Forever Mine: Callaghan Brothers, Book 9(25)

It was done. Kathleen was his, now and forever. He didn’t wait for permission to kiss the bride; if he had to wait one more second he wouldn’t have survived it. Brian told him later that everyone in the church had laughed and cheered, even the priest, but Jack couldn’t remember anything but the feel of her lips on his.

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Jack fought the growl that had been rolling around deep in his chest as the call for the bridal dance was announced. He’d sat through dinner, toasts, and the Father-Daughter dance, and now that he finally had her in his arms again, they’d come up with something else to keep them apart.

“It is tradition to dance with the bride,” Kathleen told him, sensing his irritation. Amusement danced in her emerald eyes as she tilted her head up to his. She was so beautiful, just looking at her took his breath away. And she was all his. Screw tradition. She belonged in no one’s arms but his. If only everyone would just go home and leave them alone, or maybe they could make their escape through the kitchen entrance...

“Don’t even think it, Jack Callaghan,” Kathleen warned under her breath, but she was smiling and she had that look in her eye, the one that said she wanted out of there as much as he did. “This is it, a one-time deal. We’ll have the rest of our lives to be together.”

“I suppose,” he sighed. “But I’ll not wait much longer, Kathleen. How long do these damn things go on, anyway?”

She laughed, the same eager anticipation burning in her eyes. “Too long. After the bridal dance, there’s the cutting of the cake, tossing the bouquet, and the removal of the garter.”

This time he couldn’t totally withhold a soft growl, thinking about that particular tradition. Of running his hands beneath the full skirt of her gown, up her silk-sheathed calf, to remove the garter belt. “How high is it?” he whispered against the soft shell of her ear.

“Not high enough,” she said huskily, nearly sending him to his knees. Brian tapped his shoulder, and it took everything he had not to throw Kathleen over his shoulder and run out the door right then and there.





Chapter Eleven


“Easy, Jack,” Brian advised under his breath. Jack clenched his jaw even tighter, curling his hand around the beer bottle until it was in danger of shattering. His glare remained fixed on the dance floor, specifically on the blonde-haired, blue-eyed asshole dancing with his new bride. The bastard obviously had a death wish. He was holding her too goddamn close, and if his hand moved even one fraction of an inch lower, Jack was going to rip it off and choke him with it.

“Who is that guy?” Jack managed.

“Tristan Dumas. His father bought up a few hundred acres of local farmland for the new corporate headquarters of Dumas Industries.”

That gave Jack another reason to dislike the smarmy-looking bastard. “Who the hell invited him?”

Brian shrugged and looked around at the huge crowd. After nearly six hours of revelry, the celebration was still going strong. “I doubt there’s not a person in Pine Ridge or Birch Falls that isn’t here. Of course, not all of them drive a Mercedes and have a house in the Hamptons.”

Jack grunted and took another long pull from his beer. “Go ahead, laugh it up. Wait till you’re forced to sit here and watch him dance with your wife.”

“I haven’t even asked Adonia yet,” Brian confided.

“Why the hell not?”

Brian looked down at his hands. “I’m not convinced she’ll say yes.”

“Seriously? Adonia thinks the world revolves around you, man.”

“She’s from Greece, Jack,” he said miserably.

“So?”

“So? Hello. This is Pine Ridge, not the Mediterranean. Not to mention her father owns a huge shipping company and thinks his daughter can do a hell of a lot better than me.” He exhaled heavily. “Maybe he’s right.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Jack told him point-blank.

“I’m serious, Jack. What could I possibly give her that she doesn’t already have?”

“You. Are you seriously telling me you think there’s another man out there who is going to love her better than you will?”

“Well, no, but she shouldn’t have to choose between her family and me.”

“No, she shouldn’t, but it’s not you forcing her to choose now, is it? Let the woman make up her own mind.”

“But -—”.

“No buts, Bri. The woman is your croie. Get your head out of your arse and do something about it.”

Brian’s lips quirked. “An expert in croies now, are you?”

“Damn right,” Jack nodded emphatically. “And I’m a smart enough man to grab mine with both hands and never let her go. As a matter of fact, I’m going to be getting on with that right now.”

“Atta boy, Jack,” Brian laughed. “Go grab your woman.”

Jack stalked across the floor, a man on a mission. He tapped Tristan Dumas (rather hard) on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming. Now get the hell away from my wife.”

Dumas scowled, then evened his features and addressed Kathleen. “Congratulations once again, Katie. And think about what I said.”

Jack pulled Kathleen close against him. The need to touch her had become an addiction.