodded, her eyes everywhere but on my face. I lifted her chin and forced her to look me in the eye.

“Go to the house. Don’t be calling all your friends. Just watch a little television and wait for me.”

“Okay.”

I kissed her gently, my lips brushing hers for a long second.

I could get used to this, to having someone whose kisses I actually missed when I turned and walked away. I could get used to the idea of having someone waiting for me at home. There was something to the whole commitment thing. I was just…a man who had something…had something to lose.

I kissed her a little harder, then I pushed her back into the car. She was still watching me when I slammed the door.

“Make sure she stays at the house,” I said to Colin, one of Jack’s men, the man driving the car.

“Will do, boss.”

I watched them go before I climbed into the other car. Luke, another of Jack’s guys, handed me my gun and holster. He’d retrieved it from where I’d left it at my house. I shrugged out of my jacket and slipped the rig on, checking the gun’s clip before I slipped it into place. The jacket back on, I felt almost like the man I’d been before my little birthday celebration in Vegas.

“This meeting…”

“Jack’s arranged to meet with the head of the Harbor Point Bloods again. He wants their help in pushing the Italians back a little.”

“Will they help?”

“They said they would. But Jack’s a little worried that the Italians might make them a better deal. You know how it works…the Bloods go where the money is.”

“Isn’t that the way it is with just about everyone?”

Luke shrugged. He didn’t seem terribly impressed with my banter.

I stared out the window, watching the familiar landscape of my hometown fly by. I wondered what Amelia thought of the city. When there was time, I wanted to give her the real tour, the one tourists would never get. I wanted to show her the neighborhood where my Pops grew up, the place where our family began that he often took us to, where he told us the stories of his childhood over and over again until we couldn’t remember if it was his memory or ours. I wanted to show her the world that made me who I am.

“You get married?” Luke asked.

I glanced at him, and he gestured toward my hand. I’d almost forgotten the gold wedding band that still sat on my left ring finger.

“Yeah, I guess I did.”

“Is it one of those Vegas things, or real?”

That was the question, wasn’t it?

We pulled into the underground garage at MCorp a second later, so I didn’t have a chance to answer, not that I was going to anyway. Jack was waiting, sitting in the backseat of yet another SUV, surrounded by three or four of his men. I climbed in beside him, and the car headed out before I was seated.

Jack tossed a manila envelope at me.

“Where’s Sean?”

I shrugged as I worked the envelope open. “Don’t know. Why?”

“I’d like to hear from my daughter every once in a while, but I haven’t heard a word since they headed for Europe.”

“I’ll let him know the next time he calls.”

“You do that.”

There were multiple pictures inside the envelope. A couple of guys who were members of the Bloods…and a couple of guys I didn’t recognize.”

“These guys are going to be at the meeting. I want you to watch the one with the long scar. He’s been known to go a little crazy when he doesn’t like what’s going on.”

“Okay.”

“This is important, Kyle,” Jack said, leaning forward and resting his hands on my knees. “I’m glad you’re here to be a part of it.”

“Me, too, boss.”

A week ago, that sentence would have been completely true. All I’d ever wanted was to be a part of what Jack and Pops had built. But today I was distracted. It was dangerous to be distracted in this line of work.