Keela (Slater Brothers #2.5) (6 page)

“I'm so sorry, Ry!” I gushed. “Are you okay?”

“He's fine,” Branna stated, waving him off. “He already has a damaged brain, nothin' else will increase his stupidity by much.”

Ryder straightened up to his full height and hissed at his woman, “Bite me.”

Branna snapped her teeth at him making Bronagh and Aideen laugh.

“I'm fine, Keela, thanks for
your
concern,” he said, glaring in Branna's direction.

Branna wasn't paying him any attention so Ryder strode over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her into the air and she yelped with surprise. Ryder proceeded to spin around in a circle then and Branna screamed.

“I'm sorry,” she squealed. “Stop spinnin' me!”

I was terribly confused as to what was happening so I looked to Bronagh, my face quizzical enough to make her laugh.

“He does that when she is bein' bitchy for no reason,” she explained.

He spun her around in a circle?

I blinked my eyes. “And it works?”

Bronagh nodded. “She gets motion sickness so it straightens her attitude out when he does it.”

I shook my head. “They have a weird relationship.”

Bronagh nodded her head. “Dominic just tells me to piss off if I'm being bitchy to him.”

I burst out laughing. “Alec won't tell me in so many words, he just glares at me a lot and broods in silence. His silence screams what he is feeling though.”

Bronagh smiled. “That's our Alec, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Poor lad.”

I snorted and looked back to Ryder who sat Branna's feet back on the ground and held onto her shoulders until she got her bearings and stopped swaying like she was about to fall over.

“Is the bitch gone?” he asked her.

Branna growled, “Just about.”

Ryder snorted and kissed the crown of her head and hugged her to him. I saw a small smile quirk at the corner of Branna's mouth as she put her arms around Ryder and hugged him to her.

“Love you,” she mumbled.

Ryder grinned. “I love you, too.”

Things were silent for a moment until Aideen made a heaving sound.

“Puke. Could you both be any cuter?” she asked Ryder and Branna.

Branna grinned. “Yep, would you like a demonstration?”

Aideen scrunched up her face and shook her head. We all chuckled and then us girls jumped with fright when someone burst into my apartment.

“Morning!”

I swung around and pressed my hand against my chest where my heart was pounding away.

“Omigod!” I gasped.

Bronagh and Branna yelped, “Kane!”

“You fuckin' bastard!” Aideen bellowed then stormed over to Kane and thumped him right on the chest. “You frightened the bejesus out of me, Slater. Don't bloody do that!”

Kane looked down at Aideen then to his chest and lifted his hand to rub away the pain that radiated there thanks to Aideen. He smiled when she shoved at him trying to hurt him once more. He grabbed her arms, spun her around and pressed her back into his front. He still had ahold of her hand so for the moment; he had her pinned against him.

“Nice to see you too, Ado,” he purred into her ear.

She growled, “Let. Go. Of. Me.”

Kane chuckled but did as she asked.

Aideen spun around and gave him the finger before she moved and stood behind me. I wanted to chuckle at her—he could easily get her if he wanted to but she thought having me between them somehow made it impossible.

“I didn't mean to scare you, I thought you heard us coming up the hallway,” Kane said and shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

I looked to the empty space behind him.

“Us?” I questioned.

Kane looked behind him and sighed, “Dominic?”

Nico popped his head around the doorframe and smiled. “Hi.”

I snorted, “What are you doin' out there? Come in.”

Nico stepped into my apartment and scratched behind his head. “I heard everyone scream so I waited until you all took your anger out on Kane for scaring you before I showed my face.”

I laughed while Kane glared in Nico's direction.

“Thanks,
bro
.”

Nico smiled. “Anytime.”

I shook my head at the brothers then beamed. “You came to help us pack, too?”

Nico nodded his head. “Alec is parking the moving truck downstairs, he got a huge stack of boxes with the truck too which is cool.”

That was lucky because I didn't even think of boxes to pack everything into.

Man, I was so unprepared for this.

Today was going to be a long day.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered as my stomach burst into butterflies. I dropped my duvet back onto my bed in shock. I came in here trying to get a start on packing but any thought of packing left my mind when I saw Alec.

His long hair was gone. He had a buzz cut on the sides of his head, but the top was longish and pushed to the back, but some strands hung down on his forehead. I
loved
his long hair, but this cut allowed his stunning face more viewing time.

“You don't like it?” Alec winced.

The fucking opposite.

“You look so hot that I have butterflies,” I admitted.

Alec raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

I nodded my head. “Alec... seriously. You're unbelievably hot.”

I had to sit down on my bed so I could take all of him in.

I slowly scanned his sculpted body from head to toe. He was dressed in black jeans, a white fitted t-shirt and a thick unbuttoned grey cardigan that I got him from River Island last week. He had on black Timberland boots and I could smell his aftershave from where I was sat. It was effortlessly casual, but he made the look something to gush over.

It felt like the first time seeing him, and I couldn't believe how gorgeous he was.

I couldn't believe he was my
fiancé
!

“Are you going to cry?” Alec asked, then laughed.

The bastard.

I quickly covered my face with my hands and shook my head.

I
was
crying, and I was embarrassed because of it.

“Kitten,” he chuckled.

I kept my hands on my face and shook my head, again. “Feck off.”

I heard his muffled laughter, then his footsteps, before I felt his hands on my thighs.

“Look at me, my lovely,” he murmured.

I dropped my hands and opened my eyes.

Oh, Christ.

He was even hotter up close.

“Why are you so stunnin'?” I asked.

Alec smirked. “Why are you only now noticing?”

I growled at his teasing.

“It's still me, I'm still your Alec,” he said and brought his face closer to mine.

My Alec.

Mine.

“I'm so lucky,” I whispered.

Alec scoffed. “Please. The reaction you just gave me is how I feel every time I look at you.”

“Stop it!” I screeched and covered my face again.

Alec burst out laughing and grabbed at my fingers. “Give me your mouth.”

I lowered my hands and let his mouth seek out mine.

I lifted my hands to his shoulders then slid them upwards. For a moment I was saddened when my hands brushed over the buzz cut, but my insides clenched when I gripped onto the longer part of his hair. It was nowhere near as long as before, but I could still knot my fingers in it and that was good enough for me.

I allowed myself to get lost in his kiss, and barely registered that I was now lying down, and Alec was on top of me, pressing me down into our mattress. I was so wrapped up in him that I also didn't hear our bedroom door open.

“What are you both—oh, for fuck's sake! Can you not wait until later?”

I pulled away from Alec's mouth and screeched.

I wasn't naked and neither was Alec, but I felt like we were because the moment was personal and intimate.

Alec pressed his forehead into the space of mattress next to my head.

“Kane,” he growled. “Go. Away.”

“No,” Kane retorted. “You woke me up to help pack your shit, so leave your girl alone and come help.”

Alec snarled, “I'll
kill
you if you don't walk away.”

“And I'll sit on you if you don't leave this room,” Kane snapped back.

I couldn't help it, I laughed.

“Later,” Alec murmured in my ear then kissed my cheek.

I held onto his arms. “Promise?” I murmured back as he stood up and pulled me to my feet.

He growled down at me and angled his face to kiss me again, but Kane was there to put a stop to that too.

“Don't even
think
about it.”

Alec whimpered, “I hate you so much.”

I snorted.

He turned then and dove on Kane who yelped, “I'm
sick
! You can't hit me.”

I cackled as I watched Alec bring Kane to the ground and pin him.

“You fat bastard!” Kane snapped. “Get off me!”

Alec slapped Kane's face and the look of shock on his face sent me into a fit of laughter.

“You... you slapped me,” Kane said.

He blinked at Alec in disbelief.

“You cock blocked me,” Alec replied. “Be happy it's nothing harder.”

Kane continued to blink, then a fleeting moment later his shock evaporated and rage twisted his handsome face. I felt my jaw drop open when Kane lifted his hands to Alec’s arms and flipped him off his body. Kane quickly rolled to the side and slammed Alec onto his back and got in his face.

“Hit me now,” he growled.

I was stunned to silence.

“How did you do that?” I asked Kane, but he was too busy to answer me.

Alec grunted in Kane's hold. “You motherfucker... sick my ass.”

I didn't intervene—they attacked each other at random all the time so I knew it was nothing serious. The first time Nico did it to Alec though I just about had a heart attack. I took off my shoe and threw it at Nico's head to stop him. The brothers still teased me about it to this day.

“Try to slap me again,” Kane repeated.

Alec grunted, spewed curses then grunted some more.

“I can't!” he hissed.

“Exactly,” Kane growled. “Remember that.”

He got up off him, then got to his feet and pulled Alec up with him.

“You're a dick!” Alec said and brushed his clothes off.

Kane grinned at him. “I know, now come on.”

They left the room shoving and cursing at one another and it made me smile.

I loved the bond the brothers had—it was beautiful.

It was odd, and sometimes scary with how intense it was, but beautiful none-the-less.

I shook my head as they walked out of the room then snorted as I walked over to my dresser and heard Kane shout at Alec to get away from me. He laughed at Kane and ran back into our room.

“I forgot to say hello to her, give me a second.”

I melted.

He was too cute.

“Hello Alec,” I chuckled.

He walked up behind me. “Hello, Kitten.”

“How many boxes did you get with the van?” I asked.

He snorted and kissed the back of my head. “Nice to see you too, Kitten. I missed you as well.”

Missed me?

He was gone for about an hour.

I rolled my eyes. “Hi, I missed you too... How many boxes did you get?”

Alec laughed and playfully smacked my behind. “Twenty. My brothers are folding them and taping them now. They gave them to me flat and because they were free I didn't wanna complain.”

I smiled, but said nothing as I thought for the millionth time about moving.

“Hey,” Alec murmured in my ear. “Is everything okay?”

No, not at all.

“Yeah... I'm just stressed with the move,” I replied, playing it off like it was nothing.

Alec placed his hands on my arms and gently rubbed up and down. “Are you sure that's all?”

I nodded my head.

“Keela,” Alec began. “Talk to me, what's wrong?”

Everything.

“Nothin', I'm fine,” I assured him.

His silence spoke volumes, so I decided to give him a little piece of what I was thinking.

“I've just never moved into a house with another person before, especially not another person who is my fiancé. It's sinkin' in that we're for real. I was convinced for a long time that you wantin' me was some kind of fluke. I was expectin' you to realise that you could have anyone, so why settle for me? Then you'd up and walk out.”

Alec turned me to face him and leaned his head down so he could press his forehead against mine. “I don't know what else I can do to make you realise you're it for me. I don't see anyone
but
you. You're my life, Keela. I wish you knew just how much I love you and how lucky I am that
you
picked
me
. You don't know how beautiful you are, and I hope you never realise it because if you do, you'll realise you can do better than my sorry ass, then you'll up and leave
me
.”

Yeah,
right
.

“Stop it,” I mumbled and tried to pull back.

“No,” Alec stated firmly and held me still. “You
are
beautiful. You
are
perfect to me. You
are
my life. You are
never
going to convince me that I am worthy of you. Kitten, I love you so much it hurts. Please realise that.”

Oh, Christ.

I was about to cry. Again.