Not Barbara!
I didn’t stop in my escape until I was out of the house and safely inside my locked car and speeding away. I thanked God that I lived in a secure apartment complex because God only knew what Alec Slater was going to do to me once he eventually got his hands on me.
I was so dead.
“We aren’t really havin’ sex … ye’know that, right?”
I had forgotten about Damien when I originally fled Bronagh’s house. When I realised that he wasn’t with me, I swiftly turned back around and drove back to get him. I made sure to stay in my car with the doors locked until he jogged out of the house, laughing like a madman. Tears fell from his eyes when Alec chased my car on foot while I, on the other hand, screamed bloody murder until I lost sight of him in my rear-view mirror.
“You mean you were only saying what you thought I wanted to hear to enlist my help so I’d get you away from my psychotic older brother who intended to tickle you to death for breaking his favourite tea cup? I’m positively shocked at this turn of events.”
I stared at Damien, my lips pursed.
“Well—” I blinked “—this was your first smartarse moment in our relationship.”
“Should we mark it on your calendar to celebrate next year?”
“And that—” I rolled my eyes “—was your second. Third strike, and you’re out, buddy.”
Damien’s devilish grin did things to my insides. Naughty, naughty things.
“Have you ever watched a game of baseball in your life?”
“Jesus, no.” I felt myself pale. “Why would I ever do somethin’ like that?”
His laughter brought a smile to my face.
“I love your laugh.”
“Yeah?” he asked, his bright eyes gleaming. “I’m a little partial to yours, too.”
“Sweet talker.”
He helped me out of my coat, then hung it up and his own while I saw to Barbara. I opened the sitting room door carefully, and instantly, a putrid odour stung at my nostrils. I quickly glanced around and saw the used litter tray.
“Why on Earth did I leave the stupid tray in ’ere?”
I placed my hands on my hips and searched the room, coming to a stop when I found Barbara sitting on my curtain pole.
“Barbara!” I gasped. “How in Christ’s name did you get up there?”
“How did she get up whe—holy shit.”
I began to panic and rushed across the room until I was directly below Barbara with my hands up, ready to catch her in case she fell. She was looking down at me with a bored expression and made no move to even try and get down.
“She stinks.”
“Damien, focus on her right now, not the stupid smell.”
“Alannah, she’s a cat,” he said, calmly. “She won’t fall, and if she does, we’ll catch her.”
“We?” I demanded. “I’m the only one standin’ ’ere with me hands up.”
“I can see that,” he replied. “Your t-shirt has ridden up with the action … your ass looks so damn fine in those jeans.”
“Damien!”
“Right, sorry. I’ll get her.”
He moved to my side, and without having to really stretch, he reached up and plucked Barbara from her seated position. Her nails snagged on the curtains, so Damien gently tugged the fabric free. When he handed the cat to me, I cuddled her against my chest, then hissed when her nails dug into me.
“You little bitch, that hurt.”
“Nails like needles, huh?”
“Yeah.” I frowned. “I need to put water in a spray bottle to teach ’er not to climb on the curtains. Not only could she fall, but she’ll also ruin the curtains with ’er nails.”
Damien raised a brow. “Cats tend to scratch things like furniture a lot.”
“But I got ’er a scratchin’ post!”
His lips twitched. “She’s still getting used to the apartment and to us. She’ll learn in time.”
“I guess.”
I put Barbara down, and she instantly jumped onto the settee, snuggled under one of the cushions, and plopped down on her stomach as if she had just finished running a marathon. I shook my head at her, then proceeded to clean out her litter tray while Damien moved her food and water bowls into the kitchen. I put the litter tray in the corner of the room and made a mental note to clean it out a few times a day. If I kept it poop and pee free, no smell would linger. I hoped anyway.
Damien was headed to the bathroom when he glanced into the office, paused then turned and entered the room, flipping the light on as he went.
“What the hell happened in here?”
“Oh, me office.” I beamed as I practically bounced into the room. “What d’ye think?”
“I think it’s awesome, but baby, I would have done this for you.”
“It’s really okay. I did it with Morgan.”
“You did it with Morgan?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “His first day was today, and we converted the room in, like, an hour.”
It took me a moment to realise that Damien was very quiet and very still. I turned my attention from my office to him and found him staring at me. His body was tense, and it didn’t take a lot for me to sense that he was annoyed. I put two and two together and cringed. This was about Morgan.
“Did I not tell you that his first day was today?”
“No,” Damien answered coolly. “You didn’t.”
His tone told me he was mad and maybe a little jealous.
“I forgot with Branna havin’ the twins, findin’ out me ma is sick, and then gettin’ with you,” I said, knotting my fingers together. “It’s only been a few days since all of those things happened, and I’m still reelin’, and it just slipped me mind. I’m sorry.”
He nodded and looked away from me, so I stepped into his space and put my arms around his waist.
“You have no reason to be mad or jealous,” I said, speaking calmly. “None. Morgan works for me, and that’s it.”
Damien slowly relaxed.
“I know.” He sighed. “I trust you, I do …”
“But?”
“But we’re brand new, and another guy being around you just rubs me the wrong way. It’s petty, I know, but it’s just a nagging feeling.”
I tilted my head. “Would it make you feel better if you met Morgan?”
“Yes,” Damien answered instantly. “This guy is a stranger to me, to you, so meeting him would probably relax me.”
I doubted that, but I was willing to give it a shot.
“He works for me five days a week, but we’re flexible, so most the time, he might not even be ’ere. He works from ten to two when he is ’ere, and ten to three when he isn’t or less if he clocks his hours before then. Twenty-seven hours a week in total is what we agreed.”
Damien frowned. “I have my work scheduled set in stone for the next few weeks, and I start at nine. Mr Collins doesn’t tolerate showing up late, and I can’t have any days off while Ryder is on his paternity leave. Harley and JJ have four days off to check out a location for a bar they’re considering buying, or something like that.”
“Dame.” I chuckled. “You will meet Morgan eventually; it doesn’t have to be right this second.”
He only nodded in response, and I knew that meeting Morgan this second was exactly what he wanted, but I couldn’t change that, so I pushed it aside and turned back to my office.
“We have to paint or wallpaper in ’ere.”
“Are you allowed?” Damien asked, his tone lighter.
“The estate agent said the landlord allows people to decorate, but it has to be tasteful and match the furniture he or she provides.”
“You don’t know if your landlord is a man or a woman?”
I shrugged. “They did business through the estate agent; they probably don’t wanna be involved directly with their tenants. Lots of landlords do that.”
“I suppose,” Damien said, walking around the room. “You should create some canvas painting
s and hang them up.”
“Morgan suggested the same thing.”
Damien didn’t answer; he only checked how sturdy the bookcase and my desk were. I shook my head at him as he searched for some fault and made a mental note not to talk about Morgan around him so his emotions could stay in check. I understood where he was coming from, and he admitted he would be jealous. I didn’t want to push something in his face that was really nothing to worry about.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, changing the subject. “I’ve had the meat for dinner cookin’ on low all day. I’m gonna get the mash, roasties, croquettes, and veg ready now if you wanna help?”
“I’ll help.” Damien nodded. “That’s a whole lot of potatoes, though.”
I leaned back and looked at him like he grew an extra head.
“There’s no such thing as too much. You’re in Ireland, bud.”
Damien smirked. “Say potato.”
I deadpanned. “No.”
“Say it,” he pressed.
“No.”
He pouted, the grown man really pouted, and it drew a sigh from me.
“Fine, potato.” I playfully rolled my eyes at Damien’s snort. “But I don’t even call them that.”
“Do you call them ba-day-tahs like the other girls?”
I laughed at how slowly he pronounced it.
“Yeah, that’s how I say it.”
“I like just stick to potatoes; that way is too much of a mouthful for me.”
Together, we entered the kitchen and got to work on our dinner. After we got everything prepared and ready to cook, I removed the meat and covered it with foil until it was time to slice it up. I always listened to music as I cooked the dinner, so I instinctively reached into my back pocket of my jeans, feeling for my phone. When I realised it wasn’t on my person, I checked each room of the apartment.
“What are you looking for?”
“Me phone,” I answered then groaned. “I think I left it in me car. I’m always doin’ that!”
“I’ll go and get it.”
“No.” I sighed. “I’ll do it; you just keep an eye on Barbara.”
I left my apartment and took the elevator down to the lobby. I jogged out of the building and to my car, where I scowled at my phone sitting in one of the cup holders.
“Stupid thing.”
After I got my phone, locked my car, and briskly walked back into my building, I entered the elevator but had to hold it open when someone hollered for me to. I nodded in greeting to Kane as he jogged into the elevator and said, “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
He flashed his personal fob over the scannered then he hit the button for his floor.
“Aideen called me.”
I glanced at him. “Yeah?”
“Hmm.”
“Is there a reason you’re tellin’ me this?”
“She mentioned what you did to Alec’s cup.”
I felt heat climb up my neck.
“It was an accident,” I stressed. “A complete and total accident.”
“I also heard he tried to murder you.”
“He did.” I bobbed my head. “You should have seen ’im; he was like a ravin’ lunatic.”
Kane looked down at me, and it was obvious he was fighting off a smile.
“It’s not funny!” I scowled as the elevators doors closed. “I nearly had a heart attack when he cornered me on that trampoline.”
“I wish I was there to see it.”
I shook my head, fighting off a grin as Kane’s shoulders lightly shook. Myself and Kane rarely spoke, so I felt bloody proud of myself whenever we did because I always seemed to make him grin, smile, or laugh, and anyone who knew him knew how difficult a task that was. I looked at him and noted he had no bags or anything that he could have picked up on the errands he was running.
“What?’ he asked when he noticed my eyes on him.
I shrugged. “Do anythin’ fun today?”
“Errands,” he answered flatly.
I narrowed my eyes a little before I looked forward.
“What was that look for?”
“Damien and Aideen looked away when they told me you were runnin’ errands, and I wanted to see if you’d do the same.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to see if you were going to lie to me like they did.”
I felt Kane’s eyes drill a hole into the side of my face.
“What do you think they lied to you about?”
“I’ve no clue, and I’m not gonna press the issue because what you do is none of me business.”
Silence.
“I’ll tell you if you want to know.”
“It’s okay,” I said with a shake of my head. “I’m not supposed to know; Damien and Aideen wouldn’t have lied to me otherwise.”
“You aren’t starting off your relationship with my brother with a stupid lie lingering in the back of your mind. My lie.”
“Me relationship with your brother is with him,” I said, feeling a little irritated. “As I said, what you do isn’t me business. Forget I said anythin’.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Suit yourself.”
More silence.
“None of the girls have ever been this closed off with me.”
I swallowed. “None of the other girls were interrogated by you when they were just shy of eighteen and had no backbone.”
I didn’t mention that I still didn’t have much of a backbone, but Kane didn’t need to know that I was sweating having this confrontation with him.
“No backbone, my ass,” he quipped. “You put me in my place and don’t think I’ve forgotten it, because I haven’t.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I remained mute.
“You’re good for my brother, and you’re as good an addition to our family as when you were eighteen,” Kane said after a long pause. “I’m not social, I know that, but please don’t think that because I’m reserved it means that I don’t care about you.”
I felt my lips part with shock.
“I’m not sure what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Kane said. “This is the most we’ve talked since that first conversation, and I feel like I’ve overwhelmed you because this space is starting to close in on me for sure.”
I surprised us both when I chuckled.
“Your apartment will close in on you when you speak to Aideen.”
“And why is that?”
“Because when she laughed at me when Alec was chasin’ me, I told ’er I was never babysittin’ again.”
Kane appeared to almost choke on air as the elevator stopped on my floor. The doors opened, and I stepped out into the corridor and turned to face Kane.
“Now, Alannah. Wait just a second,” he began. “You don’t need to make any rash decisions when you’re—”
The doors of the elevator closed before Kane could finish, and I heard his ‘fuck’ being shouted as the elevator brought him up to his floor, and it made me laugh. With a little spring in my step, I turned and walked down the corridor and into my apartment.
“I’m back.”
The next hour and a half consisted of finishing dinner, then eating it. After we were full and content, Damien and I sat on the settee in my sitting room and turned on a film on Netflix. I leaned against him and sighed.
“I love this.”
“Love what?”
“Just bein’ ’ere with you.”
Damien kissed the crown of my head. “Me too, freckles.”
I leaned my head back on his shoulder and said, “I wanna learn you.”
“You want to learn me?” he repeated. “Is this a language barrier thing because of your accent, or did you purposely mean to word it that way?”
I chuckled. “I meant to word it that way.”
“You want to learn me?”
I nodded. “I wanna learn what makes you, you.”
“That’s cute, but I have no idea what you mean.”
I snuggled against his side.
“Does it not bother you that we have this whole history together, but we don’t really know each other?”
“We do know each other,” Damien lightly protested. “I know every curve of your face and body, your every laugh, and how much you love tea.”
I playfully rolled my eyes.
“That’s lovely, but I want to know the deep stuff.”
Damien stilled, and the slight tension that filled his body was enough to make me take notice.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everythin’,” I answered. “I don’t know anythin’ about your past or your family outside of your brothers. I don’t know about your homeland because you guys never talk about it.”
Damien was silent.
“I mean, seriously, none of you ever talk about your life before Ireland, and it’s all sort of been in the back of me head. Ireland is a part of who I am; you see and hear me country when you talk to me, but apart from an accent, I don’t get America from you, and I think that’s sad.”
Damien cleared his throat.
“There’s nothing to tell, really. The five of us grew up in upstate New York, nowhere near the city. We lived in a small community where everyone knew everyone else’s business. My parents died when I was fifteen in a car accident—”
My gasp cut Damien off.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, reaching for his hand. “Bronagh mentioned they died, but not how, and now I understand why. Her parents died in a car accident, so she probably didn’t want to think about it in case it brought up bad memories for ’er.”
Now it made sense why she brushed the lads’ parents under the carpet whenever I mentioned them. It was a sore subject not only for them, but for her, too, because of how they died.
“Yeah,” Damien said, as he began to play with my fingers. “We just sort of ... floated around for a few years, then we came here and put down roots.”
“Why Ireland, though?”
Damien cleared his throat. Again.
“It was only supposed to be a vacation, really, but within a few weeks, we knew we wanted to stay. Ryder got us enrolled in school for our final year; we had been homeschooled up until that point.”
“Well, shite,” I said, shocked. “No wonder neither you or your brother could just blend in at school and get on with it without makin’ a fuss. You didn’t have the experience.”